Things That Make Me Smile

 

                             Snowflakes on our garage door going out to the back yard.

The weather outside is frightful!

 

                            

                                                       View from our bedroom

    

                                                      View from the living room

    

                                                     View from our dining room

I'm sure everyone has heard there is a large winter storm moving across the US and so far, it has dumped 14 inches of snow here.  (And still snowing) The worst part is the temperatures are FREEZING cold and will be for the next week.  So, this won't be melting away anytime soon. In the 20 years we've lived here, this is the most snow we've gotten.  I'm not complaining and was actually thinking how good this is for the garden soil.  My garlic and wildflowers that were planted this fall should really thrive this year.  I hope anyway.

I didn't have to make a trip to the store and I'm thankful for that.  From everything I've seen and heard people wiped out all of the stores each day between Thursday and Saturday afternoon.  One of the farms we buy from even said she totally sold out of beef, eggs, milk and bread.  

Last Monday (before all of the storm hype) I really wanted to plan a three-day weekend but had a training session on Friday so I put in to take tomorrow off instead.  I think that was a god wink because I don't know if I could make it in tomorrow if I had to.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking and cooking and enjoyed every minute of it.  TBG requested another batch of bagels.  They do freeze well and toast up beautifully.

All month I've been working on cleaning out cabinets, drawers and closets.  I find if I do it two or three times a year it doesn't get out of control.  While I've been working on this I watch/listen to TV.  I watched I am Mary Jo Buttafuoco on Netflix. It told the story from her perspective instead of Joe or Amy's and my heart just broke for all she had to endure.  She narrated the movie and said at the end that through it all she came out with an appreciation for life and her children and she is happy now.  

Other things I watched...

The Valley - Persian Style (part of the old cast from Shah's of Sunset)  

Southern Charm

Suddenly Amish 

I started reading Into The Magic Shop by James R. Doty, MD after the recommendation from Judee at Gluten Free A-Z  I just started reading it.  Funny thing is in my training session Friday one of the topics was the connection between the heart and brain so I'm even more excited to read this book. Thank you Judee!!

What we ate this week...

Chicken, pesto pasta and a salad

Lamb burger and 'fries'

BIG salad x two

LO chili with cornbread

Tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich

Tonight, I'm roasting a whole chicken.  We'll have it with a loaded baked potato and green beans and a small salad.  The rest will go into a big pot of spicy chicken soup tomorrow.  

This was the special at Yellen Helen's this week, but it was just a bit too cold for me to go get it.  Doesn't it sound amazing though? I hope they run this special again because I really want to try it.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.  What is cooking at your house? Inquiring minds want to know.

Just a quick catch up

 

Good morning.  I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that we are already halfway through January. I started a post last Sunday, but my head wasn't in the right place, so I didn't post anything. The first week of the new year started with TBG spending two nights in the hospital. This was the first time in the 40 years we've been together and it was pretty stressful but between perseverance and a lot of prayer we made it through. 

I'm thankful for having a full pantry and living very close to the hospital because I was able to make him meals from home, so he didn't have to eat the shit 'food' from the hospital. 

Binx missed him SO much.  He kept looking at the door wondering where he was and both nights he slept on his side of the bed the entire night.  When TBG got home that Wednesday afternoon Binx was so happy and he started running and playing again right away.  

Thankfully he is doing much better but still has a little way to go before he is back to his baseline.   

He spent the rest of that week at home so last Saturday I knew he needed to get out for a bit. I suggested driving out to Yellen Hellens for ice cream after two quick errands I needed to run. Even though it was cold, the ice cream and the drive through the country did him a lot of good.  We shared one of their top desserts and it hit the spot.  He kept saying it felt so good to be out so I'm really glad we went.

This past week was a back to normal and TBG was able to go back to his Tae Kwon Do school which helped him feel a bit more like himself.  Seeing someone you love in pain and feeling down is hard, so this made me feel better too.

I have a long list of books to read so I started reading Food for Thought by Alton Brown and I'm really enjoying it.  I've always been a fan of his and the essays tell a lot about him and his thoughts.

We missed our December trip to Firefly Grill, so we decided to do that yesterday and we both had a great time. The atmosphere and the food is always top notch there and again just getting back to normal activities made us both feel so good.  Again, the ride was so good for both of us and just as we got about 30 minutes from home it started snowing.  The huge snowflakes were so pretty coming down.

Meals this week were...

Chicken and rice veg bowls with cheese roll up

LO beef short ribs, potato and cheese pancakes with salad

LO chili

Chicken, loaded baked potato and salad

Lamb burgers with 'fries'

We both had a big lunch so I used the half of pound of lamb left from the night before and made lamb and potato hand pies with a salad.

Tonight, we're having coho salmon with sides to be determined.  I'm leaning towards a spicy slaw and rice.

I hope everyone is doing well and had a better beginning of the new year than we did.  Tell me how things are with you?

Eat Real Food

Our old Food Pyramid was never correct in my opinion.  Now hospitals, schools, etc. will have to start basing the meals they serve on this. 

The US has a health problem, and I think this is excellent news.

 Eat Real Food

RFK Jr. updated the food pyramid. See what's different for your plate.

Culinary Adventures with Lori: My personal thoughts on food...

 

26 New to me Recipes for 2026 No. 1 Texas Cowboy Chicken

 

Back in 2024 I tried to do 52 recipes in 52 weeks.  I did well for a bit and then couldn't continue due to a lack of time for that crazy of a goal.  I've decided for 2026 to do 26 new to me recipes and I think that is much more realistic for where I am in my life right now.  

The first one is...

Texas Cowboy Chicken from Delicious Tonight by Nagi Maehashi 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1 tbsp. olive oil

Marinade

1 tsp. chipotle powder

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic or powder

1/2 tsp. granulated onion or powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano 

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sugar or honey

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. lime zest

juice of one lime

2 tbsp. olive oil

Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl.  Add the chicken to ensure each piece is coated and cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.  Marinate for up to 24 hours, no less than 2. (I marinated for 4 hours)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook each side for 3 minutes or until deep golden.

Transfer to a plate and cover loosely to rest for 3 minutes.

Slice the chicken to serve.

She recommends a Cowboy Chicken Salad with chipotle dressing that sounds delicious and I will try that the next time I make it.  This time I served it with whipped garlic potatoes and green beans, and it was amazing.  I will be adding this to the chicken rotation at our house.  The left-over chicken was still tender and juicy, and I reheated it for sliced chicken sandwiches the next day for lunch.  

We both give this a 9 out of 10.

Not a great picture due to the lack of light and the fact that I took the picture on the cutting board, but you get the idea.