hot dog chowder

I have a confession to make.  I LOVE hot dogs.

I realize some of you may be throwing up in your mouth at the thought of eating a hot dog, so I'm sorry.  But I really do like them. 
Bratwurst too.  And Knockwurst.  And any other type of wurst or sausage or hot dog like thing you can put on a bun.

I'm a bit of a hot dog snob though.  I will not eat just any hot dog.  I don't like the cheapie ones.  I will pay a bit more for the good hot dogs.  It's worth it.

I know they are "not very healthy". 
I know we "don't really know what's in them".
I know they are probably full of "leftover parts".
(I'm picturing Chris Farley here in all his "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker" glory)

But hot dogs are tasty folks, so go ahead and embrace them.

Here's a recipe I've enjoyed for years, thanks to our family friends Bruce and Karen Dungan.  The Dungans make their famous Hot Dog Chowder at group gatherings when the weather gets cool.  It's a great, tasty way to feed a crowd, or just your family, and it's really budget friendly.  I'm not going to lie and say it's really healthy, because it's not.  But it's not too bad either.

If you're lucky, it's a good way to get your kiddos to try some veggies as well.  I made this the other night and the boy birdie ate vegetables he normally would not.  Probably by accident, but who cares, right?

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Karen and Bruce Dungan:

2 cups diced raw potatoes
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables (I use a little extra)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. snipped parsley (can use fresh or dried)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3/4 tsp. salt
8 oz . hot dogs, thinly sliced (5-6 hot dogs)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. white pepper (or regular black pepper)
3 cups milk
2 Tbsp butter or margarine

In a saucepan, combine potatoes, vegetables, onion, parsley, bouillon cubes and salt.  Add 1 cup water; bring to boiling.  Cover and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add hot dog slices.  Blend flour, white pepper and milk.  Stir into vegetables; bring to simmer.  Cook and stir 2 minutes more.  Add butter or margarine (you could leave this out to cut calories, but I usually don't.  Come on!).  Top servings with paprika and serve.

So how do you feel about hot dogs?  Love them?  Hate them?  Try this soup and you might learn to love them!

adapted recipe

Are you an "always follow the recipe" kind of person, or do you like to improvise a bit when you cook?

My Mom and I laugh about this when we cook or sew together because she is such a rule follower.  She measures things exactly and generally plays by the rules.  She likes to sew from patterns, and follows the patterns exactly.  That's probably why she is such a good cook and wonderful seamstress!  It's kind of surprising though because my Mom is such a creative person, I would have guessed she would take more "liberties" when cooking or sewing.

I on the other hand do things differently.   I like to sew things that don't use patterns, and just "figure it out".  I like to pattern sew, but I'm ok with changing things up a bit as long as it doesn't affect the structural integrity of the finished product.  I rarely use measuring cups when I cook, only when I bake (you do have to be really exact then).  And I'm fine with substituting ingredients in a recipe with those I have on hand as long as the outcome is similar.

So I came across this  yummy sounding recipe for Queso Potato Chowder in my latest Southern Living.  Seriously?  Is this like queso dip crossed with potato soup?  Right up my alley.

I had some great looking poblano peppers and bell peppers from our CSA share this week, so they would work as the peppers in this soup.  I didn't, however have the refrigerated southwestern style hashbrowns the recipe called for.  I did have some regular potatoes in the pantry though, so I cubed them up and subbed them in.

I also didn't have the queso asedero cheese the recipe called for.  I wish I had because I bet it's super creamy like queso dip.  I did have some monterey jack cheese though, and that made a good substitution.

I had the milk and half-and-half, but I'm sure I could have used all milk to cut some calories, but who's cutting calories?

So here's the recipe.  I'm giving you the original, from this month's Southern Living Magazine, and I'm showing you my substitutions out to the side.

I guess my point with this post, besides sharing a really yummy recipe, is to say, don't be afraid of substituting ingredients!  It's ok to sub out similar veggies, cheeses, fruits and sometimes spices.  Make it your own, you may even find you like your own version better!

