Dear Malfoy....

I found these notes after my girls played a game in which they attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They say,

• "Dear Malfoy, Help! We got tied up by that girl that loves you. I'm stuck in the dungeons. From Goil and Crabb."

• "Dear Malfoy, The ball is tonight. Who are you going with? It is at 1:00. From, the Manager."

Rustic Cabin

To measure a man, measure his heart. -Malcolm Forbes

Emerging Spring

Put the uncommon effort into the common task. Make it large by doing it in a great way. -Orison Sweet Marden (1850-1924)

White Chili

I tested out a new recipe last month. I found this one in the Pillsbury Best of the Bake-off cookbook. My family is getting sick of my soup. I told them that once summer came, I won't make them anymore soup. I promise. I don't think I will make this again until next year. It was good, but not great and I had so much left over soup to eat all by myself. Also, my family might revolt if they see another avocado. They don't like those either. If you want to give it a try here is the recipe for White Chili with Salsa Verde:

Salsa Verde
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh tomatillos or 2 (11oz) cans tomatillos, chopped, well drained.
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 pickled jalapeno pepper chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning or garlic powder
2 to 3 tbs lime juice

Chili
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp cumin seasoning
4 chicken breast halves cooked, chopped into cubes
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped onion
2 (9 oz.) pkg. shoepeg white corn (I used canned)
2 (4.5 oz.) cans chopped green chile's, undrained
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tbs lime juice
2 (15 oz.) cans great northern beans, undrained
2/3 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Combine all salsa ingredients in medium bowl; mix well. Refrigerate 30 minutes to blend flavors.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, combine chili ingredients, bring to a boil. To serve, place about 1tbs of tortilla chips and cheese in 8 individual soup bowls; ladle hot soup over cheese. Serve with Salsa.

This is my version of the soup topped with sour cream tomatoes and avocado. It's me breaking out of the recipe.

Attitude

Attitudes are contagious!  Is yours worth catching? -Author Unknown

Enjoying a Classic

In my queue: Little Dorrit; a rags to riches miniseries based on the novel by Charles Dickens.  I was searching for a good movie and this one had been nominated for an Emmy award.  I ordered the first disc to see if it was any good and now I have to wait for the next three discs which are in my queue. I recommend this series if you enjoy a good classic story.

Cat!

Kids art makes me smile. I love the colors. I love the faces. Under this picture the caption reads: "My cat goes on my part of the bunk bed." You can see the little cat on the bottom bunk, snuggling up to the little girl in the bottom bunk. So cute.

* Yum!

A recipe card recently fell out of an old book I found.  It was written in my high school handwriting with large bubble letters.  Next to the title it said, "* Yum!"  with a star and everything.  I had to give it a try, it must have been a good recipe if I liked it as a teen.  So I made a big pot and it was actually pretty tasty. 
Hamburger Bean Pot
Cook together until beans are tender
1Cup dried white (or pinto) beans, washed, drained and soaked overnight.
1tsp. salt
3 quarts cold water


Brown 1 lb hamburger with 1 chopped onion then add to beans
also add:
1 quart tomatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped potatoes
2 beef bullion cubes
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp. chili powder
Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until everything is done.  Just before eating, add some frozen peas.
Makes about 6 quarts.

*When I made this I used beans in a can. The ones that are already cooked.  I used kidney and butter beans.  I was going for fast and easy and didn't plan ahead for soaking dried beans overnight.   It still turned out fabulous.

Snow for the new year.

Looking ahead!

There are some interesting signs that I have noticed around our community. This one is on the way into town. Someone turned the intersection sign in to a large "J" and added the letters "ake" after it. Even though I live far away from my brother I always think of him when I see this sign. He is my brother that is always doing something adventuresome and daring. Like the time he tried to burn his school papers at the end of the year. He went outside and put them in a pile, added what he thought was diesel, and lit a match. It turns out, he really had gasoline and the papers ignited into a ball of fire. If I recall he was leaning over the papers to light them and so his head ended up inside the flames. His hair was singed clear to the back of his head. Even the hairs in his nose were singed. Of course, since I was the oldest sister, being left to watch my younger siblings while my parents were out, I had to come to his rescue. I remember calling 911 and filling the bathtub with water. He made a full recovery, but still had a few more pyromaniac experiences to add to his resume. Each one a little more dramatic, and with more pizazz, but those are stories for another post. So, to end this post, I give a shot out to my risk-taking, thrill-seeking, audacious, exploratory brother and I'm sure who ever vandalized this sign must have also had a few of those qualities.