Thursday, June 28, 2018 What's Cookin'

[annrms]

Good morning, friends! Sorry I didn't get on yesterday. Spent most of the day cleaning up the pollen and junk from the back porch. Big job done...relief! I also got another batch of Ghee done. I didn't cook last night...just warmed up leftovers.
Chris - Congratulations on your certification; you worked hard for it. Celebrate well! Hope the hives have abated.
Lori - Happy 37th anniversary! Hope you enjoyed your special meal.
Tammy - Safe travels!
Elza - Hope you are having a good time!
Nancy - Those spuds look really good...I made something similar years back that used slices of sweet and white potatoes. They were good; don't know why I've not made them again. I'll definitely make the herbed ones. Thanks for posting. The picture of the "cats" was cute.
Bet - Know what you are saying about Murphy's Law days.
Birdy - Love the poem!! Made me smile. How'd the pot roast turn out?
No big plans for today...we are under a heavy rain and thunderstorm alert. Low tornado threat, but forecasters say it's not zero!!! Have a lunch date with some of my fellow retirees. I already looked at the menu online and will have a salad with all sorts of different veggies, brussies, kale, golden beets, etc. with a whole grain mustard vinaigrette.
Waving! Hope to get back later. Enjoy the day!

[tamaralynn]

Good Morning !

Thanks Ann for starting us. I'm just checking in to say hello, and bye. Need to finish packing and get on the road. We will stop in Dallas for lunch. Obviously no cooking today.

Enjoy your lunch today Ann. The salad sounds good.

Gotta run! Make it a fantastic day!

[Tasty]

Safe travels Tammy!

Thanks for starting us off Ann.  I was out for lunch yesterday and had a chicken club salad - everything that would be on a chicken club sandwich but on a bed of lovely greens, not as healthy as the one you are planning for today but really, really good nevertheless!

Having been out for lunch, we also went out for a really great supper - the local strawberry social.  Not the healthiest supper if you include the cake and ice cream but . . .  For $7 per person there were no complaints.

This morning our canning group is making strawberry jam - 3 or 4 different recipes.  Last year we got 'complaints' that we had no PLAIN strawberry jam, only some fancy versions so today we will make plain and fancy jams.

Hubby will be golfing tonight so I will raid the fridge and see what's there for my supper.

Have a wonderful day 🙂

[marjo]

Thanks Ann for starting us today.

 Chris congratulations on your certification!! I am sure you worked so hard to get it. It seems anything with HUD has to be difficult.

Lori Happy Anniversary to you and DH!! I am sure you fixed a great meal for you two to enjoy.

Tammy safe travels to you and Dave.

Nothing is planned for today. I did sleep in a little today. Covered my head and ignored Red. He is outside and cruising the whole farm for critters right now.

I did mow the lawn yesterday. So good job done.

I need to go out and pull my rhubarb so don't know if it will happen to day or when but is on the plan to get done.

It is to be in high 90's today and 100 tomorrow. I got a refund check from Mom's funeral so need to get it to the bank also. Will see how the day goes.

Marlene

[nancycooksnj]

Good morning friends.

Thanks for starting us off Ann.

Lori, Happy belated wedding anniversary to you and your DH!

I have bone-in chicken thighs in the fridge. Not sure what I'll make with them yet.

We had thunderstorms throughout the night last night. Thankfully I was asleep and didn't see all the lightning bolts :| .  It looks like the sun is trying to come out but the paper indicates more rain.

Enjoy your day.

Nancy

[nybirder]

Good morning, all. Chris--congratulations on surviving your HUD certification!

We have had 2 days of gentle rain--so welcome since we've had only half of the usual this month. Things are looking better already--including the weeds, unfortunately. Ann--the weather giving us this rain appears to be moving your way and developing more than we had. Hope you don't get severe storms. It was nice to get rain for once without worrying about severe weather.

