Potato Salad

Summer is coming to an end quickly but I still had a hungering for potato salad so thought I would try this new recipe.

Potato Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 potatoes (peeled) and cut in half
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sweet relish
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • Salt and pepper to your taste
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes; drain and chop coarsely.
  2. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover then remove from heat and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, peel then chop coarsely.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, sweet relish, garlic, mustard, mayonnaise and the salt and pepper. Gently mix together and serve warm.
I made 1 1/2 times the original recipe and left out the celery. The potatoes came out perfect – not overcooked. And I learned a new way to boil the eggs so that they can be peeled easily without cracking the skin when peeling.
Enjoy!
Click here to be directed to the original recipe at allrecipes.com.
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Blah

Image courtesy of Microsoft Images

I’m having a blah day. Ever have one of those? This is my second blah day. I can still function on these days but they leave me with a sense of — blahness.

Perhaps it’s the change of weather going from summer to autumn. But I enjoy autumn so much that I can’t imagine that’s it.

My hands have been hurting recently and I didn’t get much sleep the last couple of days. I worked in the front yard turning the grass and dirt over with a shovel, using a hoe to de-compact the grass from the dirt then tossing the grass in the yardwaste container. When that was done, I laid weed control tarp down and then took the long walk with my wagon to the chip pile that was made when we had the large branches from the downed trees removed.

The chip pile is located at the back of our property. With a short shovel, I dug into the chip pile and heaved it into the wagon. Back and forth I went several times so that I could use these wood chips for mulch in our front yard.

I told myself I would not work past 1:00 p.m. so went to look at the time. 10:45 a.m.  Are you kidding me? I thought I had been out there for quite awhile and was tiring quickly. I’d only been working an hour and a half and had gotten quite a bit done.

But — my hands hurt. I believe it’s from the yard work I did. Perhaps I did too much too quickly.

I was kind to my hands last evening. Warm water, lotion, massage … today they are still sore.

Maybe arthritis? A friend, they are in their 70’s, told me that it doesn’t get any better. Bodies wear down quickly once you turn 50.

We’ll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully the blahness will go away.

A friend of mine whose almost 80 told me that since I wasn’t used to doing this kind of work that I probably stretched some tendons out. He advised I soak then in cold then hot water to get the blood flowing through my hand. I’ll have to try that soon.

In the meantime, I’ll have to trudge through today running errands and hoping the blahness wears off.

 

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Macaroni and Cheese

One of our favorite homemade dishes is Three-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese.

Three Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 cups milk (I use skim milk)
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Gouda cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • Bread crumbs (optional)
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions for the minimum time then drain and put the macaroni back in the pot
  3. In a 3 quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, melt the butter then stir in the flour until it is absorbed
  4. Add the milk then stir using a whisk. Cook over medium heat making sure to stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. (Make sure you get all the edges of the pot so that there are no clumps in the bottom.)
  5. Stir in the cheeses, the Worcestershire sauce and the salt.
  6. Remove from heat and continue stirring until the cheeses are melted
  7. Add the cheese sauce to the macaroni and stir
  8. Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs if you desire
  9. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned and/or sauce is bubbly
You can use low fat cheeses for this recipe along with the skim milk.
Enjoy!
I found this recipe in one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks called 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes.
[amazon_link id=”0025429655″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]1,000 Vegetarian Recipes[/amazon_link]
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Painting the New House

Moving into our new house 4 1/2 months ago, we knew that we were going to have a lot of painting to do and/or have done.

Last week, the painters came to paint the living room, dining room and hallway. Since the stairway area has vaulted ceilings, it wasn’t a “do-it-yourself” project. It would have taken me forever.

We hired a company by the name of Renovation Painting. What a nice group of people they are! Every step of the way they had me check to make sure things were being done the way I wanted them to be. The owner, Wade, was also able to do a minor handyman job for us — lowering the TV a foot down from above the fireplace. Now we don’t feel like we’re in a theatre looking up in the sky to watch our TV.

Olive Colored Walls - Before the Painting
After the Painting - Cream Colored Walls

The difference is like night and day.

The olive color went all the way up stairs. The previous owner was a decorator but I don’t know why she used dark colors for everything.

Before the Painting
After the Painting

Now we need to move the furniture from the family room into the living room. Oh wait! We need to buy family room furniture first.

Little by little this house is starting to look like what we envision.

 

 

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Easy Tip for Spaghetti Sauce

I don’t normally make spaghetti sauce from scratch instead opting to buy the already-made-ones at the store as they are quick in a pinch.

However, I do like to accent the store bought spaghetti sauce with fresh vegetables.

Fresh Vegetables

Normally I add broccoli, green pepper, onions and carrots. But you can add whatever you like.

First I add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium sized skillet. I wait until the oil is warm and then add the fresh vegetables. I keep stirring until the vegetables are cooked. If you want crisper onions though, you can add them at a later time once the other vegetables are cooked.

Once the vegetables are cooked, I add the spaghetti sauce and stir to get everything mixed together.

Then, I add the sauce to the cooked spaghetti and mix it all up.

Spaghetti with fresh vegetables

It seems simple enough, but I never would have thought of doing it until a friend of mine made it this way.

Chockful of vitamins.

I hope you try this helpful tip if you aren’t already doing it.

 

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This Man Receives Sinners

Image courtesy of Microsoft Images

“As the “publicans and sinners” gathered about Christ, the rabbis expressed their displeasure. “This man receives sinners,” they said, “and eats with them.”

By this accusation they insinuated that Christ liked to associate with the sinful and vile, and was insensible to their wickedness. The rabbis had been disappointed in Jesus. Why was it that one who claimed so lofty a character did not mingle with them and follow their methods of teaching? Why did He go about so unpretendingly, working among all classes? If He were a true prophet, they said, He would harmonize with them, and would treat the publicans and sinners with the indifference they deserved. It angered these guardians of society that He with whom they were continually in controversy, yet whose purity of life awed and condemned them, should meet, in such apparent sympathy, with social outcasts. They did not approve of His methods. They regarded themselves as educated, refined, and pre-eminently religious; but Christ’s example laid bare their selfishness.

It angered them also that those who showed only contempt for the rabbis and who were never seen in the synagogues should flock about Jesus and listen with rapt attention to His words. The scribes and Pharisees felt only condemnation in that pure presence; how was it, then, that publicans and sinners were drawn to Jesus?

They knew not that the explanation lay in the very words they had uttered as a scornful charge, “This man receives sinners.” The souls who came to Jesus felt in His presence that even for them there was escape from the pit of sin. The Pharisees had only scorn and condemnation for them; but Christ greeted them as children of God, estranged indeed from the Father’s house, but not forgotten by the Father’s heart. And their very misery and sin made them only the more the objects of His compassion. The farther they had wandered from Him, the more earnest the longing and the greater the sacrifice for their rescue.”

Christ’s Object Lessons pg 185, 186/Luke 15:1, 2

Nothing more needs to be said than what this writer has said. Jesus came to show us the love of God the Father and He did not care what class the person was. May we treat each other the way Christ treats us – always with love.

 

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The Green Room

The Green Room is a very nice restaurant in Stillwater, Minnesota. It has entrances in the front and the back. We entered through the back entrance this time.

The Green Room, Stillwater, Minnesota

My husband started his meal with the Minnesota Salad which includes mixed greens, blueberries, hazelnuts, a wild rice waffle and turkey confit with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette. It was very delicious.

Minnesota Salad

Then my husband had the Grilled Mahi Mahi which again he thought was delicious. It came with a mango chutney, turmeric potatoes and had a spicy red curry on it.

Grilled Mahi Mahi

I started my dinner with the special of the day: Salmon Chowder. I was a little disappointed as it was kind’ve oily. Instead of the salmon being chunky, it was more shredded-like.

Salmon Chowder

For my entree, I had the oven roasted half chicken. The chicken was cooked well and tasted good except that it had too much salt. I couldn’t finish it. This entree came with sage and squash bread pudding which was a little dry.

We came to this restaurant once before and all of the food was delicious. The presentation is always good and the service is excellent. Hopefully they will work on the flavorings to get them “just right.”

Click here to go to the Green Room website and see their menu.

 

 

 

 

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Baked Banana Stuffed French Toast

What to do with leftover ripe bananas and french bread? Why not stuffed french toast?

This recipe is pretty easy to follow. The only complaint I received from my guests was that the bananas were too ripe and therefore I could have used less. But, I’m a banana aficionado so it didn’t bother me in the least bit. I did make 1 1/2 times the batter (already shown below) as otherwise it wouldn’t have been enough.

Baked Banana French Toast

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 8 slices French bread
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Lightly spray a cast iron or an ovenproof skillet with cooking spray and then heat over medium heat.
  3. Spread 1 mashed banana on top of 4 slices of bread (one banana per slice)
  4. Place remaining four slices on top to make a sandwich.
  5. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon.
  6. Dip the bread in the egg batter for about 30 seconds on each side then place the banana sandwich in the skillet.
  7. Cook each side for approximately two minutes.
  8. Place bread on an ungreased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. Serve warm.
I added maple syrup on top of this french toast but I didn’t really need to. It tasted fine without anything on it. Next time though, I think a nice strawberry or blueberry compote on top would make it taste even better.
Original recipe courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/karens-baked-banana-stuffed-french-toast/detail.aspx
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Burned Fingers

I recently made a Roquefort Pear Salad and had to caramelize the pecans that I was using. Everything went pretty well until I accidentally dropped a pecan on the floor while stirring.

Not wanting the floor to get sticky, I bent oven and picked up the pecan with my bare hands. Bad news! I burned my fingers. The yell was immediate as was the dropping of the pecan back on the floor.

Burned Fingertips

Quickly putting my hand under cold water, I thought the burning sensation would go away. It did not.  I quickly ran to the bathroom and got a tube of toothpaste. Remembering from when I was a young girl what my mother used to do (old wives tale), I dabbed a little toothpaste on each burned fingertip.

I have to say it was quite soothing. And — the fingertips healed rather quickly. By the end of the day, my hand was back to normal.

 

 

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