Aunt Ellen's Sunday Supper, a new DVR and Hextall

Hextall, our 15 plus year old cat is currently missing. This is alarming as he always comes home and is generally spotted hanging about the front of the house. And he sleeps with us and it's just not like him to be gone for over 24 hours.


Early this morning, before it was fully light, we heard at least one bobcat raising hell in the woods. I hope Hextall wasn't involved in an untimely end. I am worried.

Update on the satellite - Our DVR has an error on the hard drive. So, after resetting it and then calling Direct TV and staying with them for just over a half hour, it is determined that the receiver is dead. That means all the television shows and movies we recorded are gone. Forever. This includes one of our favorite Star Trek (Next Generation) episodes…(Snort) Yes, I am a geek . Maybe it will come on again and we can record it on the new box.

So a new DVR receiver arrived today and we'll send the damaged one back. No television isn’t a bad thing to be sure, but there were a couple of series we follow and …too bad, they’re gone. I asked the tech support person if they could beam our recorded shows back to us. It IS a satellite after all. She explained to me, very patiently, as you would a small child who is just grasping higher language skills, that it just doesn’t work that way because the box is indeed like a computer. So it's wiped out and gone forever. (scratching head and wandering back to kitchen to cook something. Kitchen electronics I understand.)

Anyway, here is a meal we had when we visited Ellen in Mississippi.

Chicken Spectacular

3 cups water

1 cup uncooked wild rice


These are the dry ingredients you'll need:


3 cups cooked cubed chicken breast meat

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 (4 ounce) jar pimentos, drained

1 onion, chopped

2 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine water and wild rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmer until tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C)

In a large bowl, toss together the cooked rice and all other ingredients. Turn the ingredients until it’s thoroughly mixed.

Chop chicken....



Mixing in the green beans...........


Mixing in the pimentos and mayo...........



Transfer to a 3 quart casserole dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until heated through.

Doesn't this lok good? Too bad I was so caught up in visiting and eating and did not get a snap of this plated. It was very good.



Jellied Cranberry Sauce Mold

1 large package strawberry or raspberry Jell-o

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

Pecans, finely chopped


Boil 2 cups water and add dry Jell-o to water. Add the cranberry sauce to hot mixture and stir to dissolve.

Add only 1 cup more liquid (cranberry or fruit juice may be used instead of water – do not use pineapple juice).




Have your chopped apple, celery and pecans ready. Please note my Aunt Ellen did all the work here. The only time I lifted a finger on this one was to pick up a fork and devour it!


Fold it in.


Mix it up, gently!


Pour into a mold and when Jell-o is partially set, carefully stir in apple, celery and nuts.

Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Now dessert..................


Strawberry Cake

1 Duncan Hines Moist Strawberry cake mix

2 10 ounce packages frozen strawberries, thawed

1 small box vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

2 cups Cool Whip or whipped cream

Follow directions for making the strawberry cake in a 9x13 inch pan.

Remove from oven when it is done and wait for cake to cool.

Poke holes in the entire top of the cooled cake.



Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor then pour over the top of the cake.




Combine vanilla pudding and milk. Mix until all is dissolved and appears thickened.
Fold in Cool Whip.



Spread on top of cake and refrigerate overnight.



It was pretty when plated up...honest...I don't know why I fell down on the job snapping nicely plated dishes.

Southern style bacon and eggs

Food in a moment. This is almost a cheat post on food but I am home and the satellite TV is rebooting over and over. The guys aren't home and I am certainly.....well, ....... let's say challenged by electronics. So, I will be calling Direct TV because I really want to record NCIS this evening.

The shibas, love them as I do, were particularly uncooperative for the afternoon walk. They like to stretch me in two directions and then dig their little heels in, becoming one with the earth. Walking the two together means I can not carry a water bottle and it's something like 150 degrees (so I exaggerate) in the sun. The mosquitoes are wicked because of all the rain we had and have welts on my arms.

And, I had misplaced my cousins email addresses, only to find them when I got to work(where I can not write them), and to top it off - I left my purse at home today. No license, no stamps, no cash...I was displeased.

