Ultimate Lemon Butter Bars

WOW! I can't believe it's been over a month since I sat down and blogged.  I guess I need to say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year"!!!

 We had a pretty busy holiday season (not too busy though).  Both Oliver & Cooper participated in the "Hanging of the Green" ceremony @ church.  Oliver was a shepherd in a church program and again at the Candlelight Christmas Eve service.  Cooper's class had little program one night @ his school.  Oliver's class had a parade, dance number and a party on the last day of school before break.  I was glad that I was able to attend all of their events this year.  Since all 3 boys at 3 different schools it's sometimes hard to make everything.
 Parker doesn't really participate in a lot of holiday programs since he is 16, so when he asked me to go w/ him to the Concert bands Christmas concert I jumped @ the chance.  We had a nice time. Of course he only wanted to go b/c his girlfriend is in the band but at least he asked me to go with him :)

We had a nice relaxing Christmas @ home and went to my mom's on Christmas day for dinner.  It was sweet to see the boys share Christmas w/ their Grandparents.   My mom & stepfather are the only grandparents my boys have still living so they really cherish their time spent together. 

I have many wonderful Christmas memories from my childhood.  My mom always cooked lots of yummy food. My Mother LOVES Christmas!  She always tried extremely hard to make Christmas magical for us.  I remember my dad bringing in his own contributions to our Christmas presents.  Like the year he came dragging a ping pong table in on Christmas Eve.  My husband and I try to make Christmas nice for the boys while keeping the focus on the real meaning for celebration.  I think this year they had a well rounded holiday. 

We make a lot of the same dishes at our house during the holiday season.  The boys always want finger foods on Christmas Eve.  Since Oliver was in the Christmas Eve service we had to make it quick & easy for after the service.   They picked LOTS of pork, as usual.  Pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, cheese ball & crackers, and fresh veggies & dip.  They were in Heaven!  I love to bake and we usually make the same things (my boys don't like change). Mexican Wedding Cakes, Black & Whites, Thumbprint cookies, decorated sugar cookies and sugared pecans.   This year we added homemade Lemon Bars.  They were delicious!!   I'm going to give you the recipe tonight!! I haven't made Lemon Curd in years and I remembered why, it requires a lot of attention and time.  It is definitely worth the trouble!

I love Rose Levy Beranvaum's Rose's Christmas Cookies book.  If I have ever need a recipe for something new, I go to Rose!  Her Cake Bible is also wonderful.  Rose also has a blog that is full of wonderful recipes http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/

Shortbread Base

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold) (5 ounces = 142 grams)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (0.5 ounce = 14 grams)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (0.75 ounce = 25 grams)
• 1 1/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour (dip and sweep method) (6.25 ounces = 180 grams)

Lemon Curd Topping

• 4 large egg yolks (2 full fluid ounces = 2.5 ounces = 74 grams)
• 3/4 cup sugar (5.25 ounces = 150 grams)
• 3 fluid ounces (use a liquid measuring cup) lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 2 1/2 large lemons) (3.25 ounces = 94 grams)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) (2 ounces = 57 grams)
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (finely grated) (4 grams)
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting (0.5 ounce = 14 grams)

 

EQUIPMENT:
8-inch by 8-inch by 2-inch baking pan, preferably metal (if using a glass pan, lower the oven temperature 25°F.), bottom and 2 sides lined with an 8-inch by 16-inch strip of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Food Processor Method
Cut the butter into 1-inch cubes, wrap it, and refrigerate.

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugars for 1 minute or so, until the sugar is very fine. Add the butter and pulse in until the sugar disappears. Add the flour and pulse in until there are a lot of little moist crumbly pieces and no dry flour particles remain.

Dump the mixture into a plastic bag and press it together. Remove the dough from the plastic bag and knead it lightly, until it holds together.

Electric Mixer Method or by Hand
In Scotland, it is said that the best shortbread is mixed with the fingers and that each woman's fingers lend something distinctive and special to the finished cookie. I find that the texture is more delicate when the dough is mixed with the fingers rather than in a machine. For either method, use superfine sugar for the best texture and be sure to soften the butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. With your fingers or with the electric mixer, mix in the flour until incorporated. If using the mixer, add the flour in 2 parts.

For Both Methods
Place 1 oven rack in the middle of the oven.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan. Use a fork to prick the dough all over.

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned and the top is pale golden (do not brown).

While the shortbread is baking, prepare the Lemon Curd Topping.

LEMON CURD TOPPING
Have a strainer, suspended over a bowl, ready near the range.

In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a wooden spoon until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes, until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce, which thickly coats a wooden spoon but is still liquid enough to pour. (A candy thermometer will read 196°F.) The mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the back of a wooden spoon. It must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle. (It will steam above 140°F. Whenever steaming occurs, remove the pan briefly from the heat, stirring constantly to prevent boiling.)

When the curd has thickened, pour it at once into the strainer. Press it with the back of a spoon until only the coarse residue remains. Discard the residue. Stir in the lemon zest.

When the shortbread is baked, remove it from the oven, lower the temperature to 300°F., pour the lemon curd on top of the shortbread, and return it to the oven for 10 minutes.

Cool the lemon curd–topped shortbread completely in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate the pan for 30 minutes to set the lemon curd completely before cutting into bars. Place the powdered sugar in a strainer and tap the strainer with a spoon to sprinkle a thick, even coating, entirely covering the lemon.

Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the pastry on the 2 sides without the aluminum foil. Use the foil to lift out the lemon curd–covered shortbread onto a cutting surface. Use a long, sharp knife to cut the shortbread first in thirds, then in half the other way, and then each half in thirds. Wipe the blade after each cut.

The powdered sugar will start to be absorbed into the lemon curd after several hours, but it can be reapplied before serving.

Store:
In an airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator or freezer.

Keeps:
3 days at room temperature, 3 weeks refrigerated (individually wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent drying), or 3 months frozen.

I hope you will try these, they are so, so good!!  This is basically the same shortbread recipe that we use when we make thumbprint cookies. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

Thankful

 Today is the day after Thanksgiving.  Some people refer to it as Black Friday.  I have never participated in Black Friday and have no desire to start.   I love sleeping in on the day after Thanksgiving and relaxing w/ my family.  This morning, Oliver & I were the first ones to wake up and we watched Forrest Gump together.  I can't think of any place I'd rather be.   

 I am not a shopper, never have been.  If I shop, it's online.  Well except for groceries....  I do that @ the times when everyone else is watching football, at church or in school.  I hate shopping & crowds of strangers.   I like crowds as long as it's controlled by me :)  I like "my people".  Some may think that is controlling, I think it's preferential. 

Our boys and Sophia's children

Yesterday we had a GREAT Thanksgiving!!  My boys had been asking if we could "Please!" have a BIG Thanksgiving @ our house this year...  I would do anything for my boys, especially if it involves lots of cooking.  Knowing that they were desiring a big family gathering, I set out to provide it.  We invited my mom & stepfather, my brother Shawn & his family, my friend Melinda & her children and David's sister, Sophia w/ her family (My brother, Shannon and his family live in China so he couldn't be here.) .  If everyone came, that would make the total 22.  My house is not large and is around 100 years old so it wasn't really designed w/  an open floor plan.   Where was I going to put everyone??? 

Mom said yes, Melinda & Sophia said yes; my brother said, no.  Now the total was around 16.
I checked the weather and were going to have sunshine and temps of around 68.  We're going OUTSIDE!  This would allow room to move around and we could have a fire on the patio when it started cooling off.  David moved the big farm table from the restaurant building and we pulled the church pews out for seating, strung some lights and started cooking!!  Everyone cooked and helped pull it all together.

My mom & Roy cancelled the day before, Roy was sick.  She was bringing desserts so I asked Sophia to bring something for dessert.  Steve (Sophia's husband made a HUGE chocolate cake, fudge and an apple pie!!! Delicious!  Melinda made her awesome potato salad, a ham and (Oliver's favorite thing) a  pickled tray w/ olives.  Oliver ate all of the pickles.  Note to self: find out what kind of pickles those were....
We had so much yummy food!! 
OUR AWESOME MENU:  Turkey & Ham
                                              Green Beans
                                              Dressing & Gravy
                                              Sweet Potato Casserole
                                              Potato Salad
                                              Carrot Souffle'
                                              Spinach Maria
                                              Macaroni & Cheese
                                              Corn, Rolls
                                              Chocolate Cake
                                              Pumpkin Pie
                                              Fudge
                                              Carrot Cake Pops
                                              Strawberry Pizza
                                              Apple Pie


I was so worried about not having enough room for years that I refused to host a holiday party @ our house.  We had such a good time.  There were 9 kids/teens from age 7-21.  They all played Frisbee, kickball, football and sat around the fire.  Even w/o my biological family in attendance it felt like family.  I thank God for the people that He has placed in my life!  Because of the friends & family who were in attendance, we were able to give our boys the big family holiday gathering that they desired.  This was our main goal and it was achieved.  My only regret: (as always) I wish I had taken more pictures.  My niece, Sarah did take a few and was kind enough to share w/ me.  I didn't get any pics of Melinda and her girls, I wish I had....

Stop and smell the pee pee, umm I mean roses.....

My boys are at 3 different schools this year.  I run from school to school picking up and dropping off in a rush most days.  I am not complaining, I normally don't mind it at all.  And up until football season ended I didn't have to pick Parker up until later in the day because of practice. Also, Parker will be driving in 3 weeks so it's not much of a big deal.

The school's dismissals are staggered so I have just enough time to drive to each school.  I pick Oliver (the youngest) up first, followed by Cooper (middle child) and then Parker (oldest).  Lately, Oliver has been jumping in the car doing the "pee-pee" dance.  I've asked him to PLEASE, use the restroom before the bell rings.  Still every afternoon, the pee-pee dance.....  

A few years ago a friend, who is a RN, gave us a hospital urinal before we left for a trip to Arizona w/ the boys  She laughed as she gave it to me and said, "believe me, you'll need it...".  Well, she was right and we've replaced that one several times now.   As gross as that may sound, it really is a reality when you have boys and travel by car.  We don't talk about it but we've all done it.  This topic recently came up @ a birthday party and it was a hilarious conversation.  Water bottles, coffee mugs, fast food cups....   I referred them to the the medical supply store for their own urinal bottle :) 

Back to my original story.  This past week Oliver, true to form, got into the car and proceeded w/ a screaming pee-pee dance.  I told him to retrieve the urinal that was hidden behind the 2nd row seat. I had decided to start leaving it in the car, just in case.   My instructions were use it and then hold it by the handle until we arrived @ the wooded area just before Cooper's school.  Simple enough.  But no, I turned the corner and the urinal went flying and pee-pee dumped into my floor.   Fortunately, my Rover has rubber floor mats and it wasn't a huge amount of urine (enough to be nasty- regardless).   We pulled over @ the wooded area, dump the Goodwill donation out of it's trash bag and put the floor mat into the bag. 