Ann--my pot roast in the Instant Pot turned out really well this time. For one thing, I bought my usual 2"-thick and nicely marbled chuck instead of using a leaner cut like the one I did last time. I should have known better but it was on sale. So was this one--discounted almost 20% because it was near the sell-by date. I pressure cooked it for 35 minutes instead of 40 with a full natural release and it was just right.

I am really enjoying this Instant Pot. No baby-sitting it while it's cooking and no heat generated by a stove top. I really like the fact that it automatically shuts off when the time is up and will keep the food warm if I want. I don't have much patience for waiting for a slow cooker so this fits my personality. LOL!

Have a good day, all.

Birdy

[wilderness]

Good morning. 57 and it was raining hard earlier. It started about 2 yesterday afternoon and apparently rained all night. We got almost an inch of much needed rain. However after this afternoon when it starts back up again for a few hours there is no more in sight for 10 days. Starting Saturday we are to be in the 90's for 6 days. Fortunately our humidity will only be in the 50's. I am off to a slow start this morning. Power went off a little after 11 last night and didn't come back on until 3:30 this morning. That meant not much sleep as the generator kept me awake.

Yesterday was a day of Murphy's law. I had planned to clean up the area at the top of the hill which meant cutting up a couple of logs and getting a pile of fire wood moved. Got all the equipment up there, plugged in the chainsaw and it would work. Finally realized that the fountain also wasn't running. Finally determine that the GF receptacle apparently is bad. Did get a trailer and a half of fire wood moved to the house, rolled the logs to the side so I could mow the area. I had spent so much time trying to figure out why the electric wasn't working that I decided to head for Walmart. I noticed as I was going by the house next door there was water running down the drive to the road. Stopped to check it out only to discover that the tenants that had left left the garbage outside rather than in the garbage bin where it belonged thus garbage all over the yard. Went inside to find one of the toilets was leaking and had filled up the septic system and had overflowed onto the floor in the bathroom. Came home and called the owner to tell him since there are guests coming in tomorrow. Gathered up a box fan, trash bags and old towels to clean up the mess over there and turned off the water pump. By that time it had started to rain and didn't really want to go shopping in the rain. By this time I wasn't in a mood to do anything.

Since it has stopped raining supposedly until later this afternoon I will head to Walmart this morning. When I get back still have 7 reports to get done and a newspaper article to get written and submitted. I need to clean next door but with the owner there am not sure how that is going to play out.

Anne, hope you don't get those severe storms.  Have a enjoyable lunch with friends.

Marlene, was Red upset with you for ignoring him this morning?  I know he can be persistent.

Tammy, enjoy your lunch with Mary and also the reunion.  Safe travels.

Nancy, hope you get to see the sun today.  We didn't have any thunder last night but Tstorms are in the forecast for this afternoon.

Birdy, loved your poem yesterday.  You sure are enjoying your instant pot.  I love to cook and watch things on the stove.  Generally speaking even things that go in the slow cooker I would rather do in a cast iron pot on the stove top.

As usual I have no idea what I will have for dinner tonight.

Have a great day.

Bet

[nybirder]

I always enjoyed Ogden Nash. Another favorite:

The Lord in His wisdom made the fly.
And then forgot to tell us why!

I usually don't mind puttering at the stove but when it gets to be 90 with a dewpoint over 70 I appreciate anything that gets me away from there! LOL!

I have some peaches to use up plus some honey granola I bought for some unknown reason. I found an easy recipe for peach crisp that uses granola as a quick topping. I may try it this afternoon.

Birdy

[marjo]

We did get a terrible storm and it is still grumbling out there. I had to run out in the rain and some hail as one of my garage doors came open. Chuck put up the openers on each one outside of doors and think we better take them down as I think the lightning or something set it off. It was going back and forth. So had to go out and keep pushing the one inside to get it down. Let me tell you I was soaked, second bath for the day!! My yard is full of leaves. Of course I lost the dish and had to go back to antenna to get t.v. Makes you wonder why you pay for dish? Every time it storms we lose it. I just had it checked yesterday as could not get the antenna one to work. The wind had switched my antenna so today it now works!! My excitement for the day!

