Tortellini Soup

Tired of Thanksgiving leftovers?  Try this satisfying soup.  It’s easy and delicious.  The measurements are approximate because that’s how I roll.  I just adjust as I cook.  You may need more or less broth depending on how much meat and tortellini you might want to add. 

1  lb frozen  Italian meat balls
2 links sweet Italian sausage
2/3 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. chopped bell pepper
2/3 C. thinly sliced carrots
3 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 can basil and oregano diced tomatoes
4 C. beef broth
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 package baby spinach leaves or more
2-3 C.  frozen 5 cheese tortellini  (I used 1/2 package)

Brown sausage and drain grease.  Add olive oil, add onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic and cook until onions are translucent.  Add broth, seasonings, beans and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  You can simmer for awhile at this point if you like but it is not necessary.  Add the precooked frozen meatballs ( for the carnivores in your family) and bring to a boil again.  Next add the tortellini and spinach and cook as directed on the tortellini package.  Do NOT overcook the tortellini.

Serve with crusty bread and parmesan cheese. 

A Manchild Would Be Helpful

Historically we always put up our tree and decorate the house for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  We don't do a Griswald Christmas light display anymore because once Hillbilly turned 50 I won't let him climb on the house and unfortunetely, I did not birth a manchild.   I always wanted a son,  a tall strapping baseball playing son that loves his mother and will do anything for her.  A stong young man to lift furniture and help us move when needed would be nice.  I've been adopting my daughter's boyfriends, my nephews and any other young man that I meet ever since I can remember.  I was even convinced that I was having a son when I was pregnant with Mini Me.  I didn't even pick out a name for a girl until after she was born.  Much to my surprise I was blessed with another girl.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining because I love my girls but it would be nice to have someone around to help with the heavy lifting.  Oh well, this year we will put up a few lights and garland around the front door and porch posts and call it a day or we could always just go with "ditto".

Thanksgiving Tradition Past

This is me and my girls in the early 90’s standing in front of my monster doe at our lease in the Texas Hill Country.  I’m thinking it’s probably 18 years ago or so,  give or take a year.  Aren’t the girls cute all bundled up in their coats and hats?  How about that “Texas Big Hair” and that perm?

Back then, in my “past life”,   we would leave Thanksgiving night or the next morning and head to the deer camp.  I remember regretting killing this beauty as soon as I saw her up close with her big beautiful eyes still open staring at me.  I have never hunted deer since.  Killing a deer is just one of those things that I thought I wanted to do at the time because that is what everyone else was doing.  Each family on the lease would have a limit of deer that they could kill every year so I wasn’t allowed to kill a buck because the men wanted those for their selves.     I really enjoyed going to the lease and cooking on the campfire, being with nature and telling campfire stories.  The girls  loved it too and Mini Me still goes with her dad on occasion. 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and normally I would spend 2 days cooking  for all of my family and they would eat and leave me with the mess.  That’s our tradition.  This year I only have to make a couple dishes because we are spending the day with Hillbilly’s family.  We will visit with them and come home and won’t be leaving to go hunting afterwards.  Hillbilly and I only hunt birds and go fishing ,although we would like to be on a lease but only to shoot deer with a camera. 

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? 

Corn Casserole

I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner we had at work.  It’s easy and cheap to make.  They ate every bit of it.

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel style corn
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 (8.5 ounce) package jiffy corn bread mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 8 x12 inch casserole dish.
2.In a mixing bowl, combine cream corn, whole kernel corn, eggs, sour cream, muffin mix, and butter. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
3.Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until lightly brown.
4.Remove from the oven and sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the center is firm.

Crockpot Chicago Italian Beef Recipe

 I’ve never been to Chicago but I know that this a great recipe.

• 5 lbs rump roast (do not substitute for a different type roast)
• 2 (10 1/4 ounce) cans beef consommee (Broth)
• 1 (1 ounce) package Good Seasonings Italian salad dressing mix
• pepperoncini pepper (1/2-1 jars depending on level of spiciness)
• giardiniera (1/2-1 jars)
• 2-5 sweet green peppers (according to size)
• 1 loaf long thin French bread or sub sandwich bread

1. Cook first 5 ingredients in a Crockpot on LOW for 18 (eighteen) hours.
2. Turn over at the 6th and 12th hour interval.
3. At the 17th hour cut sweet green peppers into strips lengthwise and cook in water on low heat until soft.
4. Cut bread into 6 inch lengths and slice on the side lengthwise.
5. Pull roast apart with a fork, and using tongs, pile bread with meat and juice.
6. (Do not let juice drain before putting on bread. The juice is half the taste of the sandwich.) Lay strips of green pepper on top of the meat.
7. Salt to taste.
8. OPEN WIDE and enjoy the most wonderful taste sensation. 

