SATURDAY: What's Cookin'? 5/26/18

[cooktocook]

Staring us off--Lori

[cooktocook]

Good morning friends.  Today is a "sweet" day--National Blueberry Cheesecake Day and National Cherry Dessert Day.

I'm up earlier then I wanted to be as the strong winds and heavy rains are doing it's thing out there already this morning.

Chris, what a lovely and relaxing way to fall asleep last night, listening to the sounds of the waves at the beach.  Hope your sleep was a good one and today will be the same for you and DH.  Resort owners down here are very unhappy with the loss of customers this holiday weekend due to our weather conditions.

Plans as of right now are to do some cooking since being outside won't be happening.  I have chicken defrosted and plan to make two small batches of chicken soups for the freezer which DH will enjoy in his lunch.  Thinking I may not need all of the chicken and have leftover; if that is the case, I'll make something with it for dinner.  DH is planning to start masking off and painting the living room/dinning room. 

Time to get the coffee going.  Hope to stop back in later in the day.  Waving and wishing all a great day!

Lori

[annrms]

Good Saturday morning! Didn't get here yesterday.
Tammy - Glad you made it to OK safely. My DH's mother was also better in the AM. Sending prayers and good thoughts.
Chris - Enjoy your stay in Wells. We would rent a cottage right on the ocean in Seabrook, NH when I was a youngster. I remember waking up to the sound of the waves...I was usually too tired to listen to them long when I went to bed after playing all day!! Hope you don't get any storms this afternoon.
Lori - My gosh, your weather is definitely nasty. I missed the reason why you want dehydrated strawberries...!
Hope to get outside to take control of the yard. It is very overgrown!
Tonight we are having pork chops (maybe on the grill) and a medley of roasted sweet potato, peppers, onions, zucchini, and asparagus.
Duchess is meowing for her breakfast...mom left her kitchen door open last night since it was so warm so when I opened the connecting door, she came barreling down to me!! Best meet her demands before she starts scratching at my legs...! Back later!

[cooktocook]

Ann, I wanted the dried strawberries for a recipe I have for a Banana-Split Zucchini Bread.  I hear you on the over-grown yard.  With all the rain we've gotten the last two weeks and now this weekend, DH is going to have a hard time cutting when he can finally get out there.  I've also noted a lot of weeds have popped up in the borders as well that will need tending to.  With all this rain, bet you can just imagine the amount of mosquitoes we'll be seeing soon!

Lori

[cfniervt]

Good morning friends.

Thanks Lori for starting us off.

Ann- I loved falling asleep to the sound of the waves. Woke at 4and listened for a bit and it put me right back to sleep!

Lori- I did see that you were supposed to get hit hard with storms. I hope you get some relief soon.

Tammy- My Mom was better in the mornings too. I hope you get some good time with her. Hugs to you and Dave.

Chris (about to go look for a good HC)

[nancycooksnj]

Good morning friends.

It's going to be another hot one here. Got a lot done on my day off yesterday. Hung Uncle Sam on my front door and put the bunting up on the porch. Everything looks so nice. Especially with the 2 wicker chairs that have the blue cushions. They go well the with the red distressed brick on the porch.

Last night we ordered pizza, mussels and fried chicken wings. It's a place oldest DD likes but I'm not crazy for it.  Youngest DD spent the night at a friends house. I'm going to pick her up soon as the girls and I are going to the mall for summer clothes.  Our pool opens today but I don't think we'll make it as youngest DD have hair cuts this afternoon.

Not sure what I'm cooking tonight.

Enjoy your day.

Nancy

[marjo]

Have made 2 pans of mixed fruit cobbler and baked one for Chuck's it is Linda's b-day, baked the homemade buns, have potatoes already to bake, split little ones and put sprayed canola oil on them with garlic powder, parmesan cheese and smoked paprika and will bake so bottoms get crusty. Have 2 chickens on cans of chicken broth to put on the grill, put little garlic powder and Cookies enhanced powder and smoked paprika on them to grill. Have 3 salads in the fridge so that will be dinner. anxious to see my girls and DS!!

Red decided he likes to lay under the dumpster in the shade. I think in house with ceiling fan and air would be better but he must be tired of being in the house. He was outside all yesterday too. It is to be 97* today. So it has been really hot.

Nancy your house sounds pretty all ready for the holiday. I wish I had a big flag pole and I have said that so many years I just gave up. I would put a light on it to have it lit at night.

Sounds like you are busy Lori. The soups sounds good to me. I like soup when weather it is hot or cold. Hope you don't get the storms.

Chris sounds like you had a good sleep! I have always wanted a cabin on a lake. Guess that maybe will always be a want! I use to love to water ski and be on the boat fishing or just driving around. Was a great time. Now will be hard to get in the boat anymore!! Darn old age!!

Marlene

[cooktocook]

Friends, I just had to sit down quickly tell you something now that I have my two batches of soup done and dinner slowly cooking away (Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice).

This morning coming back from the store south of here on I-75, DH and I witnessed a car hit a cougar as it tried to cross the road.  The car was sightly a head of us in the right lane and it didn't even slow down or stop.  DH pulled the truck over and we got out to look at the poor thing--it was dead already.  With our feet, we sort of pushed it off the lane and to the side of the road so nobody would run over the body then went back to the truck.  We called to report what had happened and asked them how long it would be until they could pick up the body.  Surprise, they have no money to come out and pick up the body of every animal that dies on a roadside--they said leave it and the other animals will take care of it.  Upset, DH went home, got a shovel, and went back to give it a burial.  Our good deed for the day!

