Ahh

Just sitting here, sipping a late afternoon coffee, enjoying the view of BRIGHT sunshine (even thought it is still very cool), thinking of what needs to be done in my craft corner, looking forward to dinner. Today I'm just very thankful for health, thanks to an almost 12 hour night, my family, and looking very forward to feeding them a very healthy meal tonight. I was on the hunt for a roast chicken dinner and I found it here. I'll post pictures and reviews after dinner! I also have potatoes baking -- sweet for me, russet for them, and I'll roast fresh asparagus and make a fresh green salad! Today I mailed my Christmas package to my host-family in Germany, delivered Tiana's food drive cans to the school, did a bit of grocery shopping, created a card and that's about all. I really ought to clean up the dining table from my gift packing and empty the dishwasher and get to work on my holiday cards! I hope your day is going well!

I wish I could say this was as good as the reviews said it would be. The skin was super crisp and the chicken moist, but, well, it tasted like chicken!
This is my favorite way (the ONLY way!) to eat asparagus! I just drizzle with a bit of olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and a bit of garlic or granulated garlic, roast at 400º for 8-10 minutes and YUM!!

Now the family is asking for dessert. Should I make brownies? Maybe. I might not have enough cocoa powder, though. We'll see.

Happy After-Thanksgiving!

I'm a little late, but even so, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We had an awesome time with awesome weather and extreme fellowship and fun with Kent's family in central Oregon. We got up bright and early -- ok, skip the bright part! -- on Thanksgiving morning and drove to Oregon to make it in time for a noon-ish dinner. We had no traffic leaving that early so we made good time. After a delicious dinner, a few of us took a walk around the field and came back to have a rip-roaring good time playing group games! Not sure I've laughed so hard in a long time! It was good, clean fun that was inclusive of all -- young and old. Speaking of old, we also celebrated Kent's mom's birthday and then when Cale got there, we sang to him, too! 60 years separates the two of them! Friday we all went out to the Hot Springs and spent the day in the pool and the hotel rooms that Larry and Sue so generously rented for us. The kids found a movie that kept their attention between swim times and the adults were quite fixated on the CNN coverage of the terror attacks on Mumbai (Bombay). I took a run around the complex before the day got started. It is high desert there and looking up at the hills I was wishing I could climb them, but not alone. On Saturday, I got my wish! Todd, Stan, Clay, Cale, Lane, Eric, Brent, Drew, Brandon, Bryson, Laura, Meghan, Mel, Larry, Kent and I -- and Molly the dog -- all took a hike down into and out of the canyon at the edge of their property! I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with the long legs of some of those in our party!! The solid rocks at the top of the canyon -- well, let's just say, I very much appreciated Stan's hand in helping me up! And Todd taking the barbed wire gate down since there was NO way that I could straddle it with my short legs the way they had! I was very thankful for a couple of half-marathons behind me for the stamina and strength I had to find to make the climb! Later we all ended up at a hotel conference area with a big screen TV so that our Oregon family could watch the Civil War (Oregon State U Beavers vs. U of Oregon Ducks). They're all Beaver fans, so the girls, Tiana and Kaelynn, who had gone shopping instead of hiking decided to play a fast one and show up in Duck attire! They were almost booed out of the room!! :) Very cute. Sorry to say, the upset was huge and the Beavers lost. Had the Beavers won, they would have been headed to the Rose Bowl. Sunday we enjoyed sweet fellowship around the emblems at Larry and Sue's and then we headed out of town for a not-so-fast trip home. All in all, it is music to our ears to hear Tiana exclaim about how much fun she had and even having watched her keep up with her cousins and not complain! It is definitely something to be thankful for! Wishing you all a stress-free next few weeks!

Oh, and to see more from the weekend -- Pictures!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENT!!!

The picture of 38! Tonight Kent requested Slow-cooked Sour Cream Pork Chops, Chocolate Pudding and for a delicious surprise (even to me -- a new recipe!) I added Coffee Toffee Cookies. We'd had the pork chops when the workers were here and we ALL agreed they were a hit and a definite keeper! So, I'll share the recipe with you as well!

Sour Cream Pork Chops
6 pork chops (use thick cuts!)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
½ c. flour (add more salt, pepper and garlic powder to this, too!)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 c. boiling water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 Tbs. flour
8 oz. sour cream

Season pork chops with spices, then dredge in seasoned flour. In skillet over medium heat, lightly brown chops in a small amount of oil. Place chops in slow cooker and top with onion slices. Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water, mix in soup and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Preheat oven to 200º.
After the chops have cooked, transfer chops to the oven to keep warm. CHOPS WILL FALL APART! In small bowl, mix 2 Tbs. flour with sour cream; mix into meat juices. Turn slow cooker to high for 15-30 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over chops (and rice or noodles!)

For dessert we had chocolate pudding.
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding
¼ c. sugar
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa
2 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch salt
1 qt. whole milk
1 large egg, beaten
4 oz. finely chopped, high quality semi-sweet chocolate (we HIGHLY recommend Valrhona 71% dark, found inexpensive at Trader Joe's)

In large saucepan, whisk together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Slowly whisk in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Once milk boils, continue cooking for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Beat egg in large heat-proof bowl, add hot mixture quickly, making sure to whisk constantly. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into 6 oz. ramekins, cover with waxed paper and refrigerate until time to serve.

Thanks to a Reynolds Parchment ad for this recipe!

Coffee Toffee Cookies
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
2 Tbs. instant coffee
2 Tbs. milk (or substitute a shot of espresso for both!)
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2½ c. flour
½ c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 pkg. (8 oz.) toffee bits, divided
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ c. sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350º. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (or your SilPat!!), set aside.
Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar together until light and fluffy. Dissolve coffee in milk. Beat in coffee mixture, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, cocoa, soda and salt until just blended. Reserve ¾ c. toffee bits; stir remaining bits into dough. Drop by heaping tablespoons about 2" apart onto cookie sheets. Combine chocolate chips, almonds and remaining toffee bits; set aside.
Bake 4 minutes (cookies will still be wet on top!) Remove from oven; press cookie flat with the back of a measuring spoon. Sprinkle heaping ½ Tbs. almond-toffee mixture onto each cookie. Using back of measuring spoon again, lightly press topping into dough to form a larger round cookie. Continue baking 8-9 minutes longer or until cookies are set. Do not overbake.
Become addicted!!

A Family Favorite

I was up early this morning to head into work, but before I left I started our lunch. As soon as Tiana heard what I was making she was gleeful! I prepped all of the ingredients last night, and this morning fired up the George Foreman grill to brown the chicken and threw it all in the crock-pot. Serve it shredded over biscuits and you have a FABULOUS meal! Oh, and did I mention? It's low-fat, low-cal (not including the biscuit!) and just awesome!

Slow-Cooker Lemon Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 Tbs. lemon-pepper seasoning
1 lb. fresh soup vegetables, chopped (I use carrots, celery, onion and sometimes parsnip)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-fat cream of chicken soup
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

Coat chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and warm over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes, or until browned on both sides, turning once. Place chicken in slow cooker. Add vegetables. In a medium bowl, combine soup, half a soup can of water, and rosemary. Pour over vegetables and chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

Per serving: 205 calories, 21 g protein, 18 g carbs., 4 g fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 940 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

Diet exchanges: 0 milk, 1 vegetable, 0 fruit, 1 bread, 1-1/2 meat, 0 fat

THE VIDEO

FINALLY!! Here's the video you've all been waiting for!

Ahhh....Fall

Since I'm am, as usual, a day late and a dollar short, I want to take this time to belatedly honor all of our Veterans. If I could find it, I would have also included the photo of my late father-in-law in his Navy picture. My dad (ret.) and brother represent the Montana Air National Guard in this picture, although Justin also served in the U.S. Navy and is now a member of the Oregon Air National Guard. My thoughts also turn to Tiana's former pen pal, Jaime Ibarra of the U.S. Army (we haven't heard from him in awhile -- perhaps due to the stress of lengthy deployment?), and many others. Thank you.

On Monday at school they had a Veterans' Day assembly. Tiana chose to sing a solo in honor of the veterans and the price they have paid that we might be free. There will hopefully be a video of it soon that I can upload (I took it, but my friend has to transfer it to DVD before I can transfer it here!), but if you would like to HEAR her sing, to the right, click the "down" arrow in the "Select a Podcast or mp3" box and select "God Bless USA solo" and the press "play". Like I said, the video will come shortly -- I hope!
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Tonight it is a very typically wet Seattle fall night. I thought it would be quite fitting to have soup for dinner. I used one of my favorite recipes that I got from my mother-in-law and I'm quite sure she wouldn't mind if I shared it with you! This makes TONS!! Beware!!

Main Dish Minestrone

6 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 large carrots, sliced
2 medium celery stalks, sliced
2 medium onions, diced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small head of cabbage, coarsely sliced (about 1½ pounds)
1- 16oz can Tomatoes (has anyone ever seen one?!?!)
1/3 c. regular long-grain rice or orzo (I used shells)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. pepper
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 large zucchini, sliced
2-15¼-19 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
1-10 oz. pkg. frozen spinach
½ c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

About 1½ hours before serving:
In 8 qt. Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat, in hot butter or margarine cook carrots, celery, onions, garlic, and cabbage until vegetables are browned, about 20 minutes stirring frequently. Add tomatoes with their liquid, next 8 ingredients, and 8 cups water, over high heat, heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender. Add beans and frozen spinach; cook over medium heat until spinach is cooked and beans are heated through. Add more water if necessary; soup becomes thick upon standing. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Makes about 18 cups or 9 main-dish servings. About 285 calories per serving.

Happy Monday!

Would you look at that! It's Monday! What a busy weekend we had around here! It was pretty cool! On Friday night my friends, Robert, Big T, and Vicky came over. I really like Robert! He gets down on my level and let's me "rassle" with him!! He even shows me lights! He's just about as cool as Jolyn! After they all left we had LOTS of kids knock at the door! I didn't really care about most of them, but there were some really little cute ones and I sure would have liked to have said, "hi"! For some silly reason, though, mom and dad wouldn't let me do it! Oh well! Maybe next year! After sister got home on Saturday (and I got to see all of the same cool people again!) we even got to have EMILY over!!! She's so cute, but she seems kinda scared of me. I don't understand! I mean, I'm taller than she is on all fours, but... I just don't get it! She and sister sure have a lot of fun together! I think maybe sister was supposed to be cleaning her room or something, but it seemed like there was lots of "hair-doin' " goin' on! See?

Being a "rocker girl"! Being who I REALLY am! A pretty princess!


This was the Sunday that I get left out of the house. It always sounds so nice (until I'm a bad boy and bark!). There's singing and general quiet which I like. I'm kinda sad, though, because I never get to meet anyone! They always leave before I get to come back in the house. I'm thinking, though, that this week might be pretty special, too, because not all of the chairs are being put back where they belong! Could we be having company?!?! I hope so! I LOVE people!

Today is looking sunny, but for some reason I'm just too lazy to go outside. I'm afraid it might start to rain and then I'd get wet before I got back in the house. Silly fall weather!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to meet you someday! If mom and dad have their way, I'll just shake with you, but I LOVE to give kisses and hugs!