Homemade bacon

Today I used the bacon that Lyn gave me. They grew this pig themselves and the bacon was very different from what I am used to! It is hard to describe, more meaty, less salty and smokey.
I call it BLT pasta. Whole wheat pasta with homemade bacon, cherry tomatoes and parsley. So, I guess it's BLP...!

Sunny with a chance of chicken

Chicken Piccata with whole wheat pasta, served on a bed of 2 cups of baby spinach. Love that lemon and caper sauce-tastes like sunshine!

Whitefish and greens

Wow. 2 posts in one day!?
Dinner is whitefish and a huge sald with greek dressing and feta cheese. No carbs, sadly...

Blizzard and Birds and Beef and Beans

Catchy alliteration for the title!

I saw this suet log online. They wanted $20 for it. It. Is. A. Log. 

A log!

$20???

My co-worker's children has the day off on Monday and I asked her if she thought they could make one. 

Sure enough, Tuesday, she presented me with this wonderful log that will lure the best song birds into my yard. I created my own suet mix with beef lard, (incredibly hard to find), peanuts, dried meal worms and cracked corn and dried cherries. Surely one of those things will tempt a woodpecker or titmouse to my yard?

I sat down in front of the french doors with my camera and my cup of coffee. I sat for hours. 

I asked my co-worker if she thought the kids could make a deck feeder. The next day, she arrives with this!

It is an cedar bird feeder! I love it! It is handcrafted and it is beautiful. 

This is a very resourceful family, to say the least!

This is a new bird in the yard. I think this is a Tree Sparrow..

 “Birds are flyin' south for winter. 

Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north, 

Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin', 

Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth. 

He says, "It's not that I like ice 

Or freezin' winds and snowy ground. 

It's just sometimes it's kind of nice 

To be the only bird in town.” 

― Shel Silverstein

Everyone in the hot tub-this is a heated bird bath!

Why can't I attract more birds??

Purple finch. 

We did not get the 8" of snow that was forecasted. We got less than 5". We also got half day off. I spent mine in front of the window, watching tiny birds scurry around, gobbling up the seeds I would toss out for them.
I stopped on the way home and picked up a Rump Roast. So many cooks use Rump Roast for pot roast, but if you purchase a roast that is "choice", it will roast up so nicely.

I stab the roast with a paring knife and stick garlic cloves in the holes. I grind garlic and salt and rosemary together and rub the mixture on the top and sides of the roast and cook @ 350 for 25 minutes per pound. The salad is the Edamame with Chick Peas and Lemon and Mint, served on baby spinach. That salad is an absolute favorite. I highly recommend it!
from Kalynskitchen.com:

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) and Edamame Salad with Lemon and Mint

(Makes about 4 lunch salads or 6 side-dish servings, recipe adapted quite a bit from one found in The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook.)

Dressing:
zest and juice of one large lemon (at least 1 T zest and 2-3 T juice + more juice for seasoning the finished salad if desired)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 T olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Salad:
1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas
1 1/2 cup shelled cooked edamame
1/4 - 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (scallions)
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint (or less)

Drain garbanzo beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears. Let beans drain well (I pat them dry with a paper towel if they still seem wet.) If using frozen edamame, microwave for about 5 minutes. (You can microwave the desired amount in a glass bowl covered with cling-wrap, or use the microwave-in-the-package kind like I did.)

Zest the lemon using a microplane grater or the finest side of a regular grater, then squeeze the lemon juice. You need at least 1 T lemon zest and 2-3 T lemon juice. In a plastic or glass bowl large enough to hold all the salad ingredients, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Add the drained chickpeas and stir so the beans are well-coated with dressing. Let beans marinate in the dressing while you prep the other ingredients.

When edamame is cooked, drain well in the same colander you used for the beans. Thinly slice green onions. Wash mint, spin dry or dry with paper towels, and finely chop enough to make 1 cup chopped mint, or less if you're not that fond of mint.

