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Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Cleaning for the New Year

 OK, I'll admit my house cleaning routine has taken a hit these last 2 years.  Sure, we keep up the necessary stuff.  But when you know that nobody is going to come through your door... why bother to keep the dusting up or chase dust bunnies (or as we say 'dust kittens') from under the furniture?  


I've decided this has to change!  

This year I am going into 2022 with a CLEAN & ORGANIZED house.  As in floor shined and ceiling cob web banished, along with everything between.

Being I completely recognize how lazy I've gotten (no smirking!) I've decided the month of December is just about the right amount of time to get  ~ in sloth cleaning time (I get it done when I get it done).  No working on Sundays or an appointment day.

I'm weirdly excited about this...

Friday, November 26, 2021

ROASTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH CHORIZO

 Did a Gordon Ramsey cooking lesson tonight.  Roast chicken with chorizo stuffing.  Good!




 ROASTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH CHORIZO

 Ingredients

1. • 1 tsp olive oil

2. • 6 ounces chorizo sausage, diced

3. • 1/2 onion, diced

4. • 2 cloves garlic, minced

5. • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, half-dried

6. • 14 oz cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

7. • 1 tsp fresh thyme

8. • 1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs.)

9. • 1 lemon

10. • 1 tbsp olive oil

11. • 1 tbsp paprika

12. • salt and pepper

13. • 1 cup white wine

14. • 1 cup water

15. • 4 sprigs thyme

 (I used more chorizo and beans because it looked so good.  Glad I did!)

 Instructions

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 2. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, beans, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables have softened, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

 3. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity with the sausage mix. Place the lemon in the cavity and tuck the legs together to hold the stuffing and lemon inside.

 4. Rub olive oil on the outside of the chicken. Season with paprika, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a roasting pan. Pour wine and water in the pan with the thyme sprigs. Cover the chicken with aluminum foil and roast the chicken for 1 hour.

 5. Remove foil and continue cooking the chicken for 30 minutes or the internal temperature reads 160 degrees F. Remove chicken from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

 6. Remove the lemon and stuffing from the cavity. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the cooking juices. Strain the juices.

 7. Break down the chicken, cutting the breast, thighs and drumsticks. Drizzle the strained juices onto the chicken and stuffing. Serve.

 By GORDON RAMSAY


Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Red Moon in the Sky

 


The lunar eclipse last Thursday was fantastic!  We had a perfect view from our back door, popping in and out of the 28*F night.  I would call the color it turned more 'rusty' than 'red'.  At least it wasn't cloudy!

However, that viewing added a new thing added to my to-do list...  I've got to get my camera stuff organized!  I'm really discovering I'm nowhere near being as organized as I thought!

My Canon Rebel DSLR, had dead batteries and I couldn't find the charger.  My stand-by Nikon Coolpix is dying and destroying its batteries.  My new cell phone... don't know how to do pictures with it yet.  So my wee little Canon pocket camera was the only one working (tho I don't know where its charger is either) to take a photo with~ although its battery was low too.  

All this stuff was supposed to be in my camera case or a drawer next to my computer.  Just what I need, another project!

Friday, November 19, 2021

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Operation Christmas Child via the 'Net

 
             

It's Operation Christmas Child shoebox time again.  We won't miss it if we can at all help it. 

 In the times BC (Before Covid) we would pick up items throughout the year when I would find a good sale.  Then on 31 October we would make a list of those things we still needed to finish up our boxes.  We would head out for some fun shopping.  After we were done, a meal out ended the evening.

 Can't do that anymore.

 But we can still give OCC shoeboxes!  


By going to the Samaritan's Purse web site you can "build a shoebox online".   https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/    You can select what age and gender you'd like to make a box for.  "Essential" items (school supplies, toothbrush, grooming kit) are then added in.  The "WOW" item is next - doll, stuffies, or soccer ball.  Then comes 3 small toys to pick from a list... (I wonder how many harmonicas are throw far away by a mama who is sick of hearing them?)   Two accessories are next... we pick flip flops and a T shirt.  Your box is now full!

 Final thing to do is to include a note and photo to go in the box (so get a nice picture of your family ready in advance).

 The total cost for using the build a box option is $25 - which includes the $9 shipping & handling costs.  All that stuff inside for only $16... what a bargain.   And if you wish, you can add $6 to fund a Bible school afterwards for each of the children.  This is where they will hear what these boxes are all about.

 This year we did 6 boxes... 

I picked for my three boxes to go to baby girls in the age range of 2 years to 4 years old.  Just like this little nugget!

Himself chose to do his three boxes for boys in the oldest range... ages 11 to 14 years old.  This group is the least selected by people packing shoe boxes. 

If you decide to do the online box building, you can do it even after the national drop-off time is over.



Friday, November 12, 2021

Man Stuff: Moving Things Out

Remember me telling about all the decluttering we've been doing?

In trying to get the culled things to people who could best make use of it, we ended up with a pile of what I jokingly called "man things".  Metal bars, odd screws, surplus tools, shelf braces, ... you name it, I probably had it in my stash.

When the sorting was done we headed out to the Possum Trot Forge where our blacksmithing friends hang out.  These guys can find a use for pretty much anything.

There's a pavillon next to the shop where we set up a couple FREE table to give away everything we brought.


In a very short amount of time... everything was GONE!

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

He is She and She is a Mommy

 

 

We know we have a resident Rat Snake in our house who lives in the space between the basement ceiling and the floor to the house.  This snake is welcome as our primary rodent control system... as in mice are dinner and I hope he gets really fat.

We will sometime see him or find a shed skin in the garage.  The other day we watched him climb his 7 foot self straight up the wall next to an electrical conduit pipe.  OooooKaaay...  That was a little disconcerting.

Recently we found Mini Me (see above) in the garage.  A baby!

The reason Himself has gloves on is that tiny little cutie has a totally 'ratty' temper.  He'd strike over and over (even latching on) with a "I'll kill you!!" attitude.

After entertaining us for a while, said brat was released behind our shed to grow into a fine big snake like Mommy.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Beef Yakiniku

 Tried a new Japanese recipe.  It was SO good and fast to make.

 

 Beef yakiniku for sandwich or rice bowl

 4 slices of bread,

8oz of thinly sliced beef (I used very rare leftover roast beef),

2 tablespoons of sugar,

5 tablespoons of soy sauce,

1/2 tablespoons of potato or corn starch,

2 tablespoons of water,

1 tablespoon of butter,

1 tablespoon of salad oil or more if needed

 3-4 pieces of lettuce,

Mayonnaise or “Yum-Yum” sauce (Yum-yum sauce is the orange-ish sauce they service at Habachi steak houses.  You can get it at Walmart.)

 First measure into ramekins the sugar & soy sauce – mix well, the potato or corn starch & water – mix well, and the butter.  There will be 3 containers.

 In skillet cook beef in oil, using the least amount possible. 

 While beef is cooking, prepare bread with a nice lettuce leaf and a spread of mayo or Yum-yum sauce.

 When ready to your doneness add sugar/soy sauce mix.  Stir.  Then add the starch/water mix.  Stir until just thickened.  Add butter stirring in well.  Pile beef portions on to bread.  Enjoy!

 It also goes very nicely in a rice bowl.