What's Up Doc?

Oh me, oh my, lots of things are up here. We have been busy, busy, busy. My work has been crazy, but has now settled down a bit. Honey finished his trucking school, but then had a bit of a health issue, so now should be starting back this next week. Thought I would show you all a bit of what we have been up to! Sorry, sorry, sorry for the quality of the pictures, but a photographer I am not.

Kitchen cabinets have been painted - still green, just a darker shade. We do still need to enclose the dishwasher, just waiting until we can put in the countertops.




Roses have been blooming, blooming, blooming. I made a batch of rose petal jelly! So yummy!




Basement has been carpeted. Honey has been out of work while trying to get his health back on track, so he has been busy with some Honey do's! I thought I had another picture of this, sorry!



Stairs have been completed, carpeted and carved toe boards put in. II Peter 1:5-7. [5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Honey carved in the boards, stained them and then back lit them with LED multicolored Christmas lights, which he then backed with thin metallic-covered insulation so that it looks like a prism. Then he backed the whole thing with plywood. Looks fantastic! My pictures definitely do not do it justice!





Kitchen floor has been replaced with glazed hickory laminate. What was there before was those stick tiles, the ones that are like linoleum, but they are tiles. Many of the edges were coming up and so we got this laminate and put down. It looks a little redder in these pictures than in real life.




Now we just need to save up and get our new kitchen counters, faucet-sprayer and sink. And put up our new border - just have to get busy and do that.

Bookshelves - built in - downstairs in the "den". Our basement stays nice and cool in the summer. When we bought the house almost 3 years ago, Honey built in a bedroom. I think it measures like 11x13 or so, nice sized. Closet and everything. Back behind it is a storage area, probably 10x6 or so. Where the bookcase area is, we are going to put in a sleeper sofa. There is a twin bed downstairs in the bedroom and we are going to put in a queen or full in the spare bedroom upstairs. We like to have plenty of room for folks to come visit!





Downstairs bathroom. This is really a showpiece, I think. 48" shower, ceramic tile floor. Not very big, but quite functional. Still needs some trim work and touchups here and there.







I am happy to report that Honey's health is back on track, he has even been able to stop one medication.

We did make a flying trip down to Oklahoma when Honey's former pastor passed away. Despite the circumstances, we had a good time visiting with friends and family. Here are the grandkids.



Farmer's market has started again, fresh strawberries, rhubarb, spring onions - oh my! I planted tomatoes the other day, Mr. Stripey!

Our weather here has been rainy and quite cool, interspersed with thunderstorms, more rain and tornados!!! None have hit here, thank the good Lord! We are about 160 miles or so from Joplin, but we have had several on the ground near here and in Sedalia, about 60 miles away, they had one the other day that hit the south end of town and did quite a bit of damage.

They actually call the area right where we live the Golden Valley - because supposedly there is an Indian legend or something of the sort that a tornado will never hit here. We do have a lot of times storms will split and go around north and south of us. However, I know the Maker of the Rain and I know the Master of the Wind and he can who whatever he pleases, so we go to the basement whenever it storms.

I will leave you all with a recipe, quick and easy, a crowd-pleaser!

Pampered Chef Crab and Artichoke Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayo
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
8 oz crabmeat
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/3 cup red bell pepper, minced
Extra green onions, chopped for topping.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all in bowl except for red bell pepper and extra green onions. Put in casserole dish - I used a 9x 9 pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with red bell pepper and additional green onions. Serve with crackers.

Will be "seeing" you all again soon, as Honey is headed out on the road and I will have more time on my hands. Much love to everyone!

Fare thee Well

I had a bit of a shock Monday. My ex-husband died. He was considerably older than I was and had not been in real good health for a number of years, but it was still a shock.

He and I definitely had our differences, but in the end, we had decided to just agree to disagree and go on. We talked occasionally.

I will miss him in a strange way.

So, in honor of him, I am posting one of his recipes.

Wayne's Pico de Gallo

Cucumbers, seeded and diced
Black olives, sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Garlic, minced
Onions, diced small
Green peppers, diced small
Jalapenos (fresh) minced
Garlic salt
Fresh cilantro, chopped fine

Can add juice of 1-2 limes, depending on how big of batch you make.

Mix as much as you want (preferrably large quantities) in a big bowl and refrigerate. Eat with tortilla chips. Makes loads. This was done totally by taste, use more or less of any ingredient until you have the taste you want.

This is great to make and take to a picnic in the hot summer time. Can add some diced avacado.

We used to make this in the summer when his grandkids would come and visit, they loved it. We got everyone in on chopping things up. Then we would sit around and eat this and tell stories.

Simple snackies

I like simple snackies. Something you can throw together in a flash and nibble on.

So this is not as much of a recipe as a guideline as it were:

A slice of cheddar cheese and half an apple

Pepper jack cheese and plain saltines

Fresh pear slices and a bit of Gorgonzola

Fresh cherries and custard

Hershey's bar and peanut butter

French bread slices with left-over steak

Sliced turkey breast with Dijon Mustard - this is my fave for after Thanksgiving

One of my favorite little snackies is one that my dear Mother made for us when we were kids. It is best eaten in the fall! Just take a bag or container of candy corn and a can of cocktail peanuts (without skins). Mix the two together and much away. Horrible for you, but oh, so good! I like to mix in a bag of plain M&Ms and some raisins, too! This is good at Halloween in little bags, too. Something about the sweet and salty together - MMMMMMMmmmmmmm.




