Chile Lime Cod, where have you been my whole life?

 

I’ve recently been eating more fish, a lot more fish.  I have hubby onboard, too, so that makes it easier.  We were eating Tilipia until I realized that it was imported from China and that they often feed animal feces to the Tilipia.  Now we’re checking country of origin before we buy any type of fish.  Here is an article if you want to inform yourself about fish from China.

I’ve always loved Cod, it’s my favorite and after a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I bought their Chile Lime Seasoning.  TJ’s always has something new to try, and I came home, brushed my Cod with butter, seasoned it first with lemon pepper, and then sprinkled on quite a bit of the chile lime seasoning.  Oh my, is it ever yummy!  I still need to tweak it a bit though, I need to buy lime pepper and a fresh lime to squeeze on it after it’s baked, that will take it to still another level.  I cook it on parchment paper for 20-22 minutes at 400 degrees and it’s perfect.  my friend Nisha grills fresh pineapple and sprinkles this seasoning on it when it’s cooking.  They suggest on the bottle to put it on pineapple and mango, I’m going to try that next!

If you’re lamenting the fact that you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area, no worries, you can get it on Amazon.  Here’s your link.

And while we’re talking about Trader Joe’s Seasoning, I have another favorite, it’s their Everything But the Bagel Seasoning.  It’s absolutely delicious, too.  Refinery29.com has some great suggestions for using this seasoning, here’s the link to their slideshow.

You can buy this on Amazon as well, in fact, here is a link for both seasonings bundled together.  Or you can buy it separately here.  It’s a much better deal when you bundle, though.  

And I have one more Trader Joe’s find for you.  It’s their 21 Seasoning Salute.  My son, Ryan, introduced this to me, he is a huge fan and puts it on everything.  I love it, too.  It’s great on meat, veggies, salad, it has so many spices, onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice and lemon oil - it’s just a great blend.  

It’s on Amazon as well, everything is on Amazon.  You can buy it here. 

If you’re lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s in your town, grab these spices, they’re all good, and especially the Chile Lime.  Oh wow, it just bursts with intense lime flavor.  And if you don’t have a TJ’s, just scoop it up on Amazon.  Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner on all of these spices.  ~ Jan

Grascosy Vintage Flower Backless Slip-Ons

 

 

 

Oh, how cute are these.  They’re amazing in lime green and red, too.  

Do you like them as much as me?  Here’s the link ladies...

The BEST Sunglasses I've ever owned!!!!

Hands down, these are my favorite sunglasses of all time.  I love the shape, love the size, not since I was a teenager and wore big round tortoise Jackie O’ sunglasses have I had a pair that I loved as much as these.  I’ve had them for several years, I broke them, hubby repaired them many times, and on a whim today, I looked at the label, still faintly visible on the glasses, put it under a magnifying glass, and wouldn’t you know, they are on Amazon!  I put these puppies in my shopping cart so fast.  And they’e only $14.95 Prime.  Oh Amazon, how I love you, let me count the ways...

Here’s the link if you like them, too - I’m tellin’ ya, they are awesome.

They also have them in black...

Same price, $14.99 - what a steal...

Here are the black ones

And yes, I’m snapping them up, too.  These might not be around forever...

Perfect Panera Bread Black Bean Soup

 

I was thrilled to find the perfect dupe for my very favorite Panera Black Bean Soup.  You can make an entire pot of soup for what one serving in a bread bowl would cost.  And its SO easy. 

Ingredients

1 Onion finely chopped

4-5 Cloves Garlic minced

2 Ribs Celery finely chopped

1/2 orange or red bell pepper

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

3-3/4 Cups Chicken Stock (this is the remainder of the 32 oz. box)

2-1/4 Cups Water

2 Cups Black Beans dried

1 Can Rotel Tomatoes & Green Chiles 10oz

2 tsp Mexican Oregano, I didn’t have Mexican Oregano, I used 2 tsp. of Italian Oregano

2 tsp Chili Powder

2 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Pepper

Directions:

Finely chop onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and add to Instant Pot.  Saute veggies using SAUTE MODE until they are limp, using 1/4 cup of broth to saute them instead of oil

Stir in Oregano, Chili Powder, Cumin, Salt, and Pepper.  Slowly add remaining 2 cups of broth and the 3-1/4 cups of water and stir well.

