Sunday Dinner: Tipsy Chicken Breasts and Triple Cheese Bread

When I was growing up, Sunday dinner (lunch) was a big thing.  At home on my childhood farm, Sundays usually meant we may have visiting relatives from the city (Madison).  So we were always prepared, just in case, which meant a bigger than usual meal.  Sometimes, those old habits never die.

It is Sunday and I have to figure out what is on the menu for today.  After contemplating this early morning quagmire, I decided against beef and am going with chicken breasts.  Now to format my entire menu and decide what to do with the chicken breasts.   

At last year’s 1st Annual O’Connor Girls Luncheon, one of the breads we were treated to was a cheddar bread which came from Bake UR Own.  Since that time, I have been in search of a recipe similar to that or something I can make into my own to serve the same purpose.  This recipe popped up and now is the time to try it.  What I like to do with recipes which I find or maybe after tasting a particular food I adored, is to either take the recipe (or create a recipe) and create something similar and “make it my own” where I can twist and turn it a little, add this or that, more to my liking.  I have had a recipe for a couple weeks for Triple Cheese Bread which I wanted to try and thought this would be the most opportune time to jump in and see if it is what I am searching for.  

The ingredients are added to the bread machine

I pulled out the bread recipe and my bread maker and set off to get that started.  Since this isn’t exactly a one-hour prep-and-ready-to-eat type thing, it needs to be started early in order to be ready for lunch.  I have included the recipe below and shared some preparation pictures.  

The bread maker setting put to "Dough" and now we just let it do its job (for 1 hour and 20 minutes)!

We're out of the bread maker and onto a floured (glass) cutting board to start the hand-kneading process

When the bread maker had completed its initial mixing and kneading, I pulled the dough out and plopped it onto a floured cutting board.  The kneading by hand starts now. Time to roll up the sleeves!  Eight to ten minutes of hand-kneading may seem like a long time, but it is nothing compared to if we did it all by hand.  It is easy to wile away those small minutes once you get into a rhythm.

The dough is put in a bowl to rise some more

When I'm done kneading, into a greased bowl it goes and then gets covered with a warm, wet towel so it can raise some more.  Once doubled in size, I can take it out. 

Here we go to a parchment-lined baking sheet to raise some more before going into the oven

Setting the bowl of dough next to the stove/oven gives the rising process a little extra help.  As it is just about doubled in size, I am able to take it out of the bowl, deflate the mound, and cut it into quarters, then each quarter into thirds and fold them over into balls.  Placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet, it is then covered with a greased piece of wax paper and off to sit next to the stove/oven again to raise some more. 

Triple Cheese Bread (Rolls)

And here we have the final product! See the flecks of cheddar cheese!  It is ohhhhh, so good, but, I confess, not quite there for what I am searching for.  Oh, well, I guess, I'll have to keep searching and practicing!  (I enjoy practicing!)

Now, let's hop back to the rest of the Sunday's menu.  We are doing mashed potatoes, steamed veggies (broccoli, carrots and cauliflower which will be seasoned with some garlic powder and parsley) for a touch of color to our plate and Chicken Breasts in a Garlic White Wine Cream Sauce. 

The chicken breasts are fairly simple and (just for you) I have included that recipe below.  I've peeled the potatoes, put the veggies in the steamer basket/pot and both are placed on the stove to start their road to yumminess.  This also helps create a little more heat to give a little extra boost for the rolls in rising.  Let's now get started on those chicken breasts. 

Wine, Worcestershire Sauce and Butter -- a few of the chicken ingredients

I've placed four chicken breasts into a frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and seasoned them.  Once they have started to brown on both sides, I add in some butter and the diced onions and minced garlic. I have to confess (again!!!??!!) that I also added some Rotisserie Chicken seasoning to the chicken breasts.  (I can't help myself -- it is my new-found friend in the kitchen!)

Browning the chicken breasts and sauteing the garlic and onions

When they have browned slightly, I add the wine, let it reduce a little (or as I like to consider it, when I feel the chicky has enjoyed enough of its mid-morning cocktail hour), it is time to add the cream.  Because I want to keep this warm and yet cook them a little more, no more cook top; it is off to a 325 degrees oven but not before I top each off with some shredded Romano cheese.  (What!!! More cheese??!! Come on! I was born and raised on a dairy farm, and since my hubby and I still dairy farm -- did you expect anything less? haha!) 

Chicken Breasts Drunk with White Wine are Now Ready to Head to the Oven

As everything else comes together, I've tucked the rolls into a bread basket and finished the gravy.  I just have to take the chicken out of the oven, mash the potatoes, and pull the veggies out of the steamer.

Everything is all set to go . . .

The only thing left to do is plate it up and enjoy another Sunday dinner (lunch)!

Did you forget? I'm the butter gal; Bob gets the gravy.

I hope you get a chance to try these recipes and enjoy them as much as I did (and will some more in the very near future)!

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Here are the recipes for the chicken and the rolls:

Chicken in Garlic White Wine Cream Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onions, chopped

3 minced garlic cloves

5 -6 fresh mushrooms, sliced (I didn't have any mushrooms on hand so didn't use them)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup white wine

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 pint cream ( heavy or light)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon parsley

Directions

*Lightly brown both sides of chicken in olive oil.

*Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, and butter and saute about 4-5 minutes until onions start to become translucent.

*Add wine and Worcestershire sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes.

*Lower heat and add cream, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley.

*Too high of heat will cause the cream to curdle.

*Simmer on low 20-25 minutes until done.

