Whats Cooking For Thanksgiving

 

ITS THAT TIME AGAIN! Make sure you have all the seasonings you are going to need to make your Thanksgiving Dinner Delicious for your family and guest. 

Think about how you are going to cook your dinner, and plan exactly what you want to have, your Meats, Vegetables, Starches, Drinks and Desserts.   Some of the food that will be on my Dinner Menu are listed below.  We usually go with the same food every year, mainly because we only eat these foods once a year.

Mac and cheese are a favorite on my menu, I make a cheese sauce with Velvetta and parmesan cheese, shredded gouda cheese, half and half butter salt pepper little cayenne pepper cook in saucepan until it thickens then pour on macaroni or any pasta you like. Sprinkle some cheese on top with some breadcrumbs if you like. And I Don't want to forget the rice and savory gravy.

You can prepare whatever vegetables you and your family enjoy, some families enjoy green bean casserole or broccoli, or peas and carrots, cabbage but my personal favorite happens to be steamed Brussell sprouts. I have also decided to roast my turkey in a bag this year, I am also going to try and cook my candid sweet potatoes in a crockpot.

Sweet Potatoes I decided to steam the potatoes a day ahead of time then I want to make a sauce of molasses, vanilla, butter and bourbon. this makes the potatoes taste good and is not too sweet with white sugar. I plan to have a spiral ham with a honey mustard glaze/ with pineapple and Marcina cherries. In addition, and as a complement to the Turkey I can't wait to eat the cornbread stuffing or dressing.

 I prepare the day before, cornbread, sage sausage, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, bacon, celery, apple sauce I place all the ingredients into a fry pan and sauté until soft then I crumble the cooked cornbread and with some croutons I crumble together. the mixt everything together. I then place in refrigerator to be ready for the cold turkey. For my vegetables I thought I would steam brussels sprouts with broccoli. Like I mentioned before many people especially in Maryland they prepare green bean casserole with fried onions and cream of mushroom soup.  If that's what you like do that. Some of the other vegetable choices that is a regular is collard greens, asparagus, cabbage, squash.  The next thing I will make to go with my Thanksgiving meal is rice or I can use

mashed potatoes to sop up all the delicious giblet gravy. Dinner rolls are on

the menu also after all what is Dinner without the butter rolls. The next part of my menu is sourcrout here in Maryland but since I'm from New York City I will make homemade coleslaw. If anyone knows why Maryland people include

sauerkraut with their Thanksgiving meal let me know in your comment, I really would like to know.

Next item on my Menu is the dessert and this year I decided to make a Lenon Fruit tart.  I am going to use a readymade pie crust to save time then I will top with strawberries raspberries blueberries and blackberries. then the lemon curd filling will consist of 4 eggs and 4 yokes lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and butter, this is a really light and refreshing dessert.

I am excited to know what your THANKSGIVING DINNER will be. Don't forget drop me a comment.

                                                                          Happy Thanksgiving!!!

                                                                                         FRIENDS

ADDING and ELIMINATING the foods we eat for better health

Hello again friends, Thomas and I have been discussing the food choices we make.  I am not going to lie to you, We Do Like Carbohydrates and they seem to be everywhere, in all foods. Cards seem to be In Your FACE, in every commercial on TV, on billboards in every aspect of our lives. So, I decided to be stronger than that and start to eat better, one food that I enjoy is fish I do not eat enough of it but yet I love it.  I usually order fish whenever I am out at a restaurant, and I seem to eat fish more during the summer months.

The fish I enjoy eating are, Rainbow trout, Haddock, Halibut, Spots, Red Snapper, Flounder, there are probably other fish 🐟 that I have not tried yet, that leaves me something to look forward to in the future. These fish can be baked broiled, grilled, baked or pan fried. With fish I like to keep the seasonings simple so that I can really enjoy the flavor of the fish. What I have been using are lemon juice and lemon slices, Old Bay Sea food seasoning is great when preparing fish or any other sea food, butter is another item I put on fish.  Of course, you can use any seasoning your heart desires people in different cultures use many different spices and herbs that they are accustomed to use. Friends, I do not want you to think that I am just now adding fish to my diet, No, I just need to add more fish and eliminate so much beef, to cut down on the infection in my body that meat 🥩 creates.

I have given some thought to eliminating meat from my diet all together but then I decided that was not something I would be happy with at this time. Adding healthier food is a lot harder than eliminating food. We got to remember that we have been eating unhealthy foods for a lifetime and we all know that habits are very hard to break.

You may be thinking (What could I eat with my fish🐟)? Well friends. I have put together a small list of some delicious side dishes.

Ratatouille with eggplant

Green beans with almonds

Roasted Cauliflower

Carrots and cabbage

Asparagus and Arugula salad

Couscous stuffed peppers

Rice Pilaf

Sugar snapped peas

Whipped sweet potatoes

These are just to name a few side dishes you may want to try, but of course, try the dishes you and your family are familiar with.

I would like to know how you make health changes in your daily diet, maybe I can incorporate some of your ideas. 

Write a comment and let me know!!

Seafood Mac & Cheese

OK FRIENDS!!  a few of you have asked me to post the way I prepare my Seafood Mac & Cheese. This is a dish my entire family enjoys. I do not make it often, but BABY! when I do it goes in a flash and usually, I have to make a lot of it in hopes of having leftovers and even that doesn't work out so well. We just keep coming back until the last bite is gone.

We used to have mac & cheese as a side dish like most Black families do, but I noticed that in many restaurants and in a lot of family's mac & cheese is the main meal.  I decided that if I do that, I could make more of it.  To keep our favorite dish interesting, I decided to incorporate more into it such as chicken and broccoli, peas and carrots and corn. The best I could have ever done was to put Crabmeat and Shrimp, in this dish. Well, the family lost their minds, they just couldn't get enough, I had to make twice as much to satisfy everyone.

I realized that the magic was in the sauce, the taste changes when you use, Gouda, Asiago, Colby jack, Velveta or/and mild Cheddar and so many other cheeses.  I also make a roux first then I stir in Half and Half instead of milk sometimes a little Heavy cream. Sometimes I mince up a little onion and all of this gives this a taste that is addictive, you just can't get enough. 

Oh, and before I forget the seasonings to use are your favorite seafood seasonings or what I use is Old Bay this goes well with Crab meat and all seafood in general. I also use salt and black pepper to taste. After I get all my ingredients together, I would preheat my oven to 350degreese and let bake for about 45 minutes until the edges begin to bubble this indicates that it is done, the cheese may get slightly brown also. remove from oven let stand for about 10 minutes, plate up and enjoy with your best garden salad or whatever side dish you like. I hope this has given you an idea as to what else you can do with Man&Cheese

SPINACH AND VIDALIA ONION DIP

 HELLO!!!!!! Friends: Recently I attend a Meet and Greet. I was undecided as to what I should bring, everyone was bring something, I thought to bring some BBQ chicken or some Buffalo Wings.  I soon decided against that because, it was hot, and no one wants to eat sticky food when the weather is hot. Then I thought to make a nice garden salad, but I thought, there would be plenty of garden salads, then I had an ah ha! moment and decided on a Spinach Onion DIP and serve it with cucumbers, radishes and sweet peppers:

I was so pleased at the way it came out and that the colors were perfect and Summery.  I knew that everyone would love to munch on this refreshing and satisfying appetizer. This Dip was such a hit that I want to share it.  The recipe is so simple especially if you have a food processor it only takes about 20 minutes.  You can prepare it a day or two ahead, giving the seasoning time to incorporate throughout the dish.

Baby Spinach

sour Cream

Vidalia Onions

Chives

Sweet peppers

Cucumbers

Radishes

Black pepper

minced carrots

To give this dip, extra flavor you can incorporate a vegetable soup mix, this is optional. All you have to do is chop up your onions and spinach.  For a smooth consistency I sauteed my spinach and onions until soft. I used the sweet peppers, radishes and cucumbers to dip instead of chips.

I promise everyone will be pleased with this light, healthy summer dish. Make this Dip for your family or just for yourself, no occasion necessary, just relax and enjoy!!

