A Southern Life

Okay, tomorrow,  October 12th is my 13th wedding anniversary. When we were looking for places for the ceremony and reception, of course, I took pictures and after the wedding, then, I had before and after pics! I would love to share some of them with you for the wonderful Monday Metamorphosis hosted by the very talented Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Thorncrown Chapel

The picture above was taken months before the wedding. We knew the minute we entered Thorncrown Chapel that this was where we wanted to be married.

Thorncrown Chapel

Here is the chapel the night of the wedding. Can you see us there at the alter?

Thorncrown Chapel

The chapel looks very different, although still beautiful with wonderful people in it.

Basin Park Hotel Ballroom

The picture above is of the ballroom at the Basin Park Hotel. Actually, it has been completely redone since then, but this was what it looked like over 12 years ago.

Basin Park Hotel Ballroom

Here is the ballroom with the Jack Mitchell Big Band. They were fabulous. The drummer is Jack Mitchell. They played all Big Band music which we just loved (that is why we chose them, after all).

Basin Park Ballroom

And, of course on the other side was the table with the cakes. There were tables along the side wall with lots of food and lots of yummy champagne and punch were served by the wonderful wait staff.

The mothers

Here is a picture of the mothers. My mother, Carrol, is on the left. My husband’s mother, Miss Iola, is in the wheelchair and the dear lady who we dubbed an “honorary mother” is Norvelle Turner. She lived with my husband’s family for nearly 45 years before her death from cancer. She loved my husband like a son; and he her like a mother. His mother died 2 months to the day after her death. Though Norvelle was Miss Iola’s housekeeper, she was loved like a member of the family, and, in fact, my husband took care of her ’til her dying day.

The happy couple

And, here we are, the happy couple then and the happy couple now. I am very blessed to have married this wonderful, Godly man whom I love even more now, 13 years later.

THE peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,
he amongst you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Today’s Lagniappe: Mint Chocolate Truffles
Okay, other than the shrimp, I don’t really remember what was served at my wedding reception. I’m sure I didn’t get around to have anything. We were too busy having the time of our lives! Anyway, there had to have been chocolate. I like this recipe and think it would be great for a wedding reception.

• 1/3 cup semisweet mint-chocolate morsels
• 4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, softened
• 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons semisweet mint-chocolate morsels

Place 1/3 cup morsels in a medium glass bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until morsels are almost melted, stirring until smooth. Let cool.

Add the cheese to melted morsels, and beat at medium speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar to cheese mixture; beat until well-blended.

Press mixture into a 6-inch square on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour.

Remove top sheet of plastic wrap; cut mixture into 48 squares. Roll each square into a ball, and place on wax paper. Roll half of balls in cocoa; roll remaining balls in 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Place 2 tablespoons morsels in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until morsels are softened. Knead bag until smooth. Snip a tiny hole in corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over balls rolled in cocoa. Serve at room temperature.

One of the great blessings in life is to have a wonderful mother. I enjoy visiting with my own mother and I also enjoy hearing her talk about her mother, my grandmother. I was fortunate enough to have my maternal grandmother on earth until I was in my early 30’s.

It is wonderful to have a mother and grandmother who love the Lord and teach His ways.

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Proverbs 31:10-12 and 25-31(NIV)

It is  Sunday so we will join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday. Enjoy your Sunday and Happy Independence Day!

Today’s favorite post remembers my grandmother, Johnnie Lloyd – from July 20, 2009

Southern Memories

I was talking to my Mama about recipes that were handed down to her from her mother. Grandmother was a great home cook. Nothing complicated but a lot of goooood food. Grandmother knew how to stretch a dollar but still create flavorful meals.

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Hamburger Steak
Breaded and fried=down home goodness

Form ground beef (also known as hamburger meat) into thick patties. If you want to add chopped onion and Worcestershire sauce before you form the patties that is also good.

Mix together an egg and some milk in one bowl and put flour seasoned with salt and pepper in another bowl. Dip the hamburger patties in the egg mixture and then the flour mixture.

Fry the breaded hamburger steaks in hot oil until done.

Grandaddy Potatoes
These were Grandaddy’s favorite potatoes. We always call them Grandaddy Potatoes.

Boil small potatoes (either red or small russet) in salted water. Serve the boiled potatoes whole. Serve with butter and sour cream. You can mash them with your fork at the table and add the butter and sour cream and salt and pepper. Simple and good.

Plum Dumplings
My mother tells me that when grandmother canned plums that she saved the juice from canning to make these plum dumplings. Just in case you don’t happen to be canning plums, you can use this recipe.

