This and That #6

Winter is in full swing here with gorgeous bluebird skies. White and Blue look stunning together, and we tuck tulip bouquets in vases as a reminder that spring will be here before we know it. I'm doing some winter sowing using milk jugs as mini greenhouses. I learned this on Garden Web many years ago, and that is when I started my blog.   

January is Joe's birth month so we always celebrate in the snow. I booked a room at an inn in the Adirondacks last October, and we were praying for snow so we could enjoy winter activities. Our prayers worked.  

I've been a Toll House chocolate chip cookie girl since the third grade when I would help my mom make cookies. I was recently introduced to this recipe, and all I can say is try it and see what you think. Toll House cookies are more buttery. I used an ice cream scoop and made large cookies. Out of the oven, they were divine. I used dark chocolate chips (my one and only), and the gooey cookies were hard to resist. Day 2 they were still soft, and then by Day 3 they weren't as soft so I reheated one in the microwave. (I prefer my cookies warm anyways) I would say best served on Days one and two.You can't go wrong if you need to bring cookies to a Super Bowl party or picnic. This recipe is a winner.

My goal in the New Year is to up my game for weekend lunches when we aren't hiking. We recently enjoyed Columbian Chicken Sancocho with local multi grain bread. Sancocho de Pollo is like a chicken stew and is popular in Colombia. We loved the flavor and everything in it. 

The recipe can be found at Skinnytaste

I have been using Grandma Brown's home baked beans in the can for over 40 years.  Add some ketchup and mustard, some brown sugar, caramelized onions and a little maple syrup. Top with strips of bacon or crumbled bacon and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and the beans are bubbly. There you have it: a quintessential Central New York side dish, for summer or any other season. But production of the beans stalled during the pandemic due to a staffing shortage 

GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT....... 

 The granddaughter recently gave a promising update from the vacant manufacturing plant in Mexico, New York:

“We are in the process of hiring people and we expect to be in production this month.”

Grandma Brown’s was started in 1937 when Grandma Lulu Brown began cooking pots of baked beans to be sold at stores during the Great Depression. The beans have a loyal following not only in New York state but around the entire country.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Deb