Catching Up – Now!

If you’re wondering how I finally found the time to catch up with my blog posts, the answer is:  the weather!  As I stated earlier, Alan left for Montana on Thursday, and within a few hours we were hit with the worst winter storm that we’ve had in quite some time.  If he had scheduled his flight for late afternoon or early evening, he would have been stuck here.  It’s true that Texans are quite wimpy when it comes to winter weather, but this was really something!  The pictures below are not of snow…that is sleet that has been compacted and is now pretty much ice!

Here’s an overview looking out of our front door:

Here’s a picture I took of the road that runs in front of the house (Pretty slippery!):

In a weird (and lucky) twist of fate, our heater went out just a couple of days before the cold snap.  We had a new unit installed about 6 or 7(?) years ago, and it was a total lemon from the day we got it.  I’ve lost count how many times we have had it repaired, and this time it was going to cost quite a bit (again!).  It seems they quit making that model (I wonder why?), and parts are hard to find, and this fact makes them cost a lot.  So a command decision was made to just replace the whole unit.  We got a Lennox this time instead of Amana and are hoping it lasts much longer.  Even though it hit our purse pretty hard, at least we are warm, and ever so grateful that things were fixed up before it got so very cold.

I used the first couple of days of our “snow days” to catch up on some laundry and general housework.  Church was cancelled today (quite unusual), and I didn’t want to do regular chores, so I decided to catch up on the blog.  I also fired up my bread machine.  My mother-in-law gave it to me many, many years ago, and it’s still working!  The bread turned out so well, and it was so easy, I found myself asking, “Why don’t I use it more often?”  Just dumb!  I will certainly crank it up more often in the future.  Here’s the recipe I used for the bread I made today.  I really like it because I have quite a few cans of potato flakes in my food storage arsenal, and I need as many uses for them as I can get!  It’s also just plain good!

Crusty Potato Bread

3-1/4 cups bread flour

1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

1 tablespoon white sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

1-1/4 cups water

2 teaspoons instant yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select White Bread Cycle; press Start.

Note:  This recipe was originally found on the “All Recipes” website – to visit the site, clickhere. 

Since I didn’t want to break my neck trotting back and forth to the chicken coop, Opal Chicken has been sleeping in her dog crate in the craft room.  I have taken her outside a few times to let her stretch her legs, as well as to show her that it really is awful out there and she should be glad to be inside!  She also has spent some time in the mud room (the floor is covered in newspaper) so that she can eat and drink and stretch some more.  Nestlé Bunny has also been stranded inside, but she has so much fun chasing Toffee around the house that she doesn’t care.

That’s pretty much my life:  keeping fur and feathers alive, aside from doing yard work and such.  I am hoping it clears up soon because I have a date this week with this little girl:

Paisley (aka:  “Stink-A-Tha”) is growing to be quite a little lady.  She loves going and doing things, and is definitely into her weekly dance lessons.  Since Fox has been born, she has also gone to an event to meet Doc McStuffins, and she went to a little theatre play showing “Blue’s Clues” and got to have her picture made with Blue.  In an effort to make sure that her events are not spoiled by her baby brother melting down, I actually have spent more of my time with Fox (aka:  “Boyfriend”), keeping him home while Stink-A-Tha goes out with her parents.  Even though it has been for her benefit, I think she might be feeling a little neglected by her Old Lolee.  Therefore, I am looking forward to picking her up some morning this week, doing a little shopping, and then taking her to lunch.  I never want my girl to feel less than wonderful in her Old Lolee’s heart!

As for Boyfriend, he’s growing bigger and wants to walk so badly that he can’t stand it!  He has already been scooching across the floor (that was last month), and I anticipate that he will be quite the go-getter.  Mandy says that he will be the one who destroys her house.  But here’s the thing: He has this crazy little crooked smile that he flashes that just melts your heart.  I have a feeling that it won’t matter what he does, or how much destruction he causes -- he will get out of all kinds of trouble with that little crooked smile and those big, blue eyes.

So that’s it!  Pretty much caught up for now!  The Christmas season is upon us, and there will be fun times ahead!

Minestrone Soup – My Soup/Chili Hybrid

I thought I would share my recipe for what our family calls “minestrone soup” (even though it is really more like a cross between soup and chili – perhaps I should call it a “sili”?).  Anyway, it is so easy that it’s ridiculous and yet it has withstood scrutiny during countless pot lucks and “company” meals.

Minestrone Soup – Basic Recipe

1 lb. ground beef

2 cans of Campbell’s minestrone soup

1 15-oz can of Ranch Style beans

1 can of Rotel tomatoes (Original flavor)

Brown the ground beef and drain.  In a larger pot combine the cooked ground beef, soup, beans, and tomatoes.  There is no need to add any additional liquid.  Let it simmer until nice and hot.  Serve topped with shredded cheese and you have dinner!

(NOTE:  The above recipe is the basic recipe that I received years ago.  The thing I really like about it is that you can tweak it to suit your taste and your headcount.  For one thing, all you really have to worry about is getting it hot; however, I have found that the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.  I actually prefer to brown the meat and then let the whole thing cook in the crock pot for a good while. Even though the recipe called for the original flavor of Rotel tomatoes, we have decided that we like the mild flavor better for this recipe.  Need to stretch it a little bit for unexpected guests?  You can always add a little more meat or even another can of soup and/or beans.  When the whole family is getting together I use closer to 2 lbs. of meat and 3 cans of soup and it still tastes great.  My mother likes to eat her sili with crackers, while I like to mix in a few Fritos in my bowl.  We have also made dinner rolls or corn muffins to fluff it up a little.)



A Favorite Party Recipe

I attended a birthday party for the most beautiful child ever born today (more about that coming in a future post), and once again I was asked to bring my old standby, the “cheese ball”.  Actually, I have made this thing for all sorts of occasions, and it is so easy it’s almost embarrassing because people like it so much they think I slaved away or something.  I thought I would share my recipe with you.

“Party Time” Cheese Ball!

2 packages of cream cheese

1 8-ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese

1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix

Chopped pecans

Let the cream cheese sit out and soften for about 15 minutes or so.  Then mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and dip mix together (stirring with a fork or spoon until thoroughly mixed).  Form into a ball and then roll the ball in chopped pecans.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  So stinking easy!