Blog Archives

OH HELLO!!!! A Guest Post From Kitty-Cat

11/27/2012

Hi There!!!!
My name is Kitty-Cat.

Peek a boo. I'm heeeeerrrre!

I'm new here in the family.....that's why I don't have a formal name yet...I just got here Thanksgiving day...

...but I've already noticed a few things.

#1....My Momma don't like to fold laundry.

Ever.

See that pile on the left hand side there on the floor? Clean.
And on the dryer? Clean.

Hey jerk, give me three cat treats if you want to enter. The good treats, not the crappy cheap ones.

Also, I've noticed my brother Vinny is the laundry room landlord.
Or acts like it anyway.

He likes to sleep on the clean laundry too.

Makes ya wanna eat at my momma's house, doesn't it?

You mess with my routine, I give you death stare too.

I don't mess too much with Vinny though, cuz he can give you the
death stare.

Like this.

All I did was jump out of my new parent's arms into the living room for the first time and Vinny hissed and ran onto the stairs and stayed there all night.

Staring.

And staring more.

And then he just kept staring.

For the WHOLE night.

Momma should come into the laundry room more often though, you know, to fold clothes and such.

When she does come in,

it's because she's putting nice smelling candle stuff in her warmer she bought from her sister JoJo who sells Scentsy.

OH! I met my Aunt JoJo on Thanksgiving. She's nice.

What you mean I'm "full-figured?"

Aunt JoJo's doggie Bella is nice too.
Bella gives my momma many wet,
slobbery kisses.

Bella's sister, Princess Hemi, looks just like Bella.

Princess Hemi must have been eating when this picture was taken. Both doggies are super-spoiled, and very "well-fed" gals.

#2 Thing I've noticed....my Momma takes boring pictures and thinks EVERYONE should like them....

Case in point,

I saw her tear outside this morning in her pajamas to get this picture of the sunrise.

Kinda too bad about the Hawks this year, huh Dad?

I find those kinds of things terribly boring.

I'd rather be watching football with my new dad than looking at yet another scenic picture.

Maybe my momma ought to tear outside in the DAYLIGHT and do something about her "Fall" arrangement when it's almost December.

#3 Thing about my Momma I've noticed...she loves to cook and follows recipes exactly and sometimes a dish comes out okay like these savory carrots and chipotle sweet potato casserole....

Don't even get me started.

And sometimes her dishes come out so disgusting like this one two weeks ago, that she can't even swallow one bite of the crap and has to throw the whole thing out AND WORSE, wash the pot which definitely does not make her happy.

#4 Thing....my Momma LOVES, LOVES, LOVES cheesecake! Loves it!

I haven't seen her make cheesecake yet but she also loves a good sale, clearly, and stocked up on the Philly Cream Cheese.

I'm thinking a cheesecake is in her future.

Also my momma wants ya'll to know that that is NOT a can of dog food in the refrigerator. It's refried beans. She would never store dog food on top of people food....geez.

#5 Thing....my Momma lies sometimes on this blog.

#6 Thing I've noticed about my Momma is that she has been very busy lately with stuff like these boxes.

I wish she would keep the lids off these boxes more so I can sleep in them.

Cuz right now I sleep on places like the inside of momma's coat while she's at the computer.

Climbing on my momma's head is so exhausting.

Last Thing I've noticed about my Momma...she likes to put cars for sale online like these....

2002
Pontiac
Grand Prix GT...

2004
Pontiac
Grand Am GT...

She LOVES this 'like new'
2003 Buick
Century Custom
with 127k miles...

And then last night I tried to stop her from posting this
2000
Pontiac
Grand Prix GT
by repeatedly doing flying leaps onto her sweater with my claws out, but it didn't work. She posted it instead of playing with me.

So I waited patiently for my momma to get done with her work so she could give her undivided attention to me.

And she did.
Eventually.

Swear to God my mom has all her teeth, she is not missing one like how it looks.

Yeah,

I like my new home pretty good. I'll keep my new mom and dad happy and be their loveable kitty cat for the next 20 years I guess.

I suspect you'll be seeing a lot more of me :)

Let's see how many times I can put my bottom in mom's face before she gives me to dad.

In fact I gotta get back to crawling on my momma,
she looks like she's missing me.

So, we'll see ya next time!!

Momma says she'll talk at ya soon too!

Have a good Tuesday night!!!

Week 13 College Game Day Predictions

11/21/2012

Wednesday November 21, 2012...Posting this week's football predictions early!!!!

Bill's
Big 10 Corner
College
Game Day Predictions

Week 13 2012

Bill from Bill's Big 10 Corner
has his predictions for the last week of the regular season...