Add the edamame, sliced green onions, and chopped mint to the bowl with the chickpeas and stir until ingredients are well combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired. (I added more lemon juice and a tiny bit of salt.) Serve right away or refrigerate until you're ready to eat it.

This still tasted great after it had been in the fridge overnight, but I added a little more lemon juice to brighten the flavor.

Christmas Day

Christmas Eve, I threw together a simple egg dish for Christmas morning.

Oven baked ham and cheese omelet with whole wheat English muffins. This was out of this world. I don't like the one with the bread or the croutons. They are more like a strata. This is more like an omelette. Delicious!

Baked Oven Omelet

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 3 ounces cooked ham, diced
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8x8 inch casserole dish and set aside.
2. Beat together the eggs and milk. Add seasoning salt, ham, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese and minced onion. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
3. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes.

Also served Fruit Salsa. No recipe, just chopped fruit, served with 

Gingerbread shaped cinnamon sugar tortilla chips! Sooo Cute!!

hello, yummy guy!

Also served Festive Slush, Warm Parmesan Crab Dip and gluten free crackers.

Of course, we all ate too many appetizers, but were so happy to see the Prime Rib come out like this:

Garlic Prime Rib

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 (10 pound) prime rib roast
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions

1. Place the roast in a roasting pan with the fatty side up. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread the mixture over the fatty layer of the roast, and let the roast sit out until it is at room temperature, no longer than 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
3. Bake the roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C), and continue roasting for an additional 60 to 75 minutes. The internal temperature of the roast should be at 145 degrees F (53 degrees C) for medium rare.
4. Allow the roast to rest for 10 or 15 minutes before carving so the meat can retain its juices.

In the end, we had a great family celebration. 

We used the good china and silver and crystal. It made for a lovely table. Something about the good stuff makes it a special day!

here I am with my mother-in-law!

Gracie and Cass feelin festive

Nick and Grama laughing together

here's my boy

the table looks so great, with the sun streaming on it. I wished I would've gotten a shot with the crystal on it!

Christmas in the Country

We had a wonderful Christmas.
Very small, but wonderful.

On Christmas Eve, we attend the evening church service. Hubs sings in the choir and plays guitar, so he goes to the evening and the Midnight service. The church we attend is 30 miles away. In the past, I've struggled to make the perfect Christmas Eve dinner, trying to set the oven/'s timer to cook a roast or a turkey so that I can rush back and finish dinner. I didn't always have good results....

This year, I made homemade bread with lasagna. I set the oven to turn on 350 at 7:30. While we were chatting with friends after the service, I caught the time on a friend's watch. 

8:30!!!

We were still 45 minutes away from home! I rushed home and threw open the door and was greeted with smoke and the smell of burning food. My heart sank.

I ran to the oven and slowly opened it....

What a relief to find the lasagna had spilled over its pan and was dropping sauce on the oven floor. 

Lasagna was fine. 

More than fine, it was wonderful!

I normally just float my way thru the lasagna, but this time, I followed a recipe.

This was the best lasagna I've ever tasted, I promise you. But it was also so darn good looking! Normally, it falls together and slimes its way all over the plate, but this guy stood up straight and tall and proudly showed off the cheesy layers. Yum.

World's Best Lasagna Recipe

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I also made homemade French bread, just because there wasn't enough going on!!!

It was wonderful!
French Bread Recipe
allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
4. Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
5. With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Our Christmas Eve dinner was better than ever.I would definitely do lasagna again. Although I would set the oven to go on about 8pm, next time! No mad dash home, worried about burning down the house!

Bit o' Honey

Very little that has anything interesting about it is going on around here. The weather is fabulous, though. Today is December 18th and it was over 40! We got about an inch of snow on Friday night, but it is long gone, now. There are presents to be wrapped and cookies to be made. I have invited mother-in-law over for Christmas Day dinner, but we don't have any parties planned. 

