The Nerds

I did something last night that I haven't done in so long. I literally laughed until I cried. It felt so good! We went to some friend's Halloween party, and played their version of "The Newlywed Game", but what was so hysterical was this book they incorporated into it......called, ZOBMONDO! It does comparisons like.....would you rather spit every time you spoke, or be spit on every time you are spoken too.....would you rather fall into the hole in an outhouse, or be buried under a pile of dead animals......would you rather have a butt on your forehead, or little legs dangling from your chin. The list goes on and on, and the book is full of them. Steve and I were uncontrolably laughing. Considering the economy and the state of real estate......the laughter was perfect timing. We went as "The Nerd Family".....a great budget costume, by the way. Tonight the "boys" are watching the Titans game, little Emma is sleeping, but just an hour ago I was hearing drums upstairs, a clarinet in the kitchen, piano in the living room, now I am a music lover, but boy.......combine that with a 5 year old getting ready for bed....well, let's just say, This Joint Was Jumpin'!!! Now I know it isn't Christmas yet, or even Thanksgiving, but it is cold here, and this drink is very beloved any time, so I am sharing it with you now. My Mom's Spiced Tea. Anytime someone would come over to our house during the holidays, she would always offer them some of her spiced tea. It is the best and I hope you enjoy it. J

MOM'S SPICED TEA

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
1 TBLS whole cloves

Stir these 4 ingredients together and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain into a larger stock pot. To this add, 1 small can frozen lemonade and 1 small can frozen orange juice. Let juices thaw. While thawing, make 2 cups strong tea using 2 cups water with 6 or 7 small tea bags (I use decaf) When juices thaw, pour in tea and add 10-12 cups of water......depending on how strong you like it. Best served warm. So sweet and wonderful.

14 YEARS!!

Ok, I'm coming back to life after my trip. The price you pay for having fun. This week Steve and I celebrated our 14th anniversary! We have figured out that "lunch dates" are, well, not quite as romantic, but very economical with lunch menus and not having to pay babysitters. Plus, this time I had a coupon for a free appetizer. We enjoyed our time at "Sol", the Latin restaurant downtown Franklin. He gave me a beautiful pearl necklace from India, and my gift to him......don't laugh......nonstick skillets. Can you believe with the amount of eggs we cook, we didn't have a nonstick skillet? He is the egg man, and has constantly complained about having to scrape the eggs off of the skillet, so, that was his gift! He LOVED them!!! I dressed up, as if going out on a "night" date.......wore my Spanks with my very tight jeans, and boy, I can't tell you how fast I drove home to pull those babies off and get into my sweat pants. After homemade guacamole, and chicken/goat cheese quesadillas, they were even more uncomfortable than they were to begin with........plus, I had on my compression panty hose because I had had a vein treatment the day before. I was totally Bound Up and claustrophobic!!! Being serious, Steve is a gift from God, and I am so thankful that he is the man I married. He is funny, kind, has beautiful eyes, adventurous, helpful, "hands on", engaged and involved with the kids, a wonderful husband and "Daddy".....and he loves me. I'm blessed.

Here's a recipe we had last night.......for our traditional breakfast for supper. The kids all chowed on them. They were very good and Fallish! Enjoy!!! J

CINNAMON-APPLE PANCAKES

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 TBLS brown sugar, packed

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

2 TBLS oil

1/2 cup applesauce

Combine dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl; make a well in the center and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, blend vanilla, egg, milk and oil; mix into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Add applesauce; mix well. Pour a little less than a 1/4 cup onto a hot, greased griddle. Cook until bubbly on surface; flip and heat until golden on both sides. Makes 8 to 10.

