tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28545979558669676662024-03-14T02:33:44.449-07:00Gardener's RamblingsGardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-13548066167871814522018-03-22T09:53:00.000-07:002018-03-23T07:09:19.262-07:00Tomato Kale SoupOnce again...trying to eat healthy and try something new. I bought kale this week, and then didn’t know what to do with it. I found this recipe, <a href="https://damndelicious.net/2016/01/07/slow-cooker-tomato-kale-and-quinoa-soup/" target="_blank">Tomato-kale-quinoa Soup/</a>, and modified it a bit to use ingredients that I had in the house. I thought it was very good.<br />
<br />
1 28 oz can no salt added crushed tomatoes<br />
1 16 oz can chili flavored kidney beans<br />
3 cups water<br />
3 beef bouillon cubes<br />
1 medium onion chopped<br />
Oregano, rosemary, garlic, black pepper, and thyme (I didn’t measure, just put some of each in)<br />
1/2 of a 5 oz container of baby kale, large stems removed and chopped<br />
<br />
(I meant to add the bay leaves, but forgot, and I couldn’t find any quinoa, even though I know there is some in the house. I didn’t miss either item though)<br />
<br />
I put everything in at once, and cooked this in my crockpot on high for about four hours, I sprinkled some shredded Parmesan on my serving.<br />
<br />
If you are following Weight Watchers this is probably one point per serving without the cheese. (I am assuming that the chili sauce on the beans counts for some points. I don’t think any of the other ingredients have points with the current smart points system.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VBd1Sz6clQ/WrUKYzrAn2I/AAAAAAAABno/MQEApbOAulgeGMoyxrWJGQaqRrFiljntwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VBd1Sz6clQ/WrUKYzrAn2I/AAAAAAAABno/MQEApbOAulgeGMoyxrWJGQaqRrFiljntwCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_1157.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-15145687629927666552018-01-02T06:07:00.001-08:002018-01-02T15:09:16.238-08:00Cait’s Messy Bun Hat<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Cait’s Messy Bun Hat</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">This is a fairly simple pattern and an advanced beginner could probably make it in an hour or two. Don’t be intimidated by the front post stitches. There are a lot of good online instructions that can teach you how to do them. You can even leave them out, although you won’t get the ribbed look to the cuff if you do that. This pattern can also be used to make a hat without the hole in the top. Instructions for that appear at the bottom of the pattern.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Materials needed:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">WW yarn</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Size H crochet hook </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Covered rubber band (the kind you would use for a ponytail on your hair)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Stitches Used:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Ch-chain</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Sc - single crochet</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Ss-slip stitch</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Dc-double crochet</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">HDC-half double crochet </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">FPHDC-front post half double crochet </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Notes:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">This hat has a lot of stretch. Mine had a 20 inch circumference around the cuff, and was between 7.5 and 8 inches high, measuring from the bottom of the cuff to the rubber band. It stretched to easily fit my head, even though I actually designed it for my young teen great niece.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">It is reversible, the cuff looks ribbed on one side and has horizontal ridges on the other side.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">I crochet loosely, but you can add extra increase rows if you crochet tightly. Likewise, you can easily add length if needed. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Except for round 1, the beginning ch 2 counts as a double crochet. You can use a ch 3 here if you prefer. When I use a ch 3, I get a gap. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">This hat is made in rounds with the first round crocheted onto the rubber band. This allows the top of the hat to fit snuggly around the hair.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">The ch 2 at the beginning of rounds counts as a stitch, unless stated otherwise.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Pattern:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Round 1: attach yarn to rubber band with a slip knot, chain 2, (in this round the ch 2 does not count as a stitch), make 24 double crochet stitches worked into the rubber band. Join with ss to first dc. (24 stitches)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Round 2: chain 2, ( counts as first dc. ( you may prefer to chain 3 rather than 2), 2 dc in next stitch, *1 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch*, repeat the directions between the *’s to the end of the round, join to top of beginning ch 2 with a ss. (You have added an extra stitch in every other stitch for a total of 36 stitches) </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">If you want your hat to be a little larger, add an increase round here by adding a stitch in every third stitch. (You would end up with 48 stitches). The rest of the stitch counts will be different if you choose this option). If you think you need still another increase row, increase in every fourth stitch around. You would then have 60 stitches before you start round 3.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Round 3: ch 2, 2 dc in same stitch, skip one stitch, *3 dc in next stitch, skip one stitch*, repeat the directions between the *’s around, join with ss into top of beginning ch 2. (You are placing three dc in every other stitch. (52 dc)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Rounds 4-9: Ss to Center dc of first dc group. Ch 2, 2 dc in same stitch, 3 dc in the center stitch of each dc group from the previous row, join to top of beginning ch 2 with a ss. (52 stitches)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">(If you want more length do more repeats of rounds 4 to 9)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Round 10: ch 2, HDC in each stitch around, join around post of beginning ch 2. (52 stitches)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Round 11 to 13: Ch 3, FPHDC around the post of each stitch in the previous row. Join to top of the beginning ch 3 with a ss.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">(If you want a wider cuff, add more of these rounds. If you hate FP stitches, just do regular HDC. Crocheting around the post gives the cuff a ribbed look.)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Row 14: ch 1, turn. ( this is the only time in this pattern that you turn. You will work this round in the opposite direction of the other rounds and you will likely wish to turn the hat inside out to do this one.) </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Sc in same stitch as the joining stitch and sc around. Join with ss in the first sc. </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Finish off by weaving in yarn ends.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVkDAZ-GLnU/WkuSpByjEQI/AAAAAAAABMc/NKdrkOhaydAMJq3F48ZDv0b7czlZmQ3ywCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MVkDAZ-GLnU/WkuSpByjEQI/AAAAAAAABMc/NKdrkOhaydAMJq3F48ZDv0b7czlZmQ3ywCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_0715.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PsP5nq193Y/WkuSpKFq6xI/AAAAAAAABMc/V50j_upuLRkxVMbgYaQYT8FaBM4r0S7ywCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7PsP5nq193Y/WkuSpKFq6xI/AAAAAAAABMc/V50j_upuLRkxVMbgYaQYT8FaBM4r0S7ywCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_0714.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRL-oTNdlc0/WkuSpOu11vI/AAAAAAAABMc/Mwecy21yjnAezeNTqvOct3aD2bxzJv6aQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_0714.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TRL-oTNdlc0/WkuSpOu11vI/AAAAAAAABMc/Mwecy21yjnAezeNTqvOct3aD2bxzJv6aQCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_0714.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-atB9M1je77g/WkuSpPVAqlI/AAAAAAAABMc/roRufLc_-2UHG-9RLwN_7XdFAQb_99G7ACKgBGAs/s1600/B278AAF6-FE6B-4ED1-9325-78D58C275C6A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-atB9M1je77g/WkuSpPVAqlI/AAAAAAAABMc/roRufLc_-2UHG-9RLwN_7XdFAQb_99G7ACKgBGAs/s320/B278AAF6-FE6B-4ED1-9325-78D58C275C6A.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">—————————————————————————</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext-bold"; font-size: 19.46pt; font-weight: bold;">Variation:</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">If you wish to use this pattern to make a regular hat, you can also do that. You won’t need the covered rubber band.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">To start, chain 4, join with a ss to make a ring. Ch 2 (doesn’t count as a stitch here, but does in the next row.), and work 12 into the ring. Join with a ss into top of beginning dc. (12 dc) </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Second round, chain 2, dc in same stitch, 2 dc in each stitch around, join with a slip stitch into the beginning ch 2. (24 dc)</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">Proceed with messy bun hat pattern, starting with round 2.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; min-height: 23.2px;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: ".SF UI Text"; font-size: 19.5px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: ".sfuitext"; font-size: 19.46pt;">—————————————————————————</span></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-82320017823845988752017-09-20T11:50:00.002-07:002018-06-21T18:46:20.456-07:00My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe This recipe comes from a community cookbook that I received for a wedding shower gift back in 1979. The covers are missing and the book itself is held together with a rubber band. It's only a matter of time before I lose the page with this recipe on it, as it's already ripped and stained, so I thought I would save it here.<br />