Rinse 2 cups of dried Black Beans, removing any debris, and add to pot.

Pour the Rotel Tomatoes into the CENTER of the soup and DO NOT STIR.  The Rotel Original gives this a little kick, not a lot just a touch, but if you don’t want the heat, use Rotel Mild

Attach lid, make sure vent is set to SEALING, and set timer for MANUAL MODE for 50 minutes.

Allow to naturally vent for10 minutes before CAREFULLY releasing whatever steam is left - I just make early in the day and let it set for awhile

Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 cup of the beans & veggies and set side.  Using a immersion blender (or regular blender) carefully blend the remaining soup until smooth.

Add the beans & veggies you set aside back in and stir well. 

Notes

Jan's Notes - these were AWESOME.  Next time  think I will use Vitamix instead of Immersion Blender to get smoother consistency.  I followed recipe exactly, used regular oregano, didn't have the mexican..  Fantastic Recipe - SO GOOD! 

Garnish with Salsa, Lime Wedges, or Green Chile Sour Cream if desired. 

This is so simple to make in an Instant Pot.  I have the new 8 qt. Plus size, even for two people it’s not too big.  They’ve been out of stock everywhere in this new version, but you can find the 8 qt. Duo on Amazon.  Same pot, the newer version just has a couple more settings.

Here’s the link if you’re interested, this 8 qt. is a better price than the plus.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, soak beans overnight and cook on low all day in slow cooker...

I'm a sucker for kitchy salt and pepper shakers

Pioneer woman sold these these fried eggs and toast salt and pepper shakers at The Merc last year, and now they’re unavailable.  But I found them on Amazon.  These are just so cheerful, and they look like spring.

 

Such a silly little thing, but they make me smile.  Do you like them, too?  You can grab them here.

 

These little polka dot chicks from the Abbott Collection are adorable, too.  I’m also a sucker for polka dots.

 

Here’s the link to the chicks.

 

I think I’m just desperate for cheerful, bright colorful anything.  We’ve had so many cloudy, rainy gloomy days this month in Middle Tennessee, I’m weary of it all.  I’m tired of winter clothes and ready to break out the pastels.  I want to grow herbs and plant flowers, but it won’t be long.  Forsythia was blooming today at Panera Bread when we stopped in for lunch.

 

 

 

I’ve had a set of these fried egg breakfast plates for several years now and I might just need to treat myself to those S&P’s to go with my plates.  Yep, I think I need these…  😉🙃😋😝😜

52 Week Money Challenge

I’m so impressed with this idea.  It’s very doable and then if you reward yourself with a long weekend trip, or a splurge that you haven’t been able to quite justify, you’ve got the funds.

The idea is simple: You start by socking away just $1 in the first week of the year, and then gradually increase your savings by a dollar a week throughout the year. So you save $2 in Week 2, then $3 in Week 3, and so on, until you’re stashing away upwards of $50 a week next December.

By the end of the year, if you complete the challenge, you’ll have saved $1,378.

I found this on The Simple Dollar, you can read all about it here...

Awesome Plastic Wrap Dispenser

Plastic wrap dispensers are, well indispensible.  Okay, it’s a play on words, but these things are just awesome.  I first saw them on Pioneer Woman and was impressed at how well they work.   And who doesn’t struggle with plastic wrap, sometimes I just totally give up because it always clings to the wrap instead of the bowl.  But this little gadget changes everything.  I sit what I’m wrapping beside the dispenser, pull out the wrap, attach it to the bowl and then use the cutter on the dispenser for a clean cut.  Works perfect every time.

This dispenser comes with 250 feet of plastic wrap, you can refill it with plastic wrap from the grocery store and it’s $15 from Amazon Prime.  It’s worth the $15 to just ease the frustration.

Here’s the link if you’re interested in it, too 

I’ll make it easier for you, here it is in action - different pattern, but this veggie one is cuter. 

 But I’m not finished yet, there is also a dispenser for Aluminum Foil.  This one comes with a 12x30 ft. roll of aluminum foil and it’s also refillable.  It has a magnetic closure, there is a video on Amazon’s site that you can watch.   I haven’t bought this yet, but I’m going to, today!

Here’s the link for the foil

You know how much I enjoy kitchen gadgets, and anything that’s a timesaver is worth the money.  This is a really good thing… ~ Jan

If your hair is thinning, you need this!

Okay, sharing my very favorite finds from this past year.   Yeah, I’m a little late to the game, I keep forgetting (it’s age related) 🤨  We can’t be like Maxine and wear a ball cap, there has to be a better way, well there is and I found it!

First is dry shampoo.  This stuff is seriously, seriously awesome.  I first started using it last fall when I purchased Herbal Essence Dry Shampoo.  I was using it on day old, or two day old hair since I no longer shampoo my hair daily like I have all my life.  Shocking, isn’t it, but now that I’m older, it’s dryer, the texture is different and I just don’t have to.  When I started using dry shampoo  I immediately noticed my hair looked thicker and it smelled wonderful.  I have tons of hair in the back, it’s just the top and the sides that are thinning.  You know how it is, your part just keeps getting wider and wider.  And you think it’s hopeless, but it isn’t.  Read on...

We were on our way to Lexington to visit Ryan’s family and I realized I had left my Herbal Essence at home, so hubby took a quick detour, I ran into CVS and they didn’t have it.  So instead I grabbed a bottle of Beach Babe and it was a total game changer.

It smells like coconut, and at first it was overpowering, and like perfume, use it a few times and you barely notice it.  But using this dry shampoo gives you so much oomph, yep, thats the only way to describe it, your hair looks thicker and it has oomph.  I quickly went from using it the next day to using it on wet, freshly shampooed hair.  Then I dry it and I spray even more on it.  And wahlaa, no more limp straggly hair, I use a root booster first on my wet hair, then spray the front and sides liberally with Beach Babe and my first day hair looks decent, the next morning I spray again before styling and it looks even better.  The third day, spray again and it’s FANTASTIC!

This is the root booster I’ve been using, it’s a good one, I’ve tried a lot of them and when I use this with the dry shampoo I think it’s magic.  But wait, I forgot a step.  When my hair is freshly shampooed the first thing I do is to apply Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oi & Restore Leave-In Conditioner.   
 

I did a review of this, and here’s the link for you.   You might want to click on my link and watch Elle’s video, she explains it really well.  At first I only applied the Shea Moisture to my ends, thinking that if I put it all over it would make my hair flat like conditioner tends to do, but one day I took a walk on the wild side and applied it to the top of my hair and sides as well.  And it didn’t make it  flat at all, it just made it feel thicker.  After doing this I used the root booster and my holy grail Beach Babe Dry Shampoo and it looked even better than when I didn’t use it.  So now that’s the first thing I do, and I apply it liberally.  This Shea Moisture might not work for you if your hair is very fine, but if it isn’t, give it a try and see what you think.

I know, this is a lot of product to put in your hair, but it’s totally worth it.  Be realistic, this isn’t going to make your hair look like it did when you were young, but it will make what you do have look noticably thicker and not be limp and flat.  Hubby took a new Facebook picture of me yesterday, and you can see that the top of my hair doesn’t look too bad.  But if you could see my hair without any product in it, you would quickly understand what this does.  This is second day hair, I didn’t do much with it, just twisted it up, and also my hair is really long. Middle of my back long, and I debate daily as to whether or not to cut it.  I would never wear it down, I look like a hag, but it’s so quick and easy to just put it up and go, and it’s off my face,  I look at pictures of myself from five years ago when I had a bob and I realize that this makes me look older, it’s not trendy, but I am older now. And that bob with bangs didn’t look so great either, Abby would always tell me, “Grammie, your hair is floppy.”  Out of the mouths of babes...

