Recipes

Today,though it is super hot, I made a pot of veg. beef soup, a pan of cornbread, and a chocolate cake! Here are the recipes.

Soup:
1 beef roast,or steak of any cut, about 2lbs, cubed into bite size pieces
1/2 cup plain flour
1 large onion
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cans tomato's
1 can green beans
1 cup carrotts
1 cup corn
1 cup black eyed peas
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup frozen english peas
2 or more med to large potato's diced.
Salt,pepper,dash sugar,herbs you like,I used thyme and some italian seasoning,and parsley

OR ANY other veggies you have on hand that you like. I usually save the last few bites of leftovers from a meal and put it in a zippy bag in the freezer and add to it,as I go.When the bag is full or half way, Just throw that mix in there too.




Heat your stock pot with a couple of glugs of oil,be it olive oil or canola or even soybean.
When the pot is super hot,
add the floured cubes of beef, brown till almost done.
Remove from pot
add another glug of oil and add diced onion to the pot.cook on med heat about 5 minutes,then add the garlic,cook another few minutes.
Add meat back to pot
Add tomato's,with juice. the juice deglazes the stuck yummy stuff from the flour on the bottom of the pan.

Then add your other veggies,except green peas and potato's.

add salt and pepper and dried herbs.

Using one of your empty veggie can's fill it up about 3 times with hot water,and add to the pot.leave heat on medium and cover,leaving the lid cocked open so steam can escape.

Cook about 2 hrs,stirring once in a while. If it needs more water,add it then.

After 2 hrs add potato's and peas, turn heat to low,and cook another hr.

Taste. If it needs something,like salt or seasonings,add it now.If there is not enough water,add some more,and let it simmer a wee bit more.

Then enjoy!!! This soup freezes well,and taste even better the 2nd day!


Southern Cornbread:
Preheat your oven to at least 400 or higher.

2 cups self rising corn meal
1/4 cup SR flour
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
scant tsp. sugar

Mix all your ingredients in a bowl with a fork. If its too thick add a splash of oil and a few splashes of milk till its kind of runny,but not thin.
let it set for a few minutes.In the mean time,grab a can of crisco shortening,a paper towel and your iron skillett. For this Im using Grannys!
wipe a big dollop of crisco onto the paper towel. Run the paper towel around the edges and bottom of your COLD skillett. Make a nice layer of crisco.
* My Aunt Mary {Granny's oldest daughter} taught my Memaw this trick,and it NEVER fails.

Pour batter into the skillett, bake for at least 25 minutes,or until the top is golden.

Remove from skillett to a plate. Cut it and slather on some butter!




Chocolate Cake!

1 DUNCAN HINES chocolate cake mix,any variety.{I used Swiss Chocolate today}
1 cup water
1/3 cup cold coffee {use whats left over in the pot from the morning coffee}
3 eggs
1/3 c. oil

Bake following box directions. I used 2 round cake pans/


Chocolate Coffee Buttercream:
1 stick unsalted butter,room temp
1/2 cup shortening, {I only use Crisco or Richtex brand}
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup coco powder
4 cups powdered sugar,more or less,depending on how thick or how much icing you want.
splashes of coffee


*Cream butter and shortening.
add vanilla, cream well,
begin to slowly add powdered sugar,then splashes of coffee till smooth and creamy.
Once the icing is mixed, whip on high speed till light brown and airy.
Ice cake,and enjoy!!!
* To me,this taste like a Fudge round!


Thats all for today! Caleb and I found a cucumber in the garden today that was ready to pick!!! We picked and enjoyed it!

How Does the Garden Grow?

I've decided to tie my new garden in with this new blog. A fresh start,if you will....


This is the first year my husband and I have ever had our own garden. Its not big,grand,or even neatly planted. We had our helpers,our boys,down there with us the day we put cheap dollar store seeds in the dirt. Seems like the praying I did when when we planted is paying off. So far that is! Everything we planted from seeds has sprouted up! There are english peas,squash,cucumbers,watermellon,lettuce,beets,and carrots down under our hill.


Not to over excite myself,I dont check it everyday,thinking that a watched pot never boils,well,a watched garden wont grow. Now,though,since everything has sprouted and actually turned into plants,Im thinking of checking every other day. I say this beacause 3 days ago,I was working in it,planting tomato's. I talked to the little plants in an attempt to coax veggies out of them. As I was headed back up I noticed something in the twilight. Low and behold a BLOOM! A bloom on the cucumber vine! The peas had already been blooming,and yes,happy dancing commenced. Well,yesterday,Caleb,4,and I walked down there to check on the replanted tomato's. There were over a dozen yellow blooms on all the cucumber plants!!! I was on the phone with my Step Mother,and she could hear the giddines in my voice! It was like a suprise from God! Then Caleb and I watered everything,as its been super dry and hot here. Then as we were watering,I noticed PODS on the pea vines!!! Little green pods,still with drying blooms attached to the end of them!!! I was giggling happy! I popped one off,and opened it up,and Caleb and I ate a fresh green pea,there on the spot. I think my happiness was contagious! He too was jumping up and down,and said he had never eaten a pea that was SO yummy before! Made me proud,to be sure.