Make the dumpling batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

Prepare Plums:

1 lb of plums pitted and diced
1/2 cup sugar
spices to taste if you like (such as nutmeg or ginger)
2 cups water

Combine all of the above and bring to a boil. Drop dumpling mixture by tablespoons into the boiling plum mixture. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Actually, grandmother rolled out her dumpling dough and cut it into squares. You could always do that if you like as well.

I love recipes that are passed down. My grandmother loved to cook for her family and I remember many happy times at her table. No, none of these recipes are fancy or complicated. They are just simple and good.

What a wonderful weekend we have had, celebrating our nation’s independence. We definitely need have some people to thank for our continued freedoms and that would be our military! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have posted about my nephew (the Marine) before. It is a different kind of metamorphosis to be sure. But, it is an important kind of transformation. I wanted to post about him again, just in case you missed reading about him before. I am so proud of my nephew for so many reasons. I wish you could all meet him. He is a fabulous cook and makes his own wine. Quite the Renaissance man. So here I am posting about him again for:

Met Monday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

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!

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. Sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with hot crusty French bread.

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday!
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! You have seen my favorite post for today many times. I was thinking this past week that I need to write another “Daddy-isms” post. My dad had a lot of great things to say that have stuck with this daughter even now, nearly 18 years after he died.

One that keeps coming back to me is:

“If your problems can be solved by money, you don’t really have problems.”

This has been going through my mind this week as I watch the tragedy of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast and after our local community lost a wonderful lady who was a leader and who gave very generously of her time and talent.

It is true, lost lives and a lost way of life can’t be recovered by any amount of money. Money problems are tough, no doubt about it! But, life and health are very precious and are worth more than gold!

Okay, on to my Sunday Favorite. One more time for Southern Daddy-isms – originally posted January 26th, 2009:

Since I posted Mama-isms, one of my two beautiful sisters requested that I give equal time to Daddy-isms. My Daddy died in 1992 at the age of 54 of cancer. Daddy was a big, lovable man, full of integrity and loved by all who knew him. He laughed a lot and smiled a lot and I am very blessed to have had such a great Daddy. He was a very optimistic and positive man who had sayings that deserve equal time as well as a few funny memories.

When asked how are you his response was invariably, “If I was any better I couldn’t stand it!”

You can’t go through life looking in the rear-view mirror.

About anyone who was a good cook – You’re a good cooker.

About Marriage – Love is important but commitment is equally important.

The Bible is a book that is meant to be understood by reading.

When we were kids, my younger sister had a slumber party on March 31st one year. The following morning, my Daddy woke all of the sleeping girls and told them to be calm but to hurry outside because the house was on fire. When they were all safely outside he called to them from the door “April Fools.” He loved to pull April Fools jokes but that was one of the best.

Daddy loved to swim and he made sure we all had swimming lessons. He would take us to the pool and delight us by throwing us high in the air. We would wear him out by begging him to throw us again.

He would wake us up in the morning by turning on the light and singing (loudly)

Good morning to you,
Good morning to you,
We’re all in our places
With bright shiny faces.
For this is the way,
To start a new day.

If we didn’t wake up after the singing, he would stand at the end of the bed and say chop, chop, chop (as he was falling forward) to give us time to get up before he said TIMBER and fell on top of us. To my recollection, he never actually fell on top of any of us.

I could go on and on. As you can see, Daddy was a fun guy.

Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Spinach Madeleine or Crawfish Spinach Dip

I spent the afternoon yesterday with my friend Darlene planning our upcoming Mardi Gras party and it put me in mind of something with a little New Orleans’ Flavor. This is copied from Chef John Folse & Company Website. If you don’t have the River Road Cookbooks, look for them, they are great.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 5-6 Servings

Comment:
This traditional Louisiana recipe was first presented in River Road’s cookbook from the Junior League of Baton Rouge. It is safe to say that this single recipe made the book world famous. In the late 1990s, Kraft foods did away with their jalapeño cheese roll which was originally used in the recipe. Recently, an alert customer informed us that Kraft’s Velveeta line introduced a similar Mexican cheese.

