Don't Know Where I'm Going With This Blog

I'm sorry I haven't written in quite a while. I've gotten consumed with my horse blog, moving and just general stuff. I'm still cooking but since I've found out that cooking isn't the big mystery as I thought it was, there just isn't anything to really post about.

Hubby likes only certain things, over and over and over again, so if I make something really special, it's more for me. That's great to a point.

So, as I said, I'm not quite sure where to go with this. Please keep this blog bookmarked and I'll post as something eventful happens. I really appreciate my readers, just a bit gobsmacked. :-)

Best Banana Bread Going!!

I know, I know, I've been forever from posting on here but life and horses has gotten in the way. That's my excuse anyway!!

When we were moving, I found an old recipe book from my hubby's family and while perusing, found a 'nanny bread recipe. Okie dokie, I'll try it.

I'm telling you, it is the best! I've given samples to friends and they love it! I'm bragging but I'm pretty proud of myself AND the bread.

So, I'm going to make little loafs and put them in the village-wide 'garage sale' and see if anyone is interested. I'm sending a few out to friends to see how they handle being manhandled through the Post Office. So, I'll let you know if they get the rave reviews overall of the ones to my local friends.

Some people did ask me if I would give out the recipe but hubby is a little reticent about that. I think he might feel a little possessive plus we can't ask the original baker as she has passed on, I think, not sure. So, will have to find out.

Anywho, just to let all know, I HAVE the best banana bread!! Yay!!!!

"S"Mashed Potato Salad

"Oh, what is THAT?", you ask??

Welp, over the 4th of July weekend, we had company and I felt I needed to do some cooking, traditional stuff.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, chips, pickles, the whole 9 yards, know what I mean??

Since I've NEVER in my entire life made potato salad, I got my handy-dandy Amish recipe book down and looked one up. I know that Amish cooking is always good and fairly simple, so what could go wrong??

Plenty, is the short answer.

I boiled up the cut up potatoes and put them in cold water to chill. My friends and I talked a while and then I went in to the kitchen to finish up.

Honestly, I thought that I had eaten potato salad that was slightly mooshed so I got the mashed potato moosher out and slightly mooshed the 'taters. My friend happened to look around at that moment, from the den, and almost yelled "NOOOOOO!!". Startled, I stepped back, with the moosher in hand, and asked her what in the hell was wrong!!

Didn't I "know" that 'tater salad is cubed?? Thinking back, oh yeah, she's right. Welp, too late, they are mooshed slightly. So I added the chopped eggs, minced celery and onion (at least I got that right, eh??) then made the 'sauce'.

I halved the recipe because it just seemed so much to add. I poured it ALL into the 'taters and started to stir. Wow, thinks I, this seems a little too much sauce.

Yep, it was. So, thanks to the previously mooshed 'taters, now I had poured in too much sauce and it was fairly swimming by that time.

Hubby and my friends just sort of looked at me rather pityingly. But, being the troopers they are, they chowed down on the stuff.

Actually, the stuff tasted very good, just had a 'different' texture and a bit slurpy. But good, nonetheless!!

Yeah, I love it when my boo-boos come out well!! :-)

Promise, I Will Post Something Soon

I've been riding my horse a whole lot but have found time to make enchiladas and look at some new, interesting recipes. I promise I will post later today. Please hang in there with me.

Found Out I Cook Best By Being Messy

Yep, I figgered that out today whilst trying the enchiladas. I made the biggest mess you've ever seen in a kitchen and loved every second of it.

Maybe that's why I've never liked cooking before, I had to be organized. It wasn't any FUN...

So, I had onion and ground beef and chili powder and oil and pans and...all over the place. I used canned chilies and enchilada sauce so had to watch out that I didn't cut myself on the opened cans but it was sooooo FUN.

After I popped it in the oven, I tossed (figuratively, not literally) everything in the dishwasher, wiped the sink and headed to the barn for a quick horse feeding.

Yep, I dun gooooooddd...Look for more posts on my messiness, eh? :-)

Turns Out It Wasn't A Casserole

But it was enchiladas! I did get that part right.

Hubby loved them, absolutely loved them! Yay, me!!

Never have I done enchiladas before and was kind of worried about it. I tweaked the recipe a little bit here and there and fabulous happened.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com. Never mind that I didn't read the name correctly.

This recipe is a keeper and I'll do it again. :-) Big thumbs up from hubby and me!

Going To Tackle An Enchilada Casserole

Oh, yeah, I sure am!! I found a great recipe and going to try it on hubby tonite.

Will let you know how it goes, the good with the bad! hehehe... :-)

I'm So Behind!!

I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with my writings! I have a lot to write about but life is getting in the way. At least I'm still cooking though.

Please hang in there and keep coming back to read. :-)

Note To Self: Learn To Fold In Flour

I had this great idea today to make banana bread. Remember the old time recipe book that I found while looking for yard sale stuff?? A good recipe is in the book and since I have some old 'nanas, thought it would be a good idea.

All went well. Two bowls, one for the 'wet' stuff and one for the 'dry' stuff. So, I thought it would be a better idea to add the flour mix (salt, baking soda, baking powder) to the egg, oil and sugar mix.

Bad, really bad idea.

The flour poofed out in one lump and sort of wafted about the kitchen. Then when I tried to get it mixed up asap, more flour went airborne.

I now have a fine, fine layer of white stuff all over the kitchen, me too. Hubby so helpfully pointed this out. Rubbing my face, welp, my hand came away with just a little white.

Still, all in all, the 'nana bread came out of the over in fine shape and I'm waiting for it to cool. Looks good. Really puffed up and nicely brown.

I'll let you know how it tastes!

Learning More About Blogging

Please don't give up on me. I'm in the middle of reading the BFD book and have tried a few things on the horseinfoperson blog but I'm not doing something right. Okay, I'll keep trying. However, I'll keep posting the old way about my adventures in the kitchen anyway. How's that?? :-)

Got "Blogging For Dummies" Book

Hang in there with me as I'm on a learning curve.

I checked out BFD today from the library and just skimming through, I think this will help me do this and the other blog a whole lot better. 'Puter savvy is not my middle name.

Also, found some buttons on this posting page that I can add pics and video from the 'net. Been playing around with it so if you see something ODD on here, it's me fouling things up. At least I'm trying!! :-)

Found An Old Recipe Book

It's my hubby's family recipes book from 1992 or close. I found a lot of old-fashioned recipes in it and can't wait to try some out.

I've always wondered how you made those fabulous green beans with bacon, know the ones I'm talking about?? Welp, this book has it. Oh, yeah!!!

