I have known Chris Robbins for as long as I can remember. We go way back to when we lived on the same block as pre-schoolers. We grew up in the same little city of Ada, Oklahoma. We have both left our little home town but, I enjoy keeping up with what is going on with him and his family on Facebook. Chris is famous for his amazing pies. He is known, by many, as the Lord of the Pies.
You may remember my friend Donna Butler Douglas that I introduced you to last year. Remember her? She is the creator of the fabulous DonnaDots!
Here are some DonnaDots to help you remember:
Yes, that Donna. She is so very talented and as it turns out, very organized as well. Donna has graciously written down some of her favorite organization tips for me to share with you. I will be doing that soon but today I wanted to share something else about Donna.
Donna lost her wonderful friend, her faithful dog Beau this past weekend. Beau was 13 years old and his health had begun to fail. I know many of you are pet owners and have known the heartbreak of losing a beloved pet. Donna is a very talented composer as well as a graphic artist. She writes beautiful anthems that can literally bring tears to your eyes.
Donna shared one her anthems in this very special tribute to her beloved dog, Beau. Get a tissue before you watch this beautiful video.
Love you, Donna!
Today’s Lagniappe: Easy Quesadillas
Love things that are yummy and easy!
3/4 cup taco meat
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1/2 cup salsa, divided
Sour cream
-Spread taco meat evenly over 2 tortillas. Sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup cheese, and drizzle with 1/4 cup salsa. Top with remaining tortillas.
-Microwave 1 quesadilla, covered with a paper towel, on a microwave-safe plate at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadilla.
-Cut each into 8 wedges; serve with remaining 1/4 cup salsa, sour cream, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Happy 2nd Birthday to
Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound
Lets have some cake with pink roses.
Some pink flowers.
and some pink balloons.
Wishing you another wonderful Pink Saturday Year, Beverly!
Today’s Lagniappe: Coconut Cake
I had a lovely piece of coconut cake on my birthday this past Thursday. It was delicious and perfect for a birthday celebration!
* 3 cups sifted cake flour (sift before measuring)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup butter, room temperature
* 1 pound powdered sugar
* 4 egg yolks, well beaten
* 1 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup shredded coconut
* 4 egg whites, well beaten
* .
* Frosting:
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/2 cup light corn syrup
* 3 tablespoons water
* 3 egg whites
* 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 cups grated coconut
Preparation:
Cake:
Measure the sifted cake flour into a bowl. Add baking powder and salt. Sift these ingredients 3 times. In a mixing bowl, cream butter thoroughly; add sugar gradually. Continue creaming until light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg yolks and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in coconut and vanilla. Fold in egg whites gently. Bake in greased 8-inch pans at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Makes three 8-inch layers.
Frosting:
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in top of double boiler. Cook over rapidly boiling water, beating with electric hand-held mixer until mixture stands in peaks. Remove from heat; add vanilla. Continue beating until frosting is firm enough to hold when spread on cake. Frost cake sprinkle immediately with grated coconut, pressing coconut onto sides of cake with hands.
Usually, I like to made visits to A Southern Life happy and uplifting. Today, I’m just kind of sad. Last week I posted about the terrible consequences of the oil rig explosion on the beautiful Gulf Coast. Today, I am shocked at the pictures coming out of Tennessee of the horrific flooding. I have many friends and followers from Tennessee and I’m not seeing a great deal of coverage of this on the news. Here is what is happening to the wonderful people of Tennessee:
Downtown near the river.
Grand Ole Opry
Hard Rock Cafe - Nashville
Here is a picture inside the Gaylord Opryland Hotel before the flood:
Check out the inside after the flooding:
Please pray for our friends in Tennessee!
Today’s Lagniappe: Tennessee Sin
This is a wonderful and delicious recipe. Enjoy!
2 loaves round sourdough bread
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham or bacon
1/3 cup chopped onions or green onions
1/3 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Slice off top 1/4 of bread loaf. Hollow out bottom, leaving a 1″ shell. Cut bread top and other loaf into cubes. Bake shell for 12 minutes.
Beat cream cheese at med. speed with mixer until smooth. Add sour cream and beat until creamy. Stir in Cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients. Spoon into bread shell. Wrap in foil and place on baking sheet.
