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Month: May 2021

IS A SOLDIER JUST A SOLDIER?

On this Memorial Day, I woke early wondering how I could honor the fallen soldiers who paid the highest sacrifice. I read over the past messages, some repeated and they were admirable remembrances. I almost posted them again but I stopped short because this thought came to mind and I wanted to share it.

Every holiday is meant to recognize and honor certain groups of those who serve but Memorial Day is Reserved for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

A soldier is called to go wherever he or she is ordered. They are not sent because they believe in a certain war or encounter…they are sent because they have been trained to answer the call for action. I haven’t served so I speak from an outsider’s point of view, but my father, uncles, brothers, cousins, classmates, and my husband and one of his sons have donned the uniform proudly. I haven’t lost an immediate family member but I know several of my friends who have and I write this more for them as they understand fully the meaning of my focus…..Is A Soldier Just A Soldier?

Robert Longley wrote a beautiful poem about A Soldier’s Homecoming.

Not to take away from others memorial poems but I felt led to write a poem last year thinking about A Soldier’s Last Night. I felt an attachment to this somber moment and a deep felt gratitude. A Soldier is Never Just A Soldier! They are human beings with all of the same feelings we experience, Love, Hurt, Joy, and Pain but in addition they truly understand the emotions behind Commitment and Dedication as well as Loyalty. They are Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Sons and Daughters. They are family! Let us remember when we honor the fallen and understand the reality when we see an active soldier, he or she are facing the possibility of the ultimate sacrifice in their future. A Soldier is Never Just A Soldier but the reason we live in freedom. Respect them as they pay the price that others aren’t willing to pay.

A Soldier’s Last Night

As I woke from a restful sleep, I began to wonder

How a lonely soldier felt about his chosen plight.

In the trenches, so far away from home, so somber.

Did he know the ultimate price he would pay tonight?

As he lay in the muddy hole which would be his last

His heart, did it pound or was he unusually calm?

Did he stay alert, did he pray, and that tear fall fast?

His silent cry, his grip tightened, only thoughts of harm.

Did he think about the protests and why he was here?

Or did he only try to overcome any temptation to run?

Did he find the urge to do his best and to hide any fear?

He may not have known his job on earth was done.

Did those hours before his end seem like a million years?

Was it true that one’s life does indeed flash before the eyes?

We may never know, only a brave soldier’s mind would veer.

We come to pay homage at the cold grave where he lies.

A small flag stands as a symbol of his ultimate sacrifice.

A cross may stand to remind us of his absence of life.

To you, the soldier who stood tall and paid the price

For Our Freedom, let us honor and recognize your strife.

Written by Arline Miller with homage and respect for all of

The Fallen and Gone but Never Forgotten.

Happy Memorial Day, May 31, 2021

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party Material is sourced to original location/author, if known, for credit references.

Reinvention Queen Sails Into Port with Shrimp Salad with Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Reinvention Queen uses the the rest of those golden shrimp as well as a few leftover delicious scallops in a quick to assemble even making the copy cat version but reinvented Arline Style Creamy Horseradish Sauce that is so good you will be tempted to drink it but save it for Roast Beef Sandwiches or other dishes like salmon. Ok, enough of my reinventing and waste not, want not theory and off to how to use leftovers along with fresh herbs from my garden, and even cucumbers and red onions from the fridge.

FRIED OR GRILLED SHRIMP SALAD

If using leftover shrimp and in this one, leftover seared scallops, warm in air fryer over or you can warm in a saute pan without any oil. I set for 3 minutes in air fryer oven and they were perfectly warm. Set aside.

4 Slices of Bacon (optional but yummy) Fried and drained on paper towel to be crunched before adding to salad.

1 pkg of super greens in bag for convenience or make two bowls of variety of salad greens. I use my kitchen shears to cut the pieces into bite size. You can adjust amounts but this made two hearty salads.

Chopped garden tomatoes or you can use cherry or grape tomatoes.

