Some of my favorite kitchen gadgets this summer….

Some of these things I’ve told you about before, but since I have a lot of newbies to the site, they’re worth a repeat.  Or, if you’re like me, you read about them and forgot them…. So if you’ve seen these before, just ignore this post.

I’m loving my Wolfgang Puck  Electric Pressure Cooker.  I bought it on HSN after Hooterville gave me a heads up that it was on introductory sale one Sunday for $119.00.  It’s a 7 quart, the size is great.  I bought Ry a Cuisinart 6 quart last year for his birthday, but it’s a bit small  This one is wonderful, I use it several times a week, I have dried pinto beans cooking it in this morning. My fresh green beans that I normally cook on the stove for a couple of hours only took me ten minutes after it reached pressure, and that was with new potatoes mixed in the pot.  Even though it’s a bit more expensive now, it’s still well worth the price.  This isn’t your mama’s pressure cooker, girlfriends, you set it and forget it, and don’t have to worry about it exploding!  You can check it out here…

I’ve blogged about this KitchenAid Garlic Press before.  I liked it so much I bought it for the kids, I got one for Hooterville, too and she will also tell you that it’s the best garlic press EV-ER.  If you’re like me you’ve bought several over the years, none of them ever really work, but this one is a powerhouse and it completely pulverizes the garlic cloves.
This exact style is hard to find, but you can buy it on Amazon.  But then you can buy pretty much anything on Amazon.  Here’s the click if you’re interested.


This chopper from Williams-Sonoma is the hands down BEST thing I’ve bought in years.  Actually, it’s my second generation, I bought an earlier model, but they updated it and I bought this one.  I’ve told all of you about this several times, and if you haven’t bought one, do yourself a favor and order it.
They have an even newer model available now, Ryan bought it and brought it to show me on his last visit home.  While it’s a super one, I still think I like this one best.  Here’s the Click for my model, and if you want to see the one he bought, you can access it HERE.

And since it’s summer, I’m going to talk about ice cream makers.  Three years or so ago

I decided that I needed the Cuisinart ice cream machine, the one with the built in compressor.  I seldom use it, the family teases me relentlessly about it, and was it a waste of money, or is the family wrong????


Well, first of all, the family is seldom wrong, and I must admit, it was an oops.  It cost way too much money for the use I get out of it.  I should have just bought this snazzy little red model for a fraction of what I paid for the super duper one.  But it’s sitting on my shelf in the garage, it’s there when the ice cream urge strikes…


Cooking.com has this red one on sale right now for $50.00 – what a deal, and it looks great.  I just love anything red in the kitchen.
If you already have a ice cream machine and you want to try a new cookbook, The Perfect Scoop is an awesome ice cream book.
Here’s the link to it on Amazon.  It’s the best homemade ice cream book I’ve found.

And finally, I have two more absolutely wonderful “keep the kitchen cool” things for you.  Both I’ve talked about before, so if you’ve heard me rave about these, just ignore this, but perhaps some of you are in the market for new equipment this summer, and it helps to know what works for people, and of course, what doesn’t work.  Both of these are spendy, but good kitchen equipment IS spendy, and it’s well worth the investment because you have it for years.  I probably don’t spend any more on kitchen equipment than some of you spend on outfits with accessories.  It’s whatever floats your boat and I adore gadgets….

So first, this is my Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven.  I got this a couple of years ago, and I was never a fan of toaster ovens, but then the only ones I had owned were the run of the mill ones that didn’t work very well.  Well, I have used this practically daily since I got it.  It only takes 2-3 minutes to come to temperature, it bakes to perfection, it’s roomy inside, the convection is super and best of all, it doesn’t heat up the kitchen.
You can check it out HERE if you’re interested.  I think this stainless model runs a bit more, you can get it in white or black for less.

And last, but not least is this All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker from Williams-Sonoma.  I adore slow-cookers, and I’ve had many through the years.  This one I didn’t buy, Ryan and Lindsay got it for me last year for Christmas.  Oh my, it’s wonderful.  The teflon liner is removable and you can bring everything to boil or brown in it on top of your stove, and the food cooks so much better than the other model’s I’ve had.  No hot spots, nothing dries out – it’s a good thing…  But actually, my very favorite slow-cooker is long gone now, but it had a ceramic divided insert.  It didn’t cook nearly as well as this one does, but I loved the idea of being able to cook two things in it at once…  It was really nifty…  You just can’t beat a slow-cooker in the summer though for keeping your kitchen cool.

I have tons more of my favorite kitchen things, including my beloved Zojurushi Bread Machine that’s in retirement right now because I’m trying to cut the carbs, and have el zippo willpower with homemade bread. I’m the gadget queen, but even I’m not as obsessed as Ryan is.  Oh that son of mine has every kitchen gadget there is.  He’s totally mezmerized by kitchen equipment.

