My Daddy had a caddy....

                   My Daddy had a caddy for each of his daughters, to remember the year they born or just the love of the car alone, either way, his passion for such cars remains in me. It's just one of the traits that I'm happy I inherited, that and gardening. So, whenever I see a caddy but especially a 59, I know my Daddy is smiling in heaven. Father's day we honor the men in our lives that make up the hood of father's,  and sometimes it's the single Mom that must play both roles, or the  Dad working 2 jobs to support his children. The look of Father's day may have changed over the years but never the memories tied to it, or the ones that are being made, everyday! Happy Father's Day!

See, I have been busy!

                 This is proof how one thing can lead to another, or in this case, a whole new look! Our kitchen floor was getting "spongy" in spots, and after this winter, seemed to be worse, so we thought we had better take a look. Since the vinyl flooring we laid 7 yrs. ago had some wear and a tear from the last repairman, we were prepared to lay all new. After 3 layers under what we laid, we found a rotten joist, so that got replaced along with a sister beam for added support. That took up the first day, and the dust was EVERYWHERE!
We went with a laminate flooring that would be more durable, so since the wood grain pattern had some streaks of black in it and I have been wanting to paint the worn cabinets for years, I went for it and painted the cabinets black with chalk paint that I made from a recipe on Pinterest. I wasn't about to pay $30 or more for a quart of premade when it only cost me $12 to make one. And I LOVE chalk paint, it really does cover anything and with no prep, no sanding, I had 2 coats on them in a matter of days! Where has chalk paint been all my life??

         From there came a new window, another on my wish list, now I can see out, which makes me feel taller and I can open it without the use of a stool! I knew I wanted some barn wood in this makeover so I had my handyman husband make a frame around the window with old wood and above too, really sets off my vintage pendant light and Edison bulb! So, while we were this far in, I changed the back splash also, why not! I used planks of wainscoting that could be cut to fit, the whole back splash only cost me $30. I painted it a antique white, we also put it around the cabinet that houses the microwave, painted it black. We also made and painted all new baseboards black to tie it all in, and the icing on the cake here is my little table in the middle that I painted and distressed the antique white, it did have a old maple finish but this is just perfect! The only things left alone were the boarder and wall color but this make over gave me my farm style kitchen, until the real one comes our way!

Pinterest Project

            To say my plate is full is a understatement but I'm accepting each challenge and getting stuff done! This little desk has been with me almost 20 years, the last 8 spent in the shed, housing wasps, so when our grandkids from Kentucky made a quick trip home over the weekend, I knew I had to make this over for our 3 year old, Miss Ellie. Another Pinterest project that was a hit, she loves it! I just don't know why it took me so long to do something with this old desk!
    In other notes, were re-doing our kitchen,  the floor was spongy in spots so after tearing up three layers of old coverings, we found chipboard that was dust with a joist in bad shape. I hate chipboard ! Long story short, last weekend was spent replacing the sub floor, and laying new laminate....which lead to making new baseboards, replacing the little window over the sink ( I can see out now) and painting the worn cabinets! The befores and afters will be another post! Funny, how one thing leads to another, or a few! But I'm excited over the new kitchen, farmhouse style!
     The food blog is doing good,  finding time to post more is slow but it will get better once this big project is done. It's getting good hits from all over! If you haven't checked it out yet, come visit me at Dining on Delicious.  This blog is still going strong in spite of my absent days but I still can't get my comments to show up??? But my stats show I'm still getting the traffic as much as ever?? If anyone has any idea how I can get my comments to post, please help! lol
     The weather has kept us from getting the garden in, just potatoes so far, but were hopeful next week will be dry enough to do so. It will all be ok! Thank you again for sticking with me, you are the best!

Dining on Delicious

            Hard work does pay off! For the last few months I have been trying to hack into my own account, for some reason I couldn't access it no matter what I did, but I kept at it and finally yesterday, I got it straightened out, I hope! While I've been gone, all my free time has been fine tuning my other blog, the food blog! Inventing recipes, cooking, taste testing and learning the tricks of food photography, has all been daunting but I'm learning, as I go! Maybe one year, I can hire a website designer and turn over all this stuff to them but for now, I'm on my own.
      I do have my facebook, twitter and google plus accounts all set up for the food blog, that was a huge lesson in being social but needed to get the word out. Last week, I made this amazing pie, you won't believe what is in it, and for the record, you can't taste the pinto beans! Check out the chocolate pinto bean pie I came up with, being thrifty pays off! Now that I have my account back, I'll be back, fair warning, with more recipes to dine on delicious!

A New Direction

        Well, I've done it! Good or bad, I've done it! I've been blogging for 10 years now, wow! But, I'm not getting any younger, so I'm taking my know how ( if you can call it that) to another direction and am working on a food bloggers website! I may feel like the Julia Child of the food bloggers, getting a late start, but I've learned that it is truly never too late, so I'm listening to the nudges and turning my newspaper gig into a website!
    It's still a work in progress, I'm self taught, I don't don't know a thing about html or web design either but I'm paid up for the first year with WordPress and will try to do it alone, next year, I may have to hire a designer, but until then, I'll work at creating the best little food blog my knowledge will allow! I'd love your input, ideas and support, so please check me out at Dining on Delicious! And just in time for Valentines Day is my favorite chocolate cake recipe,  it's taking chocolate to the extreme and why not, it's all about love and who doesn't love a good chocolate cake?

Growth and Graditude

                   Yes, I'm still here, been working on my website, I'm going dot com with my newspaper articles/own recipes and chasing that dream of becoming a food blogger! I've secured a name and domain and I'm using the word press format to post, I'm learning as I go and finding it harder than I thought but I'm not giving up!! I've had several people tell me I should write a cookbook, so hopefully this way will be a bit easier to start with, since I'm self taught here! Your never too old to learn something new, with that said, I do feel like the Julia Child of the food bloggers, getting a late start but it is what it is! Wish me luck!
     2015 is already proving to be a busy year, we have our 7th grand baby due in August plus son #2 is getting married sometime this year, so we will be adding 3 to our family this year alone, I think we will need a bigger house, that will make us at 20 now! It might be time to find that big ole farmhouse of my dreams too!
     My sweet hubby got me a new camera for Christmas, he called it a investment so I've been learning how to use it so I can take better shots of food for my website, and make my sweet husband proud! Sometimes you just got to go for it, so keep a eye out for the reveal soon! Busy is the new sexy!

MERRY all the WAY!

Christmas is the day 

that holds all time together.

-Alexander Smith

From my home, blog, garden and heart, may your Christmas be bright and the new year be even brighter!! 

His & Her Jams

            Here we are, less than 2 weeks till Christmas, are you still needing some gift ideas? I've come up with his and her jams. The perfect gift for those really hard to buy for people on your list. My annual Christmas jam is sweet and festive and easy to make and can be dressed up for the occasion.

Christmas Jam

2 c. cranberries
1 orange, peeled & quartered
16 oz. frozen strawberries, thawed
3 c. sugar
3 oz. liquid pectin
5 half pint jars (ready to fill)
Coarsely grind cranberries and orange sections in a food processor. Spoon into a heavy saucepan, add strawberries and sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil, stirring for one min. Remove from heat and stir in pectin, skim off foam. Pour into prepared jars and process for 10 min. Makes 5- 1/2 pints

       And for the man who LOVES bacon, this bacon jam will make him squeal with delight! I must admit, when I seen this on Pinterest my first thought was "not another bacon recipe", I love bacon but this whole bacon craze is getting out of control ( bacon toothpaste, really!) but I may even try this, might be good hamburgers!

Bacon Jam

From Tide and Thyme

Yields 1 pint

1 pound smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon  hot sauce
1 cup coffee
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
Black pepper to taste
extra water

In a dutch oven, fry the bacon in batches until lightly browned and beginning to crisp. Remove to paper towel lined plate and set aside. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease out of the pan.

Fry the onion and garlic in the rendered bacon fat on medium heat until translucent.

Add the bacon to the onions and garlic, and add the rest of the ingredients except for the water. Simmer for 2 hours adding 1/4 of a cup of water every 25-30 minutes or so, and stir regularly.

Jam is done when you can’t tell the onions from the bacon. Cool for about 15-20 minutes and then place in a food processor. Pulse for 2-3 seconds so that you leave some texture to the “jam”. Refrigerate up to two weeks.

         There you have it, the perfect gifts for when you run out of ideas or money! I'm curious and will be trying this recipe, may even surprise the boys with a jar! Have fun in the kitchen, baking up some love this afternoon too! 

Tis the Season....

     
          Here we are, the final few weeks of the year and my blog is messed up! Ever since connecting it to Google Plus, there's no way for comments to be left here or even a setting for me to correct that? So, after the holidays, I'll be re-vamping this blog into something new and hopefully exciting for 2015! On the bright side, my Google Plus page has over 4 million hits since I started it over 6 months ago! Got to love stats!!
     I've had one amazing year!! We gained a grand daughter and son in law, making our family a grand total of 19, 20 if you count Ruger, and we do!  My personal life has exploded in creative ways to express myself, and after decades of wishing, my writing gig came true! I'm enjoying writing about cooking and gardening in my local newspaper, I've got so many ideas to run with! My photography still keeps my eye on everything, it really has changed the way I see the world, insight is 20/20!
    Family and friends continue to bless our life, good health is something you must work at, in this age bracket and chasing those dreams can be reachable! I hope everyone has a memorable year to share, even the small things can turn into big blessings! Merry Christmas!!

Apple Peel Jelly

   I'm cooking up apples this morning, for pies and jelly, not to waste a thing! When it's all said and done, the cows will get a treat as well! Try this recipe next time you make a apple pie, add some cinnamon red hots and your jelly will have a sweet kick to it! Happy harvest!!!

Apple Peel Jelly

4 c firmly packed apple peels

5 c water

1 1/2 c sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

In covered stainless steel saucepan, bring peels and water to boil. Reduce heat: uncover; simmer 20 minutes. Strain through jelly bag of cheesecloth.(Do not squeeze or you'll have cloudy jelly). Measure juice (you should have about 2 cups); return to same saucepan. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Bring to boil over medium heat; cook rapidly, uncovered, stirring, remove saucepan from heat. Pour immediately into 2 sterilized 6 oz jelly jars. skim off foam; cover; cool;store in refrigerator. Makes 2 6 oz. jars.

       If you'd like a pretty red jelly, just add some red food coloring to the jelly when you return the juice to the saucepan, but either way, it's a good, cheap and a extra treat from  your apple harvest.  It's good to be thrifty!  Enjoy!

We Survived the Wedding!

          I'm still tired, but she's wed and we've gained another son! It really is true, how a woman is at her most finest glory on her wedding day, and our Heather was just that! The whole family gathered and worked to make this day just perfect! We are truly blessed!!
    Families grow, adding outsiders that seem to fit right in, when you think about it, it's amazing isn't it! Time is more than a moment, it's a universe! All the fuss, projects and labor aided this new union to start off a lifetime of happiness! Aren't weddings special!
    Now, onto the holidays, a new web project and the winter season, which I do believe was meant for resting and planning! We may of survived the wedding, but I'm not ready to let up on life just yet! Stay tuned!