Category Archives: Recipes

Football Blues

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Don’t talk to me. I’m in a bad mood. My Broncos lost their first game ofthis season and I’m not happy about it. I guess pretty much everyone in Colorado is crabby today. For one thing, we got to bed late.

Well, actually, I didn’t get to bed late. I got to bed on time. In fact, I have to sort of shamefully admit that I didn’t even watch the second half of the game. I couldn’t stand myself and decided I would be better off upstairs tucked into my bed with my book in hand. I was reminding myself of my mother.

I loved my mother (still do, though she died too young in 1995 and I miss her every single day), but I absolutely HATED watching a football game with her. To begin with, she went into it with a bad attitude. “Well, we are going to lose this game for sure,” she would invariably predict, even if her team (which was either the Nebraska Cornhuskers or the Denver Broncos) was playing St. Bridget’s Girl School for Quilting.

And then, during the game, well, oh my heavens. The refereeing was bad, the announcers were biased, the opposing players were cheating, her own players were stinking it up, and on and on and on until you wanted to take a walk instead of watching the game. Which is what my father often did. Watching his team (also either the Huskers or the Broncos) play a close game drove him nuts. I don’t think he ever saw the end of a Nebraska/Oklahoma game because he was either walking or in the kitchen playing solitaire.

Anyway, I heard my mother’s words coming out of my mouth and I empathized with poor Bill who was simply trying to enjoy the game. So I went upstairs, figuring the Broncos would win or lose whether or not I was paying attention.

And what they did was lose, and the world hasn’t ended. Next week we play the Washington Redskins and I’m sure we’re going to lose that game because RGIII seems to be coming on strong. (Mom, you would be proud of me.)

This week I’m going to provide a few recipes for dishes that I have been making for many years. What they have in common is that all of them are dishes that my husband has been asking me to make lately. Bill tends to eat dinner so that he can then have dessert. The main meal is simply a path to what he really enjoys – a chocolate something-or-other. But there are a few dishes he enjoys a lot. These tender pork chops are his personal favorite, and a snap to make on a weekend night.

The recipe comes from a book my husband bought many years ago at a political fundraiser. It is called The Congressional Club Cookbook, and was a compilation of recipes from Congressmen and Congresswomen serving at that time (which was 1998).

Golden Pork Chops

Ingredients
4 thick pork chops
Lemon pepper
Salt
Cooking oil
1 10-3/4 oz. can Golden Mushroom Soup
White wine
Fresh mushrooms

Process
Sprinkle chops with salt and lemon pepper, then brown slightly in oil. Put chops in covered casserole. Cover with soup and a little white wine (or chicken broth). Top with sliced fresh mushrooms. Bake at 300 for 3 hours or longer.

Nana’s Note: The recipe doesn’t call for an amount of white wine, but put more than you think since it cooks in the oven so long. The resulting gravy is delicious on potatoes, rice, or noodles. And this time I didn’t have any white wine on hand, so I used chicken broth instead and it was still good.

Nana’s Got a Brand New Bag

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Before I tell you my dirty little secret, I have to give you some context.

I wear nearly no makeup. On Sundays or other days when I dress up a bit more than usual for various reasons I might put on some mascara, a little blush, and some lipstick. Always the same color lipstick. But most days I only interact with my husband (who oddly thinks me beautiful with or without makeup), my kids, and/or my grandkid. I simply wash my face, put on some moisturizer, and am good to go.

Why is it, then, that twice a year, in April and October, when Macy’s has their Clinique Bonus, I hike my betooty to the mall to buy Clinique product simply to get the bonus gifts. Don’t get me wrong. Buying the product isn’t my problem. While I don’t wear makeup, I do try to take care of my almost-60 skin. I wash with their beauty bar. I follow up using their clarifying lotion. I finish using their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. I do this twice a day.

However, the reality is I simply am compelled to only buy my product when I can get their free bonus gift, which this time includes a lipstick in a shade I will never wear, eyes shadow that will never even be cracked open, a tiny little bottle of special cream for very dry skin (which my skin is NOT), and a teensy-weensy bottle of perfume spray that I won’t wear because most perfume makes me sneeze.

