Choice Morsels

Today, Hubby cleared all the pine needles off the roof mostly to keep the gutters clear, in case we get any rain from this tropical storm brewing Southeast of us. He also polished off the mowing. We may not get any rain, but such storms are large and it's possible an outer-most band might drop a little rain our way. Best to be ready. Also we have our annual termite inspection tomorrow, so I was cleaning up around the edges of the house. Today's Garden Pic is a some Garden Art: It's actually an old wind-chime a neighbor gave me before they moved away several years ago. It was originally all rusted. I happened to have pink spray paint on hand, so that's what I painted with, then brushed it off a little. It used to hang on a tree branch, but that tree is gone, so I randomly set it here against the base of this pine until I decided what to do with it. Then I realized was perfect for this spot, since it blends in nicely with the red block walls on either side. Anyone ...

  This was a Pinterest recipe I found that looked good and sounded good that I tested for dinner tonight. The technique worked fine, seasoning was good, but it tasted a little dry --like it needed something to make it creamier and more gooey-savory on the inside! I think it needs at least a 1/2 cup of Sour Cream added to the chicken mix plus another 1/2 cup of Cheese!  Hubby said it needs to be served with rice for more substance and needs something to give the Chimichangas a tad of sweetness--perhaps a teaspoon of sugar or sweetner. So, here's the recipe with those *recommendations added in: Baked Chicken Chimichangas Ingredients: 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 1 cup of your favorite Salsa * plus 1 teaspoon Splenda or sugar stirred in 1 teaspoon ground Cumin 1/2 teaspoon Oregano  * 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Mexican Cheese  * 1/2 cup Sour Cream (lite or reg) 1/4 cup diced green onion 6  (8 inch) flour Tortillas...

The Mama Kat prompt for today is, "share a post inspired by your childhood neighborhood." I grew up in Indiana, way out in the country. This forest photo is what my back yard looked like. And across the road. And pretty much my whole neighborhood.  Our house sat off a State Road in a cleared top corner of 22 acres of heavily forested valley with a creek. That road ran past our house, down a moderately steep hill into a valley, across the bottom, then up the other side. If you kept going west, the land gradually flattened out into cornfields and cattle farms, but where we lived and east, was nothing but rolling hills. The area was sparsely settled with either people already retired or by families with Dad's willing to make the 88 mile round-trip commute to Indianapolis to work. Aside from a small corner grocery that had a cafe and a volunteer fire station, there just was very little around. For years and years, the only thing across the road from my hous...

I was going to do some mowing today---but when I was ready to do so after lunch, it rained. Instead, I worked on some beading projects. I have several necklaces which have broken and needed repairing. (a total of 4)  I also made an entirely new necklace of in shades of teal, blue & lavender stones. Today's Garden Pics: First, my gorgeous Echeveria/Hen & Chicks Succulents in front my bed that are blooming right now. That big one on the side of the strawberry pot is at least 6 inches! It's funny how I came to have them. Many years ago, my neighbor next door decided to "dispose" of a couple of her rosettes by randomly tossing them over the fence into my yard and I found them on the ground. Needless to say, I planted them and here we are today. Weird, but true. Next:  A nice shot of my White Pampas Grass blooms captured in late day sun! This particular one against the neighbors fence in my back yard. All my Pampas has bloomed beautifully this ye...

Home made Chocolate Lava Cake! What could better? And in a slow-cooker, too! I tried this recipe on Sunday. It's a Pinterest recipe that easy and yummy. The original link goes to a Buzzfeed Tasty video on how to make it here , if you'd like to watch it. The recipe is okay as is, but I think it could greatly benefit form some slight improvements:  I'd like a bit more juiciness in the chocolate "Lava," so I recommend adding a bit more milk to the instant pudding mix--1/4 cup at least, as a start. Maybe as much as 1/2 cup, but I'd try the lesser amount first. I say it needs a bit more saucy "Lava" because "baking" in a slow-cooker makes for a drier cake texture and it really needs plenty of chocolate lava sauce! Also, I think the over-all flavor of the chocolate cake could be greatly enriched by the addition of 1 teaspoon of instant coffee and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon added to the cake. Even if you don't want the coffee, Cinnamon e...

The challenge today was to, "share a memorable dream. " The challenge with dreams is remembering them. They are like wisps of fairy feathers in fog that slip away in the light of morning.  Even so, I've had a couple memorable dreams this week that I recall well enough to share: In one I was responsible for getting 4 children costumed and prepared for some kind of stage presentation. I only had a couple hours to do it in. I drew out a rough sketch of the 4 kids as I pictured they should be costumed with what might be found at like a Goodwill store. Then I sent them off, with  parents I suppose, to acquire such clothing. Then when they came back I was going to give them pink index cards with whatever they were going to need to say written out. The kids were all boys I think. One was short & small, one was round & plump, one was tall & skinny and one average.  The funny thing is, it's not like that sort of situation has anything to do with my real life...

Did you know you can make a lovely vased table arrangement just with pretty fresh  Basil stems? Yes! Basil has purple flowers, so it looks lovely in a vase! It also fills the house with it's spicy fragrance!  If you have several varieties growing in pots or garden, like I do, you can mix them. This vase has a mix of Purple, Thai & Cinnamon Basil plus an interesting Greek Oregano seed stalk!  Plus snipping the Basil helps promote more fresh growth! And if I need a few leaves, I just snip a few right from the vase! My table arrangement of fresh Basil I also today photographed a strikingly lovely Female Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly! She posed on a Day Lily leaf in my rain garden. She is not a mature size yet. Males are powder blue in color, so easy to tell apart. Dragonflies are garden-friends as they eat other insects, including mosquitoes & flies. That's it for today! Stop back to see what's up for Mama Kat tomorrow!