More Smoker Foods and a Hair Cut. . .

Maybe I should devote an entire blog to "the smoker?"  We tried salmon on the smoker recently and the hubbs and I liked it, the kids not so much.  I love salmon baked or broiled in the oven with lemon, butter, and dill.  I could eat that all day long.  There was something about the smoker salmon, it did not have the good lemon dill flavor that you get in the oven.  Shhh, please do not tell my hubby I said that.
He did steak on the smoker the other day for Sprat as a last hurah! before going back to school.  It was good and very juicy and tender.  I am not a big steak eater either.  He is going to fix a druken turkey this weekend.  That is when you cook the turkey sitting on a can of beer.  My sister makes an amazing smoked turkey on her smoker, I hope ours will be good.
Sprat is making his way back to school, he spent the night in Pennsylvania and he drove the rest of the way to Massachusetts the next day.  He did run in to a little snow but thankfully no accumulation and roads were fine.  It snowed a little this weekend in Massachusetts but, he was safe at the dorm by that time.
Big T went to the salon for a trim.  I have been trying to get him to get his hair shaped up and he always fusses at me and thinks I am trying to drastically cut it.  I am not trying to CUT his hair I just want it shaped up and for it to look nice.   A few people that do not know my sweet Big T ask why I let him have his hair so long.  I always respond with;  he is a straight A student dual enrolled in college and high school and is playing varsity lacrosse. . . if he wants long hair that is his choice.  This mama chooses her battles and his hair is not one of them.  He enjoyed his visit to the salon, my hair dresser and dear friend washed his hair and trimmed it up and told him what product to use and how to take care of his hair.   He also talked to her about donating his hair to Wigs 4 Kids, they talked about how long it would have to be to donate and they made a plan to cultivate his beautiful curls. 
A few pictures to round out the post. . .

Before the fish hits the grill

Taking the fish off the grill, yummmm. . . . 

The Before and a little shaggy

Don't you just love that sweet smile???  

Recipe Day. .. .

The smoked meatloaf was good, I do not think I seasoned it enough though, it was a little bland.  Next time I will go  a little heavier on the seasonings, I was afraid I would over season.  The boys do not eat my meatloaf so more for the hubbs and I.   We have a pork shoulder for the weekend, I will have to let you know how that one goes. 
I took some mac and cheese to my sister's for Christmas, I tried a new recipe and when I went to buy my macaroni they did not have any left.  There must have been an awful lot of mac and cheese around the tables for Christmas this year.  I am curious to know how many of my readers served the old faithful carb delight this year?  Along with my new recipe I used a different pasta with it.  I used a small penne pasta, I though it was good, the hubbs complained because it was not the traditional elbows.  I always can adapt and overcome when it comes to my recipes. 
Adjusted Mac and Cheese:

1 box of pasta (elbows, mini penne, )
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk (suggest whole but I used 2%)
1 cup heavy cream
1 block shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 Parmesan cheese
smoked paprika

Boil your pasta one minute shy of being done, drain and drizzle with olive oil to coat and set aside,  grease your baking dish and pre heat oven to 350, ( I never preheat) melt your butter in a deep sauce pan, whisk in your flour making a rue, it should be bubbly and golden, gradually add milk and cream whisking so as not to lump your flour mixture, continue whisking once all incorporated add your shredded cheese a little at a time and whisk till smooth.  Save about 2 cups of cheese to top your dish. When your sauce is nice and thick stir in your pasta and coat. 
Pour into your casserole dish and sprinkle bread crumbs and extra cheese this is where I added the Parmesan cheese, I did not do the bread crumbs for mine.  I sprinkled some paprika over the top and baked 30 minutes. 
This was really good. 

Stay tuned the hubbs has a whole lot of smoking recipes to try and we will share our successes and failures.  So far I give this one 2 thumbs up. 

Cooking with the Man. .. . The Hubbs . . . .

