Blog Archives

Does Decorating With A Blue Smurf Make Me Tacky?

4/27/2012

My taste in decor would never be confused with the word

"Refined."

Or

"Elegant."

It's more of an

"Eclectic" or "Aquired" style.

"Bohemian,"

shall we say...

I believe the correct decorating term these
days is...

"Collected."

My style is a collected look.

So with all this in mind,
please refrain from not snickering too much when I show the following stuff/junque that I picked on our little getaway to Prairie Du Chien two weeks ago.

Now the following piece will be displayed in the upstairs guest room.

SHUT UP! I LIKE IT!!!
And P.S. How do you know, maybe I AM blue without you.

We all know I love vintage Christmas.
Vintage Christmas can run in range from elegant Victorian to
tacky 70's.

Which era do you think these ornaments
are from?

What???!!! They're COOL!

I did NOT buy this cat.
Vinny just kept getting in my bidness while I was photographing my beautiful finds for you.

I bought this 80's lighted doorbell at that cool old Hardware/antique store in Marquette...

Along with these vintage Georges Briard glasses.

See, his stuff is usually always marked. Georges Briard is the designer name for Jascha Brojda, a Ukrainian award-winning designer of the 50's, 60's and 70's. His specialty was barware, dinnerware and glassware. His stuff was mass produced and reflects a modernistic edge to it.

Okay. End of boring history lesson.

Well, we know I have a thing,

a BIG THING,
for tableware, glassware and such.
I.can't.help.it!

I HAD to have these Tab glasses.

My life would not be complete without them.

I bought this photograph of an eagle on the Mississippi,

but the cheap frame needs replaced.

This is such a peaceful photo.

Tim bought a pipe wrench at the Hardware/Antique store in Marquette....

We had to tussle for it,
I wanted it sooooo bad.

Not.

Oh! I did pick up this thermometer at the freaky deaky vintagey antique place in McGregor.
I paid $4.99 for this interesting piece.

See,
there's a ship on the black thermometer part at the bottom, which is why I love this so much.
See the ship's roping too?

And the last thing I bought was my favorite.

And it was only $2.

Polka album! I LOVE POLKA!!
Yes, I AM 85 years old. Why do you ask?

Fun Polka Facts:
1. Polka originated in the 19th centruy in Bohemia, which is now an area within the Czech Republic.
2. Eastern European immigrants introduced Polka to America in 1844, soon eclipsing the popularity of the waltz.
3. It remained a popular ballroom dance until the late 1800's when it gave way to the
two-step.
4. It is regaining popularity and will soon be bigger than Adele.
5. I lied in #4. It could happen though.

This is the Pennsylvania Polka.

You will recognize it from the movie Groundhog Day.

I love this

Polka!

And this is the most popular Polka that everyone's heard of...

the
Beer Barrel Polka!
Roll out the barrel, we'll have a barrel of fun. Roll out the barrel, we've got the blues on the run.

Lastly,
being a former virtuoso
clarinet player
5th-10th grade,
(and by virtuoso I mean I had worked my way up to 3rd chair in jr. high, wait, maybe it was 5th chair, still)
of course I love THIS Polka..
the Clarinet Polka.
P.S. Sorry for wasting your money on that nice Yamaha clarinet Ma.

Okay, that's about it for

today's post folks.

Oh, stop your hollerin' and partyin';
it wasn't THAT BORING.

Besides, I know the truth
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

YOU LOVE POLKA TOO!!

Have a good Friday;

talk at ya soon!!!!!

Sausage Shepherd's Pie With Sweet Potatoes And Squash

4/22/2012

Sausage Shepherd's Pie
With Sweet Potatoes And Squash....YUM!
Do you see all that good stuff all up inside up there?
And those rich, creamy potatoes?

Here's a fork.

I haven't eaten off it yet.

Go ahead. Dig in!!!

Well, if you're not hungry yet, that's fine.
Let's go through the steps of making this wonderful Pie.
OH! By the way, Sherpherd's Pie and Cottage Pie are used interchangeably. However, technically Sherpherd's Pie is made with lamb and Cottage Pie is made with beef or back in the day, mutton.
HEY!
Remember the part in the movie Princess Bride where Billy Crystal plays Miracle Max and is trying to bring back Wesley and starts talking about an MLT, mutton, lettuce and tomato?

We're using pork so I'm not sure what that would be called. Barnyard Pie? Or Farmer's Pie? Pig Pie? Porky Pie?
I better quit while I'm behind :)

Anyhoo,
Here's the fixins for this really tasty, sweet AND savory, Shepherd's Pie.

