Recycling plants

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It's that time of year when the days are getting shorter. When we roll back the clocks in November, winter has set in and we are in for a long season of dreary days. Old Man Winter stays a long time here, coming as early as late September and staying around until early June. Sometimes we think he will NEVER leave! The only way I make it thorough without going crazy, is the hope that houseplants give me! I've already started re-potting some of my summer annuals to bring inside. There are many that do well in a sunny location in your house... impatiens, begonias, spider plants and ferns. You'd be surprised how happy they can make you feel when the days are cold and blustery! One of my favorite houseplants is the Christmas Cactus. It's orchid like blooms put on a show from late November through Christmas.

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They come in almost any color... I love the pinks and reds since they bloom at just the right time to add color to my holiday decorating! Easy to care for, they tolerate low light conditions in the house. All summer long I keep mine on our shady patios, other than a little plant food and a spritz of water, they are on their own... summer vacation for them and me! When nights begin to cool, I bring them inside and take away their plant food letting the soil dry between waterings. Until buds start forming, they like low light. I keep mine in the living room. Once the buds start to open, move them to a light location, not direct sun though. Favorite places near windows are perfect... bookcases, bedside tables, mantles, kitchen bars, even on the side of your tub if it's near a window! If you have a cool house, they will bloom for as long as 6 weeks! Once it's finished with it's show, move to a sunny place until summer arrives and it's time for their vacation on the patio!

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I learned from Mom that summer's annuals can easily be moved indoors and enjoyed, only to recycle the next summer... and the next summer... and the next summer! She moved her ferns, wandering jew and swedish ivy inside every year and enjoyed them all winter long. The ferns set in the coolest part of our house, a foyer that was shut off from the main house with french doors. There was enough light from the rooms that came off of that hallway to keep them in a semi-dormant state all winter long. It must have kept them from doing the leaf drop that mine are prone to each winter. My house is simply too warm so I keep our ferns in the garage. Since it's well insulated, they do just fine.

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I love a plant that gives me a plant, the Ivy leafed Geraniums that you may have bought this summer can be "wintered over." They are a trailing plant and by the end of the season are often overgrown and rootbound. You can simply give them a haircut, taking off all but 6-8 inches of growth, then set the pot in a cool place with weekly waterings until early spring. For us, that's March. Then you remove from the pot and slice off the bottom 1/3 of the soil to get the tangle of roots. Divide up into pots of three plants, keep them watered and in a light place until temperatures warm and you can move them outside.

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Some of the plants that you can easily propagate are Spider (Chlorophytum comosum), Philodendron and almost any ivy. Just snip, plant and water! 

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Hands down, my favorite houseplant is an African violet. Somewhere along the way, African violets got the reputation of being temperamental. Given a bright window and a drink of fertilized water they will fill your home with blooms all year long. I love the lacy white edged purples and the double bloomed plants, they remind me of Mrs. Freeman. She had her collection on a large table near a dining room window, they were the first thing you'd see as you walked into her house on Summit. No matter how much snow was on the ground, those violets were blooming!

I know I'll be glad I moved all those plants inside once the snowflakes start to fall and I'm on the inside more. It will make winter bearable and give me the hope that springtime will come again and I can dig in the dirt! 

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Speaking of "dirt," here's a great recipe for Ghosts in the Graveyard Cake. This one is from Kraft Foods and is so easy! You can Make and Take in less than 30 minutes, so SAVE for that emergency dessert that you may be needing in the next few weeks. Click HERE for the recipe!

Soup and Sandwich

Soup and sandwich, soup and sandwich, go together like a horse and carriage. 

Anytime or weather, soup and sandwich go together!

All these years later and we still have this song stuck in our head!If you're like me, you probably sing it every time you open a can of Campbell's! Soup is our friend, comforting on a cold day or soothing after a hard one. If you don't have time to make homemade soup during the week, make it on Sunday afternoon and let it bubble away on the stove. Portion for lunches or put in a casserole for a busy day's supper later on that week! You won't hear any complaints....

Hot-Stuff Kielbasa-Cheese Soup ...Just click on the recipe titles to print!

1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 14 1/2 - ounce can chicken broth
3 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium)
8 ounces fully cooked kielbasa (Polish sausage), sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 1/4 cups milk
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (12 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese and coarsely ground pepper (optional)

In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook onion and celery in hot butter or margarine until tender. Stir in flour, Worcestershire sauce and mustard; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Carefully stir in broth. Add potatoes, carrots, and kielbasa. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk. Heat and stir until mixture almost comes to a boil. Reduce heat. Add the 3 cups cheese and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Ladle into soup bowls. Sprinkle with more cheese or pepper, if you like. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1 rotisserie chicken, the ones they sell at Walmart are about 2 1/2 lb.

¾ cup mayonnaise

¾ cup finely chopped celery

2 tablespoons pickle relish

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

12 slices bread

6 leaves lettuce

6 slices tomato

Remove skin and bones from the chicken, then tear or chop meat into bite size pieces (you can separate the white and dark meat and use only one for the chicken salad, if you do this use less mayo, celery and seasonings). Add mayo, celery, relish, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Spoon on bread and top with lettuce and tomato.

Bacon and Baked Potato Soup 

2 (6- 8 ounce) baking potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

12 cup chopped onion

14 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups half and half, light cream or milk 

1 1/4 cups shredded American Cheese (5 ounces)

1 cup chicken broth

8 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained and crumbled

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

1/4 cup dairy sour cream

Scrub potatoes with brush, pat dry. Prick potatoes with a fork. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 40-60 minutes or until tender, cool. Peel potatoes if desired, chop and set aside. In a heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook and stir about 5 minutes until crisp tender. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Add half and half or milk all at once. Cook and stir 5-6 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add potatoes, 1 cup of the cheese and broth, stir until cheese melts. Slightly mash potatoes with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. For the topping, reserve 2 tablespoons of the crumbled bacon, stir remaining bacon and 1 tablespoon of the green onion into the soup. Heat through. To serve, top each serving with bacon, remaining cheese, green onion and sour cream. Makes 6 servings, about 1 cup each.

Smoked Turkey Panini 

1/2-inch thick slices country Italian bread

1/2 cup refrigerated classic bruschetta topping

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

12 ounces sliced cooked peppered turkey breast

1 cup large spinach leaves

Olive oil

To assemble sandwiches, spread 4 bread slices with bruschetta topping and 4 slices with mayonnaise. On bruschetta slices layer turkey, and spinach; top with mayo slices. Lightly brush sandwiches with olive oil. Place sandwiches in hot skillet; weight with additional skillet or use Panini Press. Grill 2 minutes; turn if using pan and cook 2 minutes more or until golden and hot. Serves 4.

Rainy Sunday

Sunday was rainy and cool, a perfect afternoon to go to the movies. For as long as I can remember, I've loved going into a theater and setting in the dark with the man I was lucky enough to marry! 

The old Lyric in Harrison was where we watched Rosemary's Baby and True Grit, it's still there but now is home to The Ozark Arts Council.   

Forty years ago we bought popcorn and cokes from this snack bar. The seats, the stage, the screen... all the same. Even the clock on the wall advertising Lena Frances Flower Shop where I worked is still there!

One of the most fascinating things about the Lyric's history are the murals on the walls of the auditorium. Painted by hobos, they were done during the Great Depression in exchange for food and shelter. 

In America, the true hobo was basically a hard working man of many trades and many talents who wandered the country in search of work.  He laid and repaired railroad track, harvested wheat, cut down trees, mined for gold, herded cattle, built bridges and then moved on. When the Depression hit this country and the times swung from prosperous to destitute, these hard times produced the hobo that we often think of today. 

Seven rows back, four seats over... that's where we held hands almost every Saturday night!