Found out that a recipe that my grandma used to do with hamburger pattie and potatos, carrots and onion is called "Hobo Stew" in the book. I didn't know that. Just made the stuff and it's gooooood!!

Some of the people who submitted recipes have been dead for years and were old when they gave the recipes. I feel these might be really old time recipes. I sure hope so!

Found The 'Good' Coffeemaker! Yahoo!!

Hubby was rummaging through our shed and came across our good coffeemaker. Now this sucker is the one that you fill up and after it filters the water through, all you gots t' do is hold your mug up to push the bar and coffee comes out. No coffeepot, a'tall.

We didn't realize how much we liked that 'maker. Matter of fact, we'd sort of forgotten about it since it was in storage for so long.

The only problem that I see in making a fresh pot is it's a bit more labor intensive. "Labor intensive"...*snork*... Yep, I have to lift out the coffee grounds holder, take out the water resevoir, fill it and then put it all back together with the filter and coffee. But, you understand, it's that extra step that's just a bit much. :-)

But, for coffee, I'll do almost anything for the brew. Nothing like a fresh cuppa first thing in the morning whilst you contemplate the day...or almost the last thing at night whilst you contemplate what went wrong during the day.

Yep, I'm a happy camper!

Made My Very First Cake Icing

Oh, yes, I did!!

I wanted to make a cake but didn't have any icing. Hubby cannot live with cake sans icing so I thought I better find a recipe and get with it! We only go to town about twice a week so that wasn't an option.

Hauled out my Amish cookbook and found three recipes. Good honk, two of those recipes looked like something to do with nuclear secrets and the third one was the easy one. So, you already know which one I went for, right?

Everything went well till I got the sugar heated up (with milk and something else that escapes me...sorry!). Welp, the sugar turned a slightly brownish color. I wasn't sure if it were still good or not but I was already committed, not backing down.

Actually, it turned out well but a little tan-colored. So, I fixed that, oh, yes, I sure did!! I added just a smidge of Hershey's chocolate that you put in milk. Yep, that fixed it really good.

Hubby tried it, after I warned him. He dug in and said it was really good. I'm so proud of myself!

My very first icing try and I hit a homerun! What could be better!!

Oh, Now He Tells Me. 'Taters Saga Upcoming...

Hubby doesn't like mashed 'taters... Seems like he would have mentioned this sometime in the last few days, y'know??

As you know if you'd been keeping up with this blog, I've been fighting and then almost perfecting my mashed 'taters. I even asked him if he liked them and he said 'yes'...

So's today, I'm about to make my signature mashy's and he said he'd rather have home fries. Okay by me. Later, while he's tucking in, he CASUALLY mentions that he really doesn't like mashed and would I only make home fries from now on? Please??....

Oh, geez...just a d*mn good thing he's a great hubby and he's worth the trouble to learn how to perfectly fry those babies up!! But, couldn't he have mentioned this way before now??

*sigh* :-)

I Think I'm Over-Thinking Recipes

Something really, really odd has been happening to me in the last coupla days.

I have my tried and true recipes and when I make them now, I get kind of nervous or something of the like when I'm putting the thing together. Has this ever happened to anyone else??

It started the other day with the mashed 'taters. Welp, I made them again and they turned out a bit runny (again). I don't know why. I was watching how much milk I put in and really drained the 'taters and still, runny. Big bummer.

So this morning, it just seemed a country gravy and bread morning. I usually don't make any biscuits unless it's super special so that's why I used sliced bread. I decreased the amount of pepper because my batch the other day was too hot. Check. I warmed up the oil just right. Check. I whipped in the flour, salt and pepper and THAT'S when I got nervous.

All sorts of thoughts were running through my mind, such as: What if it klumps and I can't undo that? What if it's too dry? What if, what if, what if...

So I stirred in the milk and it didn't seem to be coming together like it usually does. Another moment of panic. Then, finally, I see a little bit of 'smooth' going on. Then a few big bubbles pop up and then a few more and then they were popping regularly. I stirred the usual amount of time.

Whew!! It seems that I did it right after all but, good honk, what I put myself through!! My shoulders came down (I was so uptight that my shoulders were up around my ears and I couldn't breathe, it felt like) and I heaved a big sigh of relief!!

I think I'm taking this JUUUSSSTTT a bit too seriously....

BTW, the gravy and sliced bread tasted great!

Mashed 'Taters!! Yum??

I am soooo proud!! Finally, I got the mashed 'taters right, just right!!

(As an aside, these tries are all since we moved into our new home and I'm trying to do the homemaker thing...)

I think I'm on my 5th try so far on getting them right.

The first time was flat pitiful! For some reason, I thought I needed more milk and so they were too runny. So, I thought I'll add some cornstarch and stiffen 'em up. Except I added too much cornstarch. Hubby mentioned something about the odd taste and I laid it off as the potatoes might have been a bit old...that's all I could think of at the moment. He looked at me rather weird but, smart man, let it go and not another peep.

The next few times were a bit better, was showing some improvement at least. One of the times, I didn't boil enough potatoes and then I did too many. One batch was pretty lumpy but we slogged through. Once I boiled too long and they didn't have the right texture.

Then, this last time, I got them just perfect!! The right amount of butter (real butter, no less) and of salt/pepper and the milk. Texture was just right!! I was sooo proud! Hubby gave me some 'atta-girls' and what could be better, I ask you?? Except...

Trouble was, though, I forgot the gravy... *sigh* hehehe....

Baked A Cake From Scratch!

Yes, I did!

This was the first time in decades (I don't really want to say how long but think really long term) that I did this.

I grew up thinking that cake mixes came out of a box, which they do, but since I'm on a Quest for cooking/baking, thought it would be fun to do it the 'hard' way.

So's, I got my recipe books down to pore over and do you know, not one had a simple, every day yellow cake recipe?? Everything was uber fancy and looked something like you'd see in an engineering class book. I mean, tartar in a yellow cake mix?? What IS that stuff?? Will have to look it up later...

Thank goodness I have the 'net! I hopped on here, dial-up and all, looked around for a simple recipe, found one and proceeded. I had everything the recipe called for, even the electric mixer.

I started in with my mixing bowl and drug out the flour...which brings me to a question...what is 'cake flour'? As opposed to regular white flour? At any rate, that didn't stop me, regular white flour will just have to do. I decreased the sugar just a smidge because, for some reason, it seems that modern recipes are waaayyyy too sweet for me. As an aside, a friend gave me a rhubarb pie and although I appreciate her doing so (the rhubarb is out of my teeny garden), I can't eat it due to all the sugar.

