Pin Drop Pine Tree

 

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

 

2 pounds russets, peeled and chopped

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/2 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup shredded cheddar

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Dump chopped potatoes into slow cooker; add bacon, stock, onion, garlic, thyme and butter. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Using a potato masher, mash about half the potatoes while still in the pot. (This will thicken the soup somewhat.) Stir in cheese, sour cream, and cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve hot with extra cheese, bacon, sour cream and sliced green onions as a garnish.

The Lynx

 

In 1884, New Orleans hosted the World Cotton Centennial; a lavish affair that featured thousands of electric lights and an observation tower with electric elevators. The Japanese delegates who attended brought water hyacinths to distribute as gifts. Water hyacinths are lovely, but they’re an invasive species here. They grow in dense colonies that block out sunlight and crowd out other plant life. Before long, Louisiana’s waterways were clogged with them. In March, 1910, Congressman Robert Broussard introduced a bill to appropriate $250,000 for the importation of hippopotamuses. The hippos, he said, would munch away at the hyacinths. Then Americans – who complained about the high cost of meat – could enjoy hippo steaks. Alas, his idea never caught on. Instead, Congress opted to drain swampland to allow for more pastures. 112 years later, Americans still eat mostly beef, chicken and pork. And the state of Louisiana spends over $2 million a year on herbicides to control the water hyacinth.

Nine Log Cabins

 

Cheddar/Garlic Drop Biscuits

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups shredded cheddar

 

Preheat oven to 450F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. (We use silicone baking mats.) In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder and salt; blend well. In a small bowl, combine melted butter and buttermilk. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients; stir just a little with a rubber spatula. Add cheddar and stir a few more times. Spoon onto baking sheet using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown. While biscuits are baking, combine:

 

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

 

When biscuits come out of the oven, brush their tops with the butter mixture and serve warm.

Sweetheart

 

“If we listen to the voices of the world, we will be misled. But if we listen to the voice of the Lord through His living prophet and follow his counsel, we will never go astray. There aren’t many guarantees in this life. There isn’t a car made with a warranty that covers everything. No bank on earth can absolutely guarantee that your money is completely safe. Even the Good Housekeeping seal of approval has a disclaimer written right on it! Nothing man-made or man-controlled can ever be truly guaranteed! But here’s the miracle. The Lord has given some marvelous guarantees without any disclaimers. And this is one of them: He will choose the prophet, and He will never let that man lead us astray. Imagine for a moment the impact of that promise. There is at least one place we can turn for pure, unpolluted guidance.” – Virginia U. Jensen

Four Woodland Cabins

 

I took my first quilt class in 2003. Every year I push myself to learn more and improve my skills. One of the most import things I’ve learned is when you have fabric you dislike, you need to cut it up. The less you like it, the smaller the pieces need to be. I was cleaning out my stash the other day, and had filled a few grocery sacks with fat eighths, fat quarters and even half-yards of prints that definitely weren’t sparking joy: ugly fabric that had already been purged from other quilter’s stashes and given to me. They wouldn’t have been happy with my 1860’s or 1930’s reproduction prints. But as I lifted the sacks to tote them to my car, I realized they DID seem to like each other. So, I’m hacking away at these homely prints, and making them into log cabin blocks. Instead of donating bags of cotton, I’ll donate a finished quilt!

Garden Charm

 

Slow Cooker Meatloaf

 

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

 

Combine eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion, salt, sage, and mushrooms in a large bowl. Add ground beef and blend well. (You can use a wooden spoon, but a clean pair of hands works better.) Shape into a loaf. (If your cooker is round, you can use a straight-sided bowl as a mold. Mine’s an oval, so I use a loaf pan.) Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours. Stir remaining ingredients together and spoon over loaf. Continue cooking another 20 to 30 minutes. I suppose you could serve meatloaf without mashed potatoes, but why would you do that?

Woodland Log Cabin

 

Tuesday, John told me about a story he’d heard on the news. It was about Toby Price, assistant principal at Gary Road Elementary in Byram, Mississippi. Mr. Price read aloud via Zoom to 240 second graders earlier this month. Mr. Price hadn’t been scheduled to read that day, but the guest reader hadn’t shown up. So, Mr. Price filled in. The school district superintendent disapproved of the book he chose. Moments after the Zoom meeting, Mr. Price was placed on administrative leave. Two days later, he was fired. What was the book that caused all this trouble? Prepare to be shocked: it was “I Need a New Butt” by New Zealand author Dawn McMillan. If you’ve never read it, you should buy one from Amazon right now. When it arrives, find a seven-year-old to read it to. It’s the PERFECT book to read aloud to someone that age. What concerns me is that there are school superintendents out there who don’t know that.  

Scrappy Churn Dash

 

I remember studying weather in grade school. We learned how the moon and tides are connected, and how weather is predicted. We ran around in the pouring rain with sponges on our heads, then weighed our wet sponges to prove the running leaves you just as wet as walking (unless, of course, the running gets you out of the rain sooner.) But we never learned the words I hear meteorologists spouting these days. We covered rain and hail and snow, but not graupel (granular snow pellets). We learned about jet streams, but not about a polar vortex (which is always found near the poles, but sometimes causes other places to experience arctic conditions). I know we never discussed atmospheric rivers, thundersnow, derechos, flash droughts, or bomb cyclones. (If I understood these well enough to give a definition, I would.) Has the weather really changed that much in half a century, or have we just invented new words to describe it?

Lucky Charm Block

 

Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

15 ounces bottled Alfredo pasta sauce

7 ounces sundried tomato strips, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup chopped fresh or frozen spinach

 

Place chicken breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken breasts. Cover and cook on low at least four hours. You can leave the chicken breasts whole, or shred them and return them to the pot about half an hour before serving. We had ours with casarecce (the name means “homemade,” though ours was store-bought). It would have been just as lovely with fettucine, linguine or penne. 

Trip to the Altar

 

“We served a full-time mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Mbuji-Mayi Mission from 2016 to 2019. Armed bandits broke onto the road, disturbing the movement of travelers. Five missionaries traveling from one zone to another were victims of these disturbances. Having been victims of this phenomenon ourselves sometimes before, we began to fear for the lives and safety of all of us, even hesitating to travel on these roads to visit the missionaries and hold zone conferences. We did not know how long it was going to last. I drew up a report, which I sent to the Area Presidency, and I expressed my feelings of fear about continuing to travel when the road was the only way to reach our missionaries. In his reply, our president wrote: ‘Do the best you can. Be wise and be prayerful. Do not knowingly put yourselves or your missionaries in harm’s way, but at the same time go forward in faith.’” – Elder Alfred Kyungu

Spring Tulip Table Runner

 

Easter falls on the first Sunday AFTER the first full moon AFTER spring equinox. So, if the full moon comes right after the first day of spring, we get an early Easter. If the full moon comes right before (it happened yesterday), Easter will come later. I’m fine with that. By April 17, my lawn just might be ready for an Easter egg hunt. And by then, the weather might be fine enough for me to want one. Easter is a melting-pot holiday. The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon Oestre, goddess of dawn, light and fertility. The bunny comes from Germany (where rabbits are a symbol of fertility and spring), and the tradition of decorating eggs – called pysanka – is from Ukraine. I was reading about Easter traditions and discovered one I’d like to adopt. In Southern Germany, they eat pretzels at this time of year, because they look like arms folded in prayer. I’ll have mine with mustard.

Eagle's Nest

 

I haven’t made chicken cordon bleu in ages. I love the taste, but it’s SO much work! This was every bit as yummy, and practically effortless! 

 

Slow Cooker Cordon Bleu

 

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup milk

4 ounces ham, sliced and coarsely chopped

4 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced and coarsely chopped

1 box Stovetop stuffing mix (We used chicken, but savory herb and sage work, too.)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup water

 

In a small bowl, combine butter, water and stuffing mix. Gently stir, then dump in one side of slow cooker. In a bowl whisk together soup and milk until combined. Pour half the soup/milk mixture in the other side of slow cooker. Arrange chicken breasts on top of the soup mixture. Top chicken with ham and Swiss, then pour remaining soup/milk mixture over. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 2 to 3 hours. About half an hour before serving, shred chicken with two forks and return to cooker. We served ours with a side of roasted Brussel sprouts.

Lucky Charms

 

I never bought the pattern for this quilt. I saw a photo on the Internet, and liked it. It’s only a bunch of half-square triangles, quarter-square triangles, and flying geese, but the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. I already know how to make all these parts. The pattern might have let me know how much fabric to buy, but everything you see here was gleaned from my stash. It’s green, and Americans celebrate all things green on March 17. But it might be just as much fun to make in red, or blue, or black and white. I’m actually thinking of making another using all the colors. This one is 30” square, but it could just as easily have been 40” or 60” or 120”. I only did this without a pattern because I wanted to see if I could. But if you want to buy the pattern, you can find it on Etsy.

Brown Goose

 

It’s become trendy lately to share a photo of the price of gas and blame it on someone besides ourselves. I get it. Filling your tank has gotten seriously pricey. And maybe if we had a different president right now, it wouldn’t be quite so expensive. But what will keep the price high is our attitude – the idea that we have no choice but to pay whatever it costs. There are ALWAYS alternatives. We can carpool, use public transportation, or work from home. We can switch to an electric car, a hybrid, or simply one that wastes less gasoline. We can choose a job with a shorter commute, or move closer to where we work. We can stop idling. We can streamline our errands and eliminate unnecessary trips. We can eat home cooked meals more often, and dine out less. We can leave the car behind and walk or bike more often. What will you choose? 

Four Ohio Stars

 

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

 

1 cup whole milk, well-chilled

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream, well-chilled

2 teaspoons vanilla (Please DON'T use imitation vanilla.)

1 cup coarsely chopped Oreo cookies

 

In a COLD bowl, whisk together milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cream and vanilla. Pour mixture into ice cream maker’s freezer bowl. Let it churn about 20 minutes. Add in the chopped Oreos and keep churning another 10 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Use rubber spatula to transfer ice cream to a freezable container. Cover and place in freezer about 2 hours to set up firmly.

Blue Tulips

 

“The Lord commands: ‘Hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. I have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation.’ Choosing to not hold up the gospel light moves us to the shadows, where we are susceptible to temptation. Importantly, the converse is true: choosing to hold up the gospel light brings us more fully into that light and the protection it provides against temptation. What a tremendous blessing in today’s world! Joy. Hope. Sustaining power from God. Protection from temptation. Healing. All of these—and more (including forgiveness of sins)—distill upon us from heaven as we share the gospel.” – Elder Marcus B. Nash

Ohio Star

 

Slow Cooker Pizza Pasta

 

3/4 cup cooked pepperoni slices (The kind that goes on pizza)

2 cups sweet Italian sausage, browned and crumbled

24 ounces pasta sauce (Paul Newman’s Sockarooni is our favorite.)

1 cup grape tomatoes

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

1 cup grated mozzarella or parmesan

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

A pinch fresh ground black pepper

 

Dump all ingredients into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 3 to 4 hours, or on low 5 to 6 hours. Serve over 16 ounces freshly cooked pasta. (Penne, casarecci and gemelli are wonderful. So are farfalle and even elbow macaroni.) Top with more grated parmesan. 

Pink Tulips

 

Last week I shared several messages from a sign outside a veterinary clinic in Westminster, Maryland. Here are some more, posted by vets elsewhere:

“If the earth was flat, cats would push everything off it.”

“Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.”

“If cats could text you back, they wouldn’t.”

“Cats spend half their lives asleep, and the other have making viral videos.”

“A cat is always on the wrong side of the door.”

“Never feed your cat anything that clashes with the carpet.”

“Bathing cats is a martial art.”

“If you don’t talk to your cat about catnip, who will?”

“Letting a cat out of the bag is easier than putting him in.”

“Why won’t cats play poker in the savannah? Too many cheetahs.”

“What do you call a cat tantrum? A hissy fit.”

“I dressed my dog as a cat. Now he won’t come when I call.”

“In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They haven’t forgotten.”

Twenty-five Spools

 

I don’t think Heather’s ever met a cookie she didn’t like. So, when people ask about her favorite cookie, I’m never sure how to answer. It might be chocolate chip. Isn’t that everyone’s favorite? When we lived in England, she definitely gravitated towards “spotty-dotties, which are just chocolate chip cookies with M&M’s where the chips ought to be. But if she has a second-favorite cookie, it’s probably this one:

 

Chewy Coconut Cookies

 

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

 

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture and coconut. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350F until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.

Lavender Tulips

 

How to Walk a Human: A Dog’s Guide

1.       Humans need exercise. If they don't get enough, they can become chubby. It's up to you to save them.

2.       Allow your human to tether themselves to you. This keeps them from wondering off or running away.

3.       Your human will probably need breaks, Be considerate. Stop and sniff often.

4.       Bark frequently for no apparent reason. Humans have short attention spans.

5.       When you go to the bathroom, walk away. If you have trained your human correctly, they will clean it up. It’s good aerobics!

6.       Periodically drag your human as fast as you can. This is called interval training.

7.       Do not allow your human to shorten the walk. They are just being lazy. Sit in protest if you must.

8.       Once you return home, allow your human to remove their tether, then lick their face many times. This is reinforcement for a job well done.

Sixteen Spool Blocks

 

I did share a recipe here for baked rice pudding a year and a half ago. This one calls for a lot more rice and a lot less milk. They're both delicious. I guess if I had a lot of leftover rice, I'd use this new recipe. If I had way too much milk, I'd stick with the recipe I posted October 24, 2020.

