Year: 2014

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Happy Valentines Day

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

We are still in Phoenix with kids and grandkids. Wanting to do our part and not be a burden financially to them, Jodi and I sat down to discuss the situation. When she began to tell me what they were treating us to for Valentines, I remarked that I didn’t think that was fair to them as we were staying free for over a week, using their water, washing our clothes with their laundry soap and so on…she begin to tell me that that was their payment to us for the babysitting we were doing and for the groceries we had already bought. It went downhill from there. We began to itemize, for fun, going back and forth, things that they had bought and things that we had bought. Bargaining began. She offered me turn down service if I would do her laundry. She even offered a mint on our pillows, if we wouldn’t mind picking up the mints next time we went to the store. I told her that I would do her laundry if we could have air conditioning in our room. Randy walked in and as he sat there and listened to us, he spoke up and said that he thought it would be cheaper if we stayed in a hotel as we got free breakfast without having to take  turns playing basketball in the park in the afternoons. We could snack our way through Costco for lunch,without having to change 2 dirty diapers in exchange for lunch provided by the Duprees, which usually consisted of Tortinos Pizza or cus of Macaroni & Cheese.

Spending our Valentines day with 3 little precious darlings, ages 12-1 1/2, might not be as romantic as we are used to, but where else can we sit down to eat with valentine stickers stuck all over our arms or a lego wedged between our toes under the table? Next Valentines Day might be a little quieter, but this Valentines day is special. There is nothing quite like having a grandchild wrap his little arms around you and tell you that you are his favorite valentine in the “whole whhoold”. unless Randy gets me a new phone for Valentines, That wins over the grandchild. Sorry Caleb, but Pops wins “favorite valentine” this year.

 

 

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The Adventures of Ms. Piggy & Kermit

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Well, I jumped the gun a bit on our travel game. Because everyone knew we were headed to Phoenix, there was no need to beginning our game until we leave here. So the fun of guessing will begin next Wed……..stay tuned!

Cakes · Desserts

Peanut Butter & Honey Pound Cake

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Being at our daughters house the last two days, gives me the chance to do baking. With 3 grandchildren in the house (plus a son-in-law that has the baking pans and mixer out on the cabinet when we walk through the door), it is exciting to try new recipes that I have found the last weeks, but because we were packing, have not had the chance to bake..

This is from the new Southern Lady Magazine that I am finally having time to look through. What a perfect little cake to serve at Bridal or Baby Spring showers.

Since

Makes 1 9″ cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

5 large eggs

1/2 cup half & half

1 teas vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teas salt

1 (10 oz) bag peanut-butter morsels

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup honey

2 tables heavy whipping cream

Garnish: chopped peanuts, honey

Preheat oven to 300. Spray a bundt pan with Pam with flour.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter and peanut butter. Beat at medium speed with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add half & half and vanilla, beating to mix well.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to sugar mixture. Beat to mix well. Stir in peanut butter morsels. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until cake tests done when wooden pick inserted in middle comes out clean. (Might take a little longer than the time listed).

Loosely cover with foil the last 20 or so minutes of baking time to prevent excess browning. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

In small bowl, combine cream cheese, honey and whipping cream. Beat until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake. Garnish with chopped pecans and a little honey if desired.

*Since the cake is baked in a bundt pan, after cake is cooled and drizzle had time to dry, you might like to place a small glass of edible flowers in the middle of cake to serve.

