WDW self-portraits and supper

Sissy took many self-portraits while at WDW. This is my favorite. It was taken outside Chefs de France.

This was taken at Chef Mickey's breakfast at the Contemporary Resort.

*****************

Yesterday, we took a nap. Everyone except Sissy, anyway. During my nap, I dreamed of a taco casserole.


2 lbs ground beef
chili powder
cumin
cinnamon
1 lg onion, chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 T taco sauce
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, drained
1 c sweet kernel corn, drained
1 can diced chiles
1/2 pkg low fat cream cheese
1 c cheddar cheese

Sprinkle the meat with chili powder, cumin powder and cinnamon, add onion to meat and cook until meat is browned and most of the grease is evaporated. Stir in taco seasoning, taco sauce, cream cheese, corn and tomatoes. Blend until cream cheese is well combined. Add in cheddar cheese. Transfer to oven safe dish (or if you have a wonderful Pampered Chef Professional Series sauce pan, you can just leave it in that, covered with foil.) Bake at 300 for 20 minutes.


Sprinkle with more cheese. Serve with chips, sour cream or Paula Deen's Santa Fe Wrap mixture (which I've only made as wrap sandwiches ONCE, but have made as a dip at least a dozen times. Also, skip the olives and spinach.)


Eat until you can't walk. Roll over to the 'puter and tell me how much you loved it!

I'm sharing... 'cause it's the Christian thing to do

I have a favorite sandwich that I like to have for lunch. It's nothing exotic. It's nothing interesting. It's nothing much, except yummy.

And because I'm a wonderful, loving person, I'm sharing my sandwich recipe with you, my bloggy friends.

Sun-dried tomato basil wrap
6-8 slices of brown sugar ham
Ranch dressing or Santa Fe Wrap mixture (I skip the olives when I make it.)
shredded cheddar cheese
fresh green onions (only the green part)
fresh basil (chopped fine)

Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Microwave the ham until it steams (approx. 15 seconds.) Spread a small amount of ranch or Santa Fe Wrap Mixture onto the center of the wrap. Plop the ham onto the center of the wrap.

You must "plop" it. If you don't "plop" it, it will instantly become rancid and your toenails will grow crooked summer.

Sprinkle cheese, onions and basil on top of the ham.

"Sprinkling" is also required.

Fold the wrap into a square. Gently place the wrap into the skillet, allowing it to turn golden brown. Turn our wrap over and heat the other side.

Do not burn your delicious sandwich. You will cry and wish you would just curl up and die.

If you have succeeded in making this work of edible art, eat it and come back here to let me know what you thought.

Did you add or skip any ingredients?

Happy Valentine's Day from Me to YOU!!!

My gift to you is to share a recipe.

My Mom's Fudge

6 T butter
4 T milk
1 box powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 c cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c pecans (optional, may substitute your favorite nut)

Line a small dish with wax paper and rub with butter. Set aside.

Using a double-boiler (or some similar contraption you create with two pans and boiling water,) melt butter. Add milk. Blend in sugar and cocoa. When completely blended and no lumps are left, add vanilla. Pour onto wax paper and spread and smooth. Sprinkle with pecans. Allow to cool.

Eat it all up.

Slip into coma.

Dream happy, rich, fudgy dreams.






You're welcome!

Tasty Thursday (pasta)

Hi! I decided to join in this week's pasta theme over at The Pumpkin Patch's Tasty Thursday!

Lucky you!

Below is a casserole that is my standard contribution to potlucks and family reunions. It is easy and comforting. Two of my favorite food qualities.

Macaroni Casserole

1 lb Velveeta, cubed

1 soup-can-full of milk

1 8oz pkg macaroni, cooked and drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup (substitute away here)

1 c mayonnaise

1 20z jar diced pimentos

1/2 c onion, chopped

Ritz crzckers

butter

In a microwave-proof bowl, combine velveeta and milk. Cook in microwave until cheese is melted, stirring often. In a baking dish, combine macaroni, soup, mayonnaise, pimentos, onion and cheese mixture. Crumble crackers on top. Place thin slices of butter on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Eat.

