A Fernandina Fancy - Amelia Island Kindness

Talk about welcoming - While doing a book signing at Sea Jade's old Florida souvenir shop on Centre Street on Amelia Island, Florida, my eye caught sight of this bench.  Just look at the pillows kindly placed there for the comfort of strangers.  Since the bench is out in front of Corner-Copia gift shop (210 Centre Street), right beside Sea Jade, I assume the nice Corner-Copia proprietors placed them there. No matter who did it, the gesture was pure small town American and I wanted to share the sweetness of it all with you. -jmm

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Belleek Irish Pottery - Miss Ella

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Miss Ella writes: We just had a package delivered. My sweet sister-in-law, Katie Lawrence from Washington, D.C., sent Michael, well really the whole Dunnigan family, a lovely biscuit barrel, covered in hand painted shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. It is made by the Belleek Pottery Company. I have heard nothing but delightful things about them and everything is true. This jar is so lightweight and delicate, how did it make it to our doorstep without a

*Miss Ella

chip or crack? You have to know, Grandmother Peeper will claim it as her own the moment she spies it. That is fine with me because she will keep it filled to the rim with her delightful biscuits. I must dash off a note of thanks to Kathleen, next thing.

***************

Present Day
Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie writes: Imagine my surprise when I first heard of the Irish pottery given to you in your time.  I, too, was recently gifted with the very same biscuit barrel!  I don't know its origins as it was presented to me by relatives who don't know its origin either.  They were readying a family home for sale, discovered this and thought of me.  If I've never mentioned it, the Irish is alive and well in me.
     Hmm ... Since my family doesn't know its origin, might it possibly have belonged to the Dunnigan clan from your day and got somehow separated from your family to end up in mine? Oh, I like to think that.  By jingo, that is just what happened.  I'm sure of it. Well, pretty sure.  Anyway, I like the idea and will tell the tale.
     I did a bit of research on Belleek Pottery and found the factory opened in County Fermanagh in Ireland in 1857 in the village of Belleek. According to their website at www.belleek.com/, it is Ireland's oldest working fine china/pottery factory. Their process takes 16 people to handle each new piece.  If there is a flaw of any kind, it will never be sold. Thus, perfection is their watchword.
     Watch this video to see how they do it: Belleek Pottery Made in Ireland  

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

from The Dunnigans of

The Goodbye Lie Series  

and Jane Marie Malcolm and Family‎

*Miss Ella is the matriarch of the fictional Dunnigans  on Amelia Island, Florida. Known for her grace and kindness, she is the culinary supervisor for Aqua Verde Passenger line, the family business.

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Nora's Anytime Breakfast Wedges

Late 1800s, Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

    

Nora writes:  My friend, Isabella, lives in town on Ash Street in the yellow cottage with the blue and white striped awnings.  Her mother has a statue of a pug dog on the front porch by the door.  Well, she brought these Breakfast Wedges

Nora

to our Sunny Ladies monthly tea.  They were very filling and delightful.  Isabella was happy to share her recipe with me and she gave me permission to share it with Jane Marie’s friends.

     By the way, Isabella is forever telling me how fortunate I am to play a role in Jane Marie’s novels. I told her that being Breelan Dunnigan’s first cousin who lives next door certainly helps, since Bree is the heroine in The Goodbye Lie.  I also told her that  if she lets Jane Marie know about a particular adventure in her life, perhaps she, too, might become a character in The Goodbye Lie Series or another of JM's writings.

     Now, I’ve told Jane Marie how to make this recipe and, as she often does, she has translated it into her modern products and culinary practices, which I find fascinating.  To think one can make bacon in this machine called microwave and not get attacked by spitting grease from the iron skillet, well, it is a wonder to me!

