Recipe Wednesday

Okay, so it's Saturday. This week has been so messed up with all the pre-op appointments and on Wednesday we took a flying trip to Orlando to visit with my sweet MIL. So here's my recipe for Wednesday...3 days late.

Growing up this was one of my favorite desserts. It's now my children and grandchildren's favorite dessert as well. It's simple, and very light...a great dessert after a heavy or filling meal.

LEMON FLUFF

1 sm. lemon Jello

1 c. boiling water mix and cool until just beginning to gel

1 can evaporated milk (whip until stiff like meringue) we always used Milnot. It should be ice cold before you start to whip it. I put mine in the freezer for a half hour prior.

1 c. sugar added slowly after stiff peaks are formed in whipped milk

Slowly add the lightly gelled jello

2 TBL. lemon juice
This should now be a light yellow color and still very stiff peaks. Keep in refrigerator.

Mix together 1 sitck of melted butter and 1 1/2 pkg of crushed graham crackers. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a 9X13 pan, reserving about 1/2 cup of mixture.

Pour the Fluff mixture into the pan and then top with the reserved graham cracker mix. Refrigerate until firm.

Pre-Op Day

I think I dread all the pre-op tests worse than I do the actual surgery. Hurry up and wait. Moooove here, mooooove there, they make you feel like a bunch of cattle being herded from room to room, chair to chair. I think someone needs to institute a paper reduction act as well! I signed my name so many times I had writer's cramp!

But, 6 hours after I left home this morning, I'm back, the tests are done, and I'm set for surgery Monday morning at 8AM.

Keep me in your prayers, that I will have a speedy recovery, little or no pain, and that things will go easily for the surgeon. I'm also praying the cancer hasn't spead and no additional treatment will be needed.

Tax Day

This morning I decided it should be tax day. I dread doing our income taxes each year and usually put it off as long as humanly possible. However, since I'm having surgery in just a few days and will spend most of March recovering I decided it was best to get them done before, so I wouldn't worry about having them done in time. Now, I know I could take them to H&R Block or an accountant, but why pay someone what I'm perfectly capable of doing myself?

Thankfully we do not owe any taxes this year. Matter of fact our business lost money last year...first time in 11 years we've lost money. Just shows that the recession has hit us hard. Being self-employed has its downs, thankfully it's a mostly positive experience. When you're in a service industry, as we are, window cleaning is a luxury instead of a necessity. Most of our work is commercial, and that's a plus as residential window cleaning has dried up completely.

We keep hoping things will start looking up, but are thankful that I do not have to write the IRS a check this year!

Recipe Wednesday

It's Wednesday, and time once again for one of my recipes. We are very fortunate right now, here in Florida, to be blessed with wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables. At the Farmer's Market this week I was able to purchase large, lovely yellow tomatoes. They are sweeter than the reds and don't have the seeds like reds do, they're also lower in acid.

So here's my recipe for grilled yellow tomatoes with cheese (serves 2)



1 large yellow tomato, sliced in thick slices
2 large fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Italian cheese blend (I use the grated 4-cheese blend from our local Publix)


Place the tomato slices on a foil-covered baking pan. Add salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle each slice with some of the fresh, chopped basil. Top each tomato with the cheese blend (I use a lot, but you may choose less), bake at 450 degree oven until the cheese is melted and golden brown.


I served this with lemon honey glazed pork chops, fresh brussel sprouts, and wild rice. It was a healthy and delicious meal.

Dressed up in Green

As you can see I've got my blog all dressed up for St. Patrick's Day. Now, while I don't have a single drop of Irish blood in me, I can still appreciate the beauty of Ireland. I love Celtic music, as evidenced by the music on my blog this month. I love movies set in Ireland and one of my all time favorite heroines is herself, Scarlett O'Hara. I didn't know for a long time there really is a real Tara in Ireland. Granted it's just a hill these days, but at one time was the high seat of the Kings of Ireland, and is, today, where you'll find the Stone of Destiny, where those kings were crowned.

Ireland is one of the places I'd like to visit at some time in my life. Who knows what the future might bring....visiting Dublin, Ulster, maybe the homes of James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, who knows...might even catch a glimpse of that handsome Pierce Brosnan. I just hope he doesn't try to sing!

