Things Are Not Always What They Look Like

    

A small indiscriminate bush in front of our porch, right?  No big deal, nothing amazing or fantastic about it. They’re everywhere. But don’t let your eyes fool you. There IS something fantastic there.  A miracle.  Actually several very small, tiny, miracles and it’s right here in our front yard. 

            There is a nest in there, lovingly and faithfully protected and cared for by a beautiful mother Tohe. Two weeks ago I found it with 4 eggs in it, and today, there are now quadruplet baby tohe birdies lying in their warm home, eyes still closed and only a bit of fuzz on their little naked bodies.  A miracle.

           

It always amazes me, the miracle of birth. Not just of birdies, but of all creatures, especially humans. How does that happen? How do 2 cells join, multiply, divide, change, and become skin, bones, hair, lungs, kidneys, hearts, brains….how do they know what to become?  I am not shocked when a child is born with some affliction. I wonder why it doesn’t happen all of the time. How do we that are blessed with perfectly formed and beautifully normal children ever get that? It is truly the miracle of birth, and should be viewed as such with each and every baby that comes to this planet.

Summer is Just Around The Corner and The Temps Are Rising

June 8, 2012

Summer is here, the temps are rising, and in Arizona it’s hot hot hot and dry dry  dry!!  The last thing you want to think about is heating up the kitchen cooking dinner.  Plus, with the sun and warm weather, weekends take on lots of activities and by the time everyone settles in at home to eat, appetites may not be as big as during the cold winter days.

My solution---a delicious bowl of cold soup with some fabulous chewy artisanal bread slices slathered with butter.  The cold soups that come to mind are Vichyssoise or Gazpacho, both delicious, but I think a bit over done.  So when I came across this recipe it sounded light, fresh, and easy…a home run in my summertime home!

Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup takes no cooking. It is a delicious “raw food” soup that is easy, refreshing and quite delicious.  The cool tang of the cucumbers and lime juice is made rich and given a certain bulk by adding the avocado, making it satisfying yet light.  Spice it up with some Tajin spice (found in Hispanic markets, or substitute a bit of cayenne) and a bit of cilantro…DELICIOUS!!

CHILLED CUCUMBER AVOCADO SOUP

4 Servings

3 large to medium cucumbers roughly chopped

(I prefer English or “hot house” cucumbers, but if you get regular cucumbers from your supermarket be sure to peel them to rid them of the bitterness from the waxed outside)

2 large avocados, peeled and cut into chunks

¼ c. fresh squeezed lime juice (about 3 large limes)

1 c. water

1-2 teaspoons salt (use one then after blending taste and add more as needed)

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro

½ teaspoon Tajin or cayenne…or to taste

Place all ingredients in the blender and process until smooth.  Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne to your taste. 

Transfer to a large bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Ladle into chilled bowls for individual servings and garnish with fresh chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Spring Is Here!!!

Gurney's catalog completes the spring theme!!



Even the Kindle is in bloom!

Spring is here!  Even though we had 14” of now 1 ½ weeks ago, and it WILL probably freeze/snow at least once more before it’s over, today I felt spring for the first time. And because of it, when I got home from work, I planted 4 rows of Chioggia beets, 2 rows of Detroit Red beets,  2 rows of yellow onions (in between the rows of beets to protect them from bugs), along with more garlic in the garlic bed from last year, and a small batch of spinach in the bed where the Rainbow Chard, Swiss Chard, and Collard Greens have returned without further planting.  Right now the 35 gallons of rain water left in our 55 gallon drum from the snow storm is watering in the new garlic plants as we are trying to drain it so we can make the stand higher so it will run better into our elevated/raised garden beds.

Not only did I feel it, I saw it.  Sunday Darla and Jeff stopped by to see our Lil Guy Teardrop trailer we purchased for the Retirement Road  Trip. While here we took a little garden look-see as not nearly in its glory yet, but the garlic and red onions I planted 2 weeks ago are up; mums have come back; Chinese Greens, thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, tarragon, and oregano, spearmint, and French sorrel made it through the winter; and while pulling weeds out of the little triangular bed at the end of the garden---ASPARAGUS! There they were, hiding among the weed growth, poking their heads through the ground growing long and tall on their slender little stems. Having planted them last year, not seen any evidence they were growing, and having dug out at least 80% of them to plant peppers and cilantro, I was overjoyed to see them. I will be VERY careful and put more roots in the bed, but Darla says they will divide and multiply, so to be patient.

