RAINY SATURDAY & SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

It's a quiet rainy Saturday here. There's something about rainy Saturdays that I simply love. I am not even sure what it is, but its serene and comforting...I guess that is unless one has plans for outdoor activities! Then I guess it's not so cool! I am thinking about a trip to Hobby Lobby in search of fall decor...that could be trouble!! 

It's been quite a stressful week at work, new computer system, lots of sick kiddies, long hours! And just when you think you can't do it another day, you get a comment like this one on Facebook that I got last night....

HER - are u working tomorrow?

 ME -Lord I just got this...sorry! Good seeing you today and glad all is well !!!

HER -thanks me too!! i just wanted to make sure u were there bc i trust your opinion so much when it comes to cannon! thank you for that!! 

ME -Aww ty Maggie...you just made my day! Glad I can be there for you...I love my job

That just makes my stress disappear! And I really DO love what I do!

I can't imagine going to a job day after day that you really don't like and that you don't get some satisfaction out of it. I know its not always simple to just change jobs but at some point in your life, you have to find peace in  your work because when you think about it, you spend almost all of your waking hours there. So I thank God that I am able to do what I love doing with people that I love spending my day with!

OK - off to Hobby Lobby I go. Have a blessed weekend. I leave you with a yummy recipe. 

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

 

 INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup baked, mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium potato)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), frozen
Heavy cream for brushing the tops

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.  Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  In a separate large bowl, mix together milk and mashed sweet potato until evenly combined.
Grate frozen butter through the large holes of a box grater and toss with dry ingredients until butter is coated.  Add milk mixture and mix lightly until dough forms a shaggy mass.
Turn out mixture onto a floured surface and knead just until it comes together.  (The dough will not be smooth.)
Pat into a circle and use a floured rolling pin to roll dough to a thickness of about 3/4 inch.  Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or glass, cut the dough into rounds.  Gather leftover dough into a circle, reroll, and cut until you have 8 large biscuits.
Place biscuits on a baking sheet, brush tops with heavy cream, and bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

 

ADOPTIONS AND PRALINE PUMPKIN CAKE

Well it's official....we have a new addition to our family! Addie has adopted a new puppy! She is a mixture of Springer Spaniel and Jack Russell terrier! Can you say HY-PER! We will see....right now she is only 5 weeks old and only weighs 1 1/2 pounds! T I N Y! and so cute! Her name is Marleaux altho I wanted to call her Honey. But since she is Addie's, she won out on the name. I swore I would never have another dog in my house, but she is so cute and is already being spoiled...by all of us! Dogs (puppies) bring so much joy into a home...they give you unconditional love and all they ask in return is for you to feed them, and let them snuggle at your feet! Here is her picture...will post a better one later when I am able to get one. Isn't she adorable?

It's beautiful here this weekend...still a little warm, but you can tell that Fall is not that far away. That is  my absolute favorite time of year. Brings back so many wonderful memories ... of my Dad...of the day we got married ... of fall festivals we used to attend .... wonderful memories indeed! What is your favorite season?

In honor of fall, I am sharing this amazing recipe I came across and cannot wait to try! If you try it before I do, send me a comment and let me know if you enjoyed it!

PRALINE PUMPKIN CAKE

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 container Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy cream cheese frosting
Caramel topping, if desired
Additional coarsely chopped pecans, if desired



Heat oven to 325°F.  In 1-quart heavy saucepan, stir together butter, whipping cream and brown sugar.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until butter is melted.  Pour into two ungreased 9- or 8-inch round cake pans; sprinkle evenly with 3/4 cup pecans.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, water, oil, eggs and 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice with electric mixer on low speed until moistened, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.  Carefully spoon batter over pecan mixture in each pan.

Bake 41 to 47 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.  Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack.  Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Stir remaining 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice into frosting.  To assemble cake, place 1 layer, praline side up, on serving plate.  Spread with half of the frosting.  Top with second layer, praline side up; spread remaining frosting to edge of layer.  Drizzle with caramel topping and additional pecans.  Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.
People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more
naturally to the human heart than its opposite"

~Nelson Mandela~

Everything Will Be Alright!

As of Monday Sept 3, I no longer am the Mom to "children". My baby is now 21 years old...21 years? HOLY COW! I remember it like it was yesterday...detail for detail...not feeling well over the Christmas holidays, exhausted for New Years...then the next week...the verdict! I had not told anyone, maybe it was a denial thing? Afterall, I was almost 37, there was no way I could be pregnant!! I mean I had a 7 year old and a 12 year old!!! I was waiting to get back into nursing school, I had way too much going on in my life to be pregnant! I secretly bought a home pregnancy test, went into my bathroom and waited. I didn't have to wait very long. I opened the door just a tiny bit and asked Rene' to please come and see. As he walked in, the tears just came as I said "I'm pregnant". He said "YOU'RE WHAT???" How did that happen??? Seriously??? He really asked that! He let me cry as I kept saying, "I'm too old, I have to go back to school." We decided to wait and tell the boys until I went to the Dr. When we did tell them, they were ecstatic!!! Me? I cried for 2 weeks!! Don't get me wrong, its not that I didn't want a baby...but I didn't think I had time for a baby! Once we told family and friends, it sunk in and the tears stopped. The one person who really made me feel okay about this was my Dad...he always had such wise words for us. He said "This is your little girl and everything will be alright". And he was right...on both counts! It was a girl and everything was alright! She was my lifesaver in so many ways...more than she will ever realize! We named her Addie...a name I had always loved. My grandmother's name was Adles and she was the best grandmother ever, so I wanted to honor her in a small way. So Addie it was. She was born 21 years to the day that my grandmother was buried...the circle of life. Two years after Addie was born, our firstborn, Joshua, passed away. There are no words that can begin to describe the pain and heartache of losing a child...none! I wanted to just die and be with him. But reality was that I had 2 other children who needed their Mom. Thank God for them both because I honestly don't know if things would have turned out as they did. Thank you Jordan and Addie. Several of my lady friends that I used to play cards with would tell me, "she's going to keep you young". And in a sense, she did. I can tell you tho, turning 40 with a 2 year old was mind boggling to me! We have had many ups and downs...more ups than downs. We have laughed, cried, yelled,shared, played and been each others shoulder at one time or another. She is my BFF! Some people say parents should not be their kids BFF's. I say POO on them. I think if you are a good parent and lead them in the right direction in life then it's okay to also be their BFF! I would hope that I have done that with both of my kids. So as it goes, my children are adults. And I think we did a mighty fine job. Sure we have made mistakes along the way...but its the end result that matters the most. I am proud to be the Mom to my adult "children"!

 And I love them with all that I am.

 Thanks Dad....You were so right! Everything is alright! 

My Dad holding Addie

And my Addie today!

Isaac.......

I sure have been a slacker haven't I? I am honestly not sure where the time has gone since I last posted. I guess life just took over? I DO know that this past week....Isaac has taken over! Man O Man...for a Category 1 hurricane, this bastard storm has wrecked havoc on so many areas. Luckily we were spared but not so lucky for some of our neighboring cities/towns. There is wide-spread flooding, levees overflowing or breaching, water rising in rivers, creeks and bayous...and swamps! Thousands have had to evacuate either due to flooding or impending flooding. I just cannot imagine a knock on my door saying.."you have 90 minutes to evacuate". Where do you begin? What do you take with you? What do you leave behind? I thought we "had a plan" but when I really sat down and thought about it...I have no plan. So this weekend, a plan will be made. Sure I have your normal "hurricane survival kit" but if I had to leave, not knowing if I had anything to come back to...I shudder to think about it.So after complaining...yes I was a complainer, I admit it...about having no AC for 2 days...I am ashamed and humbled after seeing the pictures on the news of surrounding areas. Someone posted that we should all be ashamed about complaining and my comment was that its human nature to complain about inconveniences during these storms. That doesn't make us bad people...it just means that at that moment, perhaps we aren't looking at the big picture. What's important is that once we do take the time to look at the big picture....we look within ourselves and know that we had a moment of weakness...we regroup.....and find a way to help those who have lost so much more than we have. This weekend we will be baking and cooking and delivering it to those in need, whether it be one of the shelters or a group of those Entergy/power workers who are working hard, risking their lives, to restore power to thousands who are still without power. It feels like such a little to do and I wish I could do so much more. But I guess if enough people does just a little...it will grow into being a lot. I still have visions of working at the shelter after Katrina...the stories we heard...the horror...the pain...the sadness...

