What I Have Been Doing Instead of My Blog and Calling all Cooks' Yummy Carrot Salad

My goodness!!  I thought that when Food Police finally "launched", I would have so much more time in my day.  Ummmmm NO!!  Add three pets, a husband who starts a new business and works 7 days a week to my demanding job, you get less time in the day than ever.  I would sit down to write my blog and something would pull me away from the computer.  Let's start with Holland the Wonder Dog and his ACL surgery.  He was supposed to be on house arrest for three weeks.  We made it for a week and a half.  That week and a half was eventful to put it mildly.  He developed intestinal upset on more than one occasion from his antibiotic regimen .  Because this is a food blog, I am not going to go into details.  However, I will say that I have now classified this event as a "Horror of Horrors".  We literally begged the vet from our knees to let him go back outside where he honestly belongs.  He allowed Husband Fred to make an outside "Compound" for him that confined his movement. (not Husband Fred's movement but Holland the Wonder Dog's!!!)  Finally last week, he was able to come off bedrest and could roam freely in his kingdom that is the backyard.   Mercy!!  Now I remember why I am beginning to lean toward preferring the feline!!

The other waking hours have been spent at school or taking down Christmas decorations.  Oh yes!!  We are approaching April, and they are still not all down.  This has become extremely embarassing to the family name and the event may have to be classified as a "Horror of Horrors"!  I have two crepe myrtle trees that still have lights in them, and those are coming down today!!  I have reindeer and a Christmas mailbox on the carport.  Throw in one thousand extension cords that trip me everytime they can, and I have had enough.  I spent one day putting up my inside Snow Village town.  I hate those little people in March!!  They look so happy and smug with their Christmas presents, poinsettias, and their cars packed headed on a little vacation.  There is snow on the ground in their world.  They are having fun snow skiing and ice skating, and I am sweating from the most recent "internal summer" and the fact that we are having summer temperatures in March!  Finally, they are all tucked in their boxes with visions of sugar plums dancing in their little miniature people's heads. 

Finally, I must also add that I was in a period of mourning after Peyton Manning did not choose my Titans as his team.  I could barely get out of bed to go to work much less write my blog.  That is all I am going to say about that!!

Now on to the recipe.  I chose Calling all Cooks as my next cookbook!  This cookbook was written by the Alabama Chapter of the Telephone Pioneers of America.  I have no idea what a telephone pioneer is!!!  Anyway, they write a great cookbook.  I was told by a friend that every new bride needs this cookbook.   I see why!  The Eeny Meeny Game chose Yummy Carrot Salad for the first recipe.  I love Chic-Fil-A's Carrot Salad but Food Police never lets me order it because she said there is a lot of mayonnaise in it.  Food Police is NO fun!!  Blah!!

It is one of those cookbooks that you can tell was done on a typewriter!!

You will need carrots, crushed pineapple, mayo, raisins and sugar!!

Grate your carrots until they look like this.  Watch your fingers!!

Add the rest of the ingredients!

Mix it all together and put in the refrigerator.

I had Friend-in-Law and Food Police over for lunch.  I copied the concept of a "Quad Salad" from one of my favorite restaurants here in town called Cyn Shea's.  I made a Chicken Salad, the Carrot Salad, a Pasta Broccoli Slaw Salad, and a Mandarin Orange salad.  It was so good.  You could do a thousand different variations of this idea. 

The Carrot Salad was delicious and tasted I believe better than Chic-Fil-A's.  Plus I made it with low-fat mayo.  If I had had Splenda, I would have subbed that for the sugar, and it would have been even more healthy!!  It would work real well for Easter Lunch too.  Yum!!

Here is the recipe....

Yummy Carrot Salad

Calling All Cooks 

4-5 large carrots, scraped and washed

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

4 T sugar

1/2 C raisins

1/3 C mayonnaise - I used Low Fat

Use fine grater and grate carrots.  Put into bowl and add the sugar, pineapple, raisins and mayonnaise;  toss well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Bananas and apples may be added as well.

