Meers is really ….The Meers Store! This place is located on highway 115, 1 1/2 miles north of the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. To get there take I-44 to Hwy 49. Travel West 4 miles to Hwy 58. You will then turn to the North for about 5 miles to the turn-off to Meers just follow the signs. Now turn to the West for 4 miles and you will be there

There is more than burgers but wow are they ever good? Meersburgers are made with 97% lean grass-fed Longhorn beef from Longhorn they raise themselves.

On their menu it says:

Our famous burgers are cooked medium well done and are served with mustard, dill pickles, tomatoes, purple onions, and green leaf lettuce. We use American cheese because our burgers are American burgers. We have been fixing them this way since the beginning, for over 50 years and this is the way our cowboys like them. 99% of our customers like them this way so this is why we respectfully call this burger (and your hats off boys) the COWBOY BURGER.

Some folks like mayo on their burgers instead of mustard but call burgers with this a SISSY BURGER! Other folks like ketchup on their burgers instead of mustard. We call burgers with this a YANKEE BURGER! Cowboys believe ketchup belongs on fries, not beef.

A few folks out there want all three—mustard, mayo, and ketchup—on their burgers. The poor fools are simply confused.

We don’t care how you want your burger fixed. We will fix it any way you want it. We cook your burger to order. Try one with bacon, jalapeno or both. However, if you order something other then a cowboy burger, please be patient; our cooks rarely encounter sissies, Yankees or confused souls.

Please note that there is one thing we simply cannot bring ourselves to do; We cannot fix an open-faced burger. The secret to our success is the blending of flavors that occurs when steaming hot Longhorn beef is placed on fresh onions, pickles, tomatoes and leaf lettuce (and mustard!). You can’t get the flavors to blend well any other way. This is our secret recipe, the secret to our success!”

The place is just really great! I have gone in and sat right down to order and there have been times I have waited for 2 hours. People come from all over because the place has been written up numerous times. It was known as one of the top 10 burger joints in the USA and I can understand why.

I have had fried green tomatoes, fries and fried pickles which are all good

This place is not just for the burger. You must…. I mean must get the homemade peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream. OMG it is just good stuff. You will leave hurting from eating every bite too. You can work it off by going into the wildlife refuge to waddle around and take pictures of buffalo. Then top it off with a trip up Mt. Scott for sunset if it happens to be that time of day. Wow what an experience is all I can say. Memories are great!

It is a cash/check only place.

We should all take time out of our life to stop and smell the roses or notice that rainbow. Life really is a gift and I know it! I realize all the time there is more to life than the here and now. I am reminded of that every time I go to help one of our clients. Our time in this plane of existence is only temporary. With this in mind I believe in living life right, following the golden rule and loving your neighbor. This love is a part of living life right and is done through service to others. Through selfless service to others we can gain something better than all the money in the world could buy and that thing is called grace. When my body dies my soul will go on and I want the state of my soul to be in this state of grace. I don’t do this by acting on occasion with the intent of banking my good works. I do it every moment of every day and in every act that I perform. Acting all the time with good intent will keep my soul in a state of grace. My motto has always been “Carpe diem (which means seize the day)! Whatever you can do or dream you can! Begin it. Boldness has genius, power, magic in it.” I do believe that life is a gift so I am going to live to the fullest that I possibly can. I also am doing it while filled with love for my neighbor.

 

This is a variety of winter squash where the flesh comes away from the fruit in strands like spaghetti. It is a very low calorie spaghetti substitute. When I am dieting I avoid carbs and this is the perfect solution for me. Especially when I am serving pasta for my family. I like to eat it plain with salt and pepper or with a sauce over the top just like regular spaghetti . At 42 calories per cup you can’t beat it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You need a spaghetti squash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The easiest way to prepare it is to poke holes it and place it in the microwave for 5 minutes to soften

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then cut it in half

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrape out the seeds and pulp just as you would take care of a pumpkin. Instead of throwing away the seeds I like to roast them for a healthy snack. Using a colander makes it easier to separate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake rind side up about 30 to 40 minutes at 375 F

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To separate into “noodles” the drag a fork through

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pack cooked squash into freezer bags and freeze. Partially thaw before using and microwave 2- 5 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love it served just like this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That was yummy!

