Leslie's Cookery

South Carolina Winter

2012-01-16T23:06:00.002-05:00

January is slipping by rapidly. It is already January 16. This time last year we were dealing with snow in the deep south....

This year the winter has gone from temps in the 60s to the 20s back to the 60s. Crazy! No flakes insight. Only snowmen in insight are these...

And only winter wear insight are these...

But this hasn't stopped me from trying a new cake recipe. What I love about this recipe is that it makes a small 7 inch bundt cake with mucho chocolate deliciousness. The small bundt size is just the right size for two. One of the unique ingredients for this cake is cola.

Cola sheets cakes have been around as long as I can remember. They have been taken to many family reunions, church potluck suppers and neighbors.They are baked in 9 X 13 pans with chocolate icing topped with pecans.

This cake is different in that it is a pound cake and the pecans are added to the batter.Very rich and delicious on a somewhat cool SC winter evening.

Chocolate Cola Pound Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup cola

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated well. Stir in vanilla.

2. Combine flour, coca, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternating with sour cream and cola. Beat until just combined. Fold in pecans.

3. Coat 7 inch bundt pan with cooking spray and flour. Bake 350 for 50 minutes or until done. Cool and drizzle with icing.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 tablespoon cocoa

2 to 3 tablespoons cola

1. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter and cocoa. Stir in enough cola to achieve desired consistency for drizzling over the cake.

Enjoy....

Just Add a Little Alcohol

2012-01-03T22:59:00.002-05:00

This year I finally did something I have wanted to do for a long time. Amazing how simple this was. Even more amazing is what I have missed out on for so many years.

A few weeks before Christmas I purchased a few paperwhite bulbs,

planted them in a container, added a little water and in a matter of a few weeks...instant gratification.

Tiny white flowers and a wonderful fragrance.

Since planting the paperwhites, I have read there can be one problem with forcing these flowers in containers. They tend to grow quite tall and become top heavy. According to researchers in the Flowerbulb Research Program at Cornell University, there is a simple but an unusual solution to this top heavy problem: Alcohol. Yes, alcohol. Either hard liquor or rubbing alcohol will do. Both seems to work well in stunting their growth but not altering the flowers.
Why they thought of giving their paperwhites a shot of vodka, tequila, whiskey, I don’t know. Oh, and apparently wine and beer contains too much sugar to work. These babies enjoy the hard stuff. Wish I had read this earlier.

You Say Brookies, I Say Delicous!

2011-12-31T23:01:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas break, I have been "reading" my favorite genre of literature. Cookbooks, recipes books, or what my grandmother would say receipt books. Cookbooks can be considered literature, right? If not, they should be. One can find very creative works between the covers of these books.

After spending some time reading Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook by Dede Lahman and Neil Kleinberg, I had to try one of the cookie recipes. The authors called these chunky chocolate cookies a cross between brownies and cookies or Brookies. Clever name, isn't it? I guess they could be called Crownies, too :)

I'm betting these would go great with a cup of joe. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I don't drink coffee, but it has what seems to go well with coffee. I know a tall, cold glass of milk works nicely with these babies. Mmmm, Mmmm, good!

Brookies

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon butter

2 cups semisweetchocolate chunks

2 eggs

¾ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon bakingpowder

¼ teaspoon salt

1. Melt oil, butter and 1 cup ofchocolate together in microwave.

2. In separate bowlwhisk together eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Fold melted chocolate into eggmixture.

3. In separate bowl,mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture.

4. Fold in remainingchocolate chunks.

5. Scoop outtablespoon size balls of dough and place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12minutes at 350⁰

Enjoy....

Most Wonderful Time of The Year

2011-12-27T22:27:00.002-05:00

This has been a wonderful Christmas for me and my family.

Nothing says Christmas more than spending time with family and friends,

and traveling to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with our favorite doctors.

Unlike last year, there wasn't twelve inches of snow. No snow at all. In fact the weather was wonderful.

We attended the performance of Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, visited the Longwood Gardens to see the Christmas lights, prepared and consumed some wonderful and amazing meals,

and ate way too much of the Christmas goodies like these babies....

Lemon Truffles
2 cups white vanilla chips
10 oz lemon curd
3 cups crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup powdered sugar
Optional: chopped pecans and toasted coconut

1. In a microwave, melt vanilla chips until smooth. Stir in lemon curd, vanilla wafer crumbs, and powdered sugar. Chill until firm enough to handle.
2. Roll into 1/2 inch balls. Roll either in chopped pecans or toasted coconut. Chill until firm.

It was indeed a wonderful, wonderful time. Thank you, Lord for all these blessings!

Enjoy...

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Christmas Cooking

2011-12-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

Love this time of the year....trying new recipes and sharing with family and friends. Where should I begin??

This is a fun recipe and was a huge hit at school.

Are they not cute? They are made from Bugles (yes, that corn snack from General Mills) and red vanilla favored melting chips (found in cake decoration aisle). And no, I did not think this up myself. Shelly at Cookies and Cups shared this recipe last year. So simple and so easy to toss into a snack mix.

SantaParty Mix

Bugles
Red Melting disks
White sprinkles (nonpareils)

3 cups mini pretzels
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup salted peanuts
2 cups Rice Chex
2 cups holiday colored M&Ms
8 oz. white chocolate for melting

1. Melt candy melts, along with a tablespoon of shortening in 30 second intervals on half power in microwave until melted. Immediately start dipping the Bugles. Let them set up for 10 minutes or so on wax paper or parchment paper.
2. Remelt the red candy (if necessary) and dip the wide end of the Bugle into the red candy. Dip into the white sprinkles. Allow to set up.
3. Mix together pretzels, cranberries, peanuts and Chex.
4. Melt white chocolate according to package directions and drizzle over the mix. Spread out to allow chocolate to harden.
5. Add M&Ms and Bugle Santa hats.

This time of the year also calls for making recipes handed down from mothers, grandmothers and aunts. This peanut brittle recipe is one given to me by my mother-in-law many, many years ago.

She made batches of this candy every year at Christmas and is loved by my husband and son.

It took me several attempts when I first tried this recipe. Either I cooked the raw peanuts too little or too much. Ugh! Nothing is worse than burnt tasting peanuts or chewy raw peanuts. After several attempts, my mother-in-law shared the secret. Cook the mixture until the peanuts make popping sounds. Be patient. They will begin to pop around the time the mixture begins to turn a golden burn.

Peanut Brittle

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

2 cups raw peanuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1. In a heavy skillet (iron skillet works great), combine syrup, sugar and peanuts. Heat on high until you hear the peanuts popping and the mixture begins to turn a golden color.

2. Remove from heat and add salt and baking soda. Mix completely. The mixture will begin to foam.

3. Pour onto a greased or parchment paper cookie sheet to cool.

4. Once cooled, break into small pieces.

Enjoy...

Finally After Fifteen Weeks

2011-11-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

My new kitchen is complete..... (Can you tell I'm grinning from ear to ear?!)

Now it is time to move in

and get down to some serious cooking and baking!

(I'm still grinning!!!)

