Shopping Around the World – Reminder

Hello sweet friends.  Did you have a lot of fun with Shopping Around the World last month?  We just have a blast seeing everyone’s recipes and pictures.  Since this is the summer and it is so hot here, why don’t we focus this month on foods that you prepare in this type of heat.  Whether it’s a simple salad, a sandwich with chips, a watermelon salad – what do you fix for dinner when it’s just so hot outside to be cooking anything in the kitchen.

Shopping Around the World will be hosted on Monday, July 31, 2017 here in blogville.  Now remember, link back to my blog here so everyone can find your links.  And remember have fun with your recipes.  Can’t wait to see your recipes, pictures and prices in your area.  ❤

Oh and you haven’t already, please fill free to use my Shopping Around the World with Bacon badge for your blog that my brother Phenny fixed for all of us.  Thanks again brother!

 

Shopping Around the World

Hello sweet friends.  Did you have a lot of fun with Shopping Around the World last month?  We just have a blast seeing everyone’s recipes and pictures.  Since this is the summer and it is so hot here, why don’t we focus this month on foods that you prepare in this type of heat.  Whether it’s a simple salad, a sandwich with chips, a watermelon salad – what do you fix for dinner when it’s just so hot outside to be cooking anything in the kitchen.

Shopping Around the World will be hosted on Monday, July 31, 2017 here in blogville.  Now remember, link back to my blog here so everyone can find your links.  And remember have fun with your recipes.  Can’t wait to see your recipes, pictures and prices in your area.  ❤

Oh and you haven’t already, please fill free to use my Shopping Around the World with Bacon badge for your blog that my brother Phenny fixed for all of us.  Thanks again brother!

 

Shopping Around the World

Today’s Shopping Around the World is being hosted by our cousins Teddy and Angel Sammy from TWOspoiledcats.  This month Teddy and Angel Sammy are hosting main meals that do not have meat. Now this is a tough one.  Anyone that knows my daddy, knows that he is definitely a meateater.  So mom got creative.  She told daddy he had to come up with a meatless dinner.  HA!  It’s not so funny or easy when the job falls on the daddy.  Good one mom!  So without further ado, this is what daddy came up with for Shopping Around the World.

Dad here.  I told the mom I had this one.  I can do a meatless dinner.  Sure I can.  I have that much talent.  Okay, maybe it’s not how the mommy does things on Shopping Around the World but I’m a man… give me a break this time okay.  So over the weekend since we had a difficult time, I told the wifey I had dinner.  That’s when we went to a restaurant called Mellow Mushroom.  See, I know you are suppose to cook and post recipes but I do have a visual impairment so I get a learning curve, right?  Thanks friends.

We started out by ordering a lil salad to share.  It had romaine and iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, red cabbage, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, mushrooms, Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes and mozzarella.  See that’s a great start.  And I added candied pecans for crunch.  Yummo!  The salad cost $4.49 and there was plenty for me and the missus to share.  Sorry for the picture.  I forgot to snap it before I dug in.

Now came the hard part.  Getting a meal without meat.  This was the most difficult choice in my life in some time.  I mean heck, first up my wife usually makes my food choices and she knows I like my meat.  This body was made for meat!  Second up, I don’t do much cooking so I kind of had to cheat and go out since I was challenged with this Shopping Around the World.  I thought hard about what to order as a meatless entree.  I think I nailed it.

May I introduce you to a large wheat dough Mellow Mushroom pie with an olive oil and garlic base (extra garlic please), fresh mozzarella cheese and black olives – no meats.  Doesn’t that look awesome.  I also sprinkled it with red pepper flakes.  The pizza cost $16.96.  And here’s the kicker.  Me and the wife like to call this kind of meal, a meal that keeps on giving.  There is enough pizza to last a couple of more nights – Deal of the Day, right?

So for a total of $25.00 (including a tip), we have a meatless dinner that lasts three nights for two peeps.  So that’s what, $4.17 a person?  Not bad for a dude huh?  So I hope I pulled off Shopping Around the World this month.

Thanks again to cousins Teddy and Angel Sammy for hosting this month.  Sending you much love from the Hotel Thompson ❤

 

Shopping Around the World

  This month it is scheduled for December 30th – after the holiday so we can all make plans.  Since it is the Christmas holidays, this month we will again focus on appetizers, side dishes, salads, soups, main entrees or desserts.

This month we wanted to highlight a wonderful soup that mom/dad like to eat during the winter time.  This soup is also a great jump start for their diet… but that’s another story.  Here is what you will need:

♦ Steak Picanha – already sliced into bite sized strips – one package around $5.00 (note any kind of steak will work for this recipe.  In fact, you can even switch the steak for chicken cut into bite sized strips.)

