The Country Life

bo·vine

adj \ˈbō-ˌvīn, -ˌvēn\

Definition of BOVINE

1 : of, relating to, or resembling bovines and especially the  cow

2 : having qualities (as placidity or dullness) characteristic of cows

— bo·vine·ly adverb

— bo·vin·i·ty noun

Examples of BOVINE

1. She stared at us with a stupid, bovine expression.

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Grammie  has been spending time with Abby while her Momma is away for a few days.  I’m so eager to take country pictures, but the weather isn’t cooperating.  It was really cloudy today, but the cows that live in a pasture behind their house seemed to enjoy the photo op, anyway.  Hoping for sunshine tomorrow, more to come…

 

The good, the bad and the ugly

The bad was I had a root canal today and my mouth was clamped open for two hours, the good was I didn't know that I was going to have one so I didn't have time to work myself in a tizzy. And the ugly, that's what my smile would have looked like if they would have had to pull my tooth, but they didn't.  Whew, dodged a bullet.  That is all...

So we go out to dinner last night…

Hubby took me out for an early Valentines Day Dinner to Angelo’s, our favorite Italian restaurant.

It was warm and cozy inside, they seated us at a corner table, they had just brought our drinks and I was watching the hostess and a waitress put tables together next to us to accommodate a large party.  They apparently ran out of tables, because I saw them carrying in an outdoor table to extend the ones they put together.  I thought at the time, that looks odd, it’s really small and wire mesh and had no tablecloth.

Then the hostess comes over to us and says, “Ma’am, we’re setting those tables up for an elderly party,  can we take your table away and replace it with that table on the end?”  They were both looking at us and smiling, and I looked at her and said “no!”

The look on their faces was priceless.  I wish I would have had a camera, the smiles just fell away and they had these stunned looks on their faces.  Hubby picked up the ball, because he’s more diplomatic than me and was trying to diffuse a potentially bad situation because he knew I was not a happy camper, and went on to explain that we had made reservations weeks ago, and that table was just not appropriate.

The hostess got her bearings and said, “uh, okay, uh.”  Then she did a perimeter check and asked if she could reseat us in a booth, which we would have preferred in the first place, and of course we were happy to do that, but no way was I going to enjoy my Valentine’s Day outing eating on that dinky little outdoor table.

Shame on them, this is a nice restaurant, they should have never suggested such a thing in the first place.  Can’t you  just see us sitting there, while they removed our table and put the other one in it’s place. Puh-leez.

The owner came over to us and apologized, I think he was actually embarrassed that they suggested such a thing.  And snaps for me for being a gutsy ballsy old broad who said no instead of going along with that silly girl. Now had I been younger, actually much younger, I would have probably said “okay”, but since I’ve been to a lot of rodeos by now, I’ve learned a few things, mainly to speak up instead of being pushed around.  This was worse than when you go to a restaurant and they try to seat you next to the kitchen, Come to think of it I think I’ve refused those tables, too. ;o)

The food was wonderful, it always is, and I always feel like I’m twelve years old, because  I always  usually order spaghetti and meatballs, but that’s what I like, I’m a red sauce girl.

 

 

 

 

 

And hubby, he always gets the same thing, too.  Chicken cordon bleu, heavy wine and cream sauce, mushrooms, chicken, not my thing, but he’s a big fan…

And the best part, drats I didn’t take a picture, but it’s homemade warm, buttery little knot rolls covered in chopped garlic, and their signature salad, crisp greens, black olives, red onions, tomatoes drenched in tart, homemade Italian dressing.

It’s a really good restaurant, John and Deanna went to Café Nona in Nashville, he called later and said that he likes Angelo’s better.  And we’ll go back, and have a better experience the next time, I’m sure.  Sometimes things sh*t happens, know what I mean, Vern?

Our cute little monkey…

The look of innocence….

Do you think little Miss Maggie Moo had her nose in my bowl of cottage cheese? Well, all I have to say is “one picture is worth a thousand words…”

My sunroom smells like a pine forest today…

This rosemary was on the patio, we’ve had such a mild winter that it’s still thriving.  Temperatures are forecasted in the teens tonight, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing it, so hubby trucked it into the sunroom until the cold snap passes.

It’s smells so good, wish I had smell-o-vision on this computer, or better yet, share a few sprigs with you today.  You have no idea of how wonderful it smells in here…

Obituaries are fascinating…

I’ve read them for years, you never know who you might see and even though I seldom know anyone, I’m astonished at the things people put in obituaries.  Often they show a woman’s high school senior picture, complete with the drape, and the woman is in her 80’s.  Or they show pictures of when they were young with a picture as they are now, that’s always interesting.  And I’m always fascinated by the men’s ears, it is true, they do grow longer as they get older.

This morning, they had a lulu in the Heavensville obits.  It was an attractive man, 63 years old, sad that he died that young, but anyway, the following sentence was included in his obituary.

“He enjoyed remodeling, shopping at Rural King, while enjoying the popcorn.”

