It seems every time we pick more parsley for the caterpillars, we also bring in a caterpillar or two. Or three. We’re up to 15 or 16. So some of the cats in the fish tank are very small and some are getting very large! I think we have every instar represented in the tank.
This afternoon, I watched two caterpillars molt their skin, which I had never been able to catch them doing before.
After they molt, they rest for a while, then turn around and eat the old skin.
Have you ever watched a caterpillar have lunch? They are eating machines! BTW, this video is in real time, no speeding up.
I sprayed the crock pot with cooking spray and put raw boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs in the bottom. The recipe called for cooking the chicken prior to putting it in the crock pot, but I didn’t think that had to be done.
I drained a can of corn (reserving the liquid) and poured the corn over the chicken. Then I doused the chicken with some BBQ sauce…not as much as the recipe called for though.
Here’s the crock pot prior to adding the BBQ sauce.
I made two boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix, omitting the butter and using the corn liquid for part of the milk, and poured that over the chicken.
I cooked it on high for two hours and on low for four hours. The finished product…
Review…I liked it. The chicken was delicious, though I would leave the corn out if I made it again. The cornbread was dense. Not sure if that’s a result of the mix I used or the corn liquid I substituted for part of the milk. I’m not being critical, though. I liked it. It’s just that the cornbread I make from scratch is much lighter in texture. I should post that recipe for you some time…it’s good!
DH said “I don’t think the cornbread went real well with this.” Or something to that effect. He meant he’d rather not have it again. DD wouldn’t eat the chicken and wanted the bottom of the cornbread cut off. She didn’t like the BBQ sauce on it. Which I tend to agree with. I kept thinking, “this should be pork and beans.” Not sure where that thought came from. But it made me think about making a similar dish but using sliced kielbasa sausage instead of chicken, with pork and beans poured on top, and then topped with cornbread. Wonder what that would taste like??
It’s been two years since we adopted Buttercup, Zilli, and Zak. They are fun additions to the family. I came across these pictures today while looking for something else. Zilli and Buttercup still play together almost every morning, early, chasing each other around the house at break-neck speed.
And here they are on the ladder and the library shelves. They are about six feet off the ground here.
Zak was a cutie, too.
Here is Buttercup now. She’s keeping an interested eye on the caterpillars in the fish tank. So far she hasn’t bothered them.
And Zilli, being cute.
And Zak, relaxing.
Funny how they have such distinct and separate personalities. A source of endless fun.
These brownies are delicious served with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate syrup. I need a picture of that…
Brownies
1 c. butter or margarine (2 sticks), softened
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
12 oz bag mini chocolate chips, divided
Cream the butter and sugar until light.
Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until well blended.
Add the flour and the cocoa. Mix slowly to prevent the dry ingredients from flying everywhere.
Set aside 1/2 c. of the chocolate chips and add the rest to the dough, stirring well. You can stir them in by hand, if you like, but I use the mixer.
Everyone will want to lick the beater when you’re done. 🙂
Spread in a greased 9×13 pan and bake at 350*F for 25 minutes.
When the brownies come out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. When melted (just takes a few minutes), use a fork to spread the chocolate across the top of the brownies.
We eat a lot of corn on the cob. So good! We only need three ears for supper, so I wrap them in wet paper towels and cook them in the microwave rather than in a pot of boiling water. It’s easy, fast, and leaves no pot to clean. Before cooking, husk and clean the ears of corn.
DD demonstrates how easy it is to prepare the corn for cooking. We use a square of DRY paper toweling. We’ll wet it after wrapping.
Place the ear diagonally across the corner.
Roll it to the opposite corner.
Don’t tuck under the side corners of the paper towel until the ear is completely rolled, corner to corner. If tucked in before the ear is completely rolled, it will be harder to unroll when it is hot and steaming.
Wrapped and ready for the next step.
Wet each wrapped ear of corn at the sink. Soak all the paper toweling.
Place the ears on a microwave plate or platter. When cooking three ears, we place them in a triangle to aid in even cooking. I cook three ears on high for five minutes, turn them over and cook for one more minute. You will need to try your own microwave a few times to determine the best cooking time.
Carefully unwrap each ear of corn. Be careful! It will be very hot and steaming.
Butter, freshly cracked salt and black pepper…so good!
Scott and Chris will be going back to work overseas next week, and we won’t see them for a while, so it was really wonderful to be able to spend some time with them this past weekend. I meant to get a nice family portrait of our friends while they were here, but we were too busy doing other things. 🙂
We grilled pork steaks and hot dogs in the back yard. The meal that Chris described as “summer food” included corn on the cob, tomatoes and sweet and sour cucumbers, fruit salad (strawberries, peaches, and blueberries), and my favorite spinach salad. After supper, we made S’mores. Their three young boys enjoyed that, though the youngest skipped the graham crackers and the marshmallows and went straight for the chocolate. Smart boy! 😉
When all was cleared and put away, we played Apples to Apples, which is one of our favorite family games. Even though two of their children weren’t reading yet, they still had a fun time playing. DH helped a bit when it came time to decide which card should be played.
It was fun to play something we could enjoy together.
I should have taken pictures of the train track they built and the marble game they constructed, as well! They had a full evening!
I try to keep the guest room cat free for the sake of our guests, but after company was gone, Happy found her way in and decided to check out the youth bed we had set up for the youngest little boy.
We always enjoy having company. Wonder who will drop in next time…?
We had a good weekend. Found out friends were coming through to visit the church family, so we invited them to spend Saturday overnight at our house. We grilled pork steaks and hot dogs on the grill and made S’Mores after supper. It was a lot of fun.
Today is Labor Day. DH is out on a long bike ride, I’m catching up on some computer time, and DD is practicing guitar. No big plans for the day.
Monday
chuck wagon casserole
salad
corn / peas
Tuesday
pork chops in the crockpot w/ stuffing
spinach salad
asparagus
corn
Wednesday
BBQ chicken in the crockpot / buns
veggies / chips / dip
grapes
I thought yesterday was dinner at church, but it turns out it is this coming Sunday. Hence the return of lasagna and triple chocolate mess. 🙂 We were leaving Sunday afternoon to travel a few hours north to celebrate my mother’s 75th birthday, so we had leftovers from Saturday’s supper for a quick Sunday lunch before leaving.
