Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pictures are old, old, old. Enjoy these blasts from the past while I try to find something photo-worthy around Faulkner Farms (circa 1842) today!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I was very excited about our upcoming train trip to New Orleans. VERY excited. But the end of May and the beginning of June began with temperatures in the three digits... and humidity through the roof. And that reminded me of how hot and humid it can be in New Orleans in the middle of July and beginning of August. (Really hot and humid.)
As per Mikie's request, I went over our itinerary to see how many events were outside versus inside activities. Except for our first morning breakfast (beignets and coffee) and the restaurants I had picked out for three different lunches, we were going to be outside ALL DAY LONG... EVERY DAY!
And did I mention the Swamp Tour? That's right. I had scheduled a five-hour portion of one day for a swamp tour in a swamp boat. An get this! We would be arriving in a swamp bus (whatever that is... I'm pretty sure it wasn't air conditioned). And then we were going to feed alligators marshmallows. Hot, sticky marshmallows!
What were the other activities? A strolling tour of Jackson Square (where the Faulkner Five would most definitely chafe and melt), and a fun day at the world famous New Orleans Zoo (looking for animals who would not be in their enclosures because THEY had enough sense to get in out of the heat).
Okay. I decided to change gears. New Orleans next Spring... perfect!
And this hot, sticky, humid Summer... (DRUM ROLL, please!) We will be HOUSEBOATING on Lake Lanier in Georgia.
That's right. Houseboating. Living on a boat for three nights. Fishing, swimming, grilling, hot tubbing, etc., etc. And get this! The houseboat has air conditioning. And the "people in charge" assure me it is a real working air conditioning unit. Not a bucket of ice in front of a big fan (Don't ask.)
We are pretty excited. After surviving the Heat Wave of 2010 on Amelia Island last year, we are more than a little wary of the heat index wherever we will be vacationing.
And in case you have forgotten that story, I'm adding it to this post. We haven't been able to laugh about that trip yet. And I've tried. Believe me... I've tried.
AMELIA ISLAND... OR AS I LIKE TO CALL IT "FIRE SAND BEACH!"
Ahhh! Our first day at the beach. We were ready. Our hotel was less than a block from the beach, but we loaded up the Big Gold Van with five beach chairs, two umbrellas and two more boogie boards which our concierge sweetly gave us. (Believe it or not, Mikie and I do not own our own boogie boards. Something which will soon be remedied because we became boogie board experts, I tell you!)
We drove the 15.5 seconds it took to get to the beach and noticed vehicles driving right onto the sand and parking. Perfect! The closer, the better. Off we went... and we immediately got stuck! As we emptied the van, and the boys began to push, I noticed how soft and powdery the sand was, and how far my feet and ankles sank immediately upon getting out of the van. Our tires were no exception.
Within seconds (no exaggeration), a man with a four-wheel drive truck came up to us and asked if we wanted a pull... which we did... and he did... and we were FREE to park in the parking lot. Mike gave him $10 for his trouble, and he left to help pull the next out-of-town sucker out of the sand. And the next. And the next. We saw him every day of our trip, so I'm assuming it was a quick and easy way to make a buck.
Roxie was furious. She called him a con artist, a crook, a low-life.
"Roxie. What is the problem? He's just trying to make a little money. AND he's helping people."
"Wouldn't it be more helpful if he stood at the gate and told people to back up because they were about the get stuck."
Hmmm. Good point. But I digress. We have to get to the "injury" part of this story.
We set up our tents and chairs on the nice hard, wet sand and saw the huge waves waiting for us. The kids went in right away, while Mikie and I took in our surroundings. The beaches were not as pretty as the Gulf of Mexico, but they were so far away from the water, and flat and hard. They were very easy to walk on and people could even ride bikes on the beach. Amazing!
It didn't take long before the Heat Wave of 2010 started having an adverse effect on us, so Mikie and I headed to the water, boogie boards in hand. The waves were big and constant, and once we got into the water we noticed immediately there was NO undertow. Very odd. The water was also VERY cold, but considering it was over 100 degrees (literally), it felt great.
We couldn't see anything in the water. It wasn't dirty. It was just the color of the Atlantic Ocean... again something very different from the Gulf. I stuck to my rule of thumb... stay close to a large group of people a little further out than your family. The sharks will get them first. (I'm sorry. I've never been the same since I saw Jaws.)
We had a ball. We played in the water for over two hours before we decided to head in and lay out by the pool. Austin led the way, and I was directly behind him. He started hopping on one foot and turned toward me. Blood was pouring off his foot.
By the time Mike made it to the shoreline, we couldn't even see where the blood was coming from because his foot was covered in the red stuff... more commonly known as "shark bait." Mike helped him to the chairs, and I got Josh and Roxie out of the water.
We determined it was his toe. We also determined it was still on his foot. Josh took matters into his own hands and fetched a lifeguard. (That's right! They have real Baywatch Lifeguards on the beaches. It was pretty cool.) He didn't run, but he did have a "kit." By pouring a whole bottle of peroxide on the toe, we were able to tell it was a deep slice... from a shell or piece of broken glass. His professional lifeguard advice was, "I don't know if you need to take him in for stitches or not. There's not really anything left to stitch." And he was right.
Mike helped Austin get to the van which was difficult. It was like hopping on one foot in snow drifts... very, very hot snow drifts. Josh, Roxie and I loaded up the chairs, umbrellas, coolers, etc. and slowly plowed through the incredibly hot, soft sand. Then it happened.
I kind of toppled, kind of fell on my right side... on top of the chairs and cooler. Since it was very similar to sitting in FIRE, I immediately hopped up. And then I fell over again. Roxie was totally mortified. Not only had her mother fallen once, but TWICE... and not gracefully... and not quietly.
But the second time was a charm, and I was able to maintain my balance and make it to the van just a few feet away. I knew I had sustained quite a number of injuries, but because I wasn't dripping blood, I wasn't the main focus at the moment.
When we arrived at the hotel, we headed to the pool. We were quite a sight... Austin with his bloody foot wrapped in a bloody beach towel and his mother limping and covered with Fire Sand. After we situated Austin in the shade and Josh, Roxie and I rinsed off, we soaked in the pool until Mikie came back with $59.95 worth of medical supplies. I let Mikie handle the toe.
He has always called himself a health care professional, although the kids are quick to point out he takes care of the money and not the people where he works. When something like this happens, Mikie is "Johnny on the Spot!" He loves it! I, on the other hand, do not!
He worked very hard on the injury, declared it to be "unstitchable," and dressed the toe. It looked very professional.
When he finished with Austin, I limped over to him to show him my six bruises, skinned knee, sore elbow and the second degree burns I had up and down the right side of my body from landing in the Fire Sand. He was a little unimpressed.
There was one more injury during our trip, and although it happened on Day Three, I'm going to go ahead and throw it in the mix.
I was getting on the elevator, and I tripped on Austin's "overly" dressed toe... and fell right past Austin, Roxie and Josh into the back panel of the elevator. I hit the old elbow again. And I'm not really sure why three children (MY THREE CHILDREN) didn't even try to catch me.
Well, I know why Roxie didn't try. You can't catch a falling woman and be properly mortified at the same time. It just can't be done!
Really Good, Really Easy Pimento Cheese
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 can Rotel (do not drain)
Mix well, and serve with crackers.
This is the recipe for the Pimento Cheese which was served at the Graduation Reception the end of May. (Remember? I talked about it a lot.) I LOVED it. My friend, Joan, gave me the recipe in the Comment Section, but her sister, Jane, was the caterer for the Reception, so I'm assuming she made it for that event.
And I've given credit to the people who deserve it most... and I didn't name it "The Enchanting Belinda's Really Good, Really Easy Pimento Cheese." I'm very careful about things like that!
Have a safe, cool Tuesday. As always, we'll be busy on A Simple Life tomorrow with a Seasonal Tradition, Wednesday Wisdom, new pics (of something) and Randomness. Make sure you save a minute in your summer schedule to check it out!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Chicken and Potato Pancakes
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from Austin and Melia's Botanical Gardens shoot. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon... for me. It was fun to watch Melia convince Austin into smiling through a photo shoot. She bribed him with the picnic. Ahh. The memories. How many times have I bribed the boys to smile for food? (Too many to count!)
I will say he was MUCH more cooperative for Melia... which was great!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I met a new Recipe "source" this weekend. We went tubing with the Tuggles Sunday afternoon, and I was introduced to Jennifer, Julie's sister-in-law. I was also introduced to Jennifer's Fresh Corn Casserole and Strawberry/Peach Summer Cake. (I totally made up the name for that last one.) She is a wonderful cook, and those two dishes alone were enough to make me throw away all of my dog-eared Southern Living magazines and just use her telephone number when I need/want a new recipe idea.
Y'all are going to love the next four or five Tuesdays!
RANDOMNESS #2 - I made my Summer 2011 list last night. It mentions everything I want us to do as a family during the precious, short weeks of Summer.
I know we won't be able to mark everything off, BUT it is a good accountability tool. Since Summer goes by so quickly, it is too easy to wake up the week before school begins and wonder where all the time went.
As you probably have guessed by now, I LOVE marking things off a list.
RANDOMNESS #3 - A few weeks ago, I told you about The Book of Awesome. I am loving this blog, and I thought I'd share a few more of these wonderful "little" awesome things we take for granted day after day.
I'll share the linkage with you again this Thursday.
Really good candy with your bill at a restaurant.
The smell of freshly cut grass.
Pushing those little buttons on the soft drink cup lid. (I know. Right?)
When you push the button for the elevator and it’s already there.
Building an amazing couch cushion fort.
Pouring a drink where the bubbles go right to the top but not over. (Still a thrill!)
Finally having your ears pop back to normal long after a flight or swim. (The definition of "happy.")
Salt.
Remembering what movie that guy is from.
When you find out what was making that horrible smell and get rid of it (YES!)
Chicken and Potato Pancakes
What is your first reaction to the name of the recipe this morning? Did you gag a little? That was me. However, when I read the ingredients, it started sounding pretty good. (Of course, you use gravy instead of syrup.) I think once you get over the name, it's going to taste pretty wonderful, too.
You will need the following:
2 cups instant pancake mix
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 cup refrigerated shredded hashbrowns
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy Mix
1. Whisk together pancake mix and milk in a large bowl, whisking just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients, stirring just until blended.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each cake onto a hot (350 degree), lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet. Cook pancakes 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked; turn and cook other side 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Serve with gravy, if desired.
I found this recipe in an OLD Southern Living while I waiting to get my hair cut this weekend. Once you get past the word "pancake," it starts sounding pretty good, doesn't it?
I'll be flipping Chicken and Potato Pancakes tonight. Stay tuned for a play-by-play in the morning!
Have a lovely Tuesday. Remember... Wednesday is our busy day on A Simple Life. I'll be sharing a fun "swap" for you and your friends, pics of the Old-Fashioned Picnic we had Friday AND more and more Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from Austin and Melia's Botanical Gardens shoot. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon... for me. It was fun to watch Melia convince Austin into smiling through a photo shoot. She bribed him with the picnic. Ahh. The memories. How many times have I bribed the boys to smile for food? (Too many to count!)
I will say he was MUCH more cooperative for Melia... which was great!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I met a new Recipe "source" this weekend. We went tubing with the Tuggles Sunday afternoon, and I was introduced to Jennifer, Julie's sister-in-law. I was also introduced to Jennifer's Fresh Corn Casserole and Strawberry/Peach Summer Cake. (I totally made up the name for that last one.) She is a wonderful cook, and those two dishes alone were enough to make me throw away all of my dog-eared Southern Living magazines and just use her telephone number when I need/want a new recipe idea.
Y'all are going to love the next four or five Tuesdays!
RANDOMNESS #2 - I made my Summer 2011 list last night. It mentions everything I want us to do as a family during the precious, short weeks of Summer.
I know we won't be able to mark everything off, BUT it is a good accountability tool. Since Summer goes by so quickly, it is too easy to wake up the week before school begins and wonder where all the time went.
As you probably have guessed by now, I LOVE marking things off a list.
RANDOMNESS #3 - A few weeks ago, I told you about The Book of Awesome. I am loving this blog, and I thought I'd share a few more of these wonderful "little" awesome things we take for granted day after day.
I'll share the linkage with you again this Thursday.
Really good candy with your bill at a restaurant.
The smell of freshly cut grass.
Pushing those little buttons on the soft drink cup lid. (I know. Right?)
When you push the button for the elevator and it’s already there.
Building an amazing couch cushion fort.
Pouring a drink where the bubbles go right to the top but not over. (Still a thrill!)
Finally having your ears pop back to normal long after a flight or swim. (The definition of "happy.")
Salt.
Remembering what movie that guy is from.
When you find out what was making that horrible smell and get rid of it (YES!)
Chicken and Potato Pancakes
What is your first reaction to the name of the recipe this morning? Did you gag a little? That was me. However, when I read the ingredients, it started sounding pretty good. (Of course, you use gravy instead of syrup.) I think once you get over the name, it's going to taste pretty wonderful, too.
You will need the following:
2 cups instant pancake mix
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 cup refrigerated shredded hashbrowns
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy Mix
1. Whisk together pancake mix and milk in a large bowl, whisking just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients, stirring just until blended.
2. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each cake onto a hot (350 degree), lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet. Cook pancakes 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked; turn and cook other side 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Serve with gravy, if desired.
I found this recipe in an OLD Southern Living while I waiting to get my hair cut this weekend. Once you get past the word "pancake," it starts sounding pretty good, doesn't it?
I'll be flipping Chicken and Potato Pancakes tonight. Stay tuned for a play-by-play in the morning!
Have a lovely Tuesday. Remember... Wednesday is our busy day on A Simple Life. I'll be sharing a fun "swap" for you and your friends, pics of the Old-Fashioned Picnic we had Friday AND more and more Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Buttermilk Syrup
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from a walk around my Mother's home yesterday evening. For the longest time, she loved bunnies. Bunnies are still all over the place (in her nature area, on her front porch, beside the path leading to the backyard). Then she started loving turtles. Turtles remain here and there, but they are still outnumbered by the bunnies.
This summer it appears frogs may overtake the bunnies. The collection will continue to grow as she spots a cute frog here and a cute frog there. (I know of a "praying frog" she saw a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking it might be the perfect birthday present. As far as I know, everyone needs a "praying frog.")
I know what you're thinking. "Unless something happens over at Faulkner Farms (circa 1842) soon, the Enchanting Belinda is going to start going from house to house taking pictures of anything and everything that catches her eye."
Don't worry. I would never do that to you... unless you give me your written consent.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I have exciting news. I am going to become a great-aunt AGAIN. Brandi and Jared told us several weeks ago they were expecting a new baby in October (one of my favorite months). This past week they called to say it wasn't just a new baby... it was a new baby girl!
I am thrilled. Matthew has been such a sweet addition to our family. It is so much fun having little ones during the holidays (opening Christmas presents, hiding Easter eggs, etc.). And to have a boy AND a girl will be a double blessing.
RANDOMNESS #2 - I was watching television last night and a commercial came on advertising a new Mark Burnett reality show. YES! And it starts in a couple of weeks. YES! YES! It's called Expedition Impossible, and it looks like a combination of Survivor and Amazing Race for adrenaline junkies.
Will I be watching? Uh, YES!
RANDOMNESS #3 - Two of Roxie's friends touched Taylor Swift during her concert this past weekend. What does it say about a 49 year-old woman who is jealous of two teenage girls who sat close enough to Taylor Swift in concert to touch her?
Please... Don't answer that rhetorical question.
Buttermilk Syrup
Mikie is a very particular when it comes to his syrup. He wants a specific syrup for his pancakes and waffles. (Do not EVEN put a bottle of butter-flavored syrup on the table, thank you very much!) And he'll only eat Yellow Label syrup on a biscuit. (Pancake and waffle syrup is for pancakes and waffles ONLY. Not biscuits.)
He has passed on his insane "syrup" preferences to the children.
That being said, my family may or may not like Buttermilk Syrup... but I'm going to try it anyway.
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a large pot, combine butter, sugar, buttermilk and Karo Syrup. Bring to a boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will fizz to TWICE THE SIZE or more, so make sure you use a good-sized pot!
3. Set it aside to thicken while stirring occasionally.
4. Pour over waffles, pancakes or French toast.
This sounds good to me. Of course, I cannot eat a whole helping of Buttermilk Syrup, so I'm hoping at least one or two of the Faulkner Five will jump the "ONLY TWO KINDS OF SYRUP EXIST IN THE WORLD" Wagon, and give it a try.
I'll let you know.
Have a lovely Tuesday. I hope you get many, many things done. (I hope that for me, too.) Remember... Tomorrow is our busy day on A Simple Life. Check back if you get a few minutes.
Take care, and I'll talk to you Wednesday.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from a walk around my Mother's home yesterday evening. For the longest time, she loved bunnies. Bunnies are still all over the place (in her nature area, on her front porch, beside the path leading to the backyard). Then she started loving turtles. Turtles remain here and there, but they are still outnumbered by the bunnies.
This summer it appears frogs may overtake the bunnies. The collection will continue to grow as she spots a cute frog here and a cute frog there. (I know of a "praying frog" she saw a few weeks ago, and I'm thinking it might be the perfect birthday present. As far as I know, everyone needs a "praying frog.")
I know what you're thinking. "Unless something happens over at Faulkner Farms (circa 1842) soon, the Enchanting Belinda is going to start going from house to house taking pictures of anything and everything that catches her eye."
Don't worry. I would never do that to you... unless you give me your written consent.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I have exciting news. I am going to become a great-aunt AGAIN. Brandi and Jared told us several weeks ago they were expecting a new baby in October (one of my favorite months). This past week they called to say it wasn't just a new baby... it was a new baby girl!
I am thrilled. Matthew has been such a sweet addition to our family. It is so much fun having little ones during the holidays (opening Christmas presents, hiding Easter eggs, etc.). And to have a boy AND a girl will be a double blessing.
RANDOMNESS #2 - I was watching television last night and a commercial came on advertising a new Mark Burnett reality show. YES! And it starts in a couple of weeks. YES! YES! It's called Expedition Impossible, and it looks like a combination of Survivor and Amazing Race for adrenaline junkies.
Will I be watching? Uh, YES!