Finished (4-2) last week as Indiana and Purdue let me down. Now down to the last College Pigskin Saturday, here we go ……………….

Nebraska (-14.5) at Iowa – Disappointing year for Iowa as this is the first time since 2000 they have failed to win 6 games. Nebraska (9-2) getting ready for the Big 10 championship game and should win big.

Michigan at Ohio State (-3.5) – Ohio State (11-0) to finish off undefeated season. Perhaps they should have passed on last year’s Gator Bowl?

Indiana at Purdue (-5.5) – Purdue needs a win to be bowl eligible and should cover here.

Illinois at Northwestern (-19) – Illinois to cover as NW wins by less than 19.

Wisconsin at Penn State (-3) – Penn State to cover sending Wisconsin into the Big 10 championship with two straight losses.

Michigan State (-8.5) at Minnesota– Michigan State needs a win to be bowl eligible, however Minnesota to keep it close at home and cover.

Have a safe Thanksgiving.

Once again, thanks Bill!

Have A Good
Thanksgiving All!!!!
Gobble, gobble!
Been too busy to post this week but will be posting soon! Have fun!! And talk to ya soon!

College Game Day Predictions Week 12 2012

11/16/2012

Bill's Big 10 Corner

College
Game Day Predictions

Week 12 2012

Bill from Bill's Big 10 Corner checks in with this week's predictions...Bill says....

Fortunate to finish (3-2) last week as I certainly should have picked Wisconsin over Indiana. Also, thought the Hawks would show better vs Purdue. Only two weeks left, here we go ……………….

Iowa at Michigan (-17) – Michigan to win breaking Iowa’s 3 game winning streak (vs Mich).

Northwestern at Michigan St (-7) – NW to keep it close and cover.

Indiana at Penn State (-18.5) – Indiana to score enough points to keep it close.

Purdue (-7) at Illinois – Purdue to cover against Illinois (0-6 in Big 10).

Minnesota at Nebraska (-20) – Nebraska to win by more than 20.

Ohio State at Wisconsin (-2.5) – Ohio State to keep it close and cover.

Looking ahead next week ………… Michigan at Ohio State

And another BIG shout out to Bill,
thanks so much!!!!

Easy Bacon Chicken Bowl

11/12/2012

This is an Easy Bacon Chicken Bowl.
Sweet potato, chicken thighs and bacon.
Now really, how easy can that be?

This is a super easy,

relatively healthy
(cough cough bacon)

meal to throw together on the quick.

This recipe is from a food blog called paleomg.com.
Love this blogger's writing style and her dishes!

There's only THREE ingredients!!!! Not including salt and pepper of course, that would be like five ingredients then.

Keep in mind, this recipe is for 1 serving!!! Double, triple, fourple the recipe if necessary.
Definition: Fourple. Meaning four times the amount. Cited from Pretend Word Dictionary.

Easy Bacon Chicken Bowl
From www.paleomg.com food blog, check this paleo blog out, fantastic recipes!
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 12 mins
Total time: 37 mins
Serves: 1

Remember, this recipe serves 1, if you need to, double or triple it.
Ingredients
    ½ sweet potato or yam, cut lengthwise
    1 chicken thigh, excess fat removed
    2 slices of bacon
    salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    Place your halved sweet potato cut-side down on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until your sweet potato is soft to the touch.
    When your sweet potato has about 6-8 minutes left to cook, place a medium skillet over medium heat.
    Add your two slices of bacon.
    Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken thigh.
    As soon as some of the fat begins to render in your pan, push the bacon to one side and place your chicken thigh into the bacon fat.
    Cook chicken and bacon on one side for about 4-5 minutes, then flip.
    Your bacon will cook a bit faster, so once it is done, place your sweet potato in a bowl and top it with bacon.
    To finish the chicken thigh through, add a tablespoon of water and cover for about 3-5 minutes or until cooked through. Do what I do, check before you much.
    Add chicken thigh to your bowl.
    Last but not least, grab a fork and knife and cut it all up. Mix it all together.
    Top with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Okay,
so here's the fixins for this Easy Chicken Bacon Bowl.

Not many ingredients eh?

So halve the potatoes lengthwise.

Flip them over and cook until soft...about 30 minutes.

Now start frying the bacon in the pan...

After about 6 or 7 minutes,
move the bacon to the side.

But WHY?????!!!!!
WHY IS THE BACON BEING DISPLACED???!!!
What did the bacon ever do other than provide kindness and goodness to gazillons of people's stomachs??????

Oh.

There needs to be room for the chicken thighs?

Hmmm.

