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“White Trash” Wednesdays, Volume IV

Hi ya’ll,

If you’ve visited my site over the last month, you will know all about "White Trash" Wednesdays - a time about a dozen of us bloggers get together and poke a little fun at our families, heritage and something close to my heart - the food we eat!

Just to prepare you for tomorrow - think "Road Kill." YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

Here’s a list of participating blogs. Just e-mail if you’d like to join in the fun!
Beautiful Atrocities
Cranky Neocon
Dangerous Logic
Fist Full of Fortnights
Hectorvex
It Is What It Is
The Jawa Report
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Rachael Ray Redux
Riehl World View
Six Meat Buffet
Vince Aut Morire

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Get the Breathmints!

I have got to say one of my most favorite items in the food world is garlic. I love it with meat, with pasta, with potatoes, with most everything (unless we’re talking dessert!).
Enjoy!

I’d like to share two recipes, courtesy of Rachael Ray, that are easy to fix, and are easily served together due to their common theme - garlic!

4 Minute Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 2 turns of the pan
4 cloves of garlic, crushed away from skin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
24 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 tsp grill or steak seasoning blend (Montreal Seasoning by McCormick is best!)
1 lemon, jested and juiced
2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves (a handful)

Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add EVOO, garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Season with grill seasoning (you can also use course salt and fresh ground pepper) and cook shrimp 3 minutes or until just pink. Toss with lemon zest, juice and chopped parsley. Remove shrimp to a serving platter, leaving the garlic cloves in the pan.

Roast Potatoes with Rosemary (and GARLIC!)

Ingredients
2 pounds small potatoes (baby Yukon gold or red skins)
6 cloves garlic, cracked away from skin
2-3 tbsp EVOO (enough to just coat the potatoes)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees or highest setting.

Halve the potatoes and place on cookie sheet (I line mine with Reynolds Wrap Foil - makes for easier clean up!). Combine with garlic. Coat potatoes and garlic with oil and season with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Place on lower rack of oven and roast 20-25 minutes, turning potatoes once (around 12 minutes). Continue roasting until golden and crisp at edges.

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WTW Presents: All Day Spam!

Whodathunk that I would have waited this long to give you some great ideas for using SPAM? Spam is so versitile, and will easily fit into your budget. You should always have a few cans of this bodacious potted meat on hand!
water, based on noodle instructions*the beauty of this is that you can pick any flavor you want, since we aren’t sure exactly what kind of meat SPAM is made from - seems like everything goes with SPAM!

Breakfast: SPAM ‘n EGGS

Ingredients:

1 can of Classic SPAM
6-8 eggs, scrambled
salt and pepper to taste
Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste (optional)
2-3 slices of store brand American Processed Cheese Food (optional)

Instructions:

Cut up the SPAM into small squares. Place in hot skillet, cooking until the meat carmelizes slightly. Add the eggs, salt, pepper and hot sauce, consistently stirring in the pan until the eggs are cooked. You can add the processed cheese food slices at the end, mixing the slices into the mixture. The cheese should melt quickly, adding an additional layer of flavor.

Serve with buttered toast, preferrably Wonder Bread.

Lunch: Grilled SPAM and Cheese, served with Ramen Noodles

Ingredients:

2-3 slices of SPAM, sliced thinly
1 slice of store brand Processed American Cheese Food
2 slices of Wonder Bread
oleo, enough to cover each slice of bread evenly

1 pack of Ramen Noodles*

Instructions:

Heat up small skillet. Place SPAM and cheese food between the wonder bread. Spread oleo on the outside of the sandwich and cook in frying pan until done.

While the sandwich is cooking, prepare Ramen according to package instructions. For added flavor, add 10-12 chunks of SPAM to Ramen Noodles, taking time to ensure the SPAM is heated through prior to serving.

Dinner: French Fry SPAM Casserole

Ingredients:

1 (20-ounce) bag frozen french fry potatoes thawed
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 SPAM® Classic (12-ounce) can cubed
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup finely crushed corn flakes

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, sour cream, and soup. Stir in SPAM, bell pepper, and green onion. Spoon into 13×9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with crushed flakes. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

This tastes great served with saltine crackers on the side for dipping.

Dessert (YES, EVEN DESSERT!): SPAM Jell-O

Ingredients:

2 packages Jell-O, any flavor
Water and ice, according to Jell-O package instructions
1 can of Classic SPAM

Instructions:

Prepare Jell-O following instructions for making a mold. Cut up SPAM into small pieces and add to Jell-O mold. Refridgerate until set, then serve.

See? SPAM is the most versatile food you have in your cupboard. Your family will truly appreciate your creativity and excellent culinary skills as you prepare these amazing meals!

