Friday friend recipe number 336 and 337, MEGAN’s chicken, saltimbocca and baked zucchini

 

I must get this done!  At least to prove something to myself if not the Handyman...

 because...

...about 22 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to one of my favorite sisters-in-law, Meghan Stone's Baked Zucchini and Chicken Saltimbocca 

These were both really great.  My photos are not.

Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish that dates back to ancient Rome. The name saltimbocca literally means "jump in the mouth" in Italian, which is fitting given its delicious flavor.

So in other words, don't be swayed by my photos of the saltimbocca--just make it and taste it. It will jump in your mouth!

When I was little, I didn't think I liked zucchini.

I was wrong.

And again-- since I am getting closer to the end, these are the last recipes of Meghan's that I'll be posting.

We're saying goodbye.

(the Handyman just walked by, and I said (with tears in my eyes) --we're saying goodbye to Meghan now and he said WHY? I said--it's her last recipes in the FF Cookbook.)

Here is the Handyman's youngest brother Mike and his beautiful wife Meghan.

The story?  Ohhh, the story!

As you know I've saved a few answers from the Friday Friend Forum of years ago. (some I probably shouldn't share - yikes)

But here I go, giving Meghan's answers to life's pertinent questions.

Once I asked about Homecoming--

She said: I always liked school dances. Prom.  Homecoming, winter formal.  The Best Homecoming year was when I was a Pom-Pom girl and there was a flurry of activities and rallies leading up to the big game and dance.  I am sure the worst wqas probably my Freshman year--the Jr/Sr Prom.  I liked a Junior. He was taking someone else to the dance.  He did not know I liked him.  Found a friend to let him know and we started dating after that and he was my boyfriend all through high school. 

Me:  Well, it's a good thing it didn't last past high school--otherwise you'd be with someone else's family!!

And then once I asked about Voodoo.  I asked if you could use a Voodoo doll to hurt someone, who would it be?

She said: Voodoo...in reality, no, but in fantasy land, where this question was written...ANYONE who crosses the path of my kids or husband--POKE POKE!!

ME:  But my favorite answers of hers, were her little quips when I asked a food question.  She ran a catering business for quite a few years, and she is great cook, so they always struck me as funny.

I once asked about the famous, legendary, one and only, first and foremost Diner Foods--the open-faced hot roast beef sandwich. 

She said:  Not a fan...even au jus.  I need a toasty roll, quick dip and shovel it all in.   I prefer bread stuffing on the bottom of the roast beef and gravy pile, that I could dig.

Christmas eve dinner, once upon a time.

Meghan:   I am making spinach salad, and supposedly in charge of the roast (!!??)   My mom is having cracked crab and cold shrimp--with minestrone and spinach salad.  I am doing the salad and the minestrone....and maybe the shrimp.  So, my mom is doing crab. 

Should I just throw this hunk of meat in the crock pot and call it good?

And on eating alone:

The only time I eat alone is when the kids are at school...a lot of times I don't eat till lunch and then may dine out or grab something (UNHEALTHY) to go.

I'll have the leftovers from the night before for breakfast. 

*******************

I know that wasn't really a Meghan 'story', just great memories for me.

The way I met her was thru emails.  We became fast friends over the internet. LOL   And then she became family and then we met in person!

These are some of my favorite people/family members ever. They are adorable.  Just look at them!

So, friends, My friends!  These are recipes, #336 and #337

out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(Although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?

You can check out all of Meghan's recipes here.  Just click it.

Friday friend recipes #332, 333, and 334

 

Making my way thru my Friday Friend Cookbook, one recipe at a time.

What is the Friday Friend cookbook? I once had about 50 of my closest friends and family (from all over the county) on an e-mail forum which I called the Friday Friends. At first, most of them didn't know each other, (they knew me) but over the past 21 years, we've answered and shared silly--and serious---questions, exchanged Secret Santa Christmas gifts, had a dieting contest in which we paid a $1 a week and that money went to a scholarship fund for a Friday Friends son's memorial scholarship, and we went on a great vacation for my 52 birthday. (plus so much more....)

