2 Down the Lane

Menu Monday

2011-09-26T08:01:00.001-04:00

I am sorry that I have missed the past two weeks. I was keeping my mother the first week. My sister took a well deserved vacation with her family. Mama had a bad cold. She got well, but I got sick. It has taken me a little while to catch up with life.

Monday

Low Fat Spaghetti Pie Pear Walnut Bleu Cheese Salad

Low Fat Spaghetti Pie

6 ounces whole wheat pasta

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese

12 ounces drained, skim milk ricotta cheese
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, drained
1 (16 ounce) jar low sodium spaghetti sauce
4 ounces shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool. Mix the eggs, noodles and

Parmesan cheese. Press into a 9” pie pan (I spray mine with PAM) and form a shell.

Spread ricotta on top of spaghetti shell. Spread the spinach on top of the ricotta. Pour the sauce over all of the ingredients. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Pear Walnut Bleu Cheese Salad

6 cups salad greens

1 red pears

1/4 cup bleu cheese

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoon toasted walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 /2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 small shallot

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Dressing: In a blender, put vinegar, walnuts, shallot, sugar, Dijon Mustard, salt and pepper. With blender running, slowly drizzle canola and olive oils.

For individual servings: Place 1 1/2 cups of greens on plate. Cut the pear into halves and core. Slice each 1/2 into quarters. Arrange on greens. Sprinkle bleu cheese and toasted walnuts on top. Spoon dressing on each salad.

Tuesday

Meatball Minestrone Herbed Parmesan Biscuits Baked Apples for dessert

Meatball Minestrone

1 pound ground turkey, 1 egg, 1 small minced onion, 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, dash of pepper, 1/4 cup milk, 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Mix all the ingredients and shape into 1” balls. Place on a lightly greased jelly roll pan and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove and drain.

Mix all of the following ingredients into a Crockpot except the macaroni and zucchini

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, 1 (15 ounce) rinsed and drained, 1 (12 ounce) can of drained corn, 3 cups water, 1/2 cup dry red wine, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 stalks celery, 2 finely chopped onions, 1 cup cooked macaroni and 2 cups sliced zucchini.

Sauté the onion and celery. Cook in the Crockpot for about 6 hours. Add the meatballs and then add the zucchini and the macaroni. Cook another hour. Serve with grated Parmesan Cheese. Makes 10-12 hearty servings. Freezes well. Don’t add the zucchini and macaroni to the frozen soup.

I always double this and sometimes even triple it. Yummy!

Herbed Parmesan Biscuits

1/2 cup butter

2 1/4 cup flour

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tablespoon sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put butter in a 9” square pan and put in oven until it is melted. In a medium bowl combine the flour, Parmesan, sugar, baking powder, basil and parsley. Stir in the milk until just moistened. Turn dough onto floured surface. Knead a dozen times, until smooth. Roll or pat into a 12”X4” rectangle. Cut into 12 strips-one inch wide. Roll each strip in the melted butter. Leave in pan in rows of 6. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Quick, Quick, Quick! ! ! !

Wednesday

This Wednesday is the beginning of our family night suppers at church. So, hurrah, no cooking tonight. We are going to be studying two works by C. S. Lewis. I am really looking forward to it.

Thursday I hope I am going to do this chicken. I don’t know if Kraft makes Russian dressing anymore. I haven’t done my homework about this. It is so good. This is one of those recipes from long-long ago when I first got married. It is a really pretty dish.

Russian Chicken

Tri-colored Vegetables

Wild rice

Russian Chicken

4 chicken breasts seasoned with salt & pepper

3/4 cup Russian dressing

1/2 cup apricot jam

2 tablespoons melted butter
chopped parsley

Brown chicken breasts and place in a 2 quart casserole. Mix the dressing and jam together and pour over the chicken. Drizzle the butter over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove cover and allow to bake another 15 minutes. Place on a platter and drizzle the sauce over it. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Tri Colored Vegetables

1 sweet yellow pepper, cut into slices

1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3” lengths and then into 1/4” sticks

1/4 cup onions---cut into rings

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper. Sauté for about 4 minutes. Add carrot sticks and green beans and toss to coat with butter. Pour in 1/2 cup water. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes. Watch that the water does not boil out. Add the yellow pepper strips and the 1 teaspoon dried basil. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes.

Well, I am hooking up with Yvonne at Stonegable for Menu Mondays.

Menu Monday or Not. . . . . . . .

2011-09-13T05:52:00.001-04:00

Hi guys.

I am keeping my Mom this week. Honestly, I am not doing much cooking.

My sister is an angel for keeping my Mom at home.

Menu Monday will be back next week.

I have a luncheon meeting at the house today. A good photo opportunity…..

Mr. R and I have decided that I have a new company’s name

What Little Ole Ladies Want.com

Not really, but sounds good, doesn’t it? I sold some bookmarks at my step daughter’s shop. Guess how old the lady was that bought them? In her 80s and she said she was going to give them to her old neighbor—who was in her 90s. I love it.

Oh, my bookmarks are $2.50 and shipping is free.

I hope to get some other posts done.

Have a good day and

See you in a few!!

Madelyn

I have a problem. . . . .

2011-09-08T17:04:00.001-04:00

Lately, I have been in situations where I have tried to sell “stuff” from my paintings to yard sale items. I have made a random survey at these events. OLD ladies like my “stuff”, young people don’t. Seriously. My daughter and 2 friends decided to have a yard sale a couple of weeks ago. I have another house up in the mountains where I had my bed and breakfast. The house is empty but the Carriage House is still full of “stuff”. I took my Mini and filled it with what I thought would be good yard sale stuff.

Look at the cute chicken. It was given to me by a dear friend and I didn’t really want to sell it. By the time I thought to take pictures, I had sold several things. So that is one reason it looks so bare.

“The Girls” (my daughter and her friends) are in their mid 30s. Katy was thinking about selling her house and had cleaned closets. She was dealing as nothing she brought was going back to her house. Her friends, Shannon and Lisa were just cleaning out because Shannon had moved in with Lisa.

At any rate, everything that sold of mine was sold to a person of illustrious age and good looks. (Well, I am in that age group, too….) Not one young person looked at my “stuff”. For the amount of items that I took to the sale, I did okay. I brought the chicken home and it is sitting on my dining room table (more on that next week for Table Top Tuesdays at A Stroll through Life). I didn’t want to sell it anyway.

So fast forward to this past weekend (Labor Day). My step daughter has opened a little store in a barn – aptly named The Barn Shop. She does beautiful refinishing and caning. Her shop has vintage items in it—some really old and some not so old – but great buys.

I took some of my paintings up there and some book marks in the $2.50 range several months ago. Nothing has sold. We were so busy on Friday that the shop looked bare by the end of the day. I offered to stop by the house and pick some of my “stuff” up and take it to fill in on Saturday.

Sorry about the glare. I promise you, the only comments about my paintings or the items that I brought from the house came from seasoned patrons. I sold some bottles and a big iron pot. Not bad---but…..

I made an unofficial survey and learned about my target market. But, I need some advice about how to a. attract another age group or b. make (paint) items that the target market will not only comment on—but PURCHASE!!!!

I know better than most that times are tight……

So, my problem and I promise I really do want comments—I would love to learn what “30 somethings” are looking for in paintings, handmade items, scarves, etc. I want to hear from the 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. Help, please.

I have spent a little bit of time on Etsy this afternoon. There were some paintings that were kind of like the ones I do—I think, if I was a little more funky—abstract—maybe, that would attract a broader audience. All comments appreciated.

thanks for your thoughts,

See you in a few,

Madelyn

What fun---Or, I might have a new hobby. . . . . . . .

2011-09-06T05:18:00.000-04:00

I guess I shouldn’t call it a new hobby. I have always liked to play in the dirt. When I was a little girl, Daddy built me a tree house. I was so excited and I wanted to make it pretty. I raked all around it (we lived in a pine forest). I even went up farther into the woods and dug plants and planted them around the tree house. I was so proud. I will never forgot running in the house and getting Mama to come out to see what I had done. She about died. I had dug up POISON IVY. But, you know, I did not get a drop. It has only been in the last few years that I get it, and only on my right arm.

Well, my new hobby is rooting cuttings.

Over the years, I have tried to do cuttings, but it never seemed to be really successful. I got them to root, but once I put them into the dirt, I was a failure. But, this year has been so much fun to watch roots form in water or to see pots filled with sprigs completely fill and overflow the container.

Last year, my neighbor brought over some pathos that she had actually already rooted. I said thank you and stuck it in a pretty rooster container that I keep on a shelf over my washer and dryer. Quite frankly, I forgot to keep water in it and would every now and then have an “a Ha!” moment and fill the jar with water. This spring, I decided I would try to stick it in some dirt. It worked---I have already brought that pot in the house for the winter.

I was at a friend’s house late last summer and she had a Wondering Jew that I had not seen and I broke a piece off (with her permission, of course) and stuck it in some dirt. I had another kind (the purply red and green) of w.j. that Mr. R had brought me from the Senior Center. I got both through the winter. The Senior Center Wondering Jew had been planted in good old North Carolina red clay. I really don’t know how it survived—but it did. It was so hard in the pot that I had to get a knife to go around the edges just like a cake. I have three pots of this started.

Our “interesting” yard men (we live in a semi-gated community and if I had my way we would do our own mowing, blowing, etc.) knocked a Christmas cactus down out of a tree and broke it up---So, I took those pieces and made a couple of pots with those.

Another plant I rooted this summer was Acuba cuttings. I needed some green in our foyer and just went out and cut some and brought it in. I am going to put those in the ground over the weekend.

Now, just the other day when I made the pesto, I had some leftover basil. I had read how easy it was to root. I put it in the water about a week ago and I already have roots. I love it!! I think, I will put that in a small pot and see if I can keep it over the winter.

My sister gave me some Rex begonia stem s the other day. They are in water and I have my fingers crossed that I get something started before long. I would love to get that in some dirt before it gets too cold to set outside for a while.

Many years ago, I read that when one tried to root, they should not use tap water because it contained so many chemicals. I would let water sit and supposedly that would let the chemicals evaporate. I even went out to Mama’s and got lake water or her well water to try to root plants. This summer I just stuck things in water straight from the tap. Success!!!!! I also use Rootone—a plant hormone that helps plant develop roots—I even use this when I plant in the spring. It really helps to make stronger plants. Other than that I guess I gave them a lot of tender loving care.

Now, the next big question is, can I keep all of this over the winter. I am sure going to give it a try. So, this is the “new hobby” (like I needed one -- )

Keep your fingers crossed and I will

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Menu Mondays

2011-09-03T22:46:00.002-04:00

Can you believe that it is already a new week? Last week flew by---I spent the past two days in Hillsville, Virginia “working” in my step-daughter’s store. I will tell you all about it later this week.

It is time to plan for this week.

Monday is going to be a light day. I am exhausted and Monday is going to be my day to catch up and get some things done around the house!!! A true Labor Day!

Monday

I was catching up on my blog reading tonight and as usual was reading one of my favorites—I Need Mom. I love Sue’s blog. Tonight, she has a very special and very easy salad. I think it will be perfect for a rainy easy Monday night. I am going to add slices of steak---we like our protein.

Check Sue’s recipe on I Need Mom here.

Tuesday

I am going to try an idea that I saw in a stack of recipes at the flea market. They used aluminum foil instead of parchment and canned mushroom soup. I am trying to stay away from prepared food.

Chicken in Parchment    (Printable recipe here)

Risotto with Baby Green Peas

Homemade Biscuits

Wednesday

Pineapple Pork Chops    Super Easy and Super Good

Pork Chops, 1 large can sliced pineapple-reserving juice, flour, salt and pepper, 3 cups chicken stock
In a plastic bag, place 1/2 cup flour-1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Shake pork chops in flour mixture. Allow pork chops to sit for @ 15 minutes. In an iron skillet, brown pork chops—remove onto plate. Add 3 cups chicken stock (I use homemade, but a good low salt brand works fine), 1 cup pineapple juice and 1 tablespoon butter. Let it come to boil and add the pork chops. Place 1 slice of pineapple on each pork chop. Cover pan with a lid and place in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Southern Green Beans (Those of you who are really health conscious just don’t even want to know how I cook these---but they are oh-so good.

Mini bread puddings with caramel sauce

A batch of tomatoes cooking and the canned green beans for supper tonight.

Thursday

It is supposed to be 70 degrees—I might have to pull my coats out of the closet (Wrong!)—however, I think a big bowl of vegetable soup with toasted cheese and ham English muffins.   I will make a huge batch of soup and freeze the rest in containers for later in the fall.

Dump Soup
I keep a container in the freezer so when there are few veggies left over after supper, I put them in it. So that is where the “Dump Soup” comes in---Use your own vegetable soup recipe. I will be using fresh corn, limas and tomatoes along with my container(s) of veggies. Sauté some onion and celery. I cook about 1/2 cup of macaroni in a small amount of salted water and throw that in at the very last. There will be a little roast beef and gravy—some chicken—it certainly is not a vegetarian soup

For the English muffins, I take deli ham and roll it up and slice very thin.

