Cook's Corner had three recipes using tater tots today.  I am not opposed to taking help when I can get it and I actually like crispy tater tots especially when I have a crowd for breakfast.  I must admit breakfast is the meal I dislike cooking because getting it all out hot and at the same time is a problem for me.  Now I fix Nate's a carryout breakfast every work day morning, but I can get really creative with him and he likes the surprises he finds...salmon with scrambled eggs, Bob Evans zesty sausage, and eggs; fritta with many things from the fridge; every day is a surprise. I bought a big supply of Chinese carry-out cartons and they work so well for breakfast.  I bought the ones with no wire handles if they need to go in the microwave (which I do not own.) I got them on Amazon (sigh); I have not been able to use good old Amazon since the hacking but the bank and I , today, came up with a solution so I may be back on in a few days. Anyway, there are fifty sturdy paper cartons for $13. and they work a treat.

Chicken bacon Ranch potato tot casserole

1 tsp. veg. oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend
12 package (1 ounce) Ranch dressing & seasoning mix
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 bag (32 oz) frozen potato tots
1/3 cup chopped bacon
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
 1/4 cup sliced onions for topping

350 preheated
13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray
In a skillet cook the 1/4 cup of green onions until tender.  
In a medium bowl stir onions, soup, sour cream, milk, 1 cup cheese, 2 tablespoons of dressing mix and pepper until mixed well; stir in chicken.
Place half of the frozen potatoes in a single layer on bottom of baking dish. Spoon and spread chicken mixture on top of potatoes; sprinkle 1/4 cup of bacon on top.
In large plastic resealable food-storage bag, add remaining tots with remaining dressing mix; seal and shake bag to coat.  Arrange over casserole.
Bake 40 minutes.  Top casserole with remaining 1 cup cheese and 1/4 cup bacon.
Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are browned.  Top with tomatoes and green onions

A rainy day bake

I haven't been in the mood to bake for weeks.  But today is different.  The kitchen door is wide open while a gentle rain kisses the grateful plants and flowers and all is right at the moment.  Peace does not make me want to bake nor does baking give me peace as many people suggest; I just have to do it when I don't have to do it. So today is the day.  I have a cranberry and salted peanut bread in the oven. I just used whatever struck my fancy from the baking cupboard and I saw homemade orange cranberry sauce left over in the fridge. It bakes for an hour so I can't tell you how it will be.  I know the color will be a little strange because I did not spare the cranberry sauce.

Yesterday I search Netflix to find something to please me and noticed the British House of Cards.  Forget it.  It is awful.  I saw only a few minutes of it and felt sleepy in the middle of the day.  TV will be going to sleep too now that summer is on its way.  Sometimes a new show sparks interest but mostly, as you know, it is reruns galore.

I was hoping Joe and Glenda could come up for a few days to play cards and chat, but she is still in therapy for several more weeks.  I had the menu all planned but there it is...the best-laid plans go amok.

Andy is away car shopping; fresh hell is afoot because I am going to have to get into the fray sooner or later.  Now I've gone and spoiled my day with that thought.

A lot of this and that~

This Sunday finds everyone scattered hither and yon, so Andy and I have had a good, quiet time for the second weekend in a row.  We like it a bit more rowdy, however, so we look forward to people coming home:
 those in Cincinnati, Matt and Stacy from a wedding up north, Beth in New Orleans...

I wanted to get the fish of the week in so I made a big seafood chowder and it went down very well.  I use a wide variety of seafood that I have available, make a good base, and before you know it the soup/chowder is done.  The thing I have been neglecting is the area of baking.  I just feel stubborn about it, so I have neglected that arena for some strange reason.

We finally have the outdoors in good shape thanks to Johnny's loan of a really good guy.  I feed him well, so he likes coming here.  We are ready to put in a pretty large area in asparagus.  We have not been able to grow it, so we are determined after eating the very delicious gift of asparagus from Stacy's mother's husband.

We finally have our accounts in order after the hacking, so our nerves are being given a rest.  We do have a car buying saga coming up and I do wish they would just drive a nice car specific to our specifications right to the door, pick up the check and say goodbye for another few years...but nooooooooo.
We have to draw it out, offer and counter offer, make deals, sign a thousand papers, sit in an office while they pretend to get us the best deal which they know ahead of time, and then hope for the best.

