They Call It Spinning!!!

Well, partly for the reason that I am over 10 pounds heavier than I was this time last year, that cellulite has taken over the lower portion of my body, and just its overall health benefits, I decided that this was the week that I was going to make a change, and get back to the gym.......it's been years, and I mean many years. Now, don't get me wrong......I'm not sedentary, am quite active especially going up and down our many sets of stairs each day, even walk on a kind of semi/sort of regular off and on basis, and also pull out my Fluidity bar at home from time to time to work toward that "dancers" body, that I will never have...but there's always the dream......but I haven't done serious cardio since I lived in Memphis 20 years ago. I started on Monday by taking Emma to the rec center to do some swimming. I did my best to "work it" as well as play with her for an hour or so.....so that was a start. One thing I have found out is that it really makes me work up an appetite, because I put away a serious amount of Mama's Chicken Spaghetti last night. This morning, all the kids were at school, so I geared up to go and make use of my 10 day trial at the fancy "Prairie Life" in Cool Springs. After a brief tour of the facility, I put stuff in my locker, and went to decide on exactly what I was going to do to "work up a sweat"!! I decided to head to a Cycling Class at 12:15, but I had some time to warm up, so I started by walking the track......simple enough, except for some knee pain that is just now a part of my life, I can do the walking thing. Ok, there, enough walking, maybe I'll now try out that elyptical I've heard so much about. They say it is really easy on the knees. I think I've got time for about 5 minutes before I need to go to the class..... "Holy Heck" what is this thing doing to my thighs? This might be the weirdest feeling I've ever had exercising......ouch, I don't like this at all. I don't know about my knees, but my thighs are dying! Am I doing it right? I made if for all of 1 minute and 50 seconds. Now off to......Spinning. I have to tell you that when I heard the word Spin Class years ago, I literally for a long time thought that it was a bunch of adult sized sit and spins in a room, with people spinning in circles. I had no idea it was bikes. I love to bike, though......so this should be fun. 45 minutes....Hmmm, I actually told the teacher that I would be more than likely leaving early. Here we go. Pedal Faster!!! You are in Barcelona Spain, wind in your hair on the winding streets. Feel the Breeze......now stand up. Stand Up? While I'm biking? I don't think so. I'm going to sit my tired buttocks on this bike seat, and do my best to make the wheels spin. Actually all I could think about was going home and heating up some more of Mama's Chicken Spaghetti! I was starving!! I made it for 25 minutes, lowered my heart rate, and quietly exited the classroom, feeling very accomplished actually!!! So, the quest to be in shape begins, but you can darn sure bet that I will reward my efforts with great food......and Mama's Chicken Spaghetti is Great!!! It was one of her specialties, loved by all!!! ENJOY!!! J

Mama's Chicken Spaghetti

1 whole chicken, or 3-5 Split Chicken Breasts
1 stick butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz thin spaghetti

Boil Chicken with salt, pepper, celery, carrots, onion, to make a good broth. (If time is an issue, you can use a Rotisserie chicken, and boxed broth.) Remove chicken, cool, and pull off meat. Reserve 1 cup broth, and use the rest to boil the noodles. Drain noodles.

While noodles are cooking, saute the veggies in the butter, then add the soups and cheese, stirring until the cheese melts. Next, add the chicken, noodles, and 1 cup broth. Put in a 9x13 casserole, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes covered, then uncover and cook 10-15 minutes or more until bubbly. Serve with garlic bread, salad, and dessert........of course!! This freezes very well!!!

Our Progressive Dinner

One of the things we enjoy most about the holidays is being with our family and friends. We started a tradition several years back with our sweet friends from Florida, the Corleys and the Bancrofts........who also migrated up here to Franklin. We do a progressive dinner. We each have 4 kids, so it's quite the group, but yes, kids are included, we eat for 5 hours straight, and all go home very full having had plenty of everything........including laughter. Here's how we do it. One house hosts the appetizer, one the main meal, and the next dessert. We rotate courses each year. Our kids even ask about "that thing where we go to each other's house and eat", so I feel like we've started a tradition that they will remember. Each family has very busy lives, we all attend different schools, so this is one of the times each year we can reconnect and reminisce about the past year, and dream of the year ahead. We love this night. One fun thing is seeing the kids grow! We are out growing our stair picture!!! There were many good dishes, but here is the recipe for the salad we had. One of my all time favorites! Enjoy!!! J

CRUNCHY ROMAINE TOSS

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 pkg Ramen noodles, broken up, discard flavor packet

4 Tbls unsalted butter

1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and broken into pieces

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup Sweet and Sour Dressing (see accompanying recipe)

Brown walnuts and noodles in butter; cool on paper towels. Combine noodles and walnuts with broccoli, romaine and onions. Pour Sweet and Sour Dressing over and toss to coat well.

Sweet and Sour Dressing:

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 Tbls soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients. Yields 2 1/2 cups.

Happy 2009!!!

