Category: MISC

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

I’m going with a shortened version today since it’s a holiday.  I hope you are all having a relaxing labor day weekend with your friends and family.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
A little gray and VERY humid with the chance of thunderstorms all day.  I just hope it gves us the grill time with no issues for dinner.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
Sausage and Gruyere Fritatta.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
I’m very happy with what I was able get done on the deep clean last Saturday and there is just a few things to be finished and picked up.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • eBay pictures and listings
  • Caulking and trim painting
  • some sorting and organizing

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

We signed up for NETFLIX this weekend and am going to binge watch a few shows we missed during the past year.

CRAFTS & PROJECTS
Nothing much this week, but hoping to get started on Christmas projects in the next couple weeks.  I have been sorting through some recipes and ideas for the homemade portions.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
EGGS in the CLOUDS
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
GRILLED STEAKS, MAC & CHEESE, and BRUSSELS SPROUTS
C.O.R.N.
SWEET CORN SOUP and BISCUITS
GLAZED STUFFED PORK CHOPS
SLOPPY JOES
CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS
ORANGE CHICKEN & CHOW MEIN
DESSERT
DUMP CAKE

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

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.

SIMPLE MAC & CHEESE – FLAVOR your way

In most worlds THE comfort food is a good MAC & CHEESE. I believe this is one of the simplest, but yet the MOST flavorful recipes I have ever made.  I simply change the cheese and/or seasoning to match my mood or whatever else I’m cooking.

SIMPLE MAC & CHEESE – FLAVOR your way

2 cups Dried Macaroni or penne for a dressier look
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoons All-purpose Flour
1 cup 1% Milk
3/4 cup buttermilk 
OPTIONAL: 2 heaping teaspoons Coleman’s dry mustard (I omit because of allergy)
**1/3 pound smoked Gruyere cheese, Grated
**6 slices thick quality (Tillamook) medium cheddar cheese – 4 slices set aside, 2 broken into pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea Salt,
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Paprika

  • Cook pasta. Pasta should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain WELL.
  • In a small bowl, whisk egg.
  • In a large saucepan, melt butter and sprinkle in flour whisking until smooth and cooking for five minutes, whisking constantly. Do NOT let it burn.
  • Pour in milk, add mustard if using, and whisk until smooth. 
  • Cook for five minutes until very thick.
  • Slowly add 1/4 cup of the sauce into the beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg whisking until well blended.
  • Pour egg mixture into the sauce, whisking constantly stirring until smooth.
  • Add grated and broken pieces of cheese stirring until melted and well blended.
  • Add salt, pepper, and paprika. 
  • Taste sauce and add more salt/seasoning as needed! DO NOT UNDER SEASON.
  • Fold in pasta until well coated.
  • Spoon into a buttered baking dish, top with cheese, slices.
  • Top with buttered Panko crumbs – optional.
  • Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top. 
  • For a dressier look I stir the melted cheddar on top into the mac & cheese and spoon into a serving dish.

**The beauty of this recipe is that you can simply change the flavor by changing the types of cheese and/or the seasoning.

CINNAMON GRANOLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

CINNAMON GRANOLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST serves 4
TOAST
8 slices think bread – your choice

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Toast bread in oven until golden.

FILLING
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

  • Mix together all the ingredients until smooth.

DRY COATING
3 cups granola, crushed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest

  • Place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag.  Using a rolling pin, gently crush the cereal to a coarse bread crumb consistency and then mix all together in a shallow dish for dredging.

WET COATING
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon heavy cream

  • Whisk eggs and cream together. Pour into shallow dish for dredging.

SYRUP
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup

  • Whisk zest and syrup together in a small saucepan.
  • Heat under low flame.

