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Thursday, September 29, 2022
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Cooking Thursday
Fall is definitely starting to show up here in West Michigan. It's getting cooler and I'm seeing some bits of color in the trees.
It's a good time for chili, soups and stews. Here's one of our favorites, a recipe I've been making for many years. It goes together quickly and when you take it out of the oven, the meat is so tender and it's everything is full of flavor!
French Oven Stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
2 large onions, cut into eight pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into large pieces
4 large carrots, quartered
2 large potatoes, cut into chunks
1/3 cup quick cooking tapioca
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 cups tomato juice
Combine tomato juice, tapioca, sugar, salt, pepper and basil in bowl. Set aside
Place meat, onions, celery and carrots in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Pour tomato juice mixture over top and cover.
Bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
Add potato chunks and bake another hour.
Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Monday, September 26, 2022
Afternoon at the Lake
We have a small group from our church that tries to get together every month or so. One of the couples has a cottage on a lake a little over an hour north of us.
Our group went up there last Sunday after church. It was supposed to rain, but the clouds cleared and it was a beautiful day!
The guys kept talking but the girls decided to take a walk.
Shortly before we left, this bald eagle was circling overhead. Such majestic birds!
We had a great time together and enjoyed the beauty God placed around us.
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Fun Weekend
Alaina and Ruby spent the night with us this weekend. Here's some of the fun we had.
We put a little of the melted peanut butter chips on each Nutter Butter Bite and pressed a kiss on top.
Then, we put just a dot of melted peanut butter chips on the cookie bit and put a mini chocolate chip in it to make the stem.
My Dad was outside because my brother was there doing a little digging so they could have their septic tank pumped.
When the girls got done with lunch, they went outside.
My brother put them to work throwing the big chunks of dirt out of the hole. Dad and my sister Cheri were keeping an eye on things!
Alaina came back with this leaf to show me the pretty Fall colors.
And then it was time to go back home. We always have fun together!
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
Cooking Thursday
I recently saw a recipe for steak bites. The person who shared it said her family loved them because they were so tender and her kids usually wouldn't eat steak. Usually when we have steak, Bob grills it, but this way I could get it made when he is working late.
So, we tried it and they are so good! They were easy and very quick to make, and as promised, very tender!
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
Cut the steak into bite size pieced, 1/2" to 3/4 " in size. Sprinkle meat generously with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy, flat bottomed skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted, swirl to coat pan and add about half of the meat, spreading evenly across the pan.
Cook for 1 minute, then use large spatula to flip the pieces over. Cook for another minute, then remove to plate. Repeat with second half of meat with one more tablespoon of butter. Cover meat with foil to keep warm.
Add remaining butter to skillet and toss mushrooms in butter. Let mushrooms cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes until browned. Stir and let cook for a few more minutes, until soft. Add mushrooms and buttery pan drippings to the steak bites on the plate.
Serve hot. Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Out with the old, in with the new!
I told you that as we were getting ready to leave last weekend, our refrigerator suddenly died! We were able to find a new one and it was delivered shortly after we came home.
Here's our old one, pushed out of the way and ready to be taken by the delivery guys. They sure don't last as long as they used to!
Here's the new one. I really like having the freezer on the bottom. It makes it easier to find things at eye level in the refrigerator. This frig has a nice layout and lots of storage in the doors. I hope it lasts awhile!
Monday, September 19, 2022
Historic Home Tour
Today I'm going to share some pics of the home tour we went on. This is the longest running tour in the midwest and many people come to Marshall to join. It isn't just houses and every year is different. We did lots of walking, all over the city on the first day. The second day we drove to some of the places that were further out.
One of the first places we visited was the Honolulu House. It was built in 1860. The man who built it had been an ambassador to Hawaii before it became a state. He loved it and built a house to reflect Honolulu.
Here's some pictures to give you an idea of how it looked inside. The most amazing thing about this house is that what looks like wallpaper is actually paint. And not only are all the walls painted in detailed design - all the ceilings are too. It took 3 years for them to paint all the ceilings.
We walked down Mansion Street - which had lots of gorgeous houses.
Have you ever heard the saying "What the Sam Hill?" Well, Sam Hill was an actual person and this was his house. However, he was known for using terrible language and that's how that saying came to be.
This was an old school that is restored to look like it did when it was built, and it has all the old school items in it as well. We went through another old school that had been renovated into a gorgeous home.
This home was to be the Governors mansion. It was expected that Marshall would be the state capitol. However, at the last minute that changed and Lansing was chosen.
At night, the fountain across the street from our bed and breakfast was lit. On this night they had luminaries lighting the walkways as well. Such a pretty scene.
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Marshall, Michigan
I'm back from my little break. Because I just started my new job in December, I don't have much vacation time. Bob and I usually take our vacation in September, so this year we just took a long weekend.
Before I tell you more, I need to share what happened before we left. We planned to leave mid morning on Friday. I was at work Thursday, when I got a message from Bob. He had left work and was not feeling well at all. I was immediately concerned about covid when he gave me his symptoms, and thought this weekend might not happen. I did a covid test on him when I got home and it was negative. So we thought we would see what the morning brough.
He was feeling a little better in the morning, so we thought we were back on track. However, suddenly there was a hot, smoky smell in the kitchen and then the refrigerator made a crackling sound and quit.
We were thankful it happened while we were still home! Thankfully we have a spare refrigerator in the garage, so we loaded everything into it and went to buy a new frig.
Then we were off - a little later than expected, but still on our way.
We went to Marshall, Michigan which is said to be the most historic city in Michigan. Marshall is a little over 1 1/2 hours from our house.
Every year they have a 2 day tour of historic homes and buildings. We love history and old homes so we knew we would enjoy this.
We stayed in the National House Inn, which was built in 1835 and served as a stagecoach stop between Chicago and Detroit. It was a beautiful place, full of charm and history.
This is the entry. The fireplace and old wood floors were amazing.