Firing Up the Ole Grill Part 2

2011-11-07T20:33:00.000-05:00

Our adventure without a kitchen has finally ended! Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!! I'll share some final pics of the new kitchen soon. Thankful to be back in the kitchen. While trying to eat somewhat decently using the grill, the one group of foods I missed more than anything was vegetables.

Salads were great but they became boring.

Here was an easy grilled squash recipe that I tried. Very tasty!

Grilled Squash with Dill Vinaigrette and Feta

4 mediumsquash
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh dill. chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
sat and pepper to taste
feta cheese, crumbled

1. In small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, vinegar and dill.
2. Slowly whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Slice squash lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.
4. Brush each side of squash with the vinaigrette mixture.
5. Grill over medium high heat a couple of minutes on each side untiltender.
6. Remove from grill and sprinkle with feta cheese

Enjoy...

Firing up the Ole Grill Part 1

2011-10-31T21:09:00.000-05:00

While making plans to adjust to having no kitchen, my intend was to grill as much as possible. Living in a town where franchise restaurants lined every main thoroughfare, I knew going out to eat would get old rather quickly.

Grilling would be easy peasy, right? Wrong!! Little did I realize that in order to grill one needed a place to prep the food and a place to clean up. So grilling was held to a minimum. Other than hamburgers, hotdogs and steaks I did grill a few new recipes.

Here's one that we enjoyed:

Rosemary Grilled Pork Tenderloin

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup red winevinegar

2 tablespoons freshrosemary, minced

2 cloves garlic,minced

Salt and pepper totaste

Pork tenderloins

1.In large Ziploc bag combine oil, vinegar, rosemary,garlic.

2.Salt and pepper tenderloins and add to bag. Place inrefrigerator for 3 hours.

3.Place on hot grill and brown each side of tenderloinabout 2 to 3 minutes

on each side.

4.Move tenderloin to cooler side of grill and cover withlid. Tenderloin should

read 160⁰ on meat thermometer. Let rest before cutting.

Enjoy...

O, Kitchen, Where Art Thou!?!

2011-10-29T21:19:00.000-05:00

It has been a looooong 14 weeks. It still is not complete but the end is near.
On July 31, this is where I had diced, sliced, chopped, stirred, mixed, baked, and prepared many meals for my family for 20+ years.

On August 1st, my kitchen began it's transformation.

Today I decided it was time to "cook" in my new kitchen even if I didn't have a sink or stove top.

Thank you, Leigh Anne (Your HomeBased Mom) for this wonderful Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe. It looked great simmering on the new counter and the soup was fantastic!

Enjoy...

Summer Tomatoes

2011-07-18T06:36:00.002-05:00

Recently NPR posted a news article based on the book Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook. The article peaked my interest because I have always dreaded tomato purchasing during the winter. Ugh! Grocery store tomatoes are NOTHING like a homegrown summer tomato. The taste, the texture, the appearance of winter tomatoes are not the same fruit/vegetable as what is picked during the summer months.

So during the summer months I try to take advantage of the summer harvest by canning, (wonderful to use in vegetable soups and sauces)

baking pies and tarts,

sauteing, and roasting,

Below are two of my favorite ways to use summer tomatoes.

Tomato Tart with Basil Garlic Crust

Crust:

1/3 cup fresh basil
1 garlic clove
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

Place basil and garlic in food processor. Process, scraping sides as needed until finely chopped. Add flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Add butter and process until crumbly. Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time. Pulse a couple of times each time. After 4 tablespoons, process a few seconds. If it forms a ball do not add any more water. Flatten to a disk and chill for one hour.

Tart:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large tomatoes, slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Roll out crust and place in a tart pan. Add cheeses and top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 375⁰ until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

4 cups grape tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium bowl add the grape tomatoes and 3 garlic cloves. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper. In a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish, place the tomatoes and garlic cloves, ensuring they are in just 1 layer. In a 350 ⁰ oven, roast for 20 minutes, and then stir. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water, if too dry in appearance. Return to the oven and cook for 20 to 30 more minutes. When ready, the tomatoes will have begun to shrivel and the liquid in the dish should have thickened. Serve hot from oven.

Enjoy...

Hot is HOT!

2011-06-22T20:28:00.002-05:00

For the past two summers, my husband and I have taken a road trip to visit our son in the City of Brotherly Love.

This summer we decided to do something different. We flew to Tucson, Arizona. Quite the contrast to the eastern United States.

While I knew this is a desert environment

with very little green vegetation or flowers,

I was amazed at how hot it gets in Arizona.

Yes, I know it is a "dry" heat, but hot is hot!

Speaking of hot temperatures, summer is a great time to get out of the kitchen and do a little grilling. This Flank Steak Pinwheel with spinach, roasted red peppers and a bleu cheese sauce is an easy grilling recipe.

Flank Steak Pinwheels with Bleu Cheese Sauce

6 to 8 bacon strips

1 beef flank steak, (1 ½ lb)

1 cup fresh baby spinach

1 jar marinated roasted red peppers, drained

Seasoning (like Greek seasoning or salt and pepper)

1.Microwave bacon strips 2 or 3 minutes until partially cooked.

2. Butterfly the steak by cutting horizontally from the side of the steak to within ½ in of opposite edge. Open meat so it lies flat; cover with plastic wrap and flatten meat to ¼ inch thickness. Remove plastic wrap.

3. Sprinkle with seasoning of choose. Place spinach on top followed by the red peppers.

4. With the grain of meat going left to right, roll up jelly-roll style. Wrap bacon strips around meat and secure with toothpicks.

5. Slice beef across the grain and between each bacon slice. Sprinkle with more seasoning.

6. Grill over medium heat until meat reaches desired doneness.

7. Serve with Bleu Cheese sauce:

3 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup milk, ½ cup crumbled bleu cheese

Cook over low heat until melted and smooth.

Enjoy...

Attack of the Aliens

2011-05-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

It happens every 13 years in the spring. One by one the shed skins appear on the exterior walls of houses, fences, tree trunks, plants and even hats.

From these skins appear huge (1 1/2 inch) winged adults with orange eyes ready to move and make some noise.

They are EVERYWHERE; millions of them. The noise is deafening, reverberating, anything but pleasing to the human ear.

Every morning and early evening it sounds as though aliens are arriving. These invaders are buzzing, humming, flying around, laying on the ground, on the porch, in the bushes and all for what? To mate, lay eggs in trees and die. Apparently the humming sound is music to the ears of these alien females. The eggs fall to the ground, burrow into the ground only to emerge as nymphs in 13 years.

Welcome to the life of 13 year cicadas. Check out this cicada blog maintained by Clemson University entomologists. And no, I do not have a recipe for Cicada Cake or Cicada cookies :)

Loving This Thing Called Spring Break

2011-04-23T21:12:00.002-05:00

Spring break finally arrived and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Started the week off by watching our nephew play a Little League baseball game,

and all the other activities taking place at the baseball park.

Took a road trip

to attended a wedding in small town USA.

Attended USC baseball game....The National Champions played #1 Vanderbilt.

And won the series - Go Gamecocks! YES!

Cleaned up the flower beds and planted some new flowers.