******************

Present Day, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

     Jane Marie writes:  Thank you, Nora.  I honestly enjoy making the very same or as close to the same recipes that you make in your time.  Not only do we live on the same Amelia Island with the same beach, the same streets, the same buildings, the same vegetation, the same weather conditions, etc., but through the magic of these electronic Goodbye Lie Diaries, we can eat many of the same foods.  Rather than me only hearing your whispers in my ear and seeing your escapades in my mind's eye as I walk the shoreline, I can taste the breakfast foods, meats and desserts that you prepare. It brings us even closer, if that’s possible. Thank you, Nora, and please thank your friend, Isabella.  Perhaps Isabella may appear between the pages of one of my books.  Perhaps …

**********

Nora’s Anytime Breakfast Wedges

You'll need:

• 1 16.3 ounce of Pillsbury Honey Butter Grands    with flaky layers( 8 biscuits)
• 8 slices crisp bacon (Publix brand fully cooked hickory smoked- I only purchase this when it’s Buy One, Get One Free, but I love the convenience of microwaving it.)
• 4 eggs- scrambled
• Cheese- 4 slices, ½ slice per biscuit, folded in half to fit biscuit or use shredded cheddar cheese
• Parchment paper on cookie sheet

 Procedure:

• Gently pull each of the eight biscuits apart in half horizontally, top and bottom, not side to side.   Lay them out on the parchment paper.
• Scramble the 4 eggs adding a teaspoon or so of water before stirring in the pan.
• Microwave the bacon, saving enough for the Breakfast Wedges, you big pig!  I’m talking to myself, here.
• Spoon the scrambled eggs onto the center of the 8 biscuits, trying to keep the biscuit edges exposed. 
• Top each with a piece of bacon, broken in two.
• Top the bacon with cheese. 
• Pinch the edges of the top and bottom biscuit together, letting the bacon poke out if you like.   
• With a fork, score the edges to make them pretty.  Also with the fork, poke a hole in the top.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. Cut each biscuit into quarters or wedges.
• Pass your favorite sauce, if desired: ketchup, ranch dressing, salsa
•  You can use ham instead of bacon, of course, and add mild green chilies for a Mexican flavor or seeded tomatoes with Italian spices.
• Get creative!

24 Hour Salad

Aunt Suzie's 24 Hour Salad is always a hit.  There are many versions of this layered salad, but I use this one because I first had it many years ago at my sister-in-law's house.  Thank you, Aunt Suzie! 

You'll need:

1 large glass bowl so the layers are visible
1 bag of your favorite mixed greens or shredded head of lettuce
1/2 cup green pepper
1 can drained and sliced water chestnuts (optional)
1 box or bag frozen green peas

Layer the above ingredients. DO NOT MIX

2 tablespoons sugar
2 cup of mayo
Mix and spread over top of greens.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese- sprinkled over the mayo

Garnish with:
1 or 2 sliced eggs
cherry tomatoes- sliced in half or whole
bacon bits
green onions
radishes- sliced

Use whatever you like to make it look pretty.  Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours then serve with pride.

Thank you, Aunt Suzie.  Enjoy! -jmm

Cackleberry Club

     My sweet husband, Bruce, is a United States Marine.  However macho he is, he can be delicate, too.  Case in
point: While grocery shopping one day, I noticed he was touching each of a dozen eggs in the carton.  Frankly, he was more than touching them.  He was full out playing with them.  "Whatever are you doing, oh manly man of mine?" asked I. 
     "I am in search of cracks in the eggs," said he.
     "I, too, look for cracks before I put a dozen in the shopping buggy.  You, however, go much further than just looking. You are performing some sort of fancy finger dance, taking each oval orb as partner.  It is quite fascinating to stand back and watch. Yet, is there a purpose beyond entertaining those about you?"
     "Why, yes, there is. Rather than merely inspecting the eggs for any visible cracks on their tops, I pick up and spin each one to be certain there are no cracks on their bottom halves, lest we get them home and discover the ugly truth.  Since scientists use eggs to grow cultures," he shuddered, "if it is within my power, I shan't bring into our home a flawed vessel which will propagate any bacterium and its off-spring, endangering those within said abode. Add to that, it is meet, right and proper, so to do, that we get a complete dozen, unbroken eggs, for the full value of the price we pay. I find a complete tender twirl to be the answer."
     I have since begun the Cackleberry Club, as I now call all egg activities. We invite one and all to become members. Like our 3-Second Memory Club, there are never any meetings, so no minutes are taken and no dues required. 
     Wonder what our next club will be?  I'd best be starting a list to keep all our organizations straight. 