1/4 sweet onion grated so you don’t taste a lot of onion. By grating the onion, it allows some of the juice to blend in the salad.

Cucumbers and red onions with a little bell pepper is chopped from the prepared cucumber onion salad that is available in most delicatessens. I buy it in quart size to add to salads or as a side dish. I used about 10 of the cucumber slices cubed.

Feta cheese or even goat cheese is sprinkled into bowl of greens. Your decision as this is optional but it was a great addition.

Salt and pepper as well as some fresh herbs can be added: Dill and chives were my selection for this salad.

Mix together and dress the salad with shrimp, scallops if you included, bacon bits, and the following dressing (sauce) Add your favorite crackers or place the salad in a tortilla baked shell (one of the pictures will demonstrate the tortilla bowl).

This is my Fried Shrimp Scallop Salad with my version of Horseradish Sauce.
My Creamy Horseradish Sauce. My daughter and I created this sauce a few months ago. Delish!

 Copy Cat Creamy Horseradish Sauce

1/4 grated onion

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Mayo (Hellmans)

2 T. Honey

2 T. Dijon Mustard

2 T Lemon Juice

2 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. Garlic Herb Seasoning

1tsp. Onion Powder

3 T. Horseradish Sauce

Chives and Dill weed (fresh)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mixed dry herbs to taste 

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. 

Here is the salad in a tortilla shell which I turned a muffin pan upside down and placed the shells around the raised circle and placed in oven 400 degrees until toasty.
Shrimp up close for yumminess.

Grilled Shrimp can be used for this same salad.

We grill a lot of shrimp at a time and get busy reinventing ways to have a different dish each time.

It is a Shrimp Delight Salad. Endless Combo Possibilities.

Reinvention Queen Notes: As you can see, you can stretch a “Cook Once, Eat Many” task into several delicious but quick and easy by using things on hand and making wise and fresh choices. Use herbs, seasonings, sauces, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and cheeses and get creative. I would love to see how you would created dishes by reinventing what “you’ve got.”

Until We Cook Again…Happy Meals…..Reinvention Queen….Arline Miller

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material, is sourced, if known to original location/author for credit references.

CLIFF HANGERS IN LIFE

As some of you know from previous posts, several of my messages are derived from me waking up early around 4 am with a thought that will not allow me to go back to sleep until I have it formed into a message. This morning was no different so I thought I would share it with you.

Several of you read the title and your mind may have gone to a movie or a book or maybe even both. You are somewhat right but the message is not directed to a visual but a mental and/or emotional response. My vision of this message was more of a person or really two people positioned after a fall on different levels on the cliff’s edge and side. Let me explain in a parable like explanation:

Two hikers were on the mountain trail and were gazing at the wonders of the surrounding mountains and views. The sky was ultra blue with white cumulas clouds which looked like giant cauliflower heads. The foliage which were multi layered shades of green. The view was incredible and their adrenaline was over the top. They drew their bodies closer to the edge not paying attention to how stable or solid the edge was. Since they were hikers and not rock climbers, they were not equipped to secure their footing and without warning, they both fell over the edge and found themselves hanging on for their survival. One landed and held on to a protruding root of a tree closer to the ledge where he had fallen off. The other hiker had slipped farther down and was wedged into a crevice and his view of impending danger of a fatal fall was staring at him. They hung to life, both of them witnessing a possible sudden deadly fall. They shouted out to the other to confirm they were alive and if either had a suggestion of how to get back to safety. Without telling you at this moment, their outcome, I want to move my readers into some thought provoking statements for you to realize the parable and how it applies to everyday life.

