Sunday, July 10, 2011
Can anybody identify this pattern? I am helping a local lady to liquidate her things as she goes into an assisted living facility. This is one of a set of six small bowls and one matching larger bowel -- looks like a punch bowl, but not with side dishes -- so it must be a salad bowl? Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Can you see any cats?
Our neighborhood feral cats don't pay us any attention, and our dogs love cats, so they don't bother them at all. In fact, they like the dogs much better than us. I didn't even see these two when I was outside hanging up laundry, but as I was closing the door -- I spotted them. If you drive these roads you'll see a lot of tabby cats -- it's farm country where everyone thinks they need a mouse or two or twelve. Hubs thinks I'm nuts because he wouldn't touch a 'wild' cat, but if I could find a cheap place to have them neutered I would gather them all up and take them in. But at $20 -$40 each, I'd soon go broke. Too bad there isn't something we could put in their water. Hmmmm.
Anyway, I do believe we have the market cornered on tabby patterned cats -- the other day I went over the mountain to get out and saw a big large tabby -- probably five miles from the house. I felt like I was seeing a family member --- I guess cats travel quite a ways too.
Last year we hosted a chicken and her chicks for a few weeks --- and they just disappeared from the carport one day. I was hoping she'd come back with more, but I don't think that's going to happen this year.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Good & Easy Stuffed Green Peppers!
First I must say I HATE GREEN PEPPERS AND I HATE TOMATOES. But my husband loves both. So I make this one dish for the two of us in stages.
Second I have to admit I'm using my mom's very 1960's back of the box recipe for Spanish Rice. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
1lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups Minute Rice
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can Rotel or diced tomatoes
2 cups warm water
2-3 green peppers, tops removed, seeded
Seasoning salt
Put the green peppers into boiling water for 10-20 minutes, until they are tender to a knife.
Brown the ground meat over high heat in dutch oven, when almost done add chopped onion and cook until both are browned. Add Minute Rice and tomato sauce to the meat mixture and cook for a few minutes. Drain the sauce from the rotel into the measuring cup and add hot water to the 2 cup mark - add to the rice mixture (do not use the rotel here unless you like tomatoes). Simmer on low for approximately five minutes (do not cover).
When the peppers are tender, drain and put in baking dish. I usually cut each of them in half so they lay flat.
Put the rotel in a small dish and add the spanish rice (leaving enough out for those of us who don't like peppers and tomatoes) and add the mixture on top of the green peppers.
Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, add grated cheese to the top and cook or broil another 5 minutes.
Serve the remaining Spanish Rice with corn for the picky ones in the family and the green peppers to the rest.
Second I have to admit I'm using my mom's very 1960's back of the box recipe for Spanish Rice. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
1lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups Minute Rice
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can Rotel or diced tomatoes
2 cups warm water
2-3 green peppers, tops removed, seeded
Seasoning salt
Put the green peppers into boiling water for 10-20 minutes, until they are tender to a knife.
Brown the ground meat over high heat in dutch oven, when almost done add chopped onion and cook until both are browned. Add Minute Rice and tomato sauce to the meat mixture and cook for a few minutes. Drain the sauce from the rotel into the measuring cup and add hot water to the 2 cup mark - add to the rice mixture (do not use the rotel here unless you like tomatoes). Simmer on low for approximately five minutes (do not cover).
When the peppers are tender, drain and put in baking dish. I usually cut each of them in half so they lay flat.
Put the rotel in a small dish and add the spanish rice (leaving enough out for those of us who don't like peppers and tomatoes) and add the mixture on top of the green peppers.
Cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, add grated cheese to the top and cook or broil another 5 minutes.
Serve the remaining Spanish Rice with corn for the picky ones in the family and the green peppers to the rest.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Easy & Good Clam Chowder Soup
I'm no chef, but I do love to try.
I make GREAT clam chowder soup, if I do say so myself. Thankfully my husband agrees. There are many ways to make this lower calorie, but why? :)
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, diced
2 bottles of clam juice
Seasoned salt
Worcestershire Sauce
2 lg cans of whole baby clams
4 T butter
4 T flour
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 pint half/half
Put the diced potatoes into a dutch oven and add clam juice (drain the clam juice from the clams too, just don't add the clams until the end). Simmer about 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked. Sprinkle with season salt and stir in a bit of Worcestershire Sauce for flavor.
Add heavy cream and half/half, simmer.
In separate small saucepan melt the better, add the flour, whisk into butter, and cook for about a minute to be sure the flour is well blended. Add to soup pot and let it melt into the hot liquid.
Add the clams, and when warm -- DINNER IS SERVED.
If I wasn't cooking for a man who doesn't like onions in soup or bacon at all, I would add both to this soup.
I make GREAT clam chowder soup, if I do say so myself. Thankfully my husband agrees. There are many ways to make this lower calorie, but why? :)
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, diced
2 bottles of clam juice
Seasoned salt
Worcestershire Sauce
2 lg cans of whole baby clams
4 T butter
4 T flour
1/2 pint heavy cream
1 pint half/half
Put the diced potatoes into a dutch oven and add clam juice (drain the clam juice from the clams too, just don't add the clams until the end). Simmer about 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked. Sprinkle with season salt and stir in a bit of Worcestershire Sauce for flavor.
Add heavy cream and half/half, simmer.
In separate small saucepan melt the better, add the flour, whisk into butter, and cook for about a minute to be sure the flour is well blended. Add to soup pot and let it melt into the hot liquid.
Add the clams, and when warm -- DINNER IS SERVED.
If I wasn't cooking for a man who doesn't like onions in soup or bacon at all, I would add both to this soup.
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