Mixed up the salt and baking powder, Crisco and the other stuff and I was in business!! Got the mixer out and mixed away. I read somewhere yesterday that you can overmix a recipe and get too dense, grainy cake and so I watched the clock like a hawk so not to overdo.

Then, of course, there had to be a hitch. I forgot to grease and flour the pan. At least I'd remembered to turn on the oven at the right temp. Remember, this is a new oven and I'm only sorta-sure of the temps. But it was on anyway.

So, while the mix sat there, I grabbed a pan, greased and floured away, all the time mindful of my home-ec teacher saying those decades ago that if a mix sits too long, for some obscure reason, it won't rise and will be flatter than Kansas.

Got the thing greased/floured and poured the mix in. Kind of did this gyration thing with my hands and body that evened the mix out and popped the thing in the oven. Waited the appropriate amount of time and pulled it out.

Perfection!! I stuck a knife in and it came out clean. Oh, yeah... So proud of myself! Then I set it on the oven-top to cool.

That's when it dawned on me that I didn't have any icing. I mean, what is cake without icing?? Bland, very bland, I'm sure. I looked around the net and in my books (lotta good they are!) and couldn't find a plain icing. Then I remembered a pot of chocolate icing I had left over from my last box cake. Had to let it sit out for a while to come to room temp and the cake needed to cool anyway.

Finally, it all came together. The cake cooled and the icing warmed up and the t'wain did meet!

Hubs later said I did good. He really liked it! I was/am so proud. I tried a hunk and thought it very good too but still a little too sweet for me again so I'll adjust that the next time. Also, and I never would have thought of this had I not baked this, but like so many other things I'm cooking from scratch, this cake is WAY lighter and fluffier than any boxed cake mix I've ever tried. Actually, it was almost as easy as to make the scratch as to break out boxed cake mix to make. So unless I just HAVE to use a box mix, I think I'll stick with the scratch.

I found all sorts of things I can add to tweak the scratch mix to make, say, Red Velvet and Lemon Somethingorother.

Another mark on the 'Dun Good' line for me!

Making Meals For 6 Days (Or Thereabouts)

I think I've done a good thing. I wrote out my lists of what we're going to chow down on or the next not-quite-week. Then I went to the store and tried my best to stay on track. Good luck with that.

Still, I think I did pretty well. I bought pork chops in the big package and will freeze them. I have spaghetti and tomato paste. Stew meat is already in the freezer and I bought more onions, potatoes and carrots. I have fruit to last me, must have fruit! Cottage cheese (small curd) is a treat I can't resist. Oatmeal in a big container. Chili with beans.

I gots it all!!

So, I *think* I can make things and using leftovers and still stay within a budget. Use it up and wear it out!!

Will keep you posted on how I'm coming along with my 'speriment.

It's Easier Not To Use The Dishwasher

The title says it all, doesn't it?? I realize that the dishwasher has very little to do with cooking, per se, but I've found that cleanup is a lot easier if I just do the dishes myself, rather than cleaning the dishes/silverware/pots/pans and then loading the dishwasher...THEN it goes for close to 45 minutes or so!

So what part of this is handy?? After I get the 'cleaned' dishes out, I still find little grains of 'something' dried on or water lollygagging about on the tops of my upside down coffee cups. I still have to dry everything manually.

I've decided that it's way, way easier to wash by hand and be done with it!! If I do the dishes every day, then it's not a big chore.

I've sure found that now I think twice before pulling out multiple pans for cooking because I KNOW I'll have to wash everything. If I slim down my pan usage, then that translates into less water used, right??

So, there is an upside to this after all. The dishwasher can just be nice to look at and look like we've 'arrived'...hehehe...No one has to know I don't use it. Also, it's a handy place to stick dirty dishes in a pinch when company comes unexpectedly.

Betcha hadn't thought of that one, had you?? :-)

How To Fix Food For Six Days In Advance

Hell if I know but I'm going to try!!

Hubs and I decided we needed to stay home for a bit to save money and get things done around the house. If I'm not in town, I can't spend the money, right??

So, today he comes up with this bright idea of fixing 6 days of meals in advance (I mean, of course it's in advance, where else could it be? Behind in advance?) so we don't have to go to town.

This is a great idea if I knew how to do it. So, I'm getting my trusty recipe book down and see if I can somehow plan this out. Planning isn't my strong point as seat-of-my-pants cooking/living/riding/gardening/etc. is more my modus opperandi.

I know I can do spaghetti and meat sauce easily enough but for 6 days? Don't think so! So, I think maybe a stew for 2 days and then some tacos too. Sounds good. Then I think I might pop a cake in the oven, you remember my oven that still needs to be cleaned?? That will last for a couple of days. I did up a cuke/tomato salad thingy too. I always have grapes and bananas on hand for snacks. If I don't have my fruit, I can get mighty cranky.

As always, I'm doing sun-teas right now with one flavored tea bag of cinnamon-apple or orange or lemon or spearmint. Coffee is always on at our house as hubs can't live without it. There are some chips and salsa going on too.

So, I think I'm good for the 6 days. We'll see how long this actually holds out, how long we actually make it.

What an experiment, eh??

Boo-Boo In My Oven

Welp, my new stove has been properly broken in.

I baked my favorite of chili with beans, cheese and covered with cornbread. (BTW, I make my cornbread from scratch...) Anywho, I used the 'usual' pan but seems like this time, the chili came up a little high on the sides of the pan. Then I sprinkled the cheese and poured on the cornbread batter. Popped that baby right into the oven.

So, a bit later, I pulled it out and thought the cornbread looked a little light colored, not the darker brownish yellow. Poked my finger in the middle of the crust and sure 'nuf, the dough oozed out. Popped that rascal right back in the oven.

Now, remember, this is a new oven and electric to boot so I'm having a bit of a problem getting the heat right. I don't care what the controls say, I can't seem to judge how hot is just right!

A bit later, I looked in and the top looked brown enough. Pulled it out and over one edge, the chili had risen up in revolt and spilled over the edge. Oh, %*#(&$, thought I. HOW do I clean that??

Now, let me tell you...chili that is cemented on is a pain. I have to chisel it out and then clean the bottom of the oven. What a joy, eh?

But now I know I need to watch how much chili goes into the pan. I used the same sized cans of chili that I always do but it was a different brand. It couldn't be that much different, could it?? Never have I had this happen before.

The main thing, though, my oven is not broken in. A boo-boo has occured!!