Walmarts by the house or the bigger one we went down to did not have my dried strawberries.  I'll be going to TJ's some time later this week.

Crown molding is painted and now DH is getting ready to make his spaghetti sauce for our dinner tomorrow.

Marlene, your dinner has me licking my lips!  Some good, no, make that great cooking happening at your place today!

Nancy, your decorated front porch sounds inviting!

Lori

[cfniervt]

Hello Missy- Waving at you from Vermont (via Maine at the moment) She meant the 2 Walmarts by her. Therefore plural.

Lori- I would like that bread recipe. Sounds inviting, something I would like to try. So sad about the cougar. I hate to see any animal get hit and then just left. Up here they offer you the animal if you hit it. Like a deer or such. You can have the meat. Mostly they take it to county homes for nursing home use.

Marlene- You need to come visit me! I am really close to the ocean. Just 2 hour drive. And several lakes right by us in Vermont.

Chris (just beat her DH at mini golf)

[annrms]

Afternoon, friends. Hot and humid here...ick.
Lori - So sorry about the cougar; DH did a good thing. Sorry that neither of the Walmarts you visited had the dehydrated strawberries, but now you get to go to Trader Joe's!!!!! I just read on my news feed that FL has declared a state of emergency...stay safe!!!
Nancy - Your porch decorations sound lovely.
Marlene - I love the way you are cooking the potatoes. Love smoked paprika! What's enhanced powder? I have a device that I use on the grill for "butt cooking" chicken. I pour the liquid into a vertical vessel that is welded to a square plate that goes onto the grill grates. You have reminded me to dig it out to use. Lately, I've been spatching my whole chickens to cook them flat weighted down with a brick wrapped in foil. Sunny on "The Kitchen" (Food Network) used a cast iron skillet that had thinly sliced sweet potato and onion arranged in a spiral. LINK
I did go outside to work in the yard, but I had to come in after an hour. It was just too sunny and hot for me. Took a refreshing shower then made some chicken/turkey salad for tomorrow. I have chicken thighs thawing for "Garlic Paprika Chicken" that I had planned for tomorrow, but they won't be thawed; will have them on Tuesday.
While outside, I scoped out where my fresh oregano plants have self seeded. Wow! I have a number of clumps! I'll be using it in a recipe for "Greek Ribs". My tarragon didn't winter over, but I have lots of thyme and sage, too. One clump of my lovage came up; I'm pleased about that. Love using that in pasta & potato salads. My pink spiderwort has spread a lot. It's in flower now so I won't thin it out until the flowers pass.
DH will be cooking the pork chops on the grill!!! He has brined the chops, and they await...! Back tomorrow. Waving!

[marjo]

Kids left and sent home all the leftovers. I have one dish of broccoli cauliflower salad and 1 bowl of mixed fruit cobbler left over. Bill went after the almond bars I made he loves that stuff. We had a nice short visit. They wanted to get home. I think he will take the boat out this week-end. Today would have been a great day. It is so stinkin hot here you don't feel like being outside.

Jason came over and got his boat out of my garage. He must have plans also. Linda came over and got her cobbler for them.

Have a nice week-end!!

Marlene

[tamaralynn]

Good Afternoon!

Today we spent a lot of the time with DMIL. I don't think she knew us. She kept her eyes closed all the time, but every so often she would mumble something. The sisters told us she may have had another small stroke, since it seem one side of her face doesn't move like the other. We never could really understand her. We think she said water, so we used the straw and dropped water in her mouth, she seemed to like that.

We got there about 9, then I left to go and pick up DSIL and bring her back. After we visited with mom, as best we could, we left and came by the house to tend to the dogs, then went and got some lunch. We dropped DSIL off at her house.  We went back to the nursing home and the other DSIL was there. Older DSIL caught a ride with a neighbor and came back over. So all three of the siblings were there all afternoon with their mom. The hospice nurse came by and checked on mom. He said no changes that he could see. The sisters said she seems calmer this weekend. She was mumbling loudly and seemed agitated last weekend.

We aren't hungry right now so not sure if we will be interested in any supper. There is a Long John Silvers nearby that sounds good if we get hungry in a few hours. We don't get that often since there is not one in our town.

Lori, sad about the cougar, but it was kind of you to follow up and get the creature buried.

Chris, sounds like you are having a ball!

Marlene, that was a short visit, but glad it went well, and I'm sure they were very well fed.

Your decorations sound so nice Nancy.

Ann,  it is hot here also. Glad I was able to spend the day in the ac.

Going to go and relax for awhile doing cross stitch on the tablet. Have a nice evening friends.

[marjo]

Ann the flavoring I used is a Cookie brand and is made in Wall lake, IA. So you probably can not get there and don't know if you go to their website maybe you could order it. They started to make a BBQ sauce then got into the other flavorings. It comes in a medium jar and you just shake it on.

Tammy does not sound good for MIL. Those strokes can be so bad. Glad you got there and could see her. You are in my prayers.

Yes, I think DS was bored and wanted to get home as he has fishing on the mind and would be a great day to be on the water. Hope they get to go tomorrow or Monday.

Marlene