We continued our usual pick ups and went home to scrub the mats.

When I went out to my car the next morning, I was overwhelmed w/ the smell of urine! I guess it had spilled on the carpet before I pulled over to remove the mat.  At first, I thought "ugh, that Oliver!!" then it occurred to me:  If I had just taken the time to stop and let Oliver use a bathroom, we wouldn't have had this problem! It was due to my rushing and hurrying that made this mess!!! 

From now on I am going to do my best to slow down, give in to Oliver and his little boy bladder and preserve my floors of my vehicle :)    Life is too short to spend so much time rushing around.  An extra 5 minutes will save 30 minutes of scrubbing pee-pee later.

  

Easy Pasta Dinner

At our house, we LOVE pasta!!  The problem is we "love" creamy (fatty) pasta sauces.  Pour a garlic cream sauce on any pasta and we will put it away!!

When I was living in Memphis I worked @ a Cajun restaurant on Beale Street.  I waited tables but I loved to get to work early and hang out in the kitchen w/ the Cajun lady that cooked the meals.  She was awesome and was always willing to share her incredible kitchen knowledge.  I learned so many great recipes but my favorite was a garlic cream sauce. She made a shrimp & andouille pasta that was so good!!   I'll share that later, maybe....

I came across an awesome pasta recipe in this month's (actually December) issue of Real Simple.  It has a great combo - cream & garlic! But it also has English peas and spinach - what every mother wants to get into her children's diet :)  Also, it's not too heavy (like Alfredo).   It is so easy and great for a busy family dinner.

 So I am going to share it here for you to try.  I hope that doesn't  break any rules.... I did alter their original recipe b/c we like to EAT and their recipe wouldn't have fed 2 of us.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta

serves 4 (maybe)

1# of your favorite pasta (gemelli, penne or fusilli...)
1.5 cups frozen green peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1.5 cups heavy cream
3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken
5 ounces baby spinach (about 6 cups)
kosher salt (or sea salt) and black pepper
Grated Parmesan, (for serving)

*Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last minute of cooking.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Drain the pasta and peas and reserve the pot.

*Melt the butter in the pasta pot over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 minutes.

*Add the cream, chicken, spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper to the pot and cook until the chicken is warmed through and the spinach in wilted. 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the pasta and peas and toss to combine (add 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry).  Serve with the Parmesan. 

 I used a basil, garlic & oregano rotisserie chicken and it was great!! 
This was even better on the 2nd night.  Parker didn't eat, so we had leftovers.  Oliver & Cooper ate it too.  Cooper picked out the peas but that's ok.

Hope ya'll will try this one.  I loved it!

Chicken w/ Wild Rice Casserole

Whew!! It's been a busy 2 weeks!!! Soccer is over, trophies are handed out and all-stars have been chosen.  Which means that 3 out of 5 nights we can have family dinner again. We still have football and it looks like we are headed to the playoffs!!  Fort Payne Wildcats are 10 - 0 and have one game left in the regular season.  Good news for the team, bad news for family dinner..... We've been surviving on Grilled cheese and canned soup lately, which beats fast food or ball park hot dogs any day.

 My mom makes a chicken & rice casserole that's a lot like this one and we love it.  This casserole is great for cold winter nights.  Hope you like it!!!


Recipe for Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole
adapted from the blog: The Secret Life of a Chef's Wife.



4 table­spoons butter
1 medium-large onion; chopped
6 stalks cel­ery; chopped
6 car­rots; peeled and chopped
4 (14.5oz.) cans low-sodium chicken broth–or 7 1/2 cups home­made broth
1 (6oz.) box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice (with sea­son­ing packet)
2 1/2 cups whole milk (or equiv­a­lent mix­ture of milk and cream depend­ing on your desired fat content)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups cooked, cubed chicken (roast­ing in the oven is perfect!)
salt to taste
pep­per to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup sliv­ered almonds
1/2 cup cooked, chopped bacon (optional)
In a large, heavy pot, melt but­ter and add the onions, cel­ery, and car­rots. Saute until slightly soft; 8 min­utes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to a sim­mer and add the con­tents of the box of Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
Mean­while, heat the 1/4 cup but­ter in a small saucepan. When just bub­bling, add the 1/4 cup all pur­pose flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat, con­tin­u­ing to whisk, for 3–5 min­utes. Don’t let this roux get overly brown, just slightly golden. Set aside.
When soup is done sim­mer­ing, add the milk or milk and cream mix­ture. Cook 10 more min­utes on low until rice has fin­ished cook­ing. Bring back to a low boil and add the roux (butter/flour mix­ture) and cook, stir­ring until soup thick­ens. Add cooked, cubed chicken. Add salt and pep­per to taste. Serve with fresh pars­ley and sliv­ered almonds sprin­kled on top. And another hold-over from my orig­i­nal recipe: toss a lit­tle cooked, chopped bacon on the top as well!
**Add other veg­eta­bles if desired: broc­coli, cau­li­flower, peas, corn.…

Repurposed Buffet

Because we have our booth @Myrtle Jane's, we are always on the look-out for big furniture w/ potential.  This particular buffet was a great bargain ($10.00) w/ a lot of potential! But it needed a lot of work too.  It had water damage on the sides and back.  The inside shelves were warped and falling apart.  The front looked fairly good considering what the rest of it looked like.  AND it was missing 10 knobs/handles.  David took the back off and replaced it and the interior shelves. I think I stared @ this piece of furniture for about 3 weeks. I couldn't bring myself to paint it. Finally,  I realized that I had to paint it b/c it has too much damage to sell "as is".  Next to decide on a color.  I thought white but once it was painted I didn't love it. Then I decided to paint it a light turquoise color, didn't love it either.  I distressed it and let the wood and white show back through the turquoise and then we were getting closer to what I wanted.  But it still needed a brown glaze to make it right. 

I had ordered pulls from Amazon and paid .78 each so that made me happy! I had to drill new holes for the new pulls and plates to cover the existing hole were ordered as well. They cost around $1.15 each.  So now the hardware costs more than the Buffet, but that's okay.

So here is how we found it....

 

 

This photo is of the side after the bubbled veneer was peeled off. The other side looks pretty much the same. Now you see why we had to paint.  This piece was very heavy.  By the end, I LOVED it and actually tried to find a place to fit it into my home.  But no more room and nothing that I am willing to part with right now to make room.   So below is the finished piece placed in the booth.  It stayed for about an hour and sold! It's gone and now I have another big hole in my booth.  But that's a good problem to have and we'll fill it soon w/ something else that has a story.  I often wondered how this piece got sooo much water damage.  I kept thinking about Katrina and all the water damaged furniture that came out, where did all of it go? The Landfill?? Oh I hope some of it got new lives like this one did.  I spent months thinking over this piece. I think David was thinking that I had decided to keep it and was waiting for me to tell him where we were going to make it fit.   It's a great piece of furniture and I hope the person who purchased it will know how special it is. 

http://www.myrtlejanes.com/
https://www.facebook.com/myrtlejanesantiques?rf=157141284320276

Food- Beer Cheese Soup!

   Many years ago I had a date and we went to the 101st Airborne restaurant in Nashville. It was a neat restaurant out by the Airport.  I was curious to know if it still existed and sadly, it does not.  According to what I read online, it closed in 2006.  Anyway,  I don't remember who the date was but I definitely remember the Beer Cheese Soup!!  Unlike my date, I have thought about that Soup for over 25 years.  I have searched for a recipe that would come close .  I think I have finally found it.  

    My "date" now is my husband, David (unforgettable. larger than life and a real Airborne Soldier).  He has been out of town since Sunday morning and came back today (Wednesday).  The first words out of his mouth were "What's for dinner?".  I should expect this, we've been married for 18 years.  Parker and I tease him that everything revolves around FOOD in David's world.  His Facebook posts are 90% about where he's eating :)  He likes his meals and appreciates the effort that goes into a good meal.     If I wanted to change to mood in my house I would say, "whatever you can find!". Talk about a game changer!  I also know that if I add Key Lime Pie, it makes everything better. Smoke & mirrors.

So back to dinner.....My brain says "Beer Cheese Soup" and my mouth repeats it.  I'm hoping my brain is also taking inventory of what's in the fridge and pantry.   I take a physical inventory and realize that I need more cheese and we'll have Beer Cheese Soup! I grab cheese @ the store when I pick Cooper up from school.   I stop and think about the fact that I have to get Cooper to church (Oliver is sick) @ 5:30, pick Parker up from Football practice @ 6;15 get him to Youth and pick them back up @ 7:00.  I  wonder if I'll have time to pull it all together.  I better start asap is my next thought.  That's one of the great things about this recipe is that it is quick!!

  Note: if you are worried about the word BEER, the alcohol evaporates out of the soup :)

    I found this recipe last year on www.allrecipes.com and it is delicious.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine                                   
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion                                   
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic                            
2 cups half & half
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce                    
2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 (12 ounce) can or bottle light beer*

* www.backfortybeer.com  - as local as it gets!

Directions:
1. Melt the butter or margarine in a 4 1/2 quart soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic 
    and Worcestershire sauce and stir well.  Add the beer and raise the heat to high and boil for 3
    minutes to evaporate the alcohol.  Add the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a boil.  Lower 
    the heat to medium-low and simmer.

2. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water and stir until smooth. Set aside.

3. Add the half & half and shredded cheese to the soup.  Stir constantly until the cheese melts.  Then
    stir in the cornstarch mixture.  Stir constantly until the soup is thick, about 2 minutes.  Serve
    garnished w/ shredded cheese.  Optional: top w/ fresh bacon bits.

We made cornbread in our cast iron corn stick pan. The boys
eat the corn shaped cornbread better than pie shaped :)

My favorite beer. Honesty, the soup is better w/ a cheaper beer than it was with this one but it was what was in our fridge.
 
 

Food- Blueberry Banana Bread

  School mornings, no matter how much preparation I do the night before ,are hectic.  I make lunches, lay clothes out, pack backpacks, get the little boys in the tub and sometimes set up the coffee maker at night.  This leaves breakfast and everyone getting themselves dressed for the morning. 

