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Sunday, November 27, 2011

Christmas Lights

I have been working on putting up outside lights this weekend. I hate that I put good strands of lights away in January and now they are half or more burned out!!! I bribed my husband, that if would work on the lights, I would bring him food and drinks and he could watch Foot Ball!

Well....after two hours and two beers only one strand fixed....I think the answer is to buy new lights each year!!!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving




It was a very different Thanksgiving for us this year. It was just my husband and myself journeying up to Indiana to his sister's house. They live in an amazing log cabin in the woods, we loved it!!



They have a house on the beach in Charleston SC , so her recipes reflected the love of food from that area. The Blue Cheese Bites were addictive!


BLUE CHEESE BITES

1 pkg. refrigerator buttermilk biscuits3 tbsp. butter3 tbsp. blue cheese, crumbled
Melt butter and cheese together in small saucepan. Cut each biscuit into 1/4's and lay in bottom of glass pie plate. Evenly drizzle butter and cheese mixture over biscuits. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve



I think I won over my Mother In Law with my Sweet Potato Recipe....even without the little marshmallows on top!




3 Cups mashed sweet potatoes

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter melted

1 teaspoon vanilla



Mix sweet potatoes,sugar,eggs,milk, butter, and vanilla together. Pour into a well greased two quart casserole. Cover with Topping. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.



Topping:

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup butter melted

1 cup coconut

1 cup pecans, chopped



Combine all ingredients and mix well to form crumbs. Sprinkle over the potatoes.


Enjoy!!!!
























Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Recycling Wine Bottles




I have been trying to find a medium to use for a border for my paths in my gardens. I really wanted to utilize a material that I had readily available. Over the years I have tried various natural items but I feel the wine bottles are a winner! Several factors went into this decision.


#1 I seem to have a readily available source for the bottles. I love a glass of wine with dinner or as I weed the garden. Plus I love Mineral Water that I buy in glass bottles.


#2 I hate to waste anything. I have been recycling the glass but I have to take them into town.


#3 I have to drag the hoses through out the garden and the bottles stand up tall enough to protect the plants as I drag the hoses.


Sold!!!


So here is the beginning of the lining of the paths. I first tried to soak off the labels before I put them into the ground, but that was very time consuming. Now I put them in with the labels and the weather elements take care of peeling the labels off. I have a pile behind the compost pile for dead wine bottles, so when ever I have some time I work on the border. My neighbor was worried and asked me why I had a pile of wine bottles behind the garden!! It is fine...just a great use of a resource!





Sunday, November 13, 2011

Yes...I got it done!!

Today I planted 213 Bulbs. I am babysitting my grandbaby and accomplished this feat in between his two naps. I know in the Spring I will be so happy. I love the first burst of color particularly when they emerge when snow covers the ground.

We are having a good dinner tonight. I am going to use an herbal rub on a pork tenderloin for dinner. It is a recipe I have used many times and is always a hit. My husband and I are on a diet, so lean pork is good. I am also going to roast some fresh asparagus and then grate some Parmesan cheese on top. I love my grandbaby but I am tired so I am hitting the hay early!

Recipe for Pork Tenderloin
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In separate bowl mix dry ingredients such as garlic powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, thyme and salt. Stir mixture with a fork until all the ingredients are well combined and they form a seasoning. This will be used as a rub to ensure the pork is well seasoned throughout. Sprinkle the rub over the tenderloin with a dry hand, then rub the pork with the seasoning over both sides of the meat, pressing gently so the seasoning adheres well to the tenderloin.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and heat. Add the minced garlic and saute, stirring, for 1 minute. Put tenderloin in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, searing each side using tongs to turn the meat. Transfer meat to a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes. Slice and serve.


It was delicious! Best of all no added salt.

Thanks to Food Network for the Recipe

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Bulb Planting Day












One of my favorite times in the Garden, is the early Spring. I love the color of the over 1000 Daffodils, I have planted against the pinks and purples of various early blooming shrubs, trees and different bulbs.


I vowed this year, I would not buy more bulbs....well I am here to admit I failed. I did not go crazy but I was taken in on a recent visit to Wilson's Nursery by some very early bloomers.


Today is a clear sunny but cool fall Saturday. I am going to take advantage of the afternoon and get this bulbs in the ground. That might help with my guilt, out of sight out of mind!!!
I am starting with some Crocus...I did a blog last year about the house on Main Street whose entire front yard is full of Crocus. I love it!!!! I have some but felt the urge to buy more!



The second group I am planting are Grape Hyacinths. I adore the purple with the bright yellow of my Wood Poppies and Daffodil. To add to this color combo I purchased some Early Snow Glories. It was touted as the only true blue flowering bulb.


Lastly, I bought 3 Giant Persian Blue Alliums. They are so whimsical in the Garden. Last year mine bloomed around the same time as the Siberian and Japanese Iris. It made for a really GRAND showing!!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Great Cook Book

Last year for Christmas my husband gave me a new cookbook. Quite honestly, I was slightly mifted because I wanted earrings!!! So I put the book aside it was FARM TO FORK by Emeril Lagasse. Fast forward to summer, searching for a way to use the wonderful produce from my garden I opened the pages of this great cookbook. I have loved every recipe I have made, which now is quite a few. I have copied the Dill Pickle Recipe. They were very tasty and although I filled many jars, they are now all consumed! So I eat "crow" for being mifted but sure hope he picks out another great cookbook this Christmas.

Kosher-style Dill Pickles
1 1/2 pounds freah pickling cucumbers
6 sprigs fresh dill
1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
9 Cloves garlic smashed
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried dill weed or dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepperscorns
1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

1. Trim off the stem ends of the cucumbers, and slice them into 1/4- inch- thick rounds. Divid the cucmber slices evenly among the pint jars. Add 2 dill sprigs to each container.

2. Combine all the remaining ingredients in a small suacepan, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Ladle the hot brine over the cucumbers, being sure to get 3 cloves of garlic into each container. Set the jsrs aside, uncovered, to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate the jars for 1 hour. The cover and refirgerate for up to 3 months.

Thanks Emeril!!

Monday, November 7, 2011


Run Kalee Run

We are on our way home from a “racing” 4 days… Our daughter Kalee ran her first Marathon, The Rock and Roll Marathon in Savanna Georgia. Wow what an accomplishment. Running through the historic streets of Savanna, winding in and out of all the squares past beautiful fountains and antebellum homes 20,000 plus runners made their way to the finish line!!!

We maneuvered the course as best we could to spot Kalee, her mother and law, and brother in law cheering them on as best we could. 4 hours 59 minutes and 52 seconds later she crossed the finish line. I am so proud of Kalee. She set this goal four months ago and today it is checked off the “bucket list”.

After an invigorating but necessary “ice bath”, a vegetarian pizza and a Bloody Mary, we all celebrated at our favorite fried fish joint on the Tybee Island Marshes! “AJ’s”.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Scalloped Pumpkin and Spinach Recipe

As I promised ...here is one of the great Pumpkin Recipes that I made for Halloween. It was a smashing success.

Ingredients:
6 cups cubed and peeled fresh pumpkin
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1/4 cup flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cups shredded reduced fat Swiss cheese
1(10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

Pre heat oven to 375
Cook pumpkin in boiling water 8 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside. Saute using cooking spray on the surface, onion on medium heat about 7 minutes or until golden brown, remove onion from skillet and set aside. add flour to the skillet and gradually add broth, stirring with a wisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 6 minutes)stirring constantly. Remove from heat: stir in salt,nutmeg, and pepper.

Combine pumpkin, onion,1/4 cheese and spinach in a bowl. Spoon pumpkin mixture into a 6 cup gratin sprayed with the cooking spray. Pour sauce over the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the gratin. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Broil 3 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Thanks to My Recipes.com for this great pumpkin delight!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Young and Old Halloween




Halloween is for all ages.... Here is my 92 year old Mom..as a Hippie ...winning the Best Costume Award at her Assisted Living Home ..and my new grand baby winning our hearts on his first Halloween. We had had such a great time at my son's In laws.

Marian had great candy for the Trick or Treaters and a really cool Frankenstein Appetiser. I made some Pumpkin Bread Pudding, so we ate good!!! Lots of fun!!


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