Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake

Sometimes we discard recipes.. or cookbooks. They're not so fashionable anymore, we are tired of them, maybe they are not considered healthy by today's standards.
I almost threw out an old cookbook that someone had given me years ago. It was a church cookbook. You know the type... a fundraiser cookbook.
Mind you, I am a collector of cookbooks and to say I may have 300+... well,
I simply cannot bring myself to confess how many I truly have. This sort of
cookbook is my favorite. It's more down to earth, home style cooking, not so gourmet if you know what I mean.


I decided at the last minute that this cookbook deserved a second chance so I took it to our deer lease. It is usually the only place where I make dessert. There is always such a willing and eager audience of hungry hunters out there. Frankly, they'll eat anything!


So I was looking for something to make out there and quickly found this recipe called "Oatmeal Cake". Sounded interesting and I had all of the ingredients... except for margarine which I do not use. Buttah is bettah! Right? So, okay... I have it all ready to go in the oven when I realized there was no temperature nor baking time for this recipe. Remember it is a hands-on church cookbook. Proofing was not on the priority list I guess. But, oh well... I put it in a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes and it came out great. I think it is one of the most delicious cakes I've ever eaten. And with oatmeal in it... well, it's almost a health food, right??


It was a total hit! Give it a try when you need a bit of "health food".

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1 stick of butter

Place oatmeal in a medium size mixing bowl and add butter. Pour boiling water over this and allow to stand about 20 minutes. (I only gave it about 10 and it was fine.)

In larger bowl mix together:
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add to the oatmeal mixture when somewhat cooled...
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine flour mixture with the oatmeal mixture and stir.

Pour into a "Pam'd" oblong baking dish
Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

In a saucepan on low heat:
1 stick of butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Pour over cake when straight from the oven and hot.

Serve on a cold winter's night, by the fire with hot spice tea! Guaranteed to warm your cockles.
(Does anyone know what "cockles" are?)

Christmas Tree in Mexico

Christmas Tree in Mexico

Our daughter-in-law in Mexico has such

wonderful taste. This is the Christmas tree she

has designed for her family this year. It is amazing

how much she and I like the same colors... the brown,

bronze and then peacock feathers and blues. 

And of course some bling in there as well.

It's a little hard to see, but at the top of the

tree are peacock feathers. 

Absolutely stunning, Marcela!  

I'm just in time for Mosaic Monday...
so stop by for a visit at

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Thanksgiving Day in Mexico

Thanksgiving Day in Mexico

Our son and his wife asked us to come down for Thanksgiving. What a challenge preparing a holiday

dinner... not only in another country but also gluten-free.

Our sweet granddaughter has Celiac Disease. That means

we cook gluten-free when she is with us.

Cooking started early in the morning at our son's home.

Cornbread for dressing (gluten-free cornbread recipe and then I used GF croutons for the dressing.

We had green bean bundles, mashed potatoes,

cranberry sauce, GF gravy. I prepared a dessert for

the adults but brought Santa chocolates for the kids.

Thank goodness that was a big hit!

I must admit that the men had decided to take

charge of the turkey. What a hoot watching them!

They waited until it was nearly time to put the turkey

in the oil-less fryer to read the directions. Then my husband

had to go hunt down a gas connection. Oh well... not to worry. They still managed to get it on in good time.

Then... we had to drop everything and run to

our granddaughter's school for a program...

in English. She goes to a bilingual school...Spanish-English.

Since our granddaughter has been in a bilingual

home all of her life, she has an advantage.

Anyhow... the day turned out great!

And I hope your day was just as great!

Here is the GF cornbread recipe I used:

2 c. yellow or white cornmeal (I used yellow)

1/2 c. boiling water

1 T. sugar (I omitted since using in dressing)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 large egg

2 T. canola oil

I baked this in a 325 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Excellent!

It's Foodie Friday so

I'm linking to

Designs by Gollum

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

Come join us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Dinner at the DePasquale's Home

A dinner at my grandparents' home was always

memorable. So much food and lots of people.

Everyone bustling around... at least the women were.