Sleep.

Menu Plan Monday

This is my first participation in Menu Plan Monday, hosted by The Organizing Junkie. I can't help but love someone who calls themself a "junkie" about something so wonderful as "organizing". I'm not a very organized person. I used to be. I wish I were again. I'm trying to get there, but it's taking some time. I do plan my week's menu and TRY to plan my week's chores, projects, etc.


Here's my menu plan for this week and some reasonings for why we're eating what when...

Monday - some kind of baked chicken. probably Margarita chicken (first thing listed here.) and Stinkerbell's famous baked potatoes. (Stinkerbell's first softball game is tonight at 5:30. I'll try to get this ready beforehand so that we can just come home after the game and pig out.)

Tuesday - quesadillas. This is something I can do short-order cook style. We either use fat free or whole wheat tortillas. I take a can of chicken and drain it, then stir chili powder, cumin and cinnamon into it as I shred it with a fork. Then I load up the shells with chicken, drained rotel, diced chiles, chopped onions, jalapenos (not for me!) and cheese. These can be very low fat and low WW points.



Wednesday - hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.



Thursday - The Mighty Hunter's business is hosting an Open House/Grand Opening this night. We will probably eat some of the stuff there and/or get a pizza delivered to the breakroom. I'm making brownies for the night. The rest of the stuff is coming from the deli or Sam's. The kids will be getting spoiled by their Nanny and will eat whatever they want.



Friday - second softball night of the week. I think I'll do burritos or something that can reheat easily after the game.



Saturday - taco ring.



Sunday - grilled pork chops, baked veggie something or other.

what's for dinner

Thursday, April 10

8 chicken breasts, seasoned with a spice rub I make (use your favorite) and marinated in Margarita mix - grilled

and this

...

Tuesday, April 8

Creamy Pasta Primavera (with chicken)

I haven't cooked this in a few weeks, but probably will next week.

...

And then there's my own made-up recipe of Rotelly chicken...

boneless chicken breasts, seasoned with my spice rub (or your favorite)
Rotelly mix:
can of Rotel tomatoes/chiles stuff
can diced chiles
1/2 can tomato sauce (or more to thicken Rotel)
1/2 can whole kernel corn
3 T brown sugar

combine. Pour over chicken in baking dish. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes or until chicken tests done with your handy dandy thermometer.

Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and eat up with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Recipe Rally - Bread

Every Tuesday at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas I get to prowl through the cookbooks and recipe files of the rest of the blogworld and get ideas for new foods and different recipes on familiar dishes.

This week's theme is Bread. AND, golly gee, but I love bread. Bread is good. Bread is my friend.


Buttermilk "Mexican" Cornbread

2 c self-rising cornmeal
1 lg onion, chopped
1 (8.5 oz) can cream style corn or 1 c frozen kernel corn or 1 can kernel corn, drained
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk
1 can Rotel, drained
1 sm can diced chiles

Preheat oven and 8"x8" baking dish to 400. Combine cornmeal, onion, corn, cheese, Rotel and chiles in bowl. Add eggs, oil and enough buttermilk to make batter desired consistency. Remove HOT baking dish from oven and spray with Pam cooking spray. Pour batter into HOT dish. Bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick, inserted into center, is dry and clean.



Mother-in-Law's Hush Puppies

1 c self-rising cornmeal
1/3 c self-rising flour
1 T sugar
1 med onion, minced
1 egg, well beaten
buttermilk

Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, onion, egg and enough buttermilk to moisten. Push heavy dough off spoon into deep hot fat in iron skillet. Cover and cook 5-8 minutes.

(Hush Puppies are a traditional appetizer/side dish to Southern meals like catfish or chicken. They are very good dipped in ketchup, tartar sauce, etc.)



