Making A Roux and Painting Cabinets With Harry Connick Jr

I am currently the queen of multi-tasking.  I am trying to use up everything in the

freezer while also finishing the painting of my kitchen cabinets that I started to 

paint one year ago!!!  

What to do? What to do???

I think I will make a roux!  Okay that idea came to me when I discovered that I 

had two andouille sausages in the freezer along with some chicken breasts.  I also

had one green pepper, an onion, and some celery.  Yes I had the trinity, so I put

on some of my favorite New Orleans jazz and grabbed a skillet, some canola oil

and my flour.  

Now for those of you who have never made a roux, it's easy peasy and it adds

a delicious depth of flavor to your dish.  Here is a video to show you the 

technique ~

Thank you Poppy!  I would have made my own video, but I am here
in the cottage by myself with Bentley and he is too short to hold up the
camera lol!

So here is my own roux starting on the stove.  I am not going to cook

mine as fast as Poppy did hers, so I am going to turn the heat way down

and let it cook slowly so that I can paint a bit, then stir and paint ....

Of course I need some music to put me in the mood, so I am going

to listen to some New Orleans jazz.   Let's see, this should set the mood ...

I love to have music playing when I cook.  For me, it just heightens the 

experience!

Let's check back and see how my roux is coming along ...

Well, it is starting to get a tiny bit darker, so let's get back to painting.

It's the color of milk chocolate now so I better stir in the onions and 

then the remainder of the trinity as Poppy suggested, because if I don't

I will be eating at midnight.

The rest of my recipe is this ~  I sliced and sauteed the sausage in a tiny

bit of canola oil.  Draining most of the oil off, I slipped the sausage into the pan.

Then I sauteed cubed chicken breasts in the same pan as I used for the 

sausage and slipped them into the mix as well.  Then I added I can of 

diced tomatoes, juice and all and a bit of chicken stock.  I used the remainder

of the chicken stock for cooking my brown rice.  That's it!

PS: seasoned with salt and pepper and Chef Paul Prudomme's 

Magic Seasoning Salt.

  

Thank you Harry for making this a wonderful afternoon in the kitchen!

Bentley, I saved some chicken for you without all the spices.

Big Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

In Defense of My Friend Brenda of Cozy Little House

When I first started blogging a bit over three years ago, I met another

blogger who took me under her wing.  She helped me to get more

exposure by featuring me on her weekly Welcome Wagon post.  And

then she spent hours (and I do mean HOURS) on the phone with me

answering my many questions and giving me a great deal of help.

She did all of this out of the goodness of her heart and expected

nothing in return.  That's the kind of gal she is.  Her name is

Brenda and her blog is Cozy Little House.

I also know that other newbie and not so newbie bloggers have

benefited from her generosity.  Now I am saddened to know that

some readers have been criticizing her for her ads taking up too

much space on her blog or the fact that Brenda is a very frank person

and let's us into her world.  She does not sugar coat.  To read Brenda's post

go here.

I imagine that there is a blog for just about every subject and every lifestyle and that is how

it should be.  How fortunate we all are that such a format exists.  We have the opportunity to

pick and choose between so much talent and creativity.  We can enjoy this format from the

comfort of our own homes, from our smart phones while we wait in the grocery line, from

wherever we may be.  And all of this is free to the reader!  

But creating and writing a blog on regular basis is hard work.  For those of you

who are blog authors, you know exactly what I am talking about.  And there are 

expenses involved as well.  At some point the concept of accepting advertising

becomes quite tempting just to offset some of the costs of writing the blog.  This 

is a choice that the blogger may make.

  Will I be offended by ads or will I choose to no longer read a favorite

blog because the author has chosen for whatever reason to accept ads? 

Perhaps a blogger has reached the subscriber level where money can

be made from their blog.  If one is working on a daily basis to

provide a fascinating format is it fair that one should be compensated?

Yesterday Jeremy and Jacob came over to cut my lawn.  My  husband is

down in Texas already and I am up here coping with the responsibilities

of two households and a rental property.  I don't have time to cut the grass.

I paid Jeremy and Jacob because they look after this task for me and

I am happy to pay them.  And I am happy to click on an interesting ad

on a site that I happily read often.  It's a fair trade to me.

Brenda has made a choice to accept advertising on her blog.

It is not up to me or to anyone to judge her decision to do so.

But I will say that Brenda has worked very hard to provide us

with beautiful photos and exemplary writing.  She has gladly

provided help and tips for navigating through the blog format

options.  She has introduced us to blogs we well may have 

missed on our own.  

Brenda has bared her soul to all of us.  She has shared her passions

and her intimate self.  Not all of us are capable of being so 

transparent, nor do all of us choose to be, but Brenda is a

gutsy gal.

For whatever it is worth Brenda, I like your blog and have

for many years now.  I don't mind your ads at all and it does

not interfere with your entertaining content.  Keep your head

held high my friend.

Happily Joining ~

Pink Saturday

Bentley ~ say hi to Brenda's Yorkie pups Abi and Charlie!

Big Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Table Top Memories

Over the past several years we have had tea parties.

Served breakfast and lunch on the deck.

And some cocktail parties too.

Served coffee on a vintage card table and cloth while we played bridge.

Enjoyed cozy meals in the crisp fall air.  

And snuggled up inside when the weather got colder.

Lots of happy table top memories.

Happily Joining ~

Tablescape Thursday

Let's Dish

Home and Garden Thursday

Open House Thursday

Vintage Thingie Thursday

Show and Tell Friday

Home Sweet Home

Feathered Nest Friday

Be Inspired

Bentley ~ would you like to post next time?

He's working on it.

Big Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Sharing A Few Pinterest Pretties

Source: vibekedesign.blogspot.nl via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

I am taking a quick break from my moving chores.  Wow, moving two

households is a monumental task.  How do I cope with the stress?

I have three methods ~ a cup of hot tea, yoga and Pinterest.

Source: jamaicabyles.blogspot.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

There is something so therapeutic about pinning pics to Pinterest.
For me it is my in-house, go to therapist to calm my nerves.
For 30 minutes (and believe me I have to set a timer or I would be
pinning for hours) I can escape into the friendly world of pretty images.

I wonder if the creators of Pinterest  had any idea that their creation would
have this effect on it's users?

Source: google.co.za via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

I am going to stop talking now and just let you soak in all of the
calming effects.

Source: countryliving.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: french-knot.tumblr.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: tovestoogfirbeinte.blogspot.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: rosa-rot.blogspot.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: thelittlecorner.tumblr.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Source: junkmarketstyle.com via Susan Freeman on Pinterest

Of course sometimes the therapy leads one into a new direction.
Judging from the pics I decided to share with you, apparently what
I really needed this therapy session was energy and not a calming effect.
All of these reds have left me happy and ready to get back to work.
How do they make you feel?

Bentley is just happy that I am about to stop posting for the moment.  For him,
there is always the hope of some serious playtime!

For more therapy, visit my Pinterest Boards.

Happily Joining ~
Cottage Style Party

Big Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

Yet Another Painting Project

Here is a small dry sink.  I have been wanting to paint this forever.

So I did and ...

It's coming with us to Texas.

I really hope that the movers don't freak out when they see

all of the dishes they have to pack!

And all of these accessories like Grandma's ceramic cat.

Yes Bentley ~ it is coming with us!

Happily Joining ~

Amaze Me Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Tweak It Tuesday

Inspire Me

What's It Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Okay Bentley ~ that's enough tweaking.  Now let's get

back to work getting ready for our move.

Big Hugs,

Susan and Bentley