So that’s my summer kitchen reviews.  I do this periodically as I like to share my “finds.”  I’ll be back with more this fall, I’m sure….

More about that country life…

Did you ever sit barefoot in a porch swing, sipping iced tea out of a fruit jar?

Were you ever so carefree, that you hummed along with the radio without a care in the world?

Were you ever so innocent that you thought everyone was good and kind and decent?

Did you chase fireflies just before dusk, put them in a jar and watch them glow?

Have you ever had watermelons so plentiful that you would cut them, eat just the heart out of each one and throw the rest away?

Have you ever had corn on the cob, so fresh that an hour before you eat it, it's still on the stalk?

Have you sat outside in the steamy country evenings, trying to catch a breeze and cool off before you go to bed?

Have you ever wished upon a falling star?

Have you ever had litters of pups and baby kittens scampering at your feet in the summer grass?

Do you remember the smell of summer rain on a dusty evening, going to bed, hearing it on the roof while it lulls you to sleep?

Have you picked fresh blackberries and had them on your morning cereal with a jug of creamy, whole milk and toast made with homemade bread and slathered with fresh churned butter?

Were you lucky enough to listen to the sounds of the crickets and the frogs by the creek?

Do you go for early morning summer walks, while everything is fresh and dewy and the world is awakening for another day?

Do you stop to watch the way the summer sun sets beyond the tree line and lights up the evening sky with an orange glow?

Do you take the time to watch the birds, to listen to their calls and watch the squirrels and the rabbits scampering in the grass?

I have experienced all of this, and am lucky enough to live in the country, even now, and to somehow bring it all full circle.

I am truly blessed…

Summer fleurs, summer dishes…

 

It’s summer, now’s the time to bring out the sunflower dishes, and put fleurs from my garden on the table. They’re in there, see them, sitting amongst all the STUFF!!!

 

My family gives me constant grief about the fact that there is no room to sit at the table and eat. We have to move everything off. Oh well, it’s cluttered, I like it, I have a cluttered mind. Works for me…

Busted AGAIN…. that’s twice just this week!!!!

Our Starbucks is closing, sez Jan pissing and moaning….

Whatever will I do, no more five minute trips to the Bucks, no more drive-thru, no friendly faces of the people I’ve come to know.  They say the building is too large, the overhead too high, oh how I hate this!!!  Westside Heavensville Starbucks rocks!!!!!  Sure, we have other locations, miles away.  But it just isn’t the same!!!!

I’m so upset, it just ruined my day!!!!!!!

Counting my blessings….

Of all my friends, Mary will be the one who understands this entry the most. She, too, was raised in the country, just a few miles from where I grew up and her life was very similar to mine.

I was sitting at the bar just now, snapping beans with little Princess Pollywog asleep on the kitchen rug. She never strays far from my side. Mags will take herself off to our bed to nap in her little bean bag, but Mollie shadows me, always.

I have a fat hen in the oven roasting, it’s cool inside, I didn’t have to pick the beans, but they are fresh from the farmer’s market. The hen is Amish grown, grain fed, but I didn’t have to kill it, or pluck it’s feathers, and the corn was picked this morning, but I had no part of walking thru the hot cornrows, pulling it off the stalks.

My life is so different than my Mother’s. We would have the same meal as I’m having this evening, but she would do everything herself, from killing and dressing the chicken, to picking the beans and the corn, and then she would cook it all in a hot kitchen with no running water.

The older I get, the more I admire her tenacity and determination to provide me with the best life she could. She was a good woman, a difficult one, but she was hard working and fair and honest. And I admire her for that…

Notice the Wesson oil plastic measuring cup in the photo to the left. I’ve had it forever, since LC and I were first married, almost thirty-seven years ago now, and it’s one of my favorite things….

The color has faded, and the numbers are worn, but it endures, kinda like me…

And now I’m off, to cook the beans in my electric pressure cooker, where I can set it's digital timer and not worry about it exploding on the stove.

Yep, I’m counting my blessings today, I'm a lucky woman to have such an easy life. You should count yours, too....

~ jan

View from the peach orchard…

We’re lucky enough to have an orchard within a few minutes from us.  Hubby took me for a basket of Red Havens and a quart of blueberries earlier this week, and yep, they tasted just as good as they look…

Thanks to Trisher for the great photos, she too has been to the orchard, but unlike me, who forgets to take my camera, she remembered to take hers!

Fresh produce this morning…

I just couldn’t wait…..

I got out in the 90+ heat today, because I just HAD to have a copy of this magazine. Oh, it was so worth my trip. Lots more ice cream recipes other than the one shown, some great sauces, super salads, too.

