Thought for the Day

Thought from my devotional this morning.

One tiny violet of encouragement will mean more to those with whom we live today than will acres of orchids when their pulses are stilled in death.

Lavish your friends and loved ones with love and encouragement that is in your heart because too often we leave words unsaid that could brighten and even turn around some one's day.

I saw many years ago in my life how I would often look at my children or my husband and think oh, my husband looks handsome this morning, or my daughter looks beautiful in that dress or your hair looks exceptionally good today, or I'm proud of the way you responded in that situation. I thought it but was asleep to the fact that I needed to speak it. Little things that seem insignificant can so brighten and turn around some one's day if we would only remember to say it or do it.

Annie's Pumpkin Cheesecake

For several years now I have wanted to try a pumpkin cheesecake. So I finally sat down and went to the Food Network and this is the recipe I chose. They had a lot to choose from but I got a winner. It is very rich and creamy. My family loved it and I'm sure this will become a traditional recipe around our home.

For garnish, the recipe suggested a dollop of whipping cream seasoned with a tablespoon of bourbon. I didn't have any bourbon so I used a tablespoon of dark rum and it was very good. Honestly, the cheesecake is soooo rich you really don't need anything. But for the holidays it's fun to be a little festive.

Because my oldest daughter loves cheesecake and especially pumpkin cheesecake, I'm calling this Annie's Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 3/4 cups sugar
salt
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
6 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1/3 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon of rum or bourbon


Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Brush a 10 inch springform pan with some of your melted butter. Mix your remaining butter, graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix well and then empty into your springform pan. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon of salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into cooled crust.

Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out) and then pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan, taking off the foil from around the pan and let cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges after it has cooled, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Bring the cheese cake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

Since it was Thanksgiving, I had two yellow roses left on my rose bush and I thought they would look pretty on the cheesecake with a sprig or rosemary. I pictured our dessert table for Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

We gathered together today to thank the Lord for His many blessings. It was a good day. The first time in a long time that is was just our immediate family for Thanksgiving. We had a good time and ate tooooo much food!



Happy Thanksgiving!

Hand- Me- Down Table

Our dining room furniture is Duncan Phyfe and it belonged to my mother. I always loved it and she left it to me when she died. It has been the gathering place for many holiday meals and Sunday dinners. I can still see my dad sitting at the head of the table with uncles and grandparents all around the table. My mom always seemed to be the last one through the line so she and my aunts would usually sit with all the children at card tables and T.V. trays. My parents would have around 40 people for our holiday dinners. Wonderful memories!

Being as old as it is the table still looks pretty good. Several years ago the end of the table where my husband sits was really leaning. It's a drop leaf table and that end was leaning pretty bad so he put a support under it to hold the leaf up to the position it needs to be.

Some 20 years ago I found in a magazine a poem about a hand-me-down table and it reminded me of our table. I had someone to do the poem in calligraphy for me and now it hangs in our dining room.

Hand-Me-Down Table

This hand-me-down table
Is special to me
For every Thanksgiving
My mind's eye can see
The chairs filled with people
Who've come to this place
And left all the memories
That time can't erase:

The uncles and aunts,
Our parents and friends;
And once in a while
Grown kids wandered in
With someone they'd found
Who had no other place
To spend their Thanksgiving
(We always had space).

It's a blessing, I think,
That a table like this
Just seems to make room
For one more to fit;
And sure, there were times
When someone complained
(But they were the first
to show up again).

So this hand-me-down table
With it's rich history
Can't be tossed in some heap-
What a loss that would be!
Though it's scratched and in need
Of a little repair,
May the next generation
Want it, too, is my prayer.

These are picture of our hand-me-down table in need of a little repair and then some pictures of our table all beautiful and ready for Thanksgiving Day.

Treasures by the Curb

This is the end of our well house. I was going to paint a sun on the end of our well house. I went shopping with several friends and one bought a sun and moon for her patio. I saw this big sun and thought it was really cute. After I got home, I decide to go back and get this sun and moon and save myself the headache of trying to paint my own. I love the way it turned out.

The black frame is a headboard I found by the curb. I spayed it black and this spring I am going to plant a cypress vine on each end to grow over this frame. I have planted a lot of red tulips that will bloom in early spring in front of the frame. Then I will have the vine with tiny red trumpet flowers and I am going to plant either red petunias or red and white periwinkles for the summer in front of the headboard.

