I use two computers when working on this blog. One is used to write and catalog my recipes and the other is for writing the actual posts and camera work. They were both held hostage (sort of) by the new operating system we thought was going to be just wonderful. Wonderful? NOT! My exceptionally diligent husband tried his best to get everything set up, but it just didn’t happen. It seems the new operating system doesn’t work with a lot of existing programs and applications. We finally gave up and Michael took my computers back to the previous system. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my own tech guy.

Needless to say, both of us got pretty frustrated, so what better to do than cook? Peach Cobbler Bars appeared out of nowhere.
I’m having so much fun with my new little individual pie pans. I can bake up smaller portions of many recipes and freeze the rest for later, rather than making the whole family sized dish, part of which often goes to waste. Two Chicken Pot Pies in Buttermilk Pie Crusts were just the right size.

For dessert I borrowed a recipe from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network. Her recipe for Blueberry Nectarine Crisp is easy and made use of more of those peaches in place of the nectarines.
Not all the recipes I dream up turn out right on the first try.  Case in point, Chicken Divan over Porcinini Rice. It wasn’t too hard to analyze what was wrong; the broccoli was over cooked and the sharp cheddar cheese clashed in flavor with the sauce. To correct the problems I’m making some changes both in the baking process and the type of cheese. I think venting the foil so the broccoli doesn’t continue to steam may correct that issue. The dish still does need the foil to prevent early browning. Starting with warmer ingredients to reduce the oven time should help, as well. The more neutral flavor of Monterey Jack cheese might be better. I’ve posted the revised version of this recipe and plan to test it again soon. If any of you would like, try it yourself and give me your opinion. You can email me at lizziesmom@mediacombb.net.

A more successful new recipe was Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms with Quinoa. This one nailed it, or at least in my own opinion. I’m not very well versed in the use of quinoa, but I’m learning. I wanted to try using the quinoa in place of bread crumbs or rice to up the nutritional value and reduce the white carbs. Michael is still pretty skeptical when it comes to quinoa, but he didn’t object at all.
I guess you win some and you lose some. Be thankful for what life gives you.

Last week’s menu plan turned into a Carnival Ride!  Nothing went as it should, but through it all we managed to avoid restaurants and fast food. Sunday was the calm before the storm. We enjoyed a leisurly dinner at Emily’s. She’s such a good cook! Monday all the craziness started. Something happened every day. You can forget trying to follow it all. I’m not even sure what we did, but we did manage to eat at home.
On to this week…The craziness continues!
This Sunday was almost normal. We had Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers, but not on the grill. I took the easy way out and made them in an iron skillet, stove top.

Monday once again wasn’t meatless. I don’t know what I’m thinking, but “Meatless Monday” does at least remind me to try to go meatless at least once a week. This Monday we dined late at night on Spinach and Mushroom Smothered Chicken. It seemed like we hadn’t even finished supper before it was time for bed.
Tuesday poor Lizzie had oral surgey to extract two fractured teeth. (We have no idea how she fractured them?) We kept things simple and had Tuna Salad on top of a House Salad for dinner.
I had been waiting all week for Wednesday’s Italian Tomato Pie, but we were sorely disappointed. Our tomato crop just didn’t bear as it has in the past, so I was forced to buy some tomatoes at a produce stand. Although those tomatoes looked good, they just didn’t work in the recipe. Our tomato pie was a juicy runny mess.
Thursday we fell back on a tried and true favorite, Beef and Bean Burritos. I keep Taco Seasoned Beef and Simple Refried Beans in the freezer for a quick meal. All I have to do after the beef and beans are heated is dice a few tomatoes and onions and shred some lettuce and cheese.  A little Salsa Rice is good on the side.

Friday’s dinner came with a  twist. Saucy Shrimp with Whole Corn Grits was on the calender. I started rummaging around in the freezer and a box of Cajun marinated shrimp along with some Quick and Light Cheese Grits presented themselves.  The Cajun shrimp were perfectly seasoned for the dish, and the cheese grits substituted nicely.

Along with everything else, I just couldn’t pass on this year’s peach crop. Peach Pound Cakes with Amaretto Hard Sauce were the newest addition to my peach recipe collection. We can’t enjoy a basket of fresh peaches without making a batch of Peach Ice Cream, either.
Individual Peach Pot Pies finished out the basket of peaches and gave me the oprotunity to use my new little mini pie pans.  Just when Michael thinks I have every piece of kitchen ware that was ever manufacured, I find something else I need!  Chicken pot pies sound good, don’t they?
Be thankful for what life gives you.

This time of year I’m supposed to be working my fanny off putting up fruits and veggies, and I am, but this year’s produce is so limited. The work won’t last long and it’s yield won’t last long either. I hate to think that we will have to resort to store bought products this winter. I guess I’ll have to be thankful for what little we’ve grown and then make another trip to the farmer’s market.
This year’s blueberry crop was very short. Last year I froze 12 six cup bags. This year we only got about 12 cups total. I tried to make the most of what we did have. We enjoyed a loaf of Blueberry Bread and another went into the freezer. Peach-Blueberry Upside-Down Cake is also one of our favorites, but it is only good when  freshly prepared.

The first peaches come into season when the blueberries are beginning to fade. Just as we do for May’s strawberries, we make an annual pilgramage to a local orchard for peaches, usually a couple of times, so I’ll be concentrating on peaches next.
This past week was pretty run of the mill. I changed The Sticky Menu Plan up a bit, but mostly just because I wanted to. I’m not a big fan of pizza to start with, and it didn’t strike me as appealing on Monday, so I swapped things around. We had Wednesday’s freezer food, Chicken Tortilla Casserole  on Monday instead.

I’ve been cooking up some of our home-grown tomatoes, and one of the recipes on the stove has been Pizza Sauce.  Veggie Pizza did make it to the table on Tuesday, using that homemade sauce.
More tomatoes became Homemade Marinara Sauce and was paired with some of my Meatballs for Wednesday’s Spaghetti and Meatballs.

Thursday we took a detour. On a whim, I decided to teach myself to make Pork Carnitas. This dish is a Mexican favorite of our daughter-in-law, Jen. I scoured the internet for recipes and settled on a few to combine for my own version. Uncertain of my prospective recipe, I talked Michael into going to a Mexican restaurant to sample the real thing. These flavorful cubes of pork loin can be eaten as a plain meat dish with sides of Simple Refried Beans and Salsa Rice or dressed up in a tortilla with Guacamole, Mexican Cream, or your favorite salsa. I made my first attempt at Pork Carnitas on Friday. They were pretty darned good! The carnitas were nicely browned on the outside, but still tender and juicy. Michael and I both agreed that the spices should be increased, but that’s about all that should be changed. Sometimes you just get lucky on the first try.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

and I’m losing my battle to stick to a menu plan.
We’re dealing with the uncertainty of Michael’s mother’s nursing home stay, the death of her dog, and Lizzie’s recent diagnosis of a heart problem. None of this is any worse than what others have to deal with every day, but it does complicate things. Luckily, we have a lot of “emergency food” at our disposal. A bowl of homemade soup or a BLT may not be much in the way of a gourmet diet, but it’s better than stopping for a fast food fix.
Sunday’s Stuffed Pork Tenderloin just didn’t happen. Although the pork was not out of date, it was definately spoiled. I had been craving Red Robin’s Tavern Burger, and that bad piece of meat was all the excuse I needed.
I did manage to make a batch of Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms for Meatless Monday.

Blueberry Baby Galettes in a Lemonade Crust were easy to prepare and made good use of some of our blueberry crop.  These little individual desserts aren’t all that pretty, but they are deliciously convenient, Just grab and go.
We did eat freezer food and sandwiches until Friday, when I made  Tequila Lime Chicken and Shrimp with Avocado Cream. Lesson learned: always measure ingredients that have a strong flavor, like lime juice. I didn’t this time, and the lime overpowered the delicate chicken and shrimp,  nearly ruining the dish.

Saturday we finally got to smoke those ribs that I had planned for the 4th of July.  Don’t worry,they were safely stored in the freezer until I thawed them and seasoned them on Friday. Smoked Ribs aren’t probably our best choice when it comes to a heart healthy diet, but I do enjoy them anyway!  It’s been a long week and I can be good tomorrow.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Michael’s mother’s “two or three day” stay in the hospital stretched into a full week. Needless to say, my menu plan went to pot.  We managed to avoid eating out anyway, just by switching things around a bit.
I had planned to serve the Forth of July’s leftover Smoked Ribs on Sunday. That didn’t happen.  We didn’t have time to celebrate the holiday, let alone smoke the ribs.  Instead, Pulled Pork Barbecue came from the freezer, as did  sides to go with the sandwiches.

Our homegrown Big Beef tomatoes were wonderful on some quick bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches for a late night meal on Monday. Nothing beats a true summer tomato fresh from the garden. The tomatoes are coming ripe now, and you have to deal with them pretty much as soon as that happens. I spent most of my hospital break on Monday and again Tuesday morning cooking down a couple batches of Pizza Sauce. It’s a simple recipe to prepare, and a good volume of tomatoes are reduced to a smaller quantity, waiting to provide fresh flavor to a fall football pizza. It’s nothing like the junk that comes in a jar.
Tuesday we were supposed to have Chicken Stuffed Shells, but again time ran short. I doctored up a package of meat sauce by adding fresh mushrooms and zucchini instead, and served it over spaghetti.

Wednesday night’s dinner was very, very late. In fact, we were almost too tired to eat. Krystal Style Sliders were about the best we could manage.
By Thursday things started to return to normal, but I still relied on my freezer to fix those Spinach and Chicken Stuffed Shells that we were supposed to have Tuesday. I used the filling for Chicken and Spinach Manicotti with Two Sauces, but saved time by boiling jumbo pasta shells instead of rolling manicotti. I also saved time by eliminating the two sauces. Instead, I added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to Cooking Light’s Brown Rice Cream for an Alfredo style topping sauce. It made a fast, satisfying, and healthy dinner.

Along with the shells, we had a House Salad for the first time in a week.  That salad had been sorely missed!
Michael picked the first of the blueberries this week. The first picking was only about a cup, but I used those, along with strawberries and angel food cake, to make fresh fruit parfaits. The parfaits were layered with Vanilla Cornstarch Pudding. That pudding recipe is the quickest and simplest light dessert recipe I have. It pairs beautifully with fresh fruit or your favorite chocolate sauce.

That about does it for the week, although I may make another Bacon and Hash Brown Egg Bake for the weekend. Since there are only two of us it will provide breakfast well into the week.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

This week started off fairly normally,(what ever that is for us!), but Thursday we were thrown a wild card.  You’ll see.
The week began with a lot of promise. The tomatoes and blueberries are starting to ripen, and the pink eyed peas won’t be far behind. When I reorganized my upright freezer last week I decided that a small turkey was taking up too much real estate and it was time to go. Michael put his grilling skills to good use by smoking it. I think a home Smoked Turkey is a real treat, not at all like the Thanksgiving bird. The smokey skin is not so pretty, but what lies beneath is truly delectable.

Meatless Monday was a success as well. Cooking Light Magazine has come up with a healthier alternative to heavy cream in savory dishes. I gave Cooking Light’s Brown Rice Cream a try. To be honest, the name doesn’t sound appealing, but with a difference of over 700 calories and 87 fat grams per cup I had to see for myself. It really was very good! The “cream” has chicken broth in it, so I don’t think it will work in sweet recipes, but that might be something to experiment with. Anyway, I added a little fresh Parmesan cheese and served the sauce over Butternut Ravioli. Success!
Tuesday’s dinner was good old American Salisbury Steak with Onion and Mushroom Gravy. I debated what to serve on the side…mashed potatoes or mac ‘n cheese? I finally compromised on the lower carb side with Cauliflower Baked Shells and Cheese, which has a blend of cauliflower and small shell pasta with a crunchy crumb topping.

Wednesday we put some of that smoked turkey to good use in Loaded Turkey Sandwiches. No recipe is needed to load up some smoked turkey, cheese, and whatever else strikes your fancy, but I’ve included one for what I did. That was mostly for my own benefit so I don’t forget what ingredients I used or that this type of sandwich is a dinner option.

My Loaded Turkey Sandwich was all the better because the tomatoes in our garden have started to ripen. When we bought the plants this spring I accidentally picked up one of a new variety. This is an heirloom tomato called “Black Prince”. I’m not sure if I like them or not. They ripened a little earlier than my usual “Big Beef” and seem to be fairly prolific, but with the odd color I’m having a hard time telling when they are ripe and not overly so. The flavor is a little different as well. We’ll see how I feel at the end of the season.
On Thursday everything went crazy. Michael’s mother had to be hospitalized for a few days, so all my menu plans changed. I often leave one day a week “undecided” in my menu planning. That’s a day I have the option of doing as I please, be it anything from using up more leftovers to going out to eat. This week, undecided meant hospital cafeteria food. Friday’s Grilled Ahi Tuna will have to stay in the freezer yet again, and Saturday’s Smoked Ribs will have to wait as well.
Anyway, HAPPY FORTH OF JULY! Stay safe, and as always:
Be thankful for what life gives you.

It’s been hotter than Hades around here lately, but I took advantage of the heat to get my upright freezer cleaned out. That freezer is in the garage and isn’t frost free. I just open the garage door, empty the contents of the freezer into coolers, and let Mother Nature do the work. I collect the melting ice water into a pan and give the bushes outside a nice cool drink while I’m at it. While I’m waiting for the ice to melt I update my freezer inventory and discard what little has gotten old. At the end of of the morning’s work I have a nice clean and organized freezer ready for the new garden season, and quite a feeling of accomplishment.
This past Saturday we had a combined celebration of Father’s Day and Aaron’s birthday. Michael smoked a Boston butt for Pulled Pork Barbecue, one of our favorites. We serve it on whole wheat buns with a choice of Big Bob Gibson’s White Sauce or homemade Rib Sauce on top.

Coleslaw, Krazy Jane Style is good with the pork as well.
Slow-Cooked Baked Beans are a mandatory menu item anytime we have a barbeque, as is potato salad.

I usually serve Emily’s Potato Salad, but this time I thought Roasted Garlic Potato Salad sounded good. I don’t think the rest of the family agreed with my choice, as there was a lot of potato salad left.  I wasn’t too worried about the garlic in the potato salad because we had Easy Creamy Mac ‘n Cheese, too.  Our tomatoes aren’t quite ready, so we made a special trip to a local produce market for the season’s first garden fresh tomatoes.  They were delicious in a Caprese Salad.

I went a little crazy on desserts that day! Needing to use some more of last year’s blueberry crop before the new ones come in I did a serch for blueberry desserts. I decided to try Betty Crocker’s Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. That recipe is one I’ll keep. I think it would work with peaches, too. While I was getting the blueberries from the freezer a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie jumped out at me. Why not? We had that, too. On top of it all, Michael requested Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. I made that, too!
Sunday’s just for Michael’s Fathers Day dinner was his favorite chicken liver dinner. As I’ve said before, the only time I deal with chicken livers it IS a gift. I don’t personally like anything about them. It was more pulled pork, etc. for me, and there were still leftovers for later in the week.
Wednesday’s dinner was supposed to be Beer Can Chicken. I didn’t look at the recipe early enough and when I started to prep the rub realized there wasn’t enough time. We eat late as it is, but there are limits to every thing. I just swapped my stickies around and we had Thursday’s Eggplant Lasagna instead. That worked out just fine.

Besides having great flavor, smoking Beer Can Chicken is so much fun. I use the leftovers as a filling for Smoky Chicken Barbecue Sandwiches.
It hasn’t rained here in weeks and I forget to take the weather into account in my menu planning. Friday we were supposed to grill Ahi Tuna Steaks, but a much welcomed rain storm changed that. No Problem. We finished off the rest of the Eggplant Lasagna. The grilled tuna can wait its’ turn. My gardens would rather have the rain.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

Last weekend began with a qiuck 42nd Anniversary get-away trip to Birmingham for a Garth Brooks concert. I can’t say it was the best concert we’ve ever been to, but the evening as a whole was great. We took the dogs to the kennel early Friday morning and enjoyed a leisurely day, dinner at Ragtime Cafe, no rush to find our seats at the concert, and a hotel for the night. Saturday was our actual anniversary and we spent a little time exploring Oak Mountain State Park.

Sunday it was time to pick the dogs up and get back to the real world. We kept dinner simple and killed two birds with one stone by adding some Italian Grilled Chicken to our House Salad.
Since we had eaten so much, actually way too much on our little trip, we kept Monday not only Meatless, but light. I’ve been working on cleaning out the freezers (again) in anticipation of the new harvest and still have a lot of Fresh Tomato Soup stored away. Fresh Tomato, Spinach, and Tortellini Soup was just right for Monday night.

Tuesday we reverted back to our old habits with Emily’s Chile Rellenos II over Salsa Rice . Black beans were an authentic side item. I cook them using the recipe for Southern Style Pinto Beans and divide the large pot of beans into meal sized portions for the freezer. You know, my freezers will NEVER be empty.
Wednesday’s dinner was rather boring. I pulled some Brunswick Stew out of my bottomless freezer. Michael wasn’t crazy about that one, but we’ve got to use it sometime, and it gave me a day off  from the kitchen without going out to eat.