<br />
I freeze bananas that are too ripe to eat and often use those in this recipe. I find that when I thaw frozen bananas, there can be a lot of watery liquid on the package. I drain most of that off, and sometimes I also decrease the milk in the recipe by an ounce or so. <br />
<br />
BANANA BREAD<br />
<br />
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened<br />
1 egg<br />
3 medium bananas, mashed<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 1/2 cups flour<br />
1 tbsp. baking powder. (Yes, that really is a tablespoon)<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts (optional, I never add these)<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350. Cream margarine, beat in egg and bananas, add milk, then sugar. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together, add to ingredients in mixing bowl. Combine, then stir in nuts. Bake in greased loaf pan for 1 hour.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-5423393917431324562017-08-26T14:56:00.002-07:002017-08-29T09:49:05.663-07:00Summer Garden Veggie Medley<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 19px;">Summer Garden Veggie Medley</span><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
INGREDIENTS:</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
(No amounts given, just use amount needed for your family)</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Yellow summer squash, peeled, seeded and cubed</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Roma tomatoes, cored and cut in chunks</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Red, yellow or green pepper, (or some of each), cut in chunks</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Yellow or white onion, cut in chunks</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Shredded fresh Parmesan cheese, (not the kind that comes in those plastic shakers)</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Olive oil cooking spray, (or small amount of any oil)</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Seasoned salt, oregano, black pepper</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
DIRECTIONS:</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Grease or spray bottom of baking pan, (I used a 9x9 metal cake pan). Put a layer of squash in the bottom and season lightly with spices. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with a layer of each of the other vegetables, again season with spices and top with more cheese.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
Bake at 400 degrees until veggies are heated through, cheese is melted and vegetables are done to your preference. </div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
I baked mine for 45 minutes and they were very tender, which is what I was aiming for.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
You could easily substitute other kinds of squash.</div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<br /></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-34015757269189247782017-05-04T13:53:00.002-07:002017-05-04T15:16:31.044-07:00HutspotI know, you are asking "what on earth is Hutspot"? It is a very simple Dutch dish, inexpensive, easy to make, tasty and filling. Simply put, it's Dutch comfort food. It doesn't look like much, but it is tasty.<br />
<br />
I am of Dutch ancestry, and this was a meal that my mother sometimes served if her day had been unusually busy. Her version was all cooked together in one pan, preparation was easy and clean up was minimal. The ingredients were simple and usually in her pantry. There are many versions of this dish, this one is my mom's. <br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
Potatoes, carrots and onions, enough for your family<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
Chicken broth or water, enough to cover prepared vegetables<br />
Smoked sausage, enough for your family ( it's best to use the thick smoked sausage, which comes in rings or long links, rather than the ones sized for eating on buns)<br />
Milk and butter to taste<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
Peel and quarter potatoes, peel and slice carrots, peel and coarsely chop onions. Put the vegetables in a sauce pan, and cover them with water or broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I add a bay leaf. Bring this to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are not quite tender. Add the smoked sausage ring or links on top of the simmering vegetables, and simmer for 10 more minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Remove sausage and drain the vegetables. Add butter and milk to the pan, just as you would for mashed potatoes and mash everything together. (Remember to remove the bay leaf if you added one.). Cut sausage into serving size pieces and serve with the mashed vegetable mixture.<br />
<br />
We often got homemade applesauce on the side. <br />
<br />
<br />
Variations:<br />
Some serve this with pot roast and gravy, or meatballs and gravy, rather than smoked sausage.<br />
Bacon is a popular addition.<br />
Dutch mustard is sometimes served with hutspot.<br />
It is said that it tastes better if the onions are sautéed in a little oil or butter, rather than being cooked with the potatoes. I've been too lazy to try this, but I suspect that this is probably true.<br />
There are those who cook the carrots, potatoes and onions each separately and then mash them together. (See lazy comment above!)<br />
Some recipes call for adding the smoked sausage at the beginning of the cooking time. I think this makes the sausage tasteless, but I will admit that it imparts a bit of a smoky flavor to the potato mixture.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o198/Gardener0126/IMG_0788_zpsfq6wk1j8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o198/Gardener0126/IMG_0788_zpsfq6wk1j8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-2024793088523888092016-11-26T10:49:00.001-08:002016-11-26T11:04:05.779-08:00More cooking for the freezerI am amazed at how great it is to have some ready to cook meals in the freezer. I wish I had tried this a lot sooner.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago DD and I spent a day making freezer meals again. The recipes were a bit more time consuming and we weren't quite as organized so it took us quite a bit longer than last time, probably around 4 hours. However, we each got around a dozen meals so it was time well spent.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the recipes that we made this time:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1893627926"></span><span id="goog_1893627927"></span><br />
<a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-chicken-pot-pies/" target="_blank">Chicken Pot Pie</a><br />
<br />
We added a jar of a turkey gravy to this recipe because it seemed a bit dry. We made family size pot pies, rather than individual ones. DD felt that this recipe needed a bit more seasoning, and she would add a bottom crust next time. I left out the peas and substituted corn and green beans instead. DD used frozen mixed vegetables. We didn't use the celery. Andy and I thought this was very good. When I baked this, I thawed it in the refrigerator for about 18 hours. It was still a bit frozen when I baked it. I baked it covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-chicken-pot-pies/" target="_blank">Beef Stew</a><br />
<br />
I made one recipe of this. I was a bit dubious about freezing raw potatoes, so I baked them a bit first. (The recipe suggested this if one was uncertain about freezing raw potatoes.). They were still pretty solid when I added them to the freezer bag, but they totally disintegrated between freezing and cooking. This didn't taste awful, but it wasn't all that flavorful either. I'm not sure if I would try this recipe again. If I did, I'd try freezing the potatoes raw.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-creamy-italian-chicken/" target="_blank">Creamy Italian Chicken</a><br />
