Let's Talk Tuesday

It's 9 pm and I am just now sitting down for the evening.  For a little while anyway.  In an hour I've got to get up and finish some chores that I started.  It has been a very busy and productive day.

I got up this morning and went to Zumba.  Afterwards Jackie and I stopped and saw Mom.  She and her gang were all sitting around with the activity director playing trivia. Some of those residents are still pretty sharp when it comes to trivia.

When I got home I pulled out all the Halloween decorations and got part of the house decorated for the season.  Just the main floor so far.  Perhaps I will get to the basement tomorrow or Thursday.

When Frank got home we took a ride over to see our Little Miss Melody Elizabeth.  I had picked up some Halloween outfits for her and I took Ting and Tony some of the Corn Chowder we made last night.

Maddie thought Grampa was a great pillow today.

When we were done with our visit we went out for dinner and then hit the grocery store.  Larry and Mary arrive tomorrow morning and we thought it would be nice if there was food in the house.  Dick and Jackie will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night and I have to take Ting and Melody to the doctor tomorrow so it is going to be another crazy day.

When we got home we made up another batch of corn chowder.  I also cooked up the chicken that we did not have for dinner tonight and I will make Chicken Pot Pie on Thursday instead of the BBQ Ribs as scheduled.

Tomorrow is October 1st and I am, once again, joining with The Nesting Place for a 31 Day Challenge.  This year the challenge will have a twist because I am also joining with Five Minute Friday and each post for the 31 Day Challenge will be given a one word prompt which I will use to write about my topic each day for five minutes.  

Are you confused yet?  Don't worry, I will explain it more to you tomorrow.  Last year I was just starting my blogging journey and this challenge really helped me.  I wrote about dealing with Mom's Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease for 31 days.  It was a very popular topic and I made a lot of friends as well as letting go of a lot of stress.  This year I am going to try my hand at writing fiction for 5 minutes each day using the prompts given.  I have never written fiction.  I have sat down a couple of times and attempted it...it is harder than you think.  I am hoping that breaking it into 5 minute sessions will help.

The last thing I want to talk to you about on this Tuesday is the book I finished reading a couple of days ago.  

This book was very disturbing to me.  It takes place in Russia during the end of Stalin's reign.  Wow...that's all I can say is Wow.  I am so glad that I was born here in the United States and not into a Communist Country.  It was a very interesting read and I learned quite a bit about the communist mind set and how people were brainwashed and if not brainwashed, in a position to never question authority of any kind.  This is the first book in a trilogy.  When I first started reading it, I did not think that I would want to read the other two, about halfway through I was starting to think I might want to read them and now that I am finished with it I definitely am going to read the next two books. I'll let you know how they are.  Stalin died in  this book so I think that things get better for the Russian people now but I am not sure....I had a hard enough time in US History let alone World History as a kid.  Now as an adult, I am fascinated by history and I love historical fiction.

Which is a great segue into the new book I have started....

This book takes place in the 1800's during the time that the Mormons were leaving Europe, arriving on American soil and making the 1300 mile trek by foot to Salt Lake City, their Zion.  I have only read the first few chapters but I am already intrigued.

A year ago--Yearning for Yoga

The Final Touchdown...#10DaysofTailgate....Ducky Joes

It is with a sad heart that I say goodbye to this Tailgate Event.  It has been so much fun creating dishes with all of the wonderful products our sponsors provided.  I kind of felt like I was participating in a Chopped Challenge with a tailgate theme. I am so very grateful to Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla for hosting this event.

On this last day I am going to highlight the 4 of our generous sponsors whose products I received.  I conceived of this recipe way back in the beginning of September when the packages first started arriving and I saved it until the end so I could "Save the Best until Last".  I hope you enjoy it and I hope you had as much fun at this event as we did.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that one of my readers wins a prize package.  You can learn all about all of our sponsors and enter to win some great prize packages here.  Make sure you check your email!!

