OK.... IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!

I admit it, I am a cookbook 'aholic' and truly need help!! BUT...look at these goodies.....who can possibly resist???

We have all had this offer of sending for the book and trying the recipes for thirty days...blah, blah, blah.......yeah right...who are they kidding, they now have you right where they want you...hooked.........again!! :)

Of course by now you all know that I am keeping the book! I have to say , there are a lot of tempting recipes to try. Now, all I need is a live-in chef to make it all happen! LOL!

And...... just to entice everyone else,(what can I say, I am an enabler) here is one of the recipes.

Carole's Best Brownies ( pictured above)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

5 ozs. unsweetened chocolate, preferably Nestle, coarsely chopped

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups superfine sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled

2 cups coarselychopped walnuts

Position rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Invert the baking pan, then tear an 18x16 inch sheet of heavy duty aluminium foil and center it over the top, smooth the surface, then press it down the sides. Carefully remove the foil shell, turn pan over and place the foil shell in the pan, shaping it smoothly across the bottom and snugly against the sides. Thoroughly butter the foil, taking care not to tear it.

Place the butter in a medium bowl and set it over a pot of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. When almost melted, add the chocolate. After 1 minute, remove the pot from the heat. Let stand until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring occasionally.

In large bowl, whisk the eggs lightly, then stir in the sugar in a steady stream. Add the warm butter-chocolate mixture, and stir with the whisk to blend, taking care not to aerate. Mix in the vanilla and salt.

Strain the flour over the chocolate mixture in three additions, folding gently each time with the whisk just until blended. Fold in the nuts with an oversize rubber spatula or large wooden spoon. Immediately empty the batter into the pan, then spread evenly with bottom of large spoon. Bake for 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly moist. A few particles of the brownie should stick to the toothpick. Do not overbake. Set the pan of brownies on a wire rack. Let stand at least 4 hours before cutting (are they kidding?)

Store in airtight container

ENJOY!!!!!!!!

A Mother's Day Tribute To My Mom

M-O-T-H-E-R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER"
A word that means the world to me. I am not sure just when this picture was taken, but I am thinking when she was in her late twenties. She was a retired school teacher for grades k-6. She loved teaching kindergarten and also taught remedial reading to students that needed the extra help. I posted before how she rode a horse to her first teaching position. To this day, I am amazed at her doing that! LOL! She was a breast cancer survivor (single mastectomy) and also survived cancer on the tongue, for which she had surgery to remove a small piece of the tongue. She was a non-smoker but still had the misfortune to get that. She came through that also with flying colors and by doing her word practice everyday, you couldn't even tell she had the surgery. So important to get our tongues checked at each dental checkup! Through both of these very trying ordeals, she kept a positive attitude, which in turn, made her family stay strong and positive! There were five of us! :) She passed away at the age of 96 in 2006. A strong lady! We miss you Mom!

Just Playin' Around.....

with my new dishes!! I just love the color of these and even though they are plastic, by pairing them with the Pinzon chargers for these photo's, it really brings them up a few notches! I found them at Walmart the other day and they were on sale for $1.50 each for the plates and the salad plates were $1.00 each I will be using them quite a lot over the summer as I like to eat out on the patio whenever I can. They had small bowls to match but I didn't purchase them............yet!

Another Good Chicken Recipe

WALNUT-CRUSTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH POMEGRANATE SYRUP
1 egg
1 tablespoon of water
1/2 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup whole grain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
4 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves(5 ozs. each)
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 tsp. minced crystallized ginger
6 cups mesclun or mixed greens

1. Preheat oven to 425. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk the egg with the water in a shallow dish. Combine the walnuts, bread crumbs, and the salt in another shallow dish. Dip the chicken into the egg and then the nut mixture. Place on the prepared sheet and coat with cooking spray.
3. Bake, turning once, for 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 165 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes, then slice the breasts.
4. Meanwhile, bring the pomegranate juice, honey, and ginger to a boil. Boil for about 15 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Arrange the mesclun on 4 plates. Place the chicken on top and drizzle with the pomegranate juice.

Pomegranates are a great source of antioxidants......and they taste wonderful. Be sure to get a brand that is 100 percent fruit juice. Enjoy!

I have been on a search for new recipes to try (to add to the pile I already have..) and found this one which I liked. The pomegranate juice is pricey, but good! I'm sure it would take me several years to try all the recipes I have saved...and that's only if I stayed in the kitchen 24/7!! Sooo, at the rate I'm going, it could take forever......literally! :)

A Potato Soup Day

While surfing the net one day, I came across this recipe for 'Slow Cooker Potato Chowder' on the GardenWeb site. It sounded so good that I just had to make it! It turned out as good as it sounded, although I did cut the ingredients in half so it wouldn't make as much. If you like potato soup then you have to try this recipe. Another plus is using the slow cooker...which I love! I didn't have any fresh parsley for garnish so just added some fresh ground pepper and a little cheese.


SLOW COOKER POTATO CHOWDER

10 cups raw potatoes, cubed
1 large onion,chopped
2 - 3 carrots, chopped
Couple handfuls frozen corn (or any veg. you want. I used cauliflower, it was very good)
3- 14 oz. cans of fat-free, reduced sodium , chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. fat-free cream cheese

In a 5 or 6 qt. slow cooker, mix potatoes, all vegetables, broth, soup, and pepper. Cook 8 to 10 hours on low.
Add cream cheese and cook another 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

Top with chopped scallions, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheese.

Wearin' of the Green

May you always have

Walls for the winds,

A roof for the rain,

Tea beside the fire..

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

*HAPPY* *HAPPY* VALENTINES DAY!

I did manage to take a couple of pictures before I ate the whole bag of kisses! But in my defense, it was a VERY small bag! I hope everyone has a fantastic Valentines Day!!