Sunflower Soup

I don’t know about your part of the country, but here in North Florida it is officially Spring! Which leads me to wonder, with the springtime weather we’ve had for the last couple of months, does Phil the gopher really know what he’s talking about?

I’ve been busy planting tomatos this past week, and hopefully with the weathers cooperation, I plan to to finish up my direct sow veggies. Any frost that might sneak in will hopefully be before the sprouts come up.

Last spring my hubby built these awesome 16×3 raised beds! But that’s not the best part. Each raised bed has its very on water spigot, which I attached a 50ft soaker hose to and ran the length of each bed three times. Easy as Sunday mornin’! Sure makes watering a whole lot easier. For these tomato cages, we took a 6ft length of cage wire that stands 5ft tall and formed them into circles. I cut windows every other row to make it easier to get tomatos.

Being born into this family comes with many responsibilities. Carrying on a family tradition that goes back several generations is one of them. You guessed it! Roll Tide, Roll! 

I would like you to meet someone very special. This is Caroline Grace, my first grandchild. She’ll be here in December, just in time for Christmas. I can hardly wait to me her. I find myself watching tiny people as they go by, and wonder…will Caroline look like that? It’s hard to believe that there are still many chapters in my life that are yet unread, but I look forward to each one of them and count God’s daily blessings in my life.

Start by browning 2 lbs of ground beef (I use venison, because my husbands a hunter and that’s what I have a freezer full of) but for you city chics, just use ground beef. Drain off grease.
Add a pkg of Taco seasoning, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce or taco sauce, and 1 cup of shredded Pepper Jack cheese (no, this is not a low fat dish) I suppose you could use non-fat cheese, but it won’t melt as good, and, well it just won’t taste as good. There, I said it! That’s I roll. Anyway, mix it all together.

Layer a 9×13 pan (lightly greased) with a can of refried bean.

Add a layer of Monterey jack cheese (I used sliced, because that’s what I already had) but you could use shredded.

Fill large flour tortillas with a big scoop (about 1/2 a cup) of meat mixture (I try to divide the meat into six equal portions) and roll, placing the seam side down.

Mix a container or 2 cups fresh salsa with about 2 Tbs of Taco seasoning.

Pour over the enchiladas, spreading evenly.

Now, top with fresh grated Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheese. Trust me on this, when you use bagged pre-shredded cheese, it just doesn’t melt as well as fresh grated (most bagged cheese has potato starch added) Drizzle some Taco sauce on top and bake at 350* until bubbly.
Serve with sour cream and diced jalapeños. Enjoy!

Take a bucket full of fresh green beans and fill with cold water. Swish them around some so all the dirty stuff floats around in the water, then fill the bucket to the top so it overflows, taking the floaty stuff with it. With a large colander handy, snap the beans in half, if they’re really long and let drain while you prepare your skillet.

I prefer to use an electric skillet. It’s larger than an ordinary cast iron skillet, and there’s more surface area for browning the beans, which in my opinion is the only way to cook fresh green beans.

Preheat the skillet at 325 degrees and throw in a half lb. of cut up bacon pieces. When the bacon starts to crisp, throw in the green beans, and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook until preferred doneness. Be sure to stir and flip the green beans with a flat spatula or they’ll burn. (It is OK if some of them get crispy)

This is how my Grandma Ray, and my mom in turn fixed them. If you have never had green beans this way, well, it’s no wonder some people won’t eat their green beans.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as picking vegetables from your own garden, except eating them of course. I’m so glad my mother told me to eat my vegetables.

Who doesn’t have leftover dark meat turkey? It’s really the most flavorful of the turkey meat.  Most of the white meat gets used for sandwiches, so why not use the dark meat for something different? Try making chicken (I mean turkey) and rice. Not only is it good but requires very little cooking. Here’s what you need.

Long grain rice (cooked according to directions)

Dark meat (or white) leftover turkey

Green Peas (I like canned sweet peas)

Cream of celery soup

Curry Powder or Indian Spice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chicken Broth for adding liquid

Mix all together, adding broth for consistency

Heat through.

Serve with bread and butter or leftover rolls

Easy Peazy!

Well, I cooked my first turkey this Thanksgiving. I know what your thinking… how can someone who has a food blog never have cooked a turkey?
Simple, I’ve spend the last 30 years going to my in-laws house for Thanksgiving. But this year things changed. My father-in-law passed away this year after suffering from the crippling disease of ALS. He was one of my biggest fans in the kitchen. Every time he came to my house, I made sure I had a recipe for him to try. So I’m sure he would have been proud of my turkey.
Not just any turkey mind you, this was a 30 lb turkey!
No I’m not kidding. Just ask my husband and my brother. The dear sweet guys who lifted the thing.
So let’s talk turkey.
First of all, never buy a 30 lb turkey. Unless you have some big guys with muscle in the house, and plenty of time to prep it. But if you should adventure into the world of turkeys on steroids, here’s how you have a perfect bird.
Here’s a list of things you will need:
gallon water
2 cups Salt
2 cups Sugar
Oranges
Onions
Celery
Herbs (rosemary, thyme, garlic)
Peppercorns
Bucket large enough for the bird and a couple gallons of water.
If it’s frozen, you must thaw it at least 10 days in the frig before you plan to cook it. In my case, I was putting it on at midnight the night before Thanksgiving. So buy early or buy fresh not frozen.
On Tuesday evening, put the turkey in a brine bath.
Put ingredients in water and bring to slight boil, enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. Turn off and cool completely. Add ice if you have to. Then pour into a Big tub bucket. Put the bird in. You really have to have a second frig cause this beast takes up a lot of space. That’s it. Leave it alone until your ready to put in the oven.
At 11:30 pm, remove the turkey and put in sink and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry. Put in a roasting pan with cut up celery, onion, and 2 cups of chicken broth. Cover loosely with foil.
Bake at 325 degrees until meat thermometer stuck in thigh reads 165 degrees, about 4 hours. Then uncover, and baste with butter. Continue cooking until thermometer reads 180. About 2 – 2 1/2 hours more. Turn oven off, pull rack out and cover turkey with foil. Let sit several hours to cool before cutting.
There you have it. The perfect monster turkey that will impress your friends and family, and possibly your father-in-law.
Here’s to you JR, it wasn’t the same without you, we love you and missed you!