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

A Hodge Podge and Hungry Girl's Breakfast Goodies

I thought I would bring you up to speed on a few things going on in the Eeny Meeny Miny Mo Cook's world.  First, Holland the Wonder Dog had his ACL surgery Thursday, and he is now home.  When I say home, I mean recovering in the house for 3 weeks.  This is not a little dog, and this is not an inside dog.  This is a 50 pound furry dog with a big bandage on his leg.  Can I just tell you that this has messed up the felines' world.  They are beside themselves.  They look at Holland the Wonder Dog like he is some alien intruder, arch their back, hiss and run off and hide.  Actually everyone is in an uproar.  We had to turn the thermostat down in the house to 60 degrees because Holland the Wonder Dog is burning up inside.  We have to remember to take him outside to use the bathroom.  We had to fix up the laundry room as his dorm room.  We have to remember to put the cat food up because he eats it in one big gobble, and the felines get irritable when they cannot eat on demand.  Oh my goodness but it is okay.  We love Holland the Wonder Dog.  Excuse me while I take him outside.

I am back.  The second thing that I have been doing this weekend, besides being a Dog Nurse, is taking down the Christmas lights.  You heard right.  I am taking down the Christmas lights.  Do you know how embarassing it is to be doing this in March?  The last time we were late was the year we went to London after Christmas and contracted the most horrible flu known to man.  We were sick as dogs.  So it was February before we even thought about the lights.  When we finally got to it, Husband Fred was in the attic putting up the last few strands when I heard the most deafening crash in the world.  I looked up and saw his legs dangling down into the kitchen.  Somehow he had managed to step off the attic beam and through the kitchen ceiling.   He let out the most guttural scream I have ever heard, and I really thought that he was hurt badly.  I knew I could not climb up those rickety stairs into the attic to check on him because I am deathly afraid of that attic.  One time he was up there and threw a fake rat down at me and that was all it took.  I told him I was never going up in that horrid place.  I asked him if I needed to call 911.  He responded no and said very gingerly that he just needed to sit there for a moment because he was lightheaded and about to pass out from straddling the beam.  Oh my goodness!!  So from that experience, we made a promise that we would never wait that long to take down the lights again.  Hmmm...Fast forward to the present.  Every person that walked or drove or rode their bicycles by the house today looked at us with disdain and disgust and pity.  They tried to say cute things like "Oh you must be getting a headstart on the lights this year!"  I answer back  through gritted teeth "No fool we are just trying to get them down before Easter!"  I really don't say fool but I am thinking that.  Then to make matters worse, Husband Fred has the audacity to ask me if I can possibly remember what order I strung the lights.  He said "It sure would make my job of getting them off the trees and shrubs a lot easier and quicker if you could remember the order you put them up in!"  I answered back sarcastically through gritted teeth "No fool I don't remember the order.  I put up over 50,000 lights on 7 trees and 20 plus shrubs last October and November .  Let me stand here and think a minute and MAYBE I can recall this information!"  I stood there for one second and went (actually stomped) back in the house before I said something unkind.  Holland the Wonder Dog got mad too and followed me into the house.

Now on to the recipe.  I am still cooking out of  Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl Cookbook.  The Game picked a breakfast recipe.  I love breakfast.  I believe it is my favorite meal.  I love to eat breakfast for dinner.  That makes me happy.  I decided I would do 2 breakfast recipes since I had to buy a carton of those "fake" eggs, and I didn't want to waste them.  So here we go.

For the first recipe which is called "Yumtastic Breakfast Burrito", you will need the low calorie flour tortillas, turkey bacon, fat free Singles and the liquid egg substitute.  Publix calls it "Eggstirs".

Cook the turkey bacon.  I hate to say it but this stuff looks so fake.  Who likes fake bacon???  Food Police and Hungry Girl.  I will be honest.  It is not too bad but it sure doesn't taste like that Applewood smoked slab bacon!!

Spritz your pan with cooking spray and scramble the egg substitute over medium heat.

Tear your cheese slice in half and lay it on your warmed tortilla.

Place the eggs on top of the cheese.

Put the fake -whoops- turkey bacon on top of the eggs.

Roll it up and cut in two.  I must say it was rather good and only 239 calories.

For the second recipe which is called "Eggamuffin 101", you will need English muffins, the liquid egg substitute, Canadian bacon and the cheese singles.

Place your cheese on the toasted English muffin.

Then add the Canadian bacon that you first microwave.

Add the cooked egg.  I love jalapenos so I added that too.  This tasted as good or better than a McDonald's Egg McMuffin, and it is only 184 calories.

Here are the recipes......

Eggamuffin 101

Hungry Girl

Lisa Lillien

1 light English muffin

1 slice Canadian Bacon

1 slice fat-free American cheese

1/2 c fat-free liquid egg substitute

Toast English muffin.  Cook egg substitute over medium-high heat in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray.  Place cheese on the bottom half of the muffine, followed by the egg, ham, and then the other muffin top.