On Monday, I found a bag of bulbs my boss had purchased but not planted. So, I got the shovel and took a minute to plop them in the ground. I didn't have the luxury of time or planning, but she had purchase 8 bags at Wally for $1 per bag and they were starting to sprout! So, I dug a long trench and tossed them in. Tulip and daffs. Hopefully, they'll come up!

This summer, I hope to have Nakkid Lady Lilies! Remember those? I rescued them from a lot in Joplin, in August. I am worried that they may not be hardy enough, so I placed them next to the foundation of the house, hoping the residual warmth from the concrete will help. 

The Southerners I knew called them Nakkid Lady lilies because the foliage comes up in a rain storm in June, then it dies down. Suddenly, in August, the lily stalk comes up and they bloom without foliage! Thus, Nakkid Ladies!

We did have a bit of good news! Hubs has been working the graveyard shift since taking this new job, and it is rough. He is exhausted all the time and has moved downstairs to sleep on a temporary futon bed because he cannot sleep upstairs during the day-it is just too bright. The boss told hubs that they've hired his replacement and they want to move him to days sometime in January! What a relief!

Another bright spot-my winter boss, where I make the t-shirts, does not want me to go away for the summer, so she's made this job VERY appealing. The way my job with the grower ended up, I can not go back to them, anyways. Their company is a train wreck.

This is good news for the tomato lovers in my family. You see, prime tomato planting time is also the time where I am working over 60 hours a week. This leaves very little daylight or energy to plant tomatoes. Normally, they go in around Father's Day. Working the regular job will allow more time to tend to the veggie garden. The prospects of good tomatoes are looking good!

For dinner tonite, I have made the Mexican Pork. This stuff is wonderful. It couldn't be easier, either. Cube a pork loin, toss it in the crock pot with a can of chopped green chilies, a couple chilies in adobo, and garlic. Simmer on low for 7 hours. So easy and so good! I serve it with lime and cilantro and cheese on long grain rice cooked with lime juice and cilantro. 

I never know what to do with the leftovers from those little cans of chilies. They are quite spicy, so one or two per crock pot is plenty for my family. Using both the chipotle in adobo and the green chilies, I didn't use the entire can of either, otherwise it would be too spicy! So, I did this:

I sprayed the ice cube tray with non stick and dumped the remaining chilies in there. It is my hope that they come right out, and I can pop them into a ziplock! We shall see....

I have had so many folks ask about the granola. I make it every Sunday and did so again, today. 

I know Cher thought this amount is extreme, but 3 of us eat this every day, sometimes I have it for lunch and breakfast. It is not an extreme amount if you are eating 3 cups per day. Either way, I truly don't think granola can be messed up. I started with whole old fashioned oats as a foundation and added from there. We are not eating white sugar, so I took that into account and made a delicious wholesome granola!

6 cups whole oats

1 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1 cup sunflower kernels

1/2 c slivered almonds

1/2 c walnuts

1/4 cup flax meal

1/3 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup organic honey

1/2 cup real maple syrup

2/3 extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt, (important as salt amplifies sweet!)

Mix thoroughly and allow to set for a few minutes to allow the liquid to be absorbed in the dry. Spread onto lined and sprayed cookie sheets (honey sticks and burns!). I then sprinkle both trays with 1/2 packet of Truvia sweetener.  

Bake @ 300 for 45 mins, stirring every 15 mins. 

While warm, toss in some dried fruit if you like! I add 1/3 cup dates, cranberries, and raisins.

Granola, non fat vanilla yogurt and no sugar added frozen berries = 13 lbs GONE from Sissy!

We've decided that we will indulge a few times during the holidays, cookies, Prime Rib, and some other goodies, and go back to Phase 1 for January. 

Soon, I will start to plan the whole Winter Sowing thing. I begged Sue for the trays that she uses to sow, (have you seen Sue's gardens???) and I just know it will work for me. 

A box arrived from Sue and I placed it in the closet, so I didn't get it strewn all over the place and lose the trays before Winter Sowing time. I almost wrapped it as a gift, the other day! 

Soon it will be time to concentrate on growing, again!