Take 2 muffins and spread with whatever condiment(s) (I make one with mayo & mustard and then one with butter). Layer with chopped ham and then top with 2 or 3 different types of shredded cheese (Cheddar, Swiss and Jack). I bake them instead of toasting in the little oven for about 15 minutes. The cheese melts down through the ham and they are really yummy.

Friday

I think a Friday Fish Night is in order.

Almond Fried Flounder

Baked Potatoes filled with butter, sour cream, chives & bacon
Slaw

Printable recipe for the slaw here.

Hurrah for Saturday!!!! Our Sunday School class is going out to eat. I don’t have to cook. YES!!!

On Sunday we always go out with friends for lunch so Dinner on Sunday nights is light—leftovers, omelets and sometimes when Mr. R is very, very good we have waffles—actually, that’s when I want them….

I am linking to On the Menu Monday over at StoneGable.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

My first Fall decoration for 2011

2011-09-01T11:07:00.001-04:00

I have got to back into the swing of things with blogdom……..I should have taken a picture of the before (or at least of the before on the door – summer basket). The basket was filled with hydrangeas, red mums and white daisies. Below you will see the spring arrangement. Actually it is a little worse for wear. It has been hanging up in the garage all summer and I found some daffodils at a yard sale and just stuck them in the pot. (all for safe keeping, I assure you!)

This is the first “fall” decorations that I have put up. I looked at my boxes in the garage the other day and thought, it is 100 degrees---if I put them up now—all over the house I will be sick of them by November. But, I got up this morning and it felt like fall-cooler, crispish and it was just time to change the door decor. I had some sunflowers from last year and I decided it would be nice to add a little leaves and some red sunflowers. So, off I went to the Dollar Tree. I stuck some berry things that were stuck in the bag with the sunflowers and the blue spiky flowers from the spring arrangement. I like the results except for the bucket. . . . . . . .

Charlie was helping!

The door bucket was purchased about 3 years ago when we had Mr. R’s house on the market. I love it. But, now that I am using it for my fall arrangement for the front door I am thinking it might need a little paint. What is the name of the bronze that everyone uses in their projects? I am going to have to look at it a couple of days and think about it. I love it this shade of green for spring. Plus, I will probably put this arrangement on the back door in a couple of weeks and put a wreath on the door.

I love the shade and shadows on the house in the mornings—dappled little blobs of delicious sunshine peaking through onto the walls. I know it is not a very good picture of the final results—but bear with me. Mr. R is thinking about painting the house Williamsburg blue. I want the doors to be black. I love black front doors. I also want to change the storm door as a full view with glass panels—a true Williamsburg look. What do you all think?

And speaking of great fall decorations. . . . . . .

If any of you have a Walgreen’s nearby stop in and take a look at a glorious wire pumpkin-it is fantastic and only $19.00. I have not bought one yet as that was going to be my gift to myself when I sold a painting.

Have a good day and I will

See you in a few,

Madelyn

PS---I am going to paint it---I know after looking at the pictures while I was writing this post that the wall basket needs to be a darker color.

The Menu for the week

2011-08-29T05:47:00.001-04:00

Monday

Sliced Eastern NC BBQ Pork Road
I have one of those small crock pots and so since it is just the two of us, I use it a lot. I brown a small pork roast and place in the pot. Then, fill the pot with apple cider vinegar (covering about 1/2 of the roast), 2 tablespoons catsup, 1 tablespoon A-1 sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, 5-6 drops of Tabasco and a tablespoon of black pepper. Cook in the crock pot for about 8 hours. Then slice or chop your pork and pour your favorite bbq sauce over it.

Macaroni & Cheese

Sautéed green beans

Peach Pie In an 8” pie pan, melt 3/4 stick of butter. Place sliced peaches in the butter. In another bowl, add 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk (for peach pie just a drop of almond flavoring). Mix well and pour over peaches. Bake in a 35o degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Tuesday

Baked Fried Chicken Thighs
This is about as easy as it gets: For the two of us, I take about a half sleeve of buttery crackers and make fine crumbs. Sometimes, I add Italian seasonings – sometimes I don’t add a thing—Your choice. Take thighs (or any piece you prefer) and coat with crumbs. Place on a foil lined and sprayed with Pam pan. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes. You can drizzle olive oil over the top if you would like. Easy and crunchy chicken!!!

Grilled corn on the cob

Salad wedge with homemade bleu cheese dressing

Wednesday

Farfalle with tomatoes, mushrooms & broccoli
(printable recipe)

Baby Caesar Salad with homemade sour dough croutons

Thursday

Cuban Panini's (left over slices of Monday’s pork roast)

Homemade baked potato chips

Green Pea Salad (printable recipe)

Friday

Homemade individual white pizzas with our favorite toppings

Broccoli-pepperoni-ham-chicken-mushrooms
and of course lots of Mozzarella Cheese!!!

Saturday

Italian Meatloaf

Loaded Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Asparagus with sprinkled toasted almonds

Hot biscuits with lots of butter!!!

Sunday

Lunch with friends so, clean out the refrigerator for supper. Sometimes we do cheese and crackers after a big Sunday lunch. A fun thing is to have hot pepper jelly on our cream cheese! Yummy. I made a lot this summer so we have a great supply.

Dick’s favorite vegetable is broccoli so you will see a lot of broccoli in my menus. He also loves corn--
In the pea salad, the original version had cauliflower---so please put that in if you wish.
I am going to try to linky to StoneGable’s Menu Monday. This will be the first time I have tried to do this. Well, not the first because I have failed miserably in the past to accomplish this…….But, I love Yvonne’s blog. Please if this doesn’t work, check her blog out. I have her little thingy on the side and the link above should work---so I am going to try it. Cross your fingers!

This is what I have been doing………

2011-08-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

I have been painting.

I have been taking watercolor classes for almost three years now. I think, I am improving. Watercolor is a very interesting and demanding medium. I love it, but sometimes it does not love me. But, I am determined to keep on and conquer it.

We have a new restaurant in town called The Artisan Cafe. Our Sunday School class had the August get together there. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the rules and regulations for placing work in the cafe.

So some friends very graciously helped me mat some of my paintings (they have all of the tools---I am getting there, but do not have a mat cutter). So below are the four paintings that I took. I also took3 knitted scarves (my other obsession).

Take a look and leave me a comment. My daughter wrote about a painting I did for her on her blog—check that here.

Comments will be appreciated. I am working on several new pieces now. Daisies, a cardinal and a very large magnolia.

Let me hear from you.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Basil and Pesto

2011-08-25T13:57:00.001-04:00

As much as I cook, I have never made pesto. Probably because I don’t like it and I never had really good luck growing basil. This year, I found a basil plant reduced for quick sale (you know me) and stuck it in a pot at the back door. Well, the moon must have been right, I held my mouth right when I planted it – or something -- any way, it is doing well. Very well---so, I decided to make pesto.

I had decided that if someone gave me enough vegetables to can or to freeze, I would put it all up for the winter. I have canned green beans, pickles, blackberry jelly, peach jam, pepper jelly, frozen tomato sauce, shredded zucchini for bread, frozen yellow squash and frozen corn. I even made miniature peach pies (I got that recipe here from StoneGable—love this blog!!!) I want to get at least one batch of vegetable soup made and in the freezer, too.

You know we all go to the internet these days and look for recipes. I have read blogs over the summer and of course, watched Ina Garten, Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray at times over the years make it on television.

So, I sat down this morning and decided this was a good thing to get the blog going again---

I combined several recipes that I read and this is the one that I made. Actually, the ingredients are all the same it was the amount and in some cases a technique. Every place said to freeze in ice cube trays but somewhere along the line of doing research this summer, I came across the idea of freezing in small muffin tins. (I am sorry I wish I could give credit where credit is due---but, I truly don’t remember where I saw this.) I did try Everyday Food’s idea about dropping the basil in salted boiling water and then dumping it in cold—drying it off. It would have been great to have had one of those salad spinners (had one but sold it at a yard sale.) Their comment was that since it was to be frozen that the basil would keep it’s color better. I read all sorts of ideas about freezing pesto with the parmesan cheese and without. I looked up freezing parmesan cheese and learned that it is okay especially if you are going to use it to cook with and not eat it fresh. The average time to keep it in the freezer is 4-6 months. So, I decided to make two batches. One today and one when my basil recovers a little. Today’s batch was made with the Parmesan cheese.

Oh, if you don’t make it with the cheese, the overall consensus was to add the cheese when you thaw it. Should I say, Duh, here? I will let it stay in the freezer covered at least until in the morning and then throw it in a zipper bag and MARK it (learned my lesson, once too many times) PESTO!!!

PESTO

1 bulb of garlic

6 cups of basil leaves (washed)

1 cup toasted walnuts

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a food processor bowl, place the peeled garlic and process until finely minced. Add the nuts, basil, salt and pepper, cheese and whiz until everything is finely chopped. While the processor is running add the olive oil in a slow stream. Put about a 1 1/2 tablespoon amount in each small muffin cup. Freeze. Put in marked zipper bag and store for 4-6 months.

How am I going to use the pesto? In soup, pasta, as an appetizer with crostini and mozzarella –we will see won’t we?

Oh, and a PS. I read this summer to cut your basil and stick in water and it will root very quickly. So, I am trying that so I should have another harvest before it gets too cold here to grow.

Have a good day and See you in a few!!

Madelyn

Springtime---It hit me!

2011-04-17T20:35:00.001-04:00

I was so cocky and sure that I was not going to be bothered this year with pollen. I was WRONG!

I am not exactly sure what “got” me. The same day, my sister cut some lilacs and gave them to me. It was such a nice cool evening we slept with the windows open. I love hearing the far away chug-a-chug of the train. Who knows, it could have been just being outside.

I have felt horrible. Today Mr. R was reading the Gospel lesson at both early and the 11 o’clock service. I went to the early with him and on to Sunday School but came home. I got the heating pad and wrapped it around my head. (A very pretty site!) But, it got rid of my headache.

So, after a nap this afternoon, I took Charlie and the camera outside. We took pictures of what is blooming in our yard. We are waiting to clean the patio. I purchased 3 flats of impatiens, begonias and petunias on sale at the Harris Teeter on Saturday. I will try to get them out on Monday afternoon though I might let them get just a little bit bigger.

I hope you enjoy our spring.

There’s more---our roses are blooming—the iris are budding and the black eyed Susans are budding. More pics later.

See you in a few.

Madelyn

Fuzzy Red Velvet Cake

2011-04-09T20:42:00.001-04:00

My friend, Denie, told me about this cake recipe 2 weeks ago. I thought I was going to make it when our grandchildren came to fix the television. I ran out of time and we had ice cream. Last night we had dear friends over after we went out to celebrate our friend, Susie’ birthday. I decided to make this cake. It was a hit!

1 (18.25 oz.) Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Red Velvet Cake Mix
½ cup buttermilk
1 (21 ounce) can Comstock or Wilderness More Fruit Cherry Pie Filling or Topping
½ cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
9 oz. white baking chocolate
12 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
6 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 ½ cups confectioners sugar
7 oz. flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 3 round 8 inch cake pans. Separate the cherries from the syrup by placing in a kitchen strainer over a bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the syrup.
In a large mixing bowl, add cake mix, buttermilk, ½ cup cherry syrup, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Blend with an electric mixer until the batter is combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. (I know, I am crazy but I weigh my batter in the pans so that the cakes will cook evenly.)
Bake the cakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28-30 min.
Remove the pans from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely for 30 minutes.
Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.
Place the cream cheese and butter in bowl of food processor. Beat until well combined. Add the melted white chocolate, vanilla and 2 ½ cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add the additional sugar and blend until frosting is fluffy.
To frost. Place one cake layer on a serving platter and spread with frosting, top with cherries. Place the second layer on the first and spread with frost. Place the 3^rd. cake layer on top and frost top and sides of cake. Sprinkle and gently press coconut over entire cake.

Makes 8 servings -- More like 14-16. This is rich and good – you don’t need a huge piece

Denie used frozen coconut—I used regular coconut because I had it in the freezer. I only made 2 layers and spread the cherries on top for decorations.
I honestly think this would work great in a sheet pan—I would cut the icing ingredients in half and use two cans of cherries on the top. Obviously, this would make a great cake at any “RED” holiday-----Valentine, Fourth of July, Christmas---

Just wanted you to meet someone……………………

2011-03-28T23:13:00.001-04:00

It dawned on me just now that you have not really met “our baby”. He came to live with us last May. He is the joy of our lives (of course, our 2 legged children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren come first). But, he is our baby. He makes us smile—he makes us laugh. We talk to him like he is a child and if he could talk he would answer us with a yes, sir and no, sir. Charlie gives us great joy.

So please meet Sir William Charlie Chan of Burford (aka Charlie).

