The heat is on

I’m pretty sure this is not what Glenn Frey was alluding to in this song, but if the tag line fits, post it.

So I’d like to once again offer my sincerest thanks to Tilly Bud for reblogging this post.  As a direct result of her support for my tiny two bit blog, I can now boast a all time visit high of 129 hits on May 31, 2012.  Also, 19 people liked the post and I gained several new followers.  I know this to be true because WordPress has so kindly notified me that May 31st was my best day for “follows” and my best day for “likes.”

I like the little WordPress icon that signifies a job well done:

I would like to thank all who have commented and subscribed.  You know, I’ve been blogging for going on 4 years altogether, even though Janie’s Place is only just pushing 2 years old, and my “readership” has been mostly confined to about 8-10 “regulars.”  Well, last summer there was the Six Word Saturday experiment which brought in sporadic new readers, but I got to busy to keep that up and they apparently did too.  Not that I had much to share during the school year that would be worth their time visiting.

Anyway, the point is, I’m totally flattered.  It was so cool watching my little hit counter bar get taller and taller, dwarfing Wednesday, May 30th’s stats (which until last Thursday was a highly respectable 16 hits!).  I was so excited about my new found fame, I even brought my laptop on our road  trip (travelogue coming soon, you lucky devils you) to keep apprised of the traffic situation (on the blog, not the roads, who needs to know about the roads?!?  I want to know the important things, who’s visiting my blog!).  Naturally, things dropped off a bit on Friday, to a mere 57 hits, but still the euphoria of actually “BEING READ” began to give way to the panic of how to keep a satisfying level of moronic babble which this new found popularity was due.

The heat was on.

On my blog.

Inside my head.

On every post.

The audience is alive inside.

The blogosphere pressure’s high.

Sorry, Glenn.

I see however, that there was nothing to panic about.  Fame, it would seem, is truly fleeting as my numbers have settled back down to Earth; yesterday being just 10 reliable and respectable visitors.  Still, it was sort of fun to panic about being popular.

And, so, once again, thanks to all the new recent visitors.  Now that I’m home I promise to start reciprocal visits.  Except I can’t visit the curious visitor who was sent to spam and accidentally deleted.  My bad.  Sorry.  If you are reading this, and you sent a comment about truckers eating Yorkies and chocolate tasting like wax, please resubmit your comment.

Happy Monday,

your blog friend, Janie Jones

Getting Crafty

Some of you liked my 6WS post wherein I posted about the sunglasses tote I made from plastic grocery store bags.  It was way easy, but if you are interested in making plastic bag crafts like mine, you’ll need to be able to knit, crochet or finger weave.

You may not realize I have another blog about practical crafts, frugality and gardening.  Sadly I’m too busy to do much with it on a regular basis, but I have high hopes to use it more in the future…  Anyway, I posted the directions there as it goes well with the theme there.  If you are interested here’s the link:

The Cold, Dark Side of Practicality, Getting Crafty with Plastic Bags

Six Word Saturday: Let them eat cake!

This post has nothing to do with revolutions, unless eating cake for breakfast lunch and dinner for a week constitutes a diet revolution. No, Monday was my birthday, so naturally I had to eat a whole cake. Leif, not being a big sweets eater, and the spud having her own pink birthday cupcakes (her birthday was Thursday) was busily devouring her own birthday treat. And, we simply couldn’t waste it. Nope. That would be ungrateful, and I’m never ungrateful of birthday cake. Although I can’t really share with you all, here’s a virtual piece and my 6 Word Saturday offering:

One bit of birthday cake left!

Six Word Saturday Challenge is courtesy of

Show My Face, Six Word Saturday

 And, for your mouth-watering, taste-bud-teasing enjoyment, here’s a photo of the spud and her birthday cupcake cake:

Six Word Saturday: Simple Things Amuse Me

A bag made out of bags:

I made this little sunglasses tote bag today out of 10 plastic grocery bags in about an hour and a half.  I had to do a project for my Environmental Health Class that re-purposed something old or something that would otherwise be considered “garbage.”  I can’t exactly explain why, but I just thought this was totally fun.  If I had more time to spend on the project, I’d have preferred to make a huge book tote.  I mean, I see these sorts of things being sold at the local Co-Op for $6 a bag.  I wonder if people actually buy them, or if they’re like me and think, “Hey cool.  But I could do that for nothing.”

Six Word Saturday Challenge is courtesy of Show My Face, Six Word Saturday

Six Word Saturday: Thanksgiving happiness lingers

Happiness is leftover pie for breakfast.

And for lunch.  And for dinner.  And for a late night snack while watching movies.  Hey, there’s only two of us (the spud, who must truly be an alien says pie is “Yucky!”) and a huge 9″ pie which must be eaten before it goes bad.  I mean, it would not only be a waste to throw away stale old pie, it is a crime.

Oh, and it must be served ala mode with Breyer’s Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. MUST I tell you.

Homemade apple-cranberry pie was on this year’s Thanksgiving dessert menu.  It was divine.  Was I tell you because it’s gone now.  I meant to take a photo of it, but it was too delicious and I scarfed it up before I remembered to get out the camera.  And of course we had pumpkin pie, but I’m not a huge fan of the pumpkin so I just buy those store made, however, I do make homemade whipped cream to top it with.  Still, this year I tried an organic pumpkin pie from the Co-Op that I baked at home, so it was semi-homemade.  It wasn’t bad, but I’ll leave the pumpkin for Leif.

