Happy New Year!

Christmas Music

The other day I created a station on Pandora using Mannheim Steamroller (holiday). The resulting song list is wonderful - great songs to work to. I also made stations using Hillsong (holiday) and Kathy Mattea (holiday) and they are equally enjoyable.

Happy Thanksgiving from Clovis and Raquel

I have yet to take a photo of Raquel that does her justice. That's one reason why learning more about photography is on my list of goals for 2010. Meanwhile, these shots of Raquel were taken yesterday, and the ones of Clovis were taken on 11-21. Raquel is now 8 lbs. 8 oz. and Clovis is now 7 lbs. 10 oz. They continue to be sweet and affectionate.

Chicken and Leek Soup

I made this soup this week in an effort to use up some leftover chicken and some very tired leeks and it came out better than I ever expected.

Chicken broth - I used chicken soup base from Sam's Club, using about half the recommended amount. (ex. if it calls for 1 tsp per cup of water, I use 1/2 tsp., etc.)

Chicken - I had a cooked boneless chicken breast and a little bit of rotisserie chicken, so I cut it all up into bite-sized pieces.

Leeks - I cut these into bite-sized pieces, tossed them in some olive oil and roasted them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until they were tender.

I combined all of the above and heated it to "eatin' temperature". Little Man's Father raved about it. Mission accomplished!!!

Chicken Rice Soup

I made this soup for this year's hypertufa party and was very pleased with the end result.

Chicken broth - I used chicken soup base from Sam's Club, using half the recommended amount. (ex.-if it calls for 1 tsp per cup of water, I use 1/2 tsp.) I think any chicken broth or stock would be fine.

Rice - I cooked a batch of basmati rice in the microwave per the directions on the package.

Chicken - I bought a rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club and pulled all the meat off it.

Vegetables - I chopped up carrots, celery and onions and roasted them in the oven in some olive oil - 400 degrees for about 20-30 minutes until they were tender.

I combined all of the above together in a large pot, brought it to a simmer, then left it on the burner on low for 3-4 hours until lunch time. A crockpot would also work well.

Prime Rib Soup

I made this recipe based on a soup that used to show up in our local diner on a Monday, presumable to use up the beef that didn't sell on Saturday night.

Beef broth. I use beef soup base, the paste type that comes in a jar from Sam's Club. My secret is to use about half of what they call for in the directions. Otherwise, in my opinion, it is too salty. I also chucked in a can or two of beef consomme, which adds nice flavor.

Beef - I used what was left of a rib roast. I think steak or London broil would work also. Just cut it into bite-sized pieces.

Vegetable: I roasted mushrooms and onions tossed in olive oil at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes and then added them to the mixture.

That's it! Mix it all together and let it simmer on low or sit overnight in the fridge to blend the flavors. Enjoy!

My Secret Weapon

Pssst - wanna hear a great secret??? Roasting vegetables is the way to wonderful food! Several years ago, Wegman's (our local grocery store that has won national awards) did an in-store demo and companion hand-out on how to roast vegetables. Basically, you cut up vegetables, toss them in olive oil, and cook them at a high temperature until they are tender. Since then, every single time I have roasted vegetables, no matter what kind, they have come out FABULOUS!!! At first I used to add salt, pepper, minced garlic, and various herbs. Lately I've just done the veggies and oil. No matter what, they come out tasting fantastic. How can you not love something so easy that makes you look so good? Here's a list of various veggies and their times and temperatures:

carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, potatoes
cut into chunks of about the same size, any mixture of the above
450 degrees for 40-45 minutes

brussel spouts - whole - 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, quartered - 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Mushrooms - 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Leeks - 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes

In each case, give them a stir about half-way through.

Any vegetable not mentioned above - just google it for approximate times or use the above as a guideline.

If you have leftover roast vegetables, they can be pureed with a little chicken or beef broth for a hearty soup. It's good as is or can be jazzed up with meat, etc.

Today's Tidbit

Today I created a new radio station on Pandora called "Dennis Jernigan". The resulting songs were wonderful! I would call them vintage worship songs - a lot of Heritage Singers, Maranatha Singers, and some quiet, contemplative songs from more contemporary artists.

Tribute to a Lovely Lady

A wonderful woman we've had the joy of knowing for the past 30 years or so passed away Sunday from pancreatic cancer. She will leave a huge hole in the hearts of her family and friends. She was always friendly, always upbeat, always ready with a smile and a warm greeting.

Along with my memories of time spent with her is this recipe for oatmeal cookies. One of my theories of cooking is that if you want to be a good cook, find a good recipe. This recipe is a keeper. I've used it for years and the results are always delicious.

Here is the original recipe:

Refrigerator Oatmeal Cookies

Cream together:

1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Add:

2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla

Then add:

3 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups lfour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Shape into a roll and chill. The dough is very stiff. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes.

Last week, Clovis and Raquel's Father (aka Little Man's Father) used this recipe and made some variations:

Use 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter
Use 2-3 tsps vanilla
Add 2-3 tsps cinnamon
Add about a cup of dried fruit - raisins, currants, craisins, dried apricots (chopped)
Add 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts.

All I can say is "WOW".

Monday I decided to try another variation:

Use 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter
Use 2-3 tsps vanilla
Add a 12 oz bag of chocolate chips.

Again - WOW is the word!

So, farewell our friend, and thank you. You are alive in our memories.

Bigger 'n Bigger

What a difference. The first picture was taken on July 10. The other pictures were taken today, August 29.

WOW!!!

Clovis and Raquel are today's featured kittens on The Daily Kitten. (www.dailykitten.com) I only submitted them yesterday on a whim, and didn't expect to see them for months. How exciting! the first thing I did was call the vet and ask the receptionist to call up the site and show our vet that her patients hit the big time! Now it's time to tell our friends and family via email. We are just grinning ear to ear about this!!! What Fun!

See How They've Grown

Growing Up!

Last night Clovis & Raquel had their 2nd round of shots. Clovis now weighs 3 lbs 9 oz (up from 2 lbs 4 oz a few weeks ago.) Miss Raquel now weighs 3 lbs 15 oz, up from 2 lbs 8 oz. Her coat is like black velvet and when you pick her up, she feels like a beanie baby. Clovis, on the other hand, is a lean, mean playing machine. There's not an ounce of flab on him.

Both of them meowed all the way to the vet. On the way home they were quiet. How do they know?

Too Soon!

There have been back-to-school ads in the Sunday paper for the past two weeks. At work, we received our first Christmas card catalog in the mail today. Then I received an ad for buying year-end tax forms. YIKES!!!!! We haven't even had a ninety degree day here yet and already we are preparing for Fall and Winter.

More fun with Photoscape

I entertained myself for a long time last night applying various filters to pictures in my files. Flower pictures work especially well with the color and monochrome engraving filter. Sometimes also the cartoon filter. People do NOT work at all with these. I will have to do more experimenting, but I suspect that learning about color manipulation will be useful in pictures of people. The cat pictures really lent themselves to the monochrome engraving filter. The brown cats worked well with the cartoon filter. On the other hand, Raquel, being almost solid black, was not a candidate for the cartoon filter. The impressionist filter worked well with any photo that had interesting areas of color.

Raquel in black and white

A while back I downloaded a free version of Photoscape, software to manipulate digital images. This past weekend I was playing around with some of the filters and found this one, which makes a picture look like a wood block print. I have always loved wood block prints, so was thrilled with the final result. Just think of the ways an image like this could be used.....

The Next Generation

We could only stand it 5 days with no cats in the house. It was TOO quiet!!! No furry beings holding down the back of the chair, no reason to shut the door to the office or put the food away. On Sunday the 5th we decided to visit the local shelter and see who was waiting for a home. They had a batch of kittens and lots of adult cats. Of course, being cats, they were all precious and we could not make a choice, so we decided to think about it and come back later. The girl at the shelter gave me her cell phone number in case we couldn't wait until the following weekend. Well, a few hours later, friends gave us a call and said they had something for us. The something turned out to be a 10 week old, long-haired, black female kitten. It was love at first sight! A few days later, I called the shelter and went there during evening feeding and play time (total chaos!) and brought home a 10 week old, short-haired, orange tiger male. And so, here they are, the next generation....Clovis and Raquel!!!!!!!

Wonderful words of comfort

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

These wonderful words are from the Heidelberg Catechism, question 1.

A Time to Say Goodbye

Today we said goodbye to Little Man. He arrived in our lives during the Spring of 1992, so was over 17 years old. 17 years is 6,205 days, and Little Man was a blessing and a joy on every single one of those days. On May 26, we said goodbye to Cammie. She was sweet and brave to the end. Now, for the first time since 1980, we do not have at least one cat in the house. It is a time to be sad and also to remember with fondness all the things that made them special to us. The pain of losing them is deep, but the joy they gave was worth it.

Spring = Hope = Babies

This precious baby is the new pet of dear friends of ours. Right now, he is still at the breeder's, but he will be coming home in another 5 weeks or so. Here are some adorable pictures to brighten your day.

Cammie Pictures

Cammie

Our darling Cammie is in "hospice" care. She developed an extremely large tumor on her hindquarters a while ago which the vet has diagnosed as a very aggressive cancer. At this point in time she is still "pretty lively" (James Herriott fans will recognize that story) so we have pain medicine and antibiotic to keep her comfortable. However, we are preparing ourselves for a sad goodbye soon. She arrived in our lives in 1994, so we have enjoyed her sassy sweet ways for a long time.

Happy Easter!!!

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!

I worshipped today with my beloved church family. Then I called some of my family that I won't see today on the phone. Then I came home and planted some seeds, always an act of faith. Now we are getting ready to meet family for dinner.

Praise the Lord!!!

99.999% done!

All that's left is the bi-fold door. Woo hoo!!!! I splurged on some "bling" - cobalt glass knobs & pulls from www.coolknobsandpulls.com. Perfect description of their business.

Teaser

Here's a picture of our new floor tiles. They are called octagon with cobalt dot. They are much prettier in person. I can't wait to see them installed.

Progress Report

How did it get to be March 20 already? The bathroom remodel started on March 4. The first two days were demolition. Then the plumber came and set the new tub and ran the necessary pipes. Then the electricity was tackled, which required our poor contractor to run from the second story to the basement and back several dozen times. Next came the insulation. Then the drywall crew. Earlier this week the woodwork and trim work was installed and today everything was primed. Here are some pictures so far:

ROBIN!!!

I saw my first robin today. Little Man's father seconded the motion. And...there are sprouts in the garden. The thermometer might read 20, but Spring is not far away!!!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Little Man's father's birthday was the other day, and since I was tethered to the house to monitor the remodeling operation, I decided to try my hand at a chocolate fudge cake. After spending way too long looking on the internet and poking through my recipes and cook books, I decided on these two recipes, taken from allrecipes.com. The result was AWESOME, if I do say so myself.

Black Chocolate Cake submitted by Jeanie Bean
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 tsps baking soda
2 tsps baking powder
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I used especially dark dutch style)
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups boiling water ( I used 1 cup water and 1 cup coffee)
2 eggs beaten
2 tsps vanilla

1. Sift together dry ingredients
2. Melt shortening in boiling water, then stir it into the dry ingredients. Beat in eggs, then stir in vanilla.
3. Pour into a greased and floured pan.

The recipe calls for a 9 x 13 pan with 30 minutes cooking time at 350 degrees.
In the review section, someone said two 9" round pans took 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Another reviewer said two 8" round pans took around 36 minutes at 350 degrees.

I used a Wilton 8" round, 3" deep pan and cooked it at 325 degrees for 57 minutes.


Caroline's Chocolate fudge Frosting submitted by Carrie Reynolds.

1/2 cup butter
3 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 pound confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk

Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave or double boiler. Combine confect sugar, vanilla and 1/2 cup of the milk. Add the melted chocolate mixture. Add remaining milk as needed.

Allow to stand until spreadable. (Frosting will thicken as it cools.)

My variation: (sorta kinda half again as much)

I used 3/4 cups butter, 5 squares of chocolate, 1 1/2 lbs of confect sugar, 2 tsps vanilla, and about 3/4 cups of a combination of milk and half & half. The consistency was wonderful and it was enough to do the 3 layers I cut the cake into, with some to spare for decorating.

Little Man's New Bathroom (or - Let the Demolition Begin!!!)

The upstairs bathroom remodeling has begun. I'm not posting before pictures, since this is a family site, but suffice it to say that this project is overdue. The color scheme was harvest gold, avocado green and orange. The new scheme will be white with cobalt blue accents. Here's one shot just to give you a feeling for the current state of chaos we are experiencing.

GEESE!!!!!

THE GEESE ARE BACK!!!!!

Yes, I'm yelling. We are about a mile south of Lake Ontario, and this time of year, 1000's and 1000's of geese stop by on their northern migration. One day we have the dead silence of winter. The next day the world is full of the sound of honking and the flapping of wings. It is a wonderful harbinger of Spring. Every night at dusk they fly over and spend the night on the lake. Every morning they fly back and spend their days on the fields in the area. It is an amazing sight and sound to hear them take off. There's a high point near here and from there you can see that the sky is filled with flock after flock. This will last for a few weeks and then they will be gone.

More Winter Sowing

Here's the list of seeds sown in 2009 so far:

Swiss Chard
Radishes
Brussel Sprouts
Fennel
Kohl Rabi
Cockscomb
Four O'clocks
Shasta Daisy
Zinnias (2 varieties)
Calendulas (3 varieties)
Verbena
Gaillardia
Tomatoes
Snapdragons
Morning Glories
Scabiosa
Celosia
Mimulus

I also moved everything to the north end of the deck and made a little corral out of landscape timbers. I got some flats out of the shed and have grouped the containers into flats. That should make life a lot easier in the spring. In the past I've just put them on the table in a jumbled mess and spent a lot of time pawing through things trying to find all of one kind of plant. The only thing I'll have to think about is providing some shade later in the spring, unless I actually get my act together and get them planted before Memorial Day. (I can dream - can't I???)

Amaryllis

You just have to love a plant that grows about 6 inches a day and has vibrant 6-8 inch flowers. I found these 2 beauties at Home Depot after Christmas for half price. They started out slowly but caught up in the past week or so. I find it interesting that the solid red one (that came in a box showing an apple blossom pink plant) has lots of leaves but only two flowers. The red and white one, on the other hand, has no leaves but two more buds developing.