Soup

I have made this recipe a few times and last time I made it I decided to buy two of all the ingredients so I would have them on hand. I was so happy to have them handy Christmas day when we decided we didn't want to go out and all I had to do was throw it together and within 30 min. we had soup and tortillas....yum.

It is good with tortilla chips, tortilla's or crackers.
You can find the recipe here

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

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Arizona winter

For the most part we are a sunshine state but last week this was the view...

and it was a gully washer....

and made the pool dance.

Blue Whale

The blue whale is gigantic. Generally ranging in length from 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters), the longest one ever recorded was a magnificent 108 feet long.





Here is a comparison picture for you...

2. How much does a blue whale weigh?

These gentle giants weigh up to 200 tonnes, or around 441,000 pounds.

3. They’ve got big hearts

The blue whale's heart is huge! It is about 5 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 5 feet tall and weighs around 400 pounds; its beat can be detected from two miles away. It is so big and adult can swim through it...

4. ...and tongues

A blue whale’s tongue alone weighs as much as an elephant.

5. How big are blue whale babies?

Blue whale calves are the biggest babies on Earth, easily, and at birth already rank amongst the largest full-grown animals. They pop out at around 8,800 pounds with a length of some 26 feet. They gain 200 pounds a day! Their growth rate is likely one of the fastest in the animal world, with a several billion-fold increase in tissue in the 18 months from conception to weaning.

6. They’re loud … and make long-distance calls for free

Blue whales, in fact, are the loudest animals on the planet. A jet engine registers at 140 decibels, the call of a blue whale reaches 188. Their language of pulses, groans, and moans can be heard by others up to 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) away.

The oldest blue whale they’ve discovered  was calculated to be around 100 years old, though the average life is thought to be around 80 to 90 years.

Microwave poached eggs

I saw this recipe and decided to try it and to my great surprise it works!!!
Fill a large mug with water and crack an egg into it. There needs to be 1 to 2 inches of water above it. With a sharp knife poke a small hole in the yolk to keep it from exploding.
Cover it with  small plate and microwave for one minute. I had a glass mug that I used so could watch it cook and when it was done it floated to the top. I put it on top of a piece of toast and then smashed it to cover the toast and ate it like a open face sandwich...yummy!!! Should have taken a picture:(

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A change of plans and a surprise

I waited too long to decide what we would do for Thanksgiving and we ended up just staying home and eating left over ham and bean soup from the freezer but since I only had to heat it up I decided to fix something new to have with it....

Cheddar Corn Fritters

2 cups corn
3 tbl. diced red or green bell pepper
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl. melted butter
vegetable oil for frying

Mix corn, bell pepper, eggs and water and cheese in a bowl.
Mix flour, sugar, chili powder, salt and pepper in another bowl and mix well.
Add dry mix to the first bowl and mix until evenly moisten then stir in the melted butter.
Pour oil in frying pan to 1/4 inch and heat to where fritters will fry quickly. Using a serving spoon drop batter into the hot oil. Fry to golden brown and then turn over to fry other side. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.
(I cut this recipe in half as it was only hubby and I and we had plenty)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogger friends and family.

Movie

Just came home from seeing this movie...

It is good!

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Did you know?

Aunt Jemima  pancake flour, invented in 1889, was the first ready mix food to be sold commercially and if you are as old as me you remember the picture on the box.

Beginning in the mid-1950's people began criticizing the mammy stereotype being portrayed but the brand was selling strongly and had expanded into other products, such a syrup and Quaker Oats did not see the merit in changing the iconic brand and remained resolute for almost thirty-five more years until in  1986 an "offended Oprah Winfrey refused to act in Saturday Night live sketch depicting Aunt Jeremiah. Finally in 1989 (the brands 100th birthday) Quaker  bowed to consumer pressure and gave Aunt Jeremiah her latest makeover....

Lighter skin, styled hair, pearl earrings and a white blouse.

I have had this book since I was a small child and I bet I could get arrested for having it!

Sad isn't it?

Did you know?

Ever see this on your meat from the grocery store?

All meat inspection is a requirement in the U.S. The USDA has very strict guidelines inspecting meat, and beef that is approved gets a mark (stamp) showing it has been approved. Initially, USDA inspectors inspect the live animal to make sure they’re healthy from head to hoof and treated humanely. They also inspect things like the slaughtering process, all of the animal’s parts and organs, the temperature of the meat, and they make sure the carcass stays as clean as possible during the entire process.

Beef that passes inspection is stamped with a round purple mark. The stamp includes a number that is assigned to that processing facility by the federal government. The numbers are called “establishment numbers,” and they’re only good for one location. These numbers make it very easy to tell exactly where the beef was processed and rest easy the dye used in the stamp is made from a food-grade vegetable dye and it’s edible. It won’t hurt you!

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Antiques

A while back I posted about  little antique truck that belonged to my dad here and I thought I would show the rest of this little area where it sits.

Can you see the little truck up under the greenery on the left? Well this wall hanging inspired me to buy the antique chair you see there to the right.

and this is how it all looks on a regular basis...

The bird cage was my Mom's as well and my daughter told me she saw one just like it in a antique store and it was selling for over $30.00. This is in my dinette area. 

Did you know

This is John "Fred" Baur (June 14, 1918 – May 4, 2008) he was an American organic chemist and food storage technician notable for designing and patenting the Pringles packaging. 

According to his wishes after his death he was cremated and buried in his invention

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More blooms

The queens wreath is happy as well as my neighbors honeysuckle

and I have to tell you the story about this little tree.....

Originally the neighbors had one of these trees on the other side of the block wall and apparently a nut fell down on my side of the fence and started this tree and the neighbors tore theirs down:) The butterfly is metal and made for me by a friend, it is tethered into the ground so it won't fly away in the wind.

This week the high is 85 which is like early summer for us here and why we get blooms twice.   

Good morning

Wishing you all a good morning from my house to yours...

Roses

Here in southern Arizona our roses bloom twice a year, spring and fall..

Wished I could send the smell too:)

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Changes

I have used direct TV for many years now and just tired of paying for stuff I never watch and not finding things I wanted to watch so investigated a program call

maybe some of you already have or know about this but in case you don't this is a great company with so much to offer and at a reasonable price. I have contacted them a couple of times with questions and I was not put on hold forever and was treated as if I were a queen. Since my TV is older I had to get this

and again when I called the company they helped me set it up and was more patient than you can believe and when I spoke to them again today about a problem that showed up, again no long wait and fixed at the blink of a eye. If you are unhappy with your TV viewing check this out, you won't be sorry.

  

The only drive through post office

This is the Old Chicago Main Post Office, it is nine stories tall and has a expressway through it. It was build in 1921 and was expanded in 1932 in order to serve Chicago's great volume of postal business because of the mail-order business of Montgomery Ward (the largest retailer in the United States) and of Sears. By 2019 the structure will include offices for Walgreen's and also become the headquarters of the Ferrara Candy Co.

Texas cont.

I seem to easily get distracted these days so my follow up on our trip to Texas is late in coming. We took one day and visited the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station. It is so well done and must have took hours and hours putting it all together. Here are a few pictures.

The main entrance

This desk has drawers on both sides and is a replica of the white house.

One of many pictures

I could have taken a lot more pictures as they even had his boat displayed. They had many movies showing different things that happened during his presidency and Pictures of inside the White House during their stay. I enjoyed getting to see it and with the granddaughter too. 

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Texas

It has been quiet on my side because we were in Texas to visit our daughter and family!

Son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter (granddaughter decided to live at home and do her last year of college on line and work and save money...smart girl)

They are renting and renovating this old homestead that sits on 30 acres and my daughter has become a farm girl! She has had rabbits for years and this one is so sweet as you can see by hubby getting a hug..

 His name is Oreo

She now has chicken and they come running when she calls them...They love blueberries.

The neighbor has cows and she has named them all and they come for treats too...

I had a video but can't get it to go....

The house is small and had many small rooms, they tore down the wall dividing the dining area and the living room and it turned out fantastic!

Son-in-law builds and fixes and daughter decorates:) They make a great team.

Daughter had to work the first day so son-in-law took us to Round Top for lunch.
It is famous for the Round Top Antiques Fair that started in 1968, Draws people from all around the world. We had lunch here

Famous for their pies, even had a order from one of our Presidents! and inside is plastered with memorabilia.

Great food and a fun place.
All of this area is Texas is very pretty and green and yes a bit humid.
(to be cont.)