I Didn't Give Up On Baking Bread

It paid off big time, I'm proud to say!!

Yesterday, I didn't feel so good but not bad enough to stay in bed or my Lane recliner so I thought I'd peruse the cookbooks and see if something struck my fancy.

At first, I thought a coffee cake would be a winner but after reading about the rolling up and all that stuff, didn't think I wanted to go there.

Then I found a recipe for some soups but still, didn't seem right.

I thought of a yellow cake but there was always some ingredient that I was missing. Today I'm hitting the store to resupply my pantry. The move has been really hard on my panty and time to re-stock.

Then I found the recipe for bread. I don't know why I'm so taken with making bread. It's like the Holy Grail to me. I've tried several recipes and basically gotten a bread brick for my troubles. But yesterday?? Oh boy! I hit the jackpot. Something I did sooooo right made the loaf turn out sooooo right!

The crust was a bit hard but the innards was/is nice and soft. It's a stout bread, like something you'd eat with a piece of cheese, not some light and fluffy fluff. My bread, when you eat a piece, you'll KNOW you've eaten something and feel full.

The strange thing, this was the easiest bread I've ever baked (all 3 loaves worth). I found the recipe in an Amish recipe book and easy as pie. I'm going to keep trying and try to perfect my loaf.

Something about baking bread just does my heart and soul good. The yeast and the knocking it down and best of all, the smell of baking bread in the house while it's in the oven.

Oh, yeah....

Now A Word About Brown Sugar

Don't ever put brown sugar in the 'fridge to 'protect' it from the not-yet-seen ants.

Just don't do it or you'll really be sorry and frustrated when you decide to make some oatmeal and you pull out a box with almost-crystalized brown sugar in it.

Really, don't do it...you've been warned!

The Rat In The Stove...Ewwww!!

Yep, the title says it all. We got moved into the new house and somewhere along the line, I turned on the oven. O. M. G. is about the only appropriate response I can think of. The smell!! At first we didn't put two and two together about where the smell came from (we were thinking maybe the heater vents??) but soonest we figgered it out.

So, hubs and I pulled that stove out, unplugged it, then he took the side off. Dear God, it was bad. A rat or uber-big mouse had crawled in there sometime and died ensconced in the insulation. I thought maybe we could replace the insulation but hubby didn't want to try that. So we called the foreman of the ranch we live on and he checked with the owner who said to buy a new stove.

Fine by us!! So the foreman took the smelly stove to town to see if it could be salvaged for something but the repair-guy said it would cost more to replace the insulation and repaint the thing than to buy a new stove.

So, we gots a new stove...that doesn't smell...thank goodness!!!

Don't Let My Hubs Make Popcorn

For once, this isn't a story about me...well, sort of it is 'cause he's my hubby but this is something he did and he can't get out of it.

He likes to make popcorn but we now have an electric stove, not the propane one he was used to. So he got out the makin's and went to work.

After a few minutes, I smelled something 'off' and asked him what he was burning. I got a negative reply. Then I heard him scrubbing the pot like mad, you can't mistake that sound. I asked again and he still denied anything was wrong.

Then I went into the kitchen and he's standing there like a deer in the headlights. He had burned the popcorn and the bottom of the pot is scorched to the max!!

Even now, over a week later, I can still smell that burned smell when I get near that pot!! He owes me a new pot, know what I mean??

Sorta Back But Not Quite Fully...

We got moved in the new house and it's great. However, when we turned the land-line phone on, it's so staticky (not sure of spelling) that we can't hear a thing. Where we live, dial-up is the only internet. The satellite internet service is soooo expensive that I can't justify the cost, yet.

So, I'll have to make do with wi-fi hotspots for the time being but rest assured I'll be back whenever I can. I have PLENTY to report on my cooking adventures.

The really good news is that my allergies have pretty much gone away, not a medication to be seen. I'm clear as a bell!!

You just have to take the good with the bad!! Please keep checking back as I appreciate all my readers!! :-)

Packing Is Not Fun

This is not fun. But the upside will be worth it. Had to check in and let everyone know things are going well, not great, but pretty good. There is the usual stuff that annoys me no end but seems to straighten out on its own.

Couldn't help myself, had to check in...hehehe...

I think the I'll turn the 'net off tomorrow or Friday and am going to try an aircard so I can post from whereever I am. I truly enjoy my blogs and miss not posting about my adventures.

Will be back!! Promise! :-)

Let The Moving Begin

Starting today, the move begins in earnest.

My new house, soon to be a home, has a neato kitchen AND a dish washer. I'll have plenty to report back as quickly as I can get into homemaker mode.

My allergies stood down for a bit and I almost got to thinking that maybe I could stay put but then the pollen/mold/whatever hit again and I shudder to think that this could go on indefinitely.

So, everyone, please bookmark my site and check back often. I'll be back as soon as I get the 'net going at the house. I appreciate my readers.

Take care, everyone. :-)

Sorry, Allergies Are Keeping Me Down

My allergies are getting to the point that we are having to move to a drier part of the state. Earlier this week, we took a trip and my allergies cleared right up. When we came back to this part of the state, allergies hit me like a ton of bricks.

I've taken every sort of meds and either they put me out like a light, even the non-drowsy kind, or when the meds wear off, I feel hung-over and ill.

Thinking it's the pollen and mold and since I'm from the driest part of the southwestern US, just can't deal with the stuff.

So, for the next week or so, we're in moving mode and I'll check in as I can. I don't know what the internet is like over there. But I'll be back with my adventures in the kitchen. Please bookmark my blog(s) and check back every so often. I feel badly about bailing but this is something that has to be done.

Enjoy cooking! :-)

My Crock Pot Adventure

So, I buy a big thing of stew meat. A nice big onion. Cute little carrots. Big thingy of celery. 10 lb. sack o' taters. (Yep, 10 lbs., 5 lbs was almost twice as expensive. Maybe someone can 'splain that to me someday)

I get them home and put them away. Hubby is flat dying for a stew on Sunday. Sounds yummy to me!

Then I find out, after checking my pantry, that yours truly forgot to buy the stew mix seasoning. No matter, at this point, I can pretty much make a mix for almost anything. I got my handy dandy cookbook down but this is the one thing that, so far, I can't quite grasp what the recipe means. (Happens a lot to me, hence, this blog)

I pop online to check my favorest recipe site and found a fairly easy recipe. But it's still not right. Then I did something totally unheard of for me...I winged it. Combined my cookbook recipe with the online one and came up with something that looked pretty good.

Got down to biz of cutting up the onion and celery. Had the stew meat in my old skillet (the cast iron is too honored for such a menial task) browning up nicely. Then layered the carrots, onion, celery and meat all the way up to the top. Turned the crockpot on and went to the barn to have some horse-face time.

All this time, something is niggling at me. Got home and laid down (my allergy meds kicked into high gear and turned me off) for a while. Pretty soon, my eyes popped open and I told my hubby that I had forgotten the potatoes!!

I ask you, what is a stew without potatoes?? That's like Lewis without Martin, Hall without Oates, Simon without Garfunkel...okay, so that was a bad one but you know what I mean.

Put a pot of cut up pot.s on the stove and got busy making my new recipe for bread (read other posts). Forgot all about the friggin' pot.s. Pretty soon, I looked over and saw froth and all sorts of stuff on the underside of the glass potlid. Great. Turned off the heat and looked inside. Pot.s were really, really soft....

I made mashed potatoes.

Only trouble was...I added a smidge too much milk and they were toooooo soft and swirly. Added a bit of cornstarch and then to help it along a bit more, added some flour. Now it's about the right consistency. Of course, there was the real butter and salt/pepper too.

What can I say, life handed me potatoes and I made...oh, never mind.

Pic of My Loaf of Bread

Sorry, something went wrong. I can't get it to load...please keep checking back while I work on this. It's a pretty good pic, I promise!

Welp, so far, no go...I'll work on it and get it posted somehow. I posted the pic of my skillet but can't remember exactly what I did. Oh, yay...

My Cornbread Experiment

The verdict is in! My hubby loves my cornbread! Woo-hoo!!

I've been buying the freakin' mixes at the store and now that I'm on a kick to save money, what if I made my own cornbread from scratch?? Hmmm??

So, I found a nice little recipe online that looked easy and set to work. I've worked really hard to have a well-stocked pantry and so had all the fixin's right handy. Pulled out the mixing bowls and cracked a few eggs (had to calculate the recipe down from 12 servings to 6), mixed up butter and milk and corn meal and I was in business.

My oven works a charm and when whatever recipe says to go for 27 minutes, that means go for about 23 or so. I've worked it out over the last few years. It's a humdinger oven.

Anyhoo, I mixed it up, poured it on top of some chili with beans, with shredded cheese in between, baked it up, pulled it out of the oven, let cool for a bit and plopped some on a plate for hubs. Also had some cut corn with green beans...hubs likes that too...hehe...

He said the cornbread was way superior to the box stuff. I never thought in all my born days that there could be that big a difference. So, I plopped some on a plate for myself and dug in. Yummy, is all I can say! So light and fluffy! Not coarse at all. Never thought there would be such a difference but it's like between night and day.

It didn't take hardly any time to drag out the ingredients and mix it up as to open the box and mix that up. Much better taste and texture.

I recommend making you cornbread from scratch. It'll be a winner!! Yay!!! :-)

My Baked Bread Met My Dogs

Yep, I have a gnawed on lump of hardened bread, thanks to my mini-doxies.

Last night, after I finished up yet another slice of my good bread, I wrapped it up in foil (didn't have anything else at hand) and unthinkingly, set it on the table. Then I went to bed sometime after that.

This morning I arose, just hankering for a slice of my bread with some real butter. I walked out into the living room, which was still dark. Turned the TV on and booted up the 'puter....

Then, I saw them...little tiny flakes of foil, all mooshed up. What could THAT be from, think I?? Then it hit me, that for-certain feeling, that my bread was somewhere close and probably on the floor. I looked around and sure enough, there was my precious lump of gnawed on goodness...that was hard as a rock. Dried out, it was.

Noticeably gone were my doggies, who are usually right under my feet. I could see them in the bedroom, looking out from beneath the comforter. Two sets of shiny eyes staring back at me. Oh, yeah, they KNEW they had done bad!!

Lovingly, I picked up the brick of bread, yep, it was that hard, and put it on the counter. At least I got a picture of it before it was destroyed. I was so proud of myself yesterday and still feel proud now but a little bitty dagger is in my heart.

Oh well...that recipe was way too hard for me and I found an easier one for newbies. It's an Amish one and I'll try it the next time... Nothing is gonna stop me now!!

Baked My First Loaf of Bread

Oh, yes I did!! I'm so proud of myself!

Usually I look online for a lot of my recipes but since I didn't have my 'puter booted up, I turned to my trusty cookbook.

I got all the ingredients together and mixed it all up, according to the recipe. But when it came to the yeast, I must have done something wrong. I put the yeast in a bowl and poured in the very warm water. Must not have had the water warm enough, not sure. But I did get it mixed and had a nice slurry going on.

So then everything went together slowly but surely and pretty soon, I had a nice mound of dough to pummel and knead! I set it off to the side in a bowl and covered the bowl with a towel. Waited about an hour. When I looked at it, it didn't look much bigger than when I put it in the bowl. So I punched and mashed it a few times anyway for good measure. Back in the bowl with the towel over the top.

After about 45 minutes, I took a lookie-loo. Not much bigger. Now, why, think I, is nothing happening?? Then it dawned on me that maybe that corner of the kitchen wasn't warm enough. So I got the floor heater out and propped it up on the counter, facing the bread-dough bowl. After about 30 minutes or so, I looked again. This time, it did look a bit larger.

So, I thought it's had enough time to do it's thing so I greased the loaf dish-thingy and put the dough in. Let it sit a bit longer. This time, some siziness was happening. It did get bigger this time. It got popped in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then the heat was lowered to 350 for another 30. I almost forgot to say that right before I popped it in the oven, I brushed the top of the dough with milk...hoping to make a nice brown top.

Then I pulled that puppy out of the oven a little bit early. The smell was absolutely delish but it started to smell a little burned. I rescued my little bready and set it out to cool. After a while, I could wait no longer and cut off a piece anyway. The crust was a little tough but I really liked it. Took some good ol' American chewing!! Very good though.

After it cooled, it cut a lot easier and was so yummy with real butter. Yep, the real deal, real butter. So I wrapped up the rest of the loaf and will save it.

I have pictures but need a time to sit down to upload them. I'm feeling a bit lazy today (the allergy med will do that to me) but I will get them posted.

Just so freakin' proud of myself!! :-)

Allergies...

I will be back with more postings but my allergies are really acting up. I'm having a tough time breathing, much less making more adventures in the kitchen. So, please hang in there with me, I'll be back. Please re-read my other posts and enjoy!