Marlene

[cooktocook]

Hello friends.  Today is National Ceviche Day and National Tapioca Day.

Thank you all for the anniversary wishes. 

Birdy and Tasty, I baked today your Blueberry Orange breads.  They are cooling now on the counter as I type so I will wait probably until tomorrow morning to sample each.  Thank you both again for sharing the recipes.  I will have to take a break from baking as I'm out of eggs, however, after a trip to both Publix and BJ's tomorrow, I'll be able to resume the baking this weekend.

Got word that FIL saw a specialist and with the pain and discharge he is having from his breast, they will be setting him up for a mammo.  MIL and her nasty tongue threw all kind of digs at me, but I felt it best not to fight back as I think her fear about FIL was lashing out.  Instead, when she was finished racking me over the coals I calmly just told her that I would have DH call her when he gets in from work.

Our population just swelled due to the Powerboat Races that will be held on July 4th.  Lots of big boats everywhere you turn in town and according to the local news, long waits anywhere can be expected if going out to eat.  It also seems that we have those already celebrating the 4th as firecrackers, bottle rockets, etc. have been booming and banging left and right and will most likely continue throughout next week.

Was going to make something new for dinner tonight that I saw in a BHG magazine called Chicken with Olives, but somewhere I have misplaced the recipe.  I'll have to get Tony (St. Anthony) on the job.  Was planning a later dinner since DH wanted to go outside and pull weeds, but it looks pretty black out there now and I hear thunder in the background.  There was a flash of lightning, so sorry, time to get off the computer.

Have a great night everyone.  Waving to all!

Lori

[annrms]

Good afternoon! Back from lunch and long chats with friends...catching up! The salad I ordered was absolutely delicious. I have to find a recipe for the whole grain mustard vinaigrette! Salad was just the right size so I will be hungry for supper later!
Lori -Is this the recipe you have Tony looking for?!?!? This one is from March 2018...other recipes when I did a search were from 2008. www.bhg.com/recipe/sheet-pan-chicken-with-lemons-and-green-olives/
Waving!

[cooktocook]

Thanks Ann, but no that is not the recipe I had Tony looking for--it must have been one of the older ones.  Anyway, Tony told me to look on top of the bookcase and there it was.  Glad I found it because it was a fast and very good chicken dish--I'll make it again since DH called it a keeper.  I served it with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob.  Lori

Chicken With Olives-----Makes 4 servings

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 T. olive oil

1medium onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1  15-oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1  5.75-oz. jar of sliced pitted green olives, drained

1  2.25-oz. can of sliced, pitted ripe olives, drained

2 T. capers, drained (I didn't use)

2 T. finely shredded lemon peel

1 t. dried oregano, crushed

3 T. snipped fresh parsley

1-In a large skillet, brown chicken in hot oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, turning once.  Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.  Add onion to skillet.  Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally and adding garlic for the last 1 minute of cooking.

2-Stir tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon peel, and oregano into onion mixture (I felt it was very thick so I added about 7 or 8-oz of water to the mixture).  Place chicken on tomato mixture.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer covered, 13 to 15 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170*F).

3-To serve, place chicken on platter.  Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper.  Spoon tomato mixture over chicken.  Sprinkle with parsley.

[wilderness]

Lori, that chicken recipe sounds great.  I think I might try that.  Love olives.  Glad you found it.

As usual today had been crazy.  Not worth discussing.  Did make dinner but not what I had planned in my mind but what time permitted.  Pulled linguini with whit clam sauce from the freezer and a homemade Italian bread which I broiled with garli cheese butter.

Bet

[annrms]

Yum! I did see that recipe in the search. I've printed out yours!