  I firmly believe that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I try so hard to get breakfast into all the boys before leaving for school.  It's not too much of a problem to get the younger two boys to eat but getting a teenager to stop and eat a good breakfast is such a hassle.  And cold cereal gets old every morning.  So I've tried to come up w/ other things that the boys will eat for breakfast that is as easy as cereal.  Muffins fit in perfectly.  I have been freezing batches and thawing the amount we need for the next morning.  This is a great recipe.  I have been making these for years and they are always delicious.

This recipe is for bread but easily transfers over to muffins w/o any adjustments. 

 My kitchen taste tester! Hopefully he'll be this agreeable in the morning

 

Blueberry Banana Bread

 

2 lg bananas

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup buttermilk ( I have used regular milk too)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup regular uncooked oats (or 3 packets of instant oats)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup fresh blueberries ( I have used frozen)

variations: I have used 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 regular flour

Mash bananas in a large bowl. Add sugar and next 4 ingredients.  Let stand 5 minutes, until oats soften.  Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add to banana mixture alternately with oil, stirring just to incorporate.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into a greased loaf pan or lined muffin cups.
Bake at 350  for 50 to 55 minutes. 
If you want to freeze, allow to cool completely before placing into a freezer container.  Remover muffins as needed and warm in the microwave before enjoying.    You can also add milled flax seed to the dry ingredients. 
 

I hope your family will enjoy the muffins as much as we do!

 

                                                                      We're also trying waffles and  pancakes for easy breakfast

                                                               Pray that this makes my mornings "friendlier".

 

This recipe adapted from Food For Thought, The Junior League of Birmingham, Alabama

Fall = Fair Week!!!

Fall has officially arrived! "Officially" it arrives in DeKalb Co Alabama when the County Fair comes to town.  My boys live for this time of year! It comes in close to the top of their favorite things lists, only coming in behind Christmas and their birthdays. They count the months until it's fair time.  Ironically, it also always falls the week of my birthday.  My big day can't hold a candle to the Fair!




So excited that they've forgot that I'm back here :)

Oliver riding the bull last year

David is almost as bad as the boys when it comes to Fair week.  We are in the middle of Soccer and Football season (last night we had soccer @ 5 and JV football @ 6- home @ 9:30) which is why I had deemed "fair night" to be Wednesday night.  Our church is not meeting and having family night @ the fair that night.    But Nooooo.   Last night, I had to be the bad guy and tell ALL of them (David included)  that we were not going to the fair after soccer/football @ 9:30!  

Now they have decided that we HAVE to go tonight (Tuesday).  The main reason they are so eager to go is to see if their Lego creations won Blue Ribbons. The little boys each entered several creations.  When Parker was little and we lived on a farm, he always entered Chickens in the Poultry show. He won Best in Show w/ his Rooster one year! For you city folk- That's a big deal in the Country!  We also entered my pickled okra, tomato basil jam, peach bellini jam and dill pickles.  So I have to admit I wonder if I even placed in the judging.   I know that we will end up w/ funnel cakes, riding rides and tears when it's time to leave. But then I remind myself, The Dekalb Co VFW Agriculture Fair only comes around once a year, like their birthdays and Christmas.  So it's okay to go several times and indulge.  They are only little for a time and the smiles on their little faces when they are riding the lil scrambler ride, that makes me dizzy just watching them, and is operated by someone I swear I saw on America's Most Wanted is oh, so worth it!!

That smile! So worth every funnel cake I can't turn down!

Cooper & Oliver trying their luck @ the shooting gallery
last year.

We got Parker to ride the bull last year.
He didn't know I got a pic....

FOOD - Roasted Corn Soup

I always love it when I open the mailbox and find the newest Williams-Sonoma catalog.  If there was a specific materialistic key to my heart, it would be cookware/kitchen tools.  Grill pans, Saute' pans, Roasters and the incredible specialty cookware section.....   Ok, I'm back.  Back to my reason for blogging.  

While looking @ the WS catalog I always end up trying at least one recipe that they feature.  This month I was drawn to the Roasted Corn Chowder w/ tomato.  If you've read my blog then you know that my garden has really produced tomatoes this summer.  So I liked the idea of being able to use my tomatoes and bell peppers. And my new grill to roast the vegetables! 
I haven't tasted corn soup and definitely haven't made any.

Some of my corn and tomatoes. My roasted peppers are in the brown bag.

The recipe looked easy enough, so I decided that I
was up to the challange.

There are a few things that I changed it up but nothing to change the final product.   I'll note that next to the official recipe.  

From Williams Sonoma

This recipe was created by the Sussman brothers, Max and Eli. The chefs started testing the recipe early one morning but Max had to go into work before it was done cooking. He texted Eli a few hours later—“how did the soup turn out?”—and Eli texted him back: “I now know what it feels like to open presents on Christmas morning.”

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe but firm tomatoes
• Kernels from 6 ears of fresh corn (about 3 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• About 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Sliced avocado for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Paprika for garnish

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. I used my grill to roast the tomatoes, peppers and corn. I didn't want to heat up the whole house and it was a great day for grilling.

Put the tomatoes in a lightly greased glass baking dish. Roast until the skins darken and the tomatoes are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Keep the oven on.

Spread the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the edges begin to turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, when the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard. Set the flesh, with the juices, aside in the baking dish. Remove the corn from the oven and let cool.