Logical enough.

Okay then.

By the way, the recipe calls for skinless, BONE-IN thighs, but I used boneless, skinless thighs.

So flip the thighs over and cook the other side.

Continue to cook the displaced bacon.

Lookin' good and lookin' done and everybody is all accounted for and nobody is homeless or displaced.

YAY!

Oh hellooooooo draining bacon.

And hello thighs that are fully cooked and plattered up.

Sweet potatoes!

You are done too!

Awesome!

Well, let's get everybody chopped up and together here!

The thigh meat

on top of the bacon

on top of the sweet potato!

This is not a fancy dish but it is tasty.

Except I have to admit, that I needed two chicken thighs to fill up with the bacon and sweet potato.

Hello lovely!!

What'R ya waiting for?
Grab a fork and eat up!

Simple.

Quick.

Relatively healthy, OH, I imagine turkey bacon might work with olive oil too...hmmm maybe I'll try that next time.

Okay, that's all I have for today girls and guys!
Wanna show you this picture though...

Mindy Peaches was in hog heaven when two adorable kids came over to visit. Treats and belly scratches were the theme of the night for her.
Oh my Mindy was happy!

Okay, have a good night!

Catch ya later, have a good Tuesday!!!
Talk at ya soon!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs, A Parade, And My Sister's Man Hands

11/9/2012

Care
for a meatball?

Fresh out of the oven?

They're stuffed with fresh mozzarella...hope that's okay.

These Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
are
BIG!

And so-so-so easy to make, I could not believe it!

Here's the fixins for these Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs...

pretty simple stuff!

This recipe is from the food blog picky-palate.com.

Picture is from www.picky-palate.com; this is where the original recipe comes from.

Oh I should mention that you're supposed to use these mozzarella balls that you get at your grocery store.

Unless you shop at a small grocery like I do, then you just get a mozzarella ball and chop it up...

...like this...

Okay guys, there aren't a thousand steps here...just a couple. So get your coffee or ice tea or soda and stay alert and pay attention, dis gonna go fast.

womansday.com

Really?
Is the crap I write really that boring?

ehow.com

Whatev.

Well, these guys aren't bored and actually quite enjoy reading about my
Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs.

See. Told ya. After they look at that graph, they're screaming right over to my blog site.
Yup, that's right. Screaming. Tearing. Running over. Right after they're done. Uh huh.

OH
HEY!

This will perk you up!!

Pretty!

A purple Thanksgiving table!

Anyway, moving on...

Mince up the onions and garlic.
Two things:
1. Mince, not chop the garlic and onions. The smaller the better when mixing with meatballs.

2. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup onion and 2Tbsp garlic. Next time, Ima use only 1/4 cup onion and 1 Tbsp. garlic.

So throw your hamburger, onions, garlic and and egg in a bowl...

Add in the panko, and Parmesan cheese, and milk and Worcestershire and yellow mustard and hot sauce and salt and pepper.

Okay this picture should be the mixed up meatball meat but apparently I didn't see fit to take that picture. I suppose I was too busy trying to get the meatball meat off my hands under the faucet.

Nonetheless,
oil up a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Oh here's a picture of the mixture.
It's very texture-y by the way.

(You'll find "texture-y" in the Pretend Word Dictionary. Your welcome.)

Anyway, find your 1/4 cup scoop thing. Oh, I think it's called a "measuring cup." Geez.

Scoop 'er up!

Okay, so now you have your meatballs all formed up, right?

Form little nests in the meatballs.

Then notice that your cheese hunks are the same size as the nests, meaning TOO BIG.
Chop the cheese chunks down a little smaller.

So put the smaller, appropriate size cheese hunks into the little nests.

Don't they look ca-ute!!!!!

Now form your meatball around those cheese hunks using big man hands.
Oh.

You don't have big
man hands?
Neither do I. That's my sister's hand, she was helping me.

Anyhoo, place the meatballs into the baking dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

And they come out looking like this.

Mmmmmm, some of that mozzarella is oozing out, yes?

Let's get a close-up here.

I was so excited to try these meatballs!!!

I didn't want to be disappointed.

And I wasn't!!!!!! YAY!!
I felt like doing cartwheels!!!
Except I have tiny delicate non-man hands that don't support my tiny delicate frame well upside down.

WHAT????!!!
How do YOU know I don't have tiny delicate hands?
YOU don't have tiny delicate hands.

You don't need delicate hands to eat these yummy meatballs.

I really liked these, they're so fun and tasty, not overpowering ALTHOUGH next time I will use half the onions and garlic.

And even though I'm an adult, it was so fun cutting into each of these and having the cheese be there and be all gooey and everything.

