#14 - 14th Christmas Tree - 2023 - Our Tree

Our Burger King's 2023 Christmas tree

Yesterday Mrs. Jim and I had breakfast at our local Burger King fast food restaurant.  We each had a egg, meat, and cheese in a croissant sandwich with coffee and a shared order of fried potato tots.  Mine was sausage, hers was deli ham.  

We used a coupon.  Mrs. Jim's coffee was senior priced, fifty cents, the rest was coupon priced at $5.99.  We have more, they will all expire at midnight on December 31. 

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# 04 - 4th Christmas Tree - 2023

 

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This a tree that welcomed us to our local Jack-in-the-box fast food restaurant.   We were there to use a coupon that we had, BOGO chicken sandwich for $1.00.

!! MERRY CHRISTMAS 2023 !! 

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A Chocolate Tree -- Number Twelve of ??? for my 2021 Christmas Tree Farm blog posts

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

The way my camera showed

I.e., "Original" view 

 

and now "Auto" enhanced 

Keeping it pure 

Until Christmas 

 

My younger daughter, KP's Mom, made this little tree.  I don't have the details, but the shavings are from another block of Chocolate.  

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 See all my 2021 Christmas Tree posts I have made so far here.  I will be posting Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations here as I take pictures to show. The blog is mostly Christmas oriented but also has recipes and other items that I don't put on my other blogs. 

 Jim's Little Blog 

 Jim's Little Photo and Poem Place 

 Ask Dr. Jim (blog 

 Jim's Little Happy Place 

 Those are my main blogs, there are others if you can find them. Only the first two of the above are regularly posted weekly. 

 I will post pictures of readers or their photo finds if you will email them to me at " jhovendic at yahoo.com". I will give you credit by name and/or URL of your blog or other if I have these where you wish my readers to read. 

 Please do not be anonymous.  

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Daughter's Tree - Number Eight of ??? 2021 Cristmas Trees

 MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

This is our daughter's 2021 Christmas tree.  It is a new one to replace the older one that Mrs. Jim bought when she and my sister shopped for after Christmas bargains.  That was back in the 1990's or earlier.  Sister, Lois, still uses hers, I had her this year's trim that she used for my Tree Number Seven (link) 

Our daughter's motif this year was to have pictures of the granddaughters, known on my blogs as BP and KP, for their different years growing up.  BP is now 22, KP is twelve.  Two of these pictures of KP hanging are shown to the right. 

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We were visiting part of our family last evening for a chili supper.  SIL had just finished making it using my recipe, the chili was really good, best I've had for several seasons.  

You might like to try my recipe, as are my other recipes it is very easy to make.  Please if you publish it someplace I would like you to let me know and as well as give me credit on the page.  ("Jim's quick and easy chili recipe", click here for URL Link)

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See all my 2021 Christmas Tree posts so far here

I will be posting Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations here as I take pictures to show.  

The blog is mostly Christmas oriented but also has recipes and other items that I don't put on my other blogs.

Jim's Little Blog 

Jim's Little Photo and Poem Place 

Ask Dr. Jim (blog) 

Jim's Little Happy Place 

• 
  
• Those are my main blogs, there are others if you can find them.  Only the first two of the above are regularly posted weekly. 

I will post pictures of readers or their photo finds if you will email them to me at " jhovendic at yahoo.com ".  I will give you credit by name and/or URL of your blog or other if have these where you wish my readers to read. 

Please do not be anonymous.  

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Recipe - Jim's Quick and Easy Chili

Jim's Quick and Easy Chili

INGREDIENTS:

Two pounds lean hamburger
One medium onion
One green pepper
4-6 stocks celery (you may want none or ten or more!!)
One potato (optional)
One small can tomato paste
Two regular cans tomato sauce
One large can or bottle tomato juice
One can pinto beans
One can red beans (or kidney beans are okay)
One package McCormick Chili Mix (if you double the mix the second package can be a store brand)
One teaspoon of sugar (takes the bite out of all the tomato acid)

Note:  There is nothing critical about the ingredients and amounts.  Some like more meat, some less; some like it thick or others more like soup; more or less vegetables; etc.

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

In the bottom of the pot cook the hamburger until it all is brown in it's own grease.  Break up the hamburger into small pieces with a cooking/stirring spoon.