Update On The Cast-Iron Skillet

Love it, love it, love it!! Who knew it'd be so easy to use?? I kinda-sorta always had this idea that cast iron was a PITA (pain-in-the-ass, for future reference) but this big skillet is da bomb!

I have made spaghetti sauce and taco innards in it. To clean up is so easy. Just set it off to the side, let cool, clean with hot water and all the stuff inside falls out on its own! Wipe it down and add a smidge of veggie oil, swirl around and we're good to go on the next round. I was wondering if maybe Crisco might be better than the oil but the oil seems to be working fine.

The only thing I'm having a problem with is lifting the thing when it has meat in it that needs draining. Even with the handhold on the opposite side from the handle, it's still hot and bulky with really hot fat sloshing around. That's the down side so far. But it's really nice to have such a big skillet that I can move meat around or flip a pancake and have plenty of room to manuever.

So, all in all, I'm loving my cast iron and next need a dutch oven. I used to have one and got to where I could make things pretty easily. I mean, you can't burn food in a dutch oven and for me, that's a sweetheart deal!

Enjoy your cooking, everyone!!

Lookie What I Got!

(Please excuse the grammar up there but it seems appropriate...)

I'm attempting to post a pic, so here goes...

(M'okay...the pic is too big and I'm trying to re-size it so it shows the whole thing. Need to work on my picture posting skilz...but you get the gist, right?? I'll keep trying till I get it right!)

As an aside: This is about the 6th time I've reposted this silly pic, so if it doesn't make sense, rest assured, I'm frustrated....grrr....

No matter, I'm proud of my skillet. I've already made some yummy pancakes in it. It was great because I spilled some mix over the side, accidentally (sp? just doesn't look right) and when I washed the skillet, the mix came right off.

I read and reread the instructions that came with it so I'd have it down pat how to take care of it. I've had other cast iron things before but didn't take the great care I should have.

I wanted a big skillet or griddle to do up a mess of bacon and eggs. Also, from my adventure in making the tortillas the other day. Needed a bigger one for the bigger tortas.

Found out also, when I make bigger pancakes, I need a larger flipper. Hubby didn't think I was making the pancakes big enough so I poured a nice sized large one. It bubbled merrily and then needed to be flipped. So, I slides the flipper underneath, make a mental count in my head and do the flip. The pancake was so large and the flipper so small that the pancake broke in half! That's how I spilled some mix over the side! But I got the both pieces flipped and it turned out just fine after all.

Now, I'm going to post this and we'll see how my pic came out. If not, welp, there is always the 'edit' button... :-)

Lookie What I Found!!!

http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/substit.html

I found this because I needed to know if I could sub veggie oil for shortening. Answer: Nope, you shouldn't.

Check it out, it's the greatest!

Skillet Won't Come Clean

I made the tortillas the other day, remember?? Well, I got the skillet too hot without enough oil and now have a stained skillet. I've tried all sorts of stuff, even rubbing it with salt.

No matter...I need a new skillet anyway. A bigger one and heavier too. I'd like to get a cast iron one or a pancake griddle OR maybe even both! Now, wouldn't that be a treat??

I could make my tortillas as big as I want and do up some pancakes...yum...just thinking about that sends me into bliss!

So, I'm off tomorrow to scout out skillets. My husband is kind of suspicious that I can't 'clean' the one I have and need a new one. Wonder why he would think that?? Hmmmm??

No Pics yet...

I have tried several times and can't make the pics come out. No matter, this won't daunt me a bit. I'll keep trying. Keep checking back for further developments, okie dokie?? :-)

My Tortilla Adventure

My home stomping grounds is in the Southwest and I grew up eating the real deal mexican food. Never knew there was anything else except the flavorful, wonderful mexican food close to the southwestern border.

So, when as a teenager, my mom got a wild hair and moved us to the northern part of Texas, I never thought that the food would change that much. Oh, was I wrong. While the Texan mexican food was good, it wasn't the same. Down by the El Paso border, the food is good, even in Laredo, it's good but there is something about the southwestern part that just 'took' me.

Years later, I attempted tortillas and chips. Turned out pretty good. I had a wok, of all things, to fry them in and it went well. I like a wok in that you cook in the bottom and then can scoot things out of the way and let them drain. So, put the tortillas and a wok together and you've a winner in my book.

Fast forward two decades and my renewed interest in cooking...plus the internet. I found a recipe for plain old tortillas, without anything fancy. I've been buying them from the store for our tacos and burritos but there isn't anything that comes close to homemade.

Matter of fact, I felt a little bit like a fish out of water yesterday. Seemed to me I should 'know' innately how to fry up tortillas! Should be in my genes, how to fry them, shouldn't it?? Felt a little off kilter.

I assembled the flour, baking powder, salt and Crisco. Mixed them together, thinking something isn't right. Oh yeah....I should have mixed the first three together first and then cut in the Crisco. No matter, that doesn't stop me! Mixed it together anyway. FINALLY it start looking right. (Note to self: Next time, read the whole recipe and do it properly. Don't be a know-it-all)

Then I added the hot water a little at a time. You know how when you first add water and it doesn't look 'wet' enough and you think you need more water? That's what I thought too. But fortunately, I had the sense to let the water work its way through and started in on the kneading process.

Again, read all instructions and then maybe re-read for 'just in case'. I slapped the dough down, thinking it's dry enough, doesn't need any flour on the block. I know, you're mentally slapping me upside the head right now, aren't you?? I knead away, wondering if I'm ever going to get the dough to be elastic-y. Finally, this happens...thank God...

I took a little veggie oil and rubbed it all over and then set it back in the bowl, covered with my dish towel. (It was clean) 10 minutes later I pulled it back ut. Looked the same to me. Uh-oh?? Not sure but I'm committed.

Pulled off a little gold ball sized hunk and rolled it up. Now during this time, you would think I'd have the sense to warm up the skillet. I don't have a cast iron or really heavy one but I do have a very good quality (can't think of the name....grrrr!) one that has stood me in good stead for several years. Then it dawns on me to warm 'er up!

Get that done and go back to rolling out the dough. Then it dawns on me again that I forgot to buy a rolling pin from the last time I attempted biscuits....jeez.... It's a really good thing that the pomegranite juice people put out a nifty glass that is just perfect for rolling! Pull that out of the cupboard and away I go! Roll this way and then that and then repeat. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Get it rolled out nice and thin, albeit not in the round. Sort of ameoba shaped. Are you with me here?? But it's rolled out, what the hell do I care what shape it is??

Then it dawns on me, I don't have a big enough skillet to make the big tortillas. Have to settle for the smaller ones. No matter, not going to stop me!!

