ME Monday...

Yikes!  I almost completely forgot about ME Monday...  I've been busy with clients and getting their 2009 tax returns in before the Friday extension deadline.  Procrastinators!  Anyhow - here are my two Mary Engelbreit girls.  Aren't they cute?  They have yet to tell me their names - and they've lived with me for several years.

Easy Sunday Dinner...

I don't know what made me think of this dish, because I haven't made it in just about forever.  My mom discovered this recipe in her ancient Betty Crocker cookbook when I was in high school - eons ago.  We used to have it for dinner a lot - and I think I even made it for Tim a few times.  It's called Texas Hash - I'm not sure why - but here are the ingredients.  As you can see, I'm a Publix girl and buying the store brand of everything makes this dinner even more economical.  Depending on the number of people you are going to feed you will need ground beef (or turkey), long-grain white rice, canned diced tomatoes, yellow onions and chili powder.  No, I'm not feeding an army, but I decided to make a roaster full for Ariela to pick up and take home to bake.  I made a small roaster full for me and Aggie - and leftovers!

First, peel the onions, rinse and set aside.  This seems to cut down on the amount of onion tears.  I always use yellow onions because the flavor doesn't disappear when you bake them.  I love a good sweet onion, especially on a hot dog, but they are not so flavorful in a dish that bakes for a good hour.

Brown the ground meat with a little kosher salt, pepper and chili powder.

Once you've browned the meat, slice the onions.  See, not very many tears!  Then I start layering the ingredients into the roasting pan.  Onions, rice, ground meat, a can of tomatoes - you get the picture.  As long as you use twice as much liquid as rice, the recipe will turn out perfectly every time.  I also add more chili powder to the rice as I layer the ingredients in.

It really isn't going to be a layered dish - that just makes it easier to thoroughly combine all the ingredients for baking.  Sorry if I misled you...

Next you add the liquid - you can use water or broth - as long as there is twice as much liquid as rice.  I find that water works just fine, especially if you have used a little of the fat left from browning the meat.  Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for about an hour - or until the rice is done.

Voila!  The finished product - doesn't it look good?

I even remembered to take a photo of the plate this time.

Aggie is wagging her approval.

Another great movie...

I've always been a Robert Parker fan (the Spenser mysteries) and I was so glad when Tom Selleck started making the film adaptations of Parker's Jesse Stone series.  If you've never watched them, they are all CBS made-for-TV movies now available from Netflix.  Tom Selleck is the perfect Jesse Stone, just like Robert Urich was the perfect Spenser.  The latest, No Remorse, is excellent.  Jesse is on suspension from the Paradise Police Department and well, you have to watch it to find out what happens.  Great supporting cast with Kathy Baker, Kohl Sudduth, William DeVane and Saul Rubinek.

Aggie and I give it five out of five kernels of popcorn.

I'm so excited...

It's not hot outside today!

First, you take a leek...

Wait - aren't we making potato soup?  Hee hee!  Sorry, Julia - I mean Potage Parmentier.  I channeled the immortal Julia Child tonight, much to Aggie's chagrin, and made potato leek soup for dinner.  It was divine - but then, I am a connoisseur of potatoes.  I have been known, much as it pains me to admit it, to order the vegetable plate at the Cracker Barrel with a baked potato, french fries, mashed potatoes and hash-brown casserole.  Ugly and starch-filled, but true.  Aggie, on the other hand, is a card-carrying carnivore and doesn't often let me forget it.  This evening, she was forced to eat from her own bowl.  Oh well...

Ingredients
3-4 cups of diced peeled potatoes (about a pound)
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, including the tender greens

4 cups water

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons minced chives or parsley

What to do next...
Simmer vegetables, water and chicken broth together, partially covered for 40-50 minutes in a 3-4 quart saucepan. Mash the vegetables into the broth with a fork or you can use a food mill - but what a screaming pain in the mess. Julia disdains the texture of soup pureed in a blender but have at it if you are determined to have smooth soup. Add salt and pepper to your own taste. Just before serving, bring soup back to simmering and then remove from the heat to stir in the butter.  Top with chopped chives or parsley. Easy and amazingly good! Makes 2 quarts of soup for six to eight servings.  You can serve it cold the next day and call it vichyssoise.  And probably charge double for the fancy-sounding name.

Seriously, Susan...

This is why I thought they created candy corn - for decorating with my Longaberger Candy Corn crock.

And my little candy corn jar with the cross-stitch jack-o-lantern lid.

I miss stitching!

This makes me want to dig through my cross stitch stuff and make some more...

Pumpkin Pie Muffins...

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

1 ¼ tsp baking soda

1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

½ cup raisins

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, raw and hulled

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.  Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Stir in raisins.  Beat eggs, pumpkin puree, oil and water together in another bowl.  Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended.  Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.  Sprinkle with pumpkin seems.  Bake about 20 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes; remove muffins from pan and serve warm.

ME Monday...

And I've been putting out the fall decorations - even though it's only slightly cooler here.  This is my only ME Halloween decoration - but I've made up for less ME with more pumpkins and baskets.

I put my candy corn garter on this plant - and I have more decorations with the candy corn theme but alas, I need to buy some candy corn.  More on this later...

My little wooden cat came out to join his own pumpkin.

Karma Bear has his own little pumpkin, too.

Aren't these pumpkin baskets just the cutest thing - I've had them forever and I look forward to getting them out every year.  They lose the jack-o-lantern liners and lids in time for Thanksgiving.

We even have a Halloween kitty to keep us company.

Check out more ME Monday over at CherryChick!

Headlines...

crack me up.  I think they hire comedians to write them.  

Here are a couple of today's tidbits that caught my eye:

Man Shoots Self in Face During Run-in With Skunk

Liberal Wingnuts March on DC

And my favorite: Man Says Cocaine in His Buttocks Isn't His.

I have a million comments but I will keep them to myself. 

Migraine from hell...

At this point I am wondering if it will ever go away...

Had to have one...

I admit it, I am weak.  I am sometimes powerless over pastry.  I went to Publix a little while ago for cat food and tortilla chips and while I was there I was sorely tempted by this beautiful cannoli.  I had to have it.  I ate it all and didn't even share with Aggie.  My sugar craving has been satisfied for another week or so...

Almost time...

to get out the fall decorations!

Happy birthday, Aggie!

Yep - it's official - Aggie is twelve years old!  I can't believe it - but my sweet cairn is twelve years young today.  She actually came to live with us on December 5, 1998 - but she was just a baby.  See that crazed puppy look?

It was almost Christmas, so she got decorated, too.

Aggie ventures out into the big world - but always on her leash - since cairns are notorious chasers of squirrels and other wildlife.

She posed for a first birthday photograph.

But soon had enough...

Aggie loved to go swimming in my mom's pool.

Tim got Aggie her own raft and boogie board.

She loves her designer collar collection - especially the purple paw print number.  Soon it will be time to put on the Halloween collar!

Aggie met a new friend yesterday - an adorable pug named Chewie.

She got a new toy for her birthday today, but the jury is still out.  I gave it to her and she promptly took it to the living room to hide it from her brother, Peter.  Like a cat would want a chew toy.  She came back and sat next to me - must be waiting for her birthday chicken treat.  Happy birthday, girly!

Apple Spice Cake...

looks pretty on this ME platter - but it should really be Apple Spice Upside-Down Cake.  All of the apples sank to the bottom of the bundt pan!  The flavor is okay, but it's dryer than I would have expected.  Just another one of my culinary experiments...  On Saturday I made a lovely rustic apple tart sweetened with Truvia and a bit of cinnamon.  It was heavenly - and it smelled so good when I took it out of the oven, it never made it to the find a pretty spot to take a photograph stage!  Aggie liked it, too.

See the sunken apples?  I'm not really sure what kind they are - they were firm and sweet - I think I ate or shared all of the honeycrisps!

ME Monday...

 It's Monday again - and I'm sharing two ME Bloom Where You're Planted things from my bathroom.  This is a plaque that's supposed to hang on the wall but it's very heavy and I don't trust nails in drywall.  So I'm using a little wooden easel I have had forever to stand it up on the bathroom vanity.  I love the flower detail!

I love this ME plant stand - and I could kick myself for not buying the fried-egg flower one I saw at the same time.  I usually have the top covered up with a basket of bath supplies, but for the sake of ME Monday, I moved the basket and even dusted the surface!  Now that's ME dedication!
Check out more ME Monday over at Cherry Chick!