My Week

Happy Sunday!  The weather this week could not have been any better.  Low's in the 40's and highs in the 70's with sunshine and a bright blue sky.  This week we are supposed to be in the 80's but the humidity will not be bad.  Everything is that deep fall green.  Our peak fall leaf time frame is the end of October so we have a while to go.

We skipped the local Fall Festival yesterday and I'm glad we did.  In the pictures I've seen no one had a mask on. This is an event that brings hundreds of people from nearby counties so we'll see if the numbers of Covid go up again in a week or two. I understand wanting to 'go back to normal' but we are still in a pandemic with a strain that is worse now than it was in the beginning.  

I've done a little fall decorating and found a gorgeous purple mum for the front porch.  Today I'm going back to pick up a couple of orange ones that I saw driving by a roadside stand. The purple and orange will look nice together.

This week I finished reading Finding The Flavors We Lost by Patric Kuh.  It is about Artisans reclaiming American food and was very interesting.  Yesterday I started The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten.   I'm really enjoying his essays.  It is part cookbook, part travelogue with medicine and science all rolled up.

Dinners this week:

Ribs, steak for me, scalloped potatoes, corn on the cob

Butter chicken masala, spicy rice and a roll up.

Chicken, mac and cheese and salad

Chili, cornbread (first pot of the season and it was so good)

BLT, zucchini chips

Loaded beef nachos

Fried green tomatoes and salad

I use a lot of different cheeses and fillings when I make roll ups but this combo is the big guys favorite.  I spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the bottom, add diced poblanos, cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese.  Roll them up, lightly coat outside with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes on each side.  YUM!

I hope everyone has a restful day.  Stay safe!

Things That Make Me Smile

I was sitting outside earlier reading and looked over to see this hawk land in the yard.

He found a worm.

                                        I never knew they had so many feathers on their legs.  

My Week

 Happy Sunday!  It was a warm sunny week but this week we are supposed to get a cold front with lows in the 40's and highs in the low 70's.  I'm ready!  

Quite a bit of herbs and lettuce is still growing but the last tomatoes, peppers and zucchinis have been picked. The garlic has been planted for next year.  All in all it was a very good growing season. My freezer is full of pesto, veggies and fruit for the next few months. 

I have quite a bit of chicken in the freezer so I stocked up on beef and seafood.  We've been ordering our seafood from Sea 2 Table for quite a few years.  I like seafood from the US and other than local catfish our stores sell seafood from other countries. I ordered 14 servings of  a combo of Maine Red fish, Pacific Cod, Dover soul and Coho salmon. They even included a large cloth insulated bag this time for no extra charge.  We get our beef from a local farm  ( thelogcabinranch.com ) that raises 100% grass fed beef.  I can't wait to cook the beef short ribs next weekend.

The hummingbirds have been very busy lately.  I'm sure they're fueling up for their long trip. I finally got a picture of one sitting on the hook.

While picking up the beef at the farmers market Friday I picked up our first pumpkin of the season.  We're going to the pumpkin patch next weekend so will get the rest from there.  This is cute on my dining room table though.

Dinners this week:

Chicken wings, chicken kabobs, mac and cheese, asparagus

BIG salad and cheese rollups

Stuffed shells, salad, garlic bread

Roasted chicken legs, potatoes, corn

Chicken sausage, peppers, onions, spicy rice

Veggie, pepperoni and cheese cazones, salad

Main red fish, baked potato, salad and garlic knot

I also made a loaf of cheddar and bacon bread this week.  Friday for lunch I made BLT's on it and it was very tasty. 

I picked up my once a year bag of candy corn.  I know people either seem to love it or hate it.  From as far back as I can remember this was a staple on my fathers parents table in the fall.  Gram taught me the proper way to eat it.  First it had to be Brachs candy corn (other brands are horrible) and you equally mixed it with Red Spanish peanuts.  To me it tastes like a payday candy bar.

So how was your week?  Are you a fan of candy corn and peanuts?

Stay safe!

Things That Make Me Smile

Last night I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and it felt like someone was watching me.  I looked over to see this.  Such a goofy cat.

 

 

My Week

Happy Sunday! 

It was technically a short week at work because of the holiday but man did it seem LONG.  It's difficult to see everything that is going on with and in the hospital right now and not feel terrified. The staff shortage is going to get worse this week when the deadline for the vaccine arrives.  Plus the ones that did get a medical waiver are now protesting being tested once a week so we may loose them as well.  We're back to no visitors for the patients which is so sad.  I can't imagine being in the hospital and unable to have someone with me.  Elective surgeries have been postponed because of the bed shortage.  It's just a lot right now to process.

I did reconnect with a very old friend this week.  We've known each other since we were 19 years old.  The last couple of years we didn't talk.  There hadn't been a fight or disagreement or anything.  We just kind of grew apart and the phone calls got fewer and fewer.  It was nice to talk to her.  There is something comforting in having a conversation with someone that has known you for so long.  We both agreed to make more effort to keep in touch. So that is something positive.

Dinners this week...

Ribs, steak, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, deviled eggs

Beef roast potatoes, carrots and asparagus

Chicken legs, macaroni salad and zucchini

Beef sausage, peppers, onions, roasted Japanese sweet potatoes

BLT's and fried asparagus

Red beans and rice with cornbread

Tonight is still TBD

Red Beans and Rice

2 tbs. e v o o

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 serrano pepper, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pound dry red kidney beans

1 large smoked ham hock

1 tbs. chili powder

1 tbs. thyme

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large deep pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the peppers, celery and garlic and saute 3 more minutes.  Add the beans, hock, chili powder, thyme bay leaves.  Cover with water.  About 8 cups. Bring to a boil and partially cover and cook for 30 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the bay leaves and the ham hock.  Remove any meat on the hock, shred and add back to the pot.  Simmer for 30 more minutes.

Serve over rice with your favorite hot sauce.

You could also do this in a crock pot but I highly recommend cooking the onions, garlic, celery and peppers before putting it all together.  

I hope everyone has a great week.  Stay safe!

Some of my favorite hot sauces.  The one on the left is homemade and WOW what a kick in the mouth.

My Week

 Happy Labor Day to those in the US.  It is 55 degrees out right now and I'm sitting here with all of the windows in the house open.  The fresh air is amazing.  All week the highs will be in the low 80's and I have to admit this cooler weather rejuvenates me.

I worked on the garden a bit.  The tomatoes are still producing but the pepper plants are almost done.  Today or tomorrow I will pick what is almost ready and take them out.  The second round of lettuce, basil and arugula are all doing well.  It was a successful season which I desperately needed after last years brutality.  Yesterday I found more non GMO local corn for 2.50 a dozen so my freezer is now stocked for the winter with corn.

September is kind of a transitional month for me.  I spend most of my time getting the inside and outside of the house ready for the new season.  I like for the house to feel cozy for the fall and winter months.  I'm looking forward to all of the holidays.  Since Covid started I've been using my PTO for three or four day weekends since we can't plan a trip so I think it is time for a long winter break.  I am taking December 23 thru January 3 off.  It will be nice for the two of us to spend this time at home.  I'm looking forward to Christmas movie marathons, reading, cooking, baking and spending time with the big guy.  I hope we have snow.

Today we're grilling a steak for me and ribs for him. I will stuff a couple of poblano peppers and have that with deviled eggs and macaroni salad.  The macaroni salad is a new recipe I'm trying from my blog buddy Michael at sporeflections.wordpress.com.  I can't believe I've just recently found out how good macaroni salad is. 

I made a batch of walnut, chocolate chip cookies yesterday.  I used Ghirardelli cocoa chips.  OMG they are so good.  I usually use Toll House chocolate and it is good but these are one level up.  They will now be my go to cocoa.  

Dinners this week:

Fried chicken, red potatoes, corn

LOADED beef nachos

Beef sausage, peppers, onions and red potatoes

BIG salad

BLT, zucchini chips

Chicken fettuccine alfredo

Butter chicken and rice

Well I have a few things to do around the house this morning.  Then I want to sit outside and read this afternoon. My days to soak up the vitamin D are fading away.  I picked up the book Finding Freedom by Erin French and it is really good.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and a productive week.

Stay Safe!!

Things That Make Me Smile

                                                                        

                                                            Jet makes me smile every day.