Chicken Soup

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I'm joining in for "Foodie Friday" at Designs By Gollum.

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

This is one of life's basic foods. Yep, "comfort food". "Good for what ails you".

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup.

I bought a whole cut up chicken and removed the skin. (I didn't include the little bag of giblets either : { )

Filled my soup pot with water and cut up 3-4 stalks of celery and 2 onions. That's real basic. You can add what ever herbs etc. you want.

I always use rubber gloves to handle chicken. I don't know why, I didn't used to!

Also here's an easy tip to remove the skin. Use paper towels. They grab the skin and make it real easy to do.

I just let the chicken boil then cook on low for 2-3 hours.

Time to add noodles.

And since I forgot to add carrots to the chicken in the beginning, I used these. I prepared them in the microwave as directed then dumped them in. Very tasty.

I should have made bread today!

OK, enough healthy stuff . . . Onto DESERT!

Mmmmm, chocolate ice cream and chocolate chip cookies : ))

(Rocky didn't get them : ))

Have a great Friday. Hoping for sunshine.

Shirley

Coffee With Rocky . . . Not!

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The sun was actually out this morning and I got a little gardening done. But soon it started to cloud up so I decided I'd have a cup of coffee and some cookies on my kitchen porch before going in.

Well, Rocky thought that was a delightful idea also.

He was actually resting his chin on the table. I'm sure planing on when he'd make his lunge!

No Rocky, your dog biscuits are inside!!!

Shirley

Rainy Day Tablescape 2011

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I'm linking with Susan at BNOTP for "Tablescape Thursday".

Her blog is amazing so you've got to visit after you look at mine!!

You can see all the other participants here:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

It's another rainy afternoon so I thought I'd put my tablescape together using a set of Pier One dishes that I got last year at GoodWill. A setting for 6 including large soups for $32.00!

I just used four here. These are really roomy, man-sized plates!

I was trying to think of a theme when I noticed my collection of real bird nests around. Well all are real except one. Can you guess which is the fake one?

The blue eggs are real blue bird eggs. They are the ones that the birds never came back too a couple years ago.

Story here: http://shirleys-world.blogspot.com/2010/05/blue-bird-eggs.html

The bamboo place mats right under the plates, I got in Target in their $1.00 aisle. 4/$2.00

Found this fluffy feather outside.

I don't know what kind of nest this is. (It doesn't go with that blue bird eggs.) The nest is made of very soft things and is quite small.

Some bluejay feathers here.

Goodnight.

Shirley

Kids and Horses (part 2)

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I'm putting on a few more pictures on from last Tuesday when my grandkids came to see the "horsies".

I know this first photo isn't clear but I wanted to show my son on Echo playing with the ball. (Echo's favorite game.)

My son with his son, Jack.

Ava on Satire

Ava in her jockey position!

Love the pink polka dot boots : ))

OK, Echo has pulled up to the parking place! I guess he's done!

Shirley

Kids and Horses

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This past Tuesday, my son Carl and his wife Linda brought my grandkids, Ava (4) and Jack (2), out to the barn to play with the horses.

Michele was there too and led Satire around with them aboard bareback. Carl rode Echo and they both got rides in the arena and out in the little paddock.

It was a fun day!!

Cooking Mosaic

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I'm linking up with Little Red House for "Mosaic Monday"

You can visit all the creative mosaics here:

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

My sister Sue came to visit me for about 10 days. She is here with me for Mother's Day. We spent the day at the horse barn, then shopping and eating!

She wasn't crazy about the horse barn part but it was my day to run the horses and I had to go see my boys!

My daughter, Michele, the photographer, also came for a visit and took all of these pictures. I have to apologize to her up front as her name got cut off on the mosaic ones when I did the collage in Picasa.

This meal was chicken fricassee with white rice and mixed greens.

I used chicken thighs, cut up 2 onions, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic and the juice of 2 limes. This is all placed in a big bowl and salt and pepper. Cover and place in refrigerator for a couple hours to marinate.

Remove chicken and brown in olive oil. Add the other ingredients to the pan and cook until onions are tender. Serve with white rice. Makes a wonderful sauce!

The mixed greens were thinly cut cabbage and spinach cooked till barely tender, s&p and a tbsp of white vinegar.

Rocky is, of course, waiting for his taste!

I hope you'll try this recipe. I got it from the TV program "Mad Hungry" on the Hallmark Channel.

Here's my daughter's logo and site. Visit her and take a look!

http://www.mzezulakphotography.com/

Have a great Monday!

Shirley

Walking the Garden

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http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

I'm joining The Tablescaper for "Seasonal Sundays" for my walk through the garden today.

This has been one of the few really nice days this month! We've had rain, rain, rain! Of course the gardens must have liked it because they are very quickly coming alive! It's just too bad we haven't been able to enjoy them much yet. Even today it isn't all that warm. I don't think we hit 60 degrees today but I'm not complaining! The SUN was out!!!!

These are the flowers on my holly bushes just starting to open . When they are fully open the scent is heavenly. They are right by my kitchen porch.

I used to have a lot of tulips. Now I think I have a couple lone tulips that have survived the chipmunks and voles! I should really plant some this fall!

This is a type of forget-me-nots with silvery leaves . The plant looks good even after it's done blooming.

One of my favorites. The bleeding hearts. These are the old fashioned kind.

Hostas must be one of the fastest growing plants!! I swear two days ago these were nothing but little pokers out of the ground!

Another lone tulip in amongst my wonderful ground cover of sweet woodruff. It's about to bloom too. Fragrant little white flowers.

My one azalea bush! I don't know why I don't plant more of these! I did try them in the back but they never survived. This one likes it's spot in the front next to the front porch.

Ellie was quietly watching me taking pictures. I didn't see her up on her chair for the longest time.

And here's Rocky. This is his favorite spot on the deck as he can see all the way down the road and be prepared to bark at anyone taking a walk or a jog.

Hope you are having a beautiful Spring.

Shirley