Sunday Quotes... Sunny...chilly

"Old age is like a plane flying through a storm,
 once you're aboard, there's nothing you can do"
Golda Meir

Fixin' To Be Famous Bran Muffins..... sun... warmer

Here's a recipe from our Café ownership days. We called them "Fixin' to
be Famous" Bran Muffins. We even created a dry mix version and bagged
it to buy and take home. Anyway, this is a great do-ahead recipe that
waits in the refrigerator, until you are ready to bake. So if you're
turning the oven on more often to take out the chill, and cheer
yourself up, consider this recipe.
The batter will keep 2 weeks, and has to made at least overnight before 1st use.
Makes about 18 large muffins.

2 cups Nabisco 100% bran cereal
2 cups flour
1 cup dk. brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir
together well. Let sit overnight or up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. Put
cold batter in muffin tins and bake at 400* about 15 minutes. Makes at
least 18 large muffins.

Snippets & Snatches...Cloudy... 20's

Auntie's Hat
I found this hat in a thrift store. I bought it because it reminded me of my Great Aunt Madelene, someone I still miss.
She and her mother raised my Mom and two sisters through adolescence, after their mom died.
A straight statured, and straight laced person, whose dignity
could make a better person of you.
I wish I had had a lot more moments with her, but most of my childhood was spent across the nation, far from her. 
When we were reunited, I was the adolescent and she was now
my Aunt, Grandmother figure.
 Two special memories - When I told her I was getting married, I know she was surprised.
The only thing she could think to say was "Think of all the meals you'll have to cook".
That coming from someone whose food was always special, and had to cook for a persnickety husband.
The other memory is of her wearing this style hat while standing in my Mom's rental apartment and patching the walls.
The six day war was going on in Israel and I
remember her praise of Golda Meir.
They were peers, Golda only one year younger.
My new hat is so warm, but I've decided to keep it for
"display only" because when I tried it on I looked all NOSE!!
But wait, I remember, that's what she use to complain about, the size of her nose.
Well, one of Golda's quotes sort of fits here.
"Fashion is an imposition, a reign on freedom."
© Jonquiljunction 2017

Sunday Quotes.......... Cloudy..

"As long as we have Memories, 
Yesterday remains.

As long as we have Hope, 

Tomorrow waits.

As long as we have Love, 

Today is beautiful."

~ Author Unknown ~

 

Chili.... Sunny.... warmer....

Don't let the long list of ingredients stop you from trying this wonderful winter meal, it cooks all day long in the crockpot, after the initial preparation! And is very forgiving, so you can adjust to your families' tastes!

1 T. oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup sweet peppers, I like a mix of bell's and bananas, chopped

2 large jalapeños, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 lbs ground lean meat

1 T. garlic powder

1 T. chili powder

2 tsp. Smoked paprika

1 tsp crushed chili flakes (optional)

1 rounded tsp. Salt

1 T. jalapeño jelly (optional)

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 T. Worstershire sauce

1 (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chili's (un-drained)

1 (15.5 oz) kidney beans (drained) OR chili beans (un-drained)

1 T. tomato paste

1 cup apple juice

In large pan sauté onion and peppers in oil about five minutes, add ground meat, cook until browned, drain any grease if needed, add crushed garlic and all seasonings cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes till garlic is fragrant. Add Jalapeño jelly if using, liquid smoke, Worstershire sauce, tomatoes, beans and tomato paste. Add apple juice and bring to a simmer.
Pour into a 4 quart crock-pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Serve with a warm pan of cornbread, crackers, or your favorite topping.

** Regular paprika can be used if you don't have smoked

**Amounts of peppers, garlic and chili powder can be adjusted to your personal taste, this is just the amounts we have settled on in our family

** Tastes equally good made with beef or venison or a mixture of both!

Featured Artist................ foggy... rain.... 50's

There are artists and then there are "ARTISTS"! 
Take a look at this new friend of ours. http://suncatcherjo.blogspot.com/
 In her words "Actually, Art has been a lifelong pursuit.
Many years of primarily self taught, oil painting, drawing, pen/ink,
eventually teaching and then discovering Pine Needle Coiling in the last few years.
Now, I never know which medium will be my choice for exploring.
There are just so many options....alcohol ink painting, collage, constructing fantasy
boxes, and, and, and...".
Her works are remarkable, whatever medium she uses!
As she says about the Pine Needle Coil projects, "Depending
on the size, hours or more often than not, days or weeks are needed to
complete a project.
These are true labors of love, as so many art
projects are, and the reward is having someone like them enough to value them."
If you'd like to contact her the address is oregonjo@gmail.com

