Sunday, January 7, 2018

Week 107, 1-7-2018

Thoughts and Quotes: Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours."  Robert Byrne

And this year I believe it was shouted. Record low temperatures all over, but my dear brother Bill and nephew Will braved the cold to come for lunch on New Year's Day. So - 

Tasting: Black-eyed peas for luck all year, collard greens for money, rice for health, and ham and cornbread because they fit in really well. My lemon custard pudding cake didn't turn out too well, but we ate it anyway. 







The recipes are in the drop-down menu above: Black-eyed Peas under Sides; Collard Greens under Vegetables; Cornbread under Bread; and Lemon Pudding Cake under Desserts, Other.

Time once again to: Check your smoke alarm batteries and reseason your little red pan. Preheat the oven to 300F. Spread a light coating of vegetable oil over the inside of the pan. Put in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Wipe out the oil with a paper towel. You're good to go for another six months.

Tasting - Muffin Tin Monday: Breakfast in a Bun but would also make good snack food. If you make them for a lady's brunch, allow two per person.


BREAKFAST IN A BUN
4 pre-cooked sausage patties
3 eggs
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
4 green onion tops, finely minced
1 8-count tube of crescent rolls dough

Heat the oven to 375°.

Scramble eggs and set aside (leave in skillet so they’ll stay warm).

Microwave the sausage patties on high for 30 seconds and then cut in half.

Separate the crescent rolls and lay one across each of eight muffin cups.

Divide the scrambled eggs evenly into the eight cups.

Sprinkle green onion tops over eggs.

Put a sausage half in each cup and sprinkle with cheese.

Wrap the crescent roll dough around the filling.

Bake 12 minutes.

Brush tops with soft butter while hot.


Tasting - Soup: The perfect solution for the New Year's hambone - split pea soup. It's on the drop-down menu under soup - Wisconsin Split Pea Soup.


Tasting - Salad: This is a recipe you can change around to suit the tastes of your diners. You can even individualize them for each person.

FRUITS OF WINTER SALAD

Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
Red apples, unpeeled and cut into bite-size cubes
Pears, peeled (any kind – Anjou, Bartlett, Red), cut into bite-size cubes
Shredded white cheese of choice: Monterey Jack, Swiss, Mozzarella, Havarti (no Pepper Jack)
Craisins
Honey-roasted peanuts

Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup honey or low-calorie sweetener equal to 1/2 cup sugar)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsps minced red onion
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Blend all but the oil in an electric blender until smooth.

Remove center of lid, and slowly drizzle in the oil while the motor is running on low. Keep motor running until dressing is thickened.

Note: If time permits, mix all but oil and refrigerate a few hours before blending to give the dressing a nice pink tint.

Line each salad plate with lettuce.

Scatter apples and pears over lettuce and drizzle on dressing.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Toss on Craisins and peanuts.



Tip: If you got one of those assortments of cheese, sausages, crackers, etc. for Christmas and you don't want to just pig out, cut up a bunch of veggies and toss them in the skillet, starting with the ones which take longer to cook. Then add slices of sausage (or cut each slice in half if you desire). No spices or herbs needed; just add salt and pepper. So good and you can eat the rainbow on one plate (toss in ripe olives at the end if you have no other blue or purple).


Tissue Box Cards: Guess I really liked this box, because I ended up with enough to make six cards. 



















And a bookmark.


I made all the envelopes the same.


Next week's tissue box


Tidying: My weekly seven discards. Nelson DeMille is one of my favorite authors, but this was not one of my favorite books. There's a lot of info about the time in Ethiopia after the overthrow of Haile Selassie, but the plot left a lot to be desired. Some nail-biting moments, but not worth the time invested. Just my opinion.


The Pepper and Pals Report: Pepper's eye continues to heal, and I've removed his collar since he has no claws to scratch now. He's a happy boy without that collar. I think it was making him depressed.


Stormy is working on the complete destruction of her caterpillar - won't be long now, for which I'm grateful, as I'm tired of picking up red yarn and pink netting. She knows what the laser is and can get it off the coffee table, but gets frustrated because she can't make it work.


