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!

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!

Worked in the yard last weekend – and got so much done. Got out the weed-eater and trimmed everything (front and back), pulled weeds out of the flower beds and did some much needed raking as the leaves are starting to tumble from the old oak in the front yard. I love to burn the leaves – such a wonderful fall smell – but haven’t been able to do that lately as we’re still under a burn ban due to the drought. Maybe if we get some more rain we’ll be able to burn. I sure hope so. If not, I’m tempted to bag up some of those leaves and save them to burn somewhere along the way just so I can enjoy that lovely fall smell.

Bit of a surprise while coming and going getting out the yard tools on Saturday. Can you say snake? Yup – had another snake encounter, only this time it was just the skin. David found the snake ‘shell’ in what we call the ‘back shack’ where we keep yard stuff along with other much needed ‘guy’ stuff like grease guns, metal wall brackets, miscellaneous cans of paint and scraps of wood. The odd part of the whole encounter is that the skin was in a box of tools about 3 feet off the floor. Hmmmmm…. didn’t know that snakes could get that high. Considering that there was nothing under this shelf other than the ground. I have to wonder how he got up there. Guess I’ll need to be more watchful when getting things off of shelves in the future.

I’ve been experimenting with a new shrimp recipe. Lemon-pepper shrimp. These are so easy to make and to eat . . . too easy in fact. But we like them and they make a good compliment to Chinese fried dumplings or if you like, they would make a great appetizer… just pile them up on a plate and let people have at them with toothpicks.

The recipe is below,  if you want to give them a try. Serves 2. (Before I start, I do not measure when I cook – so these are approximate measurements. You may find you want more or less of something.)

Ingredients:

• 24 Medium shrimp, totally peeled and veined
• 1 Heaping tablespoon of corn meal (yellow or white)
• 1-1/2 Heaping tablespoons of flour
• 2 Teaspoons of Lemon-Pepper seasoning
• 1 Teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/4 Medium sized onion thinly sliced
• Dash of salt
• 1-2 Tablespoons of corn oil for frying

Directions:

1.  In a bowl mix together the corn meal, flour, lemon-pepper seasoning, black pepper, and salt.
2. Into the combined mixture add the shrimp and gently toss to coat. Set aside.
3.  In a nonstick skillet place the oil and heat to medium-high. Add in the onion slices and cook for about 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice to keep them from burning.
4. With the onions still in the skillet, turn up the heat a little and add in the shrimp. Try not to get any of the left over coating mix that may be left in the bottom of the bowl into the skillet.   Cook the shrimp for a minute or so and stir carefully. You want them to cook quickly but you don’t want them to burn or the coating to fall off. I think I cooked mine for about 3 minutes total. If your shrimp are larger – it will take longer. Just use your own judgement here.
5. Remove the shrimp from the heat once they are done as you don’t want them to continue cooking or they will get tough.

Hope you enjoy them!

And just in case you ever wondered, I’m a very messy cook – take a look at my sink when I finished fixing those shrimp! Please don’t let this deter you from trying them – they really are worth the trouble.

Texas Fall Get-Away

PS – If you’re looking for a Texas get-away this fall, consider a trip to the Lost Maples State Park.  The park is located near the town of Vanderpool.  For information about Lost Maples and Vanderpool – visit Day Trips on This is Our Texas or go directly to the Vanderpool - Lost  Maples page here. 

PPS – Check out I Can’t Believe It’s Sugar Free - I’ve added a couple more recipes.

What with the peach trees in full bloom figured I better use some of the frozen peaches   from last year – and I wanted to see if they would keep the texture  of  a fresh peach or turn into mush.

Put this to the test over the weekend by making some apricot-peach fried pies.   Recipe for apricot-pear fried pies is here - just replace pears in recipe with peaches for a new taste.

Took five of the frozen peaches to use in the recipe . . more than needed but I wasn’t sure how they would ‘defrost’.

 To get them ready for making the filling, dropped the whole frozen, straight from the freezer peach into boiling water, let them boil for about two minutes, and then placed them into ice water.

The skin all but slid off and the peach looked just like it had come straight from the tree.   My curiosity got the better of me – so I cut off a portion of one peach to eat  raw – wanted to see how it tasted.  Again, just like it had never been frozen. I was pretty amazed.