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“White Trash” Wednesdays, Volume III

Hi ya’ll!Riehl World View
Beautiful Atrocities
Cranky Neocon
Dangerous Logic
It Is What It Is
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Six Meat Buffet
Vince Aut Morire 

Join me and my friends for the third installation of "White Trash" Wednesdays - a light-hearted, fun poke at my family and friends, particularly those left in my home town in the backwoods of Nebraska…and maybe a few other fellow white folk.

This week, I will be focusing on everyone’s favorite food - SPAM (not to be confused with those darn emails you route to your junk folder!).

Here are the other "white trash" folk participating this week:

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Hush, Puppies!

I had a chance to cook for my dad and my hubby the other day, and cooked them some battered cod, fried potatoes and onions and thought I’d take a shot at some hush puppies. This recipe was good - my hubby gushed about how good the meal was, particularly these little guys!

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt to taste (I found it takes quite a bit)
1 tsp (or more) Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
1/2 medium onion, minced very fine
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

Heat oil (canola, vegetable, peanut or corn) to 350 degrees. If you are using a fryer, follow your fryer’s instructions. If you are doing this over the stove, you want 2-1/2 to 3 inches of oil in order to fully immerse the hush puppies while frying.

Mix the first 4 ingredients, the dry ingredients, together until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing until moist. The mixture should hold well together. Take a table spoon and scoop out a small ball of dough and, using another table spoon, drop it into the hot oil. Repeat until you have several hush puppies frying at once. You will want to allow room for them to cook properly - they typically should not touch each other in the oil.

Cooking time will depend on how dark you would like the outside of the hush puppies. The dough is completely cooked when the hush puppy starts to float on the oil. I typically like mine to be pretty brown, so I continue cooking until the color reaches the right shade. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm.

My 2 cents: I like to serve hush puppies and other similar items with fish, but they would also go well with many other items - steak and fries, as a dipper for soups, etc.

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…and Now….

….back to our regularly scheduled programming!

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A Final Tribute to My Mom

To all my friends,Eric, spoke as did my sister and some close family friends. I also had a chance to speak and would like to share what I said during the service. I first read the letter my son, Bradley, wrote to Momma before she passed away. Here is what I said following the reading…

We laid Momma to rest yesterday, Thursday, January 27, 2005. It was a beautiful service, and truly memorialized her life. There were so many flowers and plants - all of them gorgeous…in life, Mom would have been so thrilled with the flowers - roses, day lilies, irises….and so many in her favorite colors of purple and lavender. My husband,

"I remember when I was a little girl, around Bradley’s age, I worried about Mom and Dad because they were a bit older than my friends’ parents. I feel so blessed to have spent 36 years of life with Momma. She had a profound influence on my life. These are some of the things that will always remind me of Momma:

  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
  • Hobby Lobby
  • music - especially Spanish songs and oldies
  • peanut butter and bananas
  • a good game of cribbage
  • spinach - with just a touch of vinegar
  • Christmas
  • my ability to balance a checkbook
  • BLT’s with Dad’s homegrown tomatoes
  • the most recent "As Seen on TV" gadgets
  • my love for Southwestern decorations/nic-nacs
  • home canned green beans - don’t forget the bacon and onion
  • Howard the Duck
  • Sylvia Browne
  • the color lavender
  • grackels
  • frogs
  • Hershey’s Peanut Butter Treasures
  • strawberries
  • Wheel of Fortune

I will miss Momma’s laugh, her feistiness, her joy for the holidays, her love of my children, her cards in the mail, her stories about Dad, her frogs, her ornaments and her wit and wisdom. I know that now she’s our guardian angel in Heaven, but to me she’s been our angel all along."

It’s tough for me to believe she’s gone. When I think about it, my heart hurts. I think about how sick and in pain she was, and how, just a few days before she died, and well after she could no longer talk very well, she wanted to move to a chair from her bed. We wrapped her arms around me and I virtually carried her over to the chair in a "hug." When we got there, I could tell she was nervous as she was moaning as I was placing her in the chair. I kept telling her "I love you, I love you, I love you" in order to keep her calm. Once I got her sat down, she wouldn’t let go of me and, clear as a bell, said over and over "I love you, I love you, I love you" back to me. It was one of the last times my Momma spoke to me. I will treasure that moment in my heart forever.

I wanted to share one last thing - something that was printed inside of Momma’s memorial folder. It is so fitting for my Mom, given her brave fight with cancer:

He Only Takes the Best

God saw she was getting tired,
And a solution was not to be,
So He put His arms around her
And whispered "come with Me."
With tearful eyes we watched her endure
And saw her taken away.
Although we couldn’t bear to lose her,
We could not bid her stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands laid to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

I also want to say a heart-felt thanks to each one of you who has had us in your thoughts and prayers. Those prayers sustained us, and got us through some of the toughest days in our life. God bless all of you.