Triple Cheese Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup water

2 tsps. Yeast

3 cups flour

2 T. sugar

1-1/2 tsps. salt

2 T. butter, soft

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup cottage cheese (or if no cottage cheese on hand, use sour cream)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water. Add the remaining ingredients and mix and knead by hand, in your mixer, or in your bread machine on the dough cycle to make a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured board and knead for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled. About 45 minutes.

Deflate the dough, form it into a 9" log and place it in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until the bread domes an inch above the rim of the pan.

If making dinner rolls, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into rolls. Place the rolls on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes or so.

Bake the risen dough in a preheated 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes for rolls; 30-35 minutes for a loaf.

Weebles Wobble And, Yes, They Do Fall Down

I did it! I finished Bed No. 1 – well, it is as finished as I can do right now. Yes, I will have to add some more to it, but I don’t quite feel the urgency as much any more as I did before. It took quite a few bucket loads with the skidloader to get all the mulch put down, but a couple lows later – as there was a lot of shoveling and forking, and I was done.

Bob and I had gone to Farm & Fleet yesterday and as long as we were there, I wanted to pick up the obelisks that I had wanted for my birthday. No one got them for me, so as a little present to myself, I picked them up and an even greater gift was that they were also on sale. Yippee for me! Bob, on the other hand, did not find it amusing because we already had a cart full and I was able to get one on top of the cart – sort of looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it did the trick. That left him to carry the other one. Unfortunately for me and fortunately for him, that stopped me from doing any other shopping.

His frustration, however, did not stop there. Once we got to the car, we then had the daunting task of trying to put these towers of frustration into the car. By sizing them up, I knew they were too long to lie in the back seat. Bob didn’t think so (because women are usually wrong about things like that!!), but he quickly found out this time he was wrong. Then he tried to stick them in the trunk and the bases were too wide to go in that way. After a little constructive "criticism," I told him I thought I had it figured out, to which his words were – "you bought ‘em, you had better figure it out." My reply was simply action, not verbalization. I opened the back door on the driver’s side and put the back seats down, slid the "towers" in (we had already stacked one over the other) and, finally, they were in. All it took was just a little womanly coaxing and ingenuity.

He also had a couple choice words to say about the fact that I had picked up a couple pink flamingoes, but my old ones were faded and the sticks were too bent and it was time they hit the flamingo retirement home; so I had been in search of a new set of younger birds and I just happened to find them there. I told him, everyone knows, every garden has to have a set of pink flamingoes! It is just natural, common sense. I now had flamingoes to roost in my gardens again.

After we stopped to eat at the Draft House in Verona and shortly before we left, sister-in-law Faye and niece, Jessica, came in and we visited with them for a bit, and then we headed for home. Once unpacked, I wanted to hit the flower beds again.

Bed No. 1 needed its final weeding before I could do anything further. I grabbed my trusty little cooler with my gardening tools inside that I also use as my stool to sit on when I am weeding. I can only kneel for so long because of the screw I have in my right knee from my ACL/MCL surgery. It lays on the bottom of my knee when I am kneeling and hurts badly when knelt on, so a little stool does the trick. My cooler does double duty. I can also put my camera in there to take pictures when I want.

I was just about done with weeding around my tulips and some of the bare spots that I had left for some future plants to call home when Bob came back to see how I was doing. I actually had my back to him as he was first approaching but then had picked up the cooler to change to another spot when I spied him. He was trying to sneak up on me to scare me, but fortunately for me, he didn’t. So, as we were talking, I moved to a spot on south end of the bed and set the cooler down on a mound of mulch that I had placed earlier around one batch of tulips. I plunked my butt down and was intensely looking for the roots of some weeds when I put my head up to say something, straightened my back and then the dang-dest thing happened – I feel backwards and thought that would be it – just a little tumble backwards. But, no, I did a full tumble – ass over tea kettle. If I would have been graceful about it, it would have been a practiced tuck-and-roll. NOT!! This was a full backward head over heels topple that left me sprawled out on the grass, with dirt and red mulch stuck to my backside. I looked to Bob hoping that he would have a sympathetic look on his face, but I knew better. As he exploded into laughter, my first thoughts were that he was either going to have a heart attack from laughing so hard or pee his pants. (I was secretly hoping for peeing his pants but then I figured I would have to clean that up, too.) The first words were, "where was your camera when I needed it?" To which my reply, luckily, was that it was right next to him sitting on a lawn chair and fortunate for me he didn’t have it in his hands. His next words were, "it reminded me of a Weeble tumbling over." Hahaha!! Not funny!! Well, not comical as I toppled over; later on, I could laugh at it but I can quickly get over it. Bob, on the other hand, can’t. In fact, even today, Bob still bursts out in laughter and says, "I don’t know what I was thinking about needing a camera, because it is still stuck in my mind and I can’t stop laughing about it." Ugh!! I have to admit, though, that I bet it was quite a comical thing to see.

As he slunk away to start milking, giggling to himself like a little school girl, I finished up weeding and then headed to get the skidloader. Just as I was finishing up I was starting to go into a low and knew that it was supposed to rain that night or in the morning, so I wanted to finish things up. I got one more bucket full and grabbed the fork and started pushing mulch around until I was happy and just about ready to fall on the ground. I had just enough energy left in me to safely crawl back into the skidloader, put it away and still be able to walk to the house. Once I got my low under control, I went back out and pushed the mulch around a little more, and then set out my obelisk. The flamingoes also found a little spot to in which to roost.

Again, as with Bed No. 2, I am pretty satisfied with this bed. I can’t wait to see the blooms from all the plants in this large bed. Although, it is, as I said, quite large, it will be a nice break to the bean field once that matures behind it. Usually, there is corn that is planted in there, but this year it is beans so from the road that goes past the farm you might be able to see some of its glory once it, too, matures.

The only thing, hopefully, that you can’t see from the road, is a middle-aged Weeble tumbling over. Hmmmmm . . . what was that about Weebles – oh, yea, Weebles Wobble But They Don’t Fall Down.

I guess no one ever told them that once they get to be a certain age, their wobble and tumble turns into a very unbecoming tuck-and-roll.

The Old Lady Might Just Be Getting A Little Too Tired And Cranky

I’m having visions of flowers springing up all over! Yes, the tulips I planted last fall came through amazingly! I am quite happy at the crop that sprouted this spring and at how well they have lasted throughout the ups and downs of temperatures. (See some pictures of my tulips, above). First, we had a weekend of 80 degree weather in late April that got every bulb revved up for the countdown to bloom time. Then, as usual, we slid into some unsightly weather after that. But undaunted by the extreme temperature fluctuations, the variations of tulips and muscari proved to rally against all odds. The alliums are up but haven’t bloomed yet, so that will be lovely to see, also. And my daylilies have grown and are showing they are ready to start stretching their wings, too.

A couple weekends ago I also got out and did my first lawn mowing of the season. I followed that up by trying to use up some of the mulch from last year and spread it around the Spring bulbs that came up in those beds that had not yet been mulched. Now that I can see where everything is planted, it is time to mulch. So I had Bob order 15 yards of mulch today. He thought that might be too much since last year we didn’t quite use everything, but then I reminded him I had three beds that I didn’t mulch at all last year because I was going to dig them up in the Fall and replant them. I’m assuming he just didn’t want that big of a pile staring him in the face again. As I am also sure, he remembers quite well from last year when we grabbed the skidloader, wheelbarrow, some rakes, pitchforks and gloves and set out to mulch, that we (errr, me) had a bit of a problem in keeping my blood sugars under control. It was such physical work that it kept sending me into lows every half hour. So he tried to take the brunt of it (and I am sure he will remind me of that again this year when we start putting down that mulch again).

In the past I have usually used lots of cocoa bean mulch. If it wasn’t so expensive and/or could have gotten it in bigger bulk than just bags, didn’t bio-degrade so fast, wasn’t bad for the dogs (if they eat it), then I would love to continue using it. It smells so good after it has been put down and it looks marvelous! But since after using it for just a couple beds, I can turn my pocketbook upside down and nary a single coin will fall out – I think is better to stick to a $400-500 40-yard load of shredded/colored wood mulch.

The dilemma I have this year is my rose bed. We are supposed to be putting in a new septic system – that is, if we (hmmmm....more like, Bob) ever decide on the final project contractor, etc. (I suppose I have to start throwing out a “honey-do” list again.) The plans that were drawn up puts the line from the house to the holding tank going right through my rose bed. Nonetheless, what I should be doing right now is digging up that rose bed and replanting them – so I guess I have to put that on my “honey-do” list and Bob’s “helper-honey-do” list.

When I mowed that first time this year, I cleared out some areas that I hadn’t mowed in years up above the “white heifer barn.” It is quite hilly so there were a lot of trips up and down a slope that is not meant to be mowed sideways. By doing these areas, I added a couple more hours to my mowing time so I am now looking at being out there for a good 6-7 hours at least.

This past weekend was a little bit harder to time the mowing because it had been drizzling on Friday and Saturday. But by Sunday I knew I had to mow what was now looking like a hayfield because it couldn’t wait any longer. The nice warm weather from last weekend combined with some rain made everything grown expeditiously. Yes, I do mean everything. The weeds sprouted like crazy, too. I started mowing and only got the front yard done had just started on the back yard when I was having problems shifting the mower. I shut her down and went and got Bob who crawled under her to get a peek at what she was being so cranky about. That is when he noticed all the oil that was covering a lot of her underbelly. Then we noticed that streak of grass that I had just mowed had a shiny shimmer to it (oil!!). We pushed her to the front of the house and took the cover off to see her oil-slicked guts. Bob then started her back up again and a spray of oil came off one of the hydraulic hoses. Initially, when I first explained what was happening and he first came out, he told me he thought the hydrostat had gone and she was done. I was beginning to get sick thinking about it. But now he thought, hopefully with either a new hose or alternatively soldering or welding the hose that was on there, we might be able to get by. So we were going to have to wait no matter what until something could be done with that hose.

Nevertheless, I desperately need to mow and have nothing to do it with at the moment. Hopefully, Bob will pick up the part today, be able to put it in and I can mow tomorrow. If the welding on the part doesn’t work, to put it bluntly, we’re screwed; the next step will be getting a new lawn mower.

My baby (Cub Cadet lawn mower) has certainly served her purpose well. We bought her (you will note that yes I am referring to her in the female sense as she has been a workhorse – hence it is a she) . . . anyway, Bob bought her about 17-18 years ago. I remember the day he got her from Studer’s in Monroe. I was appalled that he/we paid $2,000 for her at the time. She was used then – we figure she must now be about 30 years old – not sure what that makes her in human years – does this count like “dog years”???? hmmmm . . . but she has given us very little problems. She came with her own tiller and she has definitely paid her “rent” by the work that she has done.

The problems now are that she leaks hydraulic oil a little (a lot more after she blew a hose last weekend), and she might be a little cranky to start once in awhile, but heck what woman isn’t!!!! hahaha!!! What she likes is that she gets a good workout in the Spring, Summer and Fall months and she gets to vacation all Winter. (I’m thinking I like her job already!!) Yes, I might have accidentally rammed her into a few trees once in awhile just because I was trying to get too close, but a good headbutt every once in awhile hasn’t knocked any significant screws loose – or at least any that she has shown me cause to be concerned about.

I’m hoping that with this new little minor transplant we have for her, that she won’t give up and want to take a permanent vacation. If so, I don’t blame her entirely – especially since now she has to put up with Wolfie who likes to run around in front of her, taunting her, when she is trying to get some work done. She hasn’t had to put up with a young, pesky (outside) dog before, so maybe she might be thinking it is too late to teach old dogs new tricks.

Frankly, girlie, I’m hoping not.

Bacon Can Solve My Problems, At Least For One Night

When I arrived home last night after work, I was faced with the age-old question – what to make for supper? Why is it such the strained question of the day? In the past, I have tried to pre-plan meals for the evening, but those have usually been thrown out the window by (1) a husband who is picky (and may I say - spoiled) in that he may decide he is just not into “that” for that particular evening meal; and (2) the spoiler (yep, raising my hand, as that would be me) who may decide I’m really not in the mood for that either, or feeling like making it that evening.

I was getting down to the wire because Bob was going to be coming in soon and I still hadn’t figured out what my mood was. Then all of the sudden it dawned on me that I wanted to try my own version of Fettuccine Carbanaro. I usually have these thoughts or inspirations sneak up on me, and that is when I hit the kitchen running. Well, I was actually already in the kitchen, so I didn’t have to run too far.

I peeked into the frig to make sure I had bacon – check. Next, I checked the fettuccine, oops, not enough for a meal. I have a pantry full of different kinds of pasta, but since this was going to be a new recipe I was going to spring on Bob, I figured I had better play it safe and just go with egg noodles. (If he likes a recipe, I can always change up the pasta on him another time). I always have plenty of low-fat cream cheese on hand, so that was okay. Everything else, I figured I could wing it.

I got the bacon out and with my kitchen shears, started snipping the one-pound slab of bacon strips into small little bite-size pieces. Next, I threw them in a non-stick skillet on medium heat and started browning them. Then I grabbed my pasta cooker and filled it with water. I asked for and received this a couple years ago and would not ever replace it. Actually, I don’t think I will probably have to replace it in my lifetime! It is a four-piece pasta cooker from Food Network made of 18/10 stainless steel, thick layered construction. It is so versatile because I can cook pasta in the strainer basket, or steam veggies using the steamer insert. In addition, I can keep an eye on things with the tempered glass lid. (Now if that isn’t advertising – I don’t know what is! Haha!)

Once my water started boiling, I added some salt and then threw in a half bag of noodles. With the bacon now browned and crisp, I tossed them into a stainless steel strainer (on top of a bowl) and let the grease drain off. When the noodles were properly cooked, I pulled the strainer out and let them drain. In another pan I started the sauce. First I added about a cup of milk (I used low fat), 3/4 of a stick of low-fat cream cheese, and about two tablespoons of flour. I whisked this together over low heat. Once the cream cheese was incorporated, I added a good pinch of salt, a couple pinches of pepper, 1 tsp. of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning, 2 tsps. Parmesan Herb seasoning (McCormick Perfect Pinch), 1 tsp. garlic powder and then let this meld together. I turned the heat down to a simmer as it was starting to thicken up. Then I added the bacon (holding back about a small handful) and mixed it well. Here is where the recipe either makes or breaks, so I took a little spoon and did a taste test on the sauce. It needed just a pinch more of salt to bring out the true flavors, but otherwise, I was magnificently surprised and happy.

Next, I dumped the drained noodles into the sauce to let it coat. Once coated, I poured the noodle mixture into a flatter serving bowl, sprinkled it with paprika, dotted the mixture with the remaining bacon and then topped it first with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese and additionally a dappling of shredded Romano cheese.

I served this all up with a side of cooked green beans, dappled with butter and pepper and a light sprinkling of Parmesan Herb seasoning, and some warm rolls. I have to say the presentation of the noodles was pretty and I wish I had taken a picture to show you. (Going to have to remember to do that next time).

By this time, Bob had come in when I was dishing things up. Of course, (if you will recall from other posts) he gave me the look and the “what the heck is this” declaration. I followed that up with my usual “sit down, shut up and try it first” response. So he sat down, put a little on his plate, tasted and then scooped up a bigger portion.

I always figure if anything new I try meets with his picky, spoiled little taste buds, then it is a job well done. Tonight, another miracle! Another job well done.

The portions that I gave above (and below) would probably serve four to five. In this case, we had enough left over for me to take a small portion for lunch today and a smaller "Bob" serving (than he had last night) for him for lunch today. (Well, at least he better have it for lunch today, because if he doesn't it's a case of you snooze, you lose, as I'll snag it up for my lunch tomorrow).

Yes, I know, my hubby’s portions are sometimes a little more than what they should be. Hmmm ... I guess that bodes well for my cooking skills.

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Noodles Carbanaro (My Way)

Half pkg. egg noodles
1 pound bacon
1 cup milk
3/4 pkg cream cheese
2 T. flour
salt
pepper
1 tsp. of Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
2 tsps. Parmesan Herb seasoning (McCormick Perfect Pinch)
1 tsp. garlic powder
Paprika
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Romano Cheese

That's Amore!

"That's Amore" is a 1952 song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Jack Brooks. It became a major hit and signature song for Dean Martin in 1953. Amore means "love" in Italian, giving a general translation in English to "that's love.” Through the years I remember hearing Dean Martin sing this song and it always brought thoughts of soothing thoughts and romantic scenes running through my mind like a corner Italian bistro with a table set for two, a bottle of wine and two lovers holding hands, gazing starry-eyed into each others eyes. Ahhhhhhh....

Well, so much for my daydreaming! Today, I take Valentine’s Day as a chance to show my love and appreciation to those I love, and to be the recipient of same! If it isn’t said every day, then V-Day is as good as a time as ever to say I “HEART” U! So, I look forward to this day, when I know that I will receive flowers and a well-thought-out card from my husband; Bob knows he will get candy, some well-thought out gift, and a well-sought-after card; my boys (and their girls) will be getting something special from me, too.

I posted on Facebook yesterday that Bob has not failed me in the last 20 years with “surprising” me with flowers for Valentine’s. It is usually always red roses, but in the past he has changed it up some. One year it was white roses, one year white calla lilies and red roses and even a mixture of different colored roses. He doesn’t want to get too predictable, and I do like that. I may be selfish, but I love getting flowers for Valentine’s Day. I don’t need the candy or anything else. But the flowers – they warm my heart. It also helps get the through the Winter blues; gives me hope that I will soon be out there tending to my rose bushes and other flowers in my gardens. Call me selfish if you want, but I would have it no other way. And, again, this year he didn’t fail me. When I got home I found a beautiful display of a mixture of a dozen roses with colors ranging from red, pink, white, yellow. It, of course, warmed my heart.

This year, I was doubly surprised because the boys, Casey and Brady, their girls, Nika and Jenne, and their dogs, Pongo and Paris, surprised me with red roses and a card. I was able to meet up with Brady and Jenne outside of a Madison hospital where Jenne’s dad had surgery yesterday. Not the typical location for an exchange of gifts, but it works. Brady and Jenne were able to open up their gifts and they presented me with the red roses. Casey and Nika are coming back this weekend, so they will have to wait for their’s until then.

I always try to change things up every year. In the past, sometimes they have all gotten the same thing. One year, I gave them all a large bowl (which I called their popcorn bowls), filled with candy and chocolates and a little something special to each. Some years they have gotten clothes, CDs or DVDs. Bob’s gifts this year were lots of candy and a couple Packer Super Bowl t-shirts (which he wanted and I was holding off getting for me). Brady got a Brewer’s zipup and Jenne got a Packers t-shirt, and of course, they also got candy. Casey and Nika . . . well, I guess since I am posting this before they arrive home, I can’t tell what I got for them. But I hope they like it.

Jenne told me that after two-and-a-half years together, she finally got flowers from Brady. That makes a momma proud that he has finally stepped up! Way to go, Brady. And on my way home, I talked to Casey and chastised him when he told me he hadn’t gotten Nika anything but a card that he drew himself. Of course, he was joking with me just to get a rise out of me – which the boys know they can do! But he stepped up, too, with flowers, candy and a card. Hmmm . . . maybe they HAVE been paying attention through the years.

One thing Bob and I always traditionally do, too, is we go out to eat. Since we are farmers and I also work off the farm, sometimes our Valentine’s Day dinner date might not necessarily coincide exactly with Valentine’s Day itself. This year, we went out to eat at Longhorn Steakhouse on Sunday, the day before Valentine’s. We were able to get away for a few hours in the middle of the day, to enjoy a meal by ourselves, and hold hands at the bar while we waited for our table. Not anything too fancy or overly romantic, but it works for us. Many years ago, Bob and I had started a little tradition where we always got a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day. We hadn’t done that for awhile, so last night when I left work, I stopped and picked one up on the way. It was late when I got home, after 8:30, so this was just right for us. On Sunday after we got home for our date lunch, I made, frosted and decorated some simple Valentine Day cookies. I found that one cookie cutter I did not have was a heart-shaped one, so after lunch we had a couple errands to run and I looked for one, but alas, couldn’t find one. So round I went with. That works just as well, too.

Everyone has their holiday traditions and starting a Valentine’s Day one isn’t too bad of any idea. We live in a fast-paced world today and taking the time out of one day of the year to show your love and appreciation for those that you love isn’t too much to ask. And everyone has their own way of showing that love. If it is untraditional or unorthodox, who cares – if it works for you, that is all that matters. It certainly works for me.

Where's the Beef? (It's In The Sauce, Baby, It's All In The Sauce!)

The thought of something a little different for dinner today had my mind racing when I woke up this morning. I was thinking some kind of a beef sauce over either noodles or boiled potatoes. Once my morning rituals/routine was over with, I went to the freezer and pulled out a package of sirloin steak. One large piece of meat! I put it in the microwave to thaw. Four and-one-half minutes later I pulled it out and set it out to rest for a moment. I then poured some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)(thanks to Rachel Ray for that signature word!) into a non-stick skillet and let that start to warm up on medium high heat.

Next I took the meat and cut off all portions of the fat and sliced it into strips and then smaller 1 to 1-1/2" pieces. Laying the pieces out on the cutting board, I then sprinkled them with kosher salt, pepper, and Cavender’s seasoning, turned them over and repeated the same on the other side. (Never be afraid to salt the meat, it needs it to bring out the true flavors!) Next, I filled a large flatter bowl with flour (about 1" deep) and tossed some pieces in and rolled them around in the flour. Once they were thoroughly coated, I laid them out in the hot pan to begin to sear and brown (at about medium heat), repeating the process until all the pieces were coated with flour and were dropped into the pan. Before turning and once the pieces began to show that the flour on the top side was “melting” I next sprinkled a thin layer of sugar over the top of the pieces. Sugar. . . yes, sugar. I do this as it aids in caramelizing the pieces of meat. You just lightly sprinkle them, and, no, they won’t take on a sweet taste (but it does aid a little in the flavoring of the sauce). Once they were sprinkled with sugar, I then turned them over to brown the top side.

When all the pieces were browned (and still pink in the middle) I then went to my cupboard for beef broth. And, unfortunately, I didn’t find any. Fortunately, though, I did have chicken broth. I have found that you can easily substitute chicken broth for beef broth. All you need to do is add some beef bouillon cubes, if you have them (which I always have on hand) and/or add some Kitchen Bouquet. I did both, in this case. I turned the heat down to a medium low, and added about a cup of chicken broth and then dropped in three beef bouillon cubes and drizzled some Kitchen Bouquet over the top. The KB gave it a darker, richer looking sauce. I let this meld together for about 10 minutes and then turned the heat to low once I knew the bouillon cubes were dissolved. I gave the mixture a good stir to mix things up, put a cover on it, turned it on low simmer and let it simmer for an hour and a half. Midway through the process, I added about another half cup of chicken broth.

Next I waited for Bob to come in to decide which way to go – noodles or potatoes. He said he was sick of potatoes at the moment so wanted noodles. So I put some water on to boil and once it came to a boil added some salt and then the wide dumpling noodles. (How much you might say, it was about half a bag). Once the noodles were cooked, I drained them and placed them into a larger flatter bowl/platter. I then poured the beef mixture, (which by now had turned into a dark, rich, thick velvety sauce) over the noodles and tossed them a bit to mix the sauce in with the noodles. I then topped them with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese and then a thinner layer of shredded Romano cheese.

I served this with some warm rolls and buttery kernel corn.

When Bob comes in from outside and I am in the midst of “experimenting,” he will always pick up the covers off any pans on the stove (or peek in the oven) and always, predictably always, gives me the same old wrinkled up nose routine of “what the hell is this?” Most of time he is very pleasantly surprised at the finished product. This produced quite a bit of food, but by the time we were done eating today, there was only a small bowl of leftovers. Even though he won’t usually say the words, that is his way of saying “not bad, baby, not bad!”

I have to say that I thought so myself today, too . . . not bad, baby, not bad!

Fall Projects Galore

Fall seems like it is the time to get projects done around the house. This past weekend, it seemed as if I was trying to accomplish so much, and I actually did, even though it was little iddy-biddy projects. I’ve been cleaning out cupboards and re-organizing, organizing and then re-organizing. Last night, I went to Menard’s because they had a sale on their blinds. I have been meaning to do this for some time to hang up in the kitchen windows.

I met up with my cousin, Jo, and she helped me out. It was a fun, fast little shopping trip that actually meant so much because I got to spend a little quality time with Jo, and accomplished a lot in the meantime, too. She even helped me pick up more (120) tulip bulbs for my flower gardens, so it was a very productive shopping trip. Now, Bob has to hang them for me. To aid in that situation, I even picked him up some peanut M&M’s that were on sale. (A little bribery goes a long way, sometimes).

Jo was in search of some more mini-lights for her faux fiscus tree. She wasn’t successful there, as they didn't have their Christmas decorations out yet and nothing in the Halloween department. The Halloween decorations were out and seemed to even be a little picked over. We had fun looking at some of the big, big blowup decorations. One in particular Jo pointed out was a horse-drawn hearse. It was comical, needless to say. There were shelves of planting items which were on sale, I suppose to make way for the incoming slew of Christmas items. I should get back over there to help them make some more room. I could be good at helping to clean out a few items of their summer garden stock. Hmmm....that is sounding like a plan. Jo even remarked about it when she saw the sign on the doorway that went into the garden center stating “50% off garden items” and which was boldly whispering my name saying, “Shari, come in, come in.” But, Jo held me back and stated, “you probably shouldn’t go in there. Save it for another trip.” Such a good person she is!!

Next, on my list, is I have some furniture that I want to re-do and paint, so before snow flies, I want to pull out the sawhorses in the garage, lay down some plywood and get at it before I put them on the back burner and another year flies by.

Wow, when I talk about the garage, that will have to be another weekend project, as it is in desperate need of cleaning and reorganizing before Winter sets in and the car goes back in the garage.

So many projects and so little time. Menard's was not a good place for me because it was giving me more project ideas, which means more shopping trips. I’ll have to make a note to take Jo along on some more of my next shopping trips. She sure knows how to help me spend my money, but then she knows just the right moment to hold me back, too.

It's Good I Have a Three-Day Weekend, Because I Think I've Earned A Day To Play

It’s 4:45 on Saturday morning, and I want to slap myself. Why is it that on the weekends, I wake up so early. Most times I don’t have to, but I do anyway. Lots of times it is my diabetes telling me it is time to get up and check your blood sugar. My blood sugars are what is to blame for making me get up early. If I get up, I’ll just want to try to compete with what I accomplished on Friday. It is a horrible game that I play with myself – I’m competitive, even with myself. Okay, I’m game; I’m up. Bob is thinking he wanted 15 more minutes, but since I’m up, he’s up, too.

Cats are fed, Pongo has gone out and done his morning duty, I’m fed, Bob’s fed, cardio exercises done, half hour on the treadmill accomplished, and I'm thinking today is going to be one of those outside days. It’s a little after six a.m., and there is still dew on the grass. Unable to mow, weed-eat or hand-weed yet, without some part of me getting wet from the dew, it is a good time to do some computer work.

With my Friday post to my blog completed (oops, again, I can’t post it yet because then Sierra will find out what we’re giving her for confirmation), and 3 hours completed on the Sponem book and research, it’s time to go out and tackle the outdoors.

