When we lived in ‘the city’, we used a lot of leaded glass to decorate with – and occasionally even as window coverings instead of curtains. Here in the country, couldn’t find enough windows to hang all the leaded glass (and sizes didn’t match) – so I decided to use some of them on the walls like a picture. Not exactly conventional, but I enjoy it.

Almost all of our leaded glass came from either garage sales or auctions – which means in most cases we’ve had to do a little ‘fixing up’ and/or repairing. With most of the glass pieces being quite heavy, if they weren’t originally designed to be hung with fixed hangers on the top, we’ve had to improvise and frame them out; then attach screw hooks into the wood for the chain. Now that I’m wanting to ‘hang’ them on the walls, David is having to re-work them and use mirror clips to fit over the edges. And, in some cases, he’s having to set the bottom edge into a piece of grooved molding. This gives them a steady base and only requires a couple of mirror clips along the top to keep them from falling forwards. This molding is especially helpful if the lead is fragile or broken in some places.

I’m still on the hunt for a really pretty piece of glass that used to hang in the den window. It’s the largest piece we have and in shades of deep blues and greens – with a heavy oak frame. Took me forever to refinish it. It’s probably buried somewhere in the barn – but I’m on the hunt and aim to find it.

As many craft projects I’ve done over the years, stained glass is one I’ve never tried and probably won’t now but I bet it’d be just like oil painting . . . only with glass.

“Stained Glass” Cookie Recipe

Found this recipe for stained-glass cookies. Sounds like a lot of work (you know me, I like easy!) and can’t make them sugar free so doubt if I’ll bake them – but for those of you that may want to try it – they sound like they would be a fun cookie. They can also be used as decorations on a gift or at Christmastime on the tree. Note: You’ll need to start the day before you want to bake these as the dough needs to chill for 24 hours. This recipe is from my favorite cookie cookbook ever by Sunset.

What you’ll need:

•  4″ round cookie cutter
• assorted small shaped cutters for center cut-outs
• ribbon if you plan on hanging them

 Cookie Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3-3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 ’Stained-glass’ filling:

• 2cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• food coloring
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon flavoring of choice

Directions:

1. Use electric mixer to beat butter, shortening and 1-1/2 cups sugar until creamy
2. Beat in sour cream, vanilla, egg
3. Mix together dry ingredients in separate bowl and then gradually add to butter mixture, mixing thoroughly
4. Cover dough tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours
5. Divide dough into 4 pieces working with only 1 portion at a time keeping the remainder in the refrigerator
6. On a floured board roll to a thickness of 1/8 inch
7. Using the 4 inch cutter cut out rounds and transfer to a greased cookie sheet, 1 inch apart
8. Refrigerate sheets as you fill them
9. When cookies are cold cut out centers with smaller cutters
10. Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until firm but NOT browned
11. Let cool for 5 minutes
12. Arrange cookies (right side up) on greased baking sheet

Note:  If you plan to hang these cookies or tie them to a gift now is when you would cut 1/4 inch ribbon into 8 inch lengths looping it through the center and tying a knot at the top.

For candy center:

1. Place two 1-cup glass measuring cups in a 375 degree oven to preheat before making syrup
2. Combine the 2 cups sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pan
3. Cook over medium-high heat stirring until sugar is dissolved
4. Continue cooking until syrup reaches a temperature of 280 degrees, i.e., hard crack stage (do not stir during this time)
5. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring and flavor
6. Carefully remove one measuring cup from oven and pour half the syrup into cup (leave remaining syrup on low heat)
7. When syrup in cup has stopped bubbling and using a potholder, carefully pour syrup in slow stream into center of cookie to fill
8. Repeat process with remaining syrup and measuring cup until all cookies are filled
9. Let cookies cool completely
10. Twist the pan to loosen cookies, slide off and store in airtight container in a single layer

For quite a while now, I had been wanting a tall, narrow cabinet to put in the bathroom, behind the door. Somewhere I could store all the things I had no other place to put . . . like the extra bottle of bleach, hairspray, nail polish remover, cleansers and whatever might find its way there. BTW – It’s off limits to David.