♦ One head of cabbage – $1.48 head

♦ One can of white/yellow corn – $0.48 can

♦ One can of diced tomatoes with green chilis – $0.48 can

♦ One package of beef broth or chicken brother – $1.50

♦ Two cups of water, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

♥

Cut up the entire head of cabbage and throw in the bottom of the crock pot.  Add your cans of corn, chilis, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.  Add in your stock and water.  Add your meat to the top and put the lid on your crock pot.

Turn on your crock pot to low and let that crock pot do the work for you all day.  When you get ready to eat, you will be amazed at the smell and taste.  It’s hardy and wonderful.  If you want it a little thicker, you can add a cut up potato with your ingredients.

Mom/dad often use this to jump start their diet.  Why?  Well the cabbage is an amazing item…. snorts with piggy laughter.  This soup costs about $9.00 to prepare but lasts for a couple of days.  It’s a little spicy but not so hot that you can’t enjoy it.

 

Travels in the South

Hello friends – welcome to the next series of Travels in the South.  This series starts with the arrival of Fozziemom and Fozziedad all the way from Australia.  Today we highlight how the mom’s encouraged the dad’s to go to a baby hospital.  Something was mentioned about biological clocks.  I’m not sure what that means.  So the field trip was scheduled and everyone gathered in the Jeep headed to Cleveland, Georgia.  Does that town ring a bell with you?  How about if I show you a picture of the hospital.

Now is that a hospital or what?  The moms were so totally excited upon seeing this place.  Personally I think it was because of all of the mountain streets that the GPS was directing everyone to travel.  And yes, it was so hidden away near the mountains that dad said he thought he heard banjo music playing.  But again I digress.

Welcome my friends to Babyland General Hospital – home of the Cabbage Patch Kids.  Now if you have been reading my blog for any length of time you will know that mom is not a huge fan of those kids.  In fact to refresh your memory, mom got one when she was a young teenager.  She completely hated it.  It might have been because mom was a tomboy.  It might have been because the freak had red hair and reminded her of Chucky.  It could have been just because.  But mom hated the freak of nature.

And upon getting fussed out repeatedly because she didn’t “play with it”, mom did just that one day.  It was a swift game of Indians and Cowboys with the red headed freak being tied to a tree and set on fire.  Don’t worry mom wasn’t hurt and the fire wasn’t huge… just big enough to take care of little Chuckette.

So knowing the story, you would think this would be the very last place mom would want to go for a visit.  But through conversations with Fozziemom, it just *had* to happen.  Strange huh?

When you pull up to the hospital, there are huge ceramic babies in cabbage leaves all along the front and sides of the building.  Some are boys and other girls.  Some have pacifiers while others don’t.  And look at this picture closely – do you see who showed up for the tour?  BASHFUL!  Can you believe that?

Now daddy said that there were more squeals coming from the girls than he had heard in a long time.  It wasn’t bad enough that the place looked huge from the outside but then you have all of these ‘babies’ sitting around the building.  Shaking my piggy head.  By this point, even mom was giving in to the hospital with anticipation and couldn’t wait to get inside of the hospital.

When you first enter, along the walls there are pictures of hundreds of celebrities who have autographed pictures to Xavier Roberts (the founder of Cabbage Patch Kids).  Also as you go further into the waiting room, there is a huge cabbage patch chair.  Oh don’t worry, everyone had to take a turn on the chair to get their pictures taken… you know for documentational purposes to prove they were there – yeah that’s it.

Now some people – snort oink – had a great time in that chair.  And mom and Fozziemom said the cabbage patch chair is way comfortable.

Of course the dad’s were forced to partake in picture time.  What?  You never know when you might be back and you want all of the picture opportunities you can get.

 

The hospital is set up in many sections.  The waiting room, the nursery, the baby room, the toddler room and then the delivery room.

♥

The nursery had babies that were so young in their cribs.  Of course Fozziemom couldn’t help but to gather one up and rock in the rocking chair that was so handy in the nursery.  Look that picture – doesn’t that show ❤ ?  And a cool thing about the nursery and baby rooms – there was crying.  Babies that actually were heard crying!  What an awesome delight that was.

And the baby room for toddlers – OMP!  Mom said they had the toddlers in cribs taking naps, in high chairs, in bouncy chairs, on changing tables and in strollers.  Can you imagine that?  And there wasn’t just a few – there at least 50-75 babies in these couple of rooms.  It was a hoot – and daddy said mom was overwhelmed.

After seeing these rooms, everyone had to go into the main room which also housed the delivery room.  On this day, we were five minutes late or we would have seen the birth of a baby.  Mom just kicks herself for missing that.