  • Have you given thought to the position of the hikers as they fell? One fell closer to the cliff’s top and one fell lower. Why do you think they fell differently and didn’t land approximately the same distance? Would fate have allowed one to have a better chance of survival or was it chance?
  • Did the landing with only a root to hang onto even though the hiker was closer to the top even the odds with the hiker who fell farther but was lodge into a crevice?
  • Should the hikers been better prepared by bringing some safety equipment in case such an event occur or did they think the odds were in their favor of non probability?
  • Did any of their personal and physical appearance decide the landing position like weight or physical strength?
Image found on free images google search

I ask these questions because of how this message was received by me. I see so many people, and if I am truthful, including me trying to figure out why and how we are in a certain position in life. In other words, why did we land closer to the top or fall closer to a certain impossible position to save ourselves. Was it something we did, or how we were created, or our physical assets or disabilities, etc.?

My observances were presented in this manner: Life gives us a fighting chance in either position, with all of the differences relevant or not, and what life seems to favor it can also make it harder to climb back up after a fall, but it is possible if we don’t analyze the whys and hows but begin to see our way.

Now, back to our parable for one more revelation.

As the hikers were trying to hold on, their voices were heard by some other hikers, as a matter of fact a group of hikers who also loved to climb the mountainside. They had the equipment to assist sending down ropes and even one climber went over the side after being secured to help steady the fallen hikers as they moved back up to safety. Both hikers, even though they were at different heights, were rescued and were so thankful.

Getty Image on free photos

Here is my evaluation of the rescue:

  • Even though the hikers were unprepared to save themselves, help came in time with all of the tools to assist them.
  • It didn’t matter that the fallen hikers were at different levels of danger and heights, both were saved.
  • The climber/hiker that propelled down to help them steady their climbs to safety was similar to all the people who help us in everyday life volunteering to assist us and give us the assurance all will be okay and to give them the feeling they weren’t alone.
  • In the end, their physical strength and agility and even their looks, wealth or financial security or lack of any means, did not make a difference and actually all factors or risks leveled out giving the same result of a successful rescue.

A note to finalize my topic: While you read the scenario and remarks, did our life and salvation come to mind? It really hit home to me to share that God allows us to see perilous moments and different levels of security and safety to realize He is there to steady our rescue (salvation) and to give us the assurance we are never alone no matter the height of dangers we face. I hope you give this message some time to see the relevance and next time you go hiking, properly prepare for what you may face on the mountainside.

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location/author for credit references.

Reinvention Queen Sails into Fried Shrimp Salad

As I promised, here is one of the dishes I make from my bounty of those yummy fried shrimp from yesterday’s post. My Power Air Fryer Oven comes into play warming up the shrimp and keep that crunch without taking away their freshness. This made a scrumptious lunch with a totally different presentation and look. Let’s see how simple having the shrimp ready helped in preparing lunch.

Finished Shrimp Po Boy Arline Style
Here is my Remoulade Shrimp Sauce and how I made it early to allow the flavors to marry.

Shrimp Po Boy Sauce

Horseradish 1 tablespoon

Mayo 1/4 cup

Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon

Jalapeño mustard 1 teaspoon

Tartar sauce 2 tablespoons

Remoulade sauce 1/4 cup

1 tsp. lemon juice

Grated onion 1/4

Garlic herb seasoning Sprinkle

Salt and pepper to taste

Worcestershire sauce Sprinkle

Fish sauce 2 drops

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Amounts shown in this recipe are guesses as I don’t measure so you can adjust them to your taste buds. This sauce is used to spread on toasted buns or can be used as a condiment on shrimp, oysters, and scallops. 

Some of the ingredients for topping the sandwich.

Toast the bread (You can use many kinds of buns so that selection is up to you. The bakery/deli buns were split prior to toasting or you can choose not to toast. We love ours toasted but I have eaten Po Boys not toasted and they were good too.

Buns split and ready for toasting. Soft butter spread on these for that buttery taste. You can get creative and add some garlic/herbs to the buns but I chose buttery taste.
I use my large oversize non stick frying pan to place all of them in for toasting and on high heat while standing there and watching them carefully as this goes fast.

At this time, I have removed the sauce from the refrigerator and assembled the condiments and veggies. A tip that might come in handy is how I place the onions in my mini food processor for a grated ingredient which is not in your face oniony. You can chop the onions as well but I do this for the onions I add into the Remoulade sauce and for toppers.

My husband doesn’t want tomatoes on his so the assembly is by taste choices.
Fresh herbs are the secret ingredient to lift this wonderful sandwich to the next level and I cut fresh dill weed and chives. These were spread on top of the Remoulade Shrimp Sauce and shrimp were placed on top of the herbs. Great taste combo.
By using the Power Air Fryer Oven, the shrimp tasted freshly fried and remained so crispy. Awesome way to reinvent leftover fried shrimp.

Reinventing food is very simple and the secret is to think about cooking enough, varying the presentation and taste, and enjoying the idea you do not have to live in the kitchen to eat Restaurant Worthy foods any day of the week.

Greg grilled some tender and delicious flank steak and you know us, he made enough for another meal so tonight will be surf and turf with a copy cat sauce from a restaurant on St. Simons Island Ga mixed in a salad with the remainder of the shrimp to go with our steak. If you are counting, this will be three (3) meals.

One side note: Don’t forget the Pickle Juice Slaw as it will be reinvented with some beefy hot dogs for a fast lunch. Until We Cook Again….Happy Meals…..Reinvention Queen, Arline Miller

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced if known to original location and author for credit reference.

Reinvention Queen Seaworthy Shrimp Dishes

I take shrimp to several levels and dishes in the next few posts. As we go forward, I will add some side dishes as well. When I have posted the grilled and/or fried shrimp on my FB page, my friends have remarked the quantity as being huge and they are right. We will grill a lot of shrimp and store them for a few meals each time. Yesterday, I fried a bag of shrimp and you will begin the reinvention process. Here is how I prepped them and the awesome trick of batter enhancement. You may fry the best shrimp and if you do, that is great and please share your secrets. I am into how I go from one taste to another and how I incorporate changes to keep our meals from being anything but boring.

My Fried Shrimp Platter
Dinner is served.

Fried Shrimp and Pickle Juice Slaw

1 Bag of Medium size 40 – 50 Shrimp 24 oz. deveined and thawed (I had to shell mine and removed tails, but there are selections that are already shelled). Clean shrimp with water and drain with colander.

Buttermilk to cover shrimp with enough Old Bay Seafood Seasoning or Zatarain’s with garlic powder sprinkled into buttermilk. Allow to soak in mixture for at least an hour (minimum 30 minutes) I soaked mine for 2 hours.

Flour Self Rising 2 cups and White Fine Cornmeal 3/4 cup together in large bowl. This is where you can adjust flavor by adding more seasonings which I did: I didn’t measure but I sprinkled more Seafood Seasoning, Spicy Paprika, Garlic Seasoning with Herbs, Coarse Kosher Salt, Ground Black Peppercorns, Onion Salt, and a few I might not remember (just kidding, but it is like mad scientist in my kitchen with a little of this and a lot of that, so try others if you like more heat)

Ginger ale or beer Add to the bowl of the flour/cornmeal and allow to sit 5-10 minutes. This is the ingredient that makes the difference. I was elated when I saw a tip that Ginger ale works as good as beer. In fact, you can use any clear citrus/lemon drink but I loved using ginger ale. This makes the batter light while giving a substantial coating

Drop shrimp into batter after shaking off excess buttermilk mixture. Move coated shrimp into the next bowl listed below for flour coating.

Flour 1 cup (can be AP or SR) in a separate bowl without cornmeal but add some of the same seasonings. This is for the final coat before dropping into hot oil (375 degrees).

In a large dutch pan or fryer (can easily deep fry if you have a deep fryer) but important, whatever pot or pan, the bottom should be heavy and I chose my large dutch oven with ceramic interior and placed a thermometer to reach desired temperature before placing shrimp in to try. They browned and cooked quickly (approximately 4-5 minutes) and I kept adding more shrimp as the first ones browned and I scooped them out onto a paper towel lined platter. This part of preparation demands your complete attention as this oil is hot. To give you an idea of how much oil to place will depend on you. I placed enough oil to go half fill so that none of my shrimp would be touching the bottom but enough for them to go completely under and back up to top when I dropped them into the pan.