RANDOMNESS #3 - Two of Roxie's friends touched Taylor Swift during her concert this past weekend. What does it say about a 49 year-old woman who is jealous of two teenage girls who sat close enough to Taylor Swift in concert to touch her?
Please... Don't answer that rhetorical question.
Buttermilk Syrup
Mikie is a very particular when it comes to his syrup. He wants a specific syrup for his pancakes and waffles. (Do not EVEN put a bottle of butter-flavored syrup on the table, thank you very much!) And he'll only eat Yellow Label syrup on a biscuit. (Pancake and waffle syrup is for pancakes and waffles ONLY. Not biscuits.)
He has passed on his insane "syrup" preferences to the children.
That being said, my family may or may not like Buttermilk Syrup... but I'm going to try it anyway.
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. In a large pot, combine butter, sugar, buttermilk and Karo Syrup. Bring to a boil for about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will fizz to TWICE THE SIZE or more, so make sure you use a good-sized pot!
3. Set it aside to thicken while stirring occasionally.
4. Pour over waffles, pancakes or French toast.
This sounds good to me. Of course, I cannot eat a whole helping of Buttermilk Syrup, so I'm hoping at least one or two of the Faulkner Five will jump the "ONLY TWO KINDS OF SYRUP EXIST IN THE WORLD" Wagon, and give it a try.
I'll let you know.
Have a lovely Tuesday. I hope you get many, many things done. (I hope that for me, too.) Remember... Tomorrow is our busy day on A Simple Life. Check back if you get a few minutes.
Take care, and I'll talk to you Wednesday.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Kentucky Hot Browns
Good Tuesday morning!
I told you. I told you Sparkle and Copper would be in the Gallery this week. Maybe more than once! Oh, and I'm planning on making those Cream and Strawberry Muffins and taking pics... step-by-step. So that's what you have to look forward to this week, beagles and food... in that order.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I received the Broadway Series schedule in the mail yesterday. We've never gotten the season tickets. For one reason, we've never wanted to see every show, and for another... it's a little pricey. However, we have gone to ONE show some years. Cats, Les Mis, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Bill Cosby... and the one we all still talk about, The Lion King. (It was SO good.)
This coming season is going to be great, and we've each picked out shows we would like to see. Of course, we have to pick and choose, and since I'm the Mother Unit (and when the Mother Unit ain't happy, ain't nobody happy), I really think the Christmas Cirque Dreams Holidaze show is the one we need to see. Not only will it be a good show, but I can mark it off my list of 100 Things To Do Before I'm 90.
I really want to see Wicked. I have heard a lot of good things about that show, too.
And there's a show called Mark Twain Tonight starring Hal Holbrook (Dixie Carter's husband). I believe I would thoroughly enjoy that show.
Unfortunately, Les Mis is coming again. Mike and I went to see this show many years ago. Let it be known now, Mikie is not only a plaque reader, but he is a musical lover.
When I think of musicals, Disney movies come to mind... dialogue AND songs together. When Mikie thinks of musicals, he just thinks songs, songs, songs... no dialogue.
I'm the kind of person who needs dialogue. I cannot focus on every word in a song for 20 or more songs AND follow the story. I simply cannot. Thirty minutes before intermission, Mike is holding me in my seat so I won't stand up and scream, "Just say it! Don't sing about it for 15 minutes. Just say it!"
There's probably a name for what ails me, but I don't know what it is.
On the other hand, Mike and I both disliked Cats... very much. Once we discovered it was indeed about cats (and we were still unable to follow the plot), I declared, "No more musicals for me." And I've stuck to my guns.
I guess what I am saying is I will be starting a Cirque Dreams Holidaze money envelope this week (not a Les Mis envelope). Something to look forward to!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Roxie's heading to volleyball tryouts again today. The second cut will be announced tonight. (If you hear nothing about the cut on A Simple Life OR Belinda's Project Life, you will know we do not have good news... and we have gone underground.)
RANDOMNESS #3 - Training is over, and Josh is now a full-fledged Chick employee. (I'm going to see if Chick-Fil-A will become A Simple Life's first corporate sponsor. I know for a fact, the Faulkner Five could not possibly "Eat More Chikin," even if we tried.)
Kentucky Hot Browns
Thank you, Southern Living. I love looking at the new monthly recipes, and this one sounds delicious AND doable.
You will need the following:
4 thick white bread slices
3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
8 bacon slices, cooked
1. Toast bread.
2. Top bread with turkey slices.
3. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven.
5. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.
Mornay Sauce
You will need the following:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.
3. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened.
4. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
How good does that sound? I think you could use Mornay Sauce on just about anything. I might make it by the gallon and just keep a jug in the fridge to pour over "stuff I make." And I might change the name to Enchanting Belinda Sauce. Hmmm.
Have a lovely Tuesday. It's the best day of the week. I have a lot of End-of-School-Year goodness to share on Wednesday. Visit if you have a minute.
Take care, and I'll talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
I told you. I told you Sparkle and Copper would be in the Gallery this week. Maybe more than once! Oh, and I'm planning on making those Cream and Strawberry Muffins and taking pics... step-by-step. So that's what you have to look forward to this week, beagles and food... in that order.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I received the Broadway Series schedule in the mail yesterday. We've never gotten the season tickets. For one reason, we've never wanted to see every show, and for another... it's a little pricey. However, we have gone to ONE show some years. Cats, Les Mis, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Bill Cosby... and the one we all still talk about, The Lion King. (It was SO good.)
This coming season is going to be great, and we've each picked out shows we would like to see. Of course, we have to pick and choose, and since I'm the Mother Unit (and when the Mother Unit ain't happy, ain't nobody happy), I really think the Christmas Cirque Dreams Holidaze show is the one we need to see. Not only will it be a good show, but I can mark it off my list of 100 Things To Do Before I'm 90.
I really want to see Wicked. I have heard a lot of good things about that show, too.
And there's a show called Mark Twain Tonight starring Hal Holbrook (Dixie Carter's husband). I believe I would thoroughly enjoy that show.
Unfortunately, Les Mis is coming again. Mike and I went to see this show many years ago. Let it be known now, Mikie is not only a plaque reader, but he is a musical lover.
When I think of musicals, Disney movies come to mind... dialogue AND songs together. When Mikie thinks of musicals, he just thinks songs, songs, songs... no dialogue.
I'm the kind of person who needs dialogue. I cannot focus on every word in a song for 20 or more songs AND follow the story. I simply cannot. Thirty minutes before intermission, Mike is holding me in my seat so I won't stand up and scream, "Just say it! Don't sing about it for 15 minutes. Just say it!"
There's probably a name for what ails me, but I don't know what it is.
On the other hand, Mike and I both disliked Cats... very much. Once we discovered it was indeed about cats (and we were still unable to follow the plot), I declared, "No more musicals for me." And I've stuck to my guns.
I guess what I am saying is I will be starting a Cirque Dreams Holidaze money envelope this week (not a Les Mis envelope). Something to look forward to!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Roxie's heading to volleyball tryouts again today. The second cut will be announced tonight. (If you hear nothing about the cut on A Simple Life OR Belinda's Project Life, you will know we do not have good news... and we have gone underground.)
RANDOMNESS #3 - Training is over, and Josh is now a full-fledged Chick employee. (I'm going to see if Chick-Fil-A will become A Simple Life's first corporate sponsor. I know for a fact, the Faulkner Five could not possibly "Eat More Chikin," even if we tried.)
Kentucky Hot Browns
Thank you, Southern Living. I love looking at the new monthly recipes, and this one sounds delicious AND doable.
You will need the following:
4 thick white bread slices
3/4 pound sliced roasted turkey
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 plum tomatoes, sliced
8 bacon slices, cooked
1. Toast bread.
2. Top bread with turkey slices.
3. Pour hot Mornay Sauce over turkey and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Broil 6 inches from heat 3 to 4 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven.
5. Top sandwiches with tomatoes and bacon. Serve immediately.
Mornay Sauce
You will need the following:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1. Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute.
3. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened.
4. Whisk in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
How good does that sound? I think you could use Mornay Sauce on just about anything. I might make it by the gallon and just keep a jug in the fridge to pour over "stuff I make." And I might change the name to Enchanting Belinda Sauce. Hmmm.
Have a lovely Tuesday. It's the best day of the week. I have a lot of End-of-School-Year goodness to share on Wednesday. Visit if you have a minute.
Take care, and I'll talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Blackberry Sweet Tea
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from last night's Choir Concert. The Spring Choir Concert is a little different from the other concerts throughout the year. It has a definite Talent Show "feel." Josh accompanied two "acts" with the guitar (and did REALLY well), and then he sang his first solo.
I, of course, was a nervous wreck, and I probably didn't "enjoy the moment" as much as I should have... but he did.
If someone told I had to get on a stage and sing Be My Teddy Bear by Elvis, I would have to tell them, "Just shoot me. Just shoot me NOW." I couldn't do it. I think I would have the Elvis' leg jiggle down because when I get nervous that's the first thing that starts shaking for some reason. I have hands like a surgeon (they never shake), but my legs are another story.
RANDOMNESS #1 - This is one of my favorite times of the year because the summer movie blockbusters are beginning to show up at the theaters. I've already told you about THOR, but Captain America, Cars 2, Transformers, Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda, etc. are all coming this summer, too.
Oh, and don't forget... Turtles: The Incredible Journey. (I'm not kidding. It comes out in June. I need someone to go with me. Leave a comment in the Comment Section of the blog if you are interested.)
Movie-wise, it's going to be a very good summer.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Since we just celebrated Mother's Day, I'm going to share some thoughts on "How to Know You're a Mom."
You automatically double-knot everything you tie.
You find yourself humming the Barney song as you do the dishes.
You hear a baby cry in the grocery store, and you start to gently sway back and forth, back and forth. However, your children are at school!
You weep through the scene in Dumbo when his mom is taken away, not to mention what Bambi does to you.
You get so into crafts you contemplate writing a book called 101 Fun Crafts to do with Dryer Lint and Eggshells.
You spend a half hour searching for your sunglasses only to have your teenager say, "Mom, why don't you wear the ones you pushed up on your head?"
And, a little bonus... "What My Mother Taught Me."
My Mother taught me LOGIC. "If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE. "What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you! Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me about GENETICS. "You are just like your father!"
My Mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until your father gets home."
My Mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when we get home."
My Mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU!"
Isn't being a Mom the best?
Blackberry Sweet Tea
I received the new Southern Living Magazine yesterday, and what did I see on the cover? An article entitled "23 New Ways to Enjoy Tea." All righty, then.
I picked what may appear to be an odd choice, but I've had this tea before, and although I am NOT a blackberry fan, I LOVE this tea.
You will need the following:
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (thawed)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Pinch of baking soda
4 cups boiling water
2 family-size tea bags
2 1/2 cups cold water
Garnish: fresh blackberries
1. Combine blackberries and sugar in a large container.
2. Crush with a wooden spoon.
3. Stir in mint and baking soda.
4. Pour 4 cups boiling water over tea bags. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags.
5. Pour tea over blackberry mixture. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
6. Pour tea through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Discard solids.
7. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water, stirring until sugar dissolves.
8. Cover and chill 1 hour. Garnish if desired.
I'm not kidding. It tastes divine. (Of course, it's a lot of work for a beverage, so if you're going to make it, I would suggest doing so for company. Someone who would really appreciate the effort. Hmmm. Perhaps the Enchanting Belinda!)
I hope you have the most delightful Tuesday. As you all know by now, Wednesday is our busy, busy day on A Simple Life, so please feel free to visit again. (I will have a ton of new pictures to post!)
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from last night's Choir Concert. The Spring Choir Concert is a little different from the other concerts throughout the year. It has a definite Talent Show "feel." Josh accompanied two "acts" with the guitar (and did REALLY well), and then he sang his first solo.
I, of course, was a nervous wreck, and I probably didn't "enjoy the moment" as much as I should have... but he did.
If someone told I had to get on a stage and sing Be My Teddy Bear by Elvis, I would have to tell them, "Just shoot me. Just shoot me NOW." I couldn't do it. I think I would have the Elvis' leg jiggle down because when I get nervous that's the first thing that starts shaking for some reason. I have hands like a surgeon (they never shake), but my legs are another story.
RANDOMNESS #1 - This is one of my favorite times of the year because the summer movie blockbusters are beginning to show up at the theaters. I've already told you about THOR, but Captain America, Cars 2, Transformers, Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda, etc. are all coming this summer, too.
Oh, and don't forget... Turtles: The Incredible Journey. (I'm not kidding. It comes out in June. I need someone to go with me. Leave a comment in the Comment Section of the blog if you are interested.)
Movie-wise, it's going to be a very good summer.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Since we just celebrated Mother's Day, I'm going to share some thoughts on "How to Know You're a Mom."
You automatically double-knot everything you tie.
You find yourself humming the Barney song as you do the dishes.
You hear a baby cry in the grocery store, and you start to gently sway back and forth, back and forth. However, your children are at school!
You weep through the scene in Dumbo when his mom is taken away, not to mention what Bambi does to you.
You get so into crafts you contemplate writing a book called 101 Fun Crafts to do with Dryer Lint and Eggshells.
You spend a half hour searching for your sunglasses only to have your teenager say, "Mom, why don't you wear the ones you pushed up on your head?"
And, a little bonus... "What My Mother Taught Me."
My Mother taught me LOGIC. "If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE. "What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you! Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR. "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
My Mother taught me about GENETICS. "You are just like your father!"
My Mother taught me about my ROOTS. "Do you think you were born in a barn?"
My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until your father gets home."
My Mother taught me about RECEIVING. "You are going to get it when we get home."
My Mother taught me about JUSTICE. "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU!"
Isn't being a Mom the best?
Blackberry Sweet Tea
I received the new Southern Living Magazine yesterday, and what did I see on the cover? An article entitled "23 New Ways to Enjoy Tea." All righty, then.
I picked what may appear to be an odd choice, but I've had this tea before, and although I am NOT a blackberry fan, I LOVE this tea.
You will need the following:
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (thawed)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
Pinch of baking soda
4 cups boiling water
2 family-size tea bags
2 1/2 cups cold water
Garnish: fresh blackberries
1. Combine blackberries and sugar in a large container.
2. Crush with a wooden spoon.
3. Stir in mint and baking soda.
4. Pour 4 cups boiling water over tea bags. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Discard tea bags.
5. Pour tea over blackberry mixture. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
6. Pour tea through a wire-mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Discard solids.
7. Add 2 1/2 cups cold water, stirring until sugar dissolves.
8. Cover and chill 1 hour. Garnish if desired.
I'm not kidding. It tastes divine. (Of course, it's a lot of work for a beverage, so if you're going to make it, I would suggest doing so for company. Someone who would really appreciate the effort. Hmmm. Perhaps the Enchanting Belinda!)
I hope you have the most delightful Tuesday. As you all know by now, Wednesday is our busy, busy day on A Simple Life, so please feel free to visit again. (I will have a ton of new pictures to post!)
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pic is OLD, but hopefully, I'll be able to add some new and exciting photos before the end of the week. Or maybe not!
RANDOMNESS #1 - As many of you may or may not know, my family has odd reactions to the most common medications. Benadryl doesn't make my kids sleepy. It has the opposite effect.
Non-Drowsy Sudafed puts me out for a week.
Morphine may stop the pain after a C-Section, but when I woke up I looked like I had been in a fight with a tiger... and the tiger had won. (Code for I ITCH A LOT WHEN I'M ON MORPHINE... WHICH MEANS I ALSO SCRATCH A LOT.)
But I can take Loritab. And Austin can take Loritab. And after Josh has his wisdom teeth pulled this summer, we'll see if he can take Loritab.
However, Roxie and Loritab are not good together. It will eventually put her to sleep, but until sleep comes, Loritab makes her EXTREMELY grumpy. (Some might say "impossible to stay in the same room with" grumpy.)
On a normal "grumpy" day, Roxie wants to be alone. But Loritab makes her grumpy AND needy... as in she NEEDS someone in the room with her to receive the brunt of her grumpiness. As the mother-unit, that someone turned out to be me. Austin WAS watching TV with her, but as the Loritab started working, he couldn't bear it over ten minutes.
What can I say? He's a man.
I'm not proud of it, but I sent her to school today with half of a Loritab in her. Her finger was throbbing and hurting, and we have physical therapy in just a little bit, so I wanted the pain to be under control. She wanted to go to school, so I let her as she promised to call me if she needed to come home.
Fun fact for you... Half a Loritab does not make Roxie go to sleep, but it still makes her EXTREMELY grumpy.
There are some teachers who are going to earn their paychecks today! (Or I may be in teacher conferences all next week for a bad judgment call as a parent.) Stay tuned!
RANDOMNESS #2 - I was watching The Today Show this morning, and they interviewed a blogger who has turned a simple idea into a fantastic blog and TWO books. He talks about a simple "thing" every day that some people may take for granted, and tells why it is awesome. Brilliant!
It is light, funny, interesting and it makes you look at your day-to-day stuff differently.
Here are just a few of the things under his "1,000 Awesome Things" list:
That last, crumby triangle in a bag of potato chips.
Getting grass stains. (Awesome for boys... not so much for the moms.)
Locking people out of the car and pretending to drive away.
Opening and sniffing a pack of tennis balls. (To each his own!)
Finding money you didn’t even know you lost. (YES! This is definitely AWESOME!)
Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking.
Fat baseball players.
Being the first table to get called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding.
Really, really old Tupperware.
Picking up a "q" and "u" at the same time in Scrabble. (This man is a genius! A genius, I tell you!)
Blowing your nose in the shower. (I don't get this one. Must be another "guy" thing.)
Picking the perfect nacho off someone else’s plate.
When you pull to a red light and the guy in front of you nudges up a bit so you can make a right turn. (This is totally AWESOME!)
Eating things past the expiry date.
Eating the last piece of dessert somebody left at your house.
Wearing underwear just out of the dryer. (Not just awesome... heavenly!)
Old, dangerous playground equipment. (Again, a "guy" thing and not a "mom" thing.)
I LOVE this guy! And you can love him, too. I'll be sharing his website information on Thursday under Blog Linkage.
Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins
I'm a "muffin" girl. I love them. And even though I can now only have a bite of a muffin, I still like trying new recipes. (I also like trying ANY muffin Starbucks offers. They have a Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin every fall that is "to die for.")
But I digress (again). This is a Nigella Lawson recipe, so it's not a super-easy- four-ingredient type of recipe. It's a homemade-melt-in-your-mouth muffin recipe.
You will need the following:
1 cup strawberries (slightly under-ripe)
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1. Dice your strawberries into quarter-inch pieces.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with paper baking cups.
3. Put diced strawberries into a bowl and spritz lemon juice on them. Stir gently to combine.
4. In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, sugar and baking powder.
5. In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon.
6. Fold in strawberries. (I love this kind of folding... much better than clothes folding.)
7. Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin.
8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Cool for five minutes. When muffins are completely cool, dust the muffins with the powdered sugar.
Nine steps to delicious muffins. I'll have a step-by-step tutorial tomorrow... and you can see me eating one! (I CAN have a whole mini muffin.)
Wednesday is the busiest day of all on A Simple Life. I have a ton of stuff to talk about, so if you get a chance, visit again.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pic is OLD, but hopefully, I'll be able to add some new and exciting photos before the end of the week. Or maybe not!
RANDOMNESS #1 - As many of you may or may not know, my family has odd reactions to the most common medications. Benadryl doesn't make my kids sleepy. It has the opposite effect.
Non-Drowsy Sudafed puts me out for a week.
Morphine may stop the pain after a C-Section, but when I woke up I looked like I had been in a fight with a tiger... and the tiger had won. (Code for I ITCH A LOT WHEN I'M ON MORPHINE... WHICH MEANS I ALSO SCRATCH A LOT.)
But I can take Loritab. And Austin can take Loritab. And after Josh has his wisdom teeth pulled this summer, we'll see if he can take Loritab.
However, Roxie and Loritab are not good together. It will eventually put her to sleep, but until sleep comes, Loritab makes her EXTREMELY grumpy. (Some might say "impossible to stay in the same room with" grumpy.)
On a normal "grumpy" day, Roxie wants to be alone. But Loritab makes her grumpy AND needy... as in she NEEDS someone in the room with her to receive the brunt of her grumpiness. As the mother-unit, that someone turned out to be me. Austin WAS watching TV with her, but as the Loritab started working, he couldn't bear it over ten minutes.
What can I say? He's a man.
I'm not proud of it, but I sent her to school today with half of a Loritab in her. Her finger was throbbing and hurting, and we have physical therapy in just a little bit, so I wanted the pain to be under control. She wanted to go to school, so I let her as she promised to call me if she needed to come home.
Fun fact for you... Half a Loritab does not make Roxie go to sleep, but it still makes her EXTREMELY grumpy.
There are some teachers who are going to earn their paychecks today! (Or I may be in teacher conferences all next week for a bad judgment call as a parent.) Stay tuned!
RANDOMNESS #2 - I was watching The Today Show this morning, and they interviewed a blogger who has turned a simple idea into a fantastic blog and TWO books. He talks about a simple "thing" every day that some people may take for granted, and tells why it is awesome. Brilliant!
It is light, funny, interesting and it makes you look at your day-to-day stuff differently.
Here are just a few of the things under his "1,000 Awesome Things" list:
That last, crumby triangle in a bag of potato chips.
Getting grass stains. (Awesome for boys... not so much for the moms.)
Locking people out of the car and pretending to drive away.
Opening and sniffing a pack of tennis balls. (To each his own!)
Finding money you didn’t even know you lost. (YES! This is definitely AWESOME!)
Waiters and waitresses who bring free refills without asking.
Fat baseball players.
Being the first table to get called up for the dinner buffet at a wedding.
Really, really old Tupperware.
Picking up a "q" and "u" at the same time in Scrabble. (This man is a genius! A genius, I tell you!)
Blowing your nose in the shower. (I don't get this one. Must be another "guy" thing.)
Picking the perfect nacho off someone else’s plate.
When you pull to a red light and the guy in front of you nudges up a bit so you can make a right turn. (This is totally AWESOME!)
Eating things past the expiry date.
Eating the last piece of dessert somebody left at your house.
Wearing underwear just out of the dryer. (Not just awesome... heavenly!)
Old, dangerous playground equipment. (Again, a "guy" thing and not a "mom" thing.)
I LOVE this guy! And you can love him, too. I'll be sharing his website information on Thursday under Blog Linkage.
Strawberries and Cream Mini Muffins
I'm a "muffin" girl. I love them. And even though I can now only have a bite of a muffin, I still like trying new recipes. (I also like trying ANY muffin Starbucks offers. They have a Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin every fall that is "to die for.")
But I digress (again). This is a Nigella Lawson recipe, so it's not a super-easy- four-ingredient type of recipe. It's a homemade-melt-in-your-mouth muffin recipe.
You will need the following:
1 cup strawberries (slightly under-ripe)
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1. Dice your strawberries into quarter-inch pieces.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin tin with paper baking cups.
3. Put diced strawberries into a bowl and spritz lemon juice on them. Stir gently to combine.
4. In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, sugar and baking powder.
5. In a small bowl, beat together oil, sour cream, vanilla and egg. Pour mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to combine with a wooden spoon.
6. Fold in strawberries. (I love this kind of folding... much better than clothes folding.)
7. Divide batter evenly among the paper cups in the mini-muffin tin.
8. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
9. Cool for five minutes. When muffins are completely cool, dust the muffins with the powdered sugar.
Nine steps to delicious muffins. I'll have a step-by-step tutorial tomorrow... and you can see me eating one! (I CAN have a whole mini muffin.)
Wednesday is the busiest day of all on A Simple Life. I have a ton of stuff to talk about, so if you get a chance, visit again.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Lemon-Lime Punch
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from a little experiment I tried late yesterday afternoon. I love taking pics of kids jumping on a trampoline. The flying hair... the flailing arms... the naturally big smiles. Let's just say the results are different on 49 year-old women.
RANDOMNESS #1 - Austin and Melia were talking about Mark Twain last week, and an essay he had written about Adam and Eve... from Adam's perspective. It is most definitely a work of humorous fiction and not Biblical truth, but I wanted to share some of it with you today. It made me smile.
Excerpt from Diary of Adam by Mark Twain
MONDAY - This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don't like this. I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals.
TUESDAY - Been examining the great waterfall. It is the finest thing on the estate, I think. The new creature calls it Niagara Falls. Why, I am sure I do not know. Says it LOOKS like Niagara Falls. That is not a reason. I get no chance to name anything myself. The new creature names everything that comes along before I can get in a protest. And always that same pretext is offered... it LOOKS like the thing. There is a dodo, for instance. Says the moment one looks at it one sees at a glance that it "looks like a dodo." It will have to keep that name, no doubt. It wearies me to fret about it, and it does no good, anyway. Dodo! It looks no more like a dodo than I do.
FRIDAY - The naming goes recklessly on, in spite of anything I can do. I had a very good name for the estate, and it was musical and pretty... GARDEN OF EDEN. Privately, I continue to call it that, but not any longer publicly. The new creature says it is all woods and rocks and scenery, and therefore has no resemblance to a garden. Says it LOOKS like a park, and does not look like anything BUT a park. Consequently, without consulting me, it has been new-named NIAGARA FALLS PARK. This is sufficiently high-handed, it seems to me. And already there is a sign up:
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
My life is not as happy as it was.
SATURDAY - The new creature eats too much fruit. We are going to run short, most likely. "We" again... That is IT'S word. Mine, too, from hearing it so much.
SUNDAY - Pulled through. This day is getting to be more and more trying. It was selected and set apart last November as a day of rest. I had already six of them per week before.
MONDAY - The new creature says it's name is Eve. That is all right. I have no objections. Says it is to call it by when I want it to come. I said it was superfluous. The word evidently raised me in it's respect; and indeed it is a large, good word and will bear repetition. It says it is not an "It." It is a "She." This is probably doubtful; yet it is all one to me.
TUESDAY - She has littered the whole estate with names and offensive signs:
THIS WAY TO THE WHIRLPOOL
THIS WAY WAY TO GOAT ISLAND
THIS WAY TO CAVE OF THE WINDS
She says this park would make a tidy summer resort if there was any custom for it. Summer resort... another invention of her's. Just words without any meaning. What is a summer resort? But it is best not to ask her. She has such a rage for explaining.
FRIDAY - She has taken to beseeching me to stop going over the Falls. What harm does it do? Says it makes her shudder. I wonder why. I have always done it... always liked the plunge and coolness. I supposed it was what the Falls were for. They have no other use that I can see, and they must have been made for something. She says they were only made for scenery... like the rhinoceros and the mastodon.
SUNDAY - Pulled through.
Interesting and humorous (and very fictional)... those words definitely describe Mr. Twain! (And he seemed to have a pretty good handle on what made a chick tick... even though I don't think his description of Eve is even remotely accurate.)
RANDOMNESS #2 - I found someone to go with me to see African Cats this week. It's not a 14 year-old chick kind of movie... and a 17 year-old guy would rather cut grass than be seen at a movie with his Mom (I didn't even ask Josh). But Austin... Well, Austin is another story entirely. He's my Zoo/Animal Boy. And at 20 years of age, he is secure enough in his own skin to be seen in public with his Mom. (That, and I offered to buy lunch AND popcorn.)
I was so excited. We were going to go out to eat and catch the 1:30 show TOMORROW. But, alas... He was offered an eight-hour shift at the Chick. I was beyond sad until I thought, "We could go next Monday. He doesn't have to go back to JSU for Maymester until May 4." So Monday it is... or maybe Tuesday. I'll be flexible, and HOPE the Chick doesn't call.
Lemon-Lime Punch
I made this punch for the Time of Day Shower I helped host last weekend. Since one of the bride's colors was green, I used Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid, but you can also use Strawberry Kool-Aid for pink, Lemonade Kool-Aid for yellow, etc., etc. It is simple, refreshing and EASY to mix at the shower.
You will need the following:
2 packages unsweetened Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid drink mix powder
1 (46 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 cup white sugar
2 quarts water
1 liter ginger ale
1. Keep pineapple juice can and ginger ale in refrigerator overnight.
2. In a large punch bowl, combine drink mix, pineapple juice, sugar and water. Stir until dissolved. Add in the ginger ale.
NOTE - I used one quart cold tap water and one quart ice cubes. The pineapple juice and ginger ale were already cold. The ice cubes kept the punch cold throughout the two hour shower.
Have a terrific Tuesday. I have tons of info to post Wednesday, so be sure and check it out if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from a little experiment I tried late yesterday afternoon. I love taking pics of kids jumping on a trampoline. The flying hair... the flailing arms... the naturally big smiles. Let's just say the results are different on 49 year-old women.
RANDOMNESS #1 - Austin and Melia were talking about Mark Twain last week, and an essay he had written about Adam and Eve... from Adam's perspective. It is most definitely a work of humorous fiction and not Biblical truth, but I wanted to share some of it with you today. It made me smile.
Excerpt from Diary of Adam by Mark Twain
MONDAY - This new creature with the long hair is a good deal in the way. It is always hanging around and following me about. I don't like this. I am not used to company. I wish it would stay with the other animals.
TUESDAY - Been examining the great waterfall. It is the finest thing on the estate, I think. The new creature calls it Niagara Falls. Why, I am sure I do not know. Says it LOOKS like Niagara Falls. That is not a reason. I get no chance to name anything myself. The new creature names everything that comes along before I can get in a protest. And always that same pretext is offered... it LOOKS like the thing. There is a dodo, for instance. Says the moment one looks at it one sees at a glance that it "looks like a dodo." It will have to keep that name, no doubt. It wearies me to fret about it, and it does no good, anyway. Dodo! It looks no more like a dodo than I do.
FRIDAY - The naming goes recklessly on, in spite of anything I can do. I had a very good name for the estate, and it was musical and pretty... GARDEN OF EDEN. Privately, I continue to call it that, but not any longer publicly. The new creature says it is all woods and rocks and scenery, and therefore has no resemblance to a garden. Says it LOOKS like a park, and does not look like anything BUT a park. Consequently, without consulting me, it has been new-named NIAGARA FALLS PARK. This is sufficiently high-handed, it seems to me. And already there is a sign up:
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
My life is not as happy as it was.
SATURDAY - The new creature eats too much fruit. We are going to run short, most likely. "We" again... That is IT'S word. Mine, too, from hearing it so much.
SUNDAY - Pulled through. This day is getting to be more and more trying. It was selected and set apart last November as a day of rest. I had already six of them per week before.
MONDAY - The new creature says it's name is Eve. That is all right. I have no objections. Says it is to call it by when I want it to come. I said it was superfluous. The word evidently raised me in it's respect; and indeed it is a large, good word and will bear repetition. It says it is not an "It." It is a "She." This is probably doubtful; yet it is all one to me.
TUESDAY - She has littered the whole estate with names and offensive signs:
THIS WAY TO THE WHIRLPOOL
THIS WAY WAY TO GOAT ISLAND
THIS WAY TO CAVE OF THE WINDS
She says this park would make a tidy summer resort if there was any custom for it. Summer resort... another invention of her's. Just words without any meaning. What is a summer resort? But it is best not to ask her. She has such a rage for explaining.
FRIDAY - She has taken to beseeching me to stop going over the Falls. What harm does it do? Says it makes her shudder. I wonder why. I have always done it... always liked the plunge and coolness. I supposed it was what the Falls were for. They have no other use that I can see, and they must have been made for something. She says they were only made for scenery... like the rhinoceros and the mastodon.
SUNDAY - Pulled through.
Interesting and humorous (and very fictional)... those words definitely describe Mr. Twain! (And he seemed to have a pretty good handle on what made a chick tick... even though I don't think his description of Eve is even remotely accurate.)
RANDOMNESS #2 - I found someone to go with me to see African Cats this week. It's not a 14 year-old chick kind of movie... and a 17 year-old guy would rather cut grass than be seen at a movie with his Mom (I didn't even ask Josh). But Austin... Well, Austin is another story entirely. He's my Zoo/Animal Boy. And at 20 years of age, he is secure enough in his own skin to be seen in public with his Mom. (That, and I offered to buy lunch AND popcorn.)
I was so excited. We were going to go out to eat and catch the 1:30 show TOMORROW. But, alas... He was offered an eight-hour shift at the Chick. I was beyond sad until I thought, "We could go next Monday. He doesn't have to go back to JSU for Maymester until May 4." So Monday it is... or maybe Tuesday. I'll be flexible, and HOPE the Chick doesn't call.
Lemon-Lime Punch
I made this punch for the Time of Day Shower I helped host last weekend. Since one of the bride's colors was green, I used Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid, but you can also use Strawberry Kool-Aid for pink, Lemonade Kool-Aid for yellow, etc., etc. It is simple, refreshing and EASY to mix at the shower.
You will need the following:
2 packages unsweetened Lemon-Lime Kool-Aid drink mix powder
1 (46 ounce) can pineapple juice
1 cup white sugar
2 quarts water
1 liter ginger ale
1. Keep pineapple juice can and ginger ale in refrigerator overnight.
2. In a large punch bowl, combine drink mix, pineapple juice, sugar and water. Stir until dissolved. Add in the ginger ale.
NOTE - I used one quart cold tap water and one quart ice cubes. The pineapple juice and ginger ale were already cold. The ice cubes kept the punch cold throughout the two hour shower.
Have a terrific Tuesday. I have tons of info to post Wednesday, so be sure and check it out if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Pinwheel Sandwiches
Good Tuesday morning!
I've posted more Shower pics in the Gallery today... along with a step-by-step Pinwheel Sandwich tutorial. If I can make them, anyone can!
RANDOMNESS #1 - In yesterday's TRUE story, we left off with me having just thrown a very wet rag toward Mikie in the bathroom for him to hold on his forehead. (Not my finest moment, I must admit.)
It was Day Five of the Ten-Day Illness, and Mikie had cheated by starting a whole new set of symptoms... throwing up, etc., etc. (Some of the new symptoms seem inconsequential compared to the first one mentioned, so I won't specifically address those.)
When I arrived home at the end of Day Five, Mikie had assumed his position on the sofa. I poked and prodded him until he took a shower. I fixed the obligatory Ten-Day Illness meal... soup and cheese toast.
When he came back from his shower, he smiled weakly and said, "Only five days left."
For some reason, that totally infuriated me. "No," I said. "No. In the real world, you could actually feel better tomorrow. You never know. This could be the end of your illness. Things could be looking up for us. YOU ARE NOT EVEN TRYING!"
He shook his head, slightly patronizing, and said, "The next five days will fly by. You'll see."
"You've lost your job, haven't you? You don't have the will to get better because you know you don't have anywhere to go, and you are no longer able to support me in the manner in which I've become accustomed. You know. The two bedroom apartment/tiny kitchen/brown shag carpet 'manner.'"
Mikie just looked at me.
"And you know I'm not just talking anymore. When you go to sleep tonight, I'm going to hit you with the baseball bat."
Finally, he spoke. "I get this two or three times a year. It lasts ten days. No more, no less. I still have a job." Here's the kicker. "And if you were sick, I would not threaten to hit you with a baseball bat when you finally fell asleep after a miserable day of sitting on the couch watching TV, eating stale crackers and drinking flat Sprite. I just wouldn't."
I should have been totally ashamed. I should have become a better spouse then and there. However, all I heard of that little speech was the first sentence. "I get this two or three times a year."
"I thought you said you only got this twice a year. There's a chance you're going to get it three times a year? Are you kidding me?"
He wasn't. Mikie had his Ten-Day Illness two or three times a year until Roxie's first Christmas. He got sick five days before the big day... so on Day Six of the Ten-Day Illness he actually HAD to get up, shower, get dressed and have Christmas with his three kids... two of them being in the throes of Christmas hysteria (ages three and five) and one of them being brand-spankin' new.
Did he feel great that Christmas Day? No. He was weak and tired, and he napped off and on all day.
Did he get worse on Day Seven of the Ten-Day Illness? No. He was actually a little stronger, and felt a little better.
Has he had a Ten-Day Illness in the past 13 years? Nope. He cut it down to a Five-Day Illness... which he has once or twice every year.
Am I a better caregiver than I was 23 years ago? I would have to say, "Yes. Yes I am."