Cut up your butternut squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes into 2 inch pieces.

Throw the potatoes in a pan and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, butter an 8 x 8 glass dish and then drain the potatoes when tender.

Throw the drained potatoes back in the pan and mash them up with a potato masher...

Okay,

get your Italian sausage started browning in the pan...

Okay.

Very important, people.
The next food picture will make you do the following...
Don't say I didn't warn you...

Okay. Here's the food picture now.
Second and final warning.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Oh be still my heart!!!
Real maple syrup with melted butter!!!
In the mashed squash, sweet potato and russet potato mixture!!!

I am not kidding you, this mixture with the butter and high quality maple syrup smells and tastes simply outstanding at this point. The "taste" part I know first hand. My suggestion is to use the biggest spoon you can find and just start slurping this lovely, buttery, silky concoction down..

Okay, moving on.

Remove the cooked Italian sausage from the pan and put into a bowl.

I actually didn't have enough of the Italian sausage (the recipe calls for 1.5 lbs. and I had 1 lb.), so I heated up some fully cooked Andouille sausage too to use in the dish as well.

Brown up the onions and garlic in a pan with olive oil.

If there's grease left from the sausage, use that for the onions.

Add the sausage back in, along with the corn, milk (cream), egg and hot sauce. Don't skim on the hot sauce.
Also, add the curry and coriander.

I added in the extra Andouille sausage.

I must admit that the sliced Andouille sausage brought a nice contraste flavor with the yummy Italian sausage.

Transfer the sausage mixture to the greased pan.

See that big spoon?That's the size to use to taste test out the potato mixture.

Start adding the potato mixture to the top...

No comments from the peanut gallery on the messy counter; the cats licked it up later. JUST KIDDING!.

Mmmmm,
once the potato mixture is on...put in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

And 45 minutes later, here we have a super yummy Shepherd's Pie,

just made a little bit differently than the normal kind of Shepherd's Pie.

Plate yerself up a yummy serving of this totally fantastic Pie.

The saltiness and savory taste of the
sausage contrasts so well to the sweetness of those fabulous potatoes on top!

Do you see how silky and buttery those potatoes are?

I mean REALLY!!!

And that sweet Italian
sausage??!!

And sauteed onions and garlic and corn?

Such a fresh take on Ye Olde Shepherd's Pie!
Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!

Sausage Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potatoes and Squash
From www.epicurious.com
Bon Appetite Magazine / March 1998
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds tan-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 medium russet potato, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped onions1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4cup frozen peas
3/4cup frozen corn ernels
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
6 drops hot pepper sauce

Directions
Cook sweet potatoes, squash and russet potato in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Return all potatoes and squash to same saucepan and mash. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add butter and syrup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash mixture until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl; reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet. Add onions and garlic to skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until
onions are tender and golden, about 7 minutes. Add onion mixture to sausage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool. Mix in peas, corn, cream, egg, curry powder, coriander and hot sauce.

Transfer sausage mixture to prepared baking dish. Spoon mashed potato mixture over; smooth top. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bake until heated through and potatoes begin to brown around edges, about 45 minutes (or about 1 hour for casserole that has been refrigerated). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Okay, we'll see ya next time!I've been a cookin' away.

Well, I've cooked like six days in a row, so that's same as cookin' for a lifetime, isn't it?!?!

Have a great
Sunday ya'll. Talk at ya soon!

Weekends Are so Much Fun When You Go Out Of Town And Indulge

4/21/2012

So we went on a little weekend getaway to the
Prairie Du Chien/McGregor/Marquette area
last weekend.

In addition to consuming a mammoth amount of onion rings, we also visited a few favorite places and a couple new ones,
including one place that spooked the crap out of Tim.

This is an antique mall in an old three story schoolhouse
in Marquette.
This is not the place that spooked Tim.
I was thinking, every antique mall should have a stuffed deer head,
don't ya think?

The old Schoolhouse
Antique Mall is on this main street in Marquette.

From the,

ahem,

women's powder room of the antique schoolhouse,

one could see a church just steps away built into the hillside.

Still in Marquette but down the street is Tim's and my favorite spot in the whole Prairie Du Chien/
Marquette/
McGregor area...

It's the old
Marquette Hardware store that also now houses antiques too.

And this is why we love it

so much!

...original

70's

and

80's

hardware

inventory,

still brand

new ..

