Daily Wisdom

“Today, and every day, deliver more than you are getting paid to do. The victory of success will be half won when you learn the secret of putting out more than is expected in all that you do. Make yourself so valuable in your work that eventually you will become indispensable. Exercise your privilege to go the extra mile, and enjoy all the rewards you receive. You deserve them!”

“In doing what we ought we deserve no praise.”

 “It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.”

Artisan Bread

I decided to make some bread using a recipe given to me by my dad. One thing you may not know about him is that sometimes, he will simply wake up in the morning and say, "Today I want to learn how xyz is made." Then he will make it, and be done with it for years! This recipe is for Artisan bread. I should have added more flour to my dough but frankly the bread came out quite tasty. My favorite is the round loaf with rosemary, parmesan, and sea salt on top. To view the original blog we got the recipe from, click HERE.

 Before baking

 Forming a loaf

After rising

How To Feel Better

 1. Put things in perspective.

 2. Play out the worst case scenario.

 3. Count your blessings.

 4. Read the Bible.

 5. Do something new.

 6. Look for someone to praise.

 7. Get some exercise.

 8. Schedule joy.

 9. Act happy!

Borrowed this from my friend Ashley! Happy Monday

Sunday Dinner

BBQ chicken thigh, green beans & stovetop potatoes au gratin

I made a cheese sauce for boiled potatoes today because I was in a hurry. I used 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour to make a roux, then 3/4 c milk and 1 c cheese. You make the roux, add the milk, thicken, and melt in the cheese all over medium heat. I then coated the boiled potatoes with the cheese sauce and let it sit, covered, for about 20 minutes before lunch so the sauce could thicken and set. 

Traditional Potatoes Au Gratin

4 Russet potatoes, thinly sliced

5 tbsp butter

5 tbsp flour

2 C milk

2 C shredded cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish. Layer 1/2 the potatoes in the casserole dish. Sprinkle salt & pepper, then repeat with 2nd layer. In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and 1/2 tsp salt. Continue whisking for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk, slowly. Continue until the mixture has thickened. Whisk in the cheese until melted; about 1-2 minutes. 

Pour the sauce over the potatoes and bake about 1-1/2 hours.

ALDI'S FOOD MARKET!!!!!!!!

Now is your chance to laugh at me. I have never been to an Aldi's. They put one in our neighborhood recently, but I didn't go for the longest time. I'm more of a Fresh Market/Whole Foods/Publix person. But recently we have been more focused than ever on living the Dave Ramsey way, and putting away as much money as possible for rainy day? new house? whatever. And grocery prices have just been irritating me. That's when Rich & I happened to drive past Aldi's, and he said he wanted to go there. Apparently that's where he went as a kid, and he said he could show me the ropes. So off we went to Aldi's.  At first I couldn't find a shopping cart. Rich told me he could get me one for a quarter. I was so confused...until he showed me the cart system where they are all chained together. You get a cart by putting in a quarter, and when you give the cart back in the cart bay, you get your $.25 back. By the end of the first aisle, the prices were actually making me laugh. Everything was sooooo inexpensive! I bought a cart full of groceries for $64.81. And not junk, either. I got chicken, steak, hamburger, ground turkey, dairy, romaine lettuce, and all kinds of other stuff. Rich was happy too because I let him pick up some junk food (he would never eat a real meal if I didn't make him). I was actually pretty impressed with my spoils. If you go, remember your own bags or search for boxes in the store. (Which I did, like a wild woman...lol)

All this stuff, and a sack of potatoes (below)

The Last Supper...Tuna and Avocado Quesadillas

Today I had 1/2 of my face completely numbed with local anesthesia and nerve blocks. That was several hours ago and I still can't feel my lips or tongue. In fact I can't even drink water without dribbling and can't get it together enough to even suck on a straw. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat until tomorrow so I decided I would have one of my favs for lunch today :)

I made Omega 3 heaven. Tuna Avocado Quesadillas. They are sooo delish. Recipe & pix below. The pix didn't turn out well, I must have forgotten to use the flash! But oh well. They were sooo good!

In a small bowl mix the following:

2.6-oz pouch of chunk light tuna
2 tsp light mayo
salt & pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp salsa

1/4 avocado, thinly sliced (should make 6-8 slices)
1/3 c shredded cheese of choice ( today I used sharp cheddar)
4 small tortillas

olive oil

Heat a frying pan on medium. Pour a small amount of oil, about 2 tsp, into the pan. When the pan is warm add a tortilla, swirling to coat the bottom side in oil for even crisping. Add 1/2 of the tuna, pressed thinly across the tortilla with a fork, then top with 1/2 of the cheese. Add 3-4 avocado slices. After about 30 seconds press the second tortilla on top and flip after about 30 seconds more. Cook until both sides are light golden and the cheese is melted. Makes 2 quesadillas

Cheesecake Pops

Rich & I will be spending Labor Day with our friends Donnie & Megan over in Naples. They are making all the sides and we are bringing the meat. I also decided to try making Paula Deen's Surprise Cheesecake Pops. To make the pops you must choose a center, a cheesecake flavor, and decide what you are going to roll the pops in. I decided to make 2 kinds today. I made a Reeses' pop that has a miniature Reeses' PB cup inside, marble cheesecake, and peanut butter chips on the outside. I also made a Strawberry-Key Lime pop that has a fresh strawberry in the center, a mixture of original and key lime cheesecake, and white chocolate chips on the outside. It was actually pretty easy. It took about 45 minutes to make 12 pops. I'm not sure that the stick is going to hold, but oh well. If I make it again I will probably try to buy a firmer cheesecake. It was difficult to get the cheesecake into a firm ball. I put them in the freezer. I will let them freeze overnight and hopefully they will make the trip to Naples (on ice, of course) without losing shape. Hopefully they will be tasty!