It can be complicated “Motherhood is like Albania. You can’t trust the descriptions in the books, you have to go there.” – Marni Jackson. “Being a mother is a wonderful thing and the most exhausting time … ever.” Me. My own experience as a mother is with boys, so I totally understand the things the following moms have said. But first, I can testify from my own experience that super elastic bubble plastic in a pocket makes a huge mess in the dryer and on all the clothes, courtesy of my sons, Mike and Kevin! Other moms have noticed these…
Author: Melanie Behrens
Dinner is ready … almost. Crockpot chicken noodles 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 stick of butter 2 15-oz. cans chicken broth 24 oz. frozen egg noodles Cook chicken, soup, butter, and broth in crockpot on low for 6-7 hours. Take chicken out and shred. Put chicken back in; add noodles and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir a few times while cooking. ___ Guacamole salad 4 ripe avocados, cut into chunks 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 1/3 C cilantro leaves, chopped 2 C heirloom tomatoes, sliced in half For dressing: juice…
We are back to sweet treats, my favorite thing. Pumpkin coffee cake 1 spice cake mix 6 TBS flour 3 eggs 1 C water 1 15-oz. can of pumpkin puree 2/3 C chopped walnuts For brown butter spice glaze: 4 TBS butter 1½ C powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 TBS milk ½ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. ginger ¼ tsp. nutmeg ¼ tsp. cloves Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix cake ingredients together (minus walnuts) on low in your mixer until combined, then on high for two minutes. Fold in chopped walnuts. Pour…
Teeing it up About two weeks ago we saw a surprise in golf. Tiger Woods won the Masters Golf Tournament, certainly the most prestigious golf event of the year. Whether you are a fan of him or not (I’m not), most sportscasters are. It was a big event. Tiger has experienced many physical and personal problems including scandal and is now 43 years old. He went through four back operations, one was a fusion, and four knees surgeries. I should be more sympathetic, right? The scandal part is what has colored my opinion. He actually told some at the Tuesday…
If you enjoy potatoes, try these very different dishes. Skillet potatoes 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 onion, chopped 2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 8), thinly sliced 1 C shredded cheddar cheese 6 TBS sour cream Cook and stir bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 TBS of drippings from skillet. Add onions to drippings in skillet; cook and stir 5 min. Stir in potatoes; cover. Cook on medium-low heat 20 to 25 min. or until potatoes are tender,…
Both sides of the story I want to begin this discussion about Easter to be sure you realize … It’s not about the Bunny it’s about the Lamb. Today we’re going to talk about both of them. Easter is second only to Halloween in candy consumption. In the week leading up to Easter, nearly 71 million pounds of chocolate candy will be purchased. Almost 90 percent of children in the United States will receive an Easter basket and 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies and 16 billion jelly beans will be sold this year. The Easter Bunny is one of the…
It’s all about fruit desserts for spring. The nice peach dessert 1/4 C butter, softened 1/2 C sugar 1 egg 3/4 C milk 1 tsp. vanilla 2 C flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 2 C peaches, chopped Topping Ingredients: 3/4 C sugar 4 TBS flour 2 TBS butter Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch pan. Mix together butter and sugar. Add egg and mix until smooth. Pour in milk and vanilla and combine. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder. Fold into wet ingredients until incorporated. Spread into greased pan.…
Dinner anyone? Cube steak with gravy 2 lbs. cube steaks 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 packet of onion gravy salt & pepper to taste 2 C water 2 TBS vegetable or canola oil all purpose flour (for dredging) In a large skillet, heat oil in pan over medium-high heat. Season cube steaks with salt and pepper, lightly dredge in flour then brown steaks on each side and transfer to slow cooker. Mix cream of mushroom soup, gravy packet and water in a medium size bowl and pour over steaks. Cook in slow cooker on low for 6…
What makes an engineer? I know two engineers. One is a civil engineer and the other an electrical engineer. I have seen how their minds work and even though those two fields are quite different they have a lot in common. The person who is attracted to the field of engineering has to be analytical, always looking for a cause and a solution. They are quite serious about their jobs because, often, a lot rides on the outcome of their project. The following stories may help you understand engineers a little more and possibly see what I see in them.…
This could be dinner tomorrow Skillet pork chops 4 TBS unsalted butter 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 thick-cut, boneless pork chops 1 C mushrooms, sliced 1 TBS dried oregano 1 TBS dried thyme 1/4 C all-purpose flour 1 to 1-1/2 C whole milk (can use heavy cream) salt and pepper to taste In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat butter with garlic until melted. Continue to heat until butter foams, stirring constantly to prevent overflowing. Once foam subsides, continue to heat until brown bits form at bottom of skillet and a nutty aroma is produced. Add pork chops and…
Last week I told you about more crazy things my friends have done. Others have now shared experiences of wacky happenings. I think all of these stories near being ridiculous, and the people involved might also be called challenged! Some even fall into the ludicrous category. We’ll begin with … what were you thinking? “A man was sitting in his bedroom and was looking in the direction of his shoes, which were across the room, when he saw a roach crawling into one shoe. Immediately he reached over to grab the shoe, but forgot his gun was in the shoe.…
If you love carbs, these recipes are for you. ___ German potato salad 2 lbs. red potatoes, diced 1 lb. bacon, diced 1 red onion, diced 1/4 C white vinegar 1/4 C olive oil 2 tbsp. sugar 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/4 C chopped fresh parsley Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in diced potatoes and boil until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Meanwhile, add bacon to a cold large skillet. Heat over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp,…
You know how I’ve told you in the past about crazy things my friends do. Well, wait ‘til you hear these stories. They are at it again. The first incident involves a female friend of mine, but hold on, a man is the culprit in the second story. My gal friend has a cute new (new is the important part here) red Chevrolet Malibu, which thankfully, has a special feature. The back seat lays down to access the trunk. No, she wasn’t locked in the trunk, but her fob was locked in the car. Here’s how this went. She was…
Saint Patrick’s Day is Sunday and celebrates the wonderful Irish culture. It was made an official Christian feast day in the early 17th century and is observed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland) and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations for many generally involve public parades and festivals and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Christians who belong to liturgical denominations also attend church services, and historically the Lenten restrictions on…
I am a child of the ‘60s. That’s 1960s to those of you who don’t know anything about those years. If you have no relationship to that time, you may think I’m really over the hill. That could be so, but during those years we knew great music. It was also a much more respectful and safe world. In comparison to now, it was almost prudish. The era of the early ‘60s was nothing like these turbulent days. The music of the 1950s and ‘60s (early rock and roll) was fantastic. That’s evidenced by the recent Grammy awards where 75-year-old…