A Southern Life

Well it is a FALL PARTY DAY! Today we are joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Between Naps on the Porch

Fall Open House with Hooked on Houses

Fall Mantle Party with The Nester

So much fun today!!! Here we go – click on the 1st picture to start the show!

First off a Fall Tablescape

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Hmmm, got to find a great fall recipe to serve on the fall table.

Now on to some decorations. I have a fireplace, but alas, no mantle. Luckily, Miss Nester was nice enough to include those of us without mantles in her party. I just decorated a little bit everywhere!

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Happy Fall, Y’all!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Christi’s Favorite Banana Nut Bread
Heat it up and slather with butter or cream cheese and enjoy on a cool autumn morning with a steaming cup of coffee!

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3 mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, beat well. Sift in flour, soda, cinnamon and cloves, beat well. Mix in bananas and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees.

The weather is slowly starting to turn just a bit cooler. I spent yesterday morning (before the football games) decorating in the front.

I like this because it looks good from the outside as well as from the inside. I thought she was just too cute.

Some pretty red mums:

And some yellow pansies:

And, of course a bird feeder for Miss Grace Calli Cat to enjoy watching the birds:

Luckily, she enjoys watching but cannot catch any of the pretty birds!

She is ready for Fall too!

Hope you enjoy your week and have a wonderful

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

I’m decorating for Fall today! I thought I’d look back through some pictures from last year for some inspiration.

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

I love the pinkish red tint to these leaves - beautiful

Autumn Sedum - beautiful! - That same deep pinkish red shade.

Now I’m ready! Happy Pink Saturday!

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

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.

As promised, here are the 2010 fair entries in the place setting category. Before we get started, I just want to show you something:

This is the 2010 Best of Show Winner:

This is an entry from 2009 that got a 2nd place ribbon:

See any resemblance? Almost exactly the same entry won Best of Show this year that got a 2nd place ribbon last year, go figure!?

Here are all of the entries for this year (see the accompanying comments):

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Enjoy! Hope you see lots of inspirational settings at:

with Between Naps on the Porch

Today’s Lagniappe: Hogs in a Blanket
Ready for the Arkansas/Alabama game this weekend!

• (16-ounce) package polska kielbasa
• 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed and lightly rolled out
• 1 egg
• Honey mustard, barbeque sauce or apricot jam, for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut kielbasa into 6 (4-inch) pieces. Cut puff pastry sheets into thirds (6 strips). Roll each piece of kielbasa in puff pastry and place on a baking sheet.

Beat egg in a small dish and brush generously over pastry. Bake until pastry is golden brown and puffed, about 20 minutes. Serve with mustard, barbeque sauce, or jam, if desired.

A few weeks ago, I posted about some great project for the birds in your yard as well as a fun little project for the squirrels.

Well, I went ahead and made this cute little project. I just got tired of chasing off squirrels and having my dog out after them. I figure, if you can’t beat them, join them and maybe get a little bit of entertainment while I’m at it.

I was hoping that at least on squirrel would visit before this post so I could show you pictures. Of course, they are wiley little creatures. None has been to visit yet.

So all you have to do to make this is take an empty soda bottle, clean it out, fill it with peanuts in their shell and then secure it to something with some wire (I used floral wire). I also placed it where I can see it from my desk. Okay, little squirrels, where are you???

What are you up to today? I’m joining:

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

Today’s Lagniappe:  Honey Cinnamon Vinaigrette
Fall always makes me want something with cinnamon. How about this vinaigrette on an Autumn salad?

• 1/3  cup  cider vinegar
• 1/3  cup  honey
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  dry mustard
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  canola oil

1. Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

When I was at the Farmer’s Market this week, I saw this sweet little flower arrangement.

I thought the pretty creamer it was in was just adorable. It was priced right and only $4.00! I happily purchased it and the sweet little creamer and the pretty flowers have been sitting here on my desk giving me enjoyment all week long!

Here is a closeup of the creamer.

When I saw the pink flower on the side, I knew it was perfect for

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

Here is a better look at the flowers.

These really brightened up my week. Hope they will brighten you up too!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Brunch Casserole
With the weather cooling down a bit, this would be a great day to have brunch on the porch! This recipe is from the Cajun Grocer website.

4 cups cubed day-old French bread
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
10 eggs, lightly beaten
1 quart milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp Cajun Chef Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
8 to 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Generously butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Arrange the bread in the baking dish and sprinkle with cheese. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, cayenne and onion powder. Pour this mixture over the bread. Sprinkle with the bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake uncovered for about one hour or until the mixture sets. Tent with foil if the top begins to over brown. Yield: 12 servings

Okay, it is that time of year again – time for the county fair! I’ll be going out tonight to see who won all of the ribbons. Remember last year when I entered the place setting competition? Of course, why not, I won the Best of Show ribbon the year before! If you were around to see it last year, you know, I didn’t win best of show last year but still had a lot of fun.