FALL BREAK 2008

Wow.......I could pretty much sum up this trip by saying just that.....WOW! This picture is the view we had from the porch of our cabin in, can I say "Beautiful but BoonDocks", Piney Creek, North Carolina. The cabin itself, its views and the surrounding areas were just amazing. We all had a wonderful time. We arrived on Thursday night, and were pleasantly surprised when we walked in the cabin. Even the kids said, "The drive was soooo worth it!" It was. We settled in and got dinner ready, and sat outside on the porch for dinner. So pleasant. Alot of our time was spent hanging out, playing games, eating, watching movies, playing cards, roasting s'mores, and sleeping in! Just Great. Friday was a rainy day, a good thing, because James Avery got a 12 hour stomach bug, beginning at 2 a.m., so we stayed in all day, and played games and watched movies. We did go into town later that afternoon and played in a park. Saturday we discovered Grayson Highlands State Park, one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.....and there were wild ponies. Leave it to Wesley to hug one and get kicked. He's got a big bruise on his leg. Still, that is something those kids will never forget. Later that day we went into Boone, such a beautiful town, and then on Sunday we did the Virginia Creeper Trail. This is a must do for everyone's list......you have made a list, haven't you? Put this one on it. 4-5 hours of mostly downhill bike trails (converted from old railroads) that run past rivers, streams, farms and beautiful countryside. Such great together time, and so incredibly beautiful. After the 5 hour drive, we arrived home on Sunday at about 11:30, and yes, had to get up for school the next day. So, I truly am still recovering.........did want to share a dinner idea, though. Tonight I fed my family for about $8.00. I bought a packet of 4 leg quarters for a little over $2.00, got a head of broccoli for $2.00, a pan of Marshall's biscuits for about $2.00, and already had some potatoes. I rinsed the chicken, squeezed a lemon all over it, drizzled it with EVOO on both sides, and put salt, pepper, and fresh garlic on both sides. I then convect roasted it at 325 for 45 minutes, then flipped the chicken over (to sit in the drippings) and covered it with foil to rest. I then cut up the broccoli, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted it at 400 f0r about 15 minutes.......while the biscuits were in with it. I mashed the potatoes with butter, milk, salt and sour cream, then added a little flour and water to the chicken drippings for grazy, and WALA......dinner was done, delicious, very filling and no more than $8.00. For a family of 6, that's a bargain......I would love to hear any of your "bargain meals". More pics from the trip later..........I posted alot of them on Facebook. J

WHERE'S EMMA?

Can you see her? We love playing in the leaves!!! Tomorrow morning we leave for beautiful North Carolina.......today, I had to finish up a few errands. This is how it went. I walked with a friend early, early this morning, got the kids to school, well, actually James Avery stayed home with a stomach ache, so I cancelled a doctor's appointment.......took Emma to school, Steve called and said James Avery was feeling better, so he took him on to school! Thank goodness....I really needed to go into Cool Springs and finish off my list. I showered, and got all comfy in a black skirt and white tee. I couldn't wait to pull into Starbucks and get that Pumpkin Spice Latte. I did. Mmmmmmm. That first swallow is a true taste of Heaven. I ran into my first store, then came back and jumped in the car.......somehow I lost control of my coffee for a moment, it tipped over, and not all of it, but plenty spilled out straight onto the front of my, yes, white tee shirt. It was everywhere. I couldn't shop like this, what should I do? Hey, there's an old wadded up hoodie on the floor, along with stale pb&j's, old papers, spilled drinks, dirty socks. I'll just put that sucker on and zip it up.....oh, there's a TJ Maxx. So, I put on the wadded up wrinkled dirty hoodie, zipped it up over my coffee stained white tee, and headed in TJ's looking like "Country Come To Town". I grabbed the first tee I could find, and wore it out of the dressing room. Yes, I did pay for it. Finally, I'm ready to shop now. I had several more errands to do, and one was Costco. That was relatively painless, except when my very large container of grape tomatoes tipped over in my basket, and tomatoes were rolling around everywhere and all around me. It reminded me of the other day when I was in the grocery, and my eggs were on the bottom rack of the cart, and they fell out the front of the cart, then I ran over them. Busted egg yolks were all over the produce section, because of me. Then when we got to the check out, the other 18 carton of eggs was still on the bottom, and I looked over and Emma was standing on them to make herself taller to help get the stuff out of the cart. What a Helper......another pkg of eggs, busted. I just handed them to the bag boy, and said, please go get me 2 more 18-pk cartons of eggs......I've managed to bust 2 of them since I've been here. Ok, so, more today stuff. Oh yeah, I got in the car to take Emma to dance (which was cancelled and I didn't know it) and set my hot tea, not in the cup holder, I know, My fault, but in the middle, and when I took off, it fell forward smack dab into my open purse.....completely saturated the mail I had just put in there, and got on my camera that I just happened to have in there because I was taking the disk in to be developed. That's about how my day has gone. A comedy of errors, it seems. Now, however, I am packed, practically, and getting ready to load the food into the car. I can't wait to get to the the cabin, put on my pjs and relax. I won't be blogging for a few days, but will share stories upon our return. Here's you another recipe for you to enjoy! J

PERFECT ROAST CHICKEN

1 5-6 pound roasting chicken

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise

2 TBLS butter (1/4 stick), melted

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges

olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Liverally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Great over couscous, mashed potatoes, or rice.