ASSEMBLY
2 tablespoons butter

  • In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
  • Spread an even layer of the cream cheese filling over 4 of the toasts.
  • Put tops on each piece making 4 sandwiches.
  • Coat each sandwich in the egg mixture until well coated and then dredge through the cereal coating.
  • Place in pan and cook until golden on each side.
  • Serve immediately with warm syrup.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER AND MENU PLAN MONDAY

I can’t believe this is last week of August, but it really doesn’t make me sad.  I’m not sure about the rest of you but I am SOOOOOOO ready for fall! And while the actual cooler weather is still several weeks off, just the word September makes me start feeling closer to it.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
We had a couple BIG, but short storms over the weekend, but all in all it was cooler and pretty nice.  Hurricane season this close to the coast can be unpredictable and ever changing so you just roll with the changes.  It’s clear right nowas the sun begins to rise, but there are some seriously gray and threatening clouds around the perimeter so we’ll see as the day goes on.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
Apple Cinnamon oatmeal and coffee.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
I see a little tidying up to do and a load of laundry, but all in all, not too bad.  I finished a painting project on Saturday and then went into deep cleaning mode.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • I have lots of paperwork to do this week.
  • Get some packages wrapped and shipped.
  • Photos for ebay sales.
  • Make appointments for getting the A/C fixed on the car and have it detailed.
  • Make appointment for last big drywall project.
  • Finish editing the photos for my post about the Painted Churches, Fredricksburg and the Pacific War Museum.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
CINNAMON GRANOLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
??
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
FRIED FISH with SWEET & SPICY AVOCADO SAUCE
PEANUT BUTTER BURGERS
SWEET CORN SOUP
SHALLOT LIME CHICKEN with PEACH & STRAWBERRY SALAD
SLOPPY JOES
PIZZA
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT
COFFEE CINNAMON PEAR FUDGE CAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES and links FROM LAST WEEK

RECIPE FINDS TO TRY LATER
While we were away last week we went to lunch with my oldest, er maybe I should say longest friends.  We’ve known each other since we were 2 and 3 years old, LOL Lisa wasn’t even born yet.  Leslie and Lisa took us to a favorite restaurant of theirs, Jack Allen Kitchen, but it was new to us.  ALL 4 of us cleaned our plates.  The food was AMAZING!  I even bought the cookbook the next day.  I’ve successfully made an appetizer, Pimiento Cheese so far.  When I was a kid Pimiento cheese in a jar was a favorite with crackers on Thanksgiving, but it grossed me out.  I now know that was NOT real food LOL!  Anyway I have read the cookbook from cover to cover and made labels for the recipes to be tried soon:

  • Fried Fish with Sweet & Spicy Avocado Sauce
  • Crunchy Fried Shrimp with Blackberry Sauce
  • Sweet Corn Soup
  • Pickled Cucumbers
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Sweet Dried Tomato Basil Vinaigrette
  • Cucumber Relish
  • Red Wine Vinaigrette
  • Taco con Todo
  • Turnips & Pot Roast
  • Enchilada Tejana
  • Chocolate Ice Box Cake
  • Blackberry Cobbler
  • Red Velvet Cake with Strawberries
  • Manor Punch
  • Skirt Steak
  • Artichoke Gratin
  • Mustard Caper Dressing (for hubby only)
  • Carrot Soup
  • Cilantro Pesto
  • Pumpkin Bread
  • Pumpkin Goat Cheese Tart
  • Mama’s Chicken
  • Pumpkin Spice Butter
  • Pear Ricotta and Pecan Tart
  • JAK’s Slaw
  • Pickled Beets
  • Gingerbread Cookies
  • Broccoli Casserole
  • Potato Casserole
  • Carmelized Onion Sauce
  • Meatloaf
  • Balsamic Syrup

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
Last week I finally started the sealing of the brick on the atrium wall. Once it was done we realized that we weren’t going to be able to save the natural look because of all the repair spots so we would have to paint it.  Let me tell you what a pain that was.  The brick just soaked up the paint.  If only we’d known before we could have had the painters spray it way back when.  BUT, we LOVE the finished look even though it took me 2 days to get into ALL the crevices.

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.

