Completion

I finally finished writing my novel. As it turns out, it looks like it will be a trilogy, so I will need to get started on the next one while I am waiting on the copy write for this one!

I am having Bud, K, S and our friend B read it. Bud finished it and like it, but I still have to fix any typos, spelling and grammatical errors that they find.  Then I will need to edit. I have read it once all the way through, but I need to do it when I am not so tired, as I missed a lot of spelling errors. I am going to start reading it again tonight, but I am only going to read 4-5 chapters at a time (book is 35 chapters long, plus about 20 pages of recipes at the end).

K is about 1/2 way through, and B is a 1/3 of the way through. I have to take it to Sue for her to read next. If I get the thumb's up from all of them (Sue will be my biggest, and most honest, critic), it is off to be copy written, which takes about 3 months if I do it online. Like I said, I will take advantage of that time to start the next segment in the story.

I will self-publish using either Lulu or Amazon--probably Amazon, as I would have a larger audience. We will see.

It feels good to have it done. Took three years, and several starts and stops in between. I may have to do am major edit, though, as I may have crossed the line between adult content and porn--I will have to investigate and find out what the parameters are.

Other than that, I feel pretty good about what I have accomplished.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Rediculously Simple Chicken Tenders

I get rave reviews on these every time that I make them, and I just scratch my head, because they are so easy, it is embarassing. I made them tonight, and I think it was the best MIL has eaten since the surgery. She ate two whole strips--may not seem like a lot, but in her case, it is a lot more than she has been eating.

Ready for the ingredients? Here goes!

Chicken Tenders

12 chicken tenderloins

1 package saltines, crushed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

In a 12 inch skillet, heat one inch of vegetable oil. Roll the tenderloins in the saltines/salt/pepper mixure. Fry the tenderloins until a deep golden brown on each side, about 8-10 minutes. Drain on paper towel.

That's it! Too, too simple. But for some reason, these always get high marks when I serve them. Sometimes, simple is the best.

Ham and Bean Soup

In my previous post, I mentioned that I am making ham and bean soup and cornbread. Here is my recipe for the soup. Bud doesn't do veggies, so there is no carrots or celery in this batch. But if you are like me, and love you some veggies, follow the recipe below. Mmmmmm good!


DeeDee's Ham and Bean Soup


1 pound dry great Northern beans
8 cups water
tsp teaspoon salt
1 pound diced smoked ham
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tablespoon ham soup base
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Place beans and salt in the water and bring to a boil. Let boil 15 minutes, then cut off the heat and let soak for 4 hours (covered). After 4 hours, drain off the water and add 12 cups of fresh water to the pot. Add ham soup base and diced smoked ham. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for an hour. After an hour, add in your carrots, celery and onions. Once again bring the pot back up to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 40-60 minutes. Beans and veggies should be tender. If not, continue to simmer until beans and veggies are tender. Add white pepper before serving. Serve with cornbread or crusty french bread.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

I realize that I committed a mortal sin by not including the recipe in a previous post about the evilly-good rhubarb custard pie that MIL made last week. The recipe is below. Enjoy!

4-5 cups cut rhubarb (1/2 inch to 1" pieces)
2 eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cup sugar
pie crust (mom made her own crust, but a store-bought crust will do just fine)

Place the rhubarb in a prepared pie crust, spreading evenly.
Whip the eggs, nutmeg, and sugar until nice and fluffy
Pour over rhubarb.

Bake at 400 degrees for one hour, testing for doneness at about 50 minutes and continuing to check every 10 minutes until done.

Mmmmm, mmmmm, good! Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream--to die for. CAUTION! This is not calorie-free. This has been a public service announcement from the women who consumed 4 slices of the pie in a two-day time span, thus blowing her calories for the day. Over and out.

Oh How I Love Thee, Grill

Ms. C bought a grill week before last, and I have been a grilling fool. She got the gas/charcoal combo grill, and whoa, baby--I have really broke it in.

We started with T-bone steaks as big as the plate for its inauguration. Next was burgers and dogs. Drunk chicken soon followed, as well as roasted chicken. More burgers and dogs. More steak--ribeyes. We have had corn on the cob on the grill, baked potatoes on the grill, and herbed wheat mini loaves of bread. We had my homemade baked beans, and we have had Bush's Grillin' Beans.

Tonight, it was more drunk chicken, barbecue chicken, grilled squash, grilled cabbage, baked beans, and pasta salad. It was heavenly, I must say.

If you have never made a drunk chicken, you must give it a try. I wish I would have snapped a picture of the birds on the grill. Here is the simple recipe:

Drunk Chicken

1 roasting chicken

1 can beer (cheap is fine--the bird doesn't mind!)

