the cat and the footstool

got a new glider rocker and
glider footstool, compliments
of a good friend. the cat has
decided the footstool belongs
to him now.

what's for supper tonite?

this is a huge favorite around here. the original recipe for the steak can be found in the better homes and garden (red & white checkered) cookbook and the potatoes are my own creation.

the potatoes

1. chop enough russet (white) potatoes to cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 glass baking dish. it's about 8 cups by my measuring bowl.

2. in a small bowl mix together

2 T chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash of garlic powder
1-2 tsp salt

(store bought taco seasoning will work - use enough for 2 lbs of burger)

3. drizzle olive oil into the bowl with the potatoes. you want enough to coat the potatoes, but you don't want oil pooling in the bottom of the bowl. stir until all surfaces are well coated.

4. add seasoning to oiled potatoes and stir until evenly coated with seasonings.

5. pour into baking dish. bake for 45-60 minutes at 450 degrees (or until fork goes through potato easily).



the steak

1. take a 2-3 lb round steak and trim the hard fat from the edges and beat out flat with a tenderizer mallet until half the thickness you started with (or less if you can manage.)

2. shape and trim as necessary to make a rectangle or some facisimile thereof.




3. sprinkle with chosen seasonings. i often use crushed corn flakes, parmesean, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, but tonight i used cheese powder and bread crumbs because that's what i had in the cupboard.

4. layer with well-drained canned or thawed, frozen spinach.

5. roll like a jelly roll and secure with toothpicks. (see hubby's video.)



6. slice into 1-inch thick steaks.

7. place on broiler pan and broil on high for 7-10 minutes on each side.







8. remove toothpicks and serve.

how to shape a hamburger bun

beeker's ode to joy

hubby always calls me beeker when i whine. i was so amused by this. thought i'd share.

bach, toccata and fugue in D minor

this is pretty cool. stole it from a friend on facebook to share.

woman disabled by flu shot reaction

Woman Disabled by Flu Shot Reaction



Shared via AddThis

an oldy but a goody

i just love, love, love this song...and Bette reminds me of my mom. *sigh*



(funny thing is, i've had a few people tell me, that i remind them of wynonna.)

H1N1 martial law?

kitten under glass

here's our youngest kitty stuck between the window and the storm. silly curious cat...

grabby kitty

the newest member of the family apparently doesn't understand the "pecking" order.

how to make eggrolls

I got a new camera for Christmas last year and it's been fun using it. I love to make eggrolls and my family loves to eat them, so I decided to dig out the new camera and share with you how I do it around this kitchen.

NOTE: i no longer use the recipe below. i use the same tips, tricks and methods, but i've since learned a few new tricks and i only use this recipe now.

I normally make smaller batches, but I came by a large amount of cabbage, so I went for broke and made extras for the freezer. I'll be basing my recipe on the BIG batch.

4-6 lbs of cabbage shredded
4 lbs of ground pork (not sausage)
1-2 large yellow (or white) onions
6-10 cloves of fresh garlic
black pepper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(click on images to enlarge)

1) Chop onions and garlic fine and brown in skillet or large pot with the pork until done through. (do not drain)
2) Shred cabbage either by hand or in food processor (slice setting seems to work best).

3) Put cabbage in large pot or bowl and poor pork with fat into the cabbage.
4) Add pepper and mix well.
5) Allow to sit for a few minutes on the counter and the hot pork fat will begin to soften the cabbage to make it easier to work with.

6) Lay eggroll wrappers flat on table diagonally.
7) Place a small handful (maybe 1/3 cup) into the lower center of the eggroll wrapper.



8) Fold sides towards the middle like an envelope.









9) Pull the bottom corner up to the top and press and pull back to pull the filling towards you and help contain it in the wrapper.







10) Dip fingers in a small bowl of water and wet the top corner of the wrappers.

11) Crimp any ends that might be loose or flopping and roll away from you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tears & Holes (they happen)

Don't panic! I do this all the time. If your eggroll gets a little too wet or stretched, it might tear. Do the best you can to roll it up without damaging it further. Then tear a small corner off another wrapper (you won't even miss it). Wet this small piece and slap it over the hole like a bandaid. This will either fry solid in the fryer or freeze dry in the freezer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12) If you intend to freeze, lay them on a cookie sheet in a single layer NOT touching.
13) Place in freezer until frozen.
14) Remove from freezer and cookie sheet and put in freezer-safe container and return to freezer until you are ready to use.


15) Heat fryer to 400 degrees.
16) Place eggrolls in fryer for 8 minutes. They tend to float, so I recommend you place your basket on top of the eggrolls and put the lid on top of the basket to keep them fully submerged. This will ensure that all sides are equally cooked without extra fuss.









17) Remove from fryer and drain.











18) For a tasty dipping sauce, mix 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 real soy sauce and throw in some toasted sesame seeds if you have them.






19) Serve with rice and enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below is a video on how to roll up the eggroll. This mine and hubby's first movie. Hope you like it. It's rated "B" for beginners.

i won't take less than your love...

sober

Pink Lyrics


For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
~Romans 10:13 KJV

His grace truly is amazing...

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.



T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.



Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.



The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.



When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.



Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

John Newton, the author of the lyrics to Amazing Grace, was born in 1725 in Wapping, London, United Kingdom. Despite the powerful message of "Amazing Grace," Newton's religious beliefs initially lacked conviction; his youth was marked by religious confusion and a lack of moral self-control and discipline.

After a brief time in the Royal Navy, Newton began his career in slave trading. The turning point in Newton's spiritual life was a violent storm that occurred one night while at sea. Moments after he left the deck, the crewman who had taken his place was swept overboard. Although he manned the vessel for the remainder of the tempest, he later commented that, throughout the tumult, he realized his helplessness and concluded that only the grace of God could save him. Prodded by what he had read in Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ, Newton took the first step toward accepting faith.^...

In her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe quoted three stanzas as seemingly from one hymn, two of them corrupt versions of Amazing Grace stanzas, and one reading:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining like the sun,
We've no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

Despite its relatively poor mesh with the rest of the hymn (the change from "I" to "we," change of subject, no reference for "there"), a form of this stanza became common as part of Amazing Grace in hymnals in the early twentieth century, due in large part to the influential hymnodist and publisher Edwin Othello Excell. While the stanza is often credited to John P. Rees (1828-1900), it antedates his birth. It was in print by 1790, added to an old and widely-varied hymn most usually beginning "Jerusalem, my happy home," and was still appearing as part of this hymn in books published around the time of Stowe's book...

from wikipedia.org

folding a shirt

aaaaaaaaaaaaaah...Nostalgia

henna soaking in the hair and music flooding through my ears. here's an old classic favorite. the lyrics are very touching and have an interesting meaning. good thing God is greater than us.



The Last Resort by The Eagles

She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea
She heard about a place people were smilin'
They spoke about the red man's way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all,
what it's like up there
And they called it paradise
I don't know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught 'em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
people bought 'em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down
Brought the white man's reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
'Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and in the name of God

And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it's like up there
They call it paradise
I don't know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye

triangle love song

This guy has an amazing voice and me and the kids dig this one.

James Blunt & Telly Monster

a fun song

enjoying my birthday

just listening to some music and was reminded of how much i've always loved this song.

there were several copies of this, but this one caught my eye, because of the dress. i was a child of the 80s and what better way to express that then a video of elton john dressed like michael jackson. LOL

your milk on drugs