Merri, Eric and family

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You Know You Are “White Trash” When…..

Please don’t take this as a profession to my "White Trashiness." Sure, there’s a corner of my world that I remember that involved a small town, cow-tipping, big trucks, ball caps, flannel shirts and potlucks….but I dun grown up!

You know you are "White Trash" when…..

  • You have a can of "Beanee Weenees" in your cupboard
  • You know, or know someone who has gone cow-tipping
  • You have had to use an outhouse (especially if it is in your backyard)
  • Your idea of home improvement is attaching a camper shell to your double-wide
  • You decorate your window with the sheet Aunt Phyllis gave you for your birthday
  • You repair a cracked window with foil paper (you know, cuz it’s purty)
  • You keep a can of Raid by the kitchen sink
  • The only picture you have of your husband Ernie is the one where he’s holdin’ up that plaque with numbers on it (and he don’t look happy)
  • The sight of blind kids playing the banjo doesn’t faze you
  • You have a horse tank in your backyard (and NO, it’s NOT A SWIMMING POOL)
  • You call butter "oleo"
  • You still have a rotary phone in your trailer, er, home
  • You use Aqua Net for that "all day" up-do
  • You never had a dentist, and now you don’t need one
  • You know what "7-Up Cake" is
  • You’ve ever made "spaghetti" with ramen noodles
  • Your idea of fine dining is eating out of butter bowls
  • You have a hairnet
  • You know the words to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"
  • You know who the Oakridge Boys are
  • You wore cowboy boots to prom (or that "company" Christmas party)
  • You can relate and empathize with the girl on Montel who doesn’t know who the father of her child is
  • You are one of the guys that could be the father of her child

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“White Trash” Wednesdays, Volume II

Sometimes a girl’s gotta be flexible. Most of the time, we’re fixin’ food for the family, but every once’n a while, visitors show up. The following recipes will help you be the most versatile cook in the trailer park!

Traditional Spaghetti-O’s, Family Style

1 large can of Spaghetti-O’s (the plain kind)*

*can be increased based on size of family

Open can of Spaghetti-O’s and pour into big pan. Heat through, and serve in bowl(s).

Trailer Park Sleepover Spaghetti-O’s

Several cans of Spaghetti-O Shaped Pasta (dinosaur is a favorite!)

Open cans of Spaghetti-O’s and pour into big pan. Heat through, give plenty of spoons to sleepover guests and eat right out of pan.

Company’s Comin’ Spaghetti-O’s Dinner

2 large cans of Spaghetti-O’s with Franks

Open cans of Spaghetti-O’s and pour into big pan. Heat through and serve in that fine Correlle serving dish Aunt Mae gave you last Christmas. Serve with slices of Wonder Bread and a bottle of "Mad Dog 20/20."

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White Trash Wednesday

Hi All,

Even with all of the recent events with my family, the one break I’ve decided to take is to participate in week two of "White Trash Wednesday." I look forward to having fun with the gang! Here they are: Beautiful Atrocities, CrankyNeocon, Daisy Cutter, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Nickie Goomba, Riehl World View, Six Meat Buffet , and Vince Aut Morire.

See ya’ll soon!
Merri

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A Letter to Nannie from Bradley

Hi all,

Things have been pretty crazy here since my Mom passed away. We’re doing okay - lots going on both to prepare for the memorial services and to prepare my dad for the next leg in his journey.

I wanted to share out a letter my 7 year old son, Bradley, wrote to his “Nannie” days before she passed away. He had just read a book called “Saying Goodbye.” This was a good book to help Bradley understand what was happening with his Nannie. Here’s what he wrote (I’ve included his exact words - no spelling corrections here!):

Dear Nanny,

Remember when you and I were together and went to Golden Corral?
It was fun the time when you gave me lots of hugs.
I wish we had you longer.
I feel really, really sad because I love you.
I hope your comfy in heaven.
Thank you for being nice to me.

Love,
Bradley

His pain and grief are my own. I don’t think I could have said it any better.

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We’ll Miss You, Mom

My mother-in-law, Gena Woodward, passed away this morning. She was 76.

We love you Mom, and we’ll miss you. But you’re free now, in a place where there is no pain and anguish. Where you can still watch over your grandchildren and sit down to lunch with your own mom and sister again.

Thank you God, for granting my wish, and letting her leave this world warm, comfortable, and surrounded by her loving family.

