Recipes-Both were winners

Bean with Bacon

Rated: Submitted By: Karena Photo By: Rose C. Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours 35 Minutes Servings: 6

"Onions and celery are sauteed with bacon and added to this navy bean soup in a chicken bouillon base spiced with cloves and bay leaf."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans 9 cups water 1 pound bacon 2 onions, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon

1 bay leaf 1/3 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes 4 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Boil the beans in 9 cups of the water and then let sit for one hour. Drain and set aside.
2.	Cook the bacon to your desired texture (it can be soft or crisp, whatever you prefer) and drain except for 1/4 cup grease. Coarsly chop the bacon.
3.	Add the onions and celery to the reserved grease and bacon and saute until soft, do not drain. Add the chicken base or cubes, 4 cups water, beans, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cloves, and simmer for 2 hours.
4.	Stir in the tomatoes with their juice. Serve. Mary's Meatloaf

Rated: Submitted By: MROBINSON Photo By: AcaCandy Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes Servings: 6

"This easy meatloaf is flavored with garlic powder, mustard, ketchup and onion, then topped with a brown sugar, ketchup and mustard mixture."

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef 1 large onion, chopped salt to taste ground black pepper to taste garlic powder to taste 6 slices white bread, cut into cubes

1/2 cup milk 1 egg 3 tablespoons yellow mustard, divided 1/2 cup ketchup, divided 3 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, thoroughly mix ground beef, onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix in bread, milk, egg, 2 tablespoons mustard and 1/4 cup ketchup.
3.	Press the meat mixture into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, stir together remaining mustard, ketchup and brown sugar; pour on top of the meat loaf.
4.	Bake in preheated oven for 2 hours.

Saturday

Maybe it is the cooler weather. Not sure what it is but I am on a cooking jag. Hard to believe, I know, but there you are. I have done more cooking today than I have in one day since the kids were home. They are in their late forty's and early fifties so you know it has been a very long time. For supper we are having meatloaf and baked potatoes. It is all ready to go in the oven when the time is right. And then I am making Bean and Bacon soup. This is mainly to take part of the batch to my friend Denise to heat up when they are of a mind to after she gets home from the hospital. She brought me soup when I had a cold and it really hit the spot. I will enclose both recipes. I got both of these recipes from www.allrecipes.com  a trusted source of recipes for many years.
Leo and his little buddy came by this afternoon and aerated our yard. It actually did double duty because the leaves are not what they used to be either. They are sort of semi chopped up. Leo is determined that we have grass. See, we do not much care if it is grass or weeds as long as it is green. Perhaps that comes from staying too long in Texas. The yard sure looks nice though and thanks Leo!

Feeling Fine

Butch says he is feeling better and more confident in his walking. There isn't much going on here so I will have to delve deep to find something to write about.
I like my new washer. It is a front load and all things come cleaner and dry quicker. Of course I hang my clothes on the line and will as long as the weather allows. I think they dry as quick on the line as they do in the dryer.
Our friend Denise had an emergency appendectomy yesterday. We expect that kind of thing when we are young but it doesn't even enter our head as a possibility at our advanced years. I wonder how many appendectomies are on Medicare recipients?
We had not been married very long when Butch had an emergency appendectomy. No health insurance and it put us in debt. It took us a long time to clear it out too.
I have been playing Word with Friends through Facebook. I am not a big Facebook fan but I do like playing this game. It is essentially scrabble. I happen to be playing with 2 friends, Connie Jones and Sherri Clark. It is funny because these are the same two I used to play Upwords with years ago on the computer. I love Upwords and much prefer it to scrabble but cannot find an online game of it. But Words with friends on Facebook is fun and I always look forward to the next play. I think I have 4 games going with each of them. I am always open to more so let me know if you would like to play. You must be a Facebook member and then download the Words with Friends app. Once that is in place you can invite people to play with you.

So I will probably spend the remainder of my day bracelet making and cogitating on what to write about tomorrow.

Grandpa Gary Says...

You can learn from Elise

Dance when you hear music and don't forget to wash your hands

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjg95PK2G1Y

We're Home!!

Butch did well with his surgery. They removed the herniated disc as well as some scar tissue and bone spurs. He is not having any pain unless he moves the wrong way. Glad to be home and in his own bed. He didn't sleep well last night. I stayed with him on a rollaway and did surprisingly well. Probably overly tired due to the 4:00 am start to my day yesterday. When you are gone like we were it seems like such a very long time you've been gone when really it was only a little over 24 hours. Anyway it is good to be home. Butch cannot drive for two weeks for sure. He rode home in the back seat lying down and only complained once and that was when we crossed the railroad tracks in Ames, just a few blocks from the hospital. They do a good job at Mary Greeley hospital taking care of people.
It is always good to get ones life back to normal and I think we have taken the first giant step in that direction. Now if we can just keep putting one foot in front of another....

Surgery Day tomorrow

Thanks to all for your friendship,concern and prayers. It is much appreciated. We have to be in Ames (40 miles) by 6:00 AM in the morning. Butch says that is okay because I will be asleep shortly after we get there. His actual surgery time isn't till 8:45 however.
Plans for today: Barb= long walk and bracelet making. Butch= help Leo remove Keri's old microwave and who knows what else.
Some long awaited rain may thwart my plans if I do not get a move on.

Gary and Susan's Fun Weekend

Grandpa Gary says: The smiles last a long time after a weekend with Elise. I think of funny things she did and smile long after she is back home.