....But, there is a battle going on down the hill. Me against the tomato's! Me against Nature,and varmits,and the like!!! Last Sunday,I began to plant my 20 odd tomato plants. We bought plants,vs starting seeds with the tomato's. I dug a bunch of little holes,added some homemade fertilzer made with coffee grounds and crushed up egg shells. {I read somewhere that tomato's like acid,and coffee is acid}. I didnt dig very big holes,nor plant them very deep. Last Sunday was the hottest day of the year so far,and I got over heated! I planted half of them,and came in to cool off. I was sweating out every cell of my body! I was panting like a dog who had won at the track, I was HOT! So I drank 2 glasses of water,and resigned myself to have a go at it one more time,b/c I still had 9 tomato plants to get in the dirt! Well,I got 6 in the ground before I began to feel bile rising up in my throat! I staggered,literally!, up the hill and into the house. I felt miserable,and then the vomitting began! I have NEVER gotten so over heated,to the point of puking in my life! Im the one who hates days below 70 degree's here,and Its 80 now,and Im drinking coffee! Well,I didnt go back outside after that,for about 2 days. I felt awful. But I knew the plants needed watering,and I wanted to check on them.


I get down the hill,and noticed something very wrong! ALL,save one,plant had been DUG UP,by some varmit!!! I was so mad! I began spewing profanity,and threw me a good ole hissy fit,right there!!! Then,I called my MIL. I asked if it was too late to replant tomato's and proceded in good Redneck fashion to explain to her what happend to my plants! The very ones that almost caused a heat stroke! She was confused at first,she told me in all her years of gardening nothing had ever come along and DUG up tomato's. Maybe eating them off the vine,sure,but not digging them up. I thought to my self, well,if it can,it will,go wrong. So she told me not to go out and buy more plants. She and Nanny {my GM.IL} had plenty extra,from a seed pack Nanny had begun in her living room. So Caleb and I run over there to get said plants. MIL and GMIL were working in the big garden. So I offered a hand,thinking I could learn something! Well,I sure did. I learned that I had gone about my tomato's totally WRONG!!! They too were needing more planted. So they dug holes,and I began placing the small shoots of plants. The holes they dug were massive! I was confused. I asked how deep the shoots need to be planted. MIL told me to the bottom,of the bottom leaves. That ment 6 or more inches of the plants would be in the dirt. HMMM,I thought. I had only scraped away enough dirt to fit the starter dirt in the hole. With all the seeds we had planted,you just had to sow them 1/2 and inch or 1/4 inch deep. basically putting them on the ground and covering with loose soil. Except the cucumbers and squash.You have to make a small hill,but you plant them similar in the top of the mound. Ok,Lesson learned. I was proud that I got to help them,and happy to learn something new!


We get home,about dark,and I commenced to digging holes,and setting my new {free} plants in the dirt. I dug em deep and firmly packed soil around the small plants. I think it was about a dozen. But didnt water them.My waterhose is not long enough to reach that far,and I didnt know where another section of hose was. So the next evening,Thursday,Josh found the hose,and watered. Last night during all my glee,I did have some blahness too. The new plants,except maybe 3 had shrivled up! I had done what I was supposed to,dug em deep,didnt put any homemade fertilzer in the holes,ALL of that! But last evening it looked like only 2,of the new ones,were going to thrive. So now that gives me only 3 tomato plants! I plan to give them some fertileizer before I head south today. Say a prayer and do a dance! The one big plant I have,Im excited about. Its called a Cherokee Tomato. Its flesh is purpley,and red. The little card that came in the small plant holder said that this particular strain is indegenous to TN,and first cultivated by Cherokee Indians. Maybe thats why its thriving. I dont know. All I do know is, I may only have 3 tomato plants worth a dern! But I wont let it get me down! Oh no! I will pick up 4 more plants,and pray I get enough tomato's to can some. Canned tomato's are something I pick up almost every grocery trip. They can be used in so many ways,esp for those like my family,who love them.

This may sound silly,but I dont care if it does. I'm very proud of our garden,thus far. The herbs are doing well. Well,the dill,cilantro,and basil are. Everything else got flooded. I intend to plant more parsley seeds,and maybe a sage and thyme plant. I can live without rosemary. But I love thyme. I've read that cilantro is persnickity to grow. I've had no trouble.