Queso Potato Chowder (from the October 2011 issue of Southern Living)

1/4 C butter
1 C finely chopped red bell pepper / I used a mix of orange and red
1 C finely chopped onion
3 poblano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 (20 oz.) package refigerated southwestern-style hash browns / I used 5 good sized Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced.  Next time I'll grate them.
1/4 tsp. ground cumin / I used a bit more
2 (14 oz) cans low sodium fat-free chicken broth / I used 1 (32 oz) box
1/3 C flour / I didn't measure
1 1/2  C milk
1 C  half-and-half / you could just use all milk instead of the half-and-half
1 C (4 oz) freshly shredded asadero cheese / I used Monterey Jack
1 C (4 oz) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1.  Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat; add bell pepper and next 3 ingredients, and saute 4-5 minutes or until tender.  Add potatoes and cumin, and saute 5 minutes or until browned and tender.  Gradually stir in broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of dutch oven.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 25 minutes.
2.  Whisk together flour and next 2 ingredients.  Stir into potato mixture, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.  Reduce heat to low.  At this point I mashed some of the potatoes in my soup with a potato masher to further thicken the soup.
3.  Add cheeses, and cook, stirring constantly, until cheeses melt and mixture is thoroughly heated.

Yummy!

Note: If anyone from Southern Living happens to read this post, I in no way meant that your recipe needed adapting!  I was just too lazy to go to the store to get your required ingredients.  I have read your magazine for as long as I can remember (seriously - probably not normal for a 16 year old to read Southern Living) and look forward to every issue.  Over and out.

summer gazpacho

Do y'all know what gazpacho is?

Gazpacho is a cold, tomato based soup that can be eaten as an appetizer or a light main course.  If you are like me, the last thing I want when it's 90 degrees outside is a bowl of hot soup.

Enter gazpacho.  This soup is so refreshing, sometimes I just drink it from a mug instead of bothering with a bowl and spoon.

My favorite recipe for gazpacho came from my Aunt Cathy who was kind enough to share it with me!

Here's how you make it:

In a large bowl combine:

1 c. peeled tomatoes, finely chopped

1/2 c. finely chopped green pepper

1/2 c.  peeled, chopped cucumber

1/4 c. chopped onion (red onion is especially good or a mild sweet onion)

2 tsp. minced parsley

1 tsp. snipped chives (I leave these out if I don't have them)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3 T. red or white wine vinegar

2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 c. tomato juice (or more depending on how thick you like your soup)

Chill.  Serve as an appetizer or cold soup. 



Easy peasy.  Try it, you'll like it.  And, it's good for you!

And one more thing.  For an easy way to peel tomatoes, get a sauce pan full of water simmering on the stove.  Cut an X in the bottom of your tomatoes and place in the simmering water for about 30 seconds.  Remove from the water, and the peel will come off easily with a knife.

the beef is in

The Girly Bird and I drove down to Marksbury Farm in Lancaster yesterday to pick up our beef.  It was almost an hour and a half one way.  I'm not complaining, just sayin'.

We made burgers for dinner, and if I do say so myself, the beef is goooood.  There's always a bit of unknown with grass fed beef.  It can taste a bit different with each steer depending on what they were eating, their age, etc.  This one worked out really well, and Daddy Bird and I breathed a collective sigh of relief.  Ahhhhhhh.

Then the fun began.  We were up past 1 AM parceling out all the beef that had been prepurchased, and then freezing it.  Ugghh.  This morning came a bit too early.

All our steaks and roasts are sold.  We've got lots of ground beef left.  If you are local and may be interested, drop me an email at bluegrassbeefky@aol.com

Happy Friday - I'm off to bed.

so...what's a csa?

Our friends, Shane and Mary Courtney (along with their 2 kids) are a farming family in the truest sense of the word.  Shane and Mary both grew up on farms, but following college they each took jobs that were in the field of agriculture, but not actually farming.  A few years ago, the Courtneys decided to buy a farm, and transition into farming full-time.  They raise tobacco, but in an attempt to diversify, vegetables were added to what they grow.  Shane and Mary raise over 90 varieties of produce. 

Makes my little garden with tomatoes and squash look kind of small.

