My new favorite for summer......

This has been "at least", a once or twice a week favorite of mine. I have been making lettuce wraps with ground turkey, seasoned with just 1/4 packet of taco seasoning mix. Leaving the rice out and replacing with any veggies left in the fridge. Perfect for summer, light and crisp.

Not so new concept, but ready to give it a try.......

Prepping lunch for the week ahead on Sunday evening..... Ready to give this a try since viewing an episode of America Now on T.V. late the other night. The concept is to get a plastic bin to keep in the refrigerator filled with various items that can be tossed into a lunch bag the night before.

Preparing little baggies of fruits and veggies ahead of time will make it much easier than the dread of doing this task every evening. I'm no stranger to cutting one whole bunch of celery into little sticks for the week, but the best tip was to get little containers and fill them ahead of time with peanut butter, salad dressing, or hummus. String cheese or cubes of brick cheese will be added along with individual containers of vanilla yogurt. 

I'm also a fan of olives, almond butter, cheese and crackers, granola, the possibilities are endless.

Cuppa and a good book......

Dodie Smith has written a "gem". The young girl in this book is a very intriguing,and entertaining story teller. The book is about an extended family and how they triumph over hardships while living in part of a 300 year old Castle during the early to mid part of the 20th Century. I have noticed this is also out on DVD and may watch it after reading the book. I think the scenery would be enchanting.

Starbucks Cheese Danish with a Cuppa!!!! And, my $8.00 (not so thrifted in my opinion) bread box...that I would still rather see painted with a cute little glass knob someday. It has came in quite handy though. At first I placed the normal, bread, english muffins, etc. packaged in there and one day a light bulb went off!!! It is the purrrrrfect size to hold my many little cans of "fancy feast". So now, they have their own home and frankly, I actually use it and I'm in and out of it more often and isn't that the point!

Mainstay's...............

I grew up watching Julia, and am a long, long, time fan of Jacques. So happy they paired up together. Many hours of enjoyable, cooking entertainment. I was ever so humbled the other night when watching an episode of Jacques latest season called "Essential Pepin". A series where each episode he has a theme and makes 3 to 4 different dishes from easy to elegant. What humbled me, was when he was making dishes using left over bread, and in the middle of the show he stated how his father would NEVER throw out a piece of bread. He touched his chest and said ( with a teeeeny bit of quiver in his face), that it hurts his heart to throw bread away. He continued to make some tasty little vegetable croquettes using left over bread. Bon Apatite and Happy Cooking.

Heirloom goodness....

It's surely tomato season....I was able to make two batches of "freezer pickles" this summer, and now have been turned onto making "freezer tomato sauce". I have enough of these freezer bags to last me through the winter. Such a good feeling knowing they are in the freezer to be taken out at anytime for chili, spaghetti, goulash, or casseroles. Made with a hint of onion ( not a fan, but I agree they add flavor ), celery and green pepper. I am really looking forward to the natural wholesomeness of fresh and not canned.  

Simple pleasures...........

A friend of mine recently reminded me that "English Muffins" do exist.!!!! I truly had forgotten to buy any in the past, oh, let's say year! How awful of me. They are sooooo wonderful, and so versatile. Over the weekend I had one toasted, buttered and with an egg on top. Yesterday for lunch, I made one with just butter and jelly (mmmmmm) and, they make a great little "pizza". Thank you for the reminder of the "simplistic" yet very tasty treat.

Tried and loved...........

I tried an "old", but "new" to me recipe today. This Dilly Casserole Bread is so easy to make. Time consuming but well worth the wait. I was given the recipe years ago from my aunt, but could not find it. So, I navigated the internet and found one with great pics at http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

or, easier found by Googling Jan's Dilly Bread.