The hubbs got a pellet grill for Christmas this year and he has driven me crazy about it.  This was one of those gifts that he wanted and researched and picked out what he thought would be the very best one.  He has done nothing but talk about it for two and half weeks prior to Christmas.  I do not begrudge my sweet hubby something that he wants, he works very hard and we have the cash to buy it and he does do his research on the best brand, type and what company has the best deal.  I am so thankful that the best deal on this grill was local, otherwise we would have been trecking all over to find one. 
It was delivered on Friday and he did the initial burn and then on Saturday he smoked a ham.  Neither of the boys like ham very much but they both raved over the one the hubbs smoked.  I must say it was a pretty good ham.  We went shopping today and I have fixed a meatloaf and it is currently resting with the smoker.   I will share with ya later how it was.  We also bought a pork butt to smoke this weekend.  Hanging out with the family tonight, very low key New Years in our house.  Spending some quality time with the boys. 
This smoker grill thing is pretty high tech, you can sync it with your wifi and your phone and it will send alerts when your food has reached optimal temperature.  I have to admit that is very cool. 
Here are a few pictures of this very tech savy pellet grill and my boys.

My Loves

The Hubbs new love 

The meatloaf  cooking  

I will share later how the loaf was.  I have had smoked meatloaf before at one of our local BBQ restaurants and it was really good.   I hope mine will be good too.  

Stay tuned as we prepare for 2020:  Sprat will have his first official college lacrosse season, Big T will start his junior year lacrosse season,  and I might get to go to Maine and see Sprat play.  

New Recipe. . . . It's a Winner!

I tried one of my new recipes over the weekend, Mexican casserole, it was a big hit with the hubbs.  I used a recipe off of Pinterest but I tweaked it and made it my own.  I always like to tweak recipes to fit my taste and of course fit what I have in my cabinets.  No sense making extra trips to the grocery store.  This recipe is quite versatile and could be a dip, casserole or even used as a filling in an enchilada.  I have some left overs so I think I may try the enchilada option for work this next week.
Here is what I used to make Mexican Casserole:
2 cans black beans
1 can Mexican corn
1 can sweet yellow corn
1 cup rice (I used basamati brown rice) cooked
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 can enchilada sauce
1 lime juiced and zested
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 small sweet orange peppers chopped
2 sweet red peppers chopped
1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
1/2 block cream cheese,
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp caynne
2tbsp cilantro

cheese and sour cream to serve

Put olive oil in bottom of dutch oven and saute garlic, then add peppers and saute,  6 minutes then add corn and black beans, rotel tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and stir and cook on medium 10-15 minutes, add your seasonings, rice and lime juice, then add your cream cheese and cover.   I add my lime zest last stir and serve with cheese sour cream and chips or use it for enchilada filling.

This is the middle of the process of cooking this casserole 

This is the end result and it was yummy

We will have this again. 

Upside Down Week and True Love. . .

It has been a horrendous week and a half, I had a migraine for four days straight and then got a stomach virus when I was finally getting over the migraine.  In all of that I was trying to work and maintain my family.  I could use a couple of days off here.  I am very thankful for my dear husband and son, bless them for taking care of themselves during my week of craziness.  I soaked in a milk bath last night and I feel somewhat human this morning. My very sweet husband came home from work the other night and I was still not feeling well and he fixed me pancakes so I could get ready for work.  I love this man to the moon and back.  The Lord truly blessed me when he lead me to my dear hubby.  I only hope that my boys turn out half as good as their daddy and they will be a blessing to their mates as well.
With my stomach and my head being so out of whack, I decided I would revisit my 100 days of real food adventure and clean my diet up.  I am looking at more recipes for real food and options for packed lunches for work and school.  I try not to use plastic when packing lunches for myself especially if it is something that I have to reheat at the office.  Big T has been eating the hubbs chicken and rice soup almost everyday for dinner and that is a change up from sandwiches for a lunch option.  I just need to find a way he can take his soup and I had rather not use glass.  I will be searching hot food transportation options in the next few weeks for Big T's lunch. 
I will be trying some new recipes in the next few weeks and I will share my triumphs and fails because, let's face it, there will be fails. 
Stay tuned for Massachusetts updates and college visit updates. . . . 

Not Aunt Bee's Pickles Story. . .

The cucumbers are coming in like crazy so, the hubbs and I made some quick refrigerator pickles.  The hubbs loves his jalapenos and of course they ended up in my mild mannered dill pickles.  I  do not like sweet pickles or bread and butter pickles, I am a straight up dill pickle girl.   The hubbs got his jar with jalapenos and I got two jars, one with a little onion and one straight dill.  I just tried the jalapeno ones last night and I must admit they were awesome.   They are not too hot but have just a little kick.  I tried the ones with onion this morning, yes I eat pickles in the morning, anytime is a good time for homemade pickles.  The ones with the onion are good but, if you do not tell my hubby I said this, I will admit the jalapeno ones were the best.  The boys do not like any kind of pickles so the hubbs and I have three jars to eat and he does not like them that much either. 
Here is the recipe we used, we tweaked it to fit our personal taste, I do not remember where the original recipe came from but this is ours.

