Week 115, 3-4-2018

Thoughts and Quotes: Never give up; never, never, never!  Winston Churchill

I hear you, Winnie, I'll conquer Windows 10 yet. Someday I might even stop complaining that Outlook Express is gone. 

Tasting: The Back to School theme dinner is finished, but I don't have the photos as they have not loaded from my old computer yet. So sorry. I worked really hard to finish so I could post it today. Oh, well. Next week, hopefully.

Tasting: This week's soup is Cream of Asparagus. 

CREAM OF ASPARAGUS SOUP

1-1/2 lbs fresh asparagus

2 cups chopped onion

4 Tbs butter

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

Salt and white pepper

Cut tips off the asparagus and reserve.  Snap off woody ends and discard.  Cut stalks into ½” pieces.

Sauté onion in butter over low heat in heavy pot for about 20 minutes until transparent.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Add asparagus stalk pieces, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.

Puree soup in blender using batches of some liquid, some asparagus.  Start blender on low-pulse, working your way up to liquefy-high.  Hold down lid with a dish towel.  If it splashes, it’s hot.

Return soup to pot, add asparagus tips and simmer until tips are tender, 5-8 minutes.

OR, cook tips in a little butter in a small skillet while the simmering is going on and add them on top of your soup after you put it in bowls (or cups).

Stir in cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring up to serving temperature.

This week's salad:

CHICKEN MEAL SALAD 1

Salad greens of choice

Cooked chicken, cubes or slices

Cooked bacon, cut in 1/2” pieces

Hard boiled eggs, cut as desired

Cherry tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters if large

Ripe olives 

Seedless cucumber, sliced

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Honey-Mustard salad dressing, bottled or see below

Line plates with salad greens. I used green-leaf lettuce and baby spinach.

Arrange chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers as desired.

Sprinkle with Cheddar.

Serve with a side of honey-mustard salad dressing. Use bottled if you wish, but I find it too tangy, so I make my own.

Honey-Mustard Salad Dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

2 Tbs apple cider vinegar

4 Tbs honey

4 Tbs Dijon mustard

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup salad oil

Put all but oil in a shaker or jar with a lid. Give it a good shake. Add oil. Shake until well blended. Makes 1-1/3 cups.

This week's Muffin Tin Monday recipe:

UPSIDE-DOWN MUFFIN TIN CAKES

For this recipe, you’ll need 2 6-cup muffin tins and 1 12-cup regular muffin tin

1-1/4 cups butter, melted

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 20-oz can pineapple slices in juice (you should have 10 slices)

10 maraschino cherries

1 Yellow or pineapple cake mix

Juice from pineapple

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

Heat oven to 350°F.

Drain pineapple and reserve juice for cake batter. Set aside separately.

Line a 12-cup regular muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

Using jumbo muffin tins, put 1 Tbs melted butter in each of 10 cups.

Put 1 Tbs packed brown sugar in each cup. Distribute evenly.

Put a pineapple slice in each jumbo cup; put a cherry in each center.

Mix the cake mix, pineapple juice, oil, and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Fill the jumbo cups about 2/3 full and then use the balance to fill the paper-lined cups.

Bake the jumbo muffins 15-18 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each to loosen. Place a flat baking sheet over each muffin tin; invert and leave tin over cakes for about 5 minutes before removing.

Bake the regular muffins about 10-12 minutes. Test for with a toothpick. When done, run a dinner knife around the edge of each to loosen. Save smaller cakes for another use.

Note: I used two 6-cup jumbo muffin tins and 1 12-cup regular muffin tin. Use whatever you have, but if using only regular muffin tins, you need to cut the pineapple in 1/4's and use 2 pieces in each cup. If you don't have enough cherries, just cut them in half and place them cut side up.

This is a rather large dinner plate, and as you can see, only seven would fit. Each makes a generous serving.

Tissue Box Card of the Week: I'm still four behind. Bear with me.

I didn't think the deer were visible enough, so I made a couple like this.

Here's a better look and nearer the color.

I've heard that, like bad things, broken things come in threes. If this is so, maybe I'll be back to normal soon. I was broken for two weeks, but now I'm well except that I can't taste very well - not a good thing when you're trying new recipes.

My kitchen faucets had to be replaced and it took FIVE trips from the plumber. Not his fault, the faucets were defective, so after trying two different sets, I now have a different brand, and they're working well and not dripping.

I'm writing this on my new computer, but I don't have all my old files on here yet, and I'm stumbling through Windows 10. Very frustrating, but at least I'm not getting slow downs and freezes like before.

The kitties are doing well, and I'll be back with a better post next week.

STAY WARM - IT'S NOT SPRING YET

WATCH FOR THE ROBINS

PLANT A ROSE BUSH

OR JUMP IN THE CAR AND HEAD FOR THE SUN

AND THE BEACH

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE