Wednesday, January 17, 07

It was a snow day here in Texas! I heard freezing rain in the middle of the night and then by morning it had changed to snow. The girls and Benjamin were playing outside by 7:30am.

Emily's prize winning snowball! Now she just needs a coat. ;0)



Grace is catching snowflakes on her piece of black velvet.



Benjamin lost a top tooth this week!



There was just enough snow for Grace to build a mini snowman.



Even Phillip had a snow day today and worked from home. I'm starting to get my energy back so for dinner I made Jenny's Grandma's Chicken, along with biscuits and gravy.





Jenny's Grandma’s Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut up
1 large sliced onion
5 carrots, in large chunks
5 potatoes, in large chunks
Oregano
Thyme
Garlic
1 large bouillon cube

Brown chicken. Add vegetables, and just enough water to cover. Cover and cook 45-60 minutes.

Jenny’s notes: I bake it instead of simmering it on the stove. Brown the chicken and just put in a casserole with a little bit of water. Cook for about an hour at 350.

Jenny, it was delicious, thank you for the recipe!!





Buttermilk Biscuits

These biscuits are sweet, crisp and tender.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 5 tablespoons butter (depends on how healthy you feel!)
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and either incorporate into the flour using a pastry blender or rub the butter between your fingers, until thoroughly blended.

3. Use a large spoon to stir in the buttermilk, just until mixture forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead it 10 times, no more. If it is very sticky, add a little flour, but don't worry if it sticks a bit to your hands.

4. Press into a 3/4 inch-thick rectangle and cut rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Gently reshape leftover dough and cut again. This recipe will produce about 10 biscuits.

5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until the biscuits are a beautiful golden brown. Serve within 15 minutes for them to be at their best.

I hope you all are doing well and keeping warm!

I'm Weird!

I've been tagged by Copperswife for the Six Weird Things About Me meme! If you haven't met Copperswife yet, you should go visit her after reading this. She is so wonderful that I'm thinking about asking her to adopt me. :0)

Ok, here they are: Six Weird Things About Me! Actually, before I begin I should tell you that they are known as "issues" around my house. Let's begin with my "Raisin Issues."

1. I don't like raisins. Don't like looking at them or even thinking about them. My dad likes to throw them at me which leads to screaming, hiding under pillows and even locking him out of my house. ;0) And if that isn't weird enough, I love currants. And no, they are not "little raisins" as Phillip likes to call them. They are completely different! And yummy. :0)

2. "Leftover Issues." I don't want to be a wasteful person so I'm getting better with leftovers, but there are some rules. No tupperware. No storing soft foods like mashed potatoes or cooked noodles in ziplocks. Refrigerated leftovers must be put in glass dishes and covered with tin foil or saran wrap.

3. "Bridge Issues." I don't like driving over bridges with water underneath them. You never know if its on it's last leg and my van is the one that finally does it in.

4. "Pumping Gas Issues." I know gas pumps have this nifty way of clasping the handle down so you don't have to stand there holding it the entire time, but I don't trust it. How does it know when your gas tank is full anyways? Does it have eyes? I can see it now...Gas pouring out, all over the van, my shoes and me not being able to get the handle unclasped or find the emergency stop button!

So, I just "guess" when it's full. I stop pumping somewhere around $28.00 or $29.00. When gas prices change this really messes me up! Of course, it drives Phillip crazy when I don't fill it up all the way, so I try to trick him by stopping at a random number like $28. 67 or $29. 34. I make it different every time..hehe. He is much too clever for this though, but he is sweet and doesn't say anything.

5. "Repetitive Noise Issues." And by repetitive I mean more than two times in a row. Clicking, thumping, humming, banging, etc. As you know with three children this happens a lot, all day long. :0) So I just grin and bear it (most of the time!) and repeat to myself, "It's almost over, there, there, deep breaths."

6. Oh, please don't make me embarrass myself any longer! Last one. "Balloon Issues." Actually, it's more of a latex issue. I can't stand the smell. When I paint, I get non-latex gloves. I dread birthday parties because of the balloons. Festivals, store openings. Please don't offer my children a balloon! Plus they make that awful squeaking noise and you know someone will show them the "rub it on your hair and stick it to the wall" trick. Ahhhh......

Is anyone still here? I promise not to be scary anymore!! Thanks for tagging me Copperwife! I'll email you about the adoption thing. ;0)

Winter Storm

*Sniffle* *Sneeze* *Snort* My weekend didn't go quite as planned. Saturday, I woke up with a full blown cold and today my ears are all plugged up. I was able to sleep most of the afternoon and Grace even made me toast in bed. :0) I think I will be feeling much better tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures Phillip took this weekend...

These trees are behind my mother-in-law's house.



Frozen droplets on pretty red leaves.



It was a good day for bird watching. Our feeders were busy with our feathered friends, trying to keep warm.



A Mourning Dove all fluffed up.



There were 5 male cardinals in the trees behind my MIL's house!



A female cardinal.



The girls and Benjamin have named this Blue Jay, "Jay-Jay." He keeps everyone on their toes!



Sparrows are always hungry.



January

A shrill wind blew about the house
And through the pines all night:
The snowflakes whirled across the fields
And hid the fence from sight.

By dawn the drifts had blown so deep
No horse nor sleigh could go:
The dog-house and the chicken-coops
Were buried in the snow.

There was no thought of school that day;
We worked with shovels all,
And cleared a path from horse to barn;
The snow was like a wall.

I wished our house was covered up,
Like that one in the book
My Grandma showed to me one day
Beside the chimney-nook.

The story said the chimney-pot
Just showed above the snow,
And all day long the lamps were lit
Down in the house below.
~K. Pyle.

I hope you all are staying warm!

~The Winter Kitchen~

Today, I was going through my cookbooks, looking for new recipes to try out. I came across one that I had forgotten about. "Through the Kitchen Window" is written by English author, Susan Hill. She takes us through the seasons in her kitchen, creating a magical world of mouth-watering aromas and traditional dishes.



The Winter Kitchen

In winter, the kitchen is the heart of the house. It is a living place. Kettles sing, pots simmer, pans bubble.

There is a chair for quiet reading, and waiting for this or that to be put in or taken out of the oven, to be ready, to be kneaded or turned or stirred.

Beside the stove, cats purr with half-closed eyes.

In winter, the kitchen is always warm, and, always, there are smells: of roasting meat and stewing soups, frying onions and baking bread.

Outside, early dark, rain like a whip lash, gale and hail, rattling the latch, or ice, sealing it tight.

But inside all is bright, warm, savoury, companionable.



Susan also shares some pleasures of the Winter Kitchen...

~The bubble-bubble of soups and broths, the simmer of the stock-pot.

~A dish of citrus fruits, oranges, tangerines, clementines, grapefruit, dozens of lemons, skins all aglow.

~Root vegetables freshly pulled, earth still clinging to them and crumbling on to the table. Turnip and parsnip, carrot and celery.

~The rise and fall of the singing kettle as it boils for hot drinks on bitter days.

With that in mind, I will make Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie and Vegetable Stew with Homemade Bread for our meals this coming week.

How do you make your kitchen cozy for winter? Do you like to cook or bake anything special?

Wednesday, January 10, 07

Thank you so much for all your prayers and well-wishes! After lots of rest, hot tea, and Tylenol cough syrup I think we are over the worst. The arguing over toys this morning was another good indicator things were getting back to normal. ;0)

Yesterday, I dusted the bedrooms and gave them a good airing out. Luckily, it was warm outside.



The beds got fresh, clean sheets.



As requested, here is the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cookies I made the other day. It's from Nestle Tollhouse and the other thing I do differently is take the cookies out before they are completely done, and let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet.




Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375F oven for 9 to 11 minutes (6-7 in my oven) or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.


We have been spending alot of time in the livingroom these last few days. Last night I sorted my scrapbooking supplies and made a few cards.








These last two are for Valentine's Day.





I put a dozen of those cookies in the freezer the other day, I think I'll go bake them for a little snack. :0)