Saw exactly what I’d been wanting in a Lakeside Collections catalog couple of weeks back – so David ordered it for me. It came today and surprisingly, it only took about an hour to put it all together. Gave it a freshen-up of lemon oil and behind the door it went. Fit just perfectly and I can now stash to my hearts content.

Projects Update

We’ve actually been doing really well on finishing projects this year. The last flower bed to put in is coming along nicely – all the weeds are gone and the borders are in. Going shopping this weekend for compost and flowers.

We started painting the faux bricks on the new ‘star deck’ – and that is looking really good. To do this, we’re using a brick form like you might use for making a cement ‘brick’ walk (that’s the form laying on the step in the flower bed picture above-left) and cans of black  spray paint.   We’re working down the middle to help keep everything even.  To make this happen, David used a chalk line to snap a guide for us.

Before we started painting the bricks, David put a wire mesh barrier along the existing fence along the orchard side to keep out the small animals that roam at night. Otherwise, the yard would be full of holes (armadillos).

Improvised Lady Fingers

Don’t know if you’ve tried the Lady Finger Napoli  recipe posted a while back, but haven’t heard the end of those around here. Unfortunately, lady fingers are non-existent at our country stores so… had to do a little improvising and use cake.

Followed the same recipe, just replaced the lady fingers with yellow cake that was baked in a large rectangle pan and sliced horizontally  . . . wanted it nice and thin.   Then cut those pieces into equal slices to stack. (Since there are only two of us, I use half a box yellow-butter cake recipe at a time - using two eggs, and adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the recipe.)   Next, trimmed the edges to make them even, then stacked the cake layers with sugar-free vanilla pudding between. Topped it off with ‘Splenda’ powdered sugar glaze and the chocolate swirl. Refrigerated it overnight – it was yummy the next day.   Lasted for about three days or 6 servings. (The cake pictured was made by using half of the baked rectangle cake from 1/2 box. Other half is in freezer waiting for next time!)  Enjoy!

We headed out right after breakfast driving ‘north’. The trip was really nice – lots of wildflowers blooming, and the traffic wasn’t bad. Around 11-ish we started looking for a place to eat lunch. Not the same old burgers and sandwiches for us today. We wanted something special. We spied - in fact passed and had to go back to – a very unique looking BBQ restaurant…. The Purple Pig, located between Palestine and Tyler on State Hwy 155 South.

With its rustic exterior and full parking lot, I just knew the food had to be good… and it was. The beef was fork tender, the wide variety of side dishes offered something for everyone – and best of all, the portions were generous. The staff – including Manager, Deb – were courteous and helpful. We’ll definitely be going back – even if we have to make a special trip just to eat there.

After lunch we headed on to Tyler and then to Edom. Edom was having a street fair and the town was packed with all manner of booths selling crafts and food. We didn’t want to have to walk the half-mile or so back to the fair from where we’d have to park the car, so we left Edom and headed down the back roads to Lake Palestine .

Along the way we passed Blue Moon Nursery. Seems to me it was out in the middle of nowhere but you would not believe the number of people shopping. Cars were lining the highway with people walking along the highway shoulder coming and going. We stopped just long enough to get this picture.  

Then on to the lake. Saw a sign directing people to a public marina – that sounded promising – so we took a quick right turn. Beautiful homes and lovely condos were everywhere all along the road… and then the water – for as far as we could see. We parked the car and went for a walk. I can imagine that in the middle of summer it could be scorching hot there – but today was perfect. The nice breeze coming off the water kept the temperature comfortable. . . almost cool. Needless to say we didn’t want to leave, but after an hour or so, it was back to the car and home. Now that we know the lay of things in that area – we’ll be going back. Soon I hope.

 Recipes

 OK, now for the two recipes: Smothered Steaks with Mushroom Gravy and Smoked Salmon Dip. Tried them both this week. The smothered hamburger steaks were really good – very tender. David loved them!! I made them out of 80/20 Angus hamburger meat, slices of bread, dried chopped onions, salt, pepper, then simmered them in a gravy made of mushroom soup, dry brown gravy mix and butter. You can get the complete recipe with directions here.