So tonight I took our 7 spears along with a handful received in our Bountiful Basket 2 weeks ago (and still fresh!) and lightly bathed them in roasted garlic & cilantro olive oil, some lemon pepper, and a scant grinding of pink Hawaiian salt.  There is nothing more fabulous, more spring time, than Roasted Asparagus!  Put together with some sea salt & roasted garlic mahi mahi (fresh frozen from Costo with a tiny bit of Tony Charcheur’s Louisianna season sprinkled on it), fresh cherry tomatoes halved and sprinkled with dill and feta, and Rice Pilaf--saute celery, onion, fresh green beans diced into small pieces, and pumpkin seeds until celery and onion are limp. Add cooked rice, some salt & pepper and lemon juice adn stir well to incorporate. I sometimes put in some Lemon Pepper also...great addition. This turned out to be a delicious and beautiful dinner for the Roy Boy.  He just finished and is filled with nothing but praise for the entire meal…makes me so happy when I get great reviews!

While planting, I also poured a packet of cosmos into a planter, transplanted a lonely mum into a large pot with 2 others, and cleaned out the two pots of columbine which are returning, planted some radishes in one of the window boxes on the front rails, and delphinium and marigolds in another.  The rhubarb (5 plants) are all growing their tyrannosaurus sized leaves, the little daffodils and hyacinths have shown their colorful little faces, and the apple tree is about to burst into it’s gorgeous pink & white blossoms. Soon it will be time to put in lots of basil, a few tomatoes, bush beans, pumpkins, delicate squash, sweet baby squash, cucumbers,  and perennial flowers for joy. Life is abundant in Prescott—and life is good!

Meat Pies and Chai--Another Wednesday of Cooking

Even after getting off work early instead of late, getting things done I wanted to do was not in the cards.  Upon arriving home, we had company. After the company, I put together the shopping list of free or almost free items from Practical Saver, pulled the coupons and ran around getting the items. Also went to Honeyman’s and purchased spices to make chai. I love Honeyman’s!  It’s a great place for honey, nuts, dried fruits, natural ingredients, teas, and spices. Prices are so much better than on the net…Penzey’s or Spices Etc….and if they don’t have something, they’ll order it for you!  So after those errands, I came home, made Roy dinner and then instead of sewing on my quilts, I cooked. Better therapy to calm me down than quilting!

Iris’ Chai recipe comes from my good friend Iris in Santa Cruz. It’s delicious, makes 4 quarts, and I put them into bottles and they go into the refrigerator. When I want some, I pull out a bottle, pour it into a cup, add stevia or honey and milk or soy milk, and a big shake of pure powdered vanilla (you do not want to use liquid vanilla—the alcohol in it tastes nasty!), stir it up and then either pour it over a glass filled with ice, or heat it up via saucepan or microwave. Delicious!  And SO much cheaper than buying it at a coffee shop!

          Then I proceeded to make 6 Sfiha, with a little variation in the crust. The Sfiha recipe is from a marvelous cookbook I received from my friends Terri & Paul for Christmas last year called The World of Street Food.  So many wonderful recipes, but this one is from the section on Middle Eastern recipes. Sfiha are meat pies from the Middle Eastern countries of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, etc. Meat pies of all kinds are found in every culture in the world—Samosas, Pasties, Dumplings—all flavorful, inexpensive, and easy to shove down your pie hole while you work!  To make it easier, you can use pie crust mix or pre-made purchased from your market. I, however, decided to use a recipe from Beef Patties recipe I had from the Queen, Martha Stewart, as it had curry in it and I thought it would be exceptional with the savory meat filling. Either way, they are delicious!

Sfiha

¾ lb frozen pastry, thawed  (can also use a box mix)

1 lb ground lamb

1 onion, finely diced

1/3 c pine nuts (I substituted cashews…awesome!)

½ t. cinnamon

½ t. allspice

3 tomatoes, diced (I used diced petite canned tomates drained of their juice)

3 T lemon juice

Oil

Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a large skillet. When hot, put in the lamb and cook until crumbly and brown. Add the onion and sauté until wilted then add nuts, spices and seasonings. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and stir well. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until tomato is soft and incorporated. Remove from heat and pour in enough lemon juice to make a moist mixture. Set aside to cool.

Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness. Cut circles of approximately 3 inches across. (For quicker assembly, make larger and then once cooked, cut in half to serve). Place the rounds under a cloth to cover.

Take a circle of dough, spread on a spoonful of the meat on one side. Fold over (or put another circle on top using more filling inside) and close the edges by pressing with a fork. Using some egg wash helps to hold the edges together.

Put on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve hot with fresh lemon and/or yogurt sauce.

ALTERNATE PASTRY/CRUST RECIPE

2 ½ cups flour

½ t salt

¼ t baking powder

2 T curry powder (Madras is always my preference)

½ c. butter (1 stick)

¾ c. ice cold water

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder & curry powder in large bowl (or use food processor with chopping blade). Cut the butter into small pieces, add to the bowl, and work into the flour mixture with your fingers, rubbing together flour & butter until it resembles very course cornmeal.  Add the water and mix until just together. Remove with floured hands and squeeze the dough until it forms a ball. Knead it once or twice just to combine—the less kneading the better.  Spread the dough into 2 pieces, flattening each into a thick pancake. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 15 minutes (will keep refrigerated for 5 days—remove from refrigerator a few minutes before using). Roll out per instructions above.

IRIS' CHAI RECIPE

4 quarts water                                   5 cinnamon sticks                  5 star anise, whole
3 T. whole black pepper corns          1 t. whole allspice                  1 t. dried orange peel
1 t. corriander seed                           1 T. cloves, whole                 2 t. whole cardamom pods
1 t. fennel seed                                  3 T dried ginger (or fresh cut into small dice, or 5 pieces chrystalized)
1/3 cup black tea

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add all ingredients except the black tea. Cover and simmer for 20-40 minutes depending on how strong you want it. Turn off heat and add tea. Brew for 2-4 minutes...no longer or else it may start to taste bitter.  Strain all solids out of liquid and pour into bottles.   Pour into cup or glass, add honey (or other sweetner to your liking) and vanilla soy milk, or milk and a teaspoon of pure vanilla powder. Heat if hot tea is preferred, or pour over a glass of ice for iced chai.

Bountiful Basket Saturday

I dislike working on Saturdays, but alas, until I find a replacement (impossible) for our dear Kelly at work, that’s my plight.  I am so grateful to have had her helping me for the past 6 months, especially during my surgery and recovery. Because of her I was able to take my recovery easy and not fret about what was NOT getting done or being taken care of at work. I knew students and inquiries were all being given the best of care, and any problems that arose she would solve. It was a God send and I am so happy that  now she has a full time benefitted job that will use her skills and degree more profitably for her. I however will miss her.

But I have to say with all candor, this Saturday was not too bad, and even included a trip to pick up fresh produce from Bountiful Baskets prior to going in to work. Do you know about Bountiful Baskets? It’s fabulous…you place your order on-line on Monday or Tuesday, you receive a basket of fruit and a basket of vegetables (whatever is there, you do not get to choose) for $15.00 plus $1.50 handling. You pay for it over the internet with your Visa/MC, and then on Saturday, pick up your basket. Now this is available in many states, so check the web site at bountifulbaskets.org.  it is a volunteer effort and there is not a week that goes by that I feel we do not get more than our money’s worth. Plus you get a variety of fruits and vegetables not of your choosing, so you get to try and use them in your weekly meals, thus adding more fruits and veges to your diet…this is a good thing!

 Although I felt it a little short in the vegetable department this week (romaine lettuce, asparagus, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, green beans), it truly was bountiful in the fruit department—fresh pineapple, casaba melon, pineapple, bananas, oranges, apples…yum!  But best of all, in the vege department was a big head of cauliflower. I am so thrilled to receive cauliflower since finding an amazing delicious outstanding recipe in Mary Jane’s Farm (a great magazine on country living, organic gardening, home lifestyle, etc.) a few months ago.  It is for Curried-Cashew Cauliflower and we love it!  It’s simple, healthy, nutritious, and delicious—what more can you ask.  And for all my vegetarian friends, it’s perfect for you too!