Can't wait to see what it looks like. :)

Paper Whites and Amaryllis

Don't forget to go to your local nursery and buy some paper whites and amaryllis. I got mine planted on Thursday. It's been a tradition with me for years to plant paper whites. It's just part of getting ready for the holidays for me. They are so beautiful....I just love them. They will brighten your day and they are very easy to care for.

I have a lot of natural light in my home so it's not hard for me to find a place to sit them. But they really do best where they can get some good light. You can plant them in small decorative rock or in dirt (the container can be shallow - 4 or 5 inches deep). You just stick the end of the bulb (the widest part) into the dirt or rock. One fourth of the bulb should be submerged. Once a week, water lightly around the base of each bulb.

After they have bloomed you can plant your bulbs in your flower bed. I never knew you could do that until last year. The master gardener that I listen to on the radio said she plants hers and they will come up. I'm trying it this year. Just plant them at the depth you would plant a tulip.

This year I bought a red and white amaryllis and I planted it in the center of my paper whites. Visualize this, lots of paper whites with the delicate white flowers and towering above them a huge red and white amaryllis. I think it will be beautiful. On those cold and wintery days it will be a beautiful site.

Be sure and do this for yourself! If you love flowers, you will be glad you did.

I'm 60 today!

I want to tell you a little story. About 10 years ago my husband was doing some odd jobs for two women in Chickasha. They are sisters and at the time one was 92 and the other sister was 89. They both have their own homes and lived alone. They are wonderful women and of this writing as far as I know they are still alive. But one Saturday morning in the fall I had gone to the home of the 89 year old to pick up acorns to decorate with. She came to the door that morning in a beautiful cashmere pumpkin colored sweater and grey slacks and had on very stylish glasses. I remember telling her how attractive she looked and she politely thanked me and smiled. It really shocked me to see an older woman dress and look so nice at that age and her sister was the same way. I had 2 different fall workshops for my decorating business and they came to both of them. They were both interested in decorating. In fact, several years after this the 89 year old sister added on to her kitchen by enclosing her garage and had another garage built. The two sisters also alone took off in a travel home to Florida, stopped in Atlanta to hear Charles Stanley. Went on to Florida to visit one of their grandsons. He took them out in sailboat on the ocean and they came back home. The one who drove the travel home is a little frail thing about 90 pounds.

Then shortly after this, I was watching PBS and they had a story about some Asian people who lived in the mountains and at 80 and 90 how they ran business, worked in huge gardens and were very active and productive people. They didn't have the mindset of growing old and retiring.....slowing down.

After all this, I said, God I think you are showing me something. And He really was. He really gave me enthusiasm and excitement about the rest of my life. To still be productive and that I didn't have to get older and look like a little old lady. You're as old as you think in your mind. If I start telling myself I can't do something then I won't be able to do it.

So I said all that to say I'm really excited about the rest of my life. There is great freedom that comes with aging. I am blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn grey and my youthful laugh is forever etched into deep groves in my face. I will walk the beach with a bathing suit stretched over my sagging skin and will dive into the waves of the ocean with abandonment and have a great time.

This past month as I have thought about turning 60 and reflecting on my life I realize what a rich woman I am. I have the most wonderful husband who has loved me and made me a happy woman for 36 years. Four wonderful children who have made me very proud and a host of dear friends and family. I have in my life the things money can't buy...I'm truly blessed.

Today I want to thank the ONE who is my life and for giving me this day 60 years ago and for the excitement and enthusiasm He has given me to live the rest of my life with Gusto! I truly do look to the future and smile. He has blessed me beyond measure!

Truth

THERE ARE TWO MISTAKES THAT ONE CAN MAKE ALONG THE ROAD TO TRUTH. NOT GOING ALL THE WAY AND NOT STARTING.

Really like this quote!

Pomegranates

If you are like me you have probably never tried a pomegranate before. I have decorated with them a lot but have never eaten one until today. In the past, when I was using them to decorate with I would wonder if they were very tasty. I sure never heard anyone mention them. Over the past several years pomegranate juice has become popular and the health benefits of the juice are beneficial.

My daughter, Katie recently called me after she had tried one and was raving about how great it was. So I picked up one at the store about a week ago and today at lunch I tried it. It was sweet and syrupy and wonderful. My husband came into the kitchen to see what all the slurping was about. I just cut it in half and started eating it like an orange. The white pithy stuff in between the seeds is a little bitter but the seeds are wonderful, so sweet. The skin is very thin so they are easily peeled and you can just pull the seeds apart from the pithy stuff. I recently saw a recipe where they made a trifle and used chocolate cake, whipped cream and fruit and they had pomegranate seeds in the fruit and the top of the trifle had whipped cream with pomegranate seeds sprinkled on the top. Very festive!

