Heritage Schoolhouse

The calendar doesn't say springtime...

2012-01-19T09:01:00.003-06:00

But the flowers here in Texas,

don't know that! ;-)

"The flowers of late winter and early spring

occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size."

~Gertrude S. Wister

2012-01-15T16:21:00.001-06:00

What Makes Men Happy?

"To watch the corn grow,

or the blossoms set;

to draw hard breath over the ploughshare or spade;

to read, to think, to love, to pray,

are the thing that make men happy."

~John Ruskin

Christmas Break in Breckenridge

2012-01-10T22:30:00.002-06:00

After Christmas our family took a ski trip to

Breckenridge, Colorado

with some of Mr. H.'s family.

We drove up in a 15 passenger van and stayed in a wonderful cabin.

The snow and the mountains were beautiful.

This was only the second time to ski for me and the kids.

Mr. H. had learned to ski when he was a teenager.

The last time we went skiing was four years ago.

I did pretty well on some green slopes

and the kids learned a bit, too.

But on that trip...

Mr. H. had an accident.

He was racing his nephew, he hit a patch of ice, and his ski popped off!

Long story short, he broke his shoulder into a zillion pieces and it was dislocated

for seven hours before a doctor could put it back in place.

He had months and months of therapy

and recovered full use of his shoulder.

But, the fear of skiing I developed after his accident I haven't recovered from!

I was very fearful to go on this trip,

but it was ALL the kids wanted for Christmas -

to go skiing with their cousins.

The kids did great on the trip this year!

Mr. H. had returned to the slopes last year with his brothers.

And on that trip and the trip this year,

he didn't race ANYONE! ;-)

By the end of the trip, my girl was skiing blue runs!

This was her big smile after she had come down a blue without falling once.

Of course this is Mr. H. being silly.

My son conquered several green runs without falling!

And me?

I decided to hang up my skis.

I just couldn't get over my fear of getting hurt.

So...

I switched my ski boots for snow boots

and my ski poles for my camera.

And had a blast!

I even got to ride the roller coaster at the ski slopes!

Which I was not afraid of - loved it!

I was a little down about "giving up" on skiing.

My usual, "if at once you don't succeed, try, try again" motto

was not working for me!

Because, I was DONE trying. ;-)

Robert Louis Stevenson to the rescue!

"Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits."

Ok! I could do that. :-)

I liked this, too -

"The men who try to do something and fail
are infinitely better than those that try to do nothing and succeed."
Lloyd Jones

I also remembered what my son had written on my laundry room bulletin board many months ago.

"If you don't try, it's worse than not succeeding at something you did try." :-)

From Santa!

2011-12-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

Mr. H. and I weren't supposed to exchange
Christmas gifts this year.

So when these showed up on Christmas Eve
the only thing I could figure out
was that they must have come from...

SANTA CLAUS! :-)

It doesn't get any simpler!

2011-12-24T11:42:00.005-06:00

~mason jar, greenery, cranberries, water, tea light~

simple Christmas table centerpiece

done! :-)

Idea from Better Homes and Gardens.

Hohoho!

2011-12-24T09:34:00.003-06:00

It's pretty busy around here at

Heritage Schoolhouse Christmas present...

So I thought I'd share a few links to

Heritage Schoolhouse Christmas past! :-)

Merry Christmas to you and yours -

hoping your holiday is holly, jolly, merry and bright!

Simple Christmas Joys

Day 1 Countdown Calendar

Day 2 Mocha Hot Cocoa

Day 3 Feathered Friend Christmas Tree

Day 4 Peppermint Biscotti

Day 5 Pinecones

Day 6 Daisy under the Christmas Tree

Day 7 Kitchen Christmas Tree

Day 8 Easy Christmas Candy

Day 9 Our Favorite Christmas Candy

Day 10 Snow Luminaires

Day 11 Wrapping Presents

Day 12 Christmas Coffee

Day 13 Decorating with Framed Letters

Day 14 Christmas Knitting

Day 15 Candy Canes

Day 16 Christmas Reading

Day 21 Christmas Flowers

Day 22 Christmas Cards

Day 23 Gingerbread Houses

Day 24 Milk and Cookies for Santa

Some favorite Christmastime Recipes

Holiday Breakfast Casserole

Cheesy Bacon Bites

Christmastime Cranberry Crumb Muffins

Gingerbread Scones

Gingerbread Men

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

A Keeper!