Granny Auburn's Monkey Bread

1 c milk
1/2 margarine
4 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pkg dry yeast
3 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c additional margarine, melted

Combine mlik, 1/2 c margarine, sugar and salt in saucepan, heat until margarine is melted. Cool and stir in yeast until dissolved. Place flour in a large bowl, make well in flour and pour in liquid mixture; stir until well blended. Cover and let rise until double in bluk, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Roll 1/4" thick and cut into 3" squares. Dip each into 1/2 c melted margarine and layer in tube pan. Let rise until double in bulk, about 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.



Mother-in-Law's Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
1 c cooking oil
2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 c grated zucchini
2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c fresh black walnuts, chopped*
1/2 c raisins

Mix in order: eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla and zucchini. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Mix well. Add walnuts and raisins. Pour into greased and floured loaf pans (2 large or 6 small pans). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, testing with toothpick.
*I prefer pecans over walnuts.


Garlic Breadsticks (from Kraftfoods.com)

1/2 c cream cheese, softened (fat free works great)
1 ts garlic powder
1 can (11 oz) refrigerated soft breadsticks

Mix cream cheese and garlic powder. Unroll breadstick dough into 8 pieces. Spread each piece with 1 T of cream cheese mixture. Fold each piece of dough in half and twist slightly. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.



(The Mighty Hunter's Favorite)
Friendship Bread

NOTE: DO NOT USE METAL BOWLS OR SPOONS AND DO NOT REFRIGERATE.
This recipe creates a "starter" that you will be able to divide and share or freeze for later use. If you create your own starter, then that is your Day 1.

Starter

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c milk
1 c flour
1 c sugar

Dissolve yeast in small amount of warm water. Mix all ingredients together in ample size bowl or jar or gallon ziplock bag (it will GROW). This is Day 1 of the recipe.


****************
Day 1 - receive fermented starter in ziplock bag. Do nothing! Put bag on counter. Do not refrigerate.
Day 2 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 3 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 4 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 5 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 6 - Add 1 cu flour, 1 c sugar and 1 c milk. Squeeze bag several times.
Day 7 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 8 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 9 - squeeze bag several times.
Day 10 - In a large non-metallic bowl, combine batter with 1 c milk, 1 c flour and 1 c sugar. Mix with non-metallic spoon. Take four one gallon ziplock bags and pour 1 c of starter in each. Give away these 4 starters with a copy of the instructions to friends or family. You may freeze the starter also. When you are ready to thaw and use the starter again, simply pick up on the day you froze it (ie: froze starter on Day 2, thaw and proceed as if it were Day 3.)

To the remaining batter in bowl, add:
1 c veg oil
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 lg eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c flour
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 boxes vanilla pudding
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a separate bowl, mix 1 tsp cinnamon and 3 T sugar, sprinkle into well-greased pans before adding batter. Pour batter into pan, bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done.

Remember: Do NOT refrigerate starter! As air builds in the bag, let air out. It is normal for the batter to thicken, bubble and ferment.
***********************

Instructions within the "*****" should be provided with the starter you give away.



Red Lobster Restaurant Garlic Rolls

2 c Bisquick
milk
1/2 T garlic salt
1 c (?) cheddar cheese

*I've made this for years and no longer measure the ingredients. I'm that kind of cook, sorry!

Combine Bisquick and milk until a sticky dough is created. Stir in cheese (the quantity of cheese is flexible, add more if you like a cheesy biscuit, less if you want it less yummy.) Stir in garlic salt. Spoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Hobo Dinners

Hobos? aka Boy Scout Dinners, Camp Fire Dinners, Pouch Meals

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season to taste. Cut vegetables of choice. Fold large heavy-duty foil double and make a "bowl." Place chicken on bottom, then put veggies on top.

Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 cup sauce of choice on top. Seal foil at top very securely. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

Ground beef/turkey is also yummy. Tender roast meat works. I like corn, onion, potato, okra, tomato, squash/zucchini, diced chiles. The Mighty Hunter likes jalapenos too!

Sauce? I do my rotelly chicken sauce. 1 can Rotel. 1 equal sized can tomato sauce. 2 T brown sugar. The Mighty Hunter wants Worcestershire in his - lots of it. Stinkerbell likes Worcestershire and brown sugar.