Refrigerator Pickles

We used standard mason jars:

In each Jar

3 cloves garlic peeled
3 tsp black pepper corns
1 small onion sliced
2 bunches of fresh dill
4 slices of jalapeno with seeds

Several cucumbers sliced into spears and cram as many as you can in your jar.

Liquid

2 cups water, 4 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 1/2 Tbs kosher salt.  Mix together until salt dissolved.  Pour over your cucumbers in the jar.  top with part of your dill and make sure your cucumbers are covered with liquid and put your lid on.  Invert your jar a couple times to get everything swished around and put in the fridge for 2 days.  This recipe is for one jar of pickles, you will have a little liquid left over. 

Hope you are enjoying my recipes and my stories, stay tuned. .. .

Cooking again. . . Memories

Sprat made some home fry potatoes today for lunch.  This goes along with his learning to cook before he goes back to school in the Fall.  He used his daddy's potatoes out of the garden to make his potatoes this morning and they were really good.  Big T even ate some and liked them and he never eats them when the hubbs makes them.   I love that Sprat is wanting to learn to cook, he is so excited about it and has a real knack for it too.  I hope I can teach him some of my favorite recipes to take back to Boston with him.
Sprat's girlfriend came for a visit, I must admit, I was not ready for this.  I am not ready for a serious girlfriend, I do not think he has ever been serious about a girl before.  He dated but, he never called one his "girlfriend" before.  This young lady is from Massachusetts and this was her visit to the South.  Sprat took her on the sweet tea tour of North Carolina. He took her to all of his local watering holes and hangouts.  He introduced her to all of his friends.  She loves sweet tea and has called and asked for a recipe, I do believe she is hooked. 
Sprat is getting excited about going to this new school in August, he is a little nervous but very excited.  He has his new schedule and we will go in July for orientation. 
I remember learning to cook when I was Sprat's age, I had helped my mom in the kitchen but I had never cooked a whole meal by myself.  I remember trying Swedish meatballs and I did not eat meat at that time, they were terrible.  I cannot remember if anyone in my family ate them, I think they did but I am not sure.   I do not remember the first thing I made successfully but, I do remember there were many things I made unsuccessful.  I remember a lot of frozen burritos and french fries in college.  I was no cook in college, I fancy myself to be a very good cook now.  I hope I can help my son do better than I did in college with the cooking. In the new school he will have access to a kitchen, so he will be able to cook if he likes. 

Cooking 101 for your College Student . . . Beyond Raymen Noodles. . .

I sold Pampered Chef for a long time and love their products, one of my favorites was their mandolin slicer.  I have the old school model without the finger protection.  I tell you all of that to share that last night while Sprat was helping me fix dinner I sliced my thumb.  All the years I used that thing and never had any trouble with it and I did it while showing Sprat how to use it and how not to slice a finger.  LOL!!  Well, in a round about way, how not to slice a finger. 
We made the zucchini pasta again because, we have zucchini in abundance right now.  Sprat had fun learning how to saute onions and garlic and this time we added a pepper from the garden.  Sprat does not particularly care for zucchini but he enjoyed the cooking and so did I except for the slice and dice I pulled on my thumb. 
Sprat wants to learn to cook other things too, he may try his hand at my amazing homemade alfredo.  He is even going to go to the grocery store for me to pick up all of my ingredients.  I will share my recipe for my alfredo today so that you can try your hand at it too.

Alfredo

1 box angel hair pasta
4 tbs butter
3 cloves garlic pressed
2 cups heavy cream
fresh Parmesan 1 cup
fresh or dried chives to top
1-2 tbs flour
dash of white wine


Melt butter and saute garlic till is smells yummy, add your flour and make  rue, all on med low heat. add a dash of wine and then slowly and while stirring add your heavy cream.  Turn you heat up a little and grate your parmesan and add it to your cream mixture.  It should bubble and get thick, when it does that it is ready to serve over your angel hair pasta.  You can use any pasta you would like and you can add things like broccoli, chicken, shrimp, beef, really anything. 
I have never been a fan of fat noodles so I always use angel hair, it is a texture thing with me.  You can add fresh chives and parsley too when you serve. 
Hope you enjoy my recipes and my funny stories about my kiddos.   Stay tuned Sprat is wanting to learn to cook this Summer and this should be loads of funny posts.

