what's been cooking

I had a spiral ham bone in the freezer I wanted to use so I made...soup!

Carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, and some leftover veggies saved in the freezer.

There is the bone simmering for broth and bit of ham.  I never used to simmer a ham bone like this but my Dad always talked about what a delicious soup it makes and I found out he is right.

A Honey Baked Ham bone is the best but this store brand spiral ham worked pretty well too.

Done!

Another day I cooked cod in the air fryer.  I used a mayonaise coating and Panko crumbs.

Another day, I tried out a recipe for Low Carb Lasagna Noodles. 

recipe here

They were better than I expected.   You mix cream cheese, mozzarella, eggs and Italian Seasoning in the blender.

Spread in a greased pan and bake.

Cut in strips and layer just like regular lasagna noodles.

My family liked them better than regular noodles and a lot less carbohydrates.  Nice texture in the lasagna but very filling, because...more cheese!

Let's see, what else...

The Sasquatch had came across a recipe online for Double Lemon Cheesecake Bars and he thought I might like to try it out sometime. I can take a hint! 

The recipe was from a Canadian website so the day I was making it I was trying to convert grams to ounces and so forth...then I noticed the same recipe is right on the Philadelphia cream cheese box...with standard American measurements.  Well, that makes things easier!

recipe here

The crust layer is crushed vanilla wafers. Good and not as heavy and overpowering as graham crackers.  In the middle is the cheesecake filling.  Meh - dry and pasty, I thought.  The lemon glaze on top was really good and I would suggest doubling the amount listed.

This wasn't really a fair trial of the recipe because I used bottled lemon juice and dehydrated lemon peel instead of fresh lemon.

I don't know why I did that. It's not like lemons are expensive. Geeze! 

One more thing. I kept seeing "Sheet Pan Meals" photos online and it seemed like a fast and easy way to prepare a full meal, so I just put together a few things I had on hand to try out the idea.

Fresh Brussels Sprouts, diced potatoes, onions and Kielbasa.  I tossed the veggies with salt, pepper and olive oil and gave them a head start in a 400 degree oven before adding the Kielbasa on top.

We liked this and it tasted just as good as leftovers.

That's what's been cooking in Darlaville!

Puss meets a little Possum

I noticed Puss cautiously checking something out near the swing one day.  I didn't think it was a rabbit because I have noticed she doesn't try to chase rabbits anymore. She must have tangled with one and learned her lesson by getting kicked or nipped by sharp bunny teeth.

When I walked closer I saw she had found a small opossum...out foraging in the middle of the afternoon.

Oh, they are horrible looking things. Not even cute when they are small!  Those beady eyes and naked tail!

The possum was opening his mouth and hissing.  Puss decided he wasn't very interesting after all.

We left him to go on about his business.

This poor shady flower bed.  It would look good if I would weed it and also remove the Resurrection Lily bulbs that somehow got planted there by some goofy squirrel. 

I like the purpley colors of the Japanese Ferns with the lime green of the Heuchera.  I'll be working on this bed next.

I'm been weeding this front flower bed.  Puss likes to observe from horseback.

"Giddy-up! Let's get moving!"

My concrete statues need attention too, the jockey especially.  He's getting cracked and crumbly.

If I get around to it this summer, I will try smearing some caulk on the bad spots to hold it together a couple more years, and also give both a fresh coat of paint.

"Come on man! We won't win the Derby like this!"

Beside pulling up dozens of Maple seedlings, I pulled up this tiny oak...with acorn still attached.

Isn't it amazing?  "Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow".

I would have felt guilty pitching this aside so I temporarily planted it in a flower pot. I'll see if I can find a permanent spot for it.

We have a pair of young raccoons visiting our back yard every night.  They are cute but are trouble makers.  They have turned over Lonnie's garbage can on the screen porch and strewn the garbage around.  They can climb the pole to the hummingbird feeder and knock it off the hook so I have to remember to bring it in every night (that's going to draw ants) and they have ripped up the sponge float on my rain gauge again.

Things change all the time though and eventually they won't come around to terrorize us.

Other than than that all is quiet and peaceful here.

   

This field next to our house hasn't been bush hogged in several years now. It has grown up into a jungle. Soon we won't be able to see the forest for the trees!