The smoked salmon dip I liked… David not so much. But then he doesn’t like salmon and he doesn’t like cream cheese – the two main ingredients. I used fresh salmon I had smoked myself, but you could use canned salmon (drained with skin and bones removed) along with liquid smoke, or purchased smoked salmon. The drier the salmon texture, the better. I only used ingredients I had here at the house (one of the drawbacks of country living) but for me – it turned out good. I liked it – especially with crackers. You can get the recipe here.

IF I were going to change anything – I think I might use fresh lemon (not lemon pepper) and add some sour cream to ‘thin’ the consistency down some. Otherwise, not bad. Or if you’re adventurous, try adding in some of your own favorite ingredients like horseradish, cayenne, paprika, etc. Enjoy!

In borderline panic, we called AVG and were given additional instructions about alternate ways to rid the computer of the virus, however, we couldn’t get past the first step. On attempting to follow directions, the computer went wild, browser screens were opening faster than David could close them. This warranted another call to AVG (still in semi-panic mode) – where a tech took remote control of our computer.  If we had only known . . . he was the first of three techs, that would work on the computer over the next 24 hours to get it back up and running. Not to mention that at one point the computer black-screened (full blown panic). We thought for sure it was a goner. The last AVG tech worked 8 hours to recover David’s computer from the black screen, and ended up using more adware, spyware and malware programs than you can imagine to clean it. Many we’d never heard of. Over the course of this last eight (8) hours, the tech gave us some very good tips about keeping our computers safe. If you would like to read more about the free anti-virus, malware programs, and see the list of recommended tips for protecting your computer, visit this link.

I have really been enjoying the weather of late. Have the garden finished and the star deck is completed with the protective base coat on. Have to wait for that to dry really well before we can paint the bricks on. Had hoped to do that this weekend – but, weather report is forecasting rain… so will have to wait and see.

Overall, we’ve really been enjoying the breeze while sitting on the covered deck, listening to the waterfall in the pond and watching the birds… especially the hummingbirds. They arrived last week and I have my feeders out. Even bought a new one that is so much easier to use. Fills from the top and has a vacuum feature that allows you to turn the nectar off and on. Keeps me from spilling liquid when moving it from the kitchen to the outside. Nice!

The pretty red flowers (top photo) are Amaryllis.  They are next to the step leading to the deck right in front of the Star Jasmine vine which is in full bloom and smells so sweet. That is just about the prettiest spot in the yard right now. The petunias in the bird bath are one of my super special hanging basket purchases I found at Lowe’s. The bird bath is right outside my kitchen window, so I get to enjoy the flowers when I’m in the kitchen – which is quite a bit of the time. If you’re wondering about the birds missing the bird bath….not to worry, there is another one in the front yard they can use.

Also, have plans to finish my back porch table this year. You may recall I had plans to tile it (and paint it) …. hmmmm, maybe a couple of years ago. Well I finally found some tile I liked, bought the mortar and have plans to get started on it next couple of weeks. But want to finish the star deck first. I don’t like having multiple projects going at one time…makes me feel too scattered. Also before I start, will need to have David get out the tile saw to cut tiles for the round edges. (Hope he can find it.) Cutting tile is a very messy job with water going everywhere, so we try to do that on a very warm day as he ends up getting soaked.

Cooking tip – David loves crispy anything… chicken, shrimp, fish, etc. So I’m always looking for a way to make those foods crispier. While I don’t like a heavy coating, I was looking for a way to make the coating different and still maintain good texture and flavor.

My last attempt at ‘crispy-different’ was a winner.  I found that if I put cracker crumbs (three crackers) in the dry breading mixture, regardless of what I’m frying, it comes out with a wonderful light crunch. Have no idea why three crackers would make such difference, but they do. And, of course, we only use David’s favorite crackers – Club. In case you’re wondering, my favorite mixture for frying  fish and shrimp is Zatarine’s Fish Fry and Panko Crumbs; for chicken or chicken-fried steaks I use Seasoned Flour and Panko Crumbs…. both with crackers added in now.

Looking for some light, fresh recipes for summer? Check out Lemon Chicken  and Lemon-Baked Sole Fillets. Lemon is such a wonderful flavor for just about anything…. and it’s also great around the house. Here are three uses for lemons in the kitchen:

1. Clean laminated counter-tops – squeeze the juice from a lemon half onto a laminated counter top stain. Let is sit for a few minutes, then rub with the outside of the lemon peel until the stain is gone. Rinse with water.
2. Garbage disposal – grind pieces of lemon peel in the disposal to clean and freshen.
3. Polish copper – cut a lemon in half, sprinkle with salt and then use to polish copper pots and pans.