it is something I will never forget. 

None of us ever should.

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.  

~Mother Teresa~

Manic Monday and Banana Pineapple Bread

Thank you Monday for kicking my behind! Dear Parents, if your child needs a back to school note for lunch, bathroom privileges, medication, physicals, or all of the above...PLEASE do not wait until the week that school begins to get these filled out! Thank you kindly, the nurse who has to do this for you! O M G it's been a wild day....can you tell?? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, but its no fun being swamped at the last minute or having a Mom being angry because you cannot have what she needs done immediately. And how was your Monday???

On a brighter note, had a really nice weekend. Dinner with friends Saturday night and dinner with family last night....and my little man is learning SO much. Last night he learned how to blow a duck call! Its a southern thing...some of you will understand! Now we are working on teaching him to say "WHO DAT"!!!! Speaking of WHO DAT...we enjoyed watching our Saints take the field last night and winning! AND we got to see Drew Brees on the sidelines dancing to "Play that Funky Music" as he munched on sunflower seeds! It was SO classic...L.O.V.E.D. IT!

 

Cannot wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for our Saints!!!

Here is a great recipe for a soft, moist homemade quick bread with banana and pineapple...yes pineapple!
Don't hate until you try it!!

Banana Pineapple Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients: 

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup crushed pineapple
 (with the excess liquid drained; this is almost the amount in a 15-ounce can of pineapple)

Instructions: 

1. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In another mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar. 

Add remaining ingredients, beating until well mixed.

3. Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients and stir until moistened. Don't over-beat.

4. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans

 (use smaller loaf pans -- 6x3-inch, or use several mini loaf pans).

 Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until loaves test done.

OLYMPICS - FAB 5 - PEPPER JELLY!

What an awesome night for these young ladies and the
U S A!

 

It brought tears to my eyes, as I am sure it did for thousands!

I am really enjoying watching these Olympics!

O M G is it hot or what? I know we say this every summer but

this summer seems hotter than last summer. My hubby calls me daily to

remind me that he is on his 2nd or 3rd set of clothes and to see

if I am enjoying sitting inside sucking up the AC. And the answer

is always the same.....HECK YEAH!

Stay hydrated out there folks!

Here is something I read the other day and wanted to share with you.

GOD's HEART FOR YOU....

Think of it...

You belong to a God who has no limitations.

He is able to do things for you,

be mighty in you, and bring blessings to you.

His provisions are endless,

His blessings are measureless,

and His generosity is boundless.

All that is in His heart (for you)

flows out in waves of love.

They are sent to touch you, to fill you, and to cover you.

You cannot contain them for they are

more than your mind can imagine,

more than your arms can embrace,

and more than your heart can hold.

Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
 Amen.
 Jude 1:24-25

Powerful words I'd say!

Speaking of powerful...this peach pepper jelly is sweet and hot!!!

And super easy to make.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups peeled and diced peaches (about 2 1/2 lb.)
• 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 (1.75-oz.) package powdered fruit pectin

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients in a 4-qt. microwave-safe glass bowl.
2. Microwave at HIGH 8 minutes (mixture will boil). Stir mixture, and microwave at HIGH 8 to 10 minutes or until thickened. (You're going for the viscosity of pancake syrup here. The mixture will thicken to soft-set preserves after it cools and chills.) Cool mixture completely (about 2 hours). Serve immediately, or cover and chill preserves in an airtight container until ready to serve. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.