Made a quick trip to Palestine yesterday – shopping, of course – and decided to take a few pictures along the way to share since we were going to be taking a picture of a quail ‘coop’ for a friend. The trip really is a pretty one with lots of scenic views, i.e., rolling hills, lakes, old bridges, etc. – unfortunately, many are so distant that it’s difficult to capture the beauty – but did take a few pictures of some buildings that I think are quite unique.
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:
Mix softened butter with sugar, add in eggs, water and pumpkin
Blend in vanilla and remaining dry ingredients
Stir in chopped nuts and coconut – add raisins at this time if using
Pour into loaf pans and bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
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.
This has been a very busy week. We went to Houston on Tuesday to attend a meeting with the Google AdSense Team. The meeting was very informational. Note: For those that might be interested, I’ll be posting some of the tips we learned on our Power to Earn Money blog in the coming weeks should any of you out there use AdSense to monetize your websites or blogs and want to know what the Google people had to say.
But the trip was something else. You know the old saying, ‘you can’t go home’… or something to that effect….well I can totally understand it. Having been born and raised in Houston, going back was a challenge tinged with sadness. It was amazing how much things had changed since we left – and I might add not necessarily for the better. We did make a quick lunch stop at an old favorite – James Coney Island – it never changes! – but there were a lot of other businesses and restaurants that were gone and/or boarded up. Traffic was horrible, and from The Woodlands on in, it seemed that there were major road construction and repairs everywhere. The pouring rain didn’t help either. By the time we arrived at the hotel (thank goodness the rain had stopped) we were pretty well wired. I say that in defense of our parking garage experience.
We arrived at the hotel (in the Greenway Plaza business district for those familiar with Houston) but didn’t see any parking lots or garages. So we asked the valet parking attendant about parking. He instructed us to take a sharp left turn on leaving the hotel entrance and proceed DOWN into the parking garage. Down??? Knew this couldn’t be good. But, on we went. After passing under the headache bar that advised ‘tall’ vehicles - those over 6’1″ – that they couldn’t get through – we began our downward spiral. Seemed like the further down we went… the closer the ceiling became. Felt like being encased in cement. At one point there was a sign directing ‘small cars’ to a special parking area – but cautioned that the ceiling was only 5′ 5″ !!! We’re not tall – but even at that we’d have had to crawl out of that area.
But, let me continue….other than the sign directing the ‘small cars’ we didn’t see any sign that would get us to the parking area on the other side of the barricades. Yes, we saw cars, but how to get over there??? After more levels than I can say, we figured we were pretty much reaching the bottom of the garage - and by this time we were both feeling claustrophobic since neither one of us likes tight places and you couldn’t get much tighter than where we were sandwiched inside the ‘spiral’… so David took the first turn he saw and we headed back . . . . UP! That’s right – we were on our way back out…..we scooted past the valet attendant again - know he had to be wondering what was going on with us – and headed back down ‘the hole’. This time David said – ‘we’re taking the first turn we see – no matter what’.
First sign we saw was the one directing ‘small cars’ to exit, so off we went. Just knew we were going to hear the sound of the car roof scraping on the concrete cross beams. But, surprisingly, there was another exit from there – one you couldn’t see unless you exited – that took us to the area we’d been trying to reach all along. We parked – and headed in to our meeting. The ceiling for the parking level was still low – about 6′ 1″ as advertised – but at least we were walking up right. After the meeting concluded, we were so glad to get out of there – didn’t even care that it was almost 5pm and start of rush hour – couldn’t wait to get home.
Now, our second trip this week was to Bryan-College Station. That was much more enjoyable trip and we always have fun there. Did notice a few things I want to pass along as compared to what we saw when shopping last year. You all know I’m a real bargain shopper and watch prices – but this time noticed other things that may – or may not – hinge on the state of the economy and the changes taking place starting this year. First, the Chinese restaurant where we like to eat only had half of the large restaurant dining area lighted – the area where the wait staff worked getting drinks, etc. was – in my opinion – dark – no extra lights, just light filtering in from the dining area. Also, the wait staff appeared to have been cut in half. To that, it was very strange (David pointed this out to me), all the female staff was gone – only the guys still working.
Next we went to Sam’s. Again, seemed that staff had been cut here too. Only one person working behind the snack counter – we’ve always see 2-3 people working there all the other times last year, and only one person checking at the exit . . . you know when they have to check your receipt against your purchases – usually at least two people there. Floor staff also seemed to be minimal. In the past we’ve seen lots of ‘stockers’ on the floor - usually visiting with each other – but not this time. In fact, it was our opinion that the amount and variety of inventory available was also less.
