Tag: Recipes

Do I even have to say it?

Baby, it is SO FREAK’N COLD OUTSIDE!!!!!!
Seriously.. when you throw coffee up into the air and it freezes
before it hits the ground…  Damn, that’s cold.
 As for the -Polar Vortex- thing, though…
the media has to make something out of everything, don’t they?
It’s called January.  You know, Winter? Yes…indeed..it’s a particularly cold one.
But a  -Polar Vortex -? 
For those of you who like to read..
I’ve come across a couple of good books lately, all very different in style. 
A hilarious take on aging.. an honest and sincere look at his life, good and sad,
and even more hilarity. 
Tad Friend’s memoir –
 a humorous and honest look at the American Wasp,
it’s rise..and inevitable reluctant fall.
For those of you interested in healthy eating… this is THE BOMB!!
Delicious, healthy, easy to prepare. 
Paleo recipe, but it doesn’t seem like you are deprived of a single thing here.
Not that Paleo eating is deprived..lol..
Bruschetta Chicken with Zucchini noodles 

And get yourself one of those julienne zucchini peelers, because they
make the job so easy. I just got one for $8 at a local kitchen store but
you can find them on amazon too.

Off I go without coffee in hand for fear of an immediate freeze, into the Polar Vortex

to feed critters. Stay warm, all.



So easy it’s ridiculous.

We decided yesterday to invite the Moms over for dinner,
which threw me into  quick menu prep and shopping  mode
for said menu. The husband even picked up a vacuum
whilst I cooked so that dog hair wouldn’t be a condiment
with the evening meal.
So.. we started this paleo way of eating, and we pretty much stuck to
the game plan, except for dessert.  The moms and the kids are not
on this diet and hey… you gotta live it up now and then..
I found the idea for this simple- easy- OMG delicious “cobbler”  on another blog
and it was so good I’m going to share it with you regardless of it’s 
not very health conscious contents, although the fruit is a good thing, right?
 
Totally yummy – so ridiculously easy – a crowd pleaser for sure. 
 
 So.. you need three things…
 
1 stick of butter
 
I box of yellow cake mix 
(Betty Crocker actually has a gluten free version now)
 
whatever fruit you want in your cobbler.
I chose 2 cans sliced peaches in light syrup
Blueberries and raspberries.  

 – pour canned peaches in bottom of  a baking dish (approx 8 x 8)
 – add berries with peaches
– sprinkle cake mix right out of box on top of fruit
-melt stick of butter, then pour evenly over the top. 
Put in 350 oven for approx 50 minutes or until top is golden brown. 
 
Serve warm.. with soft vanilla ice cream if desired.
 

Totally yummy – so ridiculously easy – a crowd pleaser for sure.

10 degrees

Ten.
 
Degrees.
 
And tonight it’s supposed to reach ZERO.
Believe it or not, it doesn’t feel so bad,
until the wind begins to blow that icy snow dust
up in your bared neck parts 
where you forgot to wrap a scarf. 
 
The men were up at 5:30 am to plow the six or so inches that fell overnight..
 
and the girlchild and I trudged up to the barn around 7am
to feed chickens,  horses, clean stalls, break up the ice in the water buckets
and gripe about the icy snow dust blowing up in our bared neck parts. 
Am I painting a clear picture for you here? 
 
 
I was happy to see the menfolk had cleared a path to the coop for me..
not a lot of things worse than  that  icy snow dust getting down inside your boots
as you’re just getting into your morning chores.
 
 
 
I gave the girls some oatmeal in warm milk
(they’re spoiled, don’t I know it)
 
 
 
Then we tackled the barn chores…
 

Opie and Max had a good romp in the snow 
while we mucked stalls… 
Both are double blanketed today. 

The sun slowly burned through the  heavy, grey winter sky and
we’ve currently got a balmy 16 degrees.
Have I told you lately how much I appreciate my barn help?
I don’t ask for her assistance often because she’s got two jobs 
and a horse living elsewhere at this particular place in time. 
On mornings like this, though, maybe I beg just a little. 
*****
Unrelated…
I’ve been trying some paleo recipes, and for those of you who are interested,
the two I’ve linked below are really really good.   They got a thumbs up 
from both the husband and kids and it’s so much better for you. 
I already feel lighter in my loafers,  I kid you not. 
Getting sugar and bread/pasta/wheat products
out of your system lightens your body’s load
 and the proof is in how you feel if you try it. 
 
I’m not stupid enough to believe myself when I say I’ll never eat junk again..
but there are healthy junk choices out there.. like these cookies below…
My son, the picky eater and chocolate chip connoisseur, ate almost
the whole first batch I made in one milk dunking session.  They’re that good. 

Here we go again…

 Another new year… the promise to eat better, exercise more, finally get that extra weight off… blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.   That’s certainly us every single year at this old house – and we’re doing the same dance once again.

