Choice Morsels

It's another Potato Salad try for my "Summer of Potato Salad" as I search for the best Potato Salad recipes to add to my repartee. This one is called "Texas Style" Potato Salad. It's a tad spicy with lots of onion, bacon and fresh cilantro; made with olive oil & red vinegar. No Mayo.  I thought it was good, but not one I'd put on my list to make again. Our friend, Hope, loved it and devoured two helpings. The recipe calls for two minced Serrano Chile Peppers, but I used just one, because Hubby doesn't like too much spiciness. I felt adding that  whole bunch of Cilantro leaves really over-did the Cilantro flavor! This recipe might benefit from less Cilantro leaves and more bacon ! The photo is original the Pinterest.  I didn't photograph my own salad this time because it was so colorless without the red onion!  Wouldn't you know it, the day I actually want a red onion, the Commissary was clean out! Texas Style Potato Sal

The topic for Mama Kat today is to share the last time I took a boat trip. Hubby and I have always been disinclined toward boats, but 16 years ago, when our Chaplain sponsor for our military singles Bible study group wanted to take them on a local "Pirate Cruise," we decided to go with them.  It was a three-hour trip being run out of the Destin harbor by a husband and wife who owned a three-masted sailboat something like the one picture. It was 2001, long before Pirates of the Caribbean was out, so the boat was nothing fancy. Just just a brown boat flying a jolly roger with a husband and wife in pirate garb. There was seating along the sides and on the cargo-hold hatch lid in the middle of the boat. Hubby and I were sitting on this lid. We sailed from the Destin harbor, through the channel, out into the open Gulf, mild waves heaving us up and down. Hubby and I were promptly sea-sick. I mean completely green at the gills. I can count the times in my life I'

We've had a Box Turtle visitor in the back yard today. This is the 2nd time we've seen him. He only seems to pop out when it's raining and there's puddles everywhere. He has a pretty light bronze colored shell. Very distinctive.  The first time we saw him, we put out some watermelon rinds for him and he devoured them! Today, he popped out during a thundershower to wander about. We'd saved some rinds in the frig, so I quickly pulled out a couple and dashed out into the pouring rain to put them down for him. He ate both. Clever fellow, he puts a foot on the rind so it won't move around while he's eating it! Today's Garden pic is the plant array along the front walk in front of the climbing roses: Hosta Lillies, Vince, 4 O'clocks and Marigolds. The Vinca planted itself and I love how nice it looks mingled among the Hosta leaves! It looks so natural! The 4 O'clocks and Marigolds I added, though both are from saved seed. I planted one H

Chicken Parmesan in a slow cooker, you ask?  Yes and this recipe is fabulous!  Everyone on Sunday loved it.  It's super easy, too! It just takes diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, Italian seasoning, bread chicken pieces and a 8 oz block of Mozzarella cheese! I did add fresh sliced green Bell Peppers and slicked baby Portabella mushrooms to my sauce. And I used breaded chicken tenders, thawed, then cut in half, though, because I wanted better pieces. You should allow a minimum of 3 hours and 15 minutes prior to serving time to make this dish:  the sauce is cooked alone first for a couple hours, then the chicken is added for the last hour prior to serving, then 15 minutes before serving, you top it with Mozzarella  slices ! (Do not use shredded cheese for this recipe!) Photo is my mine dish. It tasted as yummy as it looks! Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Ingredients: 1 bag fully cooked Breaded Chicken: nuggets, tenders or slices, depending on how many you

Today's Garden Pic is one of my small guests enjoying my Parsley! This is one of 5 Black Swallowtail Caterpillars I currently have living in my herb container gardens. This one was sitting slightly upright, resting when I took the photo. Like all babies, all they do is just eat, sleep & poop. This one, pictured, was the oldest and matured first. When I saw it running along the edge of the pot yesterday, I knew it was ready to find a location to cocoon, so I moved it to my Gardenia shrub.  It selected a spot there and is currently it's on it's way to becoming a butterfly. Knowing where they are is the secret to getting a really great photo, since they're still with their wings spread open while still fresh. Two more are nearing maturity. I had to move them to other Parsley because the one in the photo is completely devoured. (Though, it will grow back! Parsley loves to be cut!) One single large Parsley plant can host about 2 caterpillars to maturit

A selection of some of my Favorite Slow-Cooker recipes! They were recipes I found on Pinterest or Google+, tried and loved so much I kept on making the!  Great for family meals! Tortellini Tomato & Italian Sausage Soup! A huge hit on Sunday nights! I hardly have any leftovers! Slow Cooker Asian Beef & Vegetables Tender, yummy beef with zucchini & carrots! Slow Cooker Cube Steak & Gravy Hubby's favorite! Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken In Peanut Sauce A mild peanut-butter flavored dish with just the right amount of kick!

The Toad Mr. Toad took up residence under shady melon leaves, dining on  flies enthralled with the dying squash. Alas, I pulled up the squash. The flies left and so did he. The Marigolds: I planted thee to keep the tomato company, but, alas, the tomato died, leaving you to make friends with the melon. The Purple Basil: I planted thee, a handsome beau to sweeten the tomato  and, though the tomato is gone, you romance the garden still.

The "Summer of Potato Salad" recipe try this week was  "Middle Eastern Potato Salad!" This potato salad uses olive oil and tons of healthy herbs plus a hint of lime and a faint tang of heat!  The original blog described this as "Egyptian style," since this dish that has many variations through-out the Middle East. It's great with anything grilled and great for picnics, too, since it's not made with Mayo. It's best served at room temperature.  I thought the chilled leftovers were pretty good, but Hubby liked it best lukewarm. fresh herb box The recipe calls for whole Coriander, ground Turmeric, fresh Dill, fresh Cilantro & Fresh Parsley. So I bought these little boxes of fresh Dill & Cilantro. (empty one pictured)  For 6 potatoes, I found using all the Dill & Cilantro in these boxes was just the right amount, around 1/4 to 1/3 cup each (though the recipe called for a cup, I didn't see that was necessary.) I

Today's "find" is another great Inspiring News story! This young man with cerebal palsy landed his dream job of working for Security at the Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida! (photo by Work Opportunities Unlimited) He got this opportunity with the help of a community based organization called "Work Opportunities Unlimited." The Stadium assistant manager, Alex Inman, said they hired him because they felt he could do an excellent job! There's a full video available on this story here . and you can read more Inspiring News stories here at the   Good News Network !

For Mama Kat today I'm presenting a series of photos that best represent June: My view out the back door after 3 days of steady rain from tropical storm Cindy: **** The mess all that excess rain made of my garden: **** The southwest corner of my yard is the gathering spot for rain water on the west side of my house. It's the back end of the rain garden. **** This is the front end of the rain garden: A little wet. Kinda of a mess. Hard on the veggies. But a couple days of sun and it all went away! ( Yesterday's post has a photo of the new tomato & bell peppers!) Thanks for Visiting!

We've had an uncommonly wet June. About 30 inches of rain total---very unusual.  All that rain killed both my tomatoes and one Bell Pepper. I had two Bells and, miracle of miracles, the other Bell has survived, though it's still semi-droopy. It's got two peppers on it and I noticed fresh stem growth today! All the rain also brought in an onslaught of aphids to the melon, bush squash & even one of my blackberries! Now that it's been dry, I've been out twice this week with a spray bottle of soapy water mixed with a tiny bit of natural Neem oil. Today, I saw red Lady Bugs on the squash plant--they eat aphids like French fries. So, that's good news.  Whether that squash plant will do anything worthwhile is still up-in-the-air, but I thought I'd give it a chance to try. The melon plant survived the wet, though aphids got all the growth tips. It will have to regrow new branches.  There's a huge toad living under it's leaves. He must be 3