Crawfish & Corn Chowder (With mine and Lorri's twist on it)

This started out as a joke that backfired on me. My nephew Brandon was having a BBQ so... Funny Aunt Sue decides she's going to find a recipe that I'm positive he'll turn his nose up at and post it on his facebook saying this is what I'm bringing just to see the reaction I'd get. (I'm thinking
I would get an ewwwww, or sure Aunt Sue that would be great with a :-P) No, I get a "Like"!
LOL :-D   Next day I'm scrambling to find crawfish.. Of course the grocery store I went to only had live crawfish.. Boiling the little suckers were not part of this BBQ.. No can do, so I grabbed a pound of shrimp and everyone, especially Bekah loved it! :-D

Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!! :-D

P.S. We also made Lorri's famous yummy pasta salad (Already posted), Bacon wrapped water chestnuts, (To be posted) and Italian oven baked wings (To be posted).

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (We used red and yellow bell peppers)
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (Use mild unless you want steam coming from your head)
Emeril’s Essence (Sprinkle lightly, this stuff packs a punch)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 cans whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
1 pound Crawfish (Substituted shrimp for reason stated above)
1 can Evaporated Milk
2 medium potatoes, chopped into small chunks (Lorri and I added this because we thought it wasn't fattening enough LOL :-D ) 

Directions:
1. Sautee onions, bell pepper, celery, Essence & salt in butter.
2. Add Rotel & cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in corn, crawfish/shrimp, potatoes and milk.
4. Salt & pepper to taste.
5. Heat approximately 30 minutes. (We let this cook longer until it was creamier)




Original recipe posted at:
http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1025442-Crawfish-Corn-Soup

 

 

Thanks go to Sheila M. Juneau for posting it and creating a fun day at the BBQ :-D

Bang for your Buck / Ham

All around the country, families are getting ready to celebrate Easter.....Here in San Antonio, alot of families go to a local park to camp out and barbecue.    Back in Central Pennsylvania, everyone will have their Pickled Eggs in the fridge and a Ham ready to be cooked.

Living away from home,,,and having a small family,,,,, I would stand looking at a big Ham at the store, seeing the price and debate on whether to spend the money on it or not.....  But it's a tradition,,,childhood memories...how could I not....That's when I decided to figure out how to make buying that Ham worth the money...

So.....If you have a small family like I do.....Go ahead and buy that Ham....We are going to cut it up, freeze some for later dates and still have enough to cook for our Easter meal...
This one I bought is called the 'butt portion'.  I always try to buy this....mainly because it fits in my Electric Roaster better and it is easier to cut around the bone.

First....We are going to cut off that nice big piece (top right) and then cut it up into slices.... These slices can be used for breakfast, scalloped potatoes or just some plain old ham fried with some potatoes...add a can of creamstyle corn and you have a nice supper.

Next....That little piece (bottom right in the picture).... Cut that off too.
You will probably have to cut around some of the bone.
This piece is going to get cut up into small cubes. I will be showing what we can make with these small cubes of Ham in the near future.

Now we have 3 nice pieces of Ham. The big piece with the bone in, should be plenty for a family of 4.  If you think you will need more,,,,leave on one of the other pieces that we cut off.







Once you get everything
cut and sliced up,,,,divide
the cubes and slices into half and freeze, in individual packs, for a later date.






In the near future, we will be sharing some of our recipes we make from this Ham...
Ham Potpie with Scott's Homemade Noodles, 
Our Mom's Scalloped Potatoes, 
Ham with Greenbeans, and Potatoes 
and Ham Salad.

I hope this was helpful to some of you,,,
Happy Easter
~Lorri~

Pickled Eggs

   

We grew up in a small town in Cental Pennsylvania ,,,, Where Pickled Eggs are a staple on most families holiday tables.... and for a few like Grandma Reams,,,there was Always a huge jar of them in her fridge.  Don't have time to make them,,,,you can go to the local grocery store and pick some up at the deli.  
Not living close enough to have the honor of going and buying them,,,I have to make them.

Before we get to the recipe....Let's talk about hard-boiling some eggs.  A while back, a friend of mine told me a trick to making perfect hard-boiled eggs every time. 

                                Hard-Boil Eggs

• Put your eggs in a large pot, cover eggs with Cold  water. 
• Slowly bring water to a boil, cover pot with a tight fitting lid, turn off stove, turn on timer for 12 minutes.
• 12 minutes later, take eggs out and put them in a bowl full of  Cold water.  
• When cold enough to touch, peel them and use for pickled eggs, deviled eggs, egg salad or whatever else you need them for.

                                  Pickled Eggs ... Our Momma's Recipe

• Hard-Boiled Eggs  
• 5 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 1/2 Cups Vinegar
• 2 Cans Beets

In a large bowl or container           

• Add Beets_Do Not Drain_
• Add Sugar and Vinegar and Stir Well
• Add hard-boiled eggs (as many as you can fit, making sure the beet juice is covering most of them)
• Put in the fridge for 2 days, stirring once or twice to make sure all sides of the eggs are turning purple.

Depending on your taste, you may want to add less/more sugar and less/more vinegar. 
I will post a picture of the pretty purple pickled eggs on sunday.  Even if you think,,,,eggs and beets together wouldn't taste good, give them a try....they just might surprise you...

Hope everyone has a Wonderful Holiday weekend...
                                                Lorri

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Some tips from some of our Pennsylvania friends

Brenda D.......... I always put sliced onions in also.
April C..............If you boil your beet juice the eggs pickle faster  
Loretta C..... my mom always added a few onion slices, too.

FUN-nel Way to Separate the Yolks and Whites of an Egg

I was talking to Dad on Sunday and told him about the blog. Actually, I went on and on and on about it Hah :-) He said he has a few tips and tricks he’d like to share. Knowing my Dad, I was expecting them to include duct tape, string, wire, gorilla glue, etc. LOL :-D When he said he knew a good way to separate the yolk and whites of an egg I was all ears because I always have pieces of egg shell in the mix somewhere.

So, are you ready for this tip? A funnel…Yep, you break the egg into a kitchen funnel. 

The whites come out the bottom into the bowl and the yolk stays in the funnel!  (Size of the funnel determines how fast the whites come through). Cool huh! So that’s my Dads first tip. Stay tuned for others. :-D

Keeping Track of Bills: Tip from Olga

Reply to Susan's:Tip of the Day: Organization of Household Bills

OlgaMarch 13, 2013 at 2:22 PM

I'm always on the lookout for tips on keeping track of bills. One of your suggestions, the desktop Notepad, has been working for me so far. On the final payment screen I highlight the date, amount, confirmation number and any other pertinent data then copy and paste into Notepad. I then save that notepad with the account name and add to it every month.

Hanging Clothes: Tip from One of Susan's co-workers

AnonymousMarch 13, 2013 at 1:28 PM

Here's a tip that I use. It may seem a bit annal, but as I pull clothing out of the dryer and before they go into the closet, I put black items on black cloths hangers - never any other color hanger. If the item is a dark color like navy or charcoal or dark brown or something like that, it goes on any other color hanger except black. That way it's easy to tell when you're half asleep in the morning that you're not mixing navy and black or some other combination of dark colors by mistake. (I'm one of Susan's co-workers.)

NeverEnding, NeverAgain Afghan

  (updated version: March 26, 2013)

 I started this afghan about 2 years ago. I never ever, ever thought that 2 years later I would still be working on it.  A total of 285 small Granny Squares is what it took to make this afghan big enough for a double size bed. I have 3 more rows to slip stitch together, and maybe a border added, before I can call this 'My Finally Done Afghan'

This was suppose to be a project to use up my scrap yarn and instead, ended up being more than one trip to the hobby store... Which ended up with me buying yarn to start other projects..... wonder why this one isn't done yet?

In this picture,,,you can get an idea of what it will look like when completed.   That is my little buddy, Stella, sitting off to the side. 
Her little heart is going to be broken when she realizes I didn't make this for her.




At this point, I was planning on writing a tutorial on 'How to make Granny Squares'  but while looking around on Pinterest, I came upon a blog called things to make and do.   

She has a great tutorial on how to make basic granny squares, plus tutorials on how to adjust the sizes, blocking and joining.  Anyone wanting to learn......Go say 'Hi' to adaiha@ things to make and do. and tell her that Lorri, from Home away from Mom, sent you.   I am sending you to her patterns & tutorials page. 

 Start at Granny Square Tutorial part 1: Basic Granny Square. 

Once you learn that, the possibilities are endless. You can use multiple colors, sizes, stitches, make up your own design, you name it...it's all up to you.  Get creative and have fun.

For those of you who don't know how to crochet, but would like to learn......Go on over and say 'Hi' to 
Mikey @ The Crochet Crowd
He has some great videos on Youtube to help you on your way.



