May is the Gateway to Summertime

    We are on the cusp of our usual hot summers here in East Texas. This week is supposed to be close to 90 all week. Dang…and I wanted to go fishing.
    Speaking of…we went last Wednesday. Didn’t decide to go until about 9:30 and then we stopped and had breakfast. After visiting with another church member, who also loves to fish, we took off to Bullard and Lake Palestine. Hubby told me to watch for a sign where we could get bait. As soon as we got close to the lake, I spotted one and he stopped. He got back in the truck with an, “oh, no.”
    “What’s with ‘oh, no’?” I asked.
    “Did you get the key to the boat?”
Now why would I do that? So, we drove back home (38 miles) to get the key. Then we drove another 38 miles back to the lake. Let me tell you, if I could ride a surfboard, we could have surfed on that water. The wind blew the boat all over. We crappie fished, and I don’t care what my cousin says, they don’t like me.
    We gave that up and went to a wall and caught catfish as fast as we could drop the line in. We didn’t leave until almost dark. When we got the boat loaded, and on the way home, I called my great-grandson’s house. His mom said he had been crying off and on. We forgot Wednesday night church. I felt like I had failed. But we’ve fixed that problem. He was okay after he saw the fish we caught.
    You would think if I fish a lot I would have gotten stuck with a fish hook at some point. Nope. I do that at home, in my kitchen, trying to get it out of a child’s pants. And not just one hook. Nooooo. The dang lure had two hooks on both ends. I got two stuck in two fingers. I pulled one out but couldn’t get the other one. Talk about thinking some bad words. Hubby finally pulled it out, along with a sizable amount of skin. Boy did I play that for all the sympathy I could get.
    I learned a long time ago, I think my sweet grandmother told me if you run water over a cut, stick, or scrape, it won’t be as sore the next day. My fingers are sore, but nothing like they should be. Happy about that.

    Next problem, we are planning a trip to Walt Disney World for our great-grandkids, grandkids, kids, and us. One of them can’t make up their mind if they want to go or not. It could be because someone is putting negative thoughts about the trip in that little head. We have spent a considerable amount of money for this trip. Oh well, I’ve got someone else who will go, so, I’m not worried about losing the funds.

    I have some very exciting news. Are you ready? Six very talented authors asked me to join them in presenting an anthology of seven full-length novels. We have a pretty smart group in our Rose City Writers organization, and the e-book will be out May 16th. You can pre-order it now. I ordered mine.

Pre-Order Here

    I think the cover is outstanding and represents all of us. There are mysteries, love stories, murder, suspense, and romance. A lot of romance.
    I had to retype Forever Love. I have changed the name to Abducted. I’m about half-way through. As soon as I’m finished, it goes to my editor and I can start on the sequel. I have one-third of Hidden Secrets finished and a head-full of ideas as to where it’s going from there. That is the Weber, Texas Series. I want to finish at least one before starting another. But it looks like I’m working on three at once. Woo me.
    My last problem is trying to lose weight. Something I have NEVER had to worry about. I’ve been a size six, or smaller, since high school. I only have forty pounds to get rid of, but dang, this is harder than when I was trying to put weight on. I thought that was hard. So, my daughter has me working on the Keto diet. The recipes are good. I cooked one tonight and it is almost gone but there were three of us eating it. I’m listing it as my recipe of the month. This one I have tried, and it is awesome. Of course, you know me, I changed a few things to make it better, I think. Enjoy.

Low Carb Cheesy Ham Casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 45 minutes 
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes 
Servings 8 servings 
Calories 367 kcal 
Author - Laura Hickman 

Ingredients
• Vegetable / Ham Mixture: 
• 3 cups chopped broccoli 
• 2 Cups Ham Cubes 
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used the whole box)
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded 
• Sauce Mixture: 
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream 
• 12 fl. oz Cream of Mushroom Soup (canned condensed or homemade replacement) 
• 2 Large Eggs 
• Crunchy Topping: 
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour 
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded 
• 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated 
• 1/4 tsp dried Parsley 
• pinch Sea Salt 
• 3 Tbsp Butter, melted 
• 1-2 Tbsps Water (I didn’t need this)
Get Ingredients Powered by Chicory 

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole bowl or pan with non-stick spray.
2. Mix vegetables, meat and 1 cup shredded cheese in large mixing bowl. (I sautéed the onions & mushrooms in 3 tablespoons of butter)
3. Stir together cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and eggs till smooth and combined in a small mixing bowl.
4. Pour sauce over vegetable/meat mixture and stir to coat.
5. Spoon sauce-coated vegetables, ham, and cheese into prepared baking pan or bowl.
6. In a small mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients for Crunchy Topping.
7. Stir butter in with a fork. The mixture should be crumbly and slightly damp and cling in small clumps of dough, but not wet. Add up to 2 Tbsps of water a little at a time if the mixture is too dry and flour-like.
8. Evenly sprinkle topping over the prepared casserole mixture.

Recipe Notes Nutritional Facts
 Calories: 383
 Carbohydrates: 2.3
 Fat: 29.3
 protein:18.9
 Fiber: 4
Chicken is also an excellent meat for this casserole. Replace the Cheddar with mozzarella or swiss and replace the chopped parsley in the topping with poultry seasoning for a stuffing-like taste.