Hope you are enjoying your leftovers!

Six Word Saturday Challenge is courtesy of Show My Face, Six Word Saturday

Six Word Saturday: whining, just a bit

It’s been a while since I’ve participated in 6WS.  Mostly because I’ve been overwhelmed with homework.  So, perhaps you can guess the six words I’m submitting:

 

I don’t wanna do my homework.

Well, I suppose that’s nothing really new, but I absolutely loathe this assignment that is due on Monday.  Loathe it like with the passion of a thousand white hot fiery suns.  If I could pass the class and not do just this one assignment I would, but it’s a huge portion of my grade.  I’d rather give birth again that do this one assignment.  Sigh.  But if I wasn’t procrastinating and dragging my feet I’d be done by now and not have to worry about it anymore, so I suppose I should just put on my big girl panties and get on with it.

Happy Saturday.  Hope yours isn’t tainted by the misery of a horrible homework assignment.

Six Word Saturday Challenge is courtesy of Show My Face, Six Word Saturday

Six Word Saturday, revisited: Meatloaf recipe

As promised, here’s my Meatloaf in Tangy Red Sauce Recipe. It’s a fall/winter favorite with the Jones family; we’re talking Real American Comfort Food! I can’t take full credit for it, I got it years ago out of a recipe magazine, but I have tweaked it a bit along the way. The original version called for 2 pounds of meat, but if you double it, and manage to keep the kiddies from chowing down the whole thing in the first setting, the extra meatloaf freezes very nicely and reheats for a quick easy meal later on.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bread crumbs
half an onion, finely minced
about 1/4 cup creamy horseradish sauce (I like Woeber’s Sandwich Pal brand)
about 2 tablespoons of parsley
about 2 teaspoons of season salt
about 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 pounds 75-80% lean ground beef (higher quality meat is not as savory and dries out easily, but can be substituted)

Ingredients for Tangy Red Sauce:
12 oz jar of chili sauce
about 1/3 cup of ketchup
about 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
about a dash or two of hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Mix all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, combine all meatloaf ingredients. Be sure to thoroughly incorporate all ingredients. As gross as it is, it seems to work best if you squish through clean fingers until meat has a creamy, sticky texture.

Pat into rectangular, loaf shapes; trying to keep the thickness consistent through out the loaf. I prefer to make 2 one pound loaves or 4 half pound loaves (yesterday’s 6WS picture was a double recipe, which yielded 4 one pound loaves), I don’t recommend a 2 pound loaf. Smaller loaves cook a little more quickly, and more evenly, and make for good portioning if you want to have leftovers to freeze.

Place into greased cooking tin(s). Top with about half of Tangy Red Sauce. Bake 20-30 minutes. Baste with about half remaining sauce. Cook another 20-30 minutes. After 40 minutes, check for doneness with a meat thermometer. Meatloaf is done when center of loaf reaches 165. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, pierce with a table knife, the meat should feel firm inside. Larger loaves will take longer to reach doneness, but do not over cook. A dry, crusty meatloaf is a sad, sad thing.

When meatloaf is done, gently heat any remaining Tangy Red Sauce in microwave or on stove top on medium-low. Extra sauce may be used as a “gravy” for meat. Our family will make extra Tangy Red Sauce and spoon over mashed potatoes, too.

If you have leftovers, refrigerate or freeze promptly. For safest thawing, place frozen meatloaf in refrigerator overnight to slow thaw. Cover meatloaf when reheating to help retain moistness. Extra sauce can be frozen as well and thawed to serve with reheated meatloaf.

Serving suggestion: Serve with extra Tangy Red Sauce, real mashed potatoes (no instant potatoes, please! respect your meatloaf and sauce!), buttered green beans and/or cheesey cauliflower. We had caramel apples for dessert last night, but other yummy options are hot chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake or cherry or apple pie. Yummmm. Thank goodness there’s leftovers, my mouth is watering again!

If you are looking for a good Mashed Potato recipe, I suggest the Jones family favorite spuds:

A mess o’ peeled and diced potatoes. We like about 10-12 medium to large potatoes. We will mix up the kinds of potatoes, some Idaho bakers, some Yukon gold, some red potatoes.

Boil vigorously until spud pieces easily break when stabbed. Do not over cook or you will have potato sauce, instead of mashed potatoes. Drain when done. Reserve.

In pot over low heat, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of real butter. Add season salt and ground black pepper to taste, a tablespoon of dry chervil and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, if desired. When butter is almost melted, remove from heat, transfer to a stable, heat safe surface. Add potatoes to the pot and mash until desired consistency. I like mine just a little chunky. Then return to low heat and add about a 1/4 cup whole milk and about 1/2 cup of sour cream. Mix well and cover. Allow to sit over low heat 4-7 minutes to allow flavors to blend into potatoes. Stir frequently. Taste. You can add more seasonings, butter or milk to reach a consistency and flavor to your taste.

Enjoy!