HOLIDAY BREAKFAST BREAD!

 

My children are grown and I am retired. Therefore, 

gourmet cooking is my new passion. I am a foodie

who tries to cook some of the Mexican, Italian, and 

Oriental dishes I see online. I like to try the dishes

that are trending on social media too. These

dishes are not too complicated and require

ingredients available in your local grocery

store.

I also experiment with making unusual

muffins and breads which I eat during the week.

I got bored with baking  plain banana and blueberry

muffins.  I have experimented with peach, apple,

pumpkin, lemon, orange and zucchini muffins and

 breads. I wanted to think of a new breakfast bread

 to serve my family during the holidays this year. 

I surveyed my pantry.   There were too many boxes 

of chocolate cake mixes stored on the shelf. I had

 a large banana left in my fruit bowl. Plenty of 

pecans and walnuts were in mason jars in my

 fridge. This chocolate lover was going to bake

 a bread that was good for a Holiday Breakfast,

Brunch, or Luncheon menu!

I may try a peach blueberry or a chocolate cranberry

bread in the future.

HOLIDAY CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix

2 Eggs 

1 large ripe Banana 

1/2 Cup Sour Cream 

1/2 Cup fine chopped Walnuts 

1/4 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut 

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon 

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 

1/2 Cup or to taste, Dark Chocolate Chips, for Topping 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.

In large bowl mash the banana. Add sour cream, eggs,

cinnamon, vanilla, coconut, and nuts. Mix well with 

a Mixing Fork. Batter will be thick. DON'T OVER MIX.

Pour batter into loaf pan and spread evenly. Cover

top of batter with chocolate chips. Bake 45 minutes

or until toothpick comes out clean.

TIPS:

** 1/3 cup oil can be added. I forgot to

add it. The bread was still moist and

tasty.

** I always add coconut to my breads.

It enhances the flavor profile of the bread.

** Sour Cream adds moisture and keeps

bread from being too sweet.

** Semi-sweet chocolate chips can be substituted.

**  Pecans can be substituted.

EASY KITCHEN HOLIDAY GIFTS!

I love to watch cooking videos to get new

 meal ideas. One of the cooks was using 

 silicone holders/covers on the handle of 

her pots.  I thought these were neat gadgets.

 I have been burned too many times

because I used  thin pot holders.

 I looked up this item on the computer. 

These pot handle holders/covers were

 a little pricey. 

I wondered if these holder/covers were 

available in cloth fabric. Some cloth 

pot handle holders/covers were for 

sale online.   They looked like they 

 would make a great DIY project. 

I did find some DIY videos with 

crafters using cloth pot holders

for holder/covers. All of the 

videos I found required using a

 sewing machine. This was a

 problem since I don't own a

sewing machine.

I searched for needles that I could use 

to hand sew the pot handle holders. 

There were packets of special needles

hanging on a retail store End Cap display. 

These looked like they would be perfect

for hand sewing pot holders. The packet

noted that the needles were for glove

and car seat repair. I bought one 

packet of the needles to experiment

with.   I  discovered that I could hand

 sew the ends of the pot holder together

if I used a taunt whip stitch. I had a 

friend who taught me the sewing

 machine stitch and the whip stitch. 

She used these stitches when  hand

 sewing her doll clothes. There are

detailed examples of how to make

 these stitches online.

DIY POT HANDLE HOLDER/COVER

ITEMS NEEDED:

Pot holder (7 inch) , straight pins

Home repair or embroidery needle

Scissors, matching thread

Directions:

Fold pot holder in half and keep the

loop exposed. Secure ends with straight

 pins. Leave a 3 inch opening on the side 

with the loop. This will be the area where 

pot handle goes in. Make sure edges and 

sides of pot holder meet. 

Guide thread through  the needle and form double thread 12-14 inches long. Make a knot at the end of

 the threads.  Whip stitch the side and bottom

 edge  on left side of the pot holder using taunt

 close stitches. This will ensure the pot handle holder/cover stays together when pot handle

 is inserted.  The finished stitches will resemble

embroidery stitches seen on some linens

 and tea towels.

TIPS:

** Sewing machine can be used to make the

holder/ cover.

** Using holiday themed pot holders for the

 pot handle holder/cover make great gifts.

** The pot handle holder/cover should

fit the handles on most pots & pans.

** Tab loop can be used to hang up 

pot holder/cover. 

SENIOR LADY: MAKES BREAKFAST BREADS!

Slice of Carrot Bread

.

I try to save the classic breakfast meal that includes eggs,

 bacon, or sausage for the weekend. I'm not a fan of

cold cereal or oatmeal either.  