But the real problem isn’t in the little bonus gift products I get (though I do tend to throw them in a drawer that is coming dangerously close to being unable to get closed). The real cause of concern is the two little makeup bags that always come with the gifts. I have used a few over the years for travel. I put my meager makeup in one; I put my jewelry in another; I put my pill bottles in a third. What’s left gets stuffed into another drawer.

So, there you have it. I have now admitted that I have two full drawers in my bedroom filled with various tiny bottles of perfume, little mascaras, small containers of skin products of all kinds, unused eye shadows in every shade imaginable, a plethora of lipsticks in shades ranging from bright red to lavender, and makeup bag after makeup bag after makeup bag. You think I’m kidding:

I called my sister last night to sheepishly confess. She told me the first step in any addiction is to admit I have a problem. The second step is to make a trip to Goodwill. I promised her I would on my way to Macy’s to pick up my next free bonus gift. It’s October, after all.

Here is a recipe for a really simple and extremely delicious coffee cake that comes from the Crème de Colorado cookbook.

Sweet Bishop’s Bread

Ingredients
2-1/2 c. sifted flour
2 c. packed light brown sugar
½ t. salt
½ c. butter
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. baking soda
1-1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk or sour milk (add 1 T. lemon juice to 1 c. milk; let stand 5 min)

Process
Mix together flour, sugar, salt and butter until crumbly. Measure and set aside ¾ c. of the mixture.

To the remaining mixture, add the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, egg and buttermilk. Beat until batter is smooth. Spread the batter in greased 8-in square pan. Sprinkle the reserved mixture on top. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min. or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes.

On the Road Again

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Road travel is fun, and often funny as well. Especially travel through Arizona and New Mexico.

Today we began the trek home to Denver. No matter which direction we’re going, we always take it easy, and make the drive in two days. We spend the night in Albuquerque, and then drive the balance the next day. It’s about 7 hours each day, give or take. We have made this same drive, oh, I don’t know, maybe 800 times. Not much surprises us, but we always enjoy it.

We have a box of travel goodies. You know, those are the things that you wouldn’t eat at home in a million years, but somehow seem okay if you’re on a road trip. We each have our weakness. Bill can’t resist those little white powder sugar donuts. I gravitate towards Slim Jims. I wouldn’t buy a Slim Jim at my grocery store at home for anything, but I can’t resist them on a road trip. Today, however, our goodie box included M&Ms, Oreos, peanut-butter-filled pretzels, grapes, and Cheetos. Don’t quite know how the grapes made it in there.

A couple of funny observations. As we left our neighborhood, I saw a couple of large birds flying around at the end of the block. When we got close, I realized they were vultures. Seriously. Vultures. Right in our neighborhood, where people have little tiny dogs. The coyotes that I can hear at night if I leave my window open must have gotten ahold of something that they didn’t finish. Or else they found Jimmy Hoffa.

The second funny thing I observed, or rather overheard, took place at our hotel. We always stay at a hotel in Albuquerque that has a happy hour each evening. It’s a nice hotel, but not fancy. Always really nice staff. Tonight the bartender was a 30-something woman who was very outgoing. She seemed friendly to everyone. But I couldn’t help but eavesdrop as she was talking to a truck driver who was quite obviously flirting with her. At one point, I heard her tell the young man, “My current husband used to be a truck driver.” I laughed out loud, and suggested to Bill that he never introduce me to anyone as his current wife, Kris.

When we are in Albuquerque, we eat in one of two places – Frontier Restaurant (a joint near the University of New Mexico that features absolutely fabulous New Mexican style food, which mustn’t be confused with typical Mexican food) or Rudy’s Barbecue Restaurant (a Texas-based barbecued meat market that sells their food by the pound). Tonight we chose Rudy’s. We always over-order at Rudy’s, and it pains me that we can’t take the leftovers home. I particularly like the pinto beans. The barbecue sauce (or sause, as they spell it) is delicious. I found this copycat recipe, but frankly, I don’t trust it. The sauce I eat is quite spicy, and this recipe only has a scant bit of cayenne pepper. But it’s worth a try.

Rudy’s Barbecue Copycat Sauce

Ingredients
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. ketchup
½ c. brown sugar
2/1/2 T white vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. coarse black pepper
¼ t. cumin
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Process
Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 30 min.

Now it’s time to hit the road again. It’s cold in Colorado, and I’m not looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to seeing my grandkids.

Flocks of Snowbirds

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Coloradans call the winter ski visitors “turkeys.” The skiers are called this because their faces get sunburned from being on top of the mountain, basking in the state’s lovely winter sunshine, but the rest of their bodies remain winter white. Like turkeys. Well, sort of. Takes a bit of a stretch of the imagination. Hey, I didn’t come up with the term.

In Arizona, the winter visitors are called “snowbirds.” I didn’t come up with that term either. I just know that when I’m in Arizona, I’m one of them.

I recently read that the Phoenix area population increases by somewhere around 400,000 residents starting sometime in October or November and begins diminishing around Easter, mid-April to early May. As we were driving here recently, we passed many large RVs with license plates from Minnesota or Missouri or South Dakota. But having spent a couple of winters here, I can tell you that the population hasn’t peaked yet.

There are still no long lines to get into restaurants. The streets are relatively quiet. There were places to sit at Mass yesterday. But it won’t be long. And, much as I hate to admit it (seeings as they are me), the snowbirds really are enough to drive a sane man or woman mad. Many drive too slow (especially merging onto the freeways, where they somehow feel it is perfectly appropriate to merge at 25 mph). It takes forever to pay a bill at a restaurant or go through a check stand because each person needs to make sure they are getting the best deal they can get. And my husband refuses to sit at the front of a restaurant that is located in a mall parking lot because inevitably, every year there are stories about someone hitting the gas instead of the brake and driving through the front window of a storefront eatery.

But, my Arizona family and friends, I must remind you of that number – 400,000. That is a lot of people who are bringing money into your economy. So smile, put up with us, and just know that someday in the future (and it will come sooner than you think), you will also be coming up on 60 or 70 years old and having to watch your pennies.

Bill and I are headed back to Denver, but we will return soon to spend the cold months of winter here. When we return, I will try to maintain my speed, keep track of which is the accelerator and which is the brake, and slide over in the pew on Sunday.

In the meantime, my sister had us over for a bon voyage dinner of brats, corn on the cob, and pasta salad. Here is the recipe for the salad (photo and recipe courtesy of acedarspoon.com):

Mexican Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
¾ of a box of pasta
½ green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
¼ c. corn (fresh or frozen)
½ c. grape tomatoes, halved
½ c. cilantro
¼ c. olive oil
2 T lime juice
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of oregano
Salt to taste

Process
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, green pepper, red pepper, corn, and tomatoes, and mix well. Add pasta and continue to mix.

In a small food process, combine the cilantro, olive oil, lime, garlic powder and oregano. Blend well. Drizzle this dressing over the pasta salad and mix.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Haboobs

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I feel like an 8-year-old boy who is saying a naughty word. Haboob. But that’s the actual word for the severe dust storms that take place in desert areas like Arizona. And while yesterday’s weather change certainly didn’t constitute the title of haboob, it definitely was a dust storm. This photo, by the way, is a stock photo of a haboob, not yesterday’s storm.

Because the weather in the Phoenix area doesn’t vacillate much from day to day, it’s amusing to see just how excited the news people get in Arizona when they have an unusual weather situation of any kind or magnitude. The occasional rainfall brings about great excitement. If there’s a bit of wind, the news programs invariably show photos of a swaying palm tree to illustrate the windy danger. When the weather drops below 70, well, brrrrrr. Seriously. Last night we were told to make sure we remembered to put on a jacket when we left the house because the temp was only going to get to 71. It makes me laugh.