Visit her page for many more beautiful pieces!
http://suncatcherjo.blogspot.com/

Sunday Quotes...30's...cloudy

Winter comes but once a year
For that I do give a cheer
And may I also be so bold
To say I do NOT like the cold
Or all the work involved
And to have cold nose and toes
and unhappy thoughts
of those I love that
into the house cannot be brought
(but left to me I would!!!)
Yes, winter comes but once a year
but to me that's much too often!!!!
©Jonquiljunction 2017

Pacific Pot Roast....... 40*...rain

With cooler temps. around the corner this pot roast is perfect to have simmering on the back of the stove or in the crockpot on a dreary day!
Prepare to be amazed at this combination of flavors!
Taste of the Pacific Pot Roast
  
4 lb. Chuck Roast (approx.)
Lemon juice
6 slices Bacon
1 Lg. Onion
3/4 cup fresh or canned (whole) Tomatoes
1 1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 Bay Leaf
1 teaspoon Thyme
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Brush meat all sides with lemon juice. Set aside, fry bacon till done,
remove from pan and cook chopped onion, remove from pan.
In drippings brown meat on all sides. Heat tomatoes and orange juice till hot. Put all in large pan or crockpot with spices.
Simmer on stovetop or woodstove for approximately 3 hours, or in crockpot 2 hours on high and then 4-6 hours on low.
Serve with cooked rice, with some juices drizzled over the rice.

If you like our recipes every Saturday, remember you can find our first cookbook, Everything Season, to digital download instantly on our Etsy page! For just $5.00
 
28 pages packed with over 30 recipes, tips, quips, and hints plus many photographs of our country life!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/254958239/digital-download-cookbook-digital?ref=shop_home_feat_2

Sunday Quotes.... COLD... Sunny

What the New Year brings to you
  will depend a great deal on what
  you bring to the New Year!
                            Vern Mclellan

Amazing Chicken..... 8*

Amazingly easy, Amazingly tasty, Amazingly juicy, and your house will smell Amazing all day while it cooks!

 









1 whole chicken about 4 lbs
1 gallon water (or enough to just cover bird)
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (regular paprika can be substituted)
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic

Place water in a large stock pot add sugar, salt and seasonings stir until all disolved.  remove neck and gizzards ,discard. Rinse chicken. 
submerge chicken on brine mix, cover pot and place in fridge overnight.

Seasoning mix:
1 tsp. Cavenders Seasoning (or your favorite season salt)
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. smoked paprika (regular paprika can be substituted)
mix together well

Remove chicken from brine, shake water out of cavity, using hand carefully seperate skin from breast and rub all but one tsp of seasoning over meat under skin, push skin back down and place bird breast down in the crockpot, rub remaining seasoning over back of bird. cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
DO NOT ADD ANY LIQUID!

At the end of the day the chicken will be Amazingly tender, I remove from crockpot using two large slotted spoons and lifing it carefully to a large platter, cool just a bit and remove meat from bones to serve!
No need to add any other seasonings! Reserve cooking broth for an amazing soup base or to cook a pot of beans later in the week!

Guessing game answer.... cold...windy....snowy 15*

And the answer is 12
thanks for playing along
join us for recipe day tomorrow!

Hide and Seek... Foggy,gray, gloomy

This is a framed puzzle I bought at a junk store years ago.
Kudos to the one that put it together!! I just love it.
Here's a small contest, for our followers~~ See if we can brighten up this gray day!
How many "live" creatures can you find? Some will only have part of
their body showing, some are hiding, some are camouflaged, a few are
obvious.  Post your answer in "comments'' below and On Friday we'll draw a name from all the correct entries, and give a digital download "Everything Season" cookbook to the winner!

                                        Happy hunting (counting I should say) :)

Sunday Quotes....foggy....35*

 

 

                   "No winter lasts forever;
                      no spring skips it's turn"
                                          Hal Borland