Combined with this 1970's Christmas area...
I LOVE CHRISTMAS!
AND I ESPECIALLY LOVE VINTAGE CHRISTMAS!

Think that tree will be in my house next year?

I don't know...
I did NOT buy it. Yet.

This tiger
there wants
to go home
with you....

"Hey Good Lookin"
he says.

"Whach ya got cookin?"
he inquires.

And this cool 1980's bar/buffet really, REALLY wanted to go home with me.

But alas, it didn't.

Bye-bye super
cute 80's buffet.
I will always think about you and how I didn't have a pickup truck that weekend and because of that we will never be together.

And this is the awesome daughter of the original owner that continues to make sure this local landmark store stays open,

if not just for old time's sake to honor her dad.

We started to get hungry, (SHOCKING I KNOW), so we drove over into the RiverView Resturant in McGregor.

Doesn't

look like

much

from

the

outside.

But it's so charming on the inside, in a riverview/bar/restaurant way.

We walked to the downtown district of McGregor and passed this sign that is so vintagey and cool,

yet functional still.

These cowboy dudes were holding the fort down at a local saloon down the road.

They weren't super friendly when I asked if I could take their picture.

I think the guy on the right was pondering how to smack the camera out of my hands.

Apparently the three annoyed amigos out front didn't stop Tim and me from having a little fun inside though.

We continued to walk the streets of McGregor.

And we stumbled upon this building,

which looked fun and funky on the outside.

And it was fun and funky on the inside too!

We

squirted

past this first room....

And moved into some darker rooms that had cool stuff in them,
but it felt freeeezing cold in the whole entire building.

Tim was getting a little owly as we walked through these cold, dark rooms.

It WAS kind of creepy.

And it smelled a weird smell.

Tim said the hair was standing up on the back of his neck and something wasn't right.
Tim said we needed to get out of there.

I was having a hard time containing my laughter...this was fun although it was rather freaky deaky plus Tim was totally creeped out.
I finally told Tim we can leave after we follow this "Flea Market 3rd Level" sign that kept showing up in all these back rooms. Tim was not pleased.

So we snaked through all these weird creepy rooms, including this one...

Until we found these stairs that were super steep.

And the faded hand written sign directed you up there,
to the 3rd story
Flea Market.

Quite frankly,

by about this time,

I was getting a little, uh,
scared.

But that didn't stop me from making Tim go first.
Duh.

So we climbed the stairs and entered the Flea Market...

And the "Flea Market" was rather "unorganized" at this point,

but they are hoping to have it up and running soon.

At least it was kind of warm in that attic compared to the rest of the building.

So we went back downstairs and waited forever to pay for my vintage temperature guage, because there was a large dog at the checkout counter intstead of a human being.
And the large dog kept swinging these swinging doors back and forth, back and forth, staring at me.

I would have taken a picture, but really,
do you think I'm THAT STOOPID??!!

So I took the price tag off the guage and left the correct amount of money with tax on the counter and Tim and I high tailed it out of there, out into the open of the clear blue sky and this cool old laundromat sign.

We stopped at several other stores and popped into this place because we heard a banjo/guitar player playing...it was a museum...and they had COOKIES, real good ones too, and real good hot coffee too!
Did I mention their cookies were fantastic?!!!
Totally homemade!!

By the way, the tiny storefront museum was really quite interesting.
The Ringling Brothers used to live in the McGregor area in the late 1800's when they were just starting their circus.
Their tiny house is still located around Pikes Peak area I think.

Okay, I'm sure you're sitting on the edge of your seats still engaged in my boooooring recap of our trip.

Well, anyway, we grabbed beverages on a patio, enjoyed the 70 degree day and drove back to Prairie Du Chien to my
OTHER FAVORITE PLACE!

PANKA SHOES!

I love this shoe store!!

How 'bout this storefront eh?

This shoe store has been around for like eighty years and has had only two owners. The current owner lady is so nice and she has worked there since she was 18 years old. The inside is vintagey but the shoes are cute and current and definitely not cheap.

I know they aren't cheap, because I bought a pair.

Can you say
"so not cheap"?

At least in Angie's Cheap World O Rama,
these weren't cheap.

So to wind down the day, we went to a Supper Club and inhaled a fantastic steak dinner.
Oh yeah. About those onion rings.
Did you know that it IS humanly possible to eat onion rings three meals in a row and not have any side effects other than having to unbutton the top button of your pants? Yup, tis true.

Don't they look marvelous?

Well...
THEY WERE!!!!

Okay, I have a couple recipes to share..hope to get one posted tonight or tomorrow but my website server (is that what it's called?) is having major issues today, so we'll see.

Have a great weekend!!!!
Talk at ya soon!

Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Herbed White Beans

4/13/2012

Oh my gosh!!! So goooood!!!!

Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with

Tomatoes, Olives and Herbed White Beans

No exagerration, I've probably made this recipe close to twenty times.
And each time, Tim and I are amazed at how delicious and fresh and filling this meal in a packet is.

Here's the fixins for the
Mediterranean
Chicken Thighs
from
Dr. Oz's website.
The Herbed White Beans follow.

Very little prep work for such a flavorful dish.

But we gotta start by removing the skin off the chicken thighs.

Chop up your tomatoes, onions, olives and basil.

Please note that I use grape or cherry tomatoes, halved. Whole tomatoes chopped come out too watery. Just a suggestion.

OH! RED ALERT! By the way:
1. I use red onions...they give a tangier flavor than yellow or white onions.
2. I use those grape or cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. I've used roma and homegrown tomatoes and those can get too juicy so I stick with a pint or so of the cherry or grape tomatoes.

Mix the onions, tomatoes, olives, basil and olive oil together.
Look how preeeettyyy this comes together.

Add the good quality balsamic vinegar....

Hey, who needs to wash their salt and pepper shakers? Crap.

By the way, a gourmet chef told me to buy only the highest quality balsamic vinegar and to make sure it's AGED...so I buy this Modena AGED baslamic vinegar...it is fabulous but EXPENSIVE! $14 for this bottle.

If you could smell this concoction right now, you would thank me.

Mix all the vegetables and herbs together.

This smells so tremendous at this point by the way.

So set your skinned chicken thighs, two at a time, on the aluminum foil squares.

Mine were actually rectangles.
I'm so literal.

See that aged balsamic venegar on the foil? OH SO GOOD!

Spoon an equal amount of tomato and olive mixture into each packet.

Wrap all the packets up tightly and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Actually it takes about 35-40 minutes with two thighs in each packet. I bake until the thighs reach 160 degrees and remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, here's the lineup for the
Herbed White Beans.

This is such a fantastic complimentary side dish with the the chicken thighs, I always make a double batch.

Chop up your herbs and garlic. The recipe calls for fresh mixed herbs. I've used several different variations, usually what I have on hand.
Most recently I've used parsley, chives and rosemary. This picture shows rosemary, mint and scallions. My favorite is always the herb mixture with mint with these beans.

This is the chopped scallions, mint, garlic and rosemary.

Cut up your tomatoes and begin sauteeing the garlic in the olive oil...just for a minute or so. Do not burn the garlic. Been there, done that.

Throw the rinsed and drained beans in...

Add the herbs, tomatoes, and red wine vinegar in...

Add

plenty

of

salt

and

pepper.

Mix all together....Mmmmm...can you smell it yet?? YUM!!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I introduce to you the plated-up meal of...

Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Herbed White Beans.

Absolutely deee-lish is what

this dish is!!

Dig In!!! Help Yourself!!

Dr Oz’s Mediterranean Chicken with
Tomatoes, Olives, and Herbed White Beans
From DoctorOz.com, click on Recipes
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

I adjusted this recipe for 8 chicken thighs, Dr. Oz’s recipe calls for two chicken thighs total. Two. For two people. Yeah right. Uh huh.

Chicken
8 bone-in chicken thighs without skin
4 tomato, chopped Angie’s Note: I use grape or
cherry tomatoes, approx.. 1.5 cups
2 onions, chopped Angie’s Note: 1 onion is only
necessary, 2 onions is too much
32 pitted kalamata olives, halved Angie’s Note: I use black olives, about 1 cup sliced, as I’m not a fan of Kalamata, but if you like Kalamata, those are the ones to use
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 tsp wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
Bunch fresh basil, chopped

Herbed White Beans
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15 or 16 oz) white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh mixed herbs Angie’s
Note: I have used several combinations: parsley, chives and rosemary. As well as rosemary, mint and scallions. I do love the mint when I can find it.
1 tsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions
To make the chicken, heat oven to 375degF

Place each chicken thigh on a large square of aluminum foil.
Angie’s Note: I place two chicken thighs at a time on each square of aluminum foil.

Combine remaining chicken ingredients;
spoon over chicken.

Fold foil up and over chicken, sealing edges and forming a packet. Bake 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, to prepare the beans, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes.

Add remaining bean ingredients; cook 5 minutes, or until heated through.
Carefully open chicken packets and transfer mixture to serving plates; serve beans alongside chicken.

