Funeral Potato Casserole

Another traditional family recipe that needs to be passed on to my daughters. 

I first came across this yummy dish during holiday dinners with B's family as newlyweds. They didn't call it funeral potatoes. I believe it was called Cheese-y Potatoes. 

The name "funeral potatoes" just sort of happened because it was (is) a popular dish to serve at an LDS  funeral reception.

Easter ham, carrots & rolls is what I usually serve when I make funeral potatoes. I've made them for Nanny Family #1 a few times too. C loves them so much, she is making some for her & G's Christmas dinner this year. 

Funeral Potatoes (serves 6, generous portions)

What you need:

• 30-32 oz  diced style hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom or 1/2 can of both)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup of onion (make the onion pcs very tiny! Grating the onion works for me)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt & Pepper, to taste (usually about 1/2 tsp each works)
• 1 stick of real butter, melted
• 1 generous cup of crushed corn flakes
• 3 T melted real butter

What you do:

• In a lg bowl, combine soup, sour cream, onion, cheese, melted butter, salt & pepper
• Add in the potatoes & gently stir mixture
• Pour into a 9x13 cake pan (use a foil pan for easy cleanup)
• In a small bowl, combine the corn flake crumbs with 3 T of melted butter
• Sprinkle this over the top of potatoes
• Bake in a preheated oven... 350 degrees, uncovered, for about 50 minutes

Yes, Gracie & Zee Still Live Here!

I happened to notice it has been some time since I blogged about Gracie & Zee! Yes, they are alive & make me happy whenever I'm feeling low. Gracie is 6.5 years old & Zee is a year younger. Gracie is a huge cat compared to Zee though according to the vet, Zee is as overweight as Gracie... 

3.5 lbs to be exact!

So, they both have a prescription food diet for the next 12 weeks. Each cat is allowed 5/8 cup of food per day! I split the dosage in half since they get fed twice a day. 

I've invested in 2 automatic feeding dishes. Each contraption contains 2 separate bowls, one for each cat. I put the measured food into the dishes, close the lids, set the timer & when the timer hits the selected time, the lids pop open allowing the cats to eat their food.

They've been on this diet for a week. They cry, mew, head-bump me & do everything they can think of to let me know they are hungry. 

It breaks my heart to hear them beg! 

Then finally! The lid pops open, they eat every morsel! 

I must be strong, too much weight on indoor, older cats is not a good thing!

They seem to have gotten over their terrible behavior from last year. I know more about displaced fear in cats & have been able to get them through their episodes quickly. Episodes which have all but disappeared THANK GOODNESS!

And that is the latest Gracie & Zee update.

Monkey Bread!

When T was in Kindergarden, her teacher, Mrs. G gave the class her Monkey Bread recipe. It was called Monkey Bread because the recipe is so simple, even a monkey could make this sweet treat! 

I was a young mother, looking for Christmas traditions for my family. B grew up with his mom making cinnamon sweet rolls but I knew anything involving yeast would not be something I could do! 

Imagine how happy I was when, after tasting the completed recipe, I knew this was something not only could I do, but also involve the girls while making it!

It has been our Christmas morning staple ever since 1993! 

This year, B & I will be in VA with Carlotta & her parents. We will have Monkey Bread there. 

C cannot make the trip so she will be making her own & introducing her fiance to the tradition of making it together & letting it bake while stockings are opened up.

Monkey Bread

What you need:

• Tube pan or bundt pan
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 ct) ... NO flaky layers! Lg recipe = 4 tubes  Sm recipe = 2 tubes
• 1 cup white granulated sugar (1/2 c for sm recipe)
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (1/4 c for sm recipe)
• 1 T cinnamon (1 & 1/2 tsp for sm recipe)
• 1 stick of real, salted butter (1/2 stick for sm recipe)

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Open & separate biscuits
• Cut each biscuit into 4 pcs
• In a lg Ziploc style bag, mix the sugars & cinnamon together
• Put a few biscuit pcs into the bag of sugar & shake to coat
• Keep adding in biscuit pcs until all pcs are coated w sugar mixture
• Spray bundt pan w nonstick cooking spray
• Drop in coated biscuit pcs, along w any remaining sugar mixture
• Melt the butter & drizzle over the top of everything in the bundt pan
• Bake for 40 minutes (only bake 30 minutes for sm recipe)
• Place a lg plate over the bundt pan & turn the whole thing upside down
• Allow a few minutes for the butter to drizzle downwards before removing the pan
• CAREFUL! It is hot!

Enjoy!

Freezer Meals

C is trying to save some $$. Food is cheaper when buying in bulk so she's going to try cooking a bigger meal then freezing half of it for another day. Whenever I could, I tried to do the very same thing at her age but more to save me time rather than $$. 

She's requested a few freezer friendly menu ideas so here goes...

These were some of the meals C grew up eating because they froze well:

• Ham & Broccoli Bake (B requested this one often, mostly on his special days)
• Shepherds Pie
• Stuffed Taco Pasta Shells
• Beef Stew
• Meatloaf Muffins
• Chicken Azteca (note to self: add the cream cheese AFTER reheating but BEFORE serving)
• Pizza Casserole (new pasta recipe we LOVE, should freeze well)

If C is reading this & needs a specific recipe, she knows how to reach me! I do have a few recipe magazines somewhere in the house that have "freezer friendly" recipes in them she may like as well.

Menus of Days Past

Below are 2 photos of the meals my girls would eat as they grew up. Once or twice a month, I would make my grocery list according to what they chose on this list. I found this tucked away in my desk. I haven't needed it since 2006! B & I still eat some of the meal choices. I added a few more near the end before posting the pics. The unnumbered suggestions became favorites after T left home.

Quick & Easy Shepherds Pie

C has requested another one of my recipes! Another comfort food dish for the upcoming cold days of winter. So many varieties of this dish, but my kids liked the recipe below.

Shepherds Pie (serves 4-6)

What you need: (for the filling)

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 diced onion
• 1-2 carrots, diced small
• 1 cup frozen peas (or corn or a mixture of both)

What you do:

• Saute the beef, onions & carrots until the meat is browned & veggies are tender
• Drain well
• stir in the peas/corn

What you need: (for the gravy)

• 1 lg can of brown gravy

OR...

• 2T butter
• 2T flour
• 1 can (about 14 oz) beef stock
• 2 tsp Worcestershire

What you do: (for the gravy)

• In a saucepan, melt the butter
• add in the flour
• cook for about 1 minute, stirring all the time
• slowly add in the stock & Worcestershire w wire whisk
• bring to a boil
• reduce heat & simmer, while stirring, until thickened
• Once you've made your gravy, add in the meat/veggies & pour into a 2 qt casserole dish

What you need: (for the potato topper) ps, I've used store made potatoes w good results

• 2 lbs peeled, cubed & boiled until soft, russet potatoes
• 2T sour cream
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 lg egg yolk
• S&P to taste
• paprika, for color

What you do:

• After the potatoes are soft, drain well
• add in creams, yolk, S&P
• mash well
• spread on top of the mixture in casserole dish
• sprinkle w paprika
• Place under broiler for about 5 min. to "crisp" the potatoes or in a 350 oven for about 30 min.

A Chocolate Fix for Dessert

Monday night.

Friends.

Food.

Cards.

Laughter.

Good times.

Tonight's new dessert was... Chocolate Cobbler. 

I mistakenly kept calling it Chocolate Crumble! 

Whatever. It was still very good!

CHOCOLATE COBBLER  (serves 6-9)

can be served warm or cool

What you need:

• 8X8 baking dish, greased
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 6T unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 6T unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels
• 1 & 1/2 cup of very hot water

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a medium bowl, combine together flour, white sugar, 3T cocoa, baking powder & salt
• In another bowl, whisk together milk, melted butter & vanilla
• Slowly add the liquids to the dry ingredients & stir to combine (batter will be thick)
• Pour into the greased baking dish
• In another bowl, combine the brown sugar & 3T cocoa powder
• Sprinkle over the batter, evenly
• Sprinkle on the chocolate morsels
• Pour the hot water over top... DO NOT STIR!
• Cook in oven for 40 minutes Remove from oven & let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving
• Serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Sandy from Texas (not the squirrel in SpongeBob!)

I do miss my friend, Sandy, from Texas. She lived here in NH for a bit & greatly influenced me. She was smart, funny & has a strong testimony of the Gospel. 

Alas, she missed her family too much & returned to Texas in 2005-06. 

She's a great cook too! Most of her meals were made using every person who would be eating it! 

All had something to do to bring the meal together.

Every year, when the fresh tomatoes get here, I try to make her Pico de Gallo recipe. C loves it!

B & I loved her Breakfast Burritos & for some strange reason, we never made them after she moved back  home! Somewhere along the line, I lost her recipe.

Thanks to our "Words with Friends" rivalry, I finally remembered to ask her for it & she obliged!

Breakfast Burritos:

(feeds 6)

• 6 large flour tortillas
• 10 eggs
• 6 strips of bacon
• Small bag of frozen hash brown cubes (maybe half… you can adjust as needed)
• Butter as needed for cooking hash browns
• Salsa of your choice (I use Pace)
• Cheddar cheese (grated)

• Cook bacon crispy then crumble up
• Cook hash browns (I use butter liberally) with crumbled bacon until golden brown
• Whisk eggs and add to the cooked hash browns
• Season… I use salt, pepper, cayenne, season salt, onion powder, garlic powder
• Don’t over cook egg mixture.

