Rain ~ Projects ~ Baked Potato Soup ~ Frog Phone ~ Soft Pretzel Recipes

Good 35º cloudy morning...

Yesterday morning.... sun was peeking through a little...

Then this morning...

....and 5 minutes later...

Never did get any work done outside yesterday. The rain came down, the sun came out, Dude would lay in the sun, the sun would go and the rain would come down! All day long. So, I cleaned the dining room, tossed out stuff, rearranged furniture. Kept me out of trouble. Sort of.

 

Ok, here's an easy yummy one...

Baked Potato Soup

Use your leftover chicken and a variety of veggies. (or get an already cooked rotissari chicken from the market)

5 large potatoes

3-4 shallots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

5 cups chicken stock (less sodium kind)

1 cup corn (canned drained or fresh or frozen)

1 cup chopped chicken (or use that leftover steak or pork chop and chop small)

8oz cream cheese

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheese (white or yellow)

1 t. thyme

1 t. garlic/herb seasoning

2 pinches Rosemary

Toppings: Cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, chopped chives...Whatever

Bake potatoes and cool. Dice. Melt butter in skillet and saute shallots and celery. Add flour and cook 3-4 minutes. Transfer to large pot. Slowly add chicken stock until it thickens. Add 2 potatoes and mash into the liquid. Add rest of potatoes and spices. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cream cheese, shredded cheese until melted. Add milk, chicken and corn. Cook 3-5 minutes more. Ladle into bowls and add toppings.

Historically this date...

1933 – The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, is established.

1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon

1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon

1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery.

1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.

1991 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States. Before the outbreak's end,Andover, Kansas, would record the year's only F5 tornado (see Andover, Kansas Tornado Outbreak).

2005 – Under international pressure, Syria withdraws the last of its 14,000 troop military garrison in Lebanon, ending its 29-year military domination of that country (Syrian occupation of Lebanon).

Births this date include....

1933 – Carol Burnett, American comedian

Carol lived with her mother in Hollywood on Cherokee Avenue in a brownstone between Hollywood Boulevard and Yucca. My grandmother and aunt lived a block over on Whitley Avenue. Didn't know Carol (she wasn't famous yet) but probably had walked past her apartment building a bunch of times.

1938 – Duane Eddy, American guitarist and actor

1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer, drummer, and actor

One of my many zillions of treasures... The Kermit Phone... works when hooked up to a hard line.... belonged to my BFF Patty's brother Hal, who passed away. Patty knew I LOVED frogs and gave it to me. ox

All I know. Happy Saturday. No game today for Tucker's team so that means I will continue with  my quest to delete stuff from my life/house and make Goodwill happy. Nuff said. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

April 26th

National Pretzel Day

 

National Pretzel Day celebrates pretzels of all shapes and sizes.

How do you like your pretzel? Thick or thin? Straight or twisted? Crisp and crunchy, or soft? Salted, unsalted, mustard flavored, perhaps? There's no shortage of types of pretzels. If you are having trouble deciding which ones, mix a bunch of different types of pretzels in a big bowl, and grab a handful, or two, or three, or..... (BTW,  I like the peanut butter stuffed ones!)

Did you know? Pretzels are believed to be the world's oldest snack. Pretzels date back to 610AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child's arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! ...the pretzel industry was born.  

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/articles/view/578/1/National-Pretzel-Day.html