An Expensive Weekend

My husband and I are currently having a financial withdrawal. Our fridge decided to go on the blink. We have been looking at fridge's for several months with the intent to purchase one either mid-summer or early fall. Our plans have been changed. We went to Lowe's and purchased the Whirlpool Gold, stainless finish, complete with ice maker and water dispenser. Our hopes are that the Goldens do not figure out how to dispense ice, one of their favorite treats.

In part of the remodeling of our house, we have decided that we want tile in the kitchen. We have gone to Dalton, Home Depot, Lowes, and Home Depot Expo. We knew that porcelain tile would be the best, it was down to which one. The tile has to have texture since the Goldens will be walking on it and we don't want them to slip and slide. I liked the rugged edges of several of the tiles we saw, he liked some of the brown tiles. We finally came down to a choice of two, a gray or a brown tile, both the same price. We chose the the brown as it would go with the colors we are putting in the house.

All I can say is **ouch**

Experimenting with the past

Today I tried to make a meal like my grandmother would make. As it was Easter I wanted to give my husband the option of what he wanted for dinner, ham, pasta, or fried chicken. He chose fried chicken and I started trying to remember how my Granny made the best chicken I have ever had. The meal was so-so, not the best, I will just have to try again. The chicken needed more salt and had a puffy crust, I forgot to make the green beans, the biscuits were a bit heavy, the gravy was bland, and the Red Velvet Cake needed less butter (I misread the recipe and added too much butter to the cake).

Menu:
Fried Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Green Beans
Biscuits
Red Velvet Cake

Fried chicken:
Soak chicken in buttermilk overnight.
Batter of flour, salt, pepper, cayene pepper.
Egg dip with buttermilk.

I dipped the chicken in flour, egg, then flour again. Next time I will try just dipping in egg then flour. Fry over medium-high or medium heat. I put chicken on a cooling rack over a biscuit pan in a warm (200F) oven until time to serve.

Biscuits
Recipe came from America's Test Kitchen

Red Velvet Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 large eggs
1 (1-ounce) bottle liquid red food coloring
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add sugar, vanilla, and vinegar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add food coloring, beating until combined.
Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch cakepans.
Bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes; remove from pans, and cool on wire racks.
Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on tops and sides of cake.

Yield: Makes 1 (2-layer) cake

Southern Living, NOVEMBER 2001

Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter until creamy; gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating well. Stir in pecans.
Yield: Makes 3 cups

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521678 http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=258799

Chicken Primavera With Parmesan Pasta

This is a delicious recipe, I made it with homemade French bread. My darling husband was in the yard moving dirt and digging up a crepe myrtle tree. I drove the dogs crazy with fresh homemade yeast bread. There was drool everywhere. I also paired it with a devil's food cake, straight out of the cake mix box. While I was finishing everything, my husband grated fresh parmesan cheese and sliced the chicken. I forgot the onion, the tomatoes, used frozen french cut green beans, used Greek seasoning instead of Italian (didn't have Italian in the cabinet), used dried parsley, added a little extra wine since the sauce was somewhat dry before I finished cooking the chicken. The Kerry Gold Irish Garlic Herb butter is WONDERFUL! Very expensive ($1.99 for 1 stick) but was delicious on the hot bread and can see using it again in the future.



Suggestions - this is not a meal for 2 people. There were plenty of leftovers for us to take to work the next day. Also, the vegetables are not pretty the second day. They are, well, brown.



Chicken Primavera

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

7–8 sprigs fresh Italian parsley (rinsed)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 medium yellow squash (rinsed)

1 medium zucchini (rinsed)

1 cup fresh green beans (rinsed)

3 fresh garlic cloves

1 cup matchstick carrots 1 cup pre-diced onions

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (undrained)



1. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper on plate (may be paper); wash hands. Place 1 tablespoon of the oil in pan; swirl to coat.

2. Add chicken to pan (wash hands); cook 2–3 minutes on each side or until browned. While chicken cooks, chop parsley coarsely.

3. Add parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning, and wine to chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 6–8 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. Use a meat thermometer to accurately ensure doneness.

4. Meanwhile, cut squash and zucchini in half lengthwise; then cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Trim ends of green beans and discard; cut beans into 2-inch-long lengths. Chop garlic coarsely.

5. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, along with garlic, to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients (except tomatoes); cook 5–7 minutes, stirring often, or until vegetables begin to soften.

6. Stir in tomatoes; cook 4–5 more minutes or until vegetables are desired tenderness.

7. Transfer vegetables to serving dish. Slice chicken, arrange over vegetables, and serve with pasta.



CALORIES (per 1/6 recipe) 230kcal; FAT 6g; CHOL 65mg; SODIUM 290mg; CARB 12g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 28g; VIT A 80%; VIT C 45%; CALC 6%; IRON 10%



Parmesan Pasta

Ingredients

12 ounces whole-grain penne pasta

2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon herb garlic butter



1. Fill large saucepan half full of water. Cover and bring to boil on high for pasta.

2. Stir pasta into boiling water. Boil 11–14 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender.

3. Drain pasta; return to saucepan. Stir in cheese and butter until well blended. Serve.



CALORIES (per 1/6 recipe) 210kcal; FAT 2g; CHOL 0mg; SODIUM 60mg; CARB 39g; FIBER 4g; PROTEIN 11g; VIT A 0%; VIT C 0%; CALC 4%; IRON 10%



http://www.publix.com/aprons/meals/AllRecipes/SimpleMeal.do?mealId=2369&mealGroupId=1000

Vespers, Little Boy Kneels at the Foot of the Bed

Vespers
A.A. Milne

Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

God bless Mummy, I know that’s right.
Wasn’t it fun in the bath to-night?
The cold’s so cold and the hot’s so hot.
Oh! God bless Daddy – I quite forgot.

If I open my fingers a little bit more,
I can see Nanny’s dressing –gown on the door.
It’s a beautiful blue, but it hasn’t a hood.
Oh! God bless Nanny and make her good.

Mine has a hood, and I lie in bed,
And pull the hood right over my head,
And I shut my eyes, and curl up small,
And nobody knows that I’m there at all.

Oh! Thank-you God for a lovely day.
And what was the other I had to say?
I said “Bless Daddy,” so what can it be?
Oh! Now I remember it. God bless Me.

Little Boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands little gold head.
Hush! Hush! Whisper who dares!
Christopher Robin is saying his prayers.

Questions to ask to see if you understand a work

1) Is the work basically happy or sad?
The work is basically happy, playful with a little bit of thoughtfulness.

2) Are there any characters? If so, what are they like?
The main character, Christopher Robin, is a small child. He is playful, thoughtful, has a child’s wandering mind. He mentions Mommy, Daddy, and Nanny although they are not speaking. There is an unidentified narrator for 2 stanzas.

3) Is the narration in first (I), second (you), or third (he/she/it) person? What can we tell about the narrator?
The first and last stanza is narrated by an unknown person and directed at the audience, almost like the narrator in a Shakespearian play. The bulk of the poem is 1st person, life as seen by Christopher Robin.

4) When and where does the work seem to take place? Use your imagination if time and place are not clear.
The work was written in the early 1920’s. It takes place in the nursery or Christopher Robin’s bedroom, at the foot of his bed. Could also take place in the parents’ room or the nanny’s room, at the foot of their bed.

5) What picture words does the author use?
Foot of the bed
Little hands
Little gold head
Cold’s so cold
Hot’s so hot
Dressing gown on the door
Beautiful blue
Hasn’t a hood
Mine has a hood
Lie in bed
Shut my eyes
Curl up small
Pull hood over my head
Lovely day

6) What idea or thing is the work about, and what point is the author making about it?
Children are serious about everything in life. Even though their minds ramble they are serious and believe that they are the catalyst who makes things happen.

Vespers is an interesting poem, the start of the Winnie-the-Pooh series. Even though this poem does not introduce the characters of Winnie-the-Pooh, it opened the door for Milne to write the series.

Ever wonder what children think about when they pause mid-speech? This poem is about Christopher Robin, a little boy who is anywhere from 3 years old to 5 years old. The poem follows the train of thought that Christopher Robin has, along the lines of strains of his consciousness. The poem follows his wandering mind from his evening prayer to his bath, back to his prayer, to his playing in bed, then back to his prayer again. The poem shows a little boy’s playfulness, his zest for life, and his desire to make sure that he has everything right in his own little world.

Oral Presentation

In British Lit 2 we have to give an oral presentation. It had to be a piece from the British Empire during the Romantic, Victorian, or Modern English time periods. I wanted to use something from Dickens or Austen but it is difficult to come up with a short piece from their works. The professor said we could do anything except 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down' so I was extremely tempted to use that poem, but I didn't. Several people have given theirs already, tonight is my night to be 'on stage' for the class. The hardest part of the assignment for me was finding the poem to use. I chose A. A. Milne's Vespers, or Little Boy Kneels at the Foot of the Bed.

Snow!! We have SNOW!!

Ok, so many people don't go crazy for snow. Quite possibly they were not born and raised in Georgia where snow comes once a year if we are lucky. Wednesday night (1/16/08) it snowed just enough to be pretty and to let the Goldens romp about. Just enough for a GA girl to ask her husband to come home from work because it was snowing. He came home early, then said he probably could have stayed until his normal time to come home, it wasn't all that bad. He was just jealous because he missed the pretty snow flurry. :)

Saturday (1/19/08) it snowed again. This time it snowed all morning and almost all afternoon. The birds swarmed the birdfeeders, enough so that my husband had to refill the feeders in the snow. Brrrr. The Goldens loved it! They got to play in the snow again and even catch snowballs. Harry caught one and I got a great photo of him in action! The snow lasted well into Monday, very pretty, some of it melting, just enough to satisfy the desire to see snow on the ground.

Oh, I did go to the grocery store, but did not purchase loaf bread or milk. I purchased onions, beef stock, cheese (to make French Onion Soup), eye round roast (to make Holiday Roast with Gravy for our guest on Sunday), and Corning Ware bowls for the French Onion Soup.

Hammer, Saw, Glue, Nail

My darling husband has been working very diligently for the past two weeks on the dining room. Even though our house is a contemporary split-level 1970's style home, we are trying to remodel with a more traditional look. Our styles seem to lean toward Shaker, Craftsman, and Federal. Ok, so I am to blame for the Federal style.

The dining room has been in the works for a while, it currently has sub-flooring. The builders did a terrible job with the house, just ask my husband. The baseboard frame for the wainscoating is level, the subfloor is not. It will be interesting to see the final product! The wainscoating is up the wall to waist high with a wide board frame around it.

Our plans for the room is to paint the wide board frame, baseboard, window trims, and door trims the same color throughout the house. Because we could not decide what color to paint the room, the wainscoating will be the same color as the hallway and, eventually, the living room. The wall above the wainscoating will be a creamy yellow, the exact shade is yet to be determined. We are trying to decide between three different samples. Paint seems to be difficult for us to decide upon one choice and stick to that choice with confidence.

I am excited about the dining room being finished within a month or so. We will work on the floor after the walls are finished. I am not sure if we will paint before or after the flooring goes down. Then my husband is off to the workshop again, this time he will be working on our table. The table legs and apron are currently in a box in the computer room. Hopefully he can also make the china hutch if we don't find one at an antique store first. Then, when everything is finished, we can have a party!