Category: MISC

Finally on my way… home and cancer free…

So as we begin the trek home after being here for a year and a half (thanks mom), we realized that we acquired a few things while here. For Martha’s sake I’d like to be able to say that we could pitch it all, but alas these are real treasures for our house and unpitchable and unreplaceable. Since I have yet to have all my strength return, moving has become a major endeavor for us.
We decided to hire a mover, you know, an end of the load kind of deal. We don’t have many pieces of furniture (just a few BIG bargains ~ 2 tables, an antique file cabinet, an antique bar stool and a bed frame), but it’s primarily boxes so we started contacting companies and decided on a home grown American based mover that uses up and coming mom and pops, Proud American Moving Network. The day we signed the contract, the local news station did an expose’ on moving scams. So off to the Better Business Bureau to check out our new found mover we went. We are pleased to say they are not part of the scam and had no local open complaints. That was when it hit me – do a blog post, take some pictures and chronicle the move.
Think about it – one of the biggest complaints you hear from people is about moving companies – how they damage your stuff, don’t settle the insurance claims, etc…
The very first piece of advice I have is PACK YOURSELF!!!!!!!! My mom has moved a few times and used the same company each time. The last time I was in college and needed a few extra bucks so offered to do their packing for them at a reduced rate. If I remember correctly even with paying me a nice sum, she still saved A LOT on their packing fees, used less space and nothing I packed got broken in the move. It’s all about space, organization and weight distribution.
For this move I have created an inventory, numbered and weighed the boxes myself. One of the points on the expose was that some of these companies overcharge based on weight. Now how are you going to know the total weight of the load unless you weigh it yourself – one box at a time. That also ensured poor me who has so little strength right now that the boxes would not be too heavy. After all, if I can carry them, some guy with a dolly certainly can!

 Even the kitties are getting used to their temporary house for the move!

BLT Chicken Sandwiches with Rosemary Mayo – Fire Day Friday

I can’t say it’s the best looking sandwich I have ever made, but what I can say is that it’s one of the best tasting ones I’ve had in a long time.  I guess you truly can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese, though, can you?
This is a fun way to jazz up a chicken sandwich or a BLT – however you look at it, you will not be sorry if you do make it!
Don’t feel like grilling?  No worries, bake or pan sear the chicken, it will still be good.  Heck, use chicken tenders instead of breasts – it doesn’t matter, cause it will still be good 🙂
BLT Chicken Sandwiches with Rosemary Mayo
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
olive oil
garlic salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced (I actually used cherry tomatoes because I had them on hand and they worked just fine)
lettuce
melty cheese – I used a jalapeno pub cheese – or you can skip the cheese all together
2 hoagie buns or sandwiches rolls of your choice
For the mayo:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoons freshly minced rosemary leaves
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients together for the mayo, until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat grill to 375 degrees F.  Rub olive oil on both sides of each piece of chicken.  Season with garlic salt and pepper (or whatever spice mixture you prefer).  Place directly over the fire and grill about 8-10 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes.

Build your sandwich however you like, but I slathered mayo on the top and bottom bun – placed the chicken first, added the cheese, topped with bacon, tomato and lettuce – dinner is served!  Enjoy!

CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN with PEPPERED GRAVY

Chicken Fried Chicken
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter(enough to keep chicken from burning~add as necessary)
  • Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. 
  • In a shallow glass pan, pour buttermilk over chicken 1-2 hours prior to cooking. Make sure to coat chicken well and turn at least once during soaking. 
  • When ready to cook, drain, but do NOT rinse the buttermilk off the chicken pieces.
  • In a medium sized fry pan melt the butter over medium heat. As butter melts and begins to very slightly sizzle, prepare breasts.
  • In a small ziploc bag mix together the flour, salt and pepper. 
  • One at a time, put each chicken breast in bag and coat well with flour mix and then into sizzling butter. 
  • Cook on one side until edges begin to bleed and then turn. About 6 minutes each side depending on plumpness. 
  • Keep chicken warm.
Peppered Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper + (to taste)
  • Melt butter into bottom of pan you just cooked the chicken in. 
  • Scrape up any of the chicken pieces and mix into new butter. 
  • Add flour slowly, stirring until absorbed by butter and golden brown. 
  • Slowly add first the milk and then the cream. 
  • Stir constantly until thickens. If necessary sprinkle in more Wondra until desired thickness is reached. 
  • Serve over chicken and mashed potatoes.

Mini Corn Dogs

I have to share this even though, the original is not mine.  This is a delightful recipe, one that is popular, before you take a bite.  If you want, you can put a little mustard on it but I think it is fine, plain.  Enjoy.


Do stop by and visit Bizzy Bakes and My Sweet and Savory and say, “hello.”

Mini Corn Dogs Using Ellie Krieger Corn Bread

One of my favorite sites is Mother Rimmy’s Cooking Light Done Right.  This is a place to get low calorie and healthy recipes which are delicious, yummy and scrumptious.  If you have not visited there, I suggest you check it out and I am betting, you will return.

Mini Corn Dogs (adapted from Cooking Light, Done Right)

Ingredients:


1 cup cornbread mix (I used an Ellie Krieger recipe which I will include beneath this recipe.)
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 large egg white
½ cup Rice milk
2 hot dogs, cut into 12 pieces

    Method:


    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    Combine cornbread mix, 2 tablespoons onion, chili powder, egg white and Rice milk in a bowl. Mix until smooth.
    Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and spoon cornbread mix into the muffin cups. Press one piece of hot dog into the middle of each cup. Bake for 10 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    I served this as a side dish.
    I made these particularly for my grandchildren. This is my idea of a fun food.

