One Delicious Grilled Chicken! Kansas Style.

Here we go. This is a Great chicken reipe. It's from The Kansas City Barbeque Society and we have enjoyed this recipe for about 20 years. I like to make it after the kids are out of school for the summer.



We had it tonight with corn on the cob and peas.



Enjoy this delicious recipe.



1 whole roasting chicken (about 6 pounds) (We had a fryer about 3-4 lbs)

2 t. tarragon

1 t. oregano

1 t.paprika

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

2 t. basil

1 t. thyme

1.t. savory

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

4 bay leaves.

4 cloves garlic, minced



Soak 1 1/2 cups mesquite chips in water 20 minutes. Prepare the grill. Mix the seasonings in a bowl (except garlic and bay leaves.) Prepare chicken by rinsing and drying with a paper towel.

Rub the chicken generously with olive oil. inside and out. Sprinkle with the spices. Put garlic and bay leaves insides the cavity.



Use indirect heating on the grill (spread the briguettes around the outside and put the chicken in the middle.) Put an aluminum drip pan underneath the chichen. Add about 8 charcoals every 40 minutes to keep it going. Go to `160 degrees about 2 1/2 hours. Add mesquite chips every so often.



After you remove the chicken, put on a plate a let rest 15 minutes before carving. They say that the juices rest in the meat.



This was really good!!!!!!



Corn on the cob broken in two for smaller pieces was wonderful and frozen peas filled in the veggie spot.



KMG

Asparagas and Rhubarb

I now know why I like gardening more than the computer. The garden allows you to make mistakes and not completley louse up your whole night looking for your blog. Suffice it to say I am on the verge of tears with this whole trying to log on to this blog, and I am NEVER on the verge of tears in my garden. So my best friend continues to be my garden and my social acquaintance is the computer. Actually my best friend has been my garden for a long time (except for my real best friend Sue), so this computer thing is only the continuation of an antagonistic relationship.

That being said, my blog tonight is about the asparagas I picked from the garden last night. Finally I got enough for a full serving. That's about right. I planted it 3 years ago and this is the 4th season, and it's no cutting the first year, 2 weeks cutttng the 2nd yr.; 4 weeks cutting the 3rd year and now this year I can cut until midsummer. They were delicious. We had them on a salad, with chives from the garden. (In my previous blog which was lost I told how to blanch them--just steam for about 3 minutes to soften up--then cool under cold water and drain and put over the salad. It was wonderful! )

I have rhubarb in the garden and I will make it Wednesday. Warm rhubarb crisp with cream and brown sugar. Yuuuummmm!

RHUBARB CHRISP

PULL THE RHUBARB OUT---DON'T CUT. IF AT A FARMERS MARKET, LOOK TO SEE IF IT HAS BEEN PULLED AND NOT CUT. YOU CAN TELL.

Cut about 8 cups into pieces. Put in the bottom of a pie pan or any pan you have. Over the top, place a mixture of a combination of whatever of the following you have:

Some oatmeat flakes (1-2 cups)
Brown sugar (1 cup)
Butter or Alterntive (1 to 2 cups, depending on how you like it!)
Some white sugar if you like
Some Cinnemon, and nutmeg
A cup of flour more or less to your liking

Mix it up with a spoon or your hands (Wash your hands first!!!!)

Spread this over the top of the rhubarb and bake for 30 -45 minutes until done.

Eat and enjoy this great spring dessert!

Unos Mas Macaroni

One last thing. The macaroni. I think I alluded to it, but add it add the very end. It will soak up liquid. I would add it at least an hour before serving. But don't add it the day before because it will soak up all the juice and get sloppy. Add it about 1-2 hours before serving. and keep it hot.

Oh, Man this was a hard blog.

HAPPY EASTER!

Oh, the Aftermath.

I forgot. The aftermath.
Soup just doesn't do it for me. After soup supper and childrens all in bed, I warmed up a delicious leftover of spaghettis and meatballs with my frozen peppers from the garden. Now, I am full. Jesus didn't say you could not go home after the soup supper and eat spaghettis and meatballs, did he.
kmg

Soup Supper and Aftermath

It is Lent. Our Church has 5 Soup Suppers on the 5 Wednesdays preceding Palm Sunday, which will be this coming Sunday. Then the whole thing starts. Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and EASTER! So anyway, Pedro y Yo had the Soup Supper tonight. Well, of course Peter made two soups and made them well and made them from scratch. We had a huge crockpot of Minestrone Soup which was the mainstay and he also made a Tortillini Soup which was super delicious. I guess the Tortillini is a Family Secret because I can't find his recipe----but I will search and as soon as I find it, I will post it. (It has chicken boiled from scratch in it!)