These are good on the grill, campfire (hence Boy Scout Dinners), you name it. Eat right out of the foil or spoon servings on to plates. Make this recipe your own with your own sauce and adding your favorite veggies.

Crockpot BBQ Ribs

I'm too delicate a flower to gnaw on a bone. It's just too primitive for me. But golly, gee, do I love me some BBQ. After hearing The Mighty Hunter rave on and on for years about his lo-o-o-ove for ribs, I asked a friend of mine who is just as delicate and prissy as I how she ate her ribs.

So, here you go.

Crockpot BBQ Ribs

Ribs
BBQ sauce
1 cup Water
Spices

Choose whatever spice rub you like and apply lightly to the ribs (or skip this step if you want.) Place ribs in crockpot and cover with your favorite BBQ sauce. Add water to the sauce. Cover and allow to cook at least 4 hours. The meat will fall off the bones and be oh-so-tender.

Mystery Solved

I've figured out what is wrong with me, but it has nothing to do with my diet.

Promise!

Forgive me, Target. You are my favorite love, but long distance retail relationships are so hard. And a girl has needs, and Wal-mart is just so quick and easy.

Can you guess what causes this excited little smile?

Mommy?

Daddy?

Sissy?

Puppy?

Toys?

Pacifier?

Blanket?

The ceiling.

My son finds the ceiling more interesting, more exciting, more entertaining, more pleasant, more everything-positive-and-good-in-the-world better than his mommy's face. Sad. A shower might help with this sad situation.

But before I rush off to the shower to frantically try to remove the stink from my skin, lunch!

I made meatloaf for Easter lunch. It was the lowest fat, best WeightWatcher's points (my calculations) recipe I could develop and it was actually pretty darn good.

And what better side dish to enhance the healthy-eating lifestyle than macaroni and cheese with extra Velveeta!

But before I can get a shower, I must go chase down the doghouse. Why? Because the wind just blew it off the back porch. Yes, our doghouse is on our back porch. We're that kind of tacky rednecks.

And PROUD OF IT Y'ALL!

note: I apologize for the crappy spacing and layout you see. I have no control over how Blogger spaces between paragraphs and I give up!

Blogger, I hope you're happy. You've won again. [sad face]

Recipe Rally!



This week, Crazy Hip Blog Mamas is featuring desserts in their Recipe Rally. Great! My favorite food group!



I've made a few different desserts over the years. I've baked a few cakes. I've made brownies. I've made homemade ice cream. But the dessert I go back to over and over again - mostly because of its quick and simple preparation and complete YUMMINESS - the #1 dessert in the Auburn Family Always house is chocolate chip cookies.



Again, I've made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I've tried the mixes in the store. I've tried many different recipes, looking for the Perfect Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie. I've found it:

Perfect Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Mostly, I have hints for using the dough: Preheating oven is not necessary. I often turn it on just before putting cookies inside. You may store dough in the freezer and bake immediately, without waiting for it to thaw. Use a large knife to slice the dough, if frozen.


Use the temperature on the package - 350f. I set my timer for 8min 45 sec. I then do a check every 60 seconds or so.

The cookies are done when the square shape has just barely disappeared and the cookies are barely browning on the edges.

Yes, I use pre-packaged W@l-mart brand cookie dough. It costs about $1.75 per package. I can produce 20 incredibly gooey and yummy cookies in about 35 minutes. I figure that it's cheaper than buying a bag of chocolate chips, flour, eggs, etc. And at least twice as fast.

I'll share one more recipe.

Doodoo Cookies (aka #2 Cookies, No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies)

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 very heaping Tbs cocoa powder
Instant oats
4 oz cream cheese (more or less according to taste)
1 heaping Tbs smooth peanut butter (more or less according to taste)

In a large sauce pan, combine water, sugar and cocoa. Increase heat until this reaches a good rolling boil. Allow to boil until bubbles become large and mixture is thicker and it reaches the “hard ball” stage.* When hard ball stage is reached, remove from heat. Quickly stir in cream cheese and peanut butter, a perfect mixture is not necessary here. Add oats to mixture until your preferred consistency is reached. Less oats yields a more candy-like cookie. More oats yields a more chewy cookie. With a tablespoon or small serving spoon, drop cookies onto wax paper or parchment paper. Allow to cool. Lick the pan and spoon clean to conserve water and soap during clean-up.

