Ham Pot Pie Soup

Ham pot pie soup

1/2 country ham or leftover holiday ham about 2 lbs meat
5 lb potatoes, cleaned, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tubes refrigerator biscuits or frozen pot pie squares ( this are in the freezer section near the frozen bread dough)
Salt and pepper
Flour

Cook your ham until it falls apart in a big pot. Make sure to use a large soup pot and enough water to cover the potatoes by at least an inch. Then add your potatoes. While at a boil pinch off pieces of the biscuits and flatten, then drop into soup. Or drop in the pot pie squares.
Stir occasionally while dropping in dough.
Reduce the heat and cook slow until potatoes are done and dough has doubled in size.
Season with salt and pepper. Mix 1/4 cup flour with 3/4 cup water and shake or stir until well blended. Slowly pour over the soup once the potatoes and dough is cooked. Then stir. You can do this again if you want your soup thicker.
Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

Baptism

Tarrytown Lighthouse

Today I saw something that I have never seen before and Pops hasn't either.
While crossing the Tappen Zee Bridge that crosses over the Hudson River, we looked off to the right side and we saw a lighthouse. It is the Tarrytown Lighthouse.
I have crossed that bridge at least 20 times and Pops thinks he has more than 100 times. Why have we never seen it before now?
Well I think that I didn't because of my fear of bridges and water. I just never looked around. But I am overcoming!
I don't know why Pops never saw it before.

Canton, Ohio

Pops and I are in the Canton area today. We had a delivery near by and then came here for a repair to an antenna for our main computer.
Canton is the home of the Headquarters and only offices of Fedex Custom Critical. It is also the home to the National Football Hall of Fame.
A very popular local recipe is white chicken chili.
White Chicken Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 qt. chicken broth
2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans, drained
1 jar green salsa
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash ground red pepper (cayenne), if desired
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

In 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, garlic and chicken; cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink.

Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese and cilantro. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 to 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally.

To serve, spoon chili into soup bowls. Top each serving with cheese and cilantro

If you have trouble finding the green salsa just ask for it, most stores carry it now. The soup is really good. I have made it and it doesn't take long either.

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Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

Old fashioned Oatmeal cake

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine oatmeal and water and let stand 20 minutes. In the meantime, in a medium bowl add butter and both sugars and beat on high til light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Then beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
On slow speed beat in the oats then the flour. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then spread on topping.

Topping:
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
6 tbsp butter
6 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Mix all and spread on warm cake. Then place cake under the broiler until topping is bubbly. Remove from oven. Serve warm.

View from top Rarity Mt.

View from Rarity Mountain

Walmart in Baton Rouge area. The crosses are behind the store.

Manchester, KY

We were very lucky to be going near Pops' brother's home in Manchester, Ky.
Buck was the preacher at our home church, Wills Mt. Church of Christ from the time it was established until about 8 years ago. He was our preacher for 28 years.
He and his wife, Sandy then moved to Kentucky.
We were so happy getting to visit with them, spend the night, and attend church with them this morning, and then more visiting this afternoon.
We love and miss them so much.
Destiny came home from college for the night and her boyfriend, Justin did too. And then today, our nephew, Scott, came to church and came over to the house. This visit was good for us.
This is Destiny and Justin.

Mississippi and Louisiana

When I woke up this morning we were in Alabama just ready to go into Mississippi. It was still dark and still a little chilly and it was raining.
I began to drive at that point and Pops tried to take a nap.
It was a nice, quiet, very pleasant drive across Mississippi. The rain had stopped and it was warming up and getting brighter.
Then we entered Louisiana.
I like Louisiana. It is a very intriguing place. I like the places, the people and most of the foods.
We were going to LSU to make a delivery and I figured we would spend the weekend here. But we got a load almost right away. It picked up just on the other side of the Mississippi River Bridge in West Baton Rouge and goes to Ohio for Monday morning.
That's good. We like to keep moving when we can.

Jambalaya

2 tbsp butter
8 oz spicy smoked sausage, sliced 1/4" thick
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced tomato, fresh or canned
1 large green bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4" thick
4 green onions, sliced thin
1 cup brown rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Saute the spices for 1 minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook stirring for a few minutes to let some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate. Add the green bell pepper, celery, and most of the green onions (reserve some of the dark green slices of the onions to garnish the top); cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and mix well. Add the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the rice. It should be just tender; if it is still too firm cook longer. When the rice is tender, add the shrimp, stir in, and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Louisiana

Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the state capitol.
The pelican is the state bird.
The beautiful magnolia is the state flower.
And if I mention Si or Troy, chances are you know some of the most famous people.
I love Louisiana.