Here is Minestrone for 15-20 personas.
(He actually combined a couple or recipes, so feel free to make up your own recipe.

This doesn't look easy folks, but it really is---just lots of ingredients, but not hard---believe me.

8 tbsp butter
2 onions chopped
64 ounces cans of chicken broth
4 -15 ounces cans mixed vegetables, with liquid
16 ounce frozen spinach
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes (about 30 ounces mas o menos)
32 ounces kidney beans, with liquid
2 tbsp tomato paste
4-5 peas garlic powder
4 teasp dried parsley
1/2 teasp salt
1 teasp ground pepper
1 teasp dried basil
1 cup garbanzo beans drained
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 c cup grated Parmesan cheese.

P.S Some recipes call for cabbage (1/2 cup) , and cannelinni beans (19 ounces)

Then later 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

Well, my opinion of this recipe is that you can add whatever you want! Make it your own... Don't be bound by the restrictions of the recipe. Whatever you have on hand, as was obviously the intent of the originators of this recipe, way back in Italy, eons ago. I think the basics are the chicken broth and the tomatoes. After that you are on your own. Well, Onions and garlic are staples, but the rest? Go for it. The Macaroni is what makes it Minestrone.

I just say, add enough liquid to make it soup or stew, whatever you are looking for. (So I asked Pedro to add more broth, which he did.)

Mi esposo, he likes to put grated Parmesan over the top. It's good both ways--plain or with cheese.

Oh, the preparation. Well, it's kind of explanatory, but, here goes...........

In a large pot stir and cook onions in butter until soft. Add broth, mixed veggies, kidney beans, tomatoes, spinach and tomato paste and---- actually add everything.

Mi esposo, he puts all the ingredients into a crockpot and then I TAKE IT OUT OF THE REFIGERATOR AND AND HOOK UP THE CROCKPOT TO COOK IT, IN THE MORNIN' (OR ANYBODY (in joke)). I just wanted to let you all know that I do a very important part of the process. I see that it gets COOKED! Ahem.

So go cook up a pot of Minestrone! Save the leftovers--this soup just gets better!

kmgmom

Great Fried Chicken

I gave you this recipe before, but we ate it tonight and it was great!

GREAT MIDWESTERN FRIED CHICKEN
Cut up the chicken into sizes you like, and that will fit into the frying pan!
Zesty Italian Dressing.
Potato flakes from instant potatoes.

I use Olive Oil in the pan although others like butter or margerine. Use what you like.

Salt and pepper the chicken. Will it stay on through the process? I guess so.
Put the Italian dressing into a bowl and also the potato flakes into another bowl.
Cover the chicken with the dressing and then dip into the flakes: put into the hot frying pan and cover.
Fry for 6 minutes and then check. I go about 5 more minutes. You know, it all depends on the temperature of the chicken. Turn over for 4-6 minutes. Ours was still a little bit frozen tonight and then you have to cook it longer. Total maybe 30 minutes if the chicken is cold, and less if it is not.

Gosh, it was good! In fact, I am going to go and have a little snack of it before I go to bed.

We had fresh broccoli and Grampy cooked real potatoes and I made gravy. We had a real "hoedown" supper!

kmgmom

An Excellent Supper, Suzie's Tea and Weather report

Tonight Pedro y yo collaborated on a great supper. It was ALL from Leftovers and some fresh veggies we had in the 'fridge. Oh, he had fresh Fish which topped off the Stir Fry Supper we did. Let me tell you what we did.

I started with the chopped green peppers and green onion from the tacos last night. Started them frying in olive oil. Then added the old onion (chopped) I found in the fridge. The found a 1/2 of a red pepper in the fridge and cut off the bad parts and added it. Added some fresh chopped garlic and some of my crushed cayenne pepper. We had leftover chopped tomatoes from the tacos last night and added them last. So we had a super looking dish with green and red and white---lots of flavors.

So we sauteed all this and then added the leftover rice from the Chinese take out Peter got to go two nights ago. It picked up the moisture wonderfully and became nice tender rice again. (Do you find that Chinese take out rice really dries up fast(ly)?)