GRILLED RAINBOW TROUT

 Well, tis the season for grilling......The weather is warm and the idea of enjoying your meals outside is high on the menu. During the past three years eating At Home, has been encouraged, so for those of you who have a home, an apartment with a terrace or a back yard, this Blog is for you. Fish, chicken, shrimp, pork and vegetables are great dinner entrées. For those of you who happen to be in an apartment without those things but still enjoy grilling do not be afraid to take it to the park, beach or in front your building, grilling is good no matter where you do it (That sounds a lot like Sex)!

What I usually do when at the grocery store, I focus on some wonderful seasonings such as, Garlic and Herbs, Steak seasonings. Adobo, Old Bay, liquid smoke etc.  I also like to roast potatoes along with the fish along with zucchini, green and yellow, eggplant, squash, the list is long its whatever you like.

Don't forget to pick up a couple of lemons and maybe some garlic bread. Grilled fish is a wonderfully light summers dinner to prepare outside. In other words, you know what you and your family like so go ahead and season your fish and other grill items with your favorite spices.  There are so many seasonings to choose from I just named a few.  Take your time in the market and look around, don't be afraid to try different things just be sure to read the labels and I assure you that you will be surprised at how you can make you food taste like five-star restaurant meals.

This is a very easy meal if you wanted to enjoy with friends or just with family if you don't mind spending more for good fresh fish, pork, chicken or beef and having a few good selections, then I would suggest checking out Wegman's market. Wegman's has a large variety of just about everything, I am sure you will be happy with whatever you purchase there.

The grilled fish below was prepared with grilled Zucchini and fresh corn salad which makes a great side dish.  I prepared the corn dish with diced onions, diced green/red the peppers, parsley little garlic powder and some mint leaves as garnish.  As I said before if you are looking for an easy dish, grilled fish is the way to go!

  

So, friends go ahead and have yourself a wonderful 2022 Summer "AT HOME" !!!

Karen's Beef & Chicken Stir Fry

 Times are harder than usual in 2022, than it's been in the past years.  The Covid Virus is still with us. We are still wearing mask to protect ourselves from Covid. People are staying away from crowds. Cooking at home has become more popular in the last three years than ever before. Thomas and I have been doing more cooking at home these days and loving it.  We usually enjoy Chinese food at least once a week, so I decided to put my culinary skills to use and make my own Chinese beef and chicken creation stir fry. This dish is not the usual, but it Works.

I like to cook quick and easy especially in this 97-degree weather. So, how I planned this meal was to use all the ingredients I usually keep in my refrigerator.  It just so happened I had some ready to eat Beef steak and rotisserie chicken. This ready to eat seasoned meat is the best thing since sliced Bread, there are so many meals you can prepare in a short period of time.

I used a wok to cook my stir fry in because the pan needed to be very very hot, then I julienned my onions and green peppers put them in the hot wok and sauteed them until soft.  While that was cooking, I

had water boiling for the angel hair pasta. The good thing about this dish is that the meat is already sliced, seasoned and cooked so you can be ready to eat in no time. One of the ingredients I used was a stir fry seasoning pack along with a tablespoon or two of Thai chili sauce and Chinese 5 seasoning and low sodium soy sauce.

Things are looking good so far.
The sauce is in, and it is thickening then Whal La!!!

LETS EAT!!!!!!!!!!

IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!

SALMON CAKES WITH A SPIN

ONCE UPON a cold Spring Day in April, Thomas and I were at a loss for what we wanted for lunch. We had beans last week and they are always good in cold weather. We really felt like we had eaten everything and all else was boring, so Thomas got up and went to the pantry closet in our kitchen and found a can of 

Alaskan Salamon, NOW MIND YOU! I thought I taught this man all he knew about cooking. So, I thought Salmon was a great choice, BUT! I would be the one cooking. To my surprise....
Thomas went ahead and started practicing all that I had taught him, (and then some) so he made this mixture of the following:

• potato

• 2 eggs

• salt/pepper

• Dijon mustard

• mayo

• onion powder

• garlic powder

• obey seasoning and PARMESAN Cheese (Why didn't I think of that)????????