• Heat tortillas, add cheese and egg/potato mixture, roll up and eat!!

Super easy!

Thank you so much, Sandy!

Guess what we are having on my Monday night to cook for friends? Mmmmm!

Tale of 2 Apple Crisps

It is AUTUMN! 

Apple season is in full swing & my daughter, C, has requested my apple crisp recipe.

I must give proper recognition to Sister C. Thompson for giving me this recipe! 

For years I made the standard apple crisp recipe with brown sugar & oatmeal. It was good, but neither of my daughters really liked the taste/texture, until they tried this recipe! They were hooked!

Apple Crisp (oatmeal free)

What you need:

For the filling:

• 5-6 smallish, apples, firm, tart variety (I've used 3-6 different varieties in 1 recipe!)
• 1 cup of white granulated sugar (you can use less sugar or even a mixture of white & brown)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the crisp:

• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 cup white flour (this is NOT a healthy recipe so no need for healthy flour!)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 sticks melted salted butter (REAL BUTTER! Tho you can use a bit less)
• chopped walnuts (optional)

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the filling:

• Peel & core the apples.
• Thinly slice the apples, keeping pieces as close to uniformity as possible.
• Add the sugar & cinnamon, mix well
• Pour mixture into a 9"pie pan or 8"x8" square pan (Use disposable ones for easy clean-up)

For the crust:

• Combine all ingredients & mix well
• Spread over the apple mixture in the pan 
• Bake @ 350 for about 45 minutes or until the apples are soft & crust is crispy.
• Enjoy it warm, with some vanilla ice cream!

Owwwies!

After a few years of being pretty much, PAIN-FREE!, my bone spurs (plantar fasciitis) have once again FLARED their painful heads!

My fault, I know. 

I stopped "doing" anything which I knew would cause me pain... like walking more than what was required for my day. Also, I kept putting off buying myself new shoes for so long there was no longer any arch support!

With my new responsibilities at Nanny Family #1, I mean #4... comes the task of walking their 1 year old dog every day, for about 1.5 miles.

The first couple of days weren't too bad. Took me longer than an hour to complete the 1.5 miles because of my inactivity. By the end of the 1st week, I was beginning to feel some pain. 

Foolishly, I ignored it & continued on. 

Bad mistake!

I let my pain get too bad before I began to care for myself... what a dummy!

Thankfully, I still have all my foot supports, nighttime splints and Ibuprofen!

I've got myself new shoes w/awesome arch supports & I do my calf stretches whenever I can.

Because I let the pain get so bad, I know there is still going to be pain as my feet re-adjust to their correct positions... its gonna hurt a lot more before it gets better!

Silver lining, after a month of walking their dog, it only takes me 45 minutes to complete the 1.5 miles 

& 

that's w/letting Dasher sniff everything! 

Green Peppers Make Me Burp.

It is true. Green peppers make me burp. Cucumbers also give me the belches, but there are no cucumbers in this recipe, unless you serve a salad alongside the casserole.

Another Monday night meal, tried out on friends as well as C & G who stopped by for a free meal. It appeared to be successful & I know C will want the recipe... here we go!

note: I liked mine with a bit of sour cream & black olives.

Stuffed Pepper Cheese-y Casserole

serves 10-12

What you need: 

• 2 cups of COOKED rice (use 2 Success Rice boil bags & add some chicken broth to the water)
• 1 lbs ground chuck (ground beef is fine too, but has more fat)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 lg green peppers, diced (due to my burping problem, I used 1 pepper & it came out fine!)
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1- 29 oz can- petite diced tomatoes, drained well
• 3- 14 oz cans- tomato sauce (I use plain, but may try garlic or basil tomato sauce)
• 2- 10 oz bags- frozen style corn kernels, cooked according to directions
• 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, salt & black pepper
• 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used 3 cups)

Before starting... cook the rice! Set it aside.

Best made in a stock pot/dutch oven style pot.

What to do:

• Brown the ground chuck, drain & set aside
• Using the same pot, heat the oil on Med/Hi
• Add in the onions & green peppers
• Saute until softened, about 5-10 min, stirring occasionally
• Add in tomatoes, sauce, corn, garlic powder, salt & pepper, stir well
• Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat & simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in the cooked rice & cooked meat
• Pour mixture into a 9x13 baking dish
• Top with cheese
• Bake @ 350 for 12-15 minutes or until cheese melts

Comfort Food is Chicken & Stuffing

C moved out back in May to a place about 20 minutes from my kitchen. She & G have limited experience in the kitchen but they are trying! She called & asked for this recipe so here it is!