Last but not least, if you are one of those people who likes to frequent garage and estate sales, trade days and flea markets looking for scrap gold and silver you can sell, you don’t want to miss our article about some non-traditional  items you might be overlooking. Read about those non-traditional items here.

I’ve been mulling on this discussion most of the week and have done a little sleuthing on the Net to see what others had to say. Even though both are baked in a ‘muffin’ tin with cupcake liners, it would seem there is an accepted difference.

Overall consensus and conclusion: Muffins are considered a bread, ie., pumpkin muffins, cornbread muffins, Morning Glory muffins (this one really got David going – thought they were made with flowers), while cupcakes are deemed ‘little cakes’ are made from cake batter that after baking  is either frosted, filled or decorated. So there you go – end of story.

Now, back to the blueberry muffins….I make these from a mix but like to add a couple extra ingredients and switch out one. I’ve found that doing so makes them a bit lighter and they taste better with more berries. Here’s what I do:

• Add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon vanilla to the batter
• Use melted butter instead of cooking oil
• Add in 1/2 cup extra blueberries along with the canned ones
• Sprinkle the top of the batter with streusel before baking

The streusel recipe is available at this link.

Bake as directed and enjoy. Any leftovers I freeze for later.

I’ve uploaded recipes for Morning Glory Muffins at this link, and found a new muffin – Salsa Cornbread Muffins that I thought sounded really good. You can get that recipe here.  And the morning glory picture really has nothing to do with anything – I just thought it was pretty.

Staycation Texas

Spring break is near and summer vacation is just around the corner. For those looking for something to do or somewhere to go right here in Texas – don’t forget you can get lot’s of good travel information at This is Our Texas.   And, for those that enjoy the Round Top Spring Antique Show – visit this link to see a video with some of the goodies you’ll find there this year.

Final thought – if you’re considering purchasing a home safe, check out some of the different types of safes and what features you might want to think about.   Just click here.

The trip to the auction was a straight shot – no time to dilly-dally – as we wanted to get there early enough to visit. Not knowing exactly where we were going, had the opportunity to use the Garmin (thanks, J&J) for really the first time.

Of course, just like I don’t like to measure ingredients for cooking, neither do I like to read instruction manuals. So, since I was ‘navigator’, I was pretty much flying by the seat of my pants when it came to operating the ‘machine’. I can say – all of my knowledge was based on what I had retained having watched Jerry (David’s sister-in-law) operate her ‘machine’.  And I might add, these observations were made from the back seat looking over the console. Overall, I didn’t do too bad. . . just kept punching buttons until I got the directions we were looking for . . . everything was going well until I decided to dust off the screen. Didn’t know that you could move the whole screen around by swishing it one way or the other with a finger! Haven’t a clue where we ended up after I gave it a good wiping – couldn’t find our destination anywhere on the screen… so, thought it better to start over, which is what I did. I know now, you don’t dust a Garmin.

We didn’t stay for the whole auction, but decided to take a leisurely trip coming home. Got to see some old Texas back roads and take a few pictures. Of course, the flowers aren’t blooming and the trees are still bear, but nevertheless, got some nice pictures. We thought this picture might be an old water or grain tower – but with that design on top, looked like it might have been plucked right off an old medieval stone castle.

Took a little time to get out in the yard this last week, did a little more work on pruning trees and  got a picture of the pear trees blooming for the first time.  Still have them in their wire cages to keep the deer from eating them up.

Also, tackled an infestation of web worms on one of the plum trees. They are amazing (the worms) – seems they appear out of nowhere and can just about kill a tree before you know it. Now that I’ve seen them once – will have to be watchful of my other fruit trees.

Had a new dish today . . . new to us anyway. Blackened chicken breast. It was so easy to fix, and thankfully, David liked it. If you’re looking for a quick entree that looks and tastes like you took a lot of time, this is it. I had planned to serve it with some Fettuccine Alfredo – but didn’t have the right cheese – so rice worked just as well.