The meatballs up there are saying, "Pssssst.....make me. Eat me. I am cheap to make. Kids AND adults will love me. You will be asked to make me again. I'm big and filling, so a meal with pasta really would just be like two meatballs. Except if you're a teenage boy."

I remembered the recipe, yay! Here it is!

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
From www.picky-palate.com Check this food website out, great food recipes for the entire family
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion…Angie’s Note: May want to use HALF the onion and garlic amount
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Tabasco
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Ten 1-inch Mozzarella balls

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. and grease 9×13-inch baking dish with oil.

2. Place beef, egg, onion, bread crumbs, Parmesan, milk, garlic, Worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper and garlic salt into a large mixing bowl, stirring until just combined. Take 1/4 cup beef mixture and press into center with your thumb to make room for cheese ball. Place cheese in middle then with hands enclose the cheese with the beef, making sure the cheese is completely covered. Place meatballs into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cooked through.

3. Serve over top your favorite pasta or inside a warm roll for delicious meatball sandwich.

Okay, before I close-up for the day, and because I have Thanksgiving on the brain,
let's take a gander at some
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
floats from over the years, shall we?

abcnews.com

This is what we think of when we think of the Macy's parade now.
Snoopy is the most popular character in the parade.

abcnews.com

Well,
this Santa float was the very first Santa float in the very first Macy's parade which started in 1924.

abcnews.com

The very first parade in 1924 featured live animals borrowed from the zoo.

abcnews.com

Now this particular float with the balloon girls was also in the very first parade. This float inspired the Macy's founder's wife to develop upside balloon marionettes, which is now what we know as the big floaty floats.

abcnews.com

Introduced in 1927,
Feliz the Cat was the very first Macy's giant balloon.

abcnews.com

This bandleader is from the early 1930's parade.

abcnews.com

And here is an early 1940's Uncle Sam.

The parade was suspended in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to the need for rubber and helium in the war effort.

abcnews.com

And an early 1940's superman too.

abcnews.com

This is Harold the Fireman from the 1950's.

Harold is a mainstay of the parade and some years is a police officer too.

abcnews.com

Celebrities have always been popular at the parade.

Here we have of course Roy Rogers
and
Dale Evans.

abcnews.com

This spaceman floated in the
1959 parade.

abcnews.com

And then after that, we get to a more modern era.

SpongeBob SquarePants
was the first ever square balloon.

abcnews.com

Hello Kitty is the largest balloon by helium volume standards.

abcnews.com

And of course the Sesame Street float is always pretty and colorful.

www.nycvintageimages.com

Circa 1930.

Well, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has come along way from 1924,

hasn't it?

Okay, that's all I have for today!
Hope you enjoyed the meatball recipe.
And parade pictures.
Oh, and my sister's man hands too!
Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe

Okay, Gotta run!
Literally gotta run.
From my sister.
Cuz when she finds me, she gonna break every finger on my man hands.

Bye!!!!!!!

:)

Week 11 2012 College Game Day Predictions

11/9/2012

Bill's
Big 10 Corner

College
Game Day Predictions

Week 11 2012

Bill's been pretty accurate this season...let's see what he has to say about this week's Big 10 match ups....

Picking all of the favorites paid off last Saturday as I was (5-0) vs the pointspread. Continues to look like Wisconsin and Nebraska are tracking to the Big 10 Championship Game in Indianapolis (on Dec. 1).

Wisconsin (-7) at Indiana – Indiana to keep it close and cover at home.

Northwestern at Michigan (-11.5) – NW to keep it close and cover on the road.

Purdue at Iowa (-4.5) – Iowa due for a breakthrough and cover's at home.

Minnesota (-3) at Illinois – Minnesota to cover against Illinois and become bowl eligible.

Penn St at Nebraska (-7) – Nebraska to win by more than 7.

Looking ahead next week ………… Ohio State at Wisconsin

Once again, a big SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to Bill for this week's predictions!

In Theory

11/8/2012

In theory,
this Indian Tomato Chicken should have had more flavor, more taste, not been so bland.

Not the most photogenic food dish, but still...

The recipe starts out good enough
...look at those spices and simple ingredients.

How can you go wrong with onion, ginger and garlic?

And all those healthy spices....turmeric, cumin, cardamon, nutmeg...yum.

The onions sauteing in the pan with the fragrant spices...

Easy enough, now add the cubed chicken breast
and the tomatoes....

But alas, not much flavor....I don't know why. Maybe this is supposed to be a mellow dish.

Now Tim liked this and ate the whole thing over the course of two days.

It is very healthy. I just prefer more flavor.