Garden Veggies and a Recipe. . . .

Our garden is coming along and I have learned a few things:  1. we cannot grow Brussels sprouts in the Summer, 2. cauliflower needs shade, and 3. I love cucumbers.  I am sad our pod people did not grow, we will try them again in the fall.  I do not think we will try cauliflower again, it seems futile.  On the upside my herb garden is doing wonderfully, I have dried lots of oregano, basil and sage.  Mark dug our potatoes and onions and we have them stored.  We have our first zucchini and I made an amazing pasta with it the other night, I will share that recipe at the end of this post.  I do believe the hubbs and I could live out of our garden, the boys on the other hand, require meat and other stuff. They are broadening their pallets though, with some veggies.  Our cucumbers are coming in like crazy, cannot wait to do some pickles with my very own fresh dill.  There is just nothing better than fresh veggies and herbs. 
Update on Sprat, we got to meet the girlfriend this week.  She came for a visit and Sprat took her on the sweet tea tour of our little area.  She is from the Boston area and this was her first trip to the South.  Sprat took her to all of his stomping grounds and local watering holes.  She went to Church with them ( I was working) yesterday and then to watch adult lacrosse Summer league.  She had not seen Sprat play lacrosse at school since his season was cut short with the school closing. 

Here is my Zucchini recipe:

2-3 zucchini sliced thin
1 box angel hair pasta
2 cloves garlic pressed
2 onions sliced
4 Basil leaves torn
3 stems of lemon thyme
olive oil
white wine

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil and then set aside,  add sliced zucchini to the oil and saute until tender add a little wine and continue cooking.  Add back the garlic and onions that you set aside and simmer then add Basil and Thyme with another splash of white wine and cover to simmer a little longer.  Boil your pasta and when it is done throw it in  with your Zucchini another dash of wine and cover on low. 
You can add mushrooms, peppers and pea pods if you would like.  I did not have those on hand the other night.
Serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. 

The Herb Garden. . . Possible New Flowerbed too. . .

The hubbs started the bulkhead/herb garden Saturday, Yayyyy!!  There was a lot of work going on around our house this weekend.  I planted some lavender, rosemary and sage seeds to get everything started.  My Basil seeds that I started last week are starting to sprout but the rosemary has not done anything just yet.  I am so excited about my herb garden, I cannot wait till we get the dirt and I can start putting plants in.  Fingers are crossed my little seeds will sprout. I have been reading a lot about what I can do with my lavender and rosemary when it gets big.  Here are some pictures of our progress.

Now imagine this little rectangle filled with rich beautiful dark nutrient filled soil and beautiful delicate purple little flowers and lost of lush green herbs.  

The hubbs let Big T drive to school this morning so he had to come back home and get his company car to go to work.  Today is trash day in our neighborhood and one our neighbors had put out a head and foot board out to be thrown away.  My hubby immediately thought of ways he could use that head board in a new flower bed he is plotting.  I must admit, that thought went through my mind also this morning as I was coming home from work.  After I got home he asked me if he could go get it and bring it home to use in a flower bed.  I told him go get it and we will find a way to use it.  I have been talking about planting a new flower bed or replacing and spicing up one of our old beds for a fresh cutting bed.  You know you plant beautiful flowers but the purpose is to cut them and bring them inside to enjoy their beautiful color and their breathtaking aroma.  This head board would be great to run a plant up and it would be a very interesting back drop to our flower bed.  

Stay tuned more pictures and updates to follow and don't forget Prom is Saturday and you know I will be flooding with pictures.  

Football and Food. . . Always go Together . . .

Enjoyed sometime with family on Sunday with lots of appetizers and what else but, football.  I have not entertained like that since we had the boys and I have to say it was kind of nice.  I made several different appetizers and we enjoyed eating and watching the games.  The hubbs and I used to do that quite often with friends and family  before the boys came along and maybe even right after they were born.   The boys got older and were involved in sports and Church and we never seemed to have the time to "entertain" like we did before the kids.
I remember one time in particular before we were even married that I fixed a big pot of my infamous chili and appetizers for an afternoon of football.  We had all the hubbs friends over to eat and watch the games and it was a lot of fun.  It snowed that day and after eating all that chili they went out to go sledding.  I skipped the sledding that day. 
Here is what we had on Sunday for our little get together:

Deviled eggs with a little horseradish and sour cream, scrabble (chex mix), cream cheese with red pepper jelly and crackers, and a bean dip called Texas Trash that I found on Pinterest, along with olives,  and last but not least chicken soft tacos.

Instant Pot and Real Food

Yesterday I was off and decided I would clean the expired canned goods out of my kitchen cabinets.  I feel very wasteful right now.  I had so many canned goods that had expired.   I had a couple cans of tomato paste that were near expiration and I decided I would not let them go to waste. 
I decided a vegetable soup in the instant pot would be great.  I started with some chicken broth and my tomato paste and then I looked in the freezer and grabbed some crowder peas and sweet peas we had frozen from our garden.  I threw in a can of Lima beans, and some store bought frozen corn.  Add some garlic powder, onion powder, fresh dried oregano,  and some thyme.  I added some beef broth to give a little more liquid. 
Closed my lid and set my pot for soup.  I started the soup around 430 and we  were enjoying it by 530 ish.  Feeding the hubs and I real food pretty quick.  I did too it with some cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  
Love this pot!!! 
I am not being paid for this, I have said many times I post about things I like and believe in.

What's Cooking. . . .

The Salmon last night was great!  It was even very good for lunch today.  The couscous recipe was from my new cook book and the lemon aoli was from pinterest.  Fixed another couscous recipe tonight for dinner, it was actually a mish mash of two different recipes that had a Moroccan flavor.  I really like this pearl couscous, it is larger than the traditional couscous that comes to mind.  I am also using the whole wheat couscous trying to keep it healthy.  The pearl couscous is a larger kernel than traditional. 
Here is my mish mash recipe for Moroccan couscous:
1/4 cup olive oil
2tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cups pearl couscous
2 cloves minced garlic
2 small red peppers chopped
2 green onions chopped
Mozzarella cheese cubed
2 bay leaves
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water


Boil 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup water and a splash of olive oil and 2 bay leaves,  after boil add couscous remove from heat and  cover for 15 minutes, 
mix together:  vinegar, oil, garlic and pour over couscous then add onion and pepper and cheese and toss and refrigerate.
I used Mozzarella instead of Feta. I do not particularly care for Feta cheese and I did not have any on hand. 
 Here is a picture of my lunch today with my Salmon and the other couscous from last night:

It was just as good as it was last night.  

I also made pumpkin muffins tonight, they were a little bland, I think it could use a little more spice maybe.  I am freezing some of them since I am the only one that will eat them.  Stay tuned for more recipe updates as I continue the "Real Food" adventure.                                                                                                                                                   

Another New Cook Book. . .. .

A friend of mine at work shared a cook book with me that she had recently purchased, 100 days of Real Food, by Lisa Leake.  I skimmed through it one night at work in between phone calls and I was intrigued.  You know I am always interested in a good cook book, especially one that has quick simple recipes, the bonus here is that they are also better for you recipes.
When you are working and trying to take care of your family you look for quick ideas to help you along, this is one of those resources. **** Full disclosure I am not being paid for this post, you all should know by now I post what I believe in and share things that I find have value. *****
There are a couple folks at work that are trying to keep everyone motivated with little tasks and helpful hints.  One is walking laps at the office when we are not taking calls to keep our energy up and our metabolism too.  Another couple of gals have created this great board to help keep us motivated and entertained with shout outs to other employees and little funny memes about talking on the phone all the time.  It is a big stress reliever and morale booster in my opinion.
So, with all of that said, my friend at work shared her cook book and I of course loved it.  I bought one of them on Amazon and have been reading it. 
The premise behind the book is to eat real food and cut out all the processed stuff that is available at the store these days.  It also hits home the amount of sugar that we consume on a daily basis.  She even tells what you can get at the different stores that are good choices for eating "real food."  I am off today and had to run some errands and decided I would go by the Whole Foods and pick up a few things suggested in my new book.  I do not normally shop at Whole Foods but I wanted some things that the book suggested that only Whole Food carry.  I am notorious for buying things not on my list and today was no different, we are having Salmon for dinner tonight with fresh dill, lemon, and butter.  I fixed my lunch today with suggestions from the book:   scrambled eggs, avocado, on a small whole wheat pita.  It was very filling and very good. 
Stay tuned, this is going to be an adventure for this crew.  Trying to cut back on eating out, eating more "real food," and cutting back on the soda (me).  This is not about calories it is about "real food."

