Cherries

I picked up these cherries at the store the other day. We've been eating them plain but last night I got a hankering to try something different. I'm dieting and was wanting a little something sweet so I melted a little butter in a saucepan (about 1 teaspoon) and added 1 cup of pitted cherries, about 2 teaspoons of Splenda brown sugar and a pinch of salt. I cooked it just long enough to warm the cherries and make a glaze.

It turned out pretty well, just enough sweet to calm the craving. But the thing that I thought would be best--eat it on oatmeal. Tomorrow I'm going to make it again and add it to a bowl of oatmeal. Cherry Oatmeal Deluxe. Yum.

It'd also be good with plain yogurt and topped with granola.

Thought I'd share the idea with you all. I'm linking up with Rednesday since Sue does love cherries. =)

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Woulda, Shoulda

This is the blog post I had planned to use last week while I was gone. Alas, I couldn't get it to work while I was away. Me and my blogging skills. So here it is anyway.

This was my thought at the beginning of vacation.

Can you tell I was a little tired of being stuck inside with sick kids all summer?



I got these great pics from this book, 'Retro Housewife', that I found at our library's backdoor book sale. Only 50 cents. It's chock full of great vintage pictures from old advertisements.

I'm linking with our friends for Rednesday at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Red, White, Blue and Overalls Too

Here's my Hoosier all decked out for the Fourth of July.


A close-up of my pie rack that my neighbor painted for me.


My old flag painted on wood that I found at a garage sale.


Our dessert for the 4th...Star-Spangled Fruit Tart.


And what could be more American than a little boy in overalls? That's my favorite picture of my youngest son when he was two.

I'm connecting with the others over at Rednesday, even if I am running a little late. That same little fella (now not so little) got a good report from the doctor today. Maybe we'll finally get to celebrate a little summer.

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Southern Staples

My little patient is resting and recuperating. So I'm finally back to the kitchen. I love cooking in the summer when everything is fresh from the garden.

I thought I'd share one of my favorites, a Southern staple--stewed tomatoes. Our tomatoes are really starting to ripen and I had a big bunch ready at the same time. I made this favorite with them and it was out-of-this-world yummy. A big pile of stewed tomatoes served over rice, you don't get any more southern than that. Well, maybe if you served it with a side of cracklin cornbread. But even I'm not that old school southern. Mama don't eat no cracklins.

Making stewed tomatoes is oh so simple. I never use a recipe, it just depends on how many tomatoes I have. If we have a hankering for them in the winter, I simply use a large can of crushed tomatoes. If you're using fresh ones, I'd use about six to eight tomatoes, depending on their size. Peel them, cut them up (preferably over a bowl to save the juices) and dump them in the pot. To this pot you're going to add salt and pepper to taste. I like a generous portion of black pepper in my stewed tomatoes. And the only other ingredient--bacon grease.

Okay, I'm letting you in on a little secret. most good southern cooks I know keep a cup of bacon grease in the refrigerator. Don't turn your nose up, you non-southern gals. It is the essence of yumminess and the secret to good southern cooking. After I cook my bacon (which I do in the microwave) I save the grease in a little coffee cup.

One or two heaping tablespoons should be all you need for this many tomatoes. You add more when you use more tomatoes. That's all there is to it. And you end up with a little pot of heaven.




And speaking of a little bit of heaven...peaches are starting to get ripe down here. We picked the first peach ever off our own peach trees. It was small but the best one EVER.

Have a happy Rednesday. Be sure to visit over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/
and get you cup full of bacon grease.

Wanna Swap?

I'm in the mood to do something a little different...and apparently in the mood for something crafty. I want to try a swap. For those of you who know me well, that'll be a surprise. I can be crafty and I am (surprise to myself) good at the stuff I do. I am just the most procrastinating crafty person there is. I have all these crafty intentions, even put it on my 'to do' list everyday. And that's where it stays. To do. (Although I DID make something the other day I'll have to show y'all in another post that's a little strange and a lot adorable.)

So I'm calling on all of you (and others you want to tell) to let's try somethings new. No matter if you're crafty or artistic or just in the mood for a challenge.

Here's what I'm calling it: SPRING CLEANING SWAP/CHALLENGE Rules:

1. Go through all those things you've collected to create with but haven't got around to.


2. Get one of those small 'all you can cram in for one price' boxes at the post office.


3. Fill it with all the bits you want to use in the swap/challenge--anything, everything.


4. Here's the twist (and the challenge). You're getting back your stuff. The person who receives the box has to take the materials they find and create something with it. And don't worry, the things in the picture above aren't necessarily the things I'd send you. They're just a few random things I pulled from my craft cabinet.


5. They mail it back to you. This way, you know you'll love the colors/style of what you get because they are things you picked out. You don't have to use the same size box to mail it back in and you can add something from your craft closet to complete the project if needed.


6. You get the fun of having something made for you that you never got around to and in a way that you wouldn't have thought to do.


7. You get the challenge of creating (in a time limit to prod us procrastinators) from a box of unexpected materials. It'll stretch your craftiness and your imagination.

So what do you say? You'll have until May 1st to let me know you want in on the swap. On May 1st I'll email you with your address. Box up your supplies and send them out right away. You'll have until June 1st to return your box.

Clean out those supplies and start making a pile of stuff to use.

Prepare to 'think outside the box'.

I'll try to get my techno guru (help Jen!) to work on a swap button we can post.

Visit the other people at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ and see what crazy ideas they've come up with.

Recipes Written in Red

It all started with these little bowls my mom and aunt picked up for me on a shopping trip. They bought them for me so I could be like the hosts you see on Food Network who always have their ingredients measured and waiting in these tiny bowls when they're cooking. (Yes I know, there's a specific name for them--it just escapes me at this early hour.) I once heard someone on television speaking on the importance of these bowls. I had always thought of them as pretentious. Seriously, who has time in the real world to measure all those ingredients into tiny bowls just to dump them again into a bigger bowl or pot? Television hosts or chefs--both of whom have someone else to do the dishes.

I guess I was feeling a bit pretentious myself yesterday because I thought "why not?" and whipped them out as I made supper. When I took them out of their nested wrappings, I was surprised to find that they were marked with measurements on the inside of the bowls. Now maybe I'm the biggest idiot in the world, but I didn't know they actually measured the ingredients for them. I thought they were just there to be cute. I stand corrected.

So now that I'm using my pretension pots, I thought I'd share a recipe to make while using them. Something about seeing them lined up there said 'salad' to me. Don't ask me why. Lo and behold, I flipped through my recipes and there was one written in red. It doesn't get any better than that for Rednesday. And it's a really good one too, given to me by a friend at church--Mrs. Mabel who is 95 years young. I do believe the lady could work circles around me. I want to be like Mrs. Mabel when I grow up.

Kraut Salad

1 large can sauerkraut (wring out dry with hands)
1 cup of each, chopped--celery, red and green peppers
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. cider vinegar

Beat dressing very good. Make the dressing first, as you wring the kraut. Combine with vegetables and let stand 2 hours before serving.

Even my garden is getting into the spirit of Rednesday. For other friends, visit http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Blogiversary

How sweet it is!
Sound the bell (even if it is a cowbell I got as a door prize from Chick-Fil-A).
Should we cook up a little something special to celebrate?

It has been one whole year since I started blogging. It's funny how something I started on a whim so I could be accountable on a diet actually has become so important. Actually the blogiversary (I know it's not really a word, but I like it) was yesterday, but it was an unexpectedly busy day and I never got time to finish my post.

I went back and read that very first post and was amazed, I guess I should be depressed, at how little has changed for me. I'm still struggling with my dieting. I had to laugh because the day I started the blog Deb and I had begun a no flour, no sugar diet. I didn't last so long on that one! Even then I was bemoaning my love to bake and my sweet tooth. But here it is a year (and several pounds) later and guess what I've finally had to do to get even a modicum of success...step away from the sugar.

I'm still gardening in my same little plot of suburbia. My vegetable boxes are full and the patio is lined with containers full of peppers, herbs, and other veggies. The peach trees we planted last year have really grown and I'm hoping for a good crop of peaches this summer. The blueberries are ripening and there's squash growing in the flowerbed. Thus begins my battle with the bunny rabbits to see who gets to eat them. They usually win the blueberry/squash battle, but I plant them and hope anyway.

