Week 92, 9-24-2017

Thoughts and Quotes:  Never eat soggy waffles.   Reagan

Reagan is my brother Bill's granddaughter. She calls him Papa Bill. When she was six, Bill was taking her to her gymnastics class.  She knew the route of course. She noticed the N on the rear view mirror, and asked about it. Bill told her that it meant they were driving north. Reagan asked, "Then when we turn right at the next corner, will it change to E because we'll be going east?"

Bill told her yes, but how did she know that it would be east, to which she replied, "Papa Bill, everyone knows Never Eat Soggy Waffles!"

Tasting: I'm posting this recipe at my brother's request. That way it will be on the drop down above, and he'll always know where to find it.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Adapted from Machine Shed’s Great Farm Fixin’s

8 Servings 

1 tsp lemon pepper

1 tsp cumin seed

2-1/2 cups chicken broth

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 Tbs oil

1 clove garlic, chopped fine

1 cup chopped onion

2 (11 oz) cans white corn, drained

2 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles, undrained

1 tsp ground cumin

2-1/2 Tbs lime juice

2 (14 oz) cans white or Great Northern beans, undrained

2/3 cup crushed tortilla chips (or more)

2/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or more)

In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, lemon pepper and cumin seed, and bring to a boil.

Add chicken and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 minutes or until done.

Remove chicken and cut into small pieces; return to pan.

Cook garlic in oil one minute.  Add to chicken.   Sauté onions in same oil and add.

Add corn, chiles, ground cumin, and lime juice and bring to a boil.

Add beans and simmer until heated.

Put crushed tortilla chips in each person’s bowl and pour in soup.  Top with cheese.

Note: This is a slightly altered recipe from a cookbook from a restaurant called “The Machine Shed” which is close to Des Moines, Iowa.  If you’re ever near there, be sure to stop in, as the food is great.

The Pepper and Pals Report: Stormy rarely wants to go outside during the day now and the screened patio is getting really warm, so I've been letting her in the house. Pepper is adjusting nicely, so long as she stays off HIS COUCH by HIS MAMA. They still chase each other around the house, but I think he's starting to enjoy the company.

Yesterday was Cooking Club lunch, so I was gone a good part of the afternoon. When I returned, Pepper was sleeping beside the love seat in my bedroom. He never naps there during the day, so I knew Stormy was underneath. 

The janitor continues his nightly clean-up duty on the outdoor patio where the feral kitties eat.

Sometimes the President of the janitorial company comes by to check on him. I guess he'd been to a black tie dinner, judging by the way he was dressed. He has the most beautiful luxurious tail.

We even had a visit from The Chairman of the Board this week, but he's very secretive. I can't get a photo, because he takes off at the slightest sound, but I have seen him. He wears a mask to hide his identity, but I recognize him from his ringed tail.


Time for Others: Some of Joey's latest cards. 

Tasting: Mim prepared a beautiful VECC (Very Exclusive Cooking Club) lunch for us yesterday.

September 23, 2017, at Mim’s

THE TABLE

THE MENU

Yogurt-Dill Cucumber Salad

Galumpkis

(Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Parslied Potatoes

Carrots with Honey and Cinnamon

Steamed Beets

Sister Shubert Rolls

Iced Tea

Apple Pie a la mode

THE FOOD

Note: The carrots, beets, parsley, and dill came from Mim's garden.

THE PARTY FAVORS

Coaster/Trivet and Magnetic Bookmarks

THE RECIPES

Creamy Yogurt-Dill Cucumber Salad

• 3 medium cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds) 
• 1/2 cup thick, Greek-style yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream
•  2 teas. honey
• 2 tablespoons minced dill 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel the cucumbers with a peeler or knife.
2. Thinly slice the cucumbers on a mandolin or with a knife, about 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick slices.
3. In a medium serving bowl, combine the yogurt, honey, and dill. Stir to combine them thoroughly.
4. Add cucumbers and stir to coat the cucumber slices completely with the yogurt-dill mixture.
5. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
6. Serve chilled. Serves 4 to 6 as a side salad.

This salad is best eaten within a day of preparation.

It should be kept chilled until right before serving due to the yogurt or sour cream. Keep that in mind if you are bringing it to a picnic or potluck.

The cucumbers will produce some liquid after mixing with the yogurt or sour cream, so you can expect the salad to be a little thinner the longer it is chilled after preparation.

(Galumpkis)

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Click here

Parslied Potatoes

Cube the potatoes into medium-sized chunks; boil until tender.

Add butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Chop 2 rounded tablespoons of fresh parsley and add to potato mixture.

Gold potatoes work best.

Carrots with Honey and Cinnamon

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut to your preference

1/4 cup honey

1 Tbs butter

1 tsp cinnamon

Cook carrots by steaming, boiling, or microwaving until crisp tender.

In a small saucepan, combine honey, butter, and cinnamon. Heat and stir until butter melts.

Drain carrots, put in serving dish, and drizzle honey mixture over.

Mim’s Apple Pie

2 lbs. Granny Smith apples

2 lbs. Braeburn or Gala apples  

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 package refrigerated piecrust

1 egg white

1 T. granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel apples, and cut into 1/2 inch think wedges. Toss apples with cinnamon and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. 