A New Recipe for Dinner

2011-03-18T11:56:00.001-04:00

I was talking to a friend at church the other day and she was telling me about a really good recipe she had tried with pork loin. Low and behold, I went to our local grocery store and found pork loins reduced for quick sale. They were on sale to begin with and then I got another five dollars off of that—Yahoo!!!

So, I decided to try her recipe. I called her at work and she gave me the ingredients, she couldn’t remember the amounts.   I added the stock and made up the rest. It worked.

Along with the pork, I served good ole Rice-A-Roni. I know, I know,   I love it and it had been on sale (10 for $10.00) I only got 3 boxes which I found a coupon on the front of one that said, buy 3 boxes and get a box of another kind of pasta for free. Free is always a good word and sometimes when you are in a hurry it is nice to have a back up in the pantry.

There are a few changes I will do the next time I serve this dish and I have included my changes into the recipe. I cut the amount of chicken stock and the pork needed to be pounded.    Jane suggested that I use an electric knife to cut the cutlets. It probably would be a good thing to freeze the pork just a bit even using the electric knife.   This could very easily be a nice company meal (I would make homemade rice-a-roni, then). Not only was the pork good, it was quick, too. This entire meal cost me about $4.50. There was enough pork left for a sandwich for lunch and there was also peas and rice left, too. So, lets just say it cost about $1.50 per serving.

Jane’s Pork Tenderloin Piccata

About 1 pound pork tenderloin
thinly sliced about 1/8” thick per slice
Serve about 3 slices per person
3/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

1 egg
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup vermouth
juice of 2 lemons

1/2 cup chicken stock (homemade is best – be sure to use no sodium or low sodium)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins (0ptional)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pound pork slices. Mix the water and the egg in a flat container and beat well. In another flat container mix the flour, salt and pepper.   Dip the pork into the egg and then the flour. Allow to sit for at least 6 minutes.

While the pork is sitting, get all of the other ingredients ready. Allow the skillet to get hot on medium high heat. Melt the butter and add the olive oil. When hot, add the pork – not crowding the pan. Brown well on both sides – about 3 minutes each. It will be cooked through. Add to a warmed platter and cover with foil. Add all the sauce ingredients to the pan. Reduce the liquid to a thick sauce. Pour over the pork. Yummy!!!!

PS—The raisins. I do not like raisins so I left them out. Jane thought they were a delicious addition.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

A New Friend

2011-03-15T19:57:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Richmond, Virginia to watch our grandson wrestle in the middle school state championship. He won seventh place---YEAH! It was an interesting time. I have never smelled so much testosterone in one place in my entire life. More on that later.

Coming home on Sunday, Mr. R wanted to stop and see a friend he had not seen in years. He had spoken of her many times and of the horses that he had sold her.

So, instead of taking the horrible I-85 home, we took Highway 360 to Crewe, Virginia. There I met, Paula and Greg. Paula and Greg live on 160 some acre farm with 30 cashmere goats, 2 Great Pyrenees dogs for the goats, a “come-here” dog that is blind (one that just appeared), 2 English setters and the 2 horses, Fortune and Isis. They are 23-24 years old. (Do you know, I didn’t get a picture of the goats or the dogs? What was I thinking?)

The farm is my dream location. A long drive-way with a push button gate—streams, ponds and trees—absolute perfection. They even have a vineyard!

But, the real treat for me was meeting Paula. She is one of the neatest people. She loves to collect. She paints. She weaves. She loves animals. She is my kind of people.

After visiting with the animals, we sat in their lovely living room and talked and talked. I could have stayed there for hours. She had been so kind to fix us lunch, but because of a very late breakfast we were just stuffed. I did take pictures of lunch. It was absolutely beautiful. She served a great Prosecco, Lunetta, which we thoroughly enjoyed. I asked her and she actually found it at Kroger but then she found it at Costco at a lower price.

Isn’t it funny, how a quiet Sunday afternoon can be so interesting and restful and entertaining? So, I am planning another trip north—hopefully, soon so that I can visit with Paula again.

I hope you meet a new friend—soon!

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Reading again

2011-03-10T21:53:00.001-05:00

After Christmas, I started reading again. I was given the new novel from Jan Karon called In the Company of Others. It is the second in the Father Tim series. It was given to me as a Christmas gift. I was so excited because I have loved all of the previous books. Well, this was just not up to her past works. It was boring. I thought maybe it was me but I just read some of the reviews from readers here on the Barnes & Noble website. So, I would say if you are fanatical about reading each book in a series, read it.

Then, I read Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. MAGNIFICIENT!!!! It was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It is the first of a trilogy in the century series. It starts in 1912 before the Great War. We are taken from Wales to Russia and back to America and then to Germany. It tells the story of several families which I know we follow through the entire series. I learned a lot about the war and the really interesting thing was at the same time there were several programs about the war on the military history channel so it made some of the scenes in the book very real and very intense. The characters are well developed and even the mean people are interesting. I loved this book. The last sentence of this book is probably the very most stunning and thought provoking sentence that I have ever read. It truly tells of the things to come.

I have picked up Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien again. I started it before Christmas, but put it down due to lack of time. I absolutely love the trilogy movies. I have the first and third on my DVR and hope I can pick up the second sometime. The book is much easier to read now that I know the characters through the movie so well. When I read The Hobbit before the movies came out, I found it hard to read because I didn’t understand the language of Tolkien. Now, it is much easier and I should probably read it again. This is one of the 100 must reads on the list.

Now for future books

I just found a copy of Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. I think I will read it as a “just because” I purchased a copy at a yard sale. I know about it and would you believe that this is one of the old black and white movies that I have not seen. There are two versions—one with Frederic March (1932) and the newer one (1941) with Spencer Tracy as the lead actors. So, I think I will make this a book and movie extravaganza. Some friends and I did this when we read The Maltese Falcon. My next book I want to read is A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley. I have read books one and two about this 11 year old detective named Flavia de Luce. It is not a “kiddie” book. They are just great reads. I think, I am also in the mood for more of Inspector Lynley from author, Elizabeth George.

So, get you a new set of reading glasses from the Dollar Store, a mug of spiced tea and a new light bulb and lets start reading!

See you in a few!

Madelyn

It has been a while…………

2011-03-08T12:57:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I have written anything. I have been thinking about my blogging---I read them everyday—rarely putting comments – then, I wonder why I don’t get any comments. (Thank heavens for my precious daughter who usually leaves just a short note.) I have been trying to ponder the direction that I want this to go. I think the menus are out. I will put in various new and old recipes that I think you might enjoy. I will also direct you to sites that have great recipes that I have tried. I want things to be cute and fresh and fun to read.

I am overwhelmed by what some people do with their blogs.

My crafting----my yard sale & Goodwill shopping---and my painting----those are the important things to me right now. (Of course, family comes in there first—but that is a given.) I am also beginning on Christmas. I know, Christmas? We have just found out that we are going to have our 7th great-grandbaby in November. That makes a total of thirty seven (yes, 37) in the immediate family. I love it. And, no, I don’t want to draw names. I am their mom, step-mom and Mimi. Mimis do not draw names---so, I am making things.

We will be traveling some this spring so I will do more blogging about areas and eating establishments. I have my file folder of menus—and, I will be doing more of that kind of cooking. When I do something to the house, I will show it to you.

I am on a tight budget right now—which is probably a good thing—because I do love to see what I can come up with for nothing. I am working on my photography, too.

Join me and let see if I can be happier with the results and in the long run, I hope you will be happier, too. So, please sign up and just let me know that you are following me—maybe not every post, but that you are there. Thanks!

See you in a few!

Madelyn

PS—oops, I forgot us---it’s 39 in the immediate family! Wowzers!

Looking for painting projects

2011-02-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

I take a multitude of pictures and that is probably why I purchase a lot of batteries for my camera. Yikes-they are expensive!!!

I need some painting ideas – I am working on some pink geraniums now and I just finished a rooster. Next up will be either a landscape or a butterfly. I love to do butterflies-I usually give them as gifts.

I thought I would share some pictures with you and maybe you can “vote” on the next original watercolor.

I will see if there are any comments. I will share the finished product—just remember I am as slow painting as I am with everything else in my life…….

Such the joy of advanced aging!

I will number these one, two, etc.

ONE

TWO

I had never noticed the reflection in the mirror. Pretty cool?

Three

P.S. I have NO IDEA who these people are. I just liked the way they look.

Four

I don’t like the street part in the lower right hand corner—I would probably paint sand or grasses.

Five

I can’t find my butterfly pictures………They are in Picasa some where……I had the file and then hit the Wrong button………

So pick from these four and when I find the butterflies---I will show them to you and I can paint that later.

So there are five choices. I would love to hear from you about which one to do next. Remember, my medium is water color.

See you in a few!

Madelyn

Another Week of Menus

2011-02-07T06:31:00.001-05:00

A lot has gone on around the old homestead since last week. Sorry, I didn’t get any more posts written. But, it is time to do the menus. This is going to be a short week---we are going to Florida, again. We are flying down for a long weekend. Sounds good, except I looked up the weather---thunderstorms, rainy, cloudy and then Sunday when we come home 82 degrees. We have a friend house sitting and taking care of Charlie.

At any rate, I am still going to try the recipe ideas from restaurants. The funny thing—I was going to make a big pot of spaghetti and last night when we went out—Mr. R ordered spaghetti. He said, “I haven’t had spaghetti in such a long time.” Oh, well.

Monday

Vegetable Lasagna

1 yellow squash, 1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 box spinach, thawed and drained
1 large onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium Portobello mushrooms, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1 jar “your choice” spaghetti sauce
8 lasagna noodles
1 16 ounce container cottage cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cook the lasagna according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
In a large frying pan, heat olive oil. Cook the mushrooms. Remove and sit aside. Add the onions and cook until wilted. Add the garlic. Sauté for just a few minutes. Add the zucchini and yellow squash. Cook until soft. Add the thawed spinach. Cook until all of the ingredients are well combined. Add the spaghetti sauce and the salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and set aside. Combine the cottage cheese and other cheeses reserving 1 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Mix the eggs together with the salt and pepper. Add the eggs to the cheese and mix well.
Prepare a 9X13'” pan with vegetable coating. Put about a 1/3 of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Top with the 1/2 of the noodles. Then top with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Continue until you have used all of the mixtures. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake in a 325 degree oven until bubbly—about 30 minutes. Allow to rest for about 15 minutes.

PS—Sometimes, I double this as it is a good thing to keep in the freezer to take to friends when they are under the weather.

Salad
A wedge of lettuce with blue cheese, bacon and chopped Roma tomato.

Hot bread
1 loaf of French bread
1 stick of butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Slice the loaf in half. Mix butter and Parmesan cheese. Spread on bottom half of bread. Wrap in aluminum foil. Place in oven when you take the lasagna out of the oven. Bake about 10 minutes.
Cut in slices. Serve hot.

Tuesday

I think a good old fashioned burger sounds good for tonight. I got the idea from a menu my daughter brought me from Atlanta and the Flip Burger Boutique. (I think that is the name of the place—it is printed so light on the take out menu that I can barely read it.) One that caught my eye for a little something different was the Philly burger.

Philly burger—“caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, green peppers (omit), ketchup and American cheese foam (?) I will use thick slices of American cheese

Sweet Potato fries
Peel and cut sweet potatoes into strips. Place on a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with olive oil and Sea salt. Bake in a 375 degree oven until done.

For a easy green vegetable---Broccoli Salad
Purchase a bag of shredded broccoli salad mix and add enough Ranch dressing for the amount of salad being made. Mr. R really likes this simple side—He LOVES broccoli.

Wednesday is CHURCH night.

I am making some quick warm up items for our house sitter---Sue is a best friend, but she doesn’t like to cook. So, I thought I would have some freezer meals—ready for her to pull out. She usually has a big lunch so I can keep it light and easy.

Thursday

Vegetable Soup and Crackers

Friday

Mac & cheese and a tossed salad

Saturday

She is on her own!

Well, guys, I hope to do a couple of craft ideas this week before we go. So I hope I can post the pictures for you. I have several things in the works or in my head. Have a great week.

See you in a few (days—not weeks),

Madelyn

Food for Thought---A menu for the week ahead!

2011-02-01T12:22:00.001-05:00

I told you all that while we were in Florida I collected take out menus from the restaurants where we had breakfast, lunch or supper. I just wanted some fresh

ideas. It is not unusual to get into a rut and I am definitely in a rut.

I have gotten some neat ideas. I have looked on the internet and in cookbooks for recipes. I could not find some of the exact recipes, but that is going to be the fun of this experiment, too. At first, I am concentrating on menu items that we did not try and I won’t be using “menu copies” every night. I actually wrote some of the specials that were not on the menus. Hey, if they thought they were special, why shouldn’t I try them?

So let’s get going!!!

Monday

Not a restaurant idea, but a blog idea. I found this recipe from Wives with Knives. Check out this great site. I have used several of her great recipes and each and every one was delicious. This one, too, goes into the great recipe file! This is definitely a keeper!!!