Place 1 bell pepper on each of 2 gas burners. Turn the burners on high and sear the peppers directly over the flame, using tongs to turn as needed, until the skins are blackened all over, 10 to 15 minutes total. (Or place the peppers under the broiler and broil, turning as needed, until charred and blistered on all sides, about 15 minutes.) Transfer the peppers to a brown paper bag and close tightly. Let stand for 15 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bag. Remove and discard the skins, core and seeds.

In a soup pot, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow and red onions, garlic and corn, reserving a handful of the roasted corn for garnish. Add just enough broth to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and the 1 tsp. salt.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. While blending, slowly drizzle in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish each portion with a couple of avocado slices, a few drops of olive oil, a scattering of the reserved roasted corn and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve hot. Serves 4. I omitted the Avocado - I am the only one who eats it @ my house and I usually have an allergic reaction when I eat them. 

Adapted from This is a Cookbook, by Max Sussman and Eli Sussman (Olive Press, 2012).

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! We will have this again as the weather cools off this Fall. David liked it, the boys were a little scared. They think corn is best served on the cob, smothered in butter and sea salt.
This was a great recipe. I always think of what else I would do to a new recipe.  I might add some kind of shredded hard cheese. It would also be delicious w/ crumbled bacon as a garnish.

Warning: BOYS MOM

I am the mom of BOYS.  That should be on a t-shirt as a warning to others.  Or maybe as an information site. No, I really think a warning t-shirt would be better. I don't have the sanity to help other confused parents.

       I have several friends that have all boys and we are like a support group for each other.  Sometimes it seems like our conversations start w/ "Has this ever happened at your house?". 
And then we proceed to compare stories about the crazy, off-the-wall things our boys have done lately.  I have friends who have girls too and several boys w/ one girl sprinkled in for sanity.  They too have "boy stories" just not to the extreme of an all boy mom.

      There is something about boys/men that makes them more confident to climb up something not meant to be climbed when there are other boys/men to cheer them on...   I can only imagine that maybe that doesn't happen in households where a daughter exists.  I like to think that a daughter would be a voice of reason or at least report the offense to a "responsible" adult - meaning me b/c David would be in the crowd, cheering. 

      There are things that boy moms have to know.  Like the names of every Star Wars episode in order, and which episode Hans Solo (aka Indiana Jones) was frozen, why we NEED more Lego's and that it doesn't matter how many Lego containers you buy, they are still going to be everywhere!
     Things like how to neutralize the smell of urine in ceramic grout lines and how much blood is too much for your awesome laundry skills, are common knowledge now.  I have to know things like how to repair or replace everything from the ice maker on the refrigerator to the handle on the vacuum cleaner.  They tear up everything! David is as bad as the boys too. He broke the handle on the vacuum and thought we'd still be able to use it.  I ordered the handle the next morning after I tried to use the broken one. I think there are still plastic pieces in my palm.  The handle is now replaced and we are good as new.  The ice maker is waiting it's turn...

As an all boys mom you can never, I mean NEVER let "them" see you sweat!  The "them" I'm talking about are the other parents. The non-boy parents.  They're watching, they know that you can crack @ any moment and they don't want to miss out on witnessing that kind of drama! Keep your cool, you can flip out in the car on the way home. Not really, that's dangerous for everyone. Just keep your cool.  Some boy moms are great @ this, they are usually seasoned veteran's. They can also spot a newbie and swoop in for help.  They are your greatest chance at making it through this.

  My friend can see me about to crack and stop it all with one look.  It's a head cocked, one eyebrow up kind of look that makes me strong and my boys weak.  She's a superhero like that. For our 6 year old's birthday last year she gave him 3 cloth IKEA boxes, 1 filled w/ bottle caps, 1 w/ acorns, nuts & bolts and the last one had john doe credit cards in it.  Oliver was in heaven!   I'd like the bottle caps to stop showing up all over my house upside down, in the dark!  But he was happy and thinks it's great!  She's a superhero like that.  And they love her.

    As much as they drive me crazy, they are precious.  Yes, even David.  I love it when I am picking up laundry and one of them walks by and casually says, "Hey Mom?", "I Love You" and then proceeds to go back from where he came.  I recently stepped on a red wasp.  Gosh that hurt!  That's not exactly what I said :)   Oliver heard my cry and filled a bag up w/ ice and brought it to me. He sat w/ me until it felt better or he couldn't stand my whining anymore.(not sure which).  But he was there!  Moments like these are a jewel in my MOM crown and it is full! 

I recently read a blog about the excitement of living in a boy filled house.  www.testosterhome.com
Rachel has some good stories that make me feel that I am not alone.  I can completely identify w/ what she writes about.  I never thought I'd be so worried about hammers, Sharpies, knives, sticks, bricks, rocks and odd pieces of wire.  They are all potential weapons in the house of boys. They have dislocated an arm w/ a plastic airplane before, imagine what they would do w/ a hammer!

They are amateur archaeologist.  We have a wall outside that is the wall of fossils.  They drag rocks up from everywhere.  Cooper & Oliver found a geode in the gravel @ the football stadium Friday night. We have petrified wood, fossils of trees and plants, a huge stalagmite and several pieces of aged "beaver sticks".  We have small animal skulls and snake skins.  We had a rattlesnake tail but it started to stink so I threw it in the trash. Big Trouble! Not supposed to throw that stuff away, even if it stinks.