Meantime cook the onions, peppers, and celery which you have cut up before hand.  Melt a small amount of butter in the bottom of another pot.  Start with the peppers and celery and later add the onions.  You may wish to save the diced potato and add it with the beans as they will cook in the simmering soup.

Drain the cooked meat of fat into a disposable container (some wash with hot water).  Add a package of Chili mix, then add the cooked vegetables and let all cook together for a few more minutes.  Stir as needed so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Divide the meat and veg mix between the two pots and add half the liquids into each pot. Simmer for about an hour (add a large pinch of sugar to each pot and add the potato now if you haven't before).  Most times when I use tomato paste I add an equal amount of water.  Before serving, drain most of the bean juice and add the beans.  They need to heat up.

You can add water to make the desired consistency.   For leftovers more water may be needed again.

Serves 8-10 +/- as main course

View some of my other Recipes here, Recipe Search 

 

Recipe -- Jim's Quick and Easy Chocolate Bird's Nest

 Jim's Quick and Easy Chocolate Bird's Nest

Ingredients are:
Molten chocolate, half to a whole package
Six or so candy chocolate candy coated bird eggs
Ample amount of corn flakes cereal, one to two cups depending on how much chocolate you have melted
Lots of love, make it for a friend

You will need a nine inch square or round cake pan or plastic container

Directions follow:
Melt molten chocolate in double boiler
or in microwave. Be careful not to over cook.

Pour into pan

Stir in corn flakes until flakes to chocolate
ratio is about even.  In other words about
the same amounts of chocolate as corn flakes

Before mixture cools and hardens
place your six eggs where you want them
Like maybe a hen had laid them there 

You may study birds nests
to make this realistic. I find placing
them equidistant around over the nest
but random looking looks best.

Artistic touch will rule here

The more love you put into this
the sweeter your little nest will be

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Recipe -- OATMEAL SCONES -- Not My, Jim's, Recipe

Note:  This is not MY, Jim's, recipe

Oatmeal Scone Recipe (from http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/last_touch/recipes/233001)

OATMEAL SCONES
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1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk plus additional for brushing
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Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.
Sift together flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a food processor.
Add 1 1/3 cups oats and pulse 15 times.
Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size lumps.
Transfer to a bowl.
Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms. Gently knead on a floured surface 6 times.
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Pat into a 9-inch square (1/2 inch thick). Cut into 9 (3-inch) squares. Cut each square diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet.
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Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown, about 16 minutes.Makes 18 scones.

Gourmet Last Touch
November 2005

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100% would makethis recipe again

Recipe -- tasty homemade meat loaf, not my, Jim's, recipe

 tasty homemade meat loaf, not my, Jim's, recipe.

 

After reading this article in the H O U S T O N ... C H R O N I C L E .food section we talked a little about Meat Loaf and its making.  Mrs. Jim said it is hard to make a consistent meat loaf, time after time. She would like a good recipe, one that she likes.  So we will try this one. 

Do you remember eating at those old cafeterias owned and operated by a local entrepreneur?  Not the ones most common now, chains and/or franchise enterprises. Cleburne recently closed their doors after opening in 1975.  They will be missed, even so they have shared three of their favorite recipes with the public.  Our paper ran them in the May 4th edition, food section.

 

I mentioned that my mom made the best meat loaf that I have ever tasted.  Mrs. Jim agreed that it was super delicious.  We don't have her recipe though.  This was so close to Mothers Day that I was reminded of a lot of things about Mom.  She died in 1999 at age 88.

Recipe - "Jim's Quick and Easy Apple Pie Recipe"

 Apple pie and cheese my favorite 

I'd have a slice of American Cheese warmed on top 

over a large slice of still warm apple pie.

What could be better than that?

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What is to follow here will be my 

"Jim's Quick and Easy Apple Pie Recipe" 

This apple pie will be really good once I get it baked.

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But first I have to get dressed.

My Saturday morning rule,

be dressed by noon.

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Okay, I didn't dress. Instead I typed up my recipe:

Jim’s Quick and Easy Apple Pie

Ingredients:
1 Box pastry shells for two 9-inch two-crust pies
(Kroger frozen Pie Crusts-unroll & bake or equivalent)
6 cups sliced pared tart apples
1 can prepared Apple Pie Filling (Comstock or equivalent)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon – optional*
¼ teaspoon nutmeg – optional*
2 tablespoons butter or margarine.