 

 

 

 

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We have now completed our time here in California and am headed out tomorrow to begin our adventure of traveling and visiting family and friends. We have had such a great time these past 3 years learning our surroundings here in Southern California. The friends we have been blessed with here are so very special to us. Thanks to all for the outpouring of love you have shared. We are headed tomorrow to spend a few days with Some of our kids. The sadness we feel tonight from leaving here will be eased a little by the hugs we receive from our grand kids tomorrow.
Randy and I thought it would be fun to make a game of our travels. We are taking along Ms Piggy and Kermit with us. Every stop we make we will take their picture and give hints as to their location. Instead of Where’s Waldo? We are playing Where’s Kermit & Ms Piggy? Participate by commenting your guess as to where you think we are! The fun begins tomorrow

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Movers & Shakers

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The movers are here and we have begun the reality of entering our new season. I will post a great new recipe tomorrow that I found while going through old magazines the other night. IT is a chocolate scrumptious dessert that you will want to make for Valentines. So stay tuned and say a prayer today for us. We aren’t as young as we were the last move and I think our “stuff” grew due to the beautiful weather here in California.

Daily Thoughts

So Many Thoughts, So Little Time

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As we are fastly approaching moving day, Wednesday, there are just so many thoughts going through my mind. One thought is, “I DON”T WANT TO GO” and another is “HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU PACK FOR TWO TO THREE MONTHS WHEN I CAN’T GET TO CLOTHES BECAUSE THEY WILL BE IN STORAGE SOMEPLACE”…where will we go for this new adventure? Will we travel to places which hold special memories or search out new adventures in places that we have always wanted to find..where will we be living around Dallas?… where will we be going to church? Will I be living in a house or a condo? Will we be able to just fall back into the life we left 3 years ago? Will we really spend the time with family that we intend?
Only time will reveal the answers to the questions. We have been up to Big Bear for the weekend with 4 other couples who we have come to love these past 3 years. As we were driving up the mountain, snow began to appear last Friday and it never ceases to amaze me that we can drive 2 hours away and enter a winter wonderland. The purpose of the weekend was to have our traditional Super Bowl party up there with lots of food, card games and of course, the ladies shopping and going to the tea room. Each time we have been there has engrained the fact that we have been so blessed here the past 3 years with friends who have become just so very dear to our hearts. When we are cooking together in the kitchen for the 10 or us, we have learned each others moves and what we do best. Some of us are the ones who do the actual cooking. Some set the table and clean up, while others provide the conversation that makes us all laugh. We have bonded so beautifully with our friends God has given to us here. The friends here have shown us how to love others and truly open your heart to newbies. We never felt like the new kids on the block because of their kindness and hospitality.
Both Randy and I hope that when we return to Dallas, that we will have learned how to reach out to others. We learned so much the past 3 years regarding friendship. Don’t just tell someone to call if they need something, most people will never call. Go ahead and do what you feel is needed. Take a meal by when needed, invite people into your home, regardless of the dust on the table. Reach out to friends by including them in everyday simple activities. When we remember some of the things that people here have included us in, it is usually the simple things that we look back on so fondly. I really truly pray that I continue to “pay it forward” as we head back to Texas and begin this new season of life that is called, “retirement”. We anxiously hope that our lives will spread the joy and encouragement to others that we have received here in California.

Cakes

Pistacio Cake

Chocolate Castles2 Comments

IMG_2378This cake is so much better than the one we used to make all the time in the 80’s..we were invited over for dinner to some friends house last Sunday evening and when she brought this cake out and set it on the counter, my mouth began to water. The frosting in this cake is amazing. Trust me, you will love this cake. I cannot wait to get my hands on a oven and some cake pans (all of ours are packed) and make it so I can eat the whole thing. Thanks Sylvia and Al for a most wonderful evening and meal. Made such a nice memory.

Mix Together:
1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake mix (the moist one)
1 cup liquid Canola, Crisco or Wesson Oil (whichever you have)
3 eggs
1 cup of club soda
½ cup chopped pecans
1 box of pistachio instant pudding mix

Mix well with mixer and spread evenly into 3 round cake pans.

Cook 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool

Icing:
1 cup of powdered sugar
½ cup of 2% milk
1 (12oz.) container of cool whip
1 (8oz.) sour cream

Beat together until mixed well
Then add:
½ cup of chopped pecans
1 box of pistachio instant pudding

Mix well, spread between layers of cooled cake & then spread icing on top & sides. There will be more than enough icing – so apply thickly

Can be made night before & placed in refrigerator. It freezes well – IF you have any leftover!

Daily Thoughts

Mess In the Midst

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This morning we woke up to the doorbell ringing at 7:15. Randy told me that he had not seen me move that fast in 20 years. I am one of those that think about things like, will I have on make-up and a “wouldn’t mind being caught in this outfit” outfit in case of rapture, earthquake or unexpected visitors. It dawned on us that the painters were here to paint the kitchen back to the original blah color that it was when we moved in. What happened to the lazy guy who never shows up until the afternoon? When did people start showing up for work at 7 a.m.? I guess I am already getting use to this retirement phase of watching GMA in jammies and finally getting a shower around 10. I just remembered that when I opened the door, I was apologizing to 4 strange men that I had not even brushed my teeth and was worried about what they were thinking. Why do I do that? People that I can’t even carry on a conversation with because I don’t speak Spanish, nor they English and I am standing in my robe half zipped explaining that I didn’t think they would be there that early and I normally don’t answer the door with bad breath or in my robes. They just nodded to the crazy lady standing in the doorway and pushed they way past to the kitchen. I quickly went to take a shower, leaving Randy to answer any questions, not that we would be able to understand them, but we can nod or say “si” and look like we halfway understand what they are asking. I certainly didn’t want them to think that we are the old geezers that sit around in their jammies till noon, drinking coffee and watching The View. Of course, when I came into the living room, finally dressed and with clean teeth, what is Randy doing but sitting there drinking coffee, working on his computer with the TV blaring in the background of The View. Hurridly turning off the TV, I ask Randy “what in the world must they think?” He responded that we would never know because we can’t speak Spanish and we would never see them again, ever, so why was I so worried?
So today, we are taking a break from boxes and from the mess that is all around us. Friends are taking us to lunch. I am going to make sure that the painters see that we have a life and friends and that we eventually do dressed in street clothes. I hope they are still here around 6 when they can see us leave again with “more” friends who are taking us to dinner. That way maybe they will know that we don’t just sit around in the evening, watching Wheel of Fortune in our sweats with a TV tray in front of us. It would be just my luck that they are the ambitious types that will be finished and cleaning up just when we take a break to sit and watch Ellen. I will be sure that on their way out the door, to let them know that we are going OUT to dinner with friends. After all, you never know whose house they might be painting next and we want to leave a good impression. You know how gossipy some people are.

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Pimiento-Cheese Scones

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This has really been fun going through magazines, some dating back to the early 90’s and tearing out some that I had never noticed before tossing the magazine away. This is a new side of me, actually getting rid of old magazines. I promised hubby that I would really try to start doing that so we don’t have to pay for a storage unit for cases of books and magazines. I cannot promise how long I will keep that promise, but just seeing how this has made him smile makes me want to try harder to make better use of space that is not covered up with cookbooks. When I saw this recipe last night and knowing how Randy loves Pimiento-Cheese, I promised that I would make them sometime this week, when we aren’t packing boxes. Here is the recipe.

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teas baking powder

1/2 teas salt

1/4 teas baking soda

1/4 cup cold butter, divided

1/2 of a 3 oz package cream cheese, diced

1/2 cup grated sharp-cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 of a 4oz jar diced pimientos, drained

1/4 cup plus 1 Tables heavy cream, divided

Preheat oven to 450. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda.

Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until mixture resembles coarse meal. Fold in 1/4 cup cheddar and the pimientos. Make a well in center of the mixture and add 1/4 cup cream. Using a fork, blend mixture until a loose dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 times. Roll dough out to 1/2″ thickness. Using a 2″ round biscuit cutter or a different shape of your choosing, cut scones, rerolling scraps no more than twice to use up all dough.

Place the scones on the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 1″ apart. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat scones with remaining cream and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Makes appox 24 scones (depending on size of cutter you use)