A New Cookbook for this Pampered Mom. . .

I have watched the movie Julie & Julia several times over the last so many months, and I love it.  No, I am not going to start a cooking blog or cook through any cookbook but, I must confess I did purchase Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   There is a great deal of good tips and tricks in this cookbook and I love this book.  I did make Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon last night.  I would say  I am an average cook, not the best but certainly not the worst.   It took me three hours to prepare this dish and then it cooks for 2 1/2 hours before serving.  We ate dinner at eight o'clock last night.  When the hubbs came home I told him what I was fixing, he was intrigued but not impressed.  He has gotten use to me trying new odd recipes.  I told him that I hoped it was really good and that everyone enjoyed it because I would probably not be making this one again.  The boeuf was really good and yes, I may have to eat my words and make it again.  If I do make it again I will start preparation at noon. Big T even like it and when I try my "new" recipes the hubbs and I are usually the only ones that enjoy them.
There are a couple other recipes that I want to try in my new cookbook, if they turn out I may share them with you.  I have always loved a cheese souffle and I did find an intriguing recipe in my new book.  I have made souffle's before so this one will not be a daunting as the boeuf was.  I may take a stab at pie crust again, I have yet to master that one and maybe with Julia's help I will.

Truly Pampered Mom

I must brag just a bit on my very sweet husband.  He does a lot around the house and he is fully involved with what ever the kids are doing and he cooks now and then.  The other day he announced he was going to make chicken pies.  I did a little double take with the head tilt and confused look on my face. He said again, I am going to make chicken pies.  I said ok, and laughed it off. Well, low and behold,  he made two chicken pies the other day. We froze one and ate the other one.  I must admit it was very good.  We can add chicken pie to his vast repertoire of pancakes, bacon, omelet,  anything on the grill, Greek chicken in the crock pot,  and Latoshia's chili recipe. 
He said he was preparing to retire, he would cook while I worked part time to provide insurance.  He really has been thinking an awful lot about this retirement thing.  He has had a good deal of practice lately with my work schedule and a lot of folks sick at work.  He has really had to be both Mom and Dad  several days these last few months.   He is a trooper though, he rarely complains, maybe sometimes in jest. 

I am a lucky girl!!  In April we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary,  it does not seem that long ago.  I love this man more and more each day.  If I could give advice to those engaged or even newlyweds, I would say find someone that makes you laugh and never ever hold anything back.  The hubbs and I do argue but, we argue and get it out and over with.   We are different people and have different opinions and we are not afraid to share that opinion with each other.  We have had our fare share of knock down drag outs but we always feel better after we have voiced our opinions.  Do not change who you are for anyone, your soulmate should know the real you.  

My very sweet hubby said on numerous occasions he loved me because of my fire and my willingness to fight for what I believe in. 

Things have been sporadic for sure here at the Pampered Mom?? but do not fear I am trying to find my way and get back to a regular schedule of posting.  Stay tuned, you know that Sprat is getting ready for College and Big T is finishing that first year of high school.  

Kitchen Gadgets, I'm a Sucker. . .

My boss was telling me about this pot that she has.  It is a pressure cooker, called the "Instant Pot."  I had heard of pressure cookers but not this one. 
This conversation began because she had brought in a cabbage soup for lunch that day and she was telling how she had made it.  She had put it in her Instant Pot and cooked it in 10 minutes.  What???  Yep that is what she said.  Later that week she brought in potato salad that she had made in 8 minutes, eggs included.  I was amazed. 
You can probably guess where this is going.  Yes, I bought one.  I made some chicken the other night in 14 minutes.  It was good, I used one of the recipes in the book that came with the pot.  I also used frozen chicken breast, the chicken was fork tender.
I am going to try the potato salad next, eggs and all.  I will let ya know how it goes.  The hubbs is all on board, the kids not so much. 
Stay tuned for more instant pot stories.

Sweet Peppers from My Sweet Hubby. . .