When I saw all the cucumber blooms and seedlings I had planted to have more,I thanked God then and there! HE knows we need our garden. My Dr. has been begging me to find something to DO,that relaxes me. SUggesting yoga,mediation,prayer. Well,I pray,but I have found pulling weeds super theraputic! And its a work out too. There are many weeds still in our garden patch,but Im proud of my family and the genuine effort we have put forth,thus far to help sustain us,and learn. I try to find soemthing to teach my kids,and myself every day. Well this has surely been and will be a learning experience! Plus,in the trying times around us,with the price of food rising,maybe this will help my little family along. And in learning how to garden,and grow things,I can in turn teach my kids how to self sustatin as well. We are all in a circle of life,so to speak. My foremothers HAD to garden to feed their families. I happen to GET to. Maybe they were giddy too over cucumber blooms!

Today I cooked something very traditional

Today,I put a 12lb turkey in the oven. Yes,I know its not Nov. but the turkey was onsale at Easter,and since its one of those cook a long time once,have many leftovers kind of item,I baked it today. My guys,husband and 2 sons, dont know it yet,but we're going ot be eating that turkey in various form all weekend. Tonight the big bird,really not that big,more like the size of a big ole hen, was roasted in the oven. I picked up some McCormick marinade season packs onsale this week. Since there is cilantro coming up very well in my new herb bed,that used to be a flower bed, I decided to go with a zippy kid of flavor theme for it. I mixed the Mojito/Lime marinade pack with some olive oil,a few extra dashes of salt,and a few splashes of cider vinegar.I snipped a handful of cilantro,and me and the bird went into business. I washed and dried him in the sink,then put him in my normal size roasting pan. I undid the breask skin,and slathered him up with the wet seasoning mix,on top of that,I added the fresh cilantro.Into his cavities,dont forget the neck, I chunked a vidalia onion,and some cilantro. I inverted him for the first hour of cooking. As the bird was finishing, I had to figure out quick what to fix with him.
hmmm, what goes good with turkey? Duh,Dressin. and NO,its NOT stuffing. i had a day old loaf of french bread from the bread rack at Kroger, opend up 2 boxes of cornbread stove top,and had my bread for dressing.
I pause to say that dressing is NOT intimidating. I've been the one for the past several years making it at my Memaws grand ThanksGiving dinner and no one has commented on how it does not taste like Sue's. The traditional way is with fresh and stale cornbread,homemade buiscuits,broth richly made from the innards of the turkey,herbs,and celery and onion.
Tonight that was not the case. I didnt have any cornbread,stale or otherwise on hand,nor did I have any buiscuits made from scratch. So I,like my foremothers,improvised! I heated some margerine,yes the dreaded M word,Im on a budget,so what can I say,I didnt use butter tonight. Oh well. I chopped up 3 stalks of celery,yes,organic,and yet another vidalia was chopped. I sweated my veggies. In the mean time,I started up some quick broth. I heated about 4 or 5 cups of water into which 2 large knorr chicken bullion cubes were added,some salt,and some poultry seasoning,and a dash of RUBBED,NEVER the other kind,of SAGE. I let it boil full on a few minutes,then turned it down,to give the illusion of depth. I got Josh to cut up the loaf of french bread,no,its not the least bit French.I added the cornbread crumbs into the bread,and gave it a shake. Then went in the broth. Whoops! I forgot to add the sage first. I thought I made a critical error.I added the sage,then the onions and celery that sweated very nicely in Granny's skillet. then went in the eggs,fresh from our friends KY farm! since the breads soaked up all the broth very fast,I added some milk to the eggs.shhh....don't tell my Memaw that! Into a 9x13 pan went the dressing.
I realized too late in the game I didn't have any cranberry sauce. So I opend up a jar of home canned apple butter,threw in a handful of frozen raspberries,a dollop of Nathan's brand spicy mustard,and a squirt of horseradish sauce. My kids loved it!
My family,my guys,as call them very much enjoyed my spin and twist on an otherwise borning kind of meat. turkey is one of my favorite meats b/c its so versitle,and cheap. Well,cheap at certian times of the year. I've been conciously watching more and more when certian items are onsale at steep discounts. Thanksgiving gets you turkey at .37c a lb. So this past year,I bought 3.and we zipped through them. Mainly b/c we like to have company. I wont say entertain,but Josh does at times break out the guitar. Anyway, You make cringe when a friend tells you we're having roast turkey for supper when you come over. That is,unless your friend is ME. Not to brag,but I can bake a bird,ANY bird. I think youre born having that ability.There are things I can't cook well,however,like bacon. Simple yes,easy for me,NO.I make it half raw on one end and burnt on the other.every time! So Josh brings home the bacon AND cooks it!
My Memaw is the one who taught me how to make dressing. I make mine like hers. My Mama's is great,but I like Memaws way better.{no offence Mom,and Maw,whom she learned from}. Im sure manya pan of onions and celery and oil of some sort has been cooked in my iron skillett,and tonight was no exception. What I highly doubt however,is that accompanying the dressing was a mojito lime turkey.