to
More Catch All
Watch out now, Bubba has a new toy. These are real pics of real food caught live on digi. Not bad for a first attempt to document what goes on around here. As far as I know there isn't a whole lot to do to Canadian bacon ... fanning it out struck me as, "Ain't that purty, yeehaw, let's get a pic."
Introducing Kitche-Cam
Pronounced kitchee - what else would I call it? Everything I do in that territory is abbreviated.
That's about half a small can of Mandarin oranges with juice. The maple syrup drizzling action shot was fuzzy - sorry. That was it - about 15 minutes to heat thru - very tasty. 'Specially with my secret beans (recipe available only in my Book). This is a teaser for y'all.
Note decorative bacon arrangement.
Done, with all that tasty grease cooked in - best part of the flavor. Don't think about it, just dive in. Wish there was a live digi sniffin' option too ;)
Next ...
No, this is not a dead starfish ;)
It is first phase construction of a Baked Chicken Salad Ring. Separate crescent rolls, lightly press on the center. It was supposed to be done on a cookie sheet but I didn't have one handy - that's the same ol' 8 x 8 from above. Original instructions are below.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken (I used canned, the big one)
1 (8 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup diced green pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 can refrigerator crescent rolls
1 egg, beaten
Method
Combine chicken, pineapple, mayonnaise, celery, almonds, green pepper and salt and pepper
to taste in bowl; toss lightly. Set aside. Separate rolls into 8 triangles. Arrange on
greased cookie sheet in circle with bases overlapping and tips pointing outward. Spoon
chicken salad in ring around bases of triangles, packing firmly to insure ring shape. Fold
triangle tips over filling and tuck under bases. Brush with egg. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30
minutes or until golden. Serve hot.
I would say this would be a great company dish, however, it is so good, you will need at least two for more than four people. Use whatever you like best in chicken salad, I added onions and left out the green pepper - also didn't mess with the egg.
Alrighty then, onward to my latest brilliant idea ...
for wiggle-your-toes newsletter content - interesting stuff, check 'em out. (Now guys, if that artwork is too foo-foo for you, there's a staid alternative.) I have already swiped several recipes (with permission of course) and I also found a thinker I had to make into a page - Just my Dog
Back to the goodies ...
Baked Eggs
The recipe specified ham - I had some
really good deli roast beef slices so I asked Bubba how that sounded. "Well, I don't
know, I've never had beef for breakfast." As usual he left the table ready for a nap.
Slice or chop a tomato, spread around in a layer in 8 x 8 baking dish (nuke a hunk of
butter first - glass dish only of course). Next layer: sliced or chopped ham or roast
beef. Top with 4 or 5 eggs (break into a bowl, then slide into baking dish, usually keeps
yolks intact).
Decorate with chopped onion, little
more tomato, season with garlic in some form. I used chopped fresh (the shoots from a
planted clove - look like green onions). Bake at 400 until whites are set. I wasn't paying
attention to the time - seemed like about 20 - 25 minutes. Another kinda funny: Bubba
likes the yellows, I like the whites - we finished the whole pile with just a smidge left
over for little Bubba (Buster, Boston terrier, beggar extraordinaire - he has convinced us
that he will, in fact, die, if he doesn't get at least a bite).
Adjust quantities and dish size up or down accordingly.
Serve with toast to sop up the juice. Also good topped with shredded Cheddar (or any
cheese would be good). Maybe salsa too. Believe it or not, it did not require Bubba's
usual dose of Tony's Creole seasonings.
Spaghetti for Breakfast
adapted from the Creative
Homemaking newsletter
Heat a little water in medium saucepan until it simmers. Add cold spaghetti and sauce.
Stir until heated. Add grated cheese and egg(s), mix until egg is desired consistency
(i.e., how do you like your scrambled eggs?).
Dear Diary,
Monday: Now home from honeymoon and
settled in our new home, it's fun to cook for Bob. Today I made an angel food cake and the
recipe said "Beat 12 eggs separately." Well, I didn't have enough bowls to do
that, so I had to borrow enough bowls to beat the eggs in. The cake turned out fine.
Tuesday: We wanted a fruit salad for supper. The recipe said, serve without
dressing." So I didn't dress. But, Bob happened to bring a friend home for supper
that night. Did they ever look startled when I served the salad.
