Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with RECIPE LINKS & MENUS ~ week 8 of 2026 ~ BLOG 365.54

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

Good morning friends, I hope you have had a wonderful week and relaxing weekend. My week was busy, chaotic, frustrating, surprising and even a bit hurtful, but this is another week and I have a better outlook now that it is no longer clouded with things that cannot be changed.

Small minds and lazy people who love to blame others and not follow through with little things like proper and safe procedures are reigning the local Eagle’s club population. There are a few who just don’t play well with others, have the loudest voices, but also have no empathy and compassion for others and won’t hesitate to blame whoever they can for the shortcomings. A few of those also don’t know when to stop drinking and take responsibility for their own actions. Unfortunately, my trying to enforce safe kitchen procedures and protocols has gotten in the way of them doing whatever they want with no regard to others.

Have you ever hit that point of the straw breaking the camel’s back? Well, I finally did. I’m tired of beating my head against the wall. After 2 1/2 years I have finally stepped back from the physical side of maintaining the Eagle’s kitchen. At this point I will just sit back and watch it fail on its own. I will no longer be the chaos coordinator.

I feel so free after making that decision Thursday night. I won’t be stepping back entirely, just from the physical side of things in regards to the auxiliary side of the house. I’ll still be doing the newsletter, helping a couple friends with paperwork until their term is up at the end of May and shopping for the Aerie side of the house who runs the canteen.

Friday, Saturday and even Sunday were productive for me since I stayed home primarily and didn’t have Eagle’s problems to fix. PLUS I will now have the time to get caught up on all my blog reading 🙂

A friend said she’s just going to sit back and watch it fall apart as those that are the biggest problems now try to take care of things. As she said, there were dozens of little things I always did in the background (taking care of the perpetual slow leak under the sink, the ice dam in the old freezer that has to be chipped out regularly, preparing the taco meat and portioning it out into individual packets, preparing the bacon in advance, making sure can goods are properly rotated, sealing the bags and boxes that everyone leaves open for food to spoil or cross contaminate, cleaning the appliances left dirty…) that no one ever actually saw that will now have to be done by someone else.

With my new lease on daily life I’m actually ready to get on with Monday 🙂 Tonight is trivia team night and we’ll be missing a member so I’ll be skipping my normal Auxiliary meeting to be at trivia which I figure will be a good thing, a respite for me.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It’s raining right now and supposed to rain tomorrow and again for the weekend. We’ll be in the 40’s all week with lows in the 30’s with many clouds and some wind so it’s still layer season around here.

TO DO, APPOINTMENTS, DVR/TV & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS, TRAVEL, APPOINTMENTS, MENUS & DVR/TV

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I was able to get everything caught up over the weekend.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I have to take hubby to an eye appointment that he won’t be able to drive after this morning, lunch with a friend after and I have a hair cut tomorrow.
PROJECTS & TRAVELS We’re thinking about taking another quick trip for hubby’s birthday in a couple weeks.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I found another antique recipe box last week at an antique store. And a friend who has been care taking for an elderly couple is going to give me the wife’s old recipe box. Her husband recently passed and she’s been cleaning out their house.
DVR/TV Olympics and Cooking Shows
THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY the feel of clean sheets, the satisfaction of caring for my family and doing things I can for those in need, the first sip of hot coffee in the quiet of the morning…

READING TIME

Book club chose their new book, DEAR DEBBIE by Frieda McFadden, but I haven’t gotten around to ordering it yet. They also met yesterday, but I didn’t stay for it as hubby and I went out to lunch. I ust finished THE SECRET OF ORANGE BLOSSOM CAKE by Rachel Linden. I’m currently reading STATE OF ALERT, FIRST FAMILY #8 by Marie Force and THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF BEES by Rachel Linden

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

	2/23 MONDAY	2/24 TUESDAY	2/25 WEDNESDAY	2/26 THURSDAY	2/27 FRIDAY	2/28 SATURDAY	3/1 SUNDAY
DINNER	CORN/YOYO TRIVIA clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS and SALAD	CORN/YOYO TRIVIA clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	CHICKEN ENCHILADAS & MEXICAN STREET CORN	MEATLOAF SOUP & GREEN CHILE CORN BREAD	MACARONI HAMBURGER & SALAD	CHILI BALLS & COLESLAW
DESSERT

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

I’m not actually ready for spring, but I do appreciate a good color splash. This popped up in my camera roll for color across the year the other day so I had to save it!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

COKE CAKE
PUMPKIN ROLL

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

SILENT SUNDAY ~ BLOG 365.53

SATURDAY COFFEE TIME ~ BLOG 365.52

TGIF ~ BLOG 365.51

COOKING THURSDAY ~ MANDARIN CHICKEN ~ 2026 BLOG 365.50B

I started with a vintage 1972 recipe from an antique store old recipe box and morphed it into this healthy version inspired by Panda Express. Start with fresh chicken breast chunks, coat them in a sweet and salty glaze made of FRESH honey tangerine (YEP that’s a real fruit) and lime juice, brown sugar and Bragg’s liquid aminos (a lower sodium choice) served over fluffy rice or with yakisoba noodles.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes minutes
Total Time 22 minutes minutes

MANDARIN CHICKEN serves 4
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 tablespoon avocado oil
Scant 1/4 cup honey tangerine or orange juice juice
Juice of 1 LARGE lime
1/4 cup Bragg’s liquid aminos
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon corn starch
FRESH ground black pepper, to taste

GARNISH:
sliced green onions
sesame seeds

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and when shimmering, the chicken.
Stir the chicken to coat it in the oil, letting the chicken cook 5-7 minutes until they start to brown on a couple of sides, stirring occasionally.
In a small bowl whisk together the juices, liquid aminos, brown sugar, water, corn starch, and black pepper until well blended.
Pour the sauce over the browned chicken and stir to coat.
Once sauce has come to a bubble, reduce the heat to a simmer.
Let the chicken and sauce SLOWLY simmer for 7-8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve hot over fluffy rice or yakisoba noodles.
Sprinkle with optional green onions and/or sesame seeds.

COOKING THURSDAY ~ SHEET PAN MAC & CHEESE ~ 2026 BLOG 365.50A

SHEET PAN MAC & CHEESE

The beauty of this scratch and homemade recipe is that EVERYONE can get a bit of the crispy edge in their serving while still getting the yummy and cheesy center too. A win, win with the best of both worlds.

1 pound Barilla macaroni
2 cups WHOLE milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon QUALITY paprika
1 teaspoon Frank’s original hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon FRESH ground nutmeg
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 425°.
Cook macaroni al dente. Drain and return to the hot pan.
Whisk together the milk and cornstarch until smooth.
Add the cream cheese and mustard to the pasta, stirring until cheese is melted and pasta is well coated.
Pour the milk mixture over the pasta.
Fold in the butter, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, hot sauce , nutmeg, sharp cheddar cheese and
Monterey cheddar cheese, stirring to combine and melting some of the cheese.
Transfer pasta to rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle Colby jack cheese over top.
Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are crispy.
Top with sliced green onions and enjoy!

NOTES:

I often like to use flavored cheese. This time was a green onion cheddar.
DO NOT ADD salt!
I often use cheese ravioli mixed in with the macaroni.
Boursin flavored cheeses substitute well for cream cheese.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ BLOG 365.49

TUTORIAL TRIVIA TUESDAY ~ EMULSIFICATION ~ BLOG 365.48

Emulsification is the process of combining two otherwise immiscible liquids together. Immiscible liquids are those that are incapable of being mixed or blended together without adding an emulsifier, liquids that won’t stay mixed on their own without quickly separating into 2 layers. But, add an emulsifier and a good whisk to create the force to break apart oil and disperse it into the water molecules and they’ll be thick as thieves. The emulsifier prevents the oils particles from rejoining.

But, be careful! Agitation, time and even temperature can make or break your emulsion. This is exactly why it’s SUPER important to add your oil in a VERY slow, thin stream when whisking so that the oil can be agitated JUST enough and incorporated evenly into the vinegar component.

Emulsions can become lumpy or thin at high temperatures or your butter sauces may break from too much heat when the butter fats separate.

Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix, at least not by themselves. BUT, if you break them apart into LOTS of tiny droplets you CAN force them into a thick emulsion known as an aioli, vinaigrette or sauces such as Hollandaise.

Emulsifiers are the “mediators or peace keepers” and are primarily proteins such as the humble egg yolk which is a natural lecithin and one of the most common, liquid lecithin which is generally derived from soybean or sunflower oil or even mustard, all of which are “middle of the road” (not too water repelling AND not too oil repelling) molecules that coat oil droplets, preventing them from separating. These agents act as “mediators”, reducing the surface tension and creating a protective barrier around dispersed droplets to prevent them from re-joining.

Emulsification is essential for creating stable food products, pharmaceutical lotions as well as biological digestion.

Stability depends on the force applied and the strength of the emulsifier. Emulsification transforms oily, separated liquids into thick, creamy and “stable,” mixtures. Vinaigrettes typically are only temporary emulsions and require shaking to re-mix for each application. Add that humble egg and you now have a stable “vinaigrette” like mayonnaise.

Emulsification is important in food preparation, but also in many other products like creams, lotions and ointments.

There are two primary types of emulsifiers are:

Oil-in-water where oil droplets are suspended in water such as milk, mayonnaise, vinaigrettes, sauces and ice creams.
Water-in-oil where water droplets are suspended in oil such as butters and margarines.

Mustard, bottled mayonnaise and honeys are easily accessible emulsifying agents that can be whisked into vinaigrette for a smooth salad dressing and easily found in most pantries. Other, but lesser known emulsifiers include tomato paste and garlic paste also create a rich, creamy emulsion of garlic and oil.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with RECIPE LINKS & MENUS ~ week 7 of 2026 ~ BLOG 365.47

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

Can you believe that we are beginning the 7th week of the year already? I sure want time to slow down a bit!!!! Last week was supposed to be simpler, but as always things changed. I’m sure glad I’m NOT a super rigid person and can bend with the flow of things MOST of the time.

On Saturday hubby and I decided we’d leave town in an effort for me NOT to be around if the Eagles needed anything, forcing them to fend for themselves 🙂 That worked – UNTIL IT DIDN’T 😂 We went to a casino that has a restaurant I like about 35 miles south of us. The plan was to have a nice lunch and then go to all the small towns along the way back and do some antiquing. We did have a nice lunch.And I did find some fun things in a couple antique stores.

Ironically we have some friends who are as busy as we are and coincidentally made the same plan. They literally pulled into the casino right behind us and unbeknownst to us. While I was deciding what I wanted to eat I received a text from Nicole telling me to order the seafood fondue pot. A minute later I got a text from Dan saying, NO don’t order that. LOL I hadn’t even seen it on the menu 🤣 I group texted them thinking they’d lost their minds and asked what the heck they were talking about and they texted me back a picture of hubby and I from across the room where they were sitting.

At the end of the day I got a text from a bartender friend at the Eagles saying that my shirt was there that the band was bringing me so we decided stop by for a drink so I could give her the money for the shirt. That was where I made my critical error!! 😂 We stayed only long enough for me to straighten out a few things and then we high tailed it home!

Sunday was going to be a lazy morning of catching up on blog reading and visiting, but unfortunately a friend’s business was held up late Saturday night/early Sunday morning of all their cash for kitchen, bar and lottery money. Fortunately, night bartender is okay, just shaken up. My friend contacted me Sunday morning and I started trying to round up small bills (5’s and 10’s) to help her open. So my lazy morning got busy early. Of course it is a holiday weekend and no banks open. Today though is starting busy also so we’ll try for a lazy morning NEXT weekend.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It’s getting colder this week and threatening snow ALL week. Winter storm warning begins tonight, but we can already feel it coming.

This is the kind of year we were having back when SNOWMAGEEDON hit several years ago. I wouldn’t mind another snow year as long as we don’t lose power this time. The power loss with an electronic thermostat was a real downfall that time. As always, it will be layers up layers of denim and turtlenecks and flannel…