Oh, woe is me! So, here are some nice photos of a fine breakfast meal we enjoyed when visiting family last week.

The eggs look great framed with bacon. I generally just put bacon on a separate plate but this looks so much nicer, don't you think so?


Nice table setting.


Orange juice, coffee, biscuits and jam. A great accompaniment to eggs and bacon.


I'll work on my high cholesterol later. Tomorrow - the Chicken Spectacular, cranberry gel salad and yummy cake.

Vacation - Part One

We started early on a clear and beautiful Friday morning. Gassed up the Sportster and headed west on I-10. It was a good ride and thankfully we stopped every 80 miles or so for gas. That gave us time to stretch. Just past Pensacola we were half way there.

It was fun riding through the tunnel in Mobile Alabama. The rumble of the Harley in there was loud and you had a good quarter mile to enjoy it. Riding over the bridges, way up high over the rivers was beautiful and it was also a bit cooler with the wind whipping around us. Lots of nice scenery and I did not fall asleep once on the ride out. Not once.

Now, by the time we had reached our destination in Mississippi, we were both ready to get off that bike for awhile.

Did I mention the Sporty is an '03 and is not rubber mounted? Fortunately I was not bow legged by the time we arrived....but close.

Staying with Ellen was a relaxing and fun experience. It was so much fun that instead of staying two nights and heading up the Natchez Trace, we stayed on for five days. We did ride to Natchez with cousins Lee Ellen and John and ate at the Pig Out Inn. To see reviews on Pig Out Inn click here. Great BBQ and nice atmosphere. We sat outside on a bricked porch and enjoyed the bustling about of people in Natchez. There were a few horse and carriage rides that went by - I always feel sorry for the horses, pulling all those people around in the heavy carriages.

After we left Pig Out, we rode two blocks and followed the Mississippi River a bit. Very pretty. Of course, I forgot the camera on that trip.

We did not end up riding the trace. Since we had not made any plans and no reservations, and we were going to just ride and stop when we wanted, it wasn't a big deal to alter plans.

Another eating trip out - We ate at May's Restaurant. Jimmy, the owner, came by the table and checked to see if we were all faring well. Goodness - the food was amazing. I have to say, that the fried chicken at May's Restaurant in Tylertown, Mississippi is the best fried chicken we have ever had.
I have not changed my opinion since being back and tasting fried chicken elsewhere...in another small town........ Seriously, it's worth a trip there just to eat this chicken. I can't wait to go back.




Perfect fried chicken, potato salad, beets (I love beets), baked beans and corn nuggets. All homemade, all delicious.


Coconut cream pie. Very rich. I should have just split a piece with Doug.



One of the best, one of the most relaxing and enjoyable vacations in a long long time.


If you are interested, stay tuned for more...oh, and Ellen's Chicken Spectacular. She let me invade her kitchen.....what more could one ask for?

Grilled Lamb, Roasted Potatoes and Vacation Plans

Oh wow - this post 101. Number 100 felt so much different. haha.

Couple of things. I heard about a movie coming out based on a book entitled Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I like Julia Child quite a bit and that book was a good read. So, I am looking forward to seeing this one in the theaters. Here is some info about the movie here.

Next, I will be off on vacation until April 24 or 25 or maybe 26. Depends when we meander home. Doug and I will be riding to Mississippi to visit family. Then off to ride the Natchez Trace. How cool is that? We hoped to have a bigger motorcycle by the time the trip time arrived but....eyes and desires are generally bigger than the budget. Still......a trip like this on a Sportster will be a blast. I will be taking lots of pictures. So, don't forget me guys! I'll be back.

Unless I fall asleep and pull us both over on the highway. I seriously do fall asleep riding sometimes. Mostly after lunch when I have a full tummy and it's warm...and the bike is rumbling along. My head snaps forward and I crack helmets with Doug's and it's a bit funny. In a scary way.


OK, food. You'll think we are fanatically mad about lamb because we seem to have it alot. But it was on sale. This particular grilled bit of lamb shoulder was melt in your mouth tender. Yum mmmmm.



