TURKEY & DRESSING VS. BOLOGNA & LAY'S

First, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Secondly, let me introduce myself.
That was a joke because my posting has been anything but regular.
You do know who I am, right?
Okay, okay, now that you've assured me that you remember my quick wit and beauty (assumed), let's talk turkey.
Seriously, why do we break our backs (lower) putting together a meal large enough to feed a small village, when really, a bologna sandwich and some Lay's (yum) would work just was well.
We change the menu to sandwich and chips and take the money that we save from putting together the feast for millions which our family manages to consume over about three days, and we give it to families with children who worry about where their next meal is going to come from. 
Those same families whose kiddos go to bed crying because they're so hungry.
Yes, here in America.
And, another thing.
The waste.
Have you ever given thought about how much food we waste in America?
I have.
It's shameful and that's what we should be - ashamed.
We shell out a few extra dollars this time of year in an effort to make Christmas special by buying food and putting presents under the trees of the less fortunate. And then we go on with the rest of our life until next November. (I know that there are a lot of us that support charities, tithe, etc., but let's put those aside and give me a chance to make a point followed by what I think is a great idea).
Yeah, it's one of my soapboxes.
And soapboxes tick me off.
............We sat down to a lovely lunch yesterday to celebrate Thanksgiving. 
It's a misnomer to me the we celebrate Thanksgiving by stuffing ourselves with food that would bless so many unfortunate people that have nothing to eat but a bologna sandwich and generic potato chips. When I think of who the unfortunate are I think of single mothers and their children.
Yes, there's lots wrong with the "system", but that's not what I'm talking about here - I'm talking about meeting the needs of others like Jesus would want us to do.
Yesterday I decided to teach you how to make the best cornbread dressing ever made.
I'm doing this for a reason.
My idea is that you make a double recipe of your favorite dressing, bake it and quarter it, divide it into 4 Ziploc bags. Buy four chickens, one for each 1/2  9" x 13" pan of dressing and find some homes in your community and make a blessing delivery to them. If you need help, ask your church for some names, ask any church. And, you can do more, as much as you want, to make these blessings the kind that bless the socks off people.
Oh, and do it this winter, January, February, March, when a good meal is most appreciated.
AND, it's not during the holidays when everyone is doing everything from feeding the poor a meal to singing at the nursing homes (another soapbox - how we neglect our elderly).
....Just a seed that God has encouraged me to plant.


Okay, now for my recipe for the best cornbread dressing in the world to get you in the spirit!

VERMILLION CORNBREAD DRESSING

Yield: 2  9" x 13" pans of ah-mazing dressing

Ingredients: Cornmeal

2 giant cans of chicken broth

2 large onions

2 bunches of celery

8 'brown and serve' sausage links (it's a breakfast sausage)

2 - Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Stuffing (crumbs)

a good amount of salt and pepper

Here's what 'cha do:

brown the sausage in a small skillet

and then crumble it (food processor works great)

chop the onions into two piles

clean and chop the celery into two piles

(chop small, but if you are teaching your 24 year old son,

Blake, how to make dressing and how to use

a food processor, be careful and watch

his every move or you will end up with 

onion and celery puree.)

Barely cover the onion and celery (2 pans, remember?)

with water and simmer until translucent.

make 2 double recipes of cornbread OMIT THE SUGAR

(and, what I'm saying is that you double the recipe,

make one 9 x 13 and then double the recipe again and

make another 9 x 13)

(next, use your food processor if you have one)

I make one recipe at a time because, well,

vein' that my memory doesn't allow me to do 2 recipes at once.

So, that's how I'm going to tell you to put it all together.....

In a very large bowl

mix the sausage, onions and celery.

(I had to show you the puree. Pretty darn cute, isn't it?)

Add the bag of herb seasoning, S & P.

Mix.

Crumble the cornbread into the bowl.

Mix.

While you're doing this, be adding the 

chicken broth at times.

When it's all mixed,  

press into a PAM'ed pan

(Don't let this photo scare you. Keep reading.)

and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

Oh, baby.

Okay, I'm sure you're sitting there thinking that 

I need some photography lessons so I can learn to

hold my camera steady while taking a picture.

Well, you're wrong.

I simply need to take off my readers 

before I look through the view finder and

focus my camera.

Now for some family pictures.....

This is Clay taking out the biscuits out of the lower oven

that he had left there the last time he was here.

We smelled them getting toasty as we pre-heated the oven...

(above is a re-enactment of getting the biscuits

out of the oven.....Oven too hot to put hand

all the way in and no potholder. Guh-reat re-enactment!)

Yes, those are the biscuits.

This is Blake cleaning up some dishes.

When he saw I was taking pictures, 

I kiddingly asked him to flex while washing.

Not a problem!! ( check out those guns!)

We had a great day as we enjoyed being together.

The meal gave Blake and myself some special time

together as he really did help me with a lot of the cooking.

Clay was in charge of clean-up and

he did a great job of being the boss.

The only thing missing was Craig and Jana.

This Thanksgiving was her family's turn.

We've got to figure something else out.

I'm not lovin' this taking turns. 