Crock Pot Chicken & Stuffing  

serves 4

What you need:

• 4 thawed, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I sub 2 breasts w/6-8 boneless, skinless thighs)
• 1 box (6 oz) of your favorite dry stuffing mix (I like Pepperidge Farm flavors)
• 1 can  cream of chicken soup (if you find the finished product too salty, use reduced sodium soup)
• 1/2 cup  sour cream
• 1/4 cup water

What you do:

• Place the chicken pcs in bottom of the slow cooker
• Sprinkle the dry stuffing over the chicken
• Mix together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl 
• Pour mixture evenly over the stuffing... DO NOT STIR!
• Cover & cook on LOW for 4 hours (check on it in 3 hours, chicken needs to be cooked through)
• Fluff the stuffing & serve w/a side of green beans & cranberry sauce!

Another Nanny Job comes to a close...

Only a smidge over 2 weeks to go before the 3 kids in Nanny Family #3 return to school! 

All of them will be in school for the whole day, even E! Their mom would love for me to remain their caretaker but I needed more $$ than she could afford.

I'm hopeful when she remarries next month, they find a home within the Exeter Ward boundaries so I can still be connected to the kids!

With my monthly car payment & C's school loans needing to be repaid this meant I had to look elsewhere for a paycheck to keep up with the payments.

Thankfully, I didn't have to go too far to find employment!

Nanny Family #1 is now Nanny Family #4!

Mom (K) is starting a new job in September & was in need of someone to drive the 3 kids to & from their respective schools, be there to walk the dog during the day, be there if any of the kids was too sick for school & of course, the holidays & vacations when school would be closed.

Lest there be some confusion about why me & not Dad (B)... 

the parents separated since my last time with them so he isn't around to help out with the transportation & puppy.

She'll be able to pay me $300 more a month than what I made this past year so the above mentioned bills can be paid! My gas & food can be purchased as well! 

And with B's recent promotion, we should be good to go!

A wedding is coming up in 2 years! C & her fiance, G got engaged last month! Whoohoo!

I need to get thinner for the event! Let's hope with all the free time I have between drop-off & pick-up, 

I can get some exercise to quicken my weight loss. 

Walking their very active dog will certainly help! 

In Summer!

Ok, my summer vacation with Nanny Family #3 is now 13 days old. 

What have we done in the summertime?

• Joels' pool... free & fun!
• Kingston State Park... to swim, play & picnic, 2X only, E caught a virus in her intestines. 
• Splash Pad/Playground in Derry... FREE! 
• Nanny Family #1 house... kids, trampoline, zipline, slip & slide 
• Movie/BK Playground... for rainy days or super hot ones! 
• My house... for water gun battles, toys & hot lunch, usually
• Their house... A/C & so their cousin could be somewhere familiar as I watched him for a day.
• A-Maze-Ments! Indoor maze fun!

What else will we do in the summertime?

• Beach, at the ocean! As of 7/31/14, still too cold to swim at beach!
• Pawtuckaway Lake... if advisories go away! Stupid fowl fecal matter! update: advisory still up!
• Field of Dreams to hike & play & picnic... haven't made it, as of 7/31/14
• Rotate the activities from the above list
• Swimming lessons (if mom remembered to sign them up) haven't heard yet if she did!

Might be too soon to say if it was a good summer, but thus far, my greatest fears of having a horrible summer with misbehaving kids HAS NOT HAPPENED! YEAH!!

update 7/31/2014...
All in all, continues to be a good summer! Busy, but good. Very few behavioral issues and when they do show up, they are dealt with in a quick appropriate manner.

Quick 30-ish Minute Meal Recipe

Hello!

It's been a while, I know! 

I've been busy... watching kids, over 50 hrs a week since September. I've been busy in my Nursery calling at Church (5 out of 8 were 18 months old until recently). Granddaughter, T & M came up to visit. C graduated & moved in w/G. B began his new position at work.

I haven't tried new recipes out in quite some time. The one I tried tonight on my Monday night friends was a hit! Yes, they told me it was good but their son, D, had 3 servings & saved some aside for later so I knew it had to be good! He's so picky! 

I came home w/an empty pot, always a good indicator the recipe was a success!

It's fast to assemble & not too many ingredients. This was key for me in my busy life.

