Pie Blooper

Nikki’s husband likes sweet stuff. He bought me a pie book I had picked out for Christmas. He just happened to show me which one he likes. 

    Well I thought I would test out my energy and make it.

These were the ingredients:

This is how it turned out. The topping has melted peanut butter, melted chocolate and sprinkled with chopped Reeses cups and chocolate chips. 
    It also has chopped Reeses inside the pie. 

Now by the time I was done with it I think it must have weighed 5 pounds! 

    The funny part about all of it is I READ THE RECIPE WRONG! 

   I realized afterwards that the recipe was more like a whole lot of cool whip and a little bit of peanut butter. Where I must have put in equal amounts of peanut butter and cool whip.! This made for a really tasty but definitely much more intense peanut butter experience. You really had to be a peanut butter fanatic to eat much of it.

     I made sure and served it with a glass of water so nobody choked! LOL 

   Now I know folks that are that kind of peanut butter person. I asked hubby if he wanted to try some and he told me” H*ll No! “ He is barely a peanut butter sandwich person so I wasn’t surprised. LOL 

Love

Ranchmama 

(I think I will keep the blooper recipe and maybe add some Jelly in the middle layer)

Morning Peace

Breakfast is done,
Table cleaned off, the rest of the mess waiting.
It can wait.
I walk out the front door and sit in the cold metal chair of my porch.
It's 52* on December 10 th dry, sunny and coolish.

I sit there in that chair looking southeast.
The sun is so bright I just close my eyes and soak it in.
The bright sun with that good for you vitamin D.
I only unbutton and show so much,
It isn't just cool, I sure don't want to scare the wildlife this beautiful morning.

I feel my skin warming on the side exposed to the sun.
Closing my eyes it is just so bright I can't see out.
I hear the far off crow in the woods,
Parakeets tweeting in the building not far away.

I shield my eyes with my hand every now and then
to view the morning peace.
Mowed fields in front of me from my summers work.
Woods across the road and across the creek,
The tired unused wood pile out by the driveway.
About 700 yds southeast on the hill I see my husbands range
It's a 1/2 plate of steel hanging between two metal pipes.
Painted yellow to see and tell where he has hit his target.
A neat hole punched in the middle of the metal
The metal is bending inwards from so many bulls eyes.

The heifers aren't up in front of the house yet.
They are waiting to be spoiled with good feed down in the barn.
The 5 new heifers we saved last week are quiet this morning
Adjusting to not having a mama to nurse for breakfast.

It is so much easier to sit here and just absorb.
Everything and nothing at the same time.
I try to push out what is churning in the back of my brain.
All the need to's, want to's and must do's
Daily, Christmas and just whatever's.

My skin starts getting hot in some places
My backside is still cold from the silly metal chair.
I give up.
I have to walk through those front double doors
Back to the need to's, want to's and must do's

Crud ! Oh, Well.
Looks like I can just run away for a few minutes.
I wonder... what would happen
If I just dumped everything in the floor,
Dirty dishes, to do lists, other needful things
Just walked around it or swept it out the door?
Better yet... walk back out the front door
To that Morning Peace and just said forget it?

Ok, I give up.
I am going back into Mama, wife and family mode.

Love
Ranchmama

12-10-2017

Summertime Fun

      Summer is gone although we have had a really warm fall when we even have green grass in the pastures after a freeze. It's kind of like have a nice long spring, pretty nice really. :-)

     I've been busier than usual with all the brush hogging this summer ever now and then I get to play doing something just for fun that has nothing to do with ranching husband or even Heidi Ho. 

   

Drying rose petals and making flower essences was a fun for me learning experience. I may not ever really put them to proper use but I had a blast! I can also open the jars and smell some really beatiful dried roses.

Love

Ranchmama

( who is now in Christmas mode with presents bought and wrapping next!)

   

I did it !

              

                               

Last year I tried making the Ultimate Coconut Cake. It was such a flop I didn't even bother to put the icing on the cake. It wasn't worth the cost of the ingredients to even try to salvage it. This year I took another try at it and I actually did it!

  If you go look at Martha Stewart she has the recipe there. 

 https://www.marthastewart.com/966156/ultimate-coconut-cake

This towering 12-layer coconut cake is the signature cake belonging to chef Robert Carter of The Peninsula Grill in Charleston, SC. It is based on his grandmother's recipe and it has become the cake-of-choice for Charleston brides.

 Entire cakes are shipped across the United States via overnight delivery. The show-stopping Ultimate Coconut Cake® weighs approximately 12 pounds and is delivered to your doorstep.I would like to know how in the world it arrives in one piece ! I can't imagine shipping this when I had such a challenge getting it across town.The whole cake is $130.00 to purchase then if you have to ship it you can tack on a whole lot more for shipping overnight. When you order a piece of cake at the restaurant it is $10.00 a slice and believe me it isn't one of those big fat slices you see sometimes. They say the 10" round cake serves 16 people. It is soooo rich I'm not sure you could eat a great big fat slice. 

   They tell you to let it sit on the counter a few hours to come to room temperature but honestly so far nobody has been able to wait that long yet! If we did I am sure the actual flavors of the toasted coconut and butter and cream cheese would make us drool even more. LOL

   I noticed several people at the party were enjoying a second helping that don't usually indulge in something so rich.  LOL

   Nikki wasn't able to attend the Thanksgiving dinner I took it to but I took her and her hubby the left overs to enjoy. She said ....

    Holy Cow! I just got home and took a bite of that cake!

    That's deadly! It's like.... If I was a prisoner on death row and had a last meal I'd want all that cake!

    It's funny. She got up the next morning and found out SOMEONE... was having cake for breakfast ! LOL

   It gives me a thrill to know that not only did I actually pull this recipe off this time but people really enjoyed it that much. This is how much was left over after the party and believe me it wasn't a very big party.

                             

Normally I would have started this cake a few days before because it has a lot of steps and parts to assemble but it didn't work out like that and I had only 1 day to cook, cool, and assemble. I worked on this from noon until midnight taking a break for lunch and supper. I was worn out and I needed a cleaning crew to take care of the kitchen. I don't know what was harder, making the cake of trying to find a cake board sturdy enough to hold the cake or trying to fit it into the fridge!

The cake has five steps: ( We won't figure up how much the ingredients cost )

1. The filling: You make it the night before assembling the cake..

2. The cake: Two 10” cakes.
3. Simple syrup
4. The frosting…
5. The assembly

    As you can see I didn't get everything cut as nice and neat at the Chief did but maybe I will have better luck next time.

                               

Love

Ranchmama

( who has met this challenge and wondering what the next one will be. LOL )

Carnivore Man Food

This is one of hubby's favorite soups.

Fried Potato Soup 

 with 

Bacon and Monteray Jack Cheese

Pretty easy . I cut up a pound of bacon in about 1 inch pieces and fry then drain and set aside. 

    Chunk up your potatoes of choice and fry until pretty much brown or until kinda soft but not too soft sice you don't want them to fall apart in the soup.

     While you fry potatoes get a pot of water boiling enough to cover taters. Put some seasoning in like salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I use chicken bullion but you can also use chicken broth. 

     When all the potatoes are done put them in the water. If you can't fry them all at once fry a pan full place in a bowl repeat until all are done

      Save some bacon for topping. Dump the rest in the pot. 

      I usually have too much water so I thicken it up with instant mash potatoes . Be careful it sure is easy to put too much and you wind up with a thick gloppy mess! You can water it down again with milk, water or chicken broth.

      Fill your bowls with the soup. Put a really good layer of Monteray jack cheese then top with fried bacon.

      Great with club crackers or if trying to cut back on salt use plain oyster crackers.

Love

Ranchmama 

Prepper Care

    Sounds like Medi Care or some kind of insurance. LOL Next time someone asks what kind of insurance you have tell them you have PREPPER CARE ! Your doctor is Dr. Mom / Dr. Dad. I need to start a blog on Prepper Care .    

    I've been thinking and trying to analyze a lot of health stuff. Not only for myself but other folks I come in contact with. I don't have any medical training so I would say I would be pretty clueless in many areas. Maybe not AS CLUELESS as many blindly functioning people out there but for sure not properly trained.
    I would think there are many preppers that are aware of health issues in a emergency sense of things. But are they aware and knowledgeable in the common ever day health issues that you can run across in just plain living. Not war time extreme or disaster extreme. Just if things are for some reason not as easy living and comfy as we are today even. Lots of poor people are living that way now. Medical insurance is just not working or available for some people.
   I know we talk about prepping and stocking up on meds which is always good, But can you take care of you, yours, family and friends without going to the doctor? There are so many methods to learn or be aware of for treating the people around you. The list starts with :
Common sense
Nutrition
Standard pharmaceuticals
Herbal
Essential Oils
Homeopathic
TCM Traditional Chinese Medicine 
Ayurvedic medicine
   
    Use what works for you, what is comfortable for you to learn how to use and understand. Be aware of other methods because your method may be wonderful but you may run across someone it doesn't work for and need to pull a different rabbit out of your medical hat.
   Don't forget massage, simple safe chiropractic and a big dose in counseling people.
     We have so many currant health issues. Some is due to what we call old age. But I am thinking it's more due to lack of knowledge. We are soo busy with life we don't stop to see what is really happening until we can't wiggle or in pretty miserable health. Then we run to the doctor and listen to the PROFESSIONALS that in many cases mess up more than they fix up! The naturalist / organic folks are getting a clue some of us too late but it's a start.
    If the SHTF some day many will die like we are finding out in the hurricanes. Anyone over 60 is in extreme danger of dying. I am seeing so many health issues that go back to missing something in the body's chemistry that in the chain of events the link gets broken and starts a cascade of health problems.
   Modern foods are not supplying our bodies with what we need in general due to the lack of nutrients in our production of those foods. Be it the soil lacking or just the way things are processed to be stored on the shelves in many cases. Most of these issue still goes back to our own choices in the food we eat and enjoy. If it isn't that it is the contaminants in not only the food but the world around us we live in. We have all heard this stuff before.
   So lets get back to basics. If your not a medically trained person you need to be aware and able to assist, fix, recognize common everyday issues and how to deal with them. Be the Dr. Mom or Dr. Dad in your family or group of friends. Here is a list of health problems you can check off to see what you think you can handle without modern day pharmaceuticals and maybe what you may need to learn more about. 

 

Love

Ranchmama

The 11 most common reasons for emergency department visits:  

   1. Chest pain
    2. Shortness of breath / difficulty breathing
    3. Abdominal pain
    4. Headache
    5. Vomiting
    6. Fractures / sprains
    7. Syncope or fainting
    8. Motor vehicle accidents
    9. Fever
    10. Cough
    11. Infections such as a cold or the flu

    ___ Acute Anticipatory Anxiety                             ___ Laryngitis

    ___ Allergies                                                        ___ Mononucleosis

    ___ Anaphylaxis                                                   ___ Muscle Aches

    ___ Athlete's Foot                                                ___ Nasal Congestion

    ___ Back Pain                                                      ___ Oral / Mouth Sores

    ___ Bladder Infections (UTI)                                   ___ Pink Eye / Styes

   ___ Blisters                                                            ___ Poison Ivy / Poison Oak

   ___ Blood Loss                                                      ___ Post-Surgical Complications

   ___ Bronchitis                                                        ___ Ring Worm

   ___ Bruises                                                            ___ Shingles

   ___ Bug Bites / Stings                                           ___ Shock and Collapse

   ___ Burns / Sun Burns                                           ___ Sinus Infection

   ___ Chicken Pox                                                    ___ Skin Infection

   ___ Cold Sores                                                      ___ Skin Irritation /Rashes /Impetigo

   ___ Common Cold                                                 ___ Sore Throat

   ___ Cough                                                              ___ Splinters

   ___ Cuts / Minor                                                     ___ Sports Injuries

  ___ Dental Emergencies / Infections                         ___ Sprains / Strains

  ___ Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting                                 ___ Staple / Suture & Removal

  ___ Ear Infection                                                        ___ Stroke

  ___ Emotional Shock                                                ___ Sunstroke

  ___ Ear Pain                                                             ___ Swimmers Ear

  ___ Fever                                                                  ___ Tetanus

  ___ Fainting                                                              ___ Toenail / Ingrown /Removal

  ___ Flue                                                                    ___ Traumatic Injuries

  ___ Fractures and Assisting Bone Healing                   ___ Upper Respiratory Infection

  ___ Fright                                                                  ___ Vaginal Discharge

  ___ Frostbite                                                             ___ Vaccinations / Flu

  ___ Grief                                                                    ___ Wounds / Abrasions

Carnivore Hubby Food

I get sooo tired of fixing Carnivore Hubby Food and not or very little veggies. At our age and with ailments I keep telling him we are not eating the right foods! If you don't put the stuff in your body requires to function at it's prime your just going to feel like crud! He just don't get it. We argue about it all the time. He has no clue how other men eat at all. He thinks they all eat like he does or should or if they don't they are just something less manly I swear!
   So I fixed something different. I can't do any pepper not even black pepper so I left all that out. I tamed down the spices or left out a lot of stuff here.The stuff with a xxxx I left out and I put 2 x's more meat almost. It was still to spicy even for him ! I could eat it even but he didn't like it.He picked out the meat and ate a little of the rice and beans. 
   I absolutely hate it when I fix something like a stew and he picks out the carrots, green beans, or whatever other veggie I put in it that isn't potatoes or corn or hominy. I feel like I just wasted money, time, energy and made a big mess to clean up I don't want to clean. 
    I gave the huge amount of left overs to the helper and his family and they really liked it. I can't just fix a meal for me and then one for him. That's too much work. So I am stuck eating good food but not really the right foods. Next Experiment ! LOL

Love
Ranchmama

Casserole

Skillet ( Cajun )  Cowboy Rice Casserole

https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/skillet-cowboy-rice-casserole/
 

Serves: 8
Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced  xxxx
• 1 small red pepper, seeded and diced    xxxx
• Olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz lean ground beef
• 8 oz fresh chorizo sausage, casing removed  ( left casing on the Kielbasa sausage )
• 1 (32) oz low sodium beef broth   ( I used powder in water mix )
• 1½ cup long grain rice
• 1 (15) oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed  ( black beans )
• 1 (10) oz can mild or hot Rotel tomatoes
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 2 packets Goya Sazon Coriander and Annatto Seasoning   xxxx
• 2 Tbsp dark chili powder   ( 1/2 )
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic salt (Or to taste)
• 1 tsp lemon pepper      xxxx
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro   xxxx
• 2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In skillet cook the onion and peppers. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
2. Cook for 3 mins. until beginning to brown then add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the ground beef and chorizo. Cook until brown. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
4. Turn heat to high. Add everything but cheese. Bring to a boil stirring until combined.
5. Cover and Simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
6. Uncover and mix in the cilantro.
7. Top with cheese. Remove from the heat and cover allowing the cheese to melt or melt under the broiler in the oven.