Question:
Guess who came over to spend the evening with us?

Answer:
Our most favoritist boy in the whole entire universe, we love him so much!!!!
Even more than cheesecake!

Hi Little Boy Blue!

We missed you!

So,
between the tasty Chicken Thighs and Herbed White Beans (which Little Boy Blue's mom and dad LOVED), and snuggle time with yittle tiny babeeeee, Tim and I had a pretty good Friday night last week :)

Hey, have a great weekend

ya'll!!!
Tim and I have some fun plans this weekend. We may get soggy from all this rain, but we'll have a good time!

Talk at ya soon!

Angie Went On A Bear Hunt And Wasn't Afraid Until Ruby Confronted Her But now They Are BFF's

4/11/2012

So I went on a field trip to Mediapolis to pick up a title....kinda like that song our little kiddos sang in preschool...
I'm goin' on a bear hunt,
goin' a on a bear hunt,
I'm gonna catch a big one,
gonna catch a big one,
But I'm not afraid,
I'm not afraid.

Okay, that song has been stuck in my head for days. I am sooo happy it is out of my head now!

But now I have THIS image stuck in my head!!!

Would love to credit this photo but am unable to find proper credit.

I started my field trip to Mediapolis in Frytown of course, and passed several horse and buggies on the way to Kalona...it was a cloudy day the first time I went. The second time, it was bright and sunny.

I stopped

at the

Kalona

Cheese

House.

Where they make world famous cheese curds!!!

It's very cool inside....

After making off with a 1 lb. package of cheese curds, I headed to Kalona where one
is greeted by the Kalona welcome sign.

I drove by this blue house with a pretty tree blooming in the front.

And I waved a

big "HI"

to our friends at Kalona Auto Parts...
Hi Lynn,
Hi Loren, Hi Alvin and Dennis!!!!

I pass the Kalona Village Museum and snapped a couple pics...

Leaving Kalona, I pass Amish kids on their way to their schoolhouse...

See the Amish schoolhouse in the middle of the picture down below, back in that pastoral setting?
Look for the bell tower or steeple.

So I come into the huge metropolis of
Riverside.

I drove through Riverside and I took a couple snapshots of some cute houses I admire...

And of course a drive through Riverside is not complete without gawking at a replica of the USS Enterprise.

Riverside, Ia is the birthplace of Captain Kirk don't ya know!

Onward

down the

highway

I go.....
Here I am, on the road again, here I am, up on the stage, here I go, playing star again, here I go, turn the page.

And then I got bored and took a picture of all the crapola crapmeister crap on my floorboard.

But I remembered I had my Mumford and Sons CD in the car...they're an English band that plays alternative bluegrass...it's fantastic!!

They won Best New Group last year at the Grammys.

Still on the Avenue of the Saints aka
I-218, you will drive past Swedesburg, you've seen this big Swedish animal thing haven't you, advertising the museum?

A ram maybe?

A Swedish ram?
Heck, I'm lost with what it is.

I thought I would drive into tiny Swedesburg and take a picture of the Swedesburg Museum.

There
was a pretty church on Main Street in the little town too.

This building was on Main Street as well.

It looks like a former service station from back in the day.

And now it's a salvage store called Burnies Salvage Store.

Of course I had to pop in and check it out....

...and purchase a few things like these vintage plastic tupperware bowls below which Tim and I use ALL THE TIME!
And the cylinder thing below is actually four spice shakers. They used to have spice names on them like cinammon and such. I thought they would be awesome for outdoor entertaining, picnic style.
And I love the picture I got for $1 that says Cherry.

So then I drove into Mt. Union, parked on the side of the road, and snapped a shot of this cafe, which was a former gas station. The gas station operated clear up until 1991. The cafe owner, Ruby, came outside the front door with a look on her face and demanded to know what I was doing.

My first impulse was to flee like a 12 year old caught tee-peeing, but I could tell, Ruby was my kind of gal. I stated that I liked old gas stations and then I asked if this cafe is still operating. Ruby said yes. I asked if I could get a cup of coffee to go. Ruby said yes very suspiciously, but then told me to come in.

This story ends where Ruby and I become best friends forever because I LOVE Ruby!!! She works six days a week
every week and serves breakfast and lunch. She's a gem!! The second time I passed through Mt. Union, I brought Ruby those cheese curds from the Cheese House.

Because did I mention Ruby and I are total best friends now? Don't tell her that though, she doesn't know it yet.

But we so are.