Here is my fair entry from last year (after it had been moved around a bit):

Sterling Rose

I really like this china. It is Sterling Rose by Royal Tettau. This year, I didn’t have time to get everything together and get down to the fair to enter anything. However, as I mentioned above, I’ll get out their and take pictures of all the entries for you to see next week.

In the meantime, here are all the entries again from last year:

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?

with Between Naps on the Porch

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.

We are so happy to have business to the East of us in Jonesboro, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Here are some pics form our recent early September trip to these lovely places.

The lake as we are leaving Mountain Home, Arkansas had a light fog over it.

As we pass through the small town of Ravenden, we see the Raven that watches over their city (a bit scary for my tastes, but to each his own!). I just think those eyes are kind of spooky.

Then on to the rice and soybean fields in the Delta of Arkansas. The fields had taken on some beautiful golden and green colors that just cried out for me to take a picture. Often as we pass through, we are treated to a fabulous show by the crop dusters dipping and lifting and soaring over the fields.

Just a beautiful drive through beautiful country!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Pecan Rice
Did you know that Arkansas is one of the largest producers of rice?

• (7-ounce) package pecan rice
• 3/4  cup  toasted chopped pecans

Prepare 1 (7-ounce) package pecan rice according to package directions. Stir in 3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans. Prep: 5 min., Cook: 20 min.

Note: Konriko Wild Pecan Aromatic Rice from Louisiana is a great source for pecan rice. Look for it in your local supermarket, or order directly from www.konriko.com.

Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD!
Psalm 33:12

So glad to be an American and for all of our shortcomings, I love this nation! From May 25th of this year for Sunday Favorites and Spiritual Sunday:

Southern Patriotism

As you know, we walk every morning in our neighborhood. Took the camera along this week and took pictures of the Stars and Strips flying in the neighborhood. I love the colors of the flag with the early morning sun shining through. Because it is the week before Memorial Day, I thought this would be a great time to post these pictures!

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Today’s Lagniappe: Strawberry Shortcake

Add some blueberries to make this a patriotic red, white and blue recipe!

Filling:
* 1 quart strawberries, rinsed, hulled, sliced
* 1/3 cup sugar

Shortcake:
* 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
* 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup shortening
* 1/3 cup butter
* 1 cup milk
* melted butter
* whipped cream, sweetened with a little sugar if desired

Place strawberries in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/3 cup of sugar. Let stand, covered, for at least 1 hour before serving.

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture is fine. Add milk; stir with a fork until all flour is moist. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently for 20 seconds. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Gently roll out or pat each portion to fit a 9-inch round cake pan. Place each portion into a lightly buttered pan; press edges to form a slight ridge. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 450° for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush each layer with butter. Spoon sweetened strawberries and juice between layers and on the top. Serve warm, cut in wedges, with whipped cream.

join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!

God Bless America!

We Remember

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound

It’s Tablescape Thursday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!

Well college football has begun. I remember last year at this time we had a lovely sunny day and I set up a fun tablescape with a football theme. It is raining and gloomy here today so I’m revisiting that post from last year and hoping it will clear up for next Saturday’s Game! So here is my post about Southern Football!

College football season is upon us. In the South, we take football very seriously. For that reason, I think I have some “splainin” to do.

You see, my dad was an Oklahoma grad (I graduated from a small Oklahoma college – East Central University). Anyway, I grew up with the crimson and cream, singing Boomer Sooner, wearing red and white, the whole nine yards. My dad even had a horn on our car that played Boomer Sooner when you honked.

I marred an Arkansan. He graduated from Tulane (New Orleans) then got an MBA from Emory (Atlanta), but, he is a dyed in the wool Arkansas Razorback fan. I had to learn to “call the hogs” before he married me! I’m sure he would have married me anyway, seeing as how I was such a great catch and all, but, I didn’t choose to test that out.

So . . . where does that leave me? The little college I graduated from doesn’t play on national TV, so, can’t really follow them. So that leaves Oklahoma and Arkansas. Actually, I root for both. Yes, occasionally they play each other and that is when it gets interesting. In those cases, I can root for both (at the same time) and be happy either way. Whew! What a juggling act!

Today’s table is for the Razorbacks (but I’ll be watching OU too)! One good thing about these two teams – their colors are the same!

A lot of red and white:

This is actually a sock for a golf club, but, on my table it is a bottle cover:

The hog hat:

Even the forks got the “red” treatment:

Gotta have your pom poms:

And, in case it rains, we have an umbrella:

A seat pad to keep us comfortable:

Deviled egg anyone:

I think we’re ready!