  We sat in the bank a total of nine hours with the banking fraud fiasco and the poor personal banker even took another job at the end of our last session.  As I looked around for the next personal banker they all seemed to find something interesting on the floor under their desks.  One head finally popped up and I said, " you are next."  He blanched.

I finished the new season of House of Cards.  If there is a couple out there like the Underwoods, RUN.  However, it is a great series and I am sorry we have to wait so long to see what Clare does this next season.  She is as bad as he is for sure, but fascinating to watch.

The Ann with and E (Anne of Green Gables) started and I was all set for a long tale, but it was just one season.  Now we have to wait for the next series and who knows how long that will take.  It is very good.  I have watched (and read all of the books) the tapes and series on TV with at least three different Anns.  The first one was very good, the second not too good, but this one is really a good little actress. The entire cast is excellent.
Andy and I used to listen to the tapes of Anne of Green Gables as we drove long distances to do antique shows or on buying trips.  It was a good listen and Andy got hooked as well. 

Enjoy this glorious week.

Eggs and their salads

My sister-in-law, Glenda, always makes deviled eggs as her contribution to a family party. She likes to stick to her tried and true (and delish) recipe.  On the other hand, I cannot leave well enough alone. I am always adding a dash of this or that, so, like my soup dishes, my egg dishes never taste the same way twice. Today, Wednesday, Cook's Corner has a couple of egg salad recipes that you might like to try.   I had not thought of the addition of cream cheese and that's what they have done in one of these simple offerings for egg salad:

1-  8 oz block of soft cream cheese
2 hard-cooked chopped eggs
1/2 cup or more chopped salad olives, including pimento undrained

Mash the cheese, eggs, and olives together.  The juice from the olives will add saltiness to the salad.  The mixture should not be runny.  Refrigerate.  This spread is best made a day before serving.  It will be quite firm and this recipe is easily doubled.

Egg salad

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I would use grainy)
salt and pepper to taste

You can dress it up with pickles, olives, onions or relish, as you please.

These are very basic and simple recipes but then I am feeling simple today (in more ways than one.)

What fresh hell is this?

After spending another three hours at the bank I believe we are once again as secure as we can be.  Someone repeatedly did a number on all our accounts but now they are under fraud watch for a long, long time.  Trust is running low here at Many Branches and we are seeing crooks everywhere we look.  I guess we will get over it but all those hours of fretting and working with the poor banker--he is our current hero, are hours we will never get back.

Yet, I cooked on.  For some reason, I am driven to cook no matter what.  We had the most delicious tacos yesterday.  We usually have a Memorial Day crowd for the day, but this year it was uneventful and relaxing. We look forward to July 4th activities and of course Matt's wedding in September with the day after celebration here.  Back to tacos, they are a messy bit of deliciousness, it's a shame one is covered in it after the feast. No matter the wrap, it spills out.  I think layering in a bowl is much more pleasant in the eating.

Tonight we are throwing steaks on the grill and eating al fresco.  I look forward to a fret-free rest of the week although a car search is in the cards; how I hate looking for and at cars! Just  another several hours of fresh hell as far as I'm concerned.

On a positive note; I am positive that Netflix's Anne of Green Gables is a great thing to watch.  Also, House of Cards is to be on today!  YEA,  this is all good.

Making soup and chasing hackers...

After a morning of chasing hackers at the bank and cleansing computers from hackers' tracks, I came home to a head of cauliflower the size of a big man's head.  What to do, what to do?  I took my aggressions out on it and any other vegetable I could lay my hands on for a big pot of cauliflower (and other vegetable soup.)  It is still rainy and cloudy here and I am wearing a sweater, so it is not summer yet. That makes it soup day at the Lechlers.

 Every bank and card account we have is frozen which is going to make paying bills challenging because we said we would pay by check but the bank said that's not a good idea either...unless you go to a post office to post it.  It seems the crooks vacuum the mail out of the free standing blue deposit containers and make use of the checks or cash that is found along with your information.  Never mind it is a Federal offense. They don't seem to get caught--well, my bank did catch one and he is in great trouble.  Gives me little solace, however.