Ingredients:

* 2 packages chopped spinach, frozen
* 4 tbsps butter
* 2 tbsps flour
* 2 tbsps chopped onions
* ½ cup evaporated milk
* ½ cup reserved spinach liquor
* ½ tsp black pepper
* ¾ tsp celery salt
* ¾ tsp garlic salt
* 6 ounces Velveeta Mexican cheese, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
* salt and red pepper to taste
* 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method:
Cook spinach according to directions on package. Drain and reserve liquid. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown. Add onions and sauté 3-5 minutes or until wilted. Add evaporated milk, spinach liquor and Worcestershire sauce slowly, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until smooth and thick, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and cubed cheese. Stir until melted and combine with cooked spinach. This may be served immediately or put into a casserole and topped with buttered bread crumbs. The flavor is improved if the latter is done and kept in refrigerator overnight.

This traditional dish can be spruced up for the holidays by adding ¼ cup diced red bell peppers when the onions are sautéed.

There are other great dishes that can be made with this versatile recipe, such as:

Crawfish Spinach Dip: Add 1 pound of Louisiana crawfish tails when you add the cheese and serve warm with tortilla chips or crackers

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

Today, is my wonderful Grandpa’s 94th birthday! I wrote this post last year for his birthday. What a wonderful blessing to have such a wonderful man in my life! Grandpa has lived quite a life. Sadly, he has seen the loss of his oldest son, my father and two of his grandsons, my brother and my cousin. But, he is a very resilient man who loves his family and always has a wonderful positive attitude.

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.

My husband and I and our little dog and cat have been traveling the last few days. We spent a couple of days with my mother and her wonderful husband in Oklahoma. The day after we arrived, a blizzard blew in! It made for a beautiful white Christmas, but unfortunately, many people were sliding off roadways and involved in accidents. According to the radio, this was the first blizzard in Oklahoma in 25 years. It started with icy sleet and then was followed by snow.

We stayed in and had a wonderful time and sent up many prayers for those who were not home safe and sound.

The day after Christmas, we headed to my Grandpa’s house. Grandpa will be 94 in January and his beautiful wife, Betty turned 84 the day before Christmas. Grandpa’s home is in a beautiful area and he has a lovely pond where the geese land and put on a show.

He made two bird feeders that hold 50 lbs. of seed each. The cardinals around the bird feeders and were beautiful!

The area behind the pond had gotten a little overgrown so one of Grandpa’s friends suggested that they get some goats to help clear the area out. Well . . . they did! They now have around 40 to 50 goats. It is hard to count them because they won’t stand still.

Here is where the metamorphosis comes in, Susan. While we were there, the goats were delivering babies. Not just one or two but more like 8 or 9 (from different mothers). One of the sweet little babies was rejected by his mother. I’ll spare you the picture of the poor little thing laying in the hay outside the barn where she left him without cleaning him up. He was just laying there shivering and wet.

We picked him up, wrapped him in towels and took him to the house (by the way, I did remember how to drive a 4-wheeler). When we got him to the house, we cleaned him up and then Betty bottle fed him. Before long, he was able to stand up on his own and even take a few steps. Here are a few (3 or more) pics of the sweet little baby:

Betty getting ready to bottle feed the little boy goat.

He is now doing well and should make it, but now Betty has to take over for the mother. She has done this before and still continues to feed a couple of the babies she had to take over.

So, that was my adventure with the goats! It was a lot of fun. My husband insisted that I could not bring a goat home!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Today’s Lagniappe: Salad with Warm Goat Cheese
You knew I had to get a goat product in here 🙂 This one is from Ina Garten.

• 1 (11-ounce) log plain or herbed Montrachet (goat cheese)
• 2 extra-large egg whites, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Fresh white bread crumbs

For the dressing:

nocoupons

• 2 tablespoons good cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons good Champagne vinegar
• Pinch sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 extra-large egg yolk
• 1 cup good olive oil
• Enough mixed salad greens for 6 servings
• Olive oil and unsalted butter, for frying

Slice the Montrachet into 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. (The easiest way to slice goat cheese is to use a length of dental floss.) Dip each slice into the beaten egg whites, then the bread crumbs, being sure the cheese is thoroughly coated. Place the slices on a rack and chill them for at least 15 minutes.

For the dressing, place the vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, and egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend for 1 minute. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the vinaigrette is thickened. Season, to taste.

Toss the salad greens with enough dressing to moisten, then divide them among 6 plates.

Melt 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat until just under smoking. Cook the goat cheese rounds quickly on both sides until browned on the outside but not melted inside. Top each salad with 2 warm rounds and serve.

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from A Southern Life. Hope you have all had a wonderful holiday and the weekend  will be peaceful and joyful!

We have had so much fun here with all of the family. My sisters and I enjoyed singing together with my mother.

