13 Days

That is how long it has been since I stepped foot in a grocery store. Have I ever mentioned that I loathe going to City Market? I live in a tourist area and if I don't go at just the right time, I encounter mass tourist confusion. It is really bad in the winter when people shop in groups for their week long ski vacation (and you can't get past them in the aisle). arrrggghh! The last time I was at City Market was right before the before the 4th of July and it was a nightmare.

Luckily me for me, I have an extra refrigerator/freezer/pantry in my laundry/storage room. I can make it a loooong time before I absolutely have to shop.

When I go to the store, I buy a LOT of food so I don't have to go back for a LONG time. Really my house is a good place to be in the event of a catastrophe. At least you won't starve. Anyhow, I am just telling you all of this to share with you a meal that I am making today because I am low out of  fresh veggies. It is so hillbilly that it is a dead giveaway that my Granny was from the Ozarks.

When I make it, Chase hums the Deliverance theme.

WHHHHATEVVVVA!!!!

My son is a food and wine snob.

Not me. Bring on the cornbread and Riunite on ice (that sounds nice-heehee). Matt tries to convince me there is a condition called the "Screwtop Blues."   I don't buy it. 

On to my Granny Bessie's Cornbread Beef Pie (my Granny just turned 90 this year ya'll).

Gather up your supplies.

Today I am trying to use up the rest of the tomatoes before I go back to the store. I normally just use the canned ones. I also don't have any bell pepper so I used jarred roasted red pepper.

Ingredients:
Ground beef
Tomatoes (1 can)
Tomato Sauce (1-2 cans)
Bell Pepper (I don't like green so I use red)
Corn (canned or frozen)
Diced onion
Salt/Pepper
Cornbread batter (jiffy mix or make your own which is why I have the egg, flour etc.)

Directions:

Cook ground beef and onion, add in everything else (except cornbread) and cook until nice and hot. Place in baking pan and then pour batter on top. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes (or until your cornbread starts to turn brown).

That is it. It is easy kids.  I am sure you could citify it up by adding fancy ingredients and spices, but I like it simple. Let me just say I have never met a person that does not like this. Kids especially love it. If they don't like tomato chunks, just use sauce. If you are a vegetarian, leave out the beef and throw in some tofu crumbles (or whatever it is you eat).

Since I am being domestic, let's take a look at some (not all) of the flowers that are blooming in my yard today.

Fireweed

Hens and Chicks (not in bloom)/Lobelia

Snow in Summer

 Icelandic Poppies

Columbine

 Chives

Hope you are having a great week. I am off to the supermarket. 

13 Days

That is how long it has been since I stepped foot in a grocery store. Have I ever mentioned that I loathe going to City Market? I live in a tourist area and if I don't go at just the right time, I encounter mass tourist confusion. It is really bad in the winter when people shop in groups for their week long ski vacation (and you can't get past them in the aisle). arrrggghh! The last time I was at City Market was right before the before the 4th of July and it was a nightmare.

Luckily me for me, I have an extra refrigerator/freezer/pantry in my laundry/storage room. I can make it a loooong time before I absolutely have to shop.

When I go to the store, I buy a LOT of food so I don't have to go back for a LONG time. Really my house is a good place to be in the event of a catastrophe. At least you won't starve. Anyhow, I am just telling you all of this to share with you a meal that I am making today because I am low out of  fresh veggies. It is so hillbilly that it is a dead giveaway that my Granny was from the Ozarks.

When I make it, Chase hums the Deliverance theme.

WHHHHATEVVVVA!!!!

My son is a food and wine snob.

Not me. Bring on the cornbread and Riunite on ice (that sounds nice-heehee). Matt tries to convince me there is a condition called the "Screwtop Blues."   I don't buy it. 

On to my Granny Bessie's Cornbread Beef Pie (my Granny just turned 90 this year ya'll).

Gather up your supplies.

Today I am trying to use up the rest of the tomatoes before I go back to the store. I normally just use the canned ones. I also don't have any bell pepper so I used jarred roasted red pepper.

Ingredients:
Ground beef
Tomatoes (1 can)
Tomato Sauce (1-2 cans)
Bell Pepper (I don't like green so I use red)
Corn (canned or frozen)
Diced onion
Salt/Pepper
Cornbread batter (jiffy mix or make your own which is why I have the egg, flour etc.)

Directions:

Cook ground beef and onion, add in everything else (except cornbread) and cook until nice and hot. Place in baking pan and then pour batter on top. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes (or until your cornbread starts to turn brown).

That is it. It is easy kids.  I am sure you could citify it up by adding fancy ingredients and spices, but I like it simple. Let me just say I have never met a person that does not like this. Kids especially love it. If they don't like tomato chunks, just use sauce. If you are a vegetarian, leave out the beef and throw in some tofu crumbles (or whatever it is you eat).

Since I am being domestic, let's take a look at some (not all) of the flowers that are blooming in my yard today.

Fireweed

Hens and Chicks (not in bloom)/Lobelia

Snow in Summer

 Icelandic Poppies

Columbine

 Chives

Hope you are having a great week. I am off to the supermarket. 

Tall Fences make Good Neighbors

I went to Denver last weekend for my friend M's moving-away party and I stopped at my brother-in-law Dan's house on my way home. It is amazing what the world looks like just 70 miles to my east. (It probably has something with the elevation being 4,000 feet lower. HA!).

Dan and Eric not only have a cool house, they have incredible landscaping. Every summer, I am so proud of my garden and then I go over to their house and I feel like a failure. I am thinking: why can't I do that? Haha. It is kind of like blogging.

So until something is blooming besides poppies in my rag-tag flower beds, let's visit Dan and Eric's garden.

 (It was raining when I took these pictures, so I just snapped without really looking at what I was doing)

Isn't their fence incredible? Eric designed and built it. He is pretty much amazing like that. You should see their laundry room. No, really.

Semi-off topic: I am not saying Habitat for Humanity is a bad thing, but they built three Habitat houses on a horse property next door to Dan and Eric. The neighbors right next door are out of hand.  They have an entire family living in the garage. For real.  This spring, one of the kids picked all of their tulips. So anyway, a really tall fence was in order.

Well hello strawberry.

Um, didn't they just plant these Aspen last year? How are they so big?  I think they got a hold of some of those radioactive seeds from Gilligan's Island.

They just built this little concrete thing to contain their bamboo. They think of everything. Containing anything is way beyond my skill level.

I did not even get close to getting a picture of  all the cool things they have going on in their yard (due to the rain). But you get the idea.

They shared some garden love and I came home with these.

Thanks Guys!

I can't believe it is almost the weekend again. This week is flying by. My friend Elizabeth is a wedding planner and she has a huge 4-tent outdoor wedding this weekend and I get to be her assistant. Should be fun! I hope we get to wear headsets : ) I am going all Jennifer Lopez if that happens. My butt is way bigger than Elizabeth's, so that role is mine by default.

Tall Fences make Good Neighbors

I went to Denver last weekend for my friend M's moving-away party and I stopped at my brother-in-law Dan's house on my way home. It is amazing what the world looks like just 70 miles to my east. (It probably has something with the elevation being 4,000 feet lower. HA!).

Dan and Eric not only have a cool house, they have incredible landscaping. Every summer, I am so proud of my garden and then I go over to their house and I feel like a failure. I am thinking: why can't I do that? Haha. It is kind of like blogging.

So until something is blooming besides poppies in my rag-tag flower beds, let's visit Dan and Eric's garden.

 (It was raining when I took these pictures, so I just snapped without really looking at what I was doing)

Isn't their fence incredible? Eric designed and built it. He is pretty much amazing like that. You should see their laundry room. No, really.

Semi-off topic: I am not saying Habitat for Humanity is a bad thing, but they built three Habitat houses on a horse property next door to Dan and Eric. The neighbors right next door are out of hand.  They have an entire family living in the garage. For real.  This spring, one of the kids picked all of their tulips. So anyway, a really tall fence was in order.

Well hello strawberry.

Um, didn't they just plant these Aspen last year? How are they so big?  I think they got a hold of some of those radioactive seeds from Gilligan's Island.

They just built this little concrete thing to contain their bamboo. They think of everything. Containing anything is way beyond my skill level.

I did not even get close to getting a picture of  all the cool things they have going on in their yard (due to the rain). But you get the idea.

They shared some garden love and I came home with these.

Thanks Guys!

I can't believe it is almost the weekend again. This week is flying by. My friend Elizabeth is a wedding planner and she has a huge 4-tent outdoor wedding this weekend and I get to be her assistant. Should be fun! I hope we get to wear headsets : ) I am going all Jennifer Lopez if that happens. My butt is way bigger than Elizabeth's, so that role is mine by default.