Lots of things to look at that I will never make. I actually don’t buy many magazines these days, the ones I get just sit around and I don’t read them. I’m too busy doing nothing on the computer to stop and read. Sad, isn’t it…

And after reading all the great ice cream recipes the hunt was on for that Haagen Daz Lemon Sorbet that they were raving about on GMA, but apparently Heavensville stores don’t realize it’s a “must have” because they “didn’t have” it!!!!!

So, I went to plan B. . .

I picked up this little container of Blue Bunny Light Personals, Super Fudge Brownie. It’s an individual serving, and it’s 120 calories. And was it Super? You’re damned tootin’ it was. This stuff tastes great. Well, not as great as that chocolate covered cherry cone, but not a bad substitute.

Actually, our anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, I’m thinking some of those cherry ice cream cones would be great for our anniversary. I know, you are all thinking I’m nuts, why would I want those ice cream cones for my anniversary, but I’m tellin’ ya, I’m a CHERRYHOLIC.

Now if I could just talk hubby into making them for me.

Yeah, sure Jan, when pigs fly….

Bath & Body Works Wallflowers and Yankee Candles…

I remember the 80’s and those light rings that I used to put on top of light bulbs and fill with essential oils.  Mostly it was cinnamon, I used them so often that to this day I can’t tolerate the smell of cinnamon in a room.  If I go into shop and get a whiff, I’m outta there so fast….

I do, however, adore citrus scents.  My favorite things in the summertime are These little wallflower plug-ins from Bath & Body Works, and my fragrance of choice is Juicy Nectarine. I love Pineapple Mango, too and in the winter it’s Creamy Caramel.

More yummy smells, my all-time fave for years now has been Yankee Candle Pineapple Paradise.  Ohhhhhh, it’s wonderful and makes my house smell absolutely tropical.  Love those smells, what about the rest of you.  Everybody loves scents.

Do you have any favorites you want to share?  Just leave me a comment, you may inspire me to try something new…

OMG, don't you just love the internet....

I Googled that Bon Appetit ice cream cone and the recipe came right up. But I'm still buying the magazine...

CLICK HERE if you want to check it out for yourself. I'm a cherryholic, so this looks like an amazing thing to me....

And speaking of ice cream, yesterday on GMA, they reviewed the best icy treats for under 160 calories - here's the article...

Doesn’t this issue of Bon Appetit look wonderful???

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ll be buying this magazine the next time I’m at the checkout counter.  Doesn’t this ice cream look divine?????

This is SO unfair.... how come she looks so good....

This photo is of Helen Mirren and she turns 63 next week.  SIXTY THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This has to be Photoshopped, but even if it is, the woman looks amazing.

Actually this picture is depressing as hell. How does she do it???

Sixty-three, simply amazing…

Your daily dose of cuteness…

Some things don’t really change, they are just altered a bit…

When I was a little girl, Daddy bought me my first transistor radio, I think it was for my eighth birthday, and it looked really similar to the one pictured here.  I could only get AM stations on it, no, let me correct that, I could just get one AM station, since I lived so far away from civilization, it was the local WROY – 1460AM on your radio dial and my radio used this big old battery that had to be replaced constantly, no rechargeables in those days. But, oh, I had this snazzy brown leather cover to “protect” it, and I thought it was sooooo cool.  That radio was really something to a little country girl…

And since I lived in a rural community that station had a lot of “talk.”  Of course talk radio wasn’t recognized as such in the 50’s, but all I could listen to on that silly station were farm reports, the local “Swap Shop”, lots of local news and occasionally horrible music that the local yokels played.  However, I thought it was the most amazing thing EV-ER, and I went around with the ear piece implanted in my ear, walking the downtown streets, listening to that awful station like it was really something special.  And, of course, that station is still around today, still playing the same bad music and the “Swap Shop” is still going strong.

I thought of that old transistor radio early this morning when I was out walking with my iPod with it’s 80 gig harddrive, it’s slick aqua blue rubberized skin, and my state of the art stereo earbuds firmly implanted in my ears.  And was I Iistening to one of the gadzillion albums I have downloaded on this thing, heck no, I was listening to NPR talk radio.

Do you think that’s a throwback to my Arvin and that gawdawful WROY station I listened to as a child.  Could be, who knows, but I had a marvelous time, and enjoyed my iPod immensely.  I’m in the country, walking by a creek, the canadian geese are swimming in the pond, the sky was blue and the fresh mown hay smelled heavenly.  And life was certainly good this sunny July morning…

~ Jan

My Living Will

Last night my friend and I were sitting in the den and I said to her, 'I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all, If that ever happens, just pull the plug.'

So she got up, unplugged the computer, and threw out my wine.

She’s such a bitch.

Something you might not know....

Hubby has a bug, so he went to the dr. yesterday, got his prescriptions, we went to CVS with them - our prescription insurance apparently isn't in the system yet, so he had to pay for them out of pocket.