Stir Fried Ginger Beef & Broccoli

Brown Rice

Crunchy garlic sticks
Melt a stick of butter add garlic powder to taste. Take hot dogs buns and cut into strips. Dip strips into butter. Place on pan. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake at 325 degrees until crunchy.

Gingerbread & Lemon Sauce
Lemon Sauce
Mix a three tablespoons cornstarch with a 1/4 cup sugar in a small sauce pan. Add the grated rind of one lemon. Add 1 cup water and the juice from the lemon. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until thickened. Remove from stove and stir in 2 tablespoons butter. Serve over gingerbread.

Tuesday

I found this idea in a little sandwich shop not far from our hotel. They served “an award winning” Lobster Bisque. Lobster is too expensive and so ever the budget conscious, I decided on Black Bean Soup.

Black Bean Soup

1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
1 cup salsa
2 cans black beans
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
juice of a lime
sour cream
chopped cilantro

Easy & breezy to make--
In a large Dutch oven, add 1 chopped medium onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic and cook for about 2 minutes (just to get the raw taste out). Add 1 can of the black beans and 1 cup beef broth and the salsa. With a stick blender combine all of these ingredients until smooth. Add the remaining broth, black beans and water. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes. When ready to serve add the lime juice. Serve in heated bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Cuban Sandwich
Sliced pork
Rustic sliced bread
pickles
cheese
foiled wrapped brick
butter
Make sandwiches and spread butter on bread. Wrap in foil and putter in frying pan. Top with brick. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side.

Milk

Wednesday is supper at Church.

Thursday

I am having my Bridge club tonight. This is my first time having Bridge at home since I joined. I have been trying to decide what to serve as this is only the third month that I have attended. So, I have decided on a big Chinese Chicken Salad and all of the little pick-up treats for snacks. This will be something that Mr. R will like, too. He will be relegated to the Den---upstairs with the television and baby, Charlie.

Oriental Chicken Salad

In a large container, stir the following together:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 minced clove of garlic
2 1/2 cups finely chopped chicken

Mix the above ingredients together with a whisk. This will make a dressing. Add the chicken and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

On a large platter arrange the following in order given:
1 head shredded lettuce
2 carrots, grated
1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound bean sprouts

Pour boiling water over sprouts and drain. Chill in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the salad. You may add any other sliced or grated vegetable that you prefer. Spoon marinated chicken mixture over he bean sprouts. Serve immediately. Serves 8 (I will make a little bit more for Mr. R.)

Friday

Salisbury Steak

1 1/2 slices bread made into crumbs
1/3 cup cream
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup beef broth

Combine the meat, bread, cream, egg and seasonings. Shape meat into patties. In a frying pan, add the one teaspoon butter and sauté the mushrooms. Remove to a side dish. Brown the meat slowly and cook until done. Remove to a warm serving tray. Pour off the accumulated fat in the frying pan and add the water and the beef broth and the cornstarch. Add the meat and the mushrooms. Cook until the sauce is thickened. One pound of beef makes 4 patties.

Southern Style Green Beans

I know all of you are going to shake your head, but I use 1 large can of green beans, 1 whole onion, 2 slices of bacon and 2 bouillon cubes in a crock pot. Fill with water to just covering the beans. Cook all day.

Mashed Potatoes

Saturday

Salsa Chicken

4 chicken breasts, washed and dried
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup chicken stock
Place in a 10X10” pan that has been prepared with vegetable coating spray. Pour the salsa and the chicken stock on top. (Shredded cheese can be added, too) Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree one for about 35-40 minutes.
Serve with Rice.

Corn on the cob

(leftover green beans)

Sunday

Leftovers or Waffles---We eat lunch out so it is either clean the refrigerator out or make waffles or even omelets.

More of our Florida Pictures

2011-01-26T21:39:00.001-05:00

We spent a delightful week in Florida. It was good for both of us. We even took Charlie with us and he loved it, too. We were not allowed to take him on the beach—though on Saturday we found a park on the beach that allowed pets, but it was 42 degrees and we didn’t go out.

We ate at wonderful restaurants. The sea food was outstanding. Shrimp po boys, oysters on the half shell, a haddock sandwich to die for—just to name a few. I have been having trouble thinking of new and interesting things for menus, so I had a brain storm about picking up their take-out menus to get ideas. You will be seeing the results of all of this in the future.

The Thrift Shops in the area were expensive. It was funny. I found craft items that were reasonable, but their dishes and clothes were really quite expensive. I found knitting needles in small sizes for $1.00—now that was a deal. They had Habitat Store, A Hospice store, a Goodwill (they asked if I was a Senior Citizen—I love it!!) At a yard sale, I found a box of sequins. Now, get this I picked them up and the box said $.25. When, I went to pay for them the lady was going to charge me $2.00. I got them for $.25. My daughter loves vintage coats and I thought I had found her one, but they wanted $10.00 for it and even another lady said that was too much for the coat.

We loved our little motel. Built in the 50s, but updated and very clean. It was pet friendly, right on the intracoastal waterway, a park in the back yard and a great location to get to places. And, would you believe, I forgot to take a picture? Here is their website.

So, now I will show you the pictures. Some of these I am planning on painting. I will show the finished paintings later. This is just to give you a little smile as you sit today with the rain pouring or the snow falling.

Enjoy!!

Remember though, on 2 days, the temperature did not get out of the 40s.

The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse

Restored B-17 taking off from New Smyrna Beach Airport

Just two guys fishing. There is supposed to be some great fishing here,

Just a wonderful picture of a brown pelican (if I do say so, myself!).

Obviously, Mr R and Charlie are having a nice walk. Why is it that there are never any pictures of me? I am the picture taker.

I had hoped for a “moon” picture—but there were too many clouds on this night. I love these stripes of blue. I did get a moon shot on this evening. I am still learning.

So, we are going to Florida again in a couple of weeks but to the west coast. I hope it is a little warmer. Hope you enjoyed this very short trip. We had a ball.

See you in a few---

Madelyn

An Ecological Boat Tour

2011-01-21T06:03:00.001-05:00

We have been on vacation. It has been absolutely inspiring! I have painted a little, I have knitted a (very) little and I have read one book and started another. We have had dinner every night but one with friends. We were going to a play but could not get tickets, so we played cards with friends. There is a reception tonight for the High School Scholarship Awards, tomorrow the annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser for the high school and an Art Crawl and Wine Tasting. What fun!

I am not usually one for guided tours---but yesterday, we went on a pontoon boat ride down the intra coastal waterway into some lagoons and I had a ball.

It was a beautiful day---72 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. So without further ado, I am going to show you some of my pictures from the trip.

This is Bird Island. There were over 700 bird’s nest on this island last year

There were lots of sailboats and fishing boats.

See the dolphin? They were everywhere. Most of my dolphin pictures were like this. I have to do better. But, I did learn that if you set the camera on “sport”, it really does catch movement better.

Now, look at the birds………

We visited a lighthouse and saw a B-17 take off from the local airport. Those will be another post. Now, I need to paint—especially that Brown Pelican. I can’t wait.

See you in a few!

Madelyn

PS We are in Florida at Mr. Rs hometown.

I need a Blogging 101 course!

2011-01-14T21:08:00.001-05:00

I need to learn to make my blog ‘wonderful’. Well, you know what I mean…..

I need to learn how to do Metamorphosis Mondays, Tabletop Tuesdays, Sunday Showcase, (there are so many more). How do I get that little thingy on the side of my blog so that people know that I join those wonderful blogs? And, then how do I make those little pictures on the right hand side of the blog when I join their sites? I keep trying to find a good how-to. What I mean by that is I want to find something that when I read it, I actually understand it.

One thing, I love is this font. It is Parchment. I loved it for my old website when I had the bed and breakfast. I don’t like Times Roman—Georgia—(actually, don’t like is an understatement.) I have been using Georgia for a couple of posts as it is such a hassle to change to the Parchment. There has got to be a way to keep it on the font without having to change it if I want to make a chart…….

Where do you find those cute little signs that say –sit a spell and read me or the thank you for following me. How do you make the cute little buttons for past posts? Is it better to have my pictures on the Picasa web album or all on my computer?

And there comes a better question…..How do you take good pictures? Like I said in my last post, I had “misplaced” my good camera and have been using a smaller pixel camera. (Thank heavens, I had the backup.) Lights, no lights? Natural-candles? I mean, this is a job. (A fun job---but a job.)

Oh, and tell me about why people change the size of their fonts in the middle of their paragraphs? I think it’s cute, but does it really make the blog stand out more?

So, I am open to all of your suggestions—I guess the key word is HELP!!!

Thanks.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

If it is snowing outside, make a snowman!

2011-01-12T11:43:00.001-05:00

Last fall, a small group of ladies and one man asked me to teach a series of Christmas craft ideas. We finally stopped the week after Thanksgiving. They want to do the classes again. I have been racking my brain for new, clever, inexpensive ideas. This is my first. This is my first tutorial on my blog, too—I hope it works!

Supplies

Newspaper

Mod Podge

Masking Tape

Gesso

Red & Yellow paint (Orange)

Buttons, Scissors, Paint Brushes
Sticks

Old Sock

Hot Glue

Base of some sort

Skewer, drill & small bit

I had all of the above list at the house. We are “kind of” stuck at home. But, that was good. It literally kept the cost very low. I had everything and did not buy a thing. So, it’s free. MY FAVORITE WORD!

The first thing to do is to take a sheet of newspaper and roll it up into a ball. I would roll a tight ball. (I will do this when I make the next one.) Then, cover the ball with masking tape. It does not have to be perfectly round. Just pretend you are making the balls for the snowmen outside.

Take the skewer and jab into the middle of the top (head) and bottom (body). This is just for stability. I used as a base an empty roll of ribbon (1/8”). It was there when I need it. Anything with a little weight can be used. Just hot glue the base to the snowman. Now, the fun starts! Cut strips of newspaper about 1-1 1/2” wide and about 4” to 5” long. With the Mod Podge, glue the strips all around the rolled balls. Be sure and cover the base, too.

I also took a strip of paper, coated it with Mod Podge and rolled it to look like a carrot. It is not quite an 1” long but it does look cute sticking out there.

When you are putting your strips on, make sure they are smooth. I allowed the “snowman” to dry overnight. The next morning, I painted him with Gesso. I was going to make a second coat of acrylic white paint, but I did not have any at the house. So, I gave him a second coat of Gesso.

Once completely dry, the fun began. I took a couple of drops of red and yellow paint and mixed them to make an orange. If you have orange paint---go for it. I painted his nose. Then, I went through my button jar and found 3 buttons. One was for his “coal” button and the other two were for his eyes. I cut a piece of felt that I had into two strips. I used this for his scarf. I am tickled that the felt was lavender. Now, he doesn’t look like a Holiday snowman.

Then, his hat is an old sock. I tied a knot in it and cut it off just above the knot. This made a perfect toboggan (that’s what we call snow hats around my neck of the woods). With hot glue, I placed the eyes, “piece of coal” and the hat on his head. Then I took the fiberfill and glued it to the bottom around the base. (I could still feel the base.) I got my drill and a little bit and made two little holes. While I was walking Charlie, I found two little sticks that made perfect little arms. I love him. I definitely want to make a Mama and a Papa.

I am dying to know what you think. Please comment.

See you in a few.

Madelyn

Happy Birthday, Mr. R

2011-01-09T05:58:00.001-05:00

Well, today is Mr. R’s 76th birthday. Last year, I surprised him with a truly surprise birthday party. ALL of his family and friends came. We had over 40 people in the house. I was sick as a dog and hardly did any food—I made 75 cupcakes and he wanted to know why the church always wanted me to make so many???????? (I had told a little story about my old church needing a lot of cupcakes. I didn’t even tell him the number because I knew it would give it away.)

This year though was quiet. I had to be at Mom’s to keep her while my brother-in-law had cataract surgery. Luckily, he did so well that they were home an hour earlier than expected. I rushed home – changed clothes and we were off to Camden, South Carolina.

Why Camden? Mr. R’s great great great great grandfather fought at the Battle of Camden in the Revolutionary War. He was a 53 year old corporal that had walked from Delaware to South Carolina. We had hoped that we would find all sorts of info about the battle and per chance a monument with great grandfather Miller’s name on it. The battlefield is now actually a pine forest with several informational stands stuck along a sandy trail. To have been such an important battle there was very little information.

I must say we had a good time—we always do. Just being together is fun. For lunch, I had hoped to find a little cafe or tea room, but the night before he mentioned that we had not eaten at SUBWAY in a long time. So we ate at a Subway. It was a 2 hour drive down and obviously the same back. We just did not take the time to stop and shop though I saw several Thrift shops and antique stores in Camden. This was HIS birthday—Mr. R is not into thrifting.

We also brought Charlie along for the ride. He had fun too. I didn’t get too many pictures, but here are the ones I did take. Good memories!

All in all a good day.

Madelyn

PS We are going to visit Kings Mountain, North Carolina in the future. My great-great-great-great-great grandfather is buried there.

