GF Pumpkin Loaf!

I haven't been inspired to write a new blog post in forever. Today, however, I threw ingredients together in a bowl and made magic.

GF Pumpkin Loaf

Now it is probably not 100% unique to my mind somewhere down the line but here it is.

In a bowl mix one bag of Almond Flour/meal (I used a 452g bag of Bob's Red Mill).

Add:
1 tsp of sea salt
2 tsp of baking powder
1tsp baking soda
3tbsp of cinnamon
1tsp cloves, cardamom, all spice, ginger...and I grated half of a nutmeg (yum!)

To this mix in:

7 eggs
1/2 cup of honey (more of less as to what you like)...I would prefer more!
a splash of vanilla and almond extract

FINALLY
One can of pure pumpkin (or roasted equivalent, I had no fresh on hand :( )

Mix till just combined and pour in greased loaf pans. I used 3 small/medium sizes or even muffin!

Bake at 350 for one hour until toothpick clean!!

She's got a lovely bunch of coco.......................

My dad's weakness? Coconut Cream Pie. I can't be bothered buying those powdered box mixes for "from scratch" pies so this is not the next best thing...it IS the best thing!

From "REAL" scratch pie.

First off have a baked pie shell all brown and cooled ready.

In a pot dump in one full can (398ml) of coconut milk, and a half a cup of whipping cream, 2 beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar (or sweetener of choice), and 1/4 tsp of salt. Add 1/3 cup of corn starch.

On med/low heat stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Cook slowly until it is thickened. About 15 mins.

Remove from heat and stir in one cup of shredded coconut.

Pour in cooled pie crust and refrigerate for about 4 hours until firm.

Top with real whipped cream and toasted coconut before serving.

SEE!! No more work then a box mix and I bet it tastes a million times better!!

Layered Chicken (turkey) Dinner O'Casserole

A very hearty and tasty way to use up chicken or turkey leftovers. 

In dutch oven warm up some oil, add in finely diced celery and onions. Add in meat. I used 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Cook while stirring until chicken is fully cooked or if using leftovers, until the veggies are soft. 

Add in some salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and summer savory and a tiny bit of nutmeg. Add about 1/3 cup of white wine. Boil down.
Add 2/3 cup of flour and stir well.

Add 3-4 cups of chicken stock and about 1/3 cup of cream.

Stir until thickened...should make a great gravy...if not thick enough add a slurry of cornstarch and water and cook.
Turn off stove and turn on oven to 350.
Add in some veggies. I used frozen green beans and carrots and stir well. 
Next a layer of sweet potatoes. I boiled and mashed with the skins on with a splash of maple syrup.

Then a layer of cranberry sauce.

On the top spread a layer of stuffing. I made a quick batch of potato and savory stuffing. 

Bake uncovered for approx 45mins....or until the stuffing is golden brown and the gravy bubbles through.

The Legend of Diddly Squat

did·dly·squat (dĭd'lē-skwŏt')
n. Slang
A small or worthless amount.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/diddly-squat#ixzz2EUOvDOEG

Most families have a legend or great, amazing story to tell every Christmas to their loved ones...something grand enough to be told throughout the ages through generations. I thought I didn't have anything spectacular until I remembered THAT Christmas. THAT Christmas back in the mid-to early-eighties. Cop a squat and picture it...Pictou Co...snow falling in sparkly sheets, the usual plastic candles bedecking front doors shining with multi-colored strings of jewels (way before the days of mono-tone leds)

I was a precious, precocious, beautiful child....trust me. hehe j/k

I am a professional snooper. If there was a gift...I snooped. It is an obsession of sorts. I'd like to chalk it up to not liking being surprised and in case I didn't like the gift I would be prepared to have the proper expression of glee as to not hurt anyone's feelings. Between you and I though, I'm nosy.

Before I became professional and all ninja like so no one ever noticed I made a slit here in the paper...or pulled out a folded corner, peeked, and shoved it back in...I got caught. Christmas Eve.

My mother and father in a rage gathered up all of my sloppy snooped presents and piled them into the trunk of our car. With me pleading and sobbing, I was told that "People who snoop get diddly squat". I didn't know what that meant at the time but I knew it surely sucked worse then the coveted My Little Ponies and such that were destined to be mine.

My brand new Barbies...all gone. To be donated to another girl who would appreciate them more then me...a simple snooper.