Yumtastic Breakfast Burrito

Hungry Girl

Lisa Lillien

1 low-fat flour tortilla about 110 calories

2 slices turkey bacon

1/2 c fat-free liquid egg substitute

1 slice American fat-free cheese

Cook bacon according to directions.  Pour egg substitute into a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and scramble over medium heat.  Heat tortilla in the microwave until warm.  Place cheese in the center of the tortilla.  Top with eggs and bacon.  Roll the tortilla up and then heat in the microwave for an addition 15 to 20 seconds.

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

My Pets and Hungry Girl's Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion

I love animals.  Can I say it again?  I have loved animals since I was a little girl. I have always had an animal in my life.  I am the nut that has a Christmas stocking for each of the animals.  I am that nut that when I hear that horrible Sarah McLachlan song - "I Will Remember You" - come on the TV, I get hysterical.  It is the one that is coupled with pictures of abused animals who, of course, are missing an eye or have a little cast on their leg.  I about kill myself getting to the remote to change the channel.  One time I made myself watch it, and I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown.  I was crying, snorting and had to go lie down for a short while with a cold cloth to my head.  Same thing when I hear the news reporter say "We now have a story about animal abuse, and you might want to shield your small children from the TV!"  I am not a small child, but I still need to be shielded.  I scream out to whoever is sitting on the couch with me to change the channel stat!!  FYI:  Stat is medical terminology for right now...immediately...quick..!!  I love using that word!!  I digress!!  Just today, I saw a public service announcement for shelter animals.  It was a cartoon depiction of two little shelter kittens, and they were sitting there saying "Pick me!  Pick me!!" to the people going by.  Then the lights go out, and the one says to the other "The shelter is closing for today, but tomorrow will be a new day, and someone will pick us!!"  I screamed at the TV that I would pick them.   Husband Fred looked up from the Sunday paper and scowled at me.  He had two reasons to scowl.  One is that that those kittens were cartoons.  They are not real.  I know that!!  The second reason I got the old Husband Fred scowl is that we currently have three rescue animals in our household.  That does not count the two that Food Police and Son-in-Law have.

Please let me introduce you to them. First is our precious tuxedo cat Micky or Mick Mick.   He was neglected by some not too smart person ( idiot) who let his flea collar grow into his neck. He thinks he is a dog and follows Husband Fred around the yard. He has a very large vocabulary.

This is Mickey basking in the sun. 

Second is Holland the Wonder Dog! He is a mix between a Red Heeler and a Welsh Corgi.  Husband Fred found him at a convenience store. He had been dumped there and was underweight, had mange, a blood infection, and a very very bad overbite. His mouth looks like a shark's mouth.  Husband Fred called the Humane Society to catch him because he could not coax him into the car. Long story short is that no one adopted him so guess what??? We took him. He has had health problem after health problem since but what a dog. He has had cancer. He has an auto-immune disorder where he could not open his mouth. He is now on steroids for life to correct that issue. Then for some reason, his fur quit growing.  I took him to the vet, and he had low thyroid hormone levels.  He will also have to take thyroid medicine for the rest of his life.  The last big event which will now require surgery is that he tore his ACL doing who knows what in the back yard. What can you say?? His surgery is in a couple of weeks.  I will be doing Doggie Rehab!!

Holland the Wonder Dog!!  He is something else.

Next we have Possum the cat.  Food Police named the poor thing that because he does sort of look like a possum.  He also looks like he has a bad toupee.  He, his Mama, and his two siblings were found under an abandoned house.  We called a wonderful organization in town called Forgotten Felines, and they sent out Winnie the Wonder Trapper of all Cats that are Feral.  She put some overalls on, loaded a humane trap with some stinky food, and proceeded to crawl up under the house and catch all four members of that feline family.  Of course, they ended up at my house scared to death.  "Now what do we do with them?" I screeched.  Well.....................we kept Possum, Husband Fred took Mama to his radio station, and Food Police took the other two.  They are some of the sweetest cats I know.  I think they are grateful.

Possum or Pos as we like to call him with the bad toupee!!!

 Food Police and Son-in-Law's babies - My Grandcats!!  Fuzz and June

Mama Kitty - Tiki - named for Husband Fred's Radio Station WTKI!!  Clever huh??

