Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

 

Ingredients

Cutting the carrot and potato

Lentil soup cooking

Leftovers are frozen in this 4 sectioned one cup tray. After freezing they will be removed from this container and  placed in a plastic bag to pull out as needed. 

Lentil Sweet Potato Soup with sour cream and crackers.

This was my first time eating or preparing lentil soup. It won't be my last.😃🙂

Below are a couple of  websites to Lentil Soup and its variances

A Couple of Cooks

itsonly.recipes

NOTE: The end section of the tray shows a mixture of sweet potatoes and carrots that I baked together. I'll use them as a side dish in a future meal, if I don't eat them today. 😁

That's it ***

Two Retro Broccoli Salad Recipes

 You can't get much more retro than to show the handwritten recipe card  taped inside a vintage hole-punched, lined notebook.

The  printed  recipe is taken from a State Farm  magazine *.

By now you should have caught on to me maneuvering the recipes to my own taste.

Salad ingredients included; 

broccoli,walnuts, cheese, bacon bits,raisins, chopped onions, various seasoning powders.

Dressing included; 

mayonaisse, apple cider vinegar, sugar, pinch of salt

I placed my salad on a bed of spinach, sprinkled with parmesan, accompanied by a canned pear half.  It was delicious.

* On a past auto I once had State Farm Insurance. A courtesy magazine, Neighbors Magazine was sent to members quarterly.  It included information and interviews on farm life, as well as a page of  assorted recipes. 

That's it ***

Zucchini and Sausage Skillet

 Zucchini and Sausage Skillet

• 2½ tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• ▢4 fully cooked sausages, sliced into circles ¼ inch thick
• ▢2 medium zucchini, cubed
• ▢1 onion, cut into ¾ inch pieces (close to same size as zucchini)
• ▢1 bell pepper, any color, cut into ¾ inch pieces (close to same size as zucchini)
• ▢½ teaspoon salt
• ▢½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢½ teaspoon dried basil
• ▢¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢1 teaspoon garlic, minced

Optional: Fresh basil for garnish. I chose not to use bell peppers in my recipe. I did add Parmesan cheese before serving. 

Instructions 1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add sliced sausage. Sautè, flipping sausage frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes or until sausage slices have some browning. 

• 2. Remove from pan and set aside.
• 3. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1½ tablespoons of oil to skillet with the zucchini, onion, and bell pepper. 
• 4. Sprinkle with salt, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Stir. Let cook until the onion is translucent and peppers and zucchini are close to tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• 5. Add sausage back to the skillet along with minced garlic. Stir. Cover so everything heats through for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste. Add extra salt if desired. Garnish with chopped fresh basil (optional).
• 
  

It was delicious. 

That's it ***

 

Corn Salad- A SOME Salad

 

Although summer has waned as of this date, (09/27/2026) I found this Corn Salad to be a cooling break from the ordinary. The weather was still hot when I made it on  09/18/2026.

*This is a SOME recipe. I used SOME of this and SOME of that. Proportions were measured by my eye and what I felt was enough.

INGREDIENTS

   1. In a bowl dump    15oz. can of whole kernel corn (drained) ,SOME chopped     tomatoes and avocado chunks. (I also added a little chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper.)

 

   2. In a separate bowl make the vinagarette.     Add SOME olive oil, apple cider vinegar and lime juice, a little  sugar ,salt, pepper -to my taste

 

   3.  fresh spinach as the salad bed

A. Pour vinagarette  into the bowl of vegetables/fruit and mix gently but                 thoroughly.

B. Serve corn salad on a bed of fresh spinach.

Below is a Genuine  Corn Salad Recipe 

 

That's it*** 

😒The computer is being wonky tonight. Tech doing what tech does. 

Internet Cooking 2- Simple Turnip Green Casserole

 I'd heard of all kinds of greens casseroles  and how delicious they are but, had never tasted  or tried one.  As with most recipes, the proof is in the seasonings of the cook.    