Last year the Courtneys began a Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA.  In a CSA, members partner together with a farmer, in this case Shane and Mary, by buying a "share" of the produce raised.

A CSA has many benefits. 

 Members are able to enjoy fresh, local produce that was picked usually that morning instead of days ago and then shipped across the country.

It's like having your own garden but without all the work!

The benefit I appreciate the most is knowing exactly where your food comes from.  We have a personal relationship with the farmer that grew our veggies.  I like that, and I like being able to support another local farmer.

We purchased a share this year and each week we pick up our bag of produce.  It's so exciting to see what's waiting in that heavy green bag!

Rainbow swiss chard!   How beautiful is that?  I used it to make a really yummy greens and eggs recipe from the Courtney's website.

A sunburst patty pan squash.  Pretty, huh?

Here's my favorite...

Beets, ya'll.

I love me some beets.

We're not talking the canned pickled beets you get on the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday.

I'm talking, I watched Mary Courtney pull these beets fresh out of the ground this morning, beets.

Did you know if you clean fresh beets and trim the tops and bottoms off, wrap them in a foil packet with some olive oil and roast them at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or so, something magical happens?

When they cool, you can peel them, slice them and serve them with some kosher salt and pepper if you like.

Oh. My.

Who knew something as homely looking as a beet could taste so good!

I encourage you to investigate CSAs in your area.  If you live around the Shelbyville/Louisville, KY area, check out our friends the Courtneys.

If you live elsewhere, check out http://www.localharvest.org/ to find a CSA in your area.

Have a great week ya'll!

surprise!

My dad recently celebrated his 60th birthday, so we felt it would be a good idea to throw him a surprise party!

I'm always looking for an excuse to throw a party, so I was all over this.

My brother Stan, sister-in-law Annie and their kiddos came in for the festivities which was one of the best parts since we don't see them often.  My brother arranged for he and Dad to play some golf with a couple of Dad's buddies so that got them out of the house for a few hours.

While they were gone, Annie, Mom and I went nuts getting everything ready.

The party had a golf theme, but we didn't go too overboard with that.

The menu included:

appetizers - meatballs, salsa roll ups and veggies with homemade dill dip

assorted wrap sandwiches

Spicy pasta salad with smoked gouda, tomatoes and basil 

Fruit Salad

Brooke's Black Bean and Corn Dip (recipe to come)

Arnold Palmers and Lemonade

and of course, Birthday Cake!

My favorite part of the whole evening was that Dad was truly surprised!

I was so busy during the evening that I really didn't get to take many photos, but here are a few:

My brother and my adorable nephew:

The boy birdie and my niece:

The cake:

Annie did a FANTASTIC job with the cake, and also made some really great golf themed flower arrangements:

The whole evening was just such a great chance to celebrate my dad!  So many of his friends were there and it was so much fun to make him the center of the celebration.

Happy Birthday Dad!



easy calzones



Do ya'll like calzones?  I am such a sucker for stuffed pizzas, calzones, and stuffed breads.  It's comfort food for me.  I've had this recipe for calzones for a long time, and my two favorite things are that 1. It's easy and quick enough to make on a week night, and 2.  You can change up the filling ingredients to fit your taste or mood.

Don't be intimidated by making your own crust.  It's super easy, and the dough could also be used for a traditional pizza if you are so inclined.

We had these for dinner last night so I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Easy Calzones

For the crust:

1 pkg yeast (I like to use rapid rise for this recipe)

1 Cup warm water

1 Tbs. sugar

2 Tbs. oil (olive oil or vegetable oil)

1 tsp. salt

2 3/4 Cups flour

For the filling:

Whatever you like on a pizza!

Some suggestions would be:

 mushrooms (canned or fresh)

green pepper

onion

pepperoni

browned italian sausage

mozzarella cheese

provolone cheese

olives

grilled chicken

artichoke hearts

pizza sauce or alfredo sauce

Last night we used pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozz cheese, mushrooms, green pepper, and onion.