Y'all would laugh if you could see some of my containers. I got these huge terracotta pots at a yard sale. Well, my mom got them and then passed them to me. We're guessing they were used at some chain smokers' wedding because painted on the side of each one in pretty silver script they say..."Butt Pott". Seriously? Who does that? These pots are going to get a paint job as soon as it quits raining around here. I just needed to go ahead and get my stuff planted. If I plant my jalapenos in a butt pott should I call them poopers instead of peppers? If so, I'm also growing tootmatoes, oh,no-ions and rad...well, we'd better still call them radishes.

Even if I did accidentally stumble into blogging, it has been such a great experience. I've talked with people from all around the world and been blessed to share a little of my life with you all. Whether it's cooking a recipe, sitting together to study the Bible, or laughing at our craziness, you've let me have a part in your world. And for that I am eternally grateful.

Happy blogiversary!

Oops, almost forgot Rednesday. Visit everyone over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

What Time Is It?

I seem to be running later and later lately in getting my blog done. If I don't do it before everyone else wakes up, it's hard for me to make it back here. Once they all wake up it's go, go, go. But I'm slowing down a minute to soak up some spring with you. Don't you just love this picture? It is a vintage postcard I found in an antique shop while visiting one day with Jen from Jennalane. Hopefully I'll be getting my own little chicks soon. Meredith's requested the ones that lay colored eggs.
So, what time is it? IT'S SPRING TIME!!!

I'll show you around to some of the spring things I've set out. I don't have a lot of spring decorations, more of my time and energy are taken up outdoors with gardening these days, but I do have a few things to see. I found this adorable bunny made from an old quilt at a yard sale a couple of years ago. I really like him.

The changing of the weather calls for the changing of the throw pillows around the house. Here's one in our old rocker.

It's a bowl full of bunnies...and eggs but you can't really see them at this angle. I picked these up at a craft sale in Florida. For some reason it struck my fancy to stick them in the bowl this year.

Meredith made this hatching chick in preschool. It's egg has real crushed shells on it that have been colored. From his expression, I don't think he was quite ready to come out.

This little bunny is a little worse-for-the-wear. I think it's from Riley's preschool days. They like to display things they've made. I added this picture to give you teachers an idea for Easter party treat bags. If it were me, I'd use those googly eyes and pipe cleaners for whiskers. Looks like the glue is showing on his nose...or maybe that's just the pollen. It's giving everyone a runny nose.

A basket of hydrangeas hanging by the door. Well that concludes our tour for today. Maybe tomorrow I'll walk you around outside and show you what's new. So what do we say to spring now that it's shown up?



Let's see what other great spring things we can find over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

A Walk Most Beautiful

There aren't enough pictures to begin to show you the beauty of my friend Louise's garden. Every little space is filled with something waiting to be discovered. I took LOTS of pictures to share. I'll have more tomorrow. And the next day. And probably the next day. Enjoy.


She made this herself from concrete and broken dishes!


I love this stump in the flowers.


The Easter Bunny is checking on things.


The architect of her own little Eden, Mrs. Louise.


Nandina


Red Camelia


Cinnamon Fern


Succulents and pretty pink flowers


A view through the bushes

Now I Just Need Some Flowers

I've got to be quick this morning, I'm running a little late getting ready. But I did want to stop in and share the picture of this beautiful enamel pitcher my Aunt Betty found me at a yard sale. It goes perfect with my hoosier. All I need now is to fill it with some Queen Anne's Lace. Wouldn't that be pretty?



















Visit Rednesday over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ to see other great stuff.

The Gift of a Good Day

I greatly appreciate the well wishes and prayers that have been sent our way. I can report that today is a good day. So far today, our house is fever free. It is, however, covered in glitter.

She was such a sweet girl for enduring all those tests on Monday and I promised her a reward for her acts of bravery. Her request? A Barbie that she'd seen at the store. Daddy left work early and brought it home. She has loved it. Combine a Barbie, stickers, and glitter and you've got a little girl's dream come true. And a momma's messy nightmare.

The glitter is extra fine and it lands, and stays, everywhere! It comes with a little vacuum pen but still it remains. Her older brother was at the table doing homework. When he picked up his white binder, it was covered in glitter. Needless to say, he wasn't happy. "I can't go to middle school with a glittery notebook!" Life's never dull around here. And so glad to see the beginnings of feeling good.

Now for good food. The picture I posted for today is of an old cookbook (thankfully available in an updated reprint). It's full of good, basic recipes. If you only can have one to start with, to learn with, this is it. It makes a great wedding shower present. Give the book, along with the page numbers of your favorite recipes, and some of the spices or utensils they'll need to complete them.