Baked Rice Pudding

 

2 cups cooked white rice (This is a great way to use up leftovers!)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup raisins (Sometimes I use more.)

Fresh ground nutmeg (I’m really not sure how much I use. More than a pinch.)

 

In a large bowl, combine beaten eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir in cooked rice and raisins. Spoon into a buttered 10” baking dish. Bake at 325F half an hour. Remove from oven and gently stir; sprinkle with nutmeg. Continue baking another half hour, until nearly set. Serve warm.

Six Plaid Pines

 

“May I express my personal warning about a practice that is common in many cultures? I am referring to sleepovers, or spending the night at the home of a friend. As a bishop I discovered that too many youth violated the Word of Wisdom or the law of chastity for the first time as part of a sleepover. Too often their first exposure to pornography and even their first encounter with the police occurred when they were spending the night away from home. Peer pressure becomes more powerful when our children are away from our influence and when their defenses are weakened late at night. If you have ever felt uneasy about an overnight activity, don’t be afraid to respond to that warning voice inside. Always be prayerful when it comes to protecting your precious children.” – Larry R. Lawrence

Nine Spool Blocks

 

My favorite lamp is actually a stack of glued-together crockery. Beneath an unremarkable white shade, the base is a porcelain teacup and saucer, a teapot and larger cup with two more saucers, a plate and an overturned bowl. I found it in Anthropologie when that store was at the Gateway shopping center. They were asking more than I was willing to pay for such a frivolous thing. But over the next few months I visited it frequently, trying to figure out how I could make one like it. I researched adhesives and special drill bits, but knew I’d never match this perfect symmetry with thrift shop pottery. Then Anthropologie moved to City Creek Mall. We toured the new store, but didn’t see the teapot lamp. A salesperson stopped us as we were leaving. They’d put the lamp aside, knowing I’d be back for it. That was ten years ago. I don’t remember what I paid for it. I don’t care.

Pin Cushion Cactus

 

Outside Carroll County Veterinary Clinic in Westminster, Maryland, there’s a clever changeable sign that amuses and uplifts: 

“I don't think it's fair that only roosters are allowed to start the day screaming.” 

“If a black cat crosses your path, he probably has important cat stuff to do.” 

“Dogs are living proof good still exists in the world.” 

“Cats can memorize 120 commands, but they don’t want to.” 

“Having cats in the house is like living with art that throws up on the carpet.” 

“Whoever said diamonds are girl’s best friend never owned a dog.” 

“Dog’s such a small word for something that takes up so much room in your heart.” 

“My dog will eat anything until you put a pill in it. Then he’s Gordon Ramsey.” 

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s there, a Chihuahua 500 miles away will still bark at it.”

“Accidentally used the dog’s shampoo. I feel like such a good girl.”

Four Spool Blocks

 

We tried Crack Chicken last week for the first time, and it was a big hit. We had it over baked potatoes, with green and yellow beans on the side. I may quadruple this recipe when the weather is warm enough for a picnic, and see if the whole family likes it.

 

Slow Cooker Crack Chicken

 

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 packet DRY ranch dressing mix

8 ounces cream cheese

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Thinly sliced green onions, as a garnish

 

Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with dry ranch seasoning. Top with cream cheese. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Remove and shred chicken, then return it to pot. Top with bacon and shredded cheddar. Cover and continue cooking until cheddar melts. Serve hot on toasted buns or baked potatoes, or over cooked pasta or rice.

Four Plaid Pines

 

Everyone likes to make a fuss about Disney princesses. It’s not surprising. When you think about it, they’re all pretty awesome. But many of my favorite Disney movies are completely princess-free. I’m not talking about actual princesses who aren’t in the official pantheon, like Anastasia, Kida, Nala, Atta, Dot, Vanellope, Leia, Anna and Elsa. I’m also not talking about members of the pantheon who aren’t really princesses (at least not until they marry a prince) like Cinderella, Belle, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana or Moana. Here are the princess-less movies I adore: Mulan, Zootopia, Lady and the Tramp, Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmatians, Rescuers Down Under, Big Hero Six, and especially Meet the Robinsons. If you haven’t seen every one of these, I’ll recommend them with all my heart. And if you have a favorite Disney movie (with or without a princess), I’d love to hear about it.  

Three-Inch Spool Block

 

Do you want to fast this Lent?

Fast from hurting words and say kind words.

Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.

Fast from anger and be filled with patience.

Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.

Fast from worries and have trust in God.

Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.

Fast from pressures and be prayerful.

Fast from bitterness and fill your hearts with joy.

Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others.

Fast from grudges and be reconciled.

Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

 - Pope Francis

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