Bake 30 min. Wrap bread cubes in foil & bake 15 minutes.
Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer
Last week, I shared a recipe for Lemon Thyme cookies that I made for lunch with a friend. I told you I would post more about that. My friend is the precious Christy Case Keirn from Macomb, Mississippi. Christy is the president of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries and the marketing directory of our local community college, Arkansas State University, Mountain Home. NAJA has some great cookbooks and, yes, we will have a give away of one soon. They actually used a picture of one of my tablesettings in their latest edition of their organization’s publication to publicize their latest cookbook. I’ll definitely be showing you which setting that was soon as well.
Anyway, today, I would love to share with your some pictures from my lunch with Christy.
It was just the two of us at my huge dining table so I tried to make it a little cozier with kind of grouping everything in just one corner. We had chicken delight (see today’s lagniappe), salad with lemon vinaigrette, hot yeast rolls and lemon thyme cookies. To drink, we had lemonade spritzers.
Christy is such a fun friend, wish you could all meet her personally. So, what kind of tablescapes are going on today for:
with Between Naps on the Porch
Today’s Lagniappe: Chicken Delight
Easy and delicious!
4 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small pieces (I usually use 5)
1 2oz. Jar pimientos
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
½ cup slivered almonds
¼ tsp. Celery salt
dash of pepper
2 TBsp. Lemon juice
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup cream of chicken soup (or mushroom)
1 3 oz. Can onion rings
Mix chicken, pimientos, water chestnuts, almonds, celery salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and chicken soup. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with onion rings and bake for another 20 minutes. (Serves 4)
I’ve been looking back over past posts and came across one I wanted to share with you. It is from February 27, 2008. Just a little less than two months after I started A Southern Life.
I had no idea the impact blogging would have on my life or how many wonderful people I would get to come in contact with. I just thought I would share a little about my life and my thoughts about life and living and entertaining, etc. What has happened instead is that while I still share, I feel like I get so much more from everyone who visits here than I could possibly offer in return.
In this post, I share a story of a visit to Steven’s Point, Wisconsin. Every time I think of this story, I am reminded of the wonderful Bible verse from Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
A Southern Life is now read in all 50 states and 103 countries/territories around the world! I am honored and humbled by that. Happy Sunday to all and a wonderful week to follow!
From February 27, 2008:
I was looking at my blog statistics this morning and am happy to tell you that we have readers from 42 states and 12 countries reading this blog. Y’all are wonderful. The 3rd most visitors are from New York! Thank you to all you readers everywhere.
In my previous life, as I traveled for business, I found that there are wonderful, warm people all over the United States. I remember being at a little shop in New Jersey (where I bought my husband a big coffee cup that he still uses every day) talking to the store clerk. She asked me where I was from. I guess from my accent she surmised that I wasn’t from around there. We visited a little and I told her that the people from New Jersey had been very nice. She said “You’re kidding!” She was surprised that the people from New Jersey had been nice.
Now, you know, I love the South and don’t want to live anywhere else but I love visiting all over and meeting people from everywhere. I was surprised that we don’t have any readers from Wisconsin. Since they are not here, I’m going to tell a story on them. If you know anyone from Wisconsin, you can share this story with them.
I traveled to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to do some work for the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. I don’t remember the month but it was very, very cold. If I recall correctly, I was staying at a Hampton Inn. Because there was so much snow and it was so cold, I decided to walk across the street to a little pub for supper. Because I traveled alone so much, I was used to eating out by myself. I was seated and had ordered a drink when two ladies approached my table. They asked if they could visit with me a moment. Intrigued, I agreed. After being seated, they told me that they were local school teachers. They had traveled in Europe the previous Summer and remembered how the Europeans would invite traveling strangers to dine with them. They had discussed it among themselves when they saw me come in alone and had decided to do the same. They invited me to join them and their friends to share a meal. I was so surprised and pleased. I joined them and we shared good food in a warm place on a cold Wisconsin evening. Now, wasn’t that nice of them. I will always think of Stevens Point, Wisconsin as a warm and hospitable town thanks to those dear ladies. Who knew, Southern hospitality in Wisconsin?
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. Although, I don’t know many of you personally, I count you as friends.
By the way, my husband is telling me I ought to write on weekends. I’m thinking about it, maybe just on Saturdays so I’ll still have a day off.
Today’s Lagniappe: Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
I know it’s not Southern but telling the story made me think of it 🙂
4 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped green onion, green tops and white base.
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup good Wisconsin beer
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups half and half (“half and half” is half heavy cream and half milk), heated
2 cups shredded aged Wisconsin Cheddar cheese (use aged cheese for better flavor)
(if you wish, one pound cooked sausage in bite-sized chunks)
Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
My favorite this week is just from this past Thursday because it is another chance to tell you about the DonnaDot give away and also to tell you more about my friend Donna Butler Douglas and her family. Her mom and dad are the wonderful Pete and JoAnn Butler. Outside of my parents, these two have been the most influential people in my life. They are wonderful and talented and very Godly people. They also have another wonderful daughter, Cindy, who is another talented member of this very talented family.
I do want to share another wonderful little tidbit with you this week. Pete Butler is the composer that wrote the wonderful hymn to Fanny Crosby’s memorable words – Redeemed. A well loved hymn from the Baptist hymnal I grew up with. I found a video of a this hymn being sung on YouTube and had to share it.
Here is the favorite post for Sunday Favorites. If you want to enter to win the give away, be sure to post your comment on the original post here
It’s Tablescape Thursday and we have a GIVE-AWAY! Oh, happy day!
My very good friend Donna Butler Douglas is one of the most talented people I have ever known. She is a very talented musician and composer and is just one of the most fun people you could ever know. Donna has started a new business called Donnadots. Even the name is fun. And, you know what you can use these dots in soooo many ways. Check out the tablescape that Donna put together using the Donnadots.
Even better, Donna has agreed to GIVE AWAY a set of Donnadots to one of the wonderful readers of A Southern Life! So, how can you win?
Next Thursday, the winner will be announced here at A Southern Life! It is that easy. I hope you enjoy Donnadots and whether you win or not, go get some and “Dot Your Day!”
Okay, check out what Donna did with some of the place card dots.
Perfect for Valentine's Day!
Hey, there are even dots on the plates.
What a lovely napkin fold for a Donnadot.
Love the silver heart holding the Donnadot.
The come in different colors!
Fabulous!
Here are a couple of other ways to use Donnadots:
Aren’t they fun? Good luck to everyone! Don’t forget to leave your comments to win your own set of 48 Donnadots!
with Between Naps on the Porch
Today’s Lagniappe: Donna’s Red Velvet Cake
This is Donna’s own recipe for Red Velvet Cake – one of her family’s favorites and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
| ½ c. shortening1½ c. Sugar
2 Eggs |
Cream together. |
| 2 oz. (2 bottles) Red Food Coloring2 tsp. Cocoa | Make paste with food coloring and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture. |
| 2 ½ c. Cake Flour1 ts. Salt
1 c. Buttermilk 1 ts. Vanilla |
Sift flour and salt together. Add to mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla. |
| 1½ ts. Soda1 T. Vinegar | Add soda to vinegar and blend into batter. DO NOT beat it in. Bake in 3 8-inch round cake pans at 350º for 30 minutes. |
| FROSTING:1 16 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese (soft)
1 sticks Oleo (soft) 1 boxes Powdered Sugar ½ c. Pecans (chopped) (optional) |
Cream the cream cheese and oleo until soft and creamy. Add powdered sugar. Add nuts last. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake. Sometimes I double the frosting recipe. |
Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27
Thanks for joining me today. I woke up with that scripture in my head. It is a favorite and has brought comfort to me many, many times. Before I get to the past favorite post, there is an announcement to be made. As many of you know, in addition to this blog, my husband and I have another blog for his business (Wharton Website Design and Marketing). On that blog, starting tomorrow, we will be teaming up with Soldiers’ Angels to participate in the Valour IT project.
Many of our military who are wounded receive comfort by way of technology. The Valour IT project is a fund raising effort to help provide the purchase and shipment of laptops and other technology for severely wounded service members. As of November 2008, Valour-IT has distributed over 2700 laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines across the country, and is now expanding its mission to include other technology that supports physical and psychological recovery. Every cent raised by this effort is used directly for the purchase and shipment of the technology needed.