Tonight I'm making a chicken dish from this book. Creamed Chicken. We're having it along with some steamed broccoli, mac'n'cheese and oatmeal rolls. Here's the recipe. In the cookbook, you'll find many variations for using key recipes.

Creamed Chicken

6 Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. cream (I'm using half & half)
1 c. cut-up cooked chicken
2 Tbsp. sherry flavoring (I'm substituting 1 tsp. celery salt, 1 tsp. poultry seasoning)

Melt butter in a pan. Blend in flour, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until bubbling. Remove from heat and stir in broth and cream. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gently stir in chicken. Just before serving, add seasonings. Serve over pastry shells, biscuits, toast, noodles or rice. Serves 6.

Good news. With a little nerve and a lot of prayer, I finally submitted some writing for the world to see. It was accepted and you can see it at http://www.faithtowrite.com/ I'm really excited. I had sent it in a while back and figured they weren't interested or it wasn't good enough. So maybe this will be the beginning of something good. I hope you'll visit and check it out.

And finally a little good fun. I visited Maryjane at Beehive Cottage this morning (you can access her blog from the list on the right) and saw the cutest thing. She has two Etsy shops and is always making something I drool over. But I never order things for myself. This morning that vintage inspired recipe journal was too much to resist. What a fun way to use a gift card I'd been given, something I'd wanted but otherwise wouldn't have splurged on for myself!

That's it for me. We're still cooped up on "quarrentine", but being stuck inside today doesn't mean it can't be a good day.

Be sure to visit all the Rednesday participants to see what good things they're up to. http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..." James 1:17

Love Is...

It's Day 9 in our Love Is... series. Five to go. And today's definition from I Corinthians 13 is "love does not delight in evil."

There's an old song that says, 'We always hurt the ones we love, the ones we shouldn't hurt at all..." And there is some truth in that. We do it through carelessness and complacency.

Through carelessness by not running through our minds first what comes out of our mouths. (We'd change the world if we'd all do that one.) I'm tired and my words are a little snappier than I intended. But not in the good way. The comment that a dad makes trying to be funny that crushes a teenage girl's fragile sense of self. A mom on a cleaning spree that throws away what she thinks is a piece of scrap paper. Turns out it was a little person's masterpiece intended as a gift to said cleaner. (Can you sense my guilt on that one!?!) We get careless with our love when we're in a hurry or tired. Or both.

But complacency hurts when we become lazy. Being taken for granted, or being forgotten, can hurt as much or more than a stinging remark said in an argument or when someone's under great pressure. Why? One says, 'I slipped for a second when things were tough.' The other says, 'I simply don't care.' Being inconsequential to the ones you pour your souls into is a bitter sting. And it's one I think we've all been guilty of inflicting.

It's not that we don't love the person, whether it's spouse, child, parent or friend, we simply get bogged down in the mundane and forget to express what's in our hearts. Or forget to even check and see that we still have a heart. Not everyday is hearts, flowers, and gooshy love songs. But we do need to make a conscious effort to take our eyes off of our 'to do' lists and look around at those we love. And say we love them. And show we love them.

Both carelessness and complacency are hurtful. But in an unintentional way. They're still love, just love off-course. But love that "delights in doing evil", that's a different story. Someone who intentionally seeks to harm you, emotionally or physically, isn't loving you at all. No matter how many 'I love you' notes they write or times they say it. No matter what they buy you. No matter how they try to cover it up.

Real love doesn't look for ways to do you wrong. Or always hide things to make themselve look or feel better. What does it do instead?

I'll tell you tomorrow. And be sure to check out all the great Valentine ideas you'll find through Rednesday at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Seeing Spots

Okay, I've had a request to see some of the nooks and crannies of my little universe. Here are a few spots for your viewing pleasure.

This is my secretary I picked up at a yard sale. I'd always wanted one, always looked at them in antique shops, then happened on this one. The Warren Kimble print is from my sweet friend Marie. The plate, tree, and little house are from cousin Johnnie who just gave us an even better gift, a new baby cousin to play with. Welcome Jake! Mrs. Ruth also gave the great board game set to the boys. I guess this was just a group decorate.