Paired with roasted baking potato and sweet potato, which had been drizzled with pure maple syrup, and this was a colorful meal.

Plated up........


While you surf check out Van's Lumpia Shanghai, which looks awesome.

Check out Laquet's fun trip in France here, I'm jealous!

Donna's My Tasty Treasures is so wrong it's fun and you'll get a fabulous sloppy joe recipe too. Can't wait to make this one.

ReTorte has a good post on Fingerling Potatoes. Something I don't see in the markets here very often but would love to try.

And do you like oysters? Oh my...love em! Check Joie de Vivre's fabulous tips on having oysters, fresh, without shucking. Very cool idea.

Here is a great birthday menu at A World in a Pan. I open it and just look at it all and drool. And, from this same site, this video of a Paris balcony scene, all frosty. I'd love to see the same view but with Spring flowers.

Gotta go pack. See you in 7 or 9 days!

Grilled Pork Chops and Nigella's Mac and Cheese

I found two pretty pork chops in the freezer when cleaning it out. Doug grilled and nicely crosshatched the chops; they were tender.

To get Nigella’s mark on things I made her quicky mac and cheese that did not measure up to my homemade version. I make good mac and cheese. If there is one thing that I can do well, it’s gotta be macaroni and cheese. So I will make that at the end of the month. But in the meantime, to cross off another in the Nigella Express book, turn to page 179, the Instant Calmer Section.

You'll need the following:

8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

8 ounces evaporated milk

2 eggs, beaten soundly

Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cook the macaroni according to box directions and drain well.

Grate cheddar cheese. Mix in the beaten eggs and condensed milk. The recipe calls for you to toss this in a blender but if you would rather, hand mix it well. I chose to hand mix.



Now place macaroni in a baking dish and pour the cheese milk mixture over it. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.


It came out a bit runny. I won’t make it again. The cheese was still clumped up and covered the noodles but some of the milky mixture swan out o the plate. If you have someone who does not like food to touch....…then this is problematic. Just wait until you see my mac and cheese! It’s so thick and creamy and golden brown on the top.


Serve it with salad and bread.....mmmmmmmmm...I Love bread.



For dessert – there was a tiny bit of Breyers coffee ice cream (not enough for a serving) and a about a cup of strawberries. Tip the ice cream in the blender, add strawberries, one overripe banana, 2 tablespoons honey and about ½ cup milk. Blend and you have fruity-coffee-honey smoothie.

Watched another disk of Buffy.....Nice evening.

Too Much Rain again

My 100th post for this blog. I only posted 57 times when I started the Pierce genealogy so I'm amazed that these 100 posts came about so quickly.


These photos were in a local paper – The Tallahassee Democrat – and show some of the devastation in Madison County , east of the county we live in.

The sign reads Road Closed


And many of the roads are washed out


Mail boxes



You see the top of the stop sign.......



Thankfully it is not this bad where we live but today we were under tornado warning - not a watch but a warning - and the skies were just black. Scary.

This past Saturday and Sunday we had a few days without rain and it was incredibly beautiful. Bright clear blue skies…we sat outside with the dogs for a while and just enjoyed the warmth. Now the rain is back. Hopefully it will clear by the end of the week when vacation starts. And we’ll head west…………

Making the Most of Leftovers!

I made the most of the leftovers on the standing rib roast dinner. Since it's an expensive cut of meat, but we were able to get it on sale at $5.47 a pound, we had two dinners with it. Here we go - leftovers! AND, the yorkies were so damned good that I made another batch.
Brilliant, when I'm trying to lose a few pounds...still........good.



For a veggie side I chopped mushrooms and yellow squash, sauteed in an olive oil creation I had experimented with and it was pretty good.



I like the oil soaked sun dried tomatoes and when I was done with a jar, there was a bit of the oil left. I chopped garlic and added a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil...put it in the fridge. This is what I used to saute the squash and mushrooms.





Finally, the few little yorkies leftover were consumed for breakfast. Strong black coffee, a cold Yorkshire pudding split with marmalade (strawberry jam for Doug) and I was good to go.


