Potato Pie...Oh My!!!

With potatoes on my mind and pie dough in the freezer from a previous day, I set out to experiment with making a pie worthy of dinner but not too difficult time-wise. Voila! Sausage Potato Torte!

 The family went gaga because I taught them well that anytime you put a pie crust around dinner it's gonna rock. I served it with a simple salad. I could have used bacon like the original recipe , but didn't have any so go crazy if you prefer a different form of pig.

Sausage Potato Torte : (adapted slightly from Brown Eyed Baker)

2 pie crusts
3 german sausage, fresh, casings removed and cooked until no longer pink
3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated Swiss cheese
2/3 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 egg yolk, whisked with a splash of water

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Roll out the 1st pie dough to fit a large, deep dish pie plate. I sliced the potatoes very thin.  Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust to cover the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, crumble 1/3 of the sausage over the potatoes, and add a little cheese. Repeat the layers two more times. The pan should be nearly full. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
3. Whisk the dried thyme into the cream and slowly pour the cream around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices.
4. Roll out the remaining disk of refrigerated dough. Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet.
5. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before serving.

This German girl was happy with the results!!!

Resolution Smesolution

I'm with Calvin!!!

Honestly, I don't make them because mine usually come from shallow motives like wanting to look good, so they never last. This year I want to be healthy. I gave up on skinny. I'm a type 1, juvenille diabetic and have been for the last 27 years. I'm a lazy diabetic, because I'm tired of counting carbs and even forget to take my insulin after meals. This will get me into trouble in the near future and my feet will probably fall off or my eyes will rot and fall out since I don't pay close enough attention. Well, that's changing this year.

I sought out, after being challenged by a friend, foods that would be high octane fuel suppliers to my body instead of energy and fat suppliers.

I needed some help, so I looked to my favorite cook, Alton Brown, for some suggestions. He has lost 50 lbs. and still manages to maintain his cooking habits.

Here is what he follows:

Daily:
Fruits
Whole Grains
Leafy Veggies
Nuts
Carrots
Green Tea
3Xs Per Week:
Oily Fish
Yogurt
Broccoli
Sweet Potato
Avocado
1X Per Week:
Red Meat
Pasta
Dessert
Alcohol
Never:
Fast Food
Soda
Processed Meals
Canned Soups
Anything labeled “Diet”

Rules:
Eat Breakfast Every Day
Eat Slowly
Purple foods are high in antioxidants, try to use them: pomegranite, Acai juice, concord grape juice, blueberries, blackberries,
Try soy milk in smoothies for extra protein, low fat and B12 included in it. Make double and freeze it for a frozen treat later.
For Smoothies: add 4 oz of 3 frozen fruits, 4 oz. of soy milk and juice each,

Sardine Treats:
Sardines or Bristling are good for you and can be combined with lemon juice, olive oil from one of the cans of fish, lemon zest, sherry vinegar, fresh parsley. Wisk. Fold in 2 cans of drained fish.Let marinate. Set oven on High broil.Brush 4 slices of french or sourdough bread with the oil from the other can. Broil bread for 2 - 3 minutes. Mash one avocado and spread on toast. Place fish on top and garnish with parsley, lemon juice and sea salt. You only get to have one of those, so don’t eat all 4 at once.

Nuts:
Almonds are excellent

Nut Treat:
Set oven at 250 degrees
Put 1t. of olive and seasame oils in pan and heat
Add one pound of whole almonds
Cook for 5 min. Add 1T. of soy sauce and Worchestershire sauce each.
Cook for 1 min. more, until it seems to have used up liquid and is sticky.
Put 1 t. ground ginger and 1t. salt in a bowl and add the almonds and toss.
Place on a baking sheet lined and put in over for 20 min.
Eat only 1 oz, 1 to 2 times per day.

Now I know that most people look at the sardine bruschetta and think, gag! But I am willing to try it. It's hard to get fish that everyone will eat, so I can handle trying it.

What he doesn't mention is portion sizes. That's where it all goes down hill or hell, for me. Cutting down portions, drinking ungodly amounts of water and consistent exercise are the deal breakers, so I need to not think of them as the enemy.

So, here I go.....

Wish me well....

Say a prayer....

Don't invite me over for scones or muffins or anything like that........THANKS

 

Stuffed Chicken Fried Chicken, Southern Style

I wanted a dish that I could use my packaged stuffing that I hadn't made at Christmas so I thought of making stuffed chicken and using a peppery-white, southern gravy over the top. Sinfull yes, but delicious.

5 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts pounded flat

1 prepared box of stuffing mix, follow box directions

2 eggs, whisked with a little water

flour to dredge

breadcrumbs to dredge, panko or homemade

4 T. oil for frying

I pounded the breasts flat between two pieces of plastic wrap adding water to my flat mallet as I poiunded. Then I put a heaping spoonful of prepared stuffing in the middle of each breast. I folled up each breast with the sides first and then finishing with each end tucked over each other and secured with toothpicks. I then dredged each in flour, coated then with egg, and finally rolled in breadcrumbs.

I heated a skillet with oil and fryed them on each side and end until browned.

In the meantime, I heated the oven to 400 degrees. Once fried, I put them in the oven to finish for 20

minuets. They were very tasty, but I must warn, it was a huge portion. I only finished half of mine. Oh, goodie. Leftovers!!!! I served them with a country gravy, the extra stuffing that was baked according to box directions, and some steamed broccoli. Now I make the gravy with a rue and milk, but actually it doesn't need gravy. DELISH.

Source: Uploaded by user via Julie on Pinterest



Rolling on into Christmas like it was no big deal....

I've just noticed! It's almost Dec. 1st and I haven't complained once that Christmas is too commercialized or overdone yet!

This is an accomplishment for me.

I guess I feel blessed during this time.

Even though my husband is stressed beyond belief, I feel less stress than ever. yikes. That's an invitation right there for it to be heaped on, LOL.

Yesterday, since Sheffie is feeling pressure at work, I prayed all day for him, off and on. Wow. What a difference that made. I know he had it rough, but I must admit that I felt so much lighter all day.

No thoughts of pressure or when am I going to have time to get a tree, or put up decorations or buy presents earlier. Nope.

Jeremy, a senior this year, is blindly going about the season while we RANT ON AND ON about how he needs to get essays done for college scholarship applications, but none of that yesterday. And he worked on it yesterday too. Hey! Maybe I don't need to rant? ha.

Yep I like this peace and joy thing that goes along with prayer. I think I'll keep it up!

Why "What I Wore Wednesday" Doesn't Work For Me!

Exhibit A

Reason 1: This pic was taken looking into my sliding glass door in the back of the house, hence, I have no full length mirror.

Reason 2: I wore this yesterday, well, at least in the afternoon.

Reason 3: All....All my clothes are UGLY! Not just these people. I'm in a faze, and have been for quite a while...it's called "Over 45 and shouldn't try to look like I'm 20".

But, my friend Denise always looks so cute. So Since I am avoiding this trend in blogging, you may go over there and visit. She has style. I do not.

The List:

Everyone has a list. Where this craze came from I have no idea, but I feel compelled (by peer pressure) to do the same. Actually we say every summer that we are going to do more as a family. It's time to really write it down.
So here we go. I will try to find a cool chalkboard or whiteboard like Denise or Kristen to post it and check them off. Go check theirs out.

Here we go:
Go bowling weekly
Make homemade icecream
Go to the secret swinging bridge spot in Yosemite that no one knows about
Play scrabble as a family
Walk 3 miles at least once or twice a week as a family
Make a movie for church youth group
Help with an Eagle Scout Project
Raise Meat Chickens from chicks
Make pesto
Visit Monterey at least once to see the whales
Host a dessert party where my kids make the food
Rent a party boat at the lake
Go camping with UK
Get a refresher course for SCUBA diving (Jules)
SCUBA in Monterey
Make a duvet cover (yikes)
Dinner 8 with church friends (3xs)
Cupcake decorating class for Meg and Me
Stargaze from Sentinel Dome
Fireworks at Bass Lake
Kiss my hubby for 7 sec. everyday (great goal for me NOT kids)

Removing an organ...sorta

It's been quite a while since my last post, but I do have excuses. None of them good mind you, but I have them. Well, in all seriousness, I have nodules. Nodules on my Thyroid gland.

After this week, I don't have any more nodules or gland.

Yes that's right.

I agreed to have them, it, removed forever and ever, amen.

I have been hanging around the house the last 3 days waiting for the feeling of sluggishness or overtiredness (is that a word?) to hit me. But alas, nothing. In fact, I feel quite energetic. I have been taking a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement and it's not bad!!!!!!

Well, not so far. In fact, if my incision were not sore, I'd have to say I'm feeling on top of the world.

Don't you wish you could replace or remove parts of you that you just didn't like? And feel great afterward without harm or penalty?

My oldest son is learning to drive. My daughter had her first experience today behind the wheel. I have come to realize that the mom-behind-the-wheel needs a transplant or a complete removal!!!!!

The person I sometimes become behind the wheel of a car is not out there....in full view of two teenagers and it's ugly sometimes. I still don't understand why I get so frustrated, but I do.

I need to have that removed, right away.

I need a synthetic replacement until I can produce my own attitude worth having in the car with them.

It's one of those areas in life that demands constant tuning, redirecting, and releasing control over. Yep. It needs to be yanked.

Hopefully, Jesus never had to drive the chariot. My guess is he had to drive in some way.

All I am asking for today is forgiveness for almost running that bike rider down today. And, a little interceding from a fellow driver. Thanks!