Menu Monday

2011-01-02T17:39:00.001-05:00

It is the first week of the new year. When I made my mental and written down list of resolutions, I did not include to try cooking new and adventuresome recipes. But, I am going to do just that. Why make it a resolution----just try and see how things go---Right???

So here goes. I have been cutting recipes from the paper and old magazines lately. I have found several things that I hope are going to be very pleasing to the taste buds. I found a stew beef recipe---this is a family favorite, but this one cooks in just a little different manor. So follow along with me this week and see what we like and what we don’t like.

Monday

Slow Cooker Beef Stew (from Cook’s kitchen & the Charlotte Observer)
Steamed Broccoli
Angel Biscuits

Beef Stew

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck roasts (put in freezer for about 20 minutes—it will be easier to cut int0 cubes) or purchase stew beef cubes

vegetable oil
2 cups beef broth

2 onions, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
4 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1” pieces
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1: pieces
salt & pepper to taste

Remove meat from freezer and cut into 2” cubes. In an iron skillet, preheat vegetable. Pat meat dry so that there is no extra moisture on it. (It will brown better this way.) Brown meat on all sides, place in Crockpot as cooked. Continue until all meat is cooked.

Pour the beef stock over the meat. In the same pan, add a little more oil and brown the onions that have been cut in quarters. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add the salt and pepper and the tapioca. Tear off a large piece of foil. Add the carrots and the onions. Fold into a pocket and place on top of the beef. Allow to cook on high for 6-7 hours. When you are ready to cook, open vegetable packet and pour into beef—juices and all. Cook for another 30 minutes.
This is from the two sources above. I have changed it to suit our tastes. You can add parsnips, etc. They suggest adding green peas about 10 minutes before serving..

Tuesday

Meatballs Marinara

Tossed Salad
Garlic Bread

Meatball Marinara

Meatballs
3 pounds ground chuck
salt and pepper
2 slices of bread
1/4 cup milk
In a food processor, break up bread and make into crumbs. (Or use purchased bread crumbs.) Lightly mix all of the ingredients together and form into 1” balls. Place on a pie plate that has been sprayed with vegetable coating spray. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes. I put the balls in a circle around the edge of the pie plate. Do not over crowd the pie plate. Remove and drain.

Sauce
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch of dried pepper flakes
2 (28 ounce cans) diced tomatoes
1 (14 ounce can) tomato puree
3/4 cup merlot
1 teaspoon of sugar
olive oil

Use the food processor to mince the garlic and the onion. In a large skillet, sauté the onion and the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about an hour. Place the drained cooked meatballs into the sauce. Cook over low heat for about an hour.
This is enough sauce and meatballs to freeze for later meals.
I got this recipe out of the Charlotte Observer.

Wednesday

Fried Chicken

Rice & Gravy

Green Beans

Corn on the Cob

This is just a good ole supper.
I dip my chicken in a mixture of egg & milk. Then I shake it in a brown paper bag with flour seasoned with salt and ALOT of pepper.
Pour about 1/2” of vegetable oil in a large iron skillet. Set the temperature of the stove to about medium high. Put the chicken in being sure not to crowd the chicken. Brown well on both sides. When brown, place the chicken in a 9X13” pan that has been sprayed with vegetable coating spray. Cover the chicken with foil. And Bake for about 40 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Thursday night is going to be soup night. I have been invited to join a Bridge Club and I am so excited. They serve a lot of food so I am going to fix Mr. R a big bowl of vegetable soup and a toasted cheese sandwich. I really won’t need to have any supper.

Friday

Kentucky Hot Browns

Broccoli Slaw
Sweet Potato Fries

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwiches
1 envelope country gravy mix

1 cup whole milk
salt & pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
4 slices of Pepperidge Farm Deli Flats, lightly toasted

4 slices of cooked bacon

slices of turkey (I have some in the freezer)

Prepare the country gravy mix using the milk according to package directions. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Set aside. Take the toasted bottoms of the Deli flat and place on a cookie sheet. Layer the turkey and the bacon on the bottom piece of bread. Top with the sauce and the remaining cheese. Broil for4-5 minutes.

This is just too easy. Use the pre-chopped Broccoli slaw and enough ranch dressing and a smitch of sugar. It is simple and quick.

Sweet Potato Fries

Wash, dry and slice into strips 2-3 large potatoes
Layer on a parchment lined jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt & pepper, a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes. Watch carefully they will burn.

I hope you all enjoy the menu. We have a crazy week ahead. Mr. R has a horrible cold. We have to take Christmas down tomorrow. Unfortunately, because he was sick, we never got to have his family for Christmas. I can’t take much more of the Christmas decorations—so now they come down. I am ready to start the new year with new ideas. I hope to do more tablescapes and crafting this year.

Have a good day and see you in a few!

Madelyn

Things I have been thinking about………

2010-12-30T18:41:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about what I want to accomplish next year.

There are the usuals: loose weight, exercise more, drink more water, read 50 books. Blah, blah, blah…

But what I really want to do is

1. Use my time better and accomplish more in a day.

2. Give more to my church—not money (I wish, I had it to give). No, I am talking about giving myself in time, efforts and talents.

3. Work harder for local ministries.

4. Work harder to make “Our Town” a better place to live.

5. Get my nerve to walk into stores and really sell my crafts—my knitting or whatever. I am such a chicken when it comes to things like that. I come from a long line of salesmen and I guess, I just did not get that gene.

6. Be a better sister and Mother and Grandmother.

7. Really work to master watercolors. There is so much more to learn.

8. Treat my craft work as a 8-5 job.

9. Make new friends but really give my all to my old friends.

10. Always, ALWAYS LOOK for the positive in every situation.

S0, what do you think? Is it doable? I think so. Is it going to be easy? Actually, I think so. When I went back to read the list after I wrote it, I think that if I accomplish #1 and #10—all the ones in the middle will just come naturally. We will see. I need to make a copy of this and post it on my mirror in my bathroom, in my calendar and on the refrigerator. I need to read this every morning.

Good luck for your New Year. I am so blessed and have such joy in my life---that how could 2011 not be a good year?

Happy New Year!

See you in a few (next year),

Madelyn

P. S. I received the newest Father Tim the other day as a gift. So, after Sunday, I will start reading. I can’t wait.

Menus for a Week

2010-12-28T06:03:00.001-05:00

I am exhausted. As I have said, lots has gone on around here. This past weekend was no exception. We were so thrilled to have Mr. R’s family coming on Sunday. Well, we were lucky to get one son and his family in before the snow really started. It was a great visit but much too short. They left early Sunday so that it would be safer on the highways.

Everyone (except the Atlanta bunch) is coming this weekend. I froze the casserole. It is HUGE!!!! I am probably going to have to thaw it like a turkey. It has to feed close to 30. The kids are bringing salad, dessert and drinks.

But all of this said, I don’t want to cook much this week. So, I tried to think of easy-breezy filling ideas for cold winter nights. (I am changing things a bit—all menu items in Italics have the recipe below.)

Monday

Parmesan & Swiss Chicken Sandwiches

Baked home fries

Slaw

Tuesday

Baked Potatoes with chili

Lettuce wedge with Ranch dressing

Corn muffins

Wednesday

Egg Drop Soup with Rice

Toasted cheese sandwiches

Thursday

Country Style Steak

Mashed Potatoes
Green Peas

Friday (Happy New Year)

Boiled Shrimp

Croque monsieur

Home baked potato chips

Lemon Curd Cake

Saturday

Ziti Casserole for 30

Salad

Rolls

Various desserts

Parmesan & Swiss Chicken Sandwiches

4 chicken boneless chicken breasts
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (use the kind in the jar for this)
Black Pepper to taste

butter—olive oil

yummy, yeasty sandwich rolls
4 slices Swiss cheese

Wash and pat the chicken breasts dry. In a pie plate, crush the sleeve of crackers into small crumbs. Add the Parmesan and pepper.
Begin heating a skillet at medium high heat large enough for the four breasts so that they are not crowded. Roll the chicken in the crumb mixture being sure to completely coat the entire surface. Place in frying pan. Depending on the thickness of the breasts allow the chicken to cook for 4-6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked completely. Take the Swiss cheese slices and cut in half. Place the cheese on the bottom of the roll and top with the chicken. Cover with the top of the roll. Serve.

This is one of those so easy, but makes a delicious and literally quick bread!

Corn Muffins

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

1 egg

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cream style corn

2 tablespoons milk

Mix everything together. Place in greased muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Don’t you love to take a recipe and expand on it? When I have leftover rice, I freeze it in 1 cup amounts in small plastic freezer bags. It is just handy that way. I usually end up using these baggies as thickening for soups. In this case, I use it to stretch the soup and make it thicker.

Egg Drop Soup

2 packages dry chicken noodle soup mix
2 eggs
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup chicken stock (homemade is the best if you have it)
1 cup rice
Salt & Pepper

Make the soup according to the package directions. But cut the water by 1 cup and add the stock in its place.
While the soup is cooking, beat the eggs in a small bowl. When the soup has cooked, slowly pour the eggs into the hot soup, constantly stirring as you do. Mix the cornstarch and cold water. Pour into the soup and bring to a boil. Add the rice. Serves 4.

The other day, I was watching Ina Garten and she was making this sandwich and I knew this would be the perfect addition to our little gathering. We are having a dear friend over for New Years. Last New Years she was in a particularly harrowing situation and we did not want her to be alone on this night. So, She is spending the night with us and we will watch movies and drink wine and have fun. I am sure we will be all tucked in a long time before the clock strikes twelve, but we will begin the evening with this meal. I have changed Ina’s recipe just a bit to suit our taste but when she was discussing this she said that boiled shrimp and this sandwich was a very typical French cafe meal. I said, “Perfect!”

Croque Monsieur

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup hot milk

Salt & pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

4 ounces grated Swiss cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan

6 slices of whole grain bread

Sliced ham
Sliced Swiss cheese

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour cook for 2-3 minutes just to get the raw taste from the flour. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add the salt and pepper and the nutmeg. Stir in the cheeses.
Lightly toast the bread. Place the sliced ham on the bread. Top with the cheese sauce and a slice of Swiss Cheese. Place back under the broiler. Allow the cheese just to melt.
I am using leftover ham from Christmas dinner.

Now, the Baked Ziti. Obviously, you probably won’t be making this for 30 people at your house. But just to give you confidence that you can cook for a crowd this is what I did. It was easy. I was doing other things in the kitchen as I worked on this.

Baked Ziti

5 pounds ground chuck

3 onions, chopped

olive oil

2 jars prepared spaghetti sauce (your choice of flavors)

1 24 ounce diced tomatoes

1 24 ounce can tomato sauce

1 6 ounce can tomato paste

3 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach

3 pounds of ziti pasta, cooked al dente

1 pound cottage cheese

24 ounces ricotta cheese

5 eggs

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon black pepper

salt to taste

In a large (very large, actually) skillet*, start browning the ground chuck. Drain well. When this is completed, add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan and sauté the onions until the are translucent. Add the spinach. Cook just long enough to get the onions combined. Add the chuck and the tomato products. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain well. In a bowl, whip the eggs for about 1 minute. Add the ricotta and the cottage cheese. Add the spices. Set aside.
In a large (and I do mean large)pan, spread about 1/4 of the meat-tomato mixture in the prepared pan. Add about 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Top with the pasta. Repeat layers ending with the sauce. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
As I said, I have frozen this. So, I will remove it from the freezer the night before I am going to serve it and allow to thaw in the refrigerator. I will bake it covered in a 300 degree oven until it is bubbly. I have no idea how long this will take to cook. I am keeping it on the low heat side so that it does not dry out. We will probably have a mid afternoon lunch. I am thinking at least 2 1/2 hours.
Also, if for some reason our numbers decrease (other plans, etc), I am going to take some of the casserole out and put in foil containers. We have several friends that are having knee or tendon surgery, etc in January. I will already have a meal prepared for them.

*My skillet is a huge Calphalon skillet that I purchased 30 years ago.

I missed my goal---

2010-12-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Right after I told you about my goal to read 50 books by years end, life around the old homestead became more than wild. Unless, I stay up all night and all day for the next 5 days, there is no way that I can finish. But, that’s okay, too. It wasn’t an unattainable goal, it just didn’t happen due to what I like to call speed bumps in life’s highway. Life goes on.

I did read Little Women. It is on the list I told you about of “must read” books. What can I say about it? I should have known that if I didn’t really like any of the movies why would I enjoy the book. You know, the 1930 something one starring Kathryn Hepburn. Or the 1940’s rendition with Elizabeth Taylor & June Allison or the more recent makeover with Winona Ryder.

I am reading Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. I do like this very much. My problem is having long enough amounts of time to sit down to read. Hopefully, this week will provide “time”.

So, what am I going to read next? I am not sure. I got a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas. I am leaning toward a book on knitting---One Skein Wonders. There’s the second installment of the Father Tim series, In the Company of Others by Jan Karron. Mr. R received the new Ken Follett book, Fall of Giants. It is the first in a series of three. My step daughter-in-law (I am not wild about using the descriptive “step” here as I love her just like she & Mr. R’s son were my own—but I digress) told me about a couple of books she had read recently. One was My Sister’s Keeper. I think that might be a little too depressing for a January read-a thon. (I will put it on my list because I know I need to read it though.)