AND, we contributed recipes for a cookbook.

I was looking at the cookbook the other night and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."
The Handyman--who thinks he knows me better than I know myself (this happened to be a question on the Friday Friend forum once---does your spouse/partner know you better than you know yourself? Said, "you'll never, EVER do that."
WELL---maybe I'll show him!  Maybe I will.

Which brings me to recipes #332, 333 and 334

Barb's

  Green Noodles and Veggies

Zucchini and Hominy

Jumbo Vegetarian Pasta Shells

I only had parmesan shavings and not anything grated.  They were good on this pasta/side dish. 

This had an interesting flavor and texture-- green pasta in a velvety butter sauce.

And then came the zucchini (good) and hominy (also good), put them together and you have a hearty vegetable side dish.

I like all the ingredients, but if you don't like hominy especially, then this might not be for you.  On the other hand, you don't know what you're missing. 

I couldn't find any pasta 'shells', jumbo or miniature or anywhere in between, in the whole town of Winnemucca.  (we only have 3 grocery stores) So I used some manicotti shells and tried to make them look like 'sea' shells.  HEY!  what a minute---it doesn't say 'sea' shells anywhere in this recipe.  

Imagine that----I'm not on the hotplate anymore.  I used pasta shells---manicotti shells!!

These were yummy, but as I might have mentioned before, one cannot go wrong with pasta and cheese and sauce. 

This posed a bigger dilemma for me than choosing a pasta shell, other than 'sea' shell.

White or Yellow Hominy?

Or Mexican style which looks like a blend.

I'm pretty sure I did the blend.

So---Barb and Doug.

True lovers for a long, long time.

for reference----

Long ago:

 

6 years ago:

We spent a wonderful weekend with the Browns in Tahoe 6 years ago.

But let me get back to the true love part.

One Valentine's Day---in 2005 (I kept records. Seriously. From when we did the Friday Friend Forum.  I knew these confessions by Friday Friends would come in handy someday) I got this email....

From Barb:  I don't want to gloat, but... When I got home from work yesterday, Doug had a bubble bath ready, with a heart candle and a drink.  After I soaked for a while, he got me my white terry robe to lounge in. Then once I was comfortable, I got a foot/leg/neck rub with lotion.  Maybe I need to keep working??  NOT!   I'll take my chances that he will continue to do this.  Isn't he great?

Then later in the month-- I was invited to a Pampered Chef party.  I went with April. When I dropped her off at home, she sighed and said, "I have to go paint a wall.  Want to come see which one I'm painting?  We walked in and it smelled like fresh paint to me..and guess what?  HER DOUG, had painted the wall, so that she could get her new (antique) buffet situated there on that very wall.  He HATES to paint. But he did if for her.

Now I really, really want a Doug of my own!  Dougs seem so nice.

From Barb: Now I sound like an ingrate but go ahead.  He's yours for a while.  I will learn to live with the temporary dust.   Doug took it to a ridiculous level this morning.  He was awake before 5, so the smell of coffee made me get up around 5:05.  He had already read the paper and had a cup. So--while I am trying to do the same---he is starting a load of laundry, dusting the furniture, swiffereing the floors, getting the vacuum out, etcetcetc.  Not that I don't appreciate his help, but does all this need to be done befoer 7am??!!    And the smell of all the cleaning solutions does not go well when one is trying to enjoy their coffee. I finally gave up and took my shower and got cleaned up just to get away from him.  On the bright side, since he has done practically every chore possible, I might just be able to enjoy my coffee and Sunday  paper tomorrow.  It's supposed to rain (in buckets/hard) later today, so I can hardly wait to lie on the couch, with my book and listen to the pitter patter of drops.  Unless Doug decides to move the furniture or something.......

Awwwww--true love!                                                                           I found something interesting in going thru my boxes--of classified Friday Friend material---I found this from Doug (Barb's Doug)  It's his list of top 5 favorite movies.

Wait? What?  There is a movie version of Barb and Doug's Great Adventure?

Hmmm, Barb might have some 'splainin' to do.

The other Doug--April's Doug (and one of my favorite sisters-in-law, Cherrie) and Barb.

So, friends, My friends!  These are recipes, #332, 333, and 334 out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(Although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?

You can check out all of Barb's Recipes here.

Cherrie Lou who's recipes here.   ( just cuz she's right there and she's cute)

And April's recipes here (because there is her Doug :)

Friday friend recipes 328 329 and 330 Linda’s Spaghetti Sauce, Shrimp and Chicken in Wine Sauce and Spinach Terrific

I must get this done!  At least to prove something to myself if not the Handyman...

 because...

...about 22 years ago, 50 of my closest friends and family, who had been on an

  e-mail forum with me, sent in recipes in different categories and we compiled a cookbook.

I decided to count those down!

Why?

because one night I was looking thru the cookbook and I said, "I should make every recipe in here for my blog."

The Handyman/Mayor, who thinks he knows me better than I know myself, said "you'll never EVER do that."

Well, maybe I will!  Maybe I'll show him!

Which brings us to my cousin Linda's Shrimp and Chicken in Wine Sauce, Spinach Terrific and Spaghetti 

Yum to the shrimp and chicken. It was good.

In fact, maybe I'll make it tonight!

The spinach was a fun twist on creamed spinach--which I like. 

Do you?

Before I go any further, I must explain how weird the Handyman is.

For example, he has no free will in choosing his clothes.  When I wash and fold, I leave his T-shirts lying on the bed, he puts them away by putting them under the T-shirts which are already on the shelf. When he gets dressed, he grabs the first T-shirt.  He calls it the rotation--so they all get equal billing/wearing.   I said to him, what if you don't want to wear that shirt?  He said it doesn't matter--it's first up in the rotation.

He does his coats/jackets like that too.

I had no idea.  45 years in and I am still learning new things. We keep it happening--keep the love alive with new discoveries. (sigh)

Anyway...  we had some salad with our spaghetti, and he lined up the salad dressings by expiration date, telling me (and pointing) which one we could eat first.

It was the first blue cheese, of course.  

I went out on a limb and grabbed the French (which I really didn't want, but I was being stubborn) and watched him cringe. 

This is a really good spaghetti sauce--and as Rich said, we've eaten a lot of spaghetti sauces during this countdown.  I believe this is spaghetti sauce recipe #23.

The only thing is--I feel the 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper was a typo.  I'm sure it meant 1 teaspoon. But I can't prove it.  Rich said I had to follow the recipe --exactly, because that's what I do.  BUT I only put in 1/2 tablespoon.

It was very spicey, but very good.

I would make it again---just for the good smell in my house all night long.

Seriously in the middle of the night, I woke up and it smelled like heaven.

Or spaghetti sauce--which is kind of like heaven. 

I used ground beef and turkey.

This will be the last post about my cousin Linda.  It's always sad to go say goodbye (even if she's not really gone)

Linda was one of the most prolific contributors to the Friday Friend Cookbook--

you can check out all of her recipes here (just click).

This is a photo of my mom and me and Linda and her daughter, Jennifer, taken at a wedding.  (it was her son's wedding--and it was about 17 or 18 years ago, I think)

Anyway, it was a wedding!  Weddings are always happy affairs, and I have a little memory of my own wedding, 45 years ago.

And LOOK!  Here is little Jenn 45 years ago, at (and in) my wedding to the Handyman.

Forty-Five years ago, there were no cell phones and pictures weren't as plentiful--anyway, I cannot find a picture of Linda and I at my wedding.  I don't know what was up with that!

But in my wedding book, I have poems that she wrote for Rich and me. In her own handwriting.  

A snapshot of me before the wedding.

A snapshot of Rich outside the church, before the wedding.

One thing I'll say--

We haven't changed a bit!!

My friends!  These are recipes #328, 329, and 330 out of 361 (I'm 99% sure I have all the math down pat now)

2023 will be the year!!

(although I'm slow going)

Then what will I do?