random amusements

What I have been up to lately:

Yardwork...

...the big scary snake that my friend Collin caught...

...normally, snakes don't scare me, but this one was BIG and we were having trouble identifying it. All I know for sure is that it's not a copperhead or a cottonmouth...

May 23rd: two truckloads of dirt for the garden beds...




May 21st - yellow irises are blooming:



May 19th - first purple irises blooming:



May 16th....truckload of new mulch...



...that's my new bird feeder there, too.

Coreopsis:


a columbine from my mom (b-day gift):



wallflower:


Two weekends in a row now we have been shoveling mulch and dirt out of the back of the pickup truck. And now I'm sunburned and feeling kinda sick. I have to work today, and tomorrow is Casey's birthday, but I will try to post some food photos soon. Probably of Casey's cake tomorrow, if I have time.

~Goldie



p.s.
The Hawks knocked off the SJ Sharks to move into the final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I'm so proud of those guys! I have to admit that I got a little teary-eyed when defenseman Duncan Keith took a puck to the mouth and lost several teeth...but, of course, he's a hockey player, and was back on the ice after some repairwork. :)

Orange Cappuccino Bread

This smelled delicious while baking, and the scent permeated every corner of the house...

Orange Cappuccino Bread
(adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook recipe pg. 50)

1 c. warm water
1 T. instant espresso
2 T. butter, softened
2 t. fresh grated orange peel
3 c. flour
1/4 c. dry milk powder
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/4 t. salt
1 pkt. quick active dry yeast
tiny dash of: cardamom and nutmeg

I made this in the bread machine, on the "sweet" cycle; but, you could also mix it by hand and bake it in a loaf pan. (see other bread recipes on this site for general instructions on making bread by hand.)

fresh grated orange peel is a key factor...


enjoy this bread with Nutella or butter, and make sure you have a cup of coffee handy!



I just made this, and I had to post the photos!!!

Salmon-Cheese Patties

These are similar to my low-carb tuna bites, but I made them in a regular-sized muffin tin, instead of the mini muffin tin.

Salmon-Cheese Patties w/ Ricotta on Top

1 can salmon, drained & cleaned
2 eggs
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (I really didn't measure; I just threw in 2 handfuls)
ricotta cheese for topping (optional)
dash of: celery salt, black pepper, tarragon

1. Mix salmon, eggs, and cheddar in a small mixing bowl. Add seasonings; mix well.
2. Spray pan with cooking spray; press mixture into mini muffin pan. Top them with some ricotta, if you'd like.
3. Bake at 350˚ for about 30 minutes; until cheese looks bubbly. Serve on a bed of greens or with a side of steamed veggies.



sorry about the blurry photos!!

random amusements

This was my birthday dinner....I know there were side dishes to go with it, but I can't remember what they were now...and, really, does it matter?! LOL!

random amusements

Casey: ....remember when you were a kid...that game with the ball on the rubber band, and you hit it with the paddle...?... What was that called?

Me: ....paddle ball?


[which lead to...]

Me: ....remember when you were a kid...that game where you hit the ball and ran to the bases...?... What was that called?!!!

Casey: ....DUH, baseball?!!!


[which lead to hysterical laughter]

[which lead to more silly questions (See also: basketball; ping pong; and tennis)]

[which lead to a bad case of the giggles]

[which lead to a serious lack of sleep]

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

Casey never liked Brussels sprouts until I made them like this...

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

1 pkg. frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed
2 T. butter
salt
splash of lemon juice

This isn't really a "recipe"...you just cut the sprouts in half, get the pan nice and hot, throw in the butter and sprouts and cook them until they're nicely browned. They'll caramelize a little bit like onions do, and that adds to the flavor. Don't over-cook them and turn them into mush. Dash with salt and lemon juice. Enjoy!

Rustic Savory Tarts

This was "leftovers night" and also included "whatever can be found in the pantry." I used a pizza crust mix, a can of salmon, and some leftovers that were in the fridge...

Savory Tarts (because Casey wouldn't let me call them "Pizza")

1 box Jiffy pizza crust mix
leftover chunky-style mushroom spaghetti sauce
leftover spinach dip
1/2 can salmon, drained and cleaned
ricotta
a bunch of cheese slices (not sure if it was brick, mozarella, or Monterrey Jack...?)

1. Heat oven to 400°.
2. Prepare pizza dough. Roll out dough into 2 rectangles; place side by side on cookie sheet. Pre-bake 5 minutes; remove from oven.
   
3. Spread one with the spaghetti sauce; spread the other with spinach dip.
   
4. Add ricotta to the spaghetti sauce; top the spinach dip with salmon.
   
5. Layer cheese slices over both 'not-pizzas.'
   
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned to your liking.
   

Bacon-Wrapped Sausage Appetizers

I made these a while ago, but just didn't get around to posting the recipe...

Bacon-Wrapped Snausages

1 pkg. (1 lb.) Lit'l Smokies
1 pkg. (1 lb.) bacon
brown sugar
toothpicks

1. Slice bacon in half; separate individual slices.
   
2. Wrap a snausage in half of the bacon slice.
3. Secure with toothpick. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
   
4. Place on foil-lined baking sheet. Do not over crowd them; use two sheets.
5. Heat oven to 350°.
6. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn them over. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until bacon is browned and no longer looks chewy.
7. Put in a crockpot on "low" and sprinkle with more brown sugar.
   

NOTES:
Nobody makes these better than Amy's mom. It's like magic. I've made them a couple of times now, and Amy's mom's are still better.