Our next stop at Wal-Mart was also the same in that we couldn’t find several common items that we typically go there to buy, i.e, powdered donuts in the little snack packages, and some common vitamins. Don’t know if this was an isolated experience or a sign of changing times – just know that I’m going to continue to beef-up my stash. Especially some of the more common items that I thought wouldn’t be a problem to find – but evidently are. (Note David’s crackers in the shot !)
Just got back from doing a little grocery shopping at Brookshire’s in Buffalo. I don’t go there often mainly because – in my opinion – they are expensive by comparison, i.e., HEB. For example, one item on today’s list was Club Crackers (David just loves those things) – I usually buy them at Sam’s where I can get a two-box package for around $4.50. Was I ever stunned when I saw the price for one box at Brookshire’s was $4.29. I don’t think so. Guess who’ll not be eating crackers this week?! That item just got bumped to the Sam’s list for our next trip to Bryan-College Station. In fairness, the cheese I was looking for was comparable to the Borden’s sale price – as was the store brand of Half & Half. And, we do like their Angus meat…. but crackers…..??
Now, another item that I think is totally over priced is batteries – particularly specialty batteries. In our case, the kind you use in cordless phones. We have a cordless phone set with an intercom that has four stations which makes it really nice – one on the deck, one in the red barn, etc. keeping us in touch. But, the replacement batteries are so expensive, it was almost cheaper to buy a new phone set… until David found the batteries on Amazon selling for around $4.00 each. They were the same batteries that were priced around $19.00 at other stores where we’d priced them. Buying them from Amazon – he also got free shipping! Visit Amazon to see the list of cordless phone batteries available.
Over the years, we’ve found that doing a little comparison shopping on Amazon before buying something usually saves us money – and who doesn’t want to save money these days.
We had an Omaha lasagna for lunch this week. It came in one of those ‘special’ sale packages they offer where you get steaks, potatoes, dessert and something else – in this case it was a lasagna. Up until today, I’d not tried one of their lasagnas – but while searching in the freezer for bread the other night, found the lasagna hiding in the back corner and decided we better eat it before it got too old.
Read the directions for preparing and didn’t like any of them. I find that cooking by microwave makes casseroles tough on the edge, baking in the oven takes too long – so decided to split the difference and make things easy by microwaving for half the time as directed on the box ( 5 minutes on half power ) to get it started and then baking it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees (half the recommended baking time) to finish it off. Granted this was not a recommended method – but it worked very well. So, if I’m fixing either my own or a store-bought frozen casserole – I’ll microwave for half the time and then bake for half the time – resulting in a dish that doesn’t take quite so long to fix – but tastes like it’s been slow baked.
News Flash! If you think every ‘alternate’ method to cooking and ‘fixing up’ I do works out . . . it doesn’t. Just came from getting a bottle of HEB Sparkling Water Beverage. They come in different flavors and are sweetened with Splenda . . . but the flavor I picked didn’t taste sweet to me . . . so thought I’d fix it by adding a partial packet of Sweet-n-Low. What I didn’t know was that when you add Sweet-n-Low to this particular bottled water – you get a volcano. Now while this might be entertaining to those that like seeing white foam shooting out of a bottle – it was definitely NOT what I expected. I trailed water everywhere as I carried it to the sink – the whole time foam boiling out of the bottle neck about 3 inches high. When everything settled down, over a third of the water had been been converted to foam and was gone! So, if you’re looking for a good science project – this would make a great active volcano – just be ready to mop up the mess!
My yard is a disaster!!!! We’ve got gophers running amok everywhere. To that end I found a ‘recipe’ that is supposed to get rid of gophers. I’ll give it a try this coming weekend when the yard has dried out a little. Best thing about this recipe is that it only uses home products. The recipe is below for anyone that is having gopher problems.
Mix….
1-1/2 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce
1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 quart of water…
pour this mixture in mole runways and they theoretically run away… we’ll see.
We don’t eat out much anymore – mainly because there aren’t any ‘good’ restaurants close by. Just fast food places that serve hamburgers, pizza, BBQ and such. To get to what we call a restaurant would take us about an hour to get there. By the time we order and drive back home – making a trip just ‘to eat out’ isn’t hardly worth the trouble.
