Took what I had...

Today was a pretty day.  This morning I opened the windows and let the cool air into the house.  It was nice to have the breeze blowing in as I finished up this small quilt.  It measures 36" x 36".  It started out as two small quilt tops.  I cut them up then sewed them together, put a border around them and tied them in pink yarn.  It is backed and bound with a light floral print.

Yesterday I sewed this quilt top together.  It measures 36" x 40".

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Here are some muffins I baked this morning.   I didn't have a recipe, so I took what I had and made the batter.  They turned out good and I wrote the recipe down.

Apple Muffins

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 can unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugars, mixing well.  
3. Add egg, applesauce and milk to dry mixture and mix well.
4. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray.  Fill the muffin tins with batter to just below the rim of the tins (these will only rise to just above the rim of the tin)
5. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Test with a toothpick to check if they are done.

Hugs,
Sonia

Banana Pudding Cake

Today was my husband's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!

I hit the floor running this morning.  I had a cake to bake, to use for his birthday.  So one of the first things I did as the sun was just rising, was whip up a white cake batter and put it in the oven.  It sure smelled good as I was reading my Bible.  Time with God and cake cooking is a good combination.  :)

I'm calling it the Banana Pudding Cake.  Here's what I did.

Baked a white cake, let cool, then sliced it in half horizontally and then in smaller sections.

Placed cake sections in bottom of big bowl and layered with sliced bananas.

Then put a layer of vanilla pudding over the cake/banana layer.

Continued layering cake, bananas, and pudding until the bowl was filled.

Put it in the refrigerator for a few hours to let it set and all the flavors meld together.  Then enjoyed!

I've been wanting to use up some supplies I have had in stock for a while.  So earlier in the week I got to thinking about some of the Styrofoam ball and cone shapes I have in a tote. Then I rediscovered some yo-yo's I had made, in past years, out of pastel colored fabrics.  I had buttons I could use and straight pins of different colors.

A pastel ornament emerged.  I will probably use it on my small Christmas tree that will be in my sewing room.

I had another pleasant surprise at work this past week.  A friend from another team on my floor gave me this cute board to use in my cubicle.

Hugs,
Sonia

One day down...

Hi, hope you had a great weekend.   Weekends never last long enough for me.  :)

Friday evening I caught this picture of the beautiful sky.  It was as the sun was setting after a storm.

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I tried out a recipe for Caramel Rolls.  I had to tweak it a little as I didn't have all the ingredients, but they turned out good.

Here's the recipe.

For Caramel:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut in slices
36 pecan halves
For Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
For Filling:
2 Tbsp soften margarine or butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Cinnamon

Heat oven to 450°F.  Place 2 tsp brown sugar, 2 tsp butter and 3 pecan halves in each of 12 muffin cups; place in oven until melted.  Mix ingredients for dough, pour out on a floured surface, forming a ball and knead about 5 times.  Roll dough out into a 9" x 15" rectangle.  Spread the softened margarine/butter, brown sugar and cinnamon on the rectangle except for about 1/2" around the edge. Roll tightly from the long edge and pinch closed.  Cut into 1/2" pieces.  Place each piece on top of the melted caramel mix in the muffin cups.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When rolls are done, immediately turn pan upside down on a heat proof serving dish. Leave pan over rolls for 1 minute, then remove and serve (Remember leave pan on rolls only 1 minute, I left mine a little longer and some of the caramel wanted to stay in the pan).

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There's a great opportunity coming up for you to share your creative space with other bloggers.

Check out http://www.mydesertcottage.com/2015/06/its-party-time-again.html

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Also check out Vicki's giveaway.  http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com/2015/06/summer-love-giveaway-for-you.html

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One day down... only four more days until the weekend.  :)

Until next time...

Hugs,

Sonia

Tar trails and dandelions

I woke up hungry.  So after my morning time in the Bible, I decided to make pancakes. I had bananas, raisins, and pecans... so I came up with a recipe for banana pancakes.

These are hearty pancakes and I made them big, using 1/2 cup of batter for each pancake.  Two pancakes will fill you up.

Hearty Banana Pancakes
by Sonia Parham

• 3 bananas mashed, they should be ripe but not over ripe
  
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose white flour
• 2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups milk, or the amount needed for the batter consistency you like.

In a bowl combine mashed bananas, egg and brown sugar.  In another bowl combine flours, baking powder and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture, add the milk and blend well. Stir in the pecans and the raisins.  Cook the pancakes on medium heat until done.

Try out different toppings to use.  My daughter ate hers with nothing on them, my husband tried a little strawberry jam on the bottom pancake and a little syrup on the top one.  I ate my pancakes with a little peanut butter and strawberry jam.  They are yummy.  :)

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I got a few pics this week that I thought were good.  You never know what I might take a picture of,  new blooms, what most people call weeds, tar trails in the road...

First Iris bloom

dandelions

tar trails

Went to a flea market today and had a good find.  A pattern book for quilting with the folded star, for $0.50 and a book on gifts from a jar.  It is like new, with the raffia, fabric and all the printed recipe cards. I got it for $3.50.

Hugs,

Sonia

PS, I updated the Quilts tab.  

Warm and Safe

As the snow falls, I'm glad I'm dry and warm and at home.  I took a half day of vacation this afternoon and got home before the yucky stuff started moving in.

My afternoon?  ... got a good nap in.  

I told in my last blog that I'm doing the Daniel diet and last night I was tired of steamed veggies, bean burgers, salads without ranch dressing, etc.  So I got a big pot, some vegetables and threw together a soup.  It turned out pretty good and I can see it being used off the Daniel diet as well.

Here's what I did.

My D.D. Vegetable Soup

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• Small hand full of baby carrots cut in thirds
• ¼ of a small cabbage, chopped
• ¼ of an onion, chopped
• ¼ of a jalapeño, chopped, if you want it spicier use more pepper (can use other pepper)
• 1 can of corn (15 oz.), drained and rinsed
• 1 can of beans (15 oz.), drained and rinsed (can use pinto, chili, black or navy beans)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
• 1-2 dashes of Greek seasoning
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cumin
• 3 cups water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Put olive oil in big pot along with chopped onion, pepper, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.  Add a couple dashes of Greek seasoning.   Cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring often.  Add the corn, beans, tomatoes, other seasonings and water.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.

If you are not doing the Daniel fast, you can change this soup up by adding cooked chopped chicken, or ground beef, macaroni or rice.

Stay warm and stay safe.

Hugs,

Sonia

Love is in the air...

As the Valentine weekend began, at work yesterday there were several treats to start it off.

When I got home last night, I had a surprise.  I won the drawing from the giveaway give by Rhodes Creations.

* Potpourri and Hot Maple Tody potpourri liquid
* All Natural Furniture Spray - Lemon scent
* Microfiber Cloth
* Pretty handmade ornament
* Rustic star ornament
* Help from Above - a collection of Bible verses
* All Natural Dusting Powder
* Bath Melts
* Vanilla Latte Sugar Body Scrub
* Aller Herb Tea
* Mixed Herbal Blend Honey
* Mint Lip Balm
* Massage oil

It was a nice surprise for the day.  :)
Check out Laura's website at www.laurarhodes.blogspot.com

In celebration of today, I had told David I would cook.  He had requested chicken fried steak with all the fixings.  :)

I've never cooked chicken fried steak, so I looked for a recipe but didn't find one that suited me.  So I picked a recipe out to follow and then changed it up for our Valentine meal.

I'm happy to say it turned out good.

Here's how I made it.

• 4 pork cube steaks, salted and peppered on both sides
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1 egg
• dash or two of cayenne pepper
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 cups vegetable shortening for frying

Put 2 cups of flour in a shallow bowl.  Stir together the baking powder, baking soda, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper in a separate bowl - add the egg, garlic and buttermilk and mix well (this is your batter).  Dredge each steak first in the flour, then the batter, and in the flour again.  Be sure to pat the flour on the steaks so that they are covered completely with dry flour.

Heat vegetable shortening in a deep fryer or a deep cast iron skillet to 325° F.  Fry each steak until evenly brown on both sides, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Place the fried steaks on a plate lined with paper towel to drain while you cook the rest of the steaks.

These are tender and easily cut with a fork, and are yummy.

In a blog or two back, I mentioned getting a darning/free motion foot for my sewing machine.  I've practiced some, then decided to dive in  and give it a shot.  I have updated the Quilts, Etc. tab with how it went.  Check it out.  :)  Lessons learned for sure.

I trust you had an enjoyable Valentine's day.

Until next time,
Hugs,
Sonia

Yummy for the Tummy...

Thought I'd share a couple of recipes with you I tried this weekend.

The first recipe is a breakfast casserole I threw together.   My bunch really liked it and to be honest I think it may have been the best "thrown together" breakfast I've ever made.  :)

Sonia's Breakfast Casserole
1/2 bag of tator tots
1/4 - 1/2 green pepper chopped
8 oz. chopped cooked ham
5 eggs
Greek seasoning, to taste (or your favorite spice)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of shredded cheese

In a large bowl, combine the tator tots, peppers, and ham, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Crack the five eggs into a separate bowl and add the Greek season and whisk as for scrambled eggs.  Add the eggs to the tator tot mixture, add the shredded cheese and mix all together.  Pour into a oiled casserole dish and back at 425° F for 20 - 25 minutes until set and golden brown.

This second recipe is a basic yellow cake recipe I used to make cupcakes. It came from my Taste of Home cookbook and recipe was submitted by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen. I have adjusted the bake time to accommodate for cupcakes.
Yellow Layer Cake
2/3 cups softened butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugar, add the eggs and mix until fluffy.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the flour mixture and milk to the butter/sugar mixture and mix well.  
Grease two "12 muffin" tins or line the cups with cupcake liners.  Fill each cup 3/4 full with batter.  Bake at 350°F for 20-30 minutes or until tests clean with toothpick in centers. Makes 24 cupcakes
Ice with your favorite icing.  I used a cream cheese icing. 1 package softened cream cheese, 4 tablespoons softened butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/8 tsp salt, 3 cups confectioner sugar.  Mix all together until creamy.  To color the icing, separate it into portions and add food coloring.

Have a great week!

Hugs,
Sonia

It's the little things that are precious...

It's the little things that are precious.  

I watched my daughter play a video game the other night and realized it won't be long and I won't be able to enjoy the "little things" that go on when your kids are home.  I know that I am going to miss my son and daughter playing their games, their guitars and drums, the camaraderie and banter they have with each other when they move out.
 

I know it is what is suppose to happen and I am excited for both of them.  They are on the verge of forging their own path and adventure.  They will live and learn.   But, that doesn't make it any easier for momma to deal with it.  In my daily prayers I ask God to give me the grace to deal with it and each day it is getting easier for me to come to terms with.

Yesterday was Audre's prom.  You remember in an earlier post, I wrote my church family is special to me.  One example of the love that is shared in my church family is my daughter's Sunday School teacher, Lichea.  She offered a few weeks ago, when Audre was telling her about the prom, to do Audre's hair and makeup.   Sure we could have done it, but it was nice of Lichea to do it for my daughter and she did a wonderful job.  I watched her as she worked and she truly enjoys doing things for others.  She has a loving heart  and loves the Lord and shows it in the way she lives.   I'm glad she is there for my daughter.  Lichea also has a special place in my heart because she led my daughter to the Lord.

Here's my girl all dressed up for prom.

I took pictures during the makeup and hair time with Lichea, but I promised Audre I would not post those on-line.

Those pictures, however, will go into a cute little scrapbook for her.  :)


While Audre was having her makeup and hair done, I was baking a chocolate cake.   Friday night I started wanting something sweet to eat, so Saturday morning I found a chocolate cake recipe and decided to make it.  This recipe does not call for buttermilk like a lot of recipes do.  It is from my cookbook, Taste of Home - The Best of Country Cooking, second edition.  The recipe was submitted by Betty Follas.

Classic Chocolate Cake

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups milk
• confectioners sugar or your favorite frosting (I used chocolate frosting)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk beating until smooth after each addition.  Pour batter into a greased and floured 13"x 9" x 2" baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool on a wire rack.  When cake is cool dust with confectioners sugar or frost with your favorite frosting.  Yield: 12-15 servings.

Well, the sky is getting dark and thunder is beginning to roll, so I guess I better sign off.

Here's wishing you a wonderful week!

Hugs,
Sonia

Good Music and a Giveaway

Fond memories and new memories were made this evening at my house.   My husband, son, and brother-n-law got together tonight to play music.   It has been a long time since they have done so.

Tuning up and getting ready to play

It brought back good memories of when they use to play every weekend, when my kids were little, and new memories were made tonight with my son playing with them for the first time.

Playing music from left to right: Josh, son; David, hubby; Mike, bro-n-law

Though the weathermen and women are predicting yucky weather again this weekend, and by yucky I mean freezing rain, ice and snow, this is still the month in which Spring begins.   So I've decided to have a spring giveaway.

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SPRING GIVEAWAY!

DRAWING: 03/20/2014

Sorry due to shipping cost, this giveaway is limited to the United States only.

In looking forward to Spring, I thought these items would be a great starter to the season.

• A Coffee Cup Planter
• 8 Rules To A Better Life plaque
• A cute baby Chick for stress
• Flower Seeds
• Crocheted Spring Mug Rug

Here are the Giveaway Rules.  

You have up to five chances to enter this giveaway.

1. Become a new follower and leave a comment to let me know what you like best about Spring.
2. If you are already a follower, leave a comment of your favorite thing about Spring.
3. Share this giveaway on your blog and let me know.
4. Share it on Twitter and let me know.
5. Share it on Facebook and let me know.

GOOD LUCK!  

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I thought I'd share a recipe with you.

This morning I decided to try something new with pancakes.  Instead of using a regular pancake recipe, I changed it up a bit.  They turned out yummy.

Here's how they are made.

1. 2 cups flour
2. 1 tsp salt
3. 1 tsp baking powder
4. 1 tsp cinnamon
5. 1/4 cup brown sugar
6. 1 tsp vanilla
7. 1 egg, beaten
8. 1/4 cup pecan, finely chopped
9. milk, enough for pancake consistency

Mix a first five ingredients together, then add the vanilla, egg and milk.  Mix well.  Stir in the pecans.  Cook on hot griddle or in hot frying pan.

Try them out.  They are good.

Have a warm and safe weekend!

Hugs,

Sonia

Before Tracks Were Made

I woke to a winter wonderland this morning.  I took these pics before animals and vehicles made tracks. It is very pretty in the early morning light.

Then it was time to cook breakfast and what better way to start a cold Saturday than with a potato, sausage scramble and wheat biscuits with peach preserves?  I have the recipe for the scramble below.

Here's how I made the scramble.

• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1/4 green pepper diced
• 1/4 - 1/2 lb your favorite sausage
• season to taste.  I used salt, black pepper and Greek Seasoning.
• 5 eggs, beaten with a splash of milk and seasoned to taste

In a large non-stick skillet, brown sausage with green peppers. Add potatoes and seasoning.  Cover and cook until potatoes and sausage are done and lightly browned.  Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly with the potato/sausage mixture and cook until the eggs are done, creating the potato, sausage, eggs scramble. This made enough to feed four people.

You can add more or less of everything and even add onions, cheese, ham... anything that appeals to you.

That's all I have for this morning.

Have a great day!

Hugs,
Sonia

Ugh!

Well, I stayed home today because I didn't want to get stranded north of the river or chance sliding off the hilly curvy roads I have to drive.  Ice was coming down this morning, so I called in and asked to use a vacation day.

I used the day to try to get my head cleared.  I've been suffering from sinus congestion.  So I took a cough suppressant and decongestant that put me to sleep for a few hours.  I woke up after 12:30 this afternoon, not completely cleared but able to breath better.

I used the time I was awake to work on the log cabin quilt and bake a loaf of sweet bread.

I used what I had on hand and call it Cinnamon Pecan Bread.

Here's how I made it.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
6 tablespoons melted butter
Milk (I eyeballed the milk... I think 1/2 cup)
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to  350° F.  Mix ingredients well in order given.  Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes or until it tests clean with a toothpick.

It is very good.  Between my husband and my kids the loaf is already half gone.

I need to take more of the decongestant and I think I will take something for aches.  I'm starting to feel achy. Ugh!

I hope you are staying safe and warm.

Until next time...

Hugs,
Sonia

PS... so tired of cold, ice and snow - anticipating Spring.

Spring Pictures

Prayer, Cookies and Crochet

I'd like to start out with a prayer request.

Please lift my family and especially my aunt Barbara and my cousins, Flora, Brian and Dawn up in prayer.  Yesterday my aunt's husband, my uncle Bill, passed away.  They think it was due to a heart attack.  Please remember them in this time of sorrow.

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It has been a beautiful weekend with sunshine and warm temperatures.

To be honest, I'm not ready for the weekend to end.

I tried out a new cookie recipe yesterday and must admit I wasn't happy with the recipe and wound up making some changes to it.

The recipe called for five ingredients, to bake at 250° F for 20 minutes.  The dough was very hard to work with and I wound up having to bake the cookies for 40 minutes.  That was my first batch.  They turned out, but my word!  :)

So I decide to do a second batch and I added to the amount of one of the ingredients, increased the oven temperature and adjusted the time. They turned out better than my first batch and didn't take as long to bake.

Here's the recipe.

1. 1 3/4 cups flour
2. 1/2 confectioners sugar
3. 10 tablespoons of melted butter
4. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5. 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all the ingredients well, forming a stiff dough.  Roll the dough out and cut into small cookie shapes.  Bake at 350° F for 13-15 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.

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Friday night, I took my rings off to put lotion on my hands.  A few hours later I put my rings back on but one ring would not go on my finger.  It seems that maybe I am experiencing my first touch of arthritis... not sure... but I think it might be.  My joint is swelled on my finger, is a little sore and I can't bend it all the way like my other fingers.   So, since I can't put the ring I normally wear on that finger, I crocheted myself a new ring.  This ring will fit over my swollen joint and will be comfortable to wear.

I single crocheted a band, making it more narrow on the bottom, then added a crocheted flower to the band.

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Hugs, 

Sonia

Brr!

Mercy!  It has been a cold day.  I do believe winter has arrived in Arkansas.

When I got home from church this afternoon I warmed up with a hot cup of cappuccino.  There was something satisfying about pouring a hot beverage into a snowman mug.  :)

My family and I celebrated Thanksgiving with my husbands side of the family this weekend.  It is always a blessing to gather with family over a meal.

We had a lot of broccoli rice casserole left over and since it was so chilly today I decided to make a soup with it.

You may be thinking "what? that doesn't sound to good..." but believe it or not it turned out good.  So if you have broccoli rice casserole left over and want to do something different with it, try this soup.

Here's how I made it.

Take left over broccoli rice casserole and put into a large pot.  Add 2 cans of chicken broth, 1 can of potatoes (drained) and 1 1/2 cups water.   Add the following seasoning to taste - black pepper, Greek seasoning, Cheyenne pepper.  Bring to a low boil and simmer about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve with crackers or cornbread fritters.

This soup tastes a lot like potato soup.  You can change up the seasonings to your liking.

Well we are down to 30 days to Christmas.  Later in the week, probably Friday or Saturday, I will put up all my autumn decorations and start decorating for Christmas.

I hope to show my latest project soon.  I have made a ornament for an ornament swap I am in.   I tried to mail it out to my ornament swap partner yesterday but found out the post office in my town is now closed on Saturday, so I will have mail it tomorrow.   She should have her ornament by the end of the week and then I can share it with you.

I'm still working on the log cabin quilt, but also have another block to make and 2 more items for the next quilt guild meeting in December.  Talk about crunch time...

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is to sit with all the lamps and overhead lights out and only the Christmas lights shining.  There is something about the soft glow of Christmas lights reflecting off ornaments and other decorations that is very soothing to me.  :)

Microsoft clip art

What is one of your favorite things to do at Christmas?

God bless and keep you,

Sonia