If Mikie answers that question differently, I may have to hit him with a baseball bat after he goes to sleep tonight.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Sorry. I went a little long finishing that sad, sad tale. I'll tell the story about Austin's first (and only) stitches tomorrow. I was a rock, I tell you! A rock!
Pinwheel Sandwiches
My Mom and I first made these for my MamMa's 90th Birthday Celebration in February. It's not rocket science, but new things tend to intimidate me. Fun fact for you... Anything I have to roll or stuff intimidates me. (Homemade cinnamon rolls, chicken cordon bleu, etc., etc.)
As you will see below, I have conquered my fear of Pinwheel Sandwiches!
You will need the following:
10 large flour tortillas
1 (8 ounce) container of whipped cream cheese
1/2 packet of dry Ranch Dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar or blend)
1 (16 ounce) package of ham or turkey sandwich meat
1 small package of spinach leaves
Wax paper
1. Mix dry Ranch Dressing and whipped cream cheese together.
2. On a tortilla, spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the entire surface.
3. Sprinkle a light amount of shredded cheese on top of cream cheese.
4. Place and slightly overlap four pieces of sandwich meat in the middle of the tortilla. (The sandwich meat should NOT touch the outer edge of the tortilla.)
5. Wash and place spinach leaves (6 to 8 depending on size) on the outer edge of the sandwich meat in a circle. (Be sure to tear off any stems attached to the spinach leaves.)
6. TIGHTLY roll the tortilla into a thin tube. You will need to "tuck" the meat and spinach leaves in as you roll. If you do not "tuck," the meat and leaves will be pushed to the edge of the tortilla. (That would be BAD.)
7. After you have made a very tight roll, place the pinwheel sandwich tube on a sheet of wax paper. Once again, you will TIGHTLY roll the wax paper around the sandwich tube. Twist the ends of the wax paper, and place it in the refrigerator.
8. The sandwich rolls need to be refrigerated at least 24 hours to set.
9. Prior to serving, unroll the tube from the wax paper and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" slices. Place the slices on wax paper side by side. You should be able to get 10 or 11 sandwiches per roll. When you fill a piece of wax paper, place a sheet of wax paper on top of the already cut sandwiches and start a second layer.
10. Seal and refrigerate until time to serve.
I know. Ten steps. It looks like too much, but believe me... it isn't.
Oh. I forgot to mention they are SO good! Even the kids love them. Spinach and all!
Have a blessed Tuesday. Wednesday I have some wisdom to bestow upon you. As always, it is from someone much wiser than The Enchanting Belinda. But you already knew that, didn't you? I also have an Easter tradition for you to try with your family this season. I will have another "Reason I'm Not in Nursing" story, more Randomness and some new pics to share, too.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
I've posted more Shower pics in the Gallery today... along with a step-by-step Pinwheel Sandwich tutorial. If I can make them, anyone can!
RANDOMNESS #1 - In yesterday's TRUE story, we left off with me having just thrown a very wet rag toward Mikie in the bathroom for him to hold on his forehead. (Not my finest moment, I must admit.)
It was Day Five of the Ten-Day Illness, and Mikie had cheated by starting a whole new set of symptoms... throwing up, etc., etc. (Some of the new symptoms seem inconsequential compared to the first one mentioned, so I won't specifically address those.)
When I arrived home at the end of Day Five, Mikie had assumed his position on the sofa. I poked and prodded him until he took a shower. I fixed the obligatory Ten-Day Illness meal... soup and cheese toast.
When he came back from his shower, he smiled weakly and said, "Only five days left."
For some reason, that totally infuriated me. "No," I said. "No. In the real world, you could actually feel better tomorrow. You never know. This could be the end of your illness. Things could be looking up for us. YOU ARE NOT EVEN TRYING!"
He shook his head, slightly patronizing, and said, "The next five days will fly by. You'll see."
"You've lost your job, haven't you? You don't have the will to get better because you know you don't have anywhere to go, and you are no longer able to support me in the manner in which I've become accustomed. You know. The two bedroom apartment/tiny kitchen/brown shag carpet 'manner.'"
Mikie just looked at me.
"And you know I'm not just talking anymore. When you go to sleep tonight, I'm going to hit you with the baseball bat."
Finally, he spoke. "I get this two or three times a year. It lasts ten days. No more, no less. I still have a job." Here's the kicker. "And if you were sick, I would not threaten to hit you with a baseball bat when you finally fell asleep after a miserable day of sitting on the couch watching TV, eating stale crackers and drinking flat Sprite. I just wouldn't."
I should have been totally ashamed. I should have become a better spouse then and there. However, all I heard of that little speech was the first sentence. "I get this two or three times a year."
"I thought you said you only got this twice a year. There's a chance you're going to get it three times a year? Are you kidding me?"
He wasn't. Mikie had his Ten-Day Illness two or three times a year until Roxie's first Christmas. He got sick five days before the big day... so on Day Six of the Ten-Day Illness he actually HAD to get up, shower, get dressed and have Christmas with his three kids... two of them being in the throes of Christmas hysteria (ages three and five) and one of them being brand-spankin' new.
Did he feel great that Christmas Day? No. He was weak and tired, and he napped off and on all day.
Did he get worse on Day Seven of the Ten-Day Illness? No. He was actually a little stronger, and felt a little better.
Has he had a Ten-Day Illness in the past 13 years? Nope. He cut it down to a Five-Day Illness... which he has once or twice every year.
Am I a better caregiver than I was 23 years ago? I would have to say, "Yes. Yes I am."
If Mikie answers that question differently, I may have to hit him with a baseball bat after he goes to sleep tonight.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Sorry. I went a little long finishing that sad, sad tale. I'll tell the story about Austin's first (and only) stitches tomorrow. I was a rock, I tell you! A rock!
Pinwheel Sandwiches
My Mom and I first made these for my MamMa's 90th Birthday Celebration in February. It's not rocket science, but new things tend to intimidate me. Fun fact for you... Anything I have to roll or stuff intimidates me. (Homemade cinnamon rolls, chicken cordon bleu, etc., etc.)
As you will see below, I have conquered my fear of Pinwheel Sandwiches!
You will need the following:
10 large flour tortillas
1 (8 ounce) container of whipped cream cheese
1/2 packet of dry Ranch Dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar or blend)
1 (16 ounce) package of ham or turkey sandwich meat
1 small package of spinach leaves
Wax paper
1. Mix dry Ranch Dressing and whipped cream cheese together.
2. On a tortilla, spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the entire surface.
3. Sprinkle a light amount of shredded cheese on top of cream cheese.
4. Place and slightly overlap four pieces of sandwich meat in the middle of the tortilla. (The sandwich meat should NOT touch the outer edge of the tortilla.)
5. Wash and place spinach leaves (6 to 8 depending on size) on the outer edge of the sandwich meat in a circle. (Be sure to tear off any stems attached to the spinach leaves.)
6. TIGHTLY roll the tortilla into a thin tube. You will need to "tuck" the meat and spinach leaves in as you roll. If you do not "tuck," the meat and leaves will be pushed to the edge of the tortilla. (That would be BAD.)
7. After you have made a very tight roll, place the pinwheel sandwich tube on a sheet of wax paper. Once again, you will TIGHTLY roll the wax paper around the sandwich tube. Twist the ends of the wax paper, and place it in the refrigerator.
8. The sandwich rolls need to be refrigerated at least 24 hours to set.
9. Prior to serving, unroll the tube from the wax paper and cut into 1/2" to 3/4" slices. Place the slices on wax paper side by side. You should be able to get 10 or 11 sandwiches per roll. When you fill a piece of wax paper, place a sheet of wax paper on top of the already cut sandwiches and start a second layer.
10. Seal and refrigerate until time to serve.
I know. Ten steps. It looks like too much, but believe me... it isn't.
Oh. I forgot to mention they are SO good! Even the kids love them. Spinach and all!
Have a blessed Tuesday. Wednesday I have some wisdom to bestow upon you. As always, it is from someone much wiser than The Enchanting Belinda. But you already knew that, didn't you? I also have an Easter tradition for you to try with your family this season. I will have another "Reason I'm Not in Nursing" story, more Randomness and some new pics to share, too.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Easy Breezy Beef Stew
Good Tuesday morning!
I've added a couple more pics of Roxie and friend in the Gallery. I have over 100 left over from Saturday, but I promise I'll take beagle photos this afternoon to give you something different to look forward to tomorrow!
RANDOMNESS #1 - Tune in tomorrow. I'm announcing a new contest, and you will definitely want to be a part of this one. My wonderful Cranberry Spice candle from Yucatan Trading is almost gone. That means I will be making the trek to Bluff Park sometime next week to purchase a new candle. A Butt Naked candle. And for one of you lucky readers of A Simple Life, I'll be giving away a second Butt Naked candle I plan on purchasing while at the store.
You may think you do not want a candle named Butt Naked... but you would be so wrong.
I'll have the rules posted tomorrow.
RANDOMNESS #2 - I found a Martha Stewart Party-Planning Guide this morning. I thought it was pretty interesting. She never ceases to amaze me... in a good way. I'll share some of it with you today.
1 Month Before:
Choose the type of party you want to throw.
Set the date.
Prepare your guest list.
Mail or e-mail invitations, or call guests to invite them.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "Okay. The above is very doable for me. I like planning a month ahead. I could easily do the '1 Month Before' part. Just call me 'Martha.'"
3 Weeks Before:
Choose the menu. Organize recipes for easy reference.
Create a timeline for preparing your chosen recipes.
Read through recipes and make lists of the ingredients you need to buy.
Try out any new recipes you want to troubleshoot.
Prepare any items that can be frozen.
Arrange to borrow, rent or buy serving pieces and other items you might need.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "All righty. I can definitely choose the menu. No problem there. I can also eliminate the 'troubleshooting' part of the above by using my already vast knowledge of tried and true recipes I've made over the years. I can also borrow paper plates, etc. from one of my neighbors one hour before the party. Been there, done that."
2 Weeks Before:
If you're throwing a potluck, let guests know what to make.
Practice setting your table.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "Uh, yeah. We're having a potluck. I can totally notify the guests. I may or may not practice setting my table. Wait. We all know I will NOT practice setting my table. I've cut down on this part of the process considerably."
1 Week Before:
Call or e-mail guests who have not RSVP'd to see if they plan to attend.
Make space in refrigerator so you'll have room to store groceries.
Prepare recipes that keep well up to a week.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "I have foraging teenagers living in my house. Nothing keeps well up to a week. I barely have time to get it off the stove top or out of the microwave. This could present a problem."
I'll post the rest of the Guide tomorrow. Just so you know, I am keeping this with my cookbooks, because (even though I'm poking a little fun) it really is a very useful organization tool.
And that's why I'm here. To borrow ideas from others to make your life (and mine) more SIMPLE!
Easy Breezy Beef Stew
I decided to make beef stew for last Sunday's lunch. I THOUGHT I had the stew meat, the beef stew seasoning packet, carrots, potatoes, extra gravy, etc., etc.
However, on Saturday night as I was throwing everything into the slow cooker, I couldn't find the gravy OR the seasoning packet. Hmmm. I could very well have left that bag at the grocery store.
I was already extremely comfortable in my pajamas, and I had no desire to make a Wal-Mart run... or to ask Mikie to make a Wal-Mart run. I decided to raid the pantry.
I found a package of Bear Creek Vegetable Beef Soup Mix. After reading the back of the package, I discovered a beef stew recipe. Eureka! But it wasn't a slow cooker recipe. Sadness!
I decided to experiment, and since 35 percent of all of my cooking experiments succeed, I was very hopeful. Guess what? I can now say 36 percent of my cooking experiments succeed!
You will need the following:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds stew meat
1 package Bear Creek Vegetable Beef Soup Mix
6 cups water
1 handful of baby carrots (optional)
1 container of fresh mushrooms, washed (optional)
1 yellow onion (peeled, but still whole)
1. Add all of the above in the slow cooker.
2. Cook overnight on Low Setting. (I started the slow cooker at 11:00 p.m. and turned it to warm at 6:00 a.m. It was just right.)
3. Serve with cornbread, salad, Milo's Sweet Tea, etc.
It was very good. The package instructions tell you to add 8 cups of water. While the 6 cups of water made a thick stew, if you want the gravy a little thin, you can add up to 8 cups.
An easier Sunday dinner has yet to be made. Enjoy!
Have a terrific Tuesday. It is so beautiful in Central Alabama today. I have a bunch of Easter ideas to share tomorrow and Thursday, so don't forget to visit if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
I've added a couple more pics of Roxie and friend in the Gallery. I have over 100 left over from Saturday, but I promise I'll take beagle photos this afternoon to give you something different to look forward to tomorrow!
RANDOMNESS #1 - Tune in tomorrow. I'm announcing a new contest, and you will definitely want to be a part of this one. My wonderful Cranberry Spice candle from Yucatan Trading is almost gone. That means I will be making the trek to Bluff Park sometime next week to purchase a new candle. A Butt Naked candle. And for one of you lucky readers of A Simple Life, I'll be giving away a second Butt Naked candle I plan on purchasing while at the store.
You may think you do not want a candle named Butt Naked... but you would be so wrong.
I'll have the rules posted tomorrow.
RANDOMNESS #2 - I found a Martha Stewart Party-Planning Guide this morning. I thought it was pretty interesting. She never ceases to amaze me... in a good way. I'll share some of it with you today.
1 Month Before:
Choose the type of party you want to throw.
Set the date.
Prepare your guest list.
Mail or e-mail invitations, or call guests to invite them.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "Okay. The above is very doable for me. I like planning a month ahead. I could easily do the '1 Month Before' part. Just call me 'Martha.'"
3 Weeks Before:
Choose the menu. Organize recipes for easy reference.
Create a timeline for preparing your chosen recipes.
Read through recipes and make lists of the ingredients you need to buy.
Try out any new recipes you want to troubleshoot.
Prepare any items that can be frozen.
Arrange to borrow, rent or buy serving pieces and other items you might need.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "All righty. I can definitely choose the menu. No problem there. I can also eliminate the 'troubleshooting' part of the above by using my already vast knowledge of tried and true recipes I've made over the years. I can also borrow paper plates, etc. from one of my neighbors one hour before the party. Been there, done that."
2 Weeks Before:
If you're throwing a potluck, let guests know what to make.
Practice setting your table.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "Uh, yeah. We're having a potluck. I can totally notify the guests. I may or may not practice setting my table. Wait. We all know I will NOT practice setting my table. I've cut down on this part of the process considerably."
1 Week Before:
Call or e-mail guests who have not RSVP'd to see if they plan to attend.
Make space in refrigerator so you'll have room to store groceries.
Prepare recipes that keep well up to a week.
The Enchanting Belinda says, "I have foraging teenagers living in my house. Nothing keeps well up to a week. I barely have time to get it off the stove top or out of the microwave. This could present a problem."
I'll post the rest of the Guide tomorrow. Just so you know, I am keeping this with my cookbooks, because (even though I'm poking a little fun) it really is a very useful organization tool.
And that's why I'm here. To borrow ideas from others to make your life (and mine) more SIMPLE!
Easy Breezy Beef Stew
I decided to make beef stew for last Sunday's lunch. I THOUGHT I had the stew meat, the beef stew seasoning packet, carrots, potatoes, extra gravy, etc., etc.
However, on Saturday night as I was throwing everything into the slow cooker, I couldn't find the gravy OR the seasoning packet. Hmmm. I could very well have left that bag at the grocery store.
I was already extremely comfortable in my pajamas, and I had no desire to make a Wal-Mart run... or to ask Mikie to make a Wal-Mart run. I decided to raid the pantry.
I found a package of Bear Creek Vegetable Beef Soup Mix. After reading the back of the package, I discovered a beef stew recipe. Eureka! But it wasn't a slow cooker recipe. Sadness!
I decided to experiment, and since 35 percent of all of my cooking experiments succeed, I was very hopeful. Guess what? I can now say 36 percent of my cooking experiments succeed!
You will need the following:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds stew meat
1 package Bear Creek Vegetable Beef Soup Mix
6 cups water
1 handful of baby carrots (optional)
1 container of fresh mushrooms, washed (optional)
1 yellow onion (peeled, but still whole)
1. Add all of the above in the slow cooker.
2. Cook overnight on Low Setting. (I started the slow cooker at 11:00 p.m. and turned it to warm at 6:00 a.m. It was just right.)
3. Serve with cornbread, salad, Milo's Sweet Tea, etc.
It was very good. The package instructions tell you to add 8 cups of water. While the 6 cups of water made a thick stew, if you want the gravy a little thin, you can add up to 8 cups.
An easier Sunday dinner has yet to be made. Enjoy!
Have a terrific Tuesday. It is so beautiful in Central Alabama today. I have a bunch of Easter ideas to share tomorrow and Thursday, so don't forget to visit if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Key Lime Cake/Cream Cheese Icing
Good Tuesday morning!
I've decided to try a little something different in the Gallery the next couple of days. I'm going to do "A Day in the Life... ." Of course, it will be my life, so don't let your expectations become too high. If all goes well, I may see if Roxie or other family members will sign a waiver and allow me to follow them around documenting one of their days. My guess is NOT!
RANDOMNESS - I told you last week I would be sharing a couple of "back in the day" work stories from my legal secretary days this week. (NOTE - I will not come out looking very "good" in some of these stories. Just saying.)
I worked in a very nice law firm for almost ten years, and I enjoyed the people and the work and my boss. I had my moments of being a good legal secretary... and I had other moments, too. The following is a story of one of the "other" moments.
One of my duties as a legal secretary was to reserve conference rooms for large client meetings, seat the clients in the conference room and make sure they were comfortable. Coffee, soft drinks, pens, paper, documents, files, etc. were delivered and distributed to the proper people. I then worked close by my desk in case a need arose in the conference room. (Copies to be made, more coffee, lunch ordered, etc., etc.)
On one such day when a large conference was taking place, I was called to the conference room for the men to place lunch orders. I stood in the doorway with my pad and pen in hand waiting patiently while they discussed their lunch options. There was a lot of discussion.
Standing in the doorway, my mind began to think ahead about other tasks I needed to do later in the day, and I slightly leaned toward the door frame. It would not have been a full lean... just that side of my body touching the door frame while I wrote down the lunch orders when and if they ever decided. (I didn't want you to think I was lazy!)
