Spooky Little Spooks...

Well, Halloween has once again arrived, and what fun it is to find a costume and then try and pull it off.  Pickles went through the Costume Express catalog page by page, and finally decided on one.  Only when we went to order it, she changed her mind.  So, I ended up with a pirate and a pirate ballerina.  It was fitting for both children.

Pickles, the pirate ballerina and Lilah, the tea party princess, at our church party.

Pickles and the Little Man building a creation out of marshmallows and toothpicks...I think it was supposed to be a haunted house.

Andy now he tries to help her...so far so good!

Lilah and the witch at a friends birthday party!

The Little Pirate was more interested in playing tractors than me taking his picture...I didn't even get a good one :(

My friend Kelly and her next husband... This one won't talk back!

My friend Carla's Mom, Glenda...I love her hippy garb!

And just to be in the spirit of playing dress-up, I went as the pirates Mom to our church party.  I don't take the best self portraits, but this was fun!  Especially since I have always been blonde!

I think I'll stick with blonde...

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Chicken and Dumplings

A delicious bowl of warmth for a cold, rainy night.

Few things say warmth and comfort like a bowl of chicken and dumplings.  This is definitely comfort food at its finest.  Today, I needed all the warmth I could find.  When I took the children to school, it was rather warm outside.  By mid-morning, it was freezing.  I am the crazy that wore flip flops with my jacket and my toes are still frozen Popsicles!

My family likes chicken and dumplings with a noodle type of dumpling. I am thinking this is a very Southern thing.  Growing up, my Mom made a biscuit type dumpling, and they were delicious, but just not the same as the rolled dumplings.  I can remember my Mom using canned biscuits as a quick and easy meal, but I promise you, it is worth the effort to make your own.

Take a whole roasted chicken and de-bone.

Here is the meat... You can chop it finer if you like.

Return the chicken bones to the pot and add water, celery and onion and continue boiling.  I boiled mine about 1 hour.  Then strain and return stock to the pot.

Add chicken and chopped carrots to the stock and simmer until carrots are tender.

Now for the dumplings...Mix together flour and salt.

Make a well in the center and add egg and olive oil, and if you like, poultry seasoning.

I use my hands, but knead until the dough forms a ball, and all flour is incorporated.

Lightly flour dough ball and roll out.

Roll until it is about 1/16 of an inch.

Cut dough into strips.  They don't have to be perfect, because it won't really matter anyway...I like to use a pizza cutter for this.

Drop dumplings into boiling stock.  I do this individually so they don't accidentally stick together.

Continue simmering until the broth thickens up a bit.  This is about halfway finished.

When it has thickened, add a little cream for good measure.  Stir and you are ready to serve.

This was a delicious dinner that everyone in my family enjoyed.  I hope that you will try it and let me know what you think.  If you have never had rolled dumplings, step out a little and you might be surprised.

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Chicken and Dumplings

1 whole roasted chicken (a rotisserie chicken from the deli would be great if you are short on time)
3 stalks of celery
1 onion
4 whole carrots, chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup half and half cream
1 recipe for dumplings, see below

Remove chicken meat from the bones, and place the bones in a large pot.  Add celery and onion and cover with water.  Simmer about 1 hour.  Strain all bones and solids from stock, and return stock to the pot. Add chicken and carrots to the stock and simmer until carrots are tender.  About 15 minutes. Meanwhile make your dumplings.

Drop dumplings into the simmering stock one at a time. Continue adding until all are swimming the the stock.  Simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until stock starts to thicken.  Remove from heat, and stir in cream.  You are now ready to enjoy a delicious, warm meal!

Dumplings

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons cold water
additional flour for dusting

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and poultry seasoning. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg and oil.  Combine with a fork until crumbly.  Sprinkle water over the mixture and knead with your hands until it forms a ball.

Place ball on a lightly floured surface and roll to 1/16 of a inch thickness.  Cut with a pizza cutter into 1 inch by 3 inch strips.  You are now ready to add them to your stock.

Back to Basics...Roasted Chicken

Today I was met with a conundrum.  I had a whole chicken that I needed to cook, and really didn't want to stick it in the freezer.  So, I tried to plan ahead and roasted the whole chicken.   This will be used as my base for Chicken and Dumplings tomorrow night. As many know, roasted chicken can be used for many things.  I love to use it for chicken salad, or chicken soup.  Maybe a big ole pot of chicken spaghetti.  The possibilities are endless.  I guess you could even serve it plain.

I think about roasted chicken, and it is dry and lifeless.  You know, the  kind your grandma fed you because she was on some weird diet plan. OK, maybe not your Grandma, but definitely mine.

To me, I think of roasted chicken as a juicy alternative.  When cooked properly, it is moist and delicious and definitely tasty.

Place your whole bird in a big pot or roasting pan.

Drizzle olive oil over chicken.