I popped that baby in the skillet, watched it for a minute, flipped it over, saw that nicely browned bubbly underside-flipped-up and my heart just sang! Scooped it up and plopped it on the plate, then covered it. Started the next one and repeated 5 times.

Hubby was watching this and truth be told, I think he was secretly amused. I sent him to the store to buy some because mine weren't big enough but I was able to feed him some real tortillas with all their good taste. He was a bit surprised at the difference.

It was almost like comfort food to me. I'm not ashamed to say that I scarfed the ones he didn't eat, they were small-ish anyway. Reminded me of the true southwest. Not the papery taste of store bought ones.

Pure bliss...*sigh*....

Pictures?? A Better Lookin' Blog??

As I've written, my blogs are a first for me. I've been reading others and mine are so plain jane! They need pictures, poor things! Something to spice things up, knowwhatImean? So, in the next few days, I'll experiment and try to make things better. Hang in there with me, my faithful readers, I know I can do it!

Makin' The Mixes...The Spice Thing

Welp, I'm trying to save money. That's one of the reasons I'm really trying to brush up what skills I have in the kitchen. It's a lot more work but, overall, it's very satisfying! Strangely so.

I went to the store the other day and bought all sorts of spices. Didja know that there is a brand that has almost every kind of spice for only 50 cents for each bottle?? Wow, I was in hog heaven!! Loaded up my cart, did I. I did have to go with the store brand on a couple of items but still lots cheaper than the name brand stuff.

Now I have oregano (ultra big bottle), chili powder, sage, parsley flakes, sweet red pepper flakes (whatever that is for, I don't know), plenty of garlic powder, the list goes on and on.

I bought boullion granules too. So, I'm in the aisle of the store looking at one bottle of cubed boullion and the other of granule. The granule one is about 40 cents more than the cubed, right? So, I'm thinking/wondering, why is this?? Don't you just take the cubes and crush them up and make granules? Then I got to thinking that that would be really messy and the cubes looked pretty freakin' hard so crushing might not work very well after all. I went with the granules. That extra 40 cents was hard to pay though!

Anyway, I have made a little cannister of spaghetti sauce mix. All I have to do is add the ground beef and tomato paste and we're good to go! Actually I had to tweak the mix a little bit to give it a little more oomph but it's very good now. I think I made the whole cannister for the cost of a couple of packets of ready made mix! Supposedly, this mix will last for a whole year in the fridge. At the rate we're going, we'll use it up way before then!

Next, I'm going to try taco mix. I'm a mexican food lover, coming from the deep southwest, so I know good mexican food! I'll try it this weekend and report back what I find and how it tasted.

Anyway, the point today is that I've discovered spices and learning to deal with them. Spices can be my friend. That's what I keep telling myself!!

Freakin' Sugar Ants...

Okay, am feeling better so I feel the need to post!

My kitchen is inundated with sugar ants. You know, those little black boogers that shimmy all over the place?? I was posting on one of my boards and just had the cutest way to explain what they were doing. (well, cute in my world...)

They are/were all over my kitchen counter, on my bedroom's nitestand, out on the deck doing a conga line...why my hubs even found beaucoups of them in the freezer! How in the hell did they even get IN there? But there they were. Bunches of little black mummies.

There are even little fried crispy critters in my stove! You'd think they'd get a clue and take up stakes when they got a little 'warm', huh? Nope, brilliance isn't their middle name, I'll tell you what.

So what does hubby do? What any red-blooded man would do...he gets out the bug spray and sprays EVERYwhere. On my kitchen counters, on the floor...on the deck. I have to wipe and wipe before I feel like it's safe to put food on or walk across.

I think it's been so much wetter this year than years before and the varmints are looking for a dry spot (good luck) to hoist their buns into. So they bug the snot out of me.

Will Be Back Soonest....

I have the muther of all sinus infections or something really close. Will be back maybe later today or in the morning. Thanks for reading and keep checking back please! :-)

Cooking Is Fun...But Clean-up Is A Drag

Okay, I'm seriously annoyed now. I've re-discovered cooking at this late stage of my life but the downside has now shown itself.

The Clean-up.

Not fun. It's soooo much fun to get in the kitchen, get flour all over everything, use multiple pans, use lots of wooden spoons (my fave for the time being), measuring stuff, having the ingredients out all over the place...even filling up the sink with lots of deitrus. Then, when things are baking or simmering, all the stuff that caused the fun becomes an elephant in the room. (To understand where I'm going with this today, I must say I don't have a dishwasher...more on that sometime down the road)

The dishes and pans just sit there intruding on your peripheral vision and consciousness. After a while they start to chant in a low tone about how they need to be washed "and put away". It's one thing to wash them (I guess you could apply this to the dishwasher too) but then they need to be put away as they won't do it on their own. Ingrates.

So there you have dishes sitting there and they start a new chant. I mean, why can't your family just swing by and pick out what they want when they need it?? Need a fork? Welp, it should be in with all the other silverware. A plate? Lookie there...right in the rack thingy.

The dishes are just going to get dirty again so why do ALL the work?? Part-way works great for me. You do have to wash them for sanitation's sake but nothing says you have to put them away. They won't be out long enough for any ooky germ wafting through the air to settle on them so why the extra work?

But then, after I'm settled in my Barcalounger, those dishes sitting out start to thrum in my head. I can't get away from it. You can tell they aren't happy sitting out. They have a place to 'be' and sitting out isn't it. So after quite a bit of thrumming, I can't take it any longer and hoist myself up and into the kitchen. Takes me all of, what, six minutes to put the d*mn things away??

Then the thrumming stops and I can relax with a bite of what I baked. Absolute bliss.

Woo-Hoo!! I Haz Da 'Net!!

Finally!! I have an excellent signal so now I can blog to my widdle hearts content! So, hang with me just a bit longer. I'll have a post at least by tomorrow...life is intruding again, you know how THAT goes... :-)

Sorry Again!!

I have plenty to say about my cooking...new adventures going on every single day but it doesn't help when I can't get a decent signal and can't post...or do a half post and then lose the signal. So this coming Friday, I'm getting a new service that I hopefully won't have to worry about snow, rain and other snarky weather.

Please hang in there with me! I appreciate my readers!

Not Much of a Signal...Again...

It's the rain or snow or the internet gods in the sky but it's still hit or miss whether I can post. So, today is mainly a 'check-in' and hopefully tomorrow I can get back to real posting. I used to write my posts for my other blog the night before and do a cut and paste thing when I had a good signal. Guess I'll have to go back to that!