We have never been here for an actual haboob. They are apparently very interesting to see, and can be pretty dangerous. The clay dirt (which is incredibly hard, making it nearly impossible to put anything into the ground) begins to blow around, making it very difficult to breathe.

Yesterday’s weather didn’t come close to being a haboob, and yet it was really interesting to see.

I’m not sure my photo captures it, but the air turned a different color. Superstition Mountain, which is such a beautiful sight usually visible from our street, was gone, invisible in a cloud of dust. The birds were squawking, as if they knew something was not quite right.

It was a good afternoon and evening to stay inside.

Here’s what I made for a side dish:

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Salad

Ingredients
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 garlic clove, minced or put through a press
6-8 basil leaves, chopped or julienned
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 T. honey
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Let sit, refrigerated, for at least a half hour to let flavors blend.

Nana’s Note: I have also used the juice of a lime instead of vinegar. It gives a different flavor, but equally delicious.

It’s the Small Things

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Less than a week after posting a blog entry in which I emphatically declared that Bill and I loathe shopping, I feel forced to admit to you that yesterday Bill and I went shopping. At IKEA.

You know IKEA. The store that sells everything, but everything it sells is a bit smaller than at other stores and has an unusual Swedish name. Take the wok I bought today. It seems to me that woks (or any other utensils or appliances used for cooking) should not be named Skanka. Even if it has two circles over the “a” which I’m unable to duplicate on this non-Swedish keyboard. But I digress….

We actually both love to wander around IKEA. Inevitably Bill will find something he absolutely MUST HAVE for his office, which he will then use exactly once. Similarly, I will find something for the kitchen that is beyond me to understand how I’ve gone nearly 60 years without owning that I will then use exactly once.

Here is a list of what we purchased today:

6 pant hangers
1 extra-long shoe horn
4 storage boxes
2 doors for a storage cube Bill already owns
2 drawers for that same storage cube
1 smaller-than-normal wok
1 abnormally small sauce pan

As sort of a side note, I remember when my mother started buying things in small sizes. She would buy, for example, dish soap in a container that held something like 8 ounces. I don’t know where she even found items that small. I recall that about the time she was buying things in tiny sizes, I was cooking for a family and couldn’t imagine why she would buy something that small. Now, 35 years later, she would be pleased to see just how happy I am today to have found my smaller-than-normal wok and abnormally small sauce pan. When you’re cooking and cleaning for two, you look at life a bit differently. Cheers, Mom.

But back to IKEA. I think one of the things I like most about the store is the shopping carts. You know the ones in which all of the wheels can turn 360 degrees so that you can go down the aisle sideways. Not that I would ever do that.

So, I’m off to make my smaller-than-normal stir-fry in my smaller-than-normal wok. Here is the recipe:

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
1 T. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger, minced
½ c. green onion
2 c. broccoli florets
12 oz. skirt steak, sliced
½ t. sesame oil
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
Juice of 1 lime

Process
Heat oil in a wok or skillet, and then add beef. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes, until brown. Remove beef and set aside. Add garlic and ginger to pan and cook for 2-3 min. Add green onion, broccoli, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Cook 6-8 min. until broccoli softens and is bright green. (You can add a little water if necessary) Add meat back to the wok and cook until meat is again heated through.

Mix cornstarch with ½ c. water and add to pan. Bring to a boil. Add lime juice. Serve over rice.

Nana’s Note: The stir fry didn’t have as much flavor as I would have hoped. It needs a lot more soy sauce, and something else; maybe a little sherry. I’m open to suggestions.

One more little side note/follow-up. Remember a couple of weeks ago when I bought my sweet little third-born granddaughter a pair of pink mittens and pink ski socks to make up for the fact that she was having to wear her brother’s hand-me-down ski coat? Well, today I got this in the mail. So sweet. I particularly like the illustrations of the mittens and socks. It’s a remarkable resemblance.

Sabotage

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In yesterday’s post, I said that I wasn’t so good at healthy cooking. That’s not really true. I can cook healthy food as well as the next person. What I’m not so good at is healthy eating.