2011-12-20T13:53:00.002-06:00

When you serve soup for supper at my house,

a soup that is full of vegetables no less,

and, the family ALL loves it!!

Then that soup is a keeper. :-)

The recipe for Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

came from Lulu the Baker,

and, of course, was found on Pinterest. :-)

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~Gifts from the kitchen - Peppermint Cocoa~

2011-12-19T09:26:00.006-06:00

I've been spotting Peppermint Cocoa recipes

all over the internet via Pinterest!

I whipped up a few batches last night,

and we tried some out this morning with breakfast.

Yummy!

For each 1/2 pint jar layer -

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup chocolate chips

1/8 cup crushed candy canes

1/8 cup peppermint flavored marshmallows

Add a tag with the directions on the back.

Share with friends and family and enjoy!

Idea from -
Mom's Crazy Cooking
My Recipes

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Muffin Monday

2011-12-12T06:30:00.023-06:00

Christmastime Cranberry Crumb Muffins

1 dozen

for muffins

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

for crumb topping

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 1/4 tablespoons butter, softened

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Combine sour cream, egg, and butter.

Blend dry ingredients with wet ingredients.

Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter in to muffin tin lined with paper liners.

Combine flour, sugars, baking powder and salt.

Cut in butter until crumbly.

Sprinkle crumb topping over muffins.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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Sing a Song of Christmas

2011-12-11T20:31:00.002-06:00

Sing a song of Christmas,

Of starlight on the snow,

Of scarlet flames of Yuletide logs

And candles' golden glow.

Sing a song of Christmas,

Of mistletoe and pine,

Of holly wreaths and balsam trees

Whose lights and tinsel shine.

Sing a song of Christmas,

Of bells which gaily ring,

And carols on the frosty air

The strolling minstrels sing.

Sing a song of Christmas,

Of happiness and cheer,

And love which lights the earth with joy

To bless the coming ear.

by Gail Brook Burket

From Christmas IDEALS 1964

:::Crazy Cooking Challenge:::

2011-12-07T11:00:00.052-06:00

I'm excited to be participating in another

Crazy Cooking Challenge!

The last one I participated in was all about

Mac and Cheese!

This month the challenge is to find

the very best fudge recipe in blogland.

Now, I already know the very best fudge recipe...

it's the Fantasy Fudge that my mom always made and that I make now.

It's our favorite.

But, for the challenge, I needed to find a new recipe.

I searched and searched and decided that I just had to try -

~Easiest Ever Fudge~

at Cats and Casseroles blog.

I wanted to see if it really was the easiest ever.

Well, the title is absolutely correct!

It is the easiest ever fudge...

four ingredients,

about 5 minutes of prep

2 hours to chill

and you are done!

It's rich. It's chocolatey. It's smooth.

It's a wonderfully tasty fudge and it IS

the easiest ever fudge. I hope you try it.

Easiest Ever Fudge

from Cats and Casseroles Blog

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 dash of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Line an 8X8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Combine chips, milk, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over low until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread fudge into prepared pan. Allow fudge to cool in refrigerator for two hours. To cut, lift foil out of pan and then peel off foil. Cut fudge into small squares. Keep refrigerated in an air tight container.

Be sure to visit the other bloggers that are participating in the Fudge Edition of the Crazy Cooking Challenge Blog Hop! And, don't forget to vote for your favorite. They are listed below. :-)

It's Christmas Cookie Time!

2011-12-06T22:55:00.006-06:00

I've been pinning lots and lots of Christmastime ideas

on my Pinterest boards.

From my ~Christmastime Cookies~ board,

I decided to try

Chocolate Candy Cane Blossoms

first.

Recipe from

Cafe Zupas.

Meet Wille and Waylon :-)

2011-11-30T09:36:00.000-06:00

Willie

Waylon

They are my daughter's show pigs that she is raising this winter and spring.

They are about 40 pounds each right now.

And should be between 340 and 360 pounds

at show weight.

That's a lot of eating!

And a lot of barn chores.

But that's a good thing. :-)

Ok Willie and Waylon, it's time to eat, eat, eat

and grow, grow, grow!

2011-11-18T02:42:00.003-06:00

"12"

At 2:42 AM on November 18, 1999, the partially completed Aggie Bonfire, on the Texas A&M University campus, standing 40 feet tall and consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and former students working on the stack, 12 were killed and 27 others were injured...

Those that lost their lives will never be forgotten.

What's that wonderful smell coming from the oven?? It's...

2011-11-17T13:29:00.004-06:00

Autumn Spice Cake with Carmel Frosting
12 servings*

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups warm water
2/3 cup oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
for frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Combine flour, cornstarch, spices, and brown sugar; set aside. Combine water, oil, and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into greased cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes at 325. Let cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely. Meanwhile, melt butter in small saucepan. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vanilla an continue to stir. Add milk slowly and bring to a boil. Set aside and let cool. Beat powdered sugar into carmel until desired frosting consistency is reached. When cakes are completely cool, spread with frosting and enjoy!

*This cake is really like 24 servings - the frosting is so rich and sweet that just a few bites are almost all you can eat. :-)

Love at first read...

2011-11-17T13:17:00.002-06:00

I am not much of a cookbook "cooker".

Don't get me wrong, I do love cookbooks and have lots of them.

But when it comes to cooking tried and true,

I usually turn to one of just a few sources -

Taste of Home, Gooseberry Patch,

cooking blogs, and good 'ol hand me down recipes.

I love to thumb through fancy, glossy library cookbooks,

and do so often for inspiration and ideas.

But I've found that lots of the fancy cookbook recipes

just seem to fall short of tried and true down home favorites.

At least for me and my family, and the way we eat. :-)

That is until I brought THIS cookbook home from the library.

I couldn't believe it as a flipped the pages...

there were recipes in this book that had been in my family for years!

Right down to each ingredient.

And any recipe that wasn't familiar,

I wanted to try -

right that very minute! :-)

The author was born and raised in Alabama,

but I have found out after reading this cookbook

that southern Alabama cooking is very similar to Texas cooking.

From the day I brought it home, my son kept begging me to make the

meal pictured in the bottom right hand corner of the cover.

One evening I did.

The fried chicken tenders and come back sauce??

HUGE hit.

The chicken recipe was so easy you wouldn't believe it.

Other than the chicken, it has two ingredients!!

I'm not telling what the ingredients are -

you'll have to get the cookbook to find out. :-)

I also have tried the corn chowder.

I think the author loves corn as much as I do. ;-)

And, this??

This is a chocolate cobbler.

I promise the ingredients are always in your pantry.

I plan to cook my way through this entire book.

Stayed tuned. :-)

Weekend at the Lease

2011-11-17T13:05:00.020-06:00

As you probably know, Mr. H. is a hunter. It's what he does. :-)

In years past I've always stayed home with babies when he heads off

on hunting trips or for weekends at the deer lease.

But, these days...the babies go, too!

So, I decided to tag along to the lease with the rest of the family

for the first weekend of deer season this year!

Mr. H. is on a lease by himself this year out in west Texas.

The property has a little, hundred year old farm house on it.

Mr. H., my daughter, and my son all hunt.

But not me. :-)

I joke that I spend my days tending and nurturing animals

and they stalk them! ;-)

The lease has a lovely pecan grove on it.

Mr. H. has put several feeders and deer blinds on the lease.

Some close friends of ours are on the adjoining lease.

Bubba and Daisy came along for the ride

and kept me company when the family was off hunting.

I enjoyed walking around the yard of the house

during the early mornings and evenings when everyone was gone.

Just thinking about who might have lived out here long ago.

Who might have used the well, the old root cellar, and the corrals.

I might, or might not, have pretended I was a pioneer woman. ;-)

Maple Cinnamon Biscuits

2011-10-28T14:34:00.001-05:00

So quick and easy for a yummy early fall breakfast.

Wonderful as an afternoon snack with coffee, tea, or cocoa.

