A Southern Life

This past weekend was the Red, White and Blue Festival here. What better thing to post this week for Outdoor Wednesday?

It was really hot so we had a fire truck that sprayed us to help cool us off.

There were lots of free activities for kids.

If you couldn't dunk 'em with a baseball, there is another way!

Kids had a great time.

There were bands.

And then the fireworks!

There were Civil War re-enactors there that shot off a cannon every hour, on the hour beginning at 5 p.m. Once it got dark, a choral group sang The National Anthem and then the cannon was shot and immediately the fireworks started. They were choreographed by computer to music. It was spectacular and everyone had a fabulous time!

Wish you could have all been there!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Independence Day Trifle

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1 angel food cake (store bought is fine)
• 1 quart strawberry
• 1 quart blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons almond flavoringDirectionsCream together cream cheese and confectioners sugar.
  Add sour cream, vanilla and 1/4 tsp almond flavoring.
  Set this mixture aside.
  In separate bowl whip the whipping cream and add to cream cheese mixture.
  Tear up angel food cake and mix in with cheese mixture.In separate bowl place strawberries and blueberries 3/4 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp almond flavoring.
  (You can mix the berries together or keep separate, for a pretty red, white and blue look,if separate divide sugar and almond flavoring between the two bowls).
  In a clear glass bowl alternate layers of the cream cheese mixtures and the berries.
  Garnish the top with berries.
  Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

I found this bird cage a few years ago. I used crackle base coat and finished it in red, white and blue.

This will hold a candle in the tablescape I will show on Thursday. Love the red, white and blue! It worked out really well that this little bird cage already had stars on the roof.

It was really, really hot for the Red, White and Blue Festival here last week but it was really fun. How about a preview of some of the fireworks?

Hope you are all having a great Independence Day week!!

Today’s Lagniappe: Blueberry Summer Salad
Hope you enjoy a little something blue this week!

8 cups salad greens
2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup chopped and toasted pecans
Bottled or homemade raspberry vinaigrette

Toss together first 4 ingredients; drizzle with desired amount of vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat.

It’s a four-for Tuesday! Join these great blogs for more recipes and great ideas.

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More Tuesday

2nd Time Around with A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

This week I’m posting about our local Red, White and Blue Festival here in Mountain Home, Arkansas. It started off with a vintage car rally. This car rally attracts drivers from all over the world. They stopped here for lunch.

These old cars have been restored and are driven through this rally. It was really, really hot and I don’t know how these drivers took it.

One car was all the way from Australia.

We welcomed these drivers by waving flags and cheering for them. They had lunch here and visited with our local residents.

It was a fun way to start off the Red, White and Blue Festival here.

Here’s to the Red, White and Blue!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Grilled Corn on the Cob
Something to have for the fun Independence Day weekend!

Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday and Smiling Sally for Blue Mondays. You will find wonderful and talented women with fantastic posts!

Nothing fancy today. I was inspired by this beautiful Arkansas tomato and the basil growing in my garden.

I toasted some thin white bread and added some good mayo and a couple of slices of avocado (since I had it I may as well use it!) and voila!

A tasty little lunch! Added some cold iced tea and I was set. I love summer tomatoes! Anytime I can use tomatoes and basil that I have grown myself, it just really makes me happy. Am I strange because a tomato can make me happy?

See some really great recipes today on Foodie Friday with Designs by Gollum

Today’s Lagniappe:  Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream
With the hot weather we are having, ice cream really sounds good.

• 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and quartered
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 egg yolks

In a food processor or blender, combine the strawberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Process until smooth.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the half-and-half and sugar and vanilla.  Bring to a simmer.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the egg yolks and whisk until smooth.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan of liquid and whisk until blended.

Bring the liquid back to simmer and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the strawberries. Whisk until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture. This will prevent a skin from forming while cooling.

Cool the mixture completely. Process the mixture according the ice cream machine instructions.

It’s time for Tablescape Thursday once again with Susan from Between Naps on the Porch.

You’ve seen these dishes before but today, I wanted to bring out the purple in them.

A purple runner on the table.

Dishes with a little purple.

See the purple in the butterfly?

And in the flowers?

These little guys like the purple candles.

Isn't she sweet?

purple in the napkin rings.

This one has more pink.

A purple glass charger on the bottom.

Three plates with some purple.

The flowers have some purple.

I really enjoyed the bit of purple. Hope you did too. Go see Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more tablescapes.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Rosemary Pork Tenderloin
Rosemary is growing very well right now. Here is a great way to use it.  Sorry, you have to turn on the oven for this one but it is worth it. It is so hot here, I’m trying to avoid adding any heat by turning on the oven.