Polka Dots and Bows - Goodbye Lie Diaries - Marie

Late 1880s
Fernandina, a small city on Amelia Island, Florida

     Marie writes:  I adore the polka dot pattern. I wear my blue polka dotted blouse with mama's pearl necklace for special occasions and I feel wonderful doing so.

fair-haired

Marie Dunnigan

     I mentioned this to Jane Marie and she told me she would make a fashionable picture with polka dots of some sort for an entry in this blog.
     As I admire the photograph above, it appears she has tied her pretty pink scarf about her neck several times and knotted it in front.  Oh, and her broach is so lovely. It must be a family heirloom.  I will have to ask her.
     Anyone reading this diary entry, do consider the addition of some or many polka dots into your wardrobe. I do believe they will forever be a popular style.   

Marie Dunnigan is a featured player in Amelia Island's Mark of a Man set in Fernandina, a small city on the island in north Florida.  Marie is boy crazy and stubborn and her tale makes for much drama, mystery, romance and many surprises.

Remember the Maine - An Amelia Island's Mark of a Man Excerpt

Excerpt from                                           

 in E-book and Paperback

Amelia Island's Mark of a Man               

February 15, 1898

Fernandina, Florida

     "I'm ready, Sheriff." Stepping away from his parents, Pat said, "I'm sorry for this embarrassment, Mama. I'm sorry I can't go with you, Daddy. I'm hoping for the best for Aunt Kathleen." He added in afterthought, "Oh, you may want to have a look at that newspaper extra I brought in to show you. The Spanish sunk the Maine in Havana Harbor. My guess is we'll be declaring war on them any day." 

     "Dear God!" Miss Ella put her hands flat to her chest in distress, thinking how everyone alive would remember where they were when they heard this ghastly news. 
     Aunt Noreen, mercifully, was still passed out and unaware of the dispatch. However, by this time, most others in the building had filled Michael's office and were listening. Officer and prisoner walked through the grasping, sobbing maze of relatives, secretaries, clerks and draftsmen.
     Pat noticed Angelique running out the back way, her arm thrown across her weeping eyes. Had he meant that much to her? Of course not. Thunderation! He could be a conceited bastard, he concluded. She must have other troubles. 
     As he climbed into the barred prisoners' wagon, he saw Marie sitting on the front porch railing, swinging her legs and smiling his way. Her ice-blue eyes cut through him. Her attitude seemed somehow—reckless. What had gotten into her? What might happen to her with him not there for protection?  

     The U.S. Battleship Maine was sent to Havana Harbor, January 26, 1898, by President McKinley, to protect United States interests and the Cuban rebels. She was mysteriously blown up while at anchor on February 15, 1898, killing 260 Americans on board. William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer of the New York Journal printed the cry: Remember the Maine. Spain declared war on the United States, April 24, 1898. It was the beginning of the Spanish-American War.

Treat Yourself for Valentine's Day

     Discover Amelia Island, Florida's romantic   Goodbye Lie series  - We think you'll love the lure of it when you experience the romance then remember the legend of it all ...  (Available in e-books and paperbacks most everywhere online or order it in your local book store.)
     The Goodbye Lie, Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow and Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, all part of the historical romance/mystery/drama/comedy series, are where the written road delivers you into the antics-filled and angst-ridden lives of the Dunnigan siblings, inside and out of their small island town of Fernandina.  

Breelan and Waite and Trip's story circa 1882

 from Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida to

New York City and back.

Carolena and Grey's story circa 1889

from Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida to

Charleston, South Carolina to Johnstown, Pennsylvania and back.

Pat and Angelica's story circa 1898

from Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida to

Erie, Pennsylvania to the waters of Cuba and back.

Buy e-books and paperbacks here --Goodbye Lie series 

Walking Leaf plus Goodbye Lie Diaries- Peeper

       Have a look at the walking    

leaf aka leaf insect aka leaf bug in the above picture. How wonderful, don't you think?  My friend, Carlo, showed me this fascinating critter, and I want to make sure you, my on-line friends, see it, too.  I did some mini-research. Always in disguise, it can be from one to four inches long. It has six legs and doesn't bite. Notice it has veins, too, just like a real leaf. The babies are a dark red and turn green as they grow. Its walk is such that it wobbles as if blowing in the breeze like a real leaf! 

     For further details, click  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqGiEOw17wA and/or do a video search for walking leaf on YouTube.

 Goodbye Lie Diaries

Late 1800s

Fernandina, Florida   

Peeper writes:  I and our youngins has seen them things and the walkin' stick, too.  Ain't God grand?