The project is divided up by teams representing the different branches of the armed services to make it a little more fun. All of the money raised by the teams is for the same project. Wharton Website Design and Marketing has joined the Marine team! Go Marines.
If you would like to donate to the help and comfort of our military, please go to the Wharton blog and click on the Valour IT link on the top right.
How else can you help? Join the effort yourself by posting about this on your blog. Help us get the word out. This fund raising effort runs from October 26 through Veterans Day, November 11!
Let’s give back to those who sacrifice for us!
Okay, now to the Sunday favorite. Originally posted for a Memorial Day tablescape on May 27 (which also happens to by my birthday), this is a favorite for honoring those who have served:
It’s Tablescape Thursday with Susan from Between Naps on the Porch. Click on the pic to see more great tablescapes this week.
Once again we are visiting my friend Linda at The Cottage. Linda brought her white fiestaware and pictures of people in her family who have served in the military. She has pictures of family serving in every war since WWI. That is amazing. We set this table as a tribute for Memorial Day. We used her pictures on the table in decorative frames.
We added the apples for a little more color.
The pictures of family who have served in the past are a wonderful tribute.
Lots of red, white and blue and Old Glory on the table, too.
God bless America!
The Cottage is ready for Memorial Day.
Thanks Linda for sharing your wonderful pictures. Linda will tell us more about these sometime. For now, hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!
Southern Memorial Day
Today’s Lagniappe: Mile High Strawberry Pie
Summer in a pie shell!
Bring to a boil stirring constantly:
1 c sugar
3 tb cornstarch
3 tb light corn syrup
1 c water
Cook for five minutes until thick and clear.
Add:
1 (3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
Stir until dissolved.
Okay, no more wedding pictures today (I think). If I were going to show you a wedding picture it would be of my wonderful and talented friend, Denise White, who sang The Lord’s Prayer at our wedding and also had a wonderful time singing with the Jack Mitchell Big Band at the reception. I even joined her for our signature Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy rendition, that we always sing when we get together.
Okay, the last of the Anniversary pics for now!
Today, I’m going to show you some of the fabulous honeymoon pics. Remember, that I traveled (a lot) back in the day. We travelled from Fayetteville, Arkansas to New Orleans, where we spent a couple of days, and then on to Jamaica, for a glorious 10 days and then back to New Orleans for a final three days, first class, round trip for – $29.00 yes that is twenty-nine dollars. Thank God for frequent flier miles. I should have known all that travelling would pay off somewhere.
We stayed at Sandals – Negril. This was the view outside our door!
Sandals Negril Jamaica
We had a sunset toast every evening.
Sandals - Negril, Jamaica
Sandals - Negril, Jamaica
Sunset in Jamaica
We had a wonderful time in Jamaica. It was fun after New Orleans. We arrived in the late evening in Negril. We made our way to the nearest restaurant where we ordered some of the delicious local seafood. We requested a bottle of Chardonnay. The waiter asked us if we wanted red or white! We knew we were a long way from New Orleans, the home of some of the best food and wine in the world!
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
Today’s Lagniappe: Creole Onion Soup
This is a wonderful recipe from Brennen’s New Orleans. It is a great soup to have in the cooler months of the year!
(8 servings)
1?2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 large onion
1?2 c. all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef stock
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. white pepper
Salt to taste
2 tsp. eggshade or yellow food coloring (optional)
1?4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
Melt the butter in a large pot, and sauté the onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Blend the flour and cook the mixture over medium heat another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Adjust the seasoning with salt to taste. If desired, add the food coloring. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then serve.
For my 12th wedding anniversary, which will be next Monday, October 12th, Ive been looking back at the big occasion this past week. I’ve been hooked on my own wedding!
The rehearsal dinner was held at the beautiful (and some say haunted) Crescent Hotel
The wedding took place at 6 p.m. at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
A beautiful place
My brother Jay walked me down the aisle
Jay was a wonderful brother. My daddy died of cancer in 1992 (he was 54). My brother Jay (pictured above) died in 2001. So happy to have shared this wonderful time together.
My beautiful friends, sisters and niece
Starting from the left is my sister Linda, then my best friend since 7th grade Jay (who died of breast cancer in 2005), me, my wonderful and dear friend Julie and my other sister Tammy. Aren’t they all beautiful? My little niece Taylor was my sweet little flower girl. My bouquet is gardenias, white roses and stephanotis.