Had my car fixed after a limb decided to make a visit to the top of my hood one night last week. UGH!!!

And, of course, did some baking.

Coconut Pecan Cake

1 box White cake mix

1 (3 oz). box vanilla instant pudding

1 1/3 cup water

4 eggs

¼ cup oil

1 ½ cup shredded coconut

1 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

1/3 cup butter, room temperature

6 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 box powdered sugar

4 teaspoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup toasted coconut

1.To the cake mix, add all ingredients except the coconut and pecans. Mix completely.

2.Stir in coconut and pecans.

3.Pour into greased tube pan and bake 350⁰ for 60 minutes or until done.

4.To make frosting, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.

5.Add powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

6.Spread on cake and top with toasted coconut.

Enjoy...

Slushburgers, Wimpies or Yip Yips

2011-03-27T22:12:00.002-05:00

After a long day at school,

when I am tired and not in the mood to be in the kitchen for any length of time, one of my favorite meals to prepare is a simple and quick ground beef sandwich served on hamburger buns. This simple dish has numerous names depending on where you live. They are called Yip Yips (Missouri), Wimpies (northeastern Pennsylvannia), Slushburgers (Montana) and Dynamites (Virginia). However, in my neck of the woods they are called Sloppy Joes.

I must confess that I usually purchase a certain well know sauce version in a can which is added to browned ground beef when I make sloppy joes. Recently I came across an easy recipe for homemade sloppy joes that was very good. And as my husband said, "It's a keeper!"

Sloppy Joes (adapted from Pinch My Salt)

1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup water

1.Sauté onions, green peppers and garlic in oil until softened.
2.Add beef and cook until beef is done. Drain fat.
3.Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until thickened. Add more water if it gets too thick.
4. Serve on hamburger buns with grated cheese.

Enjoy....

Hello Springtime! Why Don't You Make Yourself at Home

2011-03-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

Is spring almost here? Sure looks like Mother Nature is trying to encourage spring to show up.

Love it! Come on, Spring. Make yourself at home and stay awhile.

With spring in the air, spring time cakes come to mind. Strawberry shortcake, carrot cake, and coconut cake. Yum! Tried a new recipe this weekend for coconut cake. This recipe is very similar to a coconut sheet cake my mother used to make. She would poke holes in a baked yellow cake, pour a sweet coconut milk filling over the top and then cover it with white icing and coconut. This new recipe is similar except it is a layer cake with no frosting between the layers. Just layers soaked in a sweet coconut milk filling.

I was not sure how a cake without frosting between the layers would be, but it actually was quite tasty.

Coconut Cake

Cake:

2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

3 cups sifted self-rising flour

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling:

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

4 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

1.Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes.

2.Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

3.Add flour and coconut milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.

4.Divide batter equally among 3 9” greased and floured pans.

5.Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done at 350⁰. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

6.While cake cools, stir together sugar, sour cream, milk, and coconut in a bowl until well blended.

7.Remove first layer and invert onto cake plate. Using the wrong end of a wooden spoon, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart until entire cake has been poked. Spread 1/3 of filling mixture on cake layer. Sprinkle extra coconut on top. Place remaining layers on top of first layer and repeat process after each layer.

8.Cover the top and sides with 7-Minute Frosting. Sprinkle top and sides with coconut.

7-Minute Frosting:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup water

2 egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla

1.Place sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water, and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a hand held electric mixer for 1 minute.

2.Place pan over boiling water, being sure that boiling water does not touch the bottom of the top pan. Frosting will become grainy if pan gets too hot. Beat constantly on high speed with electric mixer for 7 minutes. Beat in vanilla.

Enjoy...

What's All This Scuttlebutt About Beer?

2011-02-25T23:06:00.001-05:00

Beer. I don't get it.

And what's up with the names of beers? And the ingredients?

HE'BREW - The Chosen Beer

Curmudgeon Old Ale (contains molasses) Breakfast Stout (contains coffee)

The Dogfather Imperial Stout (A brew you can't refuse)

Not one of my favorite beverages. In fact, I don't care for the taste at all. Although a tall, frosty mug does look like it could quench a thirst.

Cooking with beer is an entirely different story. It can add a new dimension of flavor, enhance the taste and tenderize the meat. This roast beef sub recipe is a perfect example.

Roast Beef Subs

3 ½ lb chuck roast

1 (10.5 oz) can beef broth

12 oz dark beer

2 cubes beef bouillon

1 pkg dried onion soup mix

Sliced onions, cheese

Sub rolls

1.Season the roast with salt, pepper and place in crock pot.

2.Mix beef broth with onion soup mix and pour over the roast.

3.Pour beer over the roast.

4.Place beef bouillon cubes along the side of the roast.

5.Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

6.Take the roast out of the crock and shred. Place back into the crock pot until ready to serve.

7.Place on toasted sub rolls and top with cheese and sauteed onions.

Serve with the au jus.

Would you like some wine with that sub? (Yuck)

Enjoy.....

How Do You Eat Your Oreos?

2011-02-18T21:54:00.002-05:00

Earlier in the month I was watching Martha Stewart not realizing that I would be discovering my new favorite cookbook. Joanne Chang, a guest on the show and owner of Flour Bakery and Cafe in Boston, was making her vanilla cream filled doughnuts from her new book Flour.

I was so impressed with her on the show that I immediately ordered the book. I was not disappointed. The book's explanations on baking techniques, tips and use of equipment are easy to understand for both the novice or the experienced baker. The ingredients are found in the average kitchen and the best part is how impressive the results are both in taste and sight. My, my, my!!! I read somewhere that these baked goods look and taste just like what is found at her bakery.
I intended to make the vanilla cream filled doughnuts but once I turned the page and saw this recipe I knew I couldn't resist. It was love at first sight.

Can you believe this? I know....unbelievable!! So easy, so delicious and, I might add, so impressive.
Where is my tall glass of cold milk? Got some twisting and dipping to do.

Homemade Oreos adapted from Flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 egg
1 ½ cup flour
¾ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Filling:
½ cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of kosher salt

1.Melt chocolate chips and allow to cool.
2.Cream butter and sugar until well combined . Add vanilla, melted chocolate and egg and mix well.
3.In separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Using a wooden spoon, stir flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Dough will be stiff. Allow dough to sit at room temperature about 1 hour.
4.Roll dough into a 10 inch long and 2 ½ diameter log. Chill for a couple of hours or until firm.
5.Slice ¼ inch slices and bake on greased cookie sheet at 325 ⁰ for about 20 minutes. Watch cookie carefully until just firm on the top. Cool.
6. Mix filling ingredients together until smooth. Scoop 1 rounded tablespoon of filling onto the bottom of a cookie. Top with a second cookie and gently press down to spread the filling.

Enjoy!