Here's the link for this Indian Tomato Chicken though, in case you want to check it out though.

In theory,
Whole Chicken + Bacon = Now How Could This Have No Flavor????
Alex G's Roast Chicken with Bacon.

Whole Chicken seasoned with salt and pepper...

Stuff it with lemon and thyme...

okay, sounds like a plan....

Wrap the sucker with bacon.

Well, why not?!!!

BRING!
IT!
ON!

Bake the chicken in the oven until temperature reaches 160 degrees, about an hour....

HEY!!!
Where'd all the bacon go???

Well, I know the flavor went down to the bottom of that pan.

So I mash the lemons, just as the directions say to,
to get that citrusy juice out.

I add the pan juice into the lemony juice, and I add the mustard in and let it all come to a boil for the sauce.

Yes, I do think this chicken will have sooooooo much more flavor with that sprig of thyme on top,
why do you ask?

Also, that dinner plate,
INSTEAD OF AN APPROPRIATE MEAT PLATTER,
should help make this chicken dish taste yummy too, yes?

No.
No flavor.
None.
Even with that citrusy pan juice.

And no.

Even paired with whole wheat fettuccine and marinara.

Just no.

No flavor.

I have since gone into therapy cuz the equation
Chicken + Bacon = True Love Forever is sometimes...

wrong.

Another example of Chicken + Bacon = Sometimes Makes Angie Cry Instead Of Go Mmmmmm........

Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken.

Now how can all this goodness not yield much flavor?

And I love the Pioneer Woman's recipes...they're usually spot on!

You start by pounding out the chicken.

Mix the mustard, honey, lemon juice, paprika and
cayenne pepper together....

Add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerate 1-3 hours.

Get Sylvia The Cast Iron Pan out.

You remember Sylvia from this post, yes?

Fry up the bacon.

Yes. Yes, I think I will.

Clean out the pan and brown that chicken up on both sides pretty good.

Looking tasty already!

So after putting the chicken in the oven for ten minutes and then bringing it back up to the stove, throw the cheese and bacon on top.

Plate one up for yerself....
take a bite and ask....

"How can all these yummy ingredients create a chicken breast with so little flavor?"

Flavorless
almost.

Makes no sense.
Maybe I did something wrong but I don't think so, it's a pretty simple recipe. Anyway, here's the link just in case you try it and get a different result.
If you do try it, pleeeeze let me know :)

In theory,

These
Jamie Deen Barbeque Baby Back Ribs should be finger lickin' awesome!!!

This recipe required lots of stuff, the usual, but that's okay.

A good barbeque rub and sauce is hard to beat and worth the extra ingredients and work.

The rub...lots of good stuff in there like paprika, dry mustard, chili powder, brown sugar and more....

And the barbecue sauce fixins should be good too....oil, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and such...

Mix it up and let it simmer on the stove in a sauce pan for 30 minutes or so until it thickens.

Once the ribs are done grilling or baking, slather the thickened barbeque sauce all over the ribs and dig in and enjoy.

Now wait a minute! There's no big flavor other than the barbeque sauce.

Which is fine.

But it tastes like barbeque sauce you can get out of a bottle.

All that work for
nuttin' special.
Crap!

You know, folks will probably think this sauce is real good but with the amount of work and ingredients, the taste should be something a bit more special.
It was just average to me.
I was surprised cuz I like Jamie Deen's recipes typically.
Here's the link in case you want to take a gander at it.

Okay lastly, In theory,

Bill's Bourbon Chili

should have been a huge hit.

But it wasn't.
*insert frownie face*

Lots of good stuff though here....
see the ground turkey breast in the lower right corner?

I think that's where I made my mistake.
The recipe called for ground beef.

Anyway, I'll share all the pictures......

Seems easy enough....
so then you plate it up and look forward to that total yumminess Bourbon Chili..

But the flavoring just was not there, even though chili powder and chipotle chili pepper were in there.

So I crunched up tortilla chips thinking that would add flavor.

But it didn't.
Oh well.

YOU KNOW WHAT WAS GOOD THOUGH????

That sour cream on top with the lemon zest!

Seriously, this sour cream recipe was so refreshing and so easy!

Zest up the lemon peel and mince that mint and throw it all together.

See,

I even wrote on the legal pad,

it was so nice and refreshing.

So this recipe was worth it just to find out about this simple sour cream topping.

Well I do have more disasters to share, but I don't want to bore you too much...

I'll wait till the next edition of Cooking Misadventures to do that :)

Now I gotta get back to work and post this
2001 Pontiac Bonneville SLE
with 107K miles...metallic dark blue,
super excellent condition inside and out as always :).
Yee Haw, check it out on the Turnkey Auto Inventory page!

