THUMBNAILS OF VARIOUS POSTS

 This morning I was looking for a particular photo and I don't even know how these popped up.  One of those times I should have made notes on the steps but forgot.  Anyhow, I enjoyed looking at all my posts over the years and thought you might enjoy too.  You can enlarge to get a better look.

It rained heavily yesterday but looks pretty decent today.  It is going to get up to 53 degrees Fahrenheit.  We're off out for a quick trip.  Gregg wanted a Bahn Mi sandwich from a favorite Vietnamese shop we know a few miles from here.  We have been going there for years, ever since he discovered it on his way home from work in Washington DC (before retirement). There are no seats inside and we always end up having a car picnic.  No breakfast today as we slept in, but Bahn Mi sounds wonderful for our first meal of the day.  

As always, thank you so much for looking and I hope your day and weekend is happy and healthy.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - ROSEMARY, SAGE AND THYME SCENTED CHICKEN

Rosemary, Sage and Thyme Scented Chicken

An old recipe I made for the first time several years ago when hubs was getting back from a business trip to Kansas City one afternoon.  I wanted to have a wonderful aroma to greet him when he walked in the door and I decided on this recipe. Another I am not sure where it came from. I wasn’t very organized back then. I go surfing a lot on the Internet when I am looking for new ideas, and I came across this recipe in my collection again recently. The chicken overwhelmed the platter but it was the smallest chicken I could find on my last shopping trip, and I didn't have the time to look elsewhere. It took a little longer to cook but everything came out really well.  We had lots of leftovers which I love for extra, no-fuss meals. 

Rosemary, Sage and Thyme Scented Chicken

Preparation time 15 minutes 

Roasting Time 1-1/4 hours 

Makes 4 servings

Calories: 357 calories in 1 portion

2 oranges

3 to 4 lb (1.5 to 2 kg) whole roasting chicken

1 tsp (5 mL) butter

1 tsp (5 mL) each dried thyme leaves and sage leaves

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

3 medium-size potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold

2 red onions

1 lb (500 g) pkg peeled butternut squash pieces

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) dried rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). 

Slice oranges in half. Squeeze out about 1 cup (250 mL) juice. Don't discard orange peels. 

Rinse chicken. Pat dry with paper towels. Place in a roasting pan wide enough to hold chicken and vegetables around it. 

Stuff orange peels into cavity of chicken. 

Rub butter all over chicken, then sprinkle with thyme, sage and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt. 

Roast, breast side up, in centre of preheated oven 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut unpeeled potatoes into quarters. 

Slice each onion into 6 wedges. 

Cut squash into bite-size chunks. 

Place potatoes, onions and squash in a large bowl. Add juice and oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and remaining 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt. Stir until evenly coated.

Once chicken has roasted 30 minutes, remove from oven. Baste with any pan juices. 

Tumble vegetables and marinade into pan around chicken and spread out. 

Return to oven. Roast, uncovered, until a meat thermometer inserted into thigh reads 170F (77C), 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Stir vegetables halfway through cooking. 

If chicken skin browns too quickly, loosely cover chicken with foil. 

If pan juices start to burn, add a little water. 

After removing pan from oven, let stand 10 minutes before slicing chicken and serving with vegetables and pan juices.

Thank you for looking and have a great week. 

JUST FOR THIS WEEK A SUNDAY RECIPE POST - EASY SHRIMP FRIED RICE

There will also be one tomorrow.

In our house we enjoy shrimp and we enjoy fried rice.  We put these two things together in this recipe, which came from a food blog called Recipe Girl hosted by Lori Lange.  Her introduction reads in part, "...enjoy over 3,000 recipes, entertaining tips and travel adventures."  I will be going back to visit often, and you can visit the original recipe if you click here.   It will also show you a more complete nutritional value.

Easy Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe - 

Serves: 8 

Calories: 211 in a 1 cup serving

It always takes me a little longer than these recipes state, but are a good guide line as to how fast you can put a meal from prep to table, so....

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

 

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided

16 ounces medium peeled and de-veined shrimp (suggestions to use instead of the shrimp are pork, chicken, beef and I am adding tofu to this list, also scallops)

1 cup diced onion

1 cup finely diced carrot

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

3 cups cooked white rice

1 large egg

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

chopped green onions, for garnish (if desired)

 

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat. 

