Meats

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

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This is a delicious dish, and have made it for company numerous times. It always gets rave reviews. It is simple, and looks so pretty and has a remarkable flavor.

1 baking chicken

2 sliced and deseeded lemons

1 onion sliced

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1 tables Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

2 cloves of fresh garlic

Wash and dry chicken. Between the skin and meat, stuff about 6 to 7 lemon slices and the sprigs of rosemary and cloves of garlice. Place rest of onion and lemon inside cavity of chicken. Sprinkle the Seasoning Salt, along with pepper all over the chicken. Sprinkle more garlice powder if desired. Bake in a covered dish for about 1 1/2 hours or until done at 350. I usually cook the rice pilaf, to go along with this. The flavor is just amazing and it looks so pretty on the platter. Use fresh rosemary and a couple slices of the lemon to lay around the chicken to serve.

Desserts

Coconut and Banana Mini Cheesecakes

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3 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

6 tables melted butter

2  (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 medium banana, mashed

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tables banana liqueur (if you do not want to buy this, just use vanilla and decrease the amount to 1 tables)

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Sliced banana and toasted coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, combine crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. Press into bottom and half-way up sides of 2 (12-cup) mini cheesecake pans. Bake 6 minutes. cool completely. *(Instead of doing this, if you are in a hurry, you can purchase the vanilla wafer crusts by the grahm cracker crusts at the grocery store. This recipe would fill 2 of these crusts)

Reduce heat to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheesea and sugar with mixer at medium speed until creamy. Beat in mashed banana until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in liqueur and coconut. Spoon batter evenly into prepared crusts. Bake 20 minutes. *if using store bought crusts you will need to bake about 30 min. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. To serve remove from pans. Garnish with sliced bananas and toasted cocount and whipping cream.

*If using the store bought 9 in crust, you do not need to bake before filling the crusts with the filling. Just increase your cooking time to 30 minutes. You will also not remove from pans after the 2 hours of refrigeration. Just cut and serve directly from these pans. It is only the cupcake size pans which you would remove them from before serving.

Daily Thoughts · Soups

Tues, February 23 Tomatillo Soup

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Had lunch at a friends house yesterday and she served us this most amazing soup. It is like the green chile stew that you might have read on this blog, but the tomatillos give this soup just a little different flavor and it is a lighter soup than the one previously posted. It is easy, quick to prepare and goes so well with a pan of corn bread or warm tortillas which you have spread with a bit of butter and salt. Great for those nights when you have some left over roasted chicken you bought at the store, or some saved frozen chicken you have in the freezer. It is so good. You will make it again, and again….
2 T. butter
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
Saute onion and garlic in the butter
Add:
1 small can chopped green chilis
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatillos (I found these in that special international section at Kroger at Frankford & Midway)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. white pepper
32 oz. chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded chicken breast (I used the roasted chicken from Kroger)
1/2 cup uncooked rice
Cook on low/medium for about 20-30 minutes.
That’s it. 
Breads · Daily Thoughts

Miracle Monday

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Hope each of you had a marvelous weekend. I was so ready to write yesterday, but my computer would not let me on the internet, so all my thoughts had to be pushed back. If you are wondering what the miracle is, it is simple. It was just the miracle of some of the greatest gifts God has given to us. The gift of friendship and love, of sharing special times with friends, the abundance of “necessities” that we are so blessed to have, God’s grace and love and protection! It is with this in mind that I must tell you that though this weekend, wasn’t a long awaited trip to some far distant country, or a spa weekend, it held so many wonderful memories. The memory of just laughing with sweet friends who dined on wonderful Mexican food on Fri night, while our husbands were at church for a men’s retreat. The memory of standing over a stove on Saturday morning, stirring and stirring for almost an hour, the best candy you have ever put in your mouth. The accidents of adding too much cream by one of the “cooks” caused so much laughter, as we all knew that this “cook” wasn’t living her dream of standing over a stove, cooking…but doing it, nonetheless. What wonderful memories we can have laughing and telling our “girl” stories to each other. This was one of those weekends. They have told me to post the candy we made, and will do so tomorrow, but today, I have been requested to post these “pop in your mouth” little fudge muffins. This weather will make you appreciate these wonderful little mouthfulls of sweet, light chocolatey muffins.