For my afghan:
I used an H/8-5.00mm hook and
RedHeart Supersaver yarn
(I'm sorry, I didn't keep track of how much yarn I was using)   

*I made up a graph to make my pattern..... 

As you can see, alot of scribbling went on,,,, and this was the one that got saved from the trash. 

For anyone wanting to take on this mammoth of a blanket. 
Everyone is welcome to the pattern I have created out of little granny squares and the pictures of it, but please link  back to me....Thank you.

Here is the placement of the squares I came up with. I redid the sheet and put in generic letters as the colors, but still posted, at the bottom the colors each letter represents on my afghan... It was amazing to see what it turned out looking like once I started getting it put together.  

Each one of my squares were made up of a solid color for 2 rounds and the 3rd round is black. Then I slip stitched them together using black.... I'm still debating on...Border or no border. and if I decide on a border...what kind of border.....decisions, decisions.

I know I call this my NeverEndingNeverAgainAfghan, But....who knows...Never say Never :)


Ravelry members.... Make sure you visit this page to post your pictures.
Ravelry: Page for NeverEndingNeverAgainAfghan


Once you get going, and have so many blankets made, that you don't know what to do with them all......there are alot of charities out there that need help. A nice little security blanket would mean the world to some little boy or girl.   You can check your local shelters and hospitals to see if they take donations.
                                      Hoping you all have a Happy Friday
                                           and a happy and safe weekend,
                                                                Lorri

Mobile Device's:Tip From Alan

Not having a 'Smart Phone'... I didn't realize that anyone accessing our blog through a mobile device cannot see our lists on the right side of the page. Thanks to my friend, Alan, I now know this. I have been trying to figure out how to use the top tabs more as lists, but Blogger doesn't have that feature yet. So....Until then...I'm going create Top Tabs for each of our categories and create a list of links in these pages. I hope this helps... We still have alot of reading and learning to do as far as blogs are concerned. Thank you for your patience and a Big Thank you to Alan for all your feedback and advise. 
                                                                                  ~Lorri~
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Dreamcatchers

    

My Sister and Co-contributer to this blog, Susan, loves Dreamcatchers and Plants. So last year for her birthday I decided to put the two together and make her a Dreamcatcher Plantholder. 
Pictured is the first one, of many, that I ended up making. Some with the plantholders, some without, some big, some small and some small enough for the kids to put on their rearview mirrors in their cars. 
   

After the first two, I still wasn't getting the hang of how to tie the knots so I switched to crocheting the middle part. 
You can find a nice doiley pattern to crochet, or just wing it like I did.  Also, There are many sites with directions on..... 'How to make a Dreamcatcher'..... for those of you who don't crochet.

Items needed for a Dreamcatcher/Plantholder:

*Brass Rings
*Craft Thread
*Craft Cord
*Assortment of Beads
*Feathers
*Any decorations you like

It takes a bit of money to get all the supplies you need to get started, but once you get set up, you can make pretty many Dreamcatcher/Plantholders and just have to buy a few things here and there.    

If you decide to crochet your dreamcatcher, remember to make it smaller than the ring so you can stretch it tight onto the ring. I tied mine into place and cut off the strings as I wrapped the Craft Cord around. Once you have the ring wrapped, it is time to add the Plantholder. The Craft Cord comes in different sizes. Choose which size is best for your plantholder, but keep in mind, the bigger the Cord, the harder it is to get the beads over it, for decorating. 

Decide how long you want your plantholder to be. Cut 4 pieces of Cord double that length, plus a little extra to count for the knots.

Slip all 4 pieces through one of the spaces in your Dreamcatcher and around the ring. Pull down until all 8 pieces are even. Leaving a loop at the top, big enough to slip all 8 pieces through. Pull to tighten knot. (Larks Head Knot) 

At this point... you can add beads, knots or any kind of decoration you want to be part of the cord.





To make the net to hold the pot...

Separate into pairs of 4 and tie a knot 
in each pair. (above where you want the top of your flowerpot to be)  

Separate again...Go down a few inches and tie knots in each of the new pairs.

Combine all strands, Go down a few more inches and tie them all into one big knot.

This was a little harder to explain than I thought it was going to be...If anyone has any questions, please leave me a message and I will try to help you out. 
The picture to the right, is showing an extra set of separating, started higher up with some beads added. Play around and see what you  come up with.

From here on out, is the fun part...

