We are back home and after two weeks of being back in Texas and back with grandkids, family and friends, even though it was hard to say goodbye, the younger (sorry, but I refuse to say, “getting older”) we get, the better feeling it becomes to just get back to your own bed, your own bathroom and your routine. I remember my parents and inlaws always saying that they were always so glad to get back home after always being gone for vacations and I always wondered why. In my season of life back then, it was always just a dream to be able to travel and stay in hotels and eatting out and getting away from routine. But, I have found that, like them, I am now admitting that they knew what they were talking about. Because we stayed at our kids house, we were introduced to remembering what our households were like years ago, the cartoons always in the background, lunches of macaroni and cheese or frozen pizza, toys spread over the entire house, training potty’s, kids running in and out the doors with screams from parents saying, “shut the door behind you”. Yes, we were taken back to our days of what it used to be like, but we remembered it quite differently. Were our memories of how we ran our houses, really like we remembered them, or had our memories failed us? We remembered our houses as actually pretty quiet and that our children had been pretty perfect,always shutting the door without being reminded, with their perfect friends and that they had always said “yes mam and no mam” and that our kids had sat and talked with us about the meaning of life and that they enjoyed us telling them about our childhood each night at the dinner table. Were these memories of ours real, or fantasies?
As I boarded the plane to come home, humming to myself, “Sponge Bob Square Pants, Sponge Bob Square Pants”, noticing the man in front of me looking at me like I was crazy, I remembered that going home did have it’s rewards of quietness and normal routine, but there is nothing quite like having a grandchild come over and crawl up in your lap and share their fruit loop with you as you hear them scream, “turn up the tv, this is when Sponge Bob and Patrick work for all the crab patties they can eat….” Now there is a memory that will never fade. Think I will turn on cartoons this afternoon, just for old time sake.
Chicken and Broccoli Cobbler (or Zucchini if you don’t like broccoli)
This cobbler takes 15 min to prepare and is such a comfort food. I am not a huge fan of broccoli unless I eat it raw. But I substituted mushrooms and zuccchini makes this now a favorite of mine.
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups cubed sourdough bread (6 1/2 oz)
1/2 cup preshredded parmesan cheese
3 cups small broccoli florets (or equal amounts of zucchni and mushrooms to equal 3 cups total)
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup drained chopped roasted red bell pepper
1 (10 oz) container refrigerated alfredo sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tables dry sherry (or you can use chicken broth or cream)
Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle butter over bread cubes in a large bowl; sprinkle with cheese and toss well.
Combine broccoli (or other veggies) and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon filling into a lightly greased 2 qt. rectangular or oval baking dish or individual baking dishes; top with bread cubes.
Bake uncovered at 400 for 30 min (20-25 min for individual cobblers) or until bubbly and top is toasted.
Older by the Day
Well, if you read my posting a few days ago about feeling old, you will understand this post a little better. It appears that if I wasn’t feeling “old” enoughthe other day by not being able to dance along to Just Dancing on the Wii or Singing along to Rock Band, I have now been shown by my adult children that my “sayings” are so old fashion. Apparently, when I say, “let’s have taters, instead of rice” the kids think that is hilarious. When I remarked that, “i’m tireder than the day is long” they were yelling at me to “stop” with the old sayings. I got so hurt that I ran to the bathroom and tripped on the steps that go up to the toilet where my grandson’s training potty sits over the commode. As I try to straddle the steps, thinking back over the years when this was all just a part of a normal day of training potties and cooking pan lids laying all over the kitchen floor, it reminded me that even if my “sayings” are a little out of date and I can’t seem to enjoy Dora the Explorer the way I use to when my kids were little, I am ever so grateful that this season of life affords me the luxury of never having to listen to Sponge Bob in the background or having to take the training potty seat down before using the toilet. Getting older does have it’s rewards, “you’re darn tootin'”.
Chicken-Chile Cobbler With Smoked Sausage and Black-Eyed Peas
I can already see your face when you read the title. You are thinking that this will be to much trouble and “ooh, it has black eyed peas in it.” You have got to trust me on this one. This is so good and really easy and makes a great dish for company. It comes from an old Southern Living Magazine and it is tried and true.
1 (16 oz) packge frozen black eyed peas
2 tables butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup flour
1 (1.25 oz) envelope white chicken chili seasoning mix
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (to make this simple, use a bought roasted chicken)
Wild Rice Crust Batter *Recipe follows these directions
Cook peas according to package directions; drain.
Preheat oven to 425. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium high heat; add sausage, and saute 3 min or until iightly browned. Add onions and poblano pepper, and saute 3 mins. Add flour and seasoning mix; cook, stirring constantly for 1 min.