IT WAS DELICIOUS! all the flavors combined. I added a -little- soy sauce. (Emphasize little). I should add we started the whole process in olive oil, my favorite, and so good for you.

So go into your 'fridge, and stir everything together, being mindful of tomatoes which take only a minute or two to cook. Add something like shrimp or fish or balogna (if that's what you have!) or nothing if you like just vegetarian. I like to add the cayenne and garlic. It will make any dish sit up and take notice!

TEA
Then after you eat your supper, have a nice cup of Suzie's Tea. We have two kinds here and they are both delicious. Tonight I have her "White Flowers" tea. I say that because there is no label except the picture of white flowers, thus............

WEATHER REPORT
I am unhappy to report that it snowed again all day. Not much. Only flurries to remind you it is still winter. I saw my breath . (Cold people knows what this means.) It was 26 degrees when I came home for supper. OH MY GOD! When will this end??The boys are ready for a break and little Joe refuses to put on his coat. He know it is Spring. Mother Nature just doesn't know it.
When it comes, it will be with a vengeance. So I will put on my 'jammy's when I come home from work and take it easy. Come Spring and Summer, I will don my work clothes for the garden and lawn after work and get some much needed excercise and pleasure working with the earth and Mother Nature.

Tacos, PBJ and oatmeal

Had the little guys again tonight. The tacos were the usual hit. Silence for about 20 minutes as we all eat our individual tacos. Grandson number 1 reminded us we didn't have any "whipped cream" on the table. He meant "sour cream" and Grampy got it. Of course we had it. Tacos without sour cream? Nada.

Then, it is still snowing outside, so off to baths and Joe wanted to watch Power Rangers. So we washed quickly and put on the movie. I admit, I am not a Power Ranger person, and so busied myself with tomorrow's breakfast, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and orange juice for the boys. After that they wanted oatmeal. Which I made as the dutiful Grammy. They ate it all! Is this the harbinger? Will the boys really eat us out of house and home? My spouse and I had all girls. 5. Tina is the only one I remember really eating alot on a growing binge. She would eat 2 huge bowls of Mighty Mights every morning when she was in Jr. High.

So, here you are.

Circle PBJ Sandwiches.

2 pieces of bread
Spread on the peanut butter on one side.
Strawberry jam or grape jelly on the other side.
Put together.
Take a drinking glass with a wide rim and use as a cookie cutter and cut a circle.
Kids love these Circle Sandwiches. If you have cookie cutters, you can make heart shapes, and many other shapes. Go for it!

Oatmeal
Buy the little packages of one serving.
There are a variety of different flavors and kids love to
have a choice. My grandkids like Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar Flavor.
So in the mornin' we will have Oatmeal ant Toast and then we will be off to the races!

kmgmom

Off Dead Center

Geez. Nobody is blogging these days. Is everybody on Facebook? Rats, I just get caught up by getting a Blog, and everyone goes to Facebook. Well, I have no immediate plans of going there. EMail and Blog will have to do for now. Maybe when I Retire (when I get Old), I will have all the time in the World to go to Facebook and Everywhere else on the computer. I'll just sit at the computer all day and sleep all night and get big and fat and lazy!

Well! So much for that rant!

I thought it would be nice to have a brand new recipe to pique your interest. What would that be, you (and I) ask? Good question.

Spring.................hmmmmm............Easter.............

Well, a nice Seafood dip to eat as great rich salad or a dip for veggies or crackers or bread would be a nice Spring Thing. And this is very inexpensive, as you will note, some ingredientes you probably have on hand. The only notable expense is the (fake) crab legs. (If you are local, I'll give you the Cayenne pepper and dill seed).

Sea legs. (Fake crab legs at the supermarket, or the real thing. )
Celery
Onion
Green Pepper
Mayonnaise
Dill weed (if desired, adds a nice flavor)(Or can be dill seed, altho I have never tried that).

Well, the church lady that gave me the recipe, that is it. Yes. No other directions. Nada. The end.

So, if I must, here is my suggested procedure.

Cut up the sea legs, crab meat into little pieces.

Put in a bowl and add some chopped celery (1 cup), chopped onion (1/2 cup), chopped green pepper (1/2 cup).