And thank you to everyone for their wonderful thoughts and prayers in this rough time.

posted for Merri by Eric

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“White Trash” Wednesdays, Volume I

A few of my blogosphere friends decided to come together to celebrate "White Trash" Wednesdays, a brainchild of Dan’s at Riehl World View. Preston Taylor Holmes at Six Meat Buffet sums it up best: This "essentially boils down to a chance for some of us caucasian-types to celebrate/expose the dark underbelly of our white bread culture."Cranky Neocon, my dear hubby, Eric, at Vince Aut Morire and Beth at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Anyone can join in, but I guarantee that I will have the best recipes. After all, I *do* live in the Midwest, in the middle of the corn belt. We also have more trailers per capita than, well, I could have ever imagined!
Ingredients:
1 package of hot dogs, on sale
1 pack of store brand buns
mustard, catsup, relish, onions or other vegetables for garnish

That being said, what better way to celebrate than to celebrate the cuisine that makes us "white trash folk" who we are? Throw the prime rib, crab legs and shrimp cocktail recipes aside, I’m a closet user of macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, hot dogs and other high quality cuisine. Did you know that Kraft has a Macaroni and Cheese in about any shape you can imagine? Yes, EVEN Spiderman!

Also joining in on the fun is Gordon at

My debut dinner menu centers around a nice meal that represents most of the food groups (yes, catsup DOES count as a vegetable):

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (Family Size, of Course)

Ingredients:
Stuff inside the box of Mac and Cheese
8 Cups of Water
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup milk

Instructions:
Bring water to a boil. Add macaroni from box and cook until tender (7-9 minutes). Drain, do not rinse. Return to pan and add margarine, milk and cheesy powder. Stir together until mixed well. Serve with Hot Dogs (recipe below).

Hot Dogs

Instructions:
Take dogs out of package and put a couple of holes in them (you can use your teeth - if you have any). Put them on paper plate and heat in microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on your taste. Put in bun and garnish.

This menu is complimented by Kool-Aid (the green kind is a nice complement to hot dogs). I also highly recommend serving with Ding Dongs for dessert.

You will be able to get this to the table in less than 30 minutes, which will give you time to watch your favorite shows on the Gameshow Network!

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In and out of the Blogosphere

Hi friends and fellow "foodies,"

As noted in a previous post, my mom is terminally ill, entering into Hospice care recently. She truly is not doing well, and we forsee her being with God in a matter of weeks, maybe even sooner possibly. I spend as much time as I can with her, but I like coming here to post as it gives me some connection with "normalcy." I may not be able to post daily, however. I just ask that you stay tuned - I haven’t gone away, and will be back to my normal "routine" as soon as I can.

Thanks so much for your understanding!
Merri
RachaelRayRedux

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Chicken and Dumplings

My thanks go out to Emma in the blogosphere - this recipe is for you!

Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
8 cups chicken broth
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (or a ½-1 tsp of dried thyme)
kosher salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, cold
1/2 cup water

finely chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Warm a large wide pot and pour in EVOO, two turns of the pan. Put in the onion, garlic and carrot, cooking in the oil until softened. Add the chicken pieces, broth, thyme and salt and pepper, simmering until the chicken is tender, 30 minutes or more. Remove the chicken and set it aside. When cool enough to handle, skin and bone the chicken and shred or cut it into bite sized pieces. If desired, skim the chicken fat off the surface of the broth.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour baking powder and salt. Using a food processor, pastry blender, or two knives, cut in the butter until it is the size of very small peas and distributed throughout the dry ingredients. Add the water and knead 8 to 10 times. If the dough seems too sticky, add a little more flour. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 1-inch squares.

Bring the broth up to a rolling boil, drop in the dumplings, cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through. Toward the end of the 10 minutes, put the shredded chicken back into the pot. Be careful not to overcook, as it will cause the dumplings to fall apart. Stir in some finely chopped flat-leaf parsley to brighten the flavor.

My 2 Cents: Some people ask why I put the carrot in my recipe, which is somewhat different than a "traditional" dumpling recipe. I like the depth of flavor it adds to broth. Even though it will mostly cook away since it is grated, the flavor remains. I would also add that I cut the dumplings fairly small in order to speed the cooking process up. Growing up, my mom would actually form the dough into a larger ball shape, and just cook them a bit longer. It is tasty either way! Lastly, you can speed up the cooking process by purchasing a roasted chicken from the grocery store and using it instead of a fresh chicken. I would recommend that if you do this, cut the wings off the bird and simmer them with the broth for a few minutes in order to get that "cooked all day" flavor. Just scoop them out when you would normally scoop out the chicken in the recipe.

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