So, what is on your list? Of course, I still have my BBC list of 100 must reads and I will be pulling selections from that every now and then. I still have a goal of 50 books next year. That is one a week and as I think I have said before, a very doable proposition. Let me hear from you about your choices.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

A Cookie Swap

2010-12-14T03:49:00.001-05:00

What fun we had yesterday.

About two weeks ago, I received an invitation from my daughter. She is so creative. The invitation was in red and white and so darn cute. It gave us a few “rules”.

1. Bring 3 dozen cookies
2. Send her the recipe via email and everyone will get a copy
3. She will provide separate containers for the cookies. (She found small bakery boxes at the restaurant supply store.)
4. Come & enjoy!

I made the cookie dough on Friday and got up the day of the party and made the cookies. Sugar Cookies. I have been making them for years. I got the recipe from a friend in my Bridge Club. The recipe actually calls for white sugar on the top, but during the holidays, I always use red & green.

Sugar Cookies

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil

2 sticks butter

4 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Combine sugars, oil and butter. Mix well. Add the eggs. Slowly add the flour, salt, cream of tarter and baking powder. With a cookie scoop, drop balls of dough onto parchment paper. Dip a flat glass into sugar and press down on cookie dough. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees

But, the party.

So, my sister and I took off to Charlotte. We even shopped on the way down there and this was at 9:00 in the morning. We also shopped on our way home.

When we arrived, everything was just beautiful. My daughter is an interior designer and her house was just perfect. She used a gold and silver theme. The tree was filled with beautiful ornaments and it just sparkled!

She kept the group small. Which was just fun. We had a choice of spiced tea and coffee. Brunch was delicious.

The Menu

Egg & Bacon Casserole

Yummy creamy grits

Baked apples

Sausage swirls

Orange Marmalade Bread

It was a great selection of cookies, too!!

Sugar Cookies

Gingersnaps

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Balls

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Pecan Butterscotch

Lemon

But, instead of writing all about it, I am just going to send you to my daughter’s blog----Eat, Drink & Decorate.

Have a good day and I will see you in a few!

Madelyn

P.S. Madly, working on sweaters for my granddaughters and a special surprise, too. Good luck with all of your Christmas projects!

If it is not done, then it won’t get done.

2010-12-07T11:21:00.001-05:00

Thank heavens I am done. I think everything is just about in its place. This was my second year in this house. Last year, I didn’t do too much decorating—I wasn’t in the mood. I had not had enough time to get a feel for it. It is amazing what I sold at all the yard sales that I should have kept. As usual, I use a lot of bows and ribbons. I find that even when you might not have just the right accessory, a bow and some greenery really can do the trick.

The Christmas tree in the living room is my old standard. I use the antique balls from the 40s and 50s. I love those old things. They remind me of my tree growing up when I was a little girl. I added the gold metallic ribbon twirls. They are probably 30 years old themselves. I got those at the Southern Living Show. Every year, I roll them up after Christmas. Some years, I take them out of the box and think, “Well, I won’t use them this year.” But, as I am finishing the tree, it is just not complete without them.

The mantle in the den worked really well. I used a lot of the decorations I had used last year in the dining room. Mr. R has a string of bells that he always used underneath the mantle piece. We added those to begin with and then a Martha Stewart pre-lit garland. Several candles, some ornaments and pinecones (sprayed gold), and then ribbon flowing through the whole thing.

The piano is my “mantle” in the living room. Mr R has collected Santa plates for years. So, we used the plates and a small part of my Santa collection. (I can’t find the rest of it—and of course, the box had the best Santas in it.) Mr. R’s nativity set works perfectly in his cabinet except you couldn’t see Baby Jesus. He came up with the perfect solution. He has a little flashlight with a high powered beam. On the shelf above the nativity set, he placed a Madonna and put the flashlight behind her. Perfect!

Well, I am going to hush and just show you what I have done. Hope to get some good comments.

See you in a few.

Madelyn

PS---I am sorry about the quality of the pictures. I have lost my good camera. (I am hoping that I have stuck it somewhere for safe keeping.)

I think I am back, so here goes the Menu for the Week…….

2010-11-30T14:08:00.001-05:00

Life has been unusually wild around the house. You know about the floor saga, the tree saga---I have had unbelievable back problems and just getting ready for Thanksgiving. I am progressing. Just about everything is purchased for Christmas, 95% of that is wrapped, the tree went up yesterday and we will begin to decorate today. Not a bad start for the Holidays.

But we have to eat—something other than left over party food or Thanksgiving. It is supposed to rain, I believe, on Tuesday so that will be leftover soup night.

So, starting the week off – well, we called friends and they are coming for supper on Friday night. Monday’s menu is going to be on Friday.

Monday

Pork Roast with Pineapple & Brown Sugar Glaze

Scalloped Potatoes

Broccoli with lemon & butter

Whole wheat rolls

Tuesday

Chicken Noodle Soup

Vegetable Soup

Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

Wednesday

Homemade baked chicken nuggets

Pan “fried” cheesy potato wedges

green beans

Thursday

New York pizza on homemade crust

Iceberg wedge with blue cheese & bacon

Friday

Check Monday’s menu (Supper guests)

Pineapple Pork Roast

1 2lb or so Pork loin

1 can pineapple slices (reserve the juice)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Heat a large skillet and add the oil. Brown the roast on all sides

Place the roast in a covered casserole and lay the pineapple slices on the top. Pour the soy sauce over the roast and then sprinkle on the brown sugar and the black pepper. Bake covered in a 350 degree oven until a meat thermometer placed in the middle registers 180 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 10 minutes covered. Slice and serve.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

This is a method and not exact measurements. Take some baking mix (Bisquick) and add a little salt (the mix has salt so be careful), poultry seasoning and black pepper. Toss the chicken strips or nuggets into mixture. Place on a foil lined jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with vegetable coating spray. I usually drizzle a little bit of olive oil over them or I have drizzled butter. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

Cheesy Potato Wedges

4 medium baking potatoes
salt
white pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (or a mixture of cheese)
Butter or olive oil (sometimes I use both)

Cut potatoes into wedges and sprinkle with the salt and the white pepper. Place in large skillet and cook on medium low until tender and very brown. Sprinkle the cheese on top of potatoes and cover with a lid about 5 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Hopefully, when I get everything decorated, cookies baked and pictures taken for the blog, I can get back on schedule.

But until then,

See you in a few,

Madelyn

I don’t believe this has happened.

2010-11-07T20:31:00.001-05:00

The floor guys came today. They were progressing very quickly. The first tree guy had come for an estimate. It was much lower than we had ever expected. I was thinking maybe we can go ahead with the kitchen. Attley (my wonder carpenter) was out back working on the fence. We were chugging along…..

When all at once, the floor guy turned to me and said, do you have a carpenter. We have a problem. A problem? That was an understatement. We had a massive expensive dilemma. There was not only termite damage (from awhile back—no current termites were seen in the making of this fiasco), but water damage that had caused so much rot that the floor could not be put down until it was fixed. Then he said, “I smell gas”. That meant a call to Public Service Gas Co.

The Gas Guy literally shuts off the gas and says basically -- “You need a new furnace and a new hot water heater.” Another call to the HVAC people. And all through this we are having guys come to give us estimates for the tree.

So, the HVAC guy gets here around 5:30 p.m. Good news. (FINALLY!) With a little bit of new this and that everything (furnace & hot water) can be fixed with a minimum of work and cost. He will be back in the morning.

Attley comes in with his crew to start removing and rebuilding. We haven’t looked at the den yet, so no telling what is going to be there. We had already hired Attley to fix the window sills throughout and he was coming in a couple of weeks. Gee, I wish I had fun stuff to talk about, but this happens. Actually where the worst rot is in the living room and that is the only place I can put my piano. The piano was built in 1854 and it takes 4 men to move it.

I keep telling Mr. R this was all a blessing. About 1:00 this afternoon, he looked at me and said, “I don’t need anymore blessings!”

So, once again, I ask----“Are we having fun yet?

PS—After 4 tree estimates, we are going with the $625.00. The estimates ranged from $625 to $1200. This is an oak tree that is about 20 feet from the house. It is massive and it is dead(or just about). It has got to go before an ice storm this winter.

PSS --- Did I mention we have lost our land line, our internet and our television??

See you in a few (I hope),

Madelyn

It is Sunday night---still no floor, but I think everything is in line to start tomorrow. Attley found some serious termite damage in the den. It is fixed. Thank heavens for Attley.

But, I need to call the plumber. Mr. R’s toilet is making some seriously funny sounds and it is not doing it’s job particularly efficiently. I have internet until in the morning and I don’t know if I will be able to get it again before Wednesday or Thursday.

Have a good week. M.

Yard Sales----Score!

2010-10-29T11:57:00.001-04:00

For almost 40 years, I have been going to yard sales. We started going after our house burned. We had moved into the first really nice apartment complex in our town and met a couple from California. They taught us about antiques and auctions and yard sales. Yard sales became my favorite way to acquire pieces for our new home. If there is luck when your house burns, we had just started buying pieces when it burned and a lot of the furniture was already in the house. I lost pictures of our son—the non replaceable pictures of him as a baby. My mom had some. I digress or I will start to cry.

So, we started going to yard sales. On Friday night I would map out our destinations and make “a circle”. We didn’t like to backtrack and if they were not open when we rode by, we didn’t go back.

When we moved the bed and breakfast from town to the country, I pretty much stopped going. Oh, occasionally I would get breakfast ready to a point and John would get up and finish everything for breakfast at 9:00. I would roll in around the same time to serve. We had a plan.

Now, that I have shut the B&B down and live in town, I regularly go to yard sales. I love them. And, I find neat stuff…..wonderful stuff------So, I thought you would enjoy pictures of a yard sale mission a couple of Saturdays ago.

I drive a Mini Cooper and I usually take our baby, Charlie the Shitz tzu with me. So, here goes a photo gallery of yard sale finds!

This is the view from the back. I tell you, this was what I call a banner day!!! I am still thinking about items I didn’t get---that is not a good rule of thumb. If you miss it, then it is over. You sure can’t go back to get it….

So here is everything spread out on the garage floor. WOW, what a day!

So, how much did I spend? Drum roll, please. $19.00. I usually go with a $20.00 bill and that is my limit for the day. HURRAH!

But, the “scary” thing is that this was the day, my sister went to one more than I did and found upholstery fabric for $2.00 a bolt. Check out my daughter’s blog here. I love yard sales.

Thank heavens, my family loves them, too. We do yard sale purchases for Christmas presents. It has taken Mr. R awhile to get accustomed to the yard sale phenomenon, but last week he actually went with me and bought some things for Christmas presents, too. Yeah, he is coming over to my side!!!!

Tomorrow is another day. We are leaving early for Christiansburg to see some of the grandchildren, but we will stop at a yard sale or two on our way out of town.

Hope you have good luck tomorrow morning, too.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Menus for a Week

2010-10-25T19:57:00.001-04:00

I think we will actually be home all week. Well, until Saturday when we go to a Jeep rally in Christiansburg, Virginia to see not only really cool restored Jeeps, but three of “our” grandsons. (By the way, I know about Star Wars than any other Mimi in the whole wide world.) I think there is only one meeting this week, too. (I was wrong—just looked at the calendar.) I thought I was supposed to be retired? So here goes.

Monday

Baked Potato stuffed with Texas Chili

Romaine with Crunchy Croutons

Tuesday

Old Fashioned Roast Beef with gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Mint Green Peas

Angel Rolls

Wednesday

Church supper

Thursday

Baby Back Ribs

Slaw

Corn Muffins

Friday

Rosemary Turkey Tenderloin

Brown Rice with gravy

Broiled Asparagus

Angel Rolls

The recipes are below. I had not seen Turkey Tenderloins before so I decided to treat it as a Pork tenderloin. My rosemary and Italian parsley are the only two things that survived this summer.

No Bean Chili

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground sirloin

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can beef broth (just measure in the tomato sauce can if you purchase it by the quart)

grated extra sharp cheddar cheese

sour cream

In large hot skillet, add one tablespoon olive oil and brown the ground sirloin. Remove and drain. Pour off any excess grease in the pan. Leave the bits of meat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion until clear. Add the garlic.

Spray a Crockpot (this amount works well in one of the small Crockpots) with vegetable coating spray and add the meat and onion mixture. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer on low for about 3 hours.

For the potatoes: Wash and dry 2 big baking potatoes. Prick with a fork and cook in microwave for about 3 minutes. (This does not get them done, but it starts the cooking process.) Take the potatoes and place them on a piece of foil. Pour a little bit of olive oil over potatoes and sprinkle coarse sea salt over them. Wrap each in foil and bake for 1 hour in a 450 degree oven. Remove, open and ladle hot chili in them. Top with cheese and sour cream.

