9/16/16

Meet Calvin & Calvina


I am hooking up for Friday Foto Friends with Ms. Debbie at www.jeremiah-2911.com.

The other day I shared my sister's fall decor. Well, she sent me two more last night. A friend of hers has a sister who made this wooden scarecrow for Rachel. The lady that made him named him Calvin.


Then Rachel found this one when she was out shopping one day. She decided she needed a name, too. So she named her Calvina.


And like Ms. Debbie, I love photos of scenery. Every day is ever changing. My drive to work on Wednesday was a beautiful clear, blue sky. I love being able to see the mountains the whole time I drive to work. 


But I love the drive home as well.






9/15/16

Some of my baking faves....


I am not feeling good today. I've had a head cold this week and put in some hectic days so I'm a little exhausted on top of everything else. Going to take it very easy today and catch up on some sleep and rest. But I did want to share a little something.

Just thought I would share some of my real life pictures of goodies I have made over the years and took pictures of. These are some of my favorite desserts.

Topping the list is my chocolate candy and peanut butter candy...not to be confused with fudge. This candy is the more sugary kind that melts in your melt but doesn't have to be refrigerated.


I also made these monster cookies one year and they were delicious. I have to get the recipe again from my friend Jeanenne since I lost my first copy.


This my favorite cake to make. A lemon pound cake with home made glaze. I actually use Duncan Hines cake mix and go by the Lemon Pound Cake recipe on the side of the box. However, I change it up a little. Where it calls for 1 cup of water, I actually use 1/2 cup of Sprite and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. I also zest the rind of one lemon and put in the cake mixture. I make mine in a Bundt pan and it is to die for. For the glaze, I use confectioner sugar and just a little milk then add the zest of another lemon, a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice and a splash of sprite to get it the right texture. I like it thick enough to cling to the cake but thin enough to run down over the sides when I pour it on.


Another favorite is brownie cookies. I make Duncan Hines Brownies using the recipe on the side for the little sandwich cookies and add a teaspoon of cinnamon. Then I make a homemade frosting that is the frosting for a Texas Sheet Cake . The trick is once I put the frosting on the cookies, I pop it back in my oven for about 5 - 10 seconds. It hardens the icing just a tad and it's not as messy to store.


Here is another recipe for a delicious cookie. I am a die-hard Duncan Hines fan, but they don't make a Molasses Cookie mix. So I have to use Betty Crocker for this recipe. I simply use this mix and add 1 tsp. of ginger and 1 tsp. of cinnamon for a cookie that just screams fall.


Another family favorite is an orange cake-like cookie with an orange cream icing made from Crisco, powder sugar, orange juice and orange zest. These are so good but make about 80 or more cookies. I only made them at Christmas. I always made them for hubby so I probably won't make these again for awhile. 


I also love making mini cinnamon sugar donuts. But once I discovered I could use the same recipe in a mini muffin pan, now I make them as a mini muffin. They are wonderful.


This is not dessert, but when I stumbled on it I just had to fix some. This is my version of homemade pizza bread. I use Cobblestone Mill white sub rolls. I split them open and spread Ragu Traditional Pizza Quik Sauce. I top it with browned and drained pork breakfast sausage, but you can top with whatever you want. For my cheese, I prefer Kraft Colby Monterey Jack finely shredded, but again, use the cheese of your choice. Bake in the oven on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes until they are hot and cheese has melted. As a matter of fact, I am actually having these for supper tonight. 


A fave of mine at Christmas time is to make hot cocoa and top it with Marshmallows. I stir the hot chocolate with a candy cane to get the perfect chocolate peppermint combination. Then I take the used candy cane and grind it on a nutmeg grater and make "peppermint dust" to sprinkle over the marshmallows. Next I top it off with a candy cane for decoration. It's out of this world.


And the last thing I want to share is my favorite soup recipe. It tastes just like Shoney's beef cabbage soup. I can't wait for a cold dreary day off to make a pot of it.


For all my soup loving followers, here is the recipe.




9/14/16

Happy birthday, Alexis


I want to wish my oldest granddaughter, Alexis Caroline, a very happy birthday. Weighing less than 2 pounds when she was born, she's been full of joy her whole life. 


She captured our hearts the moment we held her for the first time. She's was Papaw's little princess and I think she had him wrapped around her little finger.


Her eyes just sparkle with happiness all the time.  


Just one of those happy little girls who smiles constantly.


This is my favorite picture of Alexis. It was in our backyard and we were just outside doing nothing in particular and I grabbed my camera and said smile for Mamaw. Picture perfect. 


Papaw loved when she stayed all night and I washed her hair. He would said and comb out every single strand until their wasn't a tangle left. She would grab his Food TV magazine and sit quietly on his lap and look at every page while he combed her hair. Sometimes they would set like that for over an hour.


I told her one time that she was a Kodak moment just waiting to happen. She is so photogenic. 


As she has gotten older, she has never lost that sweet side. She is so much fun to be around. There are always lots of giggles and grins when we spend time together.


She's growing up so fast that it just takes my breath away sometimes.


But she will always be Mamaw's sweet baby girl and first granddaughter. I love you Alexis Caroline. Here's wishing you a very happy birthday!




9/13/16

My sister's fall display....


My sister is one of the best decorators I know. She can really "do it up right" for the holidays and seasons. She just finished her fall decorating on the outside of her house. I thought I would share it with you. Welcome, to her lovely home. Her front porch is always so inviting.


This is her little back porch that you walk out on from upstairs. 


And the side door where she also has a sitting area. 


The walkway leading to her storage/workshop area out back.


More pics of the back porch.



She is very crafty and loves Pinterest as much as I do. She found this idea on Pinterest and it turned out so cute.


Here is a display she bought bits and pieces and put it together to create her own design.  


Another one of her own creations. 


And my favorite. Love the cat.


Here is a pic of my sister when she visited Pigeon Forge last fall. Thank you Rachel for letting me share your decor today. 



9/12/16

A new look for a new season....


I got up and walked outside this morning for my daily view of the mountains and it was cool. That can only mean one thing.... No matter what the calendar says the date is, fall is almost here. To me, that means I have a right to change my blog to fall now instead of waiting till some date determined by the sun/moon/planets/calendar, whatever determines it.


I love every season, but fall is my favorite time of year. The cooler temperatures. The apple harvest so everybody can make apple butter.


The leaves start changing. And believe me, in the Great Smoky Mountains we get some beautiful views of the leaves changing.


It's football time in Tennessee so that means a sea of orange everywhere you go. They couldn't have picked a better color for the fall.


Pumpkins are starting to pop up in the pumpkin patches and at the stores for sale.


Mums galore everywhere you look.


Yes, fall is my favorite time of year.


9/10/16

Sentimental Saturday


My sister recently posted on Facebook a picture of those beloved (dreaded) sponge rollers from our childhood. We had our hair washed on a regular bases, but Saturday we got the full treatment. Mom would wash our hair and roll it on those old pink sponge rollers.



Sometimes they were left to dry naturally and sometimes we sat under Mom's hair dryer.


It was always Prell shampoo and sitting quietly while we watched The Lone Ranger and Sky King. 


And many times, I can remember we got a Tootsie Pop to lick on while we watching those Saturday favorites.


And if you got one with the Indian on the wrapper it would bring you luck.


Oh what sweet memories those pink curlers brought to mind.