Our generous sponsors sent us tons of products to try during this event.  I have been having so much fun with them all and I can honestly say that I have been so pleased with all the products that I received that I will continue to use them now that this event is completed.  I recommend these product for all my friends, family and dear readers.  I am thinking that many of them would make great gifts for those that love cooking as much as I do.

For today's recipe I am using ground duck from Maple Leaf Farms.

Mango Mustard from El Diablo.

Cherry Chipotle Sauce from Not Ketchup.

And Chunky Garlic and Chili Pepper from Gourmet Garden.

I browned the duck with the onions, garlic and salt and pepper.

Drained it and put it in my crockpot.

Added the rest of the ingredients and set it to cook for 4 hours.

Ducky Joes

1 lb. ground duck

1 small onion, chopped

1 t. Gourmet Garden chunky garlic

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 t. Gourmet Garden Chili Paste

1/4 t. El Diablo Mango Mustard

2 T. Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup

2 T. Ketchup

1 T. brown sugar

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 can Chicken Gumbo Soup

Brown ground duck with onion, garlic, salt and pepper over med high heat.  Drain and place in the crock of a slow cooker.  Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.  Cook on low for 4 hours.  Print Recipe

**Note: Should you not have these items and/or not care to purchase these items you can use my recipe for Sloppy Joes using ground beef and items that you do have in your pantry.

Here's what the other team members brought to the table...

Starters

Sweet Cornbread Mini-Muffins with a Chile Pepper Kick by OnTheMove-In the Galley

Pretzel Bites with Hot & Spicy El Diablo Mango Mustard by Making Miracles

Mains
Homemade Honey Mustard Chipotle Chicken Bites by Love and Confections

Beer Cheese Brat Chowder by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Ducky 13 Bean Soup by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

13 Bean Chili by Miss Laura’s Kitchen

Za’atar Spiced Cashews by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

Chicken & Potato Stir Fry on the Grill by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

El Diablo Spicy Wood Smoked Pork Butt by CafeTerraBlog
Grilled Lemongrass Lamb by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Sides
Grilled Clash of the Seasons Panzanella by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Sweets

Boston Lager Cupcakes by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Marvelous Monday

What makes today marvelous?

• I tried something new today...I went rollerskating.  I was horrid.  But I did not fall down and I am not giving up.  I am signing up for lessons, at least a couple, to see if I can get the hang of this.  I went during the old timer's skate so it was like a throwback to the 30's and 40's with all the music and skate dancing from that era.  It seems to be a theme this week.
• I got to spend some time with Mom and she is doing wonderfully well.
• I got some baby time in and gave Ting a chance to shower.
  
   
• I got one of my freezers cleaned out.
• We made a slew of Corn Chowder to put in the freezer I just cleaned. You can find my recipe for Corn Chowder right here.
  
• I got all caught up on my blogs.
• It is squash season so I am sharing two recipes with you.  Squash Puree which can then be used in many different recipes and Spaghetti Squash which is what's for dinner tonight.

First cut the pumpkin and the spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise for the spaghetti squash.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Preheat oven to 400*

I don't season the pumpkin as I just want clean puree to use in other recipes.

I drizzle the spaghetti squash with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper..

Flip them over and prick the skins with a sharp knife to prevent splitting.

Bake until fork tender.  

The pumpkin may start to collapse upon itself.

Remove the pumpkin from the shell and put into a strainer to allow all moisture to drain.

When the pumpkin puree is dry, place into a container and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Pumpkin Puree

1 small pumpkin, halved and seeds removed

Place pumpkin, flesh side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 400* for about an hour, until the pumpkin starts to collapse and a fork can be inserted easily into the flesh. Scoop out pulp and place into a strainer.  Allow to drain for an hour or longer, until the flesh is completely dry.  Place into a container and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Print Recipe

Using a fork, start shredding the flesh of the spaghetti squash.

It will come out in strands.

Remove to a serving bowl.

pa

Top with your favorite Marinara sauce.

I topped mine with this recipe that I had canned.

Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Spaghetti Squash Marinara

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Marinara, my recipe is here.

