Reposted but perhaps something you may want to make note of...
Turkey for Two
Did you have a meal with friends and family on the holiday and miss all the turkey and dressing leftovers at your house? Or there are just the two of you and you do not want to cook a big ol' turkey for two people. I discovered an easy way to have it all. Grease the sides of your crockpot or use one of those nifty slow cooker liners ( I swear by the liners). Place a small package of dry stuffing mix in the bottom. Sprinkle with a 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth. Slice an onion and dice a celery stalk and layer on top of stuffing. Place a thawed Butterball 3 pound turkey roast (found in your grocer's freezer) on top of celery and onion. Cook on low all day or high for 4-5 hours and you have the best of both worlds. A scrumptious turkey dinner for two with some for leftovers if you are moderate eaters.
Saturday, November 11
Veterans Day
Oftentimes we get caught up in our own daily life and I must say that has been very true for me this past summer and fall. But on this veterans day I am brought up short and reminded of who is responsible for this cushy life I am living. So this is a time to be reminded of all we are grateful for and that includes our veterans.
Friday, November 10
Crack of Dawn
Butch and I arose at 6:00 AM to be sure to make the 8:00 AM appt in Ankeny with my surgeon. She gave me the ol' AOK and said she will see me next Spring for a final assessment.
The drive into Ankeny was beautiful despite the 19 degree temperature. We kept the car nice and toasty warm.
We are back home now and waiting for it to warm up as the weatherman has promised. Butch managed to make himself a bit of work that he is waiting for warmer weather to tackle. At the Elks Club on Wednesday, he ran into a tree trimmer and since we have waited for another guy all summer that hasn't shown up Butch asked him to take care of a tree that has worried Butch for as long as we have lived here. He came yesterday! So now Butch has lots of branches to get piled up in an orderly fashion to wait for Spring and be out of our way.
Last nights trivia session was a disappointment. Some nights we know little to nothing. We did great the first half but the second half tripped us up. It is fun despite the outcome. We enjoy the visiting with friends as much as anything. And very much look forward to next Spring and more trivia.
The drive into Ankeny was beautiful despite the 19 degree temperature. We kept the car nice and toasty warm.
We are back home now and waiting for it to warm up as the weatherman has promised. Butch managed to make himself a bit of work that he is waiting for warmer weather to tackle. At the Elks Club on Wednesday, he ran into a tree trimmer and since we have waited for another guy all summer that hasn't shown up Butch asked him to take care of a tree that has worried Butch for as long as we have lived here. He came yesterday! So now Butch has lots of branches to get piled up in an orderly fashion to wait for Spring and be out of our way.
Last nights trivia session was a disappointment. Some nights we know little to nothing. We did great the first half but the second half tripped us up. It is fun despite the outcome. We enjoy the visiting with friends as much as anything. And very much look forward to next Spring and more trivia.
SLOW COOKER MAC 'N' CHEESE RECIPE
This one is a proven winner. I put this recipe on Facebook and Marie Kelley (Marlene's Granddaughter-in-law) told me that it was a huge hit with her son Nolan. I asked Devon and Karla if they wanted to take home the leftovers and Devon enthusiastically nodded "Yes". Butch and I thought it was mighty tasty. So it has the stamp of approval from several different directions.
SLOW COOKER MAC 'N' CHEESE RECIPE
SLOW COOKER MAC 'N' CHEESE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 cup 2% milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add butter. In a large bowl, mix 3 cups cheese, evaporated milk, condensed soup, 2% milk and eggs. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to combine. Cook, covered, on low 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads at least 160°.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook, covered, on low 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with paprika. Yield: 10 servings.
Originally published as Slow-Cooked Mac 'n' Cheese in Taste of Home February/March 2002, p13
1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 cup 2% milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/8 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker; add butter. In a large bowl, mix 3 cups cheese, evaporated milk, condensed soup, 2% milk and eggs. Pour over macaroni mixture; stir to combine. Cook, covered, on low 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads at least 160°.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook, covered, on low 15-20 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with paprika. Yield: 10 servings.
Originally published as Slow-Cooked Mac 'n' Cheese in Taste of Home February/March 2002, p13
Thursday, November 9
Details of Life
It is a little bit fun to have plenty of time to take care of the details of life. The weather plays its part being too dog-gone cold to do much outside. That takes care of about half our daily chores like walks, golf, and yard work.
The house is all set and we are living in the motorhome. As cold as it is, it would be more pleasant to be in the house but staying in the motorhome serves several purposes. There is a danger to the motorhome when temperatures are lower than freezing and by living in it, it is easier to monitor all of its systems and be sure they are up to snuff. Yesterday we were getting low on propane, our major source of heat. In Texas, the propane guy makes his rounds in the park and he fills us up and we pay him. Easy, peasy. In Iowa, it involves taking the motorhome to the RV dealer. The routine for moving the motorhome is the same regardless if it is moved one mile or 500 miles. It was good to go through our routine of getting ready to move. It is easy to forget details if you haven't done them in a while. We didn't forget anything and we are back in our spot waiting for the day to move south.
We are not forgetting any items this year. At least I believe that to be true. We have it all, right down to the clothespins. Neither of us can think of one more thing to take and we have had plenty of time to think about it.