I made up for my laziness on Thursday with a repeat of Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu. Cordon Bleu is not your usual, same old, boring chicken dinner. As impressive as it is, it does take some effort to prepare. I don’t think it’s one you could make ahead. I may try it the next time, though. There is a similar product in the grocery store’s freezer case.
Friday night I worked on writing a new recipe. I’m calling it Cajun Jambalaya. It’s similar to most New Orleans jambalaya, but instead of cooking rice into the dish I thought it might be interesting to serve it over the rice. This time I used pasta since we just had rice the night before. Another departure from typical Cajun cooking is the use of cornstarch as the thickener instead of a roux. That’s a real time saver. The combination of chicken, shrimp, and andouilli sausage was a hit, but a little on the spicy side, even for us. Next time I work on this recipe I’ll back off on the Emeril’s Essence a bit. Try making Cajun Jambalaya for yourself and see what you think.
Last weekend was also Aaron’s birthday. He was our 5th anniversary present. Saturday all the kids and grandkids are coming for a combination birthday/Father’s Day celebration. I’m slacking off a bit by serving a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie, again from the freezer!
One of the nice things about this past week is that we had no appointments or commitments. I was able to follow The Sticky Menu Plan just as it was written. That’s a rare thing these days.
Be thankful for what life gives you.

A lot has gone on since I wrote my last post. Mid-May was spent in our favorite place on Earth, St. George Island. St. George is definately not part of the “Redneck Riviera” like some Gulf Coast beaches. In fact, there is very little to do there but walk the beach, watch the dolphins, or eat, and that’s why we love it. Apalachicola is only a short drive away on the Mainland for those who desire the tourist experience. However, this year’s visit was bitter-sweet. We have rented the same house for the past 16 years, and it truly did feel like a second home, but after this visit dogs will not be welcome and we’ll have to find a new place to rent. I’m afraid our vacation will never be the same.

After we returned home I had a short pre-planned stay in the hospital. I’m doing well, but did take a little time off. Now I have to get back to work!
One of the reasons I started using my Sticky Menu Plan was to have the flexibility to cook what we feel like eating without wasting any groceries. That’s exactly what I did last Sunday. I had planned a Greek dish, but that just didn’t sound good at the time, so Michael fixed The Brat Tub on the grill.  We enjoyed to brats with Slow-Cooked Baked Beans for a simple and relaxing dinner.

The next day we skipped Meatless Monday in favor of Sunday’s slated entree, Big Spring Jam Greek Chicken Salad. With a few extra veggies thrown in, it tasted much better on Monday than it would have the day before and the chicken is only a small part of the dish, so it was almost meatless. That’s my story, anyway.
Tour the World Tuesday I served an old stand-by, Beef and Bean Burritos. I almost always have some Taco Seasoned Beef in the freezer. By adding a few pantry and produce staples, these burritos are a quick and easy meal that we enjoy often. (Whops! No picture! We enjoy these burritos so often I though for sure I had taken a picture before.?) Anyway, the bean part is Simple Refried Beans, also from the freezer, and Salsa Rice rounds it all out.

A little bowl of Guacamole made this meal taste like we were in one of our Mexican restaurants. Now where are the margaritas?
Friday evening was spent down in Birmingham at the Ragtime Cafe. Happy 42nd Anniversary, Michael!
Be thankful for what life gives you.

At Monday’s baseball game Kelton hit a home run with two bases loaded and made the game winning run. We were centainly glad that we were there to see it!
Luckily, the game was a late one, so we were able to eat before we went. We observed Meatless Monday with Quinoa Confetti Stuffed Zucchini . The recipe makes 4 servings, so I already had some of the stuffing in the freezer from a previous meal. All I had to do was prepare the zucchini boats and pop it all in the oven. An extra zucchini was sauteed in a skillet until it caramelized and was served on the side.

It’s strawberry time again, but my time has been very short this year and I wasn’t able to take full advantage of the crop. A new recipe for Strawberry Banana Bread did make it to the oven though. It will come in handy next week!

OK, I got busy and I forgot to post this a whole month ago! Check back in a few days and you’ll find out why.