This has been one busy week. More than once I had to decide which event I wanted to attend. If anyone tells you there is nothing to do in a small town just say you ought to try it some time. Granted we don’t have the big city entertainment but we also don’t have to travel through traffic or plan a lot of road time to get to our destination. Besides attendance at a baseball or softball game, go swimming, play a round of golf, have a picnic, or relax by the lake and a myriad of other things to do most of it is within a short walk from the parking lot. We know the players, usually by their first names and even their families. Not only that, the food is reasonably priced and often homemade. Yes, the vendors observe the handling and serving of the food using gloves, temperature control, and other safety measures.
At last the farmers have been able to get in the fields and most have finished planting for this season. It is good to see the crops appearing in the rows as one drives through the area. Will the corn be knee high by the Fourth, probably not this year, however, it is in the ground and a few warm days you can almost hear it grow and certainly can see the progress in just a few days. There are still lots of potholes that won’t be planted but maybe will be able to get into some time at least to keep the ground weed free. I’m sure we will get enough to eat but the prices may be higher.
I tried to plant some potatoes but it looks as though the ground was too wet as nothing came up. Sure haven’t had that happen before but I hear others had the same problem. At least we haven’t had the flooding such as it has been farther south of us.
Jon had to identify a marijuana plant for someone the other day. It had come up around the foundation of the house and was either planted by a bird or through air. A good spray took care of it. Last year I had a corn plant come up in front of my house and I left it just to see if it produced a cob.
Well, it wasn’t very big but there were some kernels on it. Sort of fun to grow something like that in town.
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
1 box classic pasta salad mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoons honey mustard
2 cups cubed grilled chicken
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 stalk celery, chopped (1/3 cup)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
Cook pasta mix according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water.
In large bowl, stir together seasoning mix, mayonnaise, and honey mustard. Add pasta, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, celery, cheese and eggs; toss gently to coat. Top with crumbled bacon. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate 1 hour to chill. Makes 6 servings.
Tips: Use rotisserie chicken for the grilled chicken and precooked bacon, or chopped lettuce in place of the spinach leaves.
Rosemary Rolls
1 package Pillsbury® Hot Roll Mix
2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1 cup water heated to 120º to 130º
2 tablespoons olive oil or oil
1 egg
Topping: 1 teaspoon water
1 egg white
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
Grease a large cookie sheet. In large bowl, combine flour mixture with yeast from foil packet and 2 teaspoons rosemary leaves; blend well. Stir in hot water, oil, and 1 egg until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Shape dough into a ball. Knead dough 5 minutes or until smooth; sprinkling with additional flour if necessary to prevent stickiness. Cover dough and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. In small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon water and egg white; beat slightly. Brush over dough, sprinkle with salt and 1 teaspoon rosemary leaves. Cover loosely. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, 20-30 minutes.
Heat oven to 375º. Uncover dough. Bake 13 to 18 minutes. Cool on wire rack. 16 rolls.
Cola Brownies
1 box fudge brownie mix
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup cola carbonated beverage
1/2 cup buttermilk
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 cup cola carbonated beverage
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Heat oven to 350º. Grease bottom only of 13 x 9-inch pan.
Stir brownie mix, oil, egg, cola, and buttermilk until well blended. Spread into pan. Bake 24 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2-inches from side comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Microwave butter on HIGH 45-60 seconds, stirring once, until melted; stir in cocoa and cola. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread frosting over brownies, sprinkle with pecans. Cut into bars.