In tight economical times you gotta use it all up any way you can.

Just checked dout Van's blog and there is a good post on Bison Stew here. I'm nor sure if we have bison availble in my neck of woods but this recipe sounds great.

This evening I making some bread dough. Then watching a movie and sipping some Harp ale.

Friday

Not a food post. Looong day at work............ But here is an interesting video. It may take a little time to load. When it does, just click on the arrow in bottom left of the Red Volkswagon van.

Tomas Nilsson is a design student at Sweden ’s Linköping University , and his modern take on the Little Red Riding Hood story started out as a class project.

Inspired by an equally brilliant video by the Norwegian duo Röyksopp, Nilsson turned the old fairy tale into a story about 21st-century information flow: He breaks the Hundred Acre Wood down by Wildlife Density (12 moose, 9 deer, 3 wolves, 25 hares). He gives Granny a nutritional-facts label (she’s high in trans fat, low in calcium). And when the hunter arrives and fires his rifle, we’re treated to a CSI-like internal view of the wolf’s brain as the bullet enters.


Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo

Standing Rib Roast

May I take this opportunity to say that if you have never tried Yorkshire pudding you are definitely missing a culinary delight. Not a healthy treat but it’s worth hearing the slowing of your blood to pop one of these bad boys in your mouth.

If you look through cookbooks or browse the web for Yorkshire pudding recipes you will find many different approaches. My plan was to try Laquet’s recipe which had been handed down to her by her grandfather.

Unfortunately, we did not have Yorkshire beer or even a hardy beer in the house to make her recipe. I will do this one at another time though! Here is the version I used…simple and tasty.

Get out your blender. Measure in 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend for 15 to 30 seconds. Add one cup all purpose flour and blend two minutes. Note: We didn’t have whole milk, which the recipe calls for, and I used a part 1% milk and part half-and-half (that we happened to have for making Kahlua and cream. )



Now let it sit, in the blender at room temp for a half hour.




The rib roast we bought was small but it’s just the two of us eating dinner most of time. Tristan joined us for dinner last night though. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a shallow roast pan, stand the roast up using the ribs as a rack. We used a meat probe and set it for 140 degrees because we all like it rare. Bloody is fine. As a matter of fact, it was almost done when Doug put it in the oven.

Meanwhile I started the potatoes boiling in salted water. Get a bowl ready with some milk, half-and-half, a tablespoon butter and a tiny bit of salt. Place the contents of the bowl in a saucepan or microwave so the milk mixture is warm when the boiled potatoes are tipped in. Set aside.

When the rib roast is done to your liking, pull out of the oven and remove to a cutting board or platter.

Let’s go back to the Yorkshire pudding now. Turn the oven heat up to 425 degrees.



Doug held the roasting pan at an angle so I could use a spoon and gather the meat juice. Using a six cup muffin tin I put a bit of meat juice in each cup. Now put the muffin tin in the 425 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove hot muffin tin and pour the Yorkshire pudding batter in the cups. This was the perfect amount of batter as it filled the six cups evenly. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are getting brown.


Look at them baking. The meat juice rises up around the batter. The aroma wafting from the oven will make you soooo hungry.



Meanwhile, husband is craving the roast and I am mashing the potatoes. Ok, twelve minutes have passed and the puddings are ready to come out of the oven.

Carefully remove the puddings to a serving plate.



Doug plated the roast. Check out the rib bone which will be the beginnings of beef broth. Yum yum.



I needed a darker serving plate for the presentation because they were so beautiful. And the white plate washes them out.



I don’t know what happened to this one. I just poured the batter and it artistically arranged itself this way. Donna-FFW, you may use this photo for your blog.



Serve with salad.



My plate always looks like a train wreck. The guys use salad bowls, which is appropriate but I always pile my salad on the plate. We don’t really live in a manor….I am who I am…..






As I read back through this I feel like Donna-FFW would have made a wonderful post with some of the metaphors here…….

End it with cheese. A Doux de Montagne and Fontina make a great finish.