   Thomas mixed all of his ingredients and using a small cookie dough scoop to make sure all of the cakes were the same size and portion

The salmon fried up golden brown, they were crunchy on the outside and

soft on the inside.  The Grated Parmesan Cheese made all the difference.  The taste was wonderful the salmon cakes were not too salty and not over seasoned just the right amount of everything. They were the best I ever had. Needless to say, I was so very proud my man who is a Jack of all trades...... a wise woman said to me that even the teacher can be taught!

Shopping for the Essentials

Before you  begin to prepare meals you need to make sure you have all the essential ingredients you need. Most of the things you will need to cook with are located in the market isles such as Sugar, Salt.  Pepper. Flour, Oil, Pasta, Soup Stocks.

Fruits and vegetables are a great pick at the market and we need to make sure we pick up some . You should be eating at lease 5 fruits and vegetables each day, and one way you can do this is to incorporate them in your meals like make yourself a salad and add apples or pears, this is a delicious salad.

The apples are fruit that most of us can eat, proverbs say that" an apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Another fruit to choose is an orange which is loaded with vitamin C.  

When looking for vegetables look for tomatoes and  potatoes. I like to get the ones still connected to a vine.  Onions are essentials as well as potatoes.  Leeks are a good vegetable to eat also it is in the onion family but not as strong tasting as an onion. Leeks are very good in soups & stews.

Carrots are another good choice, along with green peppers or Brussels sprouts, lots of people enjoy okra also and lets not forget egg plant.
Tomatoes on the vine tend to be sweet and the go good on sandwiches and in salads.  What I like to do is make a salad without lettuce such as tomato,
cucumber, onion and avocado.Sometimes I like to put blueberries in my salads.  Whatever you like  incorporate it into your daily diet, make the change, don't eat the junk food or the non-nutritional foods, you might lose weight in the process.  Another way to get it all in is to make a
large pot of vegetable soup.

Hot Soup on a Cold Day

We all know what it is like in the middle of Winter to come in from the cold and try to warm up. Nothing seems to work except for a cup of hot chocolate and  a bow of hot steamy chicken soup. The weather outside is brutal especially in New York and I don't care what borough you live in, there is nothing like the" hawk" whipping around the corners of those tall gray buildings and  concrete sidewalks.

God forbid if you left home without your hat and gloves or scarf you  be real trouble.  The tears running down your cheeks turn to ice sickles and your eye brows freeze.  The worst part is waiting on the bus and finding out that your bus is running late.

I am sure that many of you have similar situations and stories  but the fact of the matter is that when you get home all is well when you can sit down to a bowl of hot soup be it chicken noodle, beef vegetable, chili. potato, corn chowder etc.

Winter is the perfect time of you can cuddle up with family get to know each other better, share ideas and read a good book and just enjoy being home.

It doesn't take much to make a chicken soup all you need for the basics such as:

1. Boneless, skinless chicken
2. Chicken broth
3. Vegetables you have on hand
4. celery/onion
5. salt/pepper to taste

To this soup, you can put whatever you wish and have on hand into a pot.  If you have noodles you can put them in, rice or even beans, there is no right and wrong in this matter just be creative and you will have a really good pot of soup to keep you warn this Winter season.

Homemade Tomato-Basil Sauce

If you have followed me or friend me on FaceBook then you have seen the home video Thomas and I made on Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce, I am just following up on the video showing my version of making homemade Tomato  Basis Marinara sauce.  There are many ways you can make this sauce for your family.  I just showed you the basics.  The recipe is used was:

Roma tomatoes about 7-12 lbs. about 6-pint jars.

2 sweet onions chopped

fresh or dried basil

garlic
three tablespoons of brown sugar

green pepper (optional)

tomato paste (optional)

Sea Salt

balsamic vinegar

black pepper

lemon juice from concentrate (not fresh)

oregano

thyme

With this recipe you can use whatever mixture of Italian seasoning or herbs you like, just make it to your taste.