The kitchen was always full of women chatting and

and cooking. My grandmother would be giving out

orders left and right. LOL

Well, I just want to wish everyone a very

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Travel safely if you're on the road.

My Favorite Things!!

I've found a new blog party.... a little late, but we'll see if

I still get in on it. It's over at 320 Sycamore!

Melissa actually wants to know

what my favorite things are.

Now that is just too cool because one of my favorite

topics of discussion is cosmetics.

I enjoy "making up" on a daily basis... full deal.

I just feel better if I do.

My attitude is better.

I feel more energized.

I feel a little taller and a little slimmer.

Okay, that's pushing it a little bit...

My cosmetics of choice is pretty much one brand...

Laura Mercier.

This was recommended to me by my "personal"

cosmetic dermatologist.

Dr. Jennifer Peterson, M.D.

Meet my daughter-in-law!

She really likes Laura Mercier and so do I!

Now hop over to

320 Sycamore

for some fun!!

http://granvillehouse.blogspot.com/

Putz Village - Vintage Inspiration Friday

Putz Village

After WW II Putz Villages became very popular and were mass produced in Japan for export to the U.S.A.
Similar villages had been popular before the war but
due to rationing of materials some of the businesses
closed. These buildings all came from Japan.

This particular one is only about 2 1/2" high.

People became very creative with them placing them

underneath Christmas trees, on mantels and

even dining room tables.... much like our

very popular Department 56 Snow Village.

Handmade pieces such as people, animals, vehicles

were made to accompany the tiny buildings to

create wintery Christmas scenes.

They are very nostalgic sets and when I saw them

at an antiques store that has (sadly) closed now,

I fell in love with them. Just seeing these colorful

little buildings brought back memories that I

long-ago forgotten.

I hope that these stir up some memories for you as well.

I am selling my set in my booth at a local antiques mall.

I just don't have the time for setting this up anymore.

One nice thing about the Putz village pieces is that they

are all small and easy to store. They don't take up

much space when displaying either.

I am joining up at Common Ground for

Vintage Inspiration Friday.

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

White Wednesday -- Thinking Christmas

White Wednesday -- thinking Christmas

Laura at White Spray Paint had a posting today that reminded me of my first Christmas decorating attempt after a November of remodel in my home. This was the

first time I used white! I truly loved it. Now I realize

that I should have inserted some colored balls on the

bottle brush tree... but that's okay... this year I will!

Going through some of my mother's Christmas decorations

I found some small Christmas tree balls that I must find a way to use. They are so "old-timey".

The biscotti you see in this picture is my mother's

recipe. Yummmm!

We will spend Thanksgiving in Mexico this year, so

I am going to attempt to do some Christmas decorating

before flying down there. We'll see...

I am linking to

White Wednesday

at Faded Charm

http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/



Olivia, Texas

I took a quick peak outside this morning to take this picture.

Quick because it is 55 degrees and blustery.

It's not particularly a "monumental"picture by any means, however, what it represents is something very dear to me.

This piece of land is where my husband's father grew up.

He learned to fish in this bay and later even learned how to

make a cast net. My father-in-law did not speak English

until he went to school. His language was Swedish.

His father had come from Sweden to farm. His mother

was already a second generation American... her family

coming from Sweden as well.

This was the home of Mabel and Otto Peterson.

It was a Sears and Roebuck "prefab" house and was

located right on this bay.

This picture was taken in 1915.

Mabel and Otto are pictured holding their

first born child, Arvid, my husband's father.

The house was moved off of this property about

twenty years ago. A brick home was built in its place. It was still being lived in and had

survived numerous storms and hurricanes.

My husband and I attended the annual Peterson reunion

this past summer when we took these pictures

here on the Peterson homestead.

This site has been the location of many, many

family gatherings. No one lives in the home that is

here now, but it is used as a gathering place for family.

If I look hard enough out on the banks of the bay,

I can see two young boys, my late father-in-law and his

younger brother fishing. I can see my husband as a young

boy enjoying the same sport... and then my three sons

doing so as well. Many fish have been fried here and

oysters shucked. Cattle have been raised, eggs from the family's chickens gathered and jars of canned produce

put up. It's not particularly the sort of lifestyle I would want

to go back to, but I cherish the lifestyle that created the

wonderful people in the family I was blessed to be

married in to.