Fudge Muffins

4 (1 oz) squares of semi sweet chocolate

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1 teas vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Melt Chocolate with butter over low heat or in microwave. Stir in remaining ingredients, except vanilla. Stir in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla and nuts (if desired). Fill minature muffin pans, which you have sprayed with Pam, 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for about 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool before removing from pans. You can sprinkle powdered sugar over these. Serve with hot tea of coffee. These also freeze well, so could be thawed and served when unexpected guests arrive.

Desserts

Cheerio Treats

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These are addicting! One of my bestest friends brought these over one day and said that she made them for her grandchildren who are in their teens and every time they were in town, they requested these from her. They are simple to make and just hit the spot when you are hungry for something, but not too terribly sweet. Thank you Cora for introducing me to something else to have to give up when I have my first heart attack.

Melt in microward:

3 tables butter

10 oz miniature marshmallows

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

When melted, stir and add the following:

5 cups plain cheerios

1 cup M&M’s (peanut or plain)

Stir and press into a long glass pan (9 by 13). When cool, cut into squares.

Daily Thoughts · Meats

Breakfast Burrito/New Car Breakfast

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OK, I am now “golden” in my husbands eyes. I actually got up early enough to cook something besides cereal or toast. It is 28 degrees outside and I thought to myself, “hum…..if I were going out at 7 a.m. in 28 degree weather, what would I want for breakfast?” So…..I got in the kitchen, got out the Jimmy Dean sausage and went to town. I scrambled about 1/2 cup of the sausage in a skillet, cracked 2 eggs over the sausage when it was done, stirred that until the eggs were done. Sprinkled about 2 tables sharp cheddar cheese on top and let that melt, got out the flour tortillas and nuked them for about 8 secs, spooned the sausage-egg mixture over the tortillas and then poured El Pinto Mild Hot Sauce (how do you have ‘Mild” hot sauce”) over the mixture, rolled up the tortilla and put it on a plate, poured him his grapefruit juice and had it on the table in less than 10 minutes. You would have thought I had served him the moon……..He just kept staring at me and asking me “what is it you want”? When I told him that I just wanted to send him out the door with a good hot breakfast, he just kept staring at me…….Now, seriously, it doesn’t have anything to do with the new cars we went to look at on Monday, really, oh and did I mention that I also sent him out the door with a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies for his coffee time at work? Anyway, I just kept assuring him that it was all because I love him so much and really, it doesn’t have anything to do with that gorgeous, dark gray car with soft leather interior, Boise sound system, convertible top that actualy goes well with my hair root color…It has all to do with I think he is the most wonderful husband in the world, sorry, I have to go, I am looking up all the info on the web on my potential new car………

Desserts

Rocky Road Brownies

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These are without a doubt, my favorite brownies. I have been making them since the 1980’s and anytime I take them anywhere, they get rave reviews. A friend of mine, Linda Cooper served them to us after a baseball game one night when we were at her house. They immediately went on my list of “favs”. I think they will be on yours also.

Rocky Road Brownies

1 pkg. (4 oz) German Sweet Chocolate

5 Table butter, divided

1 pkg. (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 table flour

½ teas vanilla

¾ cup sugar

½ cup flour combined with ½ teas baking powder and ¼ teas salt

1 teas vanilla

¼ teas almond extract

Melt chocolate and 3 tables butter over low heat, stirring until melted. Set aside to cool.

Soften remaining 2 tables butter. Add cream cheese, creaming until light. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, beating until fluffy. Stir in 1 egg, 1 tables flour and ½ teas. Vanilla. Set aside.

Beat 2 eggs until lemon colored. Gradually add ¾ cup sugar, beating until thick. Combine the flour mixture. Add to egg mixture, mixing well. Stir in cooled chocolate, 1 teas vanilla, almond extract and if you want, ½ cup chopped nuts. Pour half of chocolate batter into a greased 8” square pan. Spread cheese mixture over this and top with remaining chocolate batter.

Bake at 350 for about 35 to 40 mins. While still hot, spread with ½ jar of marshmallow crème, then top with frosting, below.

Frosting:

1 sq (1oz) unsweetened chocolate, 1 ½ tables water and 1 tables butter 

1 ½ cups powdered sugar, ½ teas vanilla and ¼ cup egg substitute.

Combine chocolate, water and butter and melt in microwave for about 25 to 30 seconds.