Use Hellmans Mayonnaise. It is the BEST! Mix. (How much? Start with 3/4 cup and add as desired!)

Add dill weed, which are the little ferny leaves on the dill. Fresh or dried. I think some actual dill seeds would also be good. If you have a little cayenne pepper, I would add. For myself, because I like a little kick, I would add about 1/8 tsp. Para ti?--- a little goes a long ways! A few flakes, like 1/16 of a teaspoon. Start slowly and add more each time you make this.

By the way. I grow muchos cayenne peppers. I had many dozen (12 dozen) and dried them and they are hanging over my kitchen sink (high). I snip off a whole or a half as needed, which is daily. It has pretty much taken over garlic as my favorite herb. I suppose many people are happy about this (joke). Anyway, this is a great garden herb, dries effortlessly after being picked, and is good all winter. Oh yeah, I was going to say, as it gets more dried and older, of course it loses some of it's initial hotness. So if you only used a pinch when it was fresh, you can use more and more as it dries. I now use a half or a whole on my ensalada each night.

So, the point of this Blog is to get you off dead center and start Bloggin' and eating Seafood Dip!

Are we excited?

KMGMOM

P.S.

Oh yeah, I was going to say. That for the gardeners amongst you, cayenne peppers are a staple. In CA they must like the heat. I have them in the sunniest part of the garden and they absolutely love it there. For the midwesterner (WI and MN) gardener, I would say, plant them in full sun if you can, or the sunniest part of your garden. Other easy to grow plants, are banana peppers and jalopenos. And they are so good in summer salsa,...... ..by the pool on a hot day....... .....can you tell I am longing for summer?

Oh, for an apartment dweller, I would suggest a pot garden. Put the little fellers' in a clay pot on the balcony or in front of the window where the sun comes in. Also, I was wondering if a tomotiillo plant would do well in a pot in an apt? I think 'little miss gardener' might want to try that. Plants don't take up much space and they are friendly.

Off dead Center

BBQ'd Chicken on the Grilll versus Fried Chicken

Peter made chicken on the grill tonight. It was ok. A sign of spring. It just felt a little forced. Like the charcoal said, "It's still freakin' cold outside, so I will just give you a little charcoal flavor in the chicken". I don't mean to complain, but in the summer, it just tastes better! Next week we are going to have Fried Chicken. I am going to make it. I haven't decided yet if I am really going to fry it in the skillet, or if I am going to oven fry it. I have a really good recipe for fried chicken.
Like all my other recipes, it is in my head.

RECIPE
Chicken
Italian Dressing, enough to cover all the pieces of chicken. Drizzle the dressing over the chicken pieces and let marinate for 10 minutes or so. Turn over and let marinate a few minutes more.
Salt and Pepper the chicken pieces as part of the marination process.
Put about a cup or more of Instant Potato Flakes in a bowl and roll the chicken pieces in it to cover nicely.
In a skillet, add olive oil or butter to fry the chicken.
Fry it up. I would go 10 minutes on each side, unless the chicken is small or you have fewer pieces, and then go less time.

Serve with mashed potatoes, (Instant), or baked potatoes in the microwave.
Peas or green beans are good to round out this meal.

Yummmm.... I think this will be real good on Wednesday when we have the grandkids over!

KMGMOM

Spring Lamb by Peter

Tonight we had lamb. it was sooo good.

Suzie is here. So Kate and the boys spent all day outside at the Interstate Park. Just think, last week at this time, it was so freakin' cold! It was below zero 5 days in a row at night and in the morning, it was stillllll below zero. Today it got up to 60! You cannot believe how good that feels. People were in sleeveless t shirts and shorts. Yesterday and today the snow and ice are melting like crazy. I guess there are going to be floods north of here in the Red River Valley, up near Fargo-Moorhead. No question about it. The snow is just melting too fast.

So Peter and I met up with Suzie and Tina yesterday in Mpls. Tina has a real cute studio apt with a Murphy bed. We went to eat across the way through Loring Park. We had a nice Brunch at a cool restaurant where (apparently) the cool crowd hangs out because we saw a local artist come in for his morning coffee (at 1:00 p.m.). His art was on the walls of this restaurant and then he comes in! The girls had to tell me to stop staring.

