My Daddy and Huntsville Heritage Cookbook's Creamed Tuna

Dear me.....I am behind.  My real job got in the way of my " I would rather be blogging" job.  I thought since I told you a little last time about my sweet Mama, I wanted to tell you about my soon-to-be 78 year old Daddy.  In one word, my Dad is a CHARACTER!!!  He was that parent who embarassed his 12 year old daughter at Disney World by yelling out in a crowd "Someone did not put their deodorant on today did they?"  Horror of Horrors!!!  Of course, the first thing I thought was "Oh goodness.  It is me!"  Or how about at my wedding when he switched the shoes of one of the groomsman to make them think the tux company had sent two left shoes.  This was after the first big hub bub that was created after the company had sent the wrong color of shoes. 

His greatest claim to fame is that Daddy wanted to be Elvis.  Since I can remember, Daddy has told stories of when he was in the Korean War and stationed in France, that people would come up to him and tell him he looked just like Elvis.  He has Elvis albums, movies, cassette tapes and 8 tracks. He saw Elvis in concert here when he performed at the Von Braun Center.  He has always been obssessed.  So one day, he got the big idea that he would dress up like Elvis for Halloween.  People made such a big deal over him that he starting performing at parties for free.  It finally got to where people actually paid him to perform.  He even performed for a General on Redstone Arsenal.  By this time, he had someone make an elaborate Elvis costume complete with a jewel encrusted cape. 

Fast forward to this past weekend.  My whole family loves football particularly the Tennessee Titans.  Husband Fred, Food Police, Son-in-Law, Daddy and I headed up to Nashville this past weekend to watch them play.  Somewhere along the line, we double dog dared Daddy to dress up like Elvis for the game.  He took the dare.  So here we go.

The fun started in the parking lot.  I can now say I helped Elvis get dressed!!

As he is walking to the stadium, people are doing double-takes, yelling out Elvis, and Daddy stays in character.

Here Elvis is approaching the stadium.  We have now stopped for what seemed like a hundred pictures.  He was enjoying it big time. 

Of course, we had to get our pictures with the cheerleaders.  Why do I feel like the Incredible Hulk?  HAHA!!

I think they had had too much to drink!  It was a wonderful day and I do believe Elvis had the time of his life.  I am trying to get him to do an Encore!!

Now on to the recipe.  I am still cooking out of the wonderful Huntsville Heritage Cookbook.  The Eeeny Meeny Miny Mo Game chose Creamed Tuna.  I thought "Oh no!  I hate tuna casseroles".  But let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious.  I will definitely prepare this one again!!

You will need a large can of tuna, flour, a can of evaporated milk, onions, celery, lemon and butter.  Notice I used Smart Balance spread per Food Police's demands.  I must say it works well.

Chop up your onion and celery.  The original recipe did not call for celery but I had some and I thought "Why not?"  Cook your veggies in the Smart Balance until they get a little color on them.

In the meantime, you open the tuna can and make a small well in the center and squeeze lemon juice into the well.  I love my lemon juicer.  It is the bomb!

I messed up here.  I always accuse Food Police of not reading directions and now I know where she gets it from.  You are supposed to take the onions off the heat but I read it as remove the onions from the pan.  Hmmmm....You blend in flour and slowly add the evaporated milk to make a roux I think it is called!

This looks gross but you add the tuna and reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes.

I served the Creamed Tuna over rice and fixed a salad to go with it.  It was absolutely delicious and somewhat healthy I do believe.

Here is your recipe...

Creamed Tuna

Huntsville Heritage Cookbook

1/2 stick margarine (I used Smart Balance)

2- 3 onions, diced (I added chopped celery)

2  6 1/2 ounce cans tuna, drained (I used one big can of tuna)

3-4 tbs lemon juice

 2 tbs flour

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup water

Melt margarine and add onion and celery, cover and cook until golden.  Leave tuna in cans after opening.  Make a small well in the center and pour 2 tbs of lemon juice in each.  Set aside.  Remove onions from heat and blend in flour.  Slowly add milk and water (or another 1/2 cup evaporated milk).  Return to medium heat and stir until thickened.  Quickly stir in tuna, cover and reduce to simmer.  Cook 3- 5 minutes.  Serve over hot rice.  Serves 4.

Now go have a great day!