• 3 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons dried rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Rub the tenderloin liberally with olive oil, then spread the garlic over it. Place it in a roasting pan and sprinkle with the rosemary.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees F.

Yesterday, I showed you the blueberries that I got at the local farmer’s market. For Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer, I wanted to show you some more of the farmer’s market.

Our farmer's market is in the town square.

Farmers back in and sell their wares around the court house.

Lots of umbrellas to protect them from the sun.

Organic lettuce and herbs.

Fresh local produce!

And, of course, those blueberries that we talked about yesterday.

Hope you are enjoying fresh local produce from your garden or farmers market or your local grocery store!

Go see some great outdoor photos at Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Blackberry Avocado Salad
A great way to use that local produce!

10 to 12 ounces fresh blackberries, washed and drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup pecan halves
6 cups torn mixed greens
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese

Dressing:
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions:

In small skillet, melt butter. Add pecans and saute until lightly browned.

Cool and set aside. In small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper, and set aside. In salad bowl, combine salad greens, blackberries, pecans, avocado and goat cheese. Pour on dressing and toss.
Serves: 4

It’s a three for one Tuesday. Check out the fun blogs with great recipes and ideas that we are joining with today at the end of this post!

I went to the farmer’s market recently and ran across these beauties:

These were grown locally and looked and tasted wonderful. Blueberries are known as a “super food” because of their outstanding antioxidant qualities. I ate a lot of them just plain, which, seems to be a good way of getting all that good for you stuff in you. Of course, another way is to bake them in a recipe (more on that to come).

I learned from my Daddy to ask where produce comes from at the farmer’s market. The vendor next to these lovely blueberries had some strawberries. I asked where they were from and the vendor admitted that she had purchased them at a grocery store and had extra that she brought to sell at the market. They were not grown anywhere near here.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Just because something isn’t local doesn’t mean it is not good. However, during the summer months when fresh local produce is abundant, I like to support our local farmers. I bought some local tomatoes from the strawberry lady, but, not the strawberries. My rule of thumb at the farmer’s market is to always ask!

Okay, back to baking those blueberries in a recipe. That brings me to . . .

Today’s Lagniappe: Blueberry Shortcake
A delicious way to use this delicious berry.

• Biscuits:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick butter, chilled
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup half and half, milk, or cream
• Filling:
• 1 quart blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream for topping, or non-dairy whipped topping

Preparation:

Rinse the berries under cold water; drain well. Sprinkle with the sugar, if desired; cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. Whip the cream (sweeten with 2 or 3 tablespoons of sugar, if desired) until it holds a soft peak. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set rack at center level.

In a food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and pulse to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and make a well in the center. With a fork stir in the cream or milk, just until dough is moist. Be very careful not to overwork. The dough doesn’t have to hold together well at this point. Let the dough stand for a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over on itself (knead) 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush on a little milk or cream and sprinkle tops with some sugar, if desired. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Butter the hot buscuits then top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. Replace the tops and top with a tablespoon or so of berries. Serve with whipped cream for topping.
Serves 8.

It’s a three-for Tuesday! Join these great blogs for more recipes and great ideas.

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More Tuesday

It's Met Monday with Susan. Click on the pic for more

Pic of Bryan with me when he graduated from Marine boot camp (1996).

Today, I want to introduce you to my nephew, Bryan. Bryan is a Marine. He is not actively serving, but, I learned early on, “once a Marine, always a Marine.” The metamorphosis here is what happened to him at boot camp. They took a bright, energetic, clever boy and made him into a bright, energetic, clever man.

My sister, Tammy (his mother), and I went to his boot camp graduation. It was a life changing experience for me. We met with the drill instructors first. They spoke well of my nephew, which was a good thing. My sister and I were ready to take on the entire Marine force, if, for any reason, they didn’t have good things to say about him (which was unlikely). Luckily for us and for them, the drill instructors had nothing but good to say about him.

It was a goose bump moment when we heard the cadence from the young men as they marched towards us in the dark. You could hear them coming from a distance. Once they arrived, they stood at attention until they were dismissed to find their families. That was an awesome time. We saw him go in as as a young man and he came out a Marine!

The day he graduated from boot camp, I asked him what he had for breakfast. He said duck. I was surprised and said, “duck?” He told me that they had duck a lot. He told me that you duck your head and eat as much as you can before they kick you out. Never heard of that “duck” recipe before!