(Peeper is the beloved grandmother, who knocked on the Dunnigan family front door one day during the Civil War.  Announcing she'd heard Michael, the patriarch, was off fighting, she entered their home to take care of Miss Ella and her two girls, Breelan and Carolena.  Peeper never left.)

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Miss Ella's Simple Salad

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

    

     Miss Ella Dunnigan writes:  Everyone about town is aware I plan the menus for our Aqua Verde Passenger Line of ships.  My staff and I do our utmost to make our passengers' travels a safe yet exciting sea adventure and that, too, is the case with regard to their taste buds.  Sometimes, easy to prepare food is just as appetizing as elegant.  This is the case with my Simple Tomato Salad.  Four ingredients and you have a healthy delight to serve on board your personal boat or yacht, on a picnic or at your dinner table.

     As is the usual, I want to express my thanks to Jane Marie for photographing her version of my salad. It does look tempting. Find how she made it, below.

Miss Ella's Simple Tomato  Salad

You'll Need: 

(Guestimate the quantities of ingredients as to how many people you'll be serving.)

Tomatoes - chopped or Cherry Tomatoes- halved

Walnuts or Pecans- in pieces

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (jmm used 2% fat), Colby or your favorite cheese- in bite-sized pieces

Salad dressing - (jmm used Avacado Ranch)

Toss all the ingredients and serve chilled.  Individual servings may be prepared by the bowl or salad plate. If tomatoes are out of season where you are, tuck this recipe away or splurge.  (Cherry tomatoes were less expensive here in Florida this time of year.)

This would make an easy Valentine side, too!

***

Miss Ella Dunnigan

     Miss Ella, the Dunnigan family matriarch, and prominently featured player in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series, is the nearly perfect mother of  the family. Held in high esteem on Amelia Island, Miss Ella is gentle, loving and a thoughtful soul. She would rather turn and run than get "into it" with nosy, nasty Aunt Noreen who lives next door. But Miss Ella's backbone turns iron when need be. ( PLEASE don't tell Aunt Noreen I wrote this reality about her. )     -jmm



Bear Advice

CareStaf's Mike Bear
is a fine looking bear and
so health conscious, too.

  He's a busy fellow and that includes
posing with his tissue for this shot. 

     'Tis the cold and flu season again.  Take a tip from our friend, Mike, the  Kansas City Carestaf* bear, on how he stays healthy.  His Mama Bear taught him and he listens to his mother like all bearlings, children and adults should.
     P.S. Mike has no medical training, so take or leave his advice.  Your fate is in your paws/hands.  However, we must add that he likes to listen to hearts with his toy stethoscope, so that qualifies him for something. Oh, yes, that qualifies him as a stuffed toy.

Mike Says:

• Don't touch your face.
• Don't rub your eyes.
• Hold your breath when someone coughs or sneezes.
• If necessary, touch elbows in greeting when someone is ill. Don't shake hands.
• Spray disinfectant on door knobs, inside and out.
• Polish television remotes with fresh disinfectant wipes.
• Polish all phones with fresh disinfectant wipes.
• Wash those paws/hands.
• Dry your hands with paper towels, not a community cloth towel.
• Bundle up in layers to go out.
• Wear a hat out in the cold.
• Layer your clothing, inside, too, if your thermostat is set low to save electricity.
• Don't touch your face or lips.  I know I wrote that already, but it's the number one thing Mama Bear says.

     By the way, Mike Bear is friends with our Martha Bear, ursine spokesbear for this blog and Gracious

Martha Bear sitting in her

official Bear Chair

wearing her official uniform

Jane Marie. Martha also makes cameo appearances in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie series. 

The Goodbye Lie Series

*CareStaf - Dennis and Peggy Brown opened CareStaf in 1991 and still own and operate the company.  Their commitment to high clinical standards has made CareStaf a recognized leader in supplemental staffing and home health care.  (Peggy Brown is my sister, as well, so  please permit me to brag about her and her wonderful hubby, Dennis.  - jmm)

.     

May I Recommend?

    I had the most scrumptious potatoes at a pot luck luncheon.  I was told the recipe was on the back of the Simply Potatoes® bag located in the refrigerated section of the local grocery store.  And there it was. Since it called for chopped onions and I was short on time,  I bought their Potatoes O'Brien® version, with green pepper and onion included. All I can say is the result is YUMMO!