I sobbed as I got ready for Midnight Mass, how could I be so stupid? What am I going to do with diddly squat? Can I find Santa in time to try to cut a deal it being Christmas Eve an all. At church, I sobbed when old ladies asked me what Santa was going to bring me "Diddly Squat". I became the perfect little Catholic on my knees praying to Baby Jesus to try to catch Santa in the air on the way by Heaven to let him know "THE SNOOPER REPENTS...THE SNOOPER REPENTS! Please no DIDDLY SQUAT!!"

I went to bed that night making deals with anyone who would listen...alive/dead/or otherwise.....

Have I mentioned I can be a little dramatic?

Anyhoooo

Santa and Baby Jesus must have taken pity on me or I did enough Hail Mary's...I dunno...but when I awoke on Christmas morning there sat all the gifts my parents took in the trunk of the car and donated to some other girl. Perfectly wrapped. My presents. No diddly squat. 

It was a wonderful materialistic Christmas Miracle.

The moral of the story kids? SLOPPY SNOOPERS GET DIDDLY SQUAT. Be like a ninja!!

Merry Christmas

Love

SHANTA! :)

School Registration- a step closer to having a life.

"You are going to cry so hard on the first day of school"................YAAA RIGHTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!


People are horrified that I say I wont cry when my kids go to big school in September. Why? Because most often mothers are weeping at the school bus stop, defeated their babies are growing up so fast...it must mean I don't love my kids as much as you all do... that's it!


Actually, it's quite opposite.


When you are the mother of more then one at a time, YES, you can't imagine having a little alone time...you bask in the thought of cleaning your house and it staying clean for over an hour..you can't imagine eating a plate of food without little bird mouths open waiting for you to share (no, not a'la Alicia Silverstone....blick!) etc etc


When you are the mother of premature children things go a step further. You have shed your tears beside an isolet, you DREAM this day might come...you cheer each milestone on and pray for the next because that means you survived and more importantly, THEY survived. 


There was days I walked into that NICU and had to come to terms that one, if not all three kids might not make it through the day. I've had to make life and death decisions for them, when I was barely mature enough to make them for myself. There was days (more so nights) I couldn't even picture them outside of the hospital let alone being old enough to go to grade primary!


Add on the fact that being so premature I had to accept the possibility they had a huge risk of having developmental delays, I think it is pretty exciting to know they are on par with their age group.


So excuse me if I don't understand why it is a time to grieve...I've done my grieving in 2007...I'm excited and so proud we all made it this far.......






well............ok.......I'm pumped for my freedom too...so sue me. :P

Ham O'Casserole

There are some meals you make for supper and you are so scared to make too much because the worst thing in the world is a limit on what to do with your leftovers.
HAM!

When you cook a ham there are a few things you can do with the leftovers...eat it cold, omelets, sandwiches, soup....but really these can get boring. At least for me.

Prepare yourselves. I am now going to introduce you to the best casserole you have ever tasted. Be warned....it is NOT low fat. It is a true 'stick to your ribs' kinda meal....and very filling....Mmmmmmm!!

Ham O'Casserole.

I tasted this about 10+ years ago..wrote the recipe down and made it so much the paper is see-through and you can't read it anymore, so with a little imagination this (not original to me) recipe has transformed into a frequent meal it is today.

For starters the crust is mashed potato...how can you go wrong? Secondly it's base sauce is one of the most basic sauces you can use for everything and any cook worth their sea salt should know how to make a Morney sauce.

Shall we begin?

Boil and mash about 2.5lbs of potato...I don't weigh, I usually figure out when I am bored with peeling I've hit the magic number. Maybe about 9 medium sized suckas. THIS is a perfect time to use your leftover potatoes.

Once mashed mix in 2 eggs and about a 1/4 cup of green onions or chives. The more the better in my chubby opinion.

Once you finish this pour into a 13X9 pan. Added Shan trivia? I don't know sizes of pans, I can't judge inches so use a lasagna pan or whatever you can find or clean. Press tatoe stuff on the bottom and up the sides of pan to make a crust and dot the edges with butter. Sprinkle all over with paprika because it makes you feel important....if you don't have any who cares.

More Shan Trivia? I am scared of margarine...we use BUTTA in this house!!


Rinse out your potato pot and chuck that baby back on the stove. In it melt 1/4 cup of butter.

To this add 1/4 cup of flour and stir. It will look scary and you will think it will burn and think I have steered you down a path of disgustingness....but hold on.

Once this is blended and bubbling and 2 cups of milk all at once. Stir till it boils....this will magically turn thick and smooth. <this my friends is a base of morney sauce.


Remove from heat and add about 2 cups of shredded cheese...and it doesn't matter what kind. I have tried them all over the years and it is amazing. Swiss and marble is my favorite. Add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and mix till melted.