I am so proud of my nephew, then, and now. After boot camp, he was assigned to the presidential guard. He served in Washington D. C. and then at Camp David. He served in Kuwait during the initial invasion of Iraq.

He is no longer actively serving in the Marines but he still has that Marine attitude. He is a truly wonderful man that I am proud to have as my nephew. He is now married to a wonderful young lady and is still making me proud every day. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful young man as my nephew, and, we as a nation, are blessed to have so many like him who serve our nation so we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our heads.

Thanks Bryan and to all of the other Marines for all they have done and continue to do for our country!

Here is a post from last January. This was in the BL (before lagniappe) days.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Mussels with Garlic, White Wine and Butter
My nephew has become quite the connoisseur. He makes his own fine wine and is quite an accomplished cook. On one of our trips together, he ordered mussels. He loved them. Here is a recipe that I’m sure he would love.

• 3 pounds mussels
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse the mussels under cold running water while scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Remove the stringy mussel beards as you wash them. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables cook down, about 5 minutes. Add the mussels and give everything a good toss. Add the white wine. Cover and steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the mussels open. Stir occasionally so that all the mussels are in contact with the heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the sauce remaining in the pot and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinklewith the parsley.

Serve with hot crusty bread.

It's a Sunday Favorite with Chari at Happy to Design. Click on the pic to see more

Here is a post from last January. This was in the BL (before lagniappe) days.

I recently read an article stating that 2008 saw an increased amount of rudeness.  I’m sure you could find rude Southerners around, bless their hearts, but, hopefully, they are not the rule. Maybe in 2009, we should strive to promote Southern hospitality and good manners everywhere. Where ever you live you can be share some good old Southern Hospitality!  Here is how (adapted from the Facebook group “Ain’t Nothin’ Like Southern Hospitality”).

The Rules

1. “Sir” and “Ma’am” are not just for occasional usage.
2. Men hold doors for women/ seniors.
3. If someone else needs a seat, you give them your seat, and you don’t complain.
4. “Being a good Samaritan” is not just a saying, its an understood way of life.
5. “Darling”, “Sweetheart”, “Honey”, and “Dear” are used, for the most part, as endearing expressions.
6. You can dislike someone as much as you want, but when you see them you act cordially.
7. When you bump into someone you say “pardon” or “excuse me.”
8. Waving at people you don’t know or asking how they’re doing is not to be looked down upon.
9. You can take time to slow down. Slower paced lives are happier lives.
10. Say “God bless you” when someone sneezes.
11. When in doubt, be as polite as possible. Only confront others when confronted.
12. People hug one another, its OK.
13. If you disagree with something, be polite. “Oh….I see,” or “Oh…thats nice, Darlin” will suffice.
14. Saying grace at the table, even to yourself, should not be looked upon with disdain.
15. The only place where cars still stop (even on the highway) for funerals.
16. ALL people have the ability to behave like Southerners, though not necessarily recreate the accent.

This coming Sunday, summer is officially here! Nothing says summer to me more than watermelon. I remember, as a kid, eating ice cold watermelon on hot summer evenings. We always ate it outside since it can get kind of messy. Every time I eat watermelon, it brings back good memories of those simpler times and makes me feel a little bit like a kid again.

Many years ago, my father owned a grocery store in Norman, Oklahoma. Daddy was a master at picking out produce for the store. I remember, one time, for some reason, one of his refrigeration trucks full of watermelons was parked in front of our house. The truck had two small doors over the cab, in addition to the back door. My older brother and sister, Jay and Tammy, climbed up on the cab, through the small windows and dropped down into the truck. Once inside, they proceeded to eat watermelon.

Come to find out, getting in the truck was a lot easier than getting out. They couldn’t get back up to the doors to get out. Fortunately, my parents found them and they got out safe and sound and full of watermelon.

Daddy could give classes on how to pick out good watermelon, cantelope, strawberries and on and on. Here are some of his tips on watermelons:

• Choose a watermelon that is uniform in size.
• Look for the light yellow side of the watermelon. This light color forms as that side of the watermelon is on the ground while it is ripening. Watermelons do not continue ripening once the are cut so you want to choose one that ripened as it was on the vine, in the field.
• Look for a watermelon that is blemish free and has a hard rind. Many people check the hardness of the rind by thumping on the watermelon. A thump that makes a hollow sound means the rind is hard. Personally, I just kind of knock on them to see if the rind feels hard.
• Choose a watermelon that is a deep green and dull in color. Hopefully, your store will not polish their watermelons so you will be able to see the dullness.

