Home:Dedicated to the BEST Father-in-Law Ever! Jimmy Clark

Home


I was listening to Neil Diamond’s newest CD this week and was so moved by a song called “Feels Like Home”. There was such a tenderness and humbleness in the melody and words of the song. The song got me to thinking about “home” and what that means to each of us. Over the years many songs have been written about home. “Take me Home Country Roads”, “Home on the Range”, “There’s no Place Like Home”, “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, and “Sweet Home Alabama”, just to name a few. This year Miranda Lambert put out a song called, “The House that Built me”.

I thought a lot about that last song and could relate to so many of the lyrics she sung about memories of growing up at home and how those memories made her who she is today. My own childhood home no longer exists. The old home was torn down and burned to make room for my brother’s new home. It had to be done, because he had a family now and the old home just was not what a family needed anymore. Now that home is up for sale because my brother has moved away….but that does not take away the memories of my childhood home. That home will exist forever in my heart and memory where my Mom and Dad were young, my brother and sister and I were outside playing and our pets were running right alongside of us and the whole world lay ahead.

Lots of time when folks pass away, we hear they have gone home. One of the dictionary’s definitions of home is: a place of origin: the place where something originated ….sounds to clinical or sterile to me. I do believe that when we leave the Earth we go to our Heavenly Father’s Home. His home….but what about the home we left behind?

When my father-in-law passed away, my daughter Erika dreamed of him two nights in a row just after his passing. The first night she said he wanted her to keep singing and he wanted her to be happy for him…the next night she said he told her all about his Welcome Party….not his Welcome home party…..I can understand that….He loved his home and his family and that was home to him. I am not saying he would come back if he could because I know he is happy and is healed…but I am saying Home is the hilltop where we will spread his ashes in the springtime when the mountains are blooming and coming to life.

One last thought…I have never liked dusk ….I should clarify that and say I have never liked dusk when I am away from home….that is the time of day when folks are coming home or have made it home …where the family is gathering …the day is done and all are together. I don’t even notice it when I am home…but when I am not …I notice and it is a lonely feeling.

Home is many things to many people….May it always give us peace and rest and like a loving parent welcome us with open arms.

                                                             My Home:  Where They Are!

Job Well Done

Last night I was driving home and I was already feeling lonely. Have you ever just had that lonesome feeling and don’t know why? My husband calls it the Hank Williams Sr. syndrome. I did not have any reason to be feeling lonely, I had a great first day back at work, it was wonderful seeing all my friends at work and the halls were buzzing with excitement for our returning students. I had spent a great evening with my folks and had some good home cooking – so I really didn’t have any reason at all for feeling blue. Then as I rounded a familiar curve I saw them…slow down funeral. Mr. Leon Cabe had passed away. His yard was full of cars and a soft yellow glow came from inside the house where I knew there was probably a mix of emotions going on. He had been sick for some time but that had not stopped him from being outside.




I never knew the man, I only knew of him. My husband’s family knew him and all spoke highly of him. I had heard and had pointed out to me over my few short years in Franklin, the fields that once were planted by Mr. Cabe. Acers and acres of them. Those fields now only grow hay for the cutting.



Like I said my only personal interaction with Mr. Cabe was the times I would pass him on the road in the cool of the morning or late into the evening. But I liked seeing him walking on the road and I would wave-sometimes he would wave back and sometimes not. I admired him if you will, because of his legacy of growing big crops. That says something about a man or woman. I think there is character in that.



I find it ironic that he waited until the end of the planting and harvest season to make his next journey. I couldn’t help but smile as I passed his house where I would no longer see him walking past, that God would welcome him home and say, “Good work my faithful son, come in and rest awhile”.

How many of you remember going to an elder’s house when you were young and seeing a big chocolate cake ready for the taking? It seems that there was always one at a church supper or a homecoming. Golden layers of delight all covered in a rich chocolate icing (nobody called it frosting then).




That was the inspiration for this cake and I combined several old traditions into one amazing cake all from scratch. The icing is the old fashioned kind that you may remember as boiled frosting- the golden layers are tradition but I made them smaller and more of them like the applesauce stack cake- Give it a try I bet you will love it.