The dogs enjoyed all the warm sunshine.

And I believe Si is one of the most famous people from Louisiana

Vegetable Soup

This is supper for the next few days.

3 lb chuck roast
Salt and pepper
1 can each of the following:
Butter beans
Cabbage
Green beans
Carrots
Corn
Peas
Diced potatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce

I cooked the roast in 2 cups water with salt and pepper. Cook until it falls apart. Open and drain the vegetables and add to crockpot. Heat for another hour.

I hate this Bridge!

Mini Breakfast Casserole muffins

What you need
1pkg. Stuffing Mix prepared as directed
1doz. eggs

1 lb. crispy crumbled Bacon
Or
1 lb. finely diced ham chunks
Or
1 lb. cooked, drained loose sausage

1 8oz pkg finely shredded cheese


HEAT oven to 400ºF.

Press 1/4 cup stuffing onto bottom and up side of each of 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray, forming 1/4-inch rim around top of cup. Place muffin pan on baking sheet.

ADD 1 egg to each cup; top with meat and cheese.

BAKE 20 min. or until whites are firm and yolks are cooked to desired doneness. Let stand 5 min. before serving.

Sometimes I use 3 attorney tots in each muffin cup instead of the stuffing.

After baking and cooling for 2 minutes, run a knife around the muffin cup edges, let cool and remove.

I wrap these in individual ziplock baggies so that Pops and I have a quick grab and go breakfast. Reheat it in the microwave for 45 seconds.

Photo by Thomas Ryan

God's Indescribable Gift

Don't you just love when someone gives you a gift for no reason other than that they love you?
I love getting a gift. It means that someone was thinking of me, someone cares for me, and someone was willing to give up something (money, time) to get it for me.
Your response is usually humble joy to realize what the person has done for you.
God has given us an indescribable gift. He loves us, He thinks about us and His gift to us cost Him the very life of His only son! That is a pretty huge price tag.

Watertown, NY

Watertown, New York
The city is known as the birthplace of the Five and dime, the safety pin, and is the home of Little Trees air fresheners.

And since it was a wintery day I made Ham, green beans, and potatoes in the crockpot.

I lb ham chunks
1 lb green beans frozen
2-3 lbs peeled chunked potatoes
1 cup water
Put all in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.

Now we are in Schenectady, NY. We have a pickup here in the am. Schenectady is a mohawk word meaning, beyond the pines.

Thank you

I want to thank all of you that send us emails, messages and comments about our blog. We appreciate you.

WHEW

Whew is Women Helping and Encouraging Women. I had an idea a few months ago to do a daily devotion on Facebook for women. I am thrilled with the participation. We now have over 100 members from all over the United States.

Sloppy Joes

Pops and I are traveling through many places today so it's hard to choose just one place to spotlight. So I rattled all kinds of foods through my head and kept coming back to Sloppy Joes. They are quick and easy and just about everyone likes them. I like mustard on mine.

Today's Recipe:
Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
2 lbs hamburger
1/2 cup fine chopped onion
1/2 cup fine chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dried mustard
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 (26 ounce) bottles catsup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 -10 hamburger buns
Directions
Brown the hamburger and onion in a large deep skillet.
Drain the grease from the skillet as well as possible.
Add the green pepper to the meat and onion and continue cooking until the green pepper is soft.
Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve on buns. With crispy french fries.

Some leftover random pictures

Mountains on Route 25 between Albuquerque and El Paso.

An oil well.

And western sunsets.

Time with Keenan

Keenan was already at the church building when we pulled up this morning. He came out to greet us as I had the dogs outside. Then we went inside and he showed us around and introduced us to some of the members there.
After church we went to lunch. We weren't sure where we wanted to go and we left the decision up to him, but the decision was kind of chosen for us.
One of the men from the church had taken ill suddenly and was taken from home to the ER. So several of the men from the church were going to the hospital to be with the family there. We told Keenan that he could go that we would spend time with him at another time but another man was going to the hospital first and so Keenan went to lunch with us. Well actually we all went in his car.
Lynn's Restaurant is a small very homey kind of place. The food tasted just like if you would've made it yourself.
Across from the restaurant was a small park of some sort and there was a green sign with white letters that was supposed to have said, No skateboarding! City ordinance. But some had changed it to read, Go skateboarding! City ordinance. Haha kind of funny.
Then he drove us across the Eel River through the covered bridge. I wonder why it is called the Eel River. Hmmmm, sounds like more research.
Then Keenan dropped us off at our truck. I wish we could have spent more time with him, but duty prevailed as it should have. I am very proud of that young man. He has a big heart for God. And at his young age has already overcome quite a few trials. I pray God blesses him abundantly as he works to build up the Kingdom. And I hope we get back through this way again real soon.

Roann Christian Church

I was so excited this morning to be able to attend church in this small town. It was w route to our pickup destination tomorrow and the Evangelist there is a young man that we have known for quite a few years, Keenan Goosman.
Keenan is still taking some classes but he was just ordained last Sunday evening.
We had a good Sunday school lesson about the tabernacle as described in Exodus and then Keenan preached a good sermon on Jesus being our perfect High Priest from Hebrews 4&5.
It was good getting to meet some of the people that attend there as well.
I sure hope we get back through this way again some Sunday.
God Bless You, Keenan. Keep the faith and work hard.

Wabash, Indiana

Today we spent the day in Wabash, Indiana. I found a number of things here that caught my attention.
The first thing is that Crystal Gayle, little sister of Loretta Lynn, grew up and graduated high school here in Wabash. Now I'm not a big country music fan but I always loved her long, long hair that went almost to the floor. She was a very famous singer too. I think probably her best known song is, Don't it make your brown eyes blue?
And do any of you remember having to come into the house when the street lights came on? Boy, I do. That was like the major rule at our house when I was a kid. Well, Wabash is the very first city in the entire world that had electric street lights.

Lynn's Restaurant

Had lunch in Roann after church at Lynn's. we both had the Patty Melt.
They were good.

Ft Wayne, Indiana

Pops and I are in Fort Wayne, Indiana today. We will spend the night here. While researching the tea I found many fascinating things. There is a lot of history and industry here.
But the thing that caught my attention was this: it is the death and burial place of Johnny Chapman also known as Johnny Appleseed. Do your own Google search on him. He is quite a man.
I love apples. I eat one almost every single day.
I like all kinds of apples. It depends on if I'm just eating them or using them in a recipes as to which ones I choose. My favorite eating apple is the Jazz.

Easy Apple Crisp

What You'll Need:

1 package (8 ounces) corn bread stuffing
1 stick butter, melted
Grated rind of 1 orange
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar, divided
4 1/2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and thickly sliced
1/2 cup water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix the stuffing, butter, orange rind, nuts, spices, and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Set aside.

In another large bowl, mix the sliced apples, remaining 2/3 cup sugar, and water.

Pour apple mixture into a greased 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Spread crumb mixture evenly over apples.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are easily pierced and juices are bubbly. Serve warm or cold.

Lord Willing

Jane Ryan, Pop's mother, was a beautiful Christian woman. I miss her so much and often think of her.
When she made plans she would always say, "Lord willing and the creek don't rise."
So this afternoon when I was looking for a church to attend on Sunday we realized that we could attend Roann Christian Church in Roann, Indiana. Our good friend, Keenan Goosman is the evangelist there.
I got so excited I contacted him right away, then he got excited too. So Sunday morning, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, Pops and I will worship our Lord with a good friend.

Napoleon, Ohio

Pops and I are spending the night in Napoleon, Ohio. We are headed to Indiana for a Monday morning pickup, so we have the weekend to do as we wish. Of course one of the first things I I'd was look ahead for a church.
But tonight we are parked at a truckstop here.
Napoleon is home to the World's largest Campbell's Soup Plant.
I love soup. It is safe to say that soup is probably some of my favorite stuff. I have been known to make 3 or 4 different big pots of soup at once. Pops and I typically have t least one kind of soup in our refrigerator all the time.
Even though I prefer homemade, Campbell's does have some good ones too. What is your favorite Campbell's soup?

Truckstop Beauties

We stayed at a truckstop in Ann Arbor, MI. There is a pond right beside us. On the pond is a beautiful pair of swans .
They occasionally go into the cattails, I think they may be nesting.
What a beautiful thing to see.

Texas in the Rearview

Albuquerque area