All right guys, that's all I got!
Have a good Thursday day and evening and we'll talk at ya soon!!!!
:)

Spiced Lemon Rice

11/4/2012

Spiced Lemon Rice with Roasted Cashews!!

This Spiced Lemon Rice
is super healthy and has lemon peel, fresh lemon juice, turmeric, chili pepper, onions and garlic oh my!

Oh, and cashews!

fineartamerica.com

So this got me to thinking...
WHY ARE lemons so good for you?

Now,
I know why turmeric is good for you, but what about lemons.

Apparently lemons contain a wide variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals, it's rich in vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
Lemons also aid in digestion and it helps you fight
hunger cravings. SOLD! :):):)

comunity.travelandleisure.com

Isn't this a pretty lemon orchard?

It's in Sorrento, Italy.

Sorrento is a
small town
(population 16,500) located in
southern Italy.

It is located close to Naples and Pompeii.

telegraph.uk.com

Part of the town sits high on
sea cliffs overlooking the Bay of Naples.

sorrentotourism.com

Sorrento is known for it's many lemon orchards.

rachelruthbuchweitz.blogspot.com

In fact,

the region supplies 85% of the lemons used in Italy.....

...lemons used in cooking and baking...such as this Olive Oil Lemon Cake and the most popular refreshment in Italy; Limoncello.

wiu.edu

The town looks awful pretty at night too, yes?!

Anyway, getting back to this SPICED LEMON RICE...

Here's the fixins...

just a note,

I used brown rice instead of white rice!

So begin by doing the prep work...chopping the onions, the red chili, slice the garlic and peel the lemon.

By the way,
peel the lemon. Use a real lemon, take the peeler and peel the strips as directed.

No. Don't try to just use all lemon juice.
Peel the lemon.

Heat up the olive oil and add the mustard seeds and that healthy turmeric and cook,

shaking the pan,

until the mustard seeds pop.

The mustard seeds will ACTUALLY POP.

Out of the pan.

Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
Out of the pan and onto the recipe page on the counter.

Okay,

add the fresno chili
and garlic
and onions
and saute until onions are translucent.

See that yellow turmeric coloring in there?

SO GOOD FOR YOU!

Now add the rice....

...and the lemon peel...

...now add the 3 cups of water.

Okay,

so let the rice simmer for the correct amount of time...I used minute brown rice.

And eventually the rice becomes this texture and color...

near perfect!

Now add the roasted cashews and plate it up!

By the way, the nuttiness of the roasted cashews with that turmeric and onions...
Really, a great combination!

I served this with a roasted chicken. So fantastic together. This Spiced Lemon Rice would complement any fish or poultry dish.

With this recipe,
there were leftovers since there are only two of us here.

We had this nice healthy dish for several days as a side and it was so easy to grab and heat up for a quick lunch too.

And with all this talk about lemon,
apparently one should drink a warm mug of
lemon water every morning for good health.

mindbodygreen.com

So Ima try this and see if I can feel or see the benefits.
I'll report back to you :).

I actually started doing this Saturday and today (Sunday). I took a large glass of warm water and squeezed juice from 1/2 a lemon. It's definitely different to incorporate that into my morning routine but on Day 2 here, it seems as if I'm doing something good for myself. And I think it will help in me drinking less coffee.

Although
I would much prefer drinking some lemony tea or water out here at this cliff side restaurant in Sorrento.

But that's okay, I have my own outdoor seating that's almost just as nice....

Or not.

Okay, that's all I got for today!!
Have a good Sunday,
enjoy the rest of the day!
Talk at ya soon!

DRATS! I keep forgetting to post the recipe!! If I ever forget, email or comment and let me know ARGH!

Spiced Lemon Rice
From Bon Appetit / April 2012 via epicurious.com
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 50 minutes

Serve this fragrant, Indian-inspired side dish with all things chicken.

Ingredients
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    1 1/2 teaspoons black, brown, or yellow mustard seeds
    1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
    1 small onion, minced
    2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño,cut into thin rings, seeded if desired
    2 cups long-grain white rice
    4 2 x 1"strips lemon peel (yellow part only) plus 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1/2 cup roasted cashews

Preparation
Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and turmeric and cook, shaking pan, until mustard seeds pop, 1-2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and chile and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 7 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add lemon peel, salt, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 20-25 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice. Cover and let stand off heat for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in cashews.

College Game Day Predictions Week 10 2012

11/2/2012

Bill's Big 10 Corner

College
Game Day Predictions
Week 10 2012

What say you Bill, on this weekend's Big 10 games?