These are just a few bits of my boys and their gifts.  They are great and I can't imagine my life any other way. For every bit of grey hair they give me, my heart grows bigger b/c of their sweetness.
My Cup runneth over.....


    

REviving Furniture

I LOVE to revive furniture! I love finding a piece that is destined for the landfill and drag it home/shop for a makeover. 

 Over the years I have brought home some goodies and some epic fails too.  I have several fails that come to mind immediately.  One, a vintage tweed recliner w/ a matching ottoman.  It looked great! But boy when the sun hit it, it did NOT smell great! It had apparently been someone's chair before the invention of Depends!  David unloaded it and sat it in the sun to "freshen up", the next time I saw the chair David had hauled it out to the curb.    Another fail,  Another Great old tweedy chair.  Great bones! And LOTS of hair, pet hair.  As I started stripping the upholstery to recover it, hair was flying everywhere.  I ultimately had to get an allergy shot. But that chair DID get finished and sold soon after I listed it. :)

Before

My latest revival goodie is a Louis XIV armchair that I purchased from a friend's yard sale.  She had picked it up out of someone's trash and planned to redo it.  She stripped it and that is how I found it @ her yard sale.  I was instantly in love! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this chair. I had just visited Restoration Hardware and saw something similar to my idea. 

To be struck by a piece of furniture like this piece is unusual for me.  I am usually hooked by Mission style and Arts & Crafts pieces.  There was no way this piece would fit in any room in my home so it was a definite resale piece. 



After

Sorry about the lighting. I need to take better pictures .......

I really enjoyed this project. I took my sweet time this summer and worked on it only when I really wanted to work on it.  It had over 300 upholstery nails in it but I loved it. 
David & I took it to the booth last Monday.  It made it to the booth and stayed about 5 minutes before a lady purchased it!

 Goodbye Louis!  Parting is such sweet 
                                   sorrow! 

A Sweet Ride Down Nostalgia Road

      Yesterday morning my husband woke up and said, "Let's go for a bike ride today."   My mind began to think about what I needed to do and what was on the boy's schedules.  I couldn't come up w/ anything.  I normally don't jump @ the chance to go on a motorcycle ride w/ David.  I always think about what a friend once said about riding w/ her husband - "My children need their parents, therefore I do not ride w/ my husband".   I think, "What if we wrecked, what about my boys?"

But yesterday several things occurred to me - 1. I believe that my death has a date just like my birth. It's already known by someone greater than anything I can do to avoid it.
2. My husband would die to protect me.  I know this for sure.  3. If the "Plan" was to wipe us out together, there are plenty of opportunities other than on the motorcycle. We spend a lot of time together. 

So I said "Yes"!  I dug out my boots and jeans that had been pushed to the back of my closet by  summer clothes and flip flops.  I tucked my id in the saddlebags (just in case) and kissed my boys goodbye. 

It always takes me a few minutes to relax and enjoy the ride.  After I relaxed I felt how perfect the weather was, not too cool, not too warm.   We headed up Lookout Mountain and I plugged my music into my helmet.  We turned off Hwy 35 to a road I didn't remember and began to ride along the side of the mountain.  I was taken in by the view and the shadows/sun, I didn't notice where we were heading....   We ended up back in Mentone and the bike slowed down as we pulled into a parking lot.  I recognized the building as a cafe we used to visit but it wasn't a cafe anymore.  It was a Coffee shoppe and Art Gallery.  We had a coffee and spent an almost an hour in the gallery of mostly local art.   www.KamamaMentone.com

Back on the road, music playing, winding through the mountain roads and we turned toward Cloudmont Ski & Golf Area.  We drove past a little cabin where we stayed many, many years ago and past the Dude Ranch where we rode horses w/ Parker when he was 3 yrs old.  We always remember it b/c Parker fell asleep on the horse. 

Riding down several other roads, we drove past the spots where we've canoed w/ the boys several times and over the bridge where we've jumped off  and swam under.  Then we came out @ the little country church where we were married.

Howard's Chapel, aka The Rock Church in Mentone

If he didn't plan all of that, he should never tell me b/c I loved every minute of it.  It was a perfect day and exactly what we needed.  Summer has been crazy and school has started. Normal Family stresses had taken a toll on me.  We have had major vehicle maintenance issues since March. The Yukon needed a water pump, fuel pump and then an engine. The work van had to have a Transmission.  My Land Rover needed A/C work and new tires (needed b/c they were BAD). The Washing Machine needed a new control board ( an ordeal that went on for a month) , ice maker went out on the fridge, we remodeled a bathroom and David traveled ALL summer.  And that doesn't include the normal issues of having a teenager in the house. These are just normal things that happen when you have a family and home but they build up and put stress on our families/relationships.

I needed a ride through the mountains w/ nothing but the man that I love and depend on to hold me up.  To listen to my favorite music and  remember the sweet things in our life that are special and that make up parts of our family. 

The day off costs us a box of Krispy Kremes as payment to the boys.

Back to School.....

David has taken the boys to The Canyon today for some rock climbing and swimming. I was left behind because I stepped on a red wasp this morning and have an extremely large toe :\ that can only fit in a flip flop. So I get a day @ home alone and  I finally have a few free minutes to catch up on my blog!