So there you have it.  You have been introduced to all the wonderful animals in my life.  Now on to the recipe.  I am still hungry and still cooking out of Hungry Girl's cookbook.  The game chose Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion, and I was mad.  I was steamed.  I wanted something like Steak Fajita Wrap Explosion or Fried Chicken Explosion or Lasagna Explosion.  You get the picture.  But I dutifully prepared it, and it was really really good. 

You will need flour tortillas, tuna, broccoli coleslaw, dill pickles, red onion, tomatoes, fat free mayo, and Dijonnaise.

Combine the tuna, mayo, and Dijonnaise.  Add pickle, onions, and slaw and mix well.

This is it all mixed together.  This photo should win an award.

Place the tuna mixture on a warmed tortilla and add the tomatoes.

I rolled it up like a burrito, added some broccoli coleslaw and Sunchips to the side, and enjoyed every bite of it.  The total calorie count of the wrap is 215 calories. 

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

Veggie Tuna Wrap Explosion

Hungry Girl

Lisa Lillien

1 medium low-fat flour tortilla about 110 calories

2 ounces canned tuna packed in water

2 Tbs broccoli coleslaw

1 Tbs chopped dill pickle

1 Tbs chopped red onion

2 small tomato slices

1 Tbs fat-free Mayo

2 tsps Dijonnaise (I used Dijon Mustard)

Microwave tortilla until warm and set aside.

Combine tuna, mayo and Dijonnaise.  Add pickle, onions, and slaw.  Mix well.

Place tuna mixture in the center of the tortilla.  Add tomato slices, then fold in sides and roll it up.  Enjoy!!

Makes 1 serving!!

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

Body Pump Update and Hungry Girl's V10 Soup

Oh goodness!!  I decided I would cook out of the cookbook by Lisa Lillien titled Hungry Girl for the next little bit.   This cookbook is not written for a real hungry girl like me.  It is written for someone who is really hungry and starving to death and could eat the paint off the wall because they are on a diet!!  I think the politically correct term for diet is now lifestyle modification or healthy eating plan.  Blah!!!  Guess who gave me this cookbook??  If you guessed Food Police, you are right.  Speaking of Food Police, have you noticed how the National Media must be reading my blog because they have stolen my coined phrase - Food Police???  There have been countless national stories about the Food Police and how they are snatching little kids' food right out of their lunchboxes because the little kid had -Heaven Forbid - some Cheetos or Oreo Cookies for lunch.  What is this world coming to?  I wonder what my Food Police will pack in her children's lunch boxes.  Oh I cannot wait to share those stories.  I digress as usual.   

Anyway, the author of this cookbook - Lisa - has a Food Network show where she shows you how to eat well for less calories.  She also has a wonderful web site - www.hungry-girl.com- where you can sign up for daily e-mail tips on how to eat right.  And I must say, after cooking and tasting a few recipes out of her cookbook, I am a new fan.

After I selected this cookbook, I thought this would be an opportune time to give you an update on my exercise and eating regimen here lately.  I made it  through the Holidays without too much of a stumble and have now lost a little over 20 pounds.  I am still going to my lovely Body Pump class twice a week.  I reread my original blog post about Body Pump (which has been my most popular post), and I must say, I believe I was a little angry when I was writing that.  It is dripping with sarcasm!!  Just so you know, though,  I still don't clap for the show-outs in class.  I still glare at them through the sweat dripping off my brow and give them my fake smile.  Oh if only they could read my mind!! 

Husband Fred has now joined the ranks of the Monday/Wednesday afternoon Body Pump Posse.  Of course, I had to do some arm twisting and begging to get him there.  Food Police pulled out the old "You are going to get Diabetes and Heart Disease" threat out of her little dietician's bag of tricks.  Goodness!!  It has been worth it though.  She and I so enjoy watching his weird contorted faces in the mirrors (Did I tell you they have mirrors in this torture chamber?  There is nothing attractive about your face when you are lifting weights).  Oh and how we love listening during class to his guttural grunting that is so loud you can hear it over the 5000 decibel song track.  I think he does it for attention to make you think he is really pumping a lot of iron.  I look at his weights to see how much he has added to his bar and do a double-take.  Oh my!!! Wait a minute.....Wait for it....Here it comes...... Food Police and I are lifting more weight than he is!!!!!!  Give me strength!!!  Do we make even one little sound?  NO!!!  Let me keep going!!!!   How about when we finish our Planks, he falls into the prone position and lies there for what seems like an eternity.  People just step over him to put up their weights and mats.  I reassure everyone that he is okay and not blown out his vertebrae.  I then whisper to them that he tends to have a Drama Queen side!!   They nod their heads up and down quite vigorously like they know exactly what I am talking about.  I see where Food Police gets her flair for the dramatic. Again, I digress.  I tell him to get up and quit embarassing himself and his family.  Finally, he manages to pull himself to his knees and come to a standing position ready for more.  Why does this bring such a smile to our faces??  I just thought of something.  Maybe that is why all the veteran Body Pump people are smiling.  It is not because they are actually enjoying the class, but they are actually delighting in watching the newbies get put through the ringer.  Hmmmm.....