<br />
This is a different recipe from the one we made last time and we haven't tried it yet. I plan to serve this over pasta.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twofrugalgals.com/2013/06/25/freezer-friendly-pizza-pasta-casserole/" target="_blank">Pizza Casserole</a><br />
<br />
We made this mainly to see how pasta would fare in the freezer. This is essentially pasta with ground beef, canned spagghetti sauce and cheese. Nothing special here. However this is very kid friendly, and it certainly could easily be fancied up a bit with a few added pizza topping type of ingredients. We cooked the pasta al dente, and immediately rinsed it with cold water to prevent further cooking. We found it to be pretty mushy after freezing and baking despite that. It tasted okay though. A bit more seasoning could be added. If we made another pasta dish, we would cook the pasta for a shorter time before assembling the casserole.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/gooseberry/recipe.nsf/55e548eeef8c89b9852568d4004c5ffe/9F0A9F15ADBE8BCA85257B0300498592" target="_blank">Shepherd's Pie</a><br />
<br />
We added about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce and a tbsp or so of Worcestershire sauce to a double recipe, and we used less water, about 2 cups total. Initially I was concerned that this would be salty, given the brown gravy mix and the condensed soup in it, and using less water, but the meat and gravy mixture was quite bland. DD used frozen mixed vegetables and I used corn and carrots. Both DD's family and Andy and I liked this. Both DD and I agree that we would season it more next time. We would also add more tomato sauce or some tomato paste.<br />
<br />
We repeated the <a href="http://crystalscozykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole.html" target="_blank">Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole</a>, <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cowboy-casserole" target="_blank">Cowboy Casserole</a>, and <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/alton-browns-baked-brown-rice-177017" target="_blank">Alton Brown's baked brown rice</a>. This time we used frozen french fries rather than tater tots in the cowboy casserole. I put the meat mixture in the bottom of the casserole and topped my meat with slices of American cheese. DD put potatoes both under and over the meat, as she is feeding a houseful of growing boys. She used shredded cheddar cheese in her casserole.<br />
<br />
<br />
Dd also made some sloppy joes for each of us, but she didn't use a recipe.<br />
<br />
This website, <a href="http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-meal-recipes-master-list/" target="_blank">Fabulessly Frugal</a>, has a lot of great sounding freezer recipes. We tried a few of them this time, and there are more that I'd like to try. This link takes you to the freezer recipe list. If you are looking for recipes to freeze, this is an excellent resource.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-82041356793327980772016-09-01T13:59:00.001-07:002016-11-26T10:59:48.229-08:00Filling the freezerToday my oldest daughter and I spent a couple of hours making meals for the freezer. In order to keep track of the recipes for future use, I'm linking to all of them in this post. Altogether we spent a little over 2 hours working on this today. That doesn't include the time we each spent prepping, but it does include cleanup. I got 11 meals out of the deal and she got a few more. Some of these meals are casseroles that bake in the oven, and quite a few of them are "dump" crockpot meals. (You dump the ingredients into a ziplock bag, and when you want to cook the meal, you dump the contents of the bag into the crockpot.)<br />
<br />
<br />
We each did a bit of prep ahead of time. She made <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/65896/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue/?lnkid=pin5590&crlt.pid=camp.PW4zyQYykOYh" target="_blank">Zesty slow cooker chicken barbecue</a>, and <a href="http://lovegrowswild.com/2013/01/spaghetti-sauce-with-italian-sausage/" target="_blank">Spaghetti sauce</a>, and I precooked chicken and diced up leftover ham for <a href="http://crystalscozykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole.html" target="_blank">Chicken cordon bleu casserole</a>. (I've made and frozen this one before, it's good with rice or over pasta.). I also made a double batch of <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe.html" target="_blank">Alton Brown's baked brown rice</a> .<br />
<br />
We made <a href="http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/09/cowboy-casserole-looks-like-dog-food.html" target="_blank">cowboy casserole</a> which should appeal to the grandkids as well as Andy. I made a half recipe of <a href="http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/crock-pot-chicken-cheesesteak-sandwiches/" target="_blank">Chicken Philly cheese steak</a>, without the peppers. I didn't stop to consider how really unappealing that is going to look with all the white from the chicken, onions, and the cornstarch. Peppers would certainly add some visual appeal. <br />
<br />
DD made <a href="http://www.laurenslatest.com/crockpot-pesto-stuffed-shells/" target="_blank">Pesto stuffed shells</a>, (she gave me two servings, but I'm not too sure how well they will go over here, although they sound delicious to me), and <a href="http://chefmommy-brandao.blogspot.com/2011/03/salsa-chicken-slow-cooker.html" target="_blank">Salsa chicken</a>, (I passed on this one because I'm not so sure Andy will even consider eating it). We also made <a href="http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/05/07/crockpot-italian-chicken-recipe/" target="_blank">Creamy Italian chicken</a>. I wondered if this recipe had too much Italian dressing in it, but DD says she's made it before and it's very good served over pasta. I also made <a href="http://newleafwellness.biz/2016/03/30/cool-ranch-shredded-chicken-tacos-crockpot-recipe/" target="_blank">Cool ranch chicken tacos</a>, but DD passed on that one.<br />
<br />
As we eat these meals, I plan to add our thoughts on them.<br />
<br />
10/4: I cooked the cool ranch chicken tacos when ds came for dinner a few weeks ago. Both he and Andy really liked them. I found them slightly spicy, but that's normal for me. I'd make them again.<br />
<br />
11/20: The chicken Philly cheesesteak was quite good. I served it on buns, with Swiss cheese and heated them in the oven after assembling. We also really liked the zesty chicken barbecue, which we had on baked potatoes. Pesto stuffed shells were very good and would be suitable for company. As for cowboy casserole, you can't really go wrong with meat, cheese and potatoes. (Unless you are grandson 2, as he did not like it.). I'd use American cheese instead of shredded cheddar next time, just because it seems cheesier and melts better.<br />
<br />
DD reports that her oldest son pronounced the chicken cordon bleu casserole awesome served over rice. We had it over pasta last week and liked it that way too.<br />
<br />
DDs family thought the creamy Italian chicken was okay, but not especially great. She says she added chicken broth and vegetables to the leftovers and made chicken noodle soup, which they liked better than the original recipe. Andy and I both liked the creamy Italian chicken a lot. We had it over whole wheat pasta. I would make it again as written, but I don't think that DD would. Initially, I was skeptical about the recipe, as I thought that it had way too much Italian dressing, and DD thought it would be great. Funny how the results were the opposite of what we expected.<br />
<br />
Alton Brown's baked brown rice is good, and very easy. I always omit the salt, and add two chicken or beef bouillon cubes instead. I also add about 1/4 cup more water than the recipe calls for. When I make it, I do two or three pans of rice at a time. I've already got the oven going so I figure that I might as well fill it. I've never tried doubling the recipe in a single pan, since I don't want to mess with what I already know will work. The rice freezes very well. I freeze it in quart size bags and then put all the bags into a larger bag so that I don't have little bags of rice floating all over the freezer.<br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-61998957805654868132016-08-31T07:46:00.002-07:002016-09-02T08:05:23.648-07:00Crockpot Ham and Potato SoupCrockpot Ham and Potato Soup<br />
<br />
3 cups water<br />
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup<br />
3 chicken bouillon cubes<br />
4 - 5 small red potatoes, peeled if desired and coarsely chopped<br />
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped<br />
3 -4 large green onions, with some of the green part, chopped<br />
1 can corn, drained<br />
1 cup diced ham<br />
1/4 tsp dried mince garlic<br />
1/2 tsp dried thyme<br />
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste<br />
<br />
Combine all ingredients except pepper in a 3 or 4 quart crockpot. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours, or until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded. Season with pepper before serving.<br />