 Only this time I hope it sticks. I just downloaded a bunch of paleo recipes that sound absolutely delicious and I like the paleo diet because it doesn’t deny you  healthy things like fruits and vegetables (think Atkins). And it works!  We know several friends who have accomplished their weight loss goals by eating paleo and exercising regularly, so here we go. 

  An excellent link for some great resources and paleo recipes HERE
We’re about to get more snow and some really cold temps..
I’m heading out to the barn with coffee in hand to put warmer blankets on horses
and check the water and heater in the chicken coop. 
The dogs are in hibernation mode.
In full camo. 

 

Happy, Healthy 2014 to all – 
with special prayers going out to bloggers
 Vicky, Ms. A,  and Kate, Hilary, among others…
who were handed a hard row to hoe in 2013.
 May the new year be kinder and gentler to all
and may we find renewed strength with a hopeful eye
 to the future and it’s possibilities.

+PEACE+

A Hearty, Healthy Winter Soup

    Blogger friend Kate shared this recipe recently and I gave it a try last night.  It was a big hit with my family and will grace our table again and again, I’m sure of it.   Winter Minestrone Soup – Delicious and good for you –  Some nice crusty garlic bread is an excellent compliment – we left it out because we’re trying to reduce our bread intake.

  The weather in New England has been typically fickle as of late –  snow and freezing temps, some beautiful cold but sunny days… then a warming and rain.. chilly with black ice this morning.  That old saying about New England weather is true….  You don’t like the weather right now?.. hold on a minute, it will change. A soup like this is perfect for warming your bones after outdoor chores or a day of chasing paper at the office…and, it nourishes the body, not just the soul.

  A note to some of you who leave lovely comments, compliments, and sometimes questions…. I would love to thank you or answer your questions but you have your e-mail blocked and this prevents me from being able to respond.  I want you to know I appreciate every kind word and really enjoy some of your comments. If you want to change that setting, here’s how to do it… 

   It’s a new day, all – make it a good one 🙂

Antipasto Squares

I’ve been making these for years 
and we’ll take them to my sisters house on Christmas Day – 
always a hit at a family party and they are delicious and 
not very hard to make…

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
 Happy, Healthy 2014 to all –
and…
Thank you for stopping by This Old House 2 
now and then and joining in on the conversations.
 

A Sand Tart by any other name

…wouldn’t be a Sand Tart.
However… all Sand Tarts are not the same, I have discovered. 
When our friend Tim G. gave us his mothers personal recipe
for Sand Tart cookies last year,  I think it was my favorite gift. 
This is definitely an heirloom cookie. 
It’s like no other recipe I have googled… and I did some googling because
I had never heard of “sand tarts” before….and OOOH MAN
the ones he brought over for us to sample were out of this world. 
What I found on the internet were recipes like this…

and they tend to look like this…

All, I’m sure, are delicious.  But none are quite like Mrs. G.’s 
Yesterday we got that lovely snow/slush/rain storm and the dogs and I
spent the day in the kitchen making Mrs. G.’s Sand tarts. 
There are no nuts in this recipe…
a whole lot of butter, sugar, flour – 
and a whole lot of steps to get there. 
I tripled the batch and it took me four and a half hours from the mixing of dough,
 to the chilling, rolling, cutting out, baking cooling, making the icing and dipping in sugar.
Ah,  those final steps are the secret to these particular Sand Tarts…
 and I’d give you the recipe, but then I’d have to kill you.

Frasiers already had too many cookies, wouldn’t ya say? 
The men are all out shoveling and plowing…
The girlchild and I just came in from barn and coop chores and it sure is messy out there. 
One more batch of cookies today and we’ll have a really nice mix
 to put together for friends.  
Are you a christmas cookie baker?
What’s your favorite kind?  Feel free to share a link to a recipe in the comments section below. 
 It’s a new day, All – Stay warm and make it a good one –

Snow Scene

On most days I love doing what I do for the critters that live here.
Even when the snow flies… the chores aren’t a “chore”…
Unless the temps dip in the teens and the wind blows…
then it just sucks. 
But oh, the beauty of the white stuff – 
 
In my youth I proclaimed I shoulda been a Floridian. 
As I’ve matured I have come to appreciate and embrace the seasons
and I don’t think I’ll ever go where there is no snow. 
 
I also embrace Christmas Cookies… 
…some things never change 🙂
Recipe HERE

Ready? Set?…

I have to share this link with you…
Wow, some really awesome recipes if you’re still looking for some ideas
for the Thanksgiving table.
For the next few days I’ll be shopping, baking, cooking, cleaning,
setting table…
And there will be about 15 minutes of  Thanksgiving dinner consumption
followed by two hours of dish washing on the actual day.
Have you ever noticed?  It takes about three days to put together
a meal that will be done with in 15 minutes. Truth!
All worth it, though… I am thankful that I can afford to put
good food on the table, that we are relatively healthy
and have family nearby that we can share a meal with.
I hope your Thanksgiving Day finds you at peace with your world
and in harmony with the family you love.