The day started great, with a yogurt smoothie, full of mango and strawberries and bananas. Healthy. Off we went to 24 Hour Fitness.

Again, that went very well. We both worked out hard, and felt good that we seemed to perform pretty well considering we had been sick with colds and had only worked out once last week.

After our good workout, we drove to Sprouts Market and got the fixings for a healthy dinner later that evening. Again, good job Kris.

Unfortunately, as we drove home from Sprouts, our car, practically on its own, pulled into the parking lot of the Chicago hot dog place, where the hot dogs are every bit as yummy as any I’ve ever eaten in Chicago, and the fries are better.

There, I’ve said it. Chicago friends, don’t be haters.

Seriously, the French fries are so hot they practically burn the roof of your mouth. Delicious. Worth every calorie. I barely thought about how Weight Watchers tells you not to let yourself get too hungry because that’s when you make bad choices and overeat.

I am really not making light of the fact that I had a not-so-healthy lunch, but I have learned something over the years. Deprivation doesn’t work well for me, especially when it comes to food. I have also learned that if you’re going to eat something that isn’t particularly healthy, then make sure it’s something that tastes really good. And I enjoyed every bite of my hot dog and fries.

Last night, to make up for the hot dog, I fixed some spicy Thai noodles that were simply delicious, and very healthy.

Let’s not talk about the cute little single containers of ice cream that I couldn’t resist buying on sale at 99 cents each. I took a picture of them next to an artichoke so you can see how small and harmless they really are, and also to show you that I bought something healthy too! Again, the ice cream was worth every bite.

Spicy Thai Noodles

Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1-2 T crushed red pepper
¼ c. vegetable oil
½ c. sesame oil
6 T. honey
6 T. soy sauce
½ c. green onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
½ c. cilantro, chopped
¾ c. peanuts, chopped

Process
Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the sesame oil, the vegetable oil, and the crushed red pepper over medium heat in a small pan for two minutes. Watch closely and keep moving the oil around.

After two minutes, strain out the pepper and save the oil. Discard the pepper. Whisk the honey and the soy sauce into the heated oil.

Drain your pasta. Pour the oil mixture into the pasta and toss. It takes a bit of tossing for the pasta to absorb the oil mixture.

Put the pasta into individual bowls, and finish off each bowl with the green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.

Serve warm or cold.

This recipe came from asmallsnippet.com.

Nana’s notes: I cut the recipe in half for my husband and me, and it was the perfect amount. Last night I added frozen raw shrimp to the pasta water during the last three minutes it was cooking and served the noodles topped with the shrimp. In the past, I have used cooked chicken, either leftover or stir-fried. Also, personally, I find sesame oil to be fairly overpowering, so I recommend you really watch the amount of sesame oil you use. For me, less is more.

It’s a pretty dish.

Lighten Up, Girlfriend

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When I commiserated recently with my sister that I was having trouble maintaining my Weight Watchers fighting weight, she pointed out that the majority of my blog recipes as of late have involved a great deal of butter. Humpf. She thinks she knows everything! Granted, I did have to start buying my butter at Costco, and I’m only cooking for my husband and me. But, really….

Anyway, in deference to you-know-who (and also to perhaps be kinder to my heart and ratchet down my cholesterol count), this week I am going to feature tasty, yet healthy, recipes.

I’m not great at cooking healthy. I’m much more like Paula Deen than Ellie Krieger (though I can safely say under oath that I have never used the “N” word to describe a person. Well, except when it used to be part of the “eenie, meenie, miney, moe” thing when I was a child. Wow. That’s weird to think about. You Baby Boomers know what I’m talking about.)

Anyhoo, back to cooking healthy. It’s just never really been my thang, doncha know. I love the taste of butter. I have always preferred chicken thighs over chicken breasts. Nothing tastes better to me than a really nicely marbled (read, FAT) rib-eyed steak. I know the BEEF: IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER people tell me a sirloin steak has the best flavor, but seriously?