In Honor of Valentine's Day

2011-02-12T22:37:00.001-05:00

Nothing says Valentine's Day like Red Velvet Cake. The popularity of this old southern treat can be found throughout food blogs and food programs today. The basic cake consists of layers with a white, creamy frosting which offers a contrast to the deep red color of the cake. The frosting is either of a buttercream or cream cheese nature.This version is baked in a bundt or tube pan and has a cream cheese filling with a cream cheese glaze on top

Red Velvet Fusion Cake
Cake:
2 ¼ cups flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
1 (1oz) red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs

Filling:
2 (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Glaze:
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1.In small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder. Set aside.
2. In separate bowl, combine buttermilk, mayonnaise, food coloring and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In mixing bowl, beat shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg.
4. Add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk mixture.
5. In separate bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
6. Pour half of batter in greased tube cake pan. Spread cream cheese mixture on top. Top with remaining cake batter.
7. Bake 350⁰ about 1 hour to 1 ½ hours or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool.
8. Combine ingredients for glaze and drizzle over cool cake.

Enjoy!

Long Time No Blogging

2011-02-12T20:49:00.001-05:00

It has been 6 months since I have written or posted an entry on this blog. Don't know why but it has. Nothing has really changed. I'm still enjoying sewing...

taking day trips ...

taking long trips...

watching sporting events...

taking photos ...

and trying new recipes - lots of new recipes.

One thing I do know is that I have missed posting and that it is time to start back.

Road Trip to Visit The Doctor

2010-07-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

We had a very important appointment recently with a doctor. It wasn't the usual appointment in a doctor's office. It wasn't an appointment at a hospital. It wasn't for a checkup or for renewing a prescription. The symptoms we were experiencing were not the usual symptoms a doctor might hear. Our symptoms had been increasing and building for many years. They increased to a point where we had to hit the road to visit this particular doctor. Our hearts were about to burst from these symptoms. For you see, we finally witnessed this little fellow

become a doctor.

We are very proud of that little fellow!

Walking Through The Park

2010-05-24T05:27:00.000-05:00

Recently spent a nice day at Reedy River Falls Park and Morning Market on Main Street in Greenville. Welcome back, Spring!

Sad Little Pound Cake

2010-04-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

I have baked pound cakes for many years. I usually have no trouble baking this particular recipe. Occasionally, the cake might fall in the center, or it might burn slightly along the edges, but I have never had this happen.

Sad little pound cake, isn't it? It completely fell apart when I was removing it from the pan. So, what does one do with this or rather with these chunks of cake? Simple.

Slice some South Carolina strawberries and make

strawberry shortcake.Can't tell the cake fell apart at all, can you?

Annual Spring Baseball Game

2010-04-16T05:24:00.000-05:00

Go, Braves!!!!

Yellow Haze

2010-04-10T21:27:00.001-05:00

Spring was arrived. I know this not because of these....

but because of these and other trees.

The pollen count has been exceptionally heavy this spring.

So much pollen that it appears as a yellow haze, little puffs of yellow clouds with every little breeze. Achoo! Sniff, sniff!

Finished Wall Hanging Quilt

2010-03-02T20:42:00.000-05:00

It is March, isn't it? Don't you think it is time the Santa quilt was put away?

This quilt should look better and more appropriate this time of the year than a Christmas quilt, don't you think?

We've Had the Snow....

2010-02-17T20:00:00.002-05:00

I must admit I did enjoy the snow last weekend.

Now, spring show me your lovely face....I'm ready!
Oh, yeah...If White Chocolate Coconut Cookies sound good, check out my cooking blog.

Monday Mosaics - Water Towers

2010-02-07T22:48:00.001-05:00

Saturday started out as a bright sunny day. So we hopped in the car and took a ride over the lake to small town South Carolina hoping to cure our cabin fever.

The winter rain has raised the lake level.

Are they selling only one peanut?

Loving the bright blue sky but it didn't last.

Once again it started raining before the afternoon was over. I'm beginning to feel waterlogged. Maybe that explains why I have this obsession of photographing water towers.

For photo mosaics more creative than metal objects that hold water, visit Mary at Little Red House.

Enjoy...

Has Anyone Seen Spring?

2010-02-02T21:43:00.004-05:00

This has been a very long, wet, and cold winter.

Where is spring? Has anyone seen it?

Sure wish it would return soon!

Blue and Pink

2010-01-18T00:06:00.001-05:00

2010 has been a very cold year. Yes, I know it has only been 17 days into the new year but for most of those 17 days it has been cold. Very cold. I live in the south where cold is not the norm during the winter except for very brief periods of time. The days have been dreary and the temps have been below freezing - brrrr. So it was a sight for sore eyes to see this on the back porch today:

and this in the sky:

Yes, that is a blue sky with white clouds - YES!

Loving me some blue sky.

Check some more Monday Mosaics at Little Red House.

I am tickled pink to have finished this baby quilt. I recently was cleaning out some scraps and realized I just might have enough pink fabric to make a baby quilt for some little baby girl.

Presently, I don't know anyone expecting a little girl. I'll just store it away until I do know someone.

Enjoy...

Mosaic Monday - Knitted Hats

2010-01-04T18:57:00.001-05:00

If it's Monday, then it must be Mosaic Monday. Check out all the links to some very creative mosaics at Little Red House. Here are a couple of mosaics I made using photos of knitted baby hats.

I love knitting these little things.

Enjoy...

The Best Christmas Present

2010-01-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

If I had to pick one word to express Christmas this year, it would be:

Why? The best Christmas present arrived a few days before Christmas this year even though we had to go to the airport to pick it up....

I'd go to the airport every day if I knew my favorite gift (our son) would be there.

I've enjoyed my time off over Christmas break and I have actually work on some sewing and knitting projects. Surprising, isn't it?
I completed a couple of knitted baby hats,

and have started a sweet little pink baby quilt.

And, of course, baking has been a part of my break.

I've also started a new food blog to share new recipes. Come by and visit - Leslie's Cookery

Later...

Have You Finished Your Christmas Shopping?

2009-12-21T23:01:00.001-05:00

Well, if not, you aren't alone. Santa hasn't finished either :)

I don't know why but I love this Target commercial.

Enjoy...

Christmas Decorations and Monday Mosaics

2009-12-13T20:47:00.001-05:00

Slowly but surely the Christmas decorations are appearing in our house.

Before the cold drizzle arrived yesterday, we made a quick trip to the Sertoma tree lot.

Once upon a time like back in the late 70's, we would search the woods at my aunt's house for a cedar tree. Much cheaper than Christmas trees purchased from tree lots. I loved the smell of cedar in the house. Although trying to decorate the tree was a pain .....literally....hands were easily scratched from cedar leaves.

Those days are long gone. Today it is a quick trip to a lot for a North Carolina fir. More costly but...

much easier on the hands.

Now to get the lights and decorations on the tree.

For Monday Mosaics at Little Red House I'm sharing decorations from past Christmases.

Enjoy....

Oh, To Be Santa

2009-12-06T19:57:00.002-05:00

While Christmas shopping this weekend, I came across this t-shirt:

Never really thought about it, but Santa has a great job. Sweets and one work day a year. Oh, what a life that would be.
Besides shopping we spent part of the day enjoying the sun and crisp air walking in downtown Greenville, SC.

Speaking of sweets.....Have you tasted these at Starbucks?

Very tasty! Just this week I saw recipes for this posted on Your Homebased Mom and Good Things Catered. So guess what I tried today?

Oh, yes it was well worth the effort.