Joey and I wanted each wanted a barn ladder. Her neighbor had a huge one he gave her and she had her husband cut it in half for us. Mine became the quilt ladder, hers held pots, pans, and baskets in her kitchen suspended from the ceiling. The quilts are old and made by different family members.

Here's another corner. The old door came from a cabin in Kentucky. On the wall are sketches of places in Maryland near where my husband grew up. The lighted branches I picked up on my last trip back there.


Be sure to visit some of blogs that can be reached from my sidebar. Everyone has exceptionally good posts lately, like Brookhollow Lane's unbelievable dollhouse bakery and Rustic Victorian's sweet video share. I've got some more sites to add to my sidebar, I've just got to slow down a minute to add them. Also, don't forget to visit the other Rednesday contributors over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com

Chicken Pudding and some Pecan Pie

Here are some recipes you will love...hopefully. I haven't tried the chicken recipe yet. We'll all experiment together. With those ingredients, I think it'll be a winner. If you want to wait until tomorrow to try it, I'll be the guinea pig and go first. I'll let you know how it turns out tomorrow. I clipped the recipe out of an old Southern Living magazine. It reminded me of something I'd eaten at Groff's Farm Restaurant in Pennsylvania years ago. It was the craziest most fabulous thing--cracker pudding. Made with saltine crackers. They brought us a little bowl of it while we waited for our orders to arrive. I ate my bowl and could have eaten the bowls off everyone else's table as well. So I figure chicken pudding made with saltine crackers has to be good too.

The pecan pie I can vouch for, it the greatest. It's my mother-in-law's recipe. And I know some of y'all might threaten to take the 'southern' out of my name when you see the secret ingredient, but don't do it until you've given it a try. It isn't noticeable and does something magical to the pie. Trust me.


Chicken Pudding

1 (5 lb) whole chicken
4 carrots
4 celery ribs
1 large onion, quartered
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 c. shortening
2 c. self-rising flour
3/4 c. milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. coarsely crushed saltine crackers
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine the first six ingredients and water to cover in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-hi heat; reduce heat and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove chicken and let cool.

Pour 6 c. of the broth through a wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard solids. Reserve the remaining broth for a later use. Whisk 6 Tbsp. butter, bouillon, poultry seasoning into broth until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Cut shortening into flour with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly. Add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spread dough to a 1/2" thickness on a lightly greased baking sheet, forming 1 large hoecake.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack; break into pieces.

Skin, bone, and coarsely chop chicken. Layer chicken and hoecake pieces in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Whisk together chicken broth mixture and eggs; pour evenly over chicken and hoecake pieces.

Stir together cracker crumbs and 1 Tbsp. melted butter; sprinkle evenly over top of chicken mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Grammy's Pecan Pie

3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 c. melted butter
1 c. King syrup (you could substitute cane syrup, but use King if you can get it)
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. coconut
2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all together and pour into a 9" crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

Don't forget to visit all the great posts over at Rednesday! http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Up and At It

Everyone is headed back to school today so I'm back on my normal early morning blogging schedule. That means blogging in my fuzzy red slippers. Meredith helped pick them out, thus their bright color and sparkle. Notice where she helped herself to some of the rhinestones when she needed a little red "diamond" for a project. She was after more but got caught in the act.

I also snuck a peek at my little man who was busily reading his new book. It's one his big brother had picked him out for Christmas. You have to read it in 3D.




Have a happy Rednesday and be sure to visit over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

A Visit with the Vintage Blossoms

Over the river and through the woods...Well not really. It was more like, over the driveway and through a few intersections. But to Mrs. Ruth's house we went, even if the way was more city than scenic. Mrs. Ruth is one of a group of ladies we affectionately call the Vintage Blossoms. They love gardening, antiques, crafting, and yard sales. Mrs. Ruth is originally from Germany. Her home is full of wonderful treasures that she has brought from there or found in her yard sale expeditions. She is one of the most creative and crafty people you will ever meet. I don't know anything she can't make. Her favorites at the moment are making jewelry and creating cards. I thought I'd share pictures with you today of some of the Christmas decorations she had. I ran out of space on my camera long before I ran out of things to take pictures of.
A little tree that is on her buffet...and a closeup, it's covered in vintage jewelry.
One of the pretty plates she has decoupaged.
The table's all set for our luncheon.

I'm off to visit the other participants of Rednesday. You come too! http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/