Week 123, 4-29-2018

Thoughts and Quotes: Do graciously that which you must do anyway. My Auntie

And next week I shall graciously be doing yardwork. Finally, no rain and decent temperatures. The Tea Book proof will be back at the printers, and the ball will be in their court. I have no commitments except one lunch the day it's supposed to rain, so no excuses. Time to get the yard back in shape and the car washed. I shall do it graciously.

This has been a fun week of Tasting and Thrifting. The VECC (Very Exclusive Cooking Club) met at my house for lunch on Thursday. As Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, I made my version of Mexican food (I thought - more on that later). 

VERY EXCLUSIVE COOKING CLUB

April 26, 2018, at Patsy’s

THE TABLE

THE MENU

Bean and Corn Salad

Chicken Enchiladas

Hearty Spanish Rice

Chile Relleno Casserole

Pico de Gallo with Chips

Galopita and Fruit

THE FOOD

THE RECIPES

BEAN AND CORN SALAD

1 can cut green beans, drained

1 can corn, drained (can substitute yellow wax beans)

2 cans kidney beans drain one can halfway, do not drain the other

1 green pepper, chopped

4 green onions with tops, chopped

Dressing:

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup white vinegar

Mix vegetables together in large bowl.

Mix dressing ingredients together and pour over.

Chill at least six hours; best if overnight.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

2 cups cooked chicken cubes

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced ripe olives (optional)

8 corn tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can red enchilada sauce 15 oz or 28 oz (see below)

Cooking oil

Heat oven to 350°.

Lightly grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Have chicken, cheese, onions and olives ready in separate bowls.

Heat oil in small skillet on medium heat.  Using tongs, put a tortilla in oil a few seconds, flip for a few seconds and then blot with paper towels.  Immediately place in baking dish and fill with ingredients in bowls.  Roll and place seam side down in a row in baking dish.  Continue until there are six in a row the 13” length, then put two the opposite direction below the row.

Spread the soup (undiluted) over the tops of the rolled tortillas.  Spoon enchilada sauce over all.  You’ll need most of a 15 oz can, but if using a 28 oz can, save extra to use when warming any leftovers to prevent drying out.

Sprinkle any remaining cheese and olives over the top and bake for 30 minutes.

Note: Filling ingredients are approximate.

HEARTY SPANISH RICE

1 lb hamburger, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 green pepper, chopped

2 small onions, cut in half and thinly slice

2 cups Minute Rice, uncooked

3 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2 8 oz. cans water

Sour cream, optional

Brown hamburger in a large skillet.

Add rice.

Add green pepper and onions, mix.

Add tomato sauce and water.

Cover and simmer about 10 minutes or until right amount of liquid has been absorbed.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

 CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

2 4-oz cans diced green chiles, drained

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup Bisquick

1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 375.

Grease 8 x 8 glass baking dish.

Spread chiles over bottom of pan.

Sprinkle tomatoes over chiles, then cheese.

Beat remaining ingredients until smooth and pour over.

Bake 30-35 minutes. 

Cut in squares or scoop out with serving spoon.

 GALOPITA

1 qt 4% milk

1/4 cup (half stick) butter

1/2 cup Cream of Wheat

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

Cinnamon

Grapes and oranges (optional)

Heat oven to 350°.

Scald milk with butter in large saucepan.

Slowly add Cream of Wheat; cook over low heat six minutes. 

Remove from heat and add sugar.  Cool to lukewarm.

Beat eggs until thick; then slowly add to saucepan, beating well.

Pour into 13 x 9 glass baking dish and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cut in squares and put on serving plate, garnish with grapes and oranges.

Note: I’ve been making this for years as my Mexican dessert because it’s very similar to flan, but easier to make. I just found out it’s a Greek dessert. Back to the drawing board.

This is the Very Exclusive Cooking Club because we limit our members to four. We've been three for sometime now; not because we're not friendly, but because no one wants to cook anymore. How did we all get so busy?

Thank yous: For my hostess gifts. 

From Bev: a pretty mixing bowl

Beverage can toppers

Her latest creation - peanut butter truffles in chocolate flower cups

From Mim: Spinach and feta bread

Some special tea bags to sample

New gardening gloves (perfect time)

And lavender facial scrub

Friday was more Tasting AND Thrifting, but books only. Joey and I went to the Greene County Library book sale. I found more Robert B. Parker books and a Rick Steves book on Paris. Too busy to get back there, so maybe I'll just go by way of the written word. I also found a few cookbooks I couldn't resist and a novel called The Cookbook Collector. Joey and I looked to see if she had a chapter about us. We have shelves and boxes full of cookbooks which we read like novels.

I already have books 1 and 2 from this series, and I really do like homemade bread.

Sunset is a California magazine. I used to subscribe when I lived there. 

I've been looking for this book, but I don't remember why. Did I discuss a recipe from this book with any of you? 

I love these fund raiser books, but you have to read carefully, as some recipes are incomplete.

Joey and I both bought one of these. I told her that we should (selectively) cook our way through the book the way Julie did with Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. And if you haven't seen that movie (Julie and Julia), by all means put it on your bucket list. You'll love it. 

I thought this looked like fun.

And a group of little Pillsbury books, bound with a rubber band, for $1.

And then some Tasting at McAlisters. 

I had a half and half - Grilled Chicken Salad and Spud Max. Can you believe? That's a half of one of their baked potatoes.

And Joey had Chicken Salad on Croissant and Potato Salad

More Tasting and Thrifting on Saturday when Nancy and I went to Harrison, Arkansas, to check out the original Neighbors Mill Restaurant and the flea markets and thrift stores. We had lunch at Ruby Lena's Tea Room in Branson on the way.