<br />
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon bits and green onion if desired.<br />
<br />
Makes 4 servings.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-55670629638576382692016-08-29T06:54:00.000-07:002016-09-02T08:07:52.221-07:00Using up fresh tomatoes....I have a good recipe for pasta sauce, but it relies on canned ingredients. This past Friday, we visited with DH's brother and sister in law, and they shared bags full of garden bounty with us. Hubby will not eat fresh tomatoes and I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat all of them before they went bad, so I went on a hunt for ways to use them up in something that we would both enjoy. I combined a bunch of ideas and this is what I came up with. It smelled amazing while it was cooking. We ate it over spaghetti, and found it really tasty.<br />
<br />
Crockpot Tomato Pasta Sauce, (using fresh tomatoes)<br />
<br />
1 to 2 tsp of olive oil<br />
Minced garlic to taste, fresh or dried, (I used 2 tsp dried minced garlic)<br />
2 or 3 small white onions, finely diced (any sort of onion would work),<br />
5 to 6 cups of chopped tomatoes, (I seeded mine, but it isn't necessary)<br />
1 medium zucchini, diced into small pieces<br />
1 large carrot, shredded<br />
1/4 cup of red wine (I think you could probably leave this out)<br />
2 tbsp brown sugar<br />
2 tsp dried oregano<br />
1 tsp each dried fennel seed, thyme, and rosemary<br />
1 tsp salt (more if desired)<br />
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like spicy sauce<br />
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil<br />
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste<br />
<br />
<br />
I used a 5 quart crockpot, which would have been able to handle double of this recipe. Turn it on high, and add enough olive oil to just barely cover the bottom. Toss in the chopped onions and garlic, give it a good stir to coat everything with oil, and put the lid on the pot. Let this cook while you prepare the tomatoes. After a while, this will start to sizzle and the onions will brown a bit. (This step isn't necessary, but it brings out the taste of the onions and garlic.)<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, wash and chop the tomatoes and zucchini. I seeded the tomatoes, (hubby's request), but did not peel them.(I would add some chopped fresh green pepper, and maybe some mushrooms, if I were the only one eating this.). By this time the onions in the pot should be sizzling nicely. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the pot, except for the fresh basil. Stir well. Cook on high for an hour or two. Once it is boiling, turn the pot to low and let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours. It will likely be somewhat thin, so at this point, I turn it back up to high, add the basil, and uncover it about halfway so that some of the liquid evaporates. I have an oval shaped crockpot and I just turned the lid sideways. When it has reached the desired consistency stir in the tomato paste. It took a couple of hours for the sauce to get nice and thick. This would probably vary, depending on the type of tomato used, and the consistency desired.<br />
<br />
I think that this would freeze well, although I haven't tried it.<br />
<br />
It was my plan to let the sauce cool and then run it through the blender, (a food mill would work too), as hubby does not like lumps in his food. Surprisingly, he told me not to bother. He even had two helpings. <br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-39850541170482521042016-04-20T09:51:00.002-07:002016-04-20T09:53:55.081-07:00Easy Mexican LasagnaThe chicken filling for this recipe is made in a crockpot, but the dish is finished in the oven.<br />
<br />
Ingredients for chicken filling:<br />
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, (frozen is okay)<br />
1 cup salsa<br />
I can black beans, drained and rinsed<br />
1 can corn, drained<br />
1/4 cup water<br />
I medium onion, chopped<br />
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed<br />
1 tsp dried minced garlic<br />
2-4 tsp chilli powder, or even more, depending on how much heat you like)<br />
1-2 tsp cumin<br />
1 tsp smoked paprika<br />
Black pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Other ingredients:<br />
flour tortillas ( any size will work, you will just need more if you choose a small size)<br />
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or substitute cheese if your choice)<br />
<br />
Combine all filling ingredients in crockpot. For frozen breasts, cook 5 to 6 hours on high, or until you can easily shred the chicken. (It will require less time for thawed chicken.). If the mixture seems too wet, keep heating on high for another 30 minutes or so. Reduce crockpot to low and keep filling warm until ready to assemble casserole.<br />
<br />
To complete dish:<br />
Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Line with a layer of flower tortillas, ripping them as needed, to fit. It's not neccesary to have every single inch of the bottom covered. Cover tortillas with half of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with one cup of cheese. Repeat tortilla and chicken layers once more. Cover with another layer of tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. <br />
<br />
Let sit for a minute or two and cut into squares to serve. Garnish with sour cream, lettuce and diced tomatoes. Serves 6 to 8.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-56659868387940998732016-01-30T08:39:00.002-08:002016-01-30T08:39:48.749-08:00You can't believe everything you read!You know that belief that it takes 21 days to create a new habit? Well, let me just say that it's not true. I've been working on exercising daily for 22 days now, and it is most definitely not a habit! it still feels like an unwelcome task. Wonder what that says about me?<br />
<br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-76741855313677182922016-01-13T17:49:00.000-08:002016-09-02T08:08:52.913-07:00Last Minute Chicken Pot PieThis evening we had planned to go to a dinner at church, hosted by the youth group as a fund raiser. The dinner was cancelled because of the snowy weather, but not until after 4. I hadn't planned anything for dinner. Hubby suggested going out, but it was cold, snowy and just generally nasty out there, so I whipped this up instead, from stuff I had in my pantry. I happened to have a jar of turkey gravy that I had purchased for Thanksgiving, "just in case" that I wanted to use up, and I usually have canned chicken in the pantry. <br />
<br />
<br />
Last Minute Chicken Pot Pie<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
Filling:<br />
2 or 3 medium potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
2 large carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices<br />
1 stalk celery, diced<br />
1 small onion, coarsely chopped<br />
1 chicken bouillon cube<br />
12 oz jar chicken gravy<br />
12 oz can of chicken breast, diced or 1 and 1/2 cups leftover cooked chicken, diced<br />
Pinch of thyme<br />
Sprinkle of dried chives<br />
Black pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Biscuit Topper:<br />
1 and 1/8 cups biscuit baking mix ( like Bisquick or Jiffy)<br />
1/3 cup milk<br />
Sprinkle of dried parsley, optional<br />
<br />
Method:<br />
Place potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and bouillon cube in saucepan. Cover vegetables with water and cook until tender. (I'd add some frozen peas to this if my hubby would eat them.). Drain the vegetables and stir in the gravy and the chicken. Add thyme, pepper and chives. Pour into a two quart casserole dish.<br />
<br />
Combine biscuit mix and milk. Mix in a little dried parsley for color if desired. Knead the resulting dough a few times and flatten it into a large biscuit that is the size and shape of your casserole dish. Place this over the chicken mixture and slash it with a sharp knife in a few places to let the steam out. <br />
<br />
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, until the biscuit top is done, and lightly browned.<br />
<br />