So I proceeded with making my fried pies.  Do have one ‘tip’ for you …. if you’re planing on cooking any fruit pie fillings with a combination of dried and ‘fresh’ fruit, pre-cook the dried fruit a little before adding in the fresh fruit.  If you do not, you’ll end up with either dried fruit that is undercooked and tough or fresh fruit that is overcooked and mushy.

Herbs Away!

Finally got started on the herb box!!  

Of course the whole process was more involved than we planned on. We ended up having to dig up all of the grass in the area so we could level the ground before doing anything else.

We then put down a double layer of weed barrier with the metal panels on top of that.  (Got the panels by taking apart  a roll-around shelf we had bought that we decided I didn’t need.)

We’re only going to this much trouble to try and prevent the moles from destroying the dirt and plants. If I didn’t have the mole problem here – I definitely would not have gone to this much trouble.

Right now the box is  two-stories tall - but I’m thinking that is too much. For one thing the dirt where the two frames meet will leak  and wash out.   And, I don’t think my short herbs need that much dirt  for their roots.  Anyway, I can always add on the extra layer if this doesn’t work.  My gardening style these days seems to be one of  ‘trail and error’.

Guess I’m not the only one looking to have a box garden with herbs.  I was stunned to see the ‘box gardens’ at the Lowe’s garden center selling for over $100.  WOW!!!   And, they were no bigger. Granted, they were prettier but when I get my $3 box garden finished and painted – it’ll be pretty too! and I’ll have $97 + tax in my pocket.

The trip driving to Palestine, i.e., Lowe’s on Monday was beautiful.   This time of the year all the flowers are beginning to bloom and we passed fields filled with flowers. The dogwoods are in bloom as well and since the trees don’t have all their leaves, you can see the white blossoms  scattered everywhere throughout the woods.

Even my pink dogwood decided to bloom this year.

Bluebonnet Trails

If you’re planning a trip to see some of the wildflowers,  Brenham is a good place to start.  For information on Brenham and to get the telephone number for the Bluebonnet Trails visit Day Trips – Brenham.

And… if you love antiques, don’t forget Round Top/Warrenton is in full swing (March 22 – April 2) For a list of the antique shows visit Texas Antique Mall- Antique Shows .

There are so many different kinds of wildflowers blooming right now . . . I don’t know their names but some look just like tiny little white bells, others I call wild verbenas simply because the leaves look like verbena leaves even though the flowers don’t – and then there are little blue-ish flowers that look remind me of violets. All the peach and plum trees are full of blooms with what seems like hundreds of bees everywhere.   I find it hard to believe that it’s been reported the number of bees are dwindling. Couldn’t tell it around here. We’ve got honey bees and bumble bees both. The bumble bees can be agressive if you get in their territory – so I stay clear of them. Lady Bugs seem to be everywhere as well – and they’ll fly right up and land on you. I’ve heard they are good for a garden and yard so I leave them alone.  

I’ve started cleaning out the garden along with the flower bed next to the picket fence. I’ve planted some Sweet Peas there – and will keep my fingers crossed that they make it. I love Sweet Peas – but have terrible luck growing them.  

 Also, set out some Zinnias and potatoes. Haven’t decided what else I’ll grow this year – probably the standards – tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, maybe some okra. I did see an advertisement on television for a ‘Survival Garden’ – advertised as having enough seeds to plant an acre with all the popular veggies. Kind of reminds you of the 1940′s Victory gardens, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine advertising vegetable garden seeds to television viewers – especially if they live in the city. They have to be clueless as to how big an acre is and how much WORK it would take to maintain it. (I know I was.) We’re talking, tilling, weeding, planting, fertilizing, weeding again, etc. etc. I’m hard pressed to keep my small garden/yard going and it’s pretty much on auto-pilot. I plant it and if it makes it . . . great – if it doesn’t, it gets replaced with something else. My days of coddling flowers (i.e., city style) are through. I probably lost a few plants this winter thanks to that 13 degree night, but at least I know that the ones that survived have got to be hardy. And if I’m looking to replace something, I’ll certainly look for some more of those plants that survived.

I figure it will take me at least a month or two to get things back in order, but that’s OK – I’ll enjoy being outside listening to the birds and the bees, smelling the new clover, and pretty much just being thankful for all my blessings.

For those that enjoy driving through the Texas Hill Country during Bluebonnet season (they should be blooming around the end of March) – you can get more information about the different festivals and trails on This Is Our Texas - the weather will still be pleasant and there’s so much to see. Don’t forget the camera!