Anyway, Ryan had told me that when you take scripts to either CVS or Walgreen to ask them to match either WalMart or Sam's prices. I told hubby that, apparently he forgot, and I was wandering by the counter when the tech was ringing him up to the tune of $120.00. I asked her if she had matched WalMart prices, and she got this funny look on her face and said, "no, we don't do that unless the customer asks, but I will check it for you." So she calls WalMart, and the cost of his meds ended up being $60.00. That's half price of what they were going to charge us.

So, if you aren't familiar with the price matching, and you have to pay out of pocket, you might want to remember this info the next time you have your prescriptions filled.

It's a good thing....

Look what’s coming to the Bucks….

Starbucks is unleashing another "healthy" answer to the extra caramel Frappuccino with extra whip. Launching Tuesday, the "Vivanno" will taste, look, and act like a smoothie but since it's "so much more than a smoothie" according to Starbucks, they won't let you call it one.The Vivanno will come in two flavors: Orange Mango Banana Blend, made with Naked Juice, protein and fiber powders, milk, and ice, with 227 calories in a grande.In the Banana Chocolate Blend, mocha syrup replaces the juice, and there's 270 calories for the same 16 ounces.

Each blend also contains a whole banana, which Starbucks really wants you to know and love.Staffers were reminded repeatedly that there's “at least one serving of fruit with a whole banana" throughout corporate training. They even watched a DVD underscoring the banana presence.And bananas are good. Americans eat as many bananas as apples and oranges combined. Less than 300 calories is also good, as Frappucinos can easily reach the 600- to 700-calorie range.But is Starbucks a smoothie house? Not according to the barista blogger. "This isn’t Jamba Juice. This isn’t Smoothie King. This is Starbucks Coffee & Tea. Not Starbucks Coffee & Tea & Smoothies. Or I suppose Starbucks Coffee & Tea & Nourishing Blends.

"Source: Serious Eats"

I just read the nutritionals on these drinks, a Grande Orange Mango will cost you 4 Weight Watcher Points, the Grande Banana Chocolate, 5 Weight Watcher Points. Not too shabby, Starbucks...

Just for today....

"I will fill my body with seasonal, healthy, fresh food that will nourish me. I will eat and my body will be replenished with the sustenance received."

Yeah, sure I will. Tonight's menu for me, anyway, was frozen fordhook lima beans, fresh homegrown tomatoes and corn from the neighborhood stand, that's all, just those three things, fresh, bright colors, good for me.....

So I'm off to the grocery for the lima beans, I'm pissed off before I even start to cook because the lima beans were triple the price I usually pay. I cook the beans, hubby shucks the corn, oops, It's immature, not filled out at all and a bit wormy, I sliced my tomato, it's hard as a rock, and definitely not homegrown. He had a burger, but oh, no, not me I'm eating healthy.

Well it was not a good meal, girlfriends. Not good at all. I most certainly don't have that satisfied feeling... And replenished , who am I kidding. I'm not even close to being replenished. Oh, I'm really funny, huh???

To heck with this crap, gimme some ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Barb, for the joke of the day, this one is a belly laugh….

 

DEAR MADAM:
THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECENT ORDER FROM OUR SEX TOYS SHOP. YOU ASKED FOR THE LARGE RED VIBRATOR AS FEATURED ON OUR WALL DISPLAY.

PLEASE SELECT ANOTHER ITEM. BECAUSE THAT IS OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Oh Shit!!!!!!!

Williams-Sonoma Beehive Oven vs. Splendid Table's How to Build Your Own Earth Oven

Okay, I'm smitten, I admit it. Ever since this spring when I got a Williams-Sonoma Catalog that featured this Beehive Brick Pizza Oven, I've been drooling. I've also been drooling over the price, this bad boy will cost you $2,000.00. TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS, yes, do you believe it? This does not look like something that would cost TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS.

So this morning, I was out for my morning walk, with my earbuds stuck in my ears, listening to, no not music on my IPod, I seldom listen to music on it, I was listing to a Podcast of my beloved Splendid Table, and there was this guy on there, he's written a book, no surprise there, people are always writing books, but this guy builds his own earth ovens, and they are made of mud.

Hmmmmmm, I thought the whole thing was fascinating, first he builds a dome of sand, and then uses some kind of mud mixture and forms the shape over the sand dome, and when it hardens, he pours out the sand, he puts some kind of coating on it so that it won't turn back into mud if it rains, and voila, you have a "mud" oven to fill with wood, and cook bread, pizza, soup, meat, whatever your little heart desires in it.

And the cost of this puppy? Nada, el zippo, practically nothing. Certainly not TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS. Egads, just the thought of coughing up that chunk-a-change for a clay oven makes me hyperventilate.