Gradually add chicken broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of dutch oven.Cook, stirring constantly, 3 min or until broth begins to thicken. Stir in black eyed peas and chicken, and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, prepare wild rice crust batter as directed. Spoon hot chicken mixture into a lightly greased 13×9 baking dish. Spoon Wild Rice Crust batter immediately over hot chicken mixture. Bake at 425 for 35 to 40 min or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.
Wild Rice Crust Batter
1 (8 oz) pouch ready to serve long grain and wild rice mix (we used Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Ready Rice)
1 cup all purpose baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Stir together rice and baking mix in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture and stir in milk and egg, just uintil moistened. Use immediately.
Signs of Growing Old
It is official, I am now old. It became apparent when, sitting in front of the television at my daughters house in Texas that I discovered that I had crossed over into AARP Land……As I sat there and watched my family entertain themselves with RockBand, singing away to Lady GaGa and dancing to Just Dance with the WiiI, I asked myself, “what is going on?” I kept waiting for the song selections to sing along with or the dance tunes to dance to, to give me options of Barry Manilow, Frank Sinantra or even the Beetles, when all I could find were selections from The Black Eyed Peas, the Cranberries, Pink or Beastie Boys…..when did Black Eyed Peas or Cranberries go from a food group to a rock band? When did Pink suddenly go from a color to a rapper. In my day, the Beastie Boys belonged to a horror film which we were told as kids, to never watch or we would begin to grow fangs instead of teeth.
As I sat there trying to not feel 80, the kids (in their 30’s) switched over to Just Dance, which shows you how to learn the moves of the modern types of dance. They urged me to get up and try just one dance. I relunctanly agreed, not knowing that my son iin law was behind Jodi and I with a movie camera. While raising my arms above my head, the bursitis in my arms let me know immediately that this dance was not for me. When they began to jump with the “computerized people” on the screen, I tried to jump, right along with them, thinking, “oh my, I can at least do this”. But the “extra” skin around my neck and tummy area began to shake in such a way that I felt I might actually be lifted up off the floor. When my foot slipped and I turned my ankle, while doing the “kick, stretch, kick, stretch” I immediately remembered that I was raised a Baptist girl and for a great reason, I could never dance. Being Baptist always gave me a great reason not to get out on the dance floor. I could just sit there and act “smug” saying to anyone who might approach me, “thank you for asking, but I’m Baptist and I don’t dance”. That way, I never had to actually get out on the dance floor and make a complete idiot out of myself. At this point, I faked a fainting spell, told them I must sit down and counted the minutes to when I could go back to my room (yes, they have me a room which I am only allowed to come out of at certain hours,ha) and use my IPOD (see, I am a little “modern”) and fall asleep listening to Love Me Tender, by Elvis or Barry’s, “I Write the Songs”…….great music to grow old with……., gotta go, it’s time for Wheel of Fortune!
Steak & Eggs Breakfast casserole
We have precious friends here from Dallas and since we are leaving early in the morning to hit the tour we have all lined out, with the best tour guide, Mr. Randy, who has driven us all over the LA area the last three days. So to avoid having to cook breakfast, thought I would use this casserole since you can put it together the night before and then pop it in the oven in the morning. We will head out the door to Warner Bros Studio Tour, hoping to catch sight of a few celebrities, will keep you updated about that. But in the meantime, here is a great different breakfast casserole.
2 lbs sirloin, cut into 1 in cubes
1 teas each salt and pepper
3 table oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 oz) package English muffins, torn into 1 in pieces
1 (8 oz) package shredded Monterey Jack and Colby cheese blend
1 ( 8 oz) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teas italian seasoning
12 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
In a large bowl, combine steak, salt, and pepper, tossing gently to coat.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add steak; cook for 5 min stirring frequently. Add garlic, onion and bell pepper; cook for 4 min or until veggies are tender
In a 3 qt baking dish, place english muffins evenly over bottom. Top with steak mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses and italian seasoning.
In a large bowl, beat heggs, with half and half and milk until smooth; pour over casserole. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hrs.
Remove casserole from fridge and let stand at room temp 30 min. Preheat oven to 350 while casserole is sitting out for the 30 min. Bake it for 1 hr and 10 min to 1 hr and 20 min depending upon your oven. Cover with aluminum foil, if necessary, to prevent excess browning. Let stand for 10 min before serving. Serve with fresh fruit and toast……
Punch Bowl Cake
I had forgotten all about this recipe until I was searching for a Banana Cake recipe and came across an old favorite. This cake is so pretty served in an antique punch bowl or a pretty glass bowl that is about the same size as your standard punch bowl. You can substitute French Vanilla pudding if you do not like banana and still get the same great results. Tomorrow, will post the chocolate version….let me know if you make this and your thoughts. It really is so pretty to serve and tastes so fresh and light.