Thank you for stickin' with me if you're reading this.

That means that you have kept looking for me between posts

and that you were having a slow day - this thing is lo-o-o-o-o-ong!!!

Blessings to you all,

Jan

P.S. I hope no one has read this post and thought I was lecturing. And, I want you to know that my chicken and dressing idea? It just came to me yesterday and it's on my calendar this winter to do exactly what I suggested that you do. Let's do it together!! (And, it doesn't have to be chicken and dressing - fix your favorite foods! Just do it!!:)

MY SISTER, THE DORK

Hasn't it been fun, using different colored fonts for my posts? I'm loving this white background!

Okay, on to the subject at hand...a little behind in getting this posted, but it's so important that you know the REAL Joan that I'm posting late.

My sister, Joan.

Wow. An amazing cook.

We have so much fun when we're together!

We go junking, she cooks while I work in my studio, we ride the back roads with our cameras looking for those perfect pictures.

She's not only a LD teacher of 25+ years, but she's also a professional photographer.Soon hoping to be as good as me. heeheehee

She is all of these amazing things and we are very close...

Then she pulls stuff like this and I can only say..."YOU ARE SUCH A DORK!!!"

We took a road trip to east Texas in June while she was down here visiting - we were just looking for great junk shops, boutiques, photo-ops, just whatever. We planned on spending the night so we were in no hurry. It was just a laid back trip in my convertible *with the top down* and Joan at the wheel because **long story**.

Here I am showing you the chapstick in question.
The innocent, wee bitty tube of relief that became the tool that Joan abused even while driving a car...

We're flying along at a speed that could have killed me if Joan wasn't giving the road, the traffic, unseen traps, her full attention...
With the top down, I applied some, admittedly soft from the heat, chapstick and asked Joan if she wanted some.

She did, so I passed it to her without looking at her - I'm busy watching the road...

Finally, she passes it back to me.
I look down to put the cap back on and it looked like someone had chewed on the chapstick!!!

While looking down at the mess I asked her,

"WHAT DID YOU DO, CHEW ON IT???"...

I look over at her and there she is just waiting for me to look...
The chapstick was so soft that when she went to spread it on her lips, it came off in a clump.

Only Joan, okay, maybe me too, would sit there for what had to seem like forever, holding the wad on her lip, just waiting for me to look over at her!

I could not breathe...I was laughing so hard.

What a hoot!

The way it all played out was just perfect...what a dork!

But, oh, it gets worse...

Of course, I have to take the wad and dispose of it because the trash sack is on my side, but after it's on my finger I make the hard decision that that wet, slimy piece of chapstick is NOT going in my really cute trash sack.

So, I flick it out my side of the car and put my right arm back up on the door to get some more sun *remember the top is down*.

A couple of minutes later I look down and see this!!!........

THE CHAPSTICK THAT I HAD FLICKED OUT OF MY SIDE OF THE CAR
IS ON MY ARM!!

"JO-O-O-O-O-O-O-AN!!!!!"

My sister....BFF, amazing cook, professional photographer, teacher of young minds (that has become a scary thought, hasn't it?). . .DORK.

The End.

I want to thank all of my amazing readers for sticking around to meet my sister, Joan. She really is the best, but, I had to share one of the many dorky experiences we have when we're together! PIMP!!

XOXO, Jan

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER FABULOUS GIVEAWAY!!

THIS GIVEAWAY ENDS ON MONDAY, APRIL 6th, 9:00 am CST

I may be really, really behind on my blog posting, but I'm sticking this post in the middle of catching up because I promised you that I would! AND AREN'T YOU EXCITED???
My second blog giveaway because my first one was so much fun!
And, look! Look at what I'm giving away!!!

Y-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-KES!!!

Check out this first photo - it shows the front of the apron which is made of a shear fabric that is patterned in a black floral pattern with SPARKLIES! And, the scalloped botton edge - oh, my gosh!
I have never seen such a stylin', precious, look at me, meet your husband at the front door with nothing else on, serve cocktails stylin', hang on your kitchen wall, stinkin' cute, PINK VINTAGE REVERSIBLE APRON in my entire life!!

Okay, so I *originally* bought it to sell in one of my shops, but as I was walking out of the antique store I thought to myself, "Jan! USE THE APRON FOR YOUR GIVEAWAY!!" and I was so excited about doing that!!

Now, if you'll look at the next photo you'll see the REVERSIBLE side of the apron!
Isn't this just the bomb???
It's pink satin with a pocket made out of the patterned fabric and is just as cute as it can be!!
The picture of this sweet young thing is my youngest son, Clay's, girlfriend, Stacey.
I had her model the apron because her wrinkles don't show.
Oh, wait.
She doesn't have any wrinkles. (Isn't she simply the cutest thing?? And, she's just as cute on the inside! I absolutely love her!)
The wooden spoon's mine.

And, here's a close-up of the reversed side of the apron.
OH, MY GOSH, are you as excited about this giveaway as I am??? Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

As you know, every good giveaway should have some sort of marketing scheme to grab those that enter who don't regularly read your blog. (I just made that up)
And, since I don't market myself harldly at all, I'm going to use these fabulous giveaways as a marketing tool once in a while starting TODAY because this apron was NOT on sale! LOL

You can enter the giveaway ONE TIME by simply leaving a comment on this post.

You can enter the giveaway TWO TIMES by joining my newsletter mailing list and mentioning that fact in your comment.
(sign in on the right side of my blog near the top - you really can't miss it:) And, don't worry
about getting 4,706 newsletters a week from me. . . .I've had the newsletter sign up box for
about a year and am just now thinking about putting out my first newsletter. hahaha, not
kidding!

You can enter the giveway THREE TIMES by going to one of my shops
(www.lollishops.com/polkadotbarn or http://www.jthom03.etsy.com/) and letting me know which of my pieces you like best (be honest - remember "marketing":)

You can also enter the fabulous giveaway FOUR TIMES by posting about it on YOUR blog and letting me know in your comment that you have done so.

Leave your comments here letting me know "how" you've entered, blah, blah, and be sure and leave me YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS so I can contact you when you win! (I've only had one other blog giveaway - I'm new at this - but, the winner of my first giveaway didn't leave me any way to contact her and it was, well, okay, I'll just say it, it was not a pleasure trying to find her. However, SHE is a pleasure!!)
*And leave your BLOG URL if you entered by posting about this amazing vintage pink apron giveaway on your blog* so I can check it out.*

I think we've just about covered it!
Oh, I'm so excited about this! This is much more fun than selling the apron!!
I love my readers!
And, I'm anxious to see all of you enter the giveaway so that you *might* win!!!
woooooooooooo hooooooooooooooo

xoxo,

. . .Jan

A RECIPE FROM MICHIGAN THAT IS QUESTIONABLE AT BEST...heehee

Actually, that's not entirely true..........the title of this post.
The recipe I'm going to share with you IS from Michigan and it WOULD be questionable if it wasn't my mother's recipe (she's a great cook).

The reason it would be questionable is because it's a recipe for Beef-Bean ENCHILADAS and everyone knows that you can't get decent enchiladas in Michigan.............. (please send all complaint letters for that crack to Oprah)

Mom's BEEF-BEAN ENCHILADAS

1 1/2 # ground beef, crumbled (which, in Texas, would mean that you could use axis meat and, also, we wouldn't put "crumbled" in the recipe - that should be a given. Uh, duh.)
1 onion, chopped (I feel I need to tell you that in Texas we would use a red onion - just in case you're a northerner making this dish)
1 - 1# can refried beans (Now, I would buy the refried beans with jalapenos. We can get those in Texas, but I'm not sure you can get them with jalapenos up north or that you could stand them even if you can find them.)
1 t. salt

1/8 t. garlic powder (Now, here's where I have to ask, "why bother?")

1/2 C. canned or bottled TACO sauce (never heard of it, actually. Might just be a Yankee thing. If I can't find it in Texas, I'll use Enchilada sauce.)

1 C. pitted chopped black olives ("pitted"? ya think???)

2 - 10 oz. cans of enchilada sauce (sure hope you can find that taco sauce)

Salad oil

12 corn tortillas (For those of you that are true Yankees, like my sister, Joan, you tend to pronounce this "tor-teel-yas". Now, as I've told Joan, on more than one occasion, that makes her sound purely stupid. The correct pronunciation is "tor-tee-ahs". Practice)

Oh, and, fyi, my family prefers to use flour tortillas and not just because it makes the recipe easier for me to fix either (you don't soften the flour tortillas in oil).

3 C. shredded cheddar cheese (Ladies. Ladies. Ladies. You don't use cheddar cheese when making Mexican food. You use shredded AMERICAN CHEESE. You buy it in a block at the deli and shred it by hand. See??? Kinda scary recipe, huh.)

In a frying pan, saute ground beef and onions until the meat is browned and onions are soft. Stir in beans, salt, garlic powder, taco sauce, and olives; heat until bubbly.

Pour about half of the enchilada sauce into a greased 9 X 13" pan.

If you're using corn tortillas, pour oil into a frying pan big enough to fit a corn tortilla.

Heat and dip tortillas, one at a time, in hot oil to soften; drain quickly and blot with paper towels.

Place about 1/3 up of the meat mixture on each tortilla and roll to enclose filling.

Place, seam sides down, into sauce in pan.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas; cover with cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

When you serve these, mom always has garnishes - olive slices (redundant), chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream and picante sauce (NOT Pace. Please.)

These really are good.

Thank goodness mom has a southern Texas daughter, huh.

So.

Let me know if you like my mom's Enchiladas (in-chee-lah-das - heehee)!

We're leaving in the morning for Texas - PRAISE GOD! - and when we get home, this is probably what Frank's going to want for supper very soon after my arrival - I'll bet he hasn't had any since I left five weeks ago unless my BFF made him some!

So.

Since I don't have a picture of Mexican food, this dish in particular, or a lady cooking, I'm letting you see my kitchen where I'll be fixin my enchiladas this weekend.

I can't wait!!

Thanks for reading my post, ladies. I do so love you!

XOXO,

. . . . . Jan