I've always been famous in our family for thinking up all these wacky ideas, and talking LC into trying them, I don't know if the old girl still has it, though. Hubby isn't too excited about playing with a pile of mud, but maybe I can talk the guys into it. Hey, my boys are in their 30's, they should be up for it, right???? Well, we'll see. We could make it the same shape as this one in the picture, instead of a Beehive Oven we could call it our, ummmmm, Mudpie Oven. That would work....

But in he meantime, here's the CLICK if you want to check out the book for the mud oven. Who knows, maybe some of you will be crazy enough to try it. It absolutely fascinates me, but then a lot of things fascinate me, so it's not really much of a stretch. And then there is my mentality to consider.

Oh, whatever, just check the damn thing out!!!!!!! And while you're at it, check out the book reviews, HERE, people liked this thing, they really liked it!!!!

Stuff

Did you al know about 1-800-GOOG-411– Hooterville says it’s been around for a long time, but I didn’t know about it.

If you aren’t familiar with it either, it’s a home and/or mobile phone service - this UTube video will tell you all about it.

I put it in my phone contacts, it’s a good thing…

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I also put a recipe for Watermelonade on Jan Can Cook. I adore watermelon, so this looks great to me. Here’s the Click

It’s turning into a jungle on my patio…

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick-up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because,WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes.After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.......WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward this blogsite to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?

The Scribbler, you have to try this….

My buddy V is gonna love this. It’s called Scribbler, no download, all you do is click on the link I’m going to give you, and then you put your mouse in the white space and draw something simple. Then you click DONE DRAWING – another screen pops up on the left side, and click START SCRIBBLER and then you can further edit it add colors, change line thickness, etc.

You will be amazed at what it does.

Here's my simple drawing in red, and here's whatScribbler did with it in black.

Don't laugh, I can't draw!!!!! I'm just trying to show you how it works.

But I bet some of you can draw, and if you want to see some fantastic things that people did with it, click HERE and check out the Gallery. There are several pictures to look at, Donald Duck is amazing!!!!

I know, you're saying "why would I want to do this?" Because it's fun, it's doodling, but a word of caution, it's positively ADDICTING.

Cmon, give it a try – it’s EASY – here’s the click to start making your own drawing.

Check this out, heat therapy for your dogs

We have to take care of our fur kids, this article is for latch-key or older dogs and how they would benefit from heated beds. Dilly's mom has had Rocky, her doxxie on a heating pad for years...

Read the article HERE.

Thanks for sending this, Jean. Great information…

I found the beds for sale on good ole' eBay. I guess you all know what the M&M's will be getting this fall....

Here's the link to the beds...

You glo, girl!!!

Whaddya mean we have to go inside…..

Tag, you’re it….

One of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten....

Hubby wasn't working today, he took me to Panera Bread for lunch. I'm always up for that, it's one of my favorite haunts.

However, I tried their summertime corn chowder, since I'm a huge fan of the corn, and let me tell you girlfriends, do not, I repeat do not ever order this. Blecht. It tasted so vile I couldn't eat it.

Talked to Ry later in the day, he said "Mom, I told you it wasn't any good." Oh yeah, now I remember him saying that.

Yuck!!!

I should have tried their Turkey Chickpea Chili - which I just happen to have a recipe for. Yeah, I know, I should put this on Jan Can Cook, I'm lazy, just pasting it here...

Turkey Chickpea Chili

4 cups water
3 cups or so of leftover turkey meat (light and/or dark)
¼ cup turkey or chicken broth (turkey jelly from pan)

1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 can diced tomatoes w/green chilies
1 can kidney beans (rinsed)
1 small can tomato paste

2 tbs olive oil
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery

3 tbs chili powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs modified corn starch (mixed in ¼ cup water)
1 small lime (cut into quarters squeeze into pot and then throw in)
1 tbs lime juice concentrate
2 tbs brown sugar
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp Salt and pepper each or to taste
¼ tsp MSG (optional for meatier taste)

Finger break turkey into small ½ inch pieces and shreads. In a large pot saute onions, carrots, celery in olive oil until onion is transparent. Add water to pot. Combine all ingredients and simmer on low covered 2-4 hours, stir every hour. Makes about 8 bowls.

Memories....

When I was growing up in the 50's, we lived in a rural community fifty miles from Heavensville, so it was a huge deal to spend Saturday in the "city" shopping downtown. And yep, this is a picture of downtown Heavensville in the 50's. Check out the size of this Woolworth's.

Our trip was usually topped off by a visit to the Farmer's Daughter for their burger basket.

Oh, those double burgers, special sauce (no, nothing like Mickey D's special sauce) french fries and coleslaw, topped off by drinking a real Coke, with sugar, thru a paper straw. And the strawberry pie, OMG, it was amazing. Now those were the days!!!

Of course the Farmer's Daughter is long gone now, replaced by fast food chain restaurants. But I still remember how good it was.... I'm sure some of you townies that read this blog loved it, too...

Parlez Vous Woo (1956)

My shirtless neighbor...

I'm really bored today, can you tell by all these multiple posts? Anyhoo, I've been meaning to talk about my 65+, often shirtless neighbor for some time now. And no, it isn't my buddy, Nat King Cole (private joke) he has more class than that, it's a guy that lives a several condos down, and for some reason he likes to prance around with his shirt off out in his driveway, often with black socks and sandals on, which is a whole other blog about how icky that is. Now this is not a fine speciman of the male species by any means, this old geezer is carrying around an extra fifty pounds and his gut dun lopped over his belt bigtime. Thank goodness for the belt, or we would undoubtedly be witnessing butt crack as well. Perish the thought...

What possesses some men, especially old men to go shirtless? Exhibitionist tendencies, perhaps???? Don't they realize we don't give a rats ass. Old women don't go around in just a bra, why should we be subjected to looking at the bellies of nasty, cellulite ridden old men with lots of smarmy back hair. Dude, you don't look cool, you look crude. For God's sake, put on your shirt!!!

I need to get myself a megaphone, and while I'm riding around on Milly I could blast him with, Ewwwwww, groooossssss......

Do you think he would get the hint??? Do ya??? Do ya double dawg dare me????

I just Googled synonyms for gross, and I do believe they all apply to him, yessiree they surely do...

beastly, big, brutal, brutish, bulk, burly, callous, carnal, cloddish, coarse, crass, crude, dense, egregious, entire, filthy, flagrant, foul, glaring, greasy, great, heavy, impure, indecent, large, lewd, mass, massive, obese, obscene, obvious, offensive, outrageous, plain, rank, repulsive, rough, rude, scurrilous, sleazy, sum, swinish, thick, total, ugly, uncouth, unrefined, vulgar

Mamma Mia

FINALLY, a movie worth watching, hopefully. Mamma Mia is coming mid July.

It's the story of 18 year old Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) and she has a problem. It's almost her wedding day and she doesn't know who her father is. It could be any of 3 of her mother's (Meryl Streep) *past* suitors. The only way to find out is to invite all three to her wedding and see what happens.

Lots of music from the 70's, with not only Ms. Streep, but Christine Baranski AND Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth tossed in for eye candy, sounds like something worth watching... It's about time, too. I'm so sick of movies geared to 20 something males, we 50++++ people like to go to the flicks, too...

You can view the trailer, HERE...

This is simply amazing....

If you are a horse person, and I know many of you are, this is one of the most phenomenal things you will ever see. Oh, this horse is amazing, and remember, this girl is controlling this horse with her knees, she's not using any tack, no reins, no bits, little hand action except for love pats - such control, you won't believe... It takes a minute to load and get started, be patient.

Oh, and one more thing, several of you have said that your computers are too slow to watch these videos and that they are choppy. If you are having that problem, let it play thru once, then it will be downloaded to your harddrive and when you play it again, it will play smoothly.

~ jan

Thanks to Carlene for sending this to me....

A little Tuesday morning humor....

You are riding on a beautiful white horse.
On your left side is a drop off.
On your right side are several ostriches being chased by a lion.
In front of you are four large gazelles that won't get out of your way
and you can't seem to overtake them.
Behind you is a stampede of horses.
What must you do to get out of this highly dangerous situation?

Get your drunk ass off the merry-go-round....

A little Dolly for you this morning....

I was watching a Target commercial this morning, it had a great tune as background song, I recognized Dolly's voice, found it on UTube - Crank those speakers and enjoy, ladies....

bwaaaaaaaaa

Puh-leez....

me, with my oldest son, John, and of course, the m&m's

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together

Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba
Ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-ba

Happy Together, sung by The Turtles: circa 1967

Miss Daisy's Tea Room and more...

This has become an annual summer event for me, for the last three summers when peaches are at their peak, I show you this peeler in the Daily Dish and tell all of you what an amazing little gadget this is. We all know how difficult it is to peel peaches, if you use a knife you peel a lot of the peach flesh away, a regular peeler won't work, but this little beauty does the job fabulously, it's great for peeling tomatoes, also.

So many of you have written to tell me that you've bought this, and how much you enjoy it, and since we have a whole new family of readers this summer, I thought it was worth still another repeat.

Here's the CLICK to buy it on Amazon, it's cheap, too, only $5.99. It's worth every penny!!!