Easy Angel Biscuits

2 cups baking or biscuit mix

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix well. Roll out about 1/2” thick. Cut with biscuit cutter. Let rise about 30 minutes. Bake at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Makes about 14 biscuits.

Baby Back Ribs

Make this rub and keep it in an air tight container. Also use this as a Christmas gift for neighbors, etc. It makes a lot.

1 pound dark brown sugar

1/2 pound salt

1 1/4 ounce chili powder

15/8 ounce onion powder

2 ounce black pepper

2 ounce garlic powder

3 3/4 ounce celery salt

2 3/10 ounce beef instant bouillon (not cubes)

1 1/8 ounce ground dry mustard

1 3/8 ounce crushed red pepper (to taste)

2 1/4 ounce red cayenne pepper (to taste)

Delicious with beef, pork, chicken or turkey. Coat well and bake or grill for spicy and flavorful meat. It also adds zip to stews and soups and can be sprinkled over potatoes and other vegetables.

So, now the ribs

Rack of ribs (beef or pork) and any amount for the number of people you are servingnh

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

Put ribs in a pot and cover with water. Add the vinegar and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove and dry very well. Pat the dry mix on both sides and place on a foil lined pan. Bake for about 30-40 minutes (depends on the size of the ribs). Remove from the oven and spread the barbeque sauce over the ribs. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove and cut. Enjoy.

Crunchy Croutons

1/2 loaf sourdough bread

olive oil

salt, pepper

Italian seasoning

This is so easy. Cut the bread into cubes. Place the cubes in a large bowl. Sprinkle the olive oil and spices. Line a cookie sheet with foil and put the bread cubes on it. In a preheated 250 degree oven, place the cubes. Allow them to stay in the oven 20-30 minutes or until they are crunchy.
I love to make our own croutons because I know exactly what is in them--

Oops, I have misplaced (as in Lost) my Camera

2010-10-18T06:37:00.001-04:00

So, last week when I was teaching my craft classes at church, I took pictures of the girls doing their “thing”. I KNOW I put the camera in my knitting bag and now it has decided to get up and walk right out of the thing. I have crawled under sofas, looked behind pillows and looked down Charlie’s throat (he is our 8 month old Shitz tzu who chews and eats everything that is not tied down). No Camera. I have a back up, but with lower pixels.

Last week was not a good week as far as my possessions were concerned. The Camera, a $20.00 gold piece and chain (a gift from my late husband that I wore for 20 years and never took off, but I put it back on and I lose it), and I broke (long story) a bangle bracelet that I dearly love that Mr.. R gave me for our 2nd anniversary. I must say, I determined yesterday that things must really come in threes and that those were my 3s for a while.

Well, I am off to the mountains today with 4 friends to paint, craft and eat (oh yeah, and drink a glass of wine or two). I have been told that the house has wifi, so hopefully, I will be able to post from there. I am really going to do better about posting on a regular basis. Our lives have been a little crazy. I had written a post about the attempted robbery here at the house and their second attempt last week. I thought I had set a publish date of last Friday night for that…….When I checked, it was lost in blog land and I am not sure what I did wrong. Needless, to say, I am not a computer genius……

At any rate, have a good week—I will work on my menus for next week while I am away. One of my dearest friends and I are doing the cooking for the week (but, we don’t have to wash a dish!!!! Hurrah!!!!) but those menus are planned.

I will have pictures in my next post, I promise.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

A Week of Menu Plans

2010-10-14T21:23:00.001-04:00

I am so excited. The rain has come and with it thunderstorms now if the temperature will just change. It has been so hot for so long but there are some recipes that just scream autumn. Big pots of homemade soup, crunchy corn muffins, ginger cookies and steaming mugs of cinnamon flavored apple juice or Russian tea. This just screams

Fall!

I got the idea for doing a weekly menu blog from Yvonne at StoneGate. I just dearly love everything she does. Though, she does not know me, I feel like we could be good friends. Her blog is beautiful, entertaining and filled with great ideas. StoneGate is my inspiration. She is celebrating her one year blogiversary. Congratulations, Yvonne.

But onto the menus

Our schedules are so busy. I think I have mentioned that Mr.. R has taken on a huge responsibility at church. This means meetings after meetings. I am volunteering at church and taking my art classes. I also stay with my Mom one day a week. Then, there are all of the neat things that we do with family and friends. So, I am preparing recipes that I can make and either freeze part of the leftovers or use them later in the week.

Monday is our one day that we are at home most of the day with nothing to do but “home things”. So that is why I started Make Bread Mondays. Then, I have bread for the rest of the week. Mr.. R loves his bread.

Wednesday is church night and we eat supper there. Saturday night and Sunday lunch usually finds us eating out. Our Sunday lunches are very special times where we eat with friends—we talk about our week, what books we are reading and just generally chat.

Just a note: I will put the recipes that are in Italics following the menu.

Monday

Chicken Noodle Soup

Toasted Corn Muffins

Tossed Salad

Tuesday

Apricot Chicken

Brown Rice with Cranberries

Steamed Broccoli with butter & lemon
Warm Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Individual Apple Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream

Wednesday

We have supper at church

Thursday

Italian Meatloaf

Dilled Red Potatoes

Succotash ---- Biscuits

Friday

Potato Soup

Toasted Cheese & Ham Panini's

Chocolate Snowflake Cookies

Saturday

Sunday---Leftovers from the week

Now, as far as what will freeze and be used another day. Actually, the Succotash was frozen. If we have left over vegetables, I put them in the freezer for Vegetable soup. I remembered the Succotash mix and used that for a side instead of soup. Worked like a charm. I had cooked the limas for supper one night and then, I froze them. I cooked the corn on another night. Just opened the container and froze the corn. So, it worked out perfectly for a different side. Mr... R loves to make sandwiches from left over meatloaf. I will freeze the chicken noodle soup and I will have the potato soup for lunch. I truly try not to waste anything. I make double batches of biscuits and freeze them. Take a number out, put them in a circle on a plate in the microwave on defrost for 3-4 minutes (depends on your microwave) and they taste just like freshly baked ones. I also make a double batch of corn muffins—freeze them then when I want to serve them, I cut them in half and butter then toast in the toaster oven. There is something about a crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside corn muffins. It works for me.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Chicken Noodle Soup

1-2 roasted chicken breasts (cut into cubes)

1 carrot

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon frozen tiny green peas

3 cup cooked farfalle

6 –8 cups of homemade chicken stock

Trim and dice carrots into small cubes. In a large pot, bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and the carrots. Cook until the pasta is a not quite al dente. Drain. In the same large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion. While the onion is sautéing, remove the chicken meat from the bones and chop or shred into small pieces. Add to the onion. Stir well and allow to cook together for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the lid and add the pasta and carrots. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Throw in the green peas and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve in warmed bowls. Serves 4-5

Apricot Chicken

2 large chicken bone-in chicken breasts, cut in half
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 small onion thinly sliced
1/2 lemon, sliced very thinly
3 tablespoons apricot jam
3 cups chicken stock

In large frying pan, brown the salt and peppered chicken breast halves. Remove to a plate and set aside. In the pan with the drippings remaining, add the onion and sauté until limp and just beginning to brown. Add the lemon and cook for just one minute. Add the chicken stock and allow to come to a boil. Mix in the jam and then put the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat and cover the chicken. Allow to cook on top of the stove for about 35 minutes. Remove the lid and turn up the heat and reduce the liquid. Serves 2 .

Italian Meatloaf

Just a brief note here. I am not a fan of meatloaf --- at all. Last year at Christmas, friends gave us a loaf of bread in a cute red loaf pan that she said she purchased at the Dollar Store. I make a hamburger for me and the then the rest of the meat I use for his meatloaf. When I say it is two servings that means for us, two slices for dinner and two slices for a sandwich the next day.

10 Ritz crackers
3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
4 tablespoons milk
1 egg
1/2 pound 90% lean ground beef

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small bowl, crumble crackers into fine crumbs. Add the spices and mix well. Add milk and allow to sit for a minute or two. Beat the egg and add to the cracker mixture. Add the cracker mixture to the meat and very gently toss together until well blended. Spray a small loaf pan with vegetable coating spray. Put the meat mixture in the pan. Place the pan on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Press top of meatloaf after the allotted baking time. If it is firm, then it is cooked thoroughly.

Chocolate Snowflake cookies are in the September 30th post.

One of the BEST Blogs Around

2010-10-01T20:36:00.001-04:00

This is a Blog you have Got to Check out.

Yvonne at StoneGable has the most beautiful blog. StoneGable is celebrating it’s blogiversary. She is a great inspiration for me. I love her photography, her recipes and her beautiful tablescapes. I think it is just the best. So hop on over and have a look at StoneGable. I know you will think the same. Let me know what you think. PS Check out the tutorial on making your own Salt Scrub.

See you soon!

Madelyn

Gas, Chocolate Cookies, Thank You

2010-09-30T14:32:00.000-04:00

I drive a Mini Cooper. It is just the best. I zip around town. I have hauled 7 bales of pine straw in it. Went to Charlotte with my sister and mother and stopped at Goodwill and purchased 2 huge lampshades enough clothes to fill a black trash bag and then stopped at friend’s house and picked up a fertilizer spreader. I take it to Charleston. Last week was the first week of my Craft Class at the church, I had art class in the morning, I stayed with my Mom in the afternoon and I forgot as I was going to town, to get gas. As we left church, Mr. R was in front of me. I turned the corner and low and behold, I sputtered to a stop. I had run out of gas.

I immediately called Mr. R and then the church. He came back and went to the church. Would you believe they had a gas can? With Gas! ! ! ! !

Our Associate Pastor, Jason came with Mr. R, put the gas in and then he would not let us drive him back to the church. So, I got up the next morning and made him cookies.

THANKS A BUNCH, JASON!

Here is the recipe. I had forgotten how yummy they are. Like little bites of brownie and they are so pretty, too.

Chocolate Snowflake Cookies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate squares
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Add the oil and sugar and blend well. Stir in the eggs, one at a time until well blended. Add the vanilla. Stir the salt and the baking powder into the flour. Mix well. Refrigerate at least one hour or up to overnight.
Drop a tablespoon into the powdered sugar. Shape into a ball. Place 2” apart on a parchment line baking sheet Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 5 dozen.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

Versatile Blogger

2010-09-29T00:27:00.001-04:00

I am so excited. I have been given an award. So, I must thank the person who gave me this award.

I am so happy to say that Katy at Eat, Drink & Decorate has very kindly given me this award. I love her and her blog---see, she is my daughter. Please check her out---she has great ideas for decorating and she and Joe are coming up with new ideas for cooking all the time.

The next thing that I am supposed to do is to list seven things about myself.

1. I am hooked on blogs. I love to see what people are doing with tablescapes and menus and finds from Goodwill. It’s so funny. I used to have china, china and more china. When I moved from the Bed & Breakfast, I either gave my sister the dishes or I sold them at several yard sales. I am kicking myself, but I don’t have the room here to stack and place them.

2. I love to paint. And I desperately want to sell my paintings. I am going to have to get a little more experience under my belt, but I will do it.

3. I am trying to get my act together so that I have more time. I am a terrible procrastinator. When I do get to work, I get a lot done. I need to forget how to find pyramid solitaire and then how to play it. I want more time so that I can start an Etsy store and so that I can paint.

4. I go to sleep thinking about what exciting idea to blog about---and how to do it once I decide. I have a little bit of blogger fear—(if there is such a thing). I am afraid to hit buttons on other people’s sites—in case, I would blow it up……I also have to remember to photograph my great ideas.

5. I can not believe how happy I am everyday of my life. I am married to the most wonderful man in the whole wide world. I just didn’t think life could be so good.

6. I still have a bunch of “STUFF” to get rid of in the Grove and at my sister’s rental house. There are just too many memories with some of those pieces. I have no room for them here. I had a 6000 square foot house and now, we have a 3200 square foot house and it still had Mr.. Rs furniture in it, too.

7. I love to play Hand & Foot and Bridge.

So, now I am supposed to name 7 Blogs that are new to me and that I love….(This is hard for me because I love so many).

1. http://southernhospitalityblog.com

2. http://crockpotrecipeexchange.blogspot.com

3. http://paintordig.blogspot.com/

4. http://lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/

5. http://racksandmooby.blogspot.com

6. http://www.squirrelbakes.com

7. http://comfortofcooking.blogspot.com

Well, here is my list. I found most of these in the past few days. Please check out my list and see what you think and let me know of any others you think I might enjoy.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

It has been a little unusual around here.

2010-09-25T20:15:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, by Thursday I will be able to get my fall decorations out.

Mr. R’s mom passed away last week. She was a wonderfully sweet lady – though I only knew her for a few short years. (We have been married three years ago last week.) There is no doubt what a loving Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grand and Great-Great Grandmother she was. I can truly say, I never saw her without a smile. At our wedding, she walked into the fellowship hall for the reception and said, “Oh, my. Someone is having a really big party.” She was 101 1/2 when she passed last week. Slowly, her body just stopped working.

She is celebrating her 99th birthday in this picture.

We had the Memorial service here in town on Tuesday and then she was buried at home in Nevada, Ohio on Thursday. She is with Milton, the love of her life; her Mom and her Dad and other family members. It was a sad day but there was joy, too. She always wanted to go home and now she is there.

As with all family situations like this, you get to see people that you haven’t seen in years. In my case, I finally got to meet some of the family and friends that I have heard about for the past 3 1/2 years. So now, when Mr. R mentions Barney and Nancy, I know who they are. When he talks about walking down Morrison Street to school or going to his Grandpa Miller’s grocery store, I know where he is and the direction he is headed.

I did not take many pictures. It was very sad for Mr. R. The little town was not the pristine memory he had had for so many years. Houses that he lovingly remembered were run down or torn down. I do have one picture of the church. It was a beautiful Lutheran Church. I did not take a picture of the Methodist Church. I don’t know why. This is a town of good Irish and German ancestry. Swartzkopfs and Millers and other names were prominently displayed on the tombstones.

Ohio is different from North Carolina (well, duh???). I will always think that North Carolina is the only place in the world to live. Ohio caught me though. We stayed in a little town called Bucyrus. They have some absolutely beautiful murals. The town appears to come straight out of a late Victorian picture book. But, I must say, that I was gobsmacked when I asked, “Is there a knitting shop here?” I was told, “No”. Then I asked where the Goodwill was located and was told they didn’t have one of those either. Now, those are the two most important stores a town needs. Back to Ohio…….As we were looking at old family farms, I noticed how much the area reminded me of the Cotswalds of England.

Ah, that’s another day…….

See you in a few….

Madelyn

P. S. Life goes on now. Jimmy (Mr. R’s brother) and Gail are back in Florida. Roger, the boys cousin, is in Peru, Indiana. Nancy and Barney are driving to town in their Cushman scooter. And, we are still running around like chickens going to church and classes and to the grocery store. Just living, I guess you would say.

Make Bread Mondays Part II and oops I forgot to publish it………..

2010-09-21T17:28:00.001-04:00

I still have not gotten everything from the house in the Grove. Every morning that is fairly cool and if I have time, I try to empty another box or two that is in the garage. By the time I get them all emptied, I will have to go and get another load. But, I digress.

Yesterday before Sunday School, I started cleaning a box or two. In the process, I found two of my recipe boxes from my mother and from my college classes. I went through them last night and found the following recipe for cheese bread. I have had this recipe since 1970-72. I remember the recipe cards from college. We had it for supper tonight.

So here goes---really, really easy. Though not a yeast bread, it is a delicious quick bread and it is that----very quick and very easy.

Cheese Bread
3 3/4 cup Biscuit Mix
1 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 egg
1 1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon poppy seed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a 7X51/2X3 glass loaf pan. I added a piece of parchment paper. It just makes it so much easier to remove from the pan.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (baking mix, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, and cheese) together.

Make a well in the center of the mixture. Mix the egg, milk and oil together. Pour into the well and mix the ingredients until just blended. Beat vigourously for one (1) minute. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle the top with poppy seeds.

See you in a few,

Madelyn

I am sorry I didn’t publish this yesterday, it was written and ready. I hit save, but in Live Writer and not in my blog. As a post script, I toasted the cheese bread for supper tonight. I think it was even better tonight.

Make Bread Mondays

2010-09-13T21:42:00.001-04:00

I have not made any yeast breads in a long time. So, I decided that today was the day and that I would make bread every Monday.

When I first started the blog, I was going to do Recipe Wednesday, but I am pretty much not going to be home on Wednesdays this fall. My painting class is Wednesday morning, then I will keep my mother in the afternoon. On Wednesday evenings, I will be teaching a Christmas craft class at church after supper and fellowship. I call Wednesdays, Mr. R’s quiet days because I am not at home.

Many years ago, I was a member of The Gourmet Club. We really were a fun group and did a lot of neat things for our meetings. Once we went to visit a former professor of Home Economics at a school in Texas (can’t remember which one). She was a fiesty old lady, but boy did I learn a lot that night. One of her hints was to add Pumpkin Pie Spice to whole wheat roll recipe. WOW! Not much mind you but talking about smells coming from the kitchen and talking about tasty----so, here goes---Hope you enjoy them.

Whole Wheat Rolls

1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup very warm water (105-	110 degrees)
1 package of yeast
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Melted butter

Scald milk, stir in molasses, sugar, salt and the butter. Cool to lukewarm. measure very warm water into a large warm bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast, stir until it is dissolved. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup plain flour and the pumpkin pie spice.

Beat with an electric mixer until the dough is smooth. Add enough of the rest of the flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until the dough is not sticky.

Place in a greased bowl and place in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 40-45 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide the dough in half.

Shape the dough into rolls and place into a greased 9” cake pan. Brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise the second time in a warm place for about 10-15 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.

These were absolutely delicious with cold butter and honey on them. YUMMY

See you in a few….

Madelyn

In between life, there is reading.

2010-09-08T21:40:00.001-04:00

In between all of the craziness that is my life, I have been trying to read at least 50 books by the end of the year. I am combining a whatever I want to read list with a list of books that I found on the internet that says I should read this list before I do the proverbial “kicking the bucket” thing. I printed that list to stick in my purse and cut it to fit my little notebook. Now, I can’t find where I got the list. I did this so if I am at a yard sale or used bookstore, I can keep up with what I need to read next. Some of the books on this list, I will never read. Like all of Shakespeare……I have read some in school and in college---that is enough for me. So, here is the list of what I have read so far this year. I will put a star by the ones on the 100 Books You Need to Read Before You Die list.

1. Walking Across Egypt Clyde Edgerton

2. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley

3. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag – Alan Bradley

4. Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout

5. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

6. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman

7. The Man that Moved a Mountain

*8. Bridgett Jones Diary - Helen Fielding

9. The Lightening Thief – Rick Riordan

*10. Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishigur0

11. Careless in Red – Elizabeth George

12. White Thorn Woods - Maeve Binchey

13. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand - Helen Simonson

14. The Lace Reader – Brunonia Barry

15. The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein

*16. Cold Comfort Farm- Stella Gibbons

17. Crossed Bones - Carolyn Haines

*18. The Time Traveler’s Wife—Audrey Niffenegger

19. Above Suspicion-Helen MacInnes

20. Dyer Consequences - Maggie Sefton

What is this, 3o to go by the end of the year? I actually think I can do it, if I can get all of the Christmas presents bought and wrapped so that once it gets cold I can really start reading .

I would love to hear your list. I have a stack of 5 more books right now. So, I am getting there---how about you?

Until the next time,

Madelyn

A Cute Idea from a Tennessee Knit Shop

2010-09-06T15:13:00.001-04:00

Back in the spring, we made a road trip to Nashville. Of course, I couldn’t ride by a knitting shop that had a billboard on the interstate. So, we made a quick detour.

The store is called The Yarn Patch and it is in Crossville, Tennessee. Their website is http://www.yarnpatch.com. This is one of the neatest knitting stores that I have ever seen. It was bright, full of beautiful yarns and the friendliest lady waited on me. While I was there, I saw the cutest pair of flip-flops. I knew I had to make them and make them, I have!

So far, I have made 3 pairs---one adult size and 2 children---with the third pair started. These will be gifts for Christmas. They are just too cute. I made the adult pair just like the ones I saw in Tennessee or at least the way I remember the way they were made. I made the children flip flops a little different with a fluffier result. I think the granddaughters will enjoy these.

Now is a good time to purchase flip flops—I found them at the local Dollar General store for just $.50 a pair. When we were in Columbia, South Carolina, we stopped at the Hobby Lobby right off I-77 at exit 12 and I got a bag of loops. This is a quick, easy and inexpensive gift for little and big girls.

Instructions:

Decide on a color scheme. I made a multi-color, red-white & blue and then yellow, green & white.

For the multi-colored:

Fold loop in half. Hold under flip flop strap with the top of the loop on the right and the two bottom loops on the left. Take the 2 bottom loops and pull them over the strap and into the top loop. Pull tightly. Go around and cover the whole flip flop strap. When you have finished the shoe, trim the loops so that they are all the same size.

For the red, white & blue:

I cut the loops in half---a cut in the bottom and top loop.
Wrap the cut loop and tie a square not. Some of my loops were thin and in this case, I used two pieces of loop. When the straps were completely covered, trim the edges so that they are all about the same length.

It takes less than an hour to make one pair. As far as cost, the flip flops were $.50. I used probably $.50 worth (if that) of the loops. So, for $1.00, I think I have a pretty cute gift.

I am planning (now that is the plan---it is not written in stone but it is a thought progressive plan) to make cute little dresses for the granddaughters that match. My grandchildren live at the beach, so a pair of flip flops are always welcome---and of course, they are little girls and they do love their shoes.

On a sad note, my Mother-in-law passed away Saturday night, September 11, 2010. We will be in and out of the house—it has already been a hectic couple of days. She was almost 102 years old. She was a beautiful lady---I never saw her that she was not smiling and happy.

Until next time,

Madelyn

I’m Back

2010-09-05T14:14:00.001-04:00

It has been a long time since I posted. I must admit that I have been a little overwhelmed at the task of keeping things fresh and interesting. I will say that after reading some absolutely wonderful blogs, I think I am ready to share my thoughts, my dreams and my activities with you.

This summer has come and gone. I had a huge yard sale to clean out the house in the Grove. I still have “stuff” there; I have “stuff” at my sister’s rental house; and I have “stuff” here. On top of all that Habitat came and literally took a truck FULL back to the warehouse and another ministry came and got the mattresses.

So, I start the fall with a lot of projects—

1. Another yard sale

2. Teaching Christmas craft classes at the Church on Wednesday night

3. Trying to get Christmas presents made, purchased and wrapped before the first of November.

4. Going to see grandsons play football in Virginia and Georgia and going to the glorious wedding of our granddaughter and her cute as a button fiancé in October.

5. Painting and getting the finished paintings framed so that just maybe I will be able too sell one or two.

6. Just living everyday and accomplishing a positive life with the Lord as my Guide.

So, there you have it. Do you think I can do it? I sure do hope so. But, now I know I have a bunch of people watching over me and giving me encouragement to get these jobs done…..

Thanks and see you soon,

Madelyn

Wednesday night recipe night

2010-04-28T19:12:00.004-04:00

This is a great and easy recipe to fix for a very filling meal.
Super Quick Chinese Noodles and Chicken (or Pork)

2 packages Ramen Noodles (Chicken flavor)
2 chicken breasts or 2 boneless pork chops, partially frozen
1/2 onion, sliced vertically
4-5 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 package frozen Japanese vegetables
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup chicken stock

Cook the noodles in boiling water. Drain and keep warm.
Slice the chicken in small strips.
In a large very hot skillet, add the oil and the chicken.
Cook until done and remove. Keep warm. Add the onions and cook
them for about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another
2-3 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook until heated through.
Keep stirring so that nothing sticks.
While this is cooking, mix the soy sauce, stock and cornstarch
together. Add the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes.
Then add the stock mixture and cook until it turns clear and
the sauce is thickened.
Mix the noodles in with the vegetable and chicken mixture.

Serve on hot plates. Add Chinese noodles if you like the crunch.

The partially frozen meat will slice much easier.

Oh, my goodness.

2010-04-26T18:10:00.005-04:00

What a day this has been.
So, Dick had to go and pick up bread/cakes for the Christian Ministry where he volunteers. Then on to the Doctor for his B-12 shot.
When he got home we hopped into the car and went to THE Big Box Store--not my favorite place but sometime when you live in a small town it is the only place to purchase certain things.
Well, the things turned out to be bicycles (yes, those two wheeled exercise machines) and almost $100.00 worth of plants to get into the ground this afternoon.
After the store we went to the library and I picked up some books on my list. (That is going to be a whole days discussion, soon.) From there we went to the YMCA and got all of the forms so that we can join.

My sister came by to start working on a tree that fell down back in the winter. She has her own chain saw. It's electric with an 18" blade. I was going to have her take a picture of us on the bicycles but by the time she left, I was so sore from planting, sweeping and trimming that the thought of getting back on the bicycles was just not in the game plan for the rest of the afternoon.

I will share a great and easy recipe on Wednesday for a quick and easy meal for Wednesday night.
Have a good couple of days.

My daughter's blog

2010-04-23T10:14:00.000-04:00

Good morning guys,
I am learning about all this blog stuff and my daughter is helping me. I am learning by reading other blogs, too. So, I hope to start on a regular basis on Monday, April 26, 2010. Stay with me as I learn and share my life as a "new" wife, artist and craft person--Hey, Etsy is in my next learning curve....

But, as the post says, this is about my daughter's blog. She is offering a gift of coffee and a mug. So, here goes. Check her out on her blog, it's cute as a button (if I do say so myself)and you can travel along her life's highway, too.

http://eatdrinkanddecorate.blogspot.com/

Have a good weekend and I will see you on Monday.