Trip to Zona Rosa

David and I went to Zona Rosa yesterday to use our Christmas gift cards our daughter gifted us with for Christmas. We had put off going because of his feet and the need for him to not walk around much. He has surgery coming up on the 31st, so, decided to go and have a nice meal and I wanted to purchase a nice pillow with my gift card (hoping it would help me to enjoy that once enjoyed luxury of sleeping.)

We had a nice meal at 54th Street Grill and Bar. I enjoyed a Strawberry Margarita, which I could drink about one fourth of, it was huge. They should sell a jr. size for people like me. :) Since I don't really drink, it tasted really strong (to me), but I am determined to force myself to enjoy an occasional drink now and then. Yes, it will happen.

photos by spbm
Lots of doctor appointments this month, one almost every day of the month. The need to believe this surgery is the right thing to do is weighing heavy on my heart and mind.

A big thank you to our daughters, who make sure we get out and have some fun times. A BIG thank you for loving your father so much!  Not too much fun to be had in a doctor's office or hospital.

We LOVE and ADMIRE you girls so much!

cuppa soup = comfort food

photo by spbm

Yesterday was a soup kind of day. I decided on potato soup, and it was delicious! I very seldom ever use a recipe when making soup, so it always turns out just a little different. Most of the time, I use what I have on hand. We love soups and I make soup a lot. I feel soup is magical and I needed it to work its magic yesterday.

I also made homemade rolls and BBQ chicken sandwiches. YUM! Much of the time, I will make coleslaw to go with BBQ sandwiches; yesterday it was mustard and pickles.

The soup:

Cook some celery, onions and garlic in olive oil until onions, fresh garlic cloves, and celery are tender. If I have them on hand, I will add leeks and green onions.

Cook cut potatoes in half water and half chicken stock.

I add a lot of herbs because I grow several. I used oregano, bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and a very small leaf of fresh sage. If you do use sage, you don't want to add too much. I just started adding sage to many dishes since growing it.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Right before serving, I add some skim milk. (Cream, half n half or whole milk is better, but I avoid adding that most of the time, just to stay more on the healthy side.

You can use any toppers you like - a little crumbled bacon is good, (I only have bacon in my fridge a couple times a year.) Since I have chives and parsley, I add those. Grate and add your cheese of choice. I used freshly grated parmesan.

Comfort Food

Two days ago D. had a heat stroke and had to have nine stitches because of it. I've been really stressed for some time, due to constant hospitals and doctor visits. I am trying to think and be positive, which is a bit stressful because I am not a positive person by nature. I know that sounds weird, being positive is stressful, but for me, it is. :(

Today I was wanting some comfort food, the kind my mom and grandma used to make. I made chicken noodle soup and a new biscuit recipe that turned out to be awesome delicious.

The biscuits are made with Bisquick, sour cream, 7 UP, and butter:

2 cups Bisquick

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7 UP

1/4 cup butter

Mix sour cream into Bisquick mix, add 7 UP, roll out onto floured board, (I sprinkled some Bisquick onto my board) cut them into squares and place in melted butter in pan. Bake at 450 until golden on top.

You can find this recipe on the Bisquick site.

The chicken noodle soup, I used a crockpot chicken noodle recipe I got from Pinterest.

Lemon Bar with a Ginger Twist

A few days ago, I found this wonderful blog: Desserts for Breakfast and made this delicious Lemon Bar with Ginger Shortbread today. OMG, it was so delicious - the ginger gave this traditional lemon bar a wonderful zing. My photos do not compare to hers, but here are my attempts at photographing a little of the process. I find it difficult to photograph food and make it look as good as the real thing. You can click on the link and find the recipe (and her wonderful blog).

Finished Product - Yum Yum Yum, was so good with a cup of coffee. Oh yes, the shortbread is the most amazing I have ever made or tasted.

Find the recipe here: Desserts for Breakfast

Weekend Comfort Food ~Chicken Pot Pie~

Cold weekend just scream for comfort food, so I made a chicken pot pie yesterday (without the pie crust). This is an easy recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/ . I added some chopped potatoes and thyme seasoning. Since the only pie crust recipe I will use makes enough crust for 3 pies, I didn't want to make crust. Instead, I made drop biscuits.

Note: I cooked the potatoes with the rest of the vegetables.

Before adding the biscuits.

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup frozen green peas

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

2/3 cup milk

2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)

2.In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.

3.In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

4.Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

5.Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.