Wednesday: I decided to serve rice and found a recipe which said, "Wash thoroughly
before steaming the rice." So I heated some water and took a bath before steaming the
rice. Sounded kinda silly in the middle of the week. I can't say it improved the rice any.
Thursday: Today Bob asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It said, "Prepare
ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving." So I threw the
salad onto the bed and tossed around. Bob came home and asked if I felt all right. I
wonder why?
Friday: Today I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said, "Put all ingredients in a
bowl and beat it." Beat it I did, right over to my mom's house. There must have been
something wrong with the recipe, because when I came back home again it looked the same as
when I left it.
Saturday: Bob went shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress
it for Sunday. I'm sure I don't know how hens dress for Sunday. I never noticed back on
the farm, but I found a doll dress and some little shoes. I thought the hen looked real
cute. When Bob saw it, I wondered why he counted to 10.
Sunday: Today Bob's folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all we had in the
icebox was hamburger. So I put it in the oven and set the controls for roast. Must be the
oven, because it still came out hamburger.
Good night, Dear Diary. This has been an exciting week. I am eager for tomorrow to come,
so I can try a new recipe on Bob.
A young couple got married, and when the
wife prepared to bake a ham to celebrate their first Thanksgiving, she carefully cut off
each end before placing it in the pan. Her husband asked her why she did that and she
replied, "I don't know - it's what my mother always did. But I can ask her."
She called Mom, who responded, "I always saw your Grandma do it, so I did the
same."
They decided to check further, so the young bride then called Grandma, who explained,
"It was the only way I could get it to fit into my pan."
To make heart shaped muffins, drop a small marble in between the paper baking liner and the pan.
A quick fix for small cuts on your fingers may* be as close as the spice rack in your
kitchen. A sprinkling of cinnamon will not only stop the sting, but also help the cut heal
faster. To get the best result, wash the cut thoroughly, pat dry, and sprinkle with
powdered cinnamon before bandaging. A recent study confirms that a chemical in cinnamon,
cinnamic aldehyde, has potent antibacterial effects. In addition, it contains eugenol, a
natural anesthetic. *I have not tested this yet, it's only a matter of time tho ... :)
Try using a rubber glove (the cuff end) to grip a tight jar lid.
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator - it will keep longer than usual.
From Becky: Here is a great tip for really clean windows. I learnt it from an elderly lady that my Grandma knows. Drop 1 Tbls. of cornstarch to a gallon of water. Mix well. Pour into spray bottle and spray windows. You may have to shake up bottle every now and then. For best results, use an old sheet for the washing. And no streaks, unless you haven't cleaned your windows in forever. But even so, they shouldn't streak.
From Rexanne: (After
I donated my plastic grocery bag tips for her new newsletter - scrunch up in a plastic jug
with a hole cut in the side, or Kleenex box. For safety's sake, tie a loose knot in each
before storing.) Know what I use to store my plastic baggies from the market? A paper
towel roll, empty of course. Fits in nicely with my foil, plastic wrap, etc.
Moose Track Cake
from the PUBlication newsletter
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 lb. confectioners sugar
Grease a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle coconut and walnuts in bottom of pan. Mix cake according to
package directions and pour over coconut and walnuts. Combine melted butter, cream cheese,
and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth. Spoon over cake mix. Bake at 350 for 50
minutes.
Pina Colada Cakes
from the Oceanview newsletter
Version #1: 1 pkg. yellow cake mix with pudding, 1 can cream of coconut,
1 bag flaked coconut, sweetened whipped cream, 1 can sweetened condensed milk
Mix cake according to directions on box, and blend in half bag of coconut. Bake at
required temperature and time. While cake is baking, mix together condensed milk and cream
of coconut. As soon as you remove cake from oven, punch holes in it with a skewer, and
pour milk mixture over the top. Set in refrigerator for 24 hours. Spread with whipped
cream and rest of coconut.
Version #2: "Easy, easy, easy, and oh, so good! Make
this a day ahead of serving." 1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix, 1 (14 ounce)
can sweetened condensed milk, 1 (12 ounce) can Pina Colada mix, 1 (12 ounce)
container whipped dessert topping, 1 (3 1/2 ounce) can shredded coconut
Bake cake as directed on box for a 9 x 13 inch cake. As soon as it comes out of the oven, punch holes all over the top of of with a meat fork (try not to hit bottom, but if you do, it's OK). Mix condensed milk and Pina Colada mix together and pour over cake. Chill overnight. Before serving, frost with whipped dessert topping (Cool Whip) and sprinkle with coconut.
Can't Get Enough Chicken Wings
from Hillbilly Cornbread newsletter
12 chicken wings (about 2 lbs.)
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets® Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix
1 tsp. cayenne pepper sauce (optional)
Cut tips off chicken wings (save tips for soup)(that is the customary advice - I toss 'em
- too disgusting to look at twice). Cut chicken wings in half at joint. Deep fry, bake or
broil until golden brown, crunchy and no longer pink. Meanwhile, in small saucepan,
combine savory herb with garlic soup mix, water and hot pepper sauce. Cook over low heat,
stirring occasionally, 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in
margarine. In large bowl, toss cooked chicken wings with hot soup mixture until evenly
coated. Serve, if desired, over greens with cut-up celery.
Lotsa Bean Salads - from the Flamingo Times
4 Bean Salad
1 can Garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 can yellow/wax beans
1 medium onion, sliced very thin
2 scallions, chopped thinly
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey (or corn syrup)
Drain and rinse all beans. Combine with onions and scallions. Blend vinegar and honey
thoroughly and pour over vegetables. Refrigerate at least four hours.
Corn and Kidney Bean Salad
1 16-oz. can red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
2 cups corn kernels
1 green bell pepper - diced
1 red bell pepper - diced
1 rib celery - diced
1/2 cup chopped scallions, including some green tops
Dressing:
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper - to taste
In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine all the salad ingredients. In a small
bowl or jar, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Pour over the salad and mix
thoroughly.
Potato and Green Bean Salad
1 pound green beans, cut into 2" lengths and steamed 5 minutes
4 large potatoes, cooked until just tender, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
2 scallions, sliced, including some green tops
Dressing:
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Placed the cooked beans, potato cubes, and scallions in a bowl. In a jar, combine all the
dressing ingredients. Cover tightly and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and
toss gently to mix well.
When you need a huge bring-something ...
Creamy Vegetable Casserole
1 can (10 oz.) Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
2 bags (16 oz. each) frozen vegetables (broccoli,
cauliflower and carrot combination) thawed and drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can (2.8 oz.) Durkee French fried onions
Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, milk, seasoned salt,
vegetables, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 can fried onions. Spoon into 8x12-inch baking dish.
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until vegetables are done. Top with remaining cheese and
onions; bake, uncovered, 3 minutes or until onions are golden brown. Makes 8 to 10
servings.
Cheese Garlic Biscuits
2 cups baking mix (Bisquick or
generic)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
2 Tbls. melted butter
1/8 tsp. garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
Heat oven to 450. Mix first 3 ingredients to form soft dough. Drop by spoonfuls onto
UNgreased cookie sheet. bake 8 - 10 min. Mix butter and garlic - brush over warm biscuits.
My niece, who has only recently taken
up cooking, asked what my favorite meal was. Filet mignon of course - gotta find a good
butcher - expensive as can be but well worth the splurge especially when you're saving
millions instead of eating out.
You can broil with a slice of bacon toothpicked around it or I've been baking in a
marinade of lemon or lime juice and liquid smoke. That dish the Canadian bacon above is in
is exactly the right size (just fits) for my fat (like it comes) chunk and Bubba's
butterflyed (sliced and laid out like a butterfly) because he likes it well done (which is
criminal but you know how them Texans can be).
If you broil, look for a packet of Béarnaise sauce (Knorr brand) - delish.
Mo' beef, ground (includes a few surprises)
Adapted from Tiger's Recipes 4 U newsletter
A few jolts of Worcestershire sauce,
with diced onion, salt and pepper, 2 eggs per pound and some fresh parsley, minced, make a
nice fully enjoyable hamburger. Go a little further and make medium sized meatballs out of
it, brown them in a frying pan, drain fat, add a can of beef broth and water more salt and
pepper and onion and cover. Let it simmer for about an hour, remove the meat and make a
brown gravy and have it with mashed potatoes or curly egg noodles and vegetables.
Lots of seasoning salt and onion soup mix. Sometimes soy sauce for extra flavor.
Worcestershire sauce, along with diced onions, plus can add little A-1 sauce. Or can add a
little garlic, or liquid smoke, or fajita seasoning.
A little spicy brown mustard
Any type of shredded cheeses, Italian
seasonings, chopped mushrooms, chopped olives - try combinations.
For 1 lb. ground chuck, put about 4 slices of bread under the faucet and then squeeze the
water out. Crumble into the ground beef and add seasoning.
Tony's Cajun seasoning
Fresh lemon juice and parsley
A grilled slice of pineapple on top of a burger gives it a nice tangy taste.
A lil' bit of oatmeal
Green onion, Italian bread crumbs, lemon pepper
Green pepper, chili sauce, barbecue
sauce, brown sugar
Ketchup, vegetable soup mixes
Chopped dill pickles, sweet relish
Make a patty, leaving a hole in the middle where you put in a 1/2 x 1/2 cube of any
favorite cheese. Put more hamburger around it.
Dry ranch dressing mix ... one package per pound of meat
Stuff 2 patties with cheese. Then add sliced yellow squash, sliced onions and quartered
tomatoes, cover and cook until veggies are done.
Simmer burgers in pizza sauce. After they are cooked, put slices of mozzarella on top just
before serving - also really good with chicken patties.
Make a sauce with 1/2 yellow mustard, 1/2 mayonnaise and sweet pickle relish to smear on buns.
Mix 2 Tbls. of sun dried tomatoes in oil, 1 teaspoon of pesto and 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Serve on an onion bun.
Teriyaki Burgers
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Shape meat into 4 patties (or more depending on thickness). Combine remaining ingredients.
Stir well. Brush on patties. Broil or grill until done to taste.
Reliable Burgers
1 egg
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups corn flakes
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 slices bacon
In a bowl, beat the egg. Blend in the ground beef, corn flakes, pressed and crushed with
the fingers to measure 1 cup. Add finely chopped onion, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form
into 4 large patties about 1 inch thick. Wrap a strip of bacon around each and secure with
a toothpick. Place in preheated broiler and broil for 5 minutes. Turn and brown second
side about 5 minutes.
Cajun Burgers
2 lbs. ground beef
1 green pepper,cored, seeded and minced
1/2 cup chopped scallions (green onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. paprika
red pepper flakes to taste
salt to taste
Mix it all up, broil, fry or grill,
top with sliced tomatoes and sour cream.
College Burgers
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup diced potatoes, carrots, celery
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 can tomato soup
salt, sugar to taste
Brown beef. Cook vegetables until nearly done in a small amount of water. Combine all
ingredients and heat. Serve on hamburger buns.
Parisian Burgers
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 medium white or Spanish onion, chopped
1 generous Tbsp. sour cream
1 generous Tbsp. mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Mix together and form into patties. Brown in skillet until desired doneness. Remove to
platter and keep warm. Pour all fat from skillet and reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 cup beef
bouillon (or more) scraping bottom of pan for flavors. When boiling add 1 teaspoon of
lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of butter or oleo. Boil for 1 minute and then pour over
hamburger patties.
Italiano Burgers
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. steak sauce
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Mix 1/4 cup sauce with 1 pound ground meat. Broil patties. Serve remaining sauce over
patties.
Bottom
line: Unless your taste runs to gasoline, you are in no danger of blowing up the kitchen
no matter what you mix together.
Now go check out
Thinkers
66 percent of women and 59 percent of
men have used a mix to cook and taken
credit for doing it from scratch.
No husband has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each
hand.
Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
My kitchen was clean last week, sorry you missed it!! (A clean house is a sure sign of a
broken computer.)
I'll probably get around to stitching up a few of those
as samplers ... 
At the risk of blowing my image, needlework is perfect for filling time waiting for pages to load. Lois already warned me: Be careful, now - arranging Canadian bacon in fan shapes could ruin your reputation. People might think you are that other person.
On the subject of that other person and her cronies ... bet they never had as nice a compliment as this.
"I suffer from depression and your site is the first thing to make me laugh in over three weeks, this is like free therapy."
Absolutely blew me away - while I appreciate all my mail (keeps me pounding away), that particular comment brings up a serious subject. I know there are people who take "expert" advice to heart and by doing so, set themselves up for failure or at least, big disappointment. The last place to stress yourself out is the kitchen - hell with the know it alls, do the best you can (using any available sneaky means, i.e. Best Recipes from Boxes, Bottles and Cans) and keep the pizza delivery number on the speed dial as insurance.
Interesting timing that Rina happened to send me the following, knowing I would appreciate the wisdom. They go very nicely with the above point.
"I am prepared to
meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another
matter.
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Sir Winston Churchill
I've wanted to use the next piece for months, it too seems a perfect fit here - cuz ya just never know ...
What
Can I Do?
by Pat Martinez (borrowed from the
Sonshine newsletter)
Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield started asking questions, "How long have you worked here?"
"I've worked here almost since the place opened," the maid replied.
"What can you tell me about the history of this place?" he asked.
"I don't think I can tell you anything, but I could show you something."
With that, she took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building. She pointed to one of what looked like small prison cells, their iron bars rusted with age, and said, "That's the cage where they used to keep Annie."
"Who's Annie?" the doctor asked.
"Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because she was incorrigible - which means nobody could do anything with her. She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people. The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her or anything. I'd see them trying with her spitting and scratching at them. I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think 'I sure would hate to be locked up in a cage like that.' I wanted to help her, but I didn't have any idea what I could do. I mean, if the doctors and nurses couldn't help her, what could someone like me do?
"I didn't know what else to do, so I just baked her some brownies one night after work. The next day I brought them in. I walked carefully to her cage and said, 'Annie I baked these brownies just for you. I'll put them right here on the floor and you can come and get them if you want.' Then I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me. But she didn't. She actually took the brownies and ate them.
"After that, she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around. And sometimes I'd talk to her. Once, I even got her laughing. One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor. They asked me if I'd help them with Annie. I said I would if I could. So that's how it came about that every time they wanted to see Annie or examine her, I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand. Which is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind.
"After they'd been working with her for about a year - and it was tough sledding with Annie - the Perkins institute for the Blind opened its doors. They were able to help her and she went on to study and became a teacher herself.
"Annie came back to the Tewksbury Institute to visit, and to see what she could do to help out. At first, the director didn't say anything and then he thought about a letter he'd just received. A man had written to him about his daughter. She was absolutely unruly - almost like an animal He'd been told she was blind and deaf as well as 'deranged' He was at his wit's end, but he didn't want to put her in an asylum. So he wrote here to ask if we knew of anyone - any teacher - who would come to his house and work with his daughter.
"And that is how Annie Sullivan
became the lifelong companion of Helen Keller."
When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize, she was asked who had the greatest impact on
her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan." But Annie said, "No Helen. The
woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury
Institute."
Adapted from a true story told by Leah Curtin R.N. (Nursing Management Magazine.)
Post Script: History is changed when one person asks, "What can someone like me do?"
Hope you enjoyed that. Like I said, you never know what you might accomplish - in any case, you can't take life too seriously - it's definitely not permanent.
OOOOps - coupla quickies I almost forgot:
Be careful about letting leftovers cool off before storing - don't make the fridge work too hard.
The top of an old-fashioned butter dish (presumably found at a garage sale or flea market without the bottom) is the perfect sized tray for sugar and artificial sweetener packets.
Marinate chicken in one part cola to one part ketchup ... amazing flavor. Spice it up with garlic etc. if you feel like it. Oven bake in marinade (routine timetable) or use low crock pot setting for 8(ish) hours. Gotta try it on beef and pork next.
Mix one cup sour cream, one envelope onion soup mix and two packages defrosted, drained chopped spinach - bake covered at 350, about 30 minutes.
I'll be back ...
(That's not a click-on-auto-thingy, but you can copy the URL into an e to send. Fellow aol sufferers, do the drag-the-heart thing.)
And don't forget to print out my book order form to remind you to send me a check (This is a clickable.)
Hot Tip: Register this page with Mind It to receive update notification by e-mail.
Or: Send a blank e-mail, subject line, "I want the new page." Fill in a few copies-to names while you're at it. Everybody needs to know about this place - think of all the goodies your friends have stashed away, yet to be shared - you are duty-bound!
Or: E-mail Rexanne3@aol.com to subscribe to Rexanne's Web Review, a highly entertaining and thought provoking parenting publication delivered weekly. Rexanne will include up to the minute reports of what's happening around here. Don't let not having kids at home stop you from subscribing. I don't and still always find useful links, tips and info.
A number of other newsletters will also be making my update announcements. Find subscription info listed with their best LTF recipes, humor and all kinds of lively tid-bit contributions on upcoming promo exchange pages.
Use your back button to escape. Or cruise around the New Index
Mail sometimes finds me here too: MsAtte2ude@aol.com
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