Memories of Mama and Huntsville Heritage Cookbook's Vegetable Salad

I chose the cookbook - Huntsville Heritage Cookbook - to play Eeny Meeny Miny Mo with this go round.  This cookbook was first published in 1967 by a group of women in Huntsville, AL who were members of the Grace Club Auxiliary.  It is not only a cookbook but also a history book.  It has original artwork, and at the beginning of each chapter gives a little history lesson.   One example is how the town of New Market, AL received its name.  In 1813 George Smith bought over 600 acres in northeast Madison County and opened a "new market" where settlers could buy vegetables.  When he died, they named the town New Market.  I did not know that!!

When I got married in 1979, one of my most treasured wedding gifts was one of these cookbooks.  However, when my mother passed away three years ago, I found her HHC cookbook which happens to be a first edition.  I brought it home and put it in a treasured spot and gave my wedding copy to the Food Police. 

You can see all the "stuff" my mother had stuffed in that cookbook.  It was so comforting to sit down with the cookbook after she passed away.  It was like she was still there with me.   I found lots of treasures in that book.

On the inside cover, she had handwritten her recipe for "Red Velvet Cake" which she always made at Christmas as well as her "Coconut Cake" which my Dad requested for his birthday every year.

Look at all the recipes she had collected and that somehow all fit in that one cookbook.  She had recipes written on the back of envelopes, those little pink memo slips to call someone, and a bank statement.   She had recipes from magazines and newspapers and from the back of boxes.

I found a recipe on the back of this piece of notebook paper and looked on the other side and lo and behold, it was a letter written to my mother and grandmother from my GREAT-GRANDMOTHER Mamaw.  How cool is that.

My mother worked at the Huntsville Public Library for over 30 years, and here she has written a recipe on the back of one of those cards that used to be in those little pockets that told you when to bring the book back.

This is her recipe for her "Peanut Butter Crisscrosses" that she made for us every get-together.  Those were some of my favorite cookies. 



Now a little about my "Mama".  She was one of the bravest people I know.  She went through breast cancer, heart disease, a broken hip and hip replacement, and finally pancreatic cancer without one complaint.  She was one of the most gracious women I have ever known.  She showed me how to be a good "Mama".  She believed in the thank-you note.  You would have hardly given her a gift before you went to the mailbox and had a thank-you note from her. 

She loved her grand-children.  "Mimi" was her given grandmother name.  One of the funniest memories I have of her and Food Police was shortly after Baby Food Police was born.  Mama came to stay with us for a week to help out.  We were both extremely nervous that first week, and somewhere along the line, she was changing Food Police's diaper and noted that she had diarrhea.  She immediately ran out of the bedroom screaming that she needed a thermometer.  I asked "Why?" and she told me about the diarrhea.  I thought to my RN self "Don't breast-fed babies usually have a loose stool?" but I got the thermometer.  I handed the old-fashioned glass thermometer (remember it is 1983) to her, and she proceeded to shake it down.  She was so wound up that the thermometer slipped out of her hand and shot across the nursery breaking when it hit the WALL!  "Now Food Police is going to get mercury poisoning" she screams.  I told her to go sit down and relax.  That was easier said than done.  I proceeded to clean up the mess and call Food Police's pediatrician.  He chastised me for not knowing that breastfed babies had loose stools.  (Remember I am an RN, and I worked with him at the hospital...He never let me live that one down...Whoops!) 

She loved Christmas, and I guess, that is where I get my over-the-top love of that holiday.  She loved to decorate and entertain during the Holidays.  She loved the beach, and some of my fondest memories of her include times at the beach.  She loved working at the Library, and when she passed away, the city closed the Library for a few hours so that the staff could attend her funeral.  She loved to read, and I could always depend on her to give me the title of the next greatest book to dive into. She loved the murder mystery, and so do I.  She loved my Father fiercely and was able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at the beach with her family.  She loved to cook and the food that I miss the most from her are her Banana Bread, Vegetable Beef Stew, and those Peanut Butter Crisscrosses.  I always make her Butterscotch Brownies with Cooked Caramel Frosting for celebrations as well as her Fruitcake Cookies and Fudge for Christmas in her honor.  When she became ill this last time, it became my mission to cook and cook and cook and try to tempt her to eat so that she could maintain her weight.  That was when I realized what cooking really is.  It is the ability to show someone how much you care for them.  Period.  I miss her very much.

Here is a picture of Mama and Daddy on one of our last trips to the Beach.

Now on to the recipe.  The "Game" chose Vegetable Salad.  It is absolutely yummy.  I plan to use it as a side dish for my Labor Day Cookout.  I will do this one again for sure, and again, I would have never fixed this recipe without the Game.