Midnight's kittens are almost as big as she is now. Thankfully, I've been lucky trapping them and each one has been spayed or neutered.


Tidying: I've divided the house into twelve parts. If I clean one area each month, I'll have my deep clean finished by the end of the year and I can start over. Doesn't that sound depressing? Cleaning as a constant companion. My schedule is set up in Excel, so it doesn't copy well, but each item has a little square so I can check it off. I LOVE making lists and checking them off. Makes me feel productive. I started with the living room because it's in the middle of the house with no windows. Who wants to clean windows when the water would freeze before you finished? This doesn't mean that I won't clean a toilet or two as I go along - this is the BIG TIME DEEP CLEAN I'm talking about. 

See? No windows.






LIVING ROOM:
1 Clean fan
2 Clear out desk and credenza
3 Clean vent
4 Clean pictures
5 Vacuum/shampoo furniture
6 Clean tabletop items
7 Clean lamps
8 Clean fireplace
9 Clean plants
10 Dust/polish furniture
11 Clean baseboards
12 Vacuum/shampoo carpet
13 Sweep/mop tile
  14 Clean glass tabletops

If I stop blabbing, maybe I can get started on this. Or maybe I can read my book and start tomorrow. Hmmmmmm. . . . .

KEEP EATING THE RAINBOW

DRINK LOTS OF WATER

SLATHER DRY WINTER SKIN WITH LOTIONS AND CREAMS

WE STILL NEED A LITTLE SUN, GET OUTSIDE WHEN YOU CAN

PLAN A SUMMER VACATION 

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE














5 comments:

  1. Always enjoy your posts. Never heard of eating rice for health on New Years, we always do black-eyed peas though. Thought the cornbread was for gold though? Winter salad sounds delicious and your living room is beautiful. Hope you are having a wonderful week!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your kind words. I spent most of my adult life in California, and that's where I learned about rice for health. Lots of Asians in CA. I love the idea of cornbread for gold. That's new to me, and now I'll add that to my list. Maybe the ham is for eating "high on the hog" all year? Doesn't quite fit, but it sounds fun.

      If you don't make the salad, at least make the dressing. I just had salad tonight with that dressing on a cut up kale-Brussels sprouts-cabbage salad and it was yummy. Also threw on some honey-roasted peanuts; my new favorite salad topping.

      I am having a wonderful week, and hope you are as well.

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    2. Forgot - in California, we also ate tamales at New Year for good luck; the Mexican influence. Can't get those yummy little treasures here so far as I know. They were the little ones made with ready-made masa and steamed in corn husks which had been soaked in water. Very labor intensive. Too much work for me. Maybe I'll buy some of those canned ones from Hormel next year.

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  2. Happy New Year dearest Darling Dear! It's been pouring snow like crazy here today. Hope your week has been cozy so far. I'm slowly joining life in blogland again as I've had a sick Annie here for a few days and then kiddos home for snow day today.
    I'm so happy to hear Pepper is better! And your recipes sound delightful as always (I'm so making those breakfast buns - my fam will LOVE them!). And so clever with the tissue box cards. Recycling perfection.

    And feel free to come here with your list and dive into some cleaning here too. ::sigh:: I need to reorganize my pantry cabinets so badly! I got some good OXO canisters for it and just need to get motivated. My craft space needs so much love too. Come on 2018 - bring on the motivation!! Blessings Patsy my Girl. xoxo

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    Replies
    1. We're up for it! This is our year. Onward and upward. Good things happening. Not much progress on the cleaning, but I found the socket to fix my hanging light over my sink and the electrician will be here tomorrow.

      Yesterday was 65 degrees, today is 56 and tomorrow is expected to be 28. No snow yet, but might soon.
      I've been to the market and stocked up on produce and dairy so I won't have to go out, but our Cooking Club lunch is Saturday and I CANNOT miss that. Too much fun!

      Love to you and yours, hope Annie is all well again.

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