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Breakfast Casserole

I’ve been making this breakfast casserole on Sunday mornings for years… my family loves it and it’s easy to put together. I originally found the recipe in a magazine while on vacation but I’ve since seen it on the internet, it’s that popular. Have any of you Arkansas people been to the Anderson House Inn?

The Anderson House Inn Egg & Bacon Casserole

Heber Springs, Arkansas

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter or margarine
4 cups seasoned croutons
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 package (12 ounces) bacon, cooked and crumbled

Place butter in an 11 x 7 x 2 inch baking dish. Place dish in microwave oven to melt, tilting to coat dish. Pour croutons over butter; sprinkle cheese over croutons and set aside.

Combine milk, eggs, and mustard; mix well. Pour egg mixture over cheese, and sprinkle with bacon. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until set. Let casserole stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Shark!

There are a few things in just about everyone’s life that give them the willies. I love MOST creatures great and small. The two exceptions are alligators/crocs and sharks. Just can’t get past the fact that up against one of those babies, I don’t stand a chance of charming my way through the experience. And so I will never live on or near a glade in Florida where there is the possibility of an alligator climbing up out of the waterway to see what’s on my b-b-q grill or at the end of my dog leash. AND.. whenever I’m in or near the ocean, which is frequent because I do love it so…. I’m on my guard for sharks. Martha’s Vineyard is one of my favorite places on earth… except for the shark possibilities.

Last night college girl took this picture of me…

When I came home I looked at it and lo and behold…

Come sit on the porch….

One of my favorite pleasures in life is the simple act of porch sitting, especially on a rainy day like today. It’s as if the porch beckons you to just sit for a while, stop the whirlwind that is life, and just observe, breathe, be still. How often do we give ourselves permission to do so.

We had a little porch with a slate floor at the front of my childhood home. I fondly remember sitting on the porch with a coloring book and crayons or cookies and milk, watching the rain come down. In the early years, the smell of my dad’s tobacco pipe, my mother’s music…usually Kris Krisofferson and Rita Coolidge, or Peter, Paul & Mary… Simon & Garfunkel.. playing inside on the record player. Those songs stay with me today… Who’s to Bless and Who’s to blame…. Silver Tongued Devil and I… Homeward bound… Bridge over troubled water..

Sometimes we’d have no choice but to watch the neighbors across the way as they sat on their porch… arguing… Joe and Virginia… an old Italian couple who kept a very tidy little house and garden. They couldn’t stand each other but oh, could they grow a mean tomato.

So while we’re sitting on my porch, let’s talk. Thank you all for your very conscientious and insightful comments left on my blog regarding goods made in the USA. We’re in a real predicament, we Americans. I truly believe this is one way we can answer our own problems. The government and big corporations arent’ going to do it for us, we need to take our own stand, send the message ourselves. Buy American whenever possible, buy local produce, frequent mom & pop shops and restaurants and forgo the chains… let’s just do it. I went to Bob’s yesterday to look for sneakers for my son. I saw lots of tops I’d like to buy for myself, all MADE IN CHINA. *sigh* It’s not going to be easy, but we can do it more often than not. It starts with just one simple act.

Plans for the next Dog Days Adoption Event at Parmelee Farm are under way. Three weeks to go, lots of funds to raise, plans to make, and things to bake for our Bid, Barter and Bake sale. The last one held in Essex was a big success.. $2,000 raised in one day, all paid for the Mystic Valley event last weekend, where ALL dogs were adopted. Amen. Thank you to my blog friends who donated to the cause. You rock! … For those of you who are local and reading my blog, if you’re a baker, or if you have a household item we can add to our Bid Barter Bake sale on August 20th, contact me at karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com and I’ll be more than happy to pick up the baked item or household item the day before the sale. (August 19th).

I hope you’re all getting some respite from the heat and dry spells across the country… we’re seeing steady rain since last night around midnight and it is so refreshing, even for the horses.

This is what my kitchen looks like since the farm stand can’t open due to the weather.

The husband’s office…

Happy Sunday, all….thanks for sitting here with me for a spell.

Made in the Good Ole USA

I don’t know enough of the hardcore facts to sound really intelligent here and articulate exactly what I want to say regarding the United States of America and it’s current economic perdicament. I think I can safely say we are in hot water and need to make the number one priority to start taking care of business at home. I feel for other countries in need of aid, I do. But we aren’t taking care of our own, and that’s just long-run suicidal if you ask me.

I got an e-mail a few days back that made me think more than twice about something related. I started walking around the house picking things up, seeing where they were made. Where the jobs were to make them.

An old fashioned super-pinky ball, you remember those? …

Trident Gum – Made in Mexico.

Ball plastic freezer containers – China.

All-American Companies that no longer make their products in the USA

Radio Flyer

Levi Jeans

Rawlings baseballs (ironic, all -american sport, balls made in Costa Rica)

We’re not the only ones doing this.

Now this is interesting.

IKEA pillow. Swedish Company, right?

The label reads DESIGN AND QUALITY – Ikea of Sweden.

MADE in CHINA!

Even my 46 year old Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls were manufactured in Hong Kong.

Knickerbocker was a Dutch company.

Are we not capable of making rubber balls, freezer containers, chewing gum, AUTOMOBILES?

You want to see tragedy? Most of you will know that Detriot, in it’s car-making glory days,had become a wealthy town because of the booming car industry. Click here for a stunning photo tribute to the Detroit of today.

The labor is cheaper “over there” you say… well I say if you are an American Company, you make your stuff here, or you can’t sell it here. Atleast you should pay a steep price for taking those jobs out of the country.

If you are a Foreign Company, we thank you for the opportunity to purchase your goods but we have people here who are jobless, homeless, who are hungry, who don’t have medical insurance,who have lost their home or apartment . They need the jobs. HERE.

That super pinky I bought last week was 99 cents. I’ll gladly pay $1.99 if it means you’ll bring those jobs home, JA-RU of Florida. And if I can’t afford it, then it isn’t mine to buy in the first place.

I heard a quip recently…

“Live and Die in Debt – The American Way”.

That’s just not funny.

So what does a little person like me of no real importance do about this? I’m going to start reading labels, just as I do for healthy ingredients. If I threw out all the things in my house that were NOT Made in the USA, it would be at the very least half-empty.I’ll admit I’m not willing to go that far. But I can start putting items back on the shelf of a store if I see they aren’t made in the USA. That’s exactly what I intend to do.

Easier.. said.. than done.

Peanut Butter Oat Chippers

These cookies are so darn good! I found the recipe in American Lifestyle magazine at my Dr.’s office and yes, I did rip the page out of the mag. I know, terrible. Atleast I admit my sins.
.. Some of them.

PEANUT BUTTER OAT CHIPPERS
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup chunky peanut butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar ( I used dark brown sugar)

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. ( I used aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking spray) In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl.

On low speed or using a wooden spoon, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended. Gradually stir in oats. By hand, fold in chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Using a cookie scoop or spoons, drop tablespoonfuls of dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time in preheated oven for 12 minutes or until edges start to turn lightly golden.

Immediately slide parchment paper onto a wire cooling rack. Cool cookies for 5 minutes, then transfer from parchment paper to cooling rack, and cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Big Sky Country

We don’t live out West, known as big sky country… but we sure have some beautiful sky shows around here sometimes… Last night a storm blew in and blew out… leaving an amber glow and then these strange but beautiful clouds….

Note the golden glow…

And these weird clouds…

The barn roof reflecting the gold…

Weird weather.

Mystic Retail Therapy

After visiting the Dog Days event Saturday, we went to Downtown Mystic next to the Seaport and had lunch at a forgettable restaurant. And then.. we did one of my favorite things…. browsed the charming retail shops along the main street through town. The husband sat in the truck with the son, sulking because it’s their least favorite thing to do, while us girls took a little stroll.

We stopped in my favorite shop, Company of Craftsmen….

I love this glass sea turtle.. just beautiful.

They have beautiful pottery too by several different artists…

And these awesome “beach balls”….

Then we moseyed on down to Why Ever Not and saw these…

I think I was a mermaid in a former life.

These bees below are magnetic.. so cute.

I love this set of rings.

We finally did spend money at the Mystic Sweet Shoppe.

Giant DOTS, chocolate shakes for the sulking men and maple walnut ice cream for me.

Dog Days Adoption Event at Mystic Valley Hunt Club!

On August 27 & 28 we will host a Dog Days Adoption Event at Parmelee Farm. I went to the Mystic Valley Hunt Club Dog Days yesterday in Ledyard to get a feel for how it was set up, and to take some pictures for the organization. I had tears in my eyes as soon as I walked onto the premises… so many happy faces, so many dogs meeting with their new families… in just the first four hours, 55 of the 80 dogs had been adopted, and by the end of the day, the tally was 70. Today my hope is that the remaining dogs will find their forever homes. Many of these dogs were rescued from kill shelters – they were on death row.

Lorin Greene, founder of Go Dog Days, is doing wonderful things.

You go girl.. and GO DOG DAYS!!!