1)  To prepare, use skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Depending on the size of the breast, you want to either cut it in half (length-ways) or pound to an even thickness between plastic wrap with a flat mallet or plate. Final thickness I had was about half an inch. (Fig 1)

 2)  In a non-stick skillet, melt approximately 1 tablespoon butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. (This is enough to cook 2 servings. Increase butter/oil if preparing additional breasts.)

3)  Let the oil and butter get hot but be careful not to let the butter burn.

4)  Add the chicken breasts to the hot skillet. (Fig 2)

5)  Completely sprinkle top side with blackened-seasonings.

Note: I only sprinkle one side because we do not like really spicy food; if you do, then you may want to sprinkle both sides with seasoning before adding to skillet.

6)  Let the breasts cook on first side until lightly browned, then turn. Continue cooking until done.  (Fig 3)

7)  Serve  (For a little extra flavor, try spooning a little of the ‘pan drippings’ over each breast before serving.)

Enjoy!

The Cypress trees have become huge – but do offer nice shade to the propane tank during those hot summer months- so they’re keepers. Did not get the peach trees pruned this year – and they are now in bloom – so guess that’s one chore that won’t get done. The garden is the next thing we’ll tackle this upcoming weekend, weather permitting – and as much as we enjoy fresh vegetables – I’m starting to wonder if it is worth all the work,  especially if we have another dry summer. But guess I’ll give it one more try . . . hmmmmm, seems I say that every year.

With all the extra outside work and what’s upcoming . . . need to completely clean out and re-plant at least two beds – my supply of freezer casseroles is getting low – so I’ll have to set aside a day, pretty soon, to replenish those. Really enjoy having stuff in the freezer to just heat up and serve . . . and have a new treat to add to the list. Not a casserole – but something for breakfast – easy sausage kolaches.

In the past, we’ve enjoyed those quick breakfast sausage rolls from the store’s freezer section with the exception of two things – I didn’t like the cheese in the sausage (not fond of cheese) and the price. So when I ran out of the store bought ones the other day, decided to try making my own. Of course, I looked for the easiest way to do this. Decided to use frozen yeast rolls (Rhodes brand here) and our favorite sausage. It’s a pretty simple process and you can make as many or as few as you like.

Before you begin – decide if you want small bite-sized or full-sized ones. We’ve tried both and like the larger size best.  (But we ate those up before I got a picture of them!)  And, for the sausage, we prefer the Eckrich skinless – but again, you can use your own favorite.

To make these easy kolaches follow the steps below.

1)  After taking the yeast rolls out of the freezer, let them defrost and come to room temperature. (It’s best to place them on a floured or lightly greased surface so the dough won’t stick when you start working with it.)

2)  Once the rolls are soft (but haven’t started to rise) flatten them out on a floured surface using a rolling pin. (Yes, they will rise again) You want the rolls flattened out enough to totally enclose the section of sausage you will be using or if you are making the bite-sized ones, large enough to cut in half but still wrap around a smaller portion of meat.

Since I was using link sausage, I cut a section of sausage (about 2-1/2 to 3 inches in length for full-sized) and then cut that into halves – lengthwise.

3)  Next, wrap the halved section inside the flattened roll, sealing the ends and pinched the bottom to seal. Again, if you are making bite-sized, adjust the length of sausage to fit the dough size. Wrap the sausage in the dough and seal the bottom. For my bite-sized kolaches, I left the sausage sticking out the ends.

4)   Place the finished sausage kolaches on a ungreased pan, sealed bottom down. (Enough of the fat from the sausage will cook out to keep them from sticking.)

5)  Allow the finished kolaches to rise for about one hour in a warm place. (I find sitting them on a wire cake rack over a pan of warm water works nicely.)

6)  Bake in a preheated oven (375 degrees) until they are golden brown on top.

7)  Brush with butter before serving – or if you plan on using later, allow them to cool (no butter). They can be frozen and re-heated in the microwave.

When re-heating, allow them to defrost  for about 30 minutes before micro-waving at 50% power. Depending on how many kolaches you want to serve, only re-heat for few seconds at a time. Start with 10-15 seconds for two (2) or 20-30 seconds for three or four (3 or 4). Brush with melted butter before serving.