PIMIENTO CHEESE

As a kid I hated Pimiento Cheese.  What I didn’t realize is what my family put out with crackers was NOT real food LOL.  You know the jelly jar cheese spread you find at the grocery store.  Jack Allen’s Kitchen serves a small dab of their Pimiento Cheese with a cracker as a nibble before you order and it is fantastic!  I even bought a jar to bring home and it was the first recipe I tried from their cook book when it arrived. At home we tried it with all sorts of crackers before deciding a simple Ritz cracker was the best.
PIMIENTO CHEESE
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/2 pound Medium Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
1 large Red Bell Pepper, washed, seeded, roasted and chopped fine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Sherry Vinegar*
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, Vinegar and salt until smooth.
  • Blend in the grated Monterey Jack cheese and grated Cheddar cheese.
  • Fold in bell pepper until well distributed.
  • Chill well.
  • Serve with crackers.

*I didn’t have any so I used Golden Balsamic Vinegar

NEW LIFE to an old KITCHENAID

Back in 1994 we lived in Northridge, California. On January 16, 1994 I spent the day setting up banquet tables in my dining room and living room so I could empty out EVERY kitchen cabinet and drawer of dishes, food (including 6 dozen freshly made jars of jam) and cooking utensils onto those tables to prepare for a complete kitchen overhaul.  It was a tough job and in all honesty some things were stacked a bit precariously, but I made it ALL fit onto the tables.

After I accomplished that tiresome job I removed all the cabinet doors and had them stacked and ready for stripping and painting the next day.  I was exhausted, but I was ready for the next day full of painting. Or so I thought.

What I didn’t know when I planned that project was that the 6.9 Northridge earthquake was going to strike at 4:31 the next morning, only a few short hours after I called it a day from the prep work for the kitchen the previous day.  Long story short we lost 95% of EVERYTHING in the house and garage including my car.

It took a FULL month plus to pick up, bag up, box up and haul everything out to the curb to throw away the broken pieces of our life including furniture, walls and the jam mashed into the carpet.  We had no food except what was in the freezer.  We had a 2 week long block party with the neighbors all taking turns at cooking on BBQ’s in the street.   No electricity, no stores, no banks, no phones (the days before everyone having a cell phone)… life came to a grinding halt.

But, when the dust had settled, the insurance inventories had been submitted, insurance checks began to arrive and when we had caught our breath we began rebuilding.

One of the first things I bought was a new mixer.  I had decided that I was going to splurge and so I bought a top of the line (for the time) 6 qt. professional Kitchenaid.  At the time you couldn’t get all the designer colors so I got a simple white.

In early 2007 I couldn’t stand how it looked after so many years of use, but it is a work horse and I love it so I decided to paint it.  No since in spending money just for a prettier mixer so I chose a hammered copper paint which was popular for the time. 

Now, lmost 10 years later it was time again.  This time I chose a teal color to keep with the color theme I have chosen for this house.  Teal is my new favorite color since it’s the awareness color for Ovarian Cancer.  A day doesn’t go by that I don’t thank God for surviving Ovarian Cancer so choosing the teal is a happy reminder that I’m here and healthy. I got a little carried away and started painted a lot of things.

 Of course it began to thunder and sprinkle then rain so I had to move everything inside to finish drying.

All finished! A great 22 1/2 year old KitchenAid professional workhorse in a new custom color.

CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN

This started out as Chicken Francaise from Recipe 30.  Then I realized I had forgotten to purchase one ingredient (a lemon so I used a lime) and accidentally purchased something different (cilantro) from what the recipe actually called for which was parsley.  So I did what I always do, I substituted the most likely ingredients and voile’, we have a new recipe. I also don’t like olive oil so I substituted avocado oil. I used significantly more garlic also.  When the chicken was gone I poured the remaining sauce over the carrots and they were really good.

CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN
4 chicken steaks or 2 large breasts, halved
WONDRA flour for dredging
2 JUMBO eggs
1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped fine
4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 cup Moscato white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
4 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 large lime
Salt and pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to warm.
  • Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, half of the cilantro and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Pour into a shallow dish large enough to fit a chicken breast.
  • Season eggs with salt and pepper, give them a light beat.
  • In another shallow dish, add the flour and a little more salt and pepper.
  • Heat the Avocado oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium high heat. 
  • Dredge the chicken thoroughly in the flour followed by the egg wash, coating to cover well.
  • Cook on each side about 4-5 minutes (depending on thickness) until golden and cooked through.
  • Remove chicken to warm plate in oven and let rest.
  • Turn the heat up under the same pan and add your wine whisking well.
  • Add the crushed garlic.
  • Add the lime juice.
  • Add the chicken stock.
  • Add the remainder of chopped cilantro.
  • Add the remainder of butter and reduce the sauce for 2 minutes on full heat until it starts to thicken.
  • Return the chicken to the sauce and turn to coat in sauce.
  • Plate chicken immediately and top with sauce.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

I hope you all had great weeks and weekends. We took our getaway trip and had a great time albeit too short.  I took tons of pictures and will do a write up later this week. The air conditioning went out on the car on the way home, but at least had the decency to wait until we were home and I didn’t actually discover it until Saturday morning. So that is on the top of the list to get handled.  Running short on time this week so will make this short and sweet.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
It’s gray and ugly, but at least 15 degrees cooler than last week when it looked the same.  We are experiencing a few thunderstorms in and around the area so am not sure what it will be like in an hour and the humidity is still REALLY high because of it.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
A scrambled egg and toast with coffee.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
I’m happy with how things are moving along. I found an overstuffed display chair for the living room that I need to find an ottoman for, but all in all I’m getting more excited about being done.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • I spent last Saturday doing LOTS of laundry and cleaning, but still need to vacuum the living room and work on the donation inventory for the pile to be boxed up.  Today begins day 121 of the 30 day project, but it is still going strong so I’m going to stick with it for another 30 days at least.  We are now up over 6000 items and loving it.
  • Grocery shopping
  • Some mailing and shipping
  • Studio sorting and organizing
  • Get an estimate to fix the air conditioning on the car
  • Get an estimate on the drywall repair in the living room
  • Some ebay listings

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR
We’re finishing up the recordings from last week from when we were away. I really want to finish cleaning out the DVR before the fall season begins.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
CINNAMON GRANOLA FRENCH TOAST
BACON & EGGS
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SANDWICH
GRAZING
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N.
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

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.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend. I have been so busy trying to get ALL the little projects done before we leave on our anniversary trip that the ENTIRE week got away from me before I had a chance to visit with everyone.  I will be better this week!

We are using a “dog sitter” for the first time instead of kenneling the kids.  She came highly recommended by many of the neighbors, but I still have a bit of trepidation in using her. One of the neighbors (who is a perfectly nice woman) BUT is also a “GLADYS KRAVITZ” (you know the extremely nosy, frequently peeking through her curtains type) and a good friend of the dog sitter. I really don’t want her in our home when we are not here and have expressed that in a diplomatic way to the sitter… Our own Gladys Kravitz has gone so far as to tell the sitter to tell us how a few things need to happen.  I’m pissed off and annoyed, but also NEED to get away for a few days so will just pray that the sitter respects our wishes and keeps her friend out by going there if they want to socialize.  I’m also not sure how the animals will react to too many strangers in the house when we’re not here.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
We had some wonderfully vibrant and loud thunder and lightning storms with quite a bit of rain over the weekend and are expecting more today and through the week, but for now it is just gray and ugly though a bit cooler so am thankful for that.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
Homemade waffles and Coffee – I made waffles yesterday and froze the extras for the toaster on weekday mornings.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
I’m fairly pleased with all that we got done last week and that I was able to keep it picked up and cleaned as we went.  I do have another pile that will load the back of the SUV for donation later this morning.

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • Monday & Tuesday
  • Wednesday & Thursday 

  • Friday – Lazy day and Lunch with my oldest and dearest friend on our way home at Jack Allen’s Kitchen
  • Saturday – Nascar
  • Sunday – NFL

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
I tried the planned new recipes last week from Count Me In The Houston Fire Department’s Hottest chefs share their sizzling secrets.  I haven’t had a chance to get the recipes up yet, but was quite happy with most of what I tried!  I will get them up next week.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
OUT
OUT
OUT
BACON & WAFFLES
QUICHE
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
OUT
OUT
OUT
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
C.O.R.N
C.O.R.N
OUT.
OUT
OUT
MEATLOAF
PORK CHOPS
DESSERT