You will need French-style green beans, English peas, an onion, green pepper, celery, small jar of pimentos, salad oil, sugar, vinegar and paprika.

Chop up onion, green pepper, and celery.  You can see by the amounts which one I like the most.

Add the green beans, peas, and pimentos to the chopped items.  This is one of my better pictures.

Whisk together the oil, sugar, vinegar, water, and paprika.  I think I put too much paprika in.  Whoops! 

Pour the dressing over the other ingredients and there you have it!!  You let it stand for 24 hours in the fridge. 

Here is the recipe....

Vegetable Salad

Huntsville Heritage Cookbook

1 can French-style green beans, drained

1 can English peas, drained

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped (I used a whole one)

1 c chopped celery ( I used 1/2 cup)

1 small jar pimentos, diced

Salt to taste

Dressing:

1/2 c salad oil

1 1/4 c sugar

1 c vinegar

4 tbs water

Paprika

Combine dressing ingredients and pour over mixed salad ingredients.  Let stand for 24 hours in refrigerator.  Serves 6-8.

Now go have a great day.....



Gray Hair and Barefoot Contessa's Chicken Mexican Soup

OK...Before I talk about my gray hair, I need to update you on my body's weird electrical field problem.  Since I diagnosed myself with the disease (I am a RN remember), I have had TWO more incidents since my last blog post.  The replacement computer at home has had two more BLUE screens that say something like dump program when it goes down.  Then at school on Wednesday, the power went out three times, and we had to go into a shelter in place which meant we had to hold the students in our classrooms so they would not be out in the hallways if the power went out again!!  Can you imagine that scenario?  I looked at my fellow teacher when the power went out and said "OK...I really think I caused this!  This is too weird.  There is not a cloud in the sky!"  She said "You DO NOT have anything wrong with you!"  Her tone of voice and weird suspicious look in her eye led me to believe that she really might think I do have something wrong with me.  I will keep you posted.

On to the gray hair.  I started graying in my 30's.  I will never forget when I first came face to face with this event in my life.  Little Food Police (she was about 10 or 11 at the time) was a member of a dance studio that loved to compete.  We were headed to Atlanta for one of the thousands of dance competitions she participated in.  I was exhausted from teaching school all week and proceeded to lay the front seat down to take a nap.  Little Food Police was in the back seat pretending to mind her own business.   I drift off to a beautiful wonderful sleep and begin dreaming.  In my dream, something is stinging my head like little bees or ants.  My RN side says "Uh oh something is wrong with your brain.  Maybe you are having a stroke!"  So I wake myself up to see if I can move all four of my extremities.  I can, but I am still feeling these little pricking sensations in my head.  I gather my wits and then realize that Little Food Police is pulling my hair out strand by strand.  I sat up and said "What do you think you are doing?"  She said "I am getting rid of all this gray hair for you Mom!"  Good grief!  I asked her how many she had pulled and she said "Twelve!"  Heaven help me, but I told her to keep going. 

I always said that I would never be one of "those" women who colors their hair.  Well, I lied like a dog.  The gray started growing in like a skunk's tail.  I had a stripe of gray down the middle of my head.  So, at first, my hairdresser parted my hair on another side so it would camoflauge the gray.  But it kept expanding its territory.  Then she uttered the words "I think you are going to have to color your hair!"  By then, I had changed my tune.  I said "Bring it on!"  I did not realize how expensive coloring your hair was though.  It was almost $100.00 each time I had to color and at the rate my gray was coming in, that was about every 6 weeks.  I started feeling guilty for spending the money. 

And then I remembered....Daddy had been coloring my mother's hair for years.  I had always thought how trusting she was to let Daddy, of all people, put chemicals on her head.  But her hair was always gorgeous except for the time her sister - my Aunt Susie - turned Mama's hair orange.  There was a big scene at the house that day.  Something happened with the peroxide I heard.  I started thinking if my Daddy can do this, my Husband Fred surely can.  I broached the subject with him stressing how much money he would save, and of course, he said he would try it.  Can I just say that he could have a second job as a cosmetologist.  He is good - so meticulous, so methodical.  The family now calls him "Chez Freeda".  We were at a friend's house one night and she said "I love your color!  Who does it?"  I responded "Oh Chez Freeda honey!"  She then asked "Would you mind telling me where she works?  I want to go to her!"  I couldn't stop laughing, and when I told her where Chez Freeda worked, I think she honestly was serious about him doing her hair.  I thought "Oh no Sister.  Get your own husband to do your hair!  This one is mine!"  HeeHee!