Season with Salt, Pepper and I like Poultry Seasoning and stuff and onion in the cavity and a few stalks of celery on the sides.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. Mine baked about 1 1/2 hours.

Once your chicken has finished baking it is very important to let it rest for about 15 minutes.  This is just a basic recipe.  You can add spices and seasoning to this to suit your tastes.  I like to add fresh herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, but today I left this plain.

I hope this helps you in your cooking quest.  I have brined chicken many times, and it adds flavor and moisture.  If you have time, try it.  What do you have to lose?  You might just end up with an awesome meal!

Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken 4 to 5 pounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 stalk of celery
salt and pepper
poultry seasoning

Place chicken in a heavy pot.  Place the whole onion in the cavity of the chicken and place the celery around the perimeter.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes per pound.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Laundry, Laundry and More Laundry...

My sweet Little Man, or maybe I should say busy Little Bee has had some major GI issues.  Every night at 1:30, he wakes up vomiting.  I initially thought it was a stomach bug, but it seems that he has an overly sensitive gag reflex and keeps gagging on his runny nose.  So, each and every morning, I have been awaken only to change clothes, sheets, blankets and pillows.

So, yesterday we paid our pediatrician our biweekly visit. He mostly ruled out a virus, but thinks it might be re-flux and a parasite.  Just what I wanted to hear.  Hopefully we can find the bottom of this issue, for the Little Man's sake.

As you can imagine, we have had an overabundance of laundry!  My washer and dryer run more than the average, but now they are on overtime.  I am finally caught up, and am so thankful.  So, today I will share with you my recipe for liquid laundry detergent.

I have been making this for about a year.  I find that our clothes are surprisingly clean and that my skin allergy is not affected by the ingredients.  I might not remove stains as well as Tide, but it does get our clothes clean.  I do use a pretreater if needed and maybe a little OxiClean if they are really soiled.

So, here is all you need to make your own laundry detergent.

1 bar Fels Napath laundry soap (I found mine at Walmart.  If you can't find it, ask and they will order it.)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax

Grate the soap on a grater. Place grated soap in a large saucepan and fill with water.  Cook over medium heat until the soap is dissolved.  Stir in soda and Borax and continue stirring until it is completely dissolved.  Pour mixture into a 5 gallon bucket and fill with water.  Give it a good stir to make sure it is mixed well and allow to set overnight.  It will jell like Jello Jigglers!  Stir well.  I use mine straight in this form. You can mix it half again with water and use it diluted.  I figure we are dirty and need all the help we can get!  I refill an old Tide bottle and use one cap full.

That is all there is to it.  I think it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and costs about $3.00 for 5 gallons of detergent.  Since this has very low suds, it is safe for an HE machine, just use less.

This is the soap you are looking for...

I use a box grater, and it is not too hard...

Add your cheese...er soap to a big ole pot of water.

Cook it until the soap dissolves...about 5 minutes, but don't boil. Stir in your soda and Borax.

Pour into a 5 gallon bucket and fill with water.  I think I made bubbles...

That is it. Super simple, and really inexpensive.  I hope you try this and let me know what you think.

In the mean time, say a prayer that my little man can shake this little bug...

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Sushi...I'ts really not hard

A few years ago, I mustered up enough courage and tried sushi.  My first time, I ate only the cooked stuff, and then I tried the raw stuff and I love it!  Prior to this experience, I wouldn't even consider eating sushi.  It was some type of gross, slimy, raw fish wrapped in rice.  A co-worker was the one that introduced me, and Karen Broadway, I am so glad you did!

Truth be told, sushi means "sticky rice." That's it, not raw fish.  Most of the sushi you find in a restaurant is cooked.  So, if you are bashful, go ahead and try something that is cooked, and I promise, you will love it!

Pickles and I love sushi.  If we go out, that is what she always chooses to eat.  We have our favorite sushi restaurant, and even one that has take-out.  She has become such a lover of sushi that we will buy it in the grocery store if they have it.

I have embraced her love of sushi because for the most part, it is fairly healthy. How else will I get her to eat fish?  She like the California roll, which is just rice, crab, avocado and cucumber rolled up in nori (seaweed). Usually in a restaurant, they garnish the roll with smelt roe, or fish eggs.  I finally told Pickles what was on her roll, and only after she told me that she loved it did I reveal the identity of the little orange seeds.

My only problem with sushi is the price.  For me to take Pickles out to lunch, it is always expensive.  To buy sushi in the grocery store is cheaper, but still rather expensive.

I share this with you because I tried to make sushi this week, and it was a hit!  We only made California rolls, because finding sashami grade fish is not easy.  Maybe on my next treck to Memphis, I will pick up some raw fish...

My first try at a roll... not too bad if I say so myself!

Pickles is ready to try her roll... you must dunk in soy sauce first.

She was all about this!  No bribing required.

And we have a winner!  