Did you save the seeds? Go check out my recipe for roasting the seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 ounces  (1 pkg) mini marshmallows
2  tablespoons water
2 pounds (8 cups)  confectioners sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
* optional 1/8 Teaspoon candy flavoring and decrease the water by 1/8 Teaspoon

Did you know that confectioners sugar, icing sugar and powdered sugar are the same? Once I actually had a student who used granulated sugar to make buttercream. It was sparkly looking and strange. I got the opportunity to play with it because she brought it to class to work with. She even iced her cake with it thinking it was fine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grease your microwave safe bowl or the fondant will just stick to the sides

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in the microwave for 30 second at a time until melted. It will take between 2 – 2 1/2 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By machine: Dump into a greased KitchenAid bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dump in the rest of the ingredients and mix for 10 minutes on #2 setting on the KitchenAid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the time I make it by hand as it is faster for me

By hand: Grease your spoon and mix

Dump 1/2 of the confectioners sugar into melted marshmallow mix

Add the other half of the confectioners sugar and mix until it clumps together

Dump onto a greased counter and knead with greased hands until smooth. Do not use butter flavored Crisco unless you want yellow colored fondant. You can even pull it like it is taffy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After any method you will now do this next step. Wrap in plastic wrap and place into a ziplock bag. Did you know air is the enemy of fondant? Protect all that work you just did by protecting it from getting hard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let it sit to “ripen” overnight. You can use it right away but it is not as elastic as it will be later. Use as you would any commercial fondant

Guess what?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yay …..I got new earbuds in the mail from a former cake student and friend today. Very sweet! Thank you! XOXOXOX I will try to not let the boogie man get them! To read the story on what happened to my other earbuds click here to read the story

She finally admitted it! Zahra Baker’s stepmom, Elisa Baker finally admitted she killed her. She just plead guilty in a Catawba County courtroom today to second degree murder in the death and dismemberment of her disabled North Carolina stepdaughter. She also plead guilty to charges of obstruction of justice and bigamy. Elisa Baker stated that on the day the child died she found Zahra unresponsive. It was Sept. 24, 2010 and she tried to perform CPR before calling Adam Baker. She will now serve 14 to 18 years in prison. As far as the father Adam Baker goes he was found to not be involved in his daughter’s death or dismemberment. Phone records prove she was lying to him about his daughter being alive. They also prove he was at work while she was getting rid of the body as well. Investigators never did found Zahra’s head, hands, right arm, upper left leg or her lower right leg. This case has always been very sad to me. I hope the family now has some sense of closure as they begin a new chapter of their life. As for many of us we will never forget Zahra

Spring High School had an electrical fire this morning which cancelled classes. I didn’t hear anything about this until after my son came home from school and told me himself. I turned on the TV couldn’t find anything about it on the local television stations. So I did what any internet addicted person would do and went online. Social media sites have now become one of the best places to hear about breaking news anyway. I found out that a fire broke out in the school’s main electrical panel first around 8 a.m. The fire forced the school shut down the power. My son as well as everyone else was made to go to the football field until they could be transported home. Why did they send the kids who drove to school there to the field? They said in the articles I read that the school had notified the parents so they could come pick up their kids. I was never notified! Why? I also heard Cypresswood Drive and I-45 was shut down until the fire department cleared the scene. Since this school year started Cypresswood is at a crawl/standstill anyway. There has not been anything reported about what damage the fire did. Also at the moment they don’t know when school will be back in session. I wonder how long it will take to fix? Maybe I should put him to work in the yard today!

Why not try something different tonight. This pasta dish is packed with flavor and interesting textures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
linguine Noodles
Corn Tortillas

For sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 small shallot
1 1/2 cups light cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chipotle in Adobo Sauce

Picco
6 Roma tomatoes
1 sm onion
1 fresh jalapeno pepper
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake or grill chicken until done. There is more depth of flavor if you marinate the chicken overnight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find a pot big enough to cook pasta in because it needs room to cook properly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boil the pasta in a large sauce pan until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next grab some corn tortillas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut into strips

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the strips and fry them until crunchy set aside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are now going to make the garnish which is ….Picco de Gallo. … Chop the 6 tomatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop the jalapeno

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop with or without the seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is where all the heat is along with the veins!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Combine tomato, onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever had chipotles in adobo sauce?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are wonderful for their depth of flavor they add to your recipe! I suggest you puree them and put them in the freezer. You can take out just what you need at any time. This recipe requires 1 Tablespoon more or less to your taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we are going to make the Chipote Cream Sauce. In a saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter and add  1 small shallot toss, add chipotle puree, cream, spices and toss. Shred the chicken and toss in the sauce as well

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toss noodles with the sauce and cheese then plate. Garnish with the picco and tortilla strips…..yum!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy!!!

How do I begin this story? I needed a new phone after mine fell into a toilet 2 months ago.  I wasn’t ready for an upgrade and to replace the phone through insurance would have cost the same as buying a new one. I had no choice but to wait to upgrade. So last week I went to T-Mobile to get a new one and I also upgraded my plan to unlimited minutes. Yay for me! I got an HTC Sensation and so far I just love it! It feels like I am carrying around a mini computer rather than a phone. Somehow after unpacking the phone the earbuds got misplaced. I do not want to talk on the cell all day without earbuds because of the possibility of getting a brain tumor. So not wanting to spend more money than I already did last week I started going everywhere looking for my new lost earbuds. I tore my house up looking for them. After a week of searching and looking back again in places I already had searched, I finally saw them.