My solution to a meatless breakfast was homemade

muffins and breads.  Making yeast breads require

a lot of work and skill. I've discovered that I can

enjoy muffins and breads just as much as yeast

 rolls and breads.

Banana and zucchini breads taste great. However,

I like to experiment with unique fruit flavors in

my muffins and breads.

CARROT BREAKFAST BREAD:

15 oz White Cake Mix 

1/3 cup Canola Oil

2 Eggs

4 oz sour cream

1 tsp Vanilla

1/cup finely chopped carrots, packed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

SPICE OPTIONS:

Pumpkin pie spice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Add listed ingredients in large bowl. Blend well with mixing fork

or hand mixer. Pour batter in loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes or until

toothpick comes out clean.

Fruit Options:

Finely chopped 1 cup strawberries, peaches, apples

Mashed 1 cup bananas, pumpkin 

Vegetable Options:

Finely peeled, chopped zucchini (drain liquid)

Mashed/pureed 1 cup sweet potatoes

Tasty additions:

1/2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Note:

**   Adjust spices to your taste.

**.  Use muffin tin if muffins preferred.

**.   Add extra egg if preferred.

SENIOR LADY: TRY OUT TEA CONCENTRATE!

MY PINEAPPLE SAGE BUSH

Although, I love coffee, I do drink black tea in the summer.

Hot coffee was not an option in the afternoons. I could not sit 

on my porch drinking a hot beverage when the weather was

 over 90 degrees!

I had a friend who loved tea. I asked her advice on which

 tea was good for a beginner.  She took me to the mall 

to visit her favorite tea shop. I was impressed because

there was several types of loose tea in decanters. 

Black tea was my favorite after drinking samples of teas.

I bought a cute tea pot that had angels on it. A cute baggie 

of black tea was also purchased.

I still had a dilemma. I didn't want to ride to the mall for tea

 every day. That tea was too expensive for me too buy often.

I settled for organic black tea from a nearby market. Making 

several glasses of tea from single serving tea bags was tedious.

I didn't like tea in gallon jugs from the grocery store. The market

 near my house only had family size tea bags.  

I got the idea to make tea concentrate in a mason jar. I only like

unsweetened tea. A gallon jug took up too much space in my fridge.

I decided to brew 4 family size bags of black tea. I let the tea steep 

and come room temperature. I filled up a 24 ounce recycled pickle

 jar and placed it in the fridge. 

The next time I made concentrate, I recycled one of my Mom's

 empty instant tea jars.

The black tea concentrate usually last a couple weeks in my fridge. 

I add mint or pineapple sage leaves from my garden to the tea

concentrate occasionally. 

TIPS :

*   Other types of tea may work as a concentrate ( Green tea, Chai, Flavored teas)

*   Orange & Lemon peels & Cinnamon Stick can be added to taste

*   One serving: 12 oz glass:

1/4 c brewed tea, 8 oz purified water, ice cubes 

 

SENIOR LADY: MAKING ICED CAFE' AU LAIT!

 

I used to shake my head at young people buying

expensive espresso and caramel latte drinks.

I couldn't understand why they waited in 

a long line at coffee shops and bistros.

This summer as been one of the hottest on record

in the city where I live.  I was ordering fast food.

when the take-out food cashier asked me to try 

one of their ice coffee drinks. I asked if they had

 mocha flavor. It was 98 degrees outside, so 

I agreed to try an expensive large mocha ice coffee.

It was delicious and refreshing.  No way,

could I afford to get iced coffee every day.

I noticed that the restaurants or coffee shops

started with brewed unflavored coffee. They

added flavorings like caramel, chocolate,

mocha, and other seasonal flavors per

customer requests.

I went home and experimented with making

 my own flavored iced coffee drinks. They may

not have whipped cream on top, but they tasted

good! 

I noticed that the restaurants or coffee shops

started with brewed unflavored coffee. They

added flavorings like caramel, chocolate,

mint, mocha, and other seasonal flavors per

customer requests.

I love gourmet coffee and have a bin containing 

several flavors. They include Hawaiian Hazelnut, 

Mocha, Georgia Pecan, Caramel Macchiato, 

Snickers, and Jamaica Me Crazy. I also collect  

flavored extracts like rum, brandy, mint, butter, 

and maple. I started out with strong  brewed

 flavored gourmet coffee.  I let the coffee cool before

 adding it to my glass or mug. Ice cubes were added 

and  the coffee was stirred until it was chilled and

 very cold. 

SENIOR LADY ICED COFFEE DRINKS:

Caramel Chocolata

12 oz Brewed Arabica Coffee ( Room Temp)

1 Tablespoon Caramel Ice Cream Topping

I Tablespoon Chocolate Flavored Syrup

1 Tablespoon Half & Half Cream 

 

Add all ingredients to 16 oz size mug/glass.

Stir until well mixed  and add ice cubes.

Cool & Minty 

12 oz Brewed Arabica Coffee ( Room Temp)

1/8 Teaspoon Pure Mint Extract

2 Packets Raw Sugar

1 Tablespoon Half & Half Cream

 Add all ingredients to 16 oz size mug/glass.

Stir until well mixed  and add ice cubes.

Tropical Buttered Rum

 

12 oz Brewed Arabica Coffee ( Room Temp)

1/8 Teaspoon Rum extract

1/8 Teaspoon Butter extract

2 Packets  Raw Sugar

1 Tablespoon Half & Half Cream

Lava Chocolate Sipper

12 oz Brewed Arabica Coffee ( Room Temp)

1 Teaspoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 Packets Raw Sugar

1 Tablespoon Half & Half Cream

TIPS:

* Adjust recipes to fit your own taste

*Substitute Columbian, Instant Expresso, 

and French Roast Coffees

*Substitute white sugar, brown sugar, artificial sweeteners

* Substitute pieces of chocolate mint flavored candy 4 mint

* Substitute pieces of dark or milk chocolate candy 4 

Caramel Chocolate & Lava Chocolate

*Substitute coffee creamer for cream

*Use Vanilla extract if desire  French Vanilla

I visited a new Garden Center last year.

I requested hot coffee to drink while 

I shopped. The clerk said they only carried 

locally sourced organic cold brew coffee

This stuff was fantastic but strong. I had

a mild case of "coffee jitters." This was 

probably because I drink light to

medium roasted coffee often.

It's relaxing to sit on my porch on a hot

day drinking my own "DIY" ( Do It Yourself)

cold brewed coffee. I hope this blog inspires

others to try to make their own cold brew

or iced coffee.

SENIOR LADY: GROW CELERY ALL YEAR!

 

 

I love watching videos about gardening. Five years ago,

 lots of videos were about, regrowing grocery store 

vegetables. I was intrigued and tried to regrow a

few of them.  Most of the veggies had to have roots

on the bottom.  Beets and carrots on grew bunches 

leaves.  There were no new carrots or beets to harvest.

The only veggies I could regrow successfully were 

yellow onions, green onions, leeks, and celery.

I usually buy new celery stalks when I want to 

replace damaged celery stalks in my tote.

My celery stalks can be harvested all year

long. My five-gallon blue tote stay full of

 celery because I add new celery roots when

grocery store has it on sale. The celery in

the blue tote shown below just had the

"big chop"

Here is how I regrow celery:

I remove celery stalks from the

plastic bag. I cut the bottom

half of the celery off the

stalks. 

I remove the first layer of cut stalks

from the bottom.  This is necessary

so the celery will fit into my cup.

 

I place the celery in the cup and add enough 

water to cover the bottom of the celery.

I set the cup of celery on the counter near

my sunny kitchen window. Amazingly, leaves

 will began to appear after two days. However,

white roots will sprout from the bottom in

about two weeks.  I have more success with

regrowth if I have a few white roots on the 

bottom of the celery.  

My tote is filled with potting soil, garden soil,

 shredded junk mail, used coffee grounds,

 and crushed eggshells. A hole was dug in the

 soil, then I add the rooted celery, covered it 

with soil and watered it once a week.  Celery 

prefers cold weather, so I cover the tote with 

heavy duty shade cloth during the summer 

months.  I shield the celery from hard frost

in the winter with white frost blanket covers.

Both of these steps are necessary, if I want 

to harvest celery all year long.

I usually harvest celery weekly

by cutting a few stalks and leaves

to use in potato salad, beef stew,

and vegetable soup. I have this 

 crop of celery for about three

years. I cut the celery stems and

 leaves very short when I harvest 

them. This method promotes healthy

 regrowth of new leaves and stalks,

I feel good when I grow my own celery. 

The cost of a bag of celery stalks has

increased very much. There are also 

recalls on celery sometimes. I only 

fertilized my celery with "Miracle

Grow" or day old brewed coffee.

HOLIDAY GREETING!

 

WISHING EVERYONE

A

HAPPY JULY 4TH

CELEBRATION!

😇😎

SENIOR LADY: JULY 4TH WREATH!

 

SENIOR LADY: CLASSIC STYLE UPDATES!

I am a Senior lady who like to dress nice. 

I like to be fashionable but never flashy

 or gaudy. The styles I wear are classic 

and somewhat trendy. That doesn't

 mean I follow the latest clothing trends 

of twenty-year-old ladies!

I have been retired for  a while. I no longer

 need to wear business casual clothing.  

I like casual clothes like t-shirts and jeans

 during the week. I like to wear relaxed

fit clothing. I am short in statue so; long

 baggy t-shirts and shirts don't fit well.  

They make me look sloppy and dowdy.

I was recently shopping at a discount store

 that had closeouts on name brand pocket 

t-shirts. They were marked down less than

 three dollars! I bought the shirts in several 

colors. However, when I tried them on, 

they were very long. I didn't feel like

 doing alterations like sewing or hemming. 

I remembered a style I saw in a women's

 catalog. Some of the women wore tops with 

side ties. Wow! This style could work for me.

 I wore this style several years ago using scarf 

buckle rings and clips. I rummaged through my 

jewelry and found a scarf ring. I also had some 

colorful stretch rings that I no longer wore. 

 

I experimented with the stretch

rings and added them to my baggy

t-shirts. I was pleased with this

style.  

 

I'll search online for scarf rings that are available 

in several colors. My t-shirts will have matching

scarf rings on the side ties.

SENIOR CITIZEN EASTER MEAL!

 

There is a reason I am showing empty Easter

serving bowls in this picture. I am going to 

guide Seniors how to fill them with delicious

food.  The dollar/discount stores can be a source 

of economical meals for this Easter holiday.

It will be enough for up to four servings.

The recipes can be doubled if desired.

These meals may not be low sodium or

 low fat, I'll give tips below on how to

reduce sodium on some of the meals.

If the store where you are shopping 

have low sodium varieties, buy them.

Here are some quick and easy recipes

(even if you're not a baker or cook).

Meal #1

CHICKEN & DRESSING CASSEROLE

Need:

9x13 foil pan

2- 5 oz cans Chunk Chicken Breast, 

drain juice

1-6 oz  box Savory or Cornbread

 stuffing mix

1- 10.5 oz Cream of Chicken or 

Celery Soup (low sodium if available)

1-15 oz can chicken broth

 (low sodium if available)

Directions:

Preheat oven 350.  Add chicken chunks

to greased foil pan. Use fork to spread evenly,

Pour soup over chicken and spread evenly

over chicken.  In bowl, mix stuffing mix

with some of the broth. Stuffing must be

 moist, so add more broth if necessary.

Sprinkle stuffing evenly over the soup.

Bake 40 minutes or until top is brown.

Tips:

* Add day old bread or crushed crackers

to stuffing if want more topping

* Can use half water & half broth

to lower sodium

 

Southern Green Bean & Potatoes

1-15 oz can Green Beans

1-15 oz can Sliced or Whole 

White Potatoes

(drain juice)

Season with:

2 Tablespoons Butter, Margarine, 

Broth, or Bacon Drippings.

Directions:

Put beans & potatoes in pot. 

Add the seasoning. Add 1/2 cup

of water if more liquid desired.

Bring to boil, then simmer on

medium low for 15 minutes.

Stir and make sure beans & potatoes 

are fork tender.

Tips:

1 teaspoon onion powder or garlic

powder can be added for more flavor

Serve with Chilled Cranberry Sauce

Meal #2

Chicken Noodle Special

9x13 foil pan

2-5 oz cans Chunk Chicken Breast

(drained)

 1 bag Egg Noodles

10.5 Can Cream Celery or Chicken Soup

1/2 cup Milk

15 oz Can Green Peas, Drained

1 sleeve Crushed Crackers 

 1/2 Stick Butter or Margarine, Melted

 

Directions:

Cook 1-1/2 cups noodles until fork tender. 

Rinse with cold water to stop further cooking.

Drain & set aside. In bowl, mix drained chicken,

soup, milk, and peas. Stir in noodles. Mix well.

Add mixture to greased foil pan, In bowl,

mix cracker crumbs with melted butter.

Sprinkle crumbs evenly over casserole.

Bake 30 minutes or until topping brown.

Serve with Tossed Salad.

MEAL #3

SAUSAGE & POTATO MEDLEY

1 pack Smoked Sausage

(one sausage in pack)

1-15 oz can Sliced Potatoes

(drained)

2 tablespoons oil

1-4 oz jar red peppers, drained

Directions:

Slice sausage into 1/2 inch rounds. In skillet,

brown sausage and potatoes on medium 

high heat. Stir in peppers. Cook until 

peppers are slightly brown. Remove from 

heat. Place in serving dish. 

Serve with rolls or garlic toast. 

Tips:

*   Any of these meals could be

used by anyone om a fixed income.

*  Meals based on items available

at my local dollar/discount stores.

I will feature easy desserts in part two.

Hopefully one of these menu ideas will make

a Senior Citizen have a Happy Easter.