Plans never work the way you want.

  I have several friends that liked my dish clothes . They stated that they would love to have one.   I thought I would be fun to have them pick out their yarn  and I would show them how to make their own. It didn't work out like I hoped. My plan was for them to make them. Their plan was for me to make them. Can you guess who won?
 

Destruction ,Rebirth, and Relaxation

Destruction

  Doesn't this look lovely? We are in the middle of redoing our 5 th wheel. I want it to look more like a home, since we spend a lot of time in it during the summer. To be honest I love the trailer but hate the rose pattern on the furniture.  It's on it's last days.

Rebirth

 I love watching my plants grow. This is my red cabbage. I plan to make sweet and sour red cabbage out of it. Of course after it's grown. This is when I wish I had a time machine.

 

 I also planted carrots, lettuce, onions, and potatoes. I am biting at the bit, to be able to plant more.

Relaxation

Made pizza for dinner tonight.  No matter how I tried I couldn't make a round shape. But hey, what do you expect from a person who can't even walk straight.

Rick believes you can't eat pizza without beer and hot sauce.( Must be a man thing.)

 We had coffee and desert while playing dominoes by lamp light.  As our night winds down, Rick is reading his book and I am  relaxing with my laptop. It's been a busy yet fruitful day.

 PS: I beat his butt at dominoes. (That's a woman's thing )

Friday SpotLight Recipe

Today's recipe comes from http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/ Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars. There are several reasons why I like these bars. They are fast to make. They taste great. But most of all they are made from ingredients that people usually have on hand. So when the grand kids come over or you have a snack attack. Their right in your kitchen waiting to be made.

                                        Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, sugar, egg & vanilla until fully incorporated and light and fluffy.
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, & salt.
With the stand mixer on low, add the flour mixture into the wet mixture a little at a time until just incorporated.
Remove bowl from stand and stir in the oats and chocolate chips.  Mixture will be thick.
Add dough to your prepared pan and press mixture into pan until evenly distributed.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.  Allow bars to cool slightly.  While still slightly warm, lift bars out of the pan and carefully cut bars into squares.  Serve warmed up or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container

Three reasons : You should check out this recipe.
HUSBAND " They reminder him of cookie dough. They are soft and chewy" ( My husband LOVES cookie dough)
DAUGHTER " They just taste good. I ate two as soon as they came out of the oven "
 MOM " Taste great, easy clean up, and family loves them."
 

Class may be cancelled

 While we were at Quartzite, I fell in love with these little scrubbers. They were a gift  from one of the couples there. When we return in March to visit Rick's father, she was going to teach me how to make them.   

 I went to Jo Ann's and bought 12 yards of netting. Now that I think back, that might be a bit much." I see a giveaway in my future."

Cleo enjoyed my purchase. I had a hard time keeping her off it.  I finally had to put it up in my quilt room.
It may have to stay  there for quite a while. I just found out that Ricks dad may have to return home early.
So we may not be making the trip to Arizona after all.
 This is bad news for more then one reason. I love Ricks family. But I was so looking forward to learning how to make different kinds of scrubbers. I am more of a visual learner. I like having someone show me how it's done. That way I know exactly what I am doing wrong. But if all else fails, I could look for a pattern on the internet.  Let just hope it doesn't come to that. I really want to go to Quartzite! Yes I am whining like a two year old. LOL

Stranded

To a lot of people this isn't a lot of snow. But when you live in Southern  California it make a world of difference on the highway. We live in a mountain area with a major highway running outside of town. It is also in a pass  area.  Between the winds and the snow,they had several accidents happen  last night. Luckily my husband was not in one of them. The bad news is he was stranded on Base last night. The highway and back roads were closed due to snow, ice and wind. This morning he tried again only to be stranded in Mojave . Now it's just wait and see. As I write this it is snowing again. It's going to be a long day .

This was taken thru my patio door.  It is beautiful. But I would like it a lot better if my husband was safely at home. 

Storm on the way

 This is a shot from the front of my house. It doesn't look good. The weatherman said we should get 3 to 6 inches of snow. That doesn't bother me. What worries me is the wind and icy roads. I am hoping they don't close the roads due to wind and ice before my husband and daughter  can get home. They are talking about 30 to 45 mile winds. We live in the pass area, so it can be very dangerous. Especially since there is always someone on the road who thinks you can drive like its a hot summer day.

 Got the chicken coop ready for the storm. They have a nice clean heated area. Plenty of food and water.

                                  Of course ,they would rather be out in the cold watching me.

 Put straw on top of the four raised bed I have already planted. My poor apple trees have buds on them. Due to the warm weather we have been having. Luckily there are no blooms.

