Reuben Sans Bread from Mama Evensen's Test Kitchen

 Good morning,

Mama Evensen's test kitchen came up with another winner this week.  Sometimes we just have to wing it!

Both Kjell and I are working on taking off a few pounds so I devised a way for us to have our Reubens anyway.  Well, sort of....

Above is a little sour kraut in a small casserole dish.  I made two of these.

I added a layer of deli sliced corned beef...

I added cheese (couldn't find swiss in the house so used provolone) and popped it into the oven for 20 minutes on 300 F.

...couldn't find any french or thousand island dressing in the house so whipped up some of my own...

When the casserole came out of the oven I added two tablespoons of my special sauce dressing and set it in a cool dish so that we could hold them on our laps and eat them in our recliners.  Retirement is good - we can eat wherever and whenever we want.  ;)

So there!  It was great and a real winner.  We both agreed we'll have this again.

What fun recipes are you devising at your home?

Lois

Let's Go for a Walk!

 

 Good morning,

Miss Wendy is all dressed up and ready for a walk.  

Actually, there is more to it.  We didn't realize it back in 2016, but the sweet neighbor who lived behind us would soon pass away.  

 

 She always came to the fence and gave our dogs cookies.  This second picture is from 2016 when she was doing just that.  Click the link to see the whole story.

  Wendy learned to go to the fence and "call" her to come out for cookies and she always appeared.

Fast forward, our dear friend and neighbor of 40 years has died and the house has been sold.  Now our Wendy goes to the fence and barks for cookies, but the nice lady is no longer there to give them to her.  We are having a terrible time trying to retrain Wendy not go to the fence and bark when she sees movement in the kitchen of the neighboring house.  The new family seems quite nice and I have explained the situation to their nanny.  They haven't complained at all about the barking, but it is driving us crazy trying to keep our Wendy from constantly barking for the neighbor to appear with cookies in her hands.

So, the harness.  Now we keep a harness and leash on Wendy most of the time when she is in our own back yard so we can lead her away from the fence.

These dogs are so smart!  Wendy will never forget that very sweet neighbor and those yummy cookies.  

Lois

Spring is Bustin' Out All Over

 Good morning,

A few days ago I took the image above of our tulip magnolia, just beginning to bloom.

 It wasn't long before...

...the blossoms...

...opened completely.  I took the last picture yesterday. 

Gorgeous!

And, just to add to the weather drama around here, we are expecting snow this weekend.

:\,

Lois

White Crocus

 Good morning,

This white crocus bloomed later than the darker colors.  I love seeing what is new in the garden each morning.

I love Spring!

:),

Lois

Hyacinth Beauty

 Good morning,

Each day more flowers appear in bloom in our garden.

This lovely hyacinth is the last remaining of hundreds I once had along my stepping stones to the bird feeders.  This color has always been my favorite.  The blue and lavender blend is just gorgeous.

Happy Spring!

Lois

Elsa's Deck Chair

 Good morning,

Our weather has been beautiful (most days) and we are enjoying it tremendously, especially Elsa who has her own deck chair.  

Happy National Puppy Day and Happy Spring!

Lois

Red St. Patrick's Cactus

 Good morning,

It is so enjoyable to see my Christmas Cactus blooming again this season.  I don't think they have ever bloomed in March before, but they are most welcome to do so.

The white plant bloomed last week;  this week it is the red blooms.  

Gorgeous!

:),

Lois