Stir and add remaining ingredients. Pour over marshmallow layer as frosting hardens quickly.

Daily Thoughts

Worst Date Ever (this is a true story which aired on Jay Leno

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WORST FIRST DATE STORY EVER
   
If you didn’t see this on the Tonight show, I hope  you’re sitting down when 
you read it. This is probably the funniest date story ever, first date or

not!!! We have all had bad dates but this takes the cake.
  
Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date
that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience.
 
There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
 
She said it was midwinter…Snowing and quite cold… and the guy had taken
her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City , Utah
  
It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and had 
never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they

were headed home late that afternoon..
  
They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to
realize that she should not have had that extra Latte. They were about an
hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere!

Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while.
 
Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point
where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, 
or it would be the front seat of his car
 
They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn’t have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself…

Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking… All she could think about was the relief she
felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.
 
Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she
bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car’s fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem, due to the extreme cold.
 
Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date’s concerns about’ what is taking so long’ with a reply that indeed, she was ‘freezing her butt off’ and in need of some assistance!
 
He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem.
 
Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way,her first time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.
   
As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down. Or perhaps that should be ‘pants down”. And you thought your first date was embarrassing.

Jay Leno’s comment…’This gives a whole new meaning  to being “pissed off.’
  
Oh and how did the first date turn out?

He became her husband and was sitting next to her on the Leno show.
 

 

—

Daily Thoughts

Holiday Monday

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What a glorious morning, the sun is shining, the wind is blowing and the fireplace is still on. Randy is outside clearing the branches which fell, due to the heavy amount of snow which fell on Thursday. Because of the weather, we have had more time than usual to be inside and talk. It has been nice to watch a movie at 5:30 in the afternoon, or make a sandwich at 2 in the afternoon, because we were working together on a house project. We got out of our “normal” schedule the past few days. A movie we watched on Saturday afternoon at home (which we just never do take the time to do that) was “Rumor Has It”. Now, maybe it is my age, and if it is, I apologize for spending so much time thinking about this, but once again, it just showed me that as we get older and desire our children to know what all is going on in our hearts and minds, it is sad to think that the children which we spent so much time trying to pour our hearts into, know so little about us. In the movie, the adult child, Jennifer Aniston, cannot understand why she is so different from her parents,  feeling  that she must be in the wrong family. Af the end of the movie, she is sitting there talking with her dad, telling him that she just doesn’t understand how he could be her dad, because of the difference. She tells him, “one example of how different we are is that you just drive so slow and I always drive so fast,” to which he responds, “I only drive slow when you are with me to keep you safe”.

In that moment I realized the actions that we, as parents, do, from the standpoint of just trying to do what we think is best for our children, whether they are 3 or 30. Sometimes, we don’t ever realize what our parents are thinking or why they do some of the things they do, unless we hear from someone else something about one of our parents. When I am in Corpus, I hear from people who know my dad, “that your dad is the best worker we have at the funeral home”, or” your mom is always the first to bring food to us when we are sick”.

So I am going to begin to day to be a little more caring in showing them that I do want to know about what they think regarding: certain movies, political views, what they do on a weekend, who are their best friends and why, what they would want to do if they could just escape for a weekend. Are we taking the time to really “know” our parents or do we just fill them in on what is going on in our lives. Beginning today I am going take an active interest in our conversations.  I am going to ask them what they have been doing. Where did they go over the weekend? Who did they see? What is something that they are planning to do? And if they have been someplace, I will ask them about it…..and really try to listen and care. Sorry, Mom and dad or any other good friend that I have not taken the time to listen to them or ask them about what all is going on in their lives. Let’s all try to truly listen to people we care about and get involved in their lives and listen to their hearts. We all might be surprised at what we learn.

Meats

Cilantro Scampi

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2 tables olive oil

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined; dusted with flour

1 tables garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tables unsalted butter

1/2cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tables chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped

salt to taste

4 lime wedges

springs of fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp and saute 2 mins. Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Deglaze with wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until reduced by half, about 2 mins. Stir in butter until melted.

Combine cilantro, lime juice and chiles in a large bowl. Add shrimp to cilantro mixture and toss to coat; sseason with salt. When ready to serve, spoon shrimp and sauce over rice, pasta or freshly sliced french bread, which has been lightly toasted with butter and garlic.