Pickle Juice Cole Slaw

Arline’s Pickle Juice Slaw

1 pkg Cole Slaw mix with carrots

½ Vidalia Onion

1 heaping T. Mayo

1 t. horseradish sauce

1 heaping T. Sweet Pickle Juice from sweet pickles

1 heaping T. Sugar

Sprinkle of Dill Weed to taste

2 Spring Onions Chopped Use Only the tops

Bread and butter pickles (I use the ones I make but not sure how many I use)

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

My secret ingredient (LOL) 2 T. Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly

Mix together and allow flavors to marry for full savory tasting slaw.

Note: I decided a while back to use pickle juice in place of so much mayo so these measurements may be slightly more or less to your taste. Today I used sugar but I have made it with Stevia if I am making it just for us. Y’all better save this…..Arline Miller

Reinvention of Shrimp to come next.

  • Shrimp Po Boys
  • Shrimp Salad
  • Shrimp and Grits
  • Surf and Turf

I haven’t decided which of these and it will depend on how many shrimp I have left after making some of them. Whichever I chose, they will be tasty and easy. The intention of Reinventing is to make the most of of my kitchen efforts and keep our meals delightful. I do some of my dishes with grilled shrimp so it is not always fried so look for those meals to post too.

One tip for the batter: I made homemade onion rings from some garden freshly plucked sweet onions and I used this same batter but I left out the seafood seasoning of course. Here is a photo of those mouth watering, good even leftover by heating in my power air oven. Two battered recipes from the same basic ingredients for frying.

Try these homemade onion rings using the ginger ale batter. Yummy!

Until We Cook Again……Happy Meals…….Reinvent Your Food…..Arline Miller

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material will be sourced to original location/author, if known for credit reference.

WHEN IS GOOD…GOOD ENOUGH?

Today, instead of reinventing food, I thought of how many times in life do we try to reinvent ourselves. I wondered when is good…good enough? As a young lady, I dared to go into industries that were heavily populated with men. I excelled, not due to a lot of support from my male counterparts, but sheer determination. I watched them, I learned from them, I had to go toe to toe with them, I held my own, I succeeded. I said all of that to summarize, did that make me equal or superior? Not really, as I have learned a valuable lesson. We are not in competition with males or females; we are in competition with ourselves.

What do I mean, you ask? Allow me to dig deeper and I think it will become clearer. If I am a runner and I am timing myself. I am competing with the last timed run. If I am a swimmer, I am competing against my best time. It doesn’t matter how fast another swimmer or runner is at this moment, I can only measure if I am swimming or running faster than my last or best time. I am only as good as I can improve my individual efforts. Does that make sense now?

I admired Maya Angelou for her frankness and eloquence.

I love to cook but I also admire several fine chefs but I don’t measure my dishes by their shows. I measure it by my results, my successes, and yes, my failures. I may feel I surpassed their dishes or I may feel like they outdid me by a mile or a squash’s length. This brings me to a thought process to get us to a point When Good Is Good Enough:

  • My Good is Good Enough!
  • I have competed with my own personal achievements and sometimes I win and sometimes I have to rethink my strategy.
  • I am a realist with an optimistic outlook. If I don’t succeed the first time, second or even third time but I try harder each time, I move closer to the finish line and I know eventually I will succeed.
  • I look at life as I see it without so many expectations. Example: I am not a good singer but I love to sing but I realize that I am a limited talent (LOL) and sing when I am not in a public forum but the car is my stadium and I have put on many great performances (my rating, not anyone else’s).
  • I love humor about my limitations and/or lack of talent in areas I have never been a super techie. This however, has not kept me from working with computer techs/programmers. I get what I want programmed and can solve problems and have good visuals. I have a great time telling those tech savvy folks to put it in my language and I will give them my perspective. See My Good is Good Enough. Their Good is Good Enough. Together Our Good is Good Enough.
  • Knowing each person has excellent talents in certain fields is a big chunk of wisdom. Knowing each person has limitations and weak areas is universal wisdom and knowledge. Example: A Rocket Scientist has abilities and knowledge as well as strategic training but probably only a few has been successful in simple feats of life as cooking or changing a light bulb. Give me two remotes to work between them and I show you how irritating that is to me. However, knowing that I have to sometimes do this task, I have learned how to do it. So, by focusing on things I am not comfortable with, My Good is Good Enough.
  • Accepting all of me, good and bad, weak and strong, intensive and scattered thought patterns, organized and out of order thoughts, and kind and even blunt speech are facets of me. My Good is Good Enough.
  • Deciding when and where I can develop even better ideas, practices, habits, and actions is healthy when it comes from within and not because I am measuring myself against someone else. Being All I Can Be But Choosing to Be More is Good and Good is Good Enough.
I am pretty colorful in personality. As a writer, I am happy. In the kitchen, I am happy. On my blog, I am happy. But the happiest I am, is when I am surrounded by my family. I love life, but above all, I love Our God who created me as He decided His Good is Good Enough…Arline Miller

I hope you see that God creates us the way we are for a reason. It may be that we are given handicaps, education opportunities or not, wealth or poverty, calm and soothing personality or a high spirited one, spiritual excellence or a work in progress, and on and on. Each one of us should realize if we do not feel we have to compete or challenge another one’s worth, we are rich within ourselves. Our Good is Good Enough. Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts with you. Your own comments of personal growth are welcomed.

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material if known is sourced to original location and author for credit reference.

Reinvention Queen goes from Taco Ranch Pepperoni Salad to American Goulash

Creativity comes from within and you only limit yourself if you don’t experiment. Does every reinvention work? Maybe not, but if the dish is made from leftovers that might be thrown away, what’s the big risk? Today, I show you how I made a terrific Taco Ranch Pepperoni Salad and then reinvented it and made delicious American Goulash. Get on the Reinvention Train and chop away to delicious combinations you may have never thought of combining. First the Pasta Salad:

Have you seen a prettier pasta salad, so colorful and the taste is so good.
This is a keeper recipe but I keep reinventing dishes so on to the American Goulash.

This was a delicious meal which we enjoyed very much but I couldn’t resist taking these great ingredients and seeing if I could incorporate these ingredients into my version of American Goulash.

Arline’s Reinvented American Goulash:

The idea of Reinvention Queen is to show you that you don’t have to keep eating leftovers in their initial creation. Learn how to determine what flavors blend and once you have done this, you have opened a world of cooking creativity. I love experimenting and the use of herbs, seasonings, additions, and methods. This is not hard to do and the colors, aromas, and the presentation is very therapeutic and rewarding for me the cook and my husband and others.

There are a lot of great cooks and chefs as well as bakers. I know several and soon I will have guests to show off their expertise. As a matter of fact, my stepson who is in my heart my son too in 10 minutes of necessity of preparing a quick meal using some of the Boston Butt he had smoked and pantry items, made one of the best if not the best Brunswick Stew I have tasted. I asked him to write what he used so we can share it with all of you. Stay tuned and Until We Cook Again…..Happy Meals……Arline Miller

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material if known, is sourced to original location and author for credit references.

Reinvention Queen goes from Stewed New Potatoes to Clam Chowder Made Easy

Yesterday, we were the recipients of one of my husband’s long time friend, David Fletcher who is an avid gardener, first bounty freshly dug new potatoes and awesome fresh garden grown onions. I was over the moon with the sight of the vegetables and I washed them off and thought of my childhood. Before I share both of my dishes, I thought I would reminisce a little.