Today it is supposed to be colder than anything we have experienced for several years. A high today of 35 and a low tonight of 18. We can endure in the motorhome but to say it is pleasant would be an exaggeration. We close off all the windows giving us one more layer of insulation, run an electric heater in addition to the propane furnace and wear several layers of our warmest clothing. Needless to say, it is similar to living in a cave and if you know me at all that is not on my want-to-do list. I can do it for a short period of time without complaint. The limits on it can get pushed easily and that is why I say I am a hot- house flower and we head south every fall.
I did take a few pictures this morning through my tiny window. I haven't pulled the shade down yet. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning.
My surgeon changed my appointment from today to tomorrow. So tomorrow morning with the temperatures predicted to be 18 degrees we will be headed to the city for an 8:00 AM appointment. You can only imagine how thrilled Butch is about this development. That's the bad news-the good news is that it is our last appointment with her. And all is well.
The house is all set and we are living in the motorhome. As cold as it is, it would be more pleasant to be in the house but staying in the motorhome serves several purposes. There is a danger to the motorhome when temperatures are lower than freezing and by living in it, it is easier to monitor all of its systems and be sure they are up to snuff. Yesterday we were getting low on propane, our major source of heat. In Texas, the propane guy makes his rounds in the park and he fills us up and we pay him. Easy, peasy. In Iowa, it involves taking the motorhome to the RV dealer. The routine for moving the motorhome is the same regardless if it is moved one mile or 500 miles. It was good to go through our routine of getting ready to move. It is easy to forget details if you haven't done them in a while. We didn't forget anything and we are back in our spot waiting for the day to move south.
We are not forgetting any items this year. At least I believe that to be true. We have it all, right down to the clothespins. Neither of us can think of one more thing to take and we have had plenty of time to think about it.
Today it is supposed to be colder than anything we have experienced for several years. A high today of 35 and a low tonight of 18. We can endure in the motorhome but to say it is pleasant would be an exaggeration. We close off all the windows giving us one more layer of insulation, run an electric heater in addition to the propane furnace and wear several layers of our warmest clothing. Needless to say, it is similar to living in a cave and if you know me at all that is not on my want-to-do list. I can do it for a short period of time without complaint. The limits on it can get pushed easily and that is why I say I am a hot- house flower and we head south every fall.
I did take a few pictures this morning through my tiny window. I haven't pulled the shade down yet. It was a beautiful sunrise this morning.
Tuesday, November 7
Cheesy Bacon and Potato Soup-Slow Cooker
Cheesy Bacon and Potato Soup-Slow Cooker
“ I saw this recipe on Facebook and it looked simple and yummy so I tried to copy and paste it. It was a video so I tried to go to the website from which it originated and it was just another video! This irks me and most often I would give up, thinking it was not worth it. However having a bit of extra time I followed through, watched the video (grr) and wrote down the recipe by pausing after each ingredient and each direction. Rarely is this much effort worth it to me.” -Barb
Ingredients:
1 32 oz pkg Chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 bouillon cube
1 32 oz pkg frozen diced potatoes (hashbrowns)
3 C grated cheddar cheese
½ C real bacon bits
Directions:
Pour broth into slow cooker, add creamed soup and whisk to mix. Cube cream cheese and add to pot continuing to whisk it in. I found this step easier by letting this mixture heat up in pot first. Mix in frozen potatoes, and then the cheese, keeping some cheese for garnish. Cook on high heat 3 ½ hours or until potatoes are tender. Add bacon bits for last 15 minutes of cooking holding back some for garnish.
Rarely does Butch rave about a recipe but he did this one and I had to agree. Easy to put together and mighty tasty.
PS. I am not a fan of bacon bits, real or otherwise, so I cooked real bacon to extra crispy.
Enjoy!
“ I saw this recipe on Facebook and it looked simple and yummy so I tried to copy and paste it. It was a video so I tried to go to the website from which it originated and it was just another video! This irks me and most often I would give up, thinking it was not worth it. However having a bit of extra time I followed through, watched the video (grr) and wrote down the recipe by pausing after each ingredient and each direction. Rarely is this much effort worth it to me.” -Barb
Ingredients:
1 32 oz pkg Chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 bouillon cube
1 32 oz pkg frozen diced potatoes (hashbrowns)
3 C grated cheddar cheese
½ C real bacon bits
Directions:
Pour broth into slow cooker, add creamed soup and whisk to mix. Cube cream cheese and add to pot continuing to whisk it in. I found this step easier by letting this mixture heat up in pot first. Mix in frozen potatoes, and then the cheese, keeping some cheese for garnish. Cook on high heat 3 ½ hours or until potatoes are tender. Add bacon bits for last 15 minutes of cooking holding back some for garnish.
Rarely does Butch rave about a recipe but he did this one and I had to agree. Easy to put together and mighty tasty.
PS. I am not a fan of bacon bits, real or otherwise, so I cooked real bacon to extra crispy.
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 5
Hunkered Down
When it is cold I do not want to move. Yes, I know moving would get blood to flowing and muscles warming but my instinct is to snuggle under a warm blanket and go into hibernation mode. I like windows open. Warm southern breezes. Heading out the door without a second thought of putting on a coat.
10 more days and we will be on the road and after a pleasant stop in Peculiar we will be headed south taking as few days as possible to head for the border!
The winter forecast for South Texas is above normal temperatures this winter. Yea!!!
10 more days and we will be on the road and after a pleasant stop in Peculiar we will be headed south taking as few days as possible to head for the border!
The winter forecast for South Texas is above normal temperatures this winter. Yea!!!
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