I wanted to share a recipe for the rice and the roll, but need to work on the rice a little.  Hopefully in the next few days I will share a step by step recipe. This was a fun change of pace for our household!

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

A Book Signing Adventure...Meet Paula Deen

Today, I embraced my spontaneity and randomness and I am so glad I did.  I took the children to school this morning and came home to start my day.  I was checking Facebook, and saw a blurb about Paula Deen and her book signing tour. I don't know why, but I clicked on the link.  To my surprise, the first stop today was at Square Books in Oxford.

For those of you who don't know, Oxford is about 40 minutes from my house, and the home of Ole Miss.  I quickly called one of my friends, and I knew she would be game for a fun little adventure.  She picked me up around 10:00, and off we went.  I thought ahead and called the bookstore.  I reserved my two books and went ahead and paid for them over the phone. We got to the bookstore, and literally we were in and out in less than five minutes.

The book signing was down the street at Off Square, a few doors down.  We arrived, and just knew they had already started signing books. We were of course fashionably late... we were in Oxford after all! Little did we know, she wasn't even there yet!  So what did Kelly and I do?  Well, you guessed right if you said shop.  We went to a department store on the corner and perused the goods. Let's just say I used my unbelievably strong willpower and walked out with only ideas.

We then went back over to see how Mrs. Deen was getting along with the books.  Let's just say it was cold, and we were standing outside, but it was fun anyway.  I think she finally signed the first book about 11:45.  Oh, well, we watched some of the funniest people walking out after meeting her.  One older lady kept saying, "Don't touch my hand!"  Another had rehearsed her "Hey Ya'll" and had it almost exactly like Paula.

Kelly and I have our books and we are ready to get them signed!

A small glimpse of the crowd.  People were all the way down the block!

Waiting in line...I think I see a glimpse of her gray hair up there somewhere...

Oh wait, I see Michael!

Aren't they adorable!!! She said they look like Mr. and Mrs. Clause.  I just wonder if she could feel her feet after it was over!

I know they had to be tired of taking to people, but they were very engaging and sweet!

Since no personal photos were allowed, this is my best shot!  

This was so much fun, and even more so because it was spur of the moment and totally random.  I am sure I will love her book, and the recipes it contains.  I went and watched Paula Deen at the Mid-South Fair a few years back, and had a cookbook signed then as well.  I am not sure why, but today was so much better!

If you have the chance, a book signing is a lot of fun. I am so thankful I clicked on the Facebook link and went ahead and dropped everything and went!

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Boston Butt...Como Style

Living in the South, and especially Mississippi, means that barbecue is pork.  Where I am from, we ate beef barbecue. Now, I find my self torn between the two, as both are delicious.  Let's just say this was a major learning curve I had to overcome to make my husband his most favorite of meals.

Pork barbecue is usually made from the shoulder, and unless you are cooking for an entire army, you might want to use a shoulder roast called a Boston Butt.  Not too sure why it is called this, but it can also be called a blade roast, shoulder roast, or simply a pork roast.  Whatever you call it, it is delicious when smoked over a slow fire and shredded for a sandwich.

Season your roast.  I use a commercially prepared spice mix from our favorite barbecue shop.

Create "indirect" heat by placing the coals around a drip pan that will be filled with liquid.

Fill the drip pan with apple juice and your favorite herbs...I used rosemary and oregano.

Place the roast fat side down directly over the dip pan. Allow to cook for about 4 to 6 hours depending on size.  You may need to add more coals if your fire dies down.

Our finished barbecue.  When the bone will pull out, the roast is done! The crunchy bark is my favorite part!

Shred your meat, and if desired, chop with a knife. It is ready to serve...

I prefer to eat my barbecue without a bun, with a little sauce on the side.  Around Memphis, slaw is a topping for your sandwich, not a side dish.  I must say I like slaw, but prefer it on the side.

That is all there is to making a barbecued shoulder.  I am sure there are purist who say I didn't get enough smoke by not adding soaked wood chips.  Go for it if you want.  I promise, if I can do this, so can you!

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

Garden Club Presentation

Today, I had the privilege to play with food for a local garden club.  You see, here in Mississippi, Garden Club is a must for a Southern Belle.  I am in one club, and another club asked me to present their program this month.  It was so much fun to share my thoughts on Decorating your Plate.

Today, we had not only a fabulous hostess but a fun and engaging group.  I am always surprised at the things I think everyone knows, and then someone speaks up and says, "I didn't know that..."  We had one of those moments today, too.

Our delightful hostess, Debby and I with the salad we created.

Debby's beautiful tablescape.   It was so impressive in person.

I presented this same program to my garden club a few years ago, and the response was the same. Everyone loved it, and I didn't put anyone to sleep!  It is encouraging to know that I must be on track somewhere!

I will share many of the same ideas with you later, I must first take pictures of everything to demonstrate. 

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah