HERBED RICE PUFFS
1 egg
1 cup cooked brown rice or white rice
1/8 teaspoon poultry salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
Vegetable oil
Beat egg, stir in rice, poultry seasoning, salt and cheese. Refrigerate for at 1 hour. Shape by rounded teaspoonful into 15 – 1″ balls. Roll in bread crumbs.
Heat oil (2 to 3 inches) in 2 quart saucepan to 375 degrees.
Fry rice balls until golden brown.
Drain.
Enjoy!
Laurie Jackson
PRESSURE COOKED APPLE BUTTER
1 – 3 gallon bucket of apples (before peeling)
Peel and cut up
Add 1 cup water
Cook under 10 pounds of pressure for 1 hour.
After steam is released, take off lid.
Add 6 large cups OR 3 pounds of sugar, all at one time.
Stir until completely dissolved. Let cook on high heat for 1/2 hour or longer until the right consistency is reached.
Stir every few minutes to keep from burning.
Seal hot.
Makes 4 to 5 quarts.
Enjoy!
Laurie Jackson
Sisters
I was blessed with five sisters (4 living). We are all so different. We each have our own opinions and thoughts. I realize that is how it is supposed to be. 🙂
We have the same parents but…
My oldest sister was my protector. She took a lot of crap from dear old dad. (Ever hear Mommy Dearest? Well, it was Daddy Dearest.) She’d get the worse treatment, especially when she spoke her mind. (I have always wished that I could speak my mind like she does.) Why do I feel that she was my protector? I’m not sure. I have always felt safe with her around. I feel that I could talk to her about anything. I guess because she stood up for me a few times. I’ll never forget the day she left for school. I watched her walk up the road to the mailbox. (The driveway is about 1/8 of a mile long.) I stood on the porch looking out the window just crying my eyes out. I asked Mom where my Jeje was going. She said she had to go to school. I asked her if my Jeje was coming back. Mom chuckled and hugged me and said yes. Even after I could no longer see my sister, I remained where I was. I wanted my Jeje to come back! I missed her.
My sister that is 18 months older than me was Mom and Dad’s favorite. (Or so I thought.) Mom used to tell me that while I was drinking my bottle, Cara used to reach into the bed and take it from me. Apparently, Mom thought I was being starved. Looking at me now you know I wasn’t. 😉 I say that Cara was a favorite because she was able to get by with so much. She was able to date at a young age. She was the only one who was allowed to play a sport. (Mom didn’t know how to drive at the time.) Jeje and I both wanted to play basketball but we were told no.
Then there is me. I am the middle child…right smack dab in the middle. I didn’t get an over abundance of attention. I wasn’t exactly the perfect child. Yeah, I’m playing the pity card. My older brother used to tell me that I was adopted. I cried and cried. It took Mom a long time to convince me that I wasn’t. Everyone said that I was spoiled. Yeah, okay, NOT! Just because I cried a lot…There’s four years between me and my next sister. That doesn’t mean anything…
Rere came next. She was the other son for Dad. She was almost always by Dad’s side. She could do a lot of things that I could not do, such as drive a tractor. She could speak her mind and not get into trouble for it. She was the perfect little daughter. She could do no wrong. She was amazing to watch while she did gymnastics. Whenever she had free time, she’d be doing flips, headstands, somersaults and cartwheels.
My next sister was called Lil Bit by Dad until she grew up. Lizzy loved words. She spoke words that Dad could not comprehend. He’d get so angry at her. There’s six years between her and I. She didn’t have to work outside like her older sisters. She could play and be inside.
My baby sister was born with cancer. Jojo had a rare eye disease. She died when she was 11 years old. She fought a long hard battle. It’s hard to believe that she’s been got for 28 years already. Seems just like yesterday. She had beautiful brown hair that she lost due to chemo. She taught all of us how to be happy and appreciate the little things in life. She taught me that life is too short to be negative. She taught us how to hug one another.
Growing up, we sang together. We still do on occasion for Mom. The Christmas before my grandma died, we stood in Mom’s kitchen and sang to her. We sang without music. During the song, I looked at Grandma and watched tears flow down her cheeks. I almost started crying. Grandma said listening to us was gift enough for her.
When my sisters are out and about and we see a distant cousin, they’ll look at us and make comments like, “You’re so and so, aren’t you? Which one are you?”
