The Last of Summer

I'm enjoying the last remnants of summer around my yard.  We've had a cool front and now the mornings are brisk, but not yet cold, and the afternoon sun gently warms my shoulders.  Perfect outdoor weather!

This is my backyard helper who likes to follow at my heels. :)

I just left this spider to go about her business in her web on the porch.  Maybe I've read Charlotte's Web one too many times.

The last warm, ripe tomatoes.

Morning glory on the back fencce.

The last blooms are beginning to fade.

"There comes a time when autumn asks,
'What have you been doing all summer?'" - unknown

50s Music

I love all sorts of music, but I've been listening to a lot from the 50s lately. This is one of my favorites and it just makes me tap my toes and sing along. It was featured in the Disney movie Cars a few years ago (and is on the soundtrack) so a whole new generation is getting to enjoy it.


Say what you will about the 1950s, there sure was a lot of good music going on.:)

Have a happy weekend!

Lunch Ideas

Cafeteria Lunch Tray

On days that I work, I have to take my lunch. I can't leave the school to go out to eat even if I wanted to so it's either take something or don't eat. I've been known to make do with a Slim Fast bar and while that's easy to throw in my purse on the way out the door, it's not really my favorite lunch. Mike usually gets dibs on any leftovers (he has a microwave at work) so I have to be a little more creative with my lunch.

Here are some of my favorite quick and easy lunch ideas:
Wraps - I wrap up sandwich fixings or leftovers such as roast chicken in a whole grain tortilla.
Pita sandwiches
Thermos full of soup
raw vegetables and hummus
cold pasta salad
breakfast for lunch (muffins, yogurt, oatmeal)
homemade "lunchable" - crackers, cheese and meat

When you pack a lunch for yourself, what are your favorite things to pack?

Chicken Curry

I love curry, especially the hot Thai variety!  My family, however, doesn't like it too hot, plus I don't always have the time (or the long list of ingredients) for such recipes.  So I make a quick, easy and mild chicken curry that can be adapted to whatever I have on hand.  It's a really quick one dish week night supper for when we want a change of pace from the same old thing.  I can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Here are the ingredients I used this time. Remember you can change them up. I actually like mine best without any meat, but the troops would revolt if I served it that way.

About 2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken
5 or 6 diced red potatoes. Use more or less depending on how many other ingredients you have.
baby carrots (about half a bag)
sliced fresh mushrooms (I just used a couple for my own bowl - I love mushrooms)
1/2 onion, chopped
a couple of teaspoons of chopped fresh garlic
You could also add celery or chopped bell pepper...lots of possibilities.
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (yes, you can use regular yogurt)
olive oil (a tablespoon or 2)
salt and pepper to taste
curry powder 1 to 2 tablespoons
cilantro leaves and/or diced tomatoes for garnish

Saute the vegetables with the garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes until crisp tender, except the mushrooms.  You'll want to wait until a little later to add them as they don't need as much time to cook.  Add the broth and the chicken and simmer for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, stir together the curry powder and the yogurt.  Turn heat to low and gently fold in yogurt mixture.  Don't let it boil or the yogurt will curdle instead of being smooth and creamy.  Serve over rice.  If you're really in a hurry, Minute Rice is fine or if you want to be more authentic, serve over basmati or jasmine rice.  Top with cilantro and diced tomatoes.  To add a little heat you can stir in some cayenne pepper with the curry powder.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

We had spinach and mushroom quiche this weekend. I had to make a "mom's taxi" run before it was ready and left my girls to watch the timer and pull it out of the oven for me. I thought it was so cute that they decided to take a picture of it before it was all gone because they thought you all might want to see it.  Maybe I should just turn the blog over to them!

I made this recipe (sort of).  I used sliced  mushrooms instead of bacon and added some garlic and thyme.  I also used half & half instead of heavy cream because that's what I had on hand.  It was delicious and the leftovers were even better, not that there was much left over.  Even my meat and potatoes husband liked it.  We had it for brunch, but it would be great any time of day.

5 Things To Do With Table Salt

Salt and Pepper I

Y'all know I'm all about using what's handy, available and cheap, whether it's in cooking, cleaning, or entertaining. Plain old table salt has so many uses, it's natural and you probably already have some in your pantry.

1. Scour tiles with a mixture of salt and vinegar. They'll be shiny in no time.

2. Remove kitchen odors from your hands. If your hands smell like garlic or onions, make a little paste of vinegar and salt and scrub with it (provided you don't have any cuts on your hands because - ouch!).

3. Clean cast iron. If you have food stuck on your cast iron skillet, don't use soap, just sprinkle with salt, scrub and rinse.

4. Set tie-dye. Before you wash your lovely and artistic creation soak it in a mixture of 2 cups warm water to 1/3 cup salt for about 20 minutes.  We made tie-dye t-shirts at VBS one year and didn't do this before we washed them.  The colors ran and the kids were so disappointed that their shirts didn't stay vibrant and pretty.

5. Sprinkle salt on a lemon half and use it to scrub your copper pots to restore their shine. Rinse thoroughly afterward.

My Favorite Place

My favorite place isn't a luxury hotel or a swanky restaurant. My favorite place is my own house, Casa Loca (Spanish for crazy house) as we like to call it. :)

We laugh at dumb jokes, dance (very badly in my case) in the kitchen, watch corny movies, and hang around in our ratty shorts. We can be cranky and get on each other's nerves and then we make up and hug.  We share our favorite books and then accuse the others of hogging all the cookies.

It's far from perfect, and there's always something that needs cleaning, fixing or painting, but I love it and the people in it.

We've lived here for 8 years this month and our house is full of so many happy memories.  I wouldn't change a thing!