I used a smaller roast and cooked for about 12 hours total and I didn’t turn over until the 10th hour because I wasn’t home.  I also used less beef broth and only half a jar of both the peppers and  the giardiniera..  Serve on sub sandwich buns with Muenster Cheese.  Delicious and easy.

I’m Older and Have More Insurance

After a day of craziness and helping Mini Me all day while she took care of some things,  I went to the elementary school to pick up Angel and do my final good deed for the day. Surrounded by soccer moms and a few other Nana’s I made my way down the long hall to Angel’s class.  I was then asked to go to the office and check in so that I would be allowed to retrieve her, which is crazy considering that I was the one that dropped her off that morning.  But I did it and Angel and I headed towards the car.  Before I could get out of the traffic circle at the school, a lady in a Tahoe rear ended me.  Calmly, I gathered my insurance proof,  DL and a pen and paper.  I got out of my car and went to look at the bumper.  This young mother of 3 began begging me not to contact her insurance.  When I say begging I mean BEGGING and PLEADING.  After analyzing the dent I asked for her insurance and DL so that I could write it down.  It had rained all day yesterday and I had gone through many puddles so I really couldn’t tell how much damage there was to my car but I thought I should get her info just in case.  She went sort of NUTS on me, she whipped out her cell phone and began taking pictures and said she couldn’t have caused that dent because she was going very slow.  She said I would have to follow her to her house to get her info.  I told her there was NO way I would do that so I called the officer over to ask him about it.  He said NO, I didn’t have to do that and told me to wait there while he pulled up his squad car.  While he was gone the lady went CRAZY yelling at me as if I had done something wrong, after all, SHE was the one that ran into me.  She gave me a sob story a mile long, she had cervical cancer, a sick baby, she was out of work, she was crying and ranting and raving.  I have never seen anything like it.  The very cute officer got back with his car, we rearranged our cars so that other moms could back out and she was still in my face begging, bitching and crying.  I told her in front of the officer that she needed to STOP TALKING because she was getting on my nerves!  I told her she was annoying and I told her I didn’t want to hear her sob story and that I just wanted her info so that I could get Angel home. 
There was no way I could take  anymore of her mouth and keep my cool so I got back in my car and shut the door and sat there while the officer filled out the info for us.  That didn’t stop her.  She came over to my car and started in again with the sob story, the crying, the begging.  She even accused me of pretending I was hurt so that I could sue the insurance and live off of the money.  It was SO awkward and I was forced to be rude (which I really hate to do to people).  It just goes against everything in my being to be rude to someone.  It was at that moment that I just almost lost it.  I grabbed my neck and began acting like it was hurting.  I told her to GET AWAY FROM ME!  So, she went over to the officer and started in on him.  Me and Angel sat in the car awhile longer and here she comes again.  I didn’t roll the window down this time because I was scared of what I might do in front of my sweet baby.  I just waved her away and luckily the officer was finished filling out the paper work by then.  He gave a copy to her and then headed over to me ROLLING his eyeballs as he walked away from her.  He told me what I needed to do, we poked fun at the situation and I thanked him for helping.  WOW is all I can say. 
She’s lucky I didn’t go all “Fried Green Tomatoes” on her.  What a day…

Camp Ready

Here are some “after” trailer pictures as promised.   Pretty cozy, huh?  Unless hell freezes over (or Texas ) we will be camping Saturday, Sunday and Monday.  We are really looking forward to getting out of town!  We won’t be going very far on the maiden voyage because it still needs some work but we will be far enough from the city to see the stars and that’s alright with me.

Haircut From Hell

Have you ever gotten such a bad haircut that you left the salon in tears?  Well, I have, just yesterday.  I had the day off from work and was going to spend it getting my hair done and then treat myself to a pedicure.  I don’t have a regular stylist anymore so normally when I get my hair cut I just get a trim.  Yesterday was different, I wanted a new look so I made an appointment at the nicest salon in town.  I specifically asked for someone that  understood how to cut hair on a middle aged fluffy gal without making my face look fatter.
The stylist and I looked through a hairstyle magazine and chose something with long layers and soft bangs while my color was processing.  Let me just say that I had long almost one length hair when I got there.  She began cutting and really screwed up and kept cutting and cutting and cutting trying to fix it.  She dried and styled it  and started cutting some more.  It was at this point that I LOST IT and told her that she needs to STOP cutting and let me out of here!  I asked loudly who I should pay and she just stood there looking at me in horror so I left the salon in tears and didn’t pay her a dime for my cut or color.  I’m normally not one to cause a public spectacle of myself but I just lost it right there in the middle of the salon.  I looked ridiculous with this disconnected bang thing on my forehead.  It was VERY scary! 

After going home to compose myself and mourn the loss of my hair  and contemplate how I would kill the stylist  I called Mini Me to come look at it to see if I could even get another cut to correct it.  She called in Sparky, one of her stylist friends and she made an emergency house call.  It was like calling 911 for bad hair.  She was here within 2 hours with her rolling salon and whipped out 3 different kinds of scissors, a cape and hair style magazine and showed me a couple of options of styles that could still be obtained with the hair that I had left.  She was able to make it look like an actual style  and I think I can live with it  for now until it grows some.  THANKS SPARKY!

As vain as it may sound, I was feeling very sorry for myself and my Mom called.  I began telling her about my plight and she stopped me and told me this…she was at the hospital with her lifelong friend waiting to have an emergency operation to remove her breast implant.  Her friend had breast cancer a couple of years ago and had her breast removed and then went through chemo and radiation.  About a month ago she had reconstructive surgery but the skin had began to tear so they were having to remove it.  Here I was whining about my haircut when she reminded me that it could be a LOT worse.  Mom’s really have a way of putting life in perspective.

Today I will attempt to style my hair myself and go to Angel’s 6th birthday party.  I will go with a hat on  with my hairless head held high and be happy for all of my blessings.  Thanks Mom!

I Need a Donkey

Yes, that’s what I said.  I NEED a donkey and it’s all Suzanne’s fault over at Chickens in the Road.  I’m totally addicted to her blog.  Every since I have been reading her blog I have had this great yearning to own a donkey.  I totally agree with you, it’s crazy but it’s just one of those things I cannot control.  Just look at that silly face.  Don’t you just want to kiss him?  Badonkadonk would be his name.  I wonder what my Home Owner’s Association would say about my keeping him in my postage stamp sized back yard?

It’s official, I have totally lost it.

Four Things You Can’t Recover

Four things you can't recover:
The stone........after it’s thrown.
The word........after it's said.
The occasion........after it's missed.
The time.........after it's gone.

Really makes you think doesn’t it?  I bet most everyone has learned this the hard way. 

Remembering Granddaddy Today

God bless all of our veterans for the sacrifice they have made for our freedom.  My granddaddy was a WWII veteran.  Bless his soul.  Granddaddy passed when I was in 6th grade.  He passed during the night after spending the day assembling the  bicycles that him and my Grandmother were giving my sister and me for Christmas.  

During the war he was hurt badly when a hand grenade was thrown into his foxhole.  Almost every bone in his body was broken and he had amnesia for a long time.  He recovered and came home to his family but it took a couple of years before he was able to work.  Grandmother said he never was the same.  Witnessing a war such as he did would surely change a person, as well as having a head injury.  As a child I didn’t know the difference, all I knew was that I loved him and he was great.  It’s amazing to me how my grandmother was able to cope with having her husband so far away not knowing how he was or if he would make it home alive.  She told me a story of how my uncle found a cross in the yard right after they had learned of his injuries.  She said that her and my mother and her boy’s took it as a sign that he would live and make it home to them.  Thank God that he did or I never would have known such a great man!  God bless him and God bless all of our veterans that have fought for our country allowing us the freedom to enjoy our lives and live in such a great country.

The Many Faces of The Rae Rae

    

This is THE Rae Rae at Disney World’s Bibbity Bobbity Boo Beauty Shop a couple of weeks ago. 

The kid just kills me.

Test

Almost done with the installation.  What do you think?

Countdown To The First Camping Trip

This will be me and Hillbilly two weeks from today.  The camper on this old postcard is almost identical to ours.  We have been working on it every weekend and almost have it totally ready to camp.  Hillbilly has done major plumbing and electrical work, replaced light lenses and tested the water heater and stove and much more.  I have made pink curtains and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  I have bought all kinds of pink vintage things on ebay to match my pink sink.  I found pink vintage pots and pans, coffee cups and glasses and I bought a vintage chenille bedspread and cut it in two so that it would fit the twin beds.  I made giant pillows for the couch in the front and have loaded it down with all the necessities.  Today we will finish up the plumbing and wash the outside then I will take pictures and post.  Hopefully the ghost won’t make an appearance today.  I think the camper ghost has been messing with us.  We have had some strange things happen while working on it and camper parts tend to come up missing.  At least the ghost has a sense of humor.

At The Spa

My blog is at the spa getting a makeover.  Stay tuned to see the really cute design.

The Rae Rae on Halloween

This is my Rae Rae and my Mini Me last night right before trick or treating.  Rae is sporting her Dora the Explorer ensemble and mom is dressed in her Halloween pants.  Aren’t they cute?  We ran out of candy way too early but I made sure I saved the Sweet Tarts for me.  You wouldn’t believe the kids that came through here.  The entire neighborhood was alive with screams and goblins.  It was crazy!  People drove here and parked at our pool and trick or treated in our neighborhood.  Scary music was playing across the street and a smoke machine was going a couple of doors down.  It was total chaos.