Now on to the recipe....I thought why did the Eeny Game have to choose this one???  I don't really want 60 calorie vegetable soup, but maybe the Game was trying to tell me something!!  You think!!

Here is a picture of the cookbook.  That lady on the front looks hungry to me!  She must be delirious from low blood sugar because that would be the only reason why she would be smiling like that.  Sorry!!  I am hungry right now!!  I want a hamburger and French fries.

Shout out to my vegetarian friends!!  You are going to love this one.  You will need a bunch of ingredients but look at how healthy all that looks!!  You need 10 veggies - tomatoes, zucchini, onions, celery, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, green beans and mushrooms.  Plus you will use garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste, basil, oregano and parsley.  You will also need salt and pepper.

Look at the rainbow!!  Chop up the tomatoes, onion, carrots and asparagus.

Spray your pot with cooking spray and saute the tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, and carrots for about 5 minutes.

While this is cooking, chop up your cabbage.

Chop the mushrooms.

Keep chopping......Now the zucchini.

Keep going.....The celery!!

Measure out a cup of bean sprouts.

Add all the ingredients and cook for 20 minutes.  You will have this wonderful looking soup when you are finished!

I ate lunch with Food Police today and brought her some of the soup.  She was in Dietician Heaven eating it.  A generous cup of this tasty concoction is only 60 calories and is low in sodium, fat and sugars.  I have to say it really is good.  Hmmmm.....

Here is the recipe...

 

V10 Soup

Hungry Girl Cookbook

Lisa Lillien

4 C fat-free vegetable broth

2 C chopped cabbage

1 1/4 C chopped celery

1 C chopped mushrooms

1 C bean sprouts

2/3 C frozen green beans ( I used canned)

1 medium zucchini, diced

2 plum tomatoes, diced

3/4 C sliced carrots

1/2 C diced onions

5 asparagus spears, chopped

1 1/2 Tbs tomato paste

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray a large pot with nonstick spray.  Cook tomatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus and garlic over low heat for about 5 minutes.

Raise heat to high, add all other ingredients, and stir.  Once soup reaches a full boil. lower the heat until soup is just dimmering.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the beans and celery are tender. 

Makes 6 servings.

Now go have a great day.....

My Worst Day as a Teacher and Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen's Crescent Cookies

As many of you know, I have been teaching a High School Medical class for almost 20 years.  I have honestly had only a few really bad days as a teacher.  Most of my days can be defined as good, productive, satisfying, uplifting, etc.  The bad days usually revolve around something not working like a piece of equipment, the Internet being down and I can't access that awesome video, I forgot to run off something for the class, and on rare occasions, a discipline or behavioral issue.  That sounded harsh didn't it?  How about someone was acting up in class!! That sounds better.