Now looking like Wisconsin and Nebraska are tracking to the Big 10 Championship Game in Indianapolis (on Dec. 1). I am going to pick all of the favorites this week ..........

Michigan (-12.5) at Minnesota– Michigan to bounce back and win by at least 13.

Iowa at Indiana (-1.5) – Indiana to win their second in a row and cover. Note, Iowa really needs a win to keep their bowl hopes alive.

Nebraska (-1.5) at Michigan St– Nebraska to cover in a close game.

Illinois at Ohio State (-27.5) – Ohio State to cover at home and move to 10-0.

Penn St (-3.5) at Purdue – Penn State bounces back keeping Purdue win less in the Big 10.

Looking ahead next week ………… NW at Michigan and Penn St at Nebraska

Once again Bill, you rock....THANKS!!!

Rachael Ray's Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs and Conway and Loretta

11/1/2012

Remember this picture I posted a week ago? Vinny can not stand the ceramic turkey salt and pepper shakers I have on the table.

See the tipped turkey on the table?
And the other turkey by Vinny's smug tongue from the other day?

Well this week AGAIN, I heard...

Whack!

Whomp

Thwack.

Thump

ThwackThwackThwackThump

WHACK!!

I investigated AGAIN.

What YOU looking at? You look like turkey. C'mere.

Do you see that upside down turkey salt shaker by the right hand chair?

Vinny was whacking away at that turkey, trying to dispose of it. Even though the turkey was stuck between the chair and table, Vinny still kept whacking at it.

Naughty Kitty!

It's hard to stay too mad at a kitty when they sprawl out like this to watch tv.

What are ya gonna do?

In other news,

if you try to get
TOO close-up of a picture of squash soup,

your camera will get "squashed" if you're not careful.

@##&**$#$%.

OH, our college age niece texted me this week and said she had a craving for my
Oven Fried Chicken.

So I told her I would put it on my grocery list on the fridge.

She and her very sweet roommates came over for supper Wednesday night. I also made these Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes for them.

Oven Fried Chicken...

And my BFF Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes...

But what Ima talk about today is Rachael Ray's Beer Braised Chicken Thighs!

They look kinda messy and to be honest, they kinda are.
But the extra napkins are worth it :):)!

There is a tang to this dish, probably from the beer, but the flavor of the yummy thigh meat and bacon, diced tomatoes and onions....it's so different than what we normally eat which made it seem like an extra special dish.
Also you really need a nice baguette or some kind of big, crusty bread to mop up all that liquidy broth deliciousness.

Okay, here's the fixins for this yummy dish.

I think I forgot the thyme and flour in this picture.

Okay, I KNOW I forgot the thyme and flour...I think I was in a hurry to get this done so that I could make it to the tv on time for
The Voice :)

So salt and pepper up the thighs. I made a double batch, that's why there's so many thighs here.

Brown these babies up on both sides in a tad bit of olive oil.

Okay, now cut up all your stuff,
the bacon, onions, green peppers, celery, and garlic.

Once all the chicken pieces are browned, set them aside....

And throw my boyfriend in the pan!!!

Bacon,
I
LUUUUUV
U!!

Good golly, how old am I, 8???!!! You wouldn't know I have a crapload of bookwork to get done today with all this 8 year old silliness going on, would you?

It's called "procrastination", people. Sadly, it's one of my strong points.

Anyway,

once the bacon is browned,

throw the chopped green pepper in there....

Add the onion and celery.

.
Now throw the thyme in there....

And saute away!!!

Okay, now add some flour in there to begin the thickening process...

BORING ASIDE:
So here's the flour I usually use, whole wheat flour.

Did you know whole wheat flour needs kept in the freezer or it goes bad quickly?

It only took me about 20 bags to figure THAT one out. I finally googled best way to keep whole wheat flour and found out it needs freezered.
Freezered is a word, look it up. In the Pretend Word Dictionary. Wanna borrow my copy?

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah. Beer.
:)

Pour the beer into the pan.

Now add the diced tomatoes and chicken broth in...

And now add some hotcha-momma-goochie-goochie-ya-ya-ooga-chaka-shimmy-shimmy-coco-bop-life-is-a-rock-but-the-radio-rolled-me...hey, Ima look up that song right now...be right back!

Here's a video of the song!!! Did you know this song was made in 1974 by a group of ad hoc musicians who called themselves Reunion?

Here's the lyrics!! Dare YA to sing it five times fast!!