Visiting the Past

2009-11-30T20:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous day for exploring and visiting the past.

After driving up and down the back roads, we were able to visit the burial site of my mother's parents - Bessie and Clardy. The Monday Mosaic below shows an old photo of Clardy and Bessie as young adults and their grave markers. Clardy (Papa) lived for 77 years. I have many, many fond memories of days spent with him. Bessie lived 53 years. She died before I was born.

Enjoy....

Nuff Said - Finally

2009-11-28T21:49:00.002-05:00

USC Gamecocks have won state bragging rights for the year! YES!!!

One Season Over, Another Begins

2009-11-22T23:29:00.001-05:00

Well, high school football is over for us. Our local high school lost in the second round of playoffs Friday night. All that is left is college football. I'm not a big professional football fan but do love high school and SEC football. For Little Red House Mosaic Monday, I am posting some photos from high school and college football games

Even though this season is ending, a new and favorite season begins. Yes, the season of mixing, stirring, measuring, blending, sampling.....It is the season of Thanksgiving/Christmas baking. I was very productive this weekend. I was able to bake and freeze these oatmeal cookies along with Red Velvet Whoopie Pies and Raspberry Swirl Cookies.

These are quite tasty. The secret ingredient that makes these unique is coconut.
If you would like this recipe, check out my simple little food blog in its early stage.

National Bundt Cake Day

2009-11-15T23:29:00.001-05:00

Today's entry is in honor of National Bundt Cake Day which happens to be today. (Nordic Ware announced this day of celebration back in 2006.) Plus I recently bought some Vietnamese cinnamon from King Arthur 's Flour and have wanted to see if there was a difference in Vietnamese cinnamon and off-the-shelf cinnamon.

Must say the aroma from this Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pound Cake as it baked was tantalizing and the taste was very appealing to my taste buds. Yum!

I also baked an Eggnog Spice bundt for hubby to take to work. It is a new recipe and I haven't tasted it yet. Hoping it is good and that they will enjoy it. It, too, smelled wonderful as it baked.

Oh, by the way....no bourbon was added to the eggnog.

Today's Monday Mosaic at Little Red House are random pictures around town.

Enjoy....

We Are Family

2009-11-09T22:33:00.001-05:00

I love old photos, especially old family photos. For today's Little Red House Monday Mosaic, I am sharing a few photos of my parents as young children, and young adults as well photos of my grandparents and great grandparents in their younger years.

Amazing how my great grandfather's older eyes are exactly the same eyes of my brother and the youth of my grandmother resembles me when I was a young adult. Scanning and organizing all the family photos which have been handed down to me from my parents has been a long and sometimes endless task, but a task that frequently reminds me of my connection to my family.

Guess I should post a few photos of the new recipes I have tried these last couple of weeks.
Autumn Apple Coffee Cake
Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Have you noticed I haven't posted anything recently dealing with knitting and sewing? I need to get motivated...Christmas is right around the corner.

Mosaic Monday: Fall Foliage

2009-11-01T22:12:00.004-05:00

I am loving the colors of the foliage this fall. With all the rain we have had in this part of the world, it hasn't been easy taking photographs. It seems the sun shines only when I am at work and rain every weekend in October.

I am also loving Photoshop Elements. I purchased this photo editing software a couple of years ago. Slowly but surely, I am getting to a point where I can do something with it without having to review the instructions or look up information on Google or various websites. The above mosaic is an example. :) (To see more Monday Mosaics, visit Mary at Little Red House.)

Took a trip down memory lane today. The church I grew up in celebrated its 50th anniversary. We joined that church when it was first formed. I was in elementary school. Lots of great memories came to mind as we worshiped, fellowshiped (is that a word?) and ate dinner together. Wish my parents could have been there.

This is my father. He wasn't the minister but one of the elders who participated in the worship service many times. He was quite the character. I can hear him now saying "Let's turn in the hymnals to page 150. If you can't find it, then sing page 75 twice." As a family we spent many, many hours in that church.

SC's Official State Snack Food

2009-10-24T21:37:00.003-05:00

Peas! Peas! Peas! Peas! Eating goober peas! Goodness how delicious, eating goober peas!
- from the song "Goober Peas" - written in 1866 with words by A. Pindar and music by P. Nutt

One of my favorite treats this time of the year is boiled peanuts. Like grits and sweet tea, they are a true southern snack. In fact in 2006, boiled peanuts became the official state snack. Wonder what took them so long to figure that out?
The best boiled peanut comes from green (raw) peanuts which are harvested around September, October and November. So many times the boiled peanuts sold at football games, flea markets, produce stands or roadside stores are made from dry peanuts. They do not come close to the ones made from green peanuts. And the bigger the peanut, the better.
So when Aunt Eloise called, said she had picked some peanuts, and do we want some, we made a short road trip to the lower part of SC.

The peanuts she had picked for us were HUGE. As big as my husband's fingers. Oh, the excitement. Instant drooling.

It didn't take long after we arrived back home that the pressure cooker was jiggling and we were sampling a pot of boiled goobers.

Please pass me a napkin. My fingers are dripping wet from the brine.

My New Toy

2009-10-18T20:43:00.002-05:00

I have a new toy. It is bright red and shiny. I have wanted one of these for some time.

Whoever invented this little toy was a very clever person.

In less than 10 seconds, I can peel, core and slice a single apple.

Since purchasing this little toy, apple bake goods have appeared in my oven. In fact, there is a fresh apple pound cake baking at this very moment. Looks like the guys who work with my husband will be enjoying it tomorrow with their coffee.

Never Too Busy To Try New Recipes

2009-10-14T05:19:00.002-05:00

Busy, busy, busy.....busy at home, busy at work, busy on the weekends, busy during the week, busy in the morning, busy at night, busy, busy, busy. But.....

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Oven Baked Beef Stew

Never too busy to try new recipes :)

He Will Be Missed

2009-10-13T19:56:00.005-05:00

Oct. 9, 1921 - Oct. 9, 2009

Labor Day Labors

2009-09-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning we jumped into the car and ended up here

The NC Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC.

This little trip resulted in labor on Labor Day.

Actually making apple butter wasn't labor intensive for me at all. My Crock-Pot did most of the work. The apples, sugar, and spices simmered for 14 hours. The three different types of apples (Gala, Jonathan, Cortland) and the slow simmering produced an outstanding apple butter. And yes, we sampled some tonight for supper. Mmmm, Mmmm, Goood!!

Later,

What Do You Know? Not Much

2009-08-25T21:52:00.008-05:00

Not much going on in this household. I'm back in school and we getting into our usual fall schedules and routine which means"

High school football on Friday nights....

Trying to get back into menu planning ....

Making sweets for night time snacking...

Making quick trips to Greenville. (There isn't a decent bookstore in our town plus we just enjoy going to Greenville for the day.) Speaking of bookstore. The other day we were in Barnes and Noble and I noticed a new magazine. The title of the magazine caused me to pause for a moment and wonder.