But I have come to realize that healthy cooking doesn’t have to be flavorless, or even calorie-less. Weight Watchers has taught me that it’s about the combination of calories and fiber, protein and carbs in the right way. And furthermore, it really is about portion control instead of deprivation. So, unlike the olden days, pasta isn’t a no-go. And really, pan frying isn’t a no-go either. Just use a little oil instead of butter, or at least combine the two.

Some of the recipes I will feature for the next few days are recipes I have tried, and some are recipes that look good to me. We will see how it goes.

This is a recipe I plan to make tonight.

Greek Chicken Cutlets (from Martha Stewart, perhaps from prior to incarceration).

The recipe feeds four.

Ingredients
1-1/2 lb. thin chicken cutlets (about 8)
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ c. fresh mint
1/3 c. Kalamata olives, pitted
Salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
4 oz. feta cheese

Process
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, feta, mint, and 1 T. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Grill, working in batches, until chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Top chicken with tomato mixture and serve.

Nana’s Notes: Instead of grilling the cutlets, you can use a large skillet over high heat, adding 1 T. olive oil per batch. Also, I will use basil instead of mint because I prefer the flavor and it might annoy Martha Stewart should she stumble on this blog. That’s a good thing. By the way, the image is courtesy of Martha Stewart’s website. I really shouldn’t be so mean to her.

Shop ’til You Drop

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Neither my husband nor I like to shop.

Oh, it’s true that on occasion, I have headed purposely into a kitchen store with no purchase in mind, just wanting to see what kind of kitchen gadget I can’t live without. And certainly it’s not unusual for me to head into a book store and look at what’s new in paperback, not intending to purchase. (In fact, I’m sure book store owners must cringe when they see me pull out the little tablet I keep in my purse to write down names of books that I will then either order on line for my Nook or get from the library.)

But the notion of heading to a mall or shopping area to simply wander around for an afternoon is simply beyond my comprehension. And as for shopping the day-after-Christmas sales? Ha! If I bought my Christmas gift wrap or any presents the day after Christmas, by the same time next year I undoubtedly would have either a) forgotten where I put them, or b) forgotten that I bought them in the first place. Sigh.

And my husband is even worse. We shop when we need something.

And we needed a mattress. Or, at least wanted to buy a new mattress to replace the inexpensive one we had hastily bought when we purchased our desert home back in 2010. So Bill did a bit of internet research and found a couple of mattress stores not too far from our house, and we headed off.

We walked into a store called Mattress Outlet. It was quite large, filled with mattress upon mattress, and absolutely devoid of any humans save for one lone salesperson, a 30-something man. He was understandably very glad to see us. “Hello, my name is Rex. Are you in the market for a mattress?” he greeted us.

Let’s take a station break and talk about the name Rex. I like that name. I’m probably partial to the name because Bill’s dad’s name was Rex. But the name means “king” and I think it’s a strong, masculine-sounding name, and it simply appeals to me. But perhaps because I have two nieces who are pregnant, I have been paying more attention to names lately, and I am having a hard time imagining calling a little tiny baby boy Rex. Maybe I’m just used to names like Jason or Justin. Anyway, I took an immediate liking to Rex because he was named Rex.

So, we told Rex what we were looking for – a queen-sized mattress, medium-firm, preferably pillow-topped. He led us to the section of the store where the queen mattresses lived, gave us about a 2-minute talk on the differences in the mattresses, suggested we lie on them to see if we found any of them comfortable. (I must admit, however, that it is quite difficult to determine the comfort of a mattress when it is covered in plastic, but hey, I get why it’s covered in plastic.)

We did so, and left the store shortly thereafter having purchased a mattress and arranged for its delivery that evening. The entire transaction, from the time we walked into the store until we shook Rex’s hand as we left took somewhere around sixteen minutes. I am amused by that. I am sure there are agonizingly careful shoppers who would have gone to four or five stores to check prices, gotten brochures on all of the beds, asked Rex all sorts of questions about how the beds were made and where the beds come from. We, on the other hand, walk into the first store on our list, lie on two different beds, choose one with very little discussion, make the deal and head over to Five Guys for lunch.