The only drawback I’ve found to these sausage kolaches is that if you heat them in the microwave while they are still frozen . . . or heat them too much after they have defrosted, the dough will become slightly tough – so use caution. If you have the time, it’s best to let the frozen ones sit before re-heating – much better.

After making these at home, doubt if we’ll ever buy the packaged ones again. Especially since I’m always watching my budget and have found that these can be homemade at about half the cost of buying the same quantity at the store . . . not to mention we like them better! Enjoy!

PS – Check out  I Can’t Believe It’s Sugarfree where I’m putting up two new sugarfree recipes – Strawberry Pie and Blueberry Cobbler  -you won’t believe how easy this one is!  If you don’t see them, please check back – the Blueberry cobbler is still in the oven.

What a surprise. Went to close the front door last night and was treated to this beautiful sunset – looked like the sky was on fire.   With the weather warmer, David and I went out on the front porch to enjoy the scene and take a few pictures. Spring is definitely in the air – the yellow field flowers are starting to bloom as are the peach and plum trees.  I’m looking forward to getting out in the yard this weekend to see what else is popping out and do a little cleaning up. Have lot’s of plans – what else is new? Just never know how much time I’ll have to get things done.

Did try out the lady finger dessert – and it was very good.  In fact, if you don’t tell anyone you made them, I would bet they’d think  you’d gone to the bakery.

Decided not go the lemon-y route – but prepared them more along the lines of a cross between a Boston Cream Pie and a Napoleon – so decided to name  them Lady Fingers Napolí. I made mine sugarfree – you can get that recipe at this link  – but I’m posting the traditional ‘sugar’ recipe below.

Ingredients

• 2 Packages of prepared lady finger pastries
• 1 box of Vanilla Instant pudding
• 1-3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons water (approx)
• 1+ tablespoon chocolate chips (melted *)

*  To easily melt this small a quantity of chocolate chips, place them in a microwave safe bowl and then microwave in 10 second intervals until they are soft.  They will not become liquid so be careful not to over cook. Test them for softness after each 10 seconds.

 Directions

1. Make the pudding per box directions for a pie. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. In small bowl mix the powdered sugar and water until spreadable. Set aside
3. In another small bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and then add 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and enough water for a consistency thin enough to drizzle but not run. Set aside
4. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of pudding on bottom half of lady finger . The lady fingers I purchased were already split, if the ones you are using are not cut, you will need to cut them before proceeding. 
5. With a knife or spatula spread the white frosting on the top side of the lady finger before placing it onto the bottom portion with the pudding.
6. Place each completed lady finger back into the original holder or on a long flat dish – one that will fit in the refrigerator.
7. Repeat the process until all the lady fingers have pudding and frosted tops
8. Drizzle the chocolate glaze-frosting in a single line down the middle of each pastry (vertical)
9. Using the back of a knife, drag the knife – left-right – through the chocolate, then alternate right to left, several times until you have a nice pattern on the top.
10. Chill for at least 1-2 hours before serving for best flavor.

We found that they had even a better flavor after sitting in the fridge over night. Can’t say if they would be better the day after that – they didn’t last that long!

Not sure what the old round tin building is – but I’ve always found it intriguing. It looks like it’s almost octagonal but collapsing so much, it would be hard to say. And, looks it’s been there so long the trees are pretty much all that’s holding it up. There is a lovely little stream on the back side – took a picture of it as well, but with no leaves on the trees and the grass all brown – it didn’t turn out as pretty as it looked in person. Maybe this spring I can get a better shot of it when the wildflowers are in bloom.

The red ‘quail’ building is part metal with the rest being screened in wooden framework. It is quite large with lots of quail. Not sure what they do with them – but there always seems to be plenty of them there.

The very old, decrepit building is in the town of Oakwood – judging from the sign – appears to have been a food pantry once upon a time, long ago – but looks to be in need of much repair today. The property has just recently gone up for sale. You can see that the building to the left is completely gone – only a shell left. Have no idea what it could have been – but I bet this little town was quite something in it’s hey-day.

The tin shed on the road at the edge of the field is ‘new’ and we guessed it was built as a cover for children waiting for the school bus – note the pallets to keep them off the wet ground.