STUFFED FRENCH BREAD   serves 6

What you need:

• 1 loaf of French bread (I found single serving size French rolls which worked great)
• 1- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 2T finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can (approx 14 oz) cream of mushroom soup
• 2T milk
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• S & P, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 T chopped parsley (optional)

What you do:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Cut loaf in half, lengthwise
• Scoop out the soft center & set pcs aside in a large bowl
• Line a cookie sheet w foil & place hollowed bread on it, set aside
• Brown ground beef with the onions & drain well
• Add in garlic & celery. Cook for a few minutes until celery is tender
• Add in soup, milk & Worcestershire sauce. Season w/S&P
• Stir & cook about 5 minutes
• Add this beef mixture to the bits of bread in the large bowl & mix well
• Pour mixture into 1/2 of the hollowed loaf.
• Top w/cheese
• Place other half of hollowed loaf on top 
• Bake in oven about 10 minutes or until cheese melts
• Remove from oven & let sit about 10 minutes before slicing into 6 portions

notes:

• I found single serving French rolls & made individual servings
• I added some sliced black olives on my serving & found it even more delish!
• I cooked the mixture & hollowed out the bread at lunchtime when I had more free time. Then I put it in my crock pot on WARM until dinnertime. Then at dinner, I could just assemble & bake.
• I liked the "crunch" of the bread from the oven, but I found it tasted just as yummy straight from the microwave after 30 sec- 1 min to melt the cheese.
• Reminded me of a gooey steak & cheese sub or an alternative sloppy joe 

She Has Come & Gone!

As I tearfully waved goodbye to the little 4 yr old in the pink car seat this morning, I was reminded how fast time goes by! Carlotta, T & M came up for a visit & to see C graduate from college. Seven days every 9 months or so just isn't enough time for me (nor her) to do all we want to do together! SIGH.

They left for home w/o us knowing when the next time a visit will be possible. I'm jobless in September until I find a replacement family. Oh well, I have fond memories of our short week together & love her tiny personality she is developing. I can do w/o the meltdowns, but I'm not the one who has to deal w/those! Good luck T & M!

A Graduation, A Move Out & a Visit...

and, oh yeah...  several May birthdays, a 50th wedding anniversary for R&C, Mothers Day, Memorial Day and thats just what I can remember about the events of the next few weeks!

So, C finished school yesterday & moved out of our home & into her 1st apartment w/her boyfriend, G. A cute, little 1 bedroom in a neighboring town, about 20 minutes away. It's bigger than she had described & easy for me to find, though it's on the 2nd floor.

She graduates on the 10th. T, M & Carlotta will be here to help celebrate the event! C really wanted her graduation dinner to be at the new hibachi grill in town, KUME, so while the place is a bit pricey, that's where we will have her dinner!

I'm so very proud of her & happy she stuck it out for 4 years! She'll be glad she did this too as she continues to advance in her chosen field of retail management.

R&C celebrated their 50th anniversary last month, but their big party is being held this Saturday.  My own birthday is Sunday, May the Fourth be with me!

Then, T, M & Carlotta will arrive by train, late Thursday night for a week-long visit. (technically, M is only here until the Monday morning but I'm so glad he was able to visit this time!) 

Mothers Day will fall during their visit which makes me very happy! I've invited a few friends over who have never met M to play games & have Frogmore Stew! Yum!

Several siblings & siblings in-law celebrate birthdays this month. My good BFF has a May birthday. The oldest child, N, of my current Nanny Family, C & M all have end of the month birthdays!

Busy, busy, busy on top of working, Church, chores & adjusting to B's promotion schedule. 

Deep breaths  

Second 2014 School Vacation... DONE!

Phew! After enduring a horrendous week-long February vacation w/the 3 kids, I was skeptical about making through the April week off in a pleasant frame of mind. Thankfully, my worst fears were never realized & the week went by quickly & w/no drama or horrible behavior! Phew!

The weather was wonderful, sunny & cool. Perfect spring weather for New England! Both girls, A & E, rode their bikes & played in the sandbox. They needed very little interaction from me. What wonderful imaginations these 2 girls have when playing! 

The oldest boy N, is in AAA Little League so I played catch w/him. He really enjoyed the "1 on 1" time w/o having to share w/his sisters. He is a very happy boy when a grown up is paying exclusive attention to him! I love the sound, "thwap" when the ball hits the leather glove! His aim & his power are good enough to make this activity FUN!  

Oh, I have missed playing catch! My girls were never into the whole sports thing & when they did try to play catch, their aim wasn't very good so it was more like... chasing ball instead of catching! Oh well! I love my girls anyway!

I learned how to make N laugh! My senior moments gave him the giggles, big time! Like when I couldn't find my keys & leaving my phone at Burger King! Yeah, he laughed a lot this week! I am also very sick of the soundtrack to Frozen, the Disney movie! N sat in the front seat & controlled our music on my touch screen in the car. He hit the songs w/mens voices in it, over & over! All last night, "Fixer Upper" & "Frozen Heart" were in my mind on a loop track! Ugh!

The week is done! Now I am in full "Carlotta preparation!" She, T & M will be here during Mothers Day weekend to help celebrate Cs COLLEGE GRADUATION! Yep, C is graduating from SNHU! Too much excitement for this old lady in the upcoming weeks! Bring it on!

I should also mention that B applied for a promotion several months ago. Having done a similar move a while back & not getting promoted, he was skeptical yet hopeful as was I. On Thursday, he got the promotion! Came w the expected increase in workload as well as a sizable raise. Congratulations to B & his hard, much appreciated work ethic for supporting his family! Thank you!

Loving Swordfish!

I do not like cooking for myself. B is away in Bermuda, C is at school & T is married, living elsewhere. No on to cook for & no one to cook for me! I usually turn to seafood in this case.

Today, I cubed a swordfish steak into 1" cubes. Then I sauteed the fish cubes, until cooked... which only takes a few minutes. I added a jar of marinara sauce, added some cooked angel hair pasta & VOILA! a healthy, filling & easy meal for 1 w enough leftover for tomorrows lunch. 

BTW... swordfish is the only type of fish I will save for the next day, if there are leftovers.

I like spaghetti this way better than with meatballs.

It'll Be A Bit Longer Before Retirement...

...but I really don't mind when I get right down to it!

C will be graduating from college on May 10th & I cannot be prouder of that fact! 

Many people graduate from college all the time! B & most of his siblings have college degrees. However, on my side, college was never a big deal so many of my relatives never attended & those that did never finished. A few have become successful despite this fact & I'm proud of them.

T attended college for a year & part of a semester before marrying & beginning a family.

We helped C secure funding for her 4 years. She did a good job, on her own,  in getting grants, scholarships & a free dorm room (through her RA position) so college tuition was cheaper than it could've been, but it wasn't free!

Come October, we will have a hefty bill to pay monthly for the next 10 years. She plans on co-habitation w/her boyfriend, G, after graduation. She & G have promised to assist in paying off these loans as quickly as we can. 

I believe her. 

I hope she can show restraint when she sees clothes & shoes on sale! She does need nice clothes to do her job, but doesn't need something from every sale she sees! As for "things" for her new living arrangements, between what we don't use & his family, the only thing they'll need is sheets! 

Maybe some curtains.

So as long as I can continue working, full-time, there will be no problems. To those reading this entry, I'll be looking for a new bunch of kids to watch full-time, in September, when this position outgrows me! The little one starts Kindergarden then!

C, I am so proud that you have gotten yourself to this point in your life! It will mean so much to you when you look back & realize how little we did to get you here. 

It was all you! 

Great job & I look forward to helping get the loans all paid off ASAP! 

MWAH!

Celebrating The Fourth (birthday of Carlotta!)

This will be a marathon blog entry so... reader... BEWARE!

We put in for time off from work just after Christmas. A long weekend trip to VA to celebrate Carlotta's 4th birthday on Valentines Day! With limited time off, we were going to see her, come hell or high water! Neither of those things came to fruition, but the biggest storm the ENTIRE East Coast has seen in quite a while, sure did! It began in the South & was working its way northward dropping over 12 inches of heavy snow & ice.

We tried our best to adjust our time on the road to best maximize the few hours of clear sailing we had during what is usually a 13-14 hour trip (w/breaks). We left after work on Wednesday night, hoping to get to Scranton, PA before getting a room for the night. We hoped the storm would pass over us & the road crews would have a good handle on the roads as we continued South to VA.

Hahaha!

First, we were doing great! Only 55 miles from Scranton when we stopped for our 1st break, the Welcome Center in PA. After refueling, we drove about 45 miles when I realized my wallet was gone! B told me he would turn around. I think he knew his weekend would be ruined if all I could do was think about all the calls I needed to make to get everything in my wallet cancelled & replaced! 

(Thankfully, I had put all the cash elsewhere in my luggage.) 

In the mountains of PA, exits are few & far between, but he found one & we drove back to the Welcome Center only to find... NOTHING! I saw a broom & dust bin. The paper towel I used to dry my hands was no longer in the trash bin so I figured SOMEONE had to be around. We yelled, knocked... NOBODY!!

 B called a number he found on the bulletin board & left a message. We yelled & knocked one more time just to be sure, still nobody. With a heavy heart & too dehydrated to cry tears, I got back into the truck & we drove away.

Ten minutes later, the phone rings! It was the maintenance worker! She had gone across the street for a quick bite to eat before the store closed. She had my wallet! YEAH! However, as I stated earlier, exits are few & far between in the mountains of PA! We got back to the center just as the 1st snowflakes were falling, just after midnight. B was exhausted! We got a room & he was sleeping before I was even out of the bathroom!

We left @ 8 the next morning & any hopes we had about road crews having a handle on the highway conditions were soon dashed! Each state had their own methods of dealing w/the huge amounts of snow! PA lowered the speed limits. MD plowed, but not necessarily in the correct lanes. West Virginia's 20 miles of road on #81 was the best cleared road. Then we hit VA! Plows of any sort were being pressed into service including road graders. We saw one that was completely KAPUT! from having to do work it wasn't meant to do! None of the states had much in the way of salt or sand either.