So, today at Sunday School we learned about Jesus washing the disciples feet at the last supper. Then I showed pictures from the Children's Bible about Jesus being crucified, buried and arising again. It is quite an experience seeing the children's faces and reactions the first time they hear these stories. Joseph had to tell his mother the story at suppertime. It's nice to know they are listening. The Jesus stories are riviting, but as an adult, I forget just how riviting and take the stories for granted. It is refreshing to see how the stories affect a child who hears it for the first time.

So you sat thru this, now for the Lamb.

Boneless leg of Lanb, 3-4 lbs.
Place on a roasting rack over a shallow pan.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Drizzle olive oil over the leg.
Sprinkle Rosemary and Garlic cloves over the top.
Now, here comes the tricky part. Peter started it out at 300. But he didn't think it was cooking fast enough, so then after awhile he turned it up to 400 degrees. All tolled, it cooked 90 minutes, but part was at 300 and part was at 400. Use your meat thermometer. The thermometer says lamb is to be 170 degrees, but Peter says 150 degrees. It was wonderfully rare, sumptuiously delicious. Peter's Beter Homes and Garden Cookbook says, 140 degrees rare. So 150 was just right!

Peter roasted Parsnips (sliced), potatoes (cut in horizontal chunks), carrots (sliced). Everybody loved the parsnips---they were so sweet! Drizzle olive over and rosemary sprinkled over them before roasting.

Strawberries over angelfood cake with whipped cream on top. We ate almost the whole angelfood cake! Cut up the strawberries earlier and put some sugar over them. Refrigerate. Whip the cream and refrigerate.

We were stuffed!

kmgmom

Quiche for busy people

My husband cooked my recipe today:

Quick Quiche

12 slices bacon (1/2 lb.cooked/crushed)
1/3 cup chopped onion, sauteed
1 cup shredded natural swiss cheese or 1/2 cup swiss and 1/2 cup chedder
2 cups milk
1/2 cup bisquick
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt. 1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease pie pan or quiche dish. Prepare bacon, onion and cheese. Spread over bottom of dish. Put remainder of ingredients in a blender and blend one minute at high speed. Pour over bacon, onion and cheese. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Test for doneness with a knife (insert in middle and it should come out clean). Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves six.

You can make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and adding veggies. You can add veggies also just to spruce it up a bit. Thinly sliced peppers, leftover broccoli, spinach are all good.

Spring is on the Way In the Mornin'

March 04

Have you noticed that it is getting Lighter in Mornin" (ha, ha, to those in on the "mornin'" joke). Anyway, it is daylight savings this Sunday. Remember to get up at 2:00 a.m. and set your clock ahead so YOU ARE NOT LATE FOR CHURCH!. (Another ha, ha for many of my readers).

Now, RECIPES.

Well, Joe was sick today--bad stuff of throwing up and diarrea-man I don't want that crap, so Peter and I deferred on taking the boys tonight. But I did make tomorrow's supper, in part, and it is a good recipe. So I give it to you here. This is for left over baked chicken.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Some left over baked chicken, off the bone and cut up in pieces.

Make a White Sauce.

WHITE SAUCE

Half a stick of butter (1/4 c.)

Melt in a sauce pan.

About 1/4 cup of flour, more or less, depending. Mix over heat.

Keep heat on medium.

Add milk slowly and beat with a wire whisk or fork.

It will thickenen up right away with the milk, but keep adding and stirring over heat until it is a nice thickness you like.

Then i like to add some soups, but you don't have to. I like to add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups from cans. Add more milk if desired.

When it is a gravy consistantsy, add the cut up leftover chicken, canned pimentos for color, canned mushrooms if you like. At the end add frozen peas.

DUMPLINGS

Bisquick. The recipe is on the side of the box. 2 cups bisquick and 2/3 cup milk. Mix. Spoon over the boiling chicken mixture and reduce heat. Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. This will give you the best and fluffiest dumplings on earth!

This will be a first for the boys. I like to have mashed potatoes with this to put the extra gravy over.

KMGMOM

Tacos for Toddlers

February 26

Out grandsons like Tacos. Now this has way more to do with Control Over Their Lives than eating. We have free reign and free choice when it comes to making your tacos. We have shells. We have lettuce, tomatoes, sliced green olives, and sliced ripe olives. We have shredded cheese. We have, of course, the hamburger/taco salsa mix, green onions, chopped. We have sour cream, hot salsa, and homemade salsa verde. It is a Mexican smorgasbord. Each person makes their own concoction. Boy, is it silent when we start to make our own tacos. And it is even more silent when we start to eat. It is about 20 minutes of silence and we make tacos and eat.

The boys love making their own meal out of the things they love to eat. The only thing we insist

they eat or drink is their milk, which they do every time they eat here.

Tacos:

Buy a good Tacos Mix at the store. You need a pound of hamburger. Cook according to directions.

The "accoutrements" are the fun part. Lettuce torn in small pieces: chopped tomatoes: chopped green onions; chopped green peppers; sliced green olives; sliced ripe olives (double that for our grandsons); hot tomato salsa; my homemade Salsa Verde (green salsa available at stores); diced green peppers; grated cheese; sour cream--muchos muchos (our grandchildren think the sour cream is the best part).

Have tacos shells and/or the little 'salad bowls' the boys like also because you can eat them.

Try as they might, the little guys just can't find a fault with this meal. All is well.....and quiet on the western front when we eat this midwestern supper.

KMG/Mom/grndmm

Talking about kathleen gionis

January 08

January 8 and it is COLD! Next week will be colder..BRRRRRrrrrr.

What is a good warmer upper?

Malt o' Meal in the morning. Take 5 cups of water. Boil. Add one full cup of Malt to Meal. Boil for a couple of minutes. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Then it is just great for eating. Serves 3-6, depending on how hungry you are in the mornin'. We like a little brown sugar on it and a little milk. Toast with this is good.

kmgmom

Sunday supper with the grandkids who are sick

December 07

Grammpy made a baked chicken. If you can't make a baked chicken, then here is the recipe.

Take a whole chicken. Put it in a pan. Put in the oven. Turn on the oven. Bake at 375 degrees until done. O.K. the " until done " part is tricky. 2 hours, more or less, i would say. But get real. Can't you tell tell if something is bloody and not done, or if it is done? Ue a little common sense, please. More to the point, if you have a thermometer, chicken is done at 170 to 185 degree. A meat thermometer is cheap. Buy one. It will last a long time.

Broccloli steamed for 8 minutes to get done. Delicious.

Baked potatoes in the oven with the chicken.

Best of all. Greenhouse grown tomatoes with feta cheese, green and black olives. Dish up and put on your favorite. Lemon, vinegar, oil--whatever.

Mom/Gramdmom

December Winter Evening Meal from Mom and Grandmom

December 03

Here is a good winter evening supper.

Hamburger Rice Hotdish (Vivian Werner)

.

Basic recipe which you can jazz up with extra celery, or green, red or orange peppers for a more vegertarian effect.

1 cup rice. ( I mix a little wild rice, with some brown rice to about 1/2 cup and add the rest white rice to make a little over a cup)

3 cups water. Put in a casserole pan to soak.

Brown 1 medium onion and 2 cups chopped celery (and peppers as desired). Put in casserole pan.

1 can cream of mushroom soup, in casserole pan.

Soy sauce to taste. O.K. about 2-3 tablespoons.

Bake.

O.K. 350 degrees for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Just stir it up every so often to see how it is. You'll know when it is thick and done.

If you make this in advance and put it in the refrigertor uncooked, give it at least 30-45 minutes to warm up in the oven, so add that time on. (Based on experience.)

SQUASH OR BEANS

Steam some green beans you froze from your garden, or microwave a squash you grew in your garden or bought at the farmers market.

(I suppose I have to tell you how to cook the beans and squash. Actually, the squash is so easy. Put a regular sized squash in the microwave for 10 minutes. I mean, don't do anything to it except put it in the micro. It will cook. Take it out. HOT! Place in a bowl, cut open and take out the seeds. Scoop out the yellow meat, or serve in the skins at the table. Whatever. I like a little butter and brown sugar tossed in the hollow

Beans steamed. Put them in the top of a double boiler. About 2 inches of water below. Boil the water. Steam for 4-5 mimutes, max. or until hot. Don't eat them frozen or cold, it's just not very good!

PEAR SALAD

In the winter we like this salad. Some greens on individual plates. Open canned Pear halves. Place on greens.

Grate some colby or pepper jack or other yellow cheese (velveeta actually will work in this recipe) into a bowl. Add Hellmans mayonnaise to taste. Spoon into the pear hollows. Eat and enjoy.

If you have any pumpkin pie left over from Thanksgiving, have it for dessert!

Hello, Winter!