I’ve got lots to do and every time I come outside to work on my gardens, I think back to last week when I got an email from my cousin, Carol, in Minnesota. She finally shared with me some pictures from her garden, but she also told me what was happening in her gardens. I’m so jealous, or maybe more in awe. This woman can rattle on and on about her gardens with all the specific names of the plants. I still think back in amazement as I read her email. In fact, let me share it with you, so you can see what I mean:

"What a beautiful spring it has been although the strong winds this week made short admiring of the Crabapple trees that were in bloom all over our city. My Lilacs (both Old Fashioned and Miss Kim) are blooming and the Poppy heads are about ready to burst forth in all their orange splendor. Jacob's Ladder has been so pretty this year along with my three kinds of Bleeding Hearts (pink, white and everlasting), Violets (not in my garden by choice and really take it over but they are lovely), Violas, Virginia Bluebells are nearly done with their show for this season and the Allium should be open any day. Anemone and Peonies are blooming in another garden and oh so very pretty. My last two mail-order perennials arrived yesterday so need to get them in the garden soon.

Today was spent weeding out weeds and some of the self-seeding annuals, trying to pot up some of the Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate as I always have so many requests for those every spring, people just fall in love with them when they see them in my garden. Sounds like it is going to get very chilly tomorrow with even a chance for snow in the forecast. My garden shed and garage will be full when I move all the Fuschia into them again.

Have started browsing the garden shops for ideas for the containers for the cemeteries but have only bought seven hanging baskets of Fuschia, Spifer plant and one with Million Bells in it. I vowed this year I would wait so that I don't have so much to keep hauling back into garage and garden shed because of the chilly nights and really am proud of myself that I only have seven hanging baskets thus far. Still trying to decide where the Indigo Baptisa will go as I thought I knew just the spot when I ordered it from a catalog and now that snow is gone and I am looking at the spot it just doesn't seem like the right place for it. Have only half of the Cannas planted that my friend, Jane, gave me and still trying to decide where they should all go.

No Orioles or hummingbirds yet and I have had food out for nearly two weeks now (my brother has not had any at his acreage either). I never have them until Mother's Day weekend and they are so reliable but we are getting very close and I have not seen any yet. Don't you just love this time of the year though? Every day when we walk the Blazing Star Trail we see so many beautiful sights with the deer (usually 11 in the group), Canada geese, mallards, wood ducks, and lots of birds and of course the pelicans and turtles......I just can't wait to see what appears every day."

Okay, so she not only knows the names of all her flowers, she knows all the names of the feathered friends that visit, too. What a nature diva!!! LOL! By the way, my hummingbirds have finally started showing up and that makes me happy. They are still shy, as they haven’t buzzed me yet, but the level of the nectar in my hummingbird feeder is starting to slowly decrease.

So, I decided today is going to my be “Carol” day for the weekend.

Armed with the weedeater, I’m off to once again create some nice looking edges to my flower beds and yard. I haven’t weed-ate (is that a word?) my lawn for a couple weeks, so it is time. With Pongo out running about and playing with the cats, I can see where he is pretty much at all time, so I don’t have to worry about the milk truck or any other big trucks pulling in and making a pancake out of him. With my goggles on, I start attacking my flower beds and the edges of the yard. An hour later, I can hardly feel my arms. I forgot to mention that a couple years ago, Bob decided bigger was better. I had bought what he called “cheap” Wal-Mart weed-eaters (some I had gotten at Ace!) which didn’t seem to last long. So he decided he would buy me a Stihl weedeater. Now, I have to admit, the Stihl weedeaters are good – expensive, real expensive – but good. The other thing, and it is a bad thing, they are . . . heavy. And, he ain’t my brother! (Okay, sorry old joke – some maybe don’t even know the song!) I have to admit I can’t run that thing for very long at a time. In fact, Bob admits that once he runs that for a couple hours at a time, his back and arms are hurting. too. So, now my arms and my back are hurting. Time to quit with the weedeater and go inside to bring some more laundry out to hang out on the line.

With another load in and one on the clothesline, I decided I would do some hand-to-hand combat with the weeds. I hunkered down in the shade garden and starting yanking away. The shade garden, the 3-season garden, the cutting garden and my huge butterfly/hummingbird garden did not get mulch last year. These were some of the new beds that I put in last year. So I’m trying to see what is establishing itself for the hundreds of plants I put into these beds. I’ll get to putting the mulch on these beds in the next couple weeks. Until then, I need to weed out what is and what isn’t working –the weeds are working but I don’t want them to! Hahaha! Digging in, I’m finding that I will have to replace some plants. But that will come later, once I get the beds done. I’m not putting any more plants in these until I have them weeded and mulched. I can always dig back the mulch to fill in the bare spots. My rose garden is looking good for putting small bareroot rose plants in there last year. The hostas are doing good in there, but then hostas always do good. It will take a few years for the roses to establish themselves and grow bigger but I am pleased for now.

Oh, boy, I just realized that I really need to get some lunch on. So, I hustle inside and throw together some manicotti – we’ll see how Bob likes this! He is not much for anything tomato-sauce-based but sometimes he surprises me. Hopefully, today will be a surprise kind of day. Once in the oven, I am back outside for another 45 minutes. (By the way, I will post this recipe for everyone later). After weeding away for quite awhile, I’m thinking that it is time to head in to pop some cheese bread in the oven, check on the green beans and see how the manicotti is fairing. Bob looks like he is about ready to come in, so the timing might be just right.

All scrubbed up, Pongo’s given a treat (and checked over quickly for ticks – which I try to do each time we come in from outside), and I decided to throw together some brownies quick to put in the oven while we eat, as long as the oven is warm already. Bob’s first impression when I open the oven – which is the same usually when there is something new on the table – is “what the hell is that?” I tell him the same thing each time, try and see first. A few minutes later and no complaints – mission accomplished. He is a picky eater so if it passes the “Bob test,” it’s good. Many years back, he would find it hard to say anything bad about my cooking; now, he knows I won’t divorce him over comments made about a new dish. He has become my guinea pig, of sorts.

Many, many years ago, when I would decide to try something new and would prepare a meal and ask my sisters and mom over. The boys were too little and too picky, but the “women in my life” had more varied tastes and could handle trying something new. My sisters were also starting to come into their “own” as far as cooking went and the women could pick out the simpler things that might be missing. Although I do go by written recipes, a lot of my cooking is trial and error and a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes in the past, it has been hard-pressed to get a “true” recipe out of me, because I might not be positive about the exact quantity of something (a dash is always a dash – isn’t it?), or I may put something different in it the next time.
Anyway, the manicotti just passed muster today and that is all that counts.

With the brownies now out of the oven, the table cleared and dishes in the dishwasher, Pongo has decided he doesn’t want to go outside with me right now. Good time to start up the rider as it is time to tackle the mowing around the farm buildings.

A few days ago, Bob took out one of his most recent presents – a chainsaw he got from the boys for his birthday. While he was out playing, he cut down some little annoying saplings along the house and around the barn and other outer buildings and old rotten branches off some of the trees that were hanging way to low and in my way when I mow. What he did forget to do, however, was to pull them away, so it looks like today I am going to have to mow around these fallen soldiers until he gets the skidloader out to deal with the messes he has created. Boys and their toys – they like to take them out, play with them and then put them back again all neat and pretty in their packages, but how they forget about cleaning up the mess they make in the meantime. Do they ever grow up? Hahaha!

Three hours later and I am ready for some water, so I run the rider down by the house, kill the engine, get a drink and have a seat for a moment. Our riding mower’s power steering isn’t what it used to be, and with winding around so many objects, my arms are pooped and need a break. I’ve got a brilliant idea, maybe, so do I.

I think a 15-minute break, a glass of water and a little slice of brownie will do it. (Hmmmmm....there is a whole row already gone; I wonder where that went...a little detective work shows evidence on Bob’s face plus an empty ice cream pail. Case closed). As you can see, it doesn’t take too much of a detective to solve a case around my house!

With another load in the washer and one on the clothes line, I guess I am up to a little more weed-eater action. Very little, but just a little. A half hour later and I think I need to go pull some weeds by hand. Boy, I will be glad when these flower beds have their mulch in them, so it won’t be such a traumatic start to the gardening season next year.

Nestled in the middle of a flower bed, I’m feeling pretty proud of myself when I am digging around because as I look at my plants, I can rattle off their names just as quickly as Cousin Carol can. The only thing is . . . I’m looking at the plant markers and can see their names! LOL! Yep, Carol, I’m not as good as you are, but I can sometimes pretend to be. I’m working on it, though, I promise!

Okay, a few hours later, I’m now a dirty mess, and need to go inside to rest a bit, wash up and get my clothes off the line. Once the clothes are off the line and put away, I have a little time to sit and catch a few pages on my latest David Baldacci book, Deliver Us From Evil. I’m not going too fast on this one, which tells me I am not as interested in this series. But I know that there is a new John Sandford book, Storm Prey, coming out in the coming week, so I have to hurry to finish this first.

A few pages read and Pongo and I need to go for a walk. Once we’ve taken our little stroll and he has done his “big” duty for the night, it is time to think about supper. I’ve been contemplating it all afternoon and early evening, and I’m thinking a cheddar bacon quiche. I love to play around with this quiche recipe. Quiches are something that are nice for an evening meal because they are light. So I’m gathering the bacon, frying it up, take out a pie crust (oh yes, it is one of the few prepared things that I do buy), crack some eggs, mix it up with some milk, grab some cheddar cheese to shred and am thinking I want some other kinds of cheese, too. Okay, we’ll add some grated Romano and Parmesan, too. A pinch of sugar, some salt, pepper, and a variety of other spices (I always have to have a variety!), mix it up, throw it in the pie crust and in 35 minutes, supper will be on the table. Whew! I’m thinking I would like a drink, but I’m tired enough from all the outside work today, if I have one, I’ll be sleeping before the quiche comes out. Boy, it sure sucks to get old! This recipe (in it’s original state) is a Swiss Quiche recipe I have used over and over again from The Primrose Church Cookbook. It is a tried and true recipe that has seen many varieties in my household. I’ll post it, too, with the manicotti recipe in my next post.

Bob’s coming in from the barn, and I forgot about bread portion with our meal, so I take out some dinner rolls from the freezer and throw them in the microwave and, heaven’s to Betsy, you’d think I just pulled them from the oven! Boy, those new fangled kitchen devices are so sweet!! Hahaha! Bob’s happy with this take on the quiche recipe, so I’m going to heading to bed satisfied. A note jotted in the recipe book seals the deal.

A long day, but another fruitful one. Tomorrow’s Sierra’s confirmation and I have scalloped corn to make in the morning to take with. I think tomorrow will have to be my play day for the weekend. Excellent idea – boy, I just surprise myself sometimes when I pull these great ideas out of the hat! But, I'm thinking that I'm just going to be myself tomorrow; I can only handle trying to be Carol for one day -- she tires me out too much!