A tribute to my wonderful husband.  Being downsized after almost twenty-four years with the same company will affect everyone differently and for some it might be a big blow to their ego.   He was devastated that day but he has been determined to get back to work as soon as possible.  All of his buddies were telling him to take a few months and relax go on vacation and things like that.  I know some that did just that, they enjoyed their severance to the very end before they began looking for other employment.   That would not do for my husband, he began contacting friends for advice and their contacts to get him started to find a new job.   He has not stopped looking either, he has had several interviews both phone and face to face since this adventure began.   Through all of this he has stayed up beat and positive and he has been a huge help around the house.  The hubbs is not one that can sit still, he reminds me a lot of my Dad in that respect.  He has been doing my grocery shopping for me, yes that is a little scary but he has actually kept our grocery bill down.  There are plenty of men out there that would not dare volunteer to do grocery shopping but not mine.  The hubbs has been a huge help around the house since his displacement.  He has also been cooking more too, that part I am also enjoying.  The hubbs is a great cook.   He has made salsa at least four times this season and his salsa is the best.   Our peppers are really starting to come in now and last night he fixed this amazing pepper dish for our dinner.  He found this recipe online at Italian Food Forever I am going to share this recipe because it was so good.  I fixed some couscous to serve it over.

Fried Sweet Peppers with Balsamic Vinegar

6 large sweet peppers  (we used red, green, and orange)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves (we pressed ours)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup fresh parsley (we did not have any so we skipped this part)

Wash and dry your peppers remove your seeds, stems, and membranes
Cut peppers into 1 inch strips

Heat your oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet and add the peppers, stirring well to coat in the oil.  Cook the peppers over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown.   About 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute or tow until fragrant.
Add the balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Cook another three to four minutes until the peppers have absorbed all of the vinegar.  Toss with parsley and serve.
We served ours over couscous and it was wonderful.  I see this in my future since our peppers are really coming in now.

This and That on Monday. . .

I posted a Brazilian recipe last week that I really like.  I tried another one later in the week and it did not taste as good.  It was a meat and rice dish and my meat was very tough and for all the spices I used it was not very flavorful so I will not share it.  Just remember that I share only the recipes that I like I might tell you about the ones that I did not like or that did not turn out very well but I will not share them.   This one looked and sounded really good on paper but it was so very time consuming and like I said the flavor was just not there.  

Sprat had his first varsity football game on Friday and we won.  Yayyy, he got in at the end of the game and he did well.  Both of the boys are getting ready for school to start and Big T is a little nervous.  He will be in the eighth grade this year.  My how the time has flown, Sprat a Junior and Big T an eighth grader.   Sprat has been driving more and he will be getting his license very soon.  I am very nervous about this one.  These kids do not pay attention when they are behind the wheel.  They are goofing around with whomever is in the passenger seat or playing games going through the parking lot.  Parents I beg you, please remind your kids how important it is to be focused on the car and the road while behind the wheel.  I watched a boy in a huge truck, too big for him to be driving at such a young and inexperienced age, almost hit my Sprat because he was turned around and looking behind him as he showered down on the gas.  I have talked and talked to Sprat about the importance and the responsibility that comes along with being a driver.   These next weeks will probably be the most stressful so far for me as a parent.  

Prayers to all the parents preparing your kiddos for the new school year, prayers for the kids too as they face new adventures in learning.   

A Taste of Brazil. . .

I have posted before about my book, "The Brazilian bikini body program" by Regina Joseph.  I have no intention of ever wearing a bikini again but I love this book.  It has such great recipes in it and since our garden is still producing I cannot resist trying some of these.   The Brazilians, according to Joseph, do not practice a diet of deprivation but a sensible approach to delicious food.   I would like to think that is what I am trying to do these days.  The hubbs and I have been eating lots of peppers and onions with most every meal.  They have the best flavor once they have been sauted just a bit.  They are not too hot for me to enjoy a very generous portion either.
I love lentils and they are a staple in the Brazilian diet and are a symbol of good luck in Brazil.  One of their customs; on New Years Eve as the clock strikes midnight they throw lentils on the ground and step on them, then they serve a dish similar to the one I am going to share with you today.

Lentil Salad

1 1/2 cups small green lentils
1 tomato finely chopped
1 onion chopped fine
1 green pepper seeded and chopped finely
1 red pepper seeded and chopped finely
1/2 cup pitted black olives chopped


Dressing

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar

Rinse your lentils and cook until tender, about twenty minutes in boiling water with a bay leaf.  Drain and discard your Bay leaf and run the lentils under cool water.  In a separate bowl mix with the chopped vegetables.  In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard, soy sauce, and sugar.  Toss your veggies with your lentils then pour your dressing over the salad and serve cold.