I now have to make an appointment with Chez Freeda to color my hair because he is so busy with the radio station, and I am not joking.  At the last appointment which is in the den on a stool with newspaper surrounding us, I asked him if the gray was still progressing throughout my hair.  And he responded "Yeah...It looks like it is really taking off!"  OK...I got steamed.  You refer to airplanes "taking off", "taking off" pounds, "taking off" on a vacation or even "taking off" from work but NEVER EVER use the phrase "taking off" in reference to your wife's gray hair.  He apologized, and I accepted it with the understanding that he will from now on lie like a dog when I ask that question.  I have an appointment tomorrow, by the way, with Chez Freeda.  I can't wait, and he better lie!

On to the recipe...It is the last recipe I am cooking out of Barefoot Contessa at Home.  It is her Mexican Chicken Soup, and it is good good Clark!  For those of you wondering who Clark is, it is Clark Griswold from the Christmas Vacation movie.  He has a dumb cousin Eddie who uses that phrase, and for some reason, I feel a need to always say that when something is good.  Oh, but I digress.  I will make this recipe again and again and again.  It has some of the best flavor in a soup that I have had in a long time besides Paula's Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup.  It is a keeper.

You will need chicken breasts, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, chicken stock, whole tomatoes in puree, jalapeno pepper, cumin, coriander, cilantro and white corn tortillas.

Chop up 2 cups of onions and carrots and 1 cup of celery.  It seemed weird for carrots and celery to be in a Mexican soup but Barefoot knows what she is doing!  Saute the veggies in olive oil for 10 minutes.

Chop up 4 cloves of garlic and add to the vegetables after they have cooked for 10 minutes.  Cook the garlic for just 30 seconds.

Chop up a jalapeno pepper after removing the seeds and membrane.

You know how they always tell you to wash your hands after handling jalapenos.  Well, I guess I didn't, and I touched the inside of my conjunctiva (nurse term for lining of the eye).  I have never felt so much pain in my life.  I felt like I was going to throw up it hurt so bad.  I had to flush my eye out with water for 10 minutes.  It is still red!!  I have learned a valuable lesson today.

You also chop up some cilantro.  Publix did not have cilantro, but they did have this new product in a bag called Culantro.  It is a hybrid that supposedly lasts longer in the fridge and tolerates heat better.  It tastes just like Cilantro.  That is so weird to me.

This is what it looks like.  Strange.  What is also strange is that in order to taste cilantro properly, you have to have a specific gene.  If you don't have the gene, it tastes like soap.  How weird is that?!  Thanks Kristey Fry and Allie Shelton for enlightening me on that subject.  I don't know if you have to have a gene for Culantro though!!

You also cut up 6 corn tortillas into strips.  These smelled so good!

You add the tomatoes, chicken stock, jalapeno, cilantro/culantro, cumin, coriander and torillas to the veggies and simmer for 25 minutes.  When that has cooked, you add the chicken and salt and pepper for taste. 

When done, you ladle it into a bowl and top with broken tortilla chips, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and slices of avocado.  It is sooooooooooooooo good!  I want some more right now!

Here is the recipe....

Mexican Chicken Soup

Barefoot Contessa at Home

4 chicken breasts

2 c chopped onions

1 c chopped celery

2 c chopped carrots

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 1/2 quarts chicken stock

1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed

2 - 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced  (I used just one)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4-1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro (Culantro)

6 (6-in) corn tortillas

Toppings:  Sliced avocado, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast the chicken at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Heat 3 tbs olive oil in a large pot.  Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, cilantro if using, and the tortilla strips.  Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  Add the shredded chicken and season to taste.  Serve the soup toppeds with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.

Now go have a great day!!

Back to School Dreams and Barefoot Contessa's Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

Yes dear friends...  I have gone back to school.  Let me update you first though on my weird electrical field.  Since posting about that problem, I have had 3 more things happen to me demonstrating that something is wrong with me.  Driving home from school one day a couple of weeks ago, I ran into the worst thunderstorm ever.  Lightning was flashing and popping so close to the car that I was actually seeing purple afterimages.  Oh my!!  I just kept thinking it would strike me because of my weird electrical field.  It didn't though thank goodness.  That same week, another monitor at school went out PLUS the laptop that we replaced the old computer with at home has gone to blue screen twice this week.  I am scared!!  Now every time, something weird happens I think it has to be me.  I will keep you updated.  We need to start keeping score.