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES and their links FROM LAST WEEK

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • ANNIVERSARY trip this week.  First time we will get away for a LONG time! We are really looking forward to it.
  • Daily completion of projects.  It’s the little finishing work projects that seem to take the longest!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA

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.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with CHILE LIME GRAVY & THREE CHEESE BLOOMING POTATO

I’ve been binge watching Junk Food Flip and The Great British Baking Show lately at night trying to play catch up and clean out the DVR list.  I was so happy when Nadiya won The Great British Baking Show this year!  She was so cute and sweet and won so many of the technical challenges and star baker that it was only fitting.  I really liked Flora too, but in the end she just tried too hard to do too much when she should have been focusing more on the specific challenges.

It was an episode of Junk Food Flip that inspired this dish for us.  Bobby Deen was making a piece of fried chicken for a sandwich and to lessen the fat and carbohydrates he used a rice flour and then only the egg whites whisked with hot sauce. It looked and sounded so good that I just had to try something similar.

I was also seeing these blooming potatoes all over Facebook and wondered what they were all about so had to give it a try too – only seemed reasonable with an experimental meal. I used 1 really LARGE potato for the both of us and then split in half after the baking.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN with CHILE LIME GRAVY 
          & THREE CHEESE BLOOMING POTATO & SWEET and SOUR TOMATOES

4 chicken steaks (think cut breasts)
1/3 cup rice flour
2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons Frank’s Chile Lime Hot Sauce
fresh ground Salt & Pepper, to taste
1-3 tablespoons butter**

  • Whisk together the flours in a shallow dish for dredging.
  • Whisk egg whites and Frank’s Chile Lime Hot Sauce in another shallow dish.
  • Heat pan with butter or oil over medium high.
  • Pat dry chicken breasts.
  • Generously salt and pepper each breast.
  • Dredge each breast in flour mixture, then egg mixture and then flour mixture again shaking off the excess.
  • Place chicken in heated pan searing the first side for about 5 minutes.
  • Turn chicken and sear other side until cooked through.

CHILE LIME GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons rice flour
1 small can green chile sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream

  • Melt butter over medium high heat.
  • Whisk in rice flour until smooth and golden.
  • Add chicken broth and green chile sauce alternately, whisking until well blended.
  • Bring to a SLOW boil, backing off to a simmer as soon as it begins to boil.
  • Add heavy cream whisking until well blended and smooth.

BLOOMING POTATO adapted from The Gunny Sack
1 potato per person
avocado oil
butter
salt and pepper
grated medium cheddar
grated Parmesan
grated smoke Gruyere

  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Cut the top off of the potatoes.
  • Use a small, thin, flexible knife to cut rings around the inside of the potato.
  • Flip the potato over and make cuts all the way around the potato, leaving a small space at the top uncut. I also put my thumb on the top of the potato and made the cuts around it leaving a small strip of uncut skin. These cuts go all the way through to the center of the potato.
  • Carefully flip the potato back over and place in baking dish.
  • Brush the whole potato with avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake for 30 minutes of baking. 
  • Pour melted butter into potatoes and brush all around the top.
  • Sprinkle with more sea salt. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. 
  • Add cheeses and return them to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes to melt and toast the cheese.

SWEET & SOUR TOMATOES
1 box cherry tomatoes, halved or cut into thirds if they are large
fresh ground salt & pepper, taste
1 tablespoon sugar
splash avocado oil
1 tablespoon STAR golden balsamic vinegar

  • Toss tomatoes with all the ingredients.
  • Chill.
  • Enjoy.

NOTE: **I use a copper non-stick pan and don’t need much oil at all so adjust for your cooking pan.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE
It is sunny but already in the 80’s at this early hour and supposed to top out in the mid 90’s with 75% humidity so in otherwise, MISERABLE by noon time.  Fortunately I have been able to make all our appointments and do all the running around first thing in the mornings so I’m in the rest of the day after.  My health just can’t take it and is eagerly awaiting FALL and winter!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE
Maple cinnamon oatmeal and grapes with at least 2 cups of coffee.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE
I need to do some serious straightening up.  Our room and bath are perfect though as I took the time to deep clean them after we were done painting.

