They’re Back!

That being said – it was pretty much a quiet Christmas and New Year’s for us. Weather has been mild – so far – but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had to cover up a couple of plants on nights when it got below freezing. Those being the garlic chives and my one azalea.   Have to tell you that when I went out to check on the azalea I noticed that the English ivy growing around the pond looked a little bare. On closer inspection, I was stunned to see that the leaves were gone! Now where have I’ve seen something like this before? Of course . . . on the black-eyed peas . . . completely stripped, remember?     Started looking around and would you believe it, there were those same pesky ants again – only this time they were hauling off my ivy. Just like before – two rows of ants, one line coming and one going – with a whole passel of them in the ivy vines harvesting the leaves. As curiously amazing as it was to see this happen the first time, it wasn’t quite so entertaining or amusing  the second time around. So out comes the can of Raid. Being careful not to get any spray into the pond, I sprayed the infested ivy vines and then along the 20 feet of walkway where they were traveling - ultimately disappearing  into the leaves by the front porch – that area got a liberal spraying as well. So far so good, haven’t seen any more of them. But you can bet, I’ll be on the lookout when I set out the garden this coming Spring.

Lemi-Who?

Dish pan hands – haven’t had those in many a year.  But since I have yet to find a product that performs in the dishwasher like the old detergents did BEFORE they took out the phosphates - I find myself  having to pre-wash the dishes before they go into the ‘washer’ resulting in dish-pan-hands. Did hear of a product called Lemi-shine that claims to give you spotless sparkling dishes – but after trying both  the detergent and rinse agent a few times, have to say it didn’t do any better than the phosphate free products. In fact, David thought it was worse because it left a kind of film on some of the items. I’m still on the hunt for a good product and will let you know if and when I find one that actually works.

Don’t you just love it !?   A special thanks to Jerry who gave me a most memorable Christmas gift in an effort to convert this ‘Country Girl’  from an old? ‘fuddy-duddy’ to a fashionista . . . well that may be over-stating it, but I do love my feather ring adorned with colorful gems …. and enjoy looking at it each day. Only wish I were as fashion savvy as my ‘City Girl’ counterpart.

We’ve also been busy weather-proofing the house, deck kitchen and well house. It’s pretty chilly today – 38 degrees, windy and overcast – so, glad we’ve basically finished with that chore. David and I spent about an hour last weekend (while it was still warm) wrapping the pipes at the well house and hooking up the light we keep turned on to help keep the temperature up. (It is amazing that having that one light bulb burning down there makes a significant difference.) You may or may not remember a couple years back one of the pipes coming from the large tank holding the water burst and it was a mess. Still need to cover the faucets inside the well house with those styrofoam covers – but that part is easy.

Checked out the fish in the ‘gold fish’ pond on the way back to the house and could only see one of them (the big white one) – the other two (the Shubunkins) are hiding in the cinder block holes and haven’t seen them in days.

Had an unusual situation that had us going, so I wanted to pass along a bit of information in case any of you out there find yourself experiencing a similar occurrence. That being our Roku would not work the other day – after having been working perfectly the day before.

To refresh – the Roku is the wireless device we use to stream Netflix and other shows, i.e., via Hulu, etc. through our Internet connection enabling us to watch them on our television set. I’m not very knowledgeable about electronics, but my understanding was that the Roku couldn’t connect to the Internet via the wireless Netgear ‘modem’.   So, David re-booted both the Internet and the Netgear ‘modem’. Still nothing. Since we knew everything had been working the day before – we got to thinking . . . . has anything changed? Yes, it had! David had installed wireless security cameras and set up the monitors in the office – same room as where the Netgear ‘modem’ sits.   Wasn’t sure, but thought this might be the culprit, so he unplugged the security system and then tried the Roku again. Had to go through the whole ‘set-up’ program, but suffice it to say – everything started working. Apparently there was a conflict… you think …. between the two wireless systems. We now disconnect the security monitors and wireless receiver when we want to watch the Roku and re-connect them when we’re through. Catch is – you have to disconnect the security equipment before you turn on the Roku to avoid having to go through the set-up process every time. Lesson learned.

Now for the feathers. We went shopping in Bryan-College Station last week. This usually means a stop by the Harbor Freight store – can you say tools?   Anyway, I thought for a change I’d check out the Steinmart next door while David strolled the HF aisles. I hadn’t been in a Steinmart since we left Houston and thought it might be interesting to see what the ‘new’ styles were for the season. On entering, I was met at the door by tables over flowing with ‘recommended’ Christmas gifts – everything from jeweled picture frames to boxes of chocolate pretzels. Made my way through all of this to the ladies clothing department. Now, I don’t know if I’m becoming an old ‘fuddy-duddy’, or maybe I just don’t like change – but, for some reason, couldn’t see myself in any of the clothes there. Then a vest caught my eye. Let me first say – I like vests; they are so versatile – and, they had every kind of vest for sale you might imagine. However, one in particular held my attention. Normally, when you see a vest with a fancy trim – it is just along the collar, so it’s not so over powering. Right? Not this vest – it was totally made from feathers – you know the kind, those small little feathers you might find hiding under the bigger ones.  Pin feathers maybe???  And, for some reason, all I could think of was a turkey. Could have been the color – brownish-tan with a little black. I thought to myself, “so this is where all the feathers go”.   I’m sure on the right person it would be stunning but . . . how you would clean it . . . or what it would smell like if it got wet or damp. Have to confess I did not check the back of the vest – it may have been fabric . . . guess I’ll never know now.

Another thing, while there I went shopping for a new insulated tumbler we could use in the car. Found one I thought would be perfect . .. but on reading the instructions it cautioned ‘to let hot liquids cool before putting the cap on’. Couldn’t see the value in buying that one . . . so after striking out twice – just turned around and left.  Ended up spending the rest of the time with David in the Harbor Freight store where I found him inspecting  the items on the power saw aisle.  And for those that might wonder….. no he didn’t buy anything!

Either one of these would have been more than enough by itself – but two !?! . . . then you add in the ‘boy toys’. I’m sure you’ve all heard the old saying, “The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.”. Both of these projects afforded David the opportunity to use two of his new ‘boy toys’ – the cement mixer which we bought a while back and his pride and joy – his new saw. It’s the one that has the two blades that go in opposite directions allowing it to cut through anything! Which I have to say – it performed as advertised. We had to cut cement board and some acrylic sheets for the well house – no problemo. So, if any of you are thinking about buying one of these saws for your significant other – they do work. Just be sure to get the saw with the 10amp engine – a little more expensive but anything less and the motor tends to burn up . . . or so I’m told.  (The actual name is Rigid Twin-Blade circular saw – 10Amp )

I’m not going into anymore of the details on pouring the cement other than to say the mixer worked equally as well as the saw and …. I’m just glad to be through with both projects.

We’ve gotten totally hooked on fried potato skins. In fact, I’ve found that if I dredge them in Zatarin’s Fish Fry mixed with a sprinkling of Paul Prudhomme’s blackened seasonings before frying, they are even better. But, we don’t like eating – and I might add,  can’t eat -  fried skins plus a pot of mashed potatoes in one day, it’s just too much . . .  so I’ve taken to keeping which ever part we’re going to save for another day -     skins or peeled potatoes – totally submerged in a bowl of water in the fridge.   I’ve found they keep quite well for at least a couple of days.  I don’t even add anything to the water – as long as they are completely submerged,  they won’t turn brown.

While looking the other day for a new way to fix my peeled potatoes – I remembered a recipe my mom (nickname Charlie) used to fix many years ago. I’m not sure what it was originally called, or even where she got the recipe – but I decided to try and re-create it based solely on memory – and, I’m not even going to tell you how many years I had to go back to remember this one!

I did remember it being layers of sliced potatoes, onions and cheese (sounds like au gratin doesn’t it) – but then she would take a mixture of egg, milk, salt and pepper and pour over the top and bake it all. I’ve modernized it a bit – for a faster cooking time and a little thicker bonding by using some corn starch in the egg/milk mixture. We enjoy it and it reheats well if you have any left overs. Since I don’t have a name for this dish – I’ll just call it …

Charlie’s Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• Thinly sliced 4 russet potatoes;  pre-cooked in the microwave for about 8-10 minutes. You don’t want them mushy – so depending on your microwave you may need to adjust the time downwards here.
• Thinly sliced onion rings - 1/2 medium-sized onion
• 4 ounces of finely grated cheese (we like the Mexican 4 mixed cheeses you can buy already grated – but Cheddar or American will work, what ever you like)
• 2 tablespoons of butter cut into about 8-10 thin slices
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 heaping teaspoon of corn starch
• salt, pepper – to taste
• 1-1/2 quart casserole dish

Directions:

1.  Spray the casserole with Pam or use an additional tablespoon of butter to coat the bottom and sides (keeps everything from sticking and makes for a nice crust)

2.  Begin layering the ingredients as follows …

Half of the potatoes, half of the sliced onions, 4-5 butter slices placed on top of onions, half of the grated cheese

Repeat the process using the remainder of the potatoes, onions, butter and cheese

3.  In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, corn starch, salt, and pepper with a whisk until smooth, and then pour evenly over the top of the layered casserole (Don’t worry about it too much as it will fill in between the potatoes and rest of ingredients)

4.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and bubbly.

Note: If you use less ingredients, i.e. potatoes, or if your casserole dish is larger – so the layers of potatoes, onions, etc. are thinner – you’ll need to adjust the cooking time so they don’t burn.

PS – It rained most of  Wednesday afternoon and the fall colors were spectacular – so just had to upload a few pictures I took from the front porch so you could see how pretty everything is.  This is one of those years that the trees are exceptionally colorful. 

The evergreen trees look like something you’d expect to see in the mountains and my sassafras tree has prettier fall colors than the maple we planted in the front yard. It is especially striking when the afternoon light hits it – it just seems to light up and is absolutely gorgeous.

Want to know the best thing about the sassafras tree? ….. I didn’t plant it – it came up all by itself and is perfectly placed for me to enjoy just outside my windows.

Ever feel bombarded by ads and all the claims they make? I do. So, for those that have been thinking about buying one of those ‘new’ LED light bulbs -read this before you buy.

We bought an LED light bulb thinking we’d use it in the office – with the understanding from what we’d seen and read –  that it would give off lots of ‘white’ light, be cool and use less electricity. That being said, on our last trip to Bryan-College Station we stopped by Home Depot and checked out their LED light bulbs. We were surprised to find that there are lots of them out there. The comparable wattage varied from 15 watts to over 100 as did the applications. Some were recommended for tract or spot lights while others were for lamps and ceiling fixtures. Being that we wanted to use the bulb in a ceiling fixture, we opted for a bulb that was equivalent to 75W regular bulb – thought it might be a bit  much, but since we didn’t have any experience, we felt it was better to err on the side of too much light rather than too little.

Brought our treasure home – I say treasure because they are not cheap. This one light bulb cost over $25.00 plus tax – but since the LED flashlights and lanterns we have work really well, we thought maybe the investment would be worth it. After all, the package touts savings of $196.00 in electricity costs by simply using this bulb!

Once we unloaded the car, checking out the bulb was next on the agenda – even before we changed into our ‘country clothes’. Ugh!!! What a disappointment. The bulb gave off less light than the fluorescent bulb we were currently using. In fact, the room looked like someone has thrown a shade over everything – it was dark. Totally unacceptable. We’d have to have flashlights just to find things that weren’t right under our noses. So back it goes. I don’t know if it would maybe work better in a table lamp, but I’m not inclined to pay $25 for a light bulb for a lamp. Like I say, love the LED flashlights, lanterns and the photography light  we bought is LED and it’s great – but think they’ve got a long way to go on making an LED light bulb that works well – at least that’s my opinion.

Now on to some products I do like. Read an article on Fox News last week about buying beauty products on a budget – who doesn’t like saving money and getting good products. I’ve placed the list of 12 products below with a brief description in case you’d like to give one or more of them a try. I even  bought a few of them myself – prices range anywhere from around $3.50 to $27.99 – not bad. I’ve marked the ones I bought with a little heart.  (Note:  I’ve placed links to Amazon for each product at the bottom of the list – wish I’d waited to buy . . .  they are much cheaper on Amazon than what I paid for them at the store.)

1.   L’Oreal Paris Youth Code Day/Night Cream – ” Formulated to increase your skin’s ability to regenerate, this moisturizer will keep your skin fresh, youthful and silkier than you ever thought possible”

2.   Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil – “A miracle hair-cure …apply just a drop to damp or dry hair and watch it instantly become shiny, smooth and frizz-free. “ (For this one I included an alternate brand as you had to buy 4 of the Organix products)

3.   CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Foundation – “….highly moisturizing, fast absorbing and, unlike most foundations, is capable of covering all your blemishes and imperfections with only a thin layer for a natural look:.

4. L’Oreal Colorist Secret Shine Gloss – “Whether your hair is colored, sprinkled with highlights or au natural, this easy to apply 10-minute treatment will infuse your locks with an instant shot of shine.”

5. Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Line Smoothing Eye Cream – “Infused with the anti-oxidant power of pomegranate and other natural age-reversing ingredients, this formula instantly nourishes and revitalizes the delicate eye area while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.”  Wanted this one couldn’t find it – will now get it from Amazon cheaper  :  )

6. Physicians Formula Organic Wear 5X Lash Boosting Mascara – “…..makes your lashes longer than you ever thought possible (without eyelash extensions, anyway) while keeping them soft and free of clumps and flakes for a flirty, fluttery finish. …..it’s all-natural,100 percent free of harsh chemicals and eco-friendly.”  Ditto

7. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer, SPF15 – “…lightweight, gentle formula helps even out skin tone and texture for a smooth, clear complexion.”

8. John Frieda Full Repair Touch-up Flyaway Tamer – “…portable wand polishes broken strands, smoothes flyaways and frayed ends with Inca Inchi oil to keep hair sleek and smooth. Simply brush the wand over dry, styled hair for on-the-go touch-ups and a boost of shine.”

9. St Ives Apricot Scrub – “…exfoliatior a few times a week to slough away dead skin and reveal a gorgeous, glowing complexion.”

10. Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo – “This hair removal duo is easy to use and effectively removes fine to medium facial hair without irritation.”

11. Nivea Tough of Sparkle Cream Oil Body Wash – “…deliciously scented body wash that will invigorate your senses and deeply moisturize and soften your skin.”

12.   Roc Multi-Correction Night Treatment – “….quality anti-aging product, affordable and effective at erasing signs of aging such as brown spots, wrinkles and visible pores.”

BTW – when I fry my steaks, to keep the breading from falling off, I dip the tenderized steaks in the dry flour before dipping them in the wet dip of egg and buttermilk.  Then it’s back to the dry flour dip and into the pan. 

We’re hoping for a nice week – weather wise – we need to get down and finish the well house. David went down there last week and put down some new 2×4′s and we’ll probably try to get the roof back on by the end of the week.

Whenever we go down there to work – it’s like taking a short trip. We have to take water, food (in case David’s blood sugar drops), tools, and a gun. We take the gun because we never know what we’ll see. Had a fox run across the driveway Saturday when we were leaving and what with all the brush and junk around the well house – there could be snakes, skunks and Lord knows what else hiding down there.

We even saw what we thought was a cougar or mountain lion about 3 weeks ago tearing across the property. Haven’t seen it since – thank goodness.

And, saved the best for last.  Got a new recipe this weekend from Nancy. It’s for an oatmeal cake – that is really yummy and moist. I’m sure she won’t mind if I share it with you – so here goes…..

In a bowl put:

• 1 cup uncooked oats
• 1 stick butter or oleo
• 1-1/4 cup boiling water

Let this sit for about 20 minutes

Mix:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 1-1/4 cup sifted flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix well and add oat mixture – Pour into greased and floured pan (13″ x 9″)

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees and ice with following recipe…

Icing:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 stick butter or oleo

Bring above ingredients to a rolling boil then add….

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Spread on cake and place under broiler until browned

PS – Check out I Can’t Believe It’s Sugar Free – for 2 new chocolate cake recipes.

Coming Soon!

With hunting season right around the corner, if you and your family like jerky you’ll want to get  – Perfect Jerky – everything you need to know about making the best homemade jerky.   There’s also 2 Bonus books that come with it  – some of my favorite dessert recipes and recipes for making your own jerky marinades. 

Things have not been funny around the house this week – I got into some poison ivy last week when working in the yard and have been itching all week. Apparently not only does it cause inflammation to the skin but also impairs the brain because I couldn’t think of anything to write about – so thought I’d post an email I got this week  from a friend  -thanks Hilton – and share a laugh with you.

EMBARRASSING MEDICAL EXAMS

1. A man comes into the ER and yells . . .’My wife’s going to have her baby in the cab.’

I grabbed my stuff, rushed out to the cab, lifted the lady’s dress and began to take off her underwear.

Suddenly I noticed that there were several cabs – - – and I was in the wrong one.

Submitted by Dr. Mark MacDonald , San Francisco

2.. At the beginning of my shift I placed a stethoscope on an elderly and slightly deaf female patient’s anterior chest wall.

‘Big breaths,’. . . I instructed. 

‘Yes, they used to be,’. . . Replied the patient.

Submitted by Dr. Richard Byrnes , Seattle , WA

3. One day I had to be the bearer of bad news when I told a wife that her husband had died of a massive myocardial infarct.

Not more than five minutes later, I heard her  reporting to the rest of the family that he had died of a ‘massive internal fart.’

Submitted by Dr. Susan Steinberg

4. During a patient’s two week follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, he informed me, his doctor, that he was having trouble with One of his medications.

?Which one?’. .. . I asked. ‘The patch… the Nurse told me to put on a new one every six hours and now I’m running out of places to put it!’

I had him quickly undress and discovered what I hoped I wouldn’t see.

Yes, the man had over fifty patches on his body!

Now, the instructions include removal of the old patch before applying a new one.

Submitted by Dr. Rebecca St. Clair , Norfolk , VA

5. While acquainting myself with a new elderly patient, I asked, ‘How long have you been bedridden?’

After a look of complete confusion she answered .. . .

‘ Why, not for about twenty years – when my husband was alive.’

Submitted by Dr. Steven Swanson-Corvallis , OR

6. I was performing rounds at the hospital one morning and while checking up on a man I asked . . .’ So how’s your breakfast this morning?’ ?It’s very good except for the Kentucky Jelly. I can’t seem to get used to the taste. Bob replied.

I then asked to see the jelly and Bob produced a foil packet labeled ‘KY Jelly.’

Submitted by Dr. Leonard Kransdorf , Detroit ,

7. A nurse was on duty in the Emergency Room when a young woman with purple hair styled into a punk rocker Mohawk, sporting a variety of tattoos, and wearing strange clothing,  entered . . . It was quickly determined that the patient had acute appendicitis, so she was scheduled for immediate surgery..

When she was completely disrobed on the operating table, the staff noticed that her pubic hair had been dyed green and above it there was a tattoo that read . . .’ Keep off the grass.’

Once the surgery was completed, the surgeon wrote a short note on the patient’s dressing, which said ‘Sorry . . . Had to mow the lawn.’

Submitted by RN no name

AND FINALLY!! ! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8. As a new, young MD doing his residency in OB.

I was quite embarrassed when performing female pelvic exams… To cover my embarrassment I had unconsciously formed a habit of whistling softly.

The middle-aged lady upon whom I was performing this exam suddenly burst out laughing and further embarrassing me.

I looked up from my work and sheepishly said. . .. ‘ I’m sorry. Was I tickling you?’

She replied with tears running down her cheeks from laughing so hard . . ..

‘ No doctor but the song you were whistling was .. . .

‘ I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener .’

Dr. Wouldn’t submit his name….

that stepping on a small grape tomato feels just like stepping on a small frog?   You may wonder how I can make this statement with such confidence – obviously only from experience.

Earlier this summer we were coming in from watching the stars on the deck  (it was quite dark) and much to my horror – I stepped on a frog that was sitting in the middle of the boardwalk. The only word I can use to describe it is ‘awful’. There was this wet, spongy crunch under my foot followed by a stifled croak. The only thing I can be grateful for is that I had my shoes on!  And, I don’t think I killed him – as I thought I heard a rustle as he jumped back into the hydrangea plant AND next morning there was nothing on the walk to even show where he had been. Whew!!!

So last week when I accidentally spilled a whole container of grape tomatoes all over the kitchen floor- naturally I had to step on the one I missed picking up.   I can definitely say that stepping on that little tomato felt just like stepping on the frog that night  (same squishy feel but with tomato seeds shooting in every direction)   - but  this time I had to clean up the mess.

Note: While looking for a picture of a frog to go with this post, I found a bit of ‘frog philosophy’. You can read it from this link… Frog Philosophy

Did you know ….

that not all of nature’s creatures are infallible when it comes to building a home. We’ve all seen pictures of the perfect bird nests, symmetrical spider’s web – but when I saw a scattering of tiny little mud balls on the porch (under the old stove) –  it didn’t take me long to figure out that there was a dirt dauber was having a little trouble. I looked up under the stove and saw nothing – other than some ventilation holes. Soooooo, I figured he must be building the nest inside the stove somewhere and was dropping his mud as he tried to navigate through the hole. Whatever – he must be finished because I’ve not seen any more of the little balls on the porch nor have I seen the dirt dauber.

Have to put in a food DYK thingy in, so here it is….

Did you know…

that if your are frying food that has a batter, the oil will not foam during the frying process if you use only the egg white in the dip. Throw the yolks out or save for a meat loaf, etc. Also, if you dredge the item to be fried in regular flour first (shake off any excess) before placing it into the wet dip – the wet dip will stick better as will the final dry coating mix. Following this process also helps keep the coating from falling off into the oil during frying.

Up until today it still felt like summer…so much so that one day last week when I went out to feed the fish in the pond – I encountered a LARGE snake on the deck. I can only imagine he was out there sunning himself as the temperature was in the upper 90′s. I got about 3 steps onto the deck and heard this strange rustling sound – and there about 6 feet in front of me was this snake – looked to be about 4 feet long – gliding across the deck towards the house.   When he got to the edge of the deck he fell over and disappeared in the crack that’s between the house and the deck floor. I just froze – first off I couldn’t believe I was seeing a snake and secondly, couldn’t think of anything to do. Don’t think the snake was poisonous as it was totally black, so my best guess – being in a frozen state of mind – was that it was probably a coach whip. Haven’t seen it since – but you can bet I’m on the lookout.

With fall upon us and winter not far behind, going to have to start thinking about winter foods. All those dishes we enjoy in the winter but for some reason aren’t quite as tasty in the summer. One of our favorites is cheeseburger pie. This is a really simple dish using ground hamburger and a biscuit mix. I’ll be posting that recipe plus a couple more next few weeks. In the meantime, if you like lemons, check out the Lemon Chess Pie recipe on I Can’t Believe It’s Sugar Free. It’s an old-time favorite and I’ve put up two versions. On for making a traditional pie using sugar and the other sugar free using Splenda. Enjoy!

What with being very busy with Internet work most of the day – I’m always looking for ways to cut down time in the kitchen. You all know I love to cook up lots of stuff I can freeze – but I also like to find short cuts that save me time when preparing other foods. I’ve listed five (5) of my favorites below – I’m sure there are more but these are the only ones I can think of at the moment.

Garlic Bread - We enjoy the Texas toast and garlic bread you buy frozen – but in the summer I don’t like having to heat up the kitchen just to bake a couple of slices of bread. So I’ve found I can ‘fry’ it in a preheated no-stick skillet and it comes out toasty warm. David likes his bread toasted anyway – so this is a real hit with him. Now, granted this won’t be to your liking if you like your bread soft sans crunch – but for us it not only saves time but also keeps the kitchen cool.

Meat Loaf - To cut time on cooking meat loaf I cook it in the microwave oven on high for about 10-15 minutes before baking it in the oven. All I do is mix us the meat loaf, put it into the loaf pan – glass of course – and then nuke it. (You have to watch how long you cook it as the edges tend to get hard if cooked too long. And, I sometimes use 80% power to slow down the process a little.) I’ve found that by pre-cooking it, I can cut about 20-30 minutes off the traditional bake time. Pre-cooking also allows me to drain off quite a bit of the excess fat.

Frozen yeast rolls - to give your rolls a quick boost at rising try this trick. Place the frozen rolls in the buttered baking dish, then place a wire cooling rack over a pot of already boiling water (pot should be at least 1/3 full) – then place the dish with rolls on top of the rack so that they are in the steam. Once you’ve placed the rolls on the wire rack reduce the heat to low so that the temperature stays warm – not hot. And, don’t forget to check the water so you don’t run out and scorch the pot.

Fried cabbage – we enjoy cabbage fried with onions – particularly in the fall and winter, but it takes the cabbage a while to ‘fry down’ (can you tell I’m an impatient cook?) – so I pre-cook the cut cabbage in a little water for about 10 minutes in the microwave and then add the cabbage (water too) into the onions I’ve already fried in olive oil until they’ve become translucent. Pepper and salt to taste and continue to ‘fry’ cabbage until desired tenderness. Watch carefully so the water doesn’t all cook out and you burn the cabbage… I’ve done that a few times.    (This method also works for sweet potatoes if you’re in a hurry and want to serve them candied. Just peel and microwave until fork tender, then add to mixture of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon you’ve already got heating on the stove. Cook sweet potatoes over low heat until they’re coated with cinnamon-sugar glaze.)

Crab Cakes - Like the Texas Toast, the crab cakes we buy frozen take too long to bake and again, heat up the kitchen. The box says they can be ‘microwaved’ (not recommended….tends to make them mushy but a quick fix).   So, to save time and get the good texture we like, I microwave them for about 1 minute less than the directions say and then fry them in a small amount of oil in a skillet until they are crunchy on both sides. Drain them on paper towel and serve. We find we like this way better than box directions and it’s much quicker to prepare.