This will be my nineteenth year in the classroom.  The one common thread that has run through these nineteen years of teaching is that I always have what I call "My Back-to-School" dreams usually about a couple of weeks prior to school starting.  They come in one of three categories.  The first category is the natural disaster dream.  It usually comes in the form of a tornado that I am always running away from but thankfully, it never catches me.  One of my fellow teachers and I were talking about this dream phenomenon, and she said she just had one about a flash flood coming under her front door and coming into the house.  I am not a dream expert but I would say that this type of dream signifies impending doom.  Hmmm......

The second category is the one where you the teacher are never prepared for class.  I have had dreams where I forgot to run off tests, forgot to do my Powerpoint lecture, forgot to buy the equipment for my lab, and even forgot to go to class, didn't call in sick and the students went wild.  UGH!!!!

The third category is the one where the students are always horrible and heinous!!!  I have had dreams where the students were all throwing up on the floor, they refused to do their work and starting playing on YouTube and were pulling up nasty music videos to watch and dance provocatively to, and of course, the Principal always walks into the room at that exact moment.  This is the category of dream my brain and psyche have chosen for me to experience this year.  Here is the setup.  You know I teach a class for students who want to go into the medical field. One aspect of the class is to take them on field trips to tour various healthcare facilities.  Well......in this dream, we are touring a hospital.  We arrive at the hospital, and the hospital representative gets us in a group and tells us that we no longer have a tour guide.  Uh oh!!!  We have to give the tour ourselves.  I have never been here before but oh well I can manage!!  I get my group of students together, and I notice that they have all worn their bathing suits for the trip.  I proceed to ask them "What in the world were you thinking?  This is not professional!" and they reply "You told us to wear our bathing suits Mrs. Holland!"  Oh no I didn't.  I would not do that even in a stupid dream.  Now I have to find them clothes to cover up so we can go on our tour.  As we are looking for the cover-ups, one student falls and hits her head on the corner of a table.  She is bleeding profusely, and everyone is hovering around looking at her and not offering any assistance.  (This has actually happened three times on field trips - not the bleeding profusely part.  One student fell down a flight of stairs but was remarkably OK, and another student fell up a flight of stairs and hurt her knee.  I myself actually fell climbing into the bus for a field trip, and the students all laughed at me.  Grrr....).  Back to the dream or is it a dream???  I tell the students to leave and go outside and look around so I can tend to the hurt student.  I look outside to check on them, and they are all playing with POLAR BEARS!!!!  I proceed to drag the hurt student along the floor,  get into a car and go driving around the hospital looking for someone to help us.  Mercifully I woke up.  What would a dream expert say about that one?   I will let you know if I have anymore.  There is still time.  It is funny but once school starts, the dreams stop.  Interesting.......

Anyway, on to the recipe.  We are still cooking out of Barefoot Contessa at Home, and the game chose "Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini".  Yummmmm...

Here is what you will need...Good Bread which Barefoot always calls for (This turned out not to be good bread...will explain later), Mozzarella Cheese Slices, Tomatoes, and Prepared Pesto plus salt and pepper.

Core your tomato.

Slice your tomatoes pretty thick.  These are some tomatoes from our Community Supported Agriculture membership.  The produce has been wonderful this year.

Spread the pesto on the both slices of the bread.

Add the mozarella cheese slices.

Then add your tomatoes.  YUM!!

Barefoot tells you to slather the bread with butter but I obeyed the Food Police and use the I Cannot Believe it is Butter Spray.  You will never miss the butter, and I am not just trying to make Food Police happy by saying that.

Husband Fred gave me The Griddler for Christmas one year (Woohoo...Just kidding...I really was excited!).  You can change out the plates to either a grill or flat griddle.  But you can probably just do them in a skillet.

Here is the finished product.  The panini was a little mushy with the regular bread.  Next time I do these, I will get some thicker sliced bread from the Bakery!!  These were absolutely wonderful though as is!!  They would be great for a lunch but were also hearty enough for dinner.  Plus it allows you to use up your produce from your garden.

Here is your recipe...

Barefoot Contessa at Home

Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

2 large ripe tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) ball of fresh mozzarella - I used slices.
12 slices bakery white bread, sliced thick
About 1 cup prepared peso - I did not use nearly this much.
Kosher salt
Unsalted butter, at room temperature - I used Butter Spray.

