HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 25 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.169

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

WEEKEND RECAP

Friday night we were supposed to go to a local winery, Joseph Jane (who has one of my all time favorites, Pink Panik) to meet friends for wine slushies and brick fired pizzas, but they bailed so we did too and will try again in a few weeks after we get back from our trip. Then on Saturday the temperature dropped A LOT! (high was 55°) and it rained off and on so I got the baking done for the Eagles event, researched some recipes and planned our upcoming trip. I actually pulled out a hoodie and then yesterday was Father’s Day and hubby got to choose everything 😀 which did NOT include the father’s day event at the Eagles this year, but I did make a pan of pecan pie bars for them to have. Hubby decided he wanted to exploring so we went down to the river as we hadn’t been there much since the Archie fire a few years ago and ordered our favorite sub sandwiches (the FLY FISHERMAN and the SWIFT WATER SUB) from a favorite little hole in the wall trading post on the way home.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Whenever I read the title for this section a Christmas song pops into my head! “The weather outside is frightful”…, but in reality it is the BEST time of the year weather wise, at least in my neck of the woods. I absolutely LOVE this time of year when the weather is just about as perfect as possible.

Temperatures are mostly in the 70’s during the day, but still getting down into the low 50’s at night… ABSOLUTELY my PERFECT weather. BTW since I brought it up, it’s time to start those summer Christmas projects so they’re done in time!

😂

ON MY MIND

I’m making a list of all the things I have been putting on the back burner and trying really hard to get back to my organized self! My biggest need is blocking out section of time to make this happen. July seems to be the time this will happen after my obligations are done at the Eagles and we have gotten back from our trip.

TO DO LIST, APPOINTMENTS & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING All caught up!
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have to have a low pressure sensor checked today so will pick up some groceries while I’m in town.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m beginning to see my way through a couple piles of paperwork.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’ve been planning a summer menu, but the cold this weekend kind of left me lacking the energy to plan much for next week.

DVR/TV TIME

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
 We watched a wide and varied range of things this past week, EVERYTHING FROM DISNEY+ Marvel movies (MOBIUS and LOGAN) to old classics like CHARADE with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart in ROPE by Alfred Hitchcock. I also watched quite a few cooking shows – GUY’S ROAD TRIP, MASTER CHEF, MARY MAKES IT EASY

READING TIME

I finished Jana DeLeon’s Baskets and Beignets so am down to 2 books which is more manageable as I seem to  binge read anyway – Marie Force’s State of Suspense and Philippa Nefri Clark’s The House at Angel’s Beach.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
6/17 MONDAY
6/18 TUESDAY
6/19 WEDNESDAY
6/20 THURSDAY
6/21 FRIDAY
6/22 SATURDAY
6/23 SUNDAY
DINNER
 TERIYAKI CHICKEN MEATBALLS with RICE NOODLES
 BEEF TIPS IN BALSAMIC SAUCE over GREEN BEANS
CARIBBEAN CHICKEN with PINEAPPLE SALSA
 SALISBURY STEAK, SAUER MASHED POTATOES & GLAZED CARROTS
 YAY!!! LAST CHEF NIGHT AT THE EAGLES!!
 FIRECRACKER CHICKEN with CRISPY PARMESAN POTATOES
 PULLED PORK ROLLS & SALAD
DESSERT
 
 
CHOCOLATE CHERRY DOODLES
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Friday afternoon was absolutely beautiful! We had an absolutely gorgeous and unusual double halo rainbow around the sun. From what I read this usually indicates that it is caused by ice crystals when the sun or moon refracts off them in a thin veil of cirrus clouds. It also said snow or ice is coming. We didn’t get either, but did get a severe drop in temperature and rain 🤣

Trees and the landscape are FINALLY trying to grow back after the devastating Archie Fire a few years back.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

SWEET CORN TOMALITOS ~ BLOG 366.166

SWEET CORN TOMALITOS

Sweet Corn Tomalitos, a Chevy’s copycat recipe tastes just like the scoop of corn bread cake served along with their entrees.
  
6 tablespoons butter, softened)
1/2 cup masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
1/4 cup water
14 ounces QUALITY canned cream style corn
1/3 cup corn meal
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons WHOLE milk
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon QUALITY baking powder

  • Preheat oven to 350°.

  • In a medium bowl beat butter until creamy.
  • Add the corn flour and water, beating JUST until well mixed.
  • Add corn mixture into the butter mixture.

  • Add corn meal, sugar, milk, salt and baking powder, stirring to combine well.

  • Pour batter into an ungreased 8×8-inch baking pan.
  • Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil.
  • Place pan in a 9×13 inch baking dish that is filled 1/3 of the way with water. Pretend you’re baking a cheesecake 🙂
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until JUST set.
  • Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Use an ice cream scoop or dough scoop for easy removal from pan.


GREAT GRANS CHICKEN & GRAVY ~ BLOG 366.165

GREAT GRANS CHICKEN & GRAVY

1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium Vidalia onion, FINELY chopped
1 box grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 – 2 cups of carrots, small diced
1-2 tablespoon FRESH lemon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (see note)
FRESH ground sea salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups homemade chicken broth
1-2 pounds chicken breasts or tenders, cut into small bite size chunks

  • In a large skillet melt oil and butter together.
  • Add onions, tomatoes and carrots, cooking for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. 
  • Add in the garlic, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper.
  • Add chicken pieces and 1 cup of chicken broth.
  • Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Keep checking to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan, adding broth as necessary to keep it moist and make the gravy.
  • When chicken is cooked through check to make sure thicken gravy as necessary with corn starch.
  • In a small bowl whisk together a few tablespoons of the pan gravy with a tablespoon or 2 of cornstarch.
  • Mix well, then pour slowly into the pan, stirring constantly until the gravy thickens up and heats through.