The decorating......Add beads, feathers, charms or whatever else you can find. 
Don't forget to tie a loop to the top for hanging your Dreamcatcher.

Here are pictures of some of the Dreamcatchers I have made.  They did end up being Plantholders, but I took the picture before adding them.

Pasta Salad

  There are so many versions of Pasta Salad. This one, like so many of my recipes, is a version of my Moms. She uses a bigger variety of veggies than I do. I downgraded, to accommodate my kids. I just add in extra's of the ingredients they like. The two main ingredients are Pasta and Italian Dressing. All the rest is.....Whatever you choose to use. My Mom uses...Salami or Ham, Green Peppers, Onion, Broccoli, Cauliflower,Tomatoes and Cucumbers..Experiment until you find the right combination for your family.
   I am really big on buying store brand items and find that most of them are just as good as brand names, for a fraction of the price,,,But...certain items,,,I stick with buying Brand name. For Pasta Salad, I use the Nature Sweet grape tomatoes. They truly are sweet and I have never bought any that didn't live up to their name. They are a little costly, but in my opinion, well worth it. If you choose not to go with that brand, try to stay with any grape or cherry tomato. You can use a regular tomato and dice it into bite size pieces, but they tend to get soggy real fast. Also, especially in the off-season...I pay the extra money to get the English Cucumbers. They are seedless and have a really fresh taste to them all year long.

The picture to the right shows all the ingredients I use. Not pictured is... one more cucumber and I sometimes sprinkle Italian Seasoning on the top. (just to make it look pretty) 
So...Click Below...to go to the recipe. Get creative and I'm sure your version of Pasta Salad will be the hit at your next barbecue or holiday get together....Have fun and enjoy.
Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

* 1 Lb. Rotini Noodles
* 1-2 Cups Italian Dressing
* 1 Cup Thick Sliced Pepperoni 
* 1 Container Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
* 2 English Cucumbers
* 8 oz. Block Cheddar Cheese
* Pepperoncini
* Green Olives

1.  Cook Pasta until just done. DO NOT OVER COOK.

2. Strain Pasta and run under cold water to stop cooking process.

3. Once all water has drained out, transfer pasta into a large bowl. Add 1 cup Italian dressing and store in fridge while preparing rest of ingredients.

4. Cut Pepperoni, Cucumber and Cheese into bite size pieces. (Some of the tomatoes may need to be cut in half)

5. Add these, plus a few Pepperoncini and Green Olives, to the Pasta. Add 1/2 Cup to 1 Cup more of the Italian Dressing and mix all together.

5 Days of Leftovers

        I'm sure the first thing that came to mind when you read that title was...No Way... But what if you could re-purpose those leftovers into a meal slightly different. I have to admit, by today...I am at the point where I don't want to cook, smell or eat anything with Sister Sue's Famous Chili in it. But this will give you a few idea's on how to get the most, bang for your buck, out of a meal that might have otherwise gotten thrown out. 

              Day 1 
 Sister Sue's Famous Chili




                                        

        
          Day 2

    Chili-Spaghetti   
* Other than a few beans, your family will never know the difference...This is how our Dad eats his Chili.


                             


         Day 3

    Chili with Rice    
*This is how we always ate chili before Sue taught me how to make hers...Mainly because it was so hot, you needed something to help it go down... Add some of your favorite toppings and a side salad.                          

        Day 4

 Chili-Sloppyjoes    
*This one is a little trickier. You're gonna have to cook some of the liquid out and I smooshed the beans to help thicken the sauce. Turned out delicious.
                       


        Day 5

Tator-dog Chili                           
*This one is for the kid in all of us. That, and this is all I had left in the house that would go with Chili...I really wanted to make Frito Pie, but that will have to wait for another day. 
                       


 Most of the time, I cook a big batch of meat on Sunday, then make meals out of it all week long. This is cost and time efficient, and with the access we have to all kinds of good recipes, the possibilities are endless. I hope everyone enjoyed this......5 days of Leftovers...Next time, maybe Chicken?
                             

Turkey or Chicken with Rice

 
    There is really no recipe for this one, but I wanted to sneak it in for all my youngins' out there,  working long hours and the last thing they feel like doing when they get home is cook. 
   In this picture, I used the leftover turkey I had from last week, but you can use leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store on your way home or a can of chicken. ( You can find this by the tuna fish)
  All you need is : The Turkey or Chicken, 1 Family Size Cream of Chicken Soup and Cooked Rice.
Warm the soup in a pan, adding a little water to thin it out. Stir the meat in and serve over rice. TaDa...Supper is served. Quick, Easy and Tasty.
   I use a Rice Cooker to make my rice. One of my favorite small kitchen appliances. Makes life a little easier, if you cook alot of rice, like I do. If not...I'm sure the Minute Rice or any quick cooking rice will work just fine. 

Turkey

                 Electric Roaster Cooking #1

Ingredients:

* Turkey Breast or Small Turkey
*4 Cups Water
   * 1 teaspoon Chicken Bouillion per Cup Water
*25-30 Baby Carrots
*3 Celery Stalks...Cut into large pieces
*2 Small Onions...Cut into large pieces
1/4 teaspoon each...
*Onion Powder
*Garlic Powder
*Black Pepper
*Celery Salt
*Poultry Seasoning

 Clean Turkey (Checking to make sure there are no extra parts/bags hidden anywhere).  Put Turkey in roaster.

Add Water, Bouillion, Carrots, Celery and Onion. 

Sprinkle seasonings onto turkey and into broth.

*Makes a great broth for gravy or soup

 Cook on 350* until meat is falling away from bone.

Electric Roaster

                     

      A very special person in my life.....Diana..... introduced me to this wonderful little product many years ago. As you can tell by the picture, mine has been well used. I use this little wonder as much, if not more, than my crockpot. Many recipes can be made using an electric roaster and the great thing is......it doesn't heat up your house quite as much as a regular oven does. This is especially great for those of you who, like Sue and I, live in a place where the summers are beyond Hot.

      They do come in larger sizes, but for someone with a small family or someone who lives in a small apartment, this size works great and doesn't take up to much cabinet space.

      In future posts, I will be sharing some recipes that I make using my electric roaster. Sue also has one, so maybe we can talk her into sharing some of her ideas.

    The first recipe I will be sharing is a turkey breast or a small turkey.

A 6.5 Quart Oval Roaster Oven can fit a 10-11 lb. turkey. 

Perfect for a small family, plus enough for leftovers.

Once a week Chicken Noodle Casserole

When I first got married my sister-in-law always made tuna noodle casserole... Me being the picky eater, I changed it up to chicken noodle casserole because tuna just wasn't my cup of tea back when I was young. :-) Here is my remake of Sharon's favorite dinner.




Ingredients:

1 Family size can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 Medium can of Chicken. (You will find this in the same isle with spam and tuna)
1 Large bag of Extra Wide Egg Noodles
1 can of Corn
1/2 cup of Milk

How to make:

Boil noodles according to the package. Drain the water and put back into the pot.
Stir in Cream of Chicken soup, Can of Chicken (don't drain the juice), Can of Corn (drained) and Milk. Stir together and cook on low. That's it folks... Chicken Noodle Casserole without the casserole. :-D

P.S. Forgot to mention she would bake it after combining all the ingredients but who needs to bake, just serve and eat!

Note: Pics to come.

Yummy Chicken - Mashed Potato bake

This is a request by my son Ian. I got this recipe from a friend in California. Ian would spend the night at their house and come home begging me to get the recipe. :-D Very, very easy to make... Warning, this is going to be written with little or no exact measurements. Haha :-D



Ingredients:

Box of Instant Mashed Potatoes

Margarine or Butter

Fresh or Frozen Chicken Breast (If frozen, thaw before making this dish)

8X8 Baking Pan (I use the disposable ones. You can get 3 at Walmart for $2 ish dollars) Note: They can be reused if washed properly. :-)

Aluminum Foil
__________________________________________________________________

How to make:

First thing you do is preheat oven to 350 degrees...

Melt 2 heaping tablespoons (Globs) of butter in the microwave in a microwave dish. Once melted, pour into the baking pan.

Next you want to lay the chicken on top of the butter in the pan.

Then you spinkle the dry mashed potatoes straight from the box on top of the chicken. Put enough on to cover each piece of chicken so it's about an inch high.

Next take teaspoons of butter and drop on top of the mashed potatoes. Enough so you have about 5 on top of each piece of chicken. (Yeah, Yeah I know... Lots of butter in this recipe but that's what makes it yummy). ;-D

Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven until the chicken is cooked and mashed potatoes are lightly brown. Approximately 25 minutes. Check at 15 minutes to make sure it's not burning.

There you have it... Quick and easy Chicken Mashed Potato Bake... Enjoy!

Can be served with a side of corn or your favorite veggie or a salad.

Pictures to come!