The tomatoes are scored and placed in a pot of boiling water for about 3-4 minuted or until skin loosens and quickly put in ice water to stop the cooking.  What you want to do next is cut up the tomatoes I like to quarter them but you can do half or however, you like. place all ingredients in a pot and cook for 1 1/2 or 2 hours or until it reduces to the desired thickness.  When the cooking is complete if you have a blender or a food processor fill it halfway with sauce and blend until the desired smoothness.

Make sure you have properly prepared your mason jars.  Fill jars with sauce put back into hot water for 10 minutes until top snaps releasing excess air.  You are now ready to store your sauce or serve with your favorite Italian dish.

Cooking on a budget - and making small life style changes

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

This year 2019 I,(we) (us) are going to try to do things a little different. I am going to attempt to cook new things for my family but on a reasonable budget.  I have found that to eat healthily you have to be somewhat creative because it can be very expensive.  Things like fruits and vegetables, for example, are very expensive.  

There are lots of fruits and vegetable from other countries that are extremely rich in nutrients that we don't explore because we are not familiar with them.  So I am going to choose a lot of different foods and prepare them for you to help make meals interesting.  I am very excited and you will be able to see how unusual food cooks up.  Let me know if you know of any food you would like to learn more about and I will add it to my meal planning. Keeping it simple is what my plan is for this year.
I have already begun by going shopping and pricing some of the produce items in my favorite Supermarkets.  I will also be visiting Giant, Shoppers, Sprout, Aldi and Wegmans so keep a look out for my upcoming Blogs  One of my plans is to make my own homemade Applesauce and Tomato Sauce, this is going to low a lot of costs

I plan to get rid of the store-bought salad dressing and make my own house dressing using lots of lemon/lime juices and olive oil.  I am also planning to make my own seasoning and spice mixes and video while I am doing it. I hope this helps you and your family also. I believe that if you eat better you will feel better and your overall health will be better.  I know that what I am about to do is not a perfect answer but I know it will be better and healthier than what I have been doing.  So hang in there with me and together we will see what happens.

Other things I will do to help in exercise, is to park the car farthest away from where I am going, walking around a few times in the Supermarket. Do stretches while waiting on line. Stretch in the morning when I get out of bed. These simple little things can make a difference in how you feel during the day.  I will use the stairs instead of escalators or elevators and I will remember to walk briskly, you might want to try this also!

At the end of this year, I will then be able to report on how all my small changes helped me during 2019 so again Have a Very Happy New Year!!!!!!

AVACARD SEED TEA (A FEEL GOOD TEA)

Through my research I have found that there are so many teas that are as good for you as they are for you.  We have spent so many years ingesting pills for everything and learning that one problem leads to another, all because we are people who were made to consume plant based food.

Our ancesters were on the right tract, whenever they were sick they went out to look for natural herbs that would cure their ailments. For years I suffered from high cholesterol it seamed that no matter what I did the numbers were high. So I began researching things in nature that could help and I found that avocados were good to lower cholesterol  and blood pressure so I began to incorporate avocado into my diet. When I went for my routine doctor visit and took my blood test I was surprised to know that my blood pressure was normal and so was my cholesterol.  That has made a believer out of me and it's not that I eat lots of avacado I eat them about twice a week. Through further research infant that if I make a tea from the seed the results are phenomenal .  My hair, skin and nails are beautiful. My diabetes has improved, I no longer catch colds and I don't take flu shots.  I just can't say enough about the avocado.

In my blogs about teas, I am going to inform you about many other teas that are excellent for good health. I will also let you know how my cook book is coming along,  so check out my blog for updates.

CHAYOTE TEA HELPS LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE(a feel good tea)

The Chayote Squash is grown in a tropical climate but you can grow the leaves.  The vegetable will sprout and it will grow leaves.  When you feel you have enough leaves you can then harvest the leaves spread them out on a cookie sheet and dry them in the oven until they become crumbly. Then remove from the oven and let cool.




After the leaves have cooled then you can crumble them and place in a glass jar or container so that when you want tea you can put the amount you want in a small tea steeper usually a mesh circular metal ball.