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; add brown sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and spoon into a deep-dish pie pan, and place 1 piecrust in the pie dish over brown sugar mixture.

Spoon apple mixture over piecrust, and top with remaining piecrust. Whisk egg white until foamy. Brush top of piecrust with egg white; sprinkle with 1 T. granulated sugar. Cut 4-5 slits in top for steam to escape. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown and bubbly, shielding with aluminum foil during the last 10-20 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Serve with ice cream.

Taking Care of My Health: Remember, this is my eating plan. I'm not a nutritionist, but so far what I've shown you would be good for anyone. If you're following along, you'll have to adjust things to suit your particular needs. 

Eat every day:

Apples

Salad of your choice

Foods High in Magnesium (see week 87)

Yellow or Orange fruit or vegetable

Green vegetable or fruit

Blue or Purple vegetabe or fruit

This week we'll add a white vegetable or fruit.

I'm finding each day easier and easier to include all the things on the list. Doing it gradually has made it less stressful.

Tablescapes: Drum roll, please!  I give you Farmers Market - the final tablescape. All 52 are finished. Now I have to do the write-ups and then figure out how to upload everything to the printer. But for now - Woo Hoo!

Farmers Market

BUY A PUMPKIN FOR YOUR PORCH

AND SOME MUMS

WE CAN PLANT BULBS NOW

FERTILIZE THE LAWN

DELICIOUS GRAPES ARE IN SEASON

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

SET A PRETTY TABLE

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Week 91, 9-17-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: Of all the seasons, autumn offers the most to man and requires the least of him.

                                                                        Hal Borland 

It's coming - next Friday, September 22, 2017. Soon we'll have colored leaves and corn mazes and pumpkin patches. If you're lucky, you might have a festival near you. Maybe apple butter making or fall crafts. If you can't find a festival, get out anyway. Take a drive and enjoy the leaves. Better yet, take a walk and see them up close. Check out the cemeteries. For some reason, cemeteries always have beautiful fall foliage.

Time Goes By: And before you know it, you're attending your 61st class get together. We have a class reunion every five years, but we have a class "picnic" every September. In the beginning, it really was a picnic, in the park, with the heat and the bugs. Shortly after, it was moved to a church community center in the form of a potluck. Now we have a picnic buffet at a local country club. As this was not a "milestone" year, we had mostly local people, no one from out of state, and only a few out of towners. Still, we had 40+ people, and we had a great time.

 As I drove in, I noticed the leaves are starting to turn.

 But the flowers are still blooming as if summer will go on forever.

There are always hanging baskets of beautiful angel-wing begonias.

The interior is rather dated, but the servers are polite and the price is right.

We had 600+ graduates from Central High, and we were the last class to graduate when Central was the only public high school in Springfield, Missouri. Now there are five. This week Central High earned the title of most beautiful high school in the state. The original building was built in 1893, and just celebrated its 125th graduating class. 

Bob Barker of The Price is Right fame graduated from Central High, and I just read that he has a half-brother named Kent Valandra. We had a Kent Valandra in our class, but now he's on the "missing" list, so I can't ask him if he's one and the same. Rose has kept records of our class for years. She has boxes of information. Each September she carts in binders of photos of past picnics and reunions, updated lists of who attended, who is on which list - located, missing, and in memorium. 

Our banner is getting rather worn, but we love it anyway.

In keeping with our idea of a "picnic", we always have grilled beef patties and buns, plus cheese slices and all the fixings for those who want a hamburger - grilled chicken breasts for those who no longer eat red meat. No problem having my salad for the day -

and cantaloupe and pineapple for yellow/orange

plus baked beans for magnesium and mashed potatoes instead of potato chips this year. A celebration cake, of course, or cookies if you preferred.

We have a dedicated team to handle all this each year, and we already have a tentative date for next year - September 15. If your high school has reunions, I urge you to attend. You'll find the continuity is rather comforting as you age.

Tablescapes: The Holly table redo is finished.

Tablescapes: And the Christmas Tree redo is also finished.

One more table for November and then I can start on the write-up portion of the book. Then I have to figure out how to put everything in the format requred to upload it for printing. 

The November table is a replacement for Thanksgiving, so I need a new idea. My creative juices have shut down, but I'm sure the light bulb will go on soon. Still considering "Farmers Market".

Taking Care of Our Health: If you're following along, here's where we are - every day eat:
Apples
Salad of your choice
Foods High in Magnesium (see week 87)
Yellow or Orange fruit or vegetable
Green vegetable or fruit

This week we'll add a blue or purple vegetable or fruit - plums, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, purple grapes, raisins, beets, eggplant, purple cauliflower, purple potatoes, red onions, for example. 

Sorry, that's all I have this week. I've been mulching and sorting all my cardmaking junk. I'm still behind, and will probably have short posts for awhile.  Don't give up on me.

CHECK OUT THE TURNING LEAVES

MAYBE HOST AN AUTUMN TEA

TRY A NEW SALAD RECIPE - ONE WHICH IS A MEAL IN ITSELF

START YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

FINISH YOUR MULCHING

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE