Why I Need to be a Paula Deen Blogger!!!

Oh yes my faithful readers.  I saw where the one and only Paula Deen is doing a search for new bloggers to add to her website.  You know I went crazy hog wild when I saw this. 

One of the criteria for consideration is that you write a post about why you need to be that blogger.  Lord have mercy.  Well here we go.  I am writing that post.

I need to be that blogger.  Paula Deen is the reason I started writing my blog.  She made me love food and feeding family and friends again.  I had gone through a period where I did not enjoy cooking or menu planning or anything of the sort.  Then I was introduced to Paula on the Food Network and immediately went "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" as they say. I started cooking up a storm. 

I got so addicted that I thought to myself  "I want to do something with food." But Self said "You don't know how to write a cookbook.  You can't have a TV show because you would turn red, stutter, and your hands would shake.  You can't own a restaurant because you don't know a thing about running a business.  Besides you are a teacher.   But the thing that you could do to satisfy this need for food is to write a blog."  Then I thought "Oh my goodness!!  There are millions of food blogs out in the nanosphere!!  How will mine be different?  Why would anyone want to read my blog?"  Then it hit me.  I would play Eeny Meeny Miny Mo with my cookbooks.  I would let the game choose the recipe, and the rest is history.  It has been one of the most rewarding undertakings of my life.    So I have to be that blogger that gets chosen.  I want to show my readers how to take a chance and enjoy food again.  I want to inspire them to try something new and laugh a little bit along the way.  After all, that is what my blog and life are all about. 

PS   Pick me, pick me, pick me!!!!!

High School Homecoming and Pioneer Woman's Food from my Frontier Roasted Cauliflower

Here we go again.  I have fallen in the trap of life where you don't have time to turn around.  I am way behind - again - on the blog.  I feel so guilty when I don't write my blog.  That is a good thing though.  It means I really enjoy doing it!!   I miss it!

I have once again over-committed at school.  I volunteered to be the Junior Class sponsor.  I asked the officers what this meant.  They responded "Oh you only have to fill out a couple of purchase orders, and that is it!"  I actually believed them.  I will never believe them again!  This is how it went down.  How about you have to help us construct an 8 foot by 10 foot banner for Homecoming, and every time we work on it, you have to be there with us, or we will be disqualified!!  Hmmmm....... How about you have to figure out how to construct it because we are teenage girls and don't have a clue?  How about I am an adult woman and don't have a clue?  How about we want to do a design with tissue paper and chicken wire?  How about why don't we make it easy and do it on a piece of cardboard?  Oh no!!  So I had to call on Husband Fred to help with the construction.  I was at a complete loss to put it bluntly.  We had to go to Lowe's and pick out wood, chicken wire, and screws for this little project.  I was at a complete loss in Lowe's.  I don't know what a 2x4 or a 1x4 is or that there are such things as wood screws.  We then had to meet on a Saturday for Husband Fred (who moves at the speed of turtle) to screw together what seemed like 10,000 pieces of wood and chicken wire to make this very very large banner.  We finally got it done, and then had to figure out how to move it from the place where we were working on it to the school without losing the one million pieces of tissue paper.  That was fun too.  We finally got it in place for all to see.  And we got second place.  We were all quite upset if you know what I mean.  I don't think I demonstrated good sportsmanship to my little charges.  Oh well.  Now they tell me they are having a "Hoopcoming" in January for basketball season.  I am going to run and hide.

Now on to the recipe.....I am still cooking out of The Pioneer Woman's Food From my Frontier.  I love the Pioneer Woman.  That is all I am going to say about that.  The Eeny game chose Roasted Cauliflower.  I thought Yuck to myself.  I knew Food Police would be happy.  Again the Eeny Game is working because I would have NEVER tried this if it was left up to me.  Thank you Eeny Game.

You will need a head of cauliflower, salt, pepper, olive oil, butter (I used Smart Balance), and panko bread crumbs.

 

 

Cut the cauliflower into little florets, sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place in a 400 degree oven and roast for 20 minutes.

 

Transfer the cauliflower to a baking dish and add the panko crumbs that you have mixed with melted butter to the top.  What could be better??

 

Put back in the 400 degree oven and roast for 5 minutes, and the dish will come out looking like this.  It was very good even if I must say so myself. 

 

 

Here is your recipe....

 

Roasted Cauliflower

The Pioneer Woman's Food from my Frontier

 

1 cauliflower head, cut up into pieces

1/4 C olive oil (I only used a drizzle Food Police)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 C panko bread crumbs

4 T melted butter (I used 1 T of Smart Balance Food Police)

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the cauliflower on a large sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil.  Toss the cauliflower to coat it evenly.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes until golden brown with some darker parts. 

Add the bread crumbs to a bowl, pour on the melted butter, and mix well.  Place the cauliflower into a medium baking dish and mound the crumbs on top.  Roast for 5 minutes or until golden brown on top.

 

Now go have a great day.....

Internet Offers and The Pioneer Woman Cooks' Panfried Kale

You know you are getting older when your e-mail inbox becomes full of offers from the Scooter Store.  Every day I have a Scooter Store offer in my inbox.  I hope I never have to use a Scooter but if I have to, I will take command of my Scooter.  I will ride it like I am on the track at Talledega.  People will know I am coming their way on my Scooter.  I will back that Scooter up just to create that little beep-beep-beep sound.  I am not kidding either.

I got to thinking and checked out some of the other offers I have received since turning 50 about 4 years ago.  I had one from Dermatend Mole and Skin Tag Removal.  The catch is they will sell you the directions to do this at HOME!!  WHAT??!!!  Good grief.  I also have had offers to join the AARP, solve my snoring, put together a reverse mortgage, get help for my depression, hot flashes, and loss of hair, and offers for products to remove and erase wrinkles.  If I were a single lady, I could find all kinds of places to go and meet nice senior men over the age of 50.  UGH!!  I will pass on all, thank you very much.

On to the recipe...  The Eeny game chose Panfried Kale.  I was depressed about that.  I don't really go for the superfood called kale.  Of course, Food Police is all over it.  She stated in her Food Police voice that it is full of Vitamin K and beta carotene.  I told her "That is just what I need - more beta carotene and Vitamin K!  Does it have any saturated fat or carbs or sugar?!!"  She glared and countered that now people are roasting kale and eating it instead of potato chips.  WHAT??!!  People need to get a life and just eat some potato chips.