My sisters Linda and Tammy and my niece Brenden

My other niece Taylor and Mama

Brenden with Thanksgiving buffet.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Black Friday Cocktail
Something to enjoy after a day of shopping (in the stores or online) and my contribution to Foodie Friday.

Add 2 shot glasses of vodka
Add 1 shot of vanilla vodka
Add ½ shot of Crème de Cacao
Add 1 tablespoon of chocolate syrup
Add ½ oz. of half and half
Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into chilled martini glass.

With Designs by Gollum

Thanksgiving is almost here and my family is coming to visit! I am so excited and am really looking forward to it. There is sooooo much to do. When things get hectic it is so nice to enjoy the everyday things. Okay, so, I am a very blessed girl. here it is . . . my wonderful husband brings me coffee in bed every morning in my favorite cup.

My favorite cup.

It is pretty worn now and this is my second cup like this. It has a peachy pink rose on both sides. That is my favorite pink of everyday and I am sharing it for Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Pink Saturday

It used to have a lovely pink flower on the inside of the cup. that is completely worn off now. Even the handle has a pretty touch of pink on the top.

You may think the picture is blurry, but the top of the handle is pretty worn. We use our china around our home! At some point, I’ll have to see about replacing this one.

The light is different in the pic above but I wanted to show you another picture so you could see again the wonderful shape of the handle and the cute little feet on this wonderful cup.

This cup is from the Allyn Nelson Collection of fine bone china, made in England. It is a wonderful way for me to start every day! And, thank you to my wonderful husband for bringing me coffee in this wonderful cup each morning.

Today’s Lagniappe: New Orleans Cafe Au Lait
We always drink coffee with chicory. It is our favorite and a wonderful way to start the day. This recipe is for coffee with chicory mixed with milk like you would fine at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.

The whole gang (I’m sure my family appreciates being referred to as a gang) will be showing up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or before. They will most likely be tired from their travels and need something warm and comforting to eat. Of course, there are a couple of considerations. One family member doesn’t like fish and another doesn’t like chicken. Okay, that leaves pork and beef or enough side dishes with the others that they will be enough. What to do? Be a little creative I guess.

How about Tortilla Soup with Beef?

Tortilla Soup

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 2 teaspoons chopped onions
• 6 2/3 cups chicken broth
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 (15 ounce) cans creamed corn
• 1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese
• 5 (6 inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips

In a large skillet over medium high heat, combine the ground beef and onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain excess fat and set meat aside.

In a large pot over high heat, combine the broth, tomatoes, cumin and garlic. Add the cayenne pepper, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water, stirring well until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add slowly to the soup, stirring constantly, to thicken.

Add the reserved meat, corn and cheese to the soup and stir well. Finally, add the tortilla strips and allow to heat through.

Or maybe some chili

Norvelle’s Jail House Chili

I’ve posted this before, but it is worth posting again. Norvelle was my husband’s mother’s housekeeper who was like a second mom to him. She made this wonderful chili. This recipe is originally from A Cooks Tour of Shreveport from the Junior League of Shreveport, Louisiana, 1964. Norvelle’s version is quite a bit spicier than the original. The recipe here has the measurements that she used. She made her changes in pencil in the cookbook. Read more about Norvelle here.

3 lb. diced lean beef or hamburger
1/4 cup liquid shortening (I use a couple of tablespoons – Christi)
1 quart water
8 tablespoons chili powder
5 teaspoons salt
8 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons marjoram
1 teaspoon red pepper (can use 1/2)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons paprika

To thicken:
3 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons corn meal
1 cup water

Heat oil in a large pot, add meat and sear over high heat, stir constantly until meat is gray but not brown. Add water and cover, cooking over low fire for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients, except thickening, and cook at a bubbling simmer for 30 minutes. Mix together thickening ingredients and add to chili. Cook about 5 more minutes and stir to prevent sticking. More water may be added for desired consistency. If meat is very fat, skim off fat before adding thickening. This is rather hot chili. For milder flavor, cut the chili powder and red pepper in half but add more paprika for color.

Or . . . maybe some baked potato soup with ham and cheese sandwiches.

Baked Potato Soup

3 pounds all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed
and pierced in several places
1 tablespoon stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toppings
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled bacon
Chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake potatoes 1 hour or until tender when pierced. Peel when cool enough to handle.

Melt Butter in a 4- to 6-quart pot over medium low heat. Stir in onions and garlic; cover and cook 10 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add 2/3 of the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add broth, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Cut remaining potatoes in small cubes. Add to soup and stir gently to reheat. Sprinkle each serving with toppings.

