Happy Thanksgiving ♥...Roasted Tom and Basil Recipe

Today I am Thankful:

God put me right where I am meant to be
and has blessed me abundantly.

For my sweet husband.

For my wonderful sweet girls,
and that Mic is home with us again and found a job.

For a roof over my head and food in my tummy.

For our families, Here and Away.

Good friends Old and New.

For all the little things that make me smile throughout each day.

Blessings Kelsie

Roast Tomato and Basil Soup

• 2 lg cans (28oz) peeled whole tomatoes, drained and seeded (reserve 3 cups of liquid)
• 2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 ts ground allspice
• 3 Tbs tomato paste
• 8oz thickening cream
• 1/4 cup or about 10 lg leaves basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Arrange seeded tomatoes in a single layer and sprinkle with the onion and brown sugar.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until all liquid is evaporated and tomatoes begin to color.

Allow to cool slightly, then remove from cookie sheet and put into a blender...Add a dash of chicken broth to help liquefy roasted toms...I do this usually in 2 small batches.

Combine liquefied toms, tomato paste, remaining chicken broth, reserved tomato liquid and allspice to crockpot and allow to cook on low for 8hrs (high for 4hrs)

I add my basil into a "tea ball" and drop into crockpot during the last hr..with 30minutes.

to go, finally add cream and mix well.

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy.

Sharing for:

Show and Tell Friday @ http://romantichome.blogspot.com

Home grown Pear Pie

I believe I have mentioned occasionally that we have a few (14) very old, very large, super productive pear trees at our place...I know...Joy, Rapture and all those fun noises...Well the trouble is everyone of them are "cooking pears"...not the kind you could just pick off the tree and nosh on...So what does one do with so many cooking pears??

This was one of 4 box we took to Miracles Happen Ranch a few weeks ago

Well many of them go to a friend for her goats and horses to enjoy....I send some home with my MIL...I actually enjoy watching the squirrels and birds devour them....and many get run over with the lawnmower and/or get composed...My chickens do try very hard to make a dent but alas, we still have hundreds of pears EVERYWHERE....

Well this afternoon I took some advice I was given to "treat them like apples" and made a Easy "pear" Pie....I simply followed the recipe here
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/easy-apple-pie-recipe/3/
but substituded pears for apples....

The perfect way to end the evening...
Delish pie from home grown fruit and a glass of milk...

Blessings Kelsie

Sharing this post at:
Farm Girl Friday @ http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.blogspot.com/
Farm Photo Friday @ http://farmchickskitchen.blogspot.com/
Potpourri Friday @ http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/
Fall Farm Friends Friday @ http://www.verdefarm.com
Show and Tell Friday @ http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fertilizer Friday @ http://www.tootsietime.com/

Homemade Taco Salad, Heat and Health Update...

Let me start with an update on lil Sara...After spending Saturday evening at the ER and not really getting any answers...Her fever was still holding on Monday so back to her own Dr...Still really nothing much to tell me...Tuesday, still feverish and the Hospital calls to tell me her urine results came back with "abnormal results" and to go and see our Dr again...So Wed we are back at the Dr's office at 8.45am...The good news was the lab results were not anything major to be worried about...BUT her lungs are not sounding good so they do an chest X-ray and she has walking pneumonia...only took 6 days to get an answer *sigh*...So we are now doing a round of anti-biotics and the dreaded Orapred (steriod) that turns her in to a demon child...of course all this time I have been doing 4 hourly breathing treatments, tylonel and luke warm baths to bring down her fever and all that fun mum nursey stuff... and to be honest with you, I am EXHAUSTED from it all...Which is why I have not posted since Sunday, just no energy to think straight...Today though she is doing much better and tomorrow *happy mummy dance* will be going to daycare...meaning I can maybe find my house under a weeks worth of clutter and if I am really lucky get some doll work done (not holding my breath on that one lol)

Now on to more garden related things...

Dinner tonight was taco salad with homemade/home grown salsa...

The shell I made by simply draping a flour tortilla over a small (oven proof) cereal bowl and popping into a hot oven (400 degrees) for 15minutes...removed and allow to cool...I threw a good handful of iceburg lettuce in the bottom...warm shredded chicken was next then a good heaping of the lovely salsa (recipe at end of post) made from veggies from our own garden, sprinkled with shredded cheese and topped with sour cream...It was soooooo good.

Between Sara being so ill and the awful heat I have not been able to get out to the garden, we have had some heavy winds that took some branches off of the trees...Including this one from the pear tree in the back yard...the blue jays are not minding one bit...You can also see the melons in the field behind are now turning yellow...they are too far gone to pick and sell...I am just hoping they will come plow them under before it begins to smell bad...I know that today they came and removed all the pipelines for the irrigation system.

That's about it from here...Maybe tomorrow I can get out to do some clean up in the yard if it not too hot and gather some seeds from spent flowers...Hope yall are having a great week thus far.

Blessings Kelsie

Sharing this week:
Cottage Flora Thursday @ http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/
Flaunt Your Flowers/ Fertilizer Friday @ http://www.tootsietime.com/
Farm Girl Friday @ http://www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com

Garden Fresh Salsa:

5 ripe tomatoes - Diced and cored
1 small red onion - Finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno chile - Carefully seeded and finely chopped
1 good handful of fresh chopped cilantro leaves
Dash of Cayenne pepper to add spice
little salt
Juice of one freshly cut lime.

Mix in bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or over night...Resist the urge to sit and eat it with a spoon because it is THAT GOOD.

First Day Lily, Greek Chicken and Childrens Recipe

My first Day Lily of 2011 opened this morning...I have been watching the buds for the last week or so, waiting to see this beautiful flower open and share all it's glory for just one day...Sadly tomorrow it will be gone, but there are many more buds waiting to open right behind it.

After lunch Lil Sara and I ventured into town to go grocery shopping...I rarely buy raw chicken because, well I simply don't trust it to be fresh once I get the plastic off (has happened a few to many times)...But got brave today and picked up a whole fryer that had been cut length ways in half at just 99c a pound...also grabbed a cheap bottle of Italian salad dressing and all the fixing to make Greek salad...

Once home I skun (word?) and washed the chicken, put each half into a large freezer ziplock bag, squirted a good couple of tablespoons of the Italian salad dressing into each bag and worked it around to coat the chicken, removed as much air as possible and sealed the bags...Placed bags in fridge in a large bowl, I will turn the bags ever hour or so until 5pm when I will pop them in the oven to bake for about hour and a half...Hopefully they will taste great with our Greek salad and homemade fries from home grown red potatoes...I can't wait for dinner tonight

Children's Fun Cooking Recipe

You will need:

One large pot with or without a lid, a wooden spoon for stirring, 2 plastic bowls and plastic utensils.

1/2 box of dry uncooked pasta of your choosing...We like to mix it up and do 1/2 mac and 1/2 spirals.

1 cup of dried beans, again of your choosing.

1 young child or toddler

Instructions:

Place all things on kitchen table...Let child loose...

This recipe should buy you about 20 to 30 minutes of occupied toddler time....Enjoy


This is how I keep Sara busy while I am handling foods she can not help me with such as raw chicken.

Blessings Kelsie

PS: I should have mentioned that we keep and reused the pasta and bean "mix" each time and it is stored in an old pasta box in the pantry marked "Sara"...She is so proud to have "her" cooking stuff in with the other foods.

Cup Cakes...

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...Don't forget to stop by and visit Beverly @ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com to see all the other sweet PINK SATURDAY posts and to brighten the start of the week join Mary for Mosaic Monday @ http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Blessings Kelsie

Lil Sara Bakes her first CAKE....

When lil Sara heard Nama and Poppa were coming to visit she wanted to bake a cake...Last time they came was Poppa's bday and of course we had cake....Being two, she has put Poppa and Cake together and come up with four...What a clever girl she is.

Last week I came across a recipe for Banana Bread that looked super easy to make, over at Beatrice Banks Blog, Click Here to see her post...Just don't tell lil Sara it is Banana Bread, because she will still insist it is CAKE!!

These are all the utensils you need for mashing bananas...Actually you probably need more but mum is a stick in the mud and said I had enough...

I became quite the expert banana peeler too...

Tear and TOSS goes the peel....

Notice my cute little apron mummy got me from the Quilt Museum during her last visit...It has Sweeps (Sheep) on it..Mummy got a cute pink flowery one for her self but was sad because she really wanted a Sweep one too....

Little by little I spoon the mashed banana in to the egg and sugar mix...

See how yellow it is...Mummy says that is because our chickens are free range and make super healthy eggs...

Because I am super clever I mix in the flour with 2 spoons....

While we wait for the cake to cook in the oven we clean up our mess...
or make a bigger mess playing at the sink...

Mmmmmmmm looks so good...Now were is that Nama and Poppa at??

Blessings Kelsie and Lil Sara

Sharing at the following Tea Parties:

Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations - Tea Time Tuesday

Lady Katherine Tea Parlor - Tea Time Tuesday

Wander Lee and Pam's - Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday

and party Co-hosts:

Martha's Favorites - Tea Cup Tuesday
&
Terri, Artful Afirmations - Tea Cup Tuesday

Homemade Deep Pan Pizza...

This is an old family favorite around here...I discovered the recipe in a magazine about 6 yrs ago and tweaked it until it was to our liking...Since we were having it for dinner tonight I figured it was a great time to share my take on a Deep Pan Pizza.

KELSIE'S DEEP PAN PIZZA
Makes 6 servings

1 Can of Thick Crust Pizza Dough

1 to 1.5 lbs of Italian Sausage Meat

1 diced Yellow Onion

8 oz of fresh Mushrooms sliced

2 cans of Diced tomatoes

1 TBLS Dried Marjoram Leaves

1 TBLS Dried Basil Leaves

Dash of Garlic Powder to taste.

Olive Oil

2 cups shredded cheese...I like a blend of sharp cheddar and mozzarella...Tonight I was out of mozzarella so used only cheddar.

Pre-heat oven to 350...Grease 9x13 baking pan and line bottom and sides with pizza dough, put to one side to allow dough to come to room temperature.

Add a dash of olive oil to skillet and cook crumbled sausage until browned...Remove from pan onto paper towel to remove excess fat...Drain skillet of remaining fat...Saute onions and mushrooms until onions are soft and slightly browned...Add drained tomatoes, marjoram, basil, garlic powder, continue to cook them for about 5 minutes to blend flavors.

Spread crumbled sausage meat onto the bottom of the baking pan lined with the pizza dough...Spread 1 cup of cheese on top of the meat...Spoon the veggie mixture on top of cheese...Spread remaining cheese over veggie mixture..

Cook for around 30 minutes on middle shelf...

Serve with green salad and ENJOY.

A little FYI about this dish...I am working on body, house/family and budget in the new year and this recipe hit all 3 notes for me..

BODY - because it is homemade I have control that only good ingredience are used...For an even healthier option you could use turkey meat and add Italian herbs to give it more flavor...Switch the crust to thin crust, or even use tortillas as a base to the toppings...and you could explore your cheese options too...By serving it with salad and having a smaller slice of the pizza you have a balanced meal, v's a over indulgent pizza slam.

HOUSE/FAMILY - Bringing more home cooked meals to the family table, especially one we all love is always a bonus.

BUDGET - The pizza came to about $8 plus the price of the salad which at a guess came to under 2 dollars. This will feed our family for 2 nights, making one evening meal for 3 adults and one child a total of $5 (that is just $1.25 per person) and no one had to drive to town to pick it up :)

Blessings Kelsie

Turkey Sausage Rolls

Making an Aussie Classic with an American twist...

Like most Aussies who have moved away from the golden shores of OZ, there are certain "cuisine" we miss...And I am no different...Over the last decade I have slowly searched to find these Aussie staples at an affordable price here in the USA. I found a online place to order the black gold that is Vegemite (most other stuff too but often too pricey by the time I figure in shipping from CA to FL)...My mother delights us each Christmas with a packet of Tim Tams each and Walmart is now carrying a goodish range of Cadbury Chocolate (though sadly have stopped carrying Milo *sad face*)

Alas the baked goods that I have truly craved have eluded me...So, started my quest to find and tweak a recipe to my own satisfaction...Today I share with you one of my all time fave savory snacks...The Sausage Roll...I know some of you are wondering about replacing the pork/beef meet with turkey...This was purely on a whim because I like turkey and it worked really well and of course the fat content was greatly reduced making them just a little healthier...SO now on to the recipe.

Yields 12 Rolls
Filling:
1 pound turkey sausage meat.
1 medium/small carrot
1 small onion
Dash of whipping cream
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 tsp Sage
1/4 tsp Curry powder
Pinch of Thyme
Pinch of Garlic

Crust:
1 Sheet Puff Pastry - Cut into 3 equal lengths, longways.
1 Beaten Egg


Add meat, spices and bread crumbs to a mixing bowl.

Finely chop carrot and onion in food processor or grinder...Add the dash of cream to help loosen it from the sides then add to bowl also.

Using your finger tips only, gently combine all the ingredients. Divide into 3 even size balls.

On a floured cutting board roll out the puff pastry strips to make them wide enough to wrap around the filling.

Take each ball of filling and evenly spread into a long sausage on top of each pastry strip, roll pastry around filling with as much overlap as possible, brush with egg to join.

Cut each large roll into 4 even pieces, place join side down on large cookie tray lined with parchment paper....Use the tip of a pointy knife to make small slits into top of pasty...2 slits per roll should be enough...Brush tops with beaten eggs.

Bake in preheated 350degree oven for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let rest on a cake rack for 5minutes...
Serve with Ketchup and Enjoy

Kelsie

Bargin Price for my new Crockpot/Slowcooker *updated*

If you have read my blog before you will know I have a love affair with my crockpot, and if you read my wish list post last week, you would know I was wanting a new one...After 16+ yrs the large crockpot's heating element finally died, it was a sad day...Though the chickens did not mind as they got a pretty new ceramic water dish lol....Now I am fearful for my small (2.5 quart) upright one that I used for soups because I know it is also over a decade old.

Yesterday while in Walmart with hubby I wanted to show him a 5 quart crockpot that was on sale for just $16, as I was questioning if the bowl was big enough to do our favorite "Braised Beef Ribs in tomato gravy" recipe..Promise to share this recipe with yall soon...Well as luck would have it, there on the shelf above the 5 quart one was a 7 quart cooker for...are you ready for this...$9....Well needless to say, there was no question as to which one we purchased lol.

Even though today I had been planning to make Turkey burgers for dinner, I was just itching to try out the new crockpot....Of course for a test run, you want to start with something basic....
Couple of onions, 4 large Potatoes, 2 large sweet potatoes, garlic cloves and seasoning salt.

And a big old hunk of Pork

So in 8 to 9 hours we should have a delicious Pork Pot Roast for dinner...

Update:
The Pork was melt in your mouth scrumptious.
Two thumbs-up to the new crockpot.

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