All over the main room there were hundreds of babies in different stages in their babyhood.  These babies were sprouting from their cabbage patch leaves.  Some of their heads would move.  In another section, some babies were in their leaves and their bodies would come up and down out of the leaves.  But these babies, they were ready to be born yet. The babies are pollinated by fanciful Bunnybees and taken care of by the licensed patch doctors and nurses.

Did I mention that the staff of the hospital are all dressed in nurse outfits?  Of course they are – why wouldn’t they be, right?  I mean it is a hospital – snorts with piggy laughter.

Dad – bless his heart – thought he was going to pass out when mom told him joyfully, “Honey, I want a baby!”  He made her promise that it wouldn’t end up like the first one she had.  After she promised, he let her loose to find her perfect baby.

So while Fozziemom and Fozziedad searched the hospital for their liking, mom took off to find her baby.  Dad says he thinks that mom held at least 80% of the babies talking to them to see if any of them with bond with her.  Just when she thought she was going to give up – she found her baby – Haley Bree.

And look at Haley Bree – with her pink glasses, pacifier and ballerina outfit that mom just had to buy for her baby – of course completed with tutu.  And yes, that is a baby diaper in the picture as well that mom bought.

So my friends, what has the Travels in the South taught you?  Putting together Fozziemom and mom, there will be trouble.  You can’t even guess how much trouble because we will get more into that next week.  But this day also teaches us that a mom can change her colors.  Once mom saw exactly where Cabbage Patch Kids came from, she *had* to have one.  Now, she has fond memories of their tour this day and all of the oohhing and aaahhing that mom and Fozziemom went through with all of the babies.

Join us next week my friends as we continue with our Travels in the South with Fozziemom and Fozziedad.

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping Around the World

Welcome my friends for another great edition of Shopping Around the World.

This month we have a suggestion from my cousin Sammy on highlighting soups for January.  Now is the time to start making some wonderful hot soups for dinners that make us feel all cozy and warm.  Is there a special soup that you fix?  A soup that your finally raves about and requests?  It does not have to be five items or less this month.  Share your recipe and picture of your soup!

Mom’s soup of choice is her Spicy Cabbage Soup.  Doesn’t that sound good just reading it?  You can make it as spicy or not as you like.  And what’s better than that?  It’s simple!

2 cans of mixed vegetables, $2.38

1 can of roasted tomatoes, $1.12

1 package of sirloin, about a pound.  On this date it was cheaper to buy it as a small piece of sirloin instead of it already being cubed.  It was $6.50 for the pound – which was plenty because dad likes a lot of meat in his soups/stews.

1 head of cabbage, $0.99 for the head.

2 boxes of beef broth, $4.98

Seasoning in the form of pepper, flour, salt and pepper flakes.

Directions:  Plug in your crock pot and put on low in the early morning before leaving for work.  Pour in the two boxes of beef broth.  We get the low sodium kind.  Chop up the entire head of cabbage and put in the crock pot. Stir the cabbage in to make sure the broth is covering it.  In the meantime, cut up your sirloin into small cubes.  You can buy the sirloin that is already cut up – whatever you prefer.  This date it was cheaper to buy it whole.  Salt, pepper and toss the beef in a light powdering of flour.  Put a little bit of olive oil in a pan over the oven and lightly color the beef to brown it.  This step of coating the sirloin in flour and coloring it helps to ‘thicken’ your soup a bit and is optional.  When this is done, put the beef in the crock pot.  Remember to scrape the bottom of your pan with all of the bits and pieces of yummy.

Then add in your canned vegetables, roasted tomatoes, black pepper to taste and pepper flakes to taste.  Remember, pepper flakes are spicy.  Less is best if you are not sure what kind of spice you want.  You can always add more in when you serve the individual bowls.  Mom likes to serve it with cornbread or a crusty type bread for dipping.  Goes great on cold rainy days or cold winter nights.

 

What’s it Like to Have a Pig

Last week, I did a blog posting on Facts about Moi. If you missed it, please go and take a look.  These were some of the things that people have asked mom/dad over the years.  Today, I wanted mom to write a blog posting about some facts about me.  I hope you find it interesting – take it away mom.

Thanks Bacon my cute little oinker 🙂

Having a pig is awesome.  But there are some cons and pros about having any kind of animal under your care.  We like to say that Bacon owns us and not we own a pig.  Trust me, that’s how it works here at the Hotel Thompson and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pros: Pigs have a great sense of time.  In all the years Bacon has lived here, I do not need to set my alarm clock.  Bacon knows exactly what time to get me up in the mornings for breakfast.  His timing is so good, that he even lets us sleep in a little on the weekend.  He is the best sous chef I have ever had.  When I cook dinner at night, he often comes into the kitchen and sits on the floor waiting to help.  Help with what you ask?  Well, peeling potatoes for one.  He absolutely LOVES to eat the part I peel. Salad making is another one – the boy loves his lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes.  And cabbage – oh my!  Every since I was kid, I love to chew on the core of the cabbage.  Now Bacon loves it too.  Bacon gives so much love – he’s warm – he’s sweet and we both love to snuggle on the sofa together at the end of a very hard day and watch some television.  That’s another thing – he loves his shows on television.  He knows key words like sit, bedtime, snuggle, kitchen, dinner, breakfast, go to your room.  He’s very smart and it shows.  AND he is very protective of me.  If he doesn’t know you, he will get in between you and me and stand guard.  If you get closer to me, he will even snort at you.  I call him my protect pig.

Cons: He is pig-headed.  Now you know where that phrase comes from.  When he wants something, he wants it yesterday.  He can put those breaks on and he will not move.  If he wants something, he will put his head down and torpedo his way to what he wants.  He is very strong and has knocked me down a couple of times.  Of course, he tries to make up for afterwards.  He *hates* to be ignored.  That is the worse thing that you can do to my sweet guy.  You can not board a pig here in our area.  So you have to arrange for a sitter in advance.  And then you worry are they taking care of him like I would.  He loves his schedule too and we feed him three times a day.  My husband tells me that I cook for him more than him – LOL.  He eats piggy chow but he also eats plenty of salads, omelets and from time to time piggy pancakes.

 

Shopping Around the World – REMINDER

My friends – thank YOU so very much for everyone’s wonderful responses to my and Fozzie’s Shopping Around the World blog posts.  We are having so much fun seeing the different prices from around the world AND looking at some intriguing recipes and dinner suggestions.  They are so totally awesome!  Let’s keep up the great work – remember to link back to my blog here so we can keep up with who is playing and keep up with all of the recipes.

This month we are focusing on FIVE items of your choice in a dessert.  MMM – licking my piggy lips – this sounds so delicious already!  Mark your calendars to meet back here on Wednesday, August 26th.  Can’t wait to see recipes and pictures 🙂

 

Shopping Around the World – Mark Your Calendar

My friends – thank YOU so very much for everyone’s wonderful responses to my and Fozzie’s Shopping Around the World blog posts.  We are having so much fun seeing the different prices from around the world AND looking at some intriguing recipes and dinner suggestions.  They are so totally awesome!  Let’s keep up the great work – remember to link back to my blog here so we can keep up with who is playing and keep up with all of the recipes.

This month we are focusing on FIVE items of your choice in a dessert.  MMM – licking my piggy lips – this sounds so delicious already!  Mark your calendars to meet back here on Wednesday, August 26th.  Can’t wait to see recipes and pictures 🙂

 

Shopping Around the World

My friends – thank YOU so very much for everyone’s wonderful responses to my and Fozzie’s Shopping Around the World blog posts.  We are having so much fun seeing the different prices from around the world AND looking at some intriguing recipes and dinner suggestions.  They are so totally awesome!  Let’s keep up the great work – remember to link back to my blog here so we can keep up with who is playing and keep up with all of the recipes.

This month we focused on FIVE items of your choice in a meal.  It was a “Go for what you know” kind of meal.

 Mom’s “Go to meal” is something easy that she puts in the crock pot all day long to simmer – Spicy Cabbage Soup.  And we all love it – yep we have tasted it.  It’s that good.  It’s an easy meal, has a little spice to it and is great for a cold wet day.  We hope that you enjoy it too when you fix it 🙂

2 cans of mixed vegetables, $2.38

1 package of sirloin, about a pound.  On this date it was cheaper to buy it as a small piece of sirloin instead of it already being cubed.  It was $7.43 for the pound.

1 head of cabbage, $1.28 for the head.

2 boxes of beef broth, $4.98

Seasoning in the form of pepper, salt and pepper flakes.

Directions:  Plug in your crock pot and put on low in the early morning before leaving for work.  Pour in the two boxes of beef broth.  We get the low sodium kind.  Chop up the entire head of cabbage and put in the crock pot. Stir the cabbage in to make sure the broth is covering it.  In the meantime, cut up your sirloin into small cubes.  You can buy the sirloin that is already cut up – whatever you prefer.  This date it was cheaper to buy it whole.  Salt and pepper the beef and throw it in the crock pot with a quick stir.  Then add in your canned vegetables, black pepper to taste and pepper flakes to taste.  Remember, pepper flakes are spicy.  Less is best if you are not sure what kind of spice you want.  You can always add more in when you serve the individual bowls.  Mom likes to serve it with cornbread or a crusty type bread for dipping.  Goes great on cold rainy days or cold winter nights.