What a year it's been

Well, 2020 has been a little on the extreme side this year it seems like. I know I've not posted much, or any this year.  I was sick all of January and part of February, and then in March just in time for my birthday I got the flu. It took me a little over 2 weeks to get over that. It was really rough. I felt better just in time to have to self isolate for the Corona Virus. This is some scary stuff.

So, since I've spent this year basically sick, I don't really have much to tell you all, other than I don't have any more chickens, but I do have 2 ducks. The raccoons took out every last chicken and rooster, and a duck. I managed to get those 2 ducks nice and secure. It took some work, and trust me I was fighting to keep the raccoons from getting those 2 ducks. Oh, we still have the rabbits.

Mishka is pretty much so done growing I think. She's the same size as her mom, so she's a small husky. She is also a talking husky, which means we know when she wants something, and she usually always wants something.

We have Sam's autoimmune disease under control. He's been on the meds for almost a year now. I'm glad he's doing so well though because he and Mishka have seriously bonded. I actually had hoped she and Jasper would bond like that because of Sam and Jasper being littermates, but what can you do?

I'm looking at some new recipes to share here with you all. I've made a couple that we really like, and plan on sharing those with you all over the next few weeks. I need to make my shopping list though, and determine which ones I want to make and share first.

I'm going to close this up for now. I really hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and doing what needs to be done during this pandemic.

Zucchini Lasagna

Hey everyone!!! I know it's been a good week since my last post. Things have gotten rather crazy here. My Neon that I bought brand new in 2004 has been having some issues. It's in the shop. Frank did a bunch of work on it, and took it to the shop for all the work he couldn't do.  Turns out there's something going on, on the other side of the engine plate. Frank tried explaining it, but I just nodded like I got it.
Then this week Bella thought she could pick a Fight with one of the Sibes and win...long story short, she's on antibiotics, eye drops, and pain meds. Thankfully she didn't need stitches, and she has already decided to make up with Sam.

So, let's get into this recipe. I absolutely hate clicking on a link for a recipe and then having to read a bunch of stuff I don't really care about, I just want to get the recipe!!
This is another family favorite, and last week my niece requested it specifically, and I obliged.

Ingredients:
1 lb of ground pork
1/4 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 jar low carb marinara sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups zucchini diced
1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Brown ground pork with chopped onion and garlic. Drain well.
Add pork mixture back into the pan and dump in marinara sauce. Simmer covered for 10 min. Sauce will thicken.
In a small bowl, mix ricotta, egg, and parmesan.
Grease a 9×13  casserole dish.
In a small pan, melt some butter and salute the zucchini for 3-5 minutes, and remove it while still crisp. Put it in a papertowl lined collender and let moisture drain.
Cover bottom of casserole dish with 1/2 of the sauce, then layer the zucchini, followed by spooning the ricotta mix in dollop on top of the zucchini. Use the back of a spoon to spread out. Next layer 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, then add the rest of the sauce, and then end with the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top.
Bake covered for 25 minutes, and then remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.

I tend to top it with extra cheese..you can never have too much cheese in my opinion.

crazy

I missed posting yesterday!!! I've been trying to post daily if I can. However yesterday, every time I started to bake the cookies that I wanted to post, it turned into Mishka, what's in your mouth, give me that, what are you doing, and then the why is it so quiet game. I swear I don't remember having a puppy being this insane!!! Frank tells me it's because Sam and Jasper had each other for entertainment, where she has everyone and everything.

Here in a few moments, I'm going to start working on those cookies seeing as she is taking her nap. The dough does require some chilling time, but that's nothing that I can't handle.

Until later, have a fantastic day!!!!

Monday blues

Good Morning! I'm sitting here with my coffee and waiting for the weather to come back on. From the looks of those skies outside, we're about to get some rain. It's Monday, and that means there is lots and lots to do today. I'm hoping to steal some time to get upstairs into my sewing room. I hope to be able to get at least 2 of the smaller quilts sitting on my sewing table bound.