At the time I was on the phone with a good friend from Arkansas who has a negative entity attached to him. Several groups other than ours have investigated him as well and claim it is perhaps a demon. The thing has never introduced itself to me personally for me to agree with them. There are none of the hallmark features of the thing being a demon either. I am not going to commit to the thing being anything at the moment other than negative. In the absence of evidence how can there be a commitment one way or the other?  Even though I can’t commit I have a nickname for my friend….. demon guy. Why? Well for one it is easier to explain it as 2 words than for me to go through the whole story when asked “who are you on the phone with”.  I have a long story about that I will have to share with you one day but for now I want to get back to the earbuds.

Like I said I, was on the phone with my friend and saw something resembling what might be my earbuds across the room. I walked over for a closer look and yep it was what I had been searching for all week, my earbuds. They were in the strangest place. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! How could it be? There is no way my earbuds could be where they were.

Guess where I found them?

Inside of a candle!

Yes, I said inside a candle

Inside the wax!

How is that possible? I stopped mid sentence and told demon guy all about my earbuds. I took pictures to prove what I was seeing was real. As an investigator I want photographic proof if I can get it. I send my friend a picture and I stayed on the phone while trying to dig out the wires. The wax was soft enough that I did not have to melt the wax. We were chatting about how they could end up inside a candle. I was able to finally dig them out. I took pictures of the earbuds now that they were out of the wax as well the mangled candle. I put the candle back on the ledge where I had found it and began the process of cleaning up my earbuds. I was getting wax everywhere so I had to get off the phone. I even had to clean myself up from working with the soft lavender scented wax.

First let me say that the candle is on a window ledge above my bathtub. It is a southeast facing window that is in the shade most of the day. I have a whole collection of candles there and none of them have melted. Later in the day I noticed that the wax had leveled itself out even though it is in the air conditioning and shade. I remembered when I was digging out my earbuds that the wick was not where it should have been. I started research on the candle to see if I could find any issues with wicks disappearing. I noticed that the candle maker had changed from soft wicks to wood. I thought perhaps the wax was soft enough that just something laying there would slowly sink. I also wanted to watch the candle more closely the next day to see what changes if any occur throughout the day.

My husband comes home and I tell him the story. We are both going to watch the candle

The next day I monitored the candle to see if any melting took place. Even though the candle is in shade most of the day there is a very small time frame when it does melt and then it’s quick to solidify. Aha! One of the puzzle pieces solved. So how did my earbuds get on to the top of the candle? I understand how they went into the candle but not onto the candle. They smell like lavender. I left them inside my husbands car when we went out to eat that night. They made the whole car smell like lavender by the time we got back outside.

Hey phone companies are you paying attention??? Make scented earbuds!!!

Click on any of the pictures to see them more clearly

This is healthy and inexpensive soup! Why not try it tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bag of dry 15 bean soup
1 large onion
3 Carrots
3 Stalks Celery
15 ounces canned diced tomato (You could sub rotel for some kick)
2 cloves garlic
2 Bay Leaves
1 Teaspoon Thyme
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Oregano
8 C. Chicken Stock
Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This bag of beans is very good for you and is also very healthy. It has northern, pinto, large lima, blackeye peas, garbanzo, baby lima, green split pea, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split pea, lentils, navy, white kidney, black beans and a spice packet (toss the packet). You need to sort through the beans to make sure there are no rocks or twigs in the bag. Yes I have picked out both over the years of cooking. You would not want to be eating this yummy soup and bite down on a rock where you break a tooth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rinse and soak the 15 variety beans overnight then drain

Doesn’t this already look yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pick out a yellow onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel the onion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuck those fingers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop the onion…..Are you hungry yet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did you know you can color eggs with the peels?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wash the celery or worsh it depending on what part of the country you live in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut along the length so you have sticks like this

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop it evenly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you hungry yet? I know I am!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next grab 3 carrots and wash or worsh them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peel them 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chop them evenly 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throw all the veggies you just cut into a pot with butter including chopped garlic. Guess what you just made…..a mirepoix.  You now want to “sweat” the veggies until they become translucent in butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throw in the chopped tomatoes or rotel depending on if you want some kick to your soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throw in the beans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the chicken stock and herbs. Everything should now be in the pot. Simmer all day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you simmer the soup there will be a foam that floats on the top. You will need to skim this off the surface and throw it away.