These products are very inexpensive, you can purchase all of them for under $25.  If your hair is driving you crazy, too, give this a try, I bet it will work for you, too.  ~ Jan

Oh, links, I have links for you.

Beach Babe Dry Shampoo

John Frieda Root Booster

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave In Conditioner 

Sharin' the Good Stuff, Copy Me That!

 

Who doesn’t save recipes from the Internet?  We all do it, I have a tons of bookmarks and a badzillion Pinterest boards and it’s a pain in the patootie to find something.  But recently I found a site called Copy Me That, and it’s fantastic.   If you’re on a desktop or laptop, you download a button that you add to the top of your browser and it’s so simple to use.  You can also use this on your mobile phone or your tablet.

First, you go to copymethat.com and create an account and make sure you sign in.  Then if you’re on a computer, you download the button, it’s a two spoons icon and drag it up on your browser, and you’re good to go.  When you find a recipe you want to save, just click on that button and you get a popup on the top right corner of your page that says Copy Me That, and there is a link to View Recipe.

When you click the link it takes you to your main page, and this is the important part, you want to Create a Tag.  In the picture above, my first recipe is Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, so I created three tags for this, Chicken, Grains and Instant Pot.  I clicked on the “Add Tag” bar and created those three tags.  You’re doing this, so that in the future, you can easily find recipes in a category you are looking for.  And once you create a tag, it’s always there, you just Click the Add Tag bar and you will see the ones you’ve already created or you can add new ones.  You can make your settings private or you can share with the public.  Mine is public, anybody can view it.

I’ve explained what I do, but the ladies in the video below will show you what to do.  This is fantastic, the best organizer I’ve found and it’s free. ~ Jan

 

Berkshire Blankets

Time to share the good stuff.  I was at my friend V’s house and she had this Honeycomb Blanket on her bed.  I ran my hand over it and I was SOLD!

This is the softest, body hugging blanket I’ve ever had.  It’s the perfect weight, not too heavy, and it’s affordable.  So, if you’re in the market for a new blanket, you can’t go wrong with this.  It’s a total winner, hall of fame worthy.

Here’s the link.  Amazon has many styles to choose from, but I wouldn’t even try one of the others, this Honeycomb style is just perfect.

Think of me when you snuggle into this, trust me, if you buy it, you will love it.

~ Jan

Hot Potato Salad

I just posted this on Jan CAN Cook, but it’s so good that I wanted to share it on the Dish as well.  Total comfort food, totally bad for you, but SO delish!

I made this so often when the boys were little, lost the recipe and thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I just found it again.

We called it Hot Potato Salad, and made it exactly like this using Velveeta.  It was just SO good.

I was thrilled to find this recipe again and to add it here so I will always have it….

INGREDIENTS 

9 medium potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced

1 cup mayonnaise

1 lb Velveeta cheese, diced

1 small onion, chopped

salt

pepper

1⁄2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1⁄2 cup green olives, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine potatoes, mayonnaise, cheese, and onion, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Put into greased 9x13 baking dish.

Top with bacon and olives.

Bake 1 hour.

Nutrition

• 9 medium  potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced
• 1 cup  mayonnaise
• 1 lb  Velveeta cheese, diced
• 1 small  onion, chopped
• salt
• pepper
• 1⁄2lb  bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 1⁄2cup  green olives, sliced

I have a new food blog

 

 

It’s the new year, time to rethink what we eat and I have some ideas for you.

I actually started this blog back in October and have steadily been adding recipes, and I’m really picky, they have to be awesome or they don’t make the cut.

You might enjoy looking at it and get some great recipes for yourself.

The name of the blog is Farmhouse Food Made Healthy and here’s the link for you

 ~ Jan

A holiday surprise

It was going to be such a great Christmas.  Ry and family were coming for six days, I had so many plans, all organized on an Excel Spread Sheet.  The gifts were wrapped, the fridge was bulging with food to prepare, the recipes were all organized,  I was so looking forward to it.  They arrived late in the day on Thursday, we had a nice dinner, I played with the grandkids, went to bed and in the middle of the night I started getting chills.  By morning I had such a headache I couldn’t get out of bed and there is where I stayed the entire time they were here, except for Christmas evening I was up for a few hours.

Talk about the pits!  I didn’t want to make anyone else sick and thankfully I was able to contain the germs to our bedroom.   I had the flu, low grade temp, achy body and that relentless headache. 

I’m getting better, slowly, but now the kids are long gone and I didn’t even get to watch them open presents Christmas morning.  

Then fast forward to New Years Eve.  Our friends, Rich and V, were coming, we’ve spent many New Years Eves with them, and of course that didn’t happen either.  I’m still recovering and the weather is absolutely wretched.  Nothing went as planned this year, nothing!

Poor pitiful me, what a disaster Christmas was at our household...

5 Calorie Russian Tea

 

I’ve drunk Russian Tea since I was a little girl.  It was mother’s favorite and she made it every holiday season.  Warm, spicy, infused with spices and lots of powdered sugar, it was so good, but it also had a lot of calories.

I’ve recreated it using sugarless alternatives and the result is wonderful and very similar to hers.  She a always made hers with Tang, but it’s hard to find sugar-free Tang, so I substituted Crystal Light with great results.

 

1.5 cups of Lipton Diet Iced Tea Mix

1 Packet of either Crystal Light Orange Sunrise or Crystal Light Lemonade, depending on whether you want an orange flavor or strictly a lemon taste

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Stir together and store in glass jars.  Add a teaspoon or two to a mug of hot water and you have a to-die-for drink.  The best part is it’s guilt-free as there are practically no calories in this.

I don’t know which flavor I like most, I made both varieties, one with Crystal Light Lemonade and one with Orange Sunrise.  I drink the orange version and think I like it best, and then I drink the lemon version and think I like it best.  It’s a tough call, so just make both.  Worked for me! 😀

Happy Holidays, think of me when you drink this

🎄Jan🎄

 

Jan's Favorite Things, Christmas 2017

I have two biggies, both new this year.  If you have read my blog, you all know that I’m the Gadget Queen and I don’t believe on skimping on kitchen equipment.  For me, it’s important to have good tools.  Long after you’ve forgotten how much you paid for things, you will love them and be glad that you didn’t cheap out.  

I bought a new butcher block this summer for my center island.  I’ve been a fan of BOOS blocks for years and have had a couple of their free-standing footed butcher blocks in the past, the one I bought a few years ago for the condo is now sitting in the garage because I couldn’t bear to part with it.  I get sentimentally attached to kitchen things, seriously I do.

I had been eyeing up this beauty for a few years.  You see variations of Boos Butcher Blocks a lot on FoodTV, Pioneer Woman has the 3” thick end grain round block, Trisha Yearwood used to have the 2.4” running grain rectangle and this year she upgraded to the 3” version.  At first I thought I wanted the round version, I knew I wanted the 3” thick one.  I did the research and knew I also wanted end grain wood, not running grain, it looks better and it doesn’t show cuts as much.  I also wanted the traditional maple board, not the cherry or the walnut.  Practicality won out in the end, that round one wouldn’t have worked as well for me, and I made the right choice.

So I bought it.  Don’t gasp at the price, Here’s the link, and it’s worth every . single . penny.  I could have gotten the 2.4” cheaper, but I knew I would never be happy with it, so I just bought the damn thing.  And I love it, I really, really love it.  It looks so great sitting on my counter and it performs like a champ.  You can get beeswax-mineral oil conditioner from Boos online, or you can just oil your board with mineral oil.  Never use olive oil or vegetable oil, it makes the board sticky.  You can also have it monogrammed with your initials as in the picture above, but that wasn’t for me.  I just wanted the authentic board.