When we were little, times were not easy but they were good. I don’t have a memory of a horrible childhood but rather a time much simpler than all the craziness in the world. We had neighborhood playmates and if we could be called a gang, it was an innocent one, and we now call ourselves the Willow Street Gang. One of those neighbors is smiling if he is reading this, as Duane Tucker and I jokingly refer to our days on that little street in my hometown of Douglas GA. Now, for the background story of the new potatoes or potatoes in general. To say our Mother could stretch a dollar for a mile, would be to insult that crafty lady. How she could make a meal out of almost no cost is still a mystery but one I remembered after I became an adult.

We may not have had a bounty of food but she always had just enough to feed us all. There were four children and two adults and one can of salmon would feed us and we left full. A mess of potatoes and we had the creamiest, tastiest, and filling meal. She would make bread to go along with it and sometimes if a neighbor had surplus and we got vegetables, oh yeah, we ate well. As I stated, she could make enough for us growing children to leave the table satisfied. When I made the fresh new potatoes, I was smiling while cooking them. Now, let’s move on to how I made two meals from this yumminess.

A large pot of stewed new potatoes with so much flavor.

Arline’s Stewed Potatoes:

  • Approximately 2-3 lbs of potatoes (new for me but regular russet potatoes can be used)
  • 1 large onion preferably sweet Vidalia or similar sweet garden variety chopped
  • 1 large box chicken or vegetable broth (chicken used)
  • 1 stick of salted butter
  • Mixture of garden herbs with more dill than others
  • 3 Tablespoons of Flour (either type, SR or AP)
  • 3/4 cup – 1 cup Heavy Cream or Half and Half Cream
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 T Onion Powder

Scrub potatoes and cube into large bite size pieces. Place them into large pot with the broth. You can use some water in addition to broth if you need to fill to above potatoes. Add butter cut into cubes with crushed or finely chopped herbs as stated above. Cook until potatoes become fork tender on medium heat.

In a small cup, place some of the broth and flour and whisk until flour is dissolved. Add to pot and mix together. Add cream to potato broth with salt and pepper and onion powder and turn on low heat. Cook until they are very tender. Turn heat off and let the potatoes soak up some of the thickened liquid. (Tip: If liquid is not thickened enough, you can add a small amount of corn starch or mix small amount of flour to thicken to a sauce of richness.

These were so delicious that I almost didn’t make the next dish from the leftovers but I couldn’t resist the reinvention from them to the easiest clam chowder I have made. I made my simple but you can go wild with carrots, celery, whole kernel corn and use canned clams. The possibilities are endless but this one was put together in a couple of minutes with the biggest task of opening cans.

Reinvention Step of Enhancing Stewed Potatoes into Clam Chowder in Five Minutes.

To the pot of new potatoes, I opened three cans of Bar Harbor New England Clam Chowder but may I say, there are numerous brands of canned great chowders on grocery shelves so I used what was in my pantry. I added some celery seeds, garlic salt, mushroom seasonings, oyster sauce, and some Old Bay Seasoning to pump up the chowder flavorings. This I leave to all of you fine cooks, use your creativity. You can make it spicy and/or hot, but I go the middle of the road.

In a few minutes, I have a new meal so that it doesn’t reflect leftovers. This morning, I will return the chowder to the stove top and cook it very low and slow for all of the flavors to blend and when it is lunchtime, it will be Chowder Time at Millerville. All of this done with very little effort.

Here is the clam chowder complete with grated white cheddar cheese.
I seared some scallops marinated in buttermilk and herbs galore and seared them in a hot skillet with butter, grape-seed oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce. I made a roulade sauce. Definitely a delicious accompaniment to the chowder!

Until We Cook Again……Happy Meals……Arline Miller, Reinvention Queen.

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material if used and original location and author are known, it will be sourced for credit reference.

Reinvention Queen reinvents Lemon Parmesan Chicken to Chicken and Stuffing

As a cook that loves to reinvent dishes into an entirely different dish without too much work, this is one of my success stories. I had reinvented two dishes from the original Lemon Parmesan Peppercorn Chicken that you will see photos below. Loving how creative the other dishes had turned out but still having some of the chicken, I created this recipe and it was a hit, Chicken and Stuffing Made Easy.

