Yesterday afternoon, when the sun came out, I sat on the back steps and enjoyed the sunshine. From there…lots of daffodil shoots to enjoy.
The mini daffs ‘Tete-a-Tete’ opened yesterday.
The oak tree is getting a faint fuzzy haze as the buds swell.
A light breeze ruffled the water in the birdbath.
And the cats sat in attendance.
Zak
Happy
And Oreo, who has had a few altercations with a feral male who comes through the yard now and then.
Late afternoon, early spring. Lovely.
~~Rhonda
This picture of DD checking the mail for her NetFlix movie was taken a few days ago. One of those sunny days we had last week…today is cloudy and cool. But spring is here. Daffodils are blooming, tree buds are swelling, the grass is turning green. A few more sunny days and the yard will be transformed.
I made the cheeseburger soup today. A good choice for a cloudy, cool day. I’ll post a picture later.
Monday
Cheeseburger Soup
Tuesday
Baked Honey-Dijon Salmon
Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Asparagus
Corn
Wednesday
Irish Stew I decided to try some Irish stew for St. Patrick’s Day. The butcher had only ground lamb, but I’m going to use that and see how it turns out.
Irish Soda Bread
Upside-Down Apple Cake
Thursday
Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta
Italian Bread
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Friday
Sticky Chicken Wings I’m going to try this with boneless thighs, cut into smaller pieces, instead of wings.
Celery / Carrot Sticks / Ranch Dressing
White Bean Salad
Saturday
Lunch – Fridge Food
Supper – Pizza
Sunday
Spaghetti and Homemade Sauce
Garlic Bread
Peas
Corn
Green Salad
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday. Laura is hosting a cookbook giveaway this week, so be sure to post your menu for a chance to win!
~~Rhonda
Wednesday was a fine spring day. Temperature in the low to mid 70s, sunny, breezy. Twenty degrees above normal for this time of year, but who’s counting?? It was a beautiful day. On days like that, I look at the sky and wonder…how can it possibly be that blue?
We spent some time outside, of course. DH worked around the yard, cleared a flower bed or two, cut down a tree, planted some lettuce and spinach. I enjoyed the flowers…crocus blossoms and daffodil buds.
There are a lot of promises in the garden.
Daffodil promises…
Dogwood promises…
Star magnolia promises…
Just to mention a few. It reminds me of a larger promise. One I can rely on.
” And this is what He promises us–even eternal life .” 1 John 2:25
~~Rhonda
This time of year, when it’s not quite warm enough to dig in the dirt, but warm enough to know the time is almost here, I love to look to my gardening books for inspiration. Currently I’m browsing these, among others.
I’d like to redo the beds behind the house. They are such a mess. And they are what we see every time we step outside. This picture was taken in June of last year. Things look fine in the photo, but in real life…not so much.
That peony bed in the foreground has to be moved. The peonies are in too much shade. I’m perusing my books and pondering the possibilities.
~~Rhonda
Every spring, when the crocus bloom, I wish I’d purchased more bulbs the fall before. Can’t have too many harbingers of spring, can one?
This week looks like a fairly quite one, as far as the calendar is concerned. I didn’t have to plan the menu around any major events, which is nice for a change.
Monday
Hearty Ham Casserole
Crock Pot Apples
Steamed Asparagus
Tuesday
Chicken and Noodle Soup
Toasted Homemade Bread
Wednesday
Chicken Ceasar Wraps
Thursday
Cheese Tortellini with Walnut Pesto
Italian Bread
Italian Chopped Salad
Friday
Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Corn
Green Salad
Saturday
Fridge Food for Lunch
Pizza for Supper
Sunday
Baked Salmon with Honey and Dijon
Stir Fry Zucchini and Yellow Squash
Corn
Rice
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
DD likes poppy seed muffins, and a friend gave me some fresh poppy seeds the other day, so this afternoon I made a batch of mini muffins, using this recipe at Seasaltwithfood. The zest and juice of a fresh lemon make them extra delicious.
An easy recipe. Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the wet separately, then mix both together. Add the poppy seeds when the other ingredients are mixed.
The batter was thicker than I thought it should be, so I added an extra tablespoon of water to the batter.
I used a small scoop to fill the mini muffin tins.
While they were still warm, I dipped the tops into a mixture of powdered sugar and lemon juice.
So good. We’re having company this weekend, so I am going to put some of the muffins in the freezer (to keep them from drying out) and serve them Sunday morning at breakfast.
~~Rhonda
The daffodils have buds, and the crocus are opening. Spring is official.
What you don’t see is a picture of me smiling, but rest assured…I am!
Visit other gardens and their gardeners at Tootsie Time’s Fertilizer Friday.
~~Rhonda 🙂
DD loves tomato soup, so I tried this recipe for her. Served it with grilled cheese sandwiches made with homemade bread.
I basically followed the recipe, but added some basil and celery seed and changed the amounts a bit. Here’s my version.
Tomato, Bacon, and Bean Soup
1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. dry onion (or 1 onion, diced)
2 c. potatoes, peeled and diced
2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
2 15-oz. cans white beans, undrained
32 oz. chicken broth
1 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. celery seed
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
I like to dice the bacon before cooking so I don’t have to crumble it later. I eye-balled the pound of bacon, cut off 1/4 of it, and diced that.
I like a one pan method, so I started with the stock pot.
Brown the diced bacon (and the onion, if using fresh) in the stock pot until the bacon is crisp. Drain off the grease. I remove the pot from the heat, tip it to pool the grease, scrape the bacon to one side, and use a wad of three or four paper towels to soak up the grease. If I had four arms, I’d have taken a picture for you, but I was cooking alone. So no picture of grease sopping.
Add the minced garlic and stir well. Don’t cook the garlic too long or it will leave a bitter flavor.
While the bacon cooked, I peeled and diced the potatoes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
Salt and pepper to taste. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Next time, I think I’ll add a little less.
The original recipe called for blending a portion of the soup and returning that to the pot. I skipped that step. I like chunky soup. And it’s just one more thing to wash…
Delicious with crunchy toasted homemade bread. DD practically inhaled her bowl of soup. 🙂
~~Rhonda
This weekend we did some eagle watching on the Mississippi River. We saw quite a few eagles, but the gulls were closer.
Here’s the menu for the week.
Monday
Tomato Soup with White Beans and Bacon
Toasted Cheese Sandwiches
Tuesday
Tacos
Wednesday
Hamburgers on homemade buns
Roasted Green Cabbage Wedges
Corn
Red Grapes
Thursday
Rosemary Ranch Chicken
Quick and Easy Home Fries
Friday
Scalloped Pork Chop / Potato Casserole
Corn
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Salad
Saturday
Fridge Food
Sunday / Church Dinner
Potato Sausage Casserole in the Crock Pot
Steamed Green Beans
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.
~~Rhonda
I read a quite a few recipes for cheeseburger soup, looking for one that sounded right to me. I chose one for the crock pot. I followed the recipe somewhat, but in the end, I did my own thing. Is that a surprise?? I made the soup on the stove top in an 8 quart stock pot and didn’t measure everything, so the following is an educated guess.
Cheeseburger Soup
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced (use more if you like) [I used Yukon Gold.]
3/4 c. carrots, sliced
3/4 c. celery, diced
2 T. dry onion flakes (or 3/4 c. chopped onion)
1 tsp. dry basil
1 tsp. dry parsley
2 pounds ground round, browned [I don’t like fattier beef, but use what you prefer.]
32 oz. chicken broth
2 c. cubed American cheese
1-2 c. milk or a combo of milk, half ‘n half, and/or cream
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 T. flour + water [I put the flour in a mug, added water, and stirred with a fork till well blended / no lumps.]
8 oz. sour cream (light sour cream is fine)
To begin, heat about 2″ of water in the stock pot. While the water is heating, prepare the veggies.
Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, basil and parsley to the water and bring back to a boil. Check pot to be sure there is enough water to just cover the veggies. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, till veggies are soft. Do not drain the veggies.
While the veggies cook, brown the ground beef. If needed, drain well to remove grease.
Add the remaining ingredients to the simmering veggies, except the sour cream. Stir well, bring back to a simmer and cook until cheese is melted.
Stir the flour and water together until well blended. Add to the soup, stirring well and cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened.
Remove from heat, add sour cream, stir well and serve.
If you want to, you can first saute the veggies in a skillet, using a tablespoon of butter or oil, then add them to the stock pot after the potatoes are cooked through. I didn’t bother with that step. Takes more time, which I didn’t want to invest.
Soup recipes like this one can be totally revised to your liking. More meat, less meat. More veggies, fewer veggies. Other spices/herbs. More salt. Whatever. Another delicious additive would be 8 oz. of French onion dip instead of the sour cream. Prairie Farms is my preferred brand. You can also add chopped lettuce and tomatoes to the soup, if you like. Depends on what you like on your cheeseburger. 🙂
My recipe made a lot, which is good for us, because it makes plenty of leftovers for a quick supper or a nice lunch. The soup was delicious. DD loved it and we’ll be making it again soon.
~~Rhonda