Garden.....Gun.....the two words don't go together, do they? When I think of gardens, the thought of guns never cross my mind. I picked up the magazine and was pleasantly surprised. Garden and Gun is "about the sporting culture, food, music, art, literature, and people" in the south. I don't hunt but I do enjoy the southern culture which the magazine spotlights and it is published in Charleston (one of my favorite SC cities.) Guess one shouldn't judge a magazine by its cover.

And speaking of wondering....

Why do young people like to wear their tags? Hmmm...

How fast does one need to travel to clip a utility pole? Hmmm..

How do you entertain yourself while sitting in the car as the car is washed? Hmmm...

This is going to be a strange fall this year. This is the first time in many, many years where we will not be attending USC football games. The increase in ticket prices and the amount of time it eats up on a weekend convinced us to just stay home and watch them on TV. One exception - the doctor son is coming home for a short visit in September and we have tickets while he is home.

Project updates:

Baby Quilt

Knitted Baby Hat

Backyard Update - Whoopie!

2009-08-14T20:19:00.005-05:00

The fence is complete! Waiting for it to season so we can have it stained. Yes! Then the fun begins.....landscaping the yard.

I have mentioned before that one no longer needs to pull out recipe books to plan meals as long as the world wide web is available. I find it to be more interesting and definitely more fun to cruise the food blogs than to leaf through recipe books. A few months ago I found a new reader-submitted recipe community site (Tasty Kitchen) on the Internet created by Ree from Pioneer Woman. Check it out if you love reading/trying new recipes, and meeting new friends.You just might find recipes like:

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Cinnamon Twists
Delish!!!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-07-29T05:49:00.011-05:00

It seems that just the other day I was starting my summer break.
Come Monday, I'll begin a new school year. My position requires me to return before teachers and students. Students do not return for 2 1/2 weeks, and teachers return in one week. I am actually looking forward to seeing the students

and my colleagues.

It will also be an interesting year. Many changes have occurred in our district due to the recent economy issues. Teachers have been moved, and positions have changed, but one thing never changes....the students.

It has been a nice break. Besides enjoying the wonderful summer produce,

the beautiful flowers,

the local festivals,

the new recipes,
Spinach Couscous Salad
Smoothie Ice Cream Pie

spending way too much time on the computer,

and our road trip to see our favorite person,

we have started a new backyard makeover,

and I have actually gotten some knitting done.

As the saying goes: Time flies when you are having a good time.

Summer Produce - Part 2

2009-07-17T20:56:00.004-05:00

Summer produce is so enjoyable this time of year. What is also nice about summer produce is that it can be canned or frozen and enjoyed during the winter. This has been a great summer for canning and freezing. A few weeks ago, I canned 8 qts. of green beans,

and last week I froze 15 qts. of butterbeans

and 12 qts. of pinkeye peas.

I hope to freeze some tomatoes next week. I have canned tomatoes in the past but thought I would try freezing roasted tomatoes this year after reading this blog entry on roasted tomatoes at 4 Reluctant Entertainers recently. It sounds like they would be great for making spaghetti sauce this winter.

I also have enjoyed trying new recipes this summer. Here are a few that are what my hubby says are "keepers":

Vanilla Wafers (Thanks, Rebecca-Ezra Pound Cake)

Tomato Tart (Thanks, King Arthur Flour)

Homemade Pizza Dough (Thanks, Michelle - Brown Eyed Baker)

Baked Shrimp In Tomato Feta Sauce (Thanks, Elise - Simply Recipes)

Summertime Barbecue Chicken (Thanks, Amy - Sing for Your Supper)
Who needs a recipe book when there are so many wonderful recipes on the web?

Easter Eggs and BBQ in July

2009-07-10T20:52:00.003-05:00

We are well into the month of July (only 3 weeks left before I return to work.)and I have Easter eggs and BBQ on my mind. Strange, isn't it to be thinking about Easter eggs? Not so strange to be thinking BBQ. The reason for Easter eggs is this little plant with a pretty little purple flower.

This pretty little flower develops one of these:
Isn't that a cute little egg?
This is an Easter Egg plant which is actually a member of the potato family. Supposedly, the little white egg will eventually change into a yellow egg as it matures.

Thinking about barbeque this time of the year is not so strange. This weekend is the Festival of Discovery in my town. One of the features of this festival is the BBQ competition. People from all over the south arrive to compete in various forms of BBQ - ribs, brisket, hash, etc. This year the Food Network is here following some of the competitors. This afternoon we cruised the festival checking out the various vendors. Guess where my hubby and I will be looking for lunch tomorrow. Here are few photos from tonight.

Sewing update:
I finished a baby quilt and have started another one. Several friends will be birthing babies soon.

Later,

Happy Fourth Of July

2009-07-04T15:06:00.003-05:00

Time to start the ribs....Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm, Good!

Summer Produce Makes Good Eating

2009-07-02T22:19:00.002-05:00

Nothing is any better than produce in the summer time. Here is a small taste of what we have been enjoying in this house. (don't you wish you could taste these?)

I have been working on a few sewing and knitting projects, too. I am almost through hand quilting a baby quilt and knitting a baby sweater. Haven't got any pictures yet but will post some when I have completed them.

Lamp ReDo

2009-06-30T22:11:00.002-05:00

Amazing what a little spray paint and a new shade can do for a lamp.

I have been wanting to get rid of this lamp for some time now. I read recently on several blogs how spray paint could be used to change the appearance of lamps. (These same blogs have been spray paintng plates and platters, too. Just may have to try that on another day.) It looked easy and I thought I would have nothing to lose. So after purchasing a new shade and some spray paint,

then taping the area I did not want to paint,

this is the result:

What do you think? Not bad! Looks pretty good and definitely different. Just may have to try this idea on a few other old lamps laying around this house.

Blueberry Lime Jam

2009-06-24T20:12:00.002-05:00

When there is a plethora of blueberries hanging from the bushes, they can't be ignored. So guess what I did today....

This recipe was adapted from a recipe found on Recipezaar. Just might have to make several more batches. These would make nice little Christmas gifts. Can't wait to have some toast in the morning.

Road Trip - Day five and six

2009-06-21T18:09:00.002-05:00

Valley Forge and Center City in Philadelphia

Attended the Phillies/Orioles baseball game (Phillies lost)

Visited the Art Gallery

After doing so many things and having a grand time, the main reason we traveled this distance was to see this guy - our son!

I sure do miss him and wished he lived closer. Now it is time to get back home and back to my bed.

Road Trip - Day three and four

2009-06-18T21:28:00.005-05:00

Spent yesterday at the Smithsonian:

Drove through Lancaster County, PA on the way to Philly:

Could not leave this part of Pennsylvania without visiting a quilting store - The Old Country Store.

Yes I bought some fabric:)

Road Trip - Day three

2009-06-16T21:31:00.004-05:00

Washington, DC

Tomorrow....the American History and Art Museum.

Road Trip - Day two

2009-06-16T06:39:00.004-05:00

Luray, Virginia

Drove on the Shenandoah Skyline Drive to Luray, Va. Beeeeeautiful!!!

Road Trip

2009-06-15T09:04:00.002-05:00

Sites from our 1st day on the road:

Charlottesville, Virginia is a beautiful place.