Preheat a panini grill machine.
Core the tomatoes and slice the tomatoes and mozzarella 1/4-in thick
Spread each slice of bread with pesto.  Place a layer of mozzarella on halfof the bread and cover with a layer of tomato.  Sprinkle the tomato with salt.  Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top.  Spread the topa nd bottom of each sandwich with butter.  Grill the sandwiches in batches on the panini grill for 2-3 minutes, until the mozzarella starts to ooze.  Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.

Now go have a great day!!

My Weird Electrical Field and Barefoot Contessa's Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Oh goodness...Things have been happening in my little universe these last few weeks that have caused me to believe that I have an unusual weird electrical field that surrounds my body.  My electrons, neutrons, and protons must be in major disarray.  Maybe it is the menopause!! 

It all started when we went on vacation, and the two waterspouts formed because of my weird electrical field just to torment me and seek me out - "The Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Cook" -- not the other 5000 people on the island just me!!!  We were without electricity for 2 days.  AGH!!  We recover from that one and the first week we are home from vacation, I am relaxing at home and up blows one of those infamous Pop-up thunderstorms that we experience around here.  The next thing I know I see a bright flash of light and hear the loudest clap of thunder I have ever heard in my whole life.  I jump out of my skin and get up to look to see if the house is on fire.  Thank goodness it was not, but because of my weird electrical field, Husband Fred says that the lightning travelled in the house through the cable cord seeking the weird electrical field and murdered our computer, printer, TV, and router.  Oh goodness it is my fault!!! 

Later that same week, he brought home a picture he had taken of where another lightning strike actually blew a hole in his antenna at his Decatur radio station.  He thrust the picture in my face and was looking at me in an accusing manner.  I thought "Wait a minute Buddy.  No way is this one the fault of my weird electrical field!"  Then and I am not kidding y'all (Cue The Twilight Zone music),  I remember that I had gone to Hartselle that very day to visit a friend, and I drove by Decatur on I-65.  It was storming at the time.  It was my fault.  The lightning was seeking my weird electrical field out but hit his radio station instead.  Can you believe it? 

THEN.......a couple of weeks later, I am getting ready to go to work, and I plug in my curling iron and guess what???  It does not heat up.  The outlet is dead.  Husband Fred checked the breaker and did some other tests, and stated that it has gone to Outlet Heaven.  He looks at me with a weird stare and then runs like the wind to get out of the house and away from me.  (He was late for work!)  I got chill bumps on my arms.  I am thinking now the weird electrical field is coming out of my body and wreaking havoc in my little universe. I get in the car, and it cranks thank goodness.  I get to work with flat nasty hair because of no curling iron, and I walk in my classroom, and (Cue The Twilight Zone Music Yet Again), there sits my computer on the desk staring at me.  It is showing the Blue Screen of Death.  It will not reboot or do anything.  I got scared.  I looked at my hands to see if I could see anything coming out of them.  In my haste, I failed to tell you that the week before, the monitor that was hooked to that very computer died.  GOOD GRIEF!!!!  What is it? I even did some Internet research on weird electrical fields coming out of a human's body, but I found nothing.  I am the only person in the world afflicted with this problem.

Life goes on, and nothing happens of late.  I go to get my hair cut, and I am telling my hairdresser this story, and when it is time to blow dry my hair, she looks scared and frightened.  It looks like her hands are shaking.  She said "I honestly hope this thing comes on!"  Are you kidding me?  I have become a weird electrical field leper.  I would love to tell you that the dryer did not come on for dramatic effect, but that would be a bald-faced lie!!  It came on, and we each muttered under our breath "Thank goodness!"  I will keep you updated on my condition.

Now on to the recipe.  I have chosen the next cookbook to be Barefoot Contessa at Home.  Barefoot Contessa is not actually the author's name.  Her name is Ina Garten, and Barefoot Contessa was the name of the specialty food store that she owned for several years in the Hamptons of New York.  She has a show on the Food Network, and believe me,  just about anything she cooks or bakes or prepares is 5 stars.  I love her food.  So.....the Game chose as the recipe "Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette".  Again, I wanted to cheat but I did not.  I had never had Broccolini before.  So let's get started...

Here is the lovely picture of the cookbook.

You will need broccolini (she defines this as baby broccoli), olive oil (she calls for "Good" olive oil (????), balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, black pepper, and a lemon.

I forgot to take a picture of boiling the broccolini.  Boo!!  It must be the weird electrical field.  While it is boiling away though, you whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and the pepper.  

You drain the broccolini, place it in a large bowl, add the vinaigrette, and finish with a spash of fresh lemon.  You can serve it warm or cold.