Refrigerate the watermelon or ice it down in an ice chest for several hours to get it really cold before slicing it.

Join Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday by clicking on the logo.

Today’s Lagniappe: Watermelon Basil Vinegrette
Use this yummy vinegrette over greens and garnish with sweet chunks of watermelon.

4 cups fresh watermelon, chopped and drained
1/4 cup red onion, diced small
2 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
3/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine watermelon, red onion, champagne vinegar, canola oil, basil, and parsley in a blender. Pulse on and off about 30 seconds until combined. Add pepper to taste.

You may remember, Monday, I mentioned that last Saturday night a few friends came over for drinks on the porch. Well here are the pics for Tablescape Thursday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Click on the logo to see all of the tablescapes this week.

I am always looking for inspiration and I get so much from all of you. Here is the inspiration for this weeks table:

I saw this on the save on crafts website (you can go there by clicking on the pic). This look was created for a wedding. I loved the double shepherd’s hook on the table. I had a double shepherd’s hook but I didn’t want to use it in the middle of the table, nor, did I need anything that formal. I just took their idea and made a less formal, kind of rustic, shabby chic version. This is what I did:

I put up the hook, covered the bottom with moss, added a hanging plant on one side and a candle in a bird cage on the other.

Added some good food and drinks.

Some friends.

And we had a great time!

A robin had tried to build a nest in one of our trees and it had blown out. The nest is at the top of the hooks.

Here is the candle in the cage.

As it got dark we lit the candles.

We watched the fireflies, listened to the crickets and birds and visited and had a wonderful time.

Wish all of y’all could have been there. I’ll admit, mine is not nearly as polished as the magazine shoot. I just used what I had on hand and I was not planning anything so formal as a wedding. I actually didn’t have to purchase anything for the shepherd hook look and I kind of like the shabby chic approach to this.

I think there are a lot of possibilities here. Maybe in the fall, hang mums and wrap around a fall garland. For a patriotic look add red ribbon to the hooks and patriotic plant pokes to the hanging plant. I’ll try some different ideas and let you know how they turn out.

Oh, by the way, my friends Mark and Kim brought the beautiful  hydrangeas in the jar with the pretty plaid ribbon. They looked very pretty on the table. Wasn’t that so sweet of them?

Today’s Lagniappe:  Grilled Shrimp
We kind of went with a Mexican flavor for the party and all of the recipes are on this blog. Southwestern Cheesecake, Shrimp Dip, Guacamole and Lemon-Thyme Cookies. This grilled shrimp would have fit right in!

We have had a lot of rain lately. This afternoon after the rain, I took a stroll through the yard and snapped a couple of pics for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer.

Click on the logo to see some great outdoor pics.

Okay, so here we go for the stroll.

Here is another pic of the little robin teenager looking for worms. We are so glad that they have stuck around. Apparently, they will stay within 1/4 mile of the nest.

Here is the garden. A little soggy,but loving the rain.

Can’t wait to harvest some of the vegetables out of the garden. They are growing really fast. I usually already am able to harvest by this time but got a little bit of a late start this year.

I've had this for a long time. I just moved it to the veggie garden.

You can see the clover, as well as the veggies, love the rain.

She Who Loves A Garden
Has A Very Special Treasure
For She Has Found Her Private Paradise.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
This recipe is very similar to the Lemon Thyme Cookies, only with Rosemary. Hmmmm!

By the way, a friend asked what a lagniappe is – it is “a little something extra.”

Ruby Tuesday visitors – made some revisions that didn’t get updated properly last night. Sorry, I didn’t have the link here last night. It has been corrected this morning (Tuesday).

I’ve been out on the porch listening to another storm roll in. We had one earlier this afternoon and all last weekend and last week. One of the storms last week did quite a bit of damage farther south of here. Not a lot of damage other than some limbs down around here.

My garden is loving the storms. All that nitrogen from the lightening is making things grow like, well, weeds! When it dries out a bit in the morning, I’ll get some pics of the garden to post.

The robin babies have been back! You can see how young they are because the red breast is not really real red yet. They sit on the fence and the mother (or maybe father) bird gets some seed from the feeder and goes to the fence to feed them. I’ll try to get some pics of that to post later this week. Those robin babies (or teenagers now maybe) are still so cute. They are very noisy about wanting food still. I’m so glad that they have come back around. We’ve only seen the mom (or dad) and two of the babies. Hopefully the third is off on its own and doing well.