This is the Lemon Parmesan Peppercorn Chicken served.
The original Lemon Parmesan Peppercorn Chicken baking.

Third time’s a charm. Repurposed the remaining delicious Lemon Parmesan Peppercorn Chicken into bite size pieces. Oil a pan and place chicken, two cans cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1 box of Stove Top Stuffing. Cook until blended and pour into buttered casserole. Top with a few pats of butter and sprinkle with dried onion bits. Place in oven for 20 minutes 375° and then turn to broil to toast the top until golden brown. It took 5 minutes on lower rack. If you love dressing this is about as simple as it gets. Remember I had the meal using the breasts as main course; 2nd meal I used the chopped breasts with Alfredo sauce & Parmesan and this meal completed my usage of the chicken breasts. Now this dish sits and rests until dinner. BTW, a quick tip: I don’t have cranberry sauce but I do have a jar of hot pepper jelly which will be an easy substitute.

This is the Chicken with stuffing while baking.
What a beautiful and tasty dish made quickly and easily from leftovers.

This concludes the Reinvention Queen’s Chicken Remakes and I will move on to other meals and recipes, but today is my husband’s birthday and later, we have the Nana’s Praline Pecan Cake (not my recipe but a good one which can be googled) and Homemade, yes you read it right, Vanilla Ice Cream with most of our grandchildren of Greg’s son and wife. Until We Cook Again….Happy Meals….Arline Miller.

(C) Copyright 2012 – 2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third party material is sourced to original location/author if known for credit references.

Reinvention Queen makes Chicken Rice Casserole

Moving on to creating a new dish is fun and wow, this one takes my Chicken and Rice to a new level. We enjoyed the Chicken and Rice I made easily for several meals, but as we humans are creatures of habit, we will even delicious food for only so long unless it “reinvents” itself with a different look, a few more ingredients, and a structural change. I now have a new recipe to share with you. Remember, these are reinvention recipes but can be made from scratch. Something to look forward to is I make a different casserole from chicken I have cooked in large amounts and it is as awesome as this one.

Chicken Rice Casserole

3-4 cups of chicken rice cooked (drain liquid)

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can small Garden Peas (drained)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese grated

Celery sticks 4 small chopped

1/2 onion chopped

Fresh Herbs (curly parsley and chives but you can use whatever herbs you prefer)

White Premium American Cheese 6 slices cut in 1 inch slices to place on top of mixture.

1/2 cup Italian Panko Crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated

2 TBS soft butter small pats placed on top of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes at 375 degrees and then at least 15-20 minutes uncovered until cheese is melted and blended with crust.

This is the casserole after mixing the leftover and new ingredients in my recipe.
I love the look of creativity in food when the parmesan and panko crusts with the fresh herbs are placed on the American White Cheddar Cheese Strips.
This is when the excitement, fragrance, and deliciousness appears at the time this casserole comes out of the oven.
If you can imagine a Chicken Pot Pie made without the normal crust, this dish takes leftovers to the next level.

As a cook and a writer who loves to inspire others, I had a thought while making this reinvention recipe….Aren’t we similar to leftovers? God created us as fresh and new, and everyone wants to gaze upon our faces. As we live, we may not get the attention as we did at the beginning. The beauty of life is we can reinvent ourselves as we go. We can become an athlete and people want to cheer us on. We can become educators/teachers and people want to listen to us. We can do charitable actions and people admire those wonderful traits. We can be artists and people will either applaud or a reality, even critique our talents. Isn’t that similar to a certain dish? Some people will love it; some will think another ingredient should be added; some will want to leave off another ingredient. I love to cook because I can change or reinvent. We can do things in life to improve our “cooking” or actually living. Until We Cook Again….Happy Meals…..Arline Miller

(C) Copyright 2012-2021 Arline Miller of Sipping Cups of Inspiration with all rights and privileges reserved. Third Party Material is sourced, if known, to the original author/location for credit references.

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