Veggie calzones would be awesome Meredith, if you are reading this :)

Melted butter for brushing

Dissolve the package of yeast in the 1 cup of warm water in a large mixing bowl.  You want your water on the HOT side of warm if that makes sense.  I usually turn my tap on as hot as it will go, let it heat up, fill my cup measure and then by the time I get it over to my bowl with the yeast it's about the right temp.

Stir in the sugar and wait about 5 minutes for your yeast to "bloom."

If you've never cooked with yeast before, it's a bit like a science experiment.  When the yeast get all warm with the water and all fed with the sugar, they start to reproduce rapidly and you can actually watch this take place in your bowl.  It's called "blooming", and it's probably only cool for a baking nerd like myself.

Add the oil, salt, and flour and mix your ingredients until smooth.  You may have to mix the ingredients with your hands at the end to get them all incorporated.

Throw some flour down on your counter, and rub some oil on your hands. 

Dump the dough out on the floured counter and knead it until it becomes nice and smooth, about 3-5 minutes. 

Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl (or one sprayed with cooking spray), cover it with a clean dish towel, and let it rise in a warmish place for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare your filling ingredients and oil a pizza pan and sprinkle it with some cornmeal.  The cornmeal is optional, but I like to do it.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

After the 30 min rising time on your dough is up, remove it from the bowl and divide it into 2 pieces.  Roll each piece into a circle approx. 10 inches in diameter.  They do not have to be perfect!  My circles look more like ovals, and sometimes they are kind of squarish.  No big deal.

Divide your filling evenly between your circles.  Fold dough over the filling and crimp the edges to seal.  You want to get your dough sealed pretty well here, otherwise all that yummyness will leak out all over your pizza pan.  Transfer the calzones to your prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.  After 15 minutes, brush the tops with a little melted butter to help them brown.

I like to serve these with maranara sauce for dipping.

You can double this recipe, but each calzone is pretty big.  I usually just eat a half, especially if I'm having a salad or something along with it.

Enjoy and have a GREAT weekend!

eggs

News Flash!

Did you know eggs come in other colors than white?

Brown you say?

What about blue?

Fortunately for us, one of the vet-techs, Ann, that works at the Daddy Bird's practice raises chickens.  Ann is more than happy to sell us her chickens' lovely eggs.  Ann's eggs come in a rainbow of colors and a variety of sizes:

If you have never tasted fresh eggs that are not what you buy in your local supermarket, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and find some!  Our family eats at least 2 dozen of these eggs a week.  They are that good folks.  I had no idea that there would be such a difference in store bought eggs and farm-fresh ones.  They are so rich and tasty.

I'm also just fascinated by the colors and sizes.

I mean, how beautiful are these eggs?

This spurred me to do a little chicken and egg research for ya'll today:

• Do you know how you can tell what color eggs a chicken will lay?  Look at their earlobes!  Chickens with white ears will generally lay white eggs, while chickens with red ears will typically lay brown.  Another way to tell is just to know the breed of chicken.  Certain breeds of chickens will always lay the same color eggs.

• Where do those blue and green eggs come from then?  They come from a breed of chicken known as the Aracuana, Americauna, or "easter-egger".  These breeds tend to lay eggs in varying shades of green to blue.  Some of Ann's chickens are Americaunas.

• Certain breeds of chickens are better egg layers, and certain breeds of chickens are raised for their meat.

• It takes a chicken about 24-26 hours to lay an egg, so chickens can lay about an egg a day!  The world record for egg laying was set in 1979 by a White Leghorn chicken that layed 371 eggs in 365 days!!!!

• There are over 150 varieties of domesticated chickens.

• A hen lives an average of 5-7 years but can live as long as 20 years!  She will lay eggs her entire life, with production slowly decreasing after year 1.

There you go.  Some fun conversation starters for your next party :)

Now go find some fresh eggs to enjoy, and if you really love chickens, go buy this purse.

our cattle

We made a quick trip to visit Daddy Bird's parents this past weekend and also to check on our cattle.  Daddy bird and Baby Bird make the drive up about once a week, but it had been a while since I had gone with them.

We have our approximately 15 mama cows on the in-laws beautiful farm because our little place here is just too small for all of those cattle!