 I served it with a nice grilled ribeye steak (Yes Food Police...I ate a steak and then I took 2 of my Omega-3 Fish Oil Pills.  They went great with the meal!! HAHA!!) and a baked potato.  When Husband Fred and I sat down to eat dinner, the greatest compliment he could ever pay me was to start with the brocollini and not the steak.  He loved it.  It is delicious.  It does not have the "burpy" taste of broccoli.  It has a much lighter taste.  I will definitely prepare this one again.  Yea for the game.  I would have never tried this if not for it!

Here is your recipe---

Barefoot Contessa at Home

Broccolini and Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 bunches of broccolini (I used 2 bunches)

Kosher salt

1/4 c good olive oil

1 1/2 tbs balsamic vineagar

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil.  Remove and discard the bottom third of the broccolini stems.  If some stems are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper.  When the water comes to a full boil, add the broccolini, return to a boil, and cook over high heat for 2 minutes or until the stems are just tender.  Drain well and place in a large bowl.  Pour enough dressing over the broccolini to moisten and toss well.  Splash with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and serve warm or cold.

Now go have a great day!!!

Harry Potter and Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites' Flavorful White Chili

Last week was eventful to say the least.  First, I did go back to Body Pump class!!  I was proud of myself even though I am still not "squatting" properly.  I am a work in progress. 


Second, Husband Fred who I now think I am going to call "The Loudest Cougher in the Whole Wide World" came down with some type of what the RN in me calls "The Crud".  I knew it was pretty bad when he went to bed at 6:00 pm on Friday without eating.  I checked on him periodically, and at one point, he looks at me with these glazed vacant eyes, and says "You know what.  I am going to tell you something, and you are going to think I am weird.  My body is a computer, and it is downloading all these bacteria into me!!"  My RN side said "Yes, you are weird, and I better check your temperature!"  It was 102.4  Uh Oh!!  I "downloaded him" with some Tylenol!!  He went to the doctor and is now on an antibiotic and that hallucinogenic cough medicine that makes you dream in technicolor.  But at least, the loudest coughing in the Whole Wide World has ceased. 


Third, in the midst of all the excitement generated by the Crud and Body Pump, the final movie of the Harry Potter series premiered last Thursday.  Food Police had the GRAND idea to go to the midnight showing.  I thought better of this idea because Husband Fred has to get up at 5:00 to do his radio show on WTKI-AM 1450 AM/92.9 FM.  I like to plug him when I can!!  It was no big deal for me since I am not back at school yet.  But oh no, he wanted to go.  Famous. last. words!!!  We started watching all the movies again to catch us up and decided we would watch the last movie here before heading to the theatre.  I decided I would make a Harry Potter menu.  I did some research and found that Harry ate Shepherd's Pie in the Chamber of Secrets movie while serving detention for that blond teacher whose name I cannot remember right now.  I knew that real Shepherd's Pie has peas and carrots in it, and Son-In-Law would not touch it if I made it that way.  So I made Christy Jordan's Tater Tot Casserole - http://www.southernplate.com/.  It is very similar to Shepherd's Pie but has no green or orange in it!!  Then I found the best recipe for Butterbeer Cupcakes.  You can find the recipe at http://confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/.  Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice are the beverages of choice for Harry and his friends.  I found a recipe for Butterbeer but I thought Food Police would have had a fit if I made it because it did have a lot of calories.  We substituted Diet Creme Soda instead.  The cupcakes were a hit and tasted really butterscotchy!!!   I have pictures I will show you in a minute.  WELL, after we watch the movie and eat our yummy dinner, Food Police gets hysterical that we will not find a seat.  She had bought tickets at least a month ago.  So at 8:45 pm, we head to the theatre and are in our seats at 9:00pm.  Now remember, the movie doesn't start until 12:01 am.  There was a lot going on to entertain us though.  We walked around the decorated theatre and checked out all the people in costumes.  People really went all out for this.  It was exciting!! Finally, the movie starts, and it was the best ever!!  You must go see it!!  We got in bed that night at 3:00 am.  I think that is when Husband Fred hit the proverbial wall and really succumbed to the "Crud".  It was downhill from there.  We have all recovered though, and I have a wonderful Eeny recipe for you.  Let me show you the Harry Pics first though...

Here is my table with the Gryffindor scarf as my runner.  The trophies are to represent one of the Horcruxes or the Triwizard Tournament Trophy.  You can see the Butterbeer cupcakes and the awesome last book.

Another view!!