1/4 cup Dales or Moores marinade--or any marinade that floats your boat

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

1/2 lemon

olive oil

Seasoning salt

Pour 1/2 the beer into a two-cup liquid measuring cup. Add the marinade and garlic. Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the liquid. You could also add some of the zest to take it up a notch, but I don't have a zester at my disposal at the moment.

Drink the remaining beer--you can't waste beer! Pour the contents in the measuring cup into the empty beer can.

To prep the bird, make sure the neckbone and organs are removed from the cavity. Rinse the bird and pat dry. Rub the bird with olive oil, then sprinkle with seasoning salt.

Stand the bird so that the beer can is inserted up its, er, well, its butt. Heh-hem. I know it looks silly, but trust me on this--it needs to be done.

Place the chicken on the grill. The best way is to support the can, then adjust the legs so that they are "balanced" and the bird can stand upright without tipping over. Give 'im a salute. I used the gas side of the grill for this, as it is easier to control the temperature. After igniting the grill, close lid and bring it up to 350 degrees. Adjust the flame so that you can keep the temp at a steady 350 for one hour. Check for doneness using a meat thermometer. Meat should reach 160 degrees. If juices run clear, it is a sure bet it is done as well.

Enjoy!

Sinfully Good Broccoli Soup

This must have been good, because Mr. Mike ate two bowls, and Ms. Carol asked for seconds as well (it was all gone). This was another easy peasy recipe, and no, I didn't snap a shot because I didn't realize it would be such a big hit. Even hubs, who hates all things green, said it smelled really good. :o)

This will make about 4 servings, so feel free to double it--wish I had!

1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped
one onion, diced
3 tbs margarine
1-2 cans evaporated milk
Velveeta, cubed (I am guessing I used about 1/2 cup...ish)

melt the margarine, and saute onions until they are translucent. Resist the urge to eat this right out of the pan, as it smelled sooooo good! Pour in one can of evaporated milk and the broccoli. Warm through, then add the Velveeta. stir on medium heat until the cheese has melted in. If it is too thick, add more milk.

Stir in ideas:

• A dollop of sour cream
• Crumbled bacon
• Grated cheese
• Goldfish crackers (I did this one--yummy!)

This was so satisfying on such a cold day. Hope you like it!

Peach Cobbler

Easy Peasy recipe. Would have posted a picture, but we ate it all!

Peach Cobbler
1 large can peaches (save the juice!)
1 cup sugar
1 cup self-rising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tpbs butter or margarine

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 pan. Place drained peaches in the pan. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and reserved peach juice in a bowl. Pour mixture over peaches. Dot the mixture with 2 tbsp butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Enjoy!

Holiday Dressing

This can be used for stuffing as well, and actually tastes better out of the bird or chops--plus it gives the meat a great flavor as well.

This was a recipe my Aunt Joyce used to make. It is a very hearty sausage dressing--very German. It is oh-so-good!

1 pound ground sausage, whichever kind trips your trigger. I like the HOT kind

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 large onion, diced

three stalks of celery, diced

1 bag unseasoned stuffing croutons

1 bag seasoned stuffing mix*

3 cans chicken broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage and ground beef/turkey in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery and cook until the celery is softened and the onions are semi-translucent. Set aside to cool. Place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl and mix. pour the contents of the skillet into the breadcrumbs. Note: If you use ground turkey, you will have less grease. If you use ground beef, you may have to drain off some of the grease before adding to the breadcrumbs.

Stir in three cans of chicken broth. Allow to sit long enough that the bread crumbs soak up the broth, about 10-15 minutes. Grease a 9 x 13 pan, and spoon the dressing into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees covered for 30 minutes, then for another 15 minutes uncovered to give the top and edges a bit of "crisp". Or, stuff into turkey, chicken or pork chops during the cooking.

*Pepperidge Farms seasoned breadcrumbs are the BEST for this. :o)

Enjoy!

To Clarify

In two weeks, we won't have a pot to piss in, but in the meantime, I am making spaghetti! Enjoy the recipe below, and may you ALWAYS have a pot in which to piss. :o)

Stick to Your Ribs Spaghetti Sauce

2 lbs ground beef
1 head of garlic, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
cremini mushrooms, rinsed, dried and sliced
2-14.5 oz cans of stewed tomatoes
2-15 oz cans of tomato sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt, low sodium

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Brown the ground beef with the garlic and the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent.Drain most of the fat but about 2 tablespoons. Add the bell pepper and mushrooms. When they start to soften, add the stewed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer. Add salt, pepper, italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta. (This stuff freezes great, and is better the next day when the flavors have time to marry). Enjoy!

Yummy add-ins

• green or black olives


• chick peas


• chopped spinich


• fresh basil


• water chestnuts


• banana peppers