 I am already for the storm. I have my yarn ,a good book, and a course a cup of coffee.

My laptop is up and running. A heated throw, just what every woman need during a good storm. I also can't forget the four cats that are sharing my sofa with me. Or the two dogs at my feet.  I believe I am ready. Just as soon as my family gets home. It's always nice to know your family is safe.

Monday Smile

Homemade Bacon

I decided since the sausage turned out so good. I would try to make homemade Bacon. Doing it this way is not only cheaper, but I can read the ingredients without a dictionary. I started out with a small amount of pork belly. Just in case it didn't work out.  ( about 4 pounds )

First thing you need to do is cut off the skin with a sharp knife making sure to leave as much fat as possible.

Mix 1/2 cup of kosher salt with 1 pound brown sugar. I also add a little pepper to my rub. It's very important that you us Kosher salt. Table salt does not work. Rub this on all four sides of the meat. This rub will do  8 to 10 pounds of meat.

Transfer to a big plastic seal bag or deep pan with tight lid . You can also us  plastic wrap over the top of the pan. Place in frig  fat side down . Turn every other day for ten days. The rub will turn to a liquid.

On the 11 th day take out  your bacon and rinse it really well. Dry and place on a rack over a pan, skin side down. ( took picture before I turned it over) Put back in frig overnight to dry. It will develop a dry skin .

The following day smoke till the temp of the bacon reaches 150. The wood you use is up to you. We used hickey. You can also use apple wood or mesquite.

They said to put bacon back in frig over night before cooking it. We couldn't wait. We fried it right up. It smelled so good.

This is the finished produce. As you can tell they eat it right up.  These were cut a little thick. If you want thin bacon make sure it is good and cold. This will make it easier to cut thinner slices..
My daughter thought the bacon was fabulous. The favor is more pronounced then store bought bacon.  We really loved the smoky taste.

The cost different:
Good store bought Bacon $ 4.99 a pound.
Homemade Bacon $ 2.65 a pound.

Fridays Spot Light Recipe.

I normally Spot Light a recipe I have tried from a fellow blogger. But this time I had to post my friend Vera's biscuits.  One they are really good .Two they are easy. Three the recipe makes 4 large or 6 regular biscuits. With it being mostly Rick and I together for breakfast ,this makes just the right amount for us.  I no longer have to worry about finding dried out biscuits in the bread box. That I forgot were in there.

Vera"s Biscuits
1/2 a cup Bisquick mix
1 cup self rising flour
About 1/2 cup of milk. ( add milk till you get the look of biscuit dough that makes you happy.)

Mix the Bisquick and flour together. Add milk . Stir everything together ,then cut out your biscuits. You can also shape them in your hands or just spoon them on the pan.
I also dab the top with butter. Cook on 425 for 8 to 10 minutes. Depending on your oven.
If you would like to make a bigger batch. Just remember two to one. One part Bisquick to two parts self rising flour. Add the milk till you get the look of the dough you like.
These really turned out great. I thought they would taste just like Bisquick. But they didn't .On the contrary they taste like a made from scratch biscuit. This is definitely a keeper.

If you don't have self rising flour, here is a recipe.

I leveled cup of flour mince 2 teaspoons
1 and !/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt.
mix together and you have one cup of self rising flour.

Valentines Day. Same O Same O

For a lot of people Valentines Day is a day to show your love and appreciation for each other. Even tho my husband and I celebrate it. It's the same as every other day for me.
I am one of those lucky ones, that has a husband that wants me to know I am loved every day of my life.

Each night he tucks me into bed. Over the years we have turned it into a game. I try to get into bed and cover up before he can tuck me in .  Then the alarm is always set 15 minutes before we have to be up, so he can have his cuddle time.
 My mornings start with a cup of coffee and "Good Morning Beautiful " . He still sees me in the same way as he did many years ago.
He  has to be touching me . Be it our feet touching under the covers . Or his hand resting  on my leg as he drives. I once playfully complained about him always having to touch me.  At which he informed me  it was all my fault . If I didn't feel so good . He wouldn't have to touch me.

 Not a day goes by without my husband telling me how happy he is being married to me. He once told me that if he died, he wanted to make sure I knew I was loved. 
  Not many men would take the time or energy to make sure that their wife knew she is the most important person in the world. I am so blessed that God brought us together. 
I am not saying our life is perfect. But it's more then perfect for me. Even after being married for 23 years I still thank the Lord every night for bring this man into my life.
So for me, ever day is Valentines Day.

Home away from home

 My husbands parents are Snow birds and spend about 3 to 4 months a years in Quartside Arizona. They have several friends that join them there. One of their friends Amy and her husband decided to make their trailer feel more like a home. It turned out so cute that I had to share their  little piece of home away from home with everyone.

 They use the electric fireplace at night for heat to help save on propane. It also gives the room a warm cozy feeling.

  I would need a bigger TV. ( Old age and old eye sight.LOL). The mirror window has hooks to hang your keys and purses.

                                              A Great place to sit and read a good book.

 The kitchen is in the back of the trailer; which gives you plenty of counter space and working room.

Amy set the table at an angles to give them a little more sitting room. All the windows have white lace curtains that open up the space and brightens it up.
 I got a lot of ideas from her to work into our own trailer. I'll let you know how it all works out.

Monday Smiles

Friday Spot Light Recipe

I found this recipe thru http://lazyjbarcfarm.blogspot.com/  I am so thankful she posted this. It is so good! My family loves it. After trying a new recipe I have my family rate it. My daughter rated it a 10. I had to pick myself up off the floor . She has never rates anything a 10. The highest as been a 9.8,never a ten. Not even one of my own recipes. So that says a lot.

This recipe is from http://ahomegrownjournal.blogspot.com/  I have also used it for a gravy over a steak and noddles dish. I can't wait to try it in my green bean casserole

This picture is from Lazy J Bar C farms.  I didn't realize that my daughter bowl was almost empty when I took the picture. So I had to borrow Candy's.

                                  Second helpings and a ten! What has happen to my daughter!

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

1/4 cup butter

8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon savory

Pinch of white pepper

1 can beef broth (or about 12 oz. homemade beef broth)

1 cup 1/2 & 1/2

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are brown and most of their liquid is gone.

Sprinkle with flour, salt, savory and pepper.  Stir until coated.

Remove from heat and slowly blend in beef broth.  Put back on heat, bring to boiling, cover and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Mixture will be very thick so simmer on a low heat and stir now and then to make sure it's not sticking.

Mix in the 1/2 & 1/2 and heat to serving temperature being careful not to boil.

This makes enough for two main dish servings with just a bit left over, which Jerry promptly ate after finishing his first bowlful.

Misty a true homesteader

Hi everyone, I thought today I would introduce you to Misty. She and her family are true homesteaders. She cooks on a wood stove ,has no water heater, and raises all the food they eat.
 I really enjoy her videos. She also has a lot of good information to pass on. Though I don't think I will be making a washer out of a barrel any time soon. Whether you are homesteading or not, these are are fun videos to watch. She is a character ( in a good way).

Bean stringer and cutter. How do you work it?

I figured out how the cutter works. It's the round part of the tool. What I can't figure out is how it destrings the beans. It looks more like a beer opener.  Any ideas how this might work.

homemade Bacon Trial

 Since  my  second try at making my own sausage turned out so good I decided to try to make my own bacon. As you can see from the picture, I learned my lesson from my first try at sausage making and started with a smaller piece of meat. The cure was easy to make.

 My husband cut off  the skin for me . It never fails every time he sharpens my knifes I cut myself. He is no longer allowed to sharpen then right before I cut anything. I like having 10 fingers.

 The next thing was to rub the meat with the cure. I made sure to get all the sides and bottom.

Then you put it in a gallon bag or a deep pan. My meat was to big for the bag,so I used my cake pan.  You lay it fat side down Then I put it in the frig. I have to turn it ever 2 days. That is as far as I have gotten ladies. If it turns out as good as the sausage did. I will be posting the recipe. And all the step to complete it. Wish me luck.

Best Super Bowl Commercial

Monday Smile

Friday Spot Light Recipe.

Many of you already follow Dolly's blog.http://dollyiscooking.blogspot.com/ But for those of you that don't, I can tell you she makes the best Coconut Pie.  Last year I made it for the Super Bowl.  I was asked to make it again this year. It turned into one of the must haves for Super Bowl along with wings. What a combination. LOL
  Dolly has many more great recipes waiting to be tried on her blog. Stop on over. Who knows you may find a new family favorite. I know we did !

Dot's Coconut Pie

Dot’s Coconut Pie

This makes 2 small pies or 1 deep dish pie

Bake pie shells at 400 degrees  until very lightly browned.

Set oven temp. to 350 degrees

4 eggs

1 stick butter melted

1 cup sugar

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup coconut (you may use more if you love coconut like we do)

1 tsp. vanilla

 Mix all together

stir in coconut

pour into pie shell or shells

Bake 350  for 30 minutes or until lightly browned