The Greens Casserole is good for using any type of leftover greens. I first used leftover kale.

I liked it so much I made it again  but, this time I used canned greens and instant cornbread mix. I like to keep things simple.

    There are numerous recipes out there on YouTube. Many that are pretty elaborate layering the greens with chicken,corn, additional cheeses and other extras.   After viewing various recipes, I developed a  simple recipe that would suit my needs. I might get fancy in the future but not this time.

Simple Turnip Greens Casserole

                    Ingredients

• 1  27 oz. can of Margaret Holmes turnip greens, drained (or use your own leftover  greens approximately  3 1/4 cups

• 2 boxes of  Jiffy cornbread mix (or use homemade)  yielding approximately 4 cups of batter

• 1  8oz. block of cream cheese

•  additional seasonings of your choice 

                                Instructions

Preheat your oven to  350 degrees

1. Drain the juice from your greens and place them in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the 8 oz. block of cream cheese to the greens. opt. add any additional seasonings to your liking. Mix well. Set aside.

3. In another bowl prepare your cornbread batter. Set it aside.

4. Grease a suitable sized baking pan or casserole dish. (I used a 9 x 9)

5. Pour in an even layer of cornbread batter that goes up to about 1 inch in depth.  

6. Spread your greens mixture evenly across this layer of batter. DO NOT MIX  or STIR  IT.

7. Pour the remaining batter across the greens mixture. DO NOT MIX or STIR IT

 8. Place your casserole inside the 350 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check  at 30 minutes to see if the casserole has "set" when you jiggle it and the  cornbread top has browned.

9. Allow the casserole to cool for about 10 minutes giving the filling extra time to set.

10. Cut a square of the casserole, place it on a dish, and serve.

Alternates and Extras

Some views showed a dollop of sour cream on individual servings.

Others showed a strata consisting of cooked chopped chicken, cheddar cheese and corn. All recipes ended with the cornbread topping.

This casserole was also delicious and simple. It's in the "Keep" pile.

That's It ***

Internet Cooking 1- Brown Sugar Cookies

 I come across interesting recipes when scrolling YouTube. Sometimes I'm looking for something quick and sweet. Other times I'm looking for alternate ways to prepare a vegetable.

This time I was looking for something sweet and came across, 3- Ingredient Brown Sugar Cookies at Steph's Stove.   The recipe is as follows;

Brown Sugar Cookies ½ cup butter - softened to room temperature ½ cup packed brown sugar 1 cup All-Purpose flour Preheat oven to 375° In a medium mixing bowl add softened butter and brown sugar. Using a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, on medium speed blend butter and brown sugar until well combined and fluffy. Gradually add the flour (all-purpose flour) to the butter mixture and blend just till combined and the mixture forms a dough without any flour streaks visible. Do not over mix. Using a 1- tablespoon cookie scoop (or your hands), form cookie balls, place onto a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet, and flatten each cookie ball. This will allow the cookies to be thin and crispy when baked. Place into the pre-heated 375° oven and bake for approximately 8-minutes. The cookies should be golden brown with set edges and the center will appear soft. Remove from the oven and drop the hot pan onto the counter (or hard surface) immediately. This will allow the cookies to spread, create a chewy center, and a crinkle effect on the cookie surface. After “the drop” place the pan onto a wired cooling rack and allow to cool for 5-minutes. Transfer cookies from the pan to the cooling rack after 5-minutes and allow them to cool completely. After the cookies have completely cooled, place in an airtight container, on the counter, and enjoy for up to 5-days. If you would like to create a “just baked” cookie after storing, pop into the microwave for about 8-10 seconds. Enjoy! Tips - For a thicker cookie, chill the dough for about 20-30 minutes before baking.

This recipe was a bust for me. They were thin, hard and ended up more like Peanut Brittle without the peanuts. Human error on my part is possible. I won't be trying this again.   👎😞

That's it***

Boxing Boxes

 I shop online periodically.  I always save the boxes for a while to determine if I can use them for something else. (I've been trying to declutter and organize lately.) 

I've made a pact with myself that if I don't use them within 30 days, I break them down and take them to a recycle station. After all, more boxes will be on the way...eventually. 

Being that I frequent fast food restaurants, (Don't judge me.) I accumulate a lot of paper napkins. (Why throw them away when I can use them in the car or at home*?)

 For a while I stacked them on top of the microwave. That stack can get so large, it tumbles over.  I decorated one of the small, cardboard  shipment boxes using one napkin, acrylic paint, felt and air-dry clay to decorate a box to keep them in. I happened to have all I needed in my craft stash. 

* I never buy paper napkins. I use cloth and launder them. I purchase the cloth napkins in good condition from thrift stores.  Since I'm at a vintage age 🙂, I also have vintage 

tablecloths that have matching napkins. 

That's it ***

Costume Jewelry

 

I have organized the necklaces and bracelets. Now comes earrings and brooches.

While decluttering I had to decide what I would give away and what I would keep. Among the jewelry were some pieces that have sentimental value that I am not ready to let go of even if I rarely wear it or not at all.

After setting the “give away pile” to the side, I focused on how to store the “keepers.”

Instead of dumping it all in a box, I decided I wanted to dump it in an attractive box.

I used a decorative contact paper I had recently bought and covered a hinged shoe box with it. Rummaging through my stash I found Velcro, imitation leather, and a lone blue button.

I set to work covering the outside of the box. I then cut out two pieces of leather in the shape of a strap and glued them together for sturdiness. Measuring carefully, I determined where the Velcro should be on the underside of the lid and attached it. Instead of placing the button at the bottom of the strap, I placed it on top just for color. Later I was able to place a title on the box indicating its contents. 

After sorting the jewelry by colors and sets  I placed them inside the box and stored it on a closet shelf.

FOOTNOTE: 

I came across this receipt during my decluttering. As of 2026 this receipt is thirty-five years old.

The Century Plaza Mallhas gone the route of so many malls of today. 

Century Plaza Mall

It no longer exists and has been replaced by an Amazon Fulfillment  Center.

That's it ***

Bracing the Bracelets

Now that I have the necklaces corralled it was time for the bracelets. 

1. I spotted a small wooden crate that  once held fancy fruit and chocolates, at a second hand store   A new crate at a Craft or $ Store would have been about $5. I got this one for 99 cents. 

2. A  base coat of white followed by pink was  the previous plan.  I later decoupaged it with a floral gift wrapping paper which you'll see in the final product.

3. The wooden drawer knobs in my stash finally got a chance to shine...literally. They were from a project that was never fulfilled. Originally,  I wanted the knobs green, but later decided on silver.

4.  The wooden dowel purchased from Lowe's for $1.69+ was cut to length with a  hacksaw I'd forgotten was in the garage. The pool noodle was easy to cut with a pair of strong scissors.

5.  I'm pleased with how this project turned out. You can see the decoupaged floral paper I used. The cup hooks are strong and hold the bracelets and dowel well.

        6. Now I can see the bracelets (this is just a sample) I have without rummaging through a drawer  looking for them. This hangs in my closet, on the wall next to the necklace holder.

That's it ***

1 

Necklace holder

This wooden slice was drawn and decorated by Matthew S.     He gifted it to me and I made a jewelry necklace  holder from it.

Necklace holder

 

Single Serving Oven Baked Rice

 

That's it ***

Corn Fritters (Mock Oysters)

                                                                                   Why are they called mock oysters?

I  used bell pepper, salt, black pepper, green onions and paprika in my mix. I didn't use cracker crumbs or corn meal. 

*FOOTNOTE

When I say this cookbook has everything;

                    Ever been hungry enough to eat a bear?

There you have it.

That's it ***