Let's roll back the calendar to a couple of weeks ago.   I was imparting all my vast knowledge about the autoclave and sterilization to the inquisitive young minds of my students.  As a part of the lesson, we talk about chemical disinfection and ultrasonic cleaning.  I had purchased an ultrasonic cleaner to show them how that worked.  While I was discussing this, I uttered the fateful statement "This is also what they use to clean jewelry!  Does anyone want me to clean your rings while I clean this set of dentures?"  By the way, so you are not grossed out, they were not my dentures!!  HAHA!!!  A couple of hands went up, and I had them drop their rings into the cleaner along with my wedding ring.  I proceeded to read the directions and turn the thing on for 20 minutes just like it said to do.  When the 20 minutes was up, I took off the top and peered in.  And there it was - the evidence of my most horrible day as a teacher.  That despicable horrid little machine turned the silver class ring of one of my students BLACK!!!  Thank goodness my back was to the students so that they could not see all the blood drain from my face.  I grabbed the ring out of the water, and immediately my hand turned black. This day was getting worse by the minute.  I start running it under water and rubbing it with a paper towel.   I begin muttering gibberish under my breath which amounted to  - "Oh no!  Oh no!  Oh no!"  I guess my anxiety transferred to the class because they started asking "What is wrong Mrs. Holland?"  I delicately stated "I don't know how to tell you all this so I am just going to say it!!  I have ruined someone's ring!"  They immediately jumped up and ran to the back.  It turned out to be So and So's class ring and thankfully, he was very very calm about the unfortunate situation.  I told him I would pay for it if it came down to that.  I asked him how much it cost, and he said $400.00.  I about threw up right there.   Some of the other students were sweet and tried to make us feel better.  They said "Oh So and So, it looks cool.  It is a one of a kind ring now.  It looks like it is really old pewter."  I told him to go home and show his parents and let me know what they said.  I was utterly mortified.

When I got home, Husband Fred asked how my day was.  I said "Do you really want to know?"  I proceeded to tell him and instead of consoling me, he dares to say "Angela, what possessed you to do something like that?"  First of all, he never uses my name except when he is irritated with me and second, nothing possessed me that I am aware of.  Grrr...... To make things even worse, I kept waking up during the night every 30 minutes thinking about that doggone silver ring that I had turned black!!!  It truly was the Horror of Horrors!!

The next day at school, students were coming up to me in the hall saying "Oh I heard you ruined So and So's class ring!  Way to go Mrs. Holland!"  When So and So came to class, I asked him what his parents said.  He said that they were mad at him!  YES!!  Not at me!!  Thank goodness!!  But to make both of us feel better, the ring was covered by a warranty, and he could get a brand new one.  So I ended the day by asking the students what they had learned this week.  They responded without too much thought -  "Don't ever let Mrs. Holland clean your rings!!"  I agreed wholeheartedly!!! 

Now on to the recipe.  I am still cooking out of Trisha Yearwood's cookbook.  The game finally chose something sweet.  I was beginning to wonder if I needed to change my method.  I do tend to start at the front of the book and play the game.  I think that is why I get all those chicken recipes!!  I will be making Crescent Cookies, and before Food Police gets her calorie counter out and starts clicking away, I will be taking these to my students to sample.  I will eat one maybe two however!!

You will need butter or margarine, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla, salt and walnuts or pecans!

Add the butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla.

Cream all that goodness together!

It will look like this after a couple of minutes.

Beat in the flour and stir in the nuts by hand!

Roll into one inch balls and form a crescent.  Please do not judge me by the condition of my cookie sheets!!  Bake them for about 15 minutes at 325 degrees.

Take them out and cool on a rack.  Be gentle because, I with my heavy hand, broke a few!!  I took this picture with my I-Phone and did not know how to rotate it!!

Roll them in powdered sugar and enjoy!!  Same thing here - I took the picture with the phone and am too technologically inept to figure out the rotation thing!

Everyone that ate one of these absolutely loved them.  They are not overly sweet and remind me of the Sand Tarts my Bigmama used to make.  Husband Fred took some to a meeting and served them with coffee, and the People raved and cheered and stormed the streets for more.  I am kidding, but they did rave about them!!  I surprised my students with them, and they stood up and cheered and did a happy dance.  Again, I am joking, but they did tell me I was a good cook!!  That one made me smile.  I think they are manipulating me to get some more goodies!!  Hmmmm.........

Here is your recipe.....

Crescent Cookies

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen

Trisha Yearwood

1 C of butter, softened

1 C confectioners' sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsps vanilla

2 1/4 C sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 C finely chopped pecans ( I used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a bowl, cream together butter, 1/4 cup of sugar, salt and vanilla until light and fluffy.  Beat in the flour and then stir in the nuts.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.  Form the ball into a crescent  Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown but the tops are still pale.  Transfer to a rack to cool.

Put the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a bowl.  Roll the cooled cookies in the sugar, coating liberally.  Store in an airtight container.

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

The Plan and Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

I will just jump right into this blog post.  There is no way to ease into it gracefully.  Husband Fred thinks that I have a "Grand Plan" to kill him and collect on the insurance money.  I am not kidding one bit.  Let me tell you a little bit about the "Plan". 