Weed whacking Saturday

It's Christmas, is it?  Having a man come to whack weeds and get the yard back in order today is a gift.  I like things neat and the weeds with all the rain are running the show at this point.  I like feeding the workers to keep them happy and today it is pepperoni mac and cheese with pepper bacon accents and peach cobbler.  I am counting the minutes until he (they) get here.  I never know how many are coming. (Ahhh, I heard the whine of the weed whacker...thank you, thank you.)

It is cloudy today and not too warm, so outside work should not be too bad.  We still have a table full of plants to get in their places.  We have lost all reason this summer buying flowers and vegetables to grace the land.   It is such a lovely time of year.

Do you watch the Saturday cooking shows on the Food Network?  That's the only time I watch and I also get into public television cooking on Saturdays.  I like Lidia and also Martha for sure.  I like it better when they do the shows alone and only cook and not try to entertain.  The Food Network has become totally silly with competition, and games, and nonsense, but early Saturday mornings it seems to be totally about food and not about the hosts.  I am tired to death of Guy F. who is on nearly all of the time! They have Ina Garten on at an odd time, so I miss her every time she is on.  I like the Pioneer Woman--isn't it strange how these people are built up and then you start seeing their demise as people either become jealous or just plain nasty in the comments they leave.  There is no retribution for their rancor, so they spew their wrath in illogical rhetoric. The same of course with the news.  The comments they leave are debilitating. Why do these celebrities put themselves out there...must be the rewards are greater than what they have to put up with.  They are now 'on' Pioneer Woman but she may be dimpling it all the way to the bank. Good for her!


Mac and cheese ready for the oven. Peach cobbler actually in the oven...

Peach cobbler with the last of last year's peaches.

Ode to okra

This must be a first.  Who on earth besides me is obsessed with pickled okra? I saw a jar in the market and it ticked a box in my memory and I stuck a jar in my cart and off I went on a new adventure.  I tasted a lot of pickled products as a child.  My mother was a great pickler, but she was not southern so it might have been in another home that I first had okra. When I opened the bottle and pulled out a spear I thought I hope I live long enough to buy another bottle of pickled okra because this one is not going to last.  I have put it in everything including Nate's breakfast take away that I fix for him every morning--first, the dogs are outed and fed, then Nate's breakfast is prepared, then coffee is made, then we sit out by the pool and think about the good life.  For the last few mornings Nate has discovered okra in his eggs, on the side, with the bacon...no complaints so far.  I have also, writing about take out, discovered on Amazon that you can buy paper Chinese take out cartons and so today is a new era, no more plastic bags or plastic containers--paper is the key.  I worry about the planet and all that plastic that we are stacking up and which lasts a thousand years. You can buy 50 cardboard Chinese containers for around $13. and save the earth at the same time. (I bought the ones with no wire grips so they can go in the microwave although I don't have one of those, but someone could stick the carton without the wire in to reheat if they wanted to.)

Anderson's is no more:

Andy and I saw an ad this morning that lured us to Anderson's for the last time.  Two weeks and it is over forever. We walked into a stark view of what once was.  No meats, vegetables, or editable products of any kind.  The wine shelves were empty except for $300. bottles of wine for 30% off.  We escaped to the garden center and it was like paradise.  ALL of the plants, and there were many, were fresh and beautiful begging to be taken home.  We got two carts and became busy.  We filled both.  On the way to check out there was a bin of white duvets for twin beds, $6. a piece, perfect for the mother-in-law suite.  We should have explored more, but the car was full so we came home to an afternoon of planting.

Gifts and such

One of my nice Mother's Day present was the largest bottle of Kiehl body moisturizer.  The large size lasts several months, maybe even a year.  It is thick as clotted cream and the color of custard.  It's the best I have ever had.  Beth and Mike kindly gave me a big jug of it and I was thrilled.  The last bottle I bought on sale for $50. from Nordstrom, but they have not had a sale since and besides, I am not happy with Nordstroms. It is a $75. purchase and it is worth it, just hard to part with that much money to smear on one's body. Got to keep the body going, however, so I was so pleased to be blessed with this lotion.