This is a favorite of the Caribbean and Louisiana cooks. . This vegetable also has 168mg. Of potassium  something your body needs.  It's peak season is call and occasionally  late spring.

You can prepare it raw or cooked such as grilling, stir frying, boiling, steaming and baking. You can also slice and shred for salads. Mix with citrus cabbage,arugruggla  and fresh herbs. You can bake it and serve like potatoes, add to soups, stews and curries.

If you want more information please look it up and find other wonderful things chayote does for the body.

Dinner On a Budget!

Food these days has become extremely expensive so it is important for you to shop and get the best bang for your buck.  First, you should know what your family likes eating.  If your family is used to eating fast food, then you plan to serve them basically the same food but actually cooking whole food instead of the fast convenient food.

The keyword to all of this is planning.  If your family enjoys chicken then buy chicken parts, thighs, legs, wings.  Bake your chicken instead of frying using the seasoning that will enhance the flavor, such as poultry seasoning, Montreal chicken seasoning and sometimes I like to use a little Italian dressing I even use some Thai Chile seasoning, it has a sweet tangy taste with a little kick.  Your family will enjoy it.

Next, instead of french fries, I would introduce my family to a few food items, Wide egg noodles, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or even sweet potatoes, did you know that there are white sweet potatoes also,

Finally, you incorporate some green vegetables into the menu, most people like string beans, collard greens or even broccoli or peas.  These vegetables can be prepared by steaming for greater flavor or boiling with lots of butter salt and pepper to taste for seasoning.

If you can remember that if you keep once a month when you shop, to pick up staple items like onions, potatoes rice, pasta (noodles, macaroni, spaghetti) Marinara sauce, celery, carrots, olive oil or canola oil, this will make a big difference on your household food budget.  Also, if you enjoy grits, cornmeal don't forget these items.  With these items, you and your family can plan meals for the entire month on a reasonable budget.

These are some of the foods that will help you make a few meals without breaking the bank  I feel that you save money when you buy what you need when you need it.  Sometimes when you shop and buy vegetables especially ahead of the time you want to use it, before you realize it, the vegetables have begun to spoil. Also with tomatoes, do not store them in the refrigerator, they will go bad faster.  One way to remember is to pay attention to the way they are stored in the market.  If they are not stored in plastic bags, then when you come home remove the plastic to keep your food from spoiling.

Karen's Bread Pudding

I think that Bread Pudding is one of my favorite desserts. I always liked it as a child when my momma would make it for us during the winter time. Momma was not what you would call a good cook. She really enjoy sweets   like cake and cookies. She would make us ginger bread with whipped cream or lemon sauce. Whenever I eat these foods I think of my momma.

It was about 7 years ago I went to a Convention in King of Prussia PA. in the Raddisson Hotel and I ate the best Bread Pudding I ever had.  It was perfect it was soft and sweet and it had just enough raisins.  I should have went in the Kitchen and asked the chef how did he come up with the recipe but I didn't.  So since then I have been trying to get that same texture and taste but so far to no avail.

The formula I did come up with that had the taste but not quite the texture but close was this:

I had day old french bread.I didn't cut it in squares but I put it in a blender and pulsed it a few times, then on the stove I made the same custard I would make for banana pudding which is 1 cup of sugar, 4 egg yokes and vanilla, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream with a little flour about 1.3 cup then I in a double boiler stirred until thickened and poured it into the backing dish I let it all sink in and then I also added dried cranberries and chopped pecans, then I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until it was brown on top and knife inserted came out clean, This dessert is best eaten warm with light cream, whipped cream or rum sauce.

2018 NO KNEAD DUTCH OVEN CRUSTY BREAD

This is truly the best crust bread I have ever made.  It is so easy and simple that anyone will have success.  As a matter of fact you can put anything you want to it.  You can make it with raisins, cranberries, nuts flax seed etc.  It is simply wonderful to serve when company comes.  so here is the Recipe:

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. dry active yeast

1 cup of room temp. water.

anything else you want to incorporate.