Lyrics to Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me) :
B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers
Lonnie Mack and twangin' Eddy, here's my ring we're goin' steady
Take it easy, take me higher, liar liar, house on fire
Locomotion, Poco, Passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction
Baby baby gotta gotta gimme gimme gettin' hotter
Sammy's cookin', Lesley Gore and Ritchie Valens, end of story
Mahavishnu, fujiyama, kama-sutra, rama-lama
Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Archies, Righteous, Nilsson, Harry
Shimmy shimmy ko-ko bop and Fats is back and Finger Poppin'

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

FM, AM, hits are clickin' while the clock is tock-a-tickin'
Friends and Romans, salutations, Brenda and the Tabulations
Carly Simon, I behold her, Rolling Stones and centerfoldin'
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers, can't stop now, I got the shivers
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter Paul and Paul and Mary Mary
Dr. John the nightly tripper, Doris Day and Jack the Ripper
Gotta go Sir, gotta swelter, Leon Russell, Gimme Shelter
Miracles in smokey places, slide guitars and Fender basses
Mushroom omelet, Bonnie Bramlett, Wilson Pickett, stop and kick it

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

Arthur Janov's primal screamin', Hawkins, Jay and
Dale and Ronnie, Kukla, Fran and Norma Okla
Denver, John and Osmond, Donny
JJ Cale and ZZ Top and LL Bean and De De Dinah
David Bowie, Steely Dan and sing me prouder, CC Rider
Edgar Winter, Joanie Sommers, Osmond Brothers, Johnny Thunders
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah, Stephen Foster, do-dah do-dah
Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Surfer Girl and Little Honda
Tighter, tighter, honey, honey, sugar, sugar, yummy, yummy
CBS and Warner Brothers, RCA and all the others

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

Listen--remember, they're playing our song!
Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed me, Murray Kaufman, try to leave me
Fish, and Swim, and Boston Monkey,
Make it bad and play it funky.
(Wanna take you higher!)

Freddie King and Albert King
And B.B. King and frolicking...

And in case you were wondering, this song made it up to #8 on the Billboard thing.

Who acts like they have Adult ADD today?
What???
YOU have ADD.

Anyway, time warping back to 2012 and using the brains God gave me (honk honk...is that the sound geese make?) let's finish this, shall we?

Anyway, once the hot sauce is in, this is what the mixture looks like.

Now slide the chicken into the pot and simmer to cook through.

Okay, so this is what it looks like with all the thighs in.

Remember, I made a double batch, that's why it looks like a lot.

After simmering until heated through...I simmered mine oh, about 35 minutes,
PLATE 'ER UP!!

Mmmm, can you see the bacon and green peppers and celery and tomatoes?

Oh so tangy and tasty!

The broth is fantastic!!! You really should have some big crusty bread to mop up some of that delicious juice!

So grab a fork
and dig into some of those juicy thighs and enjoy!

Okay, hope y'all try this out sometime!!!

Have a good Thursday night!
I'm gonna be watching the Country Music Awards tonight, not a big country fan but am a huge awards show junkie!!

Remember
Conway Twitty and
Loretta Lynn
back in the day?

I miss country music of the 50's, 60's and 70's, don't you?

Okay, have a good night, talk at ya soon!

CRAP, CRAP, CRAP...FORGOT TO POST THE RECIPE...HERE IT IS!

Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs
From cookingchanneltv.com This is Rachael Ray’s recipe
Courtesy www.turnkeyqualitycars.com

Ingredients
    8 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
    1 link andouille sausage, casing removed and chopped, or 4 slices bacon, chopped
    1 onion, chopped
    2 ribs celery, chopped
    1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
    2 to 3 cloves garlic, chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
    1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
    1 (12-ounce) bottle lager beer
    1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles or stewed tomatoes
    1 cup chicken stock
    2 tablespoons hot sauce
    Scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, for garnish
    Warm baguette, for mopping

Directions
Pat the chicken thighs dry, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the chicken and brown on both sides in 2 batches.

Remove the chicken to a plate and spoon out 1/2 the drippings, and add the andouille sausage. Brown for 2 minutes and then add the onion, celery, pepper, garlic, and thyme, and cook to soften, for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Add the flour, stir 1 to 2 minutes, and then pour in the beer and let the foam subside. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and hot sauce. Let the sauce thicken a bit, and then slide the chicken into the pot and simmer to cook through. Serve with warm crusty bread, or cool and store for make-ahead meal.

OH HELLO!!!! A Guest Post From Kitty-Cat

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Week 11 2012 College Game Day Predictions

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Spiced Lemon Rice

College Game Day Predictions Week 10 2012

Rachael Ray's Beer-Braised Chicken Thighs and Conway and Loretta

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