Mosaic Monday ~Late Summer

For Mosaic Monday I'm showing a few pics of the Farmer's Market which has taken on a decidedly more late summer/early fall look! Check out the other mosaics at Little Red House.


A great way to use up end of the summer produce or just a great way to enjoy a hearty breakfast is something called Hobo Hash. The hospital where I used to work always had it in the cafeteria on the breakfast menu. My cousin also makes something similar that he calls Camp Potatoes. Its really not much of a recipe, you just throw in what you have on hand.


Hobo Hash
You can mix it up but this was my recipe this weekend.

6 red potatoes parboiled or microwaved until tender, then cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Chopped ham & andouille - about 1/2 cup total
4 eggs, beaten til fluffy
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Season to taste ( I use Tony Chachere's)

Heat a cast iron skillet with a small amount of oil. Add potatoes, veggies, meat and seasoning. Cool until veggies start to soften and potatoes get a little brown. Add beaten eggs and cheese. Scramble mixture until eggs are done and cheese melted. Don't over cook or eggs will be rubbery. This is enough for 4 side servings.

How about a few garden shots?



Sedum and Wood Aster


Obedient Plant


Late blooming clematis


Little mini rose


And full sized Ebb Tide


Verbena


And pretty Lemon Queen perennial sunflower


Have a good week everybody!

Flashback and Foodie Friday ~Kickoff to Summer Revisted

I had a little computer technical difficulties tonight, so doing a quickie Flashback for this Friday. A year ago I was grilling up some good looking stuff and participating in my friend Debbie from Mountain Breath's Kickoff to Summer event. Here's my post from last year where I give recipes for the Teriyaki chicken, Cilantro Pork Tenderloin and Crispy Asian Slaw with Peanut Sauce. The thing I didn't give a recipe for are the grilled potatoes that are so yummy. Probably because its very simple..no real recipe, but here goes:

Grilled Potatoes

Potatoes sliced, not too thin, not too thick
Olive Oil
Kosher salt

Toss potatoes with olive oil and salt. Grill potatoes over medium hot heat, flipping as necessary. Potatoes will take on a more translucent color when done. Test one if necessary..or even if not necessary! That's all :-)

Here's a bloom from that day. Randy has dubbed this Clematis Patiodoorius because its right outside our patio door :-)


If you've got a flashback of any kind please add your link below, then link back to me! It can be an old post, an old recipe, a cherished memory, any flashback of any kind will do!



I'm also joining in over at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. Go check out Michael Lee's foodie post and all of the other posts linked up. I know you'll find something you just have to make! Plus I think she's giving away a mixer!
Check it out HERE.

Flashback and Foodie Friday ~In the Bag

For this Friday's Flashback I'm flashing WAY back to the 80's when I was in high school and monogrammed purses and bags and sweaters and ties and sheets and just about anything you can imagine monogrammed was popular. It was the preppy craze :-)


I was far from born into a preppy family so my monograms were far and few between but I did have a monogrammed purse that I loved. I've been seeing a lot of monogrammed stuff lately and having been thinking of buying something...anything with my monogram on it. Enter the nice people at Simply-Bags! They have a fabulous assortment of Totes that they will monogram for you so you can be back in retro style :-) They were kind enough to send this huge tote to me...big enough for a baguette and tons of veggies from the farmer's market. And BONUS....I got me a monogram :-)



I love it! There are a few more bags of theirs that I'd love to have...this one is a favorite.


Go check em out :-)

I have one more flashback this week...also known as leftovers! Some of you might cringe, but I have a hard time throwing food out so I like to save or freeze my leftovers for future easy meals. Earlier in the week we had barbecue beef (was supposed to be pork, but beef was in my freezer!) on buns. It looked something like or maybe EXACTLY like this...



Last night it looked like this



Which also brings me back to the 80's when I used to eat these BBQ beef stuffed baked potatoes at a restaurant called Luther's BBQ..now known as Outlaws, in the town where I grew up. Never mind the ones I ate more recently at Bodacious BBQ in Bossier City, La. They are SO good...trust me.

My recipe for the BBQ Beef is pretty simple. Put a seasoned (Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, garlic salt, & onion powder) roast (pork or beef) in a crockpot, cover with your favorite BBQ sauce, a big squirt or two of ketchup, a splash of coca cola and some honey and cook down all day on low. Remove roast and shred with a fork then return to crockpot and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Done. Serve on buns or on baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream, bacon and chives as your toppings.



If you've got a flashback of any kind....old post, picture, recipe, memory....ANYTHING...join me by putting your post below and linking back to my blog. You can borrow the logo too if you'd like.


I'm also joining Foodie Friday over at Designs by Gollum. Lots of neat foodie posts so go take a peek HERE.

Happy Easter and Tie Dye Act II

Hope everybody had a wonderful Easter or Passover this week! As usual we ate too much
On the menu....spiral cut ham, pineapple rings,



Best Ever Rolls (Randy's Mom's recipe),



Luscious potato casserole (See recipe HERE),


and a new to me Asparagus with Buttery Bread Crumbs.


We also had deviled eggs that somehow didn't make it out of the fridge! Snack for me tomorrow :-)

Asparagus with Buttery Bread Crumbs
adapted from this recipe found on Serious Eats

1.5 pounds asparagus
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed with a chef's knife

1. Wash, dry and trim off the woody bottom portion of the asparagus.

2. In a large zip-top plastic bag (if you're an earth murderer like me) or a long, shallow dish, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and crushed clove of garlic. Add the asparagus and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge for as long as you like.

3. After marinades, saute asparagus until tender (I added a bit of water to make them more tender).

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the crumbs take on an amber color and smell like you couldn't possibly resist eating them by the spoonful. Serve the asparagus with crumbs sprinkled over top.

There are two Easter traditions that I love...dying eggs and Pocking them. Now I know that most of you know what dying eggs is, but only a handful of you know about pocking. See my Luscious Potato casserole from last year above for details. And stayed tuned below for this years winner. Last year I tried a silk dying method of egg coloring using some old ties that I've collected that produced some pretty cool results so I thought I would give it a try again this year.


Its kind of hit and miss since some of the dyes adhere less than others.



I blew a few of the eggs so that I wouldn't have to throw them away if they turned out. Luckily some of my favorites ended up being the blown eggs. Including this groovy one.



The effect is really neat and on some looks a lot like tye dye



But on others you get a LOT more detail


The shiny shell is simply vegetable oil rubbed on



I wish I knew how to get the fabric on a little smoother because you get white spaces where the wrinkles are


Which can actually create a neat look on some eggs



I guess in a way it adds to the look




I love having a chance to use my Deviled Egg dish


And some of my egg cups



I think the Easter Bunny likes them too


Because he left a few in our baskets


So because the dyes on these eggs are not necessarily food safe (not really sure?) I boiled a few more eggs to eat. I ran out of time so didn't dye these. So the pocking contest was a little dull....especially since I DIDN'T win!!!! Randy won again!!! Dang him.


I'm joining in over at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday! Check it out HERE.

Easter Leftovers and a Surprise!

The leftovers were as good as the main meal. This ham I bought was so moist and smoked really well. Great flavor! The only thing I did was make a little glaze for the last 30 minutes of pineapple juice and brown sugar. I thought it looked kind of like a Christmas tree!



Besides the ham there were Candied Yams, Luscious Potato Casserole, Swiss chard,Leeks and tomatoes, pineapples and cherries, plus deviled eggs. I also made rolls..they were sad. I have tried twice with Randy's mom's recipe and failed both times. I know exactly what I did wrong each time, so maybe third time will be the charm. They were more like biscuits :-)


The Luscious Potato Casserole is a recipe my former sister-in-law Cathy used to make. It's rich and fattening but oh so good. Definitely not an everynight dish but worth a try

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Luscious Potato Casserole

8 medium size potatoes, boiled with skin on (Chill overnight or at least cool)
1 lg can evaporated milk
1 stick margarine
1/2 lb velveeta or other cheese
1 tsp salt
1 medium onion, chopped
Sour cream
bacon bits

Slice cooled potatoes and place in a buttered 9x13 casserole dish. Put milk, margarine, salt, cheese and onions in a sauce pan and cook on medium until cheese and margarine is melted. Pour this mixture over potatoes and bake for 30 mins at 375°. You may have to cover if begins to brown to quickly. Take potatoes out of the oven and spread with just enough sour cream to cover top. Sprinkle with bacon bits. Bake for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
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I don't remember where I got my Candied Sweet Potato recipe, but they always cook up perfectly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Candied Sweet Potatoes
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
dash salt
3-4 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbls butter
1/8 tsp vanilla (optional)

Mix sugar, water and salt. Stir until sugar is almost dissolved. Place on top of stove on high heat. Peel potatoes, slice in half then slice in 3 or 4 pieces. Put potatoes in sugar mixture. Cook on high heat 10 mins and then on med-high for 20 mins or until tender. Cook uncovered and juice will thicken. Add butter when syrup has cooked down about half. Add vanilla when just about done. I eat them at this point, but you can put them in a casserole and sprinkle with 2-3 tsps more sugar and broil for about 5 mins or until browned.

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So I have very sad news....I did NOT win the pocking contest!!! Shocking I know. Randy was the champion again. He is just lucky!!!


I thought I had a perfect strategy, but he wouldn't fall for it. I had the perfect egg that was a sure winner.


Somehow he just didn't think it was fair for me to pock with a marble egg :-)
I'm still admiring my tie dyed eggs. I wonder how long I can keep them around without them stinking??


So what's the big surprise????? I won something! And I won something good. I mean REALLY good. Sara of Sara's Kitchen had a give away this week. All I had to do was comment about my favorite vacation. I said it was the vacation I spent in Spain when I was a teenager. I've had other great vacations, including the one I took with Randy and my family a couple of years ago to Disney World but that Spain trip was unforgettable. Anyways, for doing nothing more than leaving my comment I was chosen randomly as the winner of a $25 See's Candies gift certificate!!!! How cool is that?? I have been perusing the website (Click here) dreaming of the chocolates I will choose. They even have the option of putting together a custom box. Now that's an idea I love. Thank you to both Sara (who by the way has an awesome blog) and the nice people at See's! I'll share what I get when I do! I have my eye on this little gem. It has my name written all over it.

In case your wondering its called Almond Truffle Dark chocolate buttercream with ground almonds ...ohhhhh mmmm doesn't that sound yum?????

So here's another little surprise. Here's my little mophead last night. He had no clue what today held for him. He looks so relaxed and unaware...maybe even a little clueless!



And today a new dog! Isn't he cute in his little kercheif? He is pooped tonight. He is used to lounging around all day and I'm sure he wasn't able to do that at the puppy salon. The beauty regimen can be exhausting! Not to mention all of those other dogs around that he has to keep an eye on.




We've been so rainy here this week it's been hard to enjoy the spring flowers. This coming week it's suppose to be much better though so I hope to get out and about a little more. I did snap a few shots today though.

I was excited about my first camella bloom. Really my first. I haven't had any bloom before this year. They remind me of home :-)



English Wallflower


And a couple of tulips