Happy Sigh!

We have 2 of these tape measures, they have been in my family for as long as I can remember. So, that is a really long time.
And when they die, I may cry a little.

Mom asked me: "Why post 3 pictures that are almost the same?"

My answer? Because there are things about each that I really like.
(And why not post all three?)

Basic Quiche

I firmly believe that a good quiche is the ideal food. You can make it ahead. It keeps about a week in the fridge. It is wonderful picnic or on-the-go food (you can eat it with your hands), and it is great for pot-lucks.

The original recipe came to us from Susie Shimp in January of 1999.

Basic Quiche
A 10 inch Pie Crust in a 10" pan

4 Eggs (or 5, if you like)
1 cup milk
a dash or 2, or 3 or 4 of Black pepper
1 tea. dried Parsley
1/2 tea. Salt
 (optional: dashes of Garlic)

1/4 cup white Flour or alternative
up to 2 cups grated Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, etc.)
2 cups (or more) of stuff~ You know, cooked Meat & Veg, or 2 cups of Veg, sometimes we put in some cooked rice, you can be creative here using leftovers.

note: For the most part the veggies (or onions) should be cooked or sauteed before going into the quiche, the exceptions that we found are Spinach, Broccoli (chopped small) and Corn: if you are using any of these frozen, you only have to thaw it first.

Beat the first 5 ingredients together. Then toss the cheese and flour together. (OK, so I actually just stick blender the flour in with the first 5)
Then combine everything together, and pour into 1 deep 10" pie crust (Or 2: 8" or 9" pie crusts).

Start baking at 425 for 10 minutes and then cover the edges with foil, and turn the heat down to 350 for 30 minutes.
A knife inserted in the middle will come out clean when it's done.

While some people like hot or warm Quiche, our family much prefers to eat it cold.
Some notes:

~*~One of our favorite kinds is using 2 cups of leftover fried rice, and a dash of soy sauce or Braggs.

~*~Onion-Cheddar: 
2c cheddar cheese, 1 small onion (well cooked), sprinkles of chives, parsley & garlic. I mixed everything in a large measuring cup, and added cooked white basmati rice to bring the level up to 4-4 1/2 cups total. =)    Does that make sense???

~*~Sauteed Zucchini and or Yellow squash and onions

~*~And "Mexican" style:

Instead of Milk, use:
1/2 cup salsa and
1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yoghurt
and add dashes of:
Chili powder
Onion powder
Garlic powder/granules
And use can of Corn and a can of Black Beans (or some combination like that)

~*~We like to use about 4&3/4 total cups of stuff in a 10" deep pie pan.

~Happy Eating!

Adrienne


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I'm sharing this post with: Share Your Cup Thursday! 
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An old word for you...

...Receipt or Receit.

Noah Webster's 1812 dictionary says that you can spell it either way.
The 5th definition is:
Recipe; prescription of ingredients for
any composition, as of medicines, etc.
~*~
Dictionary.reference.com's last definition for Receipt is:

a recipe.

(all this just because I don't feel like blogging about anything else right now...)

Pineapple Zucchini Spice Cake

4 eggs
1 Cup Oil
1 Cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/2 Cup White sugar (or more Sucanat)
2 tea. Vanilla

2 Cups grated Zucchini (or yellow squash)
8 oz of Pineapple, crushed & drained

1 Cup chopped/ground Nuts
1 Cup Raisins

3 Cups Flour
1 tea. Baking powder
2 tea. Baking soda
1 tea. Salt
1-1/2 tea. Cinnamon
3/4 tea. Nutmeg

Heat oven to 350. With and electric mixer beat eggs to blend, add oil, sweetener, and vanilla.
Continue beating until tick and foamy. Stir in Pineapple & Zucchini, then add your nuts & raisins.
Mix remaining ingredients in a separate bowl.
Stir dry mixture into the Zucchini mixture just until blended.

Spoon batter into a greased Bundt pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, until skewer/toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan. (A 9x13 pan bakes at about 30min.)

~Happy Eating!
Adrienne

P.S. You don't need to frost this cake, but Cream Cheese frosting is really good- especially if you put some pineapple juice in it, or even some pineapple.

Pear or Apple Cake

(the original recipe came from C&H sugar, but the following is the way I make it)

Pear or Apple Cake

3 eggs
3/4 Cup Oil
1 tea. Vanilla

2-1/4 Cup flour
Or:  ((((Gluten-Free: 3/4 cup Brown Rice flour, 3/4 cup White Rice flour (the sticky kind- you can get it at the Asian markets) & 3/4 cup Sorghum flour (Bob's Red Mill) and 1/2 tea. Xanthan Gum (you could use unflavored gelatin- look up how much to substitute))))

1 Cup Sucanat (or brown sugar, or white and a bit of black-strap molasses)
1 tea. Baking powder
1/2 tea. Baking soda
1-1/2 tea. Salt
1-1/2 tea. Cinnamon 
1-1/4 tea. Nutmeg
(last time, I used 2t. Cinnamon & 1-1/2t Nutmeg)

3 Cups Grated Pear or Apple
1/2 to 1-1/2 Cup chopped/ground nuts

Heat oven to 350. With and electric mixer beat eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Stir together flour, sweetener, powder, soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.
Gradually beat into egg mixture until blended. Stir in pears and nuts. Spoon batter into a greased Bundt pan. Bake 45-50 minutes (Gluten-Free cooks a bit faster, so check on it sooner), until skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in pan.

Serve warm or cold. With or without frosting.

~Happy Eating!
Adrienne

P.S.
We like to put our extra pears in the freezer pre-measured, and ready to go.

The Summer Of No Pants #2

...is now done! This is a "muslin" trial/house dress, and all in all, I really like lots of things about it, and would probably try to make another.
Pattern: The bodice was Simplicity #8071 and the skirt is the same as dress #1, with a little more ease.
Fabric:I made it out of some thrifted fabric I got from a friend. (It was very long and thin, so I had to cut the skirt in 4 sections.) And the fabric was some kind of poly/cotton, so all of the seams went goofy...

...and halfway through I tried it on and it was utterly ridiculous, so I took the bodice off, and added a waist band: MUCH better! =)
I have broader shoulders, so I always add about 1 inch to each shoulder back. Usually I make the extra fabric into a little pleat, but this time I gathered/eased it across the whole thing. And instead of easing the sleeve in like "normal", I kept all the ease at the top, to give it a slightly puffed look.

I put the zipper in the side seam.

I really want to learn how to put in invisible zippers (or just use buttons instead of zippers), because every zipper I put in is worse than the last. Sigh...maybe because each subsequent time I am more, and more apprehensive about it.
I like how the bodice turned out, and if I make this dress as a nice dress, I would like to drop the waist a little and have no gathers in the skirt, and wear a belt with it. (like a shirt dress) And if I made another house dress, I would keep the higher waist with no belt.

Saturday:

We (Mom & I) went to my Aunt’s 3rd wedding. I was 8, I was the flower girl at her 2nd wedding. That was something….
This was a really nice, small, out-of-doors semi-casual wedding.


My Aunt & new Uncle wrote their vows- they were great. My cousins and new cousins were their attendants. (a total of 4)
Costco Lunch Reception: Sandwiches, fruit, veggies, snacks, cake & Champagne. Lunch was a lot of fun- a table full of my grandparents, Mom & me, an Uncle & his girl friend, and 2 great aunts! =)

Not so good things:
I got a little sun-burnt and someone got their foundation/makeup on my brand new white blouse. =( I do hope that we can get it off!

Wonderful things:
No one asked me about: my marital state, my lack of boy friend, my education, what I’ve been doing with myself, why I did not have a job, or any of those other irritating & awkward things! =)
(sigh of relief!)

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Mom and I ran some errands on the way back to P & G’s house, and I bought 2 pairs of sort of cute footies at Target, and they had a bunch of LONG sleeved T-shirts on clearance so I got 2. I will have warm wrists! =)

Then P & G took us out for dinner, and we stopped at a few stores, one of which was Jo-Ann, because I needed some zippers…and do you know what they have?! Cute footies- a 2 pack: one with sparkly cherries and the other had sparkly strawberries. I kind of wish that I had got them. Oh, well.

Grandma asked on the way home form shopping & dinner, why I did not try to catch the bouquet. I told her that I have only participated in that game 2 times in my life, and because I am so much older than MOST of the other girls, it makes me feel despite, and I am not much into sports so afterwards I get teased for “not trying hard enough”….So Papa told me that Dad told him that he(dad) was going to find just the right guy for me. =) I already knew that, but still it was nice to hear again.

~Goodnight dear void…

Create in me a new heart, O God....

Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
~Psalms 25: 16-18

"Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious or the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination."
~Jonathan Edwards, resolution #60. July4th &13th 1723

I think that this is a very good resolution, and it is good to learn from those who went before us. But I almost never heed it.
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David said:
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.....
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a new heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

~Psalms 51:1-3, 7-12, 15-17


Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. ~Psalms 27:14

My boy Fergie. or Silly cat!

Fergie (while laying under the porch ceiling fan) says:
"Dude! It's hot out here!"
And I replied:
"Then why don't you come in and enjoy the AC?"

(but he would not come in...he is aging really fast this spring...so sad....)

My very own youtube!

This is my first creative video that I have ever made.
It took 7 takes (and 5 or 6 hr) to get this one.

I really like how Adam looks like he knows about the cat, and is trying not to laugh! =)

Thank you, Mike Church for making this song,
and I hope that you don't mind that I used it for my video!

I won't be attending the dance, but I hope that you all have lots of fun! =)

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The following are the vids that I used:
Adam Kokesh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RXqqf9ivc

"Here's to You Mr Jefferson"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HyDYsGDcB0