Getting ready for the mountains!

Last year, on a recommendation from a friend (Thanks Melisa!) we biked the Virginia Creeper Trail. You can read all about it online, but I have to say that it is one of our favorite things we have done as a family. We rode the 4 hour trek, trailing through mountains, and by streams the whole way. It is beautiful.......especially this time of year. This year we're going back, staying with out dear friends the Babcocks in a what looks like very nice and large cabin (I'm probably not going to want to leave) in Jefferson, North Carolina. Today I've been cooking for that trip. Tomorrow I will pack.......I think it is going to be cold.......I love the mountains of North Carolina. I always seem to breath easier when I'm there. For your recipe...... I have finally found "that" blueberry muffin recipe. These are delicious, and I like to make them in those medium sized mini-muffin pans. Enjoy!!! J

SOUR CREAM BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

MUFFINS
1 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup blueberries

GLAZE
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 TBLS fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest

For the muffins, preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add egg, butter, vanilla and sour cream. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Line muffin tins with paper liners and fill with batter. Bake until muffins spring back to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Let cool.

for glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and zest. Spread 1 tsp over each muffin. Let stand until glaze hardens. 12 muffins

OUR PUNKINS!

And here are OUR PUNKINS.....plus a grandpunkin with Mamy.....as the kids lovingly refer to her. You're never to old to enjoy the pumpkin patch!!! Go out and visit your local one today. Wow, that sounded like an advertisement. This next "tradition" is just, well, ridiculous. Enjoy!!! J

PUMPKIN GOOEY BUTTER CAKES

CAKE:

1 18 1/4 oz pkg yellow cake mix

1 egg

8 TBLS butter, melted

FILLING:

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

1 15 oz can pumpkin

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

8 TBLS butter, melted

1 16 oz box powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cake mix, egg and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 - 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey. Serve with fresh whipped cream.

GRANDPUNKINS!

We love the Pumpkin Patch!!! Going there just always marks Fall. This year we had an extra big group......our entire family, and it was very special. Today I'll feature the "Grandpunkins". They got a kick out of finding the "perfect one". Fall is mine and Steve's favorite season. We love everything about it. I have some foods that are a tradition around this time. Here's one of my favorites!


CARAMEL POPCORN

1 CUP FIRMLY PACKED LIGHT
BROWN SUGAR
1/2 CUP BUTTER
1/2 CUP LIGHT KARO
1/2 TSP SALT
1/2 TSP VANILLA
1/2 TSP BAKING SODA
4 QUARTS POPPED POPCORN (PUT IN A BIG BOWL)

COOK SUGAR, BUTTER, KARO AND SALT OVER MEDIUM HEAT, STIRRING CONSTANTLY UNTIL MIXTURE BOILS. CONTINUE TO COOK 5 MINUTES WITHOUT STIRRING. REMOVE FROM HEAT, ADD VANILLA AND SODA. STIR WELL. POUR MIXTURE OVER POPCORN, STIR TO COAT WELL. SPREAD ON COOKIE (UNGREASED) SHEET. BAKE AT 250 UNCOVERED FOR 1 HOUR, STIRRING OCCASIONALLY. REMOVE FROM OVEN AFTER 1 HOUR AND IMMEDIATELY START LIFTING FROM COOKIE SHEET WITH SPATULA UNTIL IT STOPS STICKING. LEAVE ON PAN UNTIL COOL. BREAK APART WHEN COOL. STORE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER. COOK ON MEDIUM HEIGHT IN OVEN. MAKES GREAT TEACHER HAPPIES!!!

What I've Learned......