    Ellie Krieger Corn Bread
     Ellie’s recipe is called Corn Bread with Sweet Corn Kernels.  My family does not like corn in their muffins so I left them out of the recipe.  My preference is to add that corn.

    Ingredients:

    nonstick cooking spray
    1 cup gluten-free flour mix
    1 cup yellow corn meal
    1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 egg
    1 egg white
    1 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk or Rice milk with 1 1/4 teaspoons vinegar
    3 tablespoons honey
    3 tablespoons canola oil

    Method:

    Move the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
    Lightly spray a 9×5 loaf pan (Of course, I did not do this.  I kept the batter for the mini muffin tins)
    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
    In another large bowl, whisk egg, egg white, buttermilk, honey and oil.
    Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients,  Mix to combine.

    Pour in prepared pan (in this case – the mini muffin pans)  (Follow recipe above.)
    If you use this recipe for corn bread, bake for 45 minutes, first adding 1 cup of corn kernels.  Cool for 15 minutes and remove from pan.  Cook and then slice.

    BANANAS FOSTER ~ CROCK POT STYLE

    12 bananas cut into quarters
    1 cup flaked coconut
    1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 cup dark corn syrup
    2/3 cup butter, melted
    2 tsp grated lemon peel
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    2 tsp rum
    12 slices pound cake
    1 quart vanilla ice cream

    • Combine bananas and coconut in 4 quart crock pot.
    • Whisk together cinnamon, salt, corn syrup, butter, lemon peel, lemon juice, and rum in a medium bowl until well blended.
    • Pour over bananas. 
    • Cover cook on low 1 to 2 hours. 
    • To serve arrange bananas on pound cake slices. Top with ice cream and pour warm sauce on top.

    THE PERFECT APPETIZER

    THE PERFECT APPETIZER
    1 large rich, ripe tomato, sliced 1/4 inch and then halved
    1 ripe kiwi, sliced
    several large red seedless grapes, halved
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    1/8 cup lime juice
    2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons sugar
    coarse fresh ground black pepper
    Himalayan pink sea salt
    Parmesan cheese, grated

    • Slice and arrange fruits on small appetizer plates.
    • Sprinkle each plate generously with the sugar, salt and pepper.
    • Whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice and white wine vinegar.
    • Pour vinegar mixture over each plate.
    • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
    • Server immediately.

    ROOT BEER FLOAT COOKIES~~Save Room for Dessert

    It’s Monday and time for me to bring y’all another dessert.
    Today I’m sharing my recipe for Root Beer Float Cookies.
    Happy Halloween!!!!



    Root Beer Float Cookies
    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
    1 cup granulated sugar
    1 cup packed light brown sugar
    1 large egg
    1/4 cup vegetable oil
    2 tablespoons milk
    1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
    1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon root beer concentrate (should be found with the extracts at the store)
    3 1/2 cups flour
    1 teaspoon cream of tartar
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    2 cups (12 ounces) white chocolate chips
    1. Preheat oven to 350. Place butter and sugars in large bowl. Using electric mixer at medium speed, cream. Beat in egg. Continue to beat until mixture is fluffy. Beat in oil, milk, vanilla and root beer concentrate.
    2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix until combined. Fold in vanilla chips.
    3. Drop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time onto ungreased cookies sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cool five minutes on the cookie sheet and them remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
    Come over and see me at Paper Plates and China

    FAMILY TIME, CHEF TALK AND THE PERFECT APPETIZER

    This past week I went and spent some time with my aunt in the “home” – no surprise there, but it’s not everyday I run into Angel.  Angel is the “chef” for the home.  Yep, they have a real chef to cook for them.  She makes the most amazing chocolate chip cookies and as soon as I dissect and replicate her recipe, I’ll share it.  You see she doesn’t actually give away her recipes.  She makes me work for them.  I’m still working on replicating her linguini with shrimp in a garlic cream sauce.  They have a family dining room and you can make reservations to eat with your loved ones.  I would gain 20-30 pounds if I did this regularly! 

    Anyway, I digress.  She and I were chatting the other day about how well salty and sweet or tart and sweet or tangy and sweet work together to meld flavors.  So I came home and recreated one of her suggestions with my own additions and it was a huge hit!  It would be so colorful for any upcoming holiday.

    THE PERFECT APPETIZER
    1 large rich, ripe tomato, sliced 1/4 inch and then halved
    1 ripe kiwi, sliced
    several large red seedless grapes, halved
    1/4 cup lemon juice
    1/8 cup lime juice
    2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons sugar
    coarse fresh ground black pepper
    Himalayan pink sea salt
    Parmesan cheese, grated

    • Slice and arrange fruits on small appetizer plates.
    • Sprinkle each plate generously with the sugar, salt and pepper.
    • Whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice and white wine vinegar.
    • Pour vinegar mixture over each plate.
    • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
    • Server immediately.

    TIME TO TAILGATE!

    IT’S OFFICIAL – FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!
    We have decided to make a change this year in the way Tailgating Time will work. Instead of a new linky for each week we will be using the same linky to keep all the great recipes in one place. This will provide easy access to the recipes and create one big awesome recipe index collection. There is no limit to how many you add – of course we hope you will add a new recipe each and every week! Tailgating Time will generally be posted each week on Sundays at noon.

    It doesn’t matter if you are a football fan or not, great party food is always a good thing. Bring over your grilled goods, chips and dips, appetizers, chili and chowders, cocktails, or any recipes that would be great for the football party buffet!

    If any of you would like to host along with us you can click –> get the InLinkz code to add the linky to your blog too. You can post it once in awhile or every week during football season, that’s up to you. The only thing we ask is that you leave a comment here to let us know you are co-hosting, and that you visit and comment on as many of the participants as you can. 
     We can’t wait to see what you will bring to the party. Let the games begin. Whoo-hoo!