I've never implied I was the sharpest tool in the tool shed, but what happened next was pretty bad... even for me.
As I slightly leaned toward the very sturdy door frame, it quickly became apparent I wasn't standing within the boundaries of the door frame. I was standing outside of the door frame in the hall.
Without the door frame to break my "lean," I fell all the way to the ground... sideways. I didn't make a sound (other than "thud"). I didn't put an arm down to stop the fall. I didn't move my feet to try to catch me. I was a like a tree which had been cut down and with no resistance whatsoever, I landed on my side in the hallway clutching my pen and notebook to my chest.
Now, if you have ever fallen in public, there are always questions involved. Do I stay down and act like I fainted? Do I quickly jump back up and hope no one noticed? Do I slowly move my limbs on the right side of my body to see if I have any broken bones? Do I pull my skirt down to an acceptable level since it is now up at my waist?
Take it from me. Those are a lot of questions to answer in only a matter of a few seconds. As I tried to decide what to do, I noticed there was complete silence in the conference room. "Maybe they thought I just stepped away for a moment? That would be great."
With that thought in mind I started dragging my body away from the front of the open conference room door so they wouldn't notice my unbelievably long legs lying motionless... or one of my shoes which had slipped off during the fall. It was not that simple.
My boss cleared his throat. "Uh, Belinda. Are you okay?"
That answered the question of what I needed to do. Since they had noticed my legs moving out of the doorway... had seen one foot trying to retrieve the missing shoe... and had heard me moaning because the pain was starting to kick in, the "fainting" scenario was no longer an option. I was going to have to go with the "quickly jump up and act like nothing happened" scenario.
However, an injured elbow and hip hindered the jumping up part, but I was fortunate enough to have an associate attorney walk down the hall about the time I was struggling, and he set me on my feet, brushed off my skirt and handed me the missing shoe... and never acted like anything had happened at all. (He was my favorite associate that day, I tell you.)
The men quickly gave me their lunch orders, and I quickly hopped/limped/drug myself around the corner to assess any and all damage. My boss excused himself then and came to check on me.
"Are you bleeding?" he asked.
"No. Not yet. I'm missing a lot of skin on my elbow from carpet burn, but it doesn't seem to be bleeding."
"Did you hit your head?" he asked.
"I wish," I replied.
"Can you walk to the restaurant to pick up our lunches?" he questioned further.
"Probably not. You know... Since my hip and right leg don't seem to be working properly yet. I'll see if another girl can run down and pick it up," I offered.
"Do you need to go home?"
"Noooo. I want to stay! Please don't make me go home!" I just said that because it seemed like the thing a really good legal secretary would say. (I didn't mean it... at all.)
I wish I could say the above story and the pigeon falling on my head were the two worse things that ever happened while I worked in the professional world, but I would be lying. And if there's one thing I try never to do on A Simple Life... it's lie... or exaggerate!
Key Lime Cake/Cream Cheese Icing
One of the desserts served at the dinner we attended Friday evening was a Key Lime Cake. Not only was it pretty (lime green), but it was delicious. People were even taking home extra pieces for a bedtime snack. Connie Lee made the cake, and she told me the quick and easy recipe, but I didn't write it down. I googled it this morning, and I think I found one similar to the one she described.
You will need the following:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1. Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice.
2. Pour into a 9" x 13" cake pan. Bake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool, then frost.
3. Frosting - In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
4. Add lime juice and confectioners' sugar. Mix well.
5. Eat it! Eat it all!
I'll check with Connie and find out what she does differently, and post those instructions later this week. I'm not a key lime pie fan, but I love the key lime cake.
Have a fun-filled Tuesday. Wednesday Wisdom, Seasonal Traditions and so much more await your return tomorrow!
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
I've decided to try a little something different in the Gallery the next couple of days. I'm going to do "A Day in the Life... ." Of course, it will be my life, so don't let your expectations become too high. If all goes well, I may see if Roxie or other family members will sign a waiver and allow me to follow them around documenting one of their days. My guess is NOT!
RANDOMNESS - I told you last week I would be sharing a couple of "back in the day" work stories from my legal secretary days this week. (NOTE - I will not come out looking very "good" in some of these stories. Just saying.)
I worked in a very nice law firm for almost ten years, and I enjoyed the people and the work and my boss. I had my moments of being a good legal secretary... and I had other moments, too. The following is a story of one of the "other" moments.
One of my duties as a legal secretary was to reserve conference rooms for large client meetings, seat the clients in the conference room and make sure they were comfortable. Coffee, soft drinks, pens, paper, documents, files, etc. were delivered and distributed to the proper people. I then worked close by my desk in case a need arose in the conference room. (Copies to be made, more coffee, lunch ordered, etc., etc.)
On one such day when a large conference was taking place, I was called to the conference room for the men to place lunch orders. I stood in the doorway with my pad and pen in hand waiting patiently while they discussed their lunch options. There was a lot of discussion.
Standing in the doorway, my mind began to think ahead about other tasks I needed to do later in the day, and I slightly leaned toward the door frame. It would not have been a full lean... just that side of my body touching the door frame while I wrote down the lunch orders when and if they ever decided. (I didn't want you to think I was lazy!)
I've never implied I was the sharpest tool in the tool shed, but what happened next was pretty bad... even for me.
As I slightly leaned toward the very sturdy door frame, it quickly became apparent I wasn't standing within the boundaries of the door frame. I was standing outside of the door frame in the hall.
Without the door frame to break my "lean," I fell all the way to the ground... sideways. I didn't make a sound (other than "thud"). I didn't put an arm down to stop the fall. I didn't move my feet to try to catch me. I was a like a tree which had been cut down and with no resistance whatsoever, I landed on my side in the hallway clutching my pen and notebook to my chest.
Now, if you have ever fallen in public, there are always questions involved. Do I stay down and act like I fainted? Do I quickly jump back up and hope no one noticed? Do I slowly move my limbs on the right side of my body to see if I have any broken bones? Do I pull my skirt down to an acceptable level since it is now up at my waist?
Take it from me. Those are a lot of questions to answer in only a matter of a few seconds. As I tried to decide what to do, I noticed there was complete silence in the conference room. "Maybe they thought I just stepped away for a moment? That would be great."
With that thought in mind I started dragging my body away from the front of the open conference room door so they wouldn't notice my unbelievably long legs lying motionless... or one of my shoes which had slipped off during the fall. It was not that simple.
My boss cleared his throat. "Uh, Belinda. Are you okay?"
That answered the question of what I needed to do. Since they had noticed my legs moving out of the doorway... had seen one foot trying to retrieve the missing shoe... and had heard me moaning because the pain was starting to kick in, the "fainting" scenario was no longer an option. I was going to have to go with the "quickly jump up and act like nothing happened" scenario.
However, an injured elbow and hip hindered the jumping up part, but I was fortunate enough to have an associate attorney walk down the hall about the time I was struggling, and he set me on my feet, brushed off my skirt and handed me the missing shoe... and never acted like anything had happened at all. (He was my favorite associate that day, I tell you.)
The men quickly gave me their lunch orders, and I quickly hopped/limped/drug myself around the corner to assess any and all damage. My boss excused himself then and came to check on me.
"Are you bleeding?" he asked.
"No. Not yet. I'm missing a lot of skin on my elbow from carpet burn, but it doesn't seem to be bleeding."
"Did you hit your head?" he asked.
"I wish," I replied.
"Can you walk to the restaurant to pick up our lunches?" he questioned further.
"Probably not. You know... Since my hip and right leg don't seem to be working properly yet. I'll see if another girl can run down and pick it up," I offered.
"Do you need to go home?"
"Noooo. I want to stay! Please don't make me go home!" I just said that because it seemed like the thing a really good legal secretary would say. (I didn't mean it... at all.)
I wish I could say the above story and the pigeon falling on my head were the two worse things that ever happened while I worked in the professional world, but I would be lying. And if there's one thing I try never to do on A Simple Life... it's lie... or exaggerate!
Key Lime Cake/Cream Cheese Icing
One of the desserts served at the dinner we attended Friday evening was a Key Lime Cake. Not only was it pretty (lime green), but it was delicious. People were even taking home extra pieces for a bedtime snack. Connie Lee made the cake, and she told me the quick and easy recipe, but I didn't write it down. I googled it this morning, and I think I found one similar to the one she described.
You will need the following:
1 package lemon cake mix
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1. Combine cake mix, gelatin mix, oil, eggs and orange juice.
2. Pour into a 9" x 13" cake pan. Bake according to instructions on box. Allow to cool, then frost.
3. Frosting - In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
4. Add lime juice and confectioners' sugar. Mix well.
5. Eat it! Eat it all!
I'll check with Connie and find out what she does differently, and post those instructions later this week. I'm not a key lime pie fan, but I love the key lime cake.
Have a fun-filled Tuesday. Wednesday Wisdom, Seasonal Traditions and so much more await your return tomorrow!
Take care, and I'll talk to you in the morning.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
NO-BAKE Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars and NO-BAKE Chewy Nutter Butter Bars
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from a little "adventure" Roxie and I had last night. Thanks to the blog eighteen25 under My Blog List, I "borrowed" an idea they posted a few weeks ago.
Here are the facts:
1. Roxie and Company LOVE to play Ding-Dong Ditch. (You know. The game where you go to someone's house late at night, ring the doorbell and run.)
2. The website above mentioned a cute idea when Ding-Dong Ditching someone. They suggested buying an actual box of Ding Dongs and leaving them with a note on the front porch. (No one is going to be mad at you for Ding-Dong Ditching them if you leave chocolate. NO ONE!)
3. Roxie's friends are trying out for the dance team today.
4. Last night (between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.), we Ding-Dong Ditched several of her buddies wishing them good luck and leaving a delicious Ding Dong for a bedtime snack.
5. It was SO MUCH FUN!
Feel free to Ding-Dong Ditch me using this idea ANY TIME... night or day!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I think I'm going to try another new exercise class. No. I'm not quitting Body Pump or walking, but I am going to check the schedule and go to Body Flow this week or next. I've made up my mind.
My favorite part of Body Pump happens toward the end when we get to stretch. It feels SO good.
Well, guess what? Body Flow is a stretching/Pilates/yoga kind of class. I totally love to stretch.
I also heard the lights are kept low. I look good in "low lit" places. Really good.
And guess what else? At the end of the class, I heard the last stretch lasts about ten minutes and you can actually take a nap during this time if you so desire. (I would "so desire.")
I'll let you know how it goes.
RANDOMNESS #2 - If you've known me two minutes, you know I love zoos. Love them. That is why this story caught my attention this morning while watching The Today Show. The Bronx Zoo in New York City is missing a cobra. That's right! A cobra!
They can't find it anywhere... but they are still looking.
Personally, I think they need to evacuate the city. NOW! TODAY!
If the Birmingham Zoo lost a cobra, the Faulkner Five would be relocating to Tennessee or Georgia. Just saying.
Once again, if you've heard it before, don't whine. Just skip down to the recipes.
Pigeons From Heaven - Part Two
As I was walking to my car on Friday afternoon, I was berating myself for being such a "weenie." I was at my absolute lowest, and I still refused to do what God had told me to do. "What is it going to take?" I asked myself... and God answered.
I saw something dark go over my head out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look up. I heard a tremendous crash directly above my head, but still didn't look up. I felt a large object land on my head, and I COULDN'T look up!
A huge pigeon had flown into a window of the (old) SouthTrust Building and had fallen, stunned, on the Most Stubborn Woman in the World. I dropped everything immediately because from my vantage point, I was unable to see what was on my head.
Then the flapping began and the huge pigeon began hitting my face with its wings. Of course, I still didn't know it was a pigeon. I was thinking along the lines of a vulture, condor or some other enormous man-eating predator. I grabbed the bird and tried to snatch it off my head. The claws were stuck in my new navy blue headband! (Remember, this was over 20 years ago. It was fashionably acceptable for me to wear a headband!) I twisted and pulled and screamed and finally wrestled the pigeon off my head, and in a complete and utter hysterical frenzy, I threw the bird into the plate-glass window of a loan officer's cubicle in SouthTrust Bank. (The horrified look of the young couple applying for a loan on the other side of his desk is burned into my mind forever.) I picked up my purse and ran directly into the street, leaving in my wake one very dead five-pound pigeon.
"Do you really think God dropped a five-pound pigeon on your head to get your attention?" you may ask.
Yes. Yes, I do.
On Monday morning, I turned in my notice. It was the right thing to do. It was part of God's plan for my life, and it was His love and patience that taught the Most Stubborn Woman in the World a very important lesson (again).
Sometimes I think it is so easy for us to take for granted the things we learn as children in Sunday School. The Lord's Prayer comes to mind in this situation. "Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in Heaven." (I've checked all the translations -- it doesn't mention Belinda Faulkner's will even once!)
After much prayer, and the news that Austin would be joining our family, God's will for our lives became clear to us (without pigeons), and we prayerfully decided to live solely on Mike's salary. God has blessed us time and time again, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoy His plan and perfect will for my life much more than dinging cars or wrestling giant fowl out of my hair every day!
No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars
I copied these two recipes from www.picky-palate.com. They look delicious, and I'm making the peanut butter recipe today... which means pictures tomorrow!
You will need the following:
Package (16 ounce) of Oreos
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
1. Place Oreos in food processor and pulse until ground.
2. Melt marshmallows and butter in microwave until puffed (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes).
3. Remove and pour in ground Oreos.
4. Stir to combine then transfer to a foil lined 8" x 8" baking pan. Set up for 10 minutes.
5. Remove bars out of pan with edges of foil and cut into squares.
But wait! There's more!
No-Bake Chewy Nutter Butter Bars
You will need the following:
Package (16 ounce) of Nutter Butters
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
Follow instructions for No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars.
Doesn't this sound good? I'll let you know how it goes in the morning!
Have a lovely Tuesday. I have lots and lots to post Wednesday, so come visit if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from a little "adventure" Roxie and I had last night. Thanks to the blog eighteen25 under My Blog List, I "borrowed" an idea they posted a few weeks ago.
Here are the facts:
1. Roxie and Company LOVE to play Ding-Dong Ditch. (You know. The game where you go to someone's house late at night, ring the doorbell and run.)
2. The website above mentioned a cute idea when Ding-Dong Ditching someone. They suggested buying an actual box of Ding Dongs and leaving them with a note on the front porch. (No one is going to be mad at you for Ding-Dong Ditching them if you leave chocolate. NO ONE!)
3. Roxie's friends are trying out for the dance team today.
4. Last night (between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m.), we Ding-Dong Ditched several of her buddies wishing them good luck and leaving a delicious Ding Dong for a bedtime snack.
5. It was SO MUCH FUN!
Feel free to Ding-Dong Ditch me using this idea ANY TIME... night or day!
RANDOMNESS #1 - I think I'm going to try another new exercise class. No. I'm not quitting Body Pump or walking, but I am going to check the schedule and go to Body Flow this week or next. I've made up my mind.
My favorite part of Body Pump happens toward the end when we get to stretch. It feels SO good.
Well, guess what? Body Flow is a stretching/Pilates/yoga kind of class. I totally love to stretch.
I also heard the lights are kept low. I look good in "low lit" places. Really good.
And guess what else? At the end of the class, I heard the last stretch lasts about ten minutes and you can actually take a nap during this time if you so desire. (I would "so desire.")
I'll let you know how it goes.
RANDOMNESS #2 - If you've known me two minutes, you know I love zoos. Love them. That is why this story caught my attention this morning while watching The Today Show. The Bronx Zoo in New York City is missing a cobra. That's right! A cobra!
They can't find it anywhere... but they are still looking.
Personally, I think they need to evacuate the city. NOW! TODAY!
If the Birmingham Zoo lost a cobra, the Faulkner Five would be relocating to Tennessee or Georgia. Just saying.
Once again, if you've heard it before, don't whine. Just skip down to the recipes.
Pigeons From Heaven - Part Two
As I was walking to my car on Friday afternoon, I was berating myself for being such a "weenie." I was at my absolute lowest, and I still refused to do what God had told me to do. "What is it going to take?" I asked myself... and God answered.
I saw something dark go over my head out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't look up. I heard a tremendous crash directly above my head, but still didn't look up. I felt a large object land on my head, and I COULDN'T look up!
A huge pigeon had flown into a window of the (old) SouthTrust Building and had fallen, stunned, on the Most Stubborn Woman in the World. I dropped everything immediately because from my vantage point, I was unable to see what was on my head.
Then the flapping began and the huge pigeon began hitting my face with its wings. Of course, I still didn't know it was a pigeon. I was thinking along the lines of a vulture, condor or some other enormous man-eating predator. I grabbed the bird and tried to snatch it off my head. The claws were stuck in my new navy blue headband! (Remember, this was over 20 years ago. It was fashionably acceptable for me to wear a headband!) I twisted and pulled and screamed and finally wrestled the pigeon off my head, and in a complete and utter hysterical frenzy, I threw the bird into the plate-glass window of a loan officer's cubicle in SouthTrust Bank. (The horrified look of the young couple applying for a loan on the other side of his desk is burned into my mind forever.) I picked up my purse and ran directly into the street, leaving in my wake one very dead five-pound pigeon.
"Do you really think God dropped a five-pound pigeon on your head to get your attention?" you may ask.
Yes. Yes, I do.
On Monday morning, I turned in my notice. It was the right thing to do. It was part of God's plan for my life, and it was His love and patience that taught the Most Stubborn Woman in the World a very important lesson (again).
Sometimes I think it is so easy for us to take for granted the things we learn as children in Sunday School. The Lord's Prayer comes to mind in this situation. "Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in Heaven." (I've checked all the translations -- it doesn't mention Belinda Faulkner's will even once!)
After much prayer, and the news that Austin would be joining our family, God's will for our lives became clear to us (without pigeons), and we prayerfully decided to live solely on Mike's salary. God has blessed us time and time again, and I must say, I thoroughly enjoy His plan and perfect will for my life much more than dinging cars or wrestling giant fowl out of my hair every day!
No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars
I copied these two recipes from www.picky-palate.com. They look delicious, and I'm making the peanut butter recipe today... which means pictures tomorrow!