So after picking up a title in Mediapolis, on my way home near Crawfordsvile, IA, I stopped at a place off of 218 that I'd seen numerous times but didn't know what it was.
So I pulled up because I saw the "Open" sign.

Okay, that's a lie...I so saw the "Wine" sign from the road and that kinda drew me in too.
Geez, can't catch a break here.

This is El-Len Artistry. They do custom framing and let me tell you, I saw a piece he was working on and it was gorgeous. They sell pictures and prints here, candles and towels, wine and books and puzzles.

It's very cool.

I may have purchased an item or two that day.

The picture to the left is a photograph
from a photographer from Washington, Iowa. The frame guy framed it. I LOVE this
photograph...it's geese on snow and the beak and leg and feet color is simply fantastic.
And the frame is perfect with this picture!

And this picture is two photographs from the frame guy's wife's garden. The top picture is of an unopened Queen Anne's Lace flower.
This picture really spoke to me.

It said BUY ME.

And then I went back to the office and worked my tail off because I spent money on pictures and cheap Tupperware that was not completely one thousand percent necessary to have or need, really, to live a full or complete or productive or joyful life or even to move forward in life.

But it made me happy. And that's good enough.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! :)

Have a good Thursday!!! Talk at ya soon!

Fingerling Potatoes Are Appropriately Named

4/8/2012

Who knew

fingerling

potatoes

really look

like fingers?

Especially when they're cut in half.

They look like little small fingers.

Maybe even toes.

SORRY!!!

That was gross, wasn't it?
Takeback.

Anyhoo, There are three different kinds of fingerling potatoes.

The fingerlings up above are the orange French fingerlings. They look pinkish. There's a couple over to the left too.

The lighter yellow ones to the left here are the Russian Banana fingerling potatoes.

The dark purple ones are the purple Peruvian.

This is a package of all three fingerlings which I purchased at HyVee, it was $3.97 for 1.5 lbs.

I split the potatoes lengthwise for cooking.

And these are the pink/orange French fingerlings cut in half the
short-wise way.

I made both kinds of potatoes,
using the same recipe a couple weeks apart.

This is how both dishes came out.

These are the French fingerlings, roasted in the oven with herbs and olive oil and then slathered with some butter after roasting.

And these are the mix of all three fingerlings.

I made the French fingerlings with beef filet one night.

And the mixed fingerlings, I made with t-bone two weeks later.

There's a definite difference in taste between the two kinds of potatoes.
Tim and I much preferred the orange French fingerlings on the left. They were a more delicate flavor and actually a lot more tender the the Purple Peruvian ones. I bought the French fingerlings at New Pioneer Coop and they were about $3 or so as well for 1.5 or 1 lb.

For these fingerling potatoes, I used a recipe from Avec Eric's website www.aveceric.com and these fingerlings are absolutely fantastic.
Eric Ripert is a famous chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin in New York City.

So here's the fixins for these fine potatoes.

This recipe is sooo easy!!!

Don't blink or you'll miss the directions, that's how fast this comes together.

Now,
I cut these potatoes up in half, but you wouldn't have to.
You could cut them lengthwise like normal people but honestly, I like the fluffy insides when they're not cut lengthwise. That's why I cut them this way.

That's a lie, I cut them wrong by mistake but I'm glad I did, because they really are fluffier this way.

Place the fingerling potatoes on the baking sheet with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and white pepper. Add the rosemary and thyme...

And then get ready to put them in the oven at 400 for 20 - 25 minutes.

And they will come out of the oven looking like this, all nice and crusty and tasty, yet soft inside...Mmmmmmm

Load the potatoes up in a bowl and add three dollops of butter on top and let melt....

Oh my gosh, my mouth is watering.

Plate up yer meal...

Really,
there are no words for this divine loveliness.
See the red sauce on the plate up there?
That is a Red Wine Butter Sauce for beef tenderloin; a recipe by Eric Ripert as well and it was fabulous.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme
From www.aveceric.com, Website of executive chef Eric Ripert of New York’s Le Bernardin restaurant
He is also the author of the cookbook Avec Eric: A CulinaryJourney with Eric Ripert
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

3 to 3 ½ pounds fingerling potatoes, washed

¼ cup olive oil

2 heads garlic, cloves separated

4 springs rosemary

4 springs thyme

3 tablespoons butter

- fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut the fingerling potatoes in half and place the fingerling potatoes in a large baking sheet with the garlic cloves.

Drizzle the olive oilover the potatoes and garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the rosemary and thyme sprigs and roast the fingerlings until golden brown and tender about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and toss with butter. Serve hot.