A quick lesson on cattle production:

Our cattle are beef cattle, which means we raise them for the purpose of providing meat.  There are also dairy farms which raise cattle to produce milk.  Certain breeds of cattle are more suited to produce beef vs. milk, and our cattle are specifically bred for this purpose.

We are cow/calf producers.  This means that we have mama cows that we breed to a bull every year to get calves.  After the calves are much bigger and have been weaned, we sell them to someone else that finishes raising them to market weight and in turn sells them for beef.  This finishing process usually takes place on what is called a feedlot, but that's another lesson for another day.

We are experimenting this year by raising a couple of the older calves ourselves, and instead of selling them to someone else to finish on a feedlot, we are raising them on our grass pasture where they are free to roam around and behave as cattle were intended to behave.  This is called "grass-fed beef" or "grass-finished beef" because from birth to the end of their life they only eat grass.

HOOORAAAY for grass!

You see, God designed cows to roam around and eat grass. 

We, as humans created the whole feedlot thing where cattle are generally confined to a small area and finish their lives eating a grain based feed of corn and other grains. 

Please know this too.  Grass-fed is NOT the same thing as organic.  Beef can be labeled organic and still raised in a feedlot situation.  The cattle are just fed organic grain products.

Don't get me wrong!  I'm not knocking the farmers and producers that make their livings running feedlots!  It produces a very tasty steak and is a very profitable way to raise cattle.  It's just that Daddy Bird and I feel that maybe there is a way for us to raise beef that is healthier for us, and the cattle.

Here are some of our mamas:

This lady is my favorite!  Our cattle are not pets, and they don't have names, but this one is particularly tame, and she is short and dumpy looking and so cute!

She's giving me the evil eye here though.

Our cattle have it made, really!  They get to roam around a beautiful farm, and have food brought to them, and the only thing we ask of them is that they have babies and get fat.  Seriously.  I could live like that.

I probably gave you way more info than you wanted in this post, but it's good for all of us to know where our food comes from.  A vegetarian lifestyle is definitely not for me, but I do want to make sure I am feeding my family animal products that don't have a bunch of added hormones and steroids, just to increase the profits of the producer.  Not to mention, I like to support farmers that care for their animals in a way I think God intended us to care for them.

Thanks for listening to me rant!

strawberry butter

Our couple's group met last night at our friends the Burnettes' house, and the menu theme was "breakfast for supper."  Yummy.  I love breakfast, anytime of day.  I was asked to bring bread (biscuits, croissants, etc.) which is great, but what is good breakfast bread without something yummy to spread on it?

Our family has a special fondness for strawberry butter.  There is a great place to eat not too far away from Murray State called Patti's, where they serve strawberry butter to spread on this warm, yummy bread baked in flower pots.  It is unbelievable.  It will change your life.  Check out Patti's if you're ever in west KY.  The daddy bird and I shared a few dates there back in the good old days.

I found this recipe in my well used copy of the Cotton Country Collection, a cookbook put out by the Junior League of Monroe, LA in 1972.  I made a couple of changes, and this is what I ended up with:

You will need:

1 pint of fresh strawberries (washed and hulled) or 10 oz frozen, thawed and drained

(I usually use frozen)

1/2 lb unsalted butter

1 cup powdered sugar; if using frozen berries use 1/2 cup

Make sure all ingredients are at WARM ROOM TEMPERATURE!  This is crucial to your success.

Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer, starting at medium speed and increasing to high speed, until combined and fluffy.

If your mixture looks curdled, keep blending, it takes quite a while to get everything combined well, especially if the butter or strawberries are cool at all.  The ingredients must be at room temp to combine well.

Chill, and serve with biscuits, rolls, muffins, toast, waffles, pancakes, pretzels, or just eat it straight out of the bowl, ha!

Makes 2 1/2 cups

This may be just as good with margerine.  I usually use butter when I cook, but I could see margerine being substituted here with great results.

Enjoy it ya'll!

SNOW, a yummy recipe, and the best mom in law in the world!