This little red headed guy and his bride have been looking at the old robin’s nest but haven’t decided to move in yet.

Hope all of you are safe from storms and having a great week!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Caprese Salad (also known as tomato, mozzarella and basil salad)
Can you tell I love summer tomatoes?

4  tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Arrange 4 tomato slices and 2 mozzarella slices on each of 6 salad plates. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper; drizzle with oil. Top evenly with basil. Six servings.

Join Tam at the Gypsy's Corner for Three or More Tuesday!

Join Mary at Work of the Poet for Ruby Tuesday!

It was an entertaining weekend. We entertained in shifts. First, on Saturday, one of my husbands friends from out of town came to visit for a while. They watched the Hogs play in the collage world series. After he left, we had three couples over for drinks on the porch. That was a lot of fun. One of the wives was not able to make it on Saturday night so she and her husband came back over Sunday evening. Sunday afternoon, my neighbor next door came over and we visited on the porch for a while. Lots of fun with friends.

June 14th – Flag Day, July 4th – Independence Day. This is the time of year that we all want to bring out the flag to fly in front of the house and celebrate our independence. Here in Mountain Home, Arkansas, we will be celebrating again this year with the 10th annual Red, White and Blue Festival. It is a 4 day festival with a parade, a rodeo, an air show, free kids activities, an art show, car show, concerts and then ending with a spectacular fireworks show. It is said that this fireworks show ranks in the top 5 in the  South Central region of the U. S.

This fireworks show has really undergone a metamorphosis. It started out with some friends shooting fireworks off in a field. Now, the entire county is involved. The mayors, the police and firemen, the businesses. It is a wonderful example of a community working together for everyone’s enjoyment.

My husband and I are privileged to be one of the sponsors of the event. It is a great family oriented event in this beautiful little town. One of the other sponsors of the festival is Carter’s Jewel Chest. They designed this beautiful pendant that is being raffled off and the winner will be announced Saturday night of the festival.

If y’all are around the area, stop on by. We would love to see you and I can guarantee you a good time!

To see some really great posts for Blue Monday and Metamorphosis Monday, click on the logos above.

Today’s Lagniappe: Feta and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms
A yummy bite on a hot day.

* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
* 1 (14-ounce) package large, stuffing-size mushrooms (approx. 9 mushrooms)
* 4 ounces  feta cheese, crumbled
* 2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
* Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a small frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is heated through and the garlic is evenly distributed. Remove from heat. Allow spinach to cool slightly.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach with the feta and stuff each mushroom with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture.
4. Remove the stems from the mushrooms (if present) and set aside for another use. Place the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and darker in color.

Sunday Favorites is hosted by Chari at Happy to Design. Click on the Sunday Favorite log to see other favorite posts.

This post was published last December. It tells about a trip I had to Columbus, Mississippi back when I was doing training around the country for a software company. Traveling is a pleasure when you meet such great people in beautiful places.

The South is famous for its hospitality. I think in all my travels, my experience in Columbus, Mississippi was a great example. I arrived in Columbus in the evening before I was to begin working with a local client the next morning.

I was in my hotel room when my phone rang. It was the front desk telling me that I had visitors and asking if she could send them to my room. She assured me that she believed it would be safe for me to accept these visitors. Safety, of course, was a consideration for a woman traveling alone. I agreed to see them out of curiosity, if nothing else. When they knocked, I opened my door and was greeted by two clowns. Yes, clowns! They came in my room and did a little skit welcoming me to Columbus and then left. I stood there thinking, “What was that?”

The next morning, I arrived to work with the client (a local Baptist church) and discovered that one of the ladies that I was to train that week was a clown in her free time and it was her and her friend who had visited me the night before. They laughed and laughed the night before wondering what I thought of their performance. What a welcome!

One of the other ladies at the church offered to take me to see the Waverly Plantation and then have dinner with her. The plantation was incredible. We were given a tour by the lady of the house. She was fixing supper when we got there. She put it on the back of the stove and proceeded to give us a great tour. The dear lady who took me to the plantation asked the hostess about the ghost in the plantation. She had grown up in the area and knew about how the plantation had stood vacant for 50 years before it was restored. She said when she was a teenager that the teens would go to the plantation but they never did any damage because they were scared off by the ghost. Our hostess said that, in fact, there was a ghost of a little girl and that she was a friendly ghost but that she was protective of the home. What a fascinating place.

What a wonderful group of people the people of Columbus are. If you get a chance, definitely visit Columbus, you’ll be glad you did.