And since we're talking about peaches, I posted our family favorite Peach Cobbler in Jan Can Cook. Lindsay made it yesterday, the guys absolutely drooled. I've been making this recipe since the 80's. It's from Miss Daisy's Tea Room, which was a Franklin, Tennesee hotspot in it's day. Miss Daisy had wonderful food, and great cookbooks. I have several of them, and her in her Tennessee Homecoming Cookbook she published an award winning recipe for Peach Cobbler. The difference in this cobbler is that you make the dough, roll it out, cut it into strips, take half the strips, cut into small pieces and push it down into the peach juice for dumplings, and then you make a lattice top, dust it with sugar and bake it. The result is an amazing cobbler, girlfriends, all of us, especially John, has loved this for years.

You can check it out by clicking HERE, or going to Jan Can Cook from the sidebar. Enjoy... ~ jan

You HAVE to watch this....

Okay, we all skim thru these blogs, often just not taking the time to watch videos. Trust me, you have to watch this, preferably with your speakers on. I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, this one is too good to miss, girlfriends. OMG, will this ever tug at your heartstrings...

Please, take the time to read the text and watch the video, it will make your day, I promise.

~ jan

In 1969, two friends, John Rendall and Ace Berg, purchased a lion. At the time, Christian the lion was a 35-pound cub. He had been born in a zoo. The friends raised Christian in their London home. All three hung out in a friend’s furniture shop on the weekends.

Within a year, Christian had grown to 185 lbs. Rendall and Berg realized they couldn’t keep him much longer. But they didn’t know what to do with him. A chance encounter changed that. Two actors from the film Born Free walked into the furniture store.

The actors recommended a conservationist, George Adamson, living in Kenya. Christian was soon in Africa. There he was rehabilitated and released into the wild.

In 1974, Rendall and Berg decided to visit Christian one last time. He was now a wild animal. Adamson told them it was doubtful that Christian could be found. No one had seen him in nine months.

The two flew to Kenya, anyway. On the day they landed, Christian appeared outside Adamson’s camp. Somehow, he knew. He waited outside the camp until Rendall and Berg arrived.

This video was taken during their reunion with Christian. What a story! What a video!

Oh, to be young again, and beautiful....

Lindsay and I went to Starbucks this afternoon, she for a skinny iced vanilla latte, me for an iced mocha latte. She was all decked out, pretty dress, stilettoes, had her "eyes" on, her long hair cascading down her back.

We got our drinks, sat down, and it wasn't anytime until the little guy from behind the counter came trotting over with little complimentary cups of french pressed Sumatra coffee and little toffee almond bars for us to try.

Boy, that never happens when I go there with my "older" friends. Hmmmm, I'm thinking I may have to take Dilly there again!!!! Free coffee and sweet treats, works for me!!!

If those bars sound good to you, here's a copycat recipe for you...

It was a great day...

What a fun 4th, my family was home, the guys took John's new smoker for a spin, we picnicked riverside, hubby joined us from work to watch the fireworks. Dogs are so sweet, Dilly is so adorable, the guys are so funny, Ahhhhh, families are the best....

I am blessed...

Hope your day is filled with sparklers and fireworks...

I've discovered...

That I don't really care for flavored yogurt, but I adore unflavored. I always bought yogurt in all the designer flavors, but I've been feeding the M&M's Stonybrook Organic Unflavored Low Fat Yogurt. Yeah, it's more expensive, but they're worth it.

Anyhoo, I've been spooning it on fresh fruit every morning, and I'm loving it. I actually crave the stuff, and sneak spoonfuls when I'm dishing it out for my fur kidz. While I always "liked" yogurt, I never "loved" it 'til now. So, goodbye Dannon Lite 'n Fit, hello Stonybrook Organic...

Strange, discovering this later in life, huh...

And as long a I'm talking about food, which I always am, I had a hold on a new cookbook at the library, picked it up yesterday, and I have to tell you, this southern girl knows her cookbooks, and this one is the best I've found in years. It's called Screen doors and sweet tea : recipes and tales from a Southern cook / Martha Hall Foose.

If you're a foodie like me, you have to check out this book. It's wonderful southern cooking, not the samo samo recipes, there are really different things in this book. As I was thumbing thru it I was thinking, "why didn't I think of that."

Of course, I'm eating healthy this month so everything looks fantastic, but no, really, this book is special. I'm trying her watermelon salsa soon. It sounds really good... And she makes homemade banana pudding and puts it in half pint Ball Mason jars for individual servings, unbelievably cute, and banana pudding is one of my guy's favorite things. This book is filled with great ideas.

Here's the Amazon link if you want to check it out. Just CLICK here.

later 'gators ~ jan

Update: I just found a link to several of her recipes in the book, including sweet potato biscuits, three day slaw and that great banana pudding. It's from ABC News, apparently the author, Ms. Foose, who by the way is a senior chef for Viking Cooking Schools, was on GMA. So click here, there are several pages of recipes - enjoy.... My little Wednesday gift to you.

Your daily dose of cuteness....