You will need the following:
Package (16 ounce) of Oreos
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
1. Place Oreos in food processor and pulse until ground.
2. Melt marshmallows and butter in microwave until puffed (about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes).
3. Remove and pour in ground Oreos.
4. Stir to combine then transfer to a foil lined 8" x 8" baking pan. Set up for 10 minutes.
5. Remove bars out of pan with edges of foil and cut into squares.
But wait! There's more!
No-Bake Chewy Nutter Butter Bars
You will need the following:
Package (16 ounce) of Nutter Butters
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
Follow instructions for No-Bake Chewy Cookies and Cream Bars.
Doesn't this sound good? I'll let you know how it goes in the morning!
Have a lovely Tuesday. I have lots and lots to post Wednesday, so come visit if you get a chance.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Diet Coke Barbecue Chicken
Good Tuesday morning!
I've added a wildlife section to The Gallery today. Day two of our camping trip was almost zoo-worthy!
RANDOMNESS #1 - A Little Camping Anecdote - We like to catch up on movies when we go camping. We take Mikie's laptop and a few DVDs, and when we've eaten our share of s'mores, we crawl into the tent, get comfortable and watch.
Our first pick was Knight and Day starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. Everyone had seen it but me, and they all thought it was a great movie except for one word. (I didn't hear the word because everyone coughed and sneezed during that part of the movie to spare me.)
To be honest, I haven't watched a Tom Cruise movie since he jumped on Oprah's couch and called Matt Lauer "glib." Those two things bothered me... a lot. I thought my "Tom Cruise" days were over.
But I liked this movie. He was funny, charming and he reminded me of the Tom Cruise from way back when. The "Top Gun Tom Cruise" of my youth... or mid- to late-20s.
NOTE - This is NOT a kiddie/parent movie. It's a teenager/parent movie. I didn't want anyone to watch it with their five year-old this weekend because I recommended it.
RANDOMNESS #2 - The Pioneer Woman's new book (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - A Love Story) is now available at bookstores near you. I'm asking for it as a Mother's Day gift, but I may not be able to wait that long.
RANDOMNESS #3 - This may throw A Simple Life into a PG-rating today, but I thought it was kind of funny. I stopped by the restroom before walking. (I know what you're thinking. Already too much information.) When I locked the door behind me, I read the little silver plate bolted to door holding the lock in place.
Do you know what restroom stall doors are called? Do you?
Hiny Hiders. I'll let that sink in a second.
I googled it. They don't spell it with an "e." If you learn nothing else today, remember that little fact. It might be a Jeopardy question one day!
Diet Coke Barbecue Chicken
My sister, Bev, shared this recipe with me Sunday. She and her family tried it AND liked it very much. It's on my list of things to try this week.
You will need the following:
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 12-ounce can of Diet Coke
1 cup ketchup
1. In a large non-stick skillet, bring chicken, Diet Coke and ketchup to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat.
3. Cook 45 minutes.
4. Uncover. Cook until sauce has the consistency of regular barbecue sauce. (It will just take a few more minutes, so don't walk away from the stove.)
That's it! Bev says it tastes better than regular barbecue chicken... and it has that easy-breezy thing working for it, too.
Have a lovely Tuesday. I'll be back in the morning with Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, more camping pics and Randomness... always Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
I've added a wildlife section to The Gallery today. Day two of our camping trip was almost zoo-worthy!
RANDOMNESS #1 - A Little Camping Anecdote - We like to catch up on movies when we go camping. We take Mikie's laptop and a few DVDs, and when we've eaten our share of s'mores, we crawl into the tent, get comfortable and watch.
Our first pick was Knight and Day starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. Everyone had seen it but me, and they all thought it was a great movie except for one word. (I didn't hear the word because everyone coughed and sneezed during that part of the movie to spare me.)
To be honest, I haven't watched a Tom Cruise movie since he jumped on Oprah's couch and called Matt Lauer "glib." Those two things bothered me... a lot. I thought my "Tom Cruise" days were over.
But I liked this movie. He was funny, charming and he reminded me of the Tom Cruise from way back when. The "Top Gun Tom Cruise" of my youth... or mid- to late-20s.
NOTE - This is NOT a kiddie/parent movie. It's a teenager/parent movie. I didn't want anyone to watch it with their five year-old this weekend because I recommended it.
RANDOMNESS #2 - The Pioneer Woman's new book (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - A Love Story) is now available at bookstores near you. I'm asking for it as a Mother's Day gift, but I may not be able to wait that long.
RANDOMNESS #3 - This may throw A Simple Life into a PG-rating today, but I thought it was kind of funny. I stopped by the restroom before walking. (I know what you're thinking. Already too much information.) When I locked the door behind me, I read the little silver plate bolted to door holding the lock in place.
Do you know what restroom stall doors are called? Do you?
Hiny Hiders. I'll let that sink in a second.
I googled it. They don't spell it with an "e." If you learn nothing else today, remember that little fact. It might be a Jeopardy question one day!
Diet Coke Barbecue Chicken
My sister, Bev, shared this recipe with me Sunday. She and her family tried it AND liked it very much. It's on my list of things to try this week.
You will need the following:
4 skinless/boneless chicken breasts
1 12-ounce can of Diet Coke
1 cup ketchup
1. In a large non-stick skillet, bring chicken, Diet Coke and ketchup to a boil.
2. Cover and reduce heat.
3. Cook 45 minutes.
4. Uncover. Cook until sauce has the consistency of regular barbecue sauce. (It will just take a few more minutes, so don't walk away from the stove.)
That's it! Bev says it tastes better than regular barbecue chicken... and it has that easy-breezy thing working for it, too.
Have a lovely Tuesday. I'll be back in the morning with Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, more camping pics and Randomness... always Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Caramel Rolls
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pics are from Roxie and Monica's little outing yesterday. Just good, clean "Spring" fun.
ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! - I'm taking a couple of days off from A Simple Life beginning tomorrow. I need a little break from the norm, I think. I'll post again Friday afternoon.
I am also going to take a Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday break from posting my Picture of the Day on Belinda's Project Life. I'll play "catch up" Friday afternoon.
RANDOMNESS - My heart is so heavy for the people of Japan. It is such a huge reminder to live for Christ TODAY... not tomorrow or next week. One minute, Dad was at work, Mom was at home and the kids were in school. And literally, the next minute it was washed away. Total and complete devastation in a matter of a few seconds. I cannot begin to imagine.
And now the horror continues with the radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant.
I am a huge planner. I love planning things weeks, months and even years in advance. I enjoy it. If plans fall through the cracks, it isn't the end of the world, and I move on. However, I know I need to live in the moment MORE than the future. I don't need to miss the RIGHT NOW looking forward to the MAYBE FANTASTIC LATER.
I need this reminder all the time, and as the images continue to come across the computer and TV, I take a deep breath, say a prayer for those who are suffering AND attempt to live today as God would have me live.
"THIS is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. Not tomorrow, Enchanting Belinda. Not next week or next month. THIS is the day!
Caramel Rolls
I haven't tried this one yet, but soon. (I'm thinking some time Saturday.)
You will need the following:
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerator biscuits
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl.
2. Dip individual biscuits into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture.
3. Place each covered biscuit in greased 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker.
4. Cook on high heat 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until rolls are done.
5. You can check rolls in the center after 2 hours for "doneness."
You can probably guess I snatched this recipe out of my "101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker" cookbook. It looks pretty good, doesn't it? I'm thinking (and hoping) it may taste a little like Monkey Bread.
Have a beautiful Tuesday. I think the weather is going to cooperate. I'll be back Friday afternoon with Weekend Happenings, photos and Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you Friday.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from Roxie and Monica's little outing yesterday. Just good, clean "Spring" fun.
ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! ANNOUNCEMENT! - I'm taking a couple of days off from A Simple Life beginning tomorrow. I need a little break from the norm, I think. I'll post again Friday afternoon.
I am also going to take a Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday break from posting my Picture of the Day on Belinda's Project Life. I'll play "catch up" Friday afternoon.
RANDOMNESS - My heart is so heavy for the people of Japan. It is such a huge reminder to live for Christ TODAY... not tomorrow or next week. One minute, Dad was at work, Mom was at home and the kids were in school. And literally, the next minute it was washed away. Total and complete devastation in a matter of a few seconds. I cannot begin to imagine.
And now the horror continues with the radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant.
I am a huge planner. I love planning things weeks, months and even years in advance. I enjoy it. If plans fall through the cracks, it isn't the end of the world, and I move on. However, I know I need to live in the moment MORE than the future. I don't need to miss the RIGHT NOW looking forward to the MAYBE FANTASTIC LATER.
I need this reminder all the time, and as the images continue to come across the computer and TV, I take a deep breath, say a prayer for those who are suffering AND attempt to live today as God would have me live.
"THIS is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. Not tomorrow, Enchanting Belinda. Not next week or next month. THIS is the day!
Caramel Rolls
I haven't tried this one yet, but soon. (I'm thinking some time Saturday.)
You will need the following:
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerator biscuits
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl.
2. Dip individual biscuits into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture.
3. Place each covered biscuit in greased 3 1/2 to 5-quart slow cooker.
4. Cook on high heat 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until rolls are done.
5. You can check rolls in the center after 2 hours for "doneness."
You can probably guess I snatched this recipe out of my "101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker" cookbook. It looks pretty good, doesn't it? I'm thinking (and hoping) it may taste a little like Monkey Bread.
Have a beautiful Tuesday. I think the weather is going to cooperate. I'll be back Friday afternoon with Weekend Happenings, photos and Randomness.
Take care, and I'll talk to you Friday.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake
Good Fat Tuesday morning! (And I mean Fat Tuesday in the Mardi Gras sense of the phrase. Please don't be offended!)
The Gallery Pics are from my newest hobby/interest/obsession. Trying every new "gourmet" potato chip on the market. It's going to take a while. There are literally dozens of these new chips on the shelves.
Last week I had Pita Chips seasoned with sea salt. I LOVED those. However, they are very, very hard and a little thick, so if you have anything loose in your mouth (crown, filling, tooth, etc.), I would be careful eating these particular chips. Also, I am now a huge fan of sea salt. Very good.
As the pictures indicate, this week's chip of choice was the Sweet and Beet Chip. The bag is full of beautiful dark gold chips and a few purple ones. The dark gold chips are good (sweet potato), but not very salty at all. The purple chips are pretty (beets), but not very tasty OR salty. I do like sweet potato, so this purchase wasn't a waste. I will eat each and every sweet potato chip in the bag.
And I will try to feed the beagles the beet chips!
Next week... Parsnip Chips! You think I'm kidding, but I'm not!
RANDOMNESS #1 - My exercise buddy, Cam, and I continue to walk and Body Pump during the week. I was very excited yesterday afternoon because I decided I would take my new and improved Body Pump body to Cato for a new skirt/shirt ensemble for Easter. (They have the prettiest display windows.)
According to my instructor(s), everything on my being should be tight, tight, tight! Unfortunately, everything I PUT on my being was tight, tight, tight!
I'm going to give it another week... or ten!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Spring Break is almost upon us, and we're planning a Faulkner Five camping trip for a few days and nights. This is our 14th year of consecutive tent camping... and some years we have gone two or three times. (We're planning on two trips this year depending on weather.)
That's a lot of camping, and while I would like to make it to 15 years and call it a day, Mikie and the kids still really, really love it. (The kids do not know it's not my "thing," and I think it is a huge testament to ME and how I act when we are in the wilderness they haven't figured it out yet. That, or they just don't care what I think or feel.)
I'm going to share some old camping stories the rest of this week from our earlier experiences.
DISCLAIMER - While it is most definitely NOT my "thing," it is the best "thing" we've ever done as a family. Waking up together in very close quarters, playing cards, talking, sitting by the fire, making s'mores, talking, riding bikes, talking, playing basketball, fishing, talking, riding in the boat, drinking hot chocolate, etc., etc., etc. are definitely family bonding moments. I mean, you actually get to eat THREE meals a day together. That can be hard to do at home with work, school and extracurricular activities.
One Fish, Red Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish
Ahh, Guntersville. Our favorite campground. Familiar, familiar, familiar. We even got in our regular Section... close enough to see the lake and enjoy the benefits thereof, but even closer to the bathhouse!
We had gone camping with other families from our church, and we were busy just watching kids on bikes, kids on scooters, kids playing ball, kids walking along the lake borders, kids getting really, really dirty... you get the picture. Kids having a ball!
As always, our attention was mainly on the now five year-olds as they went hither and yon. (Have you noticed the more familiar a child becomes with a place, the more courageous they are exploring said place? That's what we were having to really watch for. We had been to Guntersville several times now, and the familiarity was almost against us... almost like being in our own backyard, but not child-proof in any way, shape or form.)
We could see their little heads as they picked up rocks and threw them into the water. We were pleased they were obeying and no wading was taking place... but we knew not to take our eyes off them.
There they went. They were bending over. I wondered what on earth... Between the two friends they carried something large and cumbersome. They would bend over and put it down and then get a new grip on it before hoisting it up between them again. They were walking toward us, and we waited to see what they had discovered!
Into the campsite they marched, red-cheeked and breathless, holding onto their prize. It was a huge (and I mean bigger than the pigeon that landed on my head) fish. And the problem they had carrying it had nothing to do with the fact it was fighting them or wiggling or anything normal like that. It was a huge dead fish. Ugh!
"Look what we caught!" they excitedly said.
"Well, I don't know if 'caught' is the right word," I said.
"We did catch it," they claimed indignantly.
Uh-oh. I had offended them. "Well, that is certainly one big, dead fish," I said smiling.
"We want to cook it and eat it," they demanded.
"Uh, I don't think so. I think there's a rule about eating a fish that's dead when you catch it," I said, hoping they would buy that one.
"Oh," they replied looking at their catch.
One of the dads came up at that point and walked back to the side of the lake with them to dispose of the giant dead fish. (But not before I got a picture of the two boys with their "catch" of the day.)
"Well, that was pretty gross," the moms all agreed.
We settled back into our positions of watching the kids all around us, and special attention was given to the five year-olds once again walking along the lake. There they went. They were bending over. They held something huge between them and started walking toward us. I didn't have to wonder what it was.
If possible, this dead fish was bigger than the first. "Guys, what did we say about picking up dead fish?" I asked.
"We're pretty sure this one was alive when we picked it up. Can we cook it and eat it?" was the sly reply.
"I'm no expert, boys, but that fish has been dead for quite a while. No, we will not cook it and eat it! Take it back, wash your hands UP TO YOUR ELBOWS and stop picking up dead fish!"
Now I was getting worried as to why so many dead fish were showing up on the banks of Lake Guntersville. That couldn't be good. (One more picture to remember the "Year of the Dead Fish" and off they went.)
Again, we settled down. I was staring a hole into the back of the five year-olds' heads. Hands on hips, they were in deep discussion. Glances over their shoulders to see if we were indeed watching them. More discussion. And then I guess it was more than their five year-old little bodies could take.
There they were. They were bending over. This time they came up easily and started the walk toward the camp... each holding one small dead fish. For them to be so forthcoming about turning themselves in, I knew the discussions had brought forth what they thought was a reasonable explanation as to why they had disobeyed us for a third time.
They stopped in front of me. I went ahead and took the picture before they started talking, because when you punish a child, it kind of takes away from it if you start posing them right after you lower the boom.
"We just wanted to know what the difference is in catching the fish with our hands, and taking a fishing pole and catching them with that? The fish are going to die right after we get them out of the water anyway, right?"
Good one. "Yes. That's right. But for fish to be floating on top of the water at the edge of the lake means something is wrong with them. They could be sick or something, because a normal fish does not float on top of the water at the edge of the lake." Could I make myself more clear!
"So you're saying we can't eat these fish because they were sick before they died?" one of them asked.
"Yes! Yes! These are not healthy fish! This is not a healthy hobby! This is not like fishing with a pole from the dock! This is bad!" They were finally getting it.
They dropped the fish like they were poison. Since I thought the point had been made, I didn't want them to pick them back up and take them back to the lake. (I'd get Mikie to do that!) But I did tell them once again to wash their hands UP TO THEIR ELBOWS and never touch another dead fish again.
Communication is so important in parenting, isn't it? However, when I got the pictures back, I gave a set to each one. They were pretty proud of the giant fish they had "caught." I think they were much bigger than they remembered.
And after years and years of fishing, Josh has never "caught" one as big as the one he picked up with his buddy those many years ago. It's kind of sad really.
Maybe I should have had them mounted!
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake
Back in August of 2009, I posted a Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake on A Simple Life. It was the cake Austin chose for his birthday cake this year. Since it is hard to read all of the Archives in A Simple Life, I decided to try something a little different and re-post this recipe using strawberries instead of cherries. Mikie and Josh aren't cherry fans, but they do like strawberries.
You will need the following:
1 package Devil's Food cake mix
1 can strawberry pie filling (OR cherry)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat first 4 ingredients at low speed for 20 seconds; increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13" x 9" pan.
3. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake.
4. Bring sugar, milk and butter to a boil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate morsels until melted and smooth.
6. Pour over warm cake. Cool completely before serving.
This is good stuff! (Much better than a beet chip!)
Have a fun Fat Tuesday. Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition and so much more will be waiting for your return in the morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pics are from my newest hobby/interest/obsession. Trying every new "gourmet" potato chip on the market. It's going to take a while. There are literally dozens of these new chips on the shelves.
Last week I had Pita Chips seasoned with sea salt. I LOVED those. However, they are very, very hard and a little thick, so if you have anything loose in your mouth (crown, filling, tooth, etc.), I would be careful eating these particular chips. Also, I am now a huge fan of sea salt. Very good.
As the pictures indicate, this week's chip of choice was the Sweet and Beet Chip. The bag is full of beautiful dark gold chips and a few purple ones. The dark gold chips are good (sweet potato), but not very salty at all. The purple chips are pretty (beets), but not very tasty OR salty. I do like sweet potato, so this purchase wasn't a waste. I will eat each and every sweet potato chip in the bag.
And I will try to feed the beagles the beet chips!
Next week... Parsnip Chips! You think I'm kidding, but I'm not!
RANDOMNESS #1 - My exercise buddy, Cam, and I continue to walk and Body Pump during the week. I was very excited yesterday afternoon because I decided I would take my new and improved Body Pump body to Cato for a new skirt/shirt ensemble for Easter. (They have the prettiest display windows.)
According to my instructor(s), everything on my being should be tight, tight, tight! Unfortunately, everything I PUT on my being was tight, tight, tight!
I'm going to give it another week... or ten!
RANDOMNESS #2 - Spring Break is almost upon us, and we're planning a Faulkner Five camping trip for a few days and nights. This is our 14th year of consecutive tent camping... and some years we have gone two or three times. (We're planning on two trips this year depending on weather.)
That's a lot of camping, and while I would like to make it to 15 years and call it a day, Mikie and the kids still really, really love it. (The kids do not know it's not my "thing," and I think it is a huge testament to ME and how I act when we are in the wilderness they haven't figured it out yet. That, or they just don't care what I think or feel.)
I'm going to share some old camping stories the rest of this week from our earlier experiences.
DISCLAIMER - While it is most definitely NOT my "thing," it is the best "thing" we've ever done as a family. Waking up together in very close quarters, playing cards, talking, sitting by the fire, making s'mores, talking, riding bikes, talking, playing basketball, fishing, talking, riding in the boat, drinking hot chocolate, etc., etc., etc. are definitely family bonding moments. I mean, you actually get to eat THREE meals a day together. That can be hard to do at home with work, school and extracurricular activities.
One Fish, Red Fish, Two Fish, Dead Fish
Ahh, Guntersville. Our favorite campground. Familiar, familiar, familiar. We even got in our regular Section... close enough to see the lake and enjoy the benefits thereof, but even closer to the bathhouse!
We had gone camping with other families from our church, and we were busy just watching kids on bikes, kids on scooters, kids playing ball, kids walking along the lake borders, kids getting really, really dirty... you get the picture. Kids having a ball!
As always, our attention was mainly on the now five year-olds as they went hither and yon. (Have you noticed the more familiar a child becomes with a place, the more courageous they are exploring said place? That's what we were having to really watch for. We had been to Guntersville several times now, and the familiarity was almost against us... almost like being in our own backyard, but not child-proof in any way, shape or form.)
We could see their little heads as they picked up rocks and threw them into the water. We were pleased they were obeying and no wading was taking place... but we knew not to take our eyes off them.
There they went. They were bending over. I wondered what on earth... Between the two friends they carried something large and cumbersome. They would bend over and put it down and then get a new grip on it before hoisting it up between them again. They were walking toward us, and we waited to see what they had discovered!
Into the campsite they marched, red-cheeked and breathless, holding onto their prize. It was a huge (and I mean bigger than the pigeon that landed on my head) fish. And the problem they had carrying it had nothing to do with the fact it was fighting them or wiggling or anything normal like that. It was a huge dead fish. Ugh!
"Look what we caught!" they excitedly said.
"Well, I don't know if 'caught' is the right word," I said.
"We did catch it," they claimed indignantly.
Uh-oh. I had offended them. "Well, that is certainly one big, dead fish," I said smiling.
"We want to cook it and eat it," they demanded.
"Uh, I don't think so. I think there's a rule about eating a fish that's dead when you catch it," I said, hoping they would buy that one.
"Oh," they replied looking at their catch.
One of the dads came up at that point and walked back to the side of the lake with them to dispose of the giant dead fish. (But not before I got a picture of the two boys with their "catch" of the day.)
"Well, that was pretty gross," the moms all agreed.
We settled back into our positions of watching the kids all around us, and special attention was given to the five year-olds once again walking along the lake. There they went. They were bending over. They held something huge between them and started walking toward us. I didn't have to wonder what it was.
If possible, this dead fish was bigger than the first. "Guys, what did we say about picking up dead fish?" I asked.
"We're pretty sure this one was alive when we picked it up. Can we cook it and eat it?" was the sly reply.
"I'm no expert, boys, but that fish has been dead for quite a while. No, we will not cook it and eat it! Take it back, wash your hands UP TO YOUR ELBOWS and stop picking up dead fish!"
Now I was getting worried as to why so many dead fish were showing up on the banks of Lake Guntersville. That couldn't be good. (One more picture to remember the "Year of the Dead Fish" and off they went.)
Again, we settled down. I was staring a hole into the back of the five year-olds' heads. Hands on hips, they were in deep discussion. Glances over their shoulders to see if we were indeed watching them. More discussion. And then I guess it was more than their five year-old little bodies could take.
There they were. They were bending over. This time they came up easily and started the walk toward the camp... each holding one small dead fish. For them to be so forthcoming about turning themselves in, I knew the discussions had brought forth what they thought was a reasonable explanation as to why they had disobeyed us for a third time.
They stopped in front of me. I went ahead and took the picture before they started talking, because when you punish a child, it kind of takes away from it if you start posing them right after you lower the boom.
"We just wanted to know what the difference is in catching the fish with our hands, and taking a fishing pole and catching them with that? The fish are going to die right after we get them out of the water anyway, right?"
Good one. "Yes. That's right. But for fish to be floating on top of the water at the edge of the lake means something is wrong with them. They could be sick or something, because a normal fish does not float on top of the water at the edge of the lake." Could I make myself more clear!
"So you're saying we can't eat these fish because they were sick before they died?" one of them asked.
"Yes! Yes! These are not healthy fish! This is not a healthy hobby! This is not like fishing with a pole from the dock! This is bad!" They were finally getting it.
They dropped the fish like they were poison. Since I thought the point had been made, I didn't want them to pick them back up and take them back to the lake. (I'd get Mikie to do that!) But I did tell them once again to wash their hands UP TO THEIR ELBOWS and never touch another dead fish again.
Communication is so important in parenting, isn't it? However, when I got the pictures back, I gave a set to each one. They were pretty proud of the giant fish they had "caught." I think they were much bigger than they remembered.
And after years and years of fishing, Josh has never "caught" one as big as the one he picked up with his buddy those many years ago. It's kind of sad really.
Maybe I should have had them mounted!
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake
Back in August of 2009, I posted a Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cake on A Simple Life. It was the cake Austin chose for his birthday cake this year. Since it is hard to read all of the Archives in A Simple Life, I decided to try something a little different and re-post this recipe using strawberries instead of cherries. Mikie and Josh aren't cherry fans, but they do like strawberries.
You will need the following:
1 package Devil's Food cake mix
1 can strawberry pie filling (OR cherry)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat first 4 ingredients at low speed for 20 seconds; increase speed to medium, and beat for 1 minute. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13" x 9" pan.
3. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake.
4. Bring sugar, milk and butter to a boil in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate morsels until melted and smooth.
6. Pour over warm cake. Cool completely before serving.
This is good stuff! (Much better than a beet chip!)
Have a fun Fat Tuesday. Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition and so much more will be waiting for your return in the morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery is full of Austin's birthday party pics. I've explained each and every one in detail beneath the photo. I've also included some pics of my FIRST EVER Chicken and Dumplings. I know. It's a shame and disgrace to be born and raised in Alabama and to have NEVER made chicken and dumplings... until now.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I'm planning the Faulkner Five 2011 City Adventure. Right now, I'm looking into visiting New Orleans for a few days in June. Mikie wants to ride the train from Birmingham to New Orleans, which I think sounds very exciting. The kids are agreeable to trying this mode of transportation, too.
As is my custom, I've picked out a variety of interesting activities... some are free and some cost a little money. I'll narrow it down to five free things and four or five "cost" activities before we board the train. (I was a little embarrassed about how many of our activities are based on food... but it is New Orleans.)
Here are some of our options:
1. Try a snowball. This is a New Orleans original cooling method. You go to Plum Street and have a snowball in a pail. The pail is stuffed with ice cream, topped with condensed milk and a cherry. It's a New Orleans' tradition, so we want to try it!
2. I want to go to the Jazz Brunch at The Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter. While we eat our brunch, a strolling jazz band will serenade us. Lovely.
3. We must have beignets at Cafe Du Monde by Jackson Square. We just must!
4. Ride the riverboat on the Mississippi.
5. Go to the zoo OR the aquarium. (I would love to go to both, but it would be more than Mikie could bear.)
6. Eat homemade pralines at Southern Candy Makers.
7. Walk around Jackson Square and visit the St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. (This one is a FREEBIE!)
8. Browse at the French Market. The kids can buy their souvenirs here. (This is a FREEBIE for me and Mikie.)
9. Go on a swamp tour and feed alligators marshmallows. (How cool does this sound? I REALLY want to do this one.)
10. Walk down Pirates Alley which was a famous hangout for pirates back in the day. (I'm not exactly sure where this is. They suggest going at night for a more "spooky" outing, but I'm thinking a day walk would work just as well. Oh, and it's another FREEBIE!)
11. Try chocolate from Blue Frog Chocolates. I'm sorry. I have to go there just for the name alone.
12. Window shop at the Riverwalk. (FREE!)
13. This is my favorite. I have to do some more research to make sure it's family-friendly. I want us to see the Big Easy Rollergirls which is New Orleans' own roller derby team. Roxie has adamantly refused to participate in this activity. I don't understand why. I can SO see her putting on a pair of skates and becoming a Big Easy Rollergirl. I really can. (We'll see.)
14. Enjoy a cupcake at Bee Sweet Cupcakes.
15. Learn the fine art of glass blowing. I love watching glass blowers, and there's even more to this activity. You can take classes in metalwork and silver jewelry making. However, if we just observe, it's a FREEBIE, too!
As always, I have extremely high hopes for this trip. The train trip sounds very appealing to me. To be able to get up and walk around AND go to the bathroom whenever I feel like it (and still arrive at our destination on time) is a 49 year-old woman's dream come true.
But I have to keep in mind the Amelia Island/heatwave/fire sand/NO manatees/NO feral horses/NO sea turtles debacle of 2010. Sometimes things just don't go as you plan, do they?
RANDOMNESS #2 - I made a friend of mine very happy today. She was unaware I didn't get up and cook a full course breakfast for my family in the morning. I don't. I never have. We're a cereal/Pop Tarts/microwave pancakes kind of family. That's how we roll.
We also have cereal for dinner on Sunday nights.
And when I'm hosting something at my home on Sunday afternoons (like Austin's birthday party), I give each kid $4 and tell them to eat off the dollar menu at McDonald's or Arby's after church. If the kitchen is clean and ready for the event, no way are they coming in and leaving crumbs all over the place.
And to make all the moms with young children feel better out there... Whenever I mopped the dining room and kitchen when the kids were small, we ate on the deck at least five or six meals before I let them back in the house. And I'm talking the dead of winter, too. I'd bundle them up and we'd pretend we were Eskimos eating our cereal while wearing mittens, toboggans and zipped-up coats.
Heaven forbid you think I'm perfect!
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
I'm sad to say I have never made chicken and dumplings before. Being a Southern girl, I've eaten my fair share of this dish, but for some unknown reason I let the dumpling intimidate me.
Let's just say, last night I stepped out of the box and gave it a try. And it was a successful try... the best kind!
You will need the following:
2 cans of butter biscuits
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3 bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts
1. Boil chicken until done (about 20 minutes).
2. While chicken is boiling, prepare dumplings. Roll out can of biscuits on a work surface sprinkled with flour. Make them as flat as you can and check that they have a light coating of flour. Set aside.
3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside to cool. Save water in the pot that chicken was cooked in. You want the pot 2/3 full.
4. If water has boiled off, add more water (or store-bought chicken broth).
5. Bring to a boil. Add soup, 2 tablespoons butter, 3 bouillon cubes, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt. Stir well.
6. Over medium high heat, begin adding dumplings. Tear them into quarter size pieces and drop in the boiling water.
7. Do NOT over stir. Reduce the heat to medium setting, stirring only occasionally.
8. Add chicken back into the pot, tearing into small pieces.
9. Cook until dumplings are soft (about 30 to 45 minutes).
It worked! I made chicken and dumplings, and they were SO good!
Have a wonderful Tuesday. Wednesday's Wisdom, Seasonal Tradition, pics and Randomness await your perusal first thing in the morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery is full of Austin's birthday party pics. I've explained each and every one in detail beneath the photo. I've also included some pics of my FIRST EVER Chicken and Dumplings. I know. It's a shame and disgrace to be born and raised in Alabama and to have NEVER made chicken and dumplings... until now.
RANDOMNESS #1 - I'm planning the Faulkner Five 2011 City Adventure. Right now, I'm looking into visiting New Orleans for a few days in June. Mikie wants to ride the train from Birmingham to New Orleans, which I think sounds very exciting. The kids are agreeable to trying this mode of transportation, too.
As is my custom, I've picked out a variety of interesting activities... some are free and some cost a little money. I'll narrow it down to five free things and four or five "cost" activities before we board the train. (I was a little embarrassed about how many of our activities are based on food... but it is New Orleans.)
Here are some of our options:
1. Try a snowball. This is a New Orleans original cooling method. You go to Plum Street and have a snowball in a pail. The pail is stuffed with ice cream, topped with condensed milk and a cherry. It's a New Orleans' tradition, so we want to try it!
2. I want to go to the Jazz Brunch at The Court of Two Sisters in the French Quarter. While we eat our brunch, a strolling jazz band will serenade us. Lovely.
3. We must have beignets at Cafe Du Monde by Jackson Square. We just must!
4. Ride the riverboat on the Mississippi.
5. Go to the zoo OR the aquarium. (I would love to go to both, but it would be more than Mikie could bear.)
6. Eat homemade pralines at Southern Candy Makers.
7. Walk around Jackson Square and visit the St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. (This one is a FREEBIE!)
8. Browse at the French Market. The kids can buy their souvenirs here. (This is a FREEBIE for me and Mikie.)
9. Go on a swamp tour and feed alligators marshmallows. (How cool does this sound? I REALLY want to do this one.)
10. Walk down Pirates Alley which was a famous hangout for pirates back in the day. (I'm not exactly sure where this is. They suggest going at night for a more "spooky" outing, but I'm thinking a day walk would work just as well. Oh, and it's another FREEBIE!)
11. Try chocolate from Blue Frog Chocolates. I'm sorry. I have to go there just for the name alone.
12. Window shop at the Riverwalk. (FREE!)
13. This is my favorite. I have to do some more research to make sure it's family-friendly. I want us to see the Big Easy Rollergirls which is New Orleans' own roller derby team. Roxie has adamantly refused to participate in this activity. I don't understand why. I can SO see her putting on a pair of skates and becoming a Big Easy Rollergirl. I really can. (We'll see.)
14. Enjoy a cupcake at Bee Sweet Cupcakes.
15. Learn the fine art of glass blowing. I love watching glass blowers, and there's even more to this activity. You can take classes in metalwork and silver jewelry making. However, if we just observe, it's a FREEBIE, too!
As always, I have extremely high hopes for this trip. The train trip sounds very appealing to me. To be able to get up and walk around AND go to the bathroom whenever I feel like it (and still arrive at our destination on time) is a 49 year-old woman's dream come true.
But I have to keep in mind the Amelia Island/heatwave/fire sand/NO manatees/NO feral horses/NO sea turtles debacle of 2010. Sometimes things just don't go as you plan, do they?
RANDOMNESS #2 - I made a friend of mine very happy today. She was unaware I didn't get up and cook a full course breakfast for my family in the morning. I don't. I never have. We're a cereal/Pop Tarts/microwave pancakes kind of family. That's how we roll.
We also have cereal for dinner on Sunday nights.
And when I'm hosting something at my home on Sunday afternoons (like Austin's birthday party), I give each kid $4 and tell them to eat off the dollar menu at McDonald's or Arby's after church. If the kitchen is clean and ready for the event, no way are they coming in and leaving crumbs all over the place.
And to make all the moms with young children feel better out there... Whenever I mopped the dining room and kitchen when the kids were small, we ate on the deck at least five or six meals before I let them back in the house. And I'm talking the dead of winter, too. I'd bundle them up and we'd pretend we were Eskimos eating our cereal while wearing mittens, toboggans and zipped-up coats.
Heaven forbid you think I'm perfect!
Easy Chicken and Dumplings
I'm sad to say I have never made chicken and dumplings before. Being a Southern girl, I've eaten my fair share of this dish, but for some unknown reason I let the dumpling intimidate me.
Let's just say, last night I stepped out of the box and gave it a try. And it was a successful try... the best kind!
You will need the following:
2 cans of butter biscuits
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
3 bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts
1. Boil chicken until done (about 20 minutes).
2. While chicken is boiling, prepare dumplings. Roll out can of biscuits on a work surface sprinkled with flour. Make them as flat as you can and check that they have a light coating of flour. Set aside.
3. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside to cool. Save water in the pot that chicken was cooked in. You want the pot 2/3 full.
4. If water has boiled off, add more water (or store-bought chicken broth).
5. Bring to a boil. Add soup, 2 tablespoons butter, 3 bouillon cubes, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt. Stir well.
6. Over medium high heat, begin adding dumplings. Tear them into quarter size pieces and drop in the boiling water.
7. Do NOT over stir. Reduce the heat to medium setting, stirring only occasionally.
8. Add chicken back into the pot, tearing into small pieces.
9. Cook until dumplings are soft (about 30 to 45 minutes).
It worked! I made chicken and dumplings, and they were SO good!
Have a wonderful Tuesday. Wednesday's Wisdom, Seasonal Tradition, pics and Randomness await your perusal first thing in the morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Easy Chicken Parmigiana
Good Tuesday morning!
This week, The Gallery Pics are going to tell the story of our 14th Annual Mountain Trip... one long, long day at a time.
RANDOMNESS - As promised, below you will find the last installment of The Mikie and Belinda Story. Tomorrow I'll go straight into The Engagement Story... you lucky dogs!
The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part Five
Mikie's dating commitments were finished. He was sitting beside me on a packed pew at Shades Mountain Baptist Church. He smelled really, really good. But I digress. He wanted to talk to me for just a few minutes after the service. Hmmm. What could he possibly want to talk about?
All of our friends scattered, and he walked me to my car. "Would you be interested in going out to eat and to a movie this Friday night?" he asked almost immediately.
"Are you sure you can afford it? You've spent a huge amount of money these past three weeks. I don't want to put a strain on your savings account!" I hate playing games, but I was still more than a little miffed.
"Friday's payday. And even if it wasn't, I am more than able to afford dinner and a movie with my best friend."