I am absolved of all blame if anyone becomes addicted to the above mixture!

Spread It Around

I like spreads. Dips. Schmears. Whatever you like to call them. With crackers or chips or vegs. Hot or cold. They are great to have on hand for unexpected company, or just when you want a nosh. But what I don't like is paying big money for them. Especially if I can re-create them at home.

So, when I found this recipe, I was elated. Usually this cheese spread is imported from France, and you end up paying at least a couple of fingers for it, if not an arm! Besides that, it keeps in the fridge like forever and I don't think I have come across one person that does not like it, except picky DS, and I am not counting him as he doesn't like anything with cream cheese in it except cheesecake.

Smooth, creamy, bursting with flavor, buttery . . . what more could you ask for?

Homemade Boursin

2 garlic cloves
1 stick butter, softened
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff, and freshly-grated)
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced or 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon chives
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Crush garlic. Mix cheeses, butter and garlic. Add remaining ingredients, mix well.
Pack into a container just large enough to hold the boursin and store in refrigerator. To serve, bring to room temperature.




Ok, I admit, I shamelessly lifted this one from Recipezaar. Evelyn in Athens originally posted it and Wow, it is fantastic!

Elephants would love these

Sorry I missed yesterday, camera was again absconded with. Back on track now! We have been having storms also, nothing bad thru here thankfully. But we have had almost 3-1/4 inches of rain in the last 3 days.

Peanuts. A much loved treat. Not actually a nut, but a legume. But what other legume has ever been so loved? Peanut butter. Peanuts. They are everywhere! In the shell, in Cracker Jacks, in your sandwiches, in salads, salted, unsalted, honey-roasted . . . the list is nearly endless!

This is a recipe from taste of home and if I were to make it again, I would not cook it as long in the oven. Either that or I think maybe we need to re-set our oven temp, it seems to get hotter. Rather fun to make, if kinda sticky. These are a great kid pleaser.

Sugared Peanuts
Makes 5 cups.

5 cups unsalted peanuts (I had a difficult time finding these, but they come in the can just like the salted ones)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put peanuts, sugar and water in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and let cook until liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes or so.



Spread on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 300 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to dry. (Note: You must work quickly after taking them out of the oven, they harden up very fast)



That is it! Let them dry and you are snackin' big time!

Roll it up

There are times when I would like to take certain things in my life and just roll them up for a while and put them on a shelf until I feel like dealing with them.

Now, there are certain things I can do that with - my needle work for example. I have a picture of stacked teacups that I have been working on in my spare time (don't get much of that) for over a year. I work on it for a bit and then I roll it up and put it away until I have time again. I also enjoy doing puzzles and I have a puzzle mat - you just roll it up until you can work on it again. That way no cheeky kitties can scatter your puzzle pieces hither, thither and yon.

Unfortunately, most issues in life are not that way. You can't just roll them up and put them on a shelf until you are ready to deal with them. They demand your attention now and you must deal with them, sometimes on a daily basis, whether you feel like it or not and whether you have time to or not.

I have found it is better just to deal with those things and get it over with. It will lighten your burden if you do. There is a sense of completeness when you have dealt with those issues. A sense of accomplishment - there, that's done. Even if it is just for one day, you have done it! You have fought that particular dragon and won!

These little gems don't mind being rolled up - in fact that is part of their charm!

Tortilla Rollups
Makes 6 large, burrito-sized rolls.

OK, here goes:


1 package burrito-sized flour tortillas - I used zesty garlic herb
2 packages light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
About 1/3 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Ranch dry salad dressing
6 slices of thinly sliced ham, chopped fine
1/2 cup shredded cheese - I used a colby-jack mix
1 small can sliced black olives
Assorted veggies - I used Red bell pepper, cauliflower, onion, celery, carrot and some radish - chopped fine

Put all above in a bowl, except for the tortillas. I usually season it a bit more, add some freshly cracked pepper and some garlic powder.


Then spread it on the tortillas. Now, you can spread it thickly or thin, thick will give you fewer rolls, but they will be fatter.


Then roll them up into a cigar shape. These are easier to cut if they are chilled first and they will fit nicely back into the tortilla bag after being rolled up. I usually make these the day before and cut them right before serving. Just cut them about 6 pieces or so per roll and set them on a plate. I do apologize for not having final pics, as they were all gone!

I really like to get creative with these - you can do Italian with salami or pepperoni and sun-dried tomato, Greek with hummus, kalamata olives , cucumber and feta cheese, Asian style with peanut sauce mixed in with your cream cheese and chopped chicken, an all veggie version, you can use different kinds of meats - roast beef goes nicely with smoked cheddar. I like to do a variety of these and set them out for a snack when friends come over. Use your imagination and roll it up!