 ***Cheesy Hash Browns***

You'll need:

1 bag of Simply Potatoes O'Brien® or your own shredded potatoes with chopped onion
 3/4 cup sour cream
 1 regular can of cream of chicken soup- I used the healthy version.
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese - I used 2% sharp cheddar.
1/4th cup melted butter- I  used Earth Balance organic spread.

Mix all the ingredients.  Spread in a 9"x 11" pan or 2 quart casserole sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake for 60 minutes  at  350° F. Cut into squares and serve for Sunday dinner or anytime.  It would go wonderfully with eggs at breakfast, too.  Think I'll run by the store tonight and get the ingredients to make more!
     Enjoy,   Jane Marie

A Valentine Tree plus Goodbye Diaries-Miss Ella

  

     If you haven't already disposed of your live Christmas tree - WAIT.  If you have an artificial tree you haven't put away yet or if you have, get it out again. Why? Because you can easily create a Valentine Tree.  A friend suggested doing this since there was still plenty of life left in the living tree.  
     You can see in the photo how I've used a couple strings of red lights, red garland, pearl garland and cut out paper hearts of pink and white.  This took me all of thirty minutes.  The kids will love it, too, and they can help with cutting the hearts and decorating.  Add a faux bird or three (odd numbers look better), some lace, tie bows on a few of the branch tips, place an old Valentine card for sentimental reasons or new Valentines here and there, add a white sheet, an old Victorian-looking book and a heart shaped platter beneath the tree and a small doll or large bow at the top. There you have it.  Good, wholesome, all-American fun! 
     Hey, decorate a small outside tree, bush or potted plant with red, pink and white weather-resistant bows.  I figure it like this.  If you go to the effort of decorating, enjoy that effort and make it last until the dust settles over it and you're forced to dismantle the thing or redo it.
     What? Too soon after New Year's?  Maybe for some, but I'm always in the holiday spirit!
     Enjoy!
                                  Jane Marie

Goodbye Lie Diaries
Late 1800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Miss Ella writes: This is such a wonderful idea,

Miss Ella

Jane Marie.  I do not have your red lights, but have pretty patterned wrapping paper we can use for the hearts to decorate our potted palm in the parlor.  The Sisters of Saint Michael's church have given me the most beautiful handmade lace.  That can be our garland. I will not have to cut into it and shall use it for trim on a  christening gown for the family.  You know how we have babies now that our children are grown. The little ones might find some pink-hued small shells on the beach to hang as well.  The ideas are endless.  Thank you for always including our Dunnigan family.

The Goodbye Lie historical romance series, available in e-book and paperback, features the Dunnigan family and all their antics, desires and dreams in late 1800 Amelia Island, Florida. Click on the link above for details.   

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Peeper- Smoking Bishop Recipe

Excerpt from The Goodbye Lie:      Leona was at the piano playing Auld Lang Syne. Aunt Noreen and Peeper passed steaming mugs of Smoking Bishop and the scent of the spiced wine filled the room. A toast was raised and cups clinked. 1883 had begun. PAPERBACK AND EBOOK HERE: http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Marie-Malcolm/e/B002ZFSBKE       In Drinking with Dickens by Cedric Dickens, who was the great-grandson of Charles Dickens,  I discovered Smoking Bishop was Victorian hot spiced port wine.  Besides the Bishop, there were other clerical drinks in those times:  Archbishop-claret, Cardinal-champagne and Pope-burgundy.        We served Smoking Bishop at a holiday party and got a chuckle out of seeing one of our guests tip the pot to get the last drop - and we’d made a double batch!  There are variations of Smoking Bishop, but this is the recipe we used.       As with all alcoholic drinks, moderation is key.       Enjoy,      Jane Marie

Smoking Bishop Recipe- a GBL Fave

You’ll need: 

• 4 whole washed, unpeeled oranges
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks.
• 1 bottle port wine (red wine and port wine combined should equal 4 to 5 quarts)
• 5 to 6 quart slow cooker or large pot for stovetop cooking

Stick the whole cloves into the oranges.  Poke the oranges several times with a fork so the juice will seep out while cooking.  Place the oranges in the pot. 

Add  the red wine, sugar and cinnamon sticks.

Cover and cook on low or simmer for 3 1/2 hours.  Add the bottle of port. 