I still like to look out at at it from an upstairs window, especially in the evening when the sun shines on the trees at the other side.

more trees to plant

I have new trees to plant.  It's all due to Lonnie tripping on some uneven concrete in our screen porch.

Usually we have a table sitting over the uneven spot but Lonnie had given the porch a good cleaning a few days before and the furniture was not yet back in place.

He stubbed his foot on a raised area then smacked down on both knees, then threw out one hand but he still had momentum and banged the side of his face on the concrete. Ouch!

I was in the house and had no idea he had fallen.  He said it took a while to get up and determine if he could walk...but he decided he was okay and came in to patch up his bloody cheek bone.

Later that evening though, there was considerable pain and swelling in the knees and his hand so we decided to go get x-rays the next morning.

Now, because of COVID-19 precautions, no one is allowed into the emergency room with the patient. I helped Lonnie inside (very sore knees) and they gave me a number to call in 2 hours.  They said I could wait in the parking lot or go home.

I just waited in the parking lot doing some hand sewing and listening to the radio.  Just before 2 hours were up, Lonnie called me himself and said he had x-rays and a CT scan and they told him it would still be another hour before they had the results.

By this time I was beginning to need a restroom break...but where to go? I couldn't go in the hospital.  The fast food places are drive through only because of the virus.  Gas station? Not sure what kind of restroom policy they have in place.   Oh yeah...a Kroger store just down the road. Their restrooms would be open.

It so happens that particular Kroger had a very nice garden center. I had no idea. Lots of small trees and plants...different than what I have been seeing at Lowes too.  And nice little trees priced at $12.99.  I had to buy some!  Two Persimmons and two Ginkgos! 

Oops!  I forgot...I am driving Lonnie's car, not the Jeep!  How will I get them in there? How horrible I am to be buying trees while my poor husband sits alone in the emergency department!

I opened the trunk but there was no way they'd fit in there.

I was able to sit them in the back floor and gently bend them back toward the rear window...hoping dirt and moisture wouldn't stain his floor mats!

Back at the hospital, after about 4 hours total wait time, Lonnie called me again to say no broken bones except a small fracture in his hand that they couldn't really treat in any way...and they were wheeling him out the doors.  That's some good news!

I told him don't be surprised, but I had 4 trees in his car!  He didn't even mind.

A couple of days later, I drove Lonnie to his orthopedic doctor for a follow up.  He looked at the x-rays and verified nothing was broken and suggested cortisone shots in both knees to help with the pain - and it did.

I had thrown a tarp in the car since I knew we would be right back in the area near the Kroger store. Yep, I went back and got a few more things.  This time 3 Japanese Maples and 2 River Birch.

Got them all into the back seat again!

These are all supposedly somewhat deer resistant but I'll rig up some protective fence rings for them anyway.

And it's a good time to dig holes since the ground is wet and soft.  Except I've broken my shovel!

I will see if the Sasquatch can weld it but there is probably too much rust. I have a bad habit of leaving it outside.

I have another just like it that belonged to Chopper.  I will take better care of that one.

Long story! Sheesh!

freeze warning so more soup

I'm pretty sure I just got through saying I am tired of all the focus on food...but with some low overnight temperatures in the forecast I thought it would be a good time to make soup.

I made 2 different ones...

One tomato based, with ground beef, cabbage, and kidney beans...

The second one chicken and store bought egg noodles.

Some to eat now and some to put in the freezer.  The noodles do suffer a bit from being frozen but my husband really likes soup so he doesn't mind this.

It's very late in the season for us to have a frost or a freeze here in Kentucky.  I covered up a few plants and just brought these annuals inside.

Glad I don't have any vegetable plants in the ground already!

a bit of a mix up

Back when we used to have Lonnie's son's and families over for swimming and cook-outs, we needed a lot of outdoor furniture. Over time we accumulated nearly two dozen assorted chairs and a couple of tables.  Some were those light weight plastic chairs and some were mis-matched ones I'd found on clearance. Then there's a set someone left behind when moving and one cushioned set that I bought years ago.

Now we don't have the gatherings here anymore...one of his granddaughters has a big pool now and everything at her house is kid friendly.

So we decided it's time to get rid of most of that hodge podge of chairs and get a couple of nice ones for tho two of us...ones that we really like for beside the pool.