Well, that's my two cents about pomegranates. They're great and I hope you'll try one. Let me know what you think.

Just Living

Wow, It's been a busy month so far. Finished painting the house......soooo thankful that is done! I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to finish it. But with the help of my dear sweet husband and one of our sons(they did all the high places) we completed it and it looks so much better. I have always wanted black shutters so we are in the process of getting those completed. We have one set on and hopefully during the winter we will get that all accomplished. When you do-it-yourself it takes a little longer. :)

Now I can focus on my other projects. I am going to clear out a spot for a blueberry patch and get it ready so all I have to do is plant the bushes when they come in. I usually do things the other way around which makes me a little stressed. I have a lot of old red bricks and I want to use these for edging around my flower beds plus the usual work in the garden. I will have plenty to keep me busy on the pretty days during the winter. And as always, can't wait to start looking through the new seed catalogs when they start arriving.

When your looking at the pictures of our home. Look closely at the porch area. I added some old metal work on the pillars that I found at a friend's shop in Marlow. I'm really happy with the way it looks. I also used some extra pieces of this metal work as an "L" bracket for a shelf in my breakfast room. Will share those pictures later when I have it all complete.

Looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving with my dear family. We have so much to be thankful for....we are all healthy, happy and we have each other. Do you need much more than that?

Italian Vegetable Beef Soup with Cheesy Italian Bread

This is just a different twist on vegetable beef soup but with the cheesy Italian bread it is great!

Italian Vegetable Beef Soup

1 medium zucchini (cut zucchini in half, lengthwise, then into fourths, then cut into 2 inch lengths)
2 pounds of stew meat (washed and I cut the pieces in half or at least the ones that are big)
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
2-14 ounce cans of diced tomatoes with garlic, basil and oregano
4 beef bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 handfull of Rigatoni
1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
1-14 ounce can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 big hand fulls of fresh baby spinach

Wash meat and put in a big soup pot with about 8 cups of water. Add salt, pepper and garlic.
Add tomatoes, beef bouillon cubes, Italian seasoning and bring to a boil and lower heat to low medium and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Then add carrots and zucchini and cook for about 30 minutes or until carrots and zucchini are tender. Then add Northern beans and spinach and simmer about 10 minutes and your done.
I do slice a couple of potatoes in the soup for my husband.

Cheesy Italian Bread

1 loaf Italian Bread (cut in half (lengthwise)
Mix together these ingredients: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese or Mozzarella cheese, 1 bunch of green onions sliced thin, little pepper (1 teaspoon).
Spread on Italian Bread and broil in oven until golden brown.

Great Pumpkin Cookie

This is an old time favorite with my family. It's tradition around our house to make these cookies a couple of times during the fall months. I finally made some on Saturday. What's funny is my daughter, Katie came down Saturday evening with a batch of these cookies she had made. So today, some of my neighbors are enjoying our pumpkin cookies. This is a wonderful recipe and I think it will become a favorite around your house during pumpkin season.

2 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned oats, uncooked
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg beaten,
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Libby's pumpkin
1 cup semi-sweet chips

Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Cream butter, gradually adding sugars. Beat until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Alternate dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about 20 cookies.

I can not stand to throw half of the pumpkin away so I have put all the pumpkin in the recipe and it has turned out fine. I sometimes add pecans too, about 1 cup chopped and that also taste great.

Sour Cream Blueberry Streusel Bread

Recently, a friend was telling me about some blueberry bread that she had purchased and how good it was. It really sounded yummy so I thought I would try my blueberry muffin recipe and change it around a little.....so, here is what I came up with and I have to say it was good. My family agreed.

1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick of butter, softened

Cream butter and gradually add 1/2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and sour cream mixing well.
Combing 4 cups of flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to cream mixture alternating with milk. Stir in vanilla and fold in blueberries.
This makes 2 loaves. Grease and flour two loaf pans.

Combine 1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup flour, cinnamon and 1 stick of butter. Use a pastry blender of fork and work the butter into this mixture until it resembles crumbs. Now take 1/4 of the blueberry batter and put in the bottom of each loaf pan. Then put 1/4 of the crumb mixture on top of the blueberry batter. Now take the rest of the blueberry batter and put on the top of the crumb mixture. Put the remaining crumb mixture on the top on the blueberry batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Insert a toothpick to make sure the bread is done.