Mimi's Potato Salad

"4th of July Repost"

Ingredients:

5 medium peeled red potatoes cubed
3 large hard boiled eggs cut up
2 tablespoons sweet relish
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 heaping tablespoons Miracle Whip
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Place cubed red potatoes and eggs in boiling water and boil about 10 minutes. Drain. Peel the shell off of the eggs, and chop. Put potatoes and chopped eggs in a bowl. Add relish, Dijon mustard, Miracle Whip, salt, pepper and combine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for a couple of hours. When you are ready to server just sprinkle a little paprika on top.

I hope you like it.

I Wish You Love & A Wonderful Weekend,

~Mimi~

Get Cha One of These, Please

I am a true Virgo clean freak. But down through the years I have mellowed. I found this at the Family Dollar Store. I have been looking for a brush to clean my bath tub and walls, but couldn't find one that had a brush all around so not to scratch, and bendable in order to get the curves and corners of the bathtub. So I found this one, and it works great. It's supposed to be for cleaning ceiling fan blades(I use the swifter for them), but it is just perfect for ole gals like me who don't feel like getting down and dirty in my bathtub anymore. I use Comet Cleanser scrub or the blue Pinesol with water. It works great. Now that doesn't mean I don't ever give my bathtub a good scrubbing. But this works so good, and if you do it once or twice a week the bath stays sparkling clean. Oh, did I mention it's adjustable for the shorty's so we can reach all the way to the roof. Yeah, Baby!!!!!!!

This is my other little scrubber. I have one under every sink in the house. You can put your favorite cleaner in it and it works really well for the sinks and counter tops.

Just trying to make things easier for us gals who spent half our lives cleaning, and want this other half to be for pleasure only!!!! Anything to make it easier and faster is just fine with me.

I Wish You Love And A Lot Of Fun And Less Cleaning,

Joyce

The End of the Trail

The classic Cherokee Indian statue called "The End of the Trail" is the image of a broken down Cherokee Indian and his worn down horse at the end of the "Trail of Tears" March 1839 at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. The first time I ever saw this image was in black and white at my grandparents home when I was a little girl. My grandmother always keep it on the archway shelf so everyone could see. I found this one many years ago when we traveled to Cherokee, North Carolina.

I read this article today:

Among other things it says, "The U.S. has an obligation, based on a 1787 agreement between tribes and the government, to provide American Indians with free health care on reservations. But that promise has not been kept. About one-third more is spent per capita on health care for felons in federal prison, according to 2005 data from the health service."
We never hear much about American Indians. This article didn't surprise me, but it did make me mad.
Just thought I should post it. I'm not asking your opinion, but I just felt compelled to let others see it.
Okay, I have to admit I'm a little bit Cherokee, maybe a little biased. All my life I have felt a great love and respect for all American Indians. I am very passionate feelings about them and what they went through.

A Little Heartbroken,
Joyce

Keepin It Simple on a Friday Night

Since it's the end of the week, we wanted to eat light. So here's what we had.

Potato Skins with Sour Cream

Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

Chicago Rolls were just great for our sandwiches.

Gouda and Swiss Cheese

Ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard, miracle whip, and pickles.

There you have it. Friday night, end of the week, hot summer days, not really wanting to cook a heavy hot meal, this is just perfect.

Have a great weekend:)

Love, Joyce

More Pics I Took

xoxoxoxoxo,

Joyce

My Dishtowel

I'm not a photographer at all, I just like taking pictures. George gave me a camera for my last birthday and I have been hooked ever since. I love it and have a lot of fun with it. I also enjoy "fixin up" the pictures up after I upload them with the program that came with the camera. I can edit brightness, D-lighting HS, color booster, photo effects, sharpening, straighten, crop, like I did below. I added a little bit more color, brightened it up and cropped it, and this is the result. Some of the pictures I have taken look really pro I have to admit. And it wasn't because I know what I am doing. It's the wonderful camera.

You can do a lot more adjusting, like get rid of red eye, rotate, and other things I have to learn, to make the picture look better and it's fun to experiment with it. My camera is a Nikon Coolpix 7.1 Megapixels, VR & ISO 1000, 2.5 inch LCD, and it was not expensive. It is an awesome camera especially for someone like me who did not know anything about taking pictures before I got it. If I can do it, you sure can.

I Wish You Love and Great Pics To Enjoy & Cherish.

Joyce

Pot Roast

This was one of the best tasting pot roasts that I have ever made. I really haven't cooked them much. I looked at a lot of recipes to get ideas and ended up making it my own kinda way with what ingredients I had on hand. I learned to make the gravy from Emeril's recipe. I read that covering tightly was important so that the meat will come out moist and tender. The potatoes were just perfect.


Ingredients:

One 2 lb. boneless chuck roast
1 medium onion sliced into rings
1 beef bouillon cube
1/3 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
4-5 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
Salt, pepper & garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a heavy skillet with oil covering the bottom, brown the roast on both sides. Take it out of the skillet and set aside. In the same skillet add flour to oil and cook until it is chocolate brown. You may have to add more oil to thin it out a bit. When it is chocolate brown add onions and cook until soft. Add water, beef bouillon, salt and pepper to taste. Stir your gravy with onions, add more water if needed, enough to come up the side of the roast but not cover it. It will thicken as it cooks. Return the roast to the pan and top with the potatoes, don't push them down, just place them on around the meat, they cooked perfectly and were not too soft.
Cover tightly and bake 3 hours.
Serve with your favorite vegetable.
Biscuits go very well with this dish.





I Wish You Love and Comfort Food For You and Your Family,

Mimi

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dad
You were a wonderful son, brother, husband, father and grandfather, and I miss you.

ASA National Softball Hall of Fame Member John (Buster) Zeigler
(Click to go to Hall of Fame Site)

Year Inducted: 1971 Hometown: Miami, FL

Category: Men's Fast Pitch Division: Men's Fast Pitch

Although Zeigler has a good sense of humor and is a humorous after-dinner speaker, he was all business on the softball diamond during a career that started in 1947 and ended in 1965. As a youngster, Zeigler seemed destined for a career as a boxer. He had a 97-1 amateur record before being called into the Navy. After being discharged, he won his first pro fight before losing his next and “ being knocked back” to Miami. Zeigler then turned to fast pitch softball. He played the outfield and caught, but it was his hitting ability that caught the eye of the renowned Clearwater, FL Bombers, who picked him up for the 1949 national tourney.Zeigler moved to Clearwater and played for the Bombers in 1950 and 1951. He batted .500 in the 1950 national to help Clearwater to win its first of 10 national titles, yet was not named All-American. By 1952, Zeigler had joined the Miami Industrial Sales Flyers and was named All-American that year. Clearwater added him to its roster for the 1960 national tourney and Zeigler responded by hitting .276 in the national to earn All-America honors. His regular season average that year was .405. Zeigler played in 10 ASA national championships. He was named All-State three times and All Regional eight times. He had a lifetime .358 batting average. He never batted below .300 and four times hit .400 or higher playing in the top Miami fast pitch league. He led the league in batting 13 out of 15 years. Zeigler was born March 5, 1925 and passed away September 20, 2001 at the age of 76.

All My Luv,
Joyce

Italian Gravy & Meatballs 'Cause I Miss My Grands

Now that summer is here and I don't see my grands everyday, I'm missing them. I miss them saying "Mimi, what's for dinner?"

So, I thought I'd post their favorite meal in the whole wide world.

Here they are eating brownies one day after school. I miss these cute faces.

Get your meatballs ready and start cooking them on medium heat and brown them on both sides.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until soft, add 1/2 cup of red wine and let it reduce for a couple of minutes, then add the two cans of tomatoes (San Marzano) and l can of tomato paste.

Add a teaspoon of basil, oregano and parsley, (Italian Blend is good too), salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

Add meatballs.

Cover and simmer 2-3 hours.

The pasta you see here is linguine, my grands like it on all different kinds of pasta. Any pasta you like will do.

I Wish You Love and The Joy That Being A Grandma Brings,

Mimi

For Mr. Tibbins:~)

Dear Mr. Tibbins:

Who ever you are???? Who left this comment under my recipe "George's Easy Cheese Cheddar 'n Bacon Hotdogs.

"here's to obesity, chronic disease and emotional turmoil!"

Lighten up, it's only a hotdog, with canned cheese spread on top. You can eat one or two, it won't give you a disease, and surely will not cause emotional turmoil, only a little tasty pleaure, because it's sooooo good.

Hope you have a very nice day and do me a favor "If you can't say something nice, hit backspace or close or forward and don't say anything at all". That's what my mom taught me!!!!!! It's just a blog. Maybe you should start your own blog and get out some of that frustration you seem to be holding in.

I Wish You Love, Peace, & Happiness,

Joyce

BTW, I deleted your comment because your name was fake and took me nowhere when I tried to respond.

On my back porch a little while ago...

Fly, Fly Away!!!!!

This little baby Morning Dove, (that's what we call them around here), was walking and hopping around my front yard this afternoon. I panic right away when I see the little ones on the ground. I start telling them to hurry up and fly, fly away. I get scared that they can't fly because something is wrong with them, or that a one of the cats in the neighborhood might grab them up before they can spread their wings and fly up out of reach.

He let me get pretty close, so I really started to get nervous.

I followed him around for a while.

And then he finally started to flutter his winds and flew up on the fence.

Boy, I was so happy. Such a cute baby.

XOXOXO,
Mimi

My Favorite Cuban Bakery

This large tray contains little crab shaped pastries "Congrejitos" and are made with meat inside. The smaller tray contains ham croquettes, "Croquetas de Jamon". The Cuban bakery that I shop at is in Hialeah, and on the way home from my mom's house. As far as I am concerned it is the best in town. These trays are always ready and very popular at Cuban parties and get togethers, or just for a weekend treat. Everyone has to take a number and wait to be called, which is a good thing because it gives you time to decide what you want, and believe me you need the time. Everything looks so good. The "Bocadito's" are small sandwiches filled with a ham spread, and are delicious.

And then we come to the real sweet stuff. Chocolate Eclairs, Strawberry Cheesecake, Three Milks Cake(Tres Leches), Flan, and Yellow Butter Cream Cake. Omigosh..........what did I do????

One thing I did not do was make dinner!!!!!!!!

Oh well, you only live once:)

Love ya,

Joyce

Grits and Eggs and Ham

Our first breakfast this summer.

The first of many to come. I love cooking for the grands.
Happy Thursday to All,

I Wish You Love and Good Times With Your Grandkids!!!!
Joyce

Be Frugal & Save

One dollar flip flops from the Dollar Store!

Okay ladies and gents, I don't know about you, but when I go the the grocery store I talk to a lot of people who are just like me, trying to pick and choose what they buy nowadays. I usually am looking for what's on sale and what's in season, and plan my meals around that. I check the weekly ads for the two grocery stores in my area which are Winn Dixie and Publix. Lately Publix is where I go since they have better deals that suit me. Publix has an "essentials list" of savings which includes milk for $2.89, eggs $.99, bread $.99, and a few other items that change weekly. And every week they have new "Buy one get one free" items . I buy only if it's worth it, you should be careful. I only buy what we like and will eat. I don't buy it just because it's on sale.

When the canned vegetables, condiments, bacon, hotdogs, juices, cleaning products, frozen foods, medicines, shampoos & conditioners, peanut butter, jellies, dairy foods, breads, are "Buy one get one free", I stock up.

Winn Dixie always has "Buy one get one free" in their meat, poultry, seafood section. I really don't find it a deal for me because the price per pound is usually high. If it's meat or poultry you need to check the price per pound, and buy when it's on sale.

I will not pay $5.99 for a half gallon of ice cream, I wait until it goes on sale and I get 2 half gallons for $6.00. Watch out for the smaller 1.75 quart size of ice cream they they want you to think is a half gallon.

I make cookies instead of buying them already made, unless it's buy one/get one free, and it has to be a good amount of cookies like Oreo's. Homemade cakes are less expensive, or you can buy cake mixes when they are buy one/get one free. I have been saving money by making jello and pudding. We add whipped topping and it's so good. The kids just love it.

I also have the vegetable guys all over the neighborhood where I get garlic, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, jalapenos, watermelons, zucchini, and eggplant very cheap. Of course if you grow your own it's even better.

I buy laundry detergent when it's on sale. I use a half a cup per load, and it lasts longer. Same with the fabric softener. I do like certain brands so I try to get them on sale and use less.

I also go to the "Dollar Store" where I only buy Made in the USA, and where everything in the store is $1.

The dollar stores get new items in every week. I have learned to take some items and leave some items. Not everything is good, just because it's a dollar. But there are a lot of items you can find if you check every week and you can save a lot of money.

So ladies, just shop around and you can find good deals. Check the adds before you go. Take your calculator. Be frugal and save!!!!

These are some of the items that I find at the dollar store for just one dollar!

Two bars for a dollar.

Four for a dollar.

I don't know why, I just wanted you to know. I didn't mean for this post to be soooo long, sorry:)

I Wish You Love and Super Savings!!!!

Joyce