October 15, 2013

It's Monday, and it was a bit of a rough day here at the plantation.  We had to drive 5 1/2 hours in the rain to attend the funeral of the bearded fellas uncle a sad day it was.  On the way there the bearded fella looks at me and says hey, what's for dinner I just looked at him and laughed and said, where did that come from it's 10:00 o'clock in the morning????  About an hour later I said how about chicken and noodles???  We had to stop at the store on the way home anyway I could pick up a rotisserie chicken which is what we did.  I originally posted my recipe on January 15, 2013 so, here's another picture you can scroll down to get the recipe.  Enjoy!!!

Pretty tasty for a rainy day!!!

                                                                   October 10, 2013



I was cruising around Pinterest imagine that!!  I came across this recipe titled Caden's Hamburger Gravy and Mashed Potatoes from www.oneshetwoshe.com.  When I saw this a light bulb went off in my head that said why not make this into Swiss steak gravy and serve it over loaded mashed potatoes??  So, this is what I came up.  To view the original recipe you will have to go to the sight listed above.

                                       Swiss Steak Gravy and Loaded Mashed Potatoes

1 lb. ground chuck
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, drained and squeezed dry, you can use fresh just thinly slice them
2 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 Tbls. flour, you might need just a bit more
3 c. beef broth
1 Tbls. Dijon mustard

Brown ground beef once, browned add mushrooms, garlic and steak seasoning.  Let cook for a couple of minutes then add the flour and stir it up until well combined.  Cook for 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour taste. 
Slowly add beef broth whisking to reduce lumps.  Whisk until gravy starts to thicken.  Once thickened whisk in Dijon mustard.  Turn off heat and serve over mashed potatoes.

I made loaded mashed potatoes which means I used butter, sour cream, green onions and cheese.  Add to you cooked potatoes and mash away.

My note:  I have to say this was pretty tasty I think, it would be good over rice also.  I served this with some green beans and a slice of garlic bread.  Enjoy!!!!

                                                                    October 8, 2013


We get our electricity from a Co-Op and every month we receive the Oklahoma Living magazine that they send out telling us all the news going on around us.  I always look at the recipes and think uh no not this time.  Well when this months magazine arrived there was a recipe in it and when I saw I knew I had to make it.  Here it is:

                                             King Ranch Chicken Mac and Cheese

8 ozs.  cellentani pasta
2 Tbls. butter
1 medium onion diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
10-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
8-oz pkg. processed American cheese, cubed
3 c. cooked, chopped chicken
10-oz can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare the pasta according to package instructions; drain.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium -high heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in the diced tomatoes with green chilies and the American cheese.  Cook, stirring constantly , for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Stir in chicken, soup, sour cream, chili powder, and cumin.  Add the cooked pasta and mix until well blended.  Spoon the mixture into a greased 10-cast iron skillet or a 7 by 11 -inch baking dish.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake for thirty minutes or until bubbly.   This recipe was submitted by Regina Waugh from Cherokee, Oklahoma

My Note:  I didn't change a thing followed the recipe exactly as written.  I served it with a small green salad and a couple slices of buttered bread.  I have to say I cleaned my plate and so, did the bearded fella the bread came in handy for getting the last bits off the plate.  I will keep this recipe.  Enjoy!!!

On Sunday, we smoked some ribs for a surprise wedding party and decided to throw a pork butt on also.  I love pulled pork and I think mine is famous if only in my own head.  I rarely eat it out anymore just because I think mine is that good!!!!  It's a simple recipe just the pork butt bone in, garlic cloves and a Carolina sauce throw it on the smoker after 2 hours I slather it again with the sauce double wrap with heavy duty tinfoil and let it go low and slow.  I make small holes in the pork and insert the garlic cloves.  The bearded fella keeps the fire going :)  With all this being said my favorite thing to do with the pork is make pulled pork quesadilla's so, went to my boards to find a recipe.  I usually just add some more sauce and cheddar cheese but, decided to do something different.  This recipe comes from www.crystalandcomp.com .

                                               Black bean & Corn Quesadillas

2 c. cooked leftover meat (chicken, beef, pulled pork, etc.)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (or equivalent amount of frozen)
1 can rotel tomatoes, drained
1 small can sliced black olives
8-10 flour tortillas
2 c. cheese
garnish with optional items like:  salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

In a large bowl add your shredded or diced cooked meat.  Toss in the black beans, corn, rotel tomatoes and sliced olives.  Stir until combined.
Place one flour tortilla on a griddle or in a nonstick pan over medium heat.  On half of the tortilla add a bit of shredded cheese.  When the cheese starts to melt, this helps the tortilla stay sealed.  Add a couple of spoonful's of the meat and bean mixture on top of the cheese.  Add a bit more cheese on top.  Fold over and press down with a spatula.  Cook on each side until the tortilla is lightly brown on both sides.

My Note:  I added some cilantro paste to the meat mixture because I didn't have any fresh and I love cilantro!!!  These were a big hit I will be keeping this in may recipe box.  Enjoy!!

The last project I did was I took some old end tables and made a gossip bench all I need is one of those old rotary dial phones!!!!  I acquired the tables from my oldest and dearest friend her grandfather made this which makes them that much more special.  I think her grandfather would approve,

Oops the middle picture is of the dog toy before I painted it .

With all that I had going this summer I even had a little time to do some crafts glad fall is here I have lots of project's I would like to get done.  This first pic is of a Pintrest inspiration wall and an upcycled dresser I made into a tv stand.  I think they turned out pretty well!!

I didn't waste the leftover drawer I made my pup a toy box.

This one is of a sign I made out of another sign that had seen better days :)  I usta sing this song to my kids while rocking them to sleep..

My next project if redoing our master bedroom so, I found these side tables and made them pretty..

Picklefest 2013 was a big success and most friends and family have enjoyed all kinds of pickles!!

It was fun while it lasted and my house smelled like a giant pickle vat for days!!!

                                                                    October 7, 2013

I haven't been on here in awhile it's been a busy summer for us.  We added a few things to the Plantation and our garden had it's ups and downs but, all in all we had a good harvest and are still getting some stuff.  So, here are some pictures of what has been happening around here,



We added some hens and now we get farm fresh eggs and since this was taken we have added more chickens and decided we would sell eggs!!!!

Here's some picture of my garden and the haul we had.

 

Some garden photos the last one is asparagus :)

 

Now for some stuff I put up for winter!!!  I made tons of pickles and I found this website that tells you how to freeze everything it is time consuming but, worth the effort.

Lot's and lot's of homegrown goodness!!!!