Okay,

catch everyone

later!!!

Have a

Blessed Easter!

Talk at ya next

time!

In The Year 2525

4/5/2012

So I was checking out my progress on the Easy Access Recipe Page over on the sidebar there,

and it occurred to me that I am taking me a looooong time to complete that page.

I got smart though
no comments from the peanut gallery, thank you

and figured I'd be realistic and set a completion date for that page
sometime in the year 2525.

You know that song?
...In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive...blah blah oh my word, when is this song ever gonna end?

And because I am so skilled and clearly adept at staying on subject (ahem),

I went ahead and Googled that song.

It's from 1969 by a rock duo called
Zager and Evans.

That song was their only hit.

Shocking.

Which brings me back to my predilection for procrastination and my inability to get crap done, right, right?
Who's with me on this? Who knows what I'm talkin' bout?

Who has a window that needs repaired?

For like 10 years?

Who?
You?

Although I don't think the broken window detracts from the vintagey barn setting I have going on.

Much.

I will say I am pretty organized on the one side of the barn though.

No windows need fixing here!

Just vintage sleds waiting for Christmastime again! HOHOHO!!!

Oh, I had to show you these.
Can you see the hanging barb wire shaped into boots?

They're cool, I love them!

But I don't like the fact that the blue horse trough by the barn has ugly green flowers planted in them.

Okay,
FINE!!!
So those aren't flowers. Those are weeds.

I wonder if I can call those weeds "ground cover" and get away with it?

And I am procrastinating repainting this wagon wheel.

Doesn't look too bad though, does it?

YES IT DOES!!!! And it needs done because that wagon wheel keeps people's cars from running over my well pump.

This just seems like an overwhelming project...cleaning out the sandbox and hauling in clean sand and making a cover for it.

*sigh*

I can just about guarantee though, that I will have it done by 2525.

What horse trough is complete without flowers?

Why haven't I planted any flowers yet?

Why am I lazy?

Why am I not rich where I can hire people to do this kind of work for me?

Maybe I can call those weeds in there "ground cover" too.

Hey, I loooove my chunky textured orange and lime green pots though.

I was very organized in February and bought mostly matching pots for this display (YOU try finding nine identical yellow pots...impossible!)
And haven't done anything with it since.

They look like nine little yellow, forlorn lollipop kids with no lollipops.

The summer kitchen window box has that gorgeous ground cover in it too.

Loverly,
isn't it?

Hey!
The summer kitchen below has these cool vines growing up them again after freezing off two years ago...YAY!

And the trumpet vine to the right there just continues to grow!

Hello.

I am a crock in need of flowers.

Or sauerkraut.

Those small cobalt blue planters outside the pump house are looking....tiny.

Maybe I should set the tiny planters on this bench this year.

Maybe I should paint this bench this year?

Why are there birdhouses attached to my bench?

Why does this bike have a coffee pot in it?
I have no reasonable explanation.

Hey, know what though?
I can explain why a large vintage gate is laying against my garage.

Cuz I LOVES IT!!!!
And no,
you can't have it and I'm not selling it :) I know you want it.

And look how this old crock is just tucked in amongst the greenery.

This is my secret garden where I go to think, dream, write sonnets, and solve world peace.

Okay, somebody just lied about something being her secret garden.

You knew that was a lie didn't you?

You knew it was a lie because there's nowhere to put cheesecake silly!

Okay, that's all I got for now....Have a nice, warm, sunny, fun, rest of the weekend!

See ya soon!!!!

The Secret's In The Sauce - Clean Eating Chicken Tenders With Honey Mustard SAuce

4/5/2012

Chicken Tenders Anyone??

Go ahead.

Touch one....

Git yer hands out of there!!!!!

Gosh darn kids!!!!!

Ya gotta touch EVERYTHING!

Photo credit gospellyfe.com

Okay kids. I took this recipe from the Neely's website and made
it "Clean Eating".

Uh huh.

By the way, I LOVE
the Neelys. They have a cooking show on the Food Network on Saturday mornings called Down Home With the Neelys
and they are so caa-uute!!

Hi Pat! Hi Gina! I love you!
Wanna come over for Prime Rib Saturday night?!!?
NO?
Another time maybe?....All right! Hey, where ya going?

Okay, here's the instructiones for these tasty
BAKED Chicken Tenders and the totally finger-lickin' Honey Mustard Sauce.
Did you see that?
I said BAKED, not fried, Chicken Tenders!