Today’s Lagniappe: Pig Sooie Spinach Dip and Sooner Cider

Pig Sooie Spinach Dip

I pkg. frozen spinach (thaw and drain before using)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 cups shredded monterrey jack (mozzerella also works well)
Splash of milk
Garlic salt, salt, and black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the first five ingredients in a baking dish, with the spinach on the bottom. Cover. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir to combine ingredients and distribute cream cheese. Add splash of milk, garlic, salt, and pepper and stir until well blended. Bake for an additional 15 minutes uncovered.

Sooner Cider
This is great on top of the stove or in a crockpot.

1/2 gallon apple cider
12 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 c. orange juice
1/2 c. lemon juice

Heat apple cider. Add all ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer for half hour or more. Add spiced rum if you want to kick it up a notch!

Leaving early to go to Jonesboro, Arkansas on Tuesday. Teaching a class at ASU’s Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center on Website Strategy and Planning. I’m really excited about teaching this class. I think it will be very helpful to small businesses.

Anyway, I’ll be in a real hurry in the morning. I found this recipe for a 40 minute omelet that sounds good (if you have the filling all ready prepared!). It has only 3 ingredients (excluding filling). I’m thinking that I have some Jimmy Dean breakfast skillet stuff in the freezer that would work well with this and in a fast time frame too. Sounds like I have a plan!

I feel like I’m off to the races!

Today’s Lagniappe:  40 Minute Omelet

• eggs
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon butter — or 1 teaspoon oil

Beat together eggs and water until blended. In a 10-inch omelet pan heat butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture.

Mixture should set immediately at edges. With an large spatula, carefully push cooked portions at edges toward center so uncooked portions can reach hot pan surface, tilting pan and moving as necessary. Continue until the egg is set and will not flow.

Fill the omelet with 1/2 cup of desired mixture. With a large spatula, fold omelet in half. Invert onto plate and serve immediately.

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More

I can’t believe that it is already Labor Day, which to me means the end of summer. We even had a bit of a cool down in the weather here for a few days so it really felt like fall was arriving. Of course, it will still be a couple of weeks before fall really arrives. However, I’m already kind of getting in the mood. You know, once football starts, even though we still have some hot days, fall is on our doorstep! It fills me with a sense of wonder.

I’ve already been thinking about getting out some of those fall decorations. Can you believe it? I haven’t done it yet, but I was looking back at some of my pictures from last years fall decorations to kind of get some inspiration.

A little Autumn on top of the tv cabinet

A few pumpkins on the coffee table

Scarecrows in the house plants

And this guy is just hanging around in the kitchen waiting for Thanksgiving!

Happy Fall Y’all!

See what others are up to in their homes on this Met Monday with Susan.

If you haven’t checked out my nephews audition for the History Channel program, Top Shot, here it is:

Today’s Lagniappe: Oatmeal Scotchies
One of my fall favorites

* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
* 3/4 cup granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or grated peel of 1 orange
* 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
* 1 2/3 cups (11-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Butterscotch Flavored Morsels

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats and morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION:
Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

with Between Naps on the Porch

I’ve been posting about my nephew all week. He has been asked to submit an audition video to Top Shot, a series on the History Channel featuring some of the top shots in the nation! He is a wonderful guy and a great shot and has served his nation proudly!

Please check out his video. If you have a YouTube account, you can give him  a thumbs up and a comment. Either way, I invite you to meet my favorite nephew and see his video.

Bryan and his wife, Shara have some lovely china.  Their wedding china is a lovely red and white.  See the beautiful table they set?

Today’s Lagniappe:  Garlic Lemon Shrimp
I think Bryan and Shara would love this one!

For the citrus vinaigrette:

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons each: lemon juice, key lime juice
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh garlic
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black freshly ground pepper

For the shrimp:

1/4 cup olive oil
30 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, black freshly ground pepper
3 lemons, halved

For the vinaigrette, mix parsley, lemon and lime juices and garlic in a large bowl. Gradually add the olive oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly until all is incorporated and the mixture looks creamy. Whisk in salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight in a covered container.

For the shrimp, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until just short of smoking, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the shrimp. Cook, without stirring, 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high; turn shrimp. Cook until pink, about 3 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the vinaigrette to the pan. Cook until the vinaigrette just begins to bubble and the shrimp are barely done, about 45 seconds, moving the shrimp around with a spoon so the vinaigrette flows evenly around all the shrimp. Remove from heat; let the shrimp sit in the pan 30 seconds; pour the shrimp and sauce into a large shallow pasta bowl or serving platter. Garnish with lemon halves.

Makes 6 servings.