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:
Shred carrots using large holes of grater
In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins and pineapple
In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and powdered sugar until well blended
Pour mayo/sugar mixture over carrot mixture and gently toss making sure to coat evenly.
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.
This week has slipped by so fast almost missed getting this post up! You may wonder what could take so much time? How about taxes?! The first of January is always a chore since I try to get all the tax stuff together for the last year . . . plus I like to finish leftover filing (business and personal) and get things ready and organized for 2012. Having two computers down didn’t help either. Today was the first day I’ve really been able to get back on my computer…. so it’s catch-up time.
First thing I want to tell you about is a WOW! David got an email from a friend with pictures attached. Seems Texas might have a Bigfoot running around. At least you might come to that conclusion from looking at the size of that footprint.
The photos were taken on their property in central Texas (after a rain) and not only is the print HUGE – yes, that is a yard stick being used for measuring – but would seem that whoever or whatever might also have six toes. After looking at those pictures did a search on the Net to see what other information I could find about Texas having a Bigfoot and was surprised to find a website dedicated to sightings and other ‘pertinent’ information www.texasbigfoot.com – just copy and paste in the address bar if you want to read more. I’ll be curious to hear if they have more sightings on their property. If so, I’ll be sure to pass along the details.
Haven’t been outside much – but have been watching with astonishment the gopher or mole that has been wrecking my flower bed. Seems he has decided to make himself a home right under one of my Nandina plants. That pesky rascal has almost covered the plant with dirt – not once but three times this week! I have no idea where all the dirt is coming from or why the ground hasn’t collapsed underneath the plant. During the past week David has gone out and stomped the dirt back down twice but the gopher? just keeps coming back. Guess I’ll have to get my garden book out and see if there is anything I can do to make him go away – something using household agents.
You’ve heard me say that on Sunday mornings we like a quick breakfast of coffee cake or muffins. On occasion we’ve had the cinnamon rolls ‘in the can’ – the ones you buy in the dairy section - and while we’ve enjoy them to a certain degree, they don’t have a home-baked flavor. So I set out to see what I could do to make them taste better. Tried cutting them up in pieces then baking them in a pan so they would be similar to ‘monkey bread’ – adding brown sugar and butter to the pieces. Didn’t really care for that – bottom pieces were too brown (almost burnt) and the center pieces weren’t cooked enough. On hindsight – probably should have used a tube pan to help even out the heat …. but don’t think I’ll try fixing them like that again because my second try was much better.
Took the dough and placed it in a well buttered glass pie plate with the cinnamon side up. I then cut an ‘ X ‘ across the top of each cinnamon bun about 1/4 inch deep. Next placed a thin slice of butter in the middle of each ‘ X ‘. Next finely chopped about 1/8 cup pecans and sprinkled them over the tops. Next sprinkled streusel (recipe below) over the chopped pecans and baked according to directions. When the rolls come out I have some frosting ready (optional) – but don’t put it on the hot cinnamon rolls until we’re ready to eat. If you put the frosting on as soon as they come out of the oven, the frosting will melt and disappear into the roll never to be seen . . . meaning we’ll have to smear more on when we sit down to eat them . . . and that is just too much sugar for us.
Streusel is a crumbly mixture of regular flour, granulated sugar and butter. I don’t have a recipe for this but just mix the ingredients in a bowl with a fork until it is the texture and has the taste I like. We prefer our streusel a little more sweet and buttery. Typically I use about 1 tablespoon of butter, 2-3 tablespoons of flour and 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. Adjusting butter as needed. You want enough butter so that the mixture is pea-sized crumbles.
Frosting for cinnamon rolls - 1 tablespoon butter softened (or melted), 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, powdered sugar and water. Again no recipe – just add everything together until I get the consistency and taste wanted. You would probably not want to use over 1 cup powdered sugar and 1+ tablespoon of water or you’ll have too much frosting leftover. You don’t want the rolls smothered in frosting – just a taste because the streusel already makes them sweet – just not sweet enough for David!
Read about the ‘other’ golds, i.e., how much gold is really in ‘rolled gold’, etc. and what you need to know before buying ‘other’ gold jewelry. Click here to read more. And to follow the market value of gold and calculate how much gold is in your 14K, 18K other K jewelry – visit this link - for online tools and more. And finally….. if you have checked out our new online antique store – please take a minute to see what we’ve been up to. We’ve got over 600 items in dozens of categories – adding new items weekly – and of course, shipping is Free!
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.
each. 