Christmas Memories.........An Early Snow!!, Wesley's Chorus Concert, Andrew's Band Concert, James Avery's 2nd grade play, Steves "Cookies and Carols", The downtown Christmas Parade, piling in the van, singing carols and seeing the lights at Sunnyland, visiting Emma's dance class, visits from cousins, visits from friends, making marshmallows, school Christmas parties, mother-daughter cookie exchange, neighborhood cookie/ornament exchange, kids from all over in our house......staying up late, sleeping late, Phase 10, SkipBo, Cariboo, Scrabble, Wii, that farm game, laughing 'til I cried....it's been awhile, never quite finishing decorating the house, Christmas collections (Santas, Snowmen, Reindeer, Angels), missing Todd and Family.....missing Amy and family....sleepovers, playdates, Zaxbys, Steve working like a dog at UPS in his cute brown suit, The Rudolph tree in our front yard, Christmas music, White Elephant exchange with our community group, making and eating too much Christmas "Trash", Mom's Spiced Tea, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, those oreo balls, homemade cinnamon rolls, sausage casserole, very gingery chocolate gingerbread cookies, apricot thumbprints, Cranberry ice cubes with gingerale, Christmas snow popcorn, hilarious you tube videos, beautiful friends and families pictures on Christmas Cards.......Christmas Card assembly line, 'lots of wrapping, the surprise Steelers game, Reindeer food, our photo shoot, going to the movies, movie nights on the couch, New Years at the Babcocks, Hoppin' John, our annual progressive dinner with the Corleys and Bancrofts, air soft wars, 'lots of laughter and happiness......then last night depression setting into all of us, because School started back today. The house was all quiet, still fully decorated, I might add......we'll get to it eventually, but it was quiet. I think I like it better noisy. I know I like it better noisy......plus it's cold and rainy. Uggh. Maybe it'll snow!!! Ok, about those Oreo Balls.....these are just too decadent to only have at Christmas. Enjoy!!! J

Chocolate Mint Snowballs

1 18-oz pkg Oreos
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese....can use less fat
1 12.5 oz pkg junior mints
2 12 oz. pkgs semisweet chocolate chips
1 TBS shortening

Pulse half of cookies in a food processor 3 or 4 times or until crumb consistency. Add remaining cookies to crumbs in food processor, and pulse until crumb consistency. Cut cream cheese into 4 pieces; add to food processor, 1 piece at a time, processing well after each addition. Roll cream cheese mixture into 1-inch balls. Push one junior mint into the center of each ball; roll each ball smooth. Microwave chocolate morsels and shortening in a glass bowl at high for 90 seconds or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Dip balls in melted chocolate mixture; place on wax paper to harden. Store in refrigerator. Can drizzle white chocolate on top to make it pretty. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. They play a symphony inside my mouth!!!

RACHAEL RAY!!

Last weekend I read in the paper that Rachael Ray was going to be in town doing a book signing of her most recent cookbook at the Cool Springs Williams-Sonoma. Being one of her "groupies" and the fact that Emma likes her too, and loves to cook with her mom, I decided this would be a memory-making day for Mommy and Daughter. I quickly called the store to see how to see her, and they said you have to buy a cookbook from our store, and that is your ticket in.....you can get up to 5 cookbooks. Great!!! How much are they? $24.95......Really, I'm pretty sure I just saw it at Costco for $15, but......I'm making a memory. I'll take 2, one for me, and one for Emma to have when she goes off to college. I know she will remember this day forever........she's only 5. Now, we all know that this day is totally about me......who am I kidding? So, I let her play hookie from school, and we headed to the mall, getting there at 11:30 a.m. The book signing started at 1. It is pouring down rain, cold, I have no umbrella, and we take off hand in hand, singing in the rain to see Rachael Ray. "Oh My, what are all of these people doing here?" The were herds of people, already with their cookbooks in hand, lined up sitting down from Williams-Sonoma, all the way down to and around Macy's all the way to EyeMasters. By the way, we hadn't had lunch yet. I go to the desk and get our cookbooks, then head to the back of the line. A rep came by and said that Rachael could sign 1500 books in 4 hours, and so far half were in line. Let's do the math.....that means we are about number 750. It is going to be a long day. And it was. Try entertaining a hungry 5 year old in line for 2 1/2, yes, 2 1/2 hours. Thank goodness Williams-Sonoma brought around snacks and drinks, Rachael Ray's recipes, of course, for us to nibble on. Yes, it was a long 2 1/2 hours, but we made the memory, have the photos, and it was worth it.....I think. Oh, I forgot to say that at one point, I spilled hot chocolate in the bag where I was keeping the cookbooks (we were looking at them at the time) so I didn't want to get the cookbook's dirty, so I emptied the wet trash out of the bag, into the trash can, only to realize as the line began moving that my "ticket" was part of that trash, so, yes, I had to dig through the mall trash can to retrieve my "ticket". 'Tis the Season!!! Here are some yummy "nibblers" that they served us. Little Bitty Cheese Balls. Genious, that's why she is famous. Enjoy!!!