Okay. Now he wasn't just smelling good... he was talking good, too. I accepted.
Friday night finally came, and I wore my new blue and white striped jumpsuit with huge shoulder pads and new Connie flats. (Trust me. It was the 80s. I looked great.) Mike showed up a few minutes early and we went on our first date... dinner at Milo's and a movie. I didn't mind the fast food dinner. Milo's has always been one of Mikie's favorites, and as long as we were seeing a movie (one of my favorites), I knew he had covered all the bases.
As you can imagine, having been the best of friends for over three years, conversation never lagged, hand holding was very natural, and I can honestly say it was the first "first date" I had ever been on where I wasn't so nervous beforehand I was sick to my stomach. Easy breezy. That's how I would describe our first date.
After it was over and he was walking me to the door of the apartment, he asked me a couple of questions. "How many kids do you want?"
"Three. Two boys and a girl."
"Yeah. Me, too."
"Do I get to kiss you good night?" (Just for clarification... Mikie asked me!)
"Nope. Not on the first date."
"Well, technically... ," he started to whine.
"Nope. There's nothing technical about it. Third date, buddy."
Then I had a question for him.
"Did you kiss the girls you dated the last three weeks?"
"No. And I told them I wouldn't be calling them back for another date. However, I said it nicer."
All right. As they say in all the astronaut movies, "We were clear for take-off." And take-off we did. To finish this long, long story, I'll give you the rest of our courtship tale in the form of a timeline.
March, 1987 - First date.
March, 1987 - Third date (Mikie says, "I love you," and I agree.)
April, 1987 - I meet Mikie's family for Easter lunch. (Mikie has already met my family in the three years we had been friends.)
May, 1987 - We meet with Dr. Charles Carter for counseling. We know we want to get married, but we also know how "fast" this will seem for our families. He gives us very good advice. We sort of take it.
August, 1987 - After Mike has talked to my Dad and asked for my hand in marriage, we become engaged.
January, 1988 - Mikie and I become husband and wife. I married my best friend. And he smelled really, really good!
Easy Chicken Parmigiana
When we go on our mountain trip, Bev is in charge of one dinner, and I am in charge of the other. (Friday night, everyone is on their own!) Katie picked the menu for our Sunday night dinner, and I will now share this super simple and delicious recipe with you today.
You will need the following:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
1 large egg (beaten)
1 (12-ounce) Ragu (or your favorite sauce)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Flatten chicken breasts with kitchen mallet between two sheets of plastic.
3. Dip chicken cutlets into egg and then bread crumbs.
4. Place coated chicken in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove pan from oven and pour the marinara sauce over chicken.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted and golden.
You can serve this over noodles if you like. (That's how Katie prefers it. Guess who forgot the noodles?)
Have a grand Tuesday! Wednesday's Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, The Engagement Story, more Mountain Trip pics and Randomness, Randomness, Randomness await your visit Wednesday morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
This week, The Gallery Pics are going to tell the story of our 14th Annual Mountain Trip... one long, long day at a time.
RANDOMNESS - As promised, below you will find the last installment of The Mikie and Belinda Story. Tomorrow I'll go straight into The Engagement Story... you lucky dogs!
The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part Five
Mikie's dating commitments were finished. He was sitting beside me on a packed pew at Shades Mountain Baptist Church. He smelled really, really good. But I digress. He wanted to talk to me for just a few minutes after the service. Hmmm. What could he possibly want to talk about?
All of our friends scattered, and he walked me to my car. "Would you be interested in going out to eat and to a movie this Friday night?" he asked almost immediately.
"Are you sure you can afford it? You've spent a huge amount of money these past three weeks. I don't want to put a strain on your savings account!" I hate playing games, but I was still more than a little miffed.
"Friday's payday. And even if it wasn't, I am more than able to afford dinner and a movie with my best friend."
Okay. Now he wasn't just smelling good... he was talking good, too. I accepted.
Friday night finally came, and I wore my new blue and white striped jumpsuit with huge shoulder pads and new Connie flats. (Trust me. It was the 80s. I looked great.) Mike showed up a few minutes early and we went on our first date... dinner at Milo's and a movie. I didn't mind the fast food dinner. Milo's has always been one of Mikie's favorites, and as long as we were seeing a movie (one of my favorites), I knew he had covered all the bases.
As you can imagine, having been the best of friends for over three years, conversation never lagged, hand holding was very natural, and I can honestly say it was the first "first date" I had ever been on where I wasn't so nervous beforehand I was sick to my stomach. Easy breezy. That's how I would describe our first date.
After it was over and he was walking me to the door of the apartment, he asked me a couple of questions. "How many kids do you want?"
"Three. Two boys and a girl."
"Yeah. Me, too."
"Do I get to kiss you good night?" (Just for clarification... Mikie asked me!)
"Nope. Not on the first date."
"Well, technically... ," he started to whine.
"Nope. There's nothing technical about it. Third date, buddy."
Then I had a question for him.
"Did you kiss the girls you dated the last three weeks?"
"No. And I told them I wouldn't be calling them back for another date. However, I said it nicer."
All right. As they say in all the astronaut movies, "We were clear for take-off." And take-off we did. To finish this long, long story, I'll give you the rest of our courtship tale in the form of a timeline.
March, 1987 - First date.
March, 1987 - Third date (Mikie says, "I love you," and I agree.)
April, 1987 - I meet Mikie's family for Easter lunch. (Mikie has already met my family in the three years we had been friends.)
May, 1987 - We meet with Dr. Charles Carter for counseling. We know we want to get married, but we also know how "fast" this will seem for our families. He gives us very good advice. We sort of take it.
August, 1987 - After Mike has talked to my Dad and asked for my hand in marriage, we become engaged.
January, 1988 - Mikie and I become husband and wife. I married my best friend. And he smelled really, really good!
Easy Chicken Parmigiana
When we go on our mountain trip, Bev is in charge of one dinner, and I am in charge of the other. (Friday night, everyone is on their own!) Katie picked the menu for our Sunday night dinner, and I will now share this super simple and delicious recipe with you today.
You will need the following:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup dry Italian bread crumbs
1 large egg (beaten)
1 (12-ounce) Ragu (or your favorite sauce)
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Flatten chicken breasts with kitchen mallet between two sheets of plastic.
3. Dip chicken cutlets into egg and then bread crumbs.
4. Place coated chicken in a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove pan from oven and pour the marinara sauce over chicken.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on top and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted and golden.
You can serve this over noodles if you like. (That's how Katie prefers it. Guess who forgot the noodles?)
Have a grand Tuesday! Wednesday's Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition, The Engagement Story, more Mountain Trip pics and Randomness, Randomness, Randomness await your visit Wednesday morning!
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Fondue Recipes
Good Tuesday morning!
The Gallery Pic is of something Roxie found in her locker yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny. The explanation is under the photo.
CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - LOOK FOR THE COLOR WORD IN THE POST TODAY!
All you have to do is read A Simple Life Monday through Friday (February 14 through February 18). Every day this week, I will use a color word SOMEWHERE in the post.
After you read Friday's post, you will need to send me a comment in the Comment Section, an e-mail or Facebook message giving me the list of colors mentioned in the posts that week.
Your entry should look something like this:
Monday - Red
Tuesday - (The color word I use in the post that day.)
Wednesday - (Same as above.)
Thursday - (Are you getting the idea now?)
Friday - (Please say you understand!)
The FIRST person who leaves me a comment, e-mail or Facebook message with the five correct color words in the correct ORDER will win... A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE! How about that? Pretty cool, huh?
COMMENCE READING!
RANDOMNESS #1 - Mikie took me to the movies last night for a Valentine's Day date, and it was delightful. We saw Just Go With It... the new Jennifer Aniston/Adam Sandler movie. It fell into the "light romantic comedy" category, and for the most part it was a good movie. As usual, there were several things which were added for... Well, I don't know why they were added. They most definitely could have been left out. But all in all, it was a good date movie for me and Mikie.
I am always so amazed how blue Jennifer Aniston's eyes are on the big screen. So pretty.
RANDOMNESS #2 - In honor of the Love Month, I'm re-posting the story of how Mikie and I came to be. Feel free to skip ahead if you remember it from last year, or the other times I've told the story. It will not offend me in the least... as long as you don't tell me you skipped it! Remember the rules. What I don't know, won't hurt me! (Words I try to live by!)
The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part One
Mikie and I met at Shades Mountain Baptist Church when we were both 22 years-old. I had recently moved to Hoover into an apartment with a roommate, was working as a legal secretary downtown, and I was looking for a new church home.
I had grown up in a smaller church in Trussville, so leaving the familiar and comfortable behind was exciting, but also terrifying. Thankfully, I had a friend from my law firm who was also looking for a church home, and she was more than willing to accompany me to Shades.
Our first Sunday morning there, my friend, Kelley, and I sat on the front row of the balcony overlooking what was then the largest church I had EVER seen in my life. How would we ever meet people? The Sunday School classes must have at least 100 people or more in each class. It was just too big. It was just too scary. It was just too... interesting. My goodness. It was a people-watcher's dream!
Kelley already knew some people who attended the church. Her childhood friend, Alesia, was a member of the Singles Department at Shades, and we were supposed to meet her as soon as the service was over. As we were waiting for the service to start, Kelley leaned over and whispered, "There he is." She had recently been on a date with a young man from Shades, but they both knew after the date they were supposed to be "just friends."
"Which one?" I asked, and she pointed out a very nicely-dressed guy with a mustache talking to a group of people below us. I watched as he threw his head back laughing and took a seat with several other people.
"He's cute," I whispered back.
"He's really sweet, too," she said. "Oh, and he's sitting a few seats down from Alesia." I then turned my attention to Alesia and the other people sitting next to her. Little did I know, that packed pew of people would impact the rest of my life in such a sweet and wonderful way.
And little did I know, I would one day be writing a little story about meeting a cute guy with a mustache who threw his head back while laughing that very Sunday morning.
Because, you see, I met my husband that day... as well as several of my groomsmen and bridesmaids. It's pretty wonderful how God works, isn't it?
I wish I could say we met, dated and married within a year, but our storybook wedding was almost four years away from that first meeting. And I'll share more details tomorrow.
Fondue Recipes - My friend, Lori Burrow, mentioned her family was having fondue for Valentine's Day, and I loved that idea. I told her she had her own little Burrow's Melting Pot! (Much more affordable than the real deal, I'm sure!) Thanks to Lori's idea, I've copied several fondue recipes from my 101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker recipe book for us to try together!
Chocolate Fondue
You will need the following:
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup half-and-half
1. Stir chocolate chips and half-and-half together in greased 1 to 2-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
3. Stir halfway through cooking time and again when fondue is finished.
4. Dip fresh strawberries or chunks of angel food cake.
Caramel Fondue
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1. In a saucepan, mix together all ingredients and bring to boil.
2. Transfer to greased 1 to 2-quart slow cooker and set on low heat to serve.
3. Dip apple slices or chunks of angel food cake. Or spoon over apple-spice cake.
Peanut Butter Fondue
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1. In a saucepan, mix together all ingredients and bring to boil.
2. Transfer to greased 1 to 2 1/2-quart slow cooker and set on low heat to serve.
3. Serve with slices of cake, apples or bananas for dipping.
Pizza Fondue
You will need the following:
1 jar (26 to 28 ounces) spaghetti sauce with meat
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon cornstarch or instant tapioca
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1. Combine all ingredients (except mozzarella cheese) in greased 2 to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Add cheese the last hour of cooking.
4. Dip bread sticks, pita bread or chunks of crusty Italian bread.
Well, what do you think? Anybody ready for some fondue tonight? We're going to have the Caramel Fondue for dessert this evening. I'll have a play-by-play in The Gallery tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking it will be a big hit.
Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition AND massive Randomness awaits your return Wednesday morning.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
The Gallery Pic is of something Roxie found in her locker yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny. The explanation is under the photo.
CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST! - LOOK FOR THE COLOR WORD IN THE POST TODAY!
All you have to do is read A Simple Life Monday through Friday (February 14 through February 18). Every day this week, I will use a color word SOMEWHERE in the post.
After you read Friday's post, you will need to send me a comment in the Comment Section, an e-mail or Facebook message giving me the list of colors mentioned in the posts that week.
Your entry should look something like this:
Monday - Red
Tuesday - (The color word I use in the post that day.)
Wednesday - (Same as above.)
Thursday - (Are you getting the idea now?)
Friday - (Please say you understand!)
The FIRST person who leaves me a comment, e-mail or Facebook message with the five correct color words in the correct ORDER will win... A GIFT CERTIFICATE TO OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE! How about that? Pretty cool, huh?
COMMENCE READING!
RANDOMNESS #1 - Mikie took me to the movies last night for a Valentine's Day date, and it was delightful. We saw Just Go With It... the new Jennifer Aniston/Adam Sandler movie. It fell into the "light romantic comedy" category, and for the most part it was a good movie. As usual, there were several things which were added for... Well, I don't know why they were added. They most definitely could have been left out. But all in all, it was a good date movie for me and Mikie.
I am always so amazed how blue Jennifer Aniston's eyes are on the big screen. So pretty.
RANDOMNESS #2 - In honor of the Love Month, I'm re-posting the story of how Mikie and I came to be. Feel free to skip ahead if you remember it from last year, or the other times I've told the story. It will not offend me in the least... as long as you don't tell me you skipped it! Remember the rules. What I don't know, won't hurt me! (Words I try to live by!)
The Mikie and Belinda Story - Part One
Mikie and I met at Shades Mountain Baptist Church when we were both 22 years-old. I had recently moved to Hoover into an apartment with a roommate, was working as a legal secretary downtown, and I was looking for a new church home.
I had grown up in a smaller church in Trussville, so leaving the familiar and comfortable behind was exciting, but also terrifying. Thankfully, I had a friend from my law firm who was also looking for a church home, and she was more than willing to accompany me to Shades.
Our first Sunday morning there, my friend, Kelley, and I sat on the front row of the balcony overlooking what was then the largest church I had EVER seen in my life. How would we ever meet people? The Sunday School classes must have at least 100 people or more in each class. It was just too big. It was just too scary. It was just too... interesting. My goodness. It was a people-watcher's dream!
Kelley already knew some people who attended the church. Her childhood friend, Alesia, was a member of the Singles Department at Shades, and we were supposed to meet her as soon as the service was over. As we were waiting for the service to start, Kelley leaned over and whispered, "There he is." She had recently been on a date with a young man from Shades, but they both knew after the date they were supposed to be "just friends."
"Which one?" I asked, and she pointed out a very nicely-dressed guy with a mustache talking to a group of people below us. I watched as he threw his head back laughing and took a seat with several other people.
"He's cute," I whispered back.
"He's really sweet, too," she said. "Oh, and he's sitting a few seats down from Alesia." I then turned my attention to Alesia and the other people sitting next to her. Little did I know, that packed pew of people would impact the rest of my life in such a sweet and wonderful way.
And little did I know, I would one day be writing a little story about meeting a cute guy with a mustache who threw his head back while laughing that very Sunday morning.
Because, you see, I met my husband that day... as well as several of my groomsmen and bridesmaids. It's pretty wonderful how God works, isn't it?
I wish I could say we met, dated and married within a year, but our storybook wedding was almost four years away from that first meeting. And I'll share more details tomorrow.
Fondue Recipes - My friend, Lori Burrow, mentioned her family was having fondue for Valentine's Day, and I loved that idea. I told her she had her own little Burrow's Melting Pot! (Much more affordable than the real deal, I'm sure!) Thanks to Lori's idea, I've copied several fondue recipes from my 101 Things To Do With a Slow Cooker recipe book for us to try together!
Chocolate Fondue
You will need the following:
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2/3 cup half-and-half
1. Stir chocolate chips and half-and-half together in greased 1 to 2-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour.
3. Stir halfway through cooking time and again when fondue is finished.
4. Dip fresh strawberries or chunks of angel food cake.
Caramel Fondue
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1. In a saucepan, mix together all ingredients and bring to boil.
2. Transfer to greased 1 to 2-quart slow cooker and set on low heat to serve.
3. Dip apple slices or chunks of angel food cake. Or spoon over apple-spice cake.
Peanut Butter Fondue
You will need the following:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1. In a saucepan, mix together all ingredients and bring to boil.
2. Transfer to greased 1 to 2 1/2-quart slow cooker and set on low heat to serve.
3. Serve with slices of cake, apples or bananas for dipping.
Pizza Fondue
You will need the following:
1 jar (26 to 28 ounces) spaghetti sauce with meat
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon cornstarch or instant tapioca
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1. Combine all ingredients (except mozzarella cheese) in greased 2 to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Add cheese the last hour of cooking.
4. Dip bread sticks, pita bread or chunks of crusty Italian bread.
Well, what do you think? Anybody ready for some fondue tonight? We're going to have the Caramel Fondue for dessert this evening. I'll have a play-by-play in The Gallery tomorrow morning, but I'm thinking it will be a big hit.
Wednesday Wisdom, a Seasonal Tradition AND massive Randomness awaits your return Wednesday morning.
Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
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Friday...
Finally, some new basketball action shots.
The JV team had two 40-minute games Friday, so I thought I would just go ahead and start filming now!
And here's the obligatory Bryant Tuggle pic. He's a HUGE supporter of our baskeball team. Always has been... always will be. Well, until he gets his own driver's license!
Saturday...
We spent the day with the cousins Saturday. Monica, Amy, Roxie and I shopped at Brookwood, ate at Yolo's and went to the movies (Pirates 4). It was a great day, but the best part was our celebrity sighting...
That's right! Will Ferrell! (Please feel free to use your imagination. I know we did!)
Sunday...
Mikie's 50th Family Birthday Celebration! Everyone knows 50 year-old men LOVE the Green Lantern...and their wives really like Ryan Reynolds! (How cool would it be to have your picture on a birthday party plate package? Another goal, perhaps?)
What do you give a 50 year-old guys for his birthday? Cards... filled with money, Ricky Skaggs' concert tickets, a True Grit DVD and a Red Devil's Food Cake with Divinity Icing (from his Mom). It was a very good day!
Lovely Melia gave him the True Grit DVD. (I LOVE that movie!)
And it wouldn't be a birthday without a hug from Roxie!