Add the shrimp to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until pink and no longer translucent. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate and keep warm. Set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir in the onions. Cook the onions until softened, approximately 3 minutes. 

Stir in the carrots and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until softened. 

Add the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant.

Stir in the white rice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the rice is crisp.

Push the rice to the edges of your pan making a well in the middle. Crack the egg in the middle of the pan and stir to scramble. Cook the egg and then begin to stir into the rice mixture.

Add the peas, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil to the rice stirring to combine. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. 

Stir in the shrimp and cook for an additional minute to warm through.

Serve immediately topped with chopped green onions (optional).

I would like to thank Lori for an excellent meal.  We enjoyed it very much.

We added three or four small, seedless sweet red peppers, and for a garnish I put a sprig of parsley on the top as I had no green onions.  

As we both like heat in an Asian recipe, we added a tablespoon of Chile paste.  A little goes a long way.

The condiments we used were Sweet Chili Paste and a dash or two of Ponzu Sauce.

Thanks for looking and have a great week.

BAR-HEADED GEESE

This is an old photo from April 2008 of a pair of Bar-headed geese.  I found them on a lake at a local, privately owned zoo.  They had a whole variety of different geese and ducks there but these two caught my eye on that trip.

I found very interesting information at a website called The Spruce, and if you are curious about these birds you can click here.

I gleaned a few interesting facts about them.

"They are one of the highest flying birds in the world and can fly above the Himalayan Mountains when it migrates, at heights that may reach 30,000 feet.

Their scientific name is Anser indicus (occasionally Eulabeia indica).

It's common name is Bar-headed Goose, Indian Goose and Gray Goose.  

They have a life span of 15 to 20 years.  

Size 28-30 inches and weight 4.4-6.6 pounds.  

Wingspan is 55-62 inches.  

These geese have a low honking call they use almost continuously in flight.  On land softer calls or small trills can occasionally be heard.

These geese prefer freshwater habitats such as bogs, open marshes, marshy lakes or river wetlands, as well as wet grassy fields or flooded agricultural areas.  

They are found in much of Asia and migrate seasonally.  

These birds are also part of exotic waterfowl collections throughout the world, including zoos and aviaries.  

Some feral populations have been established, most notably in Spain, Belgium and Finland, but regular escapee sightings are also recorded in Canada and the United Kingdom.  Rare escapees may be seen nearly anywhere.

During the breeding season, bar-headed geese can be found in appropriate habitats in Mongolia, western China, Kyrgyzstan, eastern Afghanistan and northeastern Pakistan.  In winter bar-headed geese migrate directly across the mountains to their wintering range in central Pakistan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and southern China, generally favoring lowland areas in winter."

I found it so very interesting to learn about this goose.  There is much more information about them at The Spruce.

Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.

BIRDS AND SNOW - AN OLD POST 10 YEARS AGO

 I got up early this morning. It is 4.45 a.m. and there is a fine blanket of snow everywhere. Thankfully it seems to have stopped. From what I have heard on the weather reports it isn't going to be more than an inch deep around here.

Yesterday I was more interested in how icy it was going to get as when I went to collect the mail at around 6.30 p.m., it was sleeting and everything was covered in ice, especially our driveway which is on a hill and can be very treacherous in bad weather. I thought it prudent to go down to the mailbox at a 45 degree angle on the grass, and even that had a fine sheet of ice on it but it was better than the alternative. I got back up without too much difficulty and only felt myself sliding a couple of times. 

An hour later it had started to snow and was still snowing when I went to bed at 11.00 p.m. This morning all is quiet. I will be filling up the bird feeders first thing and throwing out the peanuts. In the top photos we start off with an American Robin and a Carolina Wren. Below is a Dark-Eyed Junco.

The photos of all feathered friends were taken during the last dusting of snow a couple of weeks ago. Below is a male Cardinal. I love his bright red coloring against the white of the snow.

The Blue Jay was taken the following day when the snow had stopped and the sun was out. It is always a race between the Blue Jays and the Squirrels to get hold of the peanuts.

The Blue Jays always get their fair share.

Last photo is that of a female Cardinal. Her mate turned up a little while later.

Added note to this old post on February 20th, 2021. While we are not going out anywhere I will be sharing several old posts.  This one was dated January 12th, 2011 before hubby had retired and was traveling out of state on business.