Again my food photography is poor.  BUT the little things on top of the cupcakes are little Harry brooms.  You take a Pretzel stick and put a Laffy Taffy on the end and then cut it to make it look like the broom straws.  I also drizzled butterscotch syrup on the top.  They were good and really looked much better than the picture.

Yes I am a nerd.  I have a Harry Robe!!!  Oh my!!  It will look good with the scarf!!  Halloween here I come!

Here is Food Police and Son-in-Law.  It is about 10:00 pm at this point!!

Here is Son-In Law.  It is now about 10:45 pm.  He is with his favorite character Severus Snape.  He is having a hot flash and had to stand under the AC. 

I love him because he will always agree with me when I say "I am hot".  He says "I am hot too!"  Then we proceed to turn the AC down much to the chagrin of the cold-natured Food Police. 

Look at Food Police.  She really is a Dementor.  It is about 11:15 pm at this point!

Look at the One who Coughs Louder than Anyone in the Universe.  It is about 11:45 pm at this point!! 

I love my family.....Now on to the recipe....This is the last recipe from the Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites.  I am glad I have rediscovered this cookbook.  All the food has been wonderful.  I also learned from the cookbook that to speed up cooking time on most slow cooker recipes, the general rule is that 1 hour on high equals 2 hours on low.  For this go round, The Game chose "Flavorful White Chili".  I will be brutally honest.  I wanted to cheat on The Game again.  I thought "No way Game.  I have already made 2 chicken recipes plus I don't want chili while we are under a Heat Advisory.  I want this in November watching some Alabama Crimson Tide Football - Roll Tide - or some Tennessee Titans Football if they settle the stupid strike".  Whoops!  I got off track!!  It was soooooooo good, and it comforted Husband Fred while he was fighting the Crud!!  I will make this one again and again!!

You will need chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried Northern beans, garlic, onion, a can of chopped green chillies, and assorted spices.

This is by far my WORST picture ever.  You have to place your beans in a Dutch oven and add water.  You bring them to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, and let them stand for 1 hour.  I was trying to show you how much the beans will "grow". 

Add the beans to your slow cooker.  Look there is that liner again!!  Go get you some of these right now!!

Chop 2 cups of onions and mince 3 fresh garlic.  I love the smell of garlic on my hands after mincing.  Not really...One time at school, I was taking a student's temperature, and she asked me why my hands smelled funny.  Oh dear - my face turned red!!  I now wipe my hands on stainless steel after mincing, and it gets the odor off.

Then you add your chicken broth, onion, garlic, and seasonings and cook on low for 7-8 hours. 

While the chili was cooking, I roasted 3 chicken breasts at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.  Make sure you salt and pepper them really well.  This is the way the Barefoot Contessa told me to do it.  It is yummy.  More on her later!

After the chili has cooked for about 7 hours on Low, you add the roasted chicken, chiles, and salt.  Cook for one more hour.  I ended up having to add some more chicken broth at this stage.

Here is the finished product.  I added some Fat Free Sour Cream, lowfat Cheddar cheese, and a cute little Jalapeno and the best cornbread EVER.  It is not part of the game but I will give you the recipe.  We also had a salad to go with the soup and bread.  YUMMO!

Here is Possum the Rescue Cat after eating a bowl of chili and cornbread.  Just kidding!!  I just had to put this picture in!! HAHA!!

OK....Enough fun....Here is your recipe...

Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites
Flavorful White Chili

1 pound of dried great northern beans

4 cups chicken broth

2  cups chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground cloves - I LEFT THIS OUT ON PURPOSE!!

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 4-oz can chopped green chilies

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked

1 tsp salt

Place beans in a Dutch oven;  add water to cover by 2 inches.  Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.  Drain, rinse, and discard liquid.  Place beans in slow cooker.  Add the broth, onions, garlic and seasonings.  Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.  Add the chilies, chicken and salt.  Cover and cook for one more hour.

Here is the recipe for the Cheese and Onion Cornbread.  I ordered ANOTHER cookbook from Southern Living, and I got a free gift of a pan divided into 4 mini loaves.  They are 4 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in.  They are so cute.  This recipe comes from Southern Living's Little Book of Breads and Cakes that came with my free loafpan.  I love gifts!!

1 (8 1/2 oz) package corn muffin mix - I used Jiffy.

1/3 c finely chopped onion

1/2 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 c butter, melted

2 large eggs, lightly beaten.

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl until just combined.  Spoon batter into the 4 lightly greased loafpan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove loaves from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Now go have a great day!!