Check off "things to do list"

___ Heat oven to 425°. Prepare pastry using directions on the box.
___ Stir together optional spices, sliced apples, and prepared pie filling mix.
___ Turn into pastry-lined pans, dot with butter
___ Cover with top crust using fluting and design of your choice. 

___ Be sure there are a few opening slits in the crust covering for the steam to escape.

___ Place strip of aluminum foil covering the edges. Otherwise "the crusts" will bake first and may even burn.
___ Remove foil for the last 15 minutes.

___ Bake 45 minutes, more or less. Pie is done when crust is brown and 
___ the pie liquids begin to ease or bubble through the crust openings.

Makes eight servings per pie. 

More if cut into smaller slices.

* I generally do not add additional spices. Remember the seasoning
in the prepared mix is for one pie in the eyes of the manufacturer. This
may not be strong enough flavor for two pies to suit your taste.
I hope you try making this, it really is quick and easy. And good!

Eating Time -- a Care Package

Sunday night light meal

Salmon Pinwheels and Drink for Two

 

Brought yesterday to us by Granddaughter, KP,

compliments of our younger daughter.

Swiss cheese sticks, celery, and crackers 
prepared by me.

 

#1 ~~ Texas watermelon

 

#1 ~~ Texas watermelon, 1/16 part at a time. 

  I.e. serves 16 at this size.  Yummy!!

The Fruit Sculpture Band

From our Summer
2013-Venice-to-Athens-via-the-Black-Sea
Cruise

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Jim's Hawaiian shrimp salad
 

The party was held out on the upper deck. 
These were a couple of the carver artists.

 

London Update

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This really should be titled a

"Youngest Granddaughter Update"

 

 

KP in her Fall pre-kindergarten school uniform

Waving goodbye to Mimi who is upstairs waving out the window
Uniform for this day is PE Dress

KP was so happy to see her Mimi yesterday
We met them at her school and
she skipped all the way home

This is a bird's nest that KP made in school this week for the letter "N" (nest)
It is sitting in a predominate location waiting for the little birdies to hatch out

Please don't worry about the eggs hatching.  We aren't.

The ingredients for her creation:
Molten chocolate
Six candy chocolate candy coated bird eggs
Ample amount of corn flakes cereal
One small aluminum baking pan
 

Recipe: Mom's German Snapple Torte

Mom's German Snapple Torte

Recipe Ingredients
11⁄2 cups (5 oz) sweetened flaked coconut
11⁄2 cups (6 oz) chopped pecans
1⁄2 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1⁄2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter, melted
1 box (21 oz) Family-Style Chewy Fudge Brownies mix
1/2 cup Snapple (or Coke, coffee, etc)
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1⁄3 cup confectioners’ sugar

Recipe Preparation
1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Line a 15 x 10-in. rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, letting foil extend above pan on both ends. Coat foil with nonstick spray.
2. Mix coconut, pecans, brown sugar and butter in a bowl until well blended; set aside.
3. Prepare brownie mix as package directs for cake-like brownies.

Substitute 1/2 cup of Snapple, coke, coffee, etc. for 1/2 cup water.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Top with coconut mixture.
4. Bake 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
5. Lift foil by ends onto a cutting board. Cut brownie crosswise in thirds. Beat cream and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl with mixer on medium-high speed until moist, stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.
6. To assemble: Place 1 brownie layer, nut side up, on a serving platter. Spread top with 1 cup whipped cream. Repeat with remaining layers and cream, ending with cake. Frost sides with remaining cream. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
7. To serve: Cut with a serrated knife in 1-in. slices; cut each slice in half.

Can be made through Step 6 up to 1 day ahead.

Recipe from Woman's Day, September 13, 2005 (link)
Mom added the Snapple (etc) flavor aid idea

Recipe: Quick and easy Cinaman Roll White Frosting or Streusel Topping

This is one of my 'quick and easy' food recipes. I do have others. My most famous (published) is 'quick and easy Southwestern Stuffed Green Peppers. I also have published a 'quick and easy Apple Pie.'

Here goes:

Jim's Quick and Easy White Frosting

Recipe Ingredients: (any brands will do, my
preferences will duplicate what my family likes)

One can of vanilla cake frosting
(I prefer Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting)

Two table spoons of pure vanilla
(I prefer a California source)

One half cup, packed, brown sugar

Chopped walnuts if desired

Recipe Preparation:

Heat in the microwave enough frosting for
whatever you are wanting to frost

When just barely melted stir in the vanilla and other ingredients

Spread or poor over your cake, rolls, streusel, or whatever

Let cool at room temperature until frosting is crusted

Notes:
1. You can also stir in some melted cream cheese or other desired flavoring.
Some walnuts, cut up orange slices, or huge chocolate chips, or what ever you like will make a surprise coating for all kinds of cakes and items you bake. You could also embellish prepared pastry bought at the store with a mixture of sorts.

2. I may have a picture at a later date. I invite readers to e-mail in pictures showing how their creations came out. I can post some of the prettiest here. If you do this please give me written permission to publish here.

More Baby KP pictures # 02

These four pictures were taken after we were ready to go for brunch Saturday Morning. That's Mrs. Jim, Mimi, holding Baby KP. Then she is in her car seat.

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I still say,
"Ain't she cute!"
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Just in case you were wondering what we had at the brunch, this is pretty much it. Today there weren't any pancakes or waffles, some days there are.

I did have coffee, not in the picture, to drink. Karen had Diet Coke, her standby.
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Lunch at the Jim Bunch's house — a fancy egg sandwich plus — less than 500 calories

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This is Jim's Four Minute Egg Sandwich. Garnished with low fat cottage cheese and shrimp it made a very nice lunch for one.

When Mrs. Jim is home for lunch it is just as easy to make for two.



Ingredients - Calories - Fat Calories

Sandwich:

One large egg - 71 - 45

Salsa 1 heaping tsp - 7 - 0

Whole wheat bread 2 slices - 180 - 20

Low fat American cheese 1 slice - 50 - 25

Medium frozen cooked shrimp 5 each - 33 0

Low fat cottage cheese 1 serving - 90 - 20
Medium frozen cooked shrimp 10 each - 66 - 0
Diet Coke, one can - 0 - 0

- Defrost shrimp in hot water. We have an instant hot water facet.
- Toast bread. Today I substituted one slice, the top one, for two small and thin slices of Kroger Bakery LaBrea Baked Vienna Petite Loaf Bread with slightly less calorie count.
- While bread is toasting, break egg into a four by one inch square Pyrex baking dish. Whisk briskly with a fork held flatly with bottom side down until yolk is fully integrated. Add Salsa and whip again until fully mixed.
- Cover with paper towel and cook in microwave for one minute at 100%.
- Place one half cheese slice one each side of cooked egg.
- Cut in half and lift piece out with a clean fork.
- Place on prepared bread, I put chopped shrimp and ketchup on mine. (RED for Ruby [Red] Tuesday posting)

Total Calories: Sandwich - 341 - 90

Total: - 497 - 110
These can be reduced by using no-fat cheese and cottage cheese. I do not like the taste of no-fat cottage cheese.

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Katrin and Adi were my observers. Katrin was laying on the floor until I tried to get her to pose better. It is unusual for Adi to lay down while I am eating.

On the other hand, Katrin is French and she could be well behaved with us at any French restaurant. Most restaurants there want the dogs to be on a leash,tied to a chair or the table. That would be fine with Katrin although she does not like walking with a leash.

Our trip to Blue Bell -- Free ice cream, free tour!

Originally Posted September 24, 2008

These are the pictures I took on our visit to the Blue Bell Ice Cream plant last Friday, September 19, 2008. Our granddaughter, BP was out of school that week for Hurricane Ike recovery so the three of us, BP, Mrs. Jim, and I drove up to Brenham, Texas, for our visit.

Our visit included a tour which was free as their gift to the many affected by the hurricane. There were a lot of children on the tour. One of the employees said that this season generally has hardly children visiting. They knew there just wasn't anything exciting to do in Houston with no power, little food, and the other hardships.

The first picture is my favorite, our ice cream was included in the tour. This time they gave us double dips.

BP had Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough , Mrs. Jim. had Pecan Caramel Fudge, and I had Strawberry. I can't eat nuts anymore or I would have loved to have had something with pecans. (Flavors of the month link)

The old truck at the bottom is a 1932 Model B Ford. The Model B trucks and cars used a four cylinder engine rather than the new for 1932 Flathead V-8 (eight cylinder) engine.

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