Serves 4.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-89903361690992901422016-01-13T17:27:00.003-08:002016-01-13T17:27:50.848-08:00I love Pinterest......but..........First of all, I have exercised more than 150 minutes a week for each of the last two weeks. They say it takes 21 days to build a new habit. We'll see. Right now it's more like a job than a habit.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Recently I saw a Pinterest pin that informed me that a packet of Koolaid powder would clean the hard water rings out of my toilet with hardly any effort on my part. Well, the "no effort" part got my attention right away. It just so happens that I have a lot of little packets of Koolaid. (My grocery store used to give them away free with a sugar purchase a couple of times each summer. We don't drink Koolaid, but hey! It was free!). Anyhow, the picture with the pin showed yellow Koolaid and the blurb said that it was actually the citric acid in the stuff that did the cleaning. I only had red Koolaid, but citric acid was the first thing on the ingredient list. So, following the directions from the pin, I sprinkled my red Koolaid all over two of the toilets in my house. It said to let it sit for an hour or longer, so off I went to the grocery store. When I got back to those bathrooms a couple of hours later, the Koolaid had solidified and I had to scrub for quite a while to get it all off. At this point the toilet looked like someone had bled to death in it. It took several flushes to get the water clear enough to enjoy the sight of my toilet bowl without the hard water ring. (After all, that's what the after picture on Pinterest promised.) Uh oh! The very pale tan ring was gone, and in its place there was a pink ring. Pink is prettier, right? Wrong! It looked much dirtier than it did before.so I ended up scrubbing toilets in the usual way. The kicker? I did this in two bathrooms. The moral of the story? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If I had thought before I leaped, I would have tried it out in one bathroom first. The bonus? The bathrooms now smell fruity..., with just the slightest essence of artificial flavoring.<br />
<br />
Oh well, I still love Pinterest........<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-46606725248693782522015-12-30T08:22:00.001-08:002015-12-30T08:22:40.334-08:00Better Habits in 2016<div class="postbody" style="clear: both; color: #454545; float: left; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 699.1875px;">
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I've been pretty quiet here this past year. I haven't done a lot of crafting, but I did manage to read over 140 books. I'm feeling the urge to make things again though, so maybe inspiration will strike and some new patterns will appear in 2016. However, this post hasn't about crafting. It's about new beginnings and trying to get healthy.</span></div>
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm a registered nurse and work in critical care. I am required to get continuing education credits to maintain my license. Yesterday,</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> I stumbled on a couple that included</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> strategies to prevent diabetes and heart disease, both conditions that are not only increasing in our society, but are also appearing in younger and younger patients, and are leading causes of death, disability and health care spending. Surprisingly, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I learned that currently, more women than men die of heart disease in the US. Much to my </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">dismay, once I actually saw these things in black and white, I realized that I actually fit into the higher risk categories for getting a serious, chronic disease. My list of risk factors is impressive, and there are probably some that I missed. I'm post menopausal, over weight, apple shaped, sedentary, have a family history of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, my diet isn't the best, and I rarely get enough sleep. I generally think of myself as pretty healthy...but this was a huge wake up call for me.</span></div>
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />In the past I've focused on weight control as my primary strategy for being healthier, but I haven't been motivated enough to maintain this, probably at least in part, because a healthy lifestyle encompasses a lot more than just this one thing. In 2016, </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm going to focus on creating healthy habits, one habit at a time.</span></div>
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I'm planning to focus on activity first. This will probably be the hardest for me to start and maintain. My goal will be at least 150 minutes of actual intentional exercise each week. My current plan is 20 minutes on either the treadmill or exercise bike at least 5 days a week, plus two 30 minute walks a week. In addition I plan to park at the far end of the parking ramp at work, plus park farther away at stores, etc. As I get into better shape, I will take the stairs more. At this point more than one or two flights of stairs make me extremely short of breath. I will also set a goal of walking around 10,000 steps per day at least five days a week. I'll have to buy a better pedometer to track this though, or maybe a Fitbit. I'll be interested to see if increasing my activity will increase the quality of my sleep.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Another thing I've noticed is that my sense of balance is declining. For instance, I can no longer stand on one foot for more than a second ir two before I'm at risk of falling over. According to a physical therapist co-worker, this is a normal consequence of aging and it can be improved and prevented by exercise. Apparently there are some specific exercises, but she recommended exercises that strengthen your core, such as walking, biking, etc. So I'm hopeful that improvement in this area will also be a benefit of increasing my level of activity.<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I'm putting this out here for several reasons. I want to be accountable and putting it out here will help me with that. I'm hoping my journey provides encouragement and inspiration for others. Lastly, I'd love to have company in this endeavor, so if anyone wants to join me, I'd love to hear from you.</span></div>
<div class="content" style="line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0px; min-height: 3em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 1px;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<dl class="postprofile" id="profile4223" style="border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; color: #454545; display: inline; float: right; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin: 5px 0px 10px; min-height: 80px; padding: 0px; width: 202.390625px;"><dd style="line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px;"><ul class="profile-icons" style="list-style: none; padding: 10px 0px 0px;"><br /></ul>
</dd></dl>
<div class="back2top" style="clear: both; color: #454545; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; height: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: right; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<a class="top" href="http://www.craftpots.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40#wrap" style="background-image: url(http://www.craftpots.com/styles/prosilver/imageset/icon_back_top.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; direction: ltr; display: block; float: right; height: 11px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed; width: 11px;" title="Top"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Top</span></span></a></div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-18275633802144042752015-04-13T11:01:00.002-07:002015-04-13T13:10:45.590-07:00Easy 5 Can SoupI really, really, really need to work on eating better. Two years ago, I lost 26 pounds on Weight Watchers. After a while I decided that I knew how it worked, so why pay for it. I'm sure you can guess what happened. I managed to gain back all the weight, plus 5 more pounds. I lost the extra 5 pounds over the past couple of months and now I'm back where I was when I first tried WW. So, today I'm starting again. This is what I had for lunch.<br />
<br />
I found a number of versions of this recipe online, and tweaked it a bit to my taste.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
1 14.5 oz can corn, drained<br />
1 14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (could probably substitute other types of beans)<br />
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes<br />
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth (or 2 cups water plus 2 chicken bouillon cubes)<br />
1/2 cup refried beans (freeze leftovers)<br />
1/2 cup chopped onion<br />
1 stalk celery, diced<br />
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic<br />
<br />
Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to barely boiling over high heat, then turn heat to low and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, stirring once in a while. A little chili powder and cumin would probably be good in this, if you like those flavors.<br />
<br />
Nutrition info. per serving:<br />
236 calories<br />
47 grams carbohydrates<br />
11 grams fiber<br />
13 grams protein<br />
2 grams fat<br />
<br />
4 servings, 6 points plus each, (if my calculations are correct.)<br />
<br />
This tasted good, was quite filling and helped me towards my 5 or more fruit and vegetable servings for the day. I also like the fact that I can easily keep the basic ingredients in my pantry. <br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-12747239936632107482015-04-01T10:58:00.002-07:002015-04-01T11:52:05.645-07:00Bread Machine RecipeThis is my favorite bread machine recipe. My bread machine only makes a one pound loaf, so if your machine is bigger, and you want to make a bigger loaf, you would have to increase the ingredients. (Most larger machines can make loaves in smaller sizes though). However, I think that you should consult your bread machine manual to get some idea of how much salt and yeast to use in a larger loaf. Same with other seasonings added to the dough. I'm not sure that those ingredients would need to be increased in proportion to the others. This is a very basic recipe and as written it makes a nice light loaf of white bread. I think this recipe should work, even if you don't use a machine. <br />
<br />
I don't bake bread in the machine, I always make dough and then bake it in the oven. I've never baked this bread in the machine. If I tried it, I would use the light crust, and white bread settings.<br />
<br />
7 ounces lukewarm water<br />
3 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 1/4 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp white sugar<br />
2 1/2 cups bread flour<br />
2 1/2 tsp instant yeast<br />
<br />
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Set machine to white bread and dough setting. Check dough when it's a few minutes into the cycle and add either a small amount of flour or water if needed, to form a smooth dough that isn't sticky to the touch. (Check your manual for more details and when to check.). Once dough cycle is complete, form dough into loaf and place in greased bread pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake bread in preheated 400 degree oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on a rack, covered with a clean towel. Slice when cool. Makes a one pound loaf, approximately 16 slices.<br />
<br />
Variations:<br />
This is not my favorite variation, but you could substitute whole wheat flour for up to half of the bread flour. Add 1 tbsp of vital wheat gluten for each cup of whole wheat flour. It might need a bit longer to rise. Mix and bake as directed.<br />
<br />
This can be rolled out into a pizza crust. Just spread rolled out dough with tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese and add whatever toppings you like. Let stand for 10 minutes or so. Bake at 400 until crust is browned and cheese is melted. Length of time to bake will depend on how thin you rolled the crust, and how much you put on it, but around 12 minutes is a good time to start checking. I make two 12 inch crusts out of this. We eat one, and I bake the other until it's done, but not yet browned and then freeze it. Sometimes I make 4 individual pizza crusts. That way I can have mushrooms and peppers and hubby can have meat and onions.<br />
<br />
I also use this recipe to make raisin bread. I haven't had any luck with adding raisins to the bread machine. They either end up all chopped up, or stuck to the outside of the dough, or rolling around loose in the pan. Instead, I do the following:<br />
1. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface<br />
2. Very lightly brush the dough with a small amount of melted butter.<br />
3. Sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon and generously with raisins. Press raisins into dough. (If you omit the raisins, increase the cinnamon a bit and sprinkle with sugar, you will end up with cinnamon bread.)<br />
4: Roll up dough from short side, tuck ends under to form a loaf shape and place into greased bread pan. Allow to rise and bake as directed above.<br />
<br />
Cinnamon rolls are made similarly. Spread dough rectangle with softened butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up from long side of rectangle and cut into slices about an inch thick. Arrange in a greased 9x13 pan, allow to rise, and bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes. Glaze with a powdered sugar glaze or frost when the come out of the oven. I sometimes let these rise overnight in the fridge and bake them the next morning.<br />
<br />
Herb Bread<br />
Add to dough with other ingredients:<br />
1/4 tsp each of: dried basil, dried minced garlic, dried thyme, dried oregano, coarsely ground black pepper<br />
1/2 tsp each of dried rosemary, and dried minced onion<br />
<br />
<br />
10 Grain Cereal Bread<br />
Add 1/2 cup 7 or 10 grain cereal to the pan, (the kind of cereal that you cook on the stove), before mixing the dough. I buy 10 grain cereal from an Amish bulk food store, and it doesn't absorb much water, so I leave all the other ingredients the same. I don't know about other brands of cereal. You may need to decrease the flour or ad a bit if water.<br />
This is our go-to variation. We like the slight crunch of the cereal in our sandwiches and toast, and this is also a great bread to serve with soup.<br />
<br />
Honey Oatmeal Bread<br />
Add 2 tsp honey instead of the sugar and 3/4 cup quick oats to the bread. Decrease bread flour to 2 cups. You may need to add either additional flour or a bit of water to this one, depending on how much water the oatmeal absorbs. Instant oats will absorb more water than quick oats, which in turn will absorb more water than regular oats or stoneground oats. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-28413711769703753962015-04-01T10:10:00.002-07:002015-04-01T10:27:20.833-07:00Cooking for the FreezerIn a previous post, I said I did some cooking for the freezer. I'm going to post links to the recipes here for next time, so that I can easily find them and remember what I thought about them.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe.html" target="_blank">Alton Brown's Baked Brown Rice</a><br />
This is one of the easiest ways I've ever found to cook brown rice. I haven't tried doubling the recipe, but I make 2 or 3 pans at a time. I don't heat up the water, butter and salt first. I just use the microwave to melt the butter right in the casserole dish, (or I chop it up, or I substitute olive oil for the butter), and add in very hot tap water, salt and rice. I use a casserole dish with a cover, and bake as directed. (Keep a bit of a watch on it toward the end, it seems to absorb the water in less time some days. If I remember, I add about 1/4 cup more water than the recipe calls for. I've never had it come out soggy.). Sometimes I substitute a crushed beef or chicken bouillon cube for the salt. This freezes beautifully in freezer bags, and reheats well in the microwave.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/freezer-mashed-potatoes" target="_blank">Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes</a><br />
I sometimes add a little crushed garlic to the water that I cook the potatoes in. When I thawed these, they had a lot of watery liquid in the bottom of the pan. This might be related to the type of potatoes I used. I drained this off before baking them. Despite this, these were very good.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thefulltableshineagain.blogspot.com/2008/11/chicken-burritoes.html" target="_blank">Chicken Burritos</a><br />
I used fat free refried beans for this recipe. I tossed some salsa and some chili powder into the filling. These were soggy when reheated in the microwave, but turned out well in the oven. I sprayed a baking dish, and baked them at 350 until they were hot. I sprinkled them with additional shredded cheese for the last few minutes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/chicken-alfredo-calzone/" target="_blank">Chicken Alfredo Calzones</a><br />
I made these with homemade bread dough, but it was hard to roll the dough thin enough and I ended up with a lot of bread in relationship to the filling. Next time I try these, I'm going to try Pilsbury pizza crust, the kind that comes in cans, like biscuits. We liked these, even though they were a bit heavy in the bread department. (What's not to like about warm, homemade bread!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://onceamonthmeals.com/recipes/bacon-wrapped-mini-meatloaves/" target="_blank">Bacon Wrapped Mini Meatloaves</a><br />
I liked this concept, but wasn't crazy about this particular recipe. The bacon isn't neccesary, just adds fat and calories, and got soggy when the meatloaves were reheated in the microwave. Both hubby and I thought the seasonings were "off" for meatloaf. I'd freeze meatloaf again, but I'd try a different recipe and make little mini loaves for the two of us, rather than cupcakes. I'm not sure I would pre-bake either. The whole muffin tin thing, and the bacon was really fiddly and time consuming, and made for a lot of clean up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://crystalscozykitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/chicken-cordon-bleu-casserole.html" target="_blank">Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole</a><br />
This was yummy. I used leftover ham and turkey rather than chicken, since that's what I had, and substituted cream of chicken soup for the evaporated milk and chicken bouillon. We ate this over the afore-mentioned brown rice, but it would be very good over pasta as well. If you scroll down to the bottom of the post, there is a link to a printable recipe, which is a lot easier to read than the picture heavy post.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/print/314084" target="_blank">Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins</a><br />