Sam's Club had just what we were looking for. A cute set with two swivel rockers and a bistro table.
I ordered online and had it delivered.

When I saw the two big boxes on the front porch I thought maybe the chairs were already mostly assembled.

It was rainy that day so my idea was to take everything out of the boxes to take inside, leaving the boxes outside.

But when I started unpacking the second box - it was the same as the first box.  More chair parts and no table!

Well here's the problem...both boxes are labeled "Box 1 of 2".  Someone at the shipping department didn't understand that they should have sent a "Box 2 of 2" instead.

So what I received was parts for 4 complete chairs and a few table legs!  It should have been two chairs and one table.

I figured I could straighten it out with a phone call but after being put on "hold" forever my call was suddenly disconnected.

I tried their online "live chat" and got a message that the average wait time was 38 minutes.

I was finally able to submit a message through their "contact us" area on their website.

I got an email back with a canned response stating it would take them longer than usual to take care of my request...because of the corona virus.

Still waiting to hear from Sams Club,  but one day I went ahead and put together the two chairs we ordered.

They had everything nicely packed and protected against scuffing and scratching.

The instructions were pretty lousy but all the hardware was sorted and labeled in this plastic shrink packaging. Assembly tools included.  Nice! 

They went together easily.   Just what we were looking for...aluminum frames so no rusting. swivel action to follow the sun, and no need for cushions and replacement cushions.

Hopefully the mix-up will be taken care of soon and we will get our matching table and they will schedule a pick-up for the other huge box that's now residing in my foyer.  At least we're not responsible for loading it up and lugging it back to the store.

We can't enjoy sitting poolside yet anyway. In early April, when Lonnie called the company that opens and closes our pool, they told him they are booked up until the week of May 11th.

With kids out of school because of the virus lock-down, everyone wanted their pool open earlier than usual this year.

It's definitely too cold to swim right now anyway and I'm glad the cover wasn't off the pool when the maple tree showered us for days with a massive amount of "helicopters".

More than the usual amount of them it seems.  Those things are so hard to sweep off the porch...getting stuck between the boards.  Squirrels are enjoying snacking on them though...and "squirreling" them away in the soft dirt of my flower beds. I'll be seeing lot's of tiny maple tree sprouts this summer!

what's cooking

Gosh, since the virus lock-down has started it seems like there is so much focus on food...the shopping and stocking up "in case". Then of course there is the eating...comfort eating, boredom eating, TV watching eating, stress eating, and just eating for fun.
How will I ever fit back in to my "going somewhere" clothes?

My husband's favorite thing that I've made lately is "Pioneer Woman's Tomato Soup".

Here is a link to her recipe  Best Tomato Soup Ever

It's easy to figure out why this is so good...it has a lot of butter and cream in it!
It's quick and easy too.  You start out by cooking diced onions in butter.

Then you add the tomato products and spices.  I had this Costco sized can of tomatoes that you see on the right. The recipe doesn't use anywhere near that amount.  I have to admit I didn't follow the recipe exactly - I used more tomatoes than called for - about half of that can.

The cream goes in near the end, along with some sherry, if desired.  I didn't have sherry, but I did have a bottle of cooking Marsala, so I added a few glugs of that.

After the cream goes in it turns a pinky-orange color and it's ready to eat.  Lonnie liked that it was a little chunky with tomato and onion bits.

As a side dish I made some cheeseburger stuffed jalapenos.  No recipe, I just mixed raw ground beef with shredded cheddar, salt and pepper then filled jalapeno halves with the mixture. Baked in a 400 degree oven until done.

They were just okay.  Maybe a a slice of bacon on top would have helped.

On another day I made Parmesan breaded chicken breast strips in the air fryer. I think I have mentioned these before.  Low in carbs because they ate coated with mayonnaise and rolled in Parmesan cheese...no grains involved.

And this recipe....Butterscotch Brownies. I had forgotten about it and came across it again recently, tucked in a cook book I rarely use.  I remembered it as being good so I made a batch.

Now, I think I must have put it aside on purpose.  It is good but so sweet and rich - overly so. Even a small portion sets like lead in your stomach.  I won't make this one again.

At least these pretty sunny days get me out of the house and away from the food for awhile, or maybe just working up an appetite out there with yard work!