I guarantee you won't see anything cuter than this today, and surprise, it isn't my dogs.... This is my kind of guy!!!!!

Men Schmen!!! They're the same, worldwide....

I watched this clip three times, the more I watched the funnier it got...

WHY WOMEN NEED CATALOGS

The "Car" Love of my Life.... She was a TR6

The year was 1974, John was a toddler, and hubby bought me a yellow TR6 convertible. I still, to this day, remember how it felt to run thru the gears, the feel of the steering wheel, the smell of the leather, and the smooth feel of the gearshift knob. I just adored this car...

Little John and I would zip around town with the top down, he undoubtedly holding tight to his favorite red ball that accompanied him everywhere, me in sunglasses with my long hair streaming in the wind. When hubby was along, John sat on a little shelf in the back between the seats. After Ryan was born, sadly the car had to go, and it was replaced with a more family friendly station wagon, that lasted only a few months. I absolutely hated it!

There have been many cars in my life, hubby was always a car nut, I've driven Corvettes, Jeeps, Cadillacs, Chevy's, Fords, mini-vans, trucks, even vintage cars thru the years, but nothing ever compared to this little convertible. She was the car of my dreams. I still drool, even now, when I occasionally see one streaking down the road.

Ahhhhh, those were the days....

Another goodie from Carlene, enjoy.....

Groovin' . . . on a Sunday afternoon

Well, not exactly groovin', more like snoozin'...

The M&M's are sandwiched together in their little wooly bed on my computer desk, sleeping their afternoon away. Mags is tucked into the back, you have to look closely to even see her. Mollie has greasy ears, despite her bath, just some meds for her ears making them that way, she's not dirty, just medicated....

They're good friends, already. Maggie was never jealous of Mollie, she accepted her immediately. they sleep together, play together, eat together. Yeah, they're sisters, now.

Pretty cute, huh....

We lost a great lady, Tasha Tudor...

Veronica introduced me to Tasha Tudor back in the 80's. The woman intrigued me with her country life, her dogs, her dedication to nature and her strength of character. Veronica was intrigued with her artistic ability, she was an amazing illustrator, but for me it was the way she lived, in her farmhouse, walking barefoot thru her gardens with her dogs, growing her own food, I thought she was one of the most interesting women I had ever read about. Later, I saw a special about her life on PBS, Take Joy: The Magical World of Tasha Tudor, it was a mesmerizing glimpse into her world.

She actually reminded me a lot of my own grandmother, and she died a couple of weeks ago, at the grand old age of 92. Ms. Tudor lived an admirable life, and she was an amazing woman. We could all learn from her.

Your local library will have a video recording of her PBS special, as well as her many books, including her biography, The Private World of Tasha Tudor. If you have some lazy days this summer, and if you still has a VCR, you're in luck, pick up the video and watch it, read her biography, it will be time worth spent...

The following is taken from the New York Times:

Tasha Tudor, a children’s illustrator whose pastel watercolors and delicately penciled lines depicted an idyllic, old-fashioned vision of the 19th-century way of life she famously pursued — including weaving, spinning, gathering eggs and milking goats — died on Wednesday at her home in Marlboro, Vt.

She was 92, if one counts only the life that began on Aug. 28, 1915. Ms. Tudor frequently said that she was the reincarnation of a sea captain’s wife who lived from 1800 to 1840 or 1842, and that it was this earlier life she was replicating by living so ardently in the past.

But it was her uncompromising immersion in another, less comfortable century that most fascinated people. She wore kerchiefs, hand-knitted sweaters, fitted bodices and flowing skirts, and often went barefoot. She reared her four children in a home without electricity or running water until her youngest turned 5. She raised her own farm animals; turned flax she had grown into clothing; and lived by homespun wisdom: sow root crops on a waning moon, above-ground plants on a waxing one.

Read the obituary in it's entirety by clicking here. It's too lengthy to post, but it's well worth reading.

Small mind???? Moi????

I was reading my friend, Revka's blog this morning and she said "it doesn't take much to amuse a small mind."

Ouch... Maybe that's why I'm always little Miss Merry Sunshine and why I blog sometimes
"several times a day" as another friend, Robin talked to me about in an email a couple of days ago. She doesn't understand how I have the time.

It's pretty simple, I get up, do what has to be done around the house, and I sit here, playing on the computer, often amusing my small mind by incoherently babbling on this site.

I'll never forget, back in the day, four years ago now when youngest son Ryan said I would never blog on a long term basis. Ha, baby boy, I gotcha on this one, thousands and thousands of blog entries later, I'm still loving it. I struggle with content, as I'm sure you all can tell, but there is usually something in this "small mind" of mine that I can think to talk about.

I babble, I ramble, I sit in the sunshine, play with my dogs, and I'm usually happy. I really do live that simple life I talk about often... Works for me...