​This fall we don’t have to drive out of town to view beautiful fall colors, we have them right here in our own Fairmont! Our front yard’s ash tree has the most vibrant yellow leaves and we have two maple trees at neighbors who have vibrant red leaves! Tree colors are beautiful all over town, maybe at my age I am just more appreciative of what we have right here!
 
I still have fresh basil and tomatoes too so this is one of my favorite recipes to use both!
 
Basil Cream Chicken
 
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 # boneless skinless chicken breast: 4 halves
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 can ( 4 oz.) pimentos, optional
1 cup diced tomatoes or 1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced
1/2 cup parmesan grated cheese
1/2 tsp. pepper
 
Heat skillet over medium high heat.
Place milk and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls.
Dip chicken in milk, then coat in bread crumbs. Add chicken to skillet with 1/2 of the butter about 5 minutes. Add remaining butter flip chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove and set aside. Add broth to skillet to bring to boil over medium heat. Stir in cream, pimentos and tomatoes;boil and stir for 1 minute. Reduce heat, add parmesan cheese, basil and pepper, cook and stir until heated through. Add chicken back into the sauce. Serve chicken , covered in sauce with rice or pasta.
 
Stay safe and have a great week!

​Today’s temperature is a real reminder that winter is just around the corner! Time for warm cozy meals! I love cooked cabbage so I am always on the look out for recipes calling for cabbage, my friend Mary Segar shared a fresh cabbage from her garden with me so I recently made this recipe using cabbage, I loved it, I hope you will enjoy it too.
 
Fried Cabbage
 
One large cabbage, chopped
1 # bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 8 oz. pkg. fresh sliced mushrooms
 
Fry bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes, drain all but 3 Tablespoons grease. Remove bacon, crumble and drain on paper towels. Cook and stir cabbage, onion and mushrooms in reserved bacon grease until cabbage is tender about 20 minutes. Fold in bacon, salt and pepper to taste.
 
Stay safe and have a good week!

​One day last week I was lucky to be able to have my three year old Great Grand Daughter, Lydia for most of a day. I always like to have a little project planned to do when she comes, I don’t want her to be bored when she is here. So I decided that we would give my baby dolls  baths, I have eight of them. The day before I washed all of the doll clothes, I have never out grown my love for dolls. I keep them all piled in a doll wood crib which I realize could be considered an antique as it has to be at least 70 years old. Lydia isn’t a real doll girl but she does usually get them out of the crib when she is here and she lines them up. She lost interest in the bathing but I had a good time with the project, now they are all clean and dressed back in the crib waiting to be played with, they are reminders of my happy childhood of hours playing dolls with my sister! We always compromised I would play cowboy with her and she would play dolls with me!
 
Today I am sharing a favorite sandwich recipe to go with one of those cool weather soups we make in cool weather!
 
Grilled Roast Beef Sandwiches
 
1 ( 4 oz. ) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. Dijon mustard
10 slices rye bread
5 slices Swiss cheese
10 thin slices deli roast beef
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
Salsa or picante sauce
 
Combine chilies, mayo and mustard. Spread about 1 T. on slice of bread. Top half of the bread with 1 slice of cheese and 2 slices beef. Cover with remaining bread. Butter the outsides of bread. Grill sandwiches on a griddle or large skillet over medium heat until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with salsa or picante sauce for dipping if desired. Yield 5 sandwiches.
 
Have a good week and stay safe!

​Soup is comforting when the weather turns cool. I prepared my first batch of chili of the season today! My flowers are 75% trimmed thanks to Pa Lloyd, the upstairs window box taken down, soon it will time to empty the flower pots too.  It doesn’t seem possible that its time for cool weather it really snuck up on me this year. I guess with staying home so much and limited visitors one day seems like the next, I wonder what the holidays will bring? Will we feel safe to gather with our families? I have a feeling not but I guess we just  take one day at a time and do the best we can! A new soup recipe for you today, one that calls for using the crock pot, my favorite kind!
 
Slow Cooker creamy Tortellini Soup
 
1 # Italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tsp. beef bouillon powder, or chicken
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups beef or chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed and dissolved in 1/4 cup water
36 ounces evaporated milk or half and half
12 ounce packet three cheese tortellini, dried
5 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup milk
 
Place the browned sausage, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, beef bouillon powder, salt and broth in a 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours.  Uncover and skim any fat that is sitting on the top of the soup with a spoon; discard. Stir in the cornstarch mixture with the evaporated milk or half and half. Add the tortellini and mix well. Cover again and cook on high setting for another 45 minutes until the soup has thickened and the tortellini is soft and cooked through. Add in the spinach, pressing the leaves down to completely submerse into the liquid. Cover for further 10 minutes until the leaves are wilted. Pour milk in 1/3 cup increments as needed to reach your desired thickness, taste and adjust salt  and pepper if needed. Serve with crusty warmed bread. Makes 10 servings.
 
Have a safe and good week!

​I am lucky I have friends who share their fresh garden produce and that we are fortunate to have the Farmer’s market! One of my favorite veggies is parsnips, not a vegetable that I grew up eating and not one I prepared for my family. It’s a veggie I have discovered in my mature years!! It’s a vegetable I prepare often when I have company for a meal, one of my Grand daughters, Alex actually requests that I serve it when she comes and my Grand daughter’s husband, Justin said one time “ I wasn’t too sure about eating parsnips when you served them now when we are invited for a meal I hope they will be served”. Here is my favorite way to prepare parsnips.
 
Fried Parsnips
 
6-8 parsnips ( 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
 
Peel parsnips, cut in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Put in a kettle with water to cover, add salt. Cool until tender; drain. Melt butter in skillet, add parsnips, brown on all sides, over medium heat, turn to keep from burning, add salt and pepper to taste. I usually use half carrots and half parsnips, it pleases everyone’s taste and is colorful too.
 
Stay safe and have a great week!

​Generally this time of year we are enjoying the treat of Colorado Peaches! We did buy good peaches at the beginning of the peach season but that was a short lived treat. We were told by the local grocery stores that they received a very limited supply of Colorado peaches this year because of weather conditions in Colorado, we tried another brand that were a dismal disappointment. Then to my surprise I discovered that peaches can actually be grown in Minnesota, probably not by just anyone, but my friends Mary and David Segar have a peach tree and harvested their first crop of peaches, Mary said they are delicious! Who would have guessed?!  We are too old to try to plant a peach tree, we probably wouldn’t live long enogth to see the first harvest but some of you could try!
 
Peach Muffins
 
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 cup chopped peaches, small pieces
1 cup chopped pecans ( optional )
 
Cream butter and sugar, add egg, beat well, add flour, baking powder, then beat in vanilla and yogurt. Lastly fold in peaches and pecans.  Divide between 12 greased muffin tins bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
 
Stay safe and have a good week!

​It doesn’t seem possible that August is half over and soon our fresh produce will be coming to an end! All the more reason to enjoy it as often as we can. In spite of our limited activity this summer is time has flown by, we will soon be into fall. Today I am sharing a recipe that I found on face book using cucumbers, they are so much better fresh from the garden.
 
Cucumber Salad with Herb & Garlic Dressing
 
Ingredients:
3 cucumbers, standard or 2 long English cucumbers
1/2 red onion, finely diced
 
Herb and Garlic Dressing
 
1 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. mixed dried herbs, 1/4 tsp. each of basil or parsley, oregano, and thyme
1/2 tsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper
 
Shake dressing in a jar. Trim ends of the cucumber then slice about 1/8 inch thick, place in bowl with red onion. Pour dressing over, toss gently and serve immediately.
 
Stay safe and have a good week!

​We haven’t seen our out of town children and Grandchildren since Christmas because of the pandemic. Last week our youngest son John and his family came for a much enjoyed 2 night visit, it motivated me to make home made cinnamon rolls and do some house cleaning! Our Grandson Hunter wanted to take his driver’s test but after calling for an appointment to take the test in their area our daughter in law discovered there was a 3 month wait and that you couldn’t even sign up more than 3 months ahead. So she tried Fairmont and was able to sign him up. So on Friday Hunter took his drivers test in Fairmont and passed his first try so it was a successful visit!
 
My favorite salad with tomatoes is the one I am sharing with you today, I think the secret is the tarragon vinegar so don’t substitute another kind!
 
Connecticut  Hill Salad
 
3 cucumbers, scored and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion cut in thin strips
3 medium tomatoes cut in 6 wedges
1 cup sugar
1 cup tarragon vinegar
1 cup sunflower oil
2 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
3/4 Tablespoon white pepper
1/2 cup freeze dried chives
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
 
Place cucumber, onion and tomatoes in a medium salad bowl. Combine the next 7 ingredients in a 1 quart bowl. Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and add enough of the oil/vinegar mixture to make a thin paste add to remaining oil and vinegar mixture and whip until slightly thickened, pour over vegetables, toss and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
 
Have a safe and good week!

​Hot weather means simpler meals, who wants to stand over a hot stove when its so warm outdoors? Not me! We are getting red ripe tomatoes from our very own plants and my Basil plants look like little bushes so I am all set for todays recipe! I hope you will enjoy it too.
 
Grilled Havarti, tomato & basil sandwiches
 
1/2 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
8 slices French bread or country loaf
8 slices Havarti cheese
1 large vine-ripened tomato, cut into 8 thin slices
leaves from 1 small bunch of basil, torn
 
Spread may on both sides of each slice of bread. On each of 4 slices bread, layer 1 slice of cheese, 2 tomato slices, a scattering of basil leaves, and another slice of cheese. Place the remaining bread slices on top of each.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot,. Toast the sandwiches until nicely browned on both sides and the cheese is melted, 4-6 minutes. Flipping the sandwiches about halfway through cooking. Reduce the heat to medium if the sandwiches are browning too quickly. slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately.
 
Makes 4 servings.
 
Have a safe and good week!

​I am beginning to feel like a recluse, many days I don’t leave our home, I am missing my friends! This week I am thinking of making a pitcher of todays recipe, whip up some veggie pizza and invite them over to my back yard for some distancing fellowship! I think its safer out doors and I know they have all been cautious too. I miss hugs, my kids and Grand kids as I am sure all of you do too.
Together by being diligent with safe practices this too will pass, eventually. There is hope with news of a possible vaccine so we can cling to that!
 
Tequila Mojitos
 
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup tequila
2 cups lemon lime soda ( like sprite)
 
Heat water and sugar, bring to boil until sugar dissolves, remove from heat, add mint and steep for 2 hours, strain, stir in remaining ingredients serve over ice.
 
Stay safe and have a good week!