Anyway, please re-read my existing posts or visit my other blog! :-)

My Spaghetti Sauce Experiment

I did it, I did it!!

I found a really good recipe for the makin's of SS. I went to http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Sauce-Mix/Detail.aspx and tried it out. It was great but something was missing. Just needed a little bit of oomph for the tomato taste. I couldn't figure out what but will keep experimenting till I get it right.

Love this site for recipes!!

Exactly What IS A Garlic Clove??

This is one of my better stories so sit back and enjoy. My kids like to tell on me because I'm such a dip in the kitchen.

I found this really neat mexican dish on the back of the Minute Rice box. Since I'm from the lower Southwest, I appreciate good mexican food. So I bought all the ingredients and once I got home, started in on the cooking.

Doing fine till I came to the part that said I needed a clove of garlic. (Can't you see this one coming??) So I picked up the whole thingy of garlic, wondering all the while if that wasn't just a bit much but hey, the recipe said 'a clove of garlic'. Good enough for me!!

So, I peeled the little boogers down and chopped them up. I felt like such a big girl because I was cooking for my family...y'know, taking 'care' of them!! What could be better??

All went well till we sat down to eat. The kids were happy... Mom was cooking!! Wowie!! They dug in, kind of masticated the mouthful around a bit, got really, really big-eyed and then the tears came. Everyone's eyes sort of teared up like a really bad pollen day.

My oldest daughter either spit it out or swallowed it (can't remember which) and yelped. She asked what was IN the food! I also had taken a bite and teared up and was wondering the same, even though I had prepared it.

So I looked back on the box at the recipe and checked all the ingredients...glove of garlic...check, the whole works... What could be wrong??

Later, after everyone had avoided my grub, (the finks wanted to eat something else...*grumble*) I was talking with someone and mentioned the problem. The look I got was one of wonder. Didn't I KNOW what a garlic clove was, asked this someone?? Well, as far as I knew, it was the whole garlic thingy. No, no, no!! says my friend, a clove is the little piece you pick off!!

Oh...

So, that is one mistake I've never made again. Live and learn... :-) BTW, I never made that mexican dish again. Once was enough...

About That Squid Dinner...

Now there is some discrepancy in my family about whether it was a squid or octopus...so please bear that in mind, okie dokie?? I checked with my son and he thinks it's the octopus and I'm in the squid camp. I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other but it's still a good story! Read on...

I had this bright idea one fine day that I was going to get serious about cooking. I've always been a fan of seafood, any kind, any where. As long as I can catch it, I'll eat it. Well, cooked also but you know what I mean.

So, my son and I were in the store looking at the frozen food section, the kind of sections that are hip high and in the middle of the aisles, not the ones behind the doors. My son found a package of frozen seafood. I admit, I didn't read the package very closely, just assumed/saw that it apparently had frozen veggies and 'seafood' in it. The package was one of those kind that everything is loose inside and the packaging was clear plastic but very iced up.

I paid for it and we went home. I boiled a pot of water and dumped the package in the boiling water. I kind of had an impression that something wasn't quite right but that was sort of normal state for me with cooking anyway, so I ignored the feeling.

Seems like I boiled rice or noodles to make a bed for the seafood and then I served that part. I drained the seafood and spooned it onto the bed of rice/noodles.

After a bit, I noticed that my son was playing with something that looked like it was flat topped but with little appendages sticking out. What in the hell is that, think I. Kind of like a flattened starfish but with lots of pointy things all around.

So I reached over to pick it up and realized that it was a baby squid/octopus that the top had been lopped off but the little legs were still attached to the body! I didn't realize that the things in the package weren't ready for cooking! They were only in the bag, ready to be processed.

My son was kind of wigged out to find that parts were missing and wouldn't touch the whole meal after that. He thought it was kind of like a toy that you find in Cracker Jacks! Oh, gross!

So now we have the baby squid/ocotopus story...top that if you can!! :-)

Will Be Back Soonest...

Life is getting in the way again but I'll be back. Please check in a day or so. Take care, all!

Let Me Explain...

I was typing my second post when I realized, my readers won't have a clue what I'm talking about so I better explain better my vision of cooking. I'll explain the squid dinner in a later post...you won't want to miss it! Really...

Reading recipes, in my mind, is something up there with deciphering ancient Egyptian before the Rosetta Stone showed up. Recipes just don't make sense to me. I get the big 'T' mixed up with the little 't'. On a measuring cup, I'm very capable of using the wrong marker for, say, the half cup. I'm ever so adept at burning beans and can't seem to smell it till someone else yells about the incinerated beans. High altitude, you say?? Doesn't mean a thing to me.

When it comes to presenting the food...I'm good with spooning off a big chunk of meat loaf and dumping it on the plate, then calling it good. 'Presentation' is not in my vocabulary. If it's edible, does it REALLY matter what it looks like??? Hmmm???

Why, hell...I told my three kids once, when they were small, that I had found a new recipe to try. Their response?? As one voice, they said, "Uh-oh."

But, hey, if my horse needed shredded beet pulp in his feed, I seem to intuitively know how much, how best to get it mixed it, whether it needs to be dampened or soaked. But when I have to cook for humans, something gets lost in the translation.

So, this is my explanation for this blog. Actually, my kids think it's a good idea...a good idea, not great...as long as I don't identify them. :-)

My First "Lost Cooking" Post!!

Welcome!!

An explanation is in order... I am not a cook. I'm a middle-aged grandmother who has NEVER managed to learn to cook. I try, Lord knows, I try but it has always been hard for me. As you read this blog, you'll see all my screw-ups and mistakes...and every so often I actually have a rousing success! Basically, I'm a cowgirl who is better at fixing windmills and building a fence. I was standing behind the door when God passed out the domesticity. Just ask my kids...

I try to write how I speak in real life so I don't think this blog will be suitable for the under 15 year old crowd. I do let fly now and again with a curse word that might tick off a pastor. I would prefer that over 18 year olds only read this blog but if you're under 18, you've been warned.

There may be a post every day or every few days. I'm not sure but I'll post when I can. I have another blog but I also have a life outside of the 'puter. I'm not really good at blogging but I try. My other blog is my first attempt and it's doing pretty well so I thought I'd give cooking a shot. I will also have a comment section but I will censor any absolutely profane or vulgar posts. I'm funny about that! I found that posting this has kept things civil even in my emails. :-)

Anyway, I hope you'll bookmark my post and come back time and again to read. Please enjoy and tell others about my blog. Hopefully I'll make you laugh and have a good time!!