1 pack (18.25 oz) plain yellow cake mix
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 packages (3.4 oz) banana instant pudding *or french vanilla
4 cups whole milk
2 cans (21 oz ea) cherry pie filling
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
4 ripe bananas, sliced 1/2 in thick *Once again, if you do not like bananas, substitute any fruit that goes well with cherries or pineapple, such as kiwi or blueberries
1 container (12 oz) frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip (yes, I am going to let you get away with Cool Whip, but just this once)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Spray a 13×9 cake pan with Pam.
Place cake mix, oil and eggs in mixing bowl. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 min. Stop the mixer and scrape sides and continue beating for about 2 min, increasing the speed to medium. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the spatula. Place the pan in the oven. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back with your finger in the center, approx 30 min.
Meanwhile place the pudding mix and milk in large bowl and blend according to directions. Set aside.
Remove the cooled cake from the pan and crumble in into 1 inch pieces with your hands. Place half of the crumbles in theh bottom of the large glass punch bowl or salad bowl.
Top with 1 can cherry pie filling, half of the crushed pineapple and half of the pudding. Add half of the banana slices (or other fruit) and half of the whipped topping, then half of the pecans. Repeat the layers, beginning with the remaining cake crumbles and ending with the pecans. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for about 4 hrs before serving.
Serve up portions of the cake with a large spoon.
Hash Brown and Sausage Casserole With Caramelized Onions
Another winner from Paula Deen! If you are like me and just are wild about eggs or omelets, but love breakfast food that consists of something other than toast or oatmeal, this is a wonderful dish to take to brunches or serve along side fruit dishes in the morning to family and friends. *If you would like to use this recipe for dinner or a luncheon, I have substituted wild rice for the potatoes and use 3 1/2 cups cooked wild rice. Goes great with baked chicken. Follow directions as directed, otherwise.
2 tables butter
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 lb pork ground sausage
1 (8 oz) package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 (30 oz) package frozen country style hash brown potatoes, thawed *or wild rice, see above.
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese, divided
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 teas dried crushed rosemary
1 teas ground black pepper
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 min. or until tender. Increase heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, until onions are browned and caramel colored. Remove onions and set aside.
Add sausage and mushrooms to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned and crumbly; drain.
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, sausage mixture, hash brown potatoes, 1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, soup, sour cream, rosemary and pepper. Spoon dixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 30 min or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 10 min before serving.
Saturday Exploring
This is an exciting day, not only did I get Randy to wake up singing, “oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Weiner” but he is going to take me to a Dillards two hours away. You might be thinking, why does she want Randy to wake up singing that song? Well, it takes Randy a little while to wake up, so when I can talk him into actually singing a silly song, it makes him laugh, which wakes him up, fast. So I try to think of the most ridiculous songs and tell him to sing them, looking me in the eye all the while singing it with feeling. Right away, we are laughing and begining our day with a smile on our face. But….to top that, he is taking me to Dillards, which is one of my fav stores and we don’t have one here close. He found this one on his way to an office he was headed to and called me and told me he had a surprise for me. I had begun to think I was going to have to live the rest of my life only getting to go to Dillards when I visited Texas, but….today is a special day, we are headed to Dillards and he has informed me that he will sit and drink coffee and just let me go explore the whole store. Now, is that a great husband or what? Tomorrow, we are off to San Diego to visit David Jeremiah’s church, which is one of our favorite pastors, so it is a good weekend. Dillards and David Jeremiah; and we started off our weekend last night with Cold Stone ice cream…..some weekends are just great, aren’t they?
French Onion Soup (from Southern Living)
I hear that back in Dallas you are experiencing a little chill in the air. I thought maybe you might enjoy this really rich, great soup on a Fri night. Yesterday I received in the mail from Amazon my new torch with 4 ramekins to make creme brulee. The instructions said that you could use the torch to melt the cheese on French Onion soup, so tonight that is what we are having. This is a great onion soup recipe and only takes 35 min.
4 large onions, thinkly sliced and separated into rings
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 3/4 cups beef stock or 2 (10 1/2 oz) cans ready to serve beef broth, undiluted
2 cups water
1/4 cup dry white wine *optional
1/4 teas pepper
8 (3/4 in thick) slices of french bread, toasted
8 slices swiss cheese (I use provolone)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Saute onion in butter in a dutch oven over medium heat 20 min or until tender. Gradually add beef broth and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 min.
Place eight ovenproof serving bowls on a baking sheet. Place 1 bread slice in each bowl; ladel soup over bread. Top with 1 cheese slice; sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil 5 1/2 in from heat until cheese melts. Or use the torch to melt the cheese. Serve immediately while hot. (I am going to dish up the soup, one at a time, since I am using the torch, that way, it will not get cold while I am torching the cheese)
Chocolate Castles 