Maple Cinnamon Biscuits

makes 12

recipe adapted from Taste of Home

2 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons cinnamon/sugar, divided

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons milk

Combine flour, 2 tablespoons cinnamon/sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add syrup and buttermilk and mix until just moistened. Knead several times and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon/sugar. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

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~pumpkin pie coffee creamer~

2011-10-27T09:14:00.004-05:00

combine

1 cup coffee creamer

1 cup powdered sugar

4 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cloves

makes two 1/2 pint jars

Would make a wonderful small gift to take to your Thanksgiving hostess. :-)

Idea from Chella's Common Cents.

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:::Preparing Acorn Squash:::

2011-10-26T13:41:00.007-05:00

Have you been seeing all the beautiful

squash, pumpkins, and gourds

at the grocery and farmer's markets this fall?

Have you ever eaten an acorn squash?

They are delicious and very easy to prepare.

Simply, wash the squash and slice it in half.
Scrape out the seeds and membranes.

Then, on each slice, rub a tablespoon of butter,
sprinkle a tablespoon of brown sugar

and top with a bit of cinnamon.

Place squash in a casserole dish
and pour a cup of water in the bottom of the dish.

Cover and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

Enjoy! :-)

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~apple butter~

2011-10-26T10:02:00.009-05:00

Oh, did my house ever smell GOOD yesterday!

I had some apple butter cooking in the crock pot all day.

I had been planning to make some this fall,

and realized yesterday morning
that I had all of the ingredients I needed

already in my kitchen!

Run go check! You might, too. ;-)

The recipe I used can be found

here.
I just noticed that the recipe says to stir every hour.
Oops! I didn't stir mine at all and it turned out just fine. ;-)

I think I'll quadruple the batch next time and can some for gifts. :-)

Did you know that you can make apple sauce in the crock pot, too?

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2011-10-20T20:40:00.001-05:00

"It's not what you gather , but what you scatter,

that tells what kind of life you have lived."

~Helen Walton

"Apple Pie" Crisp

2011-10-19T09:59:00.012-05:00

Is it apple crisp?? Is it apple pie??

It tastes a bit like both!

Is it good??

Yes, we do know that.

It's a Taste of Home recipe called

Winning Apple Crisp.

It was a winner at our house. :-)

~a picket fence~

2011-10-19T09:57:00.021-05:00

Mr. H. recently built a little fence to close in a portion of our front yard

so the doggies can enjoy being outside and still be safe.

I've always wanted a little picket fence. :-)

While it was being built,

we thought we were going to paint it white

to match the trim of the house.

But, I ended up liking the natural wood so much,

that I think we've decided not to paint it just yet.

Love the morning and evening sun on it.

Now my "babies" can enjoy laying out in the sunshine

and I don't have to worry about them wandering off.

The sweetness of a picket fence! :-)

At the Ranch

2011-10-19T09:43:00.004-05:00

Every so often I accompany Mr. H. when he heads out to his parent's ranch in central Texas.

Recently, his Mom and Dad had some repair work to do at the ranch,

and were planning to sell a couple of cows to pay for the supplies.

I was able to go along on this trip to help out.

Well... I'm not sure how much "help" I actually am,

but I do love to tag along. :-)

On the way I got to see some of the effects that the recent Texas wildfires have had on the area.

This picture is from a spot less than one mile from the ranch!

There was one night last month that our family thought the ranch was going to burn,

but we were extremely blessed and the firefighters were able to control the fire before it reached the ranch.

It wasn't until I saw this, though, that I realized how very close it got.

On this trip out to the ranch I got to see one of the newest babies. :-)

So sweet.

Mr. H. and his dad got the trailer hooked up and prepared to load the cows.

They were young and pretty small,

so they made quick work of getting them in the trailer.

This Momma was none too happy with them for taking her baby. :-(

#20 is loaded up and ready to go.

And here comes #19.

Ready to head to the auction barn.

Mr. Bubba was too young to leave at home for the few hours that it took to get to the ranch and back, so he went along for the ride. :-)

After the cattle were secured for the upcoming weekend sale,

all that was left to do was to grab a quick hamburger and fries at
Herk's Country Store - were they serve up the burgers on homemade jalapeno cheese buns.

It's some good eatin' for the ranch hands...

and the "helpers". ;-)