WALNUT SNICKERDOODLES ~ BLOG 366.30

WALNUT SNICKERDOODLES
1 1/2 cups roasted walnuts, divided in half
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon WHOLE milk
1 teaspoon PURE vanilla
1 teaspoon QUALITY cinnamon
1 1/2 cups AP flour

  • Process 3/4 cup of walnuts in food processor until JUST FINELY ground. Set aside.
  • Beat butter until creamy in a large bowl.
  • Add powdered sugar, beating until incorporated.
  • Add milk, vanilla and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, mixing to combine.
  • Add flour and combine well.
  • Fold in ALL the nuts until well combined.
  • Roll and wrap dough in waxed paper.
  • Chill 1 hour.

1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon QUALITY cinnamon

  • Preheat oven to 325°.
  • Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
  • Shape dough into 2 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar mix.
  • Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Flatten balls slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.
  • Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the cookies.
  • Bake 12-15 minutes until bottoms are slightly brown.
  • Cool 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

NOTE:

  • BE SURE AND ROAST THE WALNUTS! Toasting the nuts deepens their flavor. The same is true of all nuts and coconut too.
  • For the espresso version I added espresso chocolate chips.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENU PLANS with RECIPE LINKS week 5 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.29

Oh my, can you believe we are already at the end of January? I find it mind boggling! Seems like we were just preparing for Christmas and now we’re about to start February.

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

We are certainly having a cold and wet winter here in the Pacific North West. This is one of those winters where it doesn’t really matter where you are in the country, there’s something rearing its ugly head! Everyone stay dry and warm wherever you are. As for us, out temperatures are heading back down and the snow predictions are back in the mix for later this week. Right now I’d take the snow over the rain as we have the same roof leak this year on the new (only a couple years old) roof that appears to be coming from a flashing problem and comes down via the exhaust fan in the laundry room. I change the towel on the floor daily so it’s manageable which is the good news. The bad news is that the roofer can’t seem to get to us as everyone else is having worse problems – you can just tell when you talk to him that staying friendly will move you up the list faster than angry – oh the woes of warranty work.

Like the rest of the country we have a bit of a warming trend through today here, but then we drop back down into the 30’s and 40’s with that threat of snow for the weekend. I’m working at the Pond house this week several days, today being one of them and it’s still a bit of a grungy clean out so I have on OLD Levis, my least favorite hoodie and my oldest UGGs.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’m still in the midst of a deep sort and clean. These estate sales really drive me to get better organized. I also always find things I want, but my new rule is that for everything I get, I get rid of two things I already have. I also have a pile of mending and ironing to do.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have to do some grocery shopping for an elderly friend today and then I have a pedicure tomorrow when I’ll do my own grocery shopping. Hubby and I will be taking off Thursday to go check out a new (to us) salvage house and have a late lunch/dinner at the OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY on Thursday which is the anniversary of my cancer surgery and ultimately remission date.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m still working at cleaning up my desk area, which of course is a never ending battle 😀
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I FINALLY made it ALL the way through my pile of scraps of paper notes and magazine cut out recipes, tossing many of them, and am in the process of organizing them. TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Last night at dinner my girlfriend brought me some cookbooks from her mom – like I said, it’s a never ending battle 😀

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • I’ve been so busy that TV has been almost non-existent around here except for some late night sit-coms and Kid’s Baking Championship. Some of the network shows are starting back and we need to check out the DVR. We started re-watching GRIMM on Saturday night. And of course football yesterday! Congratulations Jean to the Chiefs win! Personally, I was rooting for the Lions to up against them, but maybe next year. 😀

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
1/29 MONDAY
1/30 TUESDAY
1/31 WEDNESDAY
2/1 THURSDAY
2/2 FRIDAY
2/3 SATURDAY
2/4 SUNDAY
DINNER
 CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS & ROOT VEGGIES
 HOT CHICKEN SALAD
 WHISKEY PINEAPPLE CHICKEN with BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES
 OUT at OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY
 LEMON GLAZED MEATBALLS with CREAMY MAC & CHEESE
 SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL SOUP with PARMESAN PAN ROLLS
 TOMATILLO CHICKEN with CILANTRO CHILE RICE
DESSERT
 
 PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
 

This has been a VERY wet winter. This normally docile river can’t even be seen under this bridge and is barely flowing, but right now it’s a raging river and has turned VERY brown from all the mud being washed into it.

We have a fun local chain in the Pacific Northwest of restaurants that we seek out as we travel. They are called McMenamins. Each location has some historic value like having been an old train station or an Elk’s temple or Catholic school or a family farm or roadside inn… Many have lodging, breweries and their own distilleries. They remodel them and their themes are ALWAYS quite unique and eclectic, but specific to each location staying true to its origins. These pictures are of some finials on an inside fence at our local “train station”. The ceiling is also full of unique and mismatched chandeliers.

 

WILDLIFE SAFARI ~ BLOG 366.26

Back during COVID on a whim we took a trip to Wildlife Safari where humans are captive in their cars and the animals roam free which was perfect for not being able to interact with people at the time. 

We recently found out that Wildlife Safari accepts food donations to help feed the animals. And by food donations I mean that the local county works takes roadkill there, but they also accept other donations like the freezer full of meat and berries (whole turkeys, fresh picked blackberries, recent meat from a deer and elk hunt…) I cleaned out from the new estate sale we’re working on.

Our local Wildlife Safari has a globally successful cheetah breeding program. That day we were fortunate enough to run into a docent that was FULL of wonderful information. My favorite piece of trivia was that like other jungle cats, female cheetahs are loners and do not bond well with others, whereas male cheetahs MUST bond with other males to survive.

They had several new cheetah cubs at the time that are now grown, but playful. The giraffes and elk were full of piss and vinegar that day! 😀

 

COOKING THURSDAY ~ CHICKEN CHILES RELLENOS STRATA BREAD PUDDING STYLE ~ BLOG 366.25

We LOVE a versatile bake/casserole that uses up leftovers and can be served as an entree for an easy weeknight family meal or a brunch item or even a potluck dish, but looks and tastes like you spent a lot of time on it.

CHICKEN CHILES RELLENOS STRATA ~ BREAD PUDDING STYLE

3-4 cups cubed French bread
1 can Rotel ORIGINAL tomatoes & chiles, drained WELL
1 small can chopped green chiles, drained WELL
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken rotisserie pieces
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 LARGE eggs
1 small shallot, minced
3/4 cup WHOLE milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
FRESH ground black pepper
Salsa for garnish
Sour cream for garnish
1 green onion, minced for garnish

  • Grease 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish.
  • In a large bowl combine bread cubes, chicken pieces, tomatoes, half the chiles, shallot pieces and half of both cheeses tossing well.
  • Whisk together the milk, eggs, baking powder, garlic salt and pepper.
  • Pour the egg mixture over the bread mixture and gently toss together.
  • Pour into the baking dish and top with remaining cheese and chiles.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight or 6-8 hours before preparing.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Remove casserole from refrigerator and bring to room temperature while oven is heating.
  • Uncover and bake 35-40 minutes until edges are golden and cooked through in the center.
  • Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
  • Garnish with sour cream, salsa and green onions as desired.

FONDANT POTATOES aka MELTING POTATOES ~ BLOG 366.23

FONDANT POTATOES aka MELTING POTATOES

Think scallops of the potato world – perfectly seared tops and golden bottoms on the outside and melting tender flesh on the inside, infused with intense flavor from roasting in a buttery stock.

4- 8 russet potatoes
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons avocado or (neutral) oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ cubes
6 thyme sprigs
1 cup homemade chicken bone broth

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Carve cut each potato into cylindrical rounds of even size so you have short scallop sized pieces.
  • Pat potatoes dry.
  • Place in a large bowl and toss with half the oil plus all the salt and pepper.
In an ovenproof heavy
  • based skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium high heat.
  • Add the potatoes and sear each side for 5-7 minutes until golden.
Add butter and thyme.
  • Once butter is melted, spoon the butter over the potato to baste.
  • Add stock, bring to a SLOW boil.
  • Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender, basting half way or as needed. Your stock will be absorbed by the potato making your potatoes tender and fluffy.

  • Baste one last time then serve immediately!

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY & MENU PLANS with RECIPE LINKS week 4 of 2024 ~ BLOG 366.22

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

What can I say, it’s wet here and cold! Then again it is January in the Pacific Northwest during an El Nino year. As usual I’m wearing multiple layers and warm UGGS. I’m working at the “estate” house today so am wearing an extra layer and already looking forward to tomorrow when I can stay home in my yoga pants where it’s warm.

I’ve been really tired lately, but think it’s just because I got too cold while working and then couldn’t seem to warm up. I’m a little out of sorts trying to stay focused, but think that also has to do with the horribly cold, wet winter we’re having. I usually LOVE winter, but this year NOT so much! I think I’m in a rut 🙂 This too shall pass.

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll be doing some deep cleaning tomorrow. I’ve been inspired by the current “estate” house which has turned into more of a “clean out/dump runs/garage sale”. When we first toured the estate sale there were many things that were going to make it worth our while, but the family ended up “keeping” those things and the things they left behind are in disrepair or damaged beyond their antique worth. Anyway, as we are cleaning up and sorting through everything it has inspired me to clean out my own spaces.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I’m working at the estate house today, working here tomorrow and will do some groceries on Wednesday when I do the Costco shopping for the Eagles.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’ve been cleaning out files and cubbies and getting caught up on paperwork.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I even cleaned up my recipe stash and planned at least this week.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • Still waiting on the “regular” shows to restart, but did watch playoff football (SORRY about the Packers loss Carrie, but CONGRATULATIONS Jean on the Chiefs win), some old Bob Newhart (#2) shows and a weird show on Peacock called The Woman in the Wall and as always the Kid’s Baking Championship

I’m hoping to finish Canary girls tonight, but haven’t figured out what to read next.

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
MONDAY 1/22
TUESDAY 1/23
WEDNESDAY 1/24
THURSDAY 1/25
FRIDAY 1/26
SATURDAY 1/27
SUNDAY 1/28
DINNER
 CIDER BRAISED CHICKEN & ROOT VEGETABLES
 HOT CHICKEN SALAD
 WHISKEY PINEAPPLE CHICKEN & BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES
 LEMON GLAZED MEATBALLS & CHEESY TOMATO BASIL ORZO
 BURRITO BOWLS
 SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL SOUP
 TOMATILLO CHICKEN
DESSERT
 
 PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
 

My Christmas cacti are still blooming and loving their spot in the east facing window.