I had bananas to use up and a couple of bags of blueberries in the freezer from last summer. These were okay, a little heavy in my opinion, and definitely best warm. <br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-56062734924490081142015-04-01T09:08:00.001-07:002015-04-01T11:48:57.537-07:00What we are eating this week.<br />
Yesterday I tried this recipe for a pork loin roast. <br />
<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tangy-slow-cooker-pork-roast/" target="_blank">Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast</a><br />
It had quite a number of very positive reviews, so I was hopeful for a nice tender roast. My pork roasts are usually dry, whether I put them in the oven or the crockpot. Even an instant read meat thermometer hasn't improved this. This meat was okay, but not great, and still pretty dry, even though I left the fat on top. Also, I really felt that the rather bland, not especially tangy sauce needed some help. I ended up whisking in 3 or 4 tablespoons of brown gravy mix, not enough to make it very thick, but enough to add a bit of a salty taste to the rather lack-luster sweet and sour taste that was going on. This also added a bit of visual appeal, as the sauce was a really unappealing watery looking liquid. My crockpot was set on warm at this point. I turned the crockpot up to high and let it cook for close to another hour. Meanwhile I sliced the roast and put the slices into the gravy to stay hot, and maybe get a bit moister. The end result was passable. We will eat it, but I won't make this particular recipe again. Guess I will keep looking for a good recipe,<br />
Anyhow, now I have all this roast pork to use up.<br />
<br />
Today, however, it will be burgers on the grill, along with baked onion rings and carrot sticks and cucumber slices. (It's sunny and relatively warm for a change!)<br />
Thursday: pulled pork on buns, corn chips, salad, maybe baked beans<br />
Friday: leftover pork with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans<br />
Saturday: we are going to finish demolishing the kitchen in preparation for installation of new cabinets next week, so we are going out for dinner<br />
Sunday: ham, hash brown potato casserole, (both in crockpots, since stove will be out of commission), rolls, corn and applesauce<br />
<br />
The beginning of next week will be microwave, or toaster oven stuff, as I'm not sure how long the kitchen will be out of commission. Our youngest daughter came over for a day a few weeks ago, and we made a bunch of freezer meals, most of which can be microwaved or baked.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-73486371838289685502015-03-21T08:02:00.000-07:002015-03-21T10:25:30.556-07:00Spinach Salad with Hot Lemon Bacon DressingSpinach Salad with Hot Lemon Bacon Dressing<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is a my take on Spinach salad. It's not the healthiest salad choice you could make, but it is very tasty. Makes two servings, but can easily be made to serve more.<br />
<div>
<br style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;" />
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Salad:</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
2 eggs</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
3 slices bacon</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
1 cup sliced yellow onion</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
3 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and dried</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
2 tbsp dried cranberries</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Dressing:</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
1 tbsp bacon fat</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice, fresh is nice, but bottled works fine</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
3 tsp white sugar (you can increase or decrease this as you like)</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
Method:</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
1: Place eggs in small saucepan and cover with water. Bring water to a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 15 minutes. Then drain, and run cold water over eggs in pan for a few minutes. Set aside to cool. Peel eggs and cut into slices or chop when cool. I prefer them chopped up, but slices look a little nicer.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
2: Fry bacon in skillet, until crispy. Remove to paper towels to drain and cool enough to handle. Crumble when cool. Do not drain fat that is left in pan.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
3: Put 1 tbsp of bacon fat into a small saucepan and set aside for the dressing.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
4: There should be just a little bacon fat left in your skillet. If there's a lot, remove most of it, so the skillet is just barely coated. Add onions to skillet and cook over low heat, until soft, stirring occasionally. I do not season the onions, but you could if you want.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
6: Divide spinach between two salad bowls. Top with warm onions, cranberries and crumbled bacon.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
7: For dressing: add lemon juice and sugar to reserved bacon fat. Heat over low heat just until sugar is dissolved. (If you heat it too long, your dressing will solidify like fudge as it cools.) As soon as dressing is finished, pour over salads and toss to coat. (This may seem like too small of an amount of dressing, but a little goes a long way.). Top salads with egg and serve immediately.</div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-62275483554838900472014-07-29T15:16:00.000-07:002015-04-01T09:16:38.704-07:00Zero Point Vegetable Soup<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" style="width: 366px;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="black" colspan="2" style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I'm always on the lookout for low point weight watchers recipes. I found a zero point vegetable soup recipe and it inspired me to create my own, using what I had on hand. This is easy, filling and zero points plus.<br /><br />Crockpot Vegetable soup<br /><br />I used a crockpot but this would be easy to adapt to stovetop.<br />Amounts are approximate, I just chopped veggies and tossed them in.<br /><br />1 package dry onion soup mix<br />8 cups water<br />1 1/2 cups canned crushed or diced tomatoes (I used leftovers, but I think a 14 oz can would work.)<br />3 or 4 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes<br />1 cup salsa (mostly because I was trying to clean stuff out of refrigerator, I used medium but both dh and I found the soup a bit too zippy, I'd use mild next time)<br />1 each: medium onion, large carrot, large celery rib, chopped<br />1 each: medium zucchini, and summer squash, quartered and sliced<br />2 to 3 cups chopped green cabbage (half a small head)<br />1 small fresh tomato, diced<br /><br />Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Season with your choice of herbs and spices. (I used basil, garlic, parsley, and lovage because that's what's growing outside my back door.). Cook on high for 4 or 5 hours or until veggies are cooked to your desired texture. It should at least come to a slight boil to really develop the flavor. I had planned to throw in some cooked spaghetti squash from the freezer for the last little while, but I forgot. </span></td></tr>
<tr></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-53165804296996836422013-11-30T17:45:00.001-08:002015-04-01T09:17:33.309-07:00Creamy Potato SoupAs I was rummaging in the refrigerator for dinner ideas yesterday, I came upon the whipping cream that I had used in a recipe earlier in the week. I decided that it would need to be used up, and that decision resulted in this soup. I made this in a 2 quart crockpot, but it could easily be done on the stovetop, or increased for a larger crockpot.<br />
<br />
Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup<br />
<br />
3 cups water<br />
4 chicken bouillon cube<br />
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into half inch cubes<br />
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped<br />
1 medium onion, peeled and diced<br />
1 clove crushed garlic (this would be about 1/3 teaspoon if using dried minced garlic)<br />
1/2 cup whipping cream (milk can be substituted)<br />
1/2 cup milk<br />
1/2 cup (approximately) dry instant mashed potato flakes ( adjust amount used to get soup to desired thickness)<br />
Fresh parsley, chopped ( dry will work as well)<br />
5 to 6 ounces Diced leftover ham, or chopped smoked sausage (optional)<br />
Freshly ground pepper, to taste<br />
<br />
Combine water, bouillon cubes, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic in the crock of a 2 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in cream, milk, potato flakes, parsley and meat if using. Cook on low for another hour or so, until soup is warmed thoroughly and somewhat thick. Makes 4 servings.<br />
<br />