The Bright Side of Summer Storms

2009-06-12T21:15:00.003-05:00

This spring has been a rather moist season. While it is so easy to complain about the rain and/or afternoon storms, there is a bright side to all the rain. Beside the drought easing up,

beautiful plump blueberries are covering my bushes!

The bright side of these:

are rather tasty muffins!

Guess what we are doing tomorrow.

Road trip time to visit our son :)

Spreading the Word

2009-06-12T05:54:00.005-05:00

This morning I received an exciting email about a FREE photo editing class over at the Jessica Sprague website. She is offering the free class in honor of her 2nd anniversary. Starting June 22 you can register and the class begins July 6th. What a generous offer! Check it out!

It is Almost Here!

2009-06-03T21:14:00.005-05:00

Tests have been taken...

Field day is over....

Student work has been removed from the walls....

Lockers have been cleaned out... (amazing how much stuff can be jammed into lockers)

Students have been picked up....

All that is left are some teacher work days. Then I can get back to some sewing, knitting, baking and napping. It seems like ages since I've had the time for these activities! New recipes and projects have been gathering dust.

The Sounds of Summer

2009-05-25T20:13:00.004-05:00

Can you hear it? Summer is almost here!

Bees are buzzing...

Mowers are mowing...

Flowers are blooming....

Dough is rising...

A friend gave me a batch of bread starter. I feed it every five days and the starter has not been a disappointment at all. So far, we have enjoyed bread, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon bread. Yum, yum!
Come on, summer! I am ready!

"I'm Writing from BlogHer..."

2009-04-30T18:57:00.007-05:00

It pays to make comments on blogs.

A couple of weeks ago, while reading BlogHer, I noticed a sweepstakes for Fage, a natural Greek yogurt. It just so happened that I also had been looking at some recipes that called for Greek yogurt. I have never tried Greek yogurt and have looked for it in my local grocery stores. No luck - none of the stores in this town sells this type of yogurt. So this sweepstakes caught my eye. All the BlogHer Fage Yogurt sweepstakes required was for readers to make a comment and once a day from April 7 through May 6, a random commenter would win a case of Fage Yogurt. A couple of days after making a comment, I received an email saying, "I'm writing from BlogHer to inform you that you have been selected at random as one of our daily winners for the Dive into FAGE TOTAL daily sweepstakes! " Guess what arrived today?

After sampling Classic with honey and Classic with strawberries, my husband and I think it is rather yummy! Thanks, Fage and BlogHer for your generosity! Now off to find some recipes to use the plain Classic yogurts. :)

Earth Day

2009-04-22T21:51:00.005-05:00

How green is your world?

Road Trip

2009-04-18T21:28:00.005-05:00

Over the river

into a neighboring state

down some rural roads

through some quaint little towns

maneuvering the interstate highway

catching a ride on MARTA

withstanding the chilly spring evening air

just to see the Braves lose to the Marlins! BooHoo!

What Happened?!?

2009-04-07T19:56:00.007-05:00

I thought spring had sprung. Flowers are blooming.

Easter is this week.

Spring break is next week.

But in a matter of a few days, Mother Nature had another idea... FREEZE WARNING in effect for tonight Brrrr! Hopefully, this will be the last cold snap.

I am looking forward to next week. My husband is taking next week off, too. We have some great plans.

A short trip to Atlanta (Please warm up before the ballgame. I froze at the early spring Braves game last year.)

Yard work. My husband is going to enlarge a flower bed for me. I also hope to find some time for this

Sewing Update: I finished the latest wall hanging. I wish it was just a bit larger.

I completed another Tag Along Tote. I did enlarge it a bit in order to get everything I carry with me in it.

One last thought: I have been reading some new blogs on stretching dollars. Check them out:
Being Frugal is Fabulous
Free Shipping
My Good Cents

Here Comes the Sun

2009-03-28T21:03:00.002-05:00

After what seems like a very long time of nothing but rain and more rain, guess what peeked out right before dusk.

The sun was a sight for sore eyes. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring more sunshine. I know these little things would appreciate some sunshine.

My gerber daisies are coming up. With some warmth from the sun I could be picking flowers soon.

Speaking of flowers. I have started a new quilt wall hanging for spring. With a little imagination you could say the squares look somewhat like flowers....maybe?

I still have the sash, quilting and binding to do.

Well, if you can't imagine flowers in the wall hanging, surely you can enjoy these.

The dogwoods, red buds and cherry trees have popped open this past week. Gorgeous beauties!

I have also noticed something else popping open all over our little city.

Sign of the times....in this small strip building, all four businesses are selling dough. Only one business doesn't expect you to return the dough - the bread store. Ugh!

Can't close without sharing my recent dessert.

Lemon Buttermilk Pie

Yummy!

Yarn Giveaway

2009-03-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

Check out Stardust Shoes. She is giving away some gorgeous yarn and a cute bag to some lucky winner. It just might be me or you.

Think Spring...Think Strawberries

2009-03-19T20:31:00.005-05:00

Welcome, spring! What took you so long? It seems as though winter has been an especially long and dreary season this year.

Tomorrow is the first day of spring and I am more than ready! I am ready to get into the yard and prep my flowers beds. I am ready to open the doors and windows to let in the spring air. I am ready to pick strawberries. I am ready to breathe in all the pollen - oops, I forgot.... that is one thing I am not ready for.

I guess one reason this winter has seemed so long and dreary is what we are all facing with our economy, budget cuts, foreclosures, layoffs and furloughs and the list goes on and on. A news blog that I enjoy viewing did an entry on the recession, not just here in the US but worldwide. The Big Picture, from the Boston Globe posts news stories through pictures. Pictures are worth a thousands words. If you enjoy looking at photographs, go through some of the previous entries. Amazing photos. Check it out!

Speaking of strawberries (a happier subject)....I have tried two new recipes using strawberries this past week.

Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

And sitting in the freezer waiting to be cut is

Strawberry Margarita Pie

Here are a few others items I have been working on:

dishcloth

Tag Along Tote

Super easy - uses 3 fat quarters.

Briefly Sold To Me

2009-03-10T19:00:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday was a gorgeous day to go to an auction.

I have been to a couple of auctions in the past but have never bid on anything. So, you can imagine my excitement when I "thought" I had actually bought an old rocker at this auction.

Apparently, someone goofed. The rocker I "thought" I had bought was also the rocker another person "thought" he had bought. The rocker was listed on my ticket and his ticket. His bid was $10.00 more than my bid. Soooooo...he got the rocker. Bummer!

This auction was at a beautiful old home that has not seen very much love and attention in a long time.

It had the neatest staircase. Part way up the case, the width of the stairs increases. At that point of the staircase, there is another set of steps leading downstairs to the first floor near the kitchen, a set of steps continuing to the second floor on the front side of the house and the wide stairs leading to the second floor on the back side of the house.

The house was auctioned off as well as all the belongings in the house. I hope the new owner of the house has a lot of money to restore the house. It could be quite the showcase.

Recently, I have been learning more editing techniques on Photoshop Elements. At the auction, I saw a former student of mine and her daughter. Precious little girl with beautiful eyes. Check this out....

Before PSE editing:

After PSE editing:

Snow in March

2009-03-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

It's snowing......

School is closed tomorrow!

Not Single, Not Douple, But Triple

2009-02-28T21:48:00.004-05:00

Food blogs...gotta love 'em! No one ever has to use a cookbook to find a new recipe as long as food blogs are floating around in cyberspace. I tried a new cookie recipe found on a new food blog I have been reading lately. It is a keeper. It's not your usual oatmeal cookie. It's an oatmeal cookie recipe that calls for chocolate chips - lots of chips, and a variety of chips. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. Did I say it was a keeper?

The recipe (Triple Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies) is from The Brown Eyed Baker blog.The author of this blog has entered this recipe in the "Your Best Cookie Recipe" contest hosted by MixingBowl.com. Guess who will be voting for her?

Where's the glass of milk? Yum!

Where Does The Time Go?

2009-02-23T19:41:00.005-05:00

I wish I could say I have been spending my time doing this....

Exercising would be nice but nope! Haven't been doing that.

I wish I could say I have been spending my time doing this....

Traveling would be nice but nope! Haven't been doing that either.

I wish I could say I have been spending my time doing this....

Sewing would be nice but nope! Haven't been doing that either.

I can say that I have been doing this.....

Trying new recipes, knitting, crocheting, picking daffodils, and crafting. (magnetic message board for my office) Oh, yea....I have also been working at school.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

2009-02-08T22:14:00.002-05:00

Look what was peeking its pretty little head out this weekend! The whole weekend had a feel of spring - warm temperatures, and deep blue skies. And have you noticed the days are getting longer? Fantastic!

Hard to believe February is already here. Besides Valentine's Day,

February is birthday month for the son.

UPS will be delivering this beauty to Philadelphia this week along with the heart shaped rice krispy treats. Happy birthday, Sweetie!

Finally...

2009-02-01T19:28:00.004-05:00

some blue sky!

So far this winter, we have been fortunate to not have any snow or ice that has amounted to anything. Instead, we have had what seems like weeks and weeks of cold, rainy, cloudy and foggy weather. What a surprise to spot some blue sky and sunshine this past week.
Spring, where are you? I am ready for your visit!

It is Super Bowl Night and can you guess how my husband is entertaining himself?

Waiting to watch the 3D commercials!

I did a little baking today.

Aren't these cute?

Quite tasty.

Mini Apple Pies ....Delicious, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What's For Dinner?

2009-01-24T20:34:00.013-05:00

One of my goals for this year (notice I didn't say New Year's Resolution - if it's a goal, I might stick with it longer.) is to plan weekly menus for dinner each week. I find if I take the time to do this, I am less likely to not cook and just go out to eat. On my iGoogle page on my browser, I have a Google calendar dedicated to my menus. Now, when I get home in the afternoons, I am not dreading the dinner routine. So far, we have only gone out to eat on Fridays or Saturdays - once a week instead of 2 or 3 times a week. This week we went to The Village Grill, one of my favorite places to dine.

Their specials are always unique and very tasty.

I finally finished the log cabin table runner tonight.

It was placed on the back burner because of these:

and this:

I can easily be distracted.

I (Heart) Pimento Cheese

2009-01-16T20:38:00.004-05:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day - a sweet little knitted heart pin. The pattern is from Hannah Fettig's book Closely Knit. She has graciously provided the pattern as a download. It measures around 2" by 2" and takes little time to knit, sew and stuff.

Pimento cheese.....I love pimento cheese.

Whenever I can't decide what to have for lunch while at school, I can always count on pimento cheese. I either make my own or purchase ready made at the grocery store. But this time, I tried a new recipe (Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook) which called for roasted red pepper instead of pimentos from a jar. Very delicious. Mmmm, Mmmm, good - a pimento sandwich, chips and ....

The Secret Is

2009-01-10T22:17:00.005-05:00

Do you know the trick and secret for excellent caramel cake?

Today several ladies from church gathered at a friend's house for a cooking lesson won from a mission trip fund raising auction earlier in the year. Linda, the baker, brought the cake, the ingredients for the frosting, the recipe and the secret to the perfect caramel frosting. You do know the secret, don't you?

It isn't the cake......it isn't the ingredients....it isn't even the recipe....it's the pan that is used in cooking the frosting.

It can't be too thin or else the frosting won't cook correctly.

Her son swears that if he was given caramel frosting prepared in different pans including THE PAN, he would be able to tell which one was cooked in THE PAN. When he married he wanted her caramel cake for his groom's cake. The wedding was out of town, so she had to take THE PAN with her and make the frosting in the hotel room. I think she said she had to frost six cakes in a little kitchenette in that hotel room.
Needless to say, the lesson was very well received and the cake was wonderful.

Knitting update: I have completed my first project for the new year. Knitted Puffy

From One Skein: 30 Quick Projects to Knit by Leigh Radford I used a cotton yarn for this project. Not sure how it will do when used in the shower. I ordered and have received the yarn (Aloo) the author used in the book. It is a natural plant fiber with a different texture. It looks and feels quite different from any yarn I have ever used. I think I'm going to like it better for something to bathe with.

The Party is Over

2009-01-04T20:50:00.005-05:00

It is time to go back to work. This has been a nice Christmas. As always, time with my husband and son at Christmas was special to me, as well as time with family (my brothers and their families and my husband's sister and her family) and friends. I was able to complete some things around the house that have been patiently waiting for my attention. I saw two excellent movies, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Doubt. As a bonus, I was able to visit with the newest member of a dear family.

This little fellow entered the world on December 23.

I was also able to begin a new quilted table runner with 4 log cabin blocks.

I think I have enough fabric left over to make a couple of placemats.

It's Here!

2009-01-01T08:07:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

Revisiting 2008 Meme

2008-12-30T21:53:00.009-05:00

Tonight while reading favorite blogs, I came across an meme for recapping 2008 hosted by Kelli at There is no place like home. It sounded interesting. Thought I would see what my year at blogging looked like.

Post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. You can also add a favorite picture from each month
I added the title of my first entry for each month as well as the first sentence and then a favorite picture from that month.

January: New Year New Opportunities
2008 Amazing that 8 years ago the world was concerned with Y2K

February: Longing for Spring Swap Questionnaire
If you have been thinking about spring and love swaps, check out this swap.

March: Haekelbeutal AKA Crocheted Summer Bag For Me
Haekelbeutel is German for crocheted bag.

April: A Little Of Paint Makes A World of A Difference
Slowly....step by step...it is coming together!

May: Bicycle Riding
For several years, Greenwood has been one of the hosts of the USA Crits Speedweek.

June: One of The Many Reasons Why I Love Summer
Home grown veggies.....

July: How About Those Georgia Dogs?
Not those Georgia dogs....

August: So Long, Matlock
On Monday I say goodbye, so long, see ya later gator to Matlock and hello to another year of middle school.

September: What's Up?
Nothing...absolutely nothing.

October: Welcomed Site, Ahhhh!
Driving home yesterday, my eyes gazed upon a welcomed sight.

November: Friday Nights in SC
I love high school football.

December: Felting Groove
For the past few weeks, it was been colder than normal in my part of the world.

Wonder what 2009 will bring?