I will be linking to

Little Red House

for

Mosaic Monday

http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Peterson-Cavallin Family History - "A Few of My Favorite Things"

This is my passion.

I gather family facts, photos and stories.

This is the workbook that I create

each year for my husband's family reunion.

I make three copies of this book

and family members are encouraged to actually write in

the "workbook" adding, subtracting and correcting

the facts. 

I totally love it!

I believe that it is incredibly important

that our children have a source to use 

to learn about their ancestors.

My passion for this came partially from my mother

who set a very high standard for documenting 

family history.

The other woman who inspired me was a cousin of 

my husband's. 

I expressed a desire to see that my husband's

family stories and history be documented.

She kept telling me, "You can do it!"

So I did.

For the past five years I have had an updated

version of the family history for circulation.

She and I even created an event we call

"Family Tree Hugger"... where we gather to do 

nothing but work on the family tree.

Today my inspiration for this work passed away.

She is now with our God she served so faithfully.

And she is with so many of the family members she

loved and missed.

I will miss Mickey so very much.

Rest in peace, dear, sweet lady.

Join me for

Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie

http://bargainhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday: Portales in Suchitlan, Mexico

Suchitlan, Mexico

A Sunday drive up to Suchitlan near the city of Comala in Mexico, is a perfect place to enjoy the cool air of a high 

elevation in Mexico. 

It is known for coffee bean and fruit trees and a wonderful

cream that is thick and poured on top of many of the 

wonderful dishes that are prepared daily at the restaurant, Portales. 

On this particular trip we had our son and his two children with us. Our grandchildren love going to Suchitlan so they can play on the swings and slides. There are also 

tables with crafts for them to enjoy. 

The food is delicious and it is fascinating to watch 

blue corn tortillas made by hand. 

For sure we will make a trip to Suchitlan on our next 

trip which is coming up soon!

I am linking to 

Show and Tell Fridays 

at My Romantic Home

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Veterans Day and Happy Birthday, Mother "B"!

David R. Peterson, USAF

Calvin C. Boykin, Jr., US Army

Gare La Bete - My father's military history book

that he wrote in 1995

A look inside his book

I thank my father and my husband for serving their

country, unselfishly in a time of our need.

My prayers and deepest respect go out to the

soldiers around the world who are fighting for

peace.

******

I also want to mention that my paternal grandmother,

Ruby Heath Boykin, would have been 106 years old today.

I miss her so much.

She inspired me to cook and bake and to

appreciate American cooking.

She was born prematurely, placed in a cigar box near

an oven... and was not named until it was evident that

she would survive. After her own father died, the doctor

who delivered her became her step-father some

years later.

Happy Birthday, Mother "B"!

It's REDnesday - My booth goes Christmasy!

It's time for Christmas!

It's absolutely a favorite time of the year for me.

I love Christmas... the red and green and some of the non-traditional colors as well.

The Fall and Halloween decorations are now

out of my booth at the local antiques mall.

The red and green is up and today I

will add more decorations... ready for someone's

home this Christmas season.

I'm heading out in just a couple of hours.

Can't wait!!

Join us for REDnesday

at

It's a Very Cherry World

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at the Table -- for a little Texas BBQ! Yee-haw!!

We met up with our middle son in Houston a week ago Saturday. He had just driven in after living in La Jolla, California for a little over a year. Well... as any red-blooded Texas man would... he headed for the first barbecue place he could... Goode BBQ!

Daren chose sliced, smoked turkey, jalapeno/cheese bread

and cole slaw.

I chose pork ribs, cole slaw and dirty rice.

My husband chose smoked duck, brisket,

cole slaw and the jalapeno/cheese bread.

Here is a close-up of Daren's plate.

The food was excellent!!

Check out All the Small Stuff

for

Tuesdays at the Table!

http://allthesmallstuff-cole.blogspot.com/