With a wooden spoon mix all ingredients well, it should be very sticky. Take a good amount of flour in your hands this will allow you to handle the bread dough better and shape it into a ball.  You will the shape into a ball and put it into your dutch oven or a glass or metal bowl cover then let it rise for 12 to 18 hours.

After the bread has set for at least 12 hours place covered into a 450 degree oven for 30  minutes then remove from oven uncover  score the bread I usually put an X on the top of the bread. then put back into the oven until golden brown, leave in until it is the type of brown that you like. This usually takes another 30 minutes.

I usually have my bread on a cookie sheet and with parchment paper underneath this was it brown on all sides.  After you let the bread cool slice into thin slices and eat with cream cheese, butter.  I made one bread with cranberries and pecans and it was very good.  I am going to try Thyme and  black olives, then I might even make cinnamon bread that I can spread my apple butter on,

This is how the bread looks after you mike all the ingredients up and put into the dutch oven

 it looks when you remove it from the oven this is the way.  So this bread is open to so many different ways , it is truly the easiest bread I have made so far.  If you can think of different flavors write me a comment or let me know how your bread turns out.

FRESH MULBERRY JAM

Yes "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush early in the morning".  In my drive way I have what use to be a Mulberry bush but over many years that bush has grown into a very big tree.  O course all the good Mulberries are at the top and the birds are having their annual uninterrupted feast.

I am learning so much about Mulberries and a all the Nutrients they have and just to think I have a very big tree in my front yard.   Here is some of what I have leaned about the benefits of Mulberries:

• They Prevent Macular degeneration and cataracts
• They are rich in antioxidants properties
• They aid in  Cancer prevention
• They improved digestive health
• They boost heart health and body metabolism.
• They reduce appearances of blemishes and age spots.

What I didn't know is that they are high in iron and vitamin C as well as many other nutrients.  They will also aid in lowering blood sugar but be careful it can be harmful if you don't have a blood sugar problem.  Mulberries aid in the production of red blood cells and in vision health,

This is the way the Mulberries look when you have washed them and are now mashing what you can before putting in the sugar to begin the cooking process.  For every cup of berries you have you have to put in i cup of sugar. If you are not using pectin then you must cook the berries longer in order for them to thicken.


When cooking process is complete then jar the jam up I used 4oz. jars for this small batch.

WHATS COOKING FOR LADIES (MOTHER'S) DAY!

Well I don't know what you are cooking for your Ladies Day celebration but my daughter Erika and I decided yesterday to cook what we have not had in a long while.

Yeah Roasted Chicken Butterflied.  This will be the first time I baked anything in my new Samsung oven and I an so excited.  Next on our Menu is Ranch Mashed Potatoes:

Now if you really want to taste something that will melt in your mouth then just plant your lips on these creamy, buttery, ranch mashed potatoes.  I am getting hungry just writing about dinner.  My family usually eats about 2pm on Sundays.

Next on our Menu are Glazed Carrots its been so long I cannot tell you the last time we have had glazed carrots.  Carrots are something we all like but do not think about as a side dish although they make great side dishes. The carrots right now are so sweet naturally and by me adding a glace makes then extra delicious.

Well whatever your family eats on this special day I want you to enjoy with friends and family and remember the ones that are not with us an more and if you don't have one then start a tradition so that the young people in your family have tons of wonderful Mothers Day Memories!

SUMMER SALADS/Pasta Salad

Yes! Let us not forget the Pasta Salad great for the Hot Summer afternoon.  There is just so many things you can do with a Pasta Salad.  Choose the Pasta that are not the usual shapes and go out on a limb and pick a pasta like Star Pasta, Shell Pasta, Tri-color Pasta. After choosing the pasta go in for the grape tomatoes the ones that are different colors they look good in this salad.  

The Mediterranean  Pasta Salad has proven to be a winner also.  This Greek salad is full of tomatoes, feta cheese meat chick peas olives red onions


The Mediterranean Salad below is filled with all types of wonderful vegetables like cucumbers black olives Bow Tie Pasta cherry tomatoes onions and even chicken.   So have fun be creative and look for fruit that is in season and add that to your Summer Salad!