CHEESE AND NUT BALLS

8 oz cream cheese softened
4 Tbls butter softened
10-oz shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup mango chutney, chopped
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
2 handfuls of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Beat the cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or a handheld mixer. Add the cheddar, chutney, half the nuts, and half the parsley and combine thoroughly. Chill the mixture overnight, or until very firm. The next day, scoop the mixture out by tablespoons and form into balls. Roll the balls in the reserved nuts and parsley. Small balls can be served over mild greens, and fruit or salad.

'TIS THE SEASON

It's here!!! Christmastime. It is our favorite holiday, and we've even got the cold weather here to make it even more festive. I've learned that if I just wear my silk long underwear, I'm not miserable. That extra layer makes all the difference. We've started the long process of getting the millions of decorations out, and little Emma is like a kid in a candy store. I can't keep her out of stuff, but I'm just so glad she is enjoying it. She single handedly unwrapped 3 "moss" Christmas gifts that I had made for decorations. Moss was all over the house, and we'll be cleaning it up all season. That's ok, though. She seems to be seeing it with different eyes this year, and I love seeing the "wonder" in her face. We've been watching Christmas movies galore.....Elf is so hilarious, had Breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning, the Franklin Christmas parade that afternoon (Emma was in it) had a cookie exchange yesterday afternoon, and went to Steve's choir concert last night. Tonight Andrew has his 1st Christmas Band Concert. So.........'tis the season. Enjoy this hearty pasta dish!!! Thanks Debbie Johnson.


DOUBLE CHEESE HAMBURGER CASSEROLE

LAYER 1:

1 POUND GROUND BEEF
1 CLOVE GARLIC, CHOPPED
1 TSP SUGAR
1/4 TSP PEPPER
1/2 TSP SEASONED SALT
1 TBLS SOY SAUCE
1 (15 1/2 OZ) CAN TOMATO SAUCE

LAYER 2:

4 OZ MEDIUM EGG NOODLES, COOKED AND DRAINED

LAYER 3:

1 (3-OZ) PKG CREAM CHEESE, SOFTENED IN MICROWAVE
1 CUP SOUR CREAM
1/4 CUP CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS

BROWN MEAT, AND SIMMER REMAINING INGREDIENTS IN LAYER 1 FOR 20 MINUTES. PLACE IN 9 X 13 CASSEROLE DISH. PLACE LAYER 2 ON TOP. SPREAD LAYER 3 ON NOODLES AND SPRINKLE GRATED CHEESE OVER ALL. BAKE AT 350 FOR 30 MINUTESJ

Thanksgiving.....family, food, fun and football!!!

I still haven't fully recovered from the comatose state I always go into after eating the Thanksgiving meal. I stopped counting after my 5th helping of cornbread dressing.....then there were Aunt Liz's shrimp, the turkey, of course, fresh and canned cranberry sauce, homemade applesauce, sweet potato casserole, green bean bundles, creamed corn, rolls, and it was the pecan pie that simply put me over the edge. I'm not kidding......my stomach is still stretched out from the meal, and because of that, I seem to have to fill it up more each day now that I'm home. This must stop.......but before it stops, I have to give you the recipe for the applesauce muffins (thanks Beth) I made today to go along with Mama's spiced tea. They are wonderful, and the kids devoured them. Sprinkle on the powdered sugar, and enjoy them warm. Heaven!!! J

Applesauce Muffins

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla, divided

4 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp allspice

3 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups original applesauce, not unsweetened

Cream butter and sugar....add eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. Sift together the flour and spices and add to the creamed mixture. Blend 2 tsp vanilla and the baking soda into the applesauce. Stir applesauce mixture into the other with a wooden spoon (I don't know why!) Batter will be stiff. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins or paper muffin cups 1/2 full. Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve hot with butter, or not.....Batter will keep in the refrigerator a few days.

Ok, I know. I'm falling down on my duties as a blogger! Steve has been in Hawaii with Disney, and when Daddy's gone, so is blogging. He's home for awhile, so I'll be better. We had a very fun Halloween. Emma couldn't decide exactly what to wear, so she had several different outfits. I'm convinced that she will be some sort of designer. The things she puts together! As always, Cottonwood was happening Halloween night. Several families came over for soup and treats, then it was off for Candy!!! A beautiful night! The boys are machine trick-or-treaters. They come home with enough candy to supply their lunchboxes through the end of the school year. Hope yours was fun. Here's you my favorite roast recipe. It's perfect every time, and is actually an easy recipe from Emeril. Enjoy!!! J

Garlic-Studded Pot Roast

One 3-4 pound chuck roast

10 cloves garlic

3 TBLS oil

1/2 cup water

Kosher or sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour

Bring roast to room temperature......very important. Cut slits in both sides. Cut the garlic cloves in half and stuff in the slits. Generously coat roast with salt and pepper. Heat oil in covered skillet......I use an electric one, but have also done it on the stove. Brown roast on all sides......I mean really brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove roast, pour in water and scrape all giblets off of bottom. Put roast back in and turn down to a simmer. Cover. Cook 3 hours then turn off and leave covered about another hour. I sometimes turn the roast halfway during cooking. Remove the roast and slice......turn the skillet back on with the juices in, then sift in flour while whisking for a delicious and smooth gravy. Use as much as you want for however thick you like it. So yummy!!!

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.