I don't know why, but I leave drawers open - sock drawers, T-shirt drawers, silverware drawers, bathroom drawers, any drawer.  I don't know why.  I have no clue.  Maybe I am just lazy when it comes to closing drawers.  Unfortunately, if I leave one open at night, guess who runs into it?  Not me but Husband Fred.  He is always wandering at night to let the cats out or to go the bathroom.  I know he has run into an open drawer when I hear the proverbial guttural primal shout-out!  I won't get into what he shouts out, but you get the picture.  As he throws himself back into bed in pain, he will always mutter "Is this part of the Plan?" 

One night about five years ago, I was having a bout with insomnia.  Of course, Husband Fred was loudly sawing logs at my side.  I can honestly say that I despised him at that moment.  Why does sleep come so easily to him?  As I tossed and turned, I started thinking from a medical background about snoring.  What could I do to stop that horrible noise?  I was in the midst of teaching CPR to my students, and I thought "I will open his airway!"  To do this, you must place one hand on the forehead and one hand on the chin.  You then pull back on the head and tilt it back.  Oh yeah!  So here I go!!  I positioned myself on my knees so that I could perform this technique on Husband Fred without his permission during his slumber.  I got as far as the tilting of the head back!!  Husband Fred opened his eyes which bugged out really far when he saw me perched over him with my hands on his head.  He screamed "Is this part of the Plan?"  He looked so weird that I knew in my heart that he did not believe me when I said "I was just trying to see if I could get you to quit snoring!"  Usually he sleeps with his back to me, but that night, he didn't.  He kept an eye on me.

Just this past week, the "Plan" came into play again.  As I have told you before, Husband Fred colors my hair.  We have the routine down.  I set up a stool in the den and mix the color.  He spends the next 10 minutes trying to get the gloves on.  The gloves come with the color and must be made for a Size 0 woman.   I could do a whole blog post on watching him try to put the gloves on.  I digress.  Anyway, after the color is on, I usually clean up, but I didn't this time.  This means I left the stool out in the middle of the den floor.  Whoops!  We go to bed and around 3:00 am or so, Mickey, the sweetest cat in the world, wants to go out.  As always, Husband Fred gets up without complaint to let him out.  A few minutes later, I hear the weirdest sound.  There is a loud thump followed by the primal groan.  I thought "What now?"  He got in the bed and was rolling around in agony.  I was so tired that I pretended not to hear him because I did not want to get in a discussion about "The Plan!"  That next morning, I staggered into the kitchen, and there he stood.  And out came the words "Was that part of The Plan?"  I played dumb and replied "I don't know what you are talking about dear!"  Through gritted teeth, he responds "Leaving the stool out!  I ran into it, kicked it, and about broke my ankle!  And while I am on the subject of The Plan, why do you have to always take your shoes off on my side of the bed?  I tripped over those as I was getting back into bed after falling over the stool!"  I sweetly replied "Well, at least, I didn't leave a drawer open!"  He did not find that in the least bit funny! 

Fun times!!  On to the recipe.....I am still cooking from Trisha Yearwood's cookbook.  I love this cookbook.  The Eeny game chose Chicken Broccoli Casserole.  You need to run go get the ingredients for this one right now.  It is absolutely beyond delicious!!  Trisha says that Garth eats this for breakfast.  It is that good!!

I forgot two things in the ingredient picture.  Good grief!!  Chicken and rice!!  You will also need cheddar cheese, sour cream, broccoli, cream of chicken soup, lemon, and mayo!!  Look Food Police at all the fat free, light, and Healthy Request choices I made.  I need a reward!!  How about a doughnut!!  Just kidding!!

Grease a 9x13 dish.  This is my favorite!!  Spread 2 cups of cooked rice as the first layer.

Make a second layer with the cooked broccoli.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together including the chicken.  Beautiful picture!! 

Spread that mixture over the broccoli and top with cheese. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  It comes out smelling and looking yummy!

This is what it looks like when it is screaming to you to take a bite.

Here is the recipe...

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen

Trisha Yearwood

2 C cooked rice

3 C cooked chopped broccoli

1 C sour cream

1/2 C mayonnaise

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 10 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup

10 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( I used Barefoot Contessa's roasting method - 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Sprinkle with a little olive oil and salt and pepper before roasting - Delicious)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13x2 pan.  Spread the rice as the first layer and then make a second layer with the broccoli. 

In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, soup, half of the grated cheese, salt, pepper, and chicken.  Pour this mixuter ove the broccoli and top with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 40 minutes and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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