B was good. His reputation as a "granny" driver was very helpful! 

We had only 1 scare! A speeding Jeep started skidding into the path of a semi trailer truck which then began to slip & slide into our pathway! A few tense seconds & props to the truck driver who got his rig under control before anyone got hurt! Go slow in these conditions, Jeep operator! It was a good while before he left the slow lane!

The last 25-30 miles of our trip had the worst conditions of all! The ice had adhered to the roads. Slippery conditions, bumpy ruts & drivers who had no idea how to drive in snow made this last leg of our trip South, the worst! Traffic was backed up for the entire last 20 miles! We went straight to the hotel, seeing Carlotta would have to wait until the next morning! B drove 12 hours in some terrible conditions & was again, exhausted. Good Job! 

It would've been about 8 hours in good conditions, BTW.

The city roads were being plowed as quickly as the few trucks they had would allow them to be plowed. T & Ms road wasn't touched until the day we left! Businesses were closed because no snow removal contracts exist in this city! 

B's most often uttered words this weekend... "This is ridiculous!"

Friday morning!

B has 4-wheel drive so getting in & out of their unplowed road was a piece of cake. We picked them up (their car has it's own snow story that will be told when I get to Saturdays events) in the truck & headed out to an IHOP breakfast, followed by a Toys R Us shopping spree! Back to the hotel to play, eat & swim (or soak in the hot tub) then out to a movie (Frozen) & dinner where she got some birthday ice cream & was serenaded by the staff at Red Robins! She had her 1st night away from Momma as she stayed w/us while her parents went back home to prepare for her party being held the next day, hopefully! 

The church parking lot was still covered in snow!

At our sleep over, Carlotta played w/her new tub toys in the very deep hotel tub, watched TV, played shadow puppets w/a flashlight & finally fell asleep just after 10pm. She sleeps "spread eagle" so my sleeping spot on the QUEEN SIZED bed was very, very tiny! 

I really DID NOT MIND ONE LITTLE BIT!

Awoke @ 7ish on SATURDAY! B brought breakfast to us to eat while watching Saturday morning cartoons! She had a few sips of a smoothie, a grape, some Froot Loops & a lot of fresh strawberries! Not too big of an eater we discovered. She remained dry, all night! 

B left us in the hotel room while he went to help dig out M's car. 

While he was away, Carlotta & I played games, she took another toy filled bath, we made obstacle courses in the room so jumping on beds WAS ALLOWED! We went in the elevator to the lobby where we colored & made each other laugh! She behaves super good when Mom & Dad are away! She's good w/them too, but she has loud silly things she does only around them, 

which can get annoying! 

B didn't return for several hours! There was only 1 shovel! AAA would not travel on their road, too slippery. T has an automobile phobia & got the car even more stuck when she helped! B finally bought some tow ropes & after several attempts... the car was on the plowed road nearby! 

They parked it in a nearby dentists office lot that had been miraculously plowed! 

Hopefully, M has learned a lesson. When snow is forecast, do not park in the garage off an alley way where you park in better weather! Find a place where getting your car out is possible! 

Even if you have to walk a'ways!

The rest of the day we went to Carlottas 4th birthday party at the ward building. Michaels family drove up from Radford. They had similar snow stories to tell. The party theme was PIRATES! T did a good job on decorating a cake to look like pirates finding treasure! A few games, some more presents & we headed back to the hotel. Another swimming/hot tub time followed by a dinner @ Longhorns.

Carlotta sat next to me every where we went & I got & gave lots of cuddles! She is cuddly!

SUNDAY! Our departure day!

We met them at Waffle House. Carlotta sat next to me & we talked about me leaving & how we wouldn't see each other until she came up on the train w/Momma & Daddy for Cs college graduation/my birthday/Mothers Day in May. I understand she is now counting the days!

B added 5 mph to his normal speed & we cut out nice restaurants opting for fast food on our trip home. We pulled in a little after 10pm! He did well!

I'm a bit car-lagged (not jet-lagged, but similar) & I miss Carlotta like crazy! I'm glad we were able to spend time w/her. The weather & limited time kept us from visiting Evergreens gravesite, but we left $$$ for flowers so when M, T & Carlotta visit in a week, she'll know we were thinking of her too!

Birthday Parties

A recent FB question posted by T for he job at GUIV got me to thinking about birthday parties I threw (paid for) for my daughters.

In no particular order & for no particular child, here are the "themes" and/or parties I remember (this is key because I don't recall many of the themes anymore!) throwing for T & C on their birthdays. There may also be one or two included in the list where they attended someone elses party & I remember how much they enjoyed it.

Most were home parties, usually w/a theme, such as "Under the Sea," Easter, Bubbles & Cookie Monster. There was the Princess Tea Party where a lady came w her good china, dressed as a princess to serve tea & cake. A fun time at Amazements where we rented a party room for 10 people, served cake & ice cream then let the kids run free onto the indoor playground mazes. A spa day at the hairdressers where they had their hair done up, nails painted etc.

Stampin' Up was a fun party! The girls got to make all sorts of projects using paper & stamps. There was an outside party where we jumped Skip Ball, played hopscotch & limbo-ed. I never did Chuck E. Cheese though they did attend for their friends party once or twice!

Those are ones I can recall. Maybe C & T remember others?  

C is Home, An Even Easier Beef Stroganoff Recipe!

C is almost done w/4 years of college! We got the expected amount B & I will have to pay each month over the next 10 years & it's not very pretty! I will have to work full-time for all of those 10 years!

She has made an appearance here, for the overnight, so no take-out meal for us! She wants real food! In no mood to really cook a big meal, I turned to my recipe box & found this recipe I had forgotten about.

Super Easy Beef Stroganoff  

serves 6

What you need:

• 12 oz wide egg noodles (cook according to package directions)
• 1 (10 oz) can of Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk (optional: I use it because I found the sauce too thick w/o it)
• 1 envelope of onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef, browned & drained
• 5 oz peas (frozen or drained, canned peas)

What to do:

• Add to the cooked ground beef, cream of mush soup, sour cream, milk & onion soup. Stir well.
• Add in the peas & heat through.
• Serve over the hot, cooked egg noodles.

This meal is ready to eat in less than 30 minutes!

Not This Year!

The NE Patriots just lost the AFC Championship game to the Denver Broncos led by P. Manning. Oh... & my ex-favorite player, Wes Welker is on the Broncos team this season! I hope Manning doesn't expect Wes to catch any passes in a Super Bowl! He didn't catch any for NE against the NY Giants in his 2 previous Super Bowl appearances! If he had... NE would have FIVE Super Bowl rings!

Now I must cheer for the Seattle Seahawks (my SIL, Ms, favorite team) They do have a former Patriot coach (Pete Carroll) leading them now, so I guess it's OK. Go, 'hawks!

Easiest Stroganoff Recipe (and it happens to be very tasty too!)

As I sit indoors today because of some very wet & sticky snow falling outdoors, I began cleaning some "clutter" in the house. I came across this recipe which I've tried twice & was yummy, both times! I have no clue as to why I didn't file in my recipe box or post it here before now!

Easy Stroganoff Crock Pot Recipe (serves about 6-8)

What you need:

• 3 lbs. of stew beef (I like an assortment of extra lean & regular)
• 3 cans of Golden Mushroom soup (the regular sized soup cans, not "family size")
• 1 1/2 lg onion, diced
• 4-6 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup water
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of paprika (smoked paprika, if you have it)
• 12 oz of softened cream cheese... to be added near the end of cooking time

What you do:

• Mix together, the soup, onion, Worcestershire, water, garlic salt & paprika in crock.
• Add the beef & stir to coat. (If you wish to "sear" the beef first, it's OK, but not necessary)
• Set crock pot to LOW, cover & cook for 8 hours
• 30 minutes before serving, add in the cream cheese (in small pieces to melt well)
• Re-cover the crock & let the cheese melt.
• Serve over egg noodles or rice or your favorite pasta!

A side salad or veggie would also be nice! I served some sliced, raw mushrooms & those who like mushrooms added them to their own dish. 

This recipe can be frozen! 

Before you add in the cream cheese, that is! 

Just remember to add the cream cheese in after you heat this dish back up to eating temperature!

9 Days In...

Nine days of 2014 & nothing exciting has happened! Phew!

I'm counting the days to our trip to VA for Carlotta's 4th, YES, I SAID FOURTH, birthday celebration! She's growing so fast! I clearly remember her mom's 4th birthday. It fell on Easter that year, so we threw her an Easter themed party! 

I enjoy seeing Carlotta on Skype whenever we can get it connected. Because I work 50+ hours a week, I'm too tired to ask her mother to set up a session in the evenings. I rarely see past 9pm! 

Daily photos, while I enjoy them & would love one every day, have become a nuisance to Carlotta & I'd rather not be known as "the Nonie who insists I wear a smile every day" to her. I don't ask for them anymore. I love getting photos though!

Thanks to menopausal symptoms, I was only a little bit chilly during the latest cold snap to come through NH. A "polar vortex" is what they are calling it! How can I be this old, live in a cold region & never heard of a polar vortex before? Then again, I'd never heard of "El Nino" until I was in my 20s!

The 3 snow events we've had so far in this winter season have been light, fluffy snow, very easy to move. Torrential rain is due in by weeks end so the snow on the ground will absorb the rain, then it will all freeze into a solid mass! Yuck!

See, nothing exciting going on here! I'm boring myself to death just typing this entry! Time for sleep!