Matt and Stacy got me a lovely yellow lily plant.  I have several long lasting lilies near the conservatory and I hope to plant this and have it come up with the others next season.  These lilies really are long lasting cut flowers and if you clip the center stamens of the lily it saves you from having stains where ever the stamens fall.

The pork dinner went over well last night.  There was enough to send to Matt and Stacy when Beth and Mike went to visit with Madeleine.  That baby is advancing so quickly; she's a winner.

Our flower search continues today.  The purge of blooms this year was amazing and I am sure the stores and nurseries are rolling in money.  Good for them. We have just returned from Dill's with a car load of blossoms.  Sadly not enough red geraniums to fit the bill, so we are using pink ones with purple petunias for the pots on the apartment steps.

I have been reading a lot lately.  My little Kindle is good outside or in and it is small and fits in my purse when I go to the hair salon or the pedicure shop or any place I might have a chance to get a few passages in. If I see a book on Amazon and want to buy it, it is one click and done. It appears a few minutes later on my Kindle and I don't have to worry about shelf space when I have finished.  I have been reading light books by Mariah Stewart.  Her work has kept my interest lately.

We have always been fans of Donato's pizza since David first turned us on to it years ago.  I have to say the last two we have had have been a great disappointment.  The once large pizza is now the size of the old medium, but costing the same as the old large, the crust is wobbly and the pepperoni is scant. The mushrooms are shriveled. We did a first by throwing some of it away. We don't get pizza often, so I am not going to give them another chance.  We are looking for a new place.

Writing about food; I have no idea what will be simmering in my kitchen today. One thing is working in my kitchen right now ... the Smart Clean Bissell robot sweeper.  That was such a good buy at Ollie's and it works so well.  We bought one for Beth for Mother's Day.

Have a great day in the sun.

Settle into summer~

It's the day after a very lovely Mother's Day here at Many Branches.  The sun is shining, the dogs are at the spa (groomer), and it is a quiet and peaceful time to enjoy coffee under the pergola by the pool.  A little tanning would not be amiss. What makes it especially nice is Johnny Contrell has a man who is coming once a week to do some work around here.   Andy does the pool and he and I can mow but the weed whacking and surface blowing and power washing...well you know the routine if you own a home.

Something needs doing ALL the time.

Andy and I are going to Oakland Park Nursery and also to an out of town nursery called Dills.  We are finishing up the containers running up the guest apartment steps  Geraniums are what we usually plant; vivid red ones leaving a lovely trail leading to one entrance to the apartment. The selection, however, as we found out yesterday leaves a lot to be desired.  Customers ravaged the flower sections of the stores and nurseries this year. Columbus is going to be pretty as the blooms strut their stuff this season.

Before we leave I am going to put a rolled pork shoulder roast in the slow cooker with potatoes, carrots, celery, and carrots, and green beans.  I'll use this roast in many ways and it is so delicious at the end of the day.  I look forward to a drink before dinner while smelling the contents of the slow cooker wafting through the house. Life is good.

Playing with my food

Today is just one of those days when one feels like experimenting with food.  It is cool and cloudy outside and Andy is off to his first summer course at OSU.  So I look in the fridge for inspiration and see all of these raw vegetables that beg to be used so I start a southern trinity of bell pepper, celery, and onions in butter and lemon oil on the stove.  I see carrots and so I add a northern carrot touch to the mix and slowly saute them all as I think about the other things I see such as a head of cabbage that I bought as a treat for Beth.  I cut a wedge up in fine little pieces and added that to the pot along with two diced potatoes.  Next, I opened a pouch of dry Ranch dressing mix and added that to the good smelling mixture burbling away on the stove.  I tasted and then thought of a can of Rotel tomatoes/green chilis and in that went. Next, I added several fillets of tilapia because it was, after all going to be a seafood dish and I wanted the taste to develop. Salt and pepper to taste and so I left it to simmer while a plate of small sea scallops waited to dive in.Tasted again and added a cube of chicken bouillon and a bit more water. Now when Andy comes up the driveway in go the scallops and more tilapia and Bob's your uncle lunch is served.