One Picture Maybe Two & Will Be ALL Done !

Blogger has changed to a new interface, so it will take a little bit of adjusting for me to get familiar with their "new" look and finding my way around now, but I am sure somehow I will adjust.

First business of the day, after the usual daily business, was to send off our photos to enter in the Kemble Maple Syrup Tour's Photo Contest from when we did the Tour, HERE.  Based on everyone's vote on which photo we should submit to the Contest, two photos were tied.

This is the one we submitted under Rob's Name:

"The Miners' son pointed out where the tree had been tapped into from prior years.  This tree was estimated at being approximately 100 years old."

The one submitted under my name:

"...and good food it was.  Homemade Baked Beans with Ham, Waffles, with Maple Syrup, of course, and sliced apples.  Coffee and Tea as well." 

Thank you to those who participated in helping me decide which to enter.  Should one of them "win", you know I will sure to be "Shouting Out" about it !!!  LOL

Speaking of everyone "helping" out ... I would like to say how thankful I am to once again have another new follower of "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".  This encourages me to carry on "blogging", as there are days I surely do need encouraging !  Thank you for joining me on my daily adventures ....

Today I decided to "try out" another different recipe.  Since I had bought some boneless skinless chicken thighs yesterday at a very reasonable 50% off price, I googled "Chicken Thigh" recipes, and once again give thanks to Kraft Foods.

The recipe I choose was their Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe.  Even better, as it was using one of my most dependable appliances, my Slow Cooker.  Have I ever mentioned before how much I LOVE my Slow Cooker.  Of course I have, I am sure numerous times, and will so again.

"First things first, by getting everything out and ready to go."

"Instead of using red peppers, as the recipe called for, I used the orange & yellow ones I had on hand.  Made the dish very colourful I thought."

"Browning the chicken in the Zesty Italian Dressing."

"After cooking for three hours on High in my Slow Cooker, Rob & I enjoyed a wonderful Dinner with it served over a bed of rice."

Recipe please:

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Prep. 15 min; Cooking Time: 6 hrs. Serves: 8

what you need

1/4cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
3lb. mixed chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2cup each red and green pepper strips
1clove garlic, minced
1can (14.5 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1tsp. dried thyme leaves
4cups hot cooked long-grain white rice

make it

HEAT dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches; cook 2 to 3 min. on each side or until evenly browned on all sides.

PLACE mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic in slow cooker; top with chicken. Combine tomatoes and thyme; pour over ingredients in slow cooker. Cover with lid. Cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 5 hours).

SERVE chicken mixture over rice.

NOTE:  I used yellow & orange peppers, my own canned "chunked" tomatoes with juice, & boneless skinless chicken thighs.  Cooking time in my slow cooker was only 3 hours on High.

For more information on nutritional values, etc, for this recipe, please refer to the following link:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-cacciatore-91900.aspx

A recipe worth trying out !

Always a project or two before or after our Dinner for my Rob before he has to put his "Crabby Cabbie" hat on for the day.  Today it was hanging the swag lamp (which I bought almost a year ago, I might add, only now deciding the perfect place for it).

"The swag matched up perfect with the lamp I had bought only two weeks ago.  Both lamps might have cost me $20.00 total, and I am so please with them.  It really is almost finished with only "one or two pictures" to be still hung on the walls, hopefully tomorrow???"

Now onto the important things in our life at the moment, this being the Checkerboard Aussie's "Spectacular Six".  Before I go on any further, I must mention now that little Missy Mercedes knows what is now down in the basement is not going to come up and "get her", her barking has subsided and I thankfully got a bit more sleep last night.  Thank goodness !!!

"Lexus getting one her most favorite rubs from Rob today.  She is well deserving of many "rubs", since she is such a fantastic Mother to those six puppies."

....and with no further "ADO", here there are !

"Little Blue Merle Girl (before she had been dry, she had appeared to be a very dark Red Merle, to our eyes)."

"Little Blue Merle Boy.  Going to be so handsome, just like his Daddy I am sure."

"Little Red Merle Girl, with her colouring completely different on her other side."

"Hopefully tomorrow I will get some shots of those handsome Black Tri Males to the left in this photo, and the really handsome Red Tri out front."

They certainly are a lovely mixture of colours.  Just think only another three weeks or so away, we will start to see all their individual personalities come out.  I have two wonderful gals, who will be coming out once or twice a week to play with them to give me a bit of a break and really give these babies a nice "social" start to their lives.

I contacted our Vets today, ordered the dewormer and booked their appointment for their 1st Shots.  One more thing looked after and organized.

I have not forgotten who I am presenting the "Sunshine Award" to this day, since I had been too tired yesterday to do so ....

I would like to present this award to the following people who, for the past few months, have put a little "Sunshine" into my life.  Please note there are others as well, however some of these others have already received this reward once or twice already.


John D.~  Tok Tok Place :  John, who I have also felt I have become friends with over the past couple of months through our email correspondence, takes me into his part of the World thorough his posts of his Country of Australia.  Australia has always been one Country I have always desired to visit since a very young age.  Should I ever win a very large Lottery, I will be happy to say I would love to meet John in person.


John Gray~ Going Gently:  John is the person who is responsible, no matter how up or down I am on any given day, for putting a smile on my face or giving me a full "chuckle" from the depths of my belly.  I so look forward to reading about the antics of John's every days from his three dogs, one cat, and large assortment of fowl, right down to the chicken poop on his boots and trousers ! 


Ally~ Ally's Kitchen:  I met Ally through making her Bohemian version of Banana Flax Marscapone Banana Bread, with not one single regret of our meeting, or for making her version of Banana Bread.  In corresponding with Ally, I have found her to be full of "life & energy" which is more then likely where all her "Bo Ho" creations have derived from.  Such a pleasure, Ally.


Caroline~ Bed & Breakfast Life:  Personally meeting Caroline and Doug at their Evergreen Forest B&B, located just outside of Wiarton, I was taken in immediately by their knowledge of life adventures, family, and friends.  Both their creativity shone through with what they have built on from what they had to work with when they converted their home into their now beautiful B&B.  


Gill~ That British Woman:  I was first made aware of Gill's blog through my Cousin Paula, being friends with Gill, and also encouraging that I start my own blog.  Gill's blog is one of the very first blogs I started to follow, and have been doing so for over a year now.  Gill usually has an adventure or two of her own to tell from her and her husband's "Dream Home" in the Country.  I must say I do admire a woman who can single handed ward off a coyote !


Jo-Anna~ A Pretty Life in the Suburbs:  I do so love going over to Jo-Anna's blog to see what pretty things she has created or added to her home.  Jo-Anna would be an inspiration to anyone with her style and creativity.  Also through corresponding with Jo-Anna, she comes through as a lovely gentle spirit.


To all of you who have received the "Sunshine Award", you may please go HERE to see how it goes from here on in for you to take the next steps, as I did.


I suppose I could go on with awarding the "Sunshine Award" to more, as there are so many people I do so admire and have met since I began blogging just over a year ago now.  I not only enjoy and admire each and everyone, I also admire each and everyone of the people who support and follow me as well.  Thank you to them and thank you to YOU !


Funny how I usually sit myself with nothing in my head, but once my fingers start moving across the keyboard, it just seem to "flow" ...... 


Things to do and a "pack" to attend to, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".