Parmesan Cheese

Place spaghetti squash halves onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Flip so that flesh side is down, puncture flesh with a fork or small knife to allow steam to escape.  Bake at 400* for an hour or until easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from oven and flip over on baking sheet.  Using a fork, shred the flesh into strands and remove to a serving bowl.  Top with Marinara sauce that has been heated in a saucepan.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.  Print Recipe

I am sharing this recipe with Simple Supper Tuesday.  Stop by and grab some great easy meal ideas!

One year ago--Funday Sunday

A Step Back in Time

Yesterday was a gorgeous day and we used it well.

Frank had donated a flight for 2 at a fundraiser a few months ago.  The couple that was the highest bidder on the flight chose to go to Mackinac Island for the day.  It was a perfect day for it.

Mackinac Island is like stepping back into time.  It is accessible only by boat or plane and there are no motor vehicles (with the exception of emergency vehicles) on the Island.  You travel by foot, bicycle, horse or horsedrawn carriages.  The construction is all from the 1800's to early 1900's.  It is pristine and secluded...until you get into the city which is teeming with people, restaurants and shops.

The couple was very nice and very excited about the trip.  They graciously paid for our horse drawn taxi into the city and then bought us a wonderful lunch at Seabiscuit Restaurant.  After lunch we split up and the couple went shopping while Frank and I went on a 5 mile hike.  The Island has great hiking trails where you seldom, if ever run into other people until you get to one of the sites at which the tours stop.

This is Arch Rock.

It is made of Limestone.

The center has eroded away and left it in the shape of this Arch.

This is the view from the top of Mackinac Island

Michigan's Great Lakes were once all oceans.

Our State stone, The Petoskey Stone, is fossilized coral.

You can see that they are as vast as oceans.

They turned fresh water after the ice age which is also what created our landscape that is flat on the east side of the state and gets hillier and even mountainous as you travel west.

It was a wonderful way to spend a glorious, sunny, crisp Autumn day.

One year ago--A is for Apples

Steak Kabobs --#10DaysofTailgate

Yes, today is the 10th day of #10DaysofTailgate, but the party is not over until tomorrow so this is not your last day of recipes!!  Lucky for you, when Camilla  decided to host this event we started on the 20th and went through to the 30th which actually gives you 11 days worth of terrific recipes from all of our talented bloggers or at least from me because I may have done it wrong LOL.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are very grateful to Camilla for all of her hard work. She arranged for us to have some amazing sponsors who provided us (the bloggers) with awesome products and you (the readers) with the chance to win some excellent prize packages.  You can learn all about our sponsors and the prize packages by going to this post.

Today, in my recipe for Beef Kabobs, I am showcasing  a couple of the products that I received from our generous sponsors.  I am going to be working with Fire Wire Flexible Skewers and using Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices for seasoning my steak and my Themopop to make sure the meat is cooked to the perfect temperature.

I like to make Kabobs because they cook quickly and they look elegant.  I often cook my veggies on the same skewers as my meat. Today I am sticking with Mushrooms and Onions as the veggies included because in this household we usually serve sauteed Onions and Mushrooms with our Steak.

Gather your ingredients for the Marinade and place in a gallon plastic bag that can be sealed.

Cut your Steak into chunks.  

Add to the Marinade and refrigerate for a few hours.

Place Steak and Vegetables alternately on the Skewers.

Grill over Med heat to desired temperature.

Med Rare is 130*.

Remove from skewers and serve.

Steak Kabobs

1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 c. Olive Oil
2 t. Gourmet Garden Chunky Garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Gourmet Garden Italian herbs or 2 t.dried Italian Seasoning
1 t. Gourmet Garden Parsley or chopped Fresh Parsley or dried Parsley or no parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sirloin Steak (about 1/4 lb per person) cut into 1 1/2"- 2" chunks
Whole Large Mushrooms
1 Large Sweet Onion, cut into Chunks


Combine all ingredients up to the steak in a gallon sized sealable plastic bag and smoosh to mix.  Add the steak and release the air from the bag so all the steak is covered in marinade.  Refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight if you prefer.