A few years back we were caring for my aunt I was working A LOT caring for my uncle, his home, my aunt and her care facility as well as volunteering for christian re-sale store! At some point hubby instituted a “Sunday Rule”.  Sunday was my day to do ONLY what I wanted to do and my uncle was on his own for meals. For the past 9 months we kind of ignored that rule, but yesterday I re-instated it!  I spent the day watching the Olympics, Nascar and football was the plan, but they cancelled the football game and we ended up watching more Olympics all the while sorting through the bookcases and now I have stacks of books everywhere to be listed on the donation list and packed up for transportation.

Long story short, I need to straighten up around here!

WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • Vet follow up for dog. 
  • Grocery shopping.
  • Finish caulking and touch up paint from last week’s front door installation.
  • Last coat of paint for spare bathroom.
  • Work on kitchen ceiling repair.

CURRENTLY READING & TELEVISION / DVR
I haven’t started anything new – just too tired at the end of the day right now.

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK
While I was going through the bookshelves I found a copy of Count Me In The Houston Fire Department’s Hottest chefs share their sizzling secrets.  While I was skimming through it I found several recipes that sounded interesting so am going to cook from this book this whole week.  I’ll post them soon if they are good.
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
YOGURT & FRUIT
SCRAMBLED EGGS & CHEESE
FRUIT SMOOTHIE
YOGURT & FRUIT
MAPLE OATMEAL & RAISINS
PANCAKES & BACON
QUICHE
LUNCH
FRUIT & CHEESE
SOUP & CRACKERS
SALAD
OUT
MEAT & CHEESE
LEFTOVERS
SANDWICHES
DINNER
SPICEY RICEY BACON SALAD
HOT DIRTY RICE & APPLE COLESLAW
C.O.R.N.
ITALIAN CHICKEN
TERIYAKI CHICKEN
HAWAIIAN CHICKEN
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
DESSERT
BANANA CARAMEL PIE

THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • Our anniversary trip is coming up in a couple weeks and I’m really looking forward to that.
  • The master bathroom with all the  HORRIBLE angles and out of square corners is FINALLY done!  It had to be gutted and re-plumbed with ALL new fixtures, walls and floors. The shower itself is large and was salvageable, but with a ton of work. LOVE the wainscotting paneling, but HATED having to paint all those grooves! Here are the horrible before pictures from the bathroom.

Here are the working and after pictures and I am so happy with the outcome considering ALL the issues we had in this room.

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM THE CAMERA
My poor old guy (going on 15) keeps rallying and even seems like a pup again some days.  The humidity here is so bad on his ears and he shakes his head a lot.  Large dogs are prone to hematomas in their ears.  He had one several years ago in the left ear when we were in the desert working on my mom’s house when he was attacked by a lose dog and it left home with a cauliflower ear (similar to a boxer’s ear that has been punched too much).  The good news is that the cauliflower ear reduces the chances of it happening again.

Last weekend he ended up shaking his head and bapping the ear against the sharp edge of the desk leg and we woke up Monday morning to a swelling ear.  I iced it every hour for a couple days, but in the end we were forced into the vet.  We tried a new vet (we REALLY didn’t like the first one we found here) and were so happy to meet Dr. Plummer.  What an absolutely fantastic animal doctor! SHE CAME IN AND IMMEDIATELY TURNED HER ATTENTION TO HIS NEEDS!  It was like she spoke dog.  Now, Gunner is NOT thrilled with her bandaging, but I am!  5 days later and the bandaging is a bit dirtier, but still in place! I’m taking him in later this morning for a check up.  Hopefully all the bandaging will go away!

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.

SALAD SUPREME DRESSING

We LOVE salads! It’s also no secret that I like to experiment with making new recipes and I always make our own salad dressings. We really like the one I made last night!

SALAD SUPREME DRESSING
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon McCormick’s Salad Supreme
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • Whip all ingredients together until smooth.
  • Chill for at least an hour.
  • Enjoy!