I took a nice stroll through the yard on this incredibly beautiful day. The low was 45 and it warmed up to a glorious 72! Here is what is going on in my yard today:
First stop, the porch. A red tablecloth and a few fall items are ready for us.
This beauty was blooming in the yard.
My rusty red fence kids playing tug-of-war
This tree has started to turn early. It was damaged in the ice storm. Hope it makes it okay.
Autumn Sedum - beautiful!
A little outdoor red for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer and Rednesday! with It’s a Very Cherry and today’s lagniappe is a great idea for Crockpot Wedneday with Dining with Debbie.
Today’s Lagniappe: Crockpot Beef Bourguignon
A wonderful way to make a great meal!
1 lb. bacon, cooked, reserve grease
3 lbs. beef, cubed
flour
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 carrots, diced
4 to 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
Slowly cook bacon in large skillet; remove to crockpot. Dredge beef cubes in flour, brown in bacon fat. Transfer meat from skillet to crockpot. Saute vegetables and garlic in bacon fat; remove to crockpot. Gently stir beef, vegetables, bacon and wine. Add bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours.
I love the way fall looks and the way it smells. Here are some ideas for adding a touch of fall to your home and to your tummy!
Idea #1
Cut the stem end off of a pumpkin, hollow it out and pop in a pot of mums or other flowers. Add a few berry vines or a little garland.
Easy and pretty!
Idea #2
Cut the stem end off of a smaller pumpkin and place a good size candle inside. Tuck in some artificial autumn leaves and twigs.
Small and sweet.
Idea #3
Decorate with apples. Fill a bowl or basket with some apples, or if you have a pretty apothecary jar or hurricane, fill them with apples. Carve a tea light shaped whole in some candles. Insert the tea lights and enjoy.
Nice autumn light
Idea #4
Light some scented candles. Apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, spice are all great choices to add a nice touch.
Mmmmmm!
Now for something to let your tummy know it is fall!
Today’s Lagniappe: Pumpkin Crisp
Can’t wait to dig in!
1 package yellow cake mix
1 can (16oz) solid pack pack pumpkin
1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup melted butter
whipped topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease bottom of 9×13 pan.
Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in large bowl.
Pour into pan.
Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over pumpkin mixture.
Top with pecans.
Drizzle with melted butter.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden.
Cool completely.
Serve with whipped topping.
It’s a three-for Tuesday! Join these great blogs for more recipes and great ideas.
I like looking at pictures of beautiful houses. Have you ever spent time looking at pictures of houses that are for sale? I have, and, this is a wise truth that I have learned. If you are selling your home, get good pictures and review them before they are posted with your listing!
Here are some pictures of some homes for sale in $900,000 – $2,000,000 range that I think could use some review, bless their hearts. What would you change?
What I would change? I’m kind of curious about why there is a rocking horse face down on the floor and that is an interesting place to put a chair up on that shelf.
This one has a great lake view outside, but inside, not so much. Maybe move the furniture into a conversation group and lose the ironing board.
Turn on the light! There are several others that look about the same with this listing.
Hmmm, who’s sunglasses and papers are those? Any reason why all the pots are on top of the stove?
What a lovely view of the basket filled with laundry and hangers!
Okay, I have to stop. This has been fun. Hope I have not offended any realtors or home owners out there. I probably never look at a house that I don’t imagine what I would about it I would change. Does anyone else do that?
Y’all go over and visit Susan for Met Monday and see what changes everyone is up to!
Today’s Lagniappe: Raspberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.
Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
This post is from January 23rd of 2009. A loving tribute to my 93 year old grandpa!
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He,
I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
Isaiah 46:4
My Grandpa will be 93 tomorrow. I wish everybody could have a Grandpa like mine. Grandpa has always lived his life with a passion. Whenever I think about Grandpa, I think of him with a smile on his face. He has the best stories of anyone I’ve ever known and his life would make a great movie.
From Grandpa, I learned a great work ethic. When I was in high school, I worked for him in one of his businesses and I remember being 7 minutes late one morning. He told me if I was ever late again he would fire me. I learned at a young age the value of being on time.
Grandpa has always been so full of life. He always worked hard and played hard. He loves fishing. He used to go fishing in Canada and Mexico a lot and has wonderful stories from those times.
He always has the most beautiful lawn around and he is an expert on growing green lush grass. He used get the Wall Street Journal. I remember, he would give his old copies to me. He told me three columns to read so that I could carry on an interesting conversation with anyone.
Happy Birthday Grandpa! I love you.
Today’s Lagniappe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting
This is one of Grandpa’s favorites. It was also a favorite of my Daddy’s. Grandmother Dicus and Mama used Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise for this recipe but you could use either one.
Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
1 cup sugar
1 cup miracle whip or mayonnaise
2 cups flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoon soda
4 teaspoon cocoa (Mama used a little less)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together sugar and miracle whip. Add soda and cocoa to warm water and then to stir it into the sugar mixture with vanilla.
Bake 325 for 20 to 30 minutes in a 9 x 13 pan. Let cake cool then spread with chocolate fudge frosting. Place pecan halves all over the top of the cake.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar (Mama uses regular sugar)
1/2 cup hot milk
2 tsps. vanilla
In small saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add cocoa, stirring constantly until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, set aside to cool slightly.
In large mixer bowl combine sugar and milk, beat until smooth. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool at room temperature to spreading consistency, about 1/2 hour.
Does that title say Southern Laughter? Oh, I mean any laughter! Laughing is good for you both physically and emotionally! It is fun to laugh. Laughing 100 times is the equivalent to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike! Laughing lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. This will make you laugh:
If you could not see the laughing baby, you can go here to see him.
Hope you enjoyed that and had a good laugh. Watch it 100 times and burn some calories!
Well, the fair is over. Here is the place setting that I entered.
Sterling Rose
This is how it looked after judging. Some things had been moved around, but, they were close. I asked a lady that was there about having things moved. She said that they had moved all of the settings back and didn’t always get them back the right way (sigh).
Oh well, I didn’t win best of show this year. In fact, I didn’t even get a blue ribbon. I got a red 2nd place ribbon. The comment was that the dessert fork should have been with the other forks. Actually, My etiquette books and I don’t agree, but, it was fun to enter anyway.
There were a lot of nice settings. Here are the other entries:
The Best of Show winner
I thought this one was really cute
A little floral action
Jingle Bells!
Ready for fall
Something casual
A little purple
White and gold
A little bit country
Happy Valentine's
Dainty blue flowers
It was fun to see what everyone entered. What did you like the best?
Today’s Lagniappe: Corn Dogs
My favorite fair food (with lots of mustard)
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
2 (16 ounce) packages beef frankfurters
16 wooden skewers
In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, sugar and baking powder. Stir in eggs and milk.
Preheat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Insert wooden skewers into frankfurters. Roll frankfurters in batter until well coated.
Fry 2 or 3 corn dogs at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.
So, it is officially Autumn! Here are some pictures I have taken during Autumns of the past. It is still too early for fall color here, but, I love the beautiful colors when they get here.
A little outdoor red for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer and Rednesday! with It’s a Very Cherry.
Hope you are [...]
Now that fall has begun, it is time for some low and slow yummy fill your tummy recipes. Today, let’s focus on pork tenderloin!
Pork Tenderloin in Sour Cream Sauce
I can’t believe that this Tuesday is already the first day of fall! It certainly doesn’t feel like fall yet, but, I decided to go ahead and start adding some fall touches around the house.
That is a pretty good start for now. I find myself adding things all season. I love getting ready for fall. [...]
