Thanksgiving On Tuesday

This week's chicken recipe was submitted by Bobbie Bentneedle. She sent a recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner in One Pan.

We enjoyed it. It was easy to make and filled the house with a wonderful aroma. Next time I make it I will season the chicken with salt and pepper and perhaps skip the cheese. We didn't even taste the cheese. I also mixed the stuffing mix with melted butter before putting it on top of the chicken. That helped keep the stuffing moist while it was baking.

Our beverage for this evening was Strawberry Lemonade.
It was super yummy and refreshing.
Too bad our weather hasn't been summer-like so we could enjoy it on a hot day.

Bonnie, send me your snail mail address and I'll send your goodie on it's way.

Next week I'm taking a break from Chicken on Tuesday as we will be on vacation. The contest will resume on July 14th. Keep sending in your chicken recipes.

Sweet P

The First Tuesday Winner

Here it is Thursday and I haven't written about our first If It's Tuesday meal. We chose Slow Cooker Coq au Vin from aletheia_vox. It was easy to make. We all liked it. Although I think when I make it again I will add the potatoes to the slow cooker rather than make them separately. Aletheia send me your mailing address and I'll send you a goodie.
I recently came across a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Cookies on Carol's blog. When she made them they weren't a hit in her house. My family loved them and ate nearly all of them Tuesday night. There were a few left over for lunches yesterday.
Speaking of strawberries, they have become one of my new favorite breakfasts. A couple of sliced strawberries, a handful of blueberries and a splash of french vanilla cream. Yummy!
Keep sending in those chicken recipes! My DIL and I love reading them!

Sweet P

If It's Tuesday . . .

I babysit my adorable grandson, Mr. E, on Tuesdays. I make dinner for my DS and DIL that evening. My DIL prefers chicken to any other meat so Tuesdays have become chicken dinner night at Coffee Time.

This past Tuesday I made Rachel Ray's Mexican Lasagna for dinner.
It was an easy recipe and was super yummy.

I had never cooked with ground chicken before. The texture is different than ground beef. I have to cook with it a few more times before I can totally decide if I like it.

Now, here's where you can help me. I'm going to hold contest over the next several weeks to find a variety of chicken recipes.

Send me your favorite chicken recipe, or recipes. My DIL and I will choose one recipe each week to try and then review it here. If we choose your recipe, you will receive a goodie package from Coffee Time at Home. The contest will start today and run through the end of August. There will be one week off while I am on vacation (July 7th). You can as often as you like. So come on, start sending in those recipes.

Sweet P

Spaghetti Day

Yesterday I made Glenna's All Day Spaghetti Sauce. It filled my house with wonderful smells all day. Five pounds of meat sounds like a lot of meat, but I will be able to freeze enough sauce for at least two, maybe three more meals.

I also made the cinnamon bread. It turned out better this time. Except I used an 8 x 4 inch pan instead of a 9 x 5 inch pan and the bread cooked over the edge. But it still tasted yummy! Here is the recipe I use. I'm thinking the next time I make it I'm going make a streusel topping instead of using the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture on top.

Cinnamon Bread
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 c. butter (room temperature)
1 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. orange juice, fresh if you have it
1/2 tsp. orange peel zest
1 c. buttermilk (I use 1 tbsp. white vinegar, plus enough milk to make 1 cup)
1 c. brown sugar
2 heaping tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl. Beat in the eggs, orange juice and orange zest.

Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix 1/2 of the buttermilk into the wet ingredients. Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the remaining buttermilk into the wet ingredients. Mix 1/3 the remaining dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Pour 1/3 of the batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top. Pour 1/3 of the batter on top. Pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top. Pour the remaining batter on top. Pour the remaining cinnamon mixture on top. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about an hour.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Today we are off to Portland to have lunch with some friends. Tomorrow I have to work. Tuesday is my first day babysitting Mr. E.

Happy homemaking!

Sweet P

How Not To Make Cinnamon Bread

Yesterday morning I was wide awake at 6 am. No reason why. I was up until 11 the night before so I thought I would be able to sleep. Maybe I was excited for Jammie Day with Mr. E.

Since I was awake and the morning sun was splashing through the kitchen windows I decided to make Cinnamon Bread. I found the recipe on Closet Cooking recently. I made it while my mom was visiting and loved it. I do make one change to the recipe. Instead of vanilla extract and lemon peel I use orange peel and fresh orange juice. Here are the three bowls of ingredients and the buttermilk ready to get mixed together.

Here's the bread after it came out of the oven. If you look very, very close you see the edges and the top are burnt. Yup, burnt! How did I manage that? I set the oven temp to 425 instead of 350! I guess baking at 6 am is not my strongest talent.

I plan on making the bread again this Saturday and will be sure to set the oven to 350!

Happy cooking and home making! Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet P

Long Time No Post

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted on Coffee Time At Home. Since Mr. E's birth we have been on a whirlwind of family visits. Great Grandma Helen from Minnesota was here for 12 days. Uncle Brandon and Ellen were here this past weekend. Now the visitors are gone until the baptism next month.

This is how Coffee Time At Home looks like these days. Mr. E spends time on the pack and play mattress with his quilt and boppy pillow.

The corner of the living room has become Baby Central. We purchased this wonderful bassinet a few weeks ago. It glides and plays music. The bottom is a huge basket where diapers, clothes and toys reside. Next to the bassinet is Mr. E's bouncy chair.

Brandon, DS #2, likes to cook. On Saturday night he made three awesome homemade pizzas: one pepperoni, one cheese and this one with prosciutto. He makes the tomato sauce from scratch. I asked him to write down the recipe before he left, but he forgot.

Sunday morning I made breakfast for everyone.
My DIL decided to take this action photo of me cooking.

I didn't work too hard to make the food.
I bought a quiche the day before and popped it in the oven.

I also cooked sausages, bacon and pancakes.
A large pot of coffee and orange juice rounded out the meal.

I had to leave for work while they were eating. I asked them to clean up the kitchen before they left. They did and I came home from work to a clean kitchen. Thanks guys and girls!

I plan to get back to blogging here more often. Stay tuned!

Sweet P

Easter At Coffee Time

Happy Easter to Everyone. DH and I had a quiet dinner for two today: grilled ham and pineapple spears, roasted sweet potato slices and biscuits and whoopie pies for dessert.

Besides the wonderful food we have a sports-filled afternoon.
Tiger at the Masters on the big screen.

Red Sox playing the Angels in California on the smaller screen.

You'll notice we've given Wally a primo front seat for the baseball.

Now, this Wally has a primo seat next to the newest addition to Coffee Time: Mr. E, our grandson. For more photos of him and details of his arrival read here.

Spring is arriving slowly in New Hampshire. The huge snow drifts are finally melted and the grass is beginning to green up. I'm thinking of growing a container garden this summer. Does anyone have any good tips for container gardens? I would probably grow it on our deck that gets all of the morning light and shade the rest of the day. I'd be happy with an herbal garden, but have no clue where to start.

Sweet P (AKA the newest Dema on the block)