Since we get up so early through the week, Mishka, Jasper, and Bella are all having their morning naps. Sam is outside, which is one of the reasons I watch the weather so closely when it looks like that. He likes it outside this time of the year, however, he gets ear infections easily so I can't let him stay out in the rain. That crazy dog will actually lay there in the rain and not ask to come in.

Depending on how today goes, I have another recipe that should hopefully use up the last of the pumpkin I have sitting in the fridge. I'm going to triple the recipe though so that I can send the extra cookies to work with Frank so that they aren't here in the house tempting us too awfully bad.  I'll be sharing the recipe with you all if they turn out to be tasty.

Also, when I share recipes and patterns and such, I would love it if you all shared these posts with your friends. I'd love to see this blog grab a little more traction so that I can get a feel for what everyone likes and doesn't like. I really enjoy writing this blog, but I want to make sure my audience enjoys what I write as well. It's always hard to tell based on the number of views that I get. (and the fact that I have no actual followers listed) I'm not complaining at all, because I know it is hit or miss when it comes to this sort of thing with the number of people that write blogs. I'm not trying to get famous or anything like that either. I just enjoy what I do, and hope you all enjoy it as well...that's all.

Chicken Cordon Bleau Casserole

This has become a Sunday favorite at my in-laws house for the weekly family gathering. A lot of it has to do with the fact that it's low carb, and diabetic friendly. (We have 3 Type 1 diabetics in the family)

Ing:
6 cups of shredded chicken (about 2 pounds)
6 oz ham cut into bite sized pieces
4 oz butter softened or melted
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine
1-2 oz lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
5 oz Swiss cheese

Inst:
Preheat oven to 350. Put chicken in bottom of pan and layer ham on top.

In a blender or a large bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese, white wine, mustard, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until a thick sauce forms. Spread over the chicken and ham in the baking dish.

Lay the slices of cheese on top of the sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Broil for 2 min to make cheese bubbly.

Finishing up

I have an entire stack of quilts in various stages in my sewing room that need to be finished. The saddest stack, that has been sitting there the longest is the stack that just needs binding. I love the quilting process, every thing about it, but the binding. So I went upstairs this morning since the hubby is off today and could hang out with the dogs. I decided it's time to finish up that stack and get some quilts finished. I made and sewed binding on the biggest in the stack.

This quilt was a mystery quilt that I participated in at the Sew and Vac here in town. I can't remember exactly when we did this one, but I do know I want to make it again in different colors. To be honest, this one is just a bit..much...I don't know exactly what I was thinking when I selected these fabrics other than I wanted to get them used up, and that they sort of went together.

I will be using this on my bed this winter, because there is nothing better or warmer than a quilt in the winter.

Iced Pumpkin Spice Sugar cookies

That's right, Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies, with icing. I know I know, it's not fall yet. We still have a few weeks to go. However, somebody has to get the recipes tested, tasted, and posted so that you all have access to the wonderful tastes and smells of fall, and I'm more than willing to put myself out there for you, the readers, the bakers, and the lovers of everything fall and pumpkin spice!!!

These cookies were actually really easy. I will admit, I have a whole lot of canned pumpkin left because this only uses a half a cup, so I need to either find another recipe or make more of these delicious delights. I'm going to look around and see what I want to do.

Ing
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
heavy cream
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions
Heat oven to 350, and then line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, baking mats or spray with cooking spray

In a mixing bowl, add the softened butter, oil, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Use a handheld blender and mix until softened.

Next add the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Blend together on low speed, just until combined.

Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball, and place 12 balls onto a cookie sheet. Then dip the bottom of a glass cup into granulated sugar and press down on each ball to flatten.

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the icing combine the powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice together in a big glass bowl. With a fork, to mix, slowly pour the cream in and mix thoroughly until the icing reaches the consistency you want.

Spread icing onto the cookies, and allow to sit. The icing will harden.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Also, make sure to use pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.