Finally, just had to get a picture of the cows as they looked quite contented in the mid-day sun – but gave us a curious stare when we stopped to take their picture. With the warm weather we’ve been enjoying (until today), they’ve had lots of green grass to munch.

Had a flashback the other day of pumpkin muffins. When we lived in Houston the gym where we worked out had a cafe and made the best pumpkin muffins. Now, while I try to stay away from too many baked goods – thought I’d make some pumpkin bread … justified this decision by saying we could have it for breakfast . . . although it’s good anytime. Found my old recipe (below) and set to work. Of course, I had to alter it a bit – and since I don’t like baking (hate all that measuring), while I did include everything – have to say not all the ingredients were exact portions …. but nevertheless, it turned out delicious.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 1 can 15 oz pumpkin
• 2/3 cup butter (softened)
• 2-2/3 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt (one of the ingredients I fudged on – used less)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (always add a little extra)
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup chopped nuts (we like pecans – but walnuts sound good too)
• 1/2 cup coconut (options*)

* You can use coconut or raisins here

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 loaf pans

Directions:

1. Mix softened butter with sugar, add in eggs, water and pumpkin
2. Blend in vanilla and remaining dry ingredients
3. Stir in chopped nuts and coconut – add raisins at this time if using
4. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
5. Cool – refrigerate leftovers.

I like to freeze one loaf to enjoy later and always cut it in slices separated with wax paper before freezing. This makes it so easy to get out just one or two slices at a time.

One last cooking tip. We enjoy the pre-cooked frozen sausage we get at Sam’s and Wal-Mart (original flavor). So when we want sausage for breakfast this is how I fix it. Add about 1/4 inch of water to the skillet and then cook the sausage over medium-low heat. Using a little bit of water helps keep the sausage tender, keeps it from getting over-cooked (too crispy) and if you like, you can add a dash of sage to the water to give the sausage a little more homemade taste. Once it’s done, place on paper towels and use a fork to press out any excess grease.

Finally…I’ve found a dishwasher soap I like and works better than most.  I’ll tell you about it next time.

When we lived in Houston, there were lots of places close by we could frequent – with every manner of food. At that time, one of our favorite places – although it wasn’t technically a restaurant – was Luby’s. David liked the variety of food and one of his – and my – favorites was the carrot-raisin salad. We always considered it our ‘dessert’ because it was so very sweet. We liked it well enough that I bought the Luby’s 50th Anniversary Recipe Collection. Not only does the cookbook have the salad recipe but lots of other recipes that we enjoyed and have been dubbed ‘most requested’ – like Spaghetti Salad, Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Sauce, Coconut Meringue Pie, Chicken Fried Steak, Baked haddock Almondine, Baked White Fish, and many more.

Granted, David probably shouldn’t be eating that particular salad (too much sugar) – but sometimes you need a little treat – and we still have our little treat here at home. Surprisingly so – the salad I make tastes just like the one Luby’s serves. (Note- it’s always better the next day.)

For those that might like to try the carrot-raisin salad, I’m posting the recipe below and under the original Luby’s recipe I’m placing a ‘low-fat’ version for those that are on a more strict diet.

The low-fat recipe still uses some powdered sugar – however, if you want to really trim the calories you might try using Splenda powdered sugar.

Have to say, I’ve not tried making the low-cal salad using Splenda  because some things just taste better with real sugar – and I think this might be one of them.

Each recipe should give you 8 servings.

Carrot-Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 1 cup raisins*
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup ‘good quality’ mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Shred carrots using large holes of grater
2. In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins and pineapple
3. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and powdered sugar until well blended
4. Pour mayo/sugar mixture over carrot mixture and gently toss making sure to coat evenly.
5. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours

* I soak my raisins in water for about an hour before I make this salad. This helps plump them – just be sure to pour off all the excess water before using.

Low-Cal Carrot-Raisin Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 cups carrots, peeled, trimmed
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple (in own juice) well drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Directions:

• Shred carrots using large holes of grater
• In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins and pineapple
• In a small bowl, using a wire whisk mix together the yogurt, sugar and orange peel
• Pour mayo/sugar mixture over carrot mixture and fold over making sure to coat evenly.
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy!