Breakfast and Brunch

Blueberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry

A picture’s worth a thousand words.  And a picture can tell a story just as well as a large amount of descriptive text.  Blueberries. Cream Cheese. Puff. Pastry. It’s Labor Day weekend and the perfect time to treat your family to a tasty puff pastry like this one.  It is sooo fast and easy to … Read more

Weekend RoundUP July 21 and My Ball Blue Book


Last summer my friend Sue convinced me that I shouldn’t go through another canning season without a Victorio Food Strainer. At first I didn’t even understand what she was talking about. I don’t have a technical mind and in no way could even fathom how this works,  let alone design something like this. But my hands, that is another story — they love this Victorio!  I don’t have a food allergy to tomatoes but my hands really break out when I cut them up and process them.  With the Victorio my handling of fruits and vegetables is much less. 

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Multigrain Buttermilk Pancakes with Peach Compote

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 25 reading plan Psalm 119 through 150
Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.

Monday Psalm 119:1-88, Tuesday Psalm 119:89-176,
Wednesday Psalm 120-125, Thursday Psalm 126-132,
Friday Psalm 133-139, Saturday Psalm 140-145,
Sunday Psalm 146-150.

Ready or not a new week is upon us!  I hope you had a good weekend and are ready for another busy-as-usual midsummer week.  We had almost 2 inches of glorious rain in the past few days and it has turned our very browned and burned up world quite green.  It amazes me how just a bit of rain can change our attitude, our view, and definitely our garden!  Our first fruits have arrived from our cantaloupe patch.  The Chief had the honor of cutting up the first one.  It tastes as sweet as any candy — juicy and fresh.

Speaking of juicy, two weeks ago my quite generous sous-chef dish-washing mom bought us this newfangled juicer.

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Weekend RoundUP July 13 and Summer In The South

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I love wearing blue jeans.  I adore the look, the feel, and that they change shape with me during the day 🙂 Actually, blue, black, gray, khaki, you name the color I just love wearing jeans.  The older the better.  Slipping into a soft, worn pair of jeans gives me a comfort that lasts throughout the day.  Between the heat, the humidity, and my inner child playing with fire, I put away my beloved blue jeans about the end of March and they hang idle in my closet until October.  Except for yesterday.  Middle of July means middle of summer. Half-way between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  And right here smack dab in the middle of the summer heat and humidity we receive a gift of cool temperatures and rain.  Yesterday our high was about 75 degrees and we had a gentle rain throughout the day that sprinkled us with about an inch of much-needed rain.  I pulled on a sweet pair of blue jeans and a tee-shirt and all the world felt at peace as I listened to the gentle song of the rain from my front porch.
As drought has plagued us this entire spring and summer, my Chief Culinary Consultant and main-man gardener has watered the vegetable garden every day for over a month! Watering is something we most generally don’t need to do in this part of the south.  It certainly adds another layer to growing a garden.  I thank you Lord for this little reprieve that has quenched my thirst for rain in body and spirit.

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Summertime Banana Nut Bread

Walk Through The Bible In One Year

Week 24 reading plan Psalm 81 through 118 Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture.
Monday Psalm 81-87, Tuesday Psalm 88-91, Wednesday Psalm 92-100, Thursday Psalm 101-104, Friday Psalm 105-106, Saturday Psalm 107-110, Sunday Psalm 111-118

Psalm 100    A psalm for giving grateful praise.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Have you ever heard of “Tasty Kitchen”?  Tasty Kitchen is designed by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Women) and with Ree’s signature blend of modern style, country sweetness, and upbeat sass. It feels easy to navigate and inviting to use. The recipes are broken down into categories (which are always visible on the left of the screen) or are searchable by keyword. You don’t have to be a member to peruse these recipes, but you do need to sign up to add your own recipes or  rate other people’s recipes.  I have decided to join this happy community and post my recipes there as well as on this blog.

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Clafoutis – Cherry or Blackberry, A Shared Recipe

A blessing for you today. Psalm 20
1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings.[b]
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.

Walk Through The Bible In One Year
Week 24 reading plan Psalm 81 through 118  Click on the colored link to read each day’s scripture. Monday Psalm 81-87, Tuesday Psalm 88-91, Wednesday Psalm 92-100, Thursday Psalm 101-104, Friday Psalm 105-106, Saturday Psalm 107-110, Sunday Psalm 111-118


Writing this blog is such a blessing to me.  It has become a platform for family and friends and folks I haven’t even met to share recipes that I may not have otherwise ever known about.  Today I am so excited to share a recipe with you that I received from my nephew, Ryan.   Ryan loves to cook and bake.  At our recent family reunion he arrived with a gift basket for each family cottage (5 cottages, 5 baskets) and each basket was LOADED with all kinds of goodies, including dozens of cookies, candy, and even a loaf of bread.  Last week he emailed me and asked if I had a good recipe for Clafoutis.  Clafoutis  — hmmm – not only did I not have a recipe, but I had no idea what it was!   Wikipedia to the rescue! Turns out Clafoutis is a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter.

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