Spice is Nice!

Spices are great ways to add a custom touch to your cooking. If you find that you use certain spice combinations often, why not make your own custom spice blends?

Here is a simple creole/cajun spice mixture that you can make to use in almost anything, from eggs, soups, french fries.. Just use your imagination.

Make extra to use in gift baskets for your friends and family!

Now grab an empty mason jar, or save an empty plastic spice container and get cookin'

Creole Spice Blend

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt  (this can be left out or reduced, if you are watching sodium)

1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste, depends on how much spice you can take!)

Mix everything together in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

 

Be patient with me please I am new at this

Okay, tryng to break this stuff up into different pages, so that those who just want the cooking stuff won't have to deal with the crochet stuff and vicie versey!

Whew! Who knew this would be so much work!

Just a beginner crocheter, or want a refresher?

If you are just starting out with crochet, reading patterns can be like trying to read a foreign language. This page has great links to help you out.

If you are an old hand at this, you can still benefit from some of the stitch combo's and maybe even learn a new one!

Give it a look and see what you think.

http://crochet.about.com/od/learncrochet/u/learncrochet.htm

Crochet pattern of the day..

With fall and winter coming along, why not crochet yourself (or a friend) a nice scarf! This site has wonderful instructions for beginners, and it super easy to make. Pick your favorite color... and start crocheting!
http://crochet.about.com/library/blbegscarf.htm

Post pictures of your masterpiece for me please!

Busy day? No problem, slow cooker recipe

With time at a premium for so many of us, why not use your slow cooker to help out with dinner prep? Here is a wonderful bar-b-que pork recipe, which is filling, cheap and super easy.

1 (2 pound) pork shoulder roast, can be called Boston Butt as well

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer

garlic and onion powder to taste

1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce

Place the pork  in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat, and season with onion and garlic to your taste. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns. What could be easier? Cole slaw or a macaroni salad (or perhaps my corn and black bean relish! hint hint) would ve awesome with this.

If you have a favorite slow cooker recipe, please share it with me!

Found this in an old forum I was on... poetry, who knew?

Midnight Waters

Boat adrift in midnight waters,
Doldrums in the dead of night,
Embryonic clock is ticking,
Tympanic trances, in lieu of sight...

Midnight mind, the ultimate alchemist,
Starts with lead, but longs for gold,
Reach for warmth, cold comfort finding,
Mythical, magical incantations unfold...

Imagination: such tricks are playing,
How can silence sharp so dull the mind?
Phantoms, in thy heart, are haunting,
Bringing sinister thoughts to that once benign...

PANIC! adrenaline soon starts rising,
Palms are sweaty, mouth is dry,
Curse the darkness, this windless waiting,
Panic crescendos in strangled sigh..

Reprieve! Reprise! sweet breath come quickly,
Come again to kiss the sails,
And place my boat again in motion,
Adrift upon the dreamer's swells.....

What's that? That touch, such warmth is spreading,
A poultice upon a fevered brow,
And with a smile, complete compliance,
That dreamer's wind is blowing now!

Boat adrift in midnight waters,
Drifting free in the dead of night,
Embryonic clock is ticking,
Tympanic trances in lieu of sight.

(c) Glynda 1999

The Search is ON!

Everyone has a comfort food. Something they crave when they are low, or want to share when they are happy. For some, it is chocolate. For others, mashed potatos with gravy. I am sure you know what I am talking about.

For me, it is mac and cheese. REAL mac and cheese, baked in an oven. Ooey and gooey in the middle, cheesy and warm, with a crusty top. MeMa used crushed ritz crackers on hers. Some people use crushed potato chips, others use bread crumbs.  They are all awesome!

So... I am searching for recipes for mac and cheese, can you help me?

The Tale of the Ugly Blanket....

I have a project. It's not a huge project, but something I am really focused on.
I am making afghans.
I hope to have 10, maybe more, afghans that will be donated to my local battered women's shelter. So far there are 5 baby afghans, and one adult one finished.

And then there is the ugly blanket.

