Well it's been a while, but I'm back in the game!

The selling game, that is! I did my first phone time last night and had some success in spite of the holiday, then finished up this morning 1-2 short of my goal. I called from 8-12 almost non-stop. I was calling to set up service calls, so of course there were plenty of numbers that had been disconnected, but I am excited about the ones I got set up. I got in touch with this one lady who said as long as I didn't reach into her pocket I could come over. I laughed and said her pocket was safe. I'm really excited, I miss this job and I'm really looking forward to meeting most of the people I am going to see. I love doing service calls because I'm providing a necessary service. I spoke with one lady who's storage unit is cracked and will have to be sent back to the factory, and another who has a few knives her kids broke the tips off of that will need to go back as well, and two ladies who have lost table knives over the years and want to order more.

Spaghetti sauce

Yes I'm still here! I know I haven't posted anything new for awhile, but here's why: I started work on my very own original spaghetti sauce recipe, and it is taking longer than I wanted to perfect. Last night's version was OK but nothing special. It was a little thin for my taste and the flavor was a little to strong for my husband. I used tomato paste, garlic, onion, and Italian seasoning. I'll keep yall posted on my progress and will post the final recipe when I get it just right.

All Squeak, No Bubble

This is a variation of Bubble and Squeak (explained in a previous post) where I was in a hurry so I just used water instead of a broth or other flavored soup-base, and it just didn't look very soup-y and delectable so I discarded the liquid. It's kind of a basic recipe but the hubby and I both enjoyed it, so I thought I'd pass it along.

2 handfuls of rotini (I like DaVinci's)
About 3/4 lb. ground beef, browned
Approx. 1 c. frozen broccoli
~1 c. frozen corn (LOVE Southern Home! It comes in a resealable bag!)
Water to cover
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Sauce, dressing, or dip of your choice

Boil water. Salt. Add rotini and oil. When rotini is about half done, add frozen vegetables. When rotini is done, drain liquid. Add beef; if beef is cold, heat over medium until heated through, stirring to keep food from sticking to pan. Makes 3 servings. This dish is kind of bland on its own, but that's part of its beauty. For lunch I poured a little bit of Tostitos medium queso over it, for dinner my husband had it with spaghetti sauce, and for dinner I had it with ranch dressing. It really absorbs and enhances the flavor of whatever sauce you add to it.

Bacon cookies

Yeah that's right. I saw this article on AOL news and at first was shocked and alarmed, but then slowly began to unclench my stomach muscles and relax into the idea that this might, in fact, be a good thing. I will HAVE to try these for myself and see for sure, but after mulling over it for quite some time I think that bacon cookies might actually be good.

My Christmas menu and more

For Christmas dinner, the hubby and I had a 5 pound chicken basted with cream soda (yeah you read that right) and stuffed with cornbread stuffing, gravy, and steamed broccoli and corn. We had gingerbread cookies for dessert, mmm! Now what I really wanted to talk to you about was the cream soda. This is not for everyone (my husband, for example, doesn't eat skin at all), but I LOVED it and would suggest it to anyone who likes the two separately! For a bird about the size I used you'll need about 1/2 liter of cream soda. Put the chicken in the oven dry and stuffed with no liquid in the roasting pan, and then baste with about 1/2 c. cream soda every 20 min. or so. This would probably work with most caramel flavor-based sodas like Coca-Cola or Pepsi. The skin will be black in places very early on but don't worry, it's not burnt at all. That's just the soda. The skin comes out a little crispy but not overly so and has a smooth, sweet flavor while the meat is tender and juicy. The stuffing shouldn't be affected.

Now the other item for today is for your listening pleasure. We received an iPod for Christmas, so I have been learning about Podcasts and one I think any cook will enjoy is Bon Apetit. It is related to the magazine and is very good, though it always makes me hungry! I have not subscribed to it as I don't like every single topic they cover, but I have truly enjoyed the ones I've listened to so far. I especially liked the one on summer desserts. You'll have to check it out, I didn't know this before I got an iPod but you don't need an iPod or any kind of MP3 player at all to make use of podcasts. You can watch them right on your computer, so go check em' out and let me know which ones are your favorites! Oh, and one last thing: Podcasts are free!

Squeel of delight!

I hope that you all had a merry and safe Christmas, and that God kept the reason for the holiday at the forefront of your mind amidst all the hustle and bustle. For Christmas I received a Cuisinart SmartPower Duet Blender/food processor. Expect new blended and chopped recipes in the near future! I am going to start with some delicious spaghetti sauces and milk shakes and take it from there!