Hope we have many good nights of sleep on our new mattress.

Last night I made a delicious meal I pinned from Pinterest. It has no name. It was a winner.

Nameless Shrimp

Melt a stick of butter in a pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down fresh raw shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian salad dressing. Put in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 min.

My notes: I used unpeeled large shrimp. The size was good, but I think next time I would peel the shrimp first. They were really messy to peel, what with being covered in that delicious butter and all. I served it with oven-roasted asparagus and crusty French bread which we then dipped in the buttery goodness. It was really good, and soooo quick and easy.

My Interest in Pinterest

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My maternal grandparents grew up in Switzerland, and came to the United States in 1925, part of the great migration of Europeans looking for a better life. My grandmother’s father delivered milk by horse and buggy. Likely, they probably didn’t see a lot of cars until they arrived in the United States. I picture the small Nebraska town they moved to having a mixture of cars and horses for some time, until cars became more commonplace. My grandparents witnessed the proliferation of radios, the invention of television, telephones in every home, all sorts of things that we simply take for granted every day.

But I have seen a lot of changes in my lifetime also. I think there was a television in our home when I was born, and certainly a radio, but I remember when we got our first color television, and let me tell you, it was a BIG DEAL. Mom let us watch Captain Kangaroo before school in the morning. At night, after dinner and our bath, we sat down as a family and watched Big Valley, Bonanza, Lawrence Welk, or Gunsmoke. Simpler times.

But obviously the biggest changes I have witnessed have been in the area of technology. Over the years, I have watched as computers became smaller, less expensive, and therefore more common. It once was that only businesses had a computer; now everyone has a computer as part of their telephone or as a tablet, with more memory than I can even get my mind around.

But the thing that is most remarkable to me has been the proliferation of the internet. I remember when Bill and I moved into our house after we married in 1992, and he began talking about this concept that was entirely foreign and beyond my understanding called the World Wide Web. Bill has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to technology. He was the first of his friends and work colleagues to have a cell phone – literally the size of a brick.

But I am sounding like an old person. As inept as I am with most forms of technology, I love it and rarely fear it. I own a smart phone, an Ipad, and a laptop computer. I read almost all my books on a tablet. I blog. I read blogs. I do Google searches.

What mostly stumps me now is social media. I have a Facebook page and enjoy sharing the photos and learning about the activities of my “friends.” I haven’t really tackled Twitter or Instagram yet, but I will.

But the thing I have most embraced is Pinterest. I love Pinterest. I love following both friends and strangers on Pinterest. I pin recipes. I pin crochet patterns. I pin house decorating ideas. I pin gardening ideas. I pin book recommendations.

What I don’t do is actually make any of the recipes or read any of the books or crochet any of the baby clothes I pin. I don’t garden and my house hasn’t been remodeled in 20 years.

So my resolution for at least this week is to make a couple of recipes that I have pinned but have never actually made. Then I will give you my impression.

I’m going to start with a yummy sandwich that I pinned from Ree Drummond’s web site.

Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich

Ingredients
1 large onion
2 sticks butter (lots and lots of butter)
2 – 3 lbs. cube steak
Seasoned salt
½ c.Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
4 Hoagie rolls

Process
Slice the onions and cook in ¼ stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.

Slice the cube steak against the grain. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Heat 2 T butter over high heat in the same skillet until melted and beginning to brown. Add the meat in a single layer. Cook one side until brown, and then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on each side.

Add ½ c. Worcestershire sauce, 5-6 shakes hot sauce and 2 T butter. Add the cooked onions. Stir to combine.

Butter the halved rolls and brown in a skillet.

To assemble, lay the bottom half of a roll on a plate. Place the meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half and enjoy.

My note: Overall, this was a very good sandwich. My husband liked it very much. I added half of a red pepper because I had it in the fridge, and I didn’t particularly like the flavor of it in the sandwich. My bad. Also, for me, the amount of Worcestershire was overwhelming and I might cut it with a bit of beef broth next time. But I really like cube steak for some reason, and this is a good way to use it. I will make this sandwich again.