You think the mail is slow this year?

Today, Dec 29th, in my informed delivery email from the USPS I see that we are finally getting my sister's Christmas card that she mailed on Dec 16th.

Pretzel Salad

I must not have made this recipe since I started my blog because it wasn't on here.  Laura is making her first Thanksgiving dinner this year - it's called "Thanksgiving in the Times of Covid" and wanted to check some things about the recipe which was in Greta's bridal shower cookbook.  So now I'm adding it and maybe I'll make it again because it is SO delicious but it will have to be when there's more than just Larry and I to eat it.  Laura is going to send her picture to add to this after Thanksgiving.

PRETZEL SALAD 

FIRST LAYER: 

2 cups pretzels, broken 

3/4 cup butter, melted 

3 tablespoons sugar 

Combine pretzels, butter and sugar.  Place in.9 x 13" pan. 

Bake for 10 minutes at 400-degrees. Let cool. 

SECOND LAYER: 

8 ounces cream cheese 

3/4 cup sugar 

2 cups non-dairy topping 

Beat together sugar and cream cheese.  Fold in non-dairy topping. Layer over pretzel crust. 

THIRD LAYER: 

6 ounce package strawberry jello  (or .6 oz sugar free)

2 cups boiling water 

10 ounce package frozen strawberries 

Stir water with jello to eliminate jello crystals. Add strawberries. Pour over second layer when slightly cool. 

Let cool until jello is firm. 

Note:  Let jello cool enough so it won't upset the cream cheese layer.

My cousin Risa

I was supposed to visit Risa when we were in Port St Lucie in March.  It would have been the first time I would have seen her in almost 20 years but because of Covid it never happened.  Now it never will.

This was posted on Facebook by her daughter Abbe.  

Flu shot reminder

If you want to do anything that involves the arm you get you flu shot in, make sure to schedule your shot for when you have nothing going on for a few days.

Yesterday, Larry and I went over to Walgreens to get our flu shots.  The shot felt more weird than I remember going into my muwcle but the bad part was that 3 hours later I felt like I had damaged my shoulder in some way.  I couldn't figure out why it was hurting so much or why it was so hard to move my arm.  About a half hour later I remembered I had gotten that flu shot.

When I came  home I asked Larry if his arm hurt and it did in the same way.  I usually feel a little sore after but he doesn't.  Now we both did.  Hoping it will go away in a few days and not turn into a case of SIRVA which I never heard of until I looked up shoulder pain after flu shot.

Broccoli Soup

I got this recipe from Once Upon a Chef, click here to see the recipe.

However, this is how I made it so that it was very non fattening and still delicious.

Asparagus Soup

Asparagus Soup

from here

This asparagus soup tastes rich, yet it’s made without heavy cream — just veggies, broth, and a hint of Parmesan puréed to silky perfection.

Masks

I got the fabric I designed from Spoonflower on Monday and made all these masks by Friday.

Sheet Pan Chicken and Cauliflower Bake

from Food52

Ingredients:

• Neutral oil, for greasing
• 1 large head cauliflower (about 2.5 lbs pre trimming), cut into florets, large florets halved or quartered if necessary (see photo above as a reference)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds or ground cumin, see notes above
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds or ground coriander, see notes
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 1.5 lbs.
• Lemon wedges, flatbread, and yogurt sauce (see notes) for serving

Rotisserie Chicken Skillet

We're home for only a few more days before going to Florida so I want to use up what's in the refrigerator and not do anything too fancy (not that I ever do) for dinners before we leave.  We were going to have salad and I thought some rotisserie chicken would be good to put on it.  I was looking up something about rotisserie chicken when we were driving in the car yesterday and came upon this recipe so instead of just serving chicken on a salad I made this and we really liked it with a side salad.  And the best thing was other than the chicken I had all the other ingredients at home (or I left them out - see NOTE).  I saved it in pinterest but I'm also putting it here to remind me to make it again.

The next time I make it I'll take a picture or maybe when we have the leftovers tomorrow, if I remember.

This is where I found it.
https://www.afamilyfeast.com/rotisserie-chicken-skillet/#tasty-recipes-23479

INGREDIENTS

Curried Chicken Salad

This is my favorite chicken salad recipe.  I have it in Pinterest but I put the ingredients here for easy access.

The actual recipe can be accessed by clicking here

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded 

• 1 cup celery chopped 

• 3 green onions 

• 1 golden delicious apple diced 

• 1/3 cup golden raisins 

• 1/2 cup almond slivers
• 
3/4 cup mayonnaise 

• 1 tsp curry powder
• 
1/4 tsp salt 

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the mayonnaise with the curry powder, salt and pepper and mix well.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, celery, green onions, apple, raisins, and almonds.  Pour the dressing over top and stir until evenly coated.
3. Serve chilled with crackers, on greens, or your favorite way. Enjoy!


Notes: 

1. I use Greek yogurt in place of mayo and less chicken but pretty much all the other ingredients amounts I leave as is except maybe the almonds. 
2. I use whatever kind of apple I have on hand, same with raisins and I usually just make pieces out of whole almonds because that's also what I have.
3. 3 green onions = 1/3 cup

The Mystery of the Ring

On Tuesday, Dec 17th, the day Larry was going to go home from the hospital after his Emergency visit on Sunday that turned out to be blood clots in his lungs, he looked at his left hand and said "What happened to my ring?"

He was lying in bed and I was sitting in a chair opposite him and we started mulling over all the places it could have gone.  Neither of us remembered him taking it off and I was with him most of the time.  The only times I left was when I went home to get his phone and that first night but Kim and Karen stayed overnight with him.  Did he have to take it off when he went for his CT scan?  He didn't remember taking it off.  We asked the nurses if he would have had to take it off and they said no.  Even though it slid easily around on his finger it wasn't so loose that it could just slip off.  What a mystery.  The nurse sent someone up from security so that we could report it missing and to see if it wound up in lost and found or at least make them aware that if it did they should notify us.