| Good morning sweetness, I've missed you! There's lots going on here but as I sit here and look out at the dawning day, it is looking like rain! I know we need it, but I'm not looking forward to doing what I'm doing today in the rain. What are you up to today? Anything fun and exciting? Any new cooking projects? Write and let me know. Anyway, lets move on with the recipes! This week, Sarah wrote on the website about her Easy Lasagna Soup! It's Easy and fast and delicious! Perfect for these cooler fall days! And this delicious Sausage Rotel Dip! Whoa! Fantastic! And what about these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies! ___________________________ HOT COOKING TIP OF THE WEEK Have you ever cooked something and pieces of the final recipe weren't quite cooked all the way through? This used to happen to me all the time too. Example: Rice is supposed to cook in the dish with the chicken but the chicken is done and the rice is crunchy. Carrots are supposed to cook when you are sautéing the rest of the veggies but it doesn't get done. Same with Broccoli or Cauliflower. The potatoes in the scalloped potato recipe are supposed to cook in the baking dish but end up crunchy in the middle. For ANY dish like this where I am suspicious that the tougher ingredients may not cook all the way through, I either go ahead and cook those separately and then add them to the dish near the end OR I give them a good head start by steaming them in a pan first. Example: The rice in the chicken and rice, I cook it separately and then add it near the end and season well and use the drippings from the chicken to flavor it. Carrots, Broccoli and Cauliflower that are cooking with other softer veggies, I steam them a bit first using a steamer, in a pan with a scant amount of water or in the microwave. The potatoes for scalloped potatoes I always cook first by boiling slightly then gently mix with the other ingredients and put in a baking dish. This makes extra work, extra dirty dish and more time BUT it also guarantees an edible dish! Worth it in my book! ________________________________ THREE LITTLE THINGS I try to be more thankful for small things here so that I am reminded to be gracious and thankful for the larger things in my life too. - Fresh air and cooler days - I stepped out onto the deck yesterday and breathed in fresh air. There was a crispness to the air and it felt so good to clear my mind that way.
- Two Crows who made a GAWWW GAWWWWW sound in the back yard last week. They were warning me that something was going on and they were right.
- The hearty laugh I had with my friend the other day. We laughed until we cried. Literally. The fact that we were both laughing, hearing each other laugh, made us laugh that much more. My belly and my face hurt afterward and it felt so good!
____________________________________ A FINAL WORD Here in North Carolina, it's Chicken Stew Season. I wrote about it in my newspaper article this week and shared my daughter in laws recipe. There are only a few ingredients and it really is just the best Chicken Stew. Here's the link: The Stokes News Finally, it's also the season where the days get shorter, darkness lasts longer and some of us feel kind of down. I want you to know I'm just an email away. Feel free to drop me a quick note and I'll answer you as soon as I can! All you have to do is hit reply to this email. Love you! Wendi | 
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