Let's start with the fixins for these Chicken Tenders With Honey Mustard Sauce.

Cut up your chicken breasts into strips.

By the way, the sauce is finger
oh-my-gosh
licking great;
so make a double batch!

Since I was out of lemon pepper spice for this recipe, I had to make my own...so here's what I did; I grated up lemon and added salt and pepper. And it was fine.

So let's whip up a few eggs that we're going to dip the chicken in.

And we'll measure out the
WHOLE WHEAT
flour in a separate bowl...

Next, in a separate bowl, take the WHOLE WHEAT PANKO CRUMBS and add the garlic powder, lemon-pepper, cayenne and salt and pepper to it and stir it all up.
DO NOT SKIMP ON THE SEASONINGS...YOU NEED THESE SEASONINGS!
Notice I said WHOLE WHEAT PANKO CRUMBS. Try not to buy the white panko, go to the organic department and buy the WHOLE WHEAT panko.

HEY!
Spray up your rack on top of the cookie sheet so that the chicken doesn't stick to it.

About this time, I start geting bored with all the measuring and I look out the kitchen window and I see Stud Muffin weed eating the hundred gazillion feet of picket fence around the property.

Hi Stud Muffin! Hi!!!! Wanna have Prime Rib Saturday Night?
I invited the Neely's but I don't think they can make it. That's okay. We'll eat their share too!

Set up your work station with:
1. The whole wheat flour
2. The egg mixture
3. The panko mixture
4. The chicken strips of course
5. The sprayed baking sheet

Dip the chicken strips in flour...

Then dip them in the eggs...

Then take the strips

and dredge them in the panko crumbs...

Okay, please note... We are NOT, I repeat, NOT frying these chicken strips according to the instructions.
We are going to lay them on the rack
and cook them in the oven....
the Clean Eating way!

Spray the chicken on top with Olive Oil cookng spray.

And then try to pick up the rack and spray the bottom.

Be very clumsy and unsuccesful at this.

OH!!
Bake the seasoned, breaded Chicken Strips in the oven for like 15 or 20 or 25 minutes, just until done.
DO NOT OVERCOOK THESE!

In the meantime, let's start on this juicious Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.

What?
Juicious isn't a word?

Oh yeah.

Look it up!
In the PRETEND WORD dictionary.
So there!

Add the

mayo...

Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper
and stir....

Make a double batch of the Honey Mustard sauce,
cuz it is guuuuuuuuuudddddd!

Plate up your tenders and honey mustard sauce and begin chowing down.

OH!
I made up Sweet Potato Fries in the oven and had a yummy Clean Eating meal of Baked Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce AND
Sweet Potato Fries.
And ranch dressing of course.Yum!!!

The recipes are below. The right hand side recipe, all you have to do is click on it and then click "print" and it should print off the full recipe.

Tony's Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
From Pat and Gina Neely on www.foodnetwork.com Watch their show Down Home With The Neelys on Saturday mornings; they’re fun and their recipes are fantastic.
Courtesy of www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredient
Peanut oil, for frying Angie’s note: I did not use oil, as I BAKED these in the oven
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour Angie’s note: I used whole wheat flour for a clean eating effect
2 cups panko bread crumbs Angie’s Note: I used whole wheat panko
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Honey Mustard, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat oil to 350 degrees F.

Cut the chicken breasts into long strips and set aside.

Beat the 3 eggs in a separate bowl and measure the flour into another separate dish.

Measure the panko into a pie plate or shallow bowl and season with garlic powder, lemon-pepper, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken strips into the flour, the beaten egg and then dredge them into the seasoned panko.

Fry in the hot peanut oil for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown, and remove to a paper towel lined sheet tray. Serve with honey mustard sauce. Angie’s note: I did not fry these. I baked these on a rack on top of a cookie sheet in the oven instead for 25 minutes at 375 degrees for a clean eating meal. Frying would be fabulous too, just a bit more calories so to speak.

Honey Mustard:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. The sauce can be held in the refrigerator for 1 week.

Oh, hello there...Aaaaand lastly,
I made some really tasty fingerling potatoes the other night.

The weird thing is, they

LOOK LIKE FINGERS!
Creepy.

But tasty.

OH also, I am making up a new page that will list just the recipes featured on this here blog.
You will be able to access the recipes just by clicking on the recipe title...
no more scrolling through thousands of hideously boring words and photos to get to your recipe.

I hope to have that done by sometime next week.

Hey, have a great Thursday!!

Talk at ya soon!!!!