Recipe Rally Time!

Crazy Hip Blog Mamas hosts a Recipe Rally each Tuesday. Today's theme is Potatoes.

Years ago, we lived a short time (18 months) in Los Angeles. While there I ate potato soup at a restaurant and loved it. As I am psychotically confident in my ability to re-create many recipes, I began first TEACHING myself to make potato soup and second deciphering all the yummy flavors that were in that bowl of scrump-deli-icious-ness.

Now, keep in mind that I ate one bowl of soup at that restaurant and made lots of pots of potato soup. By the time I had finalized my recipe, I had forgotten what my inspiration had tasted like.

Here's my recipe for potato soup.

(I tried to come up with a funny, witty name. The best I could summon is a Dan Quayle reference.)


Danny Boy's Potatoe Soup

4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lg onion, chopped
Water
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 T garlic powder (or 1 crushed clove)
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp thyme
2 T real bacon bits (no bac-o's crap)
5 heaping T all-purpose flour
4 c milk
velveeta cheese

In large soup pot, place potatoes and onions, cover generously with water. Add bullion cubes, garlic powder, ginger, thyme and bacon bits. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and allow to cook until potatoes are tender. In a mixing bowl, combine flour with 1 c milk; using an electric mixer or hand blender, blend on high speed, eliminating all lumps until a paste forms. Add remaining milk to flour mixture and combine well. Pour milk mixture into soup pot. Stir well and allow soup to heat through. Do NOT boil. Stir in velveeta into each bowl to taste.

Eat, get happy and fat.

What's for lunch?

Macaroni and cheese with extra Velveeta in for more thick, creamy yumminess.

No. Not "healthy". But, sometimes, on a rainy day in Alabama, you just gotta eat whatever the lovely crap you want to eat.

Also, I have laundry that needs to be hung up from the dryer so that I won't have to turn on my iron. Because I don't iron unless I have NOTHING ELSE TO WEAR!!!

While I've been eating, Lucky's in his swing and I've been browsing the carnies from yesterday's Crazy Hip Blog Mama's carnival...

And they've found a new species of clouded leopard somewhere in South America. Wish I'd listened to the story. Heeeeeeeeeere kitty kitty kitteeeeee. Preeeeetteeeee kitteeeeee.

Yeah, it's raining. And this afternoon should be the first teeball practice for Stinkerbell. This was her team last year! This year, she's a Rocky!

Dryer buzzing and need a shower.

oh and will probably poop too.

tmi sorry

Chicken Recipe Rally

Hold On...

I've got two for you...


****Chicken hobos.

Hobos? aka Boy Scout Dinners, Camp Fire Dinners, Pouch Meals

Cut chicken into bite size pieces, season to taste. Cut vegetables of choice. Fold large heavy-duty foil double and make a "bowl." Place chicken on bottom, then put veggies on top. Spoon 1/4 to 1/2 cup sauce of choice on top. Seal foil at top very securely. Bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

Ground beef/turkey is also yummy. Tender roast meat works. I like corn, onion, potato, okra, tomato, squash/zucchini, diced chiles. The Mighty Hunter likes jalapenos too!

Sauce? I do my rotelly chicken sauce. 1 can Rotel. 1 equal sized can tomato sauce. 2 T brown sugar. The Mighty Hunter wants Worcestershire in his - lots of it. Stinkerbell likes Worcestershire and brown sugar.