I have little bits and pieces of yarn left over from other projects. Half skeins of this or that. A few have been donated by wonderful helpful friends and family. But the thing is, they are so random! I found a pattern that I wanted to try, and started off on my journey...

This is a love/hate relationship. I love the wonder of taking a ball of yarn, and seeing something appear. A slow motion magic trick of sorts. I hate not being able to go out and just buy 10 or 12 skeins of perfectly matched, color co-ordinated yarn. So, here I am struggling.

I am about 24 rows into this project now, too far to rip the whole thing apart, but not  too far gone to wonder if maybe I should. Even if I did rip it all apart, I would be left with the same yarn, and the same problem, so.... I will keep moving forward.

                        


I hope whom-ever gets the ugly blanket will be kinder than I have been. The blanket will be warm, and soft. A solid friend on a cold winter night. And it was made with hope, and a respect, of sorts.

The blanket is calling to me, so I will leave for now.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I love my cast iron skillets! Most of them where my MeMa's, and that makes them even more special. Dark, dark black, perfectly seasoned.. wonderful things. I can remember this dessert from when I was a little girl, when my job was to place the rings of the pineapples in the bottom of the skillet, and to carefully place a marachino cherry in the center of each ring.

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can pineapple rings, drained, reserve 1/3 cup of the liquid from fruit
marachino cherries
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup sifted flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Use a 14 inch cast iron skillet, or a regular round cake pan, and melt the butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top of the melted butter, and then arrange the pineapple rings on top of that. Place a cherry in the middle of each ring. (Grab a small child to help if you can, it will make their day).

In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat the eggs until thick and lemon colored, gradually adding the white sugar. Add the reserved fruit juice.  Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt, and add to the liquid ingredients.

Carefully pour the batter over the fruit, then bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.  Let the cake rest for about 5 or 10 minutes, then place your serving plate on top of the pan, and carefully flip the whole thing over, so that the fruit is on top. The butter and brown sugar make a terrific caramel-like topping over the fruit.

( It really doesn't need anything else to make it wonderful, but a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream wouldn't hurt either! )

Bread...

There is something primal about making bread. You can almost imagine some ancient person mixing, kneeding, shaping.....

You get to get your hands in something that looks like, well,a mess, and when you are finished, you have BREAD! It is all very basic, and fundamental, but deeply satisfying at the same time.

Our forefathers and foremothers treasured their little pots of sourdough starter as they wandered  across the land. For some it was their most prized possession. When you stopped, struck camp, made a homestead; it wasn't home, until someone made bread.

So that, boys and girls, is what I am doing tonight.

I hope everyone is safe and cozy, tucked away with their friends and family.

"where there are friends, there is laughter.

 where there is nature, there is beauty.

 where there is faith, there is hope"

A recipe for a great salad or side dish for your next family get-together

     Black Bean and Corn Relish

2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn, cooked (or one can of whole kernal corn, rinsed and drained)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 to 1 cup chopped seeded anaheim chili peppers (opt)
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeno peppers (opt)
1/4 cup vinegar (or 1/4 cup lemon juice)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (can cut back to one tablespoon)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (opt)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
can add one small red onion finely diced, if you like onion, or 2 or 3 chopped green onions or scallons.
1 small ripe tomato, seeded and diced (opt)
Directions
In a large bowl, combine corn, beans and peppers. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl; pour over corn mixture and toss to coat. Chill. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Great as a salad with a mexican dinner, or can be used as a dip for chips

So, this is what a blog looks like!

Hello there, and welcome! This blog will be a journey, (for you and me I am thinking), into my favortie pasttimes. 

(I am a tactile person, yup! one of those touchey-feelie people who like to hug in public! Oh well..    )   
         
With that said, my two favorite pasttime are cooking, and crochet. Both of these things let me get my hands dirty. And that makes me happy.

Currently, I am working on a crochet project to make afghans that will be donated to a local battered women's shelter for Christmas. I hope this goes as well as I had dreamed it would.

As far as cooking goes, my favorte thing lately is bread! In all of its warm, buttery, ooie-gooie forms!
I would love feedback, recipes, crochet patterns, tips, tricks or just a hello!

So for the moment, eat, drink, love, laugh and crochet!