While it’s funny, it’s also sad, surely they could have found something more worthwhile to say about the poor guy than this.  Jeez Louise, and I thought it was bad that I would want my dogs mentioned in my obituary.  Kidding, family, just kidding, well kinda ;o)

Salad In a Jar, 3 months later and still going strong…

I know you’re just dying to hear how my salad in a jar is progressing, umhmmm, sure you are, and if I’m sick of salad yet, and the answer is no!  I’m still as excited about it as I was in the beginning, sealing everything I can think of, and  still eating salad every single day for lunch.  Am I losing weight, no, but then I’m not gaining either. Maybe if I start eating it for dinner, too… **sigh**

I continue to tweak it, I no longer use the great big salad bowl and toss it together, now I chop on a big cutting board, fill the jars, and then use my salad shooter to slice a pile of carrots, add them to the top of the lettuce, dice some celery and add it on top of the carrots. This week I used a head of iceberg, a bundle of leaf lettuce, and canned it separately.  I’m dreaming of spring and using the leaf lettuce to make wilted lettuce salad with green onions and bacon.

Okay, I’ll shut up about it, until the next time. Have a nice day…

~ jan

Oh, I’m seriously thinking of making jam this spring, too.  Bet you all can’t wait to hear about that either… **wicked grin**

And that’s not dirt on the side of my refrigerator cabinet, it’s how they stained the wood, drives me crazy, too!  And my coffee maker isn’t dirty either, it’s camera glare.  Glad I cleared that up for all of you…

Somebody is lazin’ in the sun…

My take on Madonna’s Half Time Show

I wasn’t going to watch, but I decided to see what all the hoopla was about.

After it was over, the reviews came in fast and furious, the younger crowd thought she was awesome.

And yours truly, okay I admit, I’m biased, however, if you took away the glitz, the special effects, the costumes and just watched the woman, what did you see?  Ummmmm, a fifty something woman who wasn’t agile on the bleachers, who did a lot of bump and grind and lip synched.

Awesome, hardly, but then I’m biased…

Are you ready for some football????

NO!!!!!!!!!  I detest football, I always have, so I’m going to be watching Netflix tonight, hubby can watch it in the den, no football for this old girl.

Oh, I’ve tried over the years to enjoy it, seriously I have, but I just don’t get it, and I don’t enjoy it.  All the hoopla over the Super Bowl, and tickets going for as much as $10,000 apiece, holy schmoly what a waste!

But that’s just my opinion, and I’m sure most of you don’t think like I do, but I just felt like venting this afternoon.

Now go watch that game and enjoy yourselves, while I watch a movie.  And no, I’m not going to watch Madonna at half time, I can’t handle her either, the woman needs to retire for gawds sake, she’s 53 years old!

Well, I’m just in a great mood this afternoon. It’s not the game, actually, sinuses are giving me fits, I trekked to convenient care for some meds because I’m dizzy as a goose, poor hubby isn’t even getting Super Bowl goodies.

And that’s just the way it is this Super Bowl Sunday, Jan here in a p*ssy mood!

90 Year Old Couple playing the piano at the Mayo Clinic

My friend Mary posted this on FaceBook, and I just had to share.  They are so full of life, this will give you a huge smile on this rainy Saturday…

Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Bars

Heads up ladies, these lemon bars are seriously, fantastic! I posted the recipe and the tweaks on Jan CAN Cook. This is a must try if you’re a lemon lover like the women in our family. THESE ARE INSANELY GOOD!!!!!!

Pioneer Woman and Saturday Morning, go together like coffee and cream

I haven’t enjoyed Saturday morning television this much since I was a kid in the 60’s, watching Fury and Sky King. I’m so glad that FoodNetwork was smart enough to bring this wonderful blogger to their network for all of her followers to enjoy.

I’m such a fan of Pioneer Woman. She’s a real person, she’s a mother, she works hard for her family, and I find her delightful. 9am is fast approaching, I’m off to my comfy chair, coffee and cuddly dogs by my side to enjoy yet another episode.

You’re awesome Pioneer Woman, seriously you are!

Moving forward with life after sixty…

I linked to a a post from Facebook this morning by Barbara Hannah Grufferman about decluttering your life after fifty, and it started me thinking about the things that I hold on to, and how they clutter my life.  And here I am, past sixty and I still struggle with decluttering.

For me, it’s clothes.  I have tubs of size ten clothes, mostly jeans and capris that has been cluttering my life for years now.  It’s a lot of clothes, too, because at that size was shopping was fun. 

But that was ten years ago, and I will never be that size again, and even if I was, the clothes would be so outdated, so why do I hold on to them?  Is it because I need the affirmation that I really wore them?  It’s not like I ever take them out and look at them, so who knows, but it’s time to throw them in the trash.  A start to that decluttering.

My closet is full of clothes I never wear.  I live in yoga pants and jeans, I seldom dress up, I detest it, so why do I have these clothes hanging in my closet?  It’s time to declutter and get rid of a lot of things.

It’s such a wonderful feeling when your world is organized.  There is a saying that when you live in clutter, you live in chaos.  Well, everything in my world, thanks to hubby is organized, the man is a whirlwind.  And for as much grief as I give him about throwing things away, I’m really grateful, because he makes our life so simple.  He’s constantly going through the refrigerator, throwing away leftovers, he straightens the cabinets, he organizes drawers, he immediately pitches junk mail, it never comes in the house, he trashes it in the garage, and it does make things flow so much smoother.

The only thing he stays away from are my computers, my closet and my makeup, hence the clutter. And yes, the files on my computers are cluttered, well do a degree, they aren’t nearly as bad as they were a few years ago.  It just goes against my nature to do things in an orderly way, and I wish I had an organized mind, but I don’t, but I’ve learned a few things along the way.  I can’t handle things out of place in my house, a messy kitchen drives me wild, so I’ve learned to compensate for my unorganized mind.  I make myself put things away immediately when I use them, as I’ve said before, I work in the sink to avoid messes in the kitchen, I fluff the sofa pillows of a morning, I do a quick walk thru.  It doesn’t take long, and I’m finished, ready for whatever the day brings.  I’ve learned that procrastinating is worse than doing something and getting it over with, and of course I still procrastinate, most of us do, but I have learned for the most part to just push through and get it over with.

But in the back of my  mind, always is the thought that I need to declutter that closet, and dump those clothes.  I think I don’t do it because there won’t be anything left.  I seriously do wear 10% of my closet, and if I get rid of all the things I don’t wear, it will be pretty bare.  But I’m not procrastinating about this, I’m just holding on to the old, because I can’t face walking into my closet and seeing empty shelves, instead of looking ahead to the new.  And I’m not even going to start talking about buying new clothes, and how the manufacturers are missing the boat by not designing cute clothes for women in our age group, my friends and I complain constantly about this, and how we seldom find anything that we just love.  And a lot of it is due to the fact that we’ve not only grown older, we’ve grown wider.  But I won’t go there, not today, I’ve got enough to worry about with the decluttering.

A little reflecting going on in Heavensville this morning, but I seriously am going to declutter my world a bit this spring, I just have to get up the nerve to do it…

The sounds of silence...

It’s another gorgeous day, sunny skies, temps in the mid 50’s. I took a ride on Milly to the creek, just sat and listened to the water, no cell phone, no dogs, just utter silence. I seldom experience silence anymore, there is always noise at my house, television, music playing, phones ringing, it’s nice to reconnect with nature and enjoy the quiet.

Then I picked up my neighbor, Trish, her little London is such a poser, she just sits and lets her take pictures of her. And yes, she’s just as tiny as she looks, all three whopping pounds of her. My girls need haircuts, and it’s gorgeous outside, I should be grooming them, I should be…

Sometimes you just need to accept a gift gracefully….

I’ve blogged about my soon to be ninety four-year old neighbor before.  The woman is a whirlwind, she can work circles around me, and is a world class cook with as many, if not more, kitchen gadgets than yours truly.  She’s the one that gave me the fabulous recipe for German Potato Salad that I posted on Jan CAN Cook.

Something happened to my bundt pan, I suspect it’s at one of my son’s houses, but for the past couple of years I haven’t had one or replaced it, I just use my neighbors.  She has three bundt pans, but she always gives me the old, heavy aluminum one that bakes to perfection.  I’ve borrowed it countless times, always returning it with some home baked goodie that makes her eyes sparkle, and she always tells me to just keep it, but I never could do that, well, not until yesterday.

I had borrowed the bundt pan once again to make my yummy Lemon Cake Supreme, and hubby took it back with a plate of granola bars fresh from the oven.  She absolutely, positively refused to take it, telling him that she never bakes anymore and she wanted me to have it.  So he came home with it tucked under his arm, shaking his head because he couldn’t dissuade her.

And you know what, I’m keeping it.  It’s a wonderful pan, something that I obviously can’t duplicate with a new one, I’ve tried, and none of them are as heavy as hers, and she obviously wants me to have it, so I decided that sometimes you just have to write a nice thank you note, and accept a gift in the spirit it is given.  I’ll always think of her when I use it, it’s such a workhouse of a pan, it will never wear out.  She’s had it forever and now it sits on my shelf, waiting until the baking urge strikes me and I need to bake in a bundt pan again.  I’ll continue to share my baked goodies, and watch her eyes sparkle, and it will work for both of us.  It’s a good thing…

~ Jan, smiling today…

Do I read Nicholas Spark's Safe Haven or not???

I said I was finished with you, Nicholas Sparks. You’ve disappointed me constantly with your bad endings, I’ve cried enough tears over you, and now here is another one of your books that looks really interesting. Do I give you another chance or do I forget about you? Maybe, or maybe not, I haven’t decided yet.. ~ jan Description: When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

When grandchildren go home...

It’s so quiet now, LC and I keep talking about Abby’s visit, remembering the cute things she said, and her infectious giggle when she was jumping on the bed. Of course she jumped on the bed, she’s at her grandparent’s house after all, she can do anything she wants.

I wish life was like it was in the old days, when families all lived nearby, and visits to Grammie’s house was a weekly occurrence. We went out for breakfast this morning, and I was talking to a grandmother who has all of her children in town. I was so jealous, and I’m not an envious person. *sigh* She’s just so sweet, I don’t want to miss a minute of her childhood.

But back to reality and another warm day, my friend Trish has phlox that are blooming, I just checked my chives in the garden, and I see green shoots peeking through the soil. I have spring fever and it’s not February yet. I’m glad to be finishing out this month, January has always been my least favorite time of the year, now I can look forward to Valentine’s Day and a hopefully early spring…

Trisha Yearwood is coming to FoodNetwork

Oh, this looks like fun, I love her cookbooks.

In the as-yet-untitled series, Yearwood will share food traditions and display her Southern hospitality, sharing recipes with friends and family and preparing Sunday dinners to planning family reunion barbecues. Each of the six themed episodes will invite viewers into Yearwood's kitchen for her favorite meals and family stories.

"Fans know Trisha best as a music powerhouse, and through her new Food Network show audiences will learn first-hand what her friends and family already know -- that Trisha is a talented, passionate rock-star cook too,” Food Network GM and senior vp programming and production Bob Tuschman said. "We look forward to sharing this side of Trisha with viewers, showcasing an intimate, entertaining look at her personal recipes, family traditions and warm Southern hospitality."

Look who’s been to visit Grammie…

I always thought I would be the Grammie that would  be in the kitchen with a little granddaughter, her hands in the cookie dough, but Abby isn’t interested in cookies, she would much rather be on Grammie’s computer, playing little games, watching Dora the Explorer.  It’s fine with me, I have two monitors, so Abby is on one, I’m on the other, we can sit here for hours.   She puts that little hand on the mouse, moving it around the desk, she hasn’t quite grasped the concept of how to work it, but I can put it on an object and tell her to click it, and she will.  If I would have had a few more days with her, she would have been surfing like a pro.

We visited the Children’s Museum for the first time.  She had a great time playing with the exhibits, and we just sat and watched her.  Oh, she’s at such a fun age now, she talks constantly, and says the funniest things. My girlfriends came to visit, and had such a fun time with her.  Her Auntie V taught her to say pink flamingo, and Auntie Trisher let her borrow a rocky horse to ride.

The weather was warm enough to go for rides on Milly, the owner of the Chinese restaurant where we ate at lunch gave her a dozen almond cookies to bring home, she looked at him and said “tanks.”


It just went too quickly, but we’re visiting again soon.


We were watching television in the den, she was on the iPad watching a little movie, so Grammie got the headset, put it over her ears, she loved it and we thought she looked so funny with those big headphones on.  She just cracked us up.











She likes to have her picture taken, says CHEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZ when the camera is pointed at her, but she squints her eyes, so all of her cheesy pictures have her eyes closed.

Oh Abby, what joy you bring to our lives.  Who would have thought at this age that I would see the world through the eyes of a child again.

It’s a beautiful thing...

It's a good day...

The family is coming in for the weekend, Ryan, Lindsay and Abby will be here this morning. Friends stopping by to say hi, what a great way to spend a January weekend...

A smle for you this morning...

People post the funniest things on FaceBook. This just cracked me up….

GCB (Good Christian Belles)

Looks like there might be some “must see” tv coming to ABC next month. From the creator of Steel Magnolias and the producer of Sex and the City, GCB is the story about a 30 something who is forced to go home and live with mother. Annie Potts, Kristin Chenowith star, and they’re both such good actresses. They’re calling this a Southern Desperate Housewives, Annie Potts says this is a tribute to her late friend, Dixie Carter, it could be interesting…

A warm, fleecy robe on a dreary winter night...

We’ve been out and about today. I used to laugh at Ma because she would always pick her days to run errands, and if the weather was bad she stayed home. Well today we had several things to do, I didn’t even look at the weather, and as soon as we pulled on the highway it started to sleet. The temperatures warmed a bit, but it rained the entire day. I wasn’t dressed that warm, it was windy, cold, miserable, just a raw, January day, and I’m thinking that once again, “Mother knows best.”

We’re at home every day, we don’t have to go out when the weather is bad anymore, but anyway, I come home, take off my clothes and put on my warm robe, turn on the fireplace and it’s pure bliss. Is there anything better than a robe? I think I remember most of the ones I’ve had through the years, too. They’re like old friends, my robes, and I only like loose, long ones. There is nothing worse than an old(er) woman in a wrap robe, it’s the most unflattering thing I can think of. I have one for when I get out of the shower, but once I’m dry, it’s history and I never look in the mirror. Nope, lose robes hide a multitude of sins, wrap robes are totally unforgiving.

I think my favorite robe through the years, actually I had two of them, a gray one and a lemon yellow one, were hooded long french terry sweatshirt styled zip front robes from Vanity Fair. Hooterville had one, too, we both loved them. I almost loved it as much as the football jersey nightshirts I used to wear. *sigh*

Every season I check Vanity Fair, thinking that they will bring back that style of robe, but they never do. With my luck they’ll bring it back as a wrap. :o(

And that’s it from Heavensville tonight. We had chinese for lunch, and I have leftovers, no cooking for me, I’m going to curl up by the fire with the dogs and read…

This robe from Norm Thompson is lovely. They also have a sweatshirt robe, but it’s belted and not nearly as cute as the ones Vanity Fair used to have.

I love this!

Straw Bale Gardening

I’m intrigued with the idea of gardening in bales of straw. You add compost, plant, water well, the straw retains the water, no weeds to pull, the roots finger out in the loose straw and grow quickly, it’s a wonderful idea. You can stack bales two high if you don’t want to bend over, how great is this!

This link to strawbalegardens.com is one of many sites online. Just Google it, click on Google Images for lots of pictures, go to YouTube, watch some videos - it's just fascinating, and a great idea to research while we’re all dreaming of spring and gardening.

I think this idea would work well for flowers, you could do the side plantings I’m so fond of and you wouldn’t even see the straw after the plants started to grow. Can’t you just see a huge mound of impatiens under a tree? Oh, the possibilities…

Dear Diary, how are you, I am fine...

I remember my first diary, I was a preteen, it was green leather and had a lock and key. Every day my entries would always start with “Dear Diary, how are you, I am fine.”

I wasn’t very creative back in the day, but I wish I had that Diary now to see if I could conjure up any childhood memories.

And today, I’m not feeling very creative at all, I’m sitting here thinking, “Dear Blog, how are you, I am fine.”

And that’s how it is today, this relatively warm, 24th of January, 2012. I’m proving Ma wrong, too, it’s the third week of January, and we’ve yet to hit the single digits in Heavensville, and only a trace of snow. The only thing I can figure is that my mother didn’t factor in global warning. Ya think?

Twins Mimic Daddy’s Sneeze…

This is the cutest thing I’ve seen in awhile…

Maxine nailed it again!!!

What I’ve been up to this weekend…

Deanna and John came to visit this weekend, we antique shopped yesterday, they found treasures, and went home with a car stuffed full, including a crystal chandelier for their bedroom.

Abby decided that she wanted to talk a lot to Grammie this afternoon.  We had multiple phone calls with her telling me her opinion about a lot of things.  For some reason she seemed to enjoy me singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to her and wanted me to sing it again and again.  This all started because she was looking at the moon and saying it was “too high,” meaning that she couldn’t reach up and touch it. 

She has a bit of a cold, and tells her parents that her nose is crying. 

I made yummy corn chowder yesterday and posted the recipe on Jan CAN Cook.  And now it’s back to quiet evenings, dogs, a warm fire, and lots of wonderful family memories.  Life is good this Sunday evening, I hope you all had a great weekend as well…

Cooking with oil in an iron skillet, a blast from the past…

I remember back in the day when fried food was the norm in our house.  When the boys were young, I bought oil in gallon containers, and dumped several inches in a skillet to cook with.  Fried chicken, pork chops, potatoes, you name it, I fried it.  But today, I’m more enlightened, and would never do that.  We’ve all learned tricks to compensate for frying, my favorite being to pat dry chicken breasts or pork chops, then Pam a skillet, I use one with grill marks, brown it on top of the stove, flip it over, and immediately put it in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, uncovered.  When you take it out of the oven it looks and tastes like fried, but without the grease.

But back to my story.  In all those years of frying food, I always had a mess when I finished, my cooktop was greasy, and that was before smooth cooktops so it was a pain in the patootie to clean.  On the occasion that I do fry something these days, an egg,  bacon, etc., I’ve learned to never use a small skillet.  Even if I have just one egg, I fry it in a 14” skillet, that way it never spatters on the cooktop.  It’s a great tip, and no, I don’t put oil in the skillet, of course I fry that egg with Pam.  This morning I’m making corn chowder, and I needed bacon drippings, so I pulled out the big skillet, fried the bacon, with no mess.  It’s a beautiful thing, frying in an oversized skillet, took me years to figure it out, but better late than never.

I’m seriously losing it ladies…

Earlier today I posted about tweaking that 3-2-1 cake, and something wasn’t quite right with the picture of the cake.  I kept looking at it, and finally tonight, several hours later, I had a (bankrupt) Kodak moment and realized that I had posted the picture upside down.

Oh law-dee, what a bimbo I am.  I had taken the picture with my iPhone, and emailed it to my computer.  I’ve had pictures that came sideways in an email, but never upside down, well, not until today anyway. 

Boy, is my face red.  Why didn’t I catch this?  So, if some of you looked at that post earlier and thought it looked strange, that’s why.  I flipped it right side up as soon as I realized what I had done and reposted.  Geezy Pete, I am totally hopeless!

Tweaking that 3-2-1 cake

Yesterday when I made the cake and gave hubby a bite, he wasn’t a fan, but I haven’t been married to the man for forty years not to know a thing or two about his food preferences.  He’ll eat pretty  much anything that has a sauce on it, so I decided to try making him a mini pineaple upside down cake, his favorite.  BUT, I didn’t have pineapple, so I tried it with peaches.

I put some peaches in the bottom of my mug, added some brown sugar, a dab of butter, a few sliced almonds and a dash of almond flavoring.  And whlie I was making a double batch of the cake, substituting peach juice for the water, I nuked the peach concoction for one minute.  I took it out, gave it a stir, put in the cake mixture that I had whisked on top of it and nuked it for an additional 1:35 minutes.

This time he loved it.  He said it was a 7-8.  I don’t know if I would give it that high of marks, but it’s fast, easy and a no brainer.  Just thought you would all like to know…

And no, the cake isn’t molded, those are blue sprinkles in the picture.  That white confetti cake mix was the only one I had in the pantry.  Sometimes you just gotta roll with what you’ve got.  Know what I mean, Vern?

My favorite things today…

Hubby bought me a primrose, and it’s sitting on my desk, making me smile. 

I found this iPhone cover on Amazon yesterday.

My iPod cover is the same mint green color, and I love it, it reminds me of an Easter egg.  So it’s on my wish list, hey a girl’s gotta have a dream, especially in January.

I do believe I have a touch of spring fever, but I need to curb my enthusiasm for another six weeks.  So here I sit, listening to a Splendid Table Podcast, looking at the birds on the feeder, just wasting away an afternoon.  But that’s okay, what else is there to do in January.  I’m counting my blessings, at least I’m not staring out the window at snow!

Update:  I just looked at my iPod cover, it’s not mint green, it’s robins egg blue.  Oh dear,  I think I’m having a senior moment…

3-2-1 Cake

Two ingredients, angel food cake mix and any kind of cake mix.  Put them in a bag together, shake well, scoop out 3 tablespoons of the mix, add 2 tablespoons of water, then put it in a ramekin and nuke it for 1 minute.  The recipe didn’t say whether or not to spray with Pam, but I did because I didn’t want a mess. 

Ha, you can see how well that worked for me.  But, if I wasn’t Miz Piggy it would have been fine.  I made it, nuked it, and it was just this itty bitty amount of cake in the bottom of the ramekin.  So I doubled the recipe, at least I think I did, I was talking to my friend, Nisha on the phone while I was making this and since yours truly can’t chew bubble gum and walk at the same time, who knows what I did.  All I know is that it started to run over in the microwave so I quickly put a saucer under it and finished cooking it.  It took about a minute and a half for the larger batch, but remember, I have the microwave from hell, so my timing is never accurate.

And how did it taste, curious minds want to know?  Well, all I had was a confetti cake mix to mix with my angel food cake mix, so it’s kinda vanilla tasting.  But it’s not bad, but I’m also desperate.  I don’t have anything in the house that isn’t healthy, and this is the only thing I could come up with fast that didn’t involve actual work.

Would I do it again.  Sure, I would.  If this was topped with a sliced banana, a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or some fresh fruit, or my dilly’s favorite, lemon sauce, it would be pretty good for a quickie.  A bit of almond flavoring would be nice, too.

But I think I would like it better using a chocolate cake mix.  Or I could just stir some chocolate chips or cocoa into this.  It’s not knock-your-socks off people, but it’s not too bad considering that it only takes 1-2 minutes start to finish.  Except for the mess…. Ughhh!!

Tweaks: I made this again, doubled the recipe, put it in a mug, did NOT Pam it, nuked it for 1:30 and it came out perfect.

Jan visits the Insurance Agent

We just got our condo insurance bill, they raised it $100 this year, with no claims, so hubby and I decided we needed to visit our insurance agent and have a talk with him.

Well, the guy that we always did business with has retired and turned our account over to a twelve year old girl with a squeaky Minnie Mouse voice.  Now, in all honesty, I have to admit that I was defensive before I even walked in the front door, but when we laid everything in front of her and started asking questions she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with her information.  She actually sounded like a politician, never answering a direct question with a direct answer.

It only took me a few minutes before I had enough of that crap, and I told her she was really tricky, but that I was really old so that stuff didn’t work with  me.  She looked at me and said “oh, it’s not your first rodeo, huh.”  And then she proceeded to calm down and work with us.  But the damage had been done, I don’t trust her, maybe after she goes through puberty she will have more creedence, but  to be perfectly honest, I just don’t enjoy children telling me what I do and do not need with my insurance coverage.  And I won’t even get into the bad information she gave hubby, a misquote of over $200, but he caught it, and she wasn’t able to explain her mistake.

Our appointment was at 10am, she was going to get right back to us, email me with updated information, and it’s now 5pm and I haven’t heard a peep from her.  Jeesh, enough already!  We’ve had State Farm Insurance for almost forty years now, and never had a problem, but me thinks it’s time for a new agent.  A grown up person.

So, if any townies know of a good State Farm agent on the West Side of Heavensville, let me know.  And in the meantime, if I don’t hear from her, I’ll check with her tomorrow after she’s home from school and maybe she’ll have some prices for me.  I know, I know I sound really old, well I am really old!!!!!

Paula Deen has type 2 diabetes

Yesterday, Paula Deen announced she had type 2 diabetes and the internet was all over her like mayo on white bread.  I have never read such negative posts in my life, people were absolutely gleeful, making fun of her, her “supposed” eating habits, and I thought it was just horrid!

Sure the woman is over the top, she cooks with fat, butter and grease, it’s her shtick people.  She’s a broad, not a lady, had she been a lady we wouldn’t be seeing her on television.  I’ve always found her funny, outrageous and her food divine.  I’m a southern woman, I’ve known versions of Paula Deen my entire life.  I cooked exactly like her back in the day, as well as most other people I know.  And it was wonderful, satisfying, glorious, wonderful food.

So for all the naysayers out there that are ridiculing her and the fact that she now has diabetes, shame on you.  This could be your mother, or aunt or someone you love. 

I’m off my soapbox, but I was just livid and had to vent. That is all…

Mother always said….

I find myself saying that a lot to my family and friends.  As I grow older and remember the things she told us, I realize how much she knew just observing nature and the world around her.  My boys talk about Grandma every time we’re together.  It’s the best part of her, I think, reliving  her memory from their perception, because a grandparent is so different with their grandchildren than it is with their children, something I’m finding out with Abby.

Some of the things that she always “said,” we’ll see if they come true this winter.

• You don’t get big snows when it’s really cold, the biggest accumulations come when the temperatures hover in the high twenties and low thirties.
• Winter doesn’t really kick in until about the third week in January, then look out.
• If you have a mild winter on the front end, you pay for it later and spring will be late.

So we’ll see how this pans out, we’re getting snow this morning in Heavensville, 1-3 inches predicted.  It’s not quite yet the third week of the month, but it looks like nasty weather is beginning.  And it’s 32 degrees right now, hmmmmm, just the right temperature, maybe it will be more in the 3” range than the 1” if ma’s predictions hold true.

And, we have had a mild winter thus far, so I hope it doesn’t bring a late spring. It’s only been snowing for an hour, and I already have cabin fever.

We’re tucked in for the day, glad that hubby doesn’t have to drive back and forth to work in this nasty weather.  I  made soup yesterday, so it’s a lazy day here, just playing on the computer, listening to some smooth jazz with a dog in my lap, works for me…

It's a great day to read a book...

It's rainy, cloudy, snow is forecasted for tomorrow, so the girls and I are snuggled in by the fire for the afternoon, me with a mug of hot lemon tea, and I'm reading all about Julia Child and her life in France.


I watched Julie and Julia the other night, decided I wanted to know more about this remarkable woman, so here I sit, enjoying this book immensely. Now if I just had a pot of her boeuf bourgiourgnon simmering on the stove. BON APPETIT!!!

Pioneer Woman's Second Season

 It starts Saturday morning on FoodTv.  I tape it, and hubby has strict instructions to not delete the shows, EVER!

 

I'm such a fan, I enjoy seeing the kids, Charlie, the ranch. Yeah, I do...

60 Years of Today

This week is Today Show’s anniversary, sixty years on the air, and as of late, I’ve started watching it again.  I was such a fan in the day, loved the Dinah Shore Chevrolet commercials, wasn’t a fan of Dave Garroway but I liked Hugh Downs. I’m so old I even remember when it went from black and white to color!

When LC and I were newly married, we lived in Indianapolis and Jane Pauley was hosting local news on WISH television.  She was cute and perky, and I followed her to the big time on Today.  I continued to watch it until that pompous ass Bryant Gumble became an anchor, I couldn’t tolerate the man or his chipmunk cheeked sidekick, Katie Couric, so I switched to GMA.

But now, with my all time favorite Diane Sawyer absent from GMA,  I’m once again watching Today, especially the 9am timeslot, as I don’t enjoy a Regisless Kelly Ripa, on a competing network.  Without Reeg, the magic is gone. :(  But what I really enjoy these days is the last hour of Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda.  I know, I know, Kathie Lee is annoying, she has always been annoying and always will be, but perhaps she’s mellowed a bit, or I’m a bit more tolerant, or maybe it’s nostalgia because I watched her in my younger years.  It’s campy, like girlfriends getting together without all the backstabbing that The View offers, and I enjoy it.

Here’s a clip from a couple of years ago with Jane Pauley in Indianapolis.  She’s in her 60’s now, and looks amazing.  It’s so nice to see a woman age without all the plastic surgery enhancements.  A long and rambling interview, but I thought you all might enjoy seeing how she looks “today”

Our little Crimson Tide fan…

It started out being such a great morning…

The sun is shining, I slept in, got up, showered, hubby was making breakfast, I wandered into the kitchen, put a K-Cup in my Cuisinart brewer, and NOTHING!  It’s totally DEAD, Fred!  So I had breakfast with hot tea, and it’s good, but it’s not COFFEE!!!!!

So DH, is in the kitchen, taking the blasted thing apart to see if he can figure out what the problem is.  So this song’s for him, he deserves it this morning…

Slurpee Straws aka Aluminum Straws

This, ladies is the damndest thing I’ve seen in awhile.  Hubby and I were getting gas today, and he comes out of the convenience store with a drink and this straw.  It’s big and fat, it’s aluminum, and it makes every drink you take icy cold.

One sip and I was hooked, oh my it’s amazing.  I came home and Googled it, these are known as Slurpee Straws,  we don’t have 7-Eleven’s in our part of the country, but apparently other convenience store chains have jumped on the bandwagon and are selling them as well.

You know what they remind me of?  If you’re of a certain age, I bet your mom or grandma had an aluminum pitcher and a set of stackable aluminum glasses when you were a kid.  Oh my, did they make your drink cold. 

I found these pictures online, talk about a walk down memory lane.  I always drank iced tea out of glasses similar to this when I was a little girl.  Maybe I need to be checking the antique stores and buying them again.

Or maybe I should just enjoy the aluminum straw.  Hey it’s a great straw, it’s icy cold, and best of all it’s red.  Such a cheap thrill chill on a gloomy Sunday afternoon.  I know, it’s a stretch, but there isn’t much to get excited about  in January around here. 

Woohoo, works for me…

Happy Sunday ~ Jan

Does this sound familiar?

Bigelow Vanilla Chai Tea, it’s amazing…

Deanna tucked packets of this tea in my Christmas stocking, and I have been enjoying it with a splash of Fat Free Half and Half, but apparently never in the evening.  However, last night it seemed like a good idea, and I had a mug about 8pm.

Fast forward to 1:30 am, still wide awake, tossing and turning.  I just Googled the tea, it has caffeine.  Just another thing to mark off my list in the evening.  Let’s see now, no greasy food, no spicy food, now no Chai Tea, what’s left??? 

I know what you’re all thinking, the obvious, salad.  Shut yo moufs, wimmen, shame on you!!! 

Salad In A Jar Review….

Oh-oh, here I go again, gushing about that Salad-In-a-Jar, but it’s time for an update.  Despite the fact that my friends think I’m a bona-fide fruit-loop, and my family groans and rolls their eyes,  I ignore everyone and continue to be in awe of not only making salads that last for a week or more, but sealing other things as well in my Ball jars.

A few more tweaks include:

• Not adding spinach, it makes the salad bitter, I now prefer just romaine, iceberg, carrots, celery and radishes. 
• I continue to freeze in jars.  It’s a throwback to when I was a child.  Mother always used glass jars to freeze things, she also froze her fish and chicken in water to preserve freshness, but of course now that I use a FoodSaver to seal the jars, this isn’t necessary.
• I’m using it for lots of dry products, as well, including cereal and popcorn.
• I always have problems with big jars of applesauce molding before we eat it, so now I put applesauce in a sealed quart jar in the fridge and have no problems.
• Same with salsa.  I seal it, store it in the refrigerator and don’t worry about opening a jar and seeing mold on the lid.  It’s a beautiful thing ;o)

Obviously, I could go on and on, and I do, but it’s just so amazing, the things you can find to seal in jars.  Hubby loves auctions, I hate them, so he goes and brings me home all kinds of things.  Last week it was three dozen wide mouth Ball quart jars, and a dozen and a half half pint jars, all new in boxes, never opened, for the grand total of $15!  I was so excited, now I have enough jars to redo my pantry and store all kinds of things, which no doubt you will hear about, and my friends will just shake their heads and my family will once again groan and roll their eyes, but hey, it works for me!

If you’ve stumbled on this blog and are clueless about what I’m talking about, you can read about my sealing obsession here and here and here.  If you’re interested, read all of the posts, as I started out using onions and green peppers, and quickly found out that didn’t work, and I address it in the later posts.

And my blackeyed pea casserole from my last post, the leftovers are in pint jars, all sealed, labeled and ready to go into the freezer for a quick meal.  I know, I know, I’m such a nerd…

Amazing Black Eyed Peas for New Years

If you’re one of those people who makes black-eyed peas on New Years Day, I have a wonderful recipe for you.  My neighbor, the one with the fantastic German Potato Salad recipe, makes these every year, and it’s a fabulous dish!

2 cans black-eyed peas, I drain and rinse for a more subtle flavor
2 cans italian stewed tomatoes
1 lb. sweet italian sausage, with casing removed
1 large onion
2 tablespoons of italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of oregano, if desired

Brown onion and sausage, drain, crumble and dump all in a crockpot, simmer on high for 3-4 hours, meanwhile cook a cup or so of pasta, any small pasta will work and stir it in at the end. 
This is so good, and so easy….

Enjoy and Happy New Year

~ jan

Reflecting, I’m not normally a fan…

Christmas is gone, the hustle and bustle is over, and everywhere you look people are reflecting back to this past year.  I usually avoid this, trying to move forward instead.  But every time I see Abby, and how much she is changing, it forces me to look back and face just how much she has changed from a baby to a busy little girl.

She no longer says awesome to just about everything that happens in her little life.  She talks now, actually non-stop, and as her vocabulary has increased, her favorite word has taken a back seat.  These days her favorite words are “really, really fast.”  She loves to do everything really fast, run, eat, ride in the car, she’s a regular little speed demon.  She no longer wants her favorite little sheep story at bedtime, much to her parent’s dismay, they’ve read the same book to her every single night since she was an infant, but now she wants them to read her other stories and it’s a reminder that she’s left her babyhood behind.

She had a stuffy nose last week and told her Daddy that her nose was broken and she wanted him to fix it.  Such wonderful little memories to reflect back on as she grows.

She has what she thinks is a phone, and talks into it much as her momma and daddy do into theirs.  I hear her saying things like “yah, yah, um hmmmmm, sure, okay, okay” and it’s so funny.

I went with Lindsay to her little music class last week where she was totally showing off for me.  Yelling “Hi Grammie” multiple times to me, and of course I was cracking up.  Her mother wasn’t amused at some of her antics, her teacher probably wasn’t either, but I thought it was hilarious.  Ahhhhh, the joy of being a grandparent.

And now we’re home, settling in this week, getting ready for the long month of January.  But I have multiple projects to keep me busy, and it hasn’t really been cold, and by March, the weather will be warming.  That isn’t so far away, March.  Well, okay, ask me that again about the middle of February, but today the grass is green, the temps are in the 50’s, and the sun is shining...

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and that the coming year will be filled with good health and prosperity.

Enough reflecting from this old(er) girl, I’m ready for move forward to the new year.

~ jan

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays from our family to yours......

Abigail Leigh, our little Christmas angel....

At our age, you just don't give a shit!

My friend, Carlene, sent me this. It just about sums it all up....

This is a deceptively simple philosophy that I have been working on and refining for most of my adult life. I am delighted to now say that I believe I have refined it down to its utmost essence, and sufficiently enough to share it with a select band of friends that may appreciate its elegance and simplicity.

 

Susan Branch has a wonderful blog...

Susan Branch is one of my very favorite talented people.  Her blog is just delightful, complete with little birdy chirps.  She has some wonderful Christmas pictures posted, and a delightful little gingerbread house that looks pretty simple to create.  Here's a snippet of a video with the gingerbread house, this site is such a fun little escape this busy week.  If you're not reading her, you're really missing out - you can check her out here...

Enjoy!  ~ jan