****Low WW Point Chicken Quesadillas

(2) 8" Whole wheat tortillas (98% fat free)
1-2 Tbs all white meat chicken
Chili powder
Cumin
1 Tbs Rotel, drained
1 tsp diced chiles

Chopped onions, raw or sautéed in olive or canola oil, your choice (1 Tbs or as preferred)
Cubed hot pepper cheese – substitute milder variety pepper jack if preferred
Sliced jalapenos (to taste)

Pre-heat non-stick pan over medium heat. Drain all water off chicken. Transfer chicken to a bowl, sprinkle with chili powder and cumin. Using a fork, "shred" chicken into thin "slivers", mixing chili powder and cumin into meat. Lightly spread approximately 1-2 Tbs of chicken onto one tortilla. Spread Rotel, chiles, onions and jalapenos evenly on top of chicken. Distribute approximately 8-10 cubes of cheese on top. (If using shredded cheese, use 1-2 Tbs). Carefully slide into pre-heated pan and cover with 2nd tortilla. Allow to cook until bottom tortilla is golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Using wide spatula, carefully flip tortilla and allow to cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from heat. Slice with your favorite pizza cutter and serve with fat free sour cream.

I also substitute cooked onions from time to time. Depending on what you use to cook them and how many you use, they probably add a point.

One quesadilla = 3 points*, approximately. The points were determined by using points calculator and calorie, fat, etc of ingredients. Rotel, chiles, jalapenos and raw onions are 0 points. 2 tortillas are less than 1 pt. Chicken is approx 1 pt. Cheese and cooked onions are approx 1 pt. All this WW point stuff is by MY estimation, which I readily admit is flawed and not scientifical at all.





Ok, not two. three...

******Chicken salad - nothing special, just yummy

2 cans chicken, drained completely and smushed with a fork
mayonnaise
grapes
sm pecan pieces
diced onion

This one of those non-recipe recipes. The only exact measurement I have for this is the canned chicken. I put in enough mayonnaise to moisten the chicken but not make it runny. I slice the seedless grapes and put enough in there to get a piece of grape in every or every other bite. I put probably 2 Tbs of the small chopped pecans. I put in enough onion to give it a little flavor, probably 3 Tbs.

This is great on some fresh loaf bread, on a cracker, in a bowl, you name it!

Old-Married Kind of Romance

I know the soap-opera/movie/sit-com version of romance...

Dressing up

Fancy restaurant

Tripled mark-up roses

Box of chocolates that you can't identify and regret biting into but smile and force yourself to chew and swallow

Dancing (?)

Baby-sitters

Snuggling in front of the fire-place in a lacy, red nighty (The Mighty Hunter in the nighty! not me! I crack me up!)

We've never bought into that kind of crap at the Auburn Family Homestead.

September 2006 was our 14th anniversary (yay, us!). We're country folks. SOME might call us red-necks.

Well, maybe. But we're hi-tech red-necks.

The Mighty Hunter and I grew up right here in NE Alabama and love it. We graduated from Auburn University, also located in a beautifully rural part of Alabama.

After college, we moved home; The Mighty Hunter worked in the Hicksville, NY (Long Island) area; then he worked in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; and ended up in Los Angeles. I moved out there with him. We lived there for 15 more months. We became jaded Los Angelinos - with Southern Accents. We've been back in Alabama since October 1995.

Thank you, Jesus.

We've done the romantic stuff that the commercials tell us we should want.

There are some people who would think that a wife should expect - nay, demand! - the retail version of romance and Valentine's Day.

But I don't really think that's the only way to be romantic. Romance is different to everyone.

For The Mighty Hunter, simply being at home, watching his favorite tv shows or movies. Eating a home-cooked meal. Playing with his babies. Going to bed early.

These things are romantic.

This year, I treated The Mighty Hunter to his version of romance.

Baked potatoes

Cheesy broccoli rice (from a package)

Macaroni salad (from scratch)

Yeast rolls (frozen)

Rotelly baked chicken (my made-up recipe*)

I didn't get flowers. Didn't want any. We have some very close friends who own a florist shop. We've volunteered in the past delivering for them. They've donated not-so-perfect roses to The Mighty Hunter's retail-romantic efforts. Even their beautifully perfect flowers wilt. I usually kill the plants that are given to us. I wouldn't buy flowers from anyone but my friends. But I repeatedly told The Mighty Hunter - no flowers.