I’m still trying to decide! What do you think? Do you have any Wednesday before Thanksgiving traditions or ideas?

Don’t forget:

RIGHT NOW: Collecting encouraging notes and NEW stuffed animals for the families and children of the injured or killed. Please send cards/letters and stuffed animals (and anything NEW that may brighten the life of a child) to:

Soldiers’ Angels
4408 PanAm Expressway
San Antonio, TX 78218

Plans are still developing, but the goal is to give these families and injured heroes something big to smile about when Christmas rolls around.  It starts with the $2,000 gift certificate for Christmas for an experience on Christmas Day that will make them forget about it all for at least a little while.  To contribute to the effort, got to the Soldiers’ Angels website and click the donation button in the upper left and add type “For Ft. Hood” in the comment box that pops up (donations marked this way will be used only for Ft. Hood survivors).

God bless the survivors and their families!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Cornbread Sticks
The perfect accompaniment to any of the above!

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon  vegetable oil

Combine first 5 ingredients; make a well in center. Stir together buttermilk, butter, and egg. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Heat cast-iron cornstick pans in a 450° oven 5 minutes or until hot. Remove pans from oven, and brush lightly with oil. Spoon batter evenly into hot pans.

Bake at 450° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately; cool slightly on wire racks.

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

I was talking to my Mama about recipes that were handed down to her from her mother. Grandmother was a great home cook. Nothing complicated but a lot of goooood food. Grandmother knew how to stretch a dollar but still create flavorful meals.

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Hamburger Steak
Breaded and fried=down home goodness

Form ground beef (also known as hamburger meat) into thick patties. If you want to add chopped onion and Worcestershire sauce before you form the patties that is also good.

Mix together an egg and some milk in one bowl and put flour seasoned with salt and pepper in another bowl.  Dip the hamburger patties in the egg mixture and then the flour mixture.

Fry the breaded hamburger steaks in hot oil until done.

Grandaddy Potatoes
These were Grandaddy’s favorite potatoes. We always call them Grandaddy Potatoes.

Boil small potatoes (either red or small russet) in salted water. Serve the boiled potatoes whole. Serve with butter and sour cream. You can mash them with your fork at the table and add the butter and sour cream and salt and pepper. Simple and good.

Plum Dumplings
My mother tells me that when grandmother canned plums that she saved the juice from canning to make these plum dumplings. Just in case you don’t happen to be canning plums, you can use this recipe.

Make the dumpling batter:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

Prepare Plums:

1 lb of plums pitted and diced
1/2 cup sugar
spices to taste if you like (such as nutmeg or ginger)
2 cups water

Combine all of the above and bring to a boil. Drop dumpling mixture by tablespoons into the boiling plum mixture. Cover the pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Actually, grandmother rolled out her dumpling dough and cut it into squares. You could always do that if you like as well.

I love recipes that are passed down. My grandmother loved to cook for her family and I remember many happy times at her table. No, none of these recipes are fancy or complicated. They are just simple and good.

Today’s Lagniappe: How to pick out good plums
You have to have good plums for good plum dumplings. I would love to tell you how to can plums, but, haven’t done that yet. I’ll do some research and let you know!

If you want to purchase plums that are ripe and ready to eat, look for ones that yield to gentle pressure and that are slightly soft at their tip. While you can also purchase plums that are firm and ripen them at home, avoid those that are excessively hard as they will be immature and will probably not develop a good taste and texture profile. Good quality plums will feature a rich color and may still have a slight whitish “bloom,” reflecting that they have not been overhandled. They should also be free of punctures, bruises or any signs of decay. Plums are generally available in the marketplace from May through the early fall.

Plums that are not yet ripe can be left at room temperature. As this fruit tends to mature quickly, check on them in the next day or two to ensure that they do not become overripe. Once they are ripe, plums can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. While plums can be frozen, to ensure maximum taste remove their stone pits before placing them in the freezer.

For the most antioxidants, consume plums when fully ripened

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

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.

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.

Sorry to be so late posting this morning. I had an early morning appointment with the eye doctor.

I’m getting ready for a visit from Mama and her husband Chester. We are really, really looking forward to seeing them and spending some time relaxing and having fun.

When they visit we always have a very competitive spades game. Girls against the boys. We may actually try to go fishing this time if the weather holds out. I’m don’t get that excited about actually catching a fish but I love being out on the river just casting a line. The water and sun and beauty are always so refreshing and restoring.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. I look forward to seeing you next week. Next week will be a special week of posts to honor Veterans in honor of Memorial Day. Hope y’all can join me for some great stories.