Sampler platter: Chicken Quiche, Strawberry Salad, Muffin, Strawberry Soup. Nancy had the same, but with Bacon Quiche and Broccoli-Cheddar-Potato Soup. 

 I found some treasures in Harrison I couldn't resist.

A placemat which I'll use under the centerpiece. Too bad they had only one - 50 cents.

I have serving bowls and large plates which match this lunch size plate. Also 50 cents.

Ten napkin rings for $2.

I bought two sets of these from Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance with autumn merchandise, but I guarantee I paid more than 50 cents per set. 

They're actually blue (and a nice shade at that) earrings for 25 cents. 

Wedding cake votive candles for 50 cents each, and you'll see them on a theme table one of these days.

Dessert plates. I have some which are similar but smaller. I can put a scoop of ice cream with a piece of cake on these. Four for $2.

More napkin rings - 75 cents. Wish I'd had these when I did the Farmer's Market table.

Sixty-five Thomas Kinlade post cards for $1. I can make some nice thank you cards from these.

And a cookbook, of course, for $1. Thankfully, a couple of women got there ahead of us and bought armloads, so not much to choose from.

And we did actually visit the original Neighbors Mill. We were hungry again by then, so we had sandwiches before we headed home. Of course, I had to have a loaf of Strawberry-Pecan Bread to take along. It's my favorite. The Springfield location is more industrial looking than Harrison's, but basically the same set up, menu, and bakery items.

The Pepper and Pals Report: The Three Musketeers: Flower, Fred, and Ginger (Midnight's "babies").

They're about to be evicted. The weather is warmer now, and they don't need rugs and blankets. They've already stopped sleeping in the carriers, and I want to put my patios back in order.

Pepper and Stormy are doing well. They get along just fine untill Stormy scratches too long in the potty box and then Pepper goes in to tell her that she's scratched long enough. He corners her behind the stool, and she yowls for me to rescue her.

I have to keep the guest bath door closed now, because Stormy was trying to deconstruct the throw rug. My one girl destruction derby.

I've blabbed long enough, so I'll give you only a short part of the California National Parks tour. Now where were we?

Tuesday, September 26 (Yosemite)

Breakfast wasn’t all that great – again.  I had a little patty of mystery meat sausage, an egg cooked in a sea of chopped tomatoes, a sundae I made of yogurt and cottage cheese, sweetener, granola, craisins and dried apricots.

Eating as a group is so neat because you learn new things about places to go, things to see, and if women are talking, new recipes.  Now I know from talking to Dolores how to easily prepare tomatoes for the freezer.

Off at 8:00 and not long after I could use my phone for the first time in two days.  I returned Gloria’s call and found that Benny has been stripped of his manhood, had his shots, and that the vet thinks that he’s about one year old and a very healthy kitty.  Now maybe we can find him a home.  I called Mike  (my son) but no answer so I told him I’d probably be out of phone range for a few days.

Gloria was a friend in my subdivision, and we paid the vet to take care of a stray kitty we names Benny (for Bentwater - our subdivision), and then two weeks later he disappeared.

Inside Yosemite, we stopped at a little pioneer village but the buildings were neither furnished nor open, so I wasn’t too interested.  An open building had a nice collection of old horse-drawn vehicles.  One that I’d never seen was a tanker with a spout which carried oil to be spread on the ponds (yuck!) in Tuolumne Meadows for mosquito abatement.  The village had a cute little log cabin called “The Artist’s Cabin”.  My cousin would sure love it – lots of room for easels, canvas, brushes, etc.  A very neat covered bridge over a bubbling stream leads into the village.  The water runs over round rocks and makes the most wonderful little song.   I was wishing I lived by a stream.

I had time to run over to the gift shop and small post office.  I got more stamps and mailed some post cards – have to keep up my chores.

We had lunch at the Wawona.  It was a repeat of the first night at The Doubletree; salad of spring greens, baked chicken, rice pilaf, squash medley, except that we had apple pie for dessert.  The food was so-so, but we had real linens, lots of silverware and stemmed glasses.  The restaurant is like a sunroom, very charming.  The Wawona is white frame buildings with white wicker furniture on white railed porches and white wooden lawn chairs scattered over the grounds.  Someone once described The Ahwanee as the Grand Old Dame and The Wawona as the Girl Next Door. (We'll see the Ahwanee later).

A great stop at Bridal Veil Falls.  Lots of good pictures on the way up and a sweet little Jack Russell terrier in the parking lot.  The stream coming down from the falls is a mere trickle.  I remembered a rushing river from before.  I must have been there in the spring that time.

On and off the bus all day.  We stopped at Yosemite Falls, watched rock climbers on El Capitan and had picture stops at other scenic spots.  I’d forgotten how truly beautiful Yosemite can be.

I'm so smitten with this place, I can't stop taking photos. And it looks as if the tourists can't resist feeding the squirrels.

Their markings are so unusual. The speckles are barely visible, but remind me of a pinecone. Great way to hide in pine trees.

We had dinner at the Food Court at Yosemite Lodge and looked through the gift shops.  Dinner was tilapia, Brussels sprouts, salad and carrot cake.  Dinner was so-so, cake was good. 

We stayed at Cedar Grove, a nice facility outside the park in El Portal.  We weren’t back until 7:45 and I washed undies, had a bath and bed to read at 9:30.  Another nice quiet place.

(To be continued)

HANG A MAY BASKET

CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO

SUNSHINE'S COMING - GO OUTSIDE

TAKE A WALK

HOW ABOUT A PICNIC?

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE