Our Fuzzy Little Babies

Here is today's update on the baby birds. They are getting fuzzy. So cute.
It is amazing to see everything the mother bird has done to build this nest. First she filled the crate this is all in with leaves and twigs, the stuff we stored in there clearly not being a suitable base for her babies' first home. Then she lines the hole in the center with soft fluff and stuff including that tissue in the top left. Then she built the nest itself.
I think she is a winter wren.

Also, today, I am making a batch of Pecan Sandies. This recipe is wonderful.

Did The Earth Rejoice To Feel You Again?

One of my favorite Easter songs is "Was It a Morning Like This?" which has the line "Did the Earth rejoice to feel you again?" and while I certainly didn't plan it, we got to feel the Earth "rejoicing" today just as we were moving on to the dessert portion of our Easter dinner. Or at least that is what I am calling the leaping and carrying-on that the Earth was indulging in this afternoon.

On the news people were saying the quake did not last very long, but we moved into an older home last year and some of the windows are pretty loose and we started hearing it a good 30 seconds before we felt it. It was long enough for us to realize that it wasn't the wind or a big truck going by and for everyone to get out of the house. Everyone but me. I stood in a doorway because I have lived in California since I was a baby and that is what I was told to do the whole time I was growing up, and so that is what I always do. Well, it is what I do when I feel an earthquake which truthfully isn't very often.

Most people don't know that we actually have dozens of earthquakes everyday, but they are so small that you don't feel them, but even the stronger ones that other people feel go by me unnoticed. Of course, there are the stronger ones that usually make the national news or are at least big news on the local stations for a day or two that I do feel. It can be a little bit scary, but nothing bad has ever happened in the areas I have lived. In fact this is the first earthquake I remember having pictures on the wall knocked askew or having things fall over. The water in our pool was also still sloshing quite a bit by the time everything was over and we thought to look and see.

About half an hour later it occurred to me that it would have been cool to have looked at the little Easter tree and see if the ornaments were moving, so I looked at it and the ornaments were swinging a bit. Then I looked at the beautiful orchids my sweet little cousin Ethan brought over for us and they were shaking too! Because we were having an aftershock and I didn't even feel it and wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't looked at the ornaments and the orchid.

I hope the folks in Mexico, where the quake was centered are fine physically and emotionally.

Anyway, before the quake the plan was to tell you about this wonderful recipe I tried for the first time today and that we all thought was delicious: Green Bean and Mushroom Medley. The only thing I did differently than the recipe was that I didn't quite double the butter when I doubled everything else and I substituted Emeril's Essence for the seasoned salt because I didn't have the seasoned salt. Oh, I didn't double that because I wasn't sure how well it would work so I wanted to err on the side of caution. It was so good.

Like Macaroni and Cheese

Cheesy grits
Originally uploaded by StellaTex

In our house lunch is almost always a fend for yourself affair. As I was thinking about what I wanted for lunch today I thought I might have a bowl of cereal. (I know. You can't believe my family doesn't beg me everyday to please, please, PLEASE include them in my lunch plans.) Then I remembered that I had some Cream of Wheat that I usually forget about until after breakfast. I really should use that up before the use by date (10/2010) which given how often I think to eat it is not that far away.
The thing is, it's lunch time and I really want something cheesy. That's when it hit me: instead of adding my usual butter, brown sugar and milk to the Cream of Wheat I could add some grated cheese. It's not like the Cream of Wheat police have a camera in my kitchen. (It's not like I do either, which is why I borrowed this picture of cheesy grits from Stella Tex on flickr.)
I should say at this point that the two things my Mom (hi, Mom) taught me about cooking were "350 degrees for 1 hour" and "a little more cheese couldn't hurt," so it isn't a giant leap for me to think to add cheese to something, but I hadn't thought of it before today in connection to Cream of Wheat and I have to say it was so good. Like a warm, gooey, stringy bowl of macaroni and cheese without the bother of chewing.

Tuna Sandwich

When we have extra hamburger or hot dog buns or rolls, my daughter starts hinting that she would like me to make those tuna sandwiches with the cheese and green peppers. The funny part is that she always takes every last piece of green pepper out no matter how small I try to make the pieces.
Once, when dh was out of town she asked if we could have the sandwiches and even though we didn't have green peppers we decided to make them anyway. Mistake. Of course, I missed the green pepper but so did dd, because even though she takes them all out they do leave some of their taste in the sandwich.
Anyway, this is not one of those exact recipes, just something you throw together and adjust based on what you have on hand -- just don't forget the green pepper.
Mix together 1 can of tuna, drained; about 1/3 of a green pepper, chopped; 1/3 - 1/2 lb. of cheddar cheese, cut in small chunks; and enough mayonnaise to bind it together. Use the mixture to fill buns or rolls. Put on baking sheet and put in oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Once the oven gets to that temperature the cheese should be melted and they are ready to eat.

************

On another night this week I made breakfast for dinner and once again I made biscuits. I am not the world's best biscuit maker but this time I tried J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits and I have to say, those were some tasty biscuits. I will definitely be using that recipe again. I did use butter instead of shortening and I was very careful not to over mix or knead the dough. If you are looking for a good biscuit recipe, do give this one a try.

Leftover Sauerkraut

Whenever we have hot dogs I like to have some sauerkraut. Sauerkraut and mustard is may favorite hot dog topping. My husband will take a small portion of sauerkraut and my kids will tolerate the smell but do not eat it. Since I have loved sauerkraut since I was a small child I do not understand this behavior. Who raised these kids? Just weird.

Anyway, I always end up with at least half a can of sauerkraut left over. Sometimes I eat it in the next few days, sometimes it ends up being pushed to the back of the fridge where it sits becoming cute and fuzzy.

So, I was looking through recipes that used sauerkraut over on allrecipes and that inspired me to create a wonderful dish that uses apples, onions and smoked sausage.

Sauerkraut Skillet

Heat skillet over medium heat and add one slice smoked sausage.
When the sausage has had a chance to brown a bit add a tablespoon or two of butter and one chopped onion.
Cook until the onion becomes translucent and add two sliced apples (unpeeled).
Cook until the apple begins to soften and the onion is getting a bit of color, then add your leftover sauerkraut (or a whole can, if you'd like) and about two tablespoons of brown sugar.
Heat through and serve.

Delicious, IMHO.

That Pink Stuff

This recipe recently came my way courtesy of a fruit recipe swap on swap-bot. I made it yesterday and it is yummy.

That Pink Stuff
1 small container cool whip
1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 large can drained crushed pineapple
1 can cherry pie filling
1 cup chopped pecans
Dump it all in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
Chill at least 7 hours.

I only had chunk pineapple at home, so when I went to the store to get some of the other ingredients I did not have on hand, I knew I wanted to get crushed pineapple. I even saw the crushed pineapple on the shelf. I reached for the crushed pineapple. By the time I unpacked my groceries, it had metamorphosed into chunk pineapple. How does this happen? And it isn't the first time. Oh, maybe with pineapple it is the first time, but how does the cream of mushroom soup I reached for become vegetable beef (also a lovely soup, but not so good in tuna casserole) or the pistachio pudding become butterscotch. How?
Some may say that I am the common denominator and that when it comes to shopping I do not have good eye-hand coordination, but no, I believe it is some sort of early teleportation experiment being conducted by scientists in area 51 trying to reverse-engineer some alien device they have acquired.
I sure hope they work out the bugs soon. This is getting annoying.
Anyway, if you have been subjected to their experiments, just cut up the chunks into smaller pieces.

Rosa's Tuna Salad

Shortly after I began my current job (about 4 years ago) one of my co-workers, Rosa, came in the break room and made the most wonderful tuna salad.

There is no hard and fast recipe for it but this is the basic formula:

• 1 can of tuna, drained and broken up
• juice of half a lemon or 1 lime -- sprinkle on the tuna and mix

You will have to decide the amounts/proportions of the following vegetables based on your own tastes and on what you have on hand:

• tomato
• cucumber (I like to partially peel in and to seed it)
• bell pepper (any color)
• onion (red, white, yellow, or like this time green)
• avocado
• jalapeno pepper (try to add at least a bit, it adds a sparkle)

Chop up the veggies and toss them in.
Salt and pepper to taste.

This is very healthy and is delicious on crackers or just at is.

Chocolate Chip Goodness

We love the kitchen in our new house. For the first week after we moved in we didn't have a stove and the microwave had a hole/burn mark in the screen on the door so we weren't comfortable using it. Once we got the new stove and microwave we have been doing more cooking than usual.
The first thing Heather made in the oven were these cookies she had recently discovered. They are the best chocolate chip cookies I have had.
The guard where I work sometimes brings in his wife's banana bread which is the best I have ever tasted. So when I saw our bananas getting seriously spotty (btw, why is it that you can buy a bunch of bananas and be lucky if you even get one because your family practically inhales them and then after a few weeks of that, they won't even touch the next bunch of bananas? In my family there is no middle ground.), I went to allrecipes and searched for banana bread thinking I would find something that looked like Maria's. Instead, I found this (Maria's has no chocolate). Delicious. I did use butter instead of the shortening and since I was out of walnuts I used pecans. The pecans were very good, but I will try walnuts in the future.
Hope you enjoy these recipes or that you find something else you enjoy at allrecipes. The reviews are really helpful in finding just what you are looking for.

Yummy Leftovers

Several nights ago I made spaghetti for dinner and ate the leftovers for lunch the next two days. The sauce out-lasted the pasta.
Meanwhile, I had sauteed some sliced summer squashes (zucchini, yellow and a small speckled pale green squash) with some chopped onion (first in the pan) and chopped roma tomatoes (added at the very end to just warm them). This was all cooked in olive oil. After dinner there was still some left so I put it in a plastic container with the leftover sliced green onions from the baked potatoes.
Two days later I thought, why don't I mix that with the extra spaghetti sauce and have that for lunch. I just mixed it together in a bowl, heated it in the microwave and threw on a little grated cheese at the end.
This was so good, I may end up making it deliberately for dinner soon.

By the way, I don't really have a recipe for spaghetti sauce but this is my formula:
Heat up a large fry pan on the stove. If you are using meat (I usually use plain old ground beef, if I am) start cooking it breaking it up into small pieces as you brown it. Meanwhile, chop about half an onion and fresh mushrooms, if they are on hand. Saute with olive oil or in the fat from the meat in the same pan. Add a spoonful of garlic from that jar in the refrigerator or a clove or two of fresh garlic, chopped, just as the onions are getting translucent.
Add a can or two of diced tomatoes, some tomato sauce and/or paste. What you add here depends on what you have and how much you are making. Add some oregano and basil. A dash of red wine is nice, if you have it. We usually don't. Sometimes I add a little (1 tablespoon?) sugar. Taste it first.
Let this all simmer while the spaghetti cooks. Stir occasionally.
Nothing fancy or authentic but it is a tasty sauce that everyone likes and it can be adjusted to fit what is on hand and what your personal tastes are.

Gilroy Garlic Chicken

I am getting ready to send out some recipes for a swap I am in over at swap-bot. The swap is for five recipes on recipe cards to two different people. One of the recipes I'm including is for Gilroy Garlic Chicken. It is a recipe my daughter brought home from high school a few years ago. Her Western Civilization teacher, Mr. Franklin, gave this recipe to all his students. We love it. Hope you will, too.

Gilroy Garlic Chicken
4 chicken breasts (cut to bite size)
1 WHOLE garlic bulb (diced)
Oil (olive oil or peanut oil)
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
2-3 tablespoons honey

(if possible use a large enamel frying pan)

1. Brown chicken in oil (3-4 minutes on high).
2. Push the chicken to the edge of the pan and introduce all ingredients -- let the liquids get friendly and then combine with the chicken.
3. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.

VOILA!

We don't have an enamel pan and it always comes out great, but I include Mr. Franklin's instruction in case you have such a pan. Also, I would use the 3 tablespoons measure for the last three ingredients whenever possible because the sauce is so tasty.

From My Grandma's Recipe Box Zine

Several years ago when my Grandma had to move into a care facility, I got custody of her recipe boxes. My Grandma was a good cook and it is interesting to read her recipes because many of them have notes about how she liked it, how she modified it, when she made it and other interesting bits.
For this last Christmas I pulled out some that I remembered her making or that she had written something interesting on, made photocopies of them and assembled them into zines. The inside front cover has a photocopy of the photo in the upper left corner (I am the girl in red) and the inside back cover has a photocopy of the top of her recipe box.
Later, my sister-in-law asked if I had a copy of Grandma's hot chicken salad. I looked the both boxes (one is about 4 times bigger than a regular recipe box) and couldn't find anything. A little later, Kathy found her own copy of the recipe and sent me a copy of it. Here it is:

Hot Chicken Salad

2 cups diced chicken breast
2 tablespoons lemon juice
____________
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 teaspoon grated onion
1 cup sliced water chestnuts
_____________
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
buttered bread crumbs

Mix chicken and lemon juice. In separate bowl, mix next six ingredients well. Fold in chicken and don't over mix.
Put in greased casserole. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over all.
Bake at 450 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until crumbs are brown and crisp.

Serves 4-6

This Is A Job For Chocolate

Sunday I drove my daughter to my mom's house where she lives while she goes to college. I spent the night so that I could take my mom to the hospital for an out-patient procedure that ended up taking a wee bit longer than expected.
It was supposed to take half an hour (the nurse's estimate) to an hour (my mom's estimate). After two and a half hours a nurse came out to talk to me in case I might (might?) be worried. It seems that their first plan of action had not gone well and they had switched to something else. She wasn't sure how much longer the new procedure would take.
I don't know either, but the two procedures together took a little over four hours.
The doctor said that he thought my mom would end up spending the night in the hospital because of the pain, but she wanted to go home. I don't think she would have been in less pain at the hospital and this way she got to sleep in her own bed, and eat the food she likes.
Needless to say, this situation called for chocolate. This is the recipe my mom gave me to try for her while she was mending.

Fudge Buttons
12 oz. chocolate kisses, unwrapped
1 7.5 oz jar marshmallow fluff
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 5 oz. can evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
Pecan halves

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat the sugar, milk and butter to boiling.
Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, put kisses and marshmallow fluff in large, heat-proof bowl.
Pour hot sugar mixture over the kisses and marshmallow fluff. Stir until kisses are melted and everything is blended.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper and push a pecan half into the top before it cools. Allow to cool thoroughly.
These can be stored in an air-tight container for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I never understand the "can be stored . . . for up to one week" stuff. Is this in case chocolate-hating aliens want to make some to have ready for their human visitors? Why would they still be there a week later? I don't get it.