I promised that I would not cheat on the game so here we go.  I resisted, but it was really really good, and I felt super-healthy eating it.  I almost think I might like it better than turnip greens.  Oh my!!

You will need just some kale, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

Simply heat the oil, and add the kale, 5 cloves of garlic minced, salt and pepper.  Cook until it is wilted which is about 2 minutes. 

 

 

Here is your recipe....

 

1 large bunch of kale ( I got the Glory Brand in the bag)

3 Tbs olive oil

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Thoroughly wash the kale in cold water.  Heat the olive oil in a LARGE skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning the garlic.  Throw in the kale and use tongs to move it around.  Sprinkle in plenty of salt and pepper and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Remove and serve.

 

 

Now go have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!

Brown Sugar Barbecue Sandwiches

This is a non-Eeny recipe for your enjoyment.  My plan is to do several of these type recipes a week to give you some more recipes.  I won't have a story -- just the recipe. 

I made these sandwiches when we were having some people over for a ballgame.  SO GOOD!!  I served it with sweet potato fries and a salad.  Even the Food Police approved.

Brown Sugar Barbecue Sandwiches

1 C water
3/4 C catsup
2 T brown sugar, packed
1 onion, chopped
2 T mustard
1 T chili powder
2 t salt
1 t black pepper
2 lbs lean ground beef
12 sandwich buns, split

In a large saucepan, mix all ingredients except beef and buns.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Add UNCOOKED beef (you are reading it right);  simmer for 30 minutes.  Spoon onto buns. 

Makes 12 servings

Now go have a great day......

The Older Generation and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier's Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I love the older generation.  We can learn so so much from them.  I know that when I was working as a nurse, my favorite patients were the older ones.  Now I work with teenagers.  Hmmm, but I digress.   I have recently entered a new phase in my life which involves the older generation.   My father, who is approaching 80, has started showing some signs that he needs extra help around the house.  I have written about him in two separate posts - the one where he dressed as Elvis for a Titans game and the one  where he took me on Mr. Toad's (Tom's) Wild Ride.  He is definitely one of a kind that is for sure.  That got me to thinking about older people and how truly special they are.

Over the last six months or so, I have witnessed two "older generation" moments.  One day I was walking out of an office building, and I saw the sweetest scene involving what looked like a husband and wife well into their 80's.  She was stooped over the water fountain holding tightly onto her walker.   He was standing as close as he could to her holding her arm with one hand and pushing the lever to release the water for her with his other hand.  He was quietly saying something to her.  I took a mental picture and wondered what all they had experienced during their long life together.  I am sure it was most definitely a life filled with devotion and love. 

About a month ago, I was driving down my street into the neighborhood.  I witnessed an older lady probably in her late 70's taking a stroll down the sidewalk.  She was walking with purpose but then suddenly came to an abrupt halt.  She began to bend over, and the nurse in me thought "Oh no!!  Something is wrong.  She is about to faint!"  I stopped the car to see if she needed help.  No!!  She was bending over to smell a flower on a fence post.  She literally "stopped and smelled the roses!"  She then stood up and had the sweetest smile on her face.  I literally got tears in my eyes.  She reminded me of my sweet grandmother - Nana - who always had time to stop and smell the roses. 

Oh goodness.  On to the recipe....  I am now cooking out of a new cookbook.  I decided to cheat on Paula and move to my next queen bee in the kitchen - Ree Drummond or the Pioneer Woman.  I love her show on Food Network.  I am in love with her youngest son Todd who has to be the cutest thing I have ever seen.  Besides being cute, he is the sweetest little thing too.  He is always telling Mom that her food is the best he has ever eaten.   The Eeny Game chose Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and I can say that is probably the best tenderloin I have put in my mouth.

I love this cookbook period.

 

You will need a pork tenderloin, salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, red wine vinegar, and peach preserves.  Weird I know.

 

Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, and then cover it with the herbes de Provence and place in a 425 degree oven.  She called for 15 minutes but I cooked it for 30 minutes.  I cannot stand too pink meat.  I worry about trichinosis.

 

She called for it to be served over a cornmeal cake.  I did not make those but I did have some leftover corn muffins.  I placed the piece of pork on that and drizzled with the topping made of vinegar and the preserves.  YUMMY!!  You must make this!!

 

 

 

Here is your recipe......

 

Herb-roasted Pork Tenderloin

The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Food from my Frontier

 

 

2 Pork Tenderloins, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds each

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 C herbes de Provence ( I used 1/4 C)

1 C fig, peach, or plum preserves (I used peach)

1 tbs vinegar (I used red wine)

 

Lay the pork tenderloins on a sheet pan and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle on the herbes de Provence, then roast in a 425 oven for 13 to 15 minutes (I cooked it for 30 minutes).  Allow the pork to rest for ten minutes, then slice it into thick pieces.  Meanwhile, stir together the preserves, the vinegar, and 1 cup of water.  Heat over medium heat until thoroughly warmed.  Spoon the preserve mixture over the slices of pork.

 

Now go have a great day......

 



 

 

 

Food Police's Birthday and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Grilled Red Pepper Scallops

Twenty-nine years ago today in 1983 (Oh my) at 7:48 am, a little baby Food Police  - 7 pounds 9 1/2 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long - was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  My how time does fly!!  I finally understand what that means!!  It really just seems like yesterday.  I thought about all the things I could write about Food Police.  I decided I would take a look at her Baby Book to help me recall some of the moments early on in Food Police's life. 

Husband Fred and I were living in Little Rock, Arkansas at the time, and on January 25 at 5:00 am, I did a home pregnancy test, and of course, it was positive!  To make things really exciting for a morning-sick pregnant lady, we packed up and moved to Birmingham in February.  I was so glad to be closer to home.  I went into labor around 11 pm on September 15th, 1983.  Believe it or not, I was reading a cookbook and writing down recipes.  The recipe was a caramel cake!!  I immediately jumped up, and we straightened the house (the good old nesting instinct) and headed to Brookwood Medical Center.  Husband Fred ran two red lights on the way!!  Oh my!!  I ended up having a C-section because the cord was wrapped around her neck.  Scary times, but all was well.  We each wrote something to her in her baby book reflecting on her birth.  I wrote  "I remember hearing your loud cry and hearing the doctor announce 'It's a girl!'  I then remember your daddy saying 'She has two legs!'  They brought you to me, and you actually looked at me for a split second."  Husband Fred wrote that "the nurses asked if I wanted to carry you to get weighed and foot printed.  That's when I got to hold you for the first time.  What a moment!"

This is a picture of Food Police and my sweet Mama.  This is a page of her baby book.  I saved all the bracelets and the little card that was on her bassinette.

 

I looked at some of her firsts that I had written about in the Baby Book.  She sat without support at 6 months, pulled herself up at 7 months, walked on July 5, 1984 at 9 1/2 months and said her first word - Bubba - at 8 months.  Bubba was our dachshund that she absolutely loved.  Her first sentence was "You not Mommy - You Mommy!"  which she said at 18 months.  I have no clue what that meant.  Her favorite toy was a stuffed dog that she called "Big Bubba!"  Her favorite book was "The Cow says Moo!"  She counted to ten in December of 1985.   She saw snow for the first time on January 20, 1985.  I even looked back over her birthday parties.  I wrote about them in detail in the baby book.  Her first birthday was with family at my Bigmama's house.  Everything was in pink.  She cried when we sang Happy Birthday.  Her second birthday was in Birmingham and had a Care Bear theme.  I even made the 3-D Care Bear cake and about had a nervous breakdown.  I had taken up smocking and had smocked the little pink rosebud dress she wore.  The third birthday was focused outside and had a Crayon theme.  The fourth birthday was interesting.  We had just moved back to Huntsville and had it at my Bigmama's house again.  I had hired a clown who had to be the worst clown in the world.  She did these cheesy tricks like putting quarters on her elbow and trying to flip them and catch them.  She kept missing them over and over and over again.  My Dad said he could smell alcohol on her breath.  That is all I am saying about that.  The fifth birthday was at what was then called Showbiz Pizza Place but is now called Chuckie Cheese.  I got a migraine.  The sixth birthday was at home, and it had a Fairy Princess theme.  I even made a castle cake, and she got a Power Wheel's Jeep.  She would not let anyone else drive it which caused a scene.  The seventh party was at the old Ice Palace on Governor's Drive, and she received I think the best present ever.  Old Bubba had passed away that year, and she got her Golden Retriever Puppy Ginger - the best dog in the whole wide world.  For her birthday today, Food Police wanted my Chicken Tortilla Soup and a salad.  She wants to watch the Titans game, and then go get frozen yogurt.  And that is what we shall do!!  I think I will stop now.  I can't see through the tears.  I will say, however, that Food Police has grown up to be a young woman that I am very very proud of.  She has empathy for others and a heart the size of Texas.  She works hard and is self-motivated like no other.  She loves her church, her family, and her home.  I love you Food Police.

 

Now on to the recipe......This is the last recipe that I will be preparing out of Paula's Southern Cooking Bible.  I will miss you Paula.   I must say it again!  This is the best cookbook ever.  The game chose Grilled Red Pepper Scallops, and all I can say is YUMMY!!!  Oh my goodness it is good!! 

 

Get some good sea scallops.  This is a shout-out to Doug's Seafood in St. George Island, Florida - the best place in the world.  He has a food truck and every day we go visit him and buy the best seafood in the world.  I love Doug!

 

You don't need much - just scallops, a lemon, 2 red bell peppers, olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

First, you have to roast the bell peppers.  I had never done this before, but it is so easy.  You halve the peppers,  place them skin side up and broil on high until the skin is charred about 6-10 minutes.  They come out looking like this.

 

Thread the scallops and peppers on skewers and cook under the broiler for about 3 minutes per side.  Excuse the old pizza pan!! 

 

I served it with a baked potato and broccoli!!  So so good!

 

 

Here is the recipe.  Hers is for 6 people but I cut it down for Husband Fred and me!!

 

 

Grilled Red Pepper Scallops

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

 

1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops

2 Tbs olive oil

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Black pepper

4 large red bell peppers

 

In a medium bowl, combine the scallops, oil, lemon zest, and black pepper to taste.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the bell peppers.

 

Preheat the broiler to high heat.  Halve the bell peppers lengthwise and remove the stems, seeds, and rib.  Place the bell peppers skin side up on a baking sheet and broil without turning for 6 to minutes until the skin is charred.  Place the peppers in a paper bag, close the top tight, and let the peppers steam for 10 minutes.  Remove the charred skins and cut the bell peppers lengthwise in 3/4 - inch strips.

 

Wrap a bell pepper strip around each scallop to cover completely, overlapping the pepper ends.  Secure the strips by running a 10-inch skewer through the scallop and bell pepper.  Divide the scallops among 6 skewers.

 

Cook under the broiler for about 3 minutes per side and serve.

 

Now go have a great day......

 

 

 

 



I Have Been Thinking.....

I have been writing my Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Cook blog now for over a year, and I have truly enjoyed this culinary adventure.  I have heard from many of you that you have enjoyed my stories and recipes, and I have received positive feedback from al.com that new people are reading it there.  Several of my trusted readers have said that I should continue to play the Eeny game with my cookbooks and still take pictures and write about life, but in between those posts, talk about different recipes that I am preparing for my family.  For these posts, I will just give you the recipe not the whole process of pictures and stories.  It will be just a quick "Hey, I cooked this, here's the recipe, and you need to try it."  Let me know what you think.

So let's give this a go.  Last week I made Paula's Steak Fajitas and can I say delicious plus so so easy.  I have always been afraid of flank steak, but it is my new best friend.  You just have to slice it against the grain.  Here you go....

Paula's Smoky Steak Fajitas

1 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/4 C olive oil
1 tbs fresh lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp garlic powder
Salt and black pepper
1 green bell pepper, cut lengthwise into strips
1 onion, cut into slices
6 flour tortillas - 8 inches
Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream for serving

Place the steak in a Ziploc bag.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, jalapeno, cumin, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.  Pour the marinade over the steak, turning to coat all over.  Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.  Let the steak come to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

Preheat the grill to medium-high.  Brush the bell pepper and onion with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper.  Place the onion in a single layer in a grill basket.  Place the basket on the grill, cover, and cook turning until the onion is tender and slightly charred, 4-5 minutes per side.  Set the onion on a plate.

Place the bell pepper in a single layer in the grill basket.  Place the basket on the grill, cover, and cook, turning, until the bell pepper is tender and slightly charred, 2 - 3 minutes per side.  Set on a plate separate from the onion.

Increase the grill heat to high.  Remove the steak from the marinade, place on the grill, cover, and cook, turning once, until the steak reaches the doneness you like.  We did 5 minutes per side for medium.  Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.

Now go have a great day.....

Football and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Pot Roast

There is no way around it.  I love football.  I am that person that believes there are four seasons in life - Preseason, Regular season, Post-season, and Off-season.  Sometimes I wish that I had been born a man so that I could have played football.  I am that person who when watching football with other people does not want to talk about anything else unless it relates to the game.  That drives me nuts!!  Go in the other room if you want to talk about fashion or makeup or heaven forbid, politics.  I have my own Fantasy Football team!  I love both college (Roll Tide) and professional football, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would have to be the NFL!!!

I was introduced to football when I was just 10 years old.  I would sit on the couch with my Dad, and we would watch and watch and watch football.  I think those were some of my most favorite times spent with him.  He would actually explain the game to me.  We watched the infamous "Heidi" game together in November of  '68.  It was the Raiders versus the Jets!  The Jets were leading 32-29 with just a minute and five seconds left on the clock.  The Raiders had the ball and were driving, NBC went to commercial, and when they came back, we were viewing the opening scenes to Heidi.  I hate that movie to this day because of that.  We later found out that the Raiders scored two touchdowns in nine seconds to beat the Jets 43-32.  WHAT??? 

I was watching Super Bowl III when Broadway Joe Namath predicted on Thursday that his lowly underdog New York Jets team would beat the Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas.  His prediction came true, and the Jets won 16-7.  Namath was crowned the MVP, and I officially at 11 years of age had a crush on Broadway Joe.  Oh goodness.

I was watching Super Bowl IV when the Chiefs and the Vikings matched up.  I found an entry in my diary that will attest to this fact.

I think it is funny how I crossed out the "not" on going to church.  Who knows!!  I guess I was for the Vikings that day as the Diary reads.  I do remember that I loved their quarterback Joe Kapp and the best defensive end of all times, the great Carl Eller. 
When Husband Fred and I started dating, I was excited to find that he loved football as much as I did.  One of the first things we did as a married couple was to buy season tickets to the Atlanta Falcons.  I can say that those were some of my most favorite times spent with Husband Fred driving back and forth to Atlanta cheering on the Falcons even though they were not that great.  We did make it to a play-off game one year, but we got beat by the Cowboys.  The ride home was really long after that one.  We had to sell those tickets when we moved to Arkansas.  It was sad times, but then along came the Tennessee Titans.  We put ourselves on the waiting list of over 30,000 people to purchase season tickets, and lo and behold, about 5 years ago, seats became available.  They are unfortunately in the last row of the upper deck but who cares!! It is a boisterous bunch up there.  It must be the lack of oxygen from being up in the clouds, but we cherish every moment we are there.  We kick-off the season tomorrow, and the Titans will need help.  We play the Patriots, and oh my goodness!!

Now on to the recipe.  I am still playing the Eeny Game with Paula Deen and her Southern Cooking Bible.  I tell you this is the best cookbook ever.  You must go buy it for yourself.  The Game chose her Lady and Sons Pot Roast, and this is by far, the best roast I have ever eaten.  You must make it this weekend.  It had so much flavor and it was so so so tender.  I wish I had some right now!

You will need a 3-pound chuck roast, onion, bay leaves, white wine, beef bouillon cubes, garlic, Paula's House Seasoning (which I will tell you how to make in a sec), and cream of mushroom soup.

Sprinkle the roast with Paula's House Seasoning.  It is a great all-around seasoning.  You mix 1 cup of salt, 1/4 cup of black pepper, and 1/4 cup of garlic powder.  I just mix a big batch of it and even give it away as Christmas gifts.  People love it!

Brown the roast on all sides about 5 minutes per side.

 Place the roast in the crock pot and cover it with soup, garlic and crushed bouillon cube mixture.

 Then add the sliced onion and bay leaves on top of the soup, and pour in the wine.  You add just enough water to cover the roast.

You take it out of the crockpot after about 8 hours. and it is the best thing you will ever eat.  PS I got a high five from Food Police for my choice of sides.  Yes that is HALF of a baked potato with Smart Balance spread and no fat sour cream.  

Here is your recipe......

The Lady and Sons Pot Roast

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible



One 3-pound boneless chuck roast

1  1/2 tsps Paula Deen's House Seasoning

Salt and black pepper

Vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 bay leaves

3 or 4 bouillon cubes, crushed

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 C Chardonnay or other full-bodied white wine

Sprinkle the roast on all sides with House Seasoning.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Add the roast and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes  per side.

Place the roast in a slow cooker.  Place the onion, bay leaves, crushed bouillon cubes, garlic, and soup on top of roast.  Pour in the wine, and add just enough water to cover the roast.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.

Now go have a great day......

Neil Armstrong and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts

When I saw the news alert about Neil Armstrong's death, I immediately remembered where I was on that July 20, 1969 when he became the first man to walk on the moon.  I was eleven years old and spending a day on the lake with my Great-aunt Roxie.  (I will definitely have to write later about her.  She was a true pioneer in every sense of the word.)  I remember crying because we had to leave the lake early to go watch the moon landing on TV(and I am sure I thought the stupid moon landing - I was only 11 y'all).  But I am so thankful that we did.  I remember sitting down together as a family around the television and being so proud of what we were seeing that day. I love the statement that Neil Armstrong's family made after he passed away -"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.” I will certainly do that! 

Here is an entry I wrote in my diary about that day.  I don't know why it says July 29th.   I probably wrote about it after the fact and just guessed at the date.  Who knows???  I was eleven!!

I imagine being born in Huntsville, AL - the Rocket City- has made me more aware of NASA, the Marshall Space Flight Center, Dr. Von Braun, the Space and Rocket Center, and all the things associated with the space program.  I remember my Nana taking me to Redstone Arsenal for an open house where they were testing the rocket engines.  I still remember how loud and how scared I was when that engine fired.  I remember Challenger sitting on the back of a Boeing airplane in the late 70's or early 80's and how we all stood outside together to watch it fly over and take pictures.  It makes sense that our schools are named for astronauts and shuttles - Grissom, Chaffee, Ed White, Challenger, Discovery.  For the most part, I watched every Shuttle flight including the Challenger disaster in January of 1986.  I was so sad that day.  I remember exactly where I was that day too.

I am excited about the Mars rover that has been sending back some awesome pictures here lately.  I hope we see a resurgence in our Space Program.  It just shows how innovative, intelligent, and courageous we are!! I believe the Space Program brings us together as a country.  It gives us something positive to root for!!  We need that now more than ever.

Now, on to something else that brings us together.  FOOD!!  I am still cooking out of Paula Deen's Southern Living Cooking Bible.  I am addicted to this cookbook.  I am going to prepare one or two more from it, and then move on to the Pioneer Woman who is fast becoming a new favorite.  Don't tell Paula please!!  The Game selected Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts this time.  Hmmmmm......Paula calls it her version of chicken nuggets.  Let me tell you they were a home run.  I will prepare these bad boys again!!

You will need chicken breasts, mayo, panko, pecans, salt and pepper.  That is it.

 

Sprinkle each breast with a little salt and pepper.  Then coat each breast with a teaspoon of mayo.

 

Dredge each breast in the chopped pecans and panko.  Place in a dish and bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 350 until brown.

 

When you are done, it will look like this.  I know I will get in trouble for the mac and cheese on the plate, but it was actually Lean Cuisine's low fat mac!!  Ha Food Police.

 

 

Here is your recipe......

 

Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

 

 

4 boneless chicken breasts

1 1/2 tsp salt (I didn't use this much salt)

1/2 tsp pepper

4 tsp mayonnaise ( I used light)

3/4 c pecans, crushed ( Mine were chopped)

3/4 c panko bread crumbs

 

Place an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a baking dish.

 

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tsp of the salt and pepper. Coat each breast with 1 tsp of mayonnaise.  In a shallow dish, toss the pecans and bread crumbs together.  Dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture, pressing firmly to make sure it sticks well to the chicken.  Season with the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt and place in the dish.  Bake until the crust is nicely browned and the chicken is cooked through, 30 - 40 minutes.

 

Now go have a great day.....



 

 

 

Husband Fred and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Basic Meat Loaf

Husband Fred and I have been married for 33 years.  Wow!!  He has had to put up with a lot from me over the years.  The main thing he has had to deal with is "The Plan", as he says, to kill him.  I wanted to update you on "The Plan."  PS If you don't know exactly what "The Plan" is, please go back and read that blog post.  It will become crystal clear what is going on.

First, there have been two new attempts on Husband Fred's life by me.  The first one was about two weeks ago at Body Pump when I did not fully tighten my weights on the bar.  When I picked up the bar, the weights flew off and headed toward Husband Fred's foot.  He jumped around and made a big scene and yelled out "She is trying to kill me!"  Amber - the Wonder Instructor - looked our way and just shook her head.  We probably irritate her.  We have that husband - wife competitiveness thing going on in class -- who can lift more weight, who can stand for the longest on one leg, who can do a better push-up and plank. 

The second attempt occurred two nights ago when once again I took off my shoes in the path to the bathroom.  I don't know why I do this.  I guess it is just laziness.  I was pooped from Body Pump and my first week back at school, and I did not feel like moving them three feet over out of the path.  During the middle of the night, he got up to go to the bathroom and, of course, walked right where I left my shoes.  Why didn't he just walk six inches to the right or left, and then he would have missed them and not lurched head forward into the bathroom after tangling his feet up in them.  Of course, he had to make another big scene and scream and yell and dance around.  He then proceeded to kick one of the guilty shoes across the room and yell "Why are you trying to kill me?"  I wanted to yell back "Why don/t you have a bigger bladder so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom?"  I just pulled the covers over my head and said nothing.  That morning when we met in the kitchen for coffee, he looked at me with a very serious look on his face, and said "Angela one day you are going to kill me!  You are going to kill me!!"  When he says my name, I know he is serious. Uh-oh!!

I was relaying this information to Kim, my partner-in-crime at school.    I was hoping for some vindication and support from her.  But she looked at  me with a not so supportive glare, pulled her pants leg up, pointed to a 3-inch scar on her shin, and said "I understand exactly where Fred is coming from!"  I had forgotten that I had left the bottom drawer of a metal filing cabinet by her desk open one day.  She got up from her chair and ran right into that thing making a gash on her leg that really looked like it needed stitches.  She jumped around and made a big scene too.  Why does everyone around me have to make big scenes?   Hmmmm.........  

Now on to the recipe.  I was so so excited when The Game chose Paula's Basic Meatloaf.  Oh how I love meatloaf.  It is my go to comfort food.  I really love it the next day served on two pieces of bread and some mayo.  Yes Food Police - MAYO!!  I have tried many different recipes for meatloaf including my Mama's, but this is by far my favorite.  Sorry Mama. 

You will need ground beef (I used Lean), ketchup or catsup. oatmeal, onion, green bell pepper, an egg, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper, and brown sugar.  Sounds good so far!!

 

Combine everything but the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard.  My mouth is watering.

 

Mix your topping together.

 

Shape the meat into a loaf in a loaf pan (Please excuse the well-worn look of mine) and spread the topping over the loaf.  Bake for one hour at 375 degrees.

 

Serve with yummy garden vegetables and you will be one happy camper.

 

 

Here is the recipe..........

 

 

Basic Meat Loaf

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

 

1 pound ground beef

1/2 C chopped onion

1/2 C chopped green bell pepper

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 C canned diced tomatoes, with juice

1/2 C quick cooking oats

11/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

 

Topping:

1/2 C ketchup

2 Tbs light brown sugar

1 Tbs yellow mustard

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine th ebeef, onion, bell pepper, egg, tomatoes, oats, salt and black pepper.  Place the mixture in a loaf pan.

 

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.  Spread over the loaf and bake for one hour.

 

Now go have a great day..............

 

 

 

Aunt Susie, Wasps, and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Zucchini Bread

I must do better with writing my posts.  I must....I must.....I must....I have always been a procrastinator.  My use of the art of procrastination started in college, and I still employ that habit.  Speaking of school, it starts Monday (oh my).  This will be my 20th year in the classroom, and I am giving myself a pat on the back.  That truly is an accomplishment that I am proud of.  But on with the story......

You have read about my Aunt Susie in previous blog posts.  She is my mother's sister and is only seven years older than me.  She is more like a sister to me, and I love her dearly.  She is a character that, honestly, I could base a novel on.  She is fun, quirky, sarcastic, loud, loving, hilarious, and the list could go on forever.  I will definitely have to do several posts on her because there is so much story here. 

Susie is deathly allergic to wasps.  She has a true phobia of wasps.  I actually did some research to see if this was a real phobia and guess what??  It is!!  It is called spheksophobia.  There you go!!  You have learned something today.  Susie's symptoms of spheksophobia include becoming extremely agitated when anything that looks like a wasp (even a sweet butterfly), buzzes like a wasp (a little fly), or acts like a wasp gets into her field of vision.  She will attempt to flee, and I believe this makes her an even bigger target for angry wasps, who are far more likely to sting those who make a commotion. And, oh believe me, she makes a commotion.  She goes stark-raving MAD!!  Every where you look at her house there are bottles of wasp spray.  She will hardly go outside in the summer because she is so afraid of the Wasp Nation's conspiracy to sting her.  I ask her why  she doesn't just carry an EpiPen so if she does get stung, she can inject herself (We are both RN's).  She said she was afraid of her heart exploding from the adrenalin.  Hmmmm...  Let me see if this is a true phobia.  No there is no such thing as a phobia of  an Epipen or your heart exploding.

Let me give you some examples of Susie's spheksophobia please.  I recently had the pleasure of going to the Birmingham Zoo with Susie, her daughter  (my first cousin) Roxanne, and Roxanne's three precious children - Daniel, David, and Ashley.  The day was going well until it was time to ride the train.  We all jumped into our seats waiting for the relaxing ride to begin, and the next thing I see is Susie throwing her head down into her hands.  This was not a normal throw-down.  It was such a dramatic and intense throw-down that I honestly thought she was experiencing a brain aneurysm (Remember I am an RN)!!  I frantically asked her "Are you OK?"  She shouted with head still in her hands, "No I am not OK!!  There is a wasp right there, and if I look at it, it will fly over here and sting me in the eye!" I kid you not!!  I shouted back "It will not sting you in the eye if you look at it!  You are crazy!"  She screamed back something unintelligible, the kids are looking like they are ready to run, and the train lurches to a start.  Thank goodness.  Somewhere mid-way through the ride, she finally took her head out of her hands.  We headed home after that.  Party over!

The second example of spheksophobia is the story of Susie driving down the road with her windows open probably singing at the top of her lungs and loving life.  At some point in the drive, a wasp flies into the car.  I kid you not people!!  She literally throws the car door open, rolls out like a stunt woman, to escape the dreaded wasp.  Thank goodness she was not hurt nor was the car or anyone else.  I have no clue what happened to the wasp.

Finally, I had not heard this story before until we were recently discussing Susie's spheksophobia.  I will just tell it plain and simple.  These are her words.  "I was out in a pasture that was up on a hilltop.  I was petting this Shetland pony, and a wasp flew up.  Let me tell you this!!  I beat that Shetland pony back down the hill!"  I got a mental picture of that.  I will leave you with that image.  There is no one like her in the world.

Now on to the recipe.   I am still cooking out of the great Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible!!  The Eeny Game chose Zucchini Bread.  Honestly, that sounded horrid to me, but I promised I would not cheat plus if it is a Paula Deen recipe it has to be good.  I have never had a bad Paula Deen recipe.  Period.

You will need zucchini, eggs, nuts ( I added these), cinnamon, vanilla, flour, and oil.  The applesauce you see is replacing part of the vegetable oil.  This is a trick Food Police taught me to cut some of the fat out of baked food.  The formula is that you substitute half of the oil with applesauce.  I left the sugar out of the picture.  It is a major player!!  Whoops!! 

You get to grate the zucchini!!  Watch your knuckles!!  I used two zucchini to get a cup of grated.

Mix the zucchini, sugar, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla together.

Add the dry ingredients, mix, and put all the yumminess into a greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and 5 minutes, and you get this loveliness!! 

I honestly did not think I would like zucchini bread but this was good.  I never missed part of the oil.  The bread was very moist, and I definitely will prepare this again.  Here is the recipe.....

Zucchini Bread

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

1 C grated zucchini

1 C sugar

1/2 C vegetable oil ( I used 1/4 C applesauce and 1/4 C vegetable oil)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour ( I used self-rising)

1  1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 C nuts (I added these)

Place a rack in the bottom third of th eoven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the zucchini, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the zucchini mixture just to combine.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is goden brown, 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Then pop the bread out of th epan and let cool completely on the rack before slicing and serving.

Now go have a great day....



Fourth of July and Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible's Real Deal Gumbo

I love the Fourth of July for a number of reasons.  One is that it is right smack in the middle of the summer and gives you a reason to celebrate country, family, friends, and fireworks.   Second is that it gives you license to eat yummy food with the Food Police's blessing.   This year we decided to celebrate at my Dad's pool  with Husband Fred, Food Police, Son-in-Law, and Crazy Aunt Susie.  You know it is a party if Crazy Aunt Susie is in attendance!!  I must do a blog post on Susie!!  She is something else. 

Our menu was simple - Susie's wonderful ribs, crock pot pulled pork sandwiches and vinegar slaw from www.southernplate.com, potato salad, and Food Police's Healthy Corn Salad and Publix's Key Lime Pie.  I am surprised she let us have Key Lime Pie.  That is the best doggone pie I have ever had. If you have not had one, you must go get one right now.  They even have mango-key lime pie.  I getting off subject.  I must be hungry!

After gorging ourselves, we decided to head out to the pool.  Now this family is competitive, and no gathering would be complete without a little sports action.  I had purchased a pool volleyball set that had a bonus basketball goal.  We got it situated, divided up into unfair teams of the young vs the old, and got the game started.  Well.....can you say we should have hired an athletic trainer for this event to treat the injuries that occurred??  It reminded me of the movie - Meet the Parents - when they are all in the pool playing volleyball, the game gets heated, and Ben Stiller's character spiked the ball and broke the soon-to-be bride's nose!!  Son-in-Law must have thought it would be oh so funny to spike the ball as well.  He didn't count on spiking it right into my chest.  For a split second, I thought I was in ventricular defibrillation.  I couldn't catch my breath for a minute or so, but I recovered, gave him the old teacher evil eye, and said "OK Buddy!!  Game on!"  I get mad any time my team is losing.  We were losing in dramatic fashion this day so at one point I got even madder when I couldn't hit a ball back and instead of throwing it lady-like back to the young ones, I proceeded to heave it across the net and hit Food Police right in the face!!  Needless to say, she thought I did it on purpose.  She started screaming "Concussion!", and I started screaming "Ventricular fibrillation!"  Daddy started screaming "Stop yelling!!  A nice preacher man lives behind me!"  I asked "What does it matter if a preacher lives behind you Daddy?"  He replied "I don't want him to think we are heatherns!"  Really!!  What would make him possibly think that??!! The game continued, and the oldies lost in a bad way!!

Then Son-in-Law had the grand idea to transform the volleyball net into a basketball goal.  He wanted to play HORSE.  Now his idea of HORSE is to jump off the diving board and shoot the ball or run along the side of the pool, jump, and dunk the ball in dramatic fashion.  I said "Nope! I am out!!  I know my limitations!!"  Husband Fred, on the other hand, thought he could go toe-to-toe with a 29 year old ex-high school basketball star.  I tried to talk him out of it by reasoning with him, but that only made him want to do it more.  I thought to myself  "This ought to be good!"  Well, Husband Fred hung in there pretty well until the showboating started.  Son-in-Law made the shot where he started out of the pool, ran 3 or 4 steps, leaped, dunked, and landed gracefully in the water.   Husband Fred, of course, missed the shot and landed hard on his right leg in the pool while at the same time creating a tsunami.  For a minute, I thought he had for sure broken his leg.  He had this weird look on his face like the time he sat on the ceramic Christmas tree star in the attic and made a huge puncture hole in his buttocks, but that is another story for another day.  I examined him and decided that he had aggravated his knee which he had already aggravated at Body Pump but that is another story too.  He limped out of the pool, sat down, and asked for the Ibuprofen.  Really????  I shook my head and headed up to the house to eat some Key Lime Pie.

Now on to the recipe...........I decided I would cook out of  Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible.  Can I say that this one fantastic cookbook??  Man oh man!!  I still using the Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Game to select what I will cook.  This time "it" chose The Real Deal Gumbo, and Paula is right!!  It is the real deal.  I have eaten a lot of wonderful gumbo in my day, and this recipe stands up against any of them.

Here she is in all her glory!!  This picture looks a little small!  Sorry I was messing around with my I-Phone and Instagram!!

You will need shrimp, smoked sausage, butter, garlic, onion, bell pepper, flour, okra, and chicken broth.  I forgot to put the Cajun seasoning in the picture.  Good grief.

Saute the okra for about 3 minutes to get rid of the slime!  I hate okra slime!

While the okra is de-sliming, chop up a bell pepper, an onion, and 3 cloves of garlic.

You get to make a roux by mix cooking flour and butter.  It takes about 5 minutes to get it this color.

First, you add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the roux and cook for 2 minutes.  Then you add the rest of the ingredients minus the shrimp, and cook for 20 minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.  I added a can of diced tomatoes at this point.  She did not have this in her recipe but I have always had tomatoes in gumbo!

Add the shrimp for the last few minutes and simmer until they turn this pretty pink color.

 

Here is the finished product.  I served it over rice, and it was delicious.  This is going in the recipe rotation.

Now here's the recipe......

The Real Deal Gumbo

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

1 T vegetable oil

1 C chopped okra, fresh or thawed frozen

3 T butter

3 T all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 T chopped garlic

*I added a can of diced tomatoes.*

4 C chicken broth

3/4 pound smoked sausage, chopped ( I used Turkey sausage)

1 tsp Cajun Seasoning

Salt and black pepper

1 pound, large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 C cooked rice, for serving

Hot sauce, for serving

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. 
Add the okra and cook, stirring frequently until no longer slimy, about 3 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large suacepan, met the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it is a light chocolate color, about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the okra,  broth, sausage, and Cajun seasoning and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Add the shrimp and simmer until they are pink and cooked through.  Serve over the rice.  Pass hot sauce at the table.

Now go have a great day......

 

 

 

Where I Have Been and Calling All Cooks' Atlanta Pork Chops and Rice

My goodness....I asked myself  "Where have I been?"  No really!!  I am concerned!!  My last post was May 5th.  That is pitiful.  I had to do some rewind on the old memory tape, and I realized where all I have been.  The first place I had been was the ending of the school year.  It is a massive undertaking to wind down a school year.  Only those who are educators know what I am talking about.  I won't go into the end of the year checklist that is two pages long where you have to run around the 1,000,000 square foot school looking for administrators to initial their line, or the textbook and equipment inventories, or the final posting of grades and completing the gradebook, or the cleaning out of the file cabinets and your desk, or the getting everything off the floor routine so they can perform the all-mighty waxing of the floors.  It truly is an undertaking, and it takes a week to recover!! 

The second place I had been was the beach for a week with Food Police, Son-in-Law, and Husband Fred.  Now that was a pleasure except for the daily food fights with Food Police.  Don't get me wrong - we do not have the traditional food fights where you actually have fun throwing food at one another.  NO............  Our food fights consist of heated discussions of what we should and should not eat for cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight issues.  Let me give you an example of exactly what I mean!!  I made crab-stuffed shrimp one evening and wanted to pair it with a baked potato and salad.  Does that sound good to you?  Yes!!  We even had fat free sour cream and dadgum fake spray butter to put on the potatoes plus fat free salad dressing.  Honey it was a party with all the trans-fat, cholesterol, sodium, and taste not in attendance!!  What can I say!!!  Woo-Hoo!!!  Then said party grinded to a screeching halt!!  "No" says Food Police.  "Let's do grilled yellow and zucchini squash instead of the potato.  It will be healthier!  We had a lot of carbs at lunch so we don't need the potato!!"  What???  We are hungry!!  Ugh!!  The three of us tried to argue our side of things, but the She-Devil (whoops) Food Police won!!  She has that way about her.  That jaw stuck out, and you know she meant business.  We all accepted the zucchini/yellow squash grill, but then I turned to my major passive-aggressive ways!!  I ate one of Son-in-Law's Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cakes (by the way thank goodness for Son-in-Law!!  I can always sneak some food from him.  He somehow can overpower Food Police and get his way with snacks!!  I must take a class from him!!)  I continued my passive-aggressive ways and began to eat Cheetos straight out of the bag at midnight because I was starving.  I got the Food Police death stare which can be rather frightening.   I wonder if she can read minds!!  On the positive side, we had no waterspouts this year that took our electricity away for 2 days - just sun, sea, family, and food fights. 

The third place I had been was my student's National competition in Orlando, FL at Disney World.  Kim and I took 18 students (adolescents - uh oh) on a charter bus.  Enough said!!  It actually was pretty stress-free.  The students behaved very well except for getting in a boiled egg fight, one team over-sleeping on a competition day, and holding up the bus on the way home because three of them got diarrhea from eating too much cheese dip at a restaurant in Valdosta, Ga . Horrors!! We had a 6th, 11th and top 25 in the nation.  I cannot complain!!  The excitement came when Kim and I rode the horrid Jedi - Mount Everest something something roller coaster in Animal Kingdom.  Now before I continue, let me tell you something about myself.  When I was younger, I put on my Bucket List to ride every major roller coaster in the US of A.  That was in the prehistoric age when the coasters weren't as high as the stratosphere, and didn't do all the horrible things they do now!!   I have ridden a standing coaster that goes upside down, a coaster that suspends you like you are flying, and the wooden coaster at Six Flags that feels like it is going to jump off the tracks!!  I just wanted you to know that I am not a scaredy cat when it comes to coasters. On to the story....We load up all giddy with excitement.  I checked my harness one thousand times to make sure it is locked and settled in for the ride.  We literally take off from 0-100 mph in 5 seconds, and then the darn Jedi coaster grinded to a halt half-way up the tracks pitching us forward and backward hard enough to give us whiplash in the blazing heat index of 100 degrees.  Kim began screaming at the top of her lungs something about it being stuck on the tracks.  I look at her and try to talk her down from her fever pitched hysteria.  I said something like "Oh just pretend we are at the beach lying in the sun soaking up some rays!"  She looked at me like I was growing horns out of my head and continued to scream.  She was frightening the 4-year old behind us!!  Yep!!  Then I start getting worked up because I feel like I am on fire.  You know how I hate the heat, and I thought this is how I am going to die - like a vampire in the sunshine pitched at 90 degrees on a roller coaster!!!  Somebody help us!!  Honestly, it was stopped for about 5 seconds, but she and I can be a little dramatic at times.  You think??  We whoosh on, and then the stupid thing pretends to have a broken track.  The next thing I know we are going backwards in the dark, and my old body didn't know which end was up!!  It was the horror of horrors.  I ended the ride feeling a lot dizzy, and thought I had had a stroke.  I thought this is why they tell "older" people not to ride roller-coasters!!  I did a quick neuro-check on myself and found that all was intact.  I bolted off that thing and never looked back.  I thought I will never ever get on a roller-coaster again!!  I proceeded to ride Space Mountain and the Rocking Roller coaster.  The new thing now on roller coasters is called a "Photo-Bomb!"  You learn alot from hanging around the youngsters.  A Photo-bomb is when you anticipate where the picture of you is taken on the ride, and you make some dumb gesture (only nice ones) or some weird looking face.  Well......... and I wish I had a picture for you, Kim and I tried this out.  I decided I would make the blank stare no emotion face.  I saw this for real when long ago my family went with my friend Cathy's family to Six Flags.  She hates roller coasters but said she had to ride them with her children.  When I asked why she said "Well if the coaster jumps off the track I want to be there with them."   I get it!!  Anyway, we ride the coaster, and run to see our picture.  It was hilarious.  We are all screaming at the top of our lungs.  Our faces are contorted into weird masks, and there is Cathy.  She has absolutely no emotion on her face.  Nothing.  No grimace, smile, not even an eyebrow out of place.  It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen.  The only time I ever saw a face like that was during my psychiatric rotation during nursing school.  She would not let us buy that picture.  Well, that face is hard to do when you are trying, but Kim and I got it pretty good on Space Mountain.  I felt like I had accomplished something.  HAHA!

Enough of where I have been.  Let's get to the recipe.  This is the last recipe I am preparing out of the Calling All Cooks cookbook.  I have yet to pick the next cookbook, but I think it might be one of Paula's.  We shall see.  The recipe is Atlanta Pork Chops and Rice, and it was delicious.  I don't know what Atlanta has to do with it but hey who doesn't love Atlanta??

You will need Pork Chops, celery, tomato sauce, brown sugar, salt, dried basil, and rice.

Brown the chops in a little oil.  That picture looks weird.

Remove the chops, and brown the chopped celery.  I added some onion because the recipe called for tomato sauce with onions, but I could not find this at the old Publix.

Add the remaining ingredients to the pan.

Add the chops, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

I served it with a little broccoli on the side.  Food Police gave it her blessing as long as the rice serving was 1/2 cup!!  AGH!!

Here is the recipe.....

Atlanta Pork Chops and Rice

Calling All Cooks

4 pork chops

2 T vegetable oil

1/4 C chopped celery

2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce with onions

1 1/2 C water

2 T brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp basil

1 C uncooked regular rice

In large skillet brown chops in oil.  Remove and add celery.  Cook lightly.  Drain fat.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Add chops.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

Now go have a great day................