I did one change though.  My previous cutting board had little stainless steel flat discs that fit on the corners on the underneath side.  It was great, it gives your board dimension and it also lifts it enough that you can get a Bash n/ Chop underneath it.   What’s a Bash n’ Chop?  It’s this little gadget, I think I got my first one from Galloping Gourmet in the 70’s and it’s great for scooping up your veggies and plopping them in your pan.

This would make a great little stocking stuffer and it’s only $8 and change PRIME from Amazon.  Want the link, sure you do.

But back to the cutting board.  My new board sat flat on the counter, and I wanted to lift it up a bit like my previous board, so I called John Boos outlet store in Effingham, IL, and asked them about those little stainless discs, they had them and they shipped me a set of 4 for under $20.  Then hubby drilled the underside of the board, attached them and now my board has dimension and that little Bash ’n Chop slips right underneath it.

I also purchased Pioneer Woman’s Turquoise Knife Set this year.  It’s inexpensive, as far as knives go, but it’s the best I’ve ever had and I’ve had several in my lifetime.  My favorite knife is her Japanese Signature Knife, it’s my go to, that knife is superb.

They’re out of stock at WalMart onlne, guess I’m not the only one that likes them, but you can usually find them at your local WalMart.  They do have them available in Rosewood, but they’re not quite the color pop as the turquoise or red.  Link here...

And the other biggie I blogged about a couple of months ago, it’s the Phillips XL Air Fryer.  They sell cheaper air-fryers but this is the big dawg that started the whole trend.   It’s amazing, we use it almost every single day.  

Here’s my original article, check it out - it’s GREAT! 

 

 

The Kindle Paperwhite - I was a little late to the Kindle e-reader game.  I started with a Sony Reader when they first came out, it was kinda meh and I got rid of it when I got an iPad and was perfectly content to read books on it.  Then last summer, Amazon had a Christmas in July sale, and the Paperwhite was $89 instead of $119, so I bought it on a whim.  And I love it.  Why, when I have an iPad Mini?  Because it doesn’t get hot, it’s lightweight, it’s so easy to grab, tuck in my purse and go.  The battery lasts forever, and if you have books in .epub format instead of .mobi which the Kindle uses, it’s really easy to convert from .epub to .mobi on your Computer using a free program called Calibre.  

You can buy a Kindle reader for $79 now on Amazon instead of the Paperwhite, which is now $119, but I’m a bells and whistles girl and the $79 version just doesn’t do it for me.  I want the  backlight, perfect for reading in bed without bothering a sleeping hubby, and it has Wi-Fi and Celluar Connectivity.  And it’s WHITE, thats the best part.  You don’t get all of these features on the cheaper version, it’s a matter of what you need.  The best part about the Kindle is that it doesn’t glare like the iPad does, so when you’re outside it’s easy to read.

Here’s the link

And they have really cute covers for them on Amazon, here’s mine, and the link

I also got this bag from Pioneer Woman.  I just love this, the dimensions are 16” x 15” so it’s really roomy and the vertical shape is perfect.  It’s my go-to bag and the more I use it, the more it looks worn-in and vintage, and the pockets on the outside are perfect for my cellphone and my glasses.  I love vintage looking bags and this one delivers and the best part is the smell, you open it and the leather just wafts right up to your nose, it makes me smile every time I open it.  These bags sell out regularly at The Mercantile, if you’re interested you might want to scoop one up here.  When I first opened it, it was a little stiff, but the more I used it the more it softened, it’s really a great bag.

I also bought one of her mugs, talk about vintage, this is so cool and the price is right, $10.  It’s a great stocking stuffer.

You can grab this mug here

And last are Uggs.  I’m a big fan of UGG boots, they’re super comfy and I walk really well in them.  I had quite a dilemna with UGG boots this fall, but that’s for another blog entry.  These are the ones that I really liked and UGG discontinued them.  So, then of course I really wanted them.  And you can find them, they’re on eBay, if they don’t have your size or color, just put an eBay search on them and they will alert you when they are available.  I got them in Chestnut, they’re not exactly Booties, but they aren’t high either, and they work great with that bag from The Mercantile.

