Sunday, January 8, 2012

Meet Lynne of Butterfly Creek Pottery



I want to introduce you to a dear friend of mine,
Lynne Brown. I think you'll find her blog,
Butterfly Creek Pottery,
absolutely wonderful!

I met Lynne through Jan Karon (the Mitford book series)
message board. I actually flew from Mexico to North Carolina to meet Lynn as well as other Mitford fans
for a reunion of readers.
We knew we would remain life-long friends!

If you notice a similarity in our blog names...
now you who inspired me.

Lynne makes beautiful pottery and a visit
to her blog is not only for inspiration but
an opportunity to view her amazing creations!

So hop on over and be follower.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

My Vintage Thingy for Thursday - Recipes!


Ruby, my paternal grandmother,
married a man who was in the hotel business
for many years. Mother "B" was a wonderful
cook and many of her recipes were written on sheets
of hotel stationery.



I love vintage recipes.
These recipes for Chow-Chow and Cherry Pie
were two of her favorites.

My late mother wrote in a cookbook she compiled with my grandmother's recipes, "I suppose that living in Midland (Texas) at the Circle CB was the closest "Mother B" ever came to living on a farm where she had the opportuniity of "puttin' up" fruits and vegetables. I can still remember the wonderful pungent smells coming from her kitchen when "chow-chow" was being made. Hardly readable now, her recipe for "chow-chow" has been passed among family and friends and will always carry lovely memories with it."

Chow-Chow

1 gallon ripe tomatoes
1 gallon green tomatoes
1 gallon cabbage
1 dozen sweet peppers (red bell peppers)
1 dozen hot peppers (chilies), or to taste
1 dozen large onions
3/4 cup salt
6 cups sugar
2 tablespoons powdered ginger
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon each: turmeric, cloves, cinnamon
1/2 gallon vinegar

Chop first five ingredients into small pieces and mix. Pour salt over mixture and let stand for 2 hours. Squeeze with hands removing the vegetables from the brine. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook a few minutes until thoroughly hot - 2 to 3 minutes. Seal in sterilized jars while hot. Makes 9 quarts.

**

Cherry Pie

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons flour
5 egg yolks or 3 whole eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup milk
1  1/2 cup cherries (Fort Collins brand)

Melt butter in top of double boiler, add sugar, stir and then add flour. Cook until smooth; then add eggs a little at a time. Slowly add milk and blend well. Add cherries and cook a few more minutes. Serve with whipped cream.

No mention is made of a pie crust, but I imagine this is the filling and should be poured into a baked pie shell.

Today I am linking to
Vintage Thingy Thursday
at Colorado Lady

Come check it out!


Monday, January 2, 2012

Remembering my mother, Rosemary


Rosemary Elizabeth DePasquale Boykin

Mother was born to Jean and D.V. DePasquale of Dickinson, Texas on January 3, 1926.
Her mother, young and an immigrant from Italy at the age of nine, and her father, well-educated and of Sicilian descent from Texas, were parents who insisted that their children
"leave their mark".


My mother, on the right, was a good student, played the piano, was proud of being a gymnast. She went off to SMU at the age of 16.



She married my father, a WW II veteran upon her graduation from college... her father insisting there would be no wedding unless there was a college diploma!
Their courtship was only three months, but their
love lasted 62 years when their passing was but four months
apart from each other.



This is my favorite picture of my mother.
She had done an amazing job of
"leaving her mark"
by 2008.
*She was mother to four children
*She worked throughout most of her married life
at several universities, primarily at Texas A&M University.
*She traveled and lived abroad with my father in Syria, Iran and even eight years in Africa.
*She published two books pertaining to Italian history and genealogy.
*She wrote and illustrated cookbooks for fundraisers as well as for her family.
She had so many more accomplishments.
Most of all she was a loving wife, mother and grandmother.
I truly miss her.
She would have been 86 years old January 3rd.

Happy Birthday, Mother!




Happy New Year!


Happy New Year
from Deep South Texas


My Chocolate Lab, Simon, and I went for a walk
at our deer lease. Above are a few of the beautiful
sights we saw.

Yes, man's best friend enjoys the fog, brush, and cactus
at Las Islas Ranch as much as I do.
One morning we were fortunate to see a beautiful
deer. I'll have to remember the sight from memory as
I wasn't quick enough with my camera.

Wishing you good health and good fortune in
2012!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas 2012 Resolutions!



It was a great Christmas....
We were blessed to have at least part of
our family with us.

BUT

Christmas 2012 will be very different.

I sent myself a note on October 1st that I would
start pulling out Christmas boxes and deciding
what I would need for decorating.

DID NOT HAPPEN

I actually took down my fall decorations
before Thanksgiving... even assembling my
new pewter-colored Christmas tree.

WASTE OF TIME

The results:

The most unorganized Christmas I can remember
in years!

My Christmas 2012 Resolutions

  1. Cut back on decorating
  2. Store only the decorations I plan to use next year
  3. Reduce the 17 bins (this is true confession here!) to 5 .. ok,  7 bins!
  4. Allow only 2  3 days for decorating... period!
  5. Plan menu and cook ahead AND
don't cook for an Army!

Signed,

And if you belive this will truly happen... then "I have some ocean front proptery in Arizona" to sell you! ;-)

My Favorite Christmas Recipe this Year

Cranberry Sauce with Bourbon

1 lb. (about 4 c.) fresh cranberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
**
1/4 c. bourbon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cranberries, sugars, and cinnamon in 9x13" baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and stir in bourbon.
Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. This can be prepared a week in advance.
Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Today I am linking to
A Stroll Thru Life
for

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Merry Christmas from
my home to yours!