Hotty Totty

Hotty Totty?  oops!  That would be my niece, who is a graduate of Old Miss.  

What I meant to say was ...

Hot Toddy.

We are sharing a case of mini-flu this weekend.  Mitchell has the congestion and cough, while I have the sore throat and achy body.  No one has claimed the high fever, thank goodness, so it's available if anyone wants it.

But, there is a cure - a sure fire Southern cure for this 

particular malody.  

The hot toddy.  Lovingly made with hot tea, lots of lemon (or lime if you must), honey and the best bourbon you are willing to waste on tea.  You will see that I did not pull out the sour mash.  Oh, no, my dears.  Never!

Elizabeth, my long time (notice, not "old") friend and college roommate, will attest that we cured many the coed of  laryngitis during rush with this medicine.

So I am taking it for medicinal purposes only.  Will celebrate Margarita Day (which was yesterday) as soon as I am feeling well enough for cold beverages.

Hope you are faring better this last weekend in the dismal month of February.  Time for a return to the Met on the radio.  Carmen today.  

And, another sip of medicine.

Wednesday Workday

I am not a creative cook like so many of you.  Nor do I cook intuitively like others or you.  I can follow a recipe really well, but have fallen into habits and we pretty much eat the same things all the time.

While on my four-month sabbatical from cooking, I decided to try to do a better job of trying new things.  For years I have cut interesting-sounding recipes out of magazines and piled them on top of my cookbooks, but at least once a year I go thru and throw most of them away. 

 

But, this week I tried something new.

Found a good sounding recipe that started with many mushrooms sauted and then turned into a yummy mushroom sauce, added to gnocci and tuna.  A bit of seasoning and parmesan cheese on the top, then pop into the oven and voila!

Easy to make, smelled good, looked good ...

And, tasted really good, too.  Sent me immediately back to the fourth grade and Girl Scouts.  You know when everyone learned how to make Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Take away the seasonings (basil and red pepper) and crumble some potato chips on top and that is exactly what I made!  It was good, but I don't think that I will make it again - even in this "adult version".

Spring is Coming!

How do I know?

Because that first harbinger of spring appeared last weekend - the Home and Garden Show!

We love the Home and Garden Show, but it always costs us money. 

Three years ago we got our counter tops refinished.

Two years ago we got new floors.

Last year we got new pull-out drawers for the kitchen cabinets.

And, this year we went looking for bathroom renovations.  Many dealers are coming to give us estimates over the next few weeks, so no decision for a while.  

But the Home and Garden Show is about much more than just household upgrades.  It's about neat items that you didn't even know you needed.  Things that Abby's husband would call the products of the "hall of scams".  See for yourself.

Your mother - or perhaps your grandmother - had one of these in the 50's or early 60's.  Probably before the hand held mixer became popular.  It makes wonderful froth out of milk and the lightest, fluffiest scrambled eggs you have ever eaten.  I used Mother's until it wore out and fell apart.  Definitely, not a scam.  And, it came in designer colors, so I got the spring green that I am using as an accent in the kitchen.

 

Mitchell wanted another offset spreader - we only have two already - and the very best one comes from Pampered Chef.  Buying at the H&G Show was much easier than attending a party or ordering on line.  And, Lowe's was giving away basting brushes.  So, two more winners!

 

Had not intended to get anything plant-able, but these day lilies spoke to me.  I got a variety of pinks and whites:  one that is darker than Stargazer, a pure white, a medium pink, a double pink and one more - a total of 20 bulbs.  Will definitely have to re-think some of my planting plans to put these in a big swath.

The jury is still out on this item.  It's a dish that you "shred" garlic, ginger, chocolate, cheese or anything else you need to shred.  We've tried Parmesan and it works fine, altho a bit hard to clean.  Will have to try some of the other things.  The idea is that you keep all the juice.  Rachel Ray would approve, but am not sure if I do yet.

Hall of Scams?  This is the one questionable purchase.  While it clearly cleans jewelry beautifully, and I am sure it will work on windows and mirrors, the reason we bought it is that the salesman guaranteed that it can be used to clean fan blades and will leave a static resistant "coating" that will repel dust from the top of the fan blades.  If it really works ... it will be worth three times what we paid.  This remains to be tested.

The mystery item.  I can't tell you what this is because Mitchell plans to give one to our friend James, who reads this blog on occasion.  They try to out-do each other in sending Christmas presents that have mysterious uses, and this will definitely be in James' stocking in December.  But, it's neat and will be put to good use around here.  We got 20 of them.

  So, how about you?  Been to any good Home and Garden Shows yet?

Wednesday Workdays

Altho it's a lovely, sunny day it's still about 10 degrees too cold for comfortable outdoor work.  The mind is willing, but the body says, "What are you thinking??!!"

So, instead I'm enjoying the amaryllis that finally bloomed yesterday - a day too late for the flower party on Monday!

But how can you not love this baby?  

While red and orange are not high on my list of favorite colors, this rich orangy-red or reddish-orange is just gorgeous.  And, it looks wonderful with both my purple kitchen walls and the pale aqua walls in the rest of the house. 

Otherwise, it's that one-dish time of the year.  This weekend it was beef stew.  Nothing special here:  beef, onions, mushrooms, carrots, peas, tomatoes and a bit of roasted red pepper.  And a touch of red vermouth for extra flavor.  I even baked a loaf of bread.  OK, I pulled a frozen loaf out and baked it, but it was fresh and yummy.

Hope you are having a good week.