Place the Marinaded Steak, alternating with Mushrooms and Onion, on a skewer.  I used Fire Wire Flexible Skewers for this recipe but any skewers will work.

Grill over med high  heat to your desired temperature.  I prefer my steak med rare (130*).

Print Recipe

Here's what the rest of the crew brought to the table...

Starters
BBQ Sausage & Cheese Plate by The Spiffy Cookie           
Vegified Hot “Wings”  by Curious Cuisiniere            
Fried Polenta Cakes with Grilled Tomato and Mozzarella Salad by Love and Confections               
Smoky Karma Stovetop Beans by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Dips
Chile con Queso by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Mains 

Kicking Karma Veggie Fajita Pizza by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures     

Not Ketchup Cherry Chipotle Steak Tacos by Making Miracles               

BBQ Chickpea Sliders with Apple Slaw by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy         

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili by The Pajama Chef                      

Let's Start and End with Chili...Day 9 of #10DaysofTailgate

The very first recipe that I shared in this event was 13 Bean Chili.  We are getting to the end of the challenge now so I thought that it was time to share another Chili recipe with you.  This time we are having a White Chicken Chili served up with a Jalapeno Corn Bread.

Now this is not a new recipe for me.  I have been making this recipe for years and I first shared it with you here.  I used this same recipe today but it was made slightly easier for me because I had some great products that were provided to me by Gourmet Garden.  So instead of having to mince the garlic I just used 2 t. of the chunky garlic from Gourmet Garden and I also used their fresh refrigerated oregano instead of dried.  I had never used Gourmet Garden Herbs and Spices before this event but I am hooked big time!!

Gourmet Garden is only one of many great sponsors for this #10DaysofTailgate event hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  She did a fantastic job of lining up sponsors to not only provide us, the bloggers, with products but also to provide our readers with the opportunity to win some great prize packages as well.  You can learn more about our generous sponsors and enter to win one of the prize packages right here.

Here's what the rest of the team brought to the table today...

Starters

‘Da Bears in ‘Da Blankets by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Jalapeno Popper Deviled Eggs by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Sausage and Cheese Stuffed Pretzel Bites by From Gate to Plate

Philly Cheese Steak Eggrolls by Cooking In Stilettos

Ketchup & Mustard Glazed Meatballs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains

Chipotle RanchChicken Wings by Cheese Curd In Paradise

Italian Sausages with Fire Grilled Peppers and Onions by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Saucy Maple Leaf Duck Sliders by Making Miracles

Three Pepper Burgers by Eliot’s Eats

Chipotle Mustard Pork Chops by The Pajama Chef

Cherry Chipotle Drumsticks by Summer Scraps

Sides

Salads in Jars by OnTheMove-In the Galley

One year ago--Shooting Saturday and the Weekly Menu

Getting my Baby Fix and the Weekly Menu

Frank and I got up and went for a walk this morning.  What a beautiful day and you know what?  The only person who touched us was each other.  It was a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively, after our walks in NYC.

Frank took care of the animals while I am grabbed some breakfast.  I showered while he had breakfast and then threw together my dish for Foodie Extravaganza which premiers here, on this blog, on October 1st, while he was showering.  Foodie Extravagnza is a group that has been together for quite a while and I was honored that they invited me to join them.

This afternoon we went to visit Mom, did some shopping for Little Miss and then over to spend some time with her!!! She is adorable.

Before I left I started on the weekly menu since it is still Saturday even though we have a baby.

I think I have mentioned previously that I am starting Soup Saturdays now that fall is here so tonight is my first Soup Saturday dinner.

Tomorrow we are flying to Mackinac Island.  This is the trip we missed last weekend because we were welcoming Little Miss into our world.

Larry and Mary arrive Wednesday morning.

The rest of the week is pretty quiet so I should be getting lots of Maddie time in!!

Please stop by each day.  I will be sharing photos and recipes.  I am also linking up with MPM where there are tons of menus to peruse.  Today, enjoy my Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread Recipe.

Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread

3/4 c. corn meal
1 1/4 c. unbleached all purpose flour
1 t. sat
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 egg
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 c. shredded cheese

Place all ingredients in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.  Mix at low speed until blended.  Turn out into a cast iron skillet that has been heated and in which 1 T. of drippings, butter or oil has been melted.  Place skillet in a preheated 400* oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.  Print Recipe

Soup Saturday
White Chicken Chili
Jalapeno Cheese Cornbread

Sunday
Out for dinner

Meatless Monday
Spaghetti Squash Marinara

Try it Tuesday
Chicken and Rice Casserole

Welcome Dinner Wednesday
Short Ribs
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Green Beans

Thursday
BBQ Ribs
Roasted Red Skin Potatoes
Grilled Vegetables
Chicken Pot Pie

Friday
Cedar Planked Salmon
Asparagus Risotto

One year ago--Wine Tasting Dinner with Friends

Day 8 of #10daysoftailgate-Cherry Chipotle Glazed Wings

Wow it is hard to believe that September is nearly over and sad to believe that so is our 10 Days of Tailgate Event.  I hope you have enjoyed this event as much as I.  Can you believe how many great recipes the group created using all the wonderful product so generously provided by our sponsors.  I hope one of my followers ends up winning one of the prize packages!

Today I am showcasing the first sponsor product that I received, Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup. Not Ketchup gave us the opportunity to choose our flavor and I immediately thought that the Cherry Chipotle would be absolutely fantastic as a glaze on wings.  I think I was right.....Let me know what you think.

As I was working on the Glaze I decided I would like a little more kick.  I went into the refrigerator to grab the hot sauce when I spied the Smokey Chipotle Mustard from another one of our sponsors, El Diablo.  It was the perfect complement to the glaze.

Making your own wings is much thriftier than going out or buying premade and they are easy peasy to make.  I am sharing this recipe at Thrifty Thursday.

Cherry Chipotle Glazed Wings

3 lbs. Chicken Wings, separated at joints, wing tips discarded (or thrown into the stockpot)
1 T. olive oil
2 generous pinches of Kosher salt
5 or 6 grinds of the pepper mill
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. Not Ketchup, Cherry Chipotle Sauce
1 T. honey
1 t. El Diablo, Smokey Chipotle Hot and Spicy Mustard

Toss chicken wings with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated 375* oven for half an hour.  While wings are cooking combine remaining ingredients to make glaze.  After half an hour, remove wings from oven and brush on one side with glaze,  Return to the oven for another 7 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip wings and brush opposite side with remaining glaze. Bake for another 7 minutes.  Can be served hot or at room temperature.  Print Recipe

Don't forget to stop and join our rafflecopter for a chance to win some great prizes.  You can sign up to win right here.

Here's what everyone else brought to the table today...

Starters

Chicken Bacon RanchTaquitos by Things I Make (for Dinner)

Firewired Pancetta-Wrapped Seafood by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Mains
Maize and Blue Chicken Salad by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Savory Duck Handpies by The Not So Cheesy Kitchen

Slow Cooker Smoky Date Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Smokey Red Lentil Chili by Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

Thai Beef Skewers by The Pajama Chef

Sips

Apple Cherry Spice Cocktail by CafeTerraBlog

Dips

Kicked up Spinach Dip by Miss Laura’s Kitchen

Pizza Dip by Making Miracles

Sweets
Peanut Butter & Chocolate Hard Pretzels by The Spiffy Cookie

Caramel Stuffed Rice Krispie Treats by From Gate to Plate

Be it Every so Humble...

We are home safe and sound.  It was a long drive but we stopped and had a very nice lunch with our friends, the Sawyers, before continuing on our way.  When we got to the airport, the plane was all better and the flight was uneventful.  

Amy and Doug met us near the airport for dinner before we headed home for the night.  I am heading into bed now so I can get up early tomorrow and get back into the groove....very anxious to see my Little Miss tomorrow!!

One year ago--Then it was Thursday