Happy Valentines Day!

A very Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. Valentine's Day is an important day to DH and myself. This is the day we began our new life together. We'd both been married before and when I came to Florida I had everything I owned in a U-Haul truck towing my car. We didn't have a home, a job...nothing except what was in that U-Haul truck. We weren't really sure where we were going or what we were going to do. I guess we thought we could live on love! It was 11 years ago today we moved into a beautiful rental home where we would live for the next 2 1/2 years. We started a new business, which has thrived and supported us well all these years, and have truly enjoyed the blessings of God.

May you and your sweetheart have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

The Garden Center

It was so beautiful here today...high 70's, soft wind, blue skies, lots of sunshine...so we decided to go to the garden center at our local Home Depot. Now I know some of you are still buried in snow and ice thinking winter is going to last forever, but here in Florida it's definitely Spring. My redbud tree has started budding and my Azaleas look like they'll burst into bloom any day. They're filled with pink buds.

Anyway, we went to the garden center and I bought several herbs; rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, and chives and one tomato plant. I also bought yellow and purple pansies, a daffodil (we have to buy them here, we can't grow them...our ground never gets cold enough for the bulbs, same with tulips), a New Guinea Impatient, and at the Farmer's Market the other night my DH bought me a beautiful coral rose. I'm getting my Spring garden ready to plant.

Now to get the yard cleaned up, leaves raked, old wood cut back on the bourganvilla and mandavilla, plus I need to pull out all the dead coral vine and trim the confederate jasmine before it blooms. Last fall we cut back the trumpet vine and honeysuckle...I thought we'd killed them, but they're back!! I'll have to figure out something for them to climb on or the whole yard will be covered with honeysuckle.

Now I need to find some pretty pots for my herbs. Think I'll check in at Dollar General on Saturday, see what they have.

Recipe Wednesday

Monday evening we stopped at the Farmer's Market in a nearby shopping center where I found some fresh lemons, large as grapefruits. I bought several and decided to make lemon chicken. DH said it was the tastiest meal I'd ever made....that says a lot since I cook all the time! Here's the recipe

Lemon Chicken Recipe

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 Tbsp melted butter
Lemon slices for garnish
Method
1 Place lemon juice, lemon peel, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch. (This will help the marinade penetrate.) Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Rotate the bag so that all chicken pieces are coated with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (in case of leakage). Let marinate for 2 hours.
2 Preheat oven to 425°F. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a large baking dish, skin side up. Reserve the marinade. Use a pastry brush to brush a little melted butter on to each piece of chicken.
3 Bake for a total of 15 minutes per side, when you turn the breasts brush on more butter on the new side. If it seems dry you can add more marinade at this time.

I served this with fried garlic potato wedges and fresh asparagus in cheese sauce. For dessert we had fresh strawberries and honey tangerines. It was a truly delicious meal!

6th Picture Meme

I was reading a "new to me" blog this morning and she had cute game on her blog...a 6th picture Meme. Here's the rules:

Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder.
Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.
Tag 6 other peoples that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them. (Rather than choose 6, I challenge you to get in on the fun and post on your blog your own 6th picture Meme)

Here's my 6th picture

This is my granddaughter, Leah. Yes, believe it or not, I have 8 grandchildren that range in age from 1 to 14. In this picture Leah is 6 weeks old, she's 2 now. This was the first time I got to see her. Just the other evening, when I was feeling low, I called and talked well, okay I listened to her talk, and it truly raised my spirits.

Hi Leah! Grandma loves you!

Wednesday is Recipe Day!

Beginning today, and continuing every Wednesday, until I run out of recipes, I will be sharing one of my very favorite recipes here on my blog. If anyone would care to join me, leave me a comment and I will add a link to your blog here on mine so folks can follow the recipe trail.

Since today is so cold, I think I'm going to make one of our favorites tonight, Spicy Cheeseburger Soup. Here's the recipe

Ingredients: Makes 6-8 servings

1 1/2 cup water

2 cups cubed peeled potatoes

2 small carrots, grated

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained

2 1/2 cups milk, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)

1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingre­ dients; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in beef and 2 cups milk; heat through.

Combine flour and remaining milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.

Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted.

Add cayenne if desired.

Top with bacon just before serving.