What I've learned is that you Don't do blogging or Facebook when your 3 grandbabies are in town!!! Obviously!!! We were so blessed to have Amy, and her babies here for a whole week! It was a blast. We all had fun at James Avery's Football Party, went to the pumpkin patch, the park, the zoo, Pancake Pantry, played in the back yard, all over the house.....Fun, Fun, Fun!!

I loved cooking for them and having 10 people around the table. Of course, adding 3 little ones to our 4 and their already hectic schedules was a little wild, but I have to say that the house was more orderly having Amy here with her three, than when she isn't here. She's amazing! I learn a little something more from here each time I'm with her. What a treat to have inherited her as a daughter. One night she cooked this delicious Israeli recipe. She's been telling me about these for years, and they are wonderful. I'll definitely be making them often. Enjoy!! J....more pics from the week to come

SEAN'S FALAFEL AND CUCUMBER SAUCE

1 15-oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 egg

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp salt

1 dash pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp baking powder

1 TBLS olive oil

1 cup dry Italian bread crumbs

oil for frying

1 (6-oz) container plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber-peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

1 tsp dried dill weed

salt and pepper to taste

1 TBLS mayonnaise

1. In a large bowl, mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas. (Amy did this all in the food processer)

2. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.

3. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry patties in hot oil until brown on both sides. (Amy baked hers at 400 for about 10 minutes per side)

4. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, dill, salt, pepper and mayo. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

She put a flatbread on the plate, topped with lettuce, the falafels, red onion then covered with cucumber sauce! Sometimes she serves them in pitas with hummis, potatoes, etc. YUMMY!!!

BABIES COME TOMORROW!!!

We are anxiously awaiting Amy and her babies, Addison and Reilly, and baby Lennon's arrival tomorrow afternoon! She is driving all the way from St Pete, FL......what a woman!!! Andrew has to work, so it will be just her and the kids. We can't wait to see all of them, and I can't wait to post pictures!!! I just finished boiling 2 yard birds, pulling the meat off of the bone, straining that yummy broth, and have one of Nita's Chicken Pies made and in the refrigerator, and am also making a pot of Chicken Noodle Soup. The weather is cool here, so it's time for some hearty meals. Enjoy this Beautiful Weekend!!! J

A SEINFELD EPISODE!

Have you ever felt like you were a starring role in a Seinfeld episode? That was today for me. It was teeth cleaning day for me at the dentist......something that is never fun, but I guess necessary for dental health. Anyway, all was going well until it was time for her to brush my teeth at the end with that little spinny rubber thing. She gave me the suction stick to hold in my right hand, slathered my teeth with that very grainy and gritty toothpaste, and started spinning. I noticed that she pumped her foot on some pedal thing to get the spinny thing to spin. Well, about halfway through this procedure, the spinny thing malfunctioned. She couldn't get it to spin, and started pumping her foot faster, in different angles, getting very frustrated, remember I'm holding the suction stick, have the gritty toothpaste caked on my teeth, mouth wide open, Blinding light in my eyes (the big light said Belmont......I always notice the brand on that big light) and the Wonders of the World posters on the ceiling are staring back at me. By now, I started getting tickled. Now this is funny. She is very frustrated, still pumping away, it would come on, she would do a tooth or two, then it would stop. I think she was new or something......I can't imagine anyone else going at that foot pump the way she was trying to get it to work. By now, I am laughing out loud, trying not to choke on the now running down the back of my throat gritty toothpaste stuff. It was hilarious. She finally did go next door and another gal came over and fixed it for her. Still, it was one of those surreal moments that became comical.....Ever had one of those? I always love it when something funny happens early in the day, to get my smile really going. It was very easy to smile today, though, because it was gorgeous, and was the first day that it felt like Fall all day! Bring on those pumpkins!!! Speaking of pumpkins, here's a very festive, sweet fall appetizer, or dessert. Delicious! Enjoy!!! J

PUMPKIN DIP WITH GINGER SNAPS

2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese
4 cups (or less) confectioners sugar, sifted
1 can pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling mix
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese and sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in remaining ingredients. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To serve, scoop out 1 or 2 miniature pumpkins and fill them up with the dip. Use ginger snaps for dipping.