Just thinkin...

I've been thinking and dreaming

 About where I'll be in my future.... What I want for myself. And the only adjectives that come to mind are peaceful, comfy, serene. 
This is where I'd like to live... You could come by and have tea on the front porch with me.

Unless the weather isn't co-operating...
then we could just sit in the kitchen and catch up.

 We could have a few more friends over for lunch and talk about our gardens and grandkids....

.

 

I would love to spend quiet evening hours in here reading and doing my handwork.

And a place for me to have my own quiet time.

Somewhere for my shoes!

Even tho' the weather's just about unbearably hot here in Texas (I think it's at about 20 - 30 days in a row over 100) I just had to find an interesting recipe to cook something different and as it turns out, hot or not, it was a soup.
Of course I've changed the recipe a bit added this and taken that out to make it more to our taste. But all in all, it's just what I had in mind and I can't hardly wait to make a big pot full when the weather cools down.
I bought a pot a few weeks ago. . . . . . 'cause I've realized I tend to fill up whatever pot I'm using and not having a house full, just three of us now, the pot needed to be a little smaller. Anyway, I love the new pot. Not quite as large as the typical dutch oven that comes with a set . . kinda like a saucepan, with the long handle, just bigger than any saucepan I've ever had. I just looked, it's 4 1/2 qt. Perfect size!
So I checked to see what I had around here to mix up something yummy and I end up with a pot of Sausage, Bean and Turnip Green soup. Turnip Greens? Doesn't sound like a typical comination, huh? But it was soooo yummy.

I thought I'd have to "doctor it up" with several spices to get a hearty flavor but, nope, the seasoning from the sausage was perfect........ in fact, go easy on the salt until you've tasted your soup.
So here you go:

In a large pot cook 1 lg. chopped onion in 1 T. olive oil until onion is soft. Remove "skins" from the links of 1 Lb. Hot Italian Sausage, discarding the "skin", add sausage to the onions. Stir the meat breaking it up into chunks as it cooks.Fix up a pan of corn bread and you're gona love it!
Cook until not quite browned.
Add 1 can diced tomatoes (You can use a regular size can or a large...
depending on your tastes for tomatoes), 2 (15.5 oz.) cans cannellini
beans (rinsed), 1 1Lb. bag frozen collard, mustard or turnip greens, 3 cans low
sodium chicken broth, 1/2 tsp. pepper and bring to a hard boil.
Reduce heat to a light boil with lid on pot for 45-60 minutes.
Remove lid and continue to boil lightly till it reduces to a much thickersoup, 30-60 minutes or so. I like the soup to cool then I taste it to get an accurate sense of if it needs salt. Remember, Don't add any salt until it's finished cooking.

Yummy Treats

I haven't posted in so - so long and I've had every intention of getting my thoughts and ideas for a post together but since it's been so long and I've had a few people ask me for a some recipes... this first new post isn't going to be about what all's been going on... how miserably hot it's been here for weeks and weeks or what we did this summer or the new grandbaby, altho' I am gona get to the grandbaby, Caylee AnnMarie, just born 8 days ago, real soon.
We had our monthly brunch today with the sweet, wonderful ladies at our church this morning and I decided to take a couple treats made with the recipes from Kristy over at www.owenscrew.blogspot.com . Kristy is the mom of Trey and Emery who you've seen on my blog and on Bleah's blog, www.blondeforchrist.blogspot.com. I am their "Grammie". I began keeping Trey, now 5 1/2 and one week into kindergarten, when he was newborn.... then along came Emery, or "Emmie Lou-Who", as I like to call her and she's still here with me. So special both of them.... Ooops, sorry, I said this was gona be about the recipes....
First the Corn Dip... mmmm so yummy!

Here are the ingredients:

•2 cans fiesta style corn


•2 cups shredded fiesta blend cheese


•1 cup shredded parmesan cheese


•1 small can jalapenos OR green chiles (depending on how spicy you want it!)


•1 cup of mayo
Mix it all together in a good size bowl.........

Put it in an 8x8 dish and


bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 an hour.


Serve with Tortilla Chips.
I think there are alot of things I could do with this recipe to have something different everytime I mix it up.
I used a small can of mild chili peppers and even tho' I usually don't care for spicy food.... just a few spicy chili's or some jalepeno might have been better. When I went to get the mexican corn I noticed they now have something similar with black beans in the can, too. I wasn't brave and I shoulda been. I think the black beans would have been great! Serve this with tortilla chips. Keep them close to the dip. Today the ladies were thinking it was a side dish and just eating it like that.

I also made the party sandwiches from Kristy's recipe! Neither one of took pics of them, but here's the recipe.







•1 12-count package Hawaiian rolls


•6 slices ham


•6 slices Swiss cheese (Kraft Deli Fresh package)


•1/2 cup butter, melted


•1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce (I used more...)


•1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds


•1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard


•1 tablespoon dried minched onion


Cut rolls in half. Cut ham & cheese into 4ths. Layer 2 slices ham & 2 slices cheese alternately on rolls. Place in 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Combine butter, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, mustard, and onion in a small bowl. Pour over sandwiches. Cover with foil and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Back covered for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.
For these.... maybe some corned beef to go with the mustard one time.... and on a potato roll. I've never been a big fan of the Hawaiian rolls but someone special loves them so I did make mine just like the recipe. Next time my bunch gets together I think I'll be using her recipe exactly and who knows what changes. It really was so easy..... it was difficult to pour a liquid over the sandwiches the first time out but it all went well!
Thank you, thank you, Kristy!!!

Now this is for Miss Linda who's been waiting for awhile for me to get this posted.....

Spiced Bacon Twists



1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar


2 Tablespoons Dry Mustard Powder


1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon


1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg


1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper


1 Pound Sliced Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
With a baking sheet that has sides to catch the grease, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the foil.
Stir together the brown sugar, mustard powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl.
Press each slice of bacon into the mixture until well coated.
Twist each strip a few times and place on the prepared baking rack.
Bake until the bacon is browned and crisp enough to hold its shape which takes about 30 minutes.

I have a couple new soup recipes that are so yummy. They'll be on here soon, too. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did.
Blessings!!!

Pot Likker Soup

 My sister, Tammy was thinking of me a couple weeks ago and I'm so glad!

She lives in Florida and she and her husband run Aunt Catfish's on the river restaurant in Port Orange and she sent me an email telling about this soup they serve at lunch time.

Well, I just don't think there's anything better than a bowl of blackeyed peas or greens with a slice of tomato and fresh cornbread so when I saw this and realized they're both in this soup I asked.... "How did I not know about this before?"
I have friends out here in Texas who call themselves southerners but I wasn't so sure they truly are.... I mean, I love 'em but they kinda screw up their faces like they smell something bad when I mention something like this soup.
I changed the recipe just a little bit after I made the first pot and I have to say, I like it better with the changes.
This is my version.....
Start with 2 lbs, about four bunches of collar greens. Remove and discard the stems.Wash 'em in cold water and tear 'em into about 1" pieces. Bring to a boil in a large pot covered with water, drain, and repeat.

 Cut 2 lbs of boneless ham into large chunks, place in a bowl, toss with 2 - 4 tablespoons of hot sauce. I used Lousiana Hot Sauce because I wanted flavor more than heat. ( I used 6 Tablespoons and I don't like spicy food!)
Put the ham and hot sauce in a large pot with 3 tablespoons heated olive oil cooking over med high about 8 - 10 minutes until the meat is brown. DON'T try to skip this part.... This creates the base flavor for the yummy pot likker.


Add 3 med onions, chopped and 2 - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped and cook until the onions are tender.
Add 1 cup pork jowls cut into small pieces (The original recipe doesn't call for jowls but it really adds to the flavor.) and cook just two minutes more.

Now it's time to add the greens, and a good 4 cups of fresh turnips you've peeled and cubed. I like them to be good size. The recipe calls for potatoes...... I think the turnips are better.

You add 4 cans of blackeyed peas and/or field peas, drained or 4 16oz bags of the peas, frozen, 4-5 cans of chicken broth, 2 cups of water 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Cook another hour..

You can used field peas...  blackeyed peas or crowder peas or whatever you choose. Just know... this is southern cooking at it's best.

Make a pan of plain old corn bread..... I don't care for sweet corn bread for a meal like this personally.

2011

Okay. This is a new year and I want to be more diligent about posting. Even tho' it seems to me, all I have to say is pretty frivoless and probably of interest to very few... I'm gona try!


What's first, to me, is pretty great. Iggie showed me this on her own blog. She's decided for who knows what reason to take a month off from blogging and for her that's major. She blogs several times a day sometimes and has 263 followers and some of them she's become pretty close friends with.

But, she broke her respite... already.... for this....




I hope you enjoy.