Author: QuiltLady

Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.

“It happened at a New York Airport. This is hilarious. I wish I had the guts of this girl. An award should go to the United Airlines gate agent in New York for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo. For all of you out there who have had to deal with an irate customer, this one is for you.

A crowded United Airlines flight was canceled. A single agent was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travelers.

Suddenly, an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be FIRST CLASS.”

The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first; and then I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.”

The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?”

Without hesitating, the agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention, please?”, she began, her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him with his identity, please come to Gate 14”.

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the United Airlines agent, gritted his teeth, and said, “F*** You!”

Without flinching, she smiled and said, “I’m sorry sir, you’ll have to get in line for that, too.”

IT’S ABOUT THE PROTEIN – FLOUR TUTORIAL

Wheat flours contain a protein called gluten which, in the presence of water, forms an elastic network throughout the dough. This is the stuff that gives bread doughs their rubbery consistency. The whole point of kneading bread dough, in fact, is to organize the strands of gluten running through the dough into a strong, resilient, interconnected web. It is this web of protein that will entrap the bubbles of CO2 given off by the yeast as it ferments, enabling the dough to rise. Without the gluten, the CO2 would just bubble up to the surface and be lost.

But flour vary greatly in both the quantity and quality of the gluten they contain because different strains of wheat from different regions and different growing seasons have different gluten profiles. There are times when gluten is not your friend; in a cake batter, excess gluten will create a chewy, coarse-grained cake, and in pastry doughs it will produce a tough pie crust. But for bread you want lots of strong gluten to produce a well-risen and well-shaped loaf. This is why there are special flours for special purposes: cake flour, pastry flour, bread flour, etc.

All-purpose flour is typically a blend of “hard” and “soft” wheats which will perform pretty well in most roles. It usually contains 10-12% gluten. It can be used for bread, but will tend to produce a denser, flatter loaf. Some people will add 1T extra per cup of flour when using all-purpose for bread.

Bread flours have from 12-14 percent protein. They will feel decidedly more elastic while kneading, and will give full, rounded loaves. These flours are made from hard winter wheats from northern states.

Besides the quantity, the quality of the gluten will vary. Some glutens are better at forming the elastic network than others. You can judge this for yourself by making a “gluten ball” from different flours: make a stiff dough using just water and 1/4 c of flour. Knead it until it becomes quite elastic, then continue kneading it between your fingers under a stream of water. This will wash out the starch from the flour and after a few minutes of this you will have a ball of pure gluten. By playing with this ball, stretching and folding it, you will see that some are far more resistant to tearing than others. A good bread flour will enable you to pull the gluten into a thin membrane.

SOURCE

CANNING & PRESERVING – A WAY OF LIFE

One thing that many of you don’t know about me is that I love to cook (LOL) AND to preserve. To me there is nothing that says I love you more than preparing those special meals and treats for my family. Canning is easy, but it is time consuming and you do have to follow sterile rules to make it safe. You can be as plain or as inventive as you want.

Hubby pointed out this would be a good time to share my award pictures that I began to scrapbook about before the move and have yet to finish. I always thought it a little ironic that I was ‘preserving’ my preserving ribbons. Here are a few pictures.

How I got started on entering the county fair is actually a cute story. I was still working for a major phone company and I make a Spiced Pear jam that really is awesome. We had a cafeteria in the building I worked in and the engineers would stop by my desk to buy a jar of jam before their coffee break so they could put it on their pancakes and waffles. I loved making it and only charged them enough to actually cover my expenses so I could make more.My boss kept trying to get me to enter it into competition, but I was reluctant as I really didn’t think I had what it took to compete against women who had been doing it all their lives (1 woman had an entire 4×8 foot wall with just her entries and had been winning 1st and 2nd place awards for over 20 years) because I was a self-taught newbie and ‘shy’. Unbeknownst to me, one of the guys entered me in the upcoming county fair. He knew I went every year to drool over the jams and jellies and crafty items in the home building. You have to picture my jaw actually dropping to the floor on this particular year when I see my name, my jam and an actual 3rd place ribbon attached to it! I was literally speechless especially since I hadn’t entered the fair. Long story short I will always be eternally grateful to him for giving me the courage and confidence to enter each and every year after that for 10 years until I moved away. I have also been published in several of their cookbooks for the years I won first place. I hope to start again soon.This year I want to try my hand at some of the local indigenous fruits (cranberries, blackberries, blueberries and apples to start).

Here a bean, there a bean, everywhere a bean…

Not too long ago I researched Navy beans for my Navy Bean & Ham soup. During that research I also found that navy beans, named that for the bean of choice of the U.S. Navy, are the main bean used in Boston Baked Beans. I have been making my BBQ Bean dinner for years using canned BUSH beans, but decided it was time to make true Boston Baked Beans my way. I found that most versions used salt pork, but I like the bacon too so I chose to use both. You could substitute if your prefer though. I also eliminated all mustard due to an allergy, but also because I prefer the sweeter version.Here is my version:

BOSTON BAKED BEAN DINNER

2 pounds ground beef

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 pound salt pork, cubed & browned

2 large Vidalia or Maui onion, chopped small

4 tablespoons liquid smoke

1 cup ketchup

1 cup molasses

3 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cup vinegar

1 pound navy beans

  • Soak beans overnight.
  • Brown hamburger, drain and layer into the bottom of your slow cooker.
  • Cube and brown the salt pork. Add to slow cooker.
  • Fry bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon into pieces. Add to slow cooker.
  • Chop onion into small pieces and scatter over the meat.
  • Add the beans to the slow cooker.
  • Scatter the brown sugar over top evenly.
  • Stir together the molasses, ketchup, vinegar, liquid smoke and Worcestershire sauce. Pour evenly over everything in the slow cooker slow cooker.
  • Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  • Serve with Beer Bread or Cheddar Cheese Biscuits.
  • Great dish for a church pot luck.

OLD FASHIONED BOSTON BAKED BEANS

1 pound Navy beans, washed and sorted

1/2 pound salt pork, diced small

1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup PURE maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

  • Dice salt pork and layer on bottom of slow cooker.
  • Chop onion and scatter over salt pork pieces.
  • Wash and sort beans.
  • Place beans in slow cooker on top of salt pork.
  • Cover with 5 cups water.
  • Cook on low overnight for 12 hours.
  • Drain beans, reserving liquid.
  • Return beans to slow cooker.
  • Add vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, maple syrup and molasses and blend well. Add in 1/2 cup of bean water as desired for consistency.
  • Heat through.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY / MENU PLANNING

Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

  

Outside my window/WEATHER… a light rain is falling and fog is still hugging the pavement.

I am thinking…it’s going to be a long week!

I am thankful… for my family and their love.

In the kitchen… we have a few new recipes still brewing for the January menu.  

I’ll post the successful ones on my food blog ALWAYS EAT ON THE GOOD CHINA.

  • Kentucky Hot Browns 
  • Cream of Tomato Soup w/ Rice
  • Cream of Vegetable Soup
  • Pork Chops w/ Roasted Apple & Onions

I’M WEARING… very worn levis, my comfiest turtleneck and cozy socks.

I’M CREATING… some organization for the VA files, recipe files and various other paperwork, some quilt pieces that have been needing finished for a while (I just have problems sitting for any length of time due to the scar tissue from my cancer surgery), Christmas gifts for next year – quit laughing, these things take time and I’m also creating some new recipes.

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
Monday 1/28 Cereal Sandwiches Marry Me Champagne Chicken
Tuesday 1/29

 Toast C.O.R.N. Week Night Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday 1/30

 Yogurt Soup Chile Lime Chicken Patties with Lime Remoulade Sauce 
Thursday 1/31

Fruit Cheese & Fruit Experiment Night
Friday 2/1

Oatmeal Sandwiches Fried Egg Sandwiches
Saturday 2/2

 Hash Brown Ham and Cheese Quiche Out C.O.R.N.
Sunday 2/3

Baked Eggs C.OR.N. Roasted Red Pepper and Ham Statas

I am going… nowhere until I’m done scanning in ALL the VA documents and composing more letters to our congressman in hopes of clearing things up – yay, like that’s going to happen, but I have to follow procedure.  For every step forward we seem to take 3 backwards!  This week though we’re moving onto multiple letters.

I am wondering… just who to contact next regarding the VA mess.  We’re finally meeting up with a new service officer this morning – seems like we’re always starting over.

MY READING LIST… 

  • Cook’s Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking
  • The 4 Hour Chef
  • The Fortune Quilt

MY TV LINEUP THIS WEEK…  is a long list, but that’s the beauty of all of them being on the DVR – we can do series marathons on rainy days and still skip the commercials

  • BUNHEADS
  • SWITCHED AT BIRTH
  • HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
  • BONES
  • CASTLE
  • NCIS
  • NCIS LOS ANGELES
  • RISSOLI & ISLES
  • VEGAS
  • CRIMINAL MINDS
  • ARROW
  • L & O SVU
  • CHICAGO FIRE
  • BIG BANG THEORY
  • PERSON OF INTEREST
  • SCANDAL 
  • ELEMENTARY
  • BEAUTY & THE BEAST
  • CSI NY
  • ONCE UPON A TIME
  • THE GOOD WIFE
  • THE MENTALIST

I am hoping… things turn around soon

I am looking forward to… getting away for a few days next month.

I am learning… how to be patient, but also how to squeak the wheel for oil!

Around the house… organization is finally winning – rooms are being painted, baseboards are getting painted and fine dusting is being done.

I am praying… to live in the day and not worry about the future as much.

A favorite quote for today…

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  ~Eleanor Roosevelt 

SOME my favorite things 

  • my morning coffee
  • my new kindle
  • the laundry being done
  • the grocery shopping being done 

MY TO DO LIST 

  • Creating a few new recipes
  • getting into a new exercise routine to keep getting my energy back
  • laundry
  • grocery store
  • research
  • blog catch up

Favorite picture from my camera this week… this guy has been hanging around for several weeks.  I’ve been trying to get a picture of him in the backyard, but he’s always too quick for me.  I did catch him on the power pole out back though.  He loves to annoy the dogs!

Welcome to the 4th annual Tailgating Time!

Yep, it’s that time again – time for football food, coolers full of cold ones, and the big game-day buffet. Bring over your chips and dips, chili and chowders, all your wings and party things! Since the Super Bowl is coming up fast get the linky up so we can all start adding our favorites. We all want to have lots of great party foods to chose from for the big day!The Tailgating Time blog hop will be open from noon today until February 10th, one week after Super Bowl 2013 to give you plenty of time to link up all your favorites. Your links do not have to be new ones – think appetizers and party foods you’ve posted throughout the year. Link any goodies from  holidays, celebrations, tailgating treats through football season, or anything that would go great for a Super Bowl party. There is no limit to the amount of links you add, the more the merrier! This year I’m also enabling voting for your favorite recipes. The voting will be open February 10th at noon and ending on February 17th at noon.  If you’d like to host Tailgating Time – Super Bowl 2013 on your own blog just click the following – get the InLinkz code. Don’t just join the party, host the hop too! This is going to be fun 🙂

It’s time to get this party started!

LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN

LEMON PARMESAN CHICKEN

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

4 teaspoons Italian bread crumbs

  • Preheat oven to 425˚.
  • Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and one half of the Parmesan cheese,
  • Spread each piece of chicken with the mayonnaise mixture.
  • Sprinkle with bread crumbs and remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tops are golden.

A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE SHARED… Grandmother Says… Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee; “Which are you?”

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A young woman went to her grandmother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.Her grandmother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her granddaughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?””Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft.She then asked her to take an egg and break it.

After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The granddaughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The granddaughter then asked. “What’s the point,grandmother?”

Her grandmother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her granddaughter.

“When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff?

Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

—AUTHOR UNKNOWN

ROUND ROBIN PHOTO CHALLENGE

I found this meme over at a friend’s blog, Seaside Simplicity.  She inspired the topic for today’s Round Robin Photo Challenge for Saturday, January 26th – Long Ago, Far Away – so I’ decided to join the fun.

Here is your chance to get all nostalgic, photographically! Maybe it’s a photo you took with your first, cheap camera when you were 12 years old. Maybe it’s a photo you just took of a person, place or thing from your childhood. Maybe it’s something from longer ago or farther away than that: a castle or cathedral you photographed on a trip overseas, a dinosaur skeleton, or a distant constellation of stars, the light from which has taken years to reach us. If it was long ago or far away or both, it counts! All I ask is that it be a photo you took yourself, whether it was 40 years ago or five minutes ago.

Happy times!  This is my aunt who recently passed with me and her daughter Jenn at one of our favorite places, Galveston Island.  All our lives Jenn and I would go down there and collect shells off the beach.  It isn’t that easy these days with the weird growth along the shore line, but back then we would walk on the sea wall, collect shells from the water’s edge and just basque in the winter sun. You can’t see it in this picture, but we’re barefoot! LOL I’m holding my socks. I also still have every shell that I ever collected and keep them in a crystal bowl. Sharon had Parkinsons disease. Her mobility continued to go downhill from here so this is the last picture I have of us having fun. Thank goodness for tripods and timers so we could all be in the picture together.