I think that some finely chopped green pepper would be good in this soup, but I cook for a picky eater, so I did not try it. I contemplated adding cheese to this too, but I decided that using whipping cream in the soup had probably added enough fat to the pot already. If I had used all milk, I might have added some cheese.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-82978121523592559782012-12-24T09:31:00.001-08:002012-12-24T09:43:46.326-08:00Ribbed Headband with Flower Trim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-biOQxLls638/UNiQXC_JVfI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/igTd5nE66ow/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-biOQxLls638/UNiQXC_JVfI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/igTd5nE66ow/s1600/photo(1).JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RuDJOH-ZK1E/UNiQXdc2YmI/AAAAAAAAAaU/9GP2HFyH88w/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RuDJOH-ZK1E/UNiQXdc2YmI/AAAAAAAAAaU/9GP2HFyH88w/s320/photo(2).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXZGwl8t5Pc/UNiQXtbRSVI/AAAAAAAAAac/KCBw5Mee_cQ/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXZGwl8t5Pc/UNiQXtbRSVI/AAAAAAAAAac/KCBw5Mee_cQ/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This is so easy that you still have time to make one of these for Christmas. I made this one is just a little over an hour.<br />
<br />
WW yarn (I used Bernat Special Value yarn)<br />
J hook<br />
Yarn needle <br />
Large button (optional)<br />
<br />
Stitches used:<br />
Ch (Chain)<br />
DC (Double crochet)<br />
HDC (Half double crochet)<br />
FPDC (Front post double crochet)<br />
BPDC (back post double crochet) <br />
TC (Triple Crochet)<br />
<br />
Even if you have never done post stitches before, you should be able to make this headband. Here is a <a href="http://www.crochettoday.com/how-to/post-stitches-101">link</a> to an article from Crochet Today that explains how to do post stitches, and shows some of the lovely effects that can be achieved with them. (If you Google front or back post stitches, you'll find lots more tutorials for these stitches.)<br />
<br />
Size: 4 inches wide by approximately 18 inches in diameter. <br />
Can easily be modified to make larger or smaller.<br />
<br />
My headband is worked quite loosely so it is somewhat lacy in appearance. Using a smaller hook and working more tightly will create a more solid headband. You will need more rows to get enough length, and a longer beginning chain to make it as wide as mine. The pattern works with any uneven number of DCs in the first row. The stitch pattern could also be used to make a ribbed scarf.<br />
<br />
Chain 15 fairly loosely.<br />
1st row: DC in 3rd chain from hook and in each chain across. (13 DC) (Ist two chain count as a DC in this row.)<br />
2nd row: Chain 2, (counts as first HDC here and throughout rest of pattern), turn, *FPDC in next stitch, HDC in next stitch* repeat from * to * to end of row, working last HDC into the turning chain. (7 HDC's and 6 FPDC's)<br />
3rd row: Chain 2, turn, *BPDC in next stitch, HDC in next stitch*, repeat from * to * across, working last HDC into the turning chain<br />
<br />
Notes: Each row has 13 stitches in it.<br />
You will always BPDC into the previous rows FPDC and vice versa. All HDCs are made into the HDCs of the previous rows.<br />
Repeat rows 2 and 3 until headband is long enough to fit around your head snugly. (I did 32 rows, all worked loosely, and my headband was about 18 inches long before I sewed the ends together.) Sew ends together.<br />
<br />
Flower trim:<br />
<br />
Chain 4, join with slip stitch to form a ring. *Chain 3, slip stitch into ring to form a loop*. Repeat from * to * 6 or 7 more times, making chain 3 loops around the outside of the ch 4 ring. (each loop will form a petal, and you can make any number of petals, I made 7)<br />
Once you have your loops made, you will stitch into the loops to form petals.<br />
Into each loop do: 1 SC, 2 HDCs, 2 DCs, 1 TC, 2 DCs, 2 HDCs, 1 SC . This will form a petal. In between each petal I slip stitched into the area between each loop, but I don't think this is necessary.<br />
<br />
Sew flower to headband, using it to hide the area where you joined the ends. If desired sew a button to the center of the flower.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, a row of large buttons or a felt flower would also be an effective and attractive way to hide the seam. (or maybe your sewing is better than mine and your seam looks good and doesn't need hiding!)Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-66652078964694463902012-08-02T14:50:00.001-07:002012-08-02T14:53:20.041-07:00Crockpot Pork TenderloinLast week, I was lucky enough to get pork tenderloin for $1.99 a pound. I've always thought that slow-cooking is not really the best way to make pork tenderloin, but I've changed my mind after trying this recipe. This turned out moist and delicious and not anywhere near as sweet as I was afraid it might be. I started with<a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-teriyaki-pork-tenderloin/detail.aspx"> this recipe</a> from <a href="http://allrecipes.com/">All recipes.</a> I did not have all the ingredients, so I had to make a few minor changes. Also spicy food does not agree with me, so even if I had the fresh red chile peppers, I would have left them out!<br />
<br />
Crockpot Pork Tenderloin<br />
Approximately 8 servings <br />
<br />
2 (about 1 pound each) pork tenderloins, Doubt that it really matters how much meat you use.<br />
splash of olive oil (for browning if you choose to do that)<br />
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)<br />
1 cup water<br />
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed<br />
1/4 cup light brown sugar<br />
1 tsp dried minced garlic<br />
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes<br />
1/2 large onion, sliced in thick slices (so that Miss Picky could easily fish the onion pieces out)<br />
freshly ground black pepper (optional)<br />
<br />
Brown pork tenderloins in oil, in a heavy skillet over medium heat. (I suspect that you could leave out this step if you wanted.) I browned mine and then spent 5 minuted cleaning oil spatters up! <br />
Combine teriyaki sauce, water, chicken bouillon cube, brown sugar, garlic and red pepper flakes in crockpot and whisk to combine. Toss in sliced onion. Add tenderloins to crockpot and turn to cover with sauce. Grind a bit of fresh black pepper over top of the meat if you want. (I did and did not find the meat too peppery.)<br />
Cook on high for 4 hours, spooning sauce over tenderloins a few times during the cooking period. <br />
<br />
Be aware that this meat was so tender that it did not slice cleanly so the presentation was not as nice as you would expect from pork tenderloin. I spooned the sauce over the meat to serve. <br />
<br />
I think this would probably make good pulled pork sandwiches as well.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-6833978036821619982012-03-24T12:54:00.000-07:002012-03-24T12:54:35.893-07:00Finally Finished SomethingI started this baby dress quite a while ago, but ran short of the pink yarn, (Bernat Satin), and was unable to match it. It finally dawned on me that I could do the skirt in a different color.<br />
The dress pattern is 'Flower Baby" from the magazine Crochet Today May/June 2008<br />
The hat pattern is my <a href="http://gardeners-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/10/shell-baby-hat.html">Shell baby Hat</a>, the flower pattern on the hat is improvised.<br />
The booties are knit from <a href="http://www.fabulousyarn.com/PATTERNS/babybootypattern.htm">this pattern</a>.<br />
These items will be donated to the local pregnancy resource center.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYTzP3AvjAk/T24mMA17HuI/AAAAAAAAAZs/9nL3Y1sDV-A/s1600/DSCF0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYTzP3AvjAk/T24mMA17HuI/AAAAAAAAAZs/9nL3Y1sDV-A/s320/DSCF0010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-811YQtKUqnc/T24mRulKMTI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/9Mg9mzxHN9M/s1600/DSCF0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-811YQtKUqnc/T24mRulKMTI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/9Mg9mzxHN9M/s320/DSCF0004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueLHHuEr3Og/T24mVMHBc5I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/33KnlLE8SIc/s1600/DSCF0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ueLHHuEr3Og/T24mVMHBc5I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/33KnlLE8SIc/s320/DSCF0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ci-8-mAdk2c/T24mYMQFTLI/AAAAAAAAAaE/SA6fSFWYUCM/s1600/DSCF0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ci-8-mAdk2c/T24mYMQFTLI/AAAAAAAAAaE/SA6fSFWYUCM/s320/DSCF0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2854597955866967666.post-30961983976694330892012-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:002012-01-09T15:46:12.452-08:00<a href="http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html" target="_blank"><img alt="52 Week Organized Home Challenge" height="200" src="http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/image-files/organized-home-challenge-ad-button-2.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />
This weeks challenge is kitchen cabinet organization. I think this will be quite a bit more work than the kitchen counters.Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01881249985075290187noreply@blogger.com0