It's snowing!!  Is it wierd that I'm really not fond of winter, or cold, but I really love the snow?  There's nothing like snow to put you in the Christmas spirit.  Here are some pics from last year, because I didn't feel like getting outside this morning:



The horses love the snow as long as it's not too wet.  Then it just makes them cold - like me.

Since it's cold out, and snowy, here's a recipe for Tuscan Pork Chops that will warm you up!  It's not soup, but it's so, so yummy.  I foud it on Tasty Kitchen which has really become my go-to recipe site of late.  Excuse my poor photos.  This is weeknight dinner people!

I know this doesn't look like much, but let me tell you - it's really great.

Here's the recipe courtesy of sliceofsouthern on tasty kitchen:

• 4 whole Boneless Pork Chops - About 1" Thick
• ⅓ cups Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¼ cups Balsamic Vinegar
• ⅓ cups Chicken Broth, Low-Sodium
• 14 ounces, weight Diced Tomatoes (drained)
• 6 ounces, weight Mushrooms, Sliced

Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish, dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet . Cook pork chops over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chops from skillet to a side dish, you will add these back later.

Add garlic to skillet, and saute 1 minute. Add vinegar and broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Add tomatoes and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook at a rolling boil for 2-3 minutes.

Return pork chops and any juices to skillet. Turn your heat down to medium. Baste chops with sauce and simmer about 5 minutes until pork is done.

Serve pork chops topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, and sauce.

Note: Would be great with 1 cup chopped zucchini added. Adjust cooking time to accomodate the vegetable.

I served ours with parmesan cheese grits (just make grits according to package directions but mix in a generous handful of parmesan cheese and a dash of garlic powder when they are finished cooking) and some roasted asparagus.  Do ya'll roast asparagus?  Snap the ends off and throw it on a sheet pan and drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees for 6-10 min or until tender.  You'll never want to eat it any other way!

Speaking of dinner - tonight is date night for me and the hubs.  Josh's parents took the baby bird to Nashville for the weekend!  WHAT?!?!?!  An adults only weekend?  Wow.  I think we're going to do a little dinner and a movie tonight.  Hey, we've got 4 wheel drive.  A little snow won't bother us.

To top it off, do you know what my precious mom in law sent me via Josh?  I'll give you a hint:

Do you know what See's Candy is?  That wonderful chocolaty goodness from California?  Oh my word.

This is the best chocolate you will ever eat.  This is heaven for a pregnant woman.  This takes me back to my childhood when my Uncle Army from CA would send us a 2 LB box of the stuff for Christmas!

Notice there are a few pieces missing.  I tore into the stuff as soon as I saw it, and I also say without shame that I enjoyed a piece 2 pieces with my coffee this morning.

I love you Wanda, and not just for the chocolate!

Happy weekend everyone!

italian sausage soup

So, I've really been craving soup lately!  I think it's partially the cooler fall weather, but it's also because I've been seeing so many yummy soup recipes that I want to try them all!  This one isn't really a new recipe, but it's one I really love.  I found it in an old American Quarter Horse Journal years ago, and it's been a keeper.  Plus, it's easy which is always a bonus.

Here's the recipe:

Brown together:

1 lb sweet italian sausage

1 cup chopped onion

1 chopped garlic clove (a large one)

Drain any extra grease that cooks off the sausage.

Add:

5 cups beef broth

1/2 cup red wine

2 cans italian stewed tomatoes

1 cup sliced carrots

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add:

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

8 oz (or more) tortellini

Cook until the tortellini are done.  Serve with warm, crusty bread!

You could probably substitute the wine with more beef broth, but it really adds a great flavor to the soup, and any alcohol cooks off.

I love this soup!  Make it this weekend  -you'll love it too!

I'll leave you with a photo of my little cowboy from Halloween.  Happy Friday!

aunt neva's strawberry cake

My Grandma (Ma) is one of 10 kids.  She's the only sibling living now.  One of her sisters, Neva, never married, and lived nearby Ma, and was like a second Grandma to me.  She passed away just a couple of days before I graduated from college.