In the photos above, you see that mine got a little dark, and that's because I didn't take the time to flip them over or stir them around at all. There was a lot going on that day—it was the day of the plant swap—and I just wasn't watching them, so they look kinda burnt, but they tasted fine! They disappeared quickly!

You will want to double the recipe and work in batches if you have a large crowd coming over.

Gripe Of The Day

Try not to get boiling hot stuff on your hand.

It hurts!!!

"NOT Chicken Parmesan"

I don't have photos from the chicken-coating process because my hands were full of goop and I didn't want to mess up the camera...sorry...I purposely called this "NOT Chicken Parmesan" when I served it.

Parmesan Chicken "Fingers" w/ Mushroom-Tomato Sauce

2 or 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1/4 c. buckwheat flour
salt and pepper
1/2 c. Parmesan
1/4 c. soy flour
2 T. Bob's Red Mill Oat Bran Hot Cereal
1 egg, beaten with 2 T. half and half

1. Heat oven to 350°. Spray a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with non-stick cooking spray.
   
2. Place buckwheat flour, salt and pepper in a bowl; add chicken pieces (in batches, if necessary) and toss to coat lightly.
   
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg with the half and half.
   
4. In a wide, shallow dish, mix the Parmesan, soy flour, and oat bran cereal.
5. One at a time, dip the flour-coated chicken pieces in the egg mixture, then dredge in the Parmesan mixture to coat. Place chicken pieces on baking sheet; continue until you have all of your chicken coated.
   
6. Bake for 20 minutes until done. Smaller pieces will cook faster, so don't over-cook them.

Now...on to the pasta and the mushroom sauce...

1/2 lb. your favorite pasta
1 lb. fresh mushrooms (do NOT use canned!)
1/2 medium onion, coarse chop
1 T. butter
1 can diced tomatoes*
1 can tomato sauce*
generous sprinkling of garlic powder

1. Set your pasta water to boil. Add salt!!!
2. Saute the onion until translucent; add mushrooms and cook down.
3. Add diced tomatoes.
4. Add tomato sauce; allow to simmer while you finish with the pasta.
5. Serve pasta topped with sauce and the chicken fingers.
   

* I think it was a large can of diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato sauce, but I made this a while ago, didn't write anything down, and measured nothing. All of my ingredients are approximate measurements. Sorry, but that's just how I work. A lot of the time I'm better about making notes, but I think I was just in a hurry to get dinner done on this particular night, and I didn't take the time for too many photos or writing stuff down.

Asian Catfish

I made this kinda spur of the moment...it turned out well...

Asian Catfish

2 catfish fillets (I didn't weigh them; I'd guess they are about 3-4 oz. each?)
soy sauce
paprika
onion powder

1. Marinate thawed fish in soy sauce; add seasonings.
2. Then we just cooked them on the George Foreman Grill at 350˚ for about 6-8 minutes. They don't need to go for very long at all—you don't want to overcook them, either.

I served this with some homemade egg bread and I think we had steamed green beans on the side, although they are not on my plate there...

Espresso Brownie Pie

This was beyond "rich" and extremely delicious!

Espresso Brownie Pie

1 prepared graham cracker crust (or you can use a regular prepared pie crust, if you prefer)
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 stick of butter
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. biscuit baking mix (Bisquick)
1 T. espresso powder
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 325°.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in small saucepan over low heat; stir in sweetened condensed milk.
3. Remove from heat and add espresso powder, biscuit mix, eggs and vanilla.
4. Whisk until smooth (it will be thick!); pour into pie crust.
   
5. Bake at 325° for 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool at least 1 hour before you try to cut and serve it.
   

Option: top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. (I recommend this!)

random amusements

Work has been keeping me busy over the past two weeks and I have not had time to post any of the food photos I've taken recently. Plus, after working in front of a computer screen all day, the last thing I want to do is sit here any longer...

Then there's all of the outside stuff that we want to accomplish, like starting a garden. My uncle made us these raised beds out of cedar, and we need to set and level them still...

We had to turn the sprinkler system on to see where to place them...

I'm anxious to get this started, but the weather has been so cool, and none of my little seed trays are even sprouting yet. :(

I will probably end up going out to buy plants if I don't see something happening soon...but, then again, since the beds are not ready yet, I guess I'm in no hurry.

It's funny that as of May 1st we've been in the house for 3 years now, and I still have lots of stuff we have never unpacked. I had bought Casey some art for the office, but we didn't put it up, and he seems to have a resistance to making nail holes in the walls. Oh, sure, we can get those sticky-tape 3M things, but I've witnessed them being unreliable, so I don't really want to go that route.

A lot of things go unfinished, even with all of the good intentions we have, and the business ends up making it seem like there are not enough hours in the day. Know what I mean?

Well, it's 11:15pm, and I need to go get on the exercise bike...

I titled this "random amusements" but this has turned out sounding more like a "Gripe Of The Day"! LOL!



Thanks for your continued patience...

~Goldie

Gripe Of The Day

those are my garden shoes/clogs...whatever you want to call them...

My feet hurt!

We were working out in the yard (Sunday) for quite a while, and my feet hurt.

That's it.

That's my gripe. Sore feet.

Gifts from Casey...

This is what my charming husband got me for my birthday.

I was planning on making a stacked crepe cake, like the Martha Stewart recipe, but we'll see whether or not I'm gonna be that ambitious today....I'm thinking, "no."

Just plan to grill some ribeye steaks and maybe watch some movies later.

Keepin' it low-key, the way I like it.



FYI: here's a picture of the crepe cake: