QuiltLady – Page 236 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

BROWN BOX CRACKER MINI MEATLOAVES with BROWN BEER GRAVY aka MEATLOAF with A SERIOUS KICK

I found these awesome crackers a while back and then was pleasantly surprised to find that they were a local mom & pop operation. Imagine my even bigger surprise when I’m eating these same crackers at my uncle’s house on Christmas Day later that year and find out that Brown Box Crackers was my own cousin’s company! I asked her if we could share this recipe with you and introduce you to her awesome products. I shared this quite a few years ago and unfortunately the crackers are no more as she passed away in 2014 and no one was able to find her recipes. They probably existed on her hard drive, but alas my uncle never bothered to search and the hard drive is rotting away in storage, probably under water or too wet to be salvaged. I have made some substitutions to make it similar to her original recipe.

Beth described this recipe perfectly: ” love comfort food, especially when it makes leftovers that taste better the day after. Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods and I like mine with rich, brown gravy…not with that tomato-y, ketchup-y topping some folks use. I want mine with rice and some kind of fresh vegatable to make it a healthy thing. Thank you, Mom, for putting me on the right path to meatloaf.”

MEAT LOAVES
1 pound Lean Hamburger
1 LARGE egg
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Brown Box Cracker Crumbs (I now use a combo of wheat thins, ritz and Keebler garlic butter)
2 medium Onions, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped
4-5 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 350º.
Process onions, jalapeno and garlic in food processor.
Adding just enough water to form a paste.
Combine all ingredients except for the cracker crumbs by squeezing though fingers JUST until blended.
Once the ingredients are mixed well add the crackers and mix them through.
Divide burger mixture into four (4) equal portions and form into mini loaves or form one large loaf.
Place in a casserole or large, heavy oven-proofing frying pan.
The heavy frying pan is excellent for getting all the “good stuff” for the gravy.
Bake approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

BROWN BEER GRAVY
3 tablespoons Drippings or avocado oil
1/2 cup Wondra Flour
1 cup Dark Beer (Shiner Bock is excellent)
1 cup Beef Broth
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Heat drippings/oil to bubbling.
Add flour and stir constantly to a bubbling caramel roux.
Add beer and broth continuing to stir constantly. The roux will smooth and thicken.
Add more broth if necessary.

Serving Suggestion: Slice meat loaf and top onto a mound of rice, cover in gravy and serve with a side of fresh sliced tomato.

NOTE: Use beef broth INSTEAD of water when preparing rice. You will be pleased!

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CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

I wanted to make something special to take to my nieces house for Superbowl Sunday a few years ago so thought I’d try Chocolate Covered Cherries. I found the recipe in an old Taste of Home magazine. This recipe is sooooooooooooooooo simple, but messy! Have fun making them. They are quite rich though – be forewarned!

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES
1 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 pounds confectioners sugar (about 8 cups)
3-10 ounce jars maraschino cherries (about 120 cherries), really well drained
1-2 pounds milk chocolate candy coating, chopped (I used almond bark)

Combine butter and milk until smooth.
Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar until a soft dough forms.
Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten into 2 inch circles.
Place a cherry in the center of each one.
Wrap sides around cherry until cherry is completely covered and roll into a smooth ball.
Melt chocolate until smooth and dip each ball into the chocolate.
Place on wax paper until cool and sprinkle with sprinkles.
Cool well.
The centers will liquefy over the 24-48 hours.

I made these for superbowl but aren’t they just perfect for Valentines? Join me Saturday afternoon 2/12 for our annual Valentine’s Day “Weekend of Romance” Foods.

CHERRY APRICOT GALETTE

CRUST*
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup ice water

FILLING**
3/4 pound fresh apricots, pitted and chopped
1/2 pound fresh cherries, pitted
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar + more for sprinkling
Juice of half a lemon

ASSEMBLY
1 egg, beaten

TO ASSEMBLE:

Cut butter into small cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor.
Add butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal.
Gradually add ice water and pulse until the dough forms a coarse meal.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly, knead just to incorporate dry ingredients.
Flatten into a circle; wrap individually in plastic.
Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
Remove dough from refrigerator; place on floured work surface.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a rough 11-12 inch circle.
Trim the edges to a clean circle with a pairing knife.
Transfer the circle to a baking sheet or pizza pan lined with parchment paper.
Mix 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl and spread on the bottom of the dough.
Toss apricots and cherries with the rest of the cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice.
Arrange the fruit on the bottom of the dough, leaving 2 inches of dough around the outside.
Fold up and pleat the dough over the top of the fruit, leaving the center uncovered.
Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle both the dough and the fruit with 1/4 – 1/3 cup sugar.
Place the Galette in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack immediately.
Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

NOTE 1*: If you are in a huge hurry, Pillsbury from the dairy case can be substituted.
NOTE 2**: When cherries aren’t readily available 1 can Comstock cherries can be substituted. Just add apricots and if they aren’t available, reconstituted dried apricots work great! When I need to use these I soak them in Malibu rum for a little extra flavor – just be sure and DRAIN them well!

MENU PLAN & HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY week 36 of 2017

I hope you all had a GREAT week and are taking a much deserved break today for Labor day. We have had a busy week recovering from Hurricane Harvey. This has been and continues to be chaos even as life tries to go back to normal. We were blessed to be in an area that received 3 feet of rain and tons of wind, but no serious damage or flooding except for a the few neighbors we were able to help out. But, that has left us on a “virtual” island not able to go too far in any one direction without running into closed roads and freeways. They are still releasing waters from the overflowing reservoirs so residential flooding as well as downtown is still a HUGE concern. Also of concern is a dozen or so flooded toxic waste dumps, mosquito season and raw sewage in the flood waters.

My long awaited testing for my surgery last Friday in the downtown medical center was canceled and has yet to be rescheduled, but I’m hoping to have some answers tomorrow. I know there are other concerns right now, but I am miserable and unable to sleep, eat or function well so am hoping as they reopen they have developed a plan to deal with the week’s worth of patients in limbo in a timely and efficient manner.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We are warmer and humid again, but the skies are blue and full of fluffy clouds.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I’m blessed to have a house to complain about being messy! I need to clean well though. So much time spent indoors while the hurricane/tropical storm raged and away after to help friends and now the holiday weekend that I have neglected normal day to day items, but I’ll get those back together as the week moves on.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… just a couple of regular loads – just finished 10 or so loads of towels and blankets used to help neighbor with her flood.
LIVING AREAS… mostly tidy, but need to do ALL floors
KITCHEN… laundry room is at the back of the kitchen and I have been doing so many loads of wet towels and such that the whole room needs a serious deep clean.
STUDIO… I’ve been packing so there is a bit of a mess that will remain for awhile.
YARD… Hubby just reseeded the yard and put on a layer of manure. It seems so odd to be watering after just receiving 3 feet of rain, but we really want the new seed to take root and this seemed like the best time while the ground is soft.
BLOG… still doing some recipe updating and planing for future posts.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

STILL READING – I seem to fall asleep after just a paragraph or 2 – Ava Miles #4 Dare Valley – The Holiday Serenade

Waiting for the new season to start, but there are plenty of things still going on:

ZOO
STRAIN
SALVATION
NIGHT SHIFT
MIDNIGHT TEXAS
CHESAPEAKE SHORES
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
Guy’s Family Road Trip
Great FOOD TRUCK race
MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go – hint hint JEFF HAS TO GO!

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	SCRAMBLED EGGS & COFFEE	FRUIT SMOOTHIE	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	SCRAMBLED EGGS & COFFEE	SOUR CREAM WAFFLES AND BACON	SHIRRED EGGS
LUNCH	FRUIT & CHEESE	SOUP	MEAT ROLL-UPS	SALAD	MEAT & CHEESE	C.O.R.N.	??
DINNER	PAN SEARED CHICKEN with BROWNED PARSLEY BUTTER	CREAMED CHICKEN & SALAD	CHICKEN S.O.S. & SALAD	PAN SEARED COD with SOUR CREAM SAUCE	RUSTIC CREAMY PARMESAN CHICKEN	WILTED SPINACH SALAD with GRILLED CHICKEN	BEEF TENDERLOIN, PARMESAN MASHED POTATOES AND MARINATED CARROTS
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

I saw this on facebook and this is soooooooooooo cool and helpful.
https://www.facebook.com/firstmediasoyummy/videos/1862813597366116/

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

I’m probably hypersensitive this week with all the stress, but it just concerns me that people “stir the pot” so easily in social media. It’s so easy these days to “say” something via the written word on social media that you would have thought twice about before saying verbally without really thinking through the implications.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

We were so fortunate where we were in Hurricane Harvey’s path. The rescue helicopters made it super surreal though as we were apparently in a flight pattern. My oldest friend (we’ve known each other since we were 2 and 3) Leslie called to check on us though and said her ex SIL was flooded and had to be rescued by boat. She said she was taking a 4 day weekend and driving down to Help Joan now that the waters were beginning to recede. We decided we would try to get there to help. I say try, because where we are kind of became an island of sorts. We couldn’t travel in any direction without coming upon primarily closed flooded out roads. These trucks were full of police in tactical gear coming from a heavily flooded area.

So on Friday we took boots, gloves, a HUGE pot of chili and started out for a location 11 miles away. It took us 2 hours, but we got there. It looked like a war zone! The primary goal was to get all the carpeting, flooring, drywall and ruined furniture and appliance to the curb. At some point the city will be picking these things up. With the humidity here, mosquitoes and mold are the worst fears. I have to say that for the most part my faith in humanity was restored as people just showed up and offered their services to cut out drywall, move refrigerators and just offer their talents any way they could. High school guys offering their brute strength, cub scouts passing out water, friends of friends just pitching in…

There were a couple instances of active tries at looting, but neighbors banded together and ran off these offenders. Joan lives on a cul-de-sac and the guy on the corner has been parking his car sideways at night and standing vigil with an assault rifle to keep people who didn’t belong there out. The neighbors a few streets over that were not flooded brought dinner for the whole neighborhood the first night they were allowed back in. Then on Saturday sack lunches and the kindness continues!

About half way through removing the debris and these pictures are just 2 yards of the many thousands that look just like this or worse. They are urging everyone to put out EVERYTHING that was in flood waters, even what appears salvageable because of the toxins, parasites and such that is in the flood waters.

And while we have too much water those poor people in Montana need rain desperately. Praying for ALL those affected by the wildfires.

INSPIRATION

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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PAN SEARED CHICKEN with BROWNED PARSLEY BUTTER

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with BROWNED PARSLEY BUTTER
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
4 tablespoons butter
1 large green onion, sliced thin
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime

Place chicken between the folds of a clean cheesecloth towel.
Pound chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thick.
Cut each breast in half.
Generously season both sides of chicken breasts.
Dredge chicken in flour.
In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat.
When butter is sizzling, but not browning, add onions and chicken pieces.
Generously season AGAIN!
Cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side.
Plate chicken and keep warm.
Add parsley, lemon and lime juices, cooking until browned.
Pour over chicken pieces.
Garnish with Parsely.

CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF

CINNAMON SWIRL LOAF adapted from Lauren’s Latest
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup super fine granulated sugar
2 LARGE eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2+ teaspoon quality cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease light colored loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In large bowl, mix together the oil, butter and sugar until well combined.
Stir in eggs and vanilla stirring until smooth.
Sift in dry ingredients and gently stir while pouring in buttermilk until uniform batter has formed. Scrape sides to ensure no lumps are present.

Remove 1/2 cup prepared batter from bowl and place in a smaller bowl.
To that smaller amount of batter, stir in the cinnamon and molasses.

Pour half of the prepared batter into the bottom of the loaf pan.
Spoon half of the cinnamon batter in small dollops over top the batter.
Pour remaining plain batter over the top.
Dot the top with remaining cinnamon batter.
Using a butter knife, swirl two batters together.
Bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.

COATING
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup super fine granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2+ teaspoon quality ground cinnamon

While loaf is baking, get coating ready.
Pour melted butter into a large shallow dish.
Stir sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a separate large shallow dish.

Cool loaf for 10 minutes before loosening edges and removing loaf from pan.
The loaf should be very warm, but cool enough to handle with your hands.
Dip each side of loaf into melted butter until fully coated.
Spoon remaining melted butter over the edges that tend to be more crispy.
Transfer buttery loaf to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and press into the sides and top until fully coated.
Slice into pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.
ENJOY!

BOSTON CREAM PIE / CAKE

When I was a little girl Boston Cream Pie was my FAVORITE Sunday dinner dessert and my grandma made it for me regularly until I was about 10 years old and then Sunday dinners as we knew them stopped on a regular basis. Since then I have craved Boston Cream Pie on a regular basis and finally have resurrected her recipe.

According to about.com, Boston Cream Pie is “Not a pie, but not your average cake, Boston Cream Pie is one of the city’s signature recipes. A descendant of pudding-cake pie, the Boston cream pie is considered to be the creation of French chef Sanzian of the Parker House Hotel (now the Omni Parker House). In 1996 the Boston Cream Pie was named the official dessert of Massachusetts.”

CAKE
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 JUMBO egg
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9 1/2-inch springform baking pan. I use a square one to make pieces easier to cut.
Combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl. Cream together using an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Combine with the creamed mixture and add the milk.
Pour batter into the prepared pan*. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.

CUSTARD**
1/3 cup sugar
scant 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cup whole milk
3 JUMBO egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine the cornstarch, sugar, milk, eggs, cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
Bring the custard to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Continuing to whisk, let the custard boil for two minutes.
Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter. Set custard aside to cool, continuing to whisk occasionally.

GLAZE
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water

Pour batter into the prepared pan*. Bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack.
In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth. remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in hot water 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

BUILDING THE PERFECT PIE

Remove the cake from the pan and cut it in half horizontally with a long serrated knife.
Place one half of the cake on a plate with the cut side facing up.
Top with custard.
Place the other half of the cake on top, with the cut side down.
Coat the top of the cake with glaze allowing it to drip down the sides.

NOTE 1*: I like to use my square spring form pan for a couple of reasons; it make cutting pieces a lot easier since the slices when it is cut as a pie tend to try and fall over and my serving plate is rectangular in shape.

NOTE 2**: The traditional custard substitutes in this recipe for a pineapple custard which is what we like to do.Save

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE DROPS

2/3 cup Hot water
10 ounces Land of Lakes cocoa mix
2 cups JIF creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 cups C&H powdered sugar, divided 2cups + 1 cup
2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
2 cups crushed ginger snaps
72 Hershey Kisses (I like the cherry cordials)

Whisk together the hot water and cocoa mix until smooth.
Add peanut butter and corn syrup. Blend until smooth.
Add 2 cups powdered sugar and stir until well blended.
Stir in cookie crumbs until well blended.
Spray wax paper with PURE (these will be sticky so don’t forget this step).
Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto the wax paper.
Place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and dredge in powdered sugar.
Press your thumb into the center and fill with a Hershey’s kiss. I used cherry cordial kisses.

COCOA FUDGE CAKE

COCOA FUDGE CAKE
1 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs, beaten

Set oven to 350 degrees, and grease your cake pan. Kat used a silicon Bundt pan, but the original recipe calls for a 9″x13″ tin. I decided to also use a Bundt pan.
Sift the flour and sugar together into a large bowl. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, mix the milk, vanilla, baking soda and eggs. Set aside.
Bring the butter, water and cocoa to a boil over medium heat.
When done boiling gradually pour into the flour/sugar mixture and stir to combine.
Follow this with the milk mixture and fold all ingredients together.
Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Because this is a fudge cake – you don’t want the center to be cooked all the way through, but the outside should be firm enough to hold its own when removed from the pan. Joanne Fluke suggests this should take 20-25 minutes.
Best served warm, and reheats brilliantly. Enjoy!

FUDGE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING – if simply icing without fancy decoration halve this recipe.

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter or 325 grams by weight (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
5 1/2 cups or 685 grams powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon or 3 grams by weight salt
1/4 cup or 30 grams by weight heavy cream
1 tablespoon or 15 grams by weight PURE vanilla extract
1/2 cup or 40 grams by weight unsweetened baking cocoa
1/2 cup or 90 grams by weight semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Beat the butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment, until smooth.
Mix in the vanilla extract and salt on a low speed.
Gradually add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Alternate with cream.
Mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated, and the desired consistency is reached.
If the frosting is too thick, add in more cream 1 tablespoon at a time or if frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time.
Mix in baking cocoa powder and the melted chocolate chips.
Place half of the buttercream into a separate bowl.

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RUSTIC STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE

RUSTIC STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE
1 recipe of your favorite pie crust
2 eggs
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar + 3-4 tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pound strawberries, cleaned and sliced
whipped cream

In a medium mixing bowl sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of sugar over sliced strawberries and toss. Set aside.
Fit crust into pie plate, prick bottom in a couple places with fork tines and bake 5 minutes at 400°.
In a mixing bowl combine cream cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat until well blended.
Pour into pie plate and bake cream cheese mixture 15 minutes until slightly thickened.
Top with spoonfuls of strawberries.
Add whipped cream and top with CARAMEL SAUCE and MOCHA HOT FUDGE SAUCE.

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SOUR CREAM DUTCH APPLE PIE

SOUR CREAM DUTCH APPLE PIE
PIE
3+ cups apples, cored, peeled and chopped
lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1 small egg, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream (not light)
9 inch pastry shell, pre-baked and cooled

TOPPING
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter, sliced extremely thin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Chop the apples and combine with just enough lemon juice to coat and prevent browning in large bowl.
In a small bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Fold in the sour cream, egg, vanilla and maple extract until well blended.
Fold the sour cream mixture into the apples until well coated.
Carefully pour into the pie shell, mounding towards the center.
Toss together the topping ingredients until well blended.
Sprinkle topping evenly over the apple mound.
Lay the pieces of butter all over the top.
Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender.
Best served with ice cream or fresh whipped cream. If you want to be really decadent try it with Caramel Sauce.

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HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 35 of 2017

My week took a bit of a turn last Wednesday when “Harvey” decided to “reform” in the Gulf and suddenly we were under Hurricane Watch with the “promise” of Historical rainfall. Not everyone gets a solar eclipse, hurricane and tropical storm in the SAME week, but we did ~ LUCKY us, NOT!

There were quite a few things I had slated to do over the weekend, but I had to speed up and get them all done ALL at once on Wednesday and Thursday because I was NOT going to be out on the road during the hurricane. Hubby got the generator ready and made sure we had plenty of gas. I was going to the grocery store anyway on Wednesday, but once I was there and overheard the local firemen talking about how they were preparing for the weekend I added a few extras and rented some movies so I wouldn’t possibly need to go back out for anything and could stay in and out of the storm. SURE GLAD I DID!

The overlapping tornado warnings have been emotionally exhausting as have the bayou overflows and flood water close calls and I haven’t even left home. We did get an emergency “HELP! “call from our elderly neighbor across the way at midnight Saturday. She has the mirror image of our house. But, my grandfather enclosed the atrium patio off the living room and dining room to enlarge the area back in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, her house didn’t get the same enclosure which allowed for a 13×13 area that basically is just collecting water like a bathtub and with this amount of rain just wasn’t draining despite the fact that she recently had the drain area redone and enlarged. It drained well before the recent work so I was pretty sure that the contractor messed up and that would be an argument for after this storm until it happened again. So from midnight to 3 AM we moved furniture, wet vacuumed 3 rooms and wrung out towel after towel after towel of gallons of water. Fortunately, the contractor finally showed up late yesterday afternoon and had to take it all apart so it would drain. He found a 3 inch rock inside the “NEW” pipe that was completely blocking the flow of the water. Evidently when they pushed the new pipe into place, they hadn’t cleared out all the debris. Costly error on his part!

We secured all the loose items (patio furniture, light weight potted plants, wind chimes, etc…) on Thursday and Friday and went out every lull in the storm after that and collected the loose branches as well as checked all the drainage to clear it of debris. Unfortunately, the lulls became less an less as time moved on and we had to start doing this during the storms creating lots of wet clothes. The flooding and tornadoes were the biggest issue for where we are. About 6 months ago, crews dredged and really cleaned out the bayou next to us as well as widening it a bit which was sorely needed as we are at the back end of it. I walked down there again this morning (the picture below was taken yesterday morning and hasn’t changed much) and their work certainly is making a difference in it NOT flooding us out, but barely! I wasn’t sure that was going to be the case Saturday night. It was a SERIOUSLY LONG weekend and the storm isn’t anywhere near over yet. Our rainfall is just under 50 inches a year. Just since Friday we have received over 28 inches right here. The last 72 hours feels like it was 3 weeks long! I can’t sleep more than a couple hours at a time hence why I’m writing this at 4AM. Schools and many local services have been canceled for the week and many communities have instituted curfews.

Oh and I stepped in a fire ant hill of pissed off ants with flip flops on and have a couple dozen bites that required medication because of my allergy AND I broke my favorite glasses. 🙁 Fortunately I keep the medication on hand as well as an extra pair of glasses. Unbelievably we have not lost power or internet! YAY!

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

We’ve been seriously needing rain, but NOT ALL at once! It’s not over yet either. We are in the expected 2-3 feet zone and have already gotten almost all of the predicted rain for this storm and the storm is supposed to sit over us for another 4 days! So, we’ve gotten every bit of it and then some!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Protein drink and coffee

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE ~ WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

LAUNDRY… several loads yet to do.
LIVING AREAS… let’s face it, it’s a wreck under the circumstances and I really need to do ALL the floors from all the wet feet.
KITCHEN… quite clean, but as always I plan to make a mess soon.
STUDIO… I did a SERIOUS DEEP CLEAN while we were hunkered down and am now working on new ebay pictures.
YARD… waiting for it to be a yard and not a pool and then we’ll do some reseeding and fertilizer. The flowers are all but dead from the over watering the hurricane brought, but I’ll just leave them until then and see if they regenerate.
BLOG… STILL working on some recipe updating and planing for future posts. BLOGMAS 2017 is moving right along as I plan forward.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We did get a few movies from RedBox before the storm so have had something besides news coverage to watch. Fortunately there is a RedBox in walking distance to return them to since I can’t drive to where they where originally rented from.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Blind
Alien Covenant
King Arthur

Waiting for the new season to start, but there are plenty of things still going on:

READING – Ava Miles #4 Dare Valley – The Holiday Serenade

Pre-season Football has gotten a little boring so NASCAR is dominating as it gets close to the “PLAYOFF” time, formerly known as “THE CHASE”. Unfortunately, NASCAR was pre-empted here locally for Hurricane Harvey coverage. PLUS, Defenders has started as well as Guy’s Family Road Trip and the Great FOOD TRUCK race.

We still have a few summer shows going.

ZOO
STRAIN
SALVATION
NIGHT SHIFT
MIDNIGHT TEXAS
CHESAPEAKE SHORES
AMERICA’S GOT TALENT
GUY’S GROCERY GAMES
MASTER CHEF – there are some interesting characters left this season and some I can’t wait to see go – hint hint JEFF HAS TO GO!

CRAFTS / PROJECTS

I started a few Christmas gifts this week while we were sequestered for the storm.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
BREAKFAST	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	PROTEIN DRINK & COFFEE	SHIRRED EGGS	BACON & WAFFLES
LUNCH	FRUIT & CHEESE	SOUP	MEAT ROLL-UPS	SALAD	MEAT & CHEESE	C.O.R.N.	??
DINNER	MARRY ME CHICKEN	CHICKEN STIR FRY	SLAM DUNK WINGS & TWICE BAKED POTATOES	CHILI MAC CASSEROLE	COQ AU VIN	PORK CHOPS WITH PEPPER JELLY	CEDAR PLANKED SALMON & SALAD
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

ON MY MIND & THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

Still grappling with family issues out of my control because the drama is being created by someone who does NOT know how to communicate and seems to refuse to treat others with the Golden Rule. Yet, it weighs on me because I cannot fix it.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

Unfortunately, there are no pictures that could begin to depict the horrific reality of this past week that haven’t already been plastered all over the television and social media, but I did get a few.

INSPIRATION

I originally selected this inspiration:

But really think this one is more pertinent today:

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Author: QuiltLady