For now, I’ve get to get some baking done in preparation for the weekend!

Today’s Lagniappe: Lemon Thyme Cookies
This is one of the things I’m making for the weekend.

* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme
* 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* Coarse sugar or granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the butter in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar until combined. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in thyme, lemon peel, lemon juice, and cardamom. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Knead until smooth; form mixture into a ball.

2. Divide dough into three equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6×4 1/2-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares with a scalloped-edge pastry wheel. Sprinkle cutouts with coarse sugar. Place cutouts on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are just lightly brown. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Makes 36 cookies.

4. To store: Place cookies in layers separated by pieces of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies, if frozen, before serving.

See other great recipes at Foodie Friday with Designs by Gollum.

Today, I’m joining our friend Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites whre we get to share a favorite past post. I love this. Thank you Chari for the great idea!

So here it is. I always have enjoyed sharing with y’all about people I love. Here is one of my favorites:

Southern Mama-isms

A Southern Mother is something very special. They have the job of raising a good Southern girl. My Mother had several pieces of advise, or sayings, if you will, that are good for anyone. I call them Mama-isms.

• You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.
• If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
• Sit up straight.
• Put on your red badge of courage (meaning lipstick).
• Set the table (something done every night with placemat, knife, fork, spoon, plate and glass – each in it’s proper place.)
• Walk like a lady.
• Never wake a sleeping child.
• How’s your attitude? (Getting a good parking place anywhere, depends on your attitude!).
• Pretty is, is pretty does.
• All you can do is all you can do.
• Consider the source and go on. (or as her mother – my grandmother put it: Pass and re-pass).
• Smile and make people wonder what you’ve been up to (when you were frowning).
• If your lip gets any lower you’ll step on it (when you were pouting)
• If you don’t  watch out your face will freeze that way (when your face was anything but pleasant).
• If you don’t stop crying, I’ll give you something to cry about!

There were many more. What did your Mama tell you?

Today’s Lagniappe: Recipe for Spicy Shrimp and Rice

2 lbs. unpeeled medium sized fresh shrimp
3 cups cooked long grain and wild rice mix (1 box Uncle Ben’s original   recipe with 23 herbs & seasonings)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 (10-3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
few dashes of Tobasco (to taste)
Cajun seasoning – around 1 teaspoon or more if you want more spice)

Melt butter over medium-high heat and add green onions; cook, stirring constantly, until tender

Combine all ingredients and spoon into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 55 minutes.

Serve with crusty french bread, green salad and crisp white wine.

P. S. : Mama emailed me one that I left out that is important – Remember who you are and Whose you are.

I’m joining Kitchen Bouquet today for Flashback Friday and Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday. I’m flashing back to remember one of my Daddy’s favorite dishes, chicken fried steak! His mother, my grandmother made this and my mother learned how to make her recipe from her and now my mother has taught me.

This is my Daddy.

This chicken fried steak is tender and delicious. As with a lot of handed down recipes, this one doesn’t have measurements. It is a technique. Here it is:

Good quality tenderized cubed or round steak
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
Egg and Milk beaten together
Cooking oil or shortening

Heat about a 1/4 inch of oil or shortening in a large skillet.

Bread the steak in the flour first, then, the egg and milk, then, back in the flour. You can repeat this step if you like more breading – your call.

Fry the breaded steak until you can lift it easily. Turn it over and brown it on the other side.

Carefully, lift cooked steak out of the skillet and place in a foil liked pan. Don’t stack the steak. Put the pan in a 300 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. You can leave it in the oven longer at a lower temperature if you like. Leaving it in the oven is an important step because it makes it really tender.

For the gravy. Keep about 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pans. Deglaze the pan with a little bit of water. Add a little flour to the drippings to form a smooth paste then add milk. Heat until the gravy is thick. How thick? Well . . . as thick as gravy!

Today’s Lagniappe: Lemon Drop Martini
After that meal (or before) you may need something refreshing to drink!

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1/2 ounce Triple Sec
1 teaspoon superfine sugar*
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

* Superfine sugar is instantly dissolving sugar that is typically used in drinks.

Mix the vodka, Triple Sec, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice; shake well (supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended). Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

NOTE: To create a sugar-rimmed glass, take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist. Dip the edge of the glass into the superfine sugar.

Makes 1 serving.

Y’all have a great weekend!