Shan Trivia? I don't use a lot of salt...but this dish NEED salt...believe me.


Now mix in 1 and a half to 2 cups of mixed veggies. I use whatever is in reach. Today was steamed broccoli, next time it may be mixed frozen veggies...whatever turns your crank. Add in 2 cups of cubed cooked ham and mix all together.



Dump this into your crust...save some of the stuff stuck to the pot and eat it in a dark corner like you are guilty of murder....ok maybe that's just what I do. Don't judge.


Slap this puppy in a 350-375 degree oven for about 35-40 mins....or more...as soon as it looks firm and brown on the top you are golden. Let it rest and eat like a hog.

Added side note: I have burnt my tongue on this EVERY single time I have made this...every time. Please do as I say not as I do.

*please excuse the poor pictures...if I used an orange colored cheese the pics might have been a bit more clear...but I was too worried about eating rather then this blog :P

** and NO I don't THINK I am a blogger like Pioneer Woman...I Wish I was ;)

Remembering Papa Noble Harry...

They say "Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way." I really don't know who says that but I remember an old ashtray saying that at my grandparents house.

It has been 10 years to the day my grandfather passed away, and I even feel weird typing that for two reasons.

ONE: it is strange to think it has been that long especially seeing signs (memories) of him in everything.
TWO: because by saying MY grandfather seems so strange as well, because I share him with many of his grandchildren and he was so loved we had many arguments over who's Papa he was. So by saying he was only mine seems funny.

The thing with age comes the missing of many memories. If I knew I would forget simple things about my childhood I would have grasped on them more tightly as to never forget. I know I should have a trillion memories of simple times with Papa, but as I age they fade a bit. Mind you, I still have a good million of him to make me smile....it is the simple things I miss.

For example his laugh. He loved to laugh and make others. I remember the smell of his truck...a mixture of bait, cigarettes (before he quit), salt air, hard work and exhaust as only older trucks that were made to last had.

He hated Richard Simmonds...but loooooved his gossip rags the crazier the better! (enquirer lol)

I remember how all the girl grandchildren would fight...and I mean knock out-drag out fight over being Papa's girl. Especially the cousins closest in age...it would be war within 5 minutes of reuniting as I lived 5 hours away.

I remember his 'Donald Duck quacks", his stash of marshmallow bananas and strawberries hidden away from everyone but him and Papa's girls...his stash of pudding cups in his 'fishing cupboard' we would try to sneak. I remember even if a full plate of supper sat at the table I could always count on his support or sneakiness to take me to the table that held the containers of cookies and cakes Grammie made...pass me a handful and say "Now get, and don't tell anyone ya motha OR grandmotha".

He was a hard worker and always made hay when the sun shone. Always either fishing or doing something to prepare for fishing...going to the lake...doing something in the barn...or pretending to nap with his hat over his face.

I have one strong memory of him I love. I can still see him sitting in the old dining room, with his little radio on, in one hand with it pressed to his ear...head cocked...listening to the marine forecast with that scratchy voice, "...winds diminishing, chance of showers...". I would sit by his feet, cock my head and act like I knew what that man was talking about and wait for Papa to decide if there would be fishing the next day. Some days I turn the TV to that channel to hear that mans voice and remember.

Then there are smells. Yankee Candle Co. makes a scent called "Sage & Citrus" that smells exactly like the shaving cream he would use with the shaving brush when him and my Grammie were getting ready for a dance. She would come out and I would think how beautiful she looked...then Papa would walk out wearing a dress shirt with a 70's/80's small flower printed (almost like toile), his hair would be oiled back and he would smell like sage and citrus.

At other times I can go outside on a mild evening...the fog is rolling in, salt from the seas is floating in with the mist and the smell....the smell is the best smell in the world and it reminds me of him.

I could go on for hours about how this and that reminds me of him but for now I still like to keep some memories locked away to be shared with my kids and family later...speaking of my kids? They would have LOVED him, he would have taken them on the boat and taught them the ways to aggravate their mothers as only he could....the same as he would have been in his glory with all his great-grandchildren fighting over him as history will always repeat.

For now, I will not mourn our loss...but celebrate how truly honored we were to have such a great man in our lives for as long as we did...and I will wait to smell the air tonight and look up into the foggy night to see if I can see his eyes looking down at me, smiling underneath his crooked hat....giving a wave...and yelling "Hello 'der"....and I might have a hint that he thinks we're all doing ok.

I miss you Papa...you were a man who all your girls want our men to be like.
Love
A Papa's Gurl <3
 ps this Song is for you and of course I'll always sing THIS with you any day! * click on the words 'song' and "this" to hear.