November 9, 2010

Hey Everyone !

It is almost 2:30 p.m. and I've been at it today since my feet hit the floor at
6:30 a.m.  This time change seems to really mess me up.  When I wake up in the mornings, I feel like I've over slept.  I know I don't have a job anymore that I have to be there by a certain time, but if I sleep late or what I think is late, I feel like I'm running behind time the rest of the day.  I have never been the type of person that wakes up, gets dressed and run out the door.  I always had to have time to get myself awake, have my coffee, read the news on the internet or watch it on TV, then I start getting dressed for work. I've never been able to pop out of bed and run out the door, if I do that again, I feel like I'm running behind time!  So, with this time change and it is already starting to get daylight outside, I feel like I've over slept.  It always seems to me, about the time my body gets used to the time change, it is time to change it back again.  I really wish they would leave the time alone! I don't really care which one they choose, just choose one and leave it alone ! Oh well, what I say or think doesn't matter to the ones doing the time changing, so I might as well just hush about it...LOL.

I started my day off by making Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.  I am still trying to get some of my baking done for Thanksgiving and get them in the freezer.  So everyday I'm trying to get something made.  It sure helps doing this ahead of time.  I've always tried to do it this way but as I've said before, I tend to forget what all I have in the freezer.  Most of the goodies I make can be frozen except for things like my Meringue Cream Pies.  If you ever wonder what things can be frozen and what can't, you can go online and look those things up and it will tell you if you can freeze them or not.  Gosh...the internet sure is helpful.  What in the world did we do before the internet came along? 

Tonight is Soup night for us.  We love a good bowl of homemade soup.  I am making a Baked Potato Soup with Biscuits for supper.  I'm not actually using Baked Potatoes for my soup.  I just peel and boil my regular potatoes for the soup when I don't have left over baked potatoes.  Those work out just as well.  We really like all the goodies that go along with baked potatoes, so I always add plenty of those to my soup.  It tastes so much like a good stuffed baked potato.  When I was working in the restaurants, I made Baked Potato Soup a lot and the customers loved it.  One trick I used to use to thicken my Baked Potato Soup, Broccoli and Cheese Soup or Corn Chowder Soup, is to use the Cream Gravy Mixes.  After you have cooked your veggies for your cream soups, just mix the gravy mix with a little water and stir it into the hot soup.  It not only thickens your soup, but makes it really creamy.  I also use the Brown Gravy mix to thicken my Stew also.  After I have cooked my stew meat until tender along with the potatoes, carrots, onions and celery, again I mix the brown gravy mix with a little water and add it to the stew.  Those gravy mixes come in really handy for that sort of thing.  I don't know if it is a "Southern" thing or not, but to me "Beef Stew" is stew meat (roast), potatoes, carrots, onions and celery in a brown base.  If you have a tomato type base and add all of the different veggies, then that is "Soup", not stew !  A lot of people, including my husband call a tomato based soup.."Stew".  Stew has a brown base, soup has a tomato base.  At least that is what we always called it. 

I keep a plastic container in my freezer and when I have any left over veggies and there is not enough of them for another meal, maybe a cup or so, I put them in the plastic container.  I just keep adding veggies or left over roast, pork chops etc., in the container.  Then when I get ready to make Homemade Vegetable Soup, nearly all of my veggies are right there in one container.  All I have to do then is make my base, which is made of canned or fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste , then add fresh carrots and potatoes and onions and any other veggies I want to put in it.  When I was a young girl, I remember my grandmother even adding left over mashed potatoes to her soup.  She said the mashed potatoes helped to thicken the soup.  And it really does !  So, the next time you made homemade vegetable soup, try adding some mashed potatoes to it.  You will love it ! 

Speaking of leftover mashed potatoes, have Yall ever made what I always called "Potato Cakes"? They are delicious and a great way to use those leftover mashed potatoes.  As I've told Yall before, I raised four children and I tried to use my leftovers in any way I could to stretch a meal.  Just take your leftover mashed potatoes, add one beaten egg, a little garlic powder, salt and pepper, chopped onion and about 1 cup of flour.  Stir all of this together well.  Heat oil in your frying pan and drop a large spoon full of the potato mixture in the hot oil.  If your potato cake comes apart, add a little more flour to the mixture to get the consistency you need.  When you fry the cake and it stays together in the hot oil, then you will know you have added the right amount of flour.  Fry the cakes until they are golden brown on both sides.  These are really good and a really good way to use those leftover mashed potatoes.  My kids always liked to eat those with ketchup, like they would their french fries.  Of course, I think my kids would have eaten ketchup on anything !  Next time you have those leftover mashed potatoes, try this and I think you will be surprised at how good they are. 

Before I close this today, I wanted to remind you all again about sharing your holiday recipes.  So far I haven't received any recipes from anyone and I'm really anxious to see what all you have.  It won't be long before Thanksgiving will be here, then we will have Christmas.  So let's get those recipes started! 

Well, guess I had better get back to my Baked Potato Soup and get my biscuits made.  I hope you all have a great day and "Happy Eating" !

Muahhhhhhhh ♥