Just search Google for Ugg Azalea Boots if you like these, they just recently discontinued them and you can find them.  UGG has replaced them with the LiLou, same boot different button and tassel, but I don’t like them nearly as well.  You can find the LiLou here.

And these are a few of my favorite things, some are a little spendy, but it’s Christmas, and you or someone in your life just might enjoy some of these treasures.  If I have time I’ll post another list of inexpensive favorite things, which tends to be more make-up related.  ~ Jan

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Review

 

Is your bathroom cabinet like mine?  Is it filled with products that promise to be the latest and the greatest but do absolutely nothing for your hair?  Well, ladies you are in for a nice surprise with this inexpensive Shea Moisture Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Smoothie.  This stuff really does add body, elasticity and moisture to your hair without weighing it down.  AND, it’s inexpensive, so it won’t break the bank to try it.

 

I learned about this on Elle Is For Living’s YouTube channel, and I’ll link her video below.  A word of caution though, tread lightly with this when you first use it, she uses a huge glob of it in her video and unless your hair is extremely dry you will end up with an oil slick like someone who shall remain nameless did 😳 A little dab’ll do ya to begin with.  I also use it between shampoos on the ends of my hair, this is something I will purchase again and again.

 

Grab it on Amazon here -  it’s a large container and it’s under $11.  You can’t beat that and it smells good, too.  It has over 1800 reviews, and the majority are excellent.

 

And now for Elle’s video, the lady knows what she’s talking about, just be careful with the amount you use until you find your rhythm with this.

 

Olive Garden Light Salad Dressing, it's a WINNER!

Let’s face it, light salad dressings leave a lot to be desired, and since I’m a huge fan of Olive Garden salad, and when I found this 30 calorie (two tablespoon) dressing at Kroger I was beyond skeptical, but when I tasted it I was pleasantly surprised.

Of course it doesn’t have the depth of flavor that the fully leaded does, but when I duplicated Olive Garden’s salad with the pepperoncini, black olives and iceberg lettuce it was an excellent dupe for not many calories.

Oh, the croutons, they take it over the top.  If you’re a fan as well, and c’mon who isn’t a fan of their salad, then head to your local grocery store, grab some olives, some pepperoncini (I prefer the sliced, they don’t quirt you in the eye when you bite into them like the whole ones do) and these two products and enjoy...

 

Halloween 2017

Here are my cutey patooties all dressed up for Halloween.  We have Shirley Temple, a Super Hero and a real Cowgirl.

Lexi is Shirley Temple "On The Good Ship Lollipop.”  She, of course is clueless as to who Shirley Temple is, and since her petticoats made her dress really bouffant, she announced that she was “The Bubbler.”  No amount of persuasion could get her to say that she was Shirley Temple, she was The Bubbler!

 

Ben was  Super Hero and a scary one at that.  He was flexing his muscles, cause that’s just the way little boys roll.

Abby announced that she didn’t want a costume, she wanted to be an authentic cowgirl and that she was, complete with vintage chaps, neckerchief and belt buckle riding a horse on a western saddle.

It’s so much fun now that the grands are older, they really get into the Halloween experience.  Just had to share this morning, pictures are too cute to keep to myself...

It's that time of year

 

Don’t you just love fall and everything that’s associated with it?

I snagged this great pumpkin pie dish from eBay.  It was originally from Williams Sonoma and it calls to  me.

October always makes me think of home...

 

Oh, the memories.  Chili simmering on the stove, an apple pie in the oven, muddy boots by the back door, a nip in the air, these were the October days of my childhood.

I loved the smell of burning leaves, the piles in the yard to tunnel through, barking dogs in the distance, a train meandering down Appel’s hill.  WROY would be playing on the radio, we had no television when I was a child, so most evenings I would be playing the piano.  How Great Thou Art, Floyd Kramer’s Last Dance, Sempir Fedelis, or Stars and Stripes Forever from John Phillip Sousa, and always classical music like Fur Elise or The Blue Danube.  My music was eclectic and varied, I enjoyed playing it so much, even though it didn’t come naturally to me like it did to  others.