  Summer was CRAZY!! I was so wrong in thinking that I would have time to do many things that WE wanted to do.  Swim team took  up a lot of our time this summer (probably NOT doing that next year!)  and the garden took up so much time (but in a positive way).  We vowed to preserve and eat most of what we grew this year which meant that I spent more time canning and freezing our vegetables for winter.  That effort will be appreciated in the dead of winter when we are eating our own veggies. 

David spent 80% of the summer out of town on business.  We couldn't go w/ him b/c of Parker's summer football schedule so that left me home @ the boys.  We enjoyed the summer until August when the mosquito population took over our area. Being cooped up inside does not agree w/ anyone in our family.



visiting the Auburn aquatic center

Even though we didn't take a big vacation this summer we spent a weekend in Auburn for the State Swim Tournament, July 4th in Chattanooga @ the Choo Choo and a Lookout's ballgame,  many days hiking and swimming @ Little River Canyon, several evening trips to Chattanooga for dinner, movies and splash pad play and a visit to Cleveland to visit w/ cousins who were visiting from China.

Cooper @ the aquatic center

Cooper in front of the Stadium

family

Back to school



The boys started back to school this past Monday. Cooper refers to that day as "Mom's favorite holiday". NOT TRUE!   I "celebrated" by cleaning all of our rugs.  It was a nice start to the Fall.  I had been waiting all summer to deep clean them but it would have been a wasted effort since we have boys & dogs on them all day long.  We purchased a carpet cleaning machine last year and it has proven to be worth every penny.  I will attempt to clean rugs again when the boys go back after Christmas.  It's good for me to keep busy that first day that the house is quiet.  I miss them so much when they are gone.  But I adjust quickly :)

Fall for our family brings Football (Parker) and Soccer (Cooper & Oliver).  This year we will be coaching a team as well so it promises to be a busy season.  Parker had his first Varsity game this past Friday night. Guess what I forgot to take? My camera.   Hopefully I will have more opportunities to photograph him on the field.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly about Family, Furniture and Food.  For the people who read my blog - "Thank you" ! I appreciate your interest and hope you find something useful for your family.

Family

We usually don't get to take a summer vacation b/c business picks up and David is gone most of the summer.  We always try to go to the beach on Spring Break b/c we know we probably won't get back. Plus, we had the Colorado trip in February.  So it's not a big deal except the boys keep asking if we were going to go somewhere while school was out. 

We thought about going to Washington DC for the 4th holiday but couldn't set aside enough time to do everything we would want to do (Smithsonian Museums, Capital, Memorials....) So I came up w/ our old standby 4th - Pops in the Park in Chattanooga.  Then I found out that The Chattanooga Lookouts were @ home on the 3rd w/ a fireworks display.  So everyone thought that sounded like a good plan.  David suggested we spend the night downtown so the boys could swim after the game. I researched the Downtown Hotels then it hit me-- The Choo Choo!! So I booked a Victorian train car to sleep in. 

The boys were excited about the Train Car.  It was really neat.  We have promised Parker since he was about 4 yr old that we would stay in a train car someday.  I hope the boys will remember it.  They love to stay in different hotels. They talk about The Gaylord Opryland Hotel all the time. 


    
We had a great dinner @ Big River then off to the Lookouts/Smokies Baseball game.  Man! It was hot!!  I honestly thought that I was going to be sick during the first 3 innings of the game.  Not to mention that those innings were incredible slow! I kept myself occupied by watching people pass out.  Why were they drinking Beer in that heat?  Dropping like flies!!   Finally the sun started going down and it felt much better.  The game picked up and got really good! Chatt. won it in the last inning so it was not boring. 


Back to the Choo Choo to swim.








  Our "Staycation" was a good one.

Peach Bellini Jam

I have fallen in love with canning and preserving. Weird, right?  Seriously, who wants to stand in a hot kitchen when it's 105 outside and preserve food? Well...Me, that's who!  We've canned well over 60 jars this summer, mostly of the garden veggies we've grown.   LOTS of pickles. We may have over planted :).   We've also made homemade Pasta sauce and canned it. Salsa too. 




David was working in South Alabama last weekend and brought back a 25# box of the most beautiful peaches I have ever seen!! So, of course, I had to preserve them!!  But first we had fresh peach smoothies for breakfast.  They were the best smoothies I have ever made.  

I had purchased the BHG Canning publication @ Lowe's a few days earlier and several things caught my eye that I'd like to make later.  Spiced Peaches and Peach Bellini Jam were just a few of them. 
We made both.  The Peach Bellini Jam is delicious!! I think I like it better than my old favorite homemade plum jam.  Oliver & I put it on everything, PB & J to breakfast toast. I look forward to trying the Peach Bellini Soda next!

Peach Bellini Jam 

7 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups finely chopped, peeled ripe peaches
1 cup Prosecco or other sparkling white wine
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 of a 6-ounce package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin
In a 6-to-8-quart stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot, combine sugar, peaches, Prosecco, and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Quickly stir in liquid pectin. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon, avoiding peaches.
Ladle hot jam into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. To distribute fruit, cool for about 20 minutes, then gently turn and tilt jars without inverting them; repeat as needed. Makes 8 half-pints.
Per Tablespoon: 49 cal, 0 g fat, 0 mg chol, 0 mg sodium, 12 g carbo, 0 g fiber, 0 g protein