I didn't want candy. I have a HUGE bowlful of Halloween, Christmas and birthday candy - plus some things I indulged in before Lucky was born. I will buy my own chocolates.

I can't drink right now - Lucky would definitely be considered an under-aged drinker. And I would probably guilt-trip myself into confessing to contributing to the delinquency of a minor if I had more than a sip of his home-made Scuppernong wine. Even if I weren't breast-feeding, I'd probably have only a couple of sips. I'm a light-weight.

I can't seem to get a shower on a predictable schedule - so going to a crowded restaurant was not a viable or DESIRABLE option.

I'd also rather spend the evening at home with my babies

and my favorite big, growling teddy bear.

It was a wonderful, romantic Valentine's here. How about you?

*Rotelly baked chicken

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (as many as you want/need)

My Famous Spice Rub**

1 can Rotel-type diced tomatoes and chilis

1 can tomato sauce (same size can as Rotel)

2 Tbs brown sugar

**My Famous Spice Rub

4 parts Chili powder

1 part Cumin

1 part Cinnamon

1 part Ginger

1 part Thyme

Preheat oven to 300. Lightly sprinkle both sides of chicken with My Famous Spice Rub and place in an oven-safe dish. In a mixing bowl, combine Rotel, tomato sauce and brown sugar. Spread Rotel mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, approximately 45 minutes or until chicken reaches internal 170 degrees or you can slice into a piece of chicken and it is completely cooked throughout. Eat. Wash your dishes. Brush your teeth. Have some dessert.

You think you know someone.

And then BAM!!!

You get blind-sided with the news that you didn’t really know them at all. They’ve been telling you things to keep from hurting your feelings. For years this has been going on.

14 years of marriage.

14 seemingly pretty happy years.

Yea, we fuss. We disagree. We lose our tempers. We yell about crap. But I always thought there was this foundation of mutual admiration and trust.

Trust.

Well, as my mother would say, “that’s shot all to hell and back.”

You see, I’ve have a few recipes that are his favorites. One particular meal is made for “special occasions”. I had thought for years that it was his top-shelf favorite.

Nope.

It seems that “all year long” he craves – yearns for – only one very simple meal.

The Southern traditional New Year’s Day dishes.

Black eyed peas and hog’s jawl.

Now, I understand that it is possible that in some regions of the country – even world – that one might not be familiar with the hog’s jawl part of this meal. It’s really nothing special or exotic. It’s the very fatty meat from – yup – the hog’s jaw. It tastes a lot like bacon – only chewier. And just like bacon, it is usually smoked before packaged for retail sale. You cook it the same way as bacon, in its own fat.

Drain it on a paper towel before eating to reduce the incredible greasiness of it.

Whatever brand I bought this year tasted better to me than previous years. Stinkerbell enjoyed it. The Mighty Hunter enjoyed it very much but wished I had bought the same brand as previous years – he prefers the tougher chewier cut.

Anyway, we ate our black eyed peas and hog’s jawl for wealth and health in 2007.

And I realized that The Mighty Hunter would rather I open a can of black eyed peas and cook some jerky-like version of bacon than cook my “famous chicken and Alfredo sauce.”

I’m disappointed and disillusioned.

I’ll get over it.

And he’ll have to wait till 2008 to get his hog’s jawl again.

Look out, Mighty Hunter, Weight Watchers is moving back in our house!

Lemon Icebox Pie and home-made Alfredo Sauce.

That is what The Mighty Hunter requested for his birthday dinner. His mom and grandmother (both deceased) made the pie for him every year on his birthday. Birthday CAKES are not a big deal for us - well, they're necessary for Stinkerbell, but not important to us parents. So, in their place, I made him a fresh Lemon Icebox Pie.

I have a great recipe for Alfredo sauce that he loves. I don't make it often, mostly on special occasions. We save our artery clogging for birthdays and anniversaries and "big events." I cut chicken up into bite size pieces and cook it with onions, garlic, sundried tomatoes and other vegetables. It is superb with my famous Alfredo sauce.

This was what The Mighty Hunter ate last night on his 37th birthday.

Lemon Icebox Pie
1/2 c lemon juice
1 15oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1 prepared pie crust (graham cracker or baked)

Mix together juice, milk and egg yolks with mixer and pour into crust. Chill for 2 hrs or until set.

Alfredo Sauce
4 Tbs butter (the real stuff only)
1 c cream (again, the real stuff, no cheating)
2 1/2 c fresh parmesan (may split 50/50 with romano)
fresh garlic (1-2 cloves), grated or crushed

Melt butter over low temperature. Add in garlic. When melted, stir in 1/2 of butter and all of cream. Allow cheese to melt completely, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining cheese, stir until melted. Serve, enjoy and grow fat.

Happy Birthday to The Mighty Hunter!

Auburn Gal Always’s Doo-doo Cookies
AKA: #2 Cookies, No-bake Oatmeal Cookies

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 very heaping Tbs cocoa powder
Instant oats
4 oz cream cheese (more or less according to taste)
1 heaping Tbs smooth peanut butter (more or less according to taste)

In a large sauce pan, combine water, sugar and cocoa. Increase heat until this reaches a good rolling boil. Allow to boil until bubbles become large and mixture is thicker and it reaches the “hard ball” stage.* When hard ball stage is reached, remove from heat. Quickly stir in cream cheese and peanut butter, a perfect mixture is not necessary here. Add oats to mixture until your preferred consistency is reached. Less oats yields a more candy-like cookie. More oats yields a more chewy cookie. With a tablespoon or small serving spoon, drop cookies onto wax paper or parchment paper. Allow to cool. Lick the pan and spoon clean to conserve water and soap during clean-up.

*Hard ball stage is reached when a small drop of your mixture is dropped into cool water and forms a hard ball. Do not short-cut this part. You will get syrup and not cookies if you don’t let it reach hard ball stage.

On the other hand, chocolate syrup is a yummy thing too.

I'm a member of ClubMom.com I'm posting this recipe in response to a question asked there. If you give it a try and like it, please let me know with a comment. If you make your own modifications and improvements, please share that with me too!

Auburn Gal Always (healthy) Quesadillas

(2) 8” Whole wheat tortillas (98% fat free)
1-2 Tbs all white meat chicken
Chili powder
Cumin
1 Tbs Rotel, drained
1 tsp diced chiles
Chopped onions, raw or sautéed in olive or canola oil, your choice (1 Tbs or as preferred)
Cubed hot pepper cheese – substitute milder variety pepper jack if preferred
Sliced jalapenos (to taste)

Pre-heat non-stick pan over medium heat. Drain all water off chicken. Transfer chicken to a bowl, sprinkle with chili powder and cumin. Using a fork, “shred” chicken into thin “slivers”, mixing chili powder and cumin into meat. Lightly spread approximately 1-2 Tbs of chicken onto one tortilla. Spread Rotel, chiles, onions and jalapenos evenly on top of chicken. Distribute approximately 8-10 cubes of cheese on top. (If using shredded cheese, use 1-2 Tbs). Carefully slide into pre-heated pan and cover with 2nd tortilla. Allow to cook until bottom tortilla is golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Using wide spatula, carefully flip tortilla and allow to cook an additional 4-5 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from heat. Slice with your favorite pizza cutter and serve with fat free sour cream.

One quesadilla = 3 points*, approximately. *not evaluated or tested by WW. Points determined by using points calculator and calorie, fat, etc of ingredients. Rotel, chiles, jalapenos and raw onions are 0 points. 2 tortillas are less than 1 pt. Chicken is approx 1 pt. Cheese and cooked onions are approx 1 pt.




by the way... I have a new post over at my wordpress blog... http://augalinfp.wordpress.com/2006/10/09/“there-are-times-when-he’s-not-the-sharpest-tool-in-the-shed”/