Curried-Cashew Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets

½ cup organic cashew butter  (if you can’t find this, which is the problem I’m having, just use ½ c. of raw cashews and some extra olive oil, blending together in the blender and adding more olive oil until you get the consistency of creamy peanut butter)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder (I use Madras Curry Powder as has the taste and flavor I love)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ c. cashews…raw or roasted…roughly chopped

Preheat the broiler. The rack should be in the top portion of the oven so the cauliflower is about 3-4 inches away from the heat while cooking.  Mix together the cashew butter, curry powder, olive oil and salt. Toss the cauliflower in the mixture, add the chopped cashews and mix again (I use my hands, works great). Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast the cauliflower under the broiler for 8-10 minutes, until just tender when pierced and golden brown with some crunchiness on the edges. Check halfway through and flip with a spatula if necessary. Remove from the over and serve immediately. Serves 6 as a side dish.

Insomnia, Full Moons, and Flannel Quilts

Sometimes do you wake up, completely awake, like you’ve slept all night, only to figure out that it’s in the middle of the night?  I do this often. Often enough so that seeing the clock registering 3:05 a.m. didn’t surprise me. Nor did it dismay me as I knew I didn’t have to work today, so if I got tired later I’d just go back to sleep.

          There was no outstanding reason behind the insomnia this time. No stomach upset; my brain wasn’t going around like a whirling dervish with things to do at work or at home; I wasn’t hungry; I wasn’t even hurting too much—at least not enough that that could be the culprit. Maybe it was the moon. I’m not kidding you. There is a full moon out there that had the back yard lit up like mid-day when I looked out, and my insomnia is worse during the full moon periods.          

still love horses and this one loves apples

               I remember when I was a young teenager in Cornville and there were moons like this in the summer. A few times, when I was spending the night with my friend Vickie, we went out in a big pack and walked the hills where the moon would reflect on the white caliche cliffs and make it so bright it was truly like walking during the day. There were always any number of kids, boys and girls, at Vickie’s house during the summer—her mom Martha treated us all like her own, there was a swimming pool, horses to ride, cows to milk, ping pong tables inside when it was too hot, books to read, Nana to wonder what she was going to come up with next (we just thought her to be eccentric as Alzheimers was not something that had a name at that time) and a rooster who liked to chase tennis shoes that we’d throw into the yard, where he’d run to them, and hump ‘em (we always said we were going to be overrun with roosters in tennis shoes or tennis shoes made of feathers), and an atmosphere of freedom and fun that wasn’t especially prevalent in other homes.

           And if you had questions, you weren’t embarrassed or afraid to ask them and they’d usually get answered too. Sometimes Bill, her dad, would give us outrageous answers, or roll his eyes and mutter about having no brains, but most of the time, the atmosphere and treatment were fair and loving. In fact, even when we were asking questions because we were dumber than bags of dirt, it was fair treatment! So tonight when I saw that bright moon, it brought back the memories of fun and outrageousness that were part of my childhood.

          Being wide awake, I decided not to waste the time. I got up and put on my fleece pullover over my nightgown and my hubby’s slippers to keep warm (great outfit—Vogue would be here with cameras for this innovative style if only they knew—Adele would have nothing on me). First I did up the dishes that were left from dinner, being too lazy to do them at that time. Then having just read about Overnight Oatmeal, decided to do it. The crock pot was washed and ready to go, so I put it together. Since I didn’t have all night to let it cook, I turned it on high to just get it going and went about my business.

1st 3 rows of flannel quilt

the studio with quilt in progress

          That business was quilting. I went into the work shop and finished putting together the last four quilt strips. I am doing an all flannel quilt. The top is different flannel plaids from shirts to pajamas, that I have gotten from my own stash, my hubby’s shirts, thrift shops, and donations. Then I am using red flannel strips to pull it all together. Not sure of the backing nor binding yet, but I’ll figure it out once I see the top finished. After a couple of hours, had to quit as my neck was hurting, but have all the blocks sewn together, and three of the seven block strips sewn together. Will work on the other four later today, and hope to have the top completed before Blue Bloods comes on at 9:00 p.m. tonight. It won’t be perfect or show quality as using recycled materials doesn’t always come down to perfection, but it’s very satisfying knowing you’re reused and recycled fabric that may have just gone to waste or the landfill. Plus I know it’s going to be warm and soft and will feel great on cold winter nights.

          Speaking of cold winter nights, I’m VERY tired of winter. For a few days the temps rose and it was beautiful and I was so hoping for a continuance. I knew it was pure folly on my part---it’s only the beginning of March. But I’m exceptionally tired of winter this year. So when I looked out the window Wednesday afternoon and snow was drifting down and blowing around in a dance like demented fairies, I was not happy. It’s not pretty any more, and I want sun and warmth now.  Tuesday there were 55 mph winds, and I swear they were blowing in straight from the Arctic Circle. It was frigid!  Same with last Friday. Roy and I were out doing the weekly shopping and every time I’d come out of a shop or store it would take my breath away. So to say I  not in a great mood about the cold is a real understatement. There is hope for some warm up over this weekend. And I cannot cross my fingers enough.

          If it does warm up, there are some garden beds which need attention. I must water the garlic I planted 2 weeks ago, and give the strawberries, roses, and marigolds that are coming up a drink too. But mainly need to pull the weeds and grasses out of the beds and rake out the straw, so I can get the yellow and red onions planted…one bed of each.  Beets and carrots should go in too, but will wait until back from Palm Springs for them.

          March and April are lining up to be darn hectic, so this is about the last free time I’ll have for myself until the first of May. Maybe that’s the underlying cause of the middle of the night wake up---finding time for myself to commune with me, a new recipe, and my sewing machine. There couldn’t be any better reasons in my book. 

          So whip up a pot of Overnight Oatmeal for your family, or for company (great way to serve a warm delicious breakfast without having to get up 2 hours ahead of everyone), and start your day with a warm full tummy. 

             

            OVERNIGHT OATMEAL

Makes 6 servings

OATMEAL:

3 c milk                 
1 ½ c steel cut oats                 
½ c. dark brown sugar    
¾ t. salt

TOPPING:

2 apples, cored and diced      
2 T dark brown sugar              
3 T dried cranberries or raisins

3 T chopped walnuts

Oatmeal:  Coat a slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine milk, 3 c water, oats, ¼ c. brown sugar, and salt in slow cooker. Cover and cook overnight on LOW for 9 ½ to 10 hours.  Uncover and stir in remaining ¼ c. brown sugar. Re-cover, and turn off heat.


Topping:  Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add apples and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add brown sugar, 1 T water and dried cranberries. Cook 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in nuts.

     Stir oatmeal in slow cooker until smooth. Spoon about a cup into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of the topping. Serve warm

You can also cook the apple mixture the day before, seal in a microwave proof container, and then heat up the next morning just before serving the oatmeal. Great way to feed guests in a hurry without making a kitchen mess and without having to get up 2 hours early!!!  Serving size ½ cup.

It's Been Awhile----

     I know, it's been awhile, but well, life gets in the way.  The stacked cervical fusion surgery went well, recovery was 2 months, and although the debilitating pain in my left arm was gone almost immediately, there is some residual numbness in my left thumb and index fingers, and a gnawing and reoccurring pain in my right shoulder/neck area...mostly after being on the computer for any length of time. Since that's what I do at work, it's difficult to get away from it, so tried curbing my time on the computer at home. But it still hurts, so what the heck, I'm back!!

     Friday I did the shopping list, coupon clipping, and then off to the stores. Albertson's for butter, Safeway for milk, rolls, soup, then Fry's. Took a little break and went to Method Coffee to have a cup and see our wonderful sweet girl Kaileena (not our child really but an adoring young woman filled with life, love, talent--artist and musician--and whom we love) and then on to Fry's #2 for 4 more chickens...limit of 2 per customer so enlisted Roy's help and went to both Fry's stores in order to procure 8 chickens. At 77 cents a pound, it was too good a deal not to stock up the freezer a bit. 

     Then back home to unpack the truck and put away the bounty and get moving on all those chickens.  Put one in the oven to roast---Roy's favorite Greek Chicken and all you need to do is after washing the chicken good inside and out (no soap folks, just water), liberally apply Cavendar's Greek Seasoning spice mix, along with liberal amounts of lemon pepper inside and out and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Then it was on to cutting apart the remaining chickens for a bounty of wings, drumsticks, boneless and bone in chicken breast pieces, and a stock pot filled with backs to be cooked and made into soup stock and meat to be pulled from the bones after cooking and kept for soup. And for 77 cents a pound that is an amazing deal. Boneless skinless chicken breasts were being sold right next to the whole fyers for $3.46 a pound!!!

     So as I was beginning the 4th chicken cutting off a leg segment, the damn knife came around and hit me in the bird finger knuckle of my left hand. Wasn't deep because stopped at the knuckle bone, but boy was it a bleeder!  Could not get the bleeding stopped to save my soul.  Took 1/2 hour off to see if would calm down, checked it out again as still bleeding, but made a command decision that it really wasn't a candidate for stitches and ruled out the ER despite Roy's objections. However, needed to finish up the chickens so had to figure out how to stop the bleeding and/or keep the chicken juices out of the wound and keep my blood off the chicken. Even after steri-strips and band aids, it continued to bleed so had Roy get the food handler gloves out of the car. We affectionately call them pooh pooh gloves and use them to take with us whenever we take Guayo for a walk--for obvious reasons!

     I managed to use 10 of the gloves as the bleeding was not stopped by the strips nor the band aids, but did get the chickens cut up, into zipl bags, labeled and into the freezer. Then washed it up again, put clean tight steri-strips on it along with a big gauze bandage and paper tape to finally stop the bleeding.  Nothing but action around here!!!

     Today my friend Carly came over and we went thrift shopping. Went to our favorite thrift shop, the Yavapai Humane Society thrift shop and it was 50% off day!!! Since they are always very reasonable on their items, and they get great items into the shop on a regular basis, the 50% off days are amazing. Last time we went, the Amelda Marcos of big footed women had brought in 100+ pairs of shoes, most of which were never worn and still in the boxes. They were designer labels...Propeet, Mafistos, Clarks, Birkenstock--and I could not believe my luck at having accidentally dropped in when size 10 shoes were everywhere and it was 50% off day.  I came home with a pair of slippers, a pair of boots, 2 pair of summer shoes and 2 pair of winter shoes for a total of $69.  That is less than one pair of my usual good sturdy shoes (aka old women shoes as cannot wear heels any longer as the orthotics look funny in them) and I had just told my hubby it was about time to put out the $$ for a new pair of shoes. He could not believe my luck and wanted to know if there weren't more I should go back and purchase. How's that for a great hubby!!!

     Today I bought a pair of slacks for work--however after getting them home found them to be too big so maybe my sister will be the recipient of a new pair of slacks.  I also bought a beautiful long skirt in a turquoise/white/camel Indian print that fits perfectly and matches a turquoise sweater I have, and hope I will find other items with which to wear it; 4 pieces of fabrics for putting in my quilting stash; 4 coffee mugs to take to school as I do not wish to have my chai in disposable styrofoam cups any longer; a miter saw & metal miter box for ROy--hopefully to be used soon to finish the trim in the master bedroom; 3 1-quart canning jars which I can use with a hopefully abundant harvest for this summer;'s garden; 10 greeting cards; a bag of bird feathers for crafting; and a beautiful hand-knit blue fuzzy scarf; all for $15.  Such a deal!!  And the money goes to help all the sweet dogs and cats at the Humane Society. I would love to volunteer at the shelter if I could, but it ends with my either bringing home more pups or crying, and so Roy has against his usual low-key demeanor, to forbid me to go there.  So supporting the thrift shop is my way of helping them out.

     The rest of the day will be spent with watching a Jesse Stone movie (I love Tom Selleck), balancing my bank book, updating the budget expenditures for February and the first 2 days of March, and working on the flannel quilt top so as to finish it this weekend. That way I can start a new one! We'll be having yummy delicious bbq country style ribs (see jmy recipes for Rib Rub and Mom's Spicy BBQ Sauce), a bit of coleslaw (my secret--put some tarragon into the milk/sugar/rice vinegar/sugar mixture for the dressing along with a few poppy seeds...really sets it off), and a slice of homemade bread.  This is the easiest and most delicious bread recipe I've found. Yes it IS white bread, but not Wonder Bread!  And sometimes when Roy cooks too much of his 9 grain cereal in the morning, we put it into the refrigerator and then I use about 1/2 cup in the dough. SO chewy and good.  Gramma's Country White Bread is fantastic and the entire family will love it. I've included the recipe below.

     Have a great weekend, and I will try NOT to let life get so much in the way in the future!

Gramma’s Country White Bread 

Makes 2 loaves

·                        2 packages active dry yeast

·                        2 cups warm water

·                        1/2 cup honey

·                        1 tablespoon salt

·                        2 eggs (beaten)

·                        1/4 cup olive oil or melted butter

·                        5 1/2 - 6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add honey, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups of bread flour. mix till smooth. Add in remaining flour to form a soft sticky dough. Place on a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes. till smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap till double in bulk. Punch down dough and divide into two loaves. Place into two med. greased loaf pans. Cover and allow to rise till double. Bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for 25-30 minute. Cool on a wire rack.