DO NOT BOIL at any time.  

Heat the mixture for another half hour to warm the port. 

Serve warm straight from the pot.

Garnish with extra orange slices or wedges and individual cinnamon sticks, if desired. 

Serves 10.  This recipe is easily doubled.

*******  

The Goodbye Lie Diaries:
1880s
Fernandina, Florida

Grandmother

Peeper

Peeper writes:     Yes, Miss Jane,  I did pass cups a Smokin' Bishop around Dunnigan Manor with Noreena. I never want ta do a thing with her.  I only dun it 'acause  Santee Claus hadn't yet come and I wanted me a pair a new shoelaces, so I had ta be nice.  Miss Ella got me the shoes ta go with 'um, but I didn't ask.

                      Happy New Year All!

 Reprinted from our original

GraciousJaneMarie.com website

Merry Christ Christmas

     Many years ago, I learned a rub-out painting technique. You fill a section of the canvas with solid paint then use Q-tips to slowly remove the paint and develop your picture.  Mine is painted on a wooden board and encircled by a straw wreath. To me, the babe in the manger with the chipmunk, lamb, redbird, bunny and donkey looking on, is sweet beyond measure.  I hope it reminds you of the love radiating from the Christ Child into all the world.  Merry Christmas everyone.     
                                                         - Jane Marie

2017 Annual Christmas Letter

Somebody else's Christmas Cactus

     Here is another of our annual appalling          

appealing family Christmas letters.  Hope your year was filled with events and quotes as great as ours!

 

Mother tried out for the community theater production of Little Mermaid.  She will play the coveted role of seaweed.

 

Auntie instructed Son to put up the trellis for the wedding ceremony.  He readily agreed, adding, "What’s a trellis?"

 

Uncle asked, "Who was the last one to brush?"  “Brush what?” came the reply in unison. That happened in May.

 

Father warned: "Don't go in there.  He's got The Crud and he'll take us all down with him."

 

The doorbell rang. "Who ordered this kind of pizza?  I hate mushrooms so I ain't paying.  Granny, it’s for you."

 

"Who wants a white Russian?"  “I don't, but I'll take a furry Frenchman."

 

Uncle Tree-tree talks into the TV clicker and replaces the batteries when he can't change the channels. It keeps him busy and away from the garbage can.

  

It rained so hard the apple pie was good.

 

Father cut the grass and his toe nails, in that order. 

 

Cousin Skin bought a ticket and wore a sneaker.

 

The pool was not cleaned this year.

 

“Anybody got any TUMS?”

 

A feather was on the sidewalk.

 

Ants carried off the cat food.

 

Mother sewed on a button then removed the blood stains with her spit.

 

Brother got a new one.

 

The cat coughed up a pickle.

 

The timer on the sprinkler got reset.

 

The oven burned the chicken. 

 

The repairman made two trips to plug in the toaster.  He wears a uniform and is Father's nephew.

 

Friday's newspaper was thinner than the bacon.

 

Sometimes we didn’t dry the dishes.

 

The stairs still need watering.

 

The chimney smells funny.

 

Merry Christmas
from all the crew and characters at
Gracious Jane Marie and
Amelia Island Novels Blog

Quick Beef Stroganoff

     I heard somewhere, "It is better to wear out than rust out."  And I agree, but our lives do often seem hectic and we may forget a thing or two. (That's why there are sticky notes in my world. )

     One thing we must remember to do is feed the family- like they would let us forget?  So, I am always on the look-out for quick and easy recipes that are delicious.  This Beef Stroganoff has been around our house for a couple of decades. Give it a try! 

Quick Beef Stroganoff

Brown and drain any grease:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely (optional)
• Flat noodles or pasta            

Add, stirring over medium heat until hot clear through:

• 1 can “healthy” mushroom soup (regular is fine, too)
• 1 cup regular, non-fat or light sour cream
• 1 three ounce can of mushrooms, drained (or larger can if you love mushrooms) - fresh mushrooms taste even better, but should be added with the onion so they can be cooked through
• 2 tablespoons ketchup           
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Serve over flat noodles or pasta.

P.S.  This recipe was first posted on my Gracious Jane Marie website a long while ago.  It's so good, I thought you might like seeing it again or discovering it for the first time.

Enjoy!
            Jane Marie