The reception was held at the Basin Park Hotel
The music was provided by the Jack Mitchell Big Band. They were fabulous. My sweet and talented friend Denise, who sang at the wedding, and I joined them for our version of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. We met when we were both in a singing group in college and have been friends ever since.
Cutting the cake with my wonderful husband, Joe B.
The cake was delicious!
I’ve said it before, and still say that my wedding was the most fun wedding I have ever been to! We had such a wonderful time celebrating with our friends and family. Such a blessing to have all of them with us, we were truly blessed, and we knew it. We are still very happily married and are still very blessed.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
1 Corintians 13: 4-8
Today we are joining: Hooked on Fridays at Hooked on Houses and Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.
Today’s Lagniappe: Catfish Pecan Meuniere
Along with the beef tenderloin (see yesterday’s post), this fish was served at the rehearsal dinner.
1 cup flour
4 teaspoons creole seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 catfish filets
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter
1 cup pecan pieces
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1. Combine the flour with 2 teaspoons of the creole seasoning in a shallow bowl. In another shollow bowl, blend the eggs and milk together. Season the fish with the remaining 2 teaspoons of creole seasoning.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the fillets in the flour, coating evenly. Dip the fillets in the egg mixture. Dredge again in the flour. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, lay the fillets in the skillet. Panfry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Transfer to a warm platter.
3. Discard any oil remaining in the skillet and wipe clean with paper towels. Return the skillet to the stove. Over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter foams, add the pecans and stir constantly for about 1- 1/2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Add the parsley, garlic, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and cream. Stir with a whisk for about 15 seconds and remove from heat. Add the salt, cayenne, and remaining 6 tablespoons butter, broken into small chips, and stir until the butter melts completely.
4. Spoon the sauce over the fillets to serve.
Christi’s note: I usually cook the fish in one pan while I am making the sauce in another pan. This does mess up two pans and takes a little bit more effort with the timing but it cuts the preparation time down.
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.
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
It’s Tablescape Thursday with Susan from Between Naps on the Porch. Click on the pic to see more great tablescapes this week.
Once again we are visiting my friend Linda at The Cottage. Linda brought her white fiestaware and pictures of people in her family who have served in the military. She has pictures of family serving in every war since WWI. That is amazing. We set this table as a tribute for Memorial Day. We used her pictures on the table in decorative frames.
We added the apples for a little more color.
The pictures of family who have served in the past are a wonderful tribute.
Lots of red, white and blue and Old Glory on the table, too.
God bless America!
The Cottage is ready for Memorial Day.
Thanks Linda for sharing your wonderful pictures. Linda will tell us more about these sometime. For now, hope everyone had a great Memorial Day!
Southern Memorial Day
Today’s Lagniappe: Mile High Strawberry Pie
Summer in a pie shell!
Bring to a boil stirring constantly:
1 c sugar
3 tb cornstarch
3 tb light corn syrup
1 c water
Cook for five minutes until thick and clear.
Add:
1 (3 oz) pkg strawberry jello
Stir until dissolved.
You may remember getting to know Linda Howell previously. She is my good friend who is a great real estate agent and a fabulous actress. Linda invited me out to The Cottage last weekend where we sat at this beautiful table with her gorgeous china and visited.
The china is Montmery by Haviland. It was passed on to her by her mother. She says when her father was made enough money to buy something nice for her mother, he bought her this lovely china. It features pretty little forget-me-nots.
The crystal is over 100 years old. It belonged to Linda’s best friend’s grandmother and was given to her as a wedding present by her friend’s mother. Her friend has since died but Linda uses this beautiful crystal as a way to remember her.
See the pretty forget-me-nots?
Here is that special crystal I told you about - over 100 years old!
A lovely time on the porch with a wonderful view.
A nice, simple centerpiece.
Beautiful cups
Isn't the little bird pretty?
More of that lovely view from the table.
A special way to spend time with a friend.
Hope you enjoyed this tablescape and all the others at Between Naps on the Porch
Today’s Lagniappe: BLT Pasta Salad
Something nice for a warm Spring day.
