New Blog!

I am a member of the Friends of the Daingerfield Public Library (we are only 2 years old). After attending an area Friends Roundup, we discovered that we were the only group in attendance that did not have a webpage. I had started formatting a page before the first of the year, then life got busy. One of the other lady's sons said that he would help and asked if we wanted a webpage, blog, or My Space. I initially thought webpage. Last night while surfing, I ran across a library's blog. I did a search and found it very easily. I know how to do a blog...don't have to contact the library's Internet provider for server space and access...don't have to have someone upload what I create or help with constant changes. I can do this!

This is just the beginning, but please check us out!

http://friendsofthedaingerfieldpubliclibrary.blogspot.com/

Squash Pickles

8 cups sliced yellow summer squash
2 cups onions, sliced in rings or chunks
3 tablespoons canning salt
1 cup quarted jalapenos, seed some to cut back on the 'fire'
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed per pint
1/2 teaspoon celery seed per pint

Combine squash and onions. Put salt on top; give it a stir. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain well; do not rinse. Seed some of the jalapenos if desired and add to the squash and onions. Combine vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Put 1 teaspoon mustard seed and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed in each pint jar. Pack squash, onion, and peppr into jars. Pour boiling vinegar/sugar into jars, covering vegetables. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

If you like relish on your peas, you can chop the vegetables instead of slicing.

Lazy Day

Happy Father's Day to you men who have touched a child's life in a positive way! Sam asked to go out to eat today and since it is Father's Day, I told him it was his choice. We are going to Longview early this evening hoping to miss some of the crowds.


I can not believe I forgot about my Mother-in-Law's Tongue blooming. I went out to check it...the blooms are already falling off. Rats!


Yesterday, a group of representatives from our friends of the library went to Jefferson for the Friends Round-Up sponsored by NETLS (Northeast Texas Library System). We learned a lot and hope that they repeat the program each year. We found out that we were the only friends group without a website. Welllll...I have the pages started on my computer...from last December. One of our members talked with her son; he will be helping me get them online.

We had torrential rains around 7:30 yesterday morning. They hit just before leaving for Jefferson. Thankfully the worst was over before we had to leave.

Garden Fare

My mother, brother, and sister-in-law put in a vegetable garden this year. Mama has quite a few health problems, but Joey set chairs out at the ends of the rows when he realized that she was going to be in the garden so that she could rest and not overdo it. Mama has been sharing fresh vegetables with us.

Tonight I cooked stuffed zucchini and new potatoes with butter. For dessert we had banana nut muffins.

Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium zucchini (I actually used just one - a really, really large one)
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teasoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Halve the zucchini and put it in a baking dish...microwave not over 5 minutes. Scoop out the center, mash and set aside. Place zucchini boats in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Cook ground beef with onion until onion is translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms; stir and cook until the mushrooms cook down. Remove from heat. Drain off any excess fat; stir in mashed zucchini. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Spoon into the zucchini boats; sprinkle with more grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Banana Nut Muffins

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Spray 12 muffin cups with oil or grease them. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add bananas and vanilla; beat until smooth. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened; stir in chopped nuts. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 18 minutes. Cook for a few minutes, then turn muffins out onto rack to cook longer.

You can also bake these in the little muffin tins. They will cook 10 - 15 minutes. Be sure to watch them closely!

Earlier this week, Mama came over with enough yellow squash and onions to make pickles.

8 cups sliced squash (we use yellow squash, but you could also use zucchini)
2 cups onions, sliced in rings or chunks
3 tablespoons canning salt
1 cup jalepenos, quartered
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
mustard seed
celery seed

Combine squash and onions in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt on top. Let stand 1 hour. Drain well, do not rinse.

Seed some of the jalepenos if desired to reduce the overall heat. Add to the squash and onions. Combine vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Put 1 teaspoon mustard seed and 1/2 teaspoon celery seed in each pint jar. (Remember you did not rinse the salt off the squash and onions so no need to add salt.)

Put the vegetables into the jars. Pour the boiling vinegar over, seal, process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

My photo of the day - my mother slipped on her front porch back in March and hit her head on the window facing. After a stroke then triple-bypass heart surgery back in the mid-90s, and two TIAs a couple of years ago, she is on blood thinners. And she did bleed!

We went to the movie one night. I let her out 'up front' and then parked the car. I walked up just as a young man held the door for her. He looked, did a double-take, then looked away. I said, "If you think she looks bad, you should see the guy she put in the hospital." Mama overheard and started laughing.

She now has a pretty ugly L-shaped scar over her left eye - a bit into the eyebrow. She tried the Mederma scar cover/healer stuff but was sensitive to it.

Grandparents

I mentioned my grandmother in my last post. Just in case you are all wondering...when you look up the word "grandmother" in the dictionary, the photo of the lady representing that word is MY grandmother...

Ruby Syble Durham Sanford. Oh, yeah, my grandfather, Grover Weldon "Punk" Sanford was a pretty neat guy too...especially to me. I was raised (as we say in Texas) with a bunch of stinking brothers and male cousins.

Gone Again

Sigh. Sam has gone back today (Sunday) to complete the bulldozing job for his son. He plans on returning home on Wednesday. I will be able to stay busy - subbing at the public library tomorrow. Tuesday my mother has a doctor's appointment out of town, so that will keep me busy then.

I should get a bit of quilting done too. I am working harder on the crazy quilt block that I intend to turn into a clutch for an Alaskan cruise we are taking in August. (Sam's son gave us the cruise this past Christmas.) I need to purchase more green floss and put some leaves on the pink spiderweb roses in the lower left corner. Then that leaves the large blue area. When the clutch is folded, the fold will run through that piece. A friend suggested hearts...I forgot to point out the new addition. I added ribbon around the bullion roses at the top - that will be the flap. I beaded a larkspur which doesn't show up very well at all. It is to the left overlapping a blue and purple section. In the center, I added a lace fan surrounded with seed beads. Then I did some whatever it is called - but looks like netting and added beads.

I embroidered hollyhocks just under the spider web on the quilt block. Oh, I also did some embroidery and beadwork on a couple of seams.
On the food forum on the HGTV site, there's been a discussion about cast iron skillets/griddles/Dutch ovens, etc. I have a divided cast iron cornbread skillet that comes in handy for scones. The first time I shared with my mother, her comment was that her mother used to make scones. I make certain to share with her everytime I make them.

Here are my two favorite scone recipes:
This one is a crunchy heavy scone:
Oat Raisin Scones
2 cups flour
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Oven 425 degrees. Stir together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cream of tartar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, stir together the ceam, eggs, and vanilla. Add the ceamed mixture to the flour mixutre and stir to combine. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.With floured hands, pat the dough into an 8-inch diameter circle in the center of an ungreased cookie sheet. With a serrated knife or pastry knife, cut into 8 equal wedges (like cutting a pie). OR Before stirring everything together, spray your divided cast iron skillet with cooking spray and put in the oven to preheat while the oven is heating. Pat the dough on your work surface. Cut into 8 wedges. Put a wedge in each section of the skillet.Bake for 15 - 17 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown.
We love these buttered (yeah, I know it already has a stick of butter in it!) and with orange marmalade or pear preserves.

This is a lighter scone. My mother said that these (which are cake-like) are more like what her mother made.

Buttermilk Scones
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cups raisins
Oven 400 degrees. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, stir together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in raisins. Either pat out on a cookie sheet and cut into wedges or use your divided cast iron skillet like the above recipe. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
These are also good buttered with orange marmalade or pear preserves. I have recipes for marmalade and pear preserves that I'll post another day.
(I don't know why this started double spacing with 'enter.')

Flowers and Purses

I finally took photographs of a few purses I made last year. These are mine. My mother fell for them and asked for one. Well, with a removable insert...what good is one, so she got two. The original pattern is a Tammy Tadd Design. With each purse, I make modifications to make it all mine. The orange/yellow/green fabric is so NOT me! But I love it! I purchased some coordinating FQs and machine quilted the orange dotted fabric for the body of the purse. The blue and yellow fabric is reversible pre-quilted fabric. I made two of these...one for me and one for Mama. To change bags, just rip the Velcro apart, remove the liner (which has inside pockets) and Velcro it inside the next purse.

Now, for my dark bags. I made two of the reddish bags - yep, you guessed it, one for me and one for Mama. I love the bag with the animal print. This is the first one I did with the wooden bead trim and found out that I needed to drop it an inch so that it did not flip to the inside of the bag.

My hosta buds opened. They are not the perfumey kind and aren't all that showy. But I think they are gorgeous. I just love the foliage.

And look! My mother-in-law's tongue is about to bloom! What a surprise. This is the first time I have ever had one to bloom. (BTW, the Latin name is sansaveria...I think.)

He's Back

Sam has been gone for a whole week! John, his son, borrowed a bulldozer from Elton, his uncle/Sam's brother. The only stipulation Elton made was that Sam or his younger brother, Terry, run the dozer. Terry works in John's office, so that left Sam up for the job. He has the bulldozing complete, but has to go back in a few days to finish the clean-up.


(Thought I would include a photo of Sam's family. The oldest and youngest are sitting on the couch, Terry and Sam - you should be able to tell the age difference of 22 years! That leaves #2 Steve, #4 Linda, and #3 Elton.This was taken back in 2004. Sam's mother is now 94. Physically she is doing great. Unfortunately she has Alzheimers and is now in a nursing home.)

This has been a mixed blessing time. I enjoyed doing what I wanted to do when I wanted to do...I ate what I wanted when I wanted if I wanted. You know, ice cream with chocolate syrup on top at 4:30 so wasn't hungry at supper time. Had a salad. Oh! Ate Brussel sprouts which Sam doesn't care for! But let me tell you how I cooked them:

Chop up 2 slices bacon and cook until nearly crisp. Toss in 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 diced small onion. Saute until the onions are translucent. If you have small Brussel sprouts, leave them whole, if larger (you decide what is large - for me anything larger than a quarter), cut in half. Oh? How many? I used a package of frozen Brussel sprouts. Toss them in the skillet and toss with the rest of the stuff already in there. Pour over 1/2 can of chicken broth. Cover with a lid and let simmer and steam until most of the liquid is gone. Don't forget your salt and pepper to taste. Cooked this way, they are not the least bit crunchy. If you wanted crunch, you could forget the broth...they have enough moisture that they will steam without any added liquid. Shame I didn't think to take a picture...next time.

This makes me think about Fried Cabbage which is cooked pretty much the same. I use 2 slices of bacon for half a head of cabbage...4 slices for a whole head of cabbage. Because Mama didn't, I don't use the garlic or onion, but I bet it would be good. And, I don't pour in chicken broth - but it couldn't do anything except enhance the flavor.



Here we are (2002). Jonathan, my son, Brook and John, Sam's two...me and Sam.

Memorial Day Weekend

We attended a motorcycle rally, Party in the Pines, in Longview this past weekend. This is just their third year and they more than doubled last year's attendance. Over 4,000 people had registered by Saturday evening. This photo shows just a few of the bikes waiting for the beginning of the Joker Run Saturday morning. Sam and I did not go on the run as we had committed ourselves to working at the site that morning and afternoon, but after church services Sunday morning provided by the Christian Motorcyle Association, we did go on a ride and returned in time to fulfill the remainder of our volunteer commitment.

I took a few photos of my beautiful Dietz lilies that Carol, my sister-in-law shared with me. Aren't they just beautiful?!

When we purchased our home in 2004, I did some Internet research to find out what variety of hosta would work for my little corner of Texas. I planted six Undulata Albomarginata bulbs (or whatever they are called). Talk about disappointed! The first two years - absolutely nothing to brag about for the three that did sprout and survive. Last year was better. This year ... see for yourself! I'll repost when they bloom.

Now, I want to plant more around a redbud. I can see some of the blue varieties ringing the tree...

Picking Strawberries

Carol, my sister-in-law, and I picked strawberries this morning at McPeak's on highway 271 between Gilmer and Pittsburg. I had an errand to run for my mother so we didn't get out early before it started getting hot, but it wasn't too bad. We each picked a small bucketful. The pickin's were slim compared to last year...in the same groundspace and time, we had picked two buckets each. We hit them a bit late in the season this year. They are so good right out of the garden. But, since I didn't weigh myself before going to the garden, I couldn't eat any - well, maybe one or two or four. Quality control, don't ya know?! I can already taste sliced strawberries on pound cake.
How about my favorite pound cake recipe?

10 eggs, separated
2 cups butter, softened
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. In another bowl, combine butter, flour, and baking powder with mixer. In your third bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until everything is completely mixed. Add the butter/flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and beat. Add half of the beaten egg whites to the mixture and fold in. Fold in remaining egg whites.

Two choices here:
Pour batter in a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown.
OR
Pour batter in two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Watch closely.

The way to check doneness is to insert a wooden skewer into the cake. Any bits of cake should not be overly moist and definitely not gooey.

Cool the cake completely before removing from pan(s).

Note: Please use butter. This is what the recipe calls for and not only works better than margarine, but also tastes better.

My husband likes a slice of buttered and toasted pound cake for breakfast. My youngest brother, Joey, is really weird! He cuts that beautiful golden crust off his pound cake. Pretty bad, huh? Mama caught him throwing the crusts away and stopped him. He now leaves his crusts on the cake plate...they manage to disappear!

I didn't take any photos today, but how about this one? These beauties are my oldest brother's grands. The red quilt is the Raggedy Ann and Andy quilt I made for one of the girls when she was born.





A sign in the orchard "shed" said:

If we are what we eat

Then I am

Fast, Cheap and Easy

On that note - enjoy the world where God put you. Be sure to laugh!