There were always dogs and cats at our house which I would smuggle inside on a regular basis,  and we often had a parakeet or a canary.  The fields would be filled with tractors, fall harvest would be in full swing.  Sometimes I would get to go with Aunt Lois in her International pick-up to the elevator to dump the loads of corn.  We would stay in the truck and she would drive it up on a lift that would hoist up the front end to dump the grain.  Oh, it was so exciting for a little girl, to sit in the cab of the truck as it went up in the air.  

We would travel to visit my Aunts and Grandma on the weekend, their nearby fields would have popcorn grown in them, and we would take tow sacks and glean the leftover popcorn that the pickers left behind.  It was hard working, dragging those sacks of popcorn through the muddy fields and when we were finished we would go to my Aunt Idalene’s house and she would shell the corn off the cob and pop it, and since it hadn’t yet dried all of the kernels wouldn’t pop.  It would just swell to the bursting point, and the result would be the crunchiest treat ever.  They called the unpopped kernels “old maids.”   We would glean enough popcorn to last us all winter and mother would shell it and store it in fruit jars in boxes under the bed.  I would try and help, but always made more of a mess for her than it was worth.  My hands were so small I couldn’t get a good grip on the cob and the grains of corn would just fly everywhere.

We would gather hickory nuts, pecans and walnuts in the nearby woods and mother would spend evenings around the fire, cracking nuts and filling Ball jars with the nutmeats.  She always called them “goodies.”  On our weekend visits, she would help my aunt quilt, she always had a quilt in a frame in her “spare” bedroom in the winter or they would cut out a dress to sew for church on Sunday.  Aunt Idalene loved new dresses, and she couldn’t wait until one was sewn to put it on and twirl around in the living room to get Uncle Raymond's approval.  I would read books when we visited the Aunts or Grandma, since they didn’t have television either, or listen in on the adult conversations, a lot of which I couldn’t quite understand. 

Canning season would be almost over, except for Aunt Mae, who always made pear preserves in the fall, the most wonderful concoction of pears and pineapple you ever put on a biscuit and Mother always made Apple Butter.  She would fill an aluminum dishpan with peeled and quartered apples, add sugar, cinnamon and red hot candies and simmer it in the oven to can later.  We didn’t waste anything, so  mother would grind the leftover green tomatoes from the garden and make relish.  Chow-chow was my favorite, a hot spicy concoction that I still love with beans.   She would also spread unripe tomatoes on newspapers in the house to ripen, as killing frosts came in early in October to Southern Illinois.

Halloween would be on the horizon, my outfits would be things that I put together from old clothes.  One year I was a hobo, with bib overalls, a flannel shirt and a stick with a bandana bundle on it’s handle.  Once I was an old lady with pillows stuffed in my dress , a scarf on my head and a pocketbook to carry.   We didn’t have elaborate costumes like today’s children, we just made do with what we had.

I would wear face masks we bought from the drug store where Mother worked.   They would be very similar to the ones below, made of gauze, with a distinctive unpleasant odor and they always made me claustrophobic.  There were no cutouts for the nostrils, so you had to breathe through your mouth and often your eyelashes would get caught in the gauze around the eye cutouts.  If it were warm on halloween night, the masks were hot, I would always push mine up on my head with the rubber band that held it on.

We knew everybody’s house we visited, and we would always unmask so that they could see who we were.  Our treats were apples, popcorn balls, always my favorite, and candy.  Not candy like kids get today though, it was mostly pieces of penny candy, cinnamon balls or butterscotch disks or a stick of gum.

I think I’m missing my childhood this evening, it happens with more frequency these days.  I yearn for the simple times, I feel blessed that I had them and that I can resurrect them on nights like this and go home again, if only in my mind...

~ Jan