NOTES:

  • Paprika comes sweet or smokey. Choose accordingly as it will alter your flavor a bit.
  • If I have some in the fridge I’ll add about 1/2 cup chopped marinated artichokes.
  • You can substitute rotisserie chicken pieces, but if you do, don’t add the chicken pieces until after the veggies have simmered 10-15 minutes and are crisp tender.

Great gran served this over homemade noodles and never used rotisserie chicken. Her chicken was farm fresh and simmered to make the broth fresh. Grams amped up the carbs by serving it with noodles in it and serving it over homemade mashed potatoes, but it’s great without either of those.

SWEET & SOUR GREEN BEANS ~ BLOG 366.163

SWEET & SOUR GREEN BEANS
2 pounds green beans, trimmed
3/4 pound bacon, diced
2 LARGE shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken bone broth
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Blanch the beans in boiling water for 5-7 minutes until crisp tender.
  • Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside to drain.
  • In a large skillet add bacon pieces, sauteing until crisp tender. Using slotted spoon remove bacon to drain on paper toweling. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
  • Add shallots and garlic, sauteing 3-5 minutes until tender.
  • Whisk together broth, vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper until smooth.
  • Add green beans to skillet.
  • Add bacon pieces
  • Pour sauce over beans and stir to coat well.
  • Heat through and serve hot.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & RECIPE LINKS week 24 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.162

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

GOOD MORNING dear friends. Summer is quickly approaching and I still have so much I want to do for spring! The weather has FINALLY turned nice here on a consistent basis and I have FINALLY packed away the flannels and jackets. Though I do have a sweatshirt in the car for those places that are now cranking the air conditioning so high it’s like a meat locker.

Highs in the mid 70’s with lows in the mid 40’s – my FAVORITE combination of temperatures! So today will be my most comfy levis, a plaid blouse and flip flops.

I’m adapting a new attitude and trying extremely hard to NOT to let the idiots, blowhards and the like affect me. The “changing of the guard” is going to be hard for me to adapt to at the Eagles. Those few “in charge” as of June are either repeats from the past with serious egos and attitudes that aren’t good leaders or they tend to drink too much and spout off orders and rude comments to people or they have zero idea what it’s all about. Worse yet are the ones who were talked into filling a vacancy so we can keep the doors open, yet they aren’t either qualified to fill the slot, too easy to be pushed around by the blowhards or they don’t know how much work it will be and here we sit waiting for it to all fall apart, because it has before with these same people in charge. I am prepared to turn in my duties and find new avenues to donate my time. A couple friends and I had “bets” on when the first would fall. I wish we’d actually bet money. My bet was for 1 week and the first of the five resigned last night. 🙁 Sad, but true.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a load of sheets to do and a pile of ironing
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS / PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS Taco Tuesday, Eagles Bar and Kitchen Shopping
  • PROJECTS & TRAVELS Drinks and pizza at a favorite winery with a friend on Friday, find a matching fabric for some quilted place mats I’m working on, buy a birthday present for a close friend. Make reservations for the day before and after a trip we were recently gifted at the end of the month.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m working on a summer menu plan for some lighter dishes.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • AMAZON PRIME ~ Time Changer, From Time to Time, Miss Willoughby and the Haunted Bookshop
  • CABLE ~ Cooking shows ~ Summer Baking Championship, Girl Meets Farm, Mary Makes It Easy, Best Bite in Town

I went from not reading at all to having 3 books at once going. I’m reading Marie Force’s State of Suspense, Jana DeLeon’s Baskets and Beignets as well as Philippa Nefri Clark’s The House at Angel’s Beach.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
DINNER
 CHICKEN CAESAR PASTA SALAD
 PERUVIAN CHICKEN with SALT & VINEGAR POTATO SALAD
 GRILLED CHICKEN PEACH SALAD
 CORN/YOYO CLEAN OUT REFRIGERATOR or YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN
 OUT
 STRAWBERRY JALAPENO CHICKEN with SALAD
 BRUSCHETTA GRILLED CHICKEN and SALAD
DESSERT
 
 
 
PECAN BARS

PAN FRIED PORK CHOPS with BACON SOUR CREAM SAUCE ~ BLOG 366.159

PAN FRIED PORK CHOPS with BACON SOUR CREAM SAUCE
4 slices bacon, diced
4 boneless pork tenderloin chops
1/2 cup AP flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon paprika
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 shallot, diced
2 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter

  • Saute bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper toweling.
  • Season flour and cornstarch with paprika, FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
  • Add butter and avocado oil to the skillet.
  • Add onions, sauteing 2-3 minutes.
  • Add garlic, sauteing another minute.
  • Arrange onions and garlic around the edge of the pan.
  • Dredge pork chops in flour mixture, shaking off excess.
  • Add pork chops to pan, frying on each side 4-5 minutes (based on chop thickness) until cooked through.

SAUCE
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken bone broth
1 teaspoon FRESH lemon thyme leaves

  • Plate chops and keep warm.
  • Add broth and thyme leaves to skillet, heating through.
  • Whisk in cornstarch, simmering until sauce begins to thicken.
  • Turn off heat and whisk in sour cream.
  • Fold in bacon pieces.
  • Serve cream over chops.