Our house at Christmastime. And when we got snow several years ago. We do get snow in Texas occasionally.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. There are so many things for which we have to be thankful!

Heart

I'm nobody! Who are you?

I'm nobody! Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?

Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!

They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!

How public, like a frog

To tell your name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!

Emily Dickinson

Happy Halloween

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. These are the pumpkins that my nephew, my spawn and I did.

Blue October

October is probably my favorite month, as I've said before. Days are beautiful and blue, mostly warm, and sometimes the nights get cool. I'm sorry it's almost half over. This poem always reminds me of a special October.

Blue Girl

because you wore blue yesterday
today I am in love with everything blue
The blue books on my shelves smile at me:
TEN GREEK PLAYS and CONVERSATIONAL FRENCH
Que j'adore le blue!
Bleu, blau, azul, azzurro.....
words popping like blueberries in my mouth
My indigo wastebasket too pure for use:
applecores fly out the window
When I close my eyes
visions of violets and sapphires blow them open
bluejeans & bluebells; blueback trout leap from the
walls

No good telling myself
It's only a wavelengh of energy
so many radiant millimicrons zapping my eyeballs:
one man can handle only so much blue
I'm writing this with a red ballpoint pen
using blue only for punctuation
at my age even the semi-colon is risky
but I hate being careful
I feel like ending it all
Looking for you
I'll dash out in this blue October day
and let those bright blue chips
fall
where they may

--Peter Meinke

Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding

I made this once to take to a potluck. It was a hit.

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, slices
2 cups milk
1 box instant French vanilla pudding (5 oz)
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed (12 oz), or equal amount sweetened
whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2" dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas
on top. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a
handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and
condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the
cream cheese. mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and
stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover
with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 12
servings.

Modern version of boiling in the can

A lot of recipes (not just the incredible ones here!) include the step of boiling sweetened condensed milk in the can as a way to caramelize it. I think that people assume the only danger is in the can exploding if you don't keep it covered with boiling water.

There's actually another concern that is more serious. Although lead solder is (legally) no longer allowed in making cans, there is still always some sort of sealant closing the seams of the can. Heating this sealant to the boiling point can cause the chemicals to leach into the liquid.

So instead, heat the SCM in a double-boiler for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Still gets the job done (even slightly quicker!) and you don't have to worry about what's leaching into the caramel.


Edited for Angelique: Either way, covered or not. It can be easier to remember to stir if it's uncovered, but it also needs to be stirred more when it's uncovered (the surface gets dry and tough otherwise). The important detail to remember is to check on the water in the bottom part to make sure THAT doesn't go dry.

Danger pudding pie

I'd been making this pie for almost 40 years when I read the Sweet Potato Queen's first book and found that she included a variation of the recipe. I got it from a cousin in Arkansas. I always just called it banana pie, but the SPQ called it "Danger Pudding."

You'll need a can of Eagle Brand, unsweetened whipped cream, a graham-cracker or vanilla wafer crust, and fresh bananas. You could also use strawberries or any other kind of fruit.

In a large, deep pan, like a Dutch oven, boil the Eagle Brand can, unopened, label removed, keeping it covered with water, for about 2 hours. Don't, don't, don't...........a thousand times "don't" do this if you can't plan to be right there watching it for the two hours, so that you can add water when it boils down. Use as low a heat as you can to keep it boiling. I usually boil two cans at once and then keep one in the fridge to have on hand.

After the two hours is up, let the can cool down and then put in the fridge or freezer until it's completely cooled down.



Open both ends of the can and you'll have a big round block of caramel. Slice and layer it in the crust with the whipped cream and fruit. Top with whipped cream. You'll see why you don't need to sweeten the whipped cream.

If you don't like really sweet stuff, don't make this pie. It's SWEET!

I learned the hard way about leaving the cans unattended. I forgot I had two cans on the stove (it was my stupid-head ex-husband's fault!) and went to bed. Next morning, one of the cans had opened and burned up in the pan. The other had exploded and slung sticky stuff all across the kitchen ceiling into the living room. The kitty was sick from eating it, and the cabinet next the stove had a coating of caramel underneath. We had to repaint the kitchen.

The Eagle Brand can does have a warning about heating an unopened can, but as long as you watch it, keep it covered with water, and only boil on low heat for 2 hours, it should be fine.

The SPQ book suggests that you just eat it out of the can, but it's pretty rich.

Creamy chocolate pie

Or you can call it decadent or obscene.....either way, it's a once a year treat for us (well, maybe twice.)

Creamy Chocolate Pie

1 9-inch baked pastry shell
3 1-oz. sqs. unsweetened chocolate
1 14-oz. can Eagle Brand Milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (1/2 pint) whipping cream, whipped
Extra sweetenedwhipped cream for topping

Over medium heat, melt chocolate in saucepan with Eagle Brand and salt. Cook and stir until thick and fudgy, about 5-8 minutes. Add water, cook and stir until it thickens and boils. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cool 15 minutes. Chill 20-30 minutes, stir. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into shell. Chill 3 hours. Top with extra whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Don't substitute Cool Whip for the real whipped cream, or it just won't be as good. I usually cover the whole pie and then add the chocolate curls, but you could get creative and pipe the whipped cream around the edges or create designs--depends on how much you like whipped cream. Don't sweeten the cream that's going into the pie.

Flight Over Africa

A friend sent me this Youtube clip of the flight over Africa from the movie "Out of Africa." It's almost four minutes long, but really an amazing video of a very beautiful country.

Anyway, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHjwq3e7lHw

Autumn Evening

Thank you for the beautiful images, Angelique! I couldn't resist adding one more...

The smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps- does anybody know where it was borne? Yes, there is a rumor that a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born . . . .

- Rabindranath Tagore

comment for post below

I love Mary Oliver! Thanks for the perfect Sunday post, Bella.

"Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting---

over and over again announcing your place

in the family of things.

from Dream Works by Mary Oliver

Published by the Atlantic Monthly Press

Prairie Flowers and Bugs

It's probably an innie trait that I photograph flowers and other non-human subjects almost as often as my kids, right?

These are from a natural prairie just south of Chicago. My kids especially liked the little snake (not pictured) and the walking stick (on the blue hat brim).

















Edited to add (since I can't frigging post comments!):

I was told it's a tiger spider, which is an orb weaver, but when I check on Google Images I can't find any others which look exactly like this one, other than the general yellow-&-black coloring.

It was big. Top to bottom, including legs, around 3". I got the camera to within about 4" to take the photo.

Edited again to add:

Angelique writes "Hey Tammy, is there a "sign in" icon at the right top side of the blog for you? If so, click on that and you will be able to comment."

You mean it might work the 127th time I try it?????!!!!

Believe me, I have tried everything. Logged out and back in under various email addresses and screen names, etc. Blogger refuses to acknowledge me in the comment section. It's truly bizarre.

Yet another edit!! Bella, that's interesting. Apparently there are a number of ways for this to not work. In my case, I don't get any warnings, it's just that when I hit "post" the entire text disappears into the ether and cannot be brought back. I get the pull-down menu of which account I'd like to use to comment, but when I pick "google account" I don't get any follow-up, like which account, password, etc.

Sears/Willis Tower photos

To add to the previous post, here are some recent photos from the new glass ledges at the top of the tower (yes, I can start new posts, I just can't comment on other people's posts):

Today on MSN.com: 8 Sights Every American Should See

This reminds me of our recent discussion. I'm posting a link (don't want to get in trouble with the law) and a list of the places in the article.

http://guides.travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1089335&icid=msn1089335&GT1=41000

Sears Tower (Willis Tower)
Gettysburg
Yellowstone
New York Harbor
Monticello
Graceland
Pearl Harbor
Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church

Artichoke Nibbles

Artichoke Nibbles

2 (12 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 lbs grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
4 eggs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)


Directions
Remove artichoke hearts from jars, reserving liquid from one jar. Chop up artichoke hearts and place in large saucepan. Add reserved liquid, chopped onion and garlic. Sautee until tender.


Beat eggs and mix together with artichoke mixture and remaining ingredients.
Place in greased shallow baking dish, 8 1/2 X 11.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cut in squares and serve with toothpicks if it's for a party.

Why I Love Pineapples

I love pineapples because they are symbols of welcome and hospitality at my two favorite vacation spots - Maui, HI and the Historic Triangle in Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown).

Maui

Virginia

Chocolate Cream and Berries Cake

One of my friends and I kind of engineered this cake off a recipe for a Strawberry and Cream Cake

Chocolate Cream and Berries Cake.

Bake a three layer chocolate cake from scratch or the Betty Crocker mix. Set it aside to cool. When cool, cut a circle out of two of the three layers and reserve one circle (the top one).

Filling: Ingredients: 2 teas unflavored gelatin
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1.5 cups of chocolate chips (melted) or chocolate syrup (to taste).


1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler if you have one. If desperate, use the microwave in a microwave safe bowl.

2. Once the cakes are cooled and prepped, combine gelatin and 2 tablespoons of cool water in a cup. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes. Microwave on high for 15 seconds or until melted ( may take less if you have a really powerful microwave). Stir until it is smooth. Do not let it begin to gel Move quickly to the next step.
3. Combine cream cheese, chocolate and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add cream and continue to beat until mixture is very foamy. Once foamy, continue to beat while slowly adding the gelatin in a very thin stream from the cup. Once gelatin is in, keep beating until stiff peaks form. Use this immediately to fill the cake.

I put the filling in between the layers and then into the hole. Once I fill the hole, I put the cut piece back in and frost the cake top with the remaining filling. On top I put strawberries, but my friend uses cherries. If you do not serve it immediately, put this cake in the refrigerator. The leftover cake and filling mix goes on parfait glasses with whipped cream for my kids.

Serves the birthday boy, 2 small children and if she's lucky, the cook. For normal people, it would serve 6. Probably about 800 calories a slice. I have not tried to lighten it up, but if I needed to I could. Substituting angelfood cake, light cream cheese, light chocolate syrup, and sugar substitute would probably cut the calories in half.

I have no picture because the cake has never survived long enough to get one. We jury rigged it from the Strawberry and Cream cake recipe in the June 2007 issue of Family Circle magazine.

September is here

As usual, September sneaked up on us. Is Sprout's birthday August 31 or Sept. 1?

Anyway, I'm always reminded of this poem:


September First

This morning, sensing someone at my door
And curious who might be waiting for me there,
I turned the knob as many times before--
To face the fresh and early morning air.

And unannounced, and suddenly as I stood,
Tender and young, and cool and moist her skin.
Smelling of misty meadow, field and wood,
September gently passed me and walked in.

W. Weir

It's Not My Fault

This cartoon from several years ago says it all. I have it posted outside my classroom for those who want to blame everyone else for all of their problems.

Can't comment here either

Can't comment here, or on Roo's blog, etc. etc.

WTH????

That's it! I'm outta here.

We finally say....

Until we get so fed up....

Really Annoying

Extroverts can be annoying....