Sometimes substitutions do work.

So I tried a new recipe last night for supper. Crock Pot Chicken, Gravy & Stuffing which I found on The Baking Beauties Blog.

I only had one can of soup (cream of celery) so I added a can of chicken gravy to replace the mushroom soup. I didn't have any broth left in the house since I'd used the last of it to make potato soup. All in all though it came out pretty good. I popped the chicken in frozen (I always forget to take the meat out ahead to thaw) and I would recommend cooking it for 4 hrs on high instead of just 3 (individual cooking times may vary).


Mmm chicken

Of course DH figured since he was given a "special" supper that there should be a "special" dessert to follow. Which I had planned on but hadn't gotten to before supper. The butter tarts were made after supper and now I know that DH doesn't like warm butter tarts. *sigh*


Don't they look good?

A pretty good cooking day, but I didn't get any stitching done.

Today, DH wants to get out and "do something". So I probably won't get any stitching done today either, but I'll certainly try. Although, I do have a more recent pic of Dixie I'll have to post later.

Coconut disaster

Last night was Fellowship Night at the Church. My plan was to bring a couple games, a bag of chips, and a plate of coconut macaroons. I'm sure you've guessed by the title that the macaroons didn't go as planned. *sigh*


This is the not so bad looking pic. Don't you just love coconut?

I was having fun too. Well, my hand started to get a little sore from holding the small tbsp for so long but otherwise it was fun. I finished the first tray and slid it into the oven and started on the second tray. I'm continuing on my merry way until the timer sounded. Happy as a clam I went over to the stove to take the first tray out and put the second tray in. THIS is what I pulled out.



I nearly cried. There was no way I could take these over to the Church and present them to people. So they stayed home. Of course I had to at least try one. They're still edible just not pretty. I only had a couple. But when I got home last night there were more missing.


Evidence of a coconut thief

So I'm not the only one who things they're edible. Next time I make them I'll use two whole bags of coconut not just the amount the recipe calls for.

Today I'll make butter tarts. At least I know I won't screw those up. And supper was easy, Crock Pot Chicken, Gravy & Stuffing. This is a new recipe, so I hope it turns out good. I'll let you know.

A new try.

I'm going to try this again. I'm hoping that with some of the things going on in my life, I'll be more inclined to blog.

What's going on? I'll tell you, although some of it is probably a little boring.


Back at the end of April the store I worked at closed. Since then, the whole company has gone bankrupt. I found myself without a job for the first summer since 1994.

So DH and I planted a flower garden and a veggie garden. DH cleared the beds and I did all the planting. After the planting was done DH took care of the veggie garden and I took care of the flower garden. Guess which garden looked better? ;) You guessed it, DH's veggie garden.

We had a great harvest of cucumbers and onions. The peas were good too, just not enough of them. We're STILL waiting for the tomatoes to ripen and the peppers to grow. A raccoon made off with my radishes and the carrots and lettuces never grew.

We made three types of pickles. Mustard, sweet mixed and bread & butter pickles. But I think next year we'll try a different variety of cucumber.

Next year we're going to expand the veggie garden and add some corn to the mix. I've just got to remember to plunk everything in the ground by mid May. If my neighbour can get away with planting that early, why can't we?


By now you're wondering what I'm doing about employment. I'm looking for work that's not going to take me away from DH for too much time but still provide an income.

I'm also trying to start a home-based business. As a hobby I've been making bead jewelry for over 15 years and soap & bath salts for over 10 years. Add DH's photography into the mix with a little teddy bear making and cross stitch design and we'll hopefully have a business. I'm working on getting some funding to get us over the first year hurdle so wish us luck.

I guess that's enough for now. I'll have some pictures of Games Night at the Digby Wesleyan Church to show you on Monday.