2 cups uncooked pasta
5 green onions, finely chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1-1/4 cups good mayonnaise (Duke’s or Hellmann’s)
5 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 or more tsp pepper
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (set aside)
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In large bowl, combine the pasta, onions, tomatoes, and celery. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, & pepper. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours. Just before serving, add bacon.
My friends Linda and Doris and I had a great time setting tables this week. We were at The Cottage, a great little store here. We found great pieces in the store to set a table. The owner of The Cottage is a great guy, but, unfortunately, he is looking to retire. If anyone out there would love to have a great place like The Cottage, email my friend Linda. She is a great real estate agent and can give you more information. You may remember her from a previous post titled, Southern Lady. If you missed that, go check it out. You will be hearing more from Linda later this month. So, on with the show!
We found this beautiful quilt for a table cover to highlight our dishes.
When I saw these blue hydrangea dishes, I knew they had to be on the table and, yes, they are for sale!
We called this table "In the Garden." I loved the cloche over the pretty little bird.
Aren't those great candle holders?
We couldn't decide which napkins, so, we used both!
How about this platter? Isnt' it gorgeous?
One last look.
This table was so much fun to do. Most of the fun was doing it with friends. Y’all check out The Cottage website. Everything on this table is for sale. I would love to buy it all myself! Thanks for visiting! Oh, I almost forgot. We had some really pretty glasses picked out to go with this but we forgot them! We must be getting old!
See the other great tables at Between the Naps on the Porch.
Today’s Lagniappe: Fried Green Tomatoes
Since we had a table called “In the Garden,” I thought a recipe for something from the garden would be good and Fried Green Tomatoes fit the bill!
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 – 1/2-inch slices. Salt and pepper them to taste. Dip in meal and fry in hot grease or oil about 3 minutes or until golden on bottom. Gently turn and fry the other side. Drain on paper towels. A yummy Southern treat!
I was looking at my blog statistics this morning and am happy to tell you that we have readers from 42 states and 12 countries reading this blog. Y’all are wonderful. The 3rd most visitors are from New York! Thank you to all you readers everywhere.
In my previous life, as I traveled for business, I found that there are wonderful, warm people all over the United States. I remember being at a little shop in New Jersey (where I bought my husband a big coffee cup that he still uses every day) talking to the store clerk. She asked me where I was from. I guess from my accent she surmised that I wasn’t from around there. We visited a little and I told her that the people from New Jersey had been very nice. She said “You’re kidding!” She was surprised that the people from New Jersey had been nice.
Now, you know, I love the South and don’t want to live anywhere else but I love visiting all over and meeting people from everywhere. I was surprised that we don’t have any readers from Wisconsin. Since they are not here, I’m going to tell a story on them. If you know anyone from Wisconsin, you can share this story with them.
I traveled to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to do some work for the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. I don’t remember the month but it was very, very cold. If I recall correctly, I was staying at a Hampton Inn. Because there was so much snow and it was so cold, I decided to walk across the street to a little pub for supper. Because I traveled alone so much, I was used to eating out by myself. I was seated and had ordered a drink when two ladies approached my table. They asked if they could visit with me a moment. Intrigued, I agreed. After being seated, they told me that they were local school teachers. They had traveled in Europe the previous Summer and remembered how the Europeans would invite traveling strangers to dine with them. They had discussed it among themselves when they saw me come in alone and had decided to do the same. They invited me to join them and their friends to share a meal. I was so surprised and pleased. I joined them and we shared good food in a warm place on a cold Wisconsin evening. Now, wasn’t that nice of them. I will always think of Stevens Point, Wisconsin as a warm and hospitable town thanks to those dear ladies. Who knew, Southern hospitality in Wisconsin?
Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. Although, I don’t know many of you personally, I count you as friends.
By the way, my husband is telling me I ought to write on weekends. I’m thinking about it, maybe just on Saturdays so I’ll still have a day off.
Today’s Lagniappe: Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup
I know it’s not Southern but telling the story made me think of it 🙂
4 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped green onion, green tops and white base.
1/4 cup finely chopped carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup good Wisconsin beer
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups half and half (“half and half” is half heavy cream and half milk), heated
2 cups shredded aged Wisconsin Cheddar cheese (use aged cheese for better flavor)
(if you wish, one pound cooked sausage in bite-sized chunks)