Golden Layer Cake with Chocolate Icing



1 cup unsalted butter

5 eggs

1 cup whole milk

2 cups sugar

½ tsp kosher salt

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups sifted cake flour

1 Tbsp baking powder



Let butter, eggs, and milk stand at room temp.

Preheat oven 350

Grease and flour 8 or 9 inch cake pans (you will need 6 or 7 layers)

In large bowl beat butter on high for 30 seconds

Gradually add in sugar-beating well

Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition

Beat in salt and vanilla

Combine flour and baking powder

Alternately add with milk to butter mixture

Spread batter into prepared pans (approximately 1 cup per pan)

Bake 15 min or until cake pulls away from sides of pan

Cool in pans for 5 minutes

Remove from pan and cool completely



Chocolate Icing



5 cups of sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup butter

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

½ cup whole milk

2 tsp vanilla



Combine all ingredients and cook over med heat- bring to a boil

Boil gently for 4 minutes

Reduce heat and if you have a candy thermometer cook to 230 degrees about 15 – 20 minutes

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

Allow to cool

Icing will be pourable



Assemble cake- pour icing between each layer letting excess drip over sides of each layer until completed.



This casserole was a taste sensation- my family loved it and I am going to put it on the Christmas brunch list- served with the peach salsa is perfect to drizzle on each bite.



Sausage, egg, cheese and grit casserole



1 cup quick cook grits

4 cups water

3 eggs

1 pound of sausage cooked and drained

1 red pepper

1 med onion

2 cups cheddar cheese

½ tsp salt



Cook sausage and drain- set aside

Cook grits in water about 5 minutes

Sauté pepper and onions until tender

Combine sausage, peppers, and onions then add to grit mixture

Beat eggs and add in stir to combine

Stir in 1 cup of cheese



Pour into greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese- bake for 30 minutes 350 – 400 or until middle is set

Allow to set for 10 minutes



Peach Salsa



4 ripe peaches

1 clove garlic

½ fresh lime squeezed

Cilantro (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Cumin (1/2 tsp)

Combine and allow to chill

Serve with casserole

Back to School Dinner ideas

It has been a while and I must admit I sure have missed doing this blog. I love sharing ideas and all the while creating a memory for my kids. So today I have two great recipes to share with you and photos of my other than cooking creative outlet.




The recipes are two that I have tested and they are delish. I am sharing them not only because they are so good and easy to make but also because they freeze well. With school beginning back, I always look for good tasting and good quality foods that I can fix for my family after a day at school for all of us. I do not have a photograph of these recipes but I highly recommend that you try them.





Brown Sugar Meatloaf



• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup ketchup

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

• 3/4 cup milk

• 2 eggs

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan.

2. Combine all ingredients and place in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour.

If you are freezing it – cool in pan and then remove and wrap in clear plastic wrap- then foil and freeze

When serving – allow to thaw – place back in loaf pan and heat through at 350 – combine ketchup and sweet baby rays raspberry chipotle barbeque sauce and top meatloaf – bake for additional 10 minutes- really good



I like to do this when I find ground beef on sale and double the recipe



King Ranch Chicken Casserole

1 lg onion chopped

1 lg green bell pepper chopped

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can diced tomato and green chilies

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

12 6-in corn tortillas

1 8 oz block cheddar cheese shredded



Sauté onion and pepper until tender

Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients-remove from heat

Tear tortillas into 1 inch pieces, layer one third of tortilla pieces in 13 x 9 pan coated with spray- top with one-third chicken mixture and one-third of cheese- repeat layers twice

If freezing – wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer

Allow to thaw- bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly

With the King Ranch Chicken Casserole I serve refried beans topped with salsa and cheese, I also serve yellow rice with cheese melted on top and sprinkled with fresh cucumber and tomatoes. I highly recommend a rice cooker- I bought mine for 13.00 (Black and Decker) Great for doing rice – put in all ingredients and let it cook for about 20 minutes

For the meatloaf – I bake small potatoes the night before and then slice them in half top with real bacon bits and cheese – pop them into the oven while the meatloaf is cooking – very delish. I also serve sugar snap peas that you can steam in the bag – open them up and sprinkle some real bacon bits on them.

Both of these meals taste great and feed a family – they do not cost lots of money – and can be fixed quickly after a long day.

Amazing Fish you need to try it

Orange Roughy in Puff Pastry with Coconut Milk Crab Cream Sauce

4 Orange Rough Filets each about the size of a deck of cards

2 sheets of puff pastry

Salt

Pepper

1- 2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Fresh dill

1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of water (egg wash)



Sauce



½ of a 14 oz. can of coconut milk

4 oz cream cheese

1 small can of white crab meat

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of fresh parsley chopped

½ teaspoon of salt



Sear fish filets in butter and remove from pan

Cut each pastry sheet into 4 triangles

Drizzle lemon juice on filets

Place one filet on one triangle of pastry

Salt and pepper to taste

Top with fresh dill sprig

Place another triangle on top of filet and seal edges

Place in greased baking pan and brush with egg wash



Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown



Sauce



Melt butter in sauce pan

Add in coconut milk and cream cheese

Stir until combined

Add in crab meat that has been drained

Stir in lemon juice and salt



Pour sauce over puffed pastry and enjoy















Sides



Perogies (feta and spinach) with tomatoes, onions, garlic

Cook Perogies according to package directions

Melt butter (1/2 stick of butter) add 1 onion sliced – cook until tender

Chop fresh tomatoes and add to onion mixture

Crush a clove of garlic and add to mixture

Pour over perogies



Jasmine Rice



Cook rice and then stir in the remaining coconut milk

Top with fresh herbs of your choice

White Chicken Spaghetti

4 chicken breasts - boiled and chopped into chunks- you can use whole chicken pulled from bone
1 onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese shredded
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
thin spaghetti broken into pieces

boil chicken and remove to chop
place spaghetti into broth from chicken and cook until done but not over done
chop onion and green pepper and saute until tender
drain noodles add peppers and onion
combine well
stir in cream of mushroom soup and 2 cups of cheese
pour into baking dish (13x9 works well)
top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 to 375 until bubbly

This is really good :)

I have put photos of my apple pie on the blog because I really like this style- it was easy to cut into slices like pizza and eat cold- just make your favorite pie crust and fill with your favorite apple mixture - pull up the edges and bake - if you want the crust recipe just send me a note :) really flaky

Delish Summer Veggies

I love this time of year (not for the heat) but for my garden and the local produce stand.  Dinner is packed with a punch of amazing flavors and I just can't wait to try more- Below are three great dishes that we had for dinner - one is in the former blog but worth mentioning again.

Grilled Veggies

1 bunch of asparagus snapped into 3 inch pieces
1 red pepper cut into thick slices
1 red onion (from my garden)

1 patty cake squash (not sure the real name) or you could use any squash
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil
cut up avacoda and place on top of grilled veggies
sprinkle with fresh herbs of your choice (I had fresh dill and cilantro)

grilling pan

prepare all veggies toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill in the grilling pan until done (only takes about 5 min) cut up avacoda and place on top of grilled veggies


sprinkle with fresh herbs of your choice (I had fresh dill and cilantro)


dress with a balsamic vinegar dressing  1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 garlic clove, a little salt and pepper-

Grilled Salmon Packets (got this idea from my friend Niki)

4 nice salmon slices
small heirloom cherry tomatoes yellow and red
fresh dill
fresh cilantro
lemon juice from 1 large lemon or 2 smaller ones (mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil)

place each piece of salmon in a piece of foil that has been buttered
top with tomatoes cut in half
fresh dill sprig
fresh cilantro (your taste)
drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil

close up packets and grill for about 7 minutes ----melt in your mouth good

Heirloom tomatoes with peach balsamic dressing and goat cheese
variety of heirloom tomatoes sliced

1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 clove of garlic minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1 ripe peach peeled and cut into chunks
fresh basil about 3 tbsp chopped
goat cheese

combine vinegar, garlic, basil, oil, sugar, and salt - whisk until combined
stir in peach chunks pour vinegar mixture over tomatoes and crumble goat cheese on top ...serve and enjoy