My sisters and I may have argued amongst ourselves at home. If anyone said anything bad about one of us, we had each other’s back. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?
Have a blessed day!
Laurie Jackson
I have not made this recipe. To be honest, I can’t stand bananas! I know. I know. They are good for me but no thanks! 🙂
BANANA BREAD
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
HEAT oven to 350 degrees
Grease bottom only of loaf pan 9x5x3″
MIX sugar and margarine in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan.
BAKE about 1 1/4 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.
MAKES 1 loaf
HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS (3500 to 6500 feet) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms of 2 loaf pans. 9x5x3″
Increase flour 2 3/4 cups. Bake 50 to 55 minutes.
Enjoy!
Laurie Jackson
I have made this recipe many, many times. Each time, these cookies get better and better. I have made these without chocolate chips and are just as delicious.
MARY’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 Teaspoons baking soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Package (24 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (I use milk chocolate and the mini chocolate chips)
HEAT oven to 350 degrees.
Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
DROP dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
BAKE 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.
About 3 1/2 dozen cookies
HIGH ALTITUDE DIRECTIONS: (3500 to 6500 feet) Bake 13 to 16 minutes
Enjoy!
Laurie Jackson
“It’s bedtime,” called Mom.
“It’s only 9 pm,” I said.
“It’s a school night. Come here so I can wash your face.”
Me and my siblings, (there were 8 of us) lined up outside the bathroom. One by one, Mom washed our faces, made sure our hands were clean. She also watched us brush our teeth. With each one of us, Mom gave us a little peck on the cheek, patted our bottoms and sent us off to bed.
Seven of us shared one bedroom. There were two sets of bunk beds and a twin bed a long one wall. The windows were always open. As I laid down in bed, I heard the nightly noises. An owl hooted off in the distance. The last of the birds cooed as they settled in for the night. Crickets sang their lullabies. Baby frogs made their croaking sounds. (I call them Little Peepers because they are so noisy!) Coyotes yipped off in the hills somewhere. A shiver ran down my spine every time I heard them.
My favorite sound of all was from the Whippoorwill. I always loved to listen to the sound it made. It was comforting to hear it at night.
I used to spend most of my summers at my grandparents’ house. They lived in a big two story old farm house. I loved that house. I still miss it today. All the memories I have of their place still hold a special place in my heart.
No matter which room I slept in, the windows were always open. This was back in the ’70’s. There was no air conditioning or fan. Only the breeze coming in through the windows.
The Whippoorwill was always around. As I grew older, though, I noticed that it had almost disappeared. While my husband and I waited for our new home to be moved in, we stayed at my mom’s.
One night, we were watching television and chatting. It had just rained. The windows were open and the fresh air was coming in nicely. I made the comment that I had not heard a whipper will in quite sometime. Low and behold, next thing I know there is a whippoorwill singing outside the window! My mouth dropped open. It was as if God had heard me and sent that little bird to me. The next couple of nights the bird came around. It was simply awesome!
Now that I live in a noisy city, I may just have to spend a night at Mom’s. I miss those nightly sounds.
Have a blessed day!
Laurie Jackson
We are blessed with two pets…a cat and a dog
Elle is a Yorkie. I wanted a small dog. She is just under 9 pounds. Â She’s three years old. I wanted one of those teacup puppies but after doing research I changed my mind.
The day we picked Elle up, the owner said we had chosen the most sociable puppy from the litter. Boy, was he right! She has so much energy. She will run you ragged. Anything and everything will get her barking. She’ll look out the window and see a leaf move across the yard. She’ll see the neighbors come home and start in again. She is a very yippie dog!
Elle is not spoiled at all. When my husband lays on the couch, Elle lays with him under the blanket. She loves to run and play outdoors. She has a favorite ball. Elle also has a jealous streak. She gets jealous of Charlie. If we call Charlie, Elle runs up to see what’s going on.
We have a yellow tabby cat. We have had him since he was a baby. His name is Charlie. He is about a year old. Full of energy and it drives Elle insane. He will instigate it almost every single time.
Elle walks past Charlie and he attacks her. Elle will turn around and growl at Charlie. It’s too funny to watch. Or if Elle is asleep on the couch, Charlie jumps at her to wake her up. He is a very playful cat. He’s pretty smart, as well. He can open cabinet doors. He’ll put his paw inside the door and climb in. The first time he did it, I had to do a double take. I had reached into the cabinet for a towel. Charlie was sitting in the back of the cabinet looking at me. We have a basket attached to the wall by the dryer. Charlie will lay on top of the rags and fall asleep. He’s been known to open the cabinets above the washer and drop stuff out of them. If the washer is on, he’ll climb on top and push the buttons in a different direction.
I love my pets. They bring joy to me everyday. Sometimes, I have to admit, they do get on my nerves….just saying’.
Have a super wonderful day!
Laurie Jackson
If you see me walking down the sidewalk, please, for your sake, do not ask me for directions. I have the ability to get you more lost than you already are! It’s best to just keep going and ask someone else.
I have no sense of direction. I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ll no doubt know where the place you want to go is, BUT! how to get there from here is a whole other ballgame. I did grow up in this area but that really doesn’t mean anything.
Now, if I ask you for directions, please give me landmarks. Do not waste your time, energy or breath on telling me to go east, west, north or south. You may as well be talking in a language I never heard of. 🙂 Giving me street names is of no use to me.
Tell me to look for landmarks in the area of which I am going. Why landmarks? They stick out better like sore thumbs, so to speak.
Using a map would be helpful, if I knew how to read one. I do have GPS but sometimes even that doesn’t know which direction to go in. So much for technology!
Have a blessed day!
Laurie Jackson
Dear Kat,
I miss you like crazy!!! I think about you constantly. I just do not understand why God took you from me at such a young age. You were only 46 years old!!!
The morning  after your death, we received a phone call from him. He said you had passed away last night. I was in shock! What?! What happened???
NO! NO! NO! NOT my best friend! No way. He said you had not been feeling well. So you decided to take yourself to the hospital. The doctor on call could not figure out what was wrong with you. So, he was going to send you to big John’s in St. Louis. I’m not sure what happened in the ambulance. I still do not understand what truly happened. All I know is that I lost my favorite person in the world.
At your wake, I stood by your casket and cried. I touched your arm and you were oh so cold. I had never felt anything so cold. That night, I found out that there had been an autopsy done. The coroner found what he called “strep throat” of your heart. Instead of your throat  getting sick, it was your heart.
I miss our phone calls. I loved getting random phone calls from you. We were kindred spirits. We could talk for hours. We laughed, bitched and moaned about our other half.
My beautiful baby girl is your Goddaughter. I’ll never forget the night I asked you to be her Godmother. You were speechless! I know she misses you like crazy. Isn’t it pretty cool that she has a tattoo on her leg about you? I think it’s awesome!
There is one regret that I have. I have no pictures of you. Your excuse was that you thought the camera would break. To be honest, I hated my picture taken. I wish now that we had not been so camera shy.
One thing I have to say is that you taught me to open my mouth. I learned from you to speak my mind. One thing I loved about you, you were not shy in doing anything! You grabbed each challenge head on and without hesitation. You were wild and crazy, all in a good way. You had no patience for stupidity.
I miss you so much, my beautiful, nutty, friend and sister.
Love you forever and always, Kathleen Ann Taylor
Laurie Jackson
I have good…wait…I have GREAT intentions to write every single day. I start a new blog and then I either get side tracked or just plain worn out. To be honest, I do not know what my problem is! UGH!!
All I know, I hate it. I hate how I get a brilliant (At least I think it is a brilliant idea.) I tell myself that there is no need to write it down. I’ll remember. Yeah, okay. You can stop laughing now. I am not sure when I learn that I won’t remember. I’m old. My mind’s not what it used to be.
At night, when I just crawled in bed, an idea will come to me. Of course, there is never any paper or pen around. (I used to keep paper and pen by my bed. I’m not sure why it was moved. Or why didn’t I put it back??) I tell myself as I drift off to sleep that I’ll remember the idea in the morning. Yeah, okay. Who am I trying to kid?! It never works out that way. Never!
My husband suggested that he paint my side of the wall with blackboard paint in the bedroom. I said no. In my office, there is a wall painted with blackboard paint. I had/have good intentions to write out my plan for a story on the board. He painted the wall last fall. Guess what! I still have not written out my plan for a story.
I guess, with good intentions, I’ll get all this figured out. Thanks for listening to my rant.
Have a blessed day!
Laurie Jackson
Mama Bear Laurie's Den of Writings 