If you've ever been to my home, lots of things you'll see were Aunt Neva's.  Our big tall bed that I have to use a stool to get into was hers (that was fun when I was pregnant).  I also have a couple of dish cabinets that were in her house.  But the thing I treasure the most, by FAR is her collection of cookbooks and recipes.  Aunt Neva and I shared a love of cooking.  We even had a similar cooking style - make a huge mess and get every dish in the kitchen dirty! 

I don't have all her cookbooks, but I have most of them, and they are jam packed with handwritten recipes that she wrote on scraps of paper.  Someday I'll organize all those....

I came upon probably my favorite recipe several years ago - Aunt Neva's Strawberry Cake!  Yummy!  She made this for my mom's birthday a lot, and sometimes on other occasions.

It is so easy and great! 

And super, super rich. 

As in, you have to brew a pot of coffee to go with this.

The baby bird and I made it to celebrate my Mom's birthday a few days ago.

I'll tell you right now I double the frosting recipe.  One just isn't enough!

Here's the recipe:

Aunt Neva's Strawberry Cake

For the cake:

1 pkg white cake mix

1 pkg strawberry gelatin

3 eggs

1/2 C water

1/2 C salad oil (I use canola)

1-10 oz pkg frozen strawberries, thawed and drained, but RESERVE the juice

preheat oven to 350

grease and flour 2 round cake pans (8 inch)

Mix together the cake mix and gelatin. 

Add water and oil and beat well with your mixer.  Beat in eggs.

Fold in strawberries.

Pour into your prepared pans and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Cool completely before icing.

I cool the cakes in the pans on wire racks for 10  min. and then invert them directly onto the racks to cool the rest of the way.

for the icing:

1 stick of margarine or butter, softened

1 box 16 oz powdered sugar

1/4 C juice drained from the strawberries

Cream the butter in your mixer.  Add sugar and juice alternately, ending with juice.

Frost your cake!

I double this frosting recipe.

The result is fabulous!  Let me know if you try it!

the farmers market

The Baby Bird and I took a little trip down to our local farmers market this morning.  It's something I try to do every Saturday we are in town.  We scored some great beets:

And here is the main reason I wanted to go this morning:

Are they not the most gorgeous eggs you have ever seen?  They were a splurge, but if you have ever had fresh, free range eggs, you know they are worth EVERY penny.  There is absolutely no comparison to the thin shelled, cheapies at the grocery.

If you've never been to your local Farmer's Market, I really encourage you to go.  You may spend a little more, or you may spend a little less, but there's nothing like fresh, locally grown produce at the peak of its season!  I love supporting the local farmers as well.  They are very appreciative of the business, and are usually happy to share recipes and gardening tips.

And here is a recipe to use all the yummy produce you'll buy.  I made it the other night after finding it on the Pioneer Woman blog.  It was SOOOO good!  Seriously.  It made a vat too, which was good, because between the three of us, we ate an absolute ton.  It's my new favorite salad.

Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients.  The beauty of this salad is that you can sub out veggies and use just what you have, or add some other stuff that sounds good.  Read the recipe and then I'll tell you what I used:

Asian Noodle Salad

salad ingredients:

1 package linguini noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 head sliced napa cabbage (or more)

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage (or more)

several good handfuls baby spinach

1 whole red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 whole yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 whole orange pepper, thinly sliced

1 bag bean sprouts (also called mung bean sprouts)

chopped cilantro to taste

3 whole scallions, sliced

3 whole cucumbers peeled and sliced

1 can (10 oz) whole cashews

for the dressing:

1 whole lime, juiced

 8 Tbs. olive oil

8 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. (up to 3 Tbs.) sesame oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 or 2 jalapenos, chopped

chopped cilantro

Mix salad ingredients together in a LARGE bowl.  Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad.  Mix with tongs or hands and serve.

I served this with grilled chicken briefly marinated in 1 Tbs. soy sauce, 1 Tbs. brown sugar, 1 Tbs. sesame oil and a little kosher salt.

Yummy.

For the salad, I left out the napa cabbage and the cashews.  For sure use the purple cabbage though, it is so pretty!  Carrots and zuchinni would be great things to add.  The sesame oil, cilantro and ginger really make the flavor, so don't try to sub those out.

Have a great weekend!!!