BITS & PIECES

Chains of Beauty

2012-01-31T16:11:00.001-05:00

Chains of Beauty

Good evening and come on in for a visit on this warm January day. It is warm, sunny and feels like late spring and I'm loving it. Doesn't matter to me if we don't have any more cold weather for I like warm not cold. We spent the weekend in Alabama at the home place and the weather was warm and wonderful like the family group gathered to enjoy each other.

Awhile back I said I would share some of my craft projects with you and today is the day - ta dah. The scarf in the picture above is so pretty you could also wear it for jewelry and it is so simple and allows you to use your imagination and make it to match your wardrobe.

Many of my friends seeing me crochet tell me that all they know how to do is crochet a chain so I made this from nothing but simple, single, crocheted chains. If you don't know how to make a crocheted chain, this is a good site to learn - http://crochet.about.com/od/learntocrochet/tp/crochet-for-beginners.htm. It also has some advanced instructions also.

To make the scarf above, I gathered yarns from my stash and began to mix and match. I used one multi colored yarn as the basis for the color selection but I used various kinds of yarn and needle sizes. There are no rules other that crochet chains about 70 inches long from several types and colors of yarn. Leave 8-10 inches at the beginning and the end for a long fringe. This is also where you will even the length of the scarf.

As you can see from this scarf, I used shades of the same color but you can also use contrasting colors. I included eyelash yarn, fun fur, knitting worsted and some big fluffy yarn. All of these are 70 inch long chains of the simple chain stitch and several needle sizes.

After you have the chains crocheted, lay them side by side and find the center and make a knot. Work down the scarf, knotting about every 8 inches and the last knot should be at the beginning of the fringe. I don't do a double knot for all you need is a simple overhand knot.

On one scarf, I did not knot in the center back but found the center back, measured about 4 inches to each side and made a knot and then knotted about every 8 inches down the sides of the scarf. You don't have to be precise and you can knot it however you like. If you don't want to knot, you can wrap it several spots with yarn or ribbon.

Line up the fringe and even it by cutting the ends.

You can also use strips of ribbons in the with the chains to add a different texture. It is not a precise pattern and you can make it shorter or longer and use whatever yarns, ribbons or anything else you want to include. In one, I used a couple of pieces of T shirt yarn. These are made with 10 - 11 chains but I have made them with less or more.

These are great projects to carry with you for you just take the yarns you have in your stash, crochet chains about 70 inches long, combine and knot a scarf.

As you see, you can tie them, let them hang, wrap once or twice or carry the ends through some of the strands. Very versatile and easy to make. I crochet the chains when sitting around or traveling and when I need a new scarf or "necklace", check my chain collection, pick out a few, knot and wear. Have fun. I have several of these scarves at my Etsy shop so stop by for a visit.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Slow Cooker Apple Cake

2012-01-20T23:56:00.001-05:00

New Growth from the Old

Good evening and come on in. It has been a beautiful day here in South Georgia and we have enjoyed it immensely. We are enjoying the mild winter here and I don't miss the cold a bit and hope it stays warm for I do dislike the cold weather.

Today I covered a footstool and the seat of a small wooden chair to update them a little. The stool was made by my grandfather and the little chair came from a restaurant owned by Roy's grandfather. It has to be over 100 years old and the footstool is getting close to that. As I was tacking the fabric on the chair I realized I was using a little upholstery hammer which had once been Roy's grandfather's. Lots of memories in this little chair and footstool. I will take pictures and show you what I did later.

I tried a crock pot cake recipe for the first time last week and it is delicious. It is like the dump cake I have been making for years but so easy to do in the crock pot or slow cooker. I never know which one to call it for I see both terms used but I like crock pot or as Roy says "crack pot."

Of course I had to play with the recipe a little bit for I didn't have some of the ingredients and I think mine is very good and Roy said worth posting for you to enjoy too. Let me know what you think.

Slow Cooker Apple Cake

Cooking Time: 3-5 hours
Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 3½-4-quart
Ingredients:
6 cups fresh apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup apple juice
½ cup dried cranberries
18¼ -oz. pkg. Carrot cake mix – or spice cake mix
1 stick (½ cup butter), melted
1 cup pecans, chopped
1. Spray interior of slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Spoon apples and apple juice into slow cooker, and sprinkle cranberries over the apples. Spread evenly over the bottom.
3. Sprinkle with dry spice cake mix.
4. Pour melted butter over dry mix. Top with chopped pecans.
5. Cook on Low 3-5 hours, or until a toothpick inserted into topping comes out dry.
6. Serve warm from cooker with whipped topping, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Refrigerate what is not eaten. Warm and serve – even good cold.

Ya'll have a good weekend and enjoy the cake - delicious and easy.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach

Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

2012-01-16T09:27:00.001-05:00

Red Bird and Dove pictures I took in my back yard this morning.

Good morning and come on in for a hot cup of coffee and a little conversation. The pictures above were taken this morning from my sunroom and I cut off flash and took them through the glass. They came out pretty well I thought. The redbird was sitting in a rose bush by the window but the dove was out in the yard with 5 others. These were taken with my close up lens and then cropped. If I had opened the door, they would have flown away so I use this method quite often and like the results. I am using a Nikon D40 and it is easy to use and makes good pictures.

I have a new Christmas decoration peeve!! I am so tired of seeing the inflatable Santa Clause cemeteries in front yards. The icicle lights which hang from the eaves year round are bad enough but now many of their yards are littered with "dead" Santas, reindeer, sleighs and other holiday "blow up" decorations. It is bad enough when they are inflated but deflated and lying the yards is just plain tacky. It looks like someone with a rifle came through and had target practice - I have been tempted.

This is right up there with flamingos, toilets full of plastic flowers and beds of silk flowers surrounding the house. I just can't understand why they would leave these kinds of tasteless objects in their yards and seem to enjoy living with them. Whatever happened to the beautiful white lights, wreaths with red bows, gold accents and a spotlight or two to highlight the front of the house? If you are one of the guilty, please bury your "dead" decorations. My good Southern Mama would have a real hissy fit over the lack of "good taste" as she would say. Enough about that and on we go.

I am sharing another quick and easy breakfast idea that I baked last week and they are very good. I am calling them Pecan Cinnamon Rolls but I also stuck a few raisins among the pecans (pe-cahns not pee-cans). This another of my pet peeves for those of us from Alabama and Mississippi usually say pe-cahns and the pee-cans go under the bed for emergencies.

Enjoy this quick easy breakfast and I served them with a fresh orange and grapefruit fruit bowl. We are enjoying picking our own citrus for they taste so good.

Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

1 can cinnamon rolls (I used Pillsbury Grands)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup raisins

melted butter

Pre-heat oven according to instructions on the can

Spray a round cake pan with non stick spray

Open the can of rolls and unroll them and loosely re-roll them. Tuck the chopped pecans and raisins in the rolls and sprinkle some of the pecans on the tops.

Brush with melted butter and place in oven and bake until slightly browned on top. Remove from oven and spread with the provided frosting.

They are quite good and an easy way to make something good delicious.

Let me know if you try these and how you liked them.

Ya'll have a good day and come back to see us and I most always have a pot of coffee ready to share.

Nuff said about my pet peeves,

The Georgia Peach

Christmas is For Children

2012-01-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

Good evening and come in the house out of the "blustery" wind, as Pooh would say. It has been awhile since I wrote but I was on a "hiatus" as I read on another blog but that is just a fancy word for lazy, too busy, nothing to say, tired, or procrastinator - just take you pick or choose all. I was a tad busy, tired, nothing to say, and procrastinated about sitting down and writing. I plan to be back on a regular schedule for I have several good recipes and some crafting to share with you. So come on in and let me brag about our great-grandchildren and introduce you to our new family member.

The new member is the cat above or rather the kitten. She is a stray which appeared at our son's house several weeks ago and they have several so we decided we could add another cat to our household. Our other cat, Bumper, is about 15 years old and is getting quite feeble, losing his eyesight and we know he won't be with us too much longer. This was our excuse for adopting "Sweets."

Another reason we like her so much is that our first cat was a beautiful gray cat who lived for many years but had to be put to sleep a couple of years ago. We have become "cat people" and didn't want Bumper to be alone and we didn't want a time when we didn't have one so Sweets is now our new family member.

She adopted this shoebox when I put it on the floor and likes to sit in it and sometimes sleep in it. At night, she sleeps at the foot of our bed on my feet and gets a little perturbed when I move her. The funny thing is that when she gets out our bigger cat gets in and folds himself into a pretzel to lie down in it. I put another box next to it but this one seems to be the favorite.

In this picture she is watching TV and will sit and wait for us to turn it on. Not sure what she thinks she is seeing but she likes to watch whatever it is. Kinda strange to see a kitten sitting in front of the TV.

Our Christmas was very special this year for we had our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with us. Of course the great-grands were the most fun and made it extra special.

This is Josie, the youngest member of our family. Here she is dressed to match the toy for she is very fashion conscious and has to pick out her clothes and bows and prefers dresses and BIG bows. As her mother said, in Texas they like big hair but Josie prefers big bows. Give her a tutu and she is in heaven and loves to twirl and dance with it on. Of course her MawMaw -me - has made her several. Going to be interesting when she gets to be a teenager.

This is our big boy, Noah. He likes to play a caped avenger and this is the super cape I made from the back of a t shirt. It is a super easy project and I will post it for you sometimes but basically it is the back of the shirt with the neckline left on to slip over the head. Noah thought it was just right and enjoyed the super powers it gave him.

She is pretty even with a dirty face for who could resist those great big blue eyes and those tousled curls. The biggest problem with the curls is that she hates to have her hair washed. To voice her objection, she has learned to be a real "Southern Belle" for she can throw a magnificent "hissy fit" which is necessary if you are to get your way.

She even likes to dress up to play on the trailer.

This shirt says it all for sometimes she can worry her older brother but he loves her "all the world's full" as he is illustrating.

Mawmaw's muffins were good down to the dough.

Give a toddler a pile of dirt and they can play for hours.

Noah was King of Hill but Josie was surely the princess in waiting to get up there and take it away from him.

The wide-eyed wonder of a three year old.

They did share the hot tub with their parents and had a ball in the "swimming pool."

Trying to catch a big fish.

Josie and her new stove - thanks to Nana and G Paw

Noah and his new wheels also thanks to grandparents.

As you can see we had had great time with our family and especially the children for they make the holidays fun and memorable.

I sure hate they live in Colorado for I miss them. Family is so wonderful!!

Be careful going home and come back to see me.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Toasted Pecan Bacon

2011-12-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

Good evening and come right in and have a cup of coffee for it is quite chilly outside but it is December. Christmas is coming and I am not ready, in fact, I have decorated nothing, nada, zero but will begin tomorrow. At least I hope to get wreaths up and a red bow on the mailbox so we won't look like Mr. and Mrs. Grinch and slowly do the rest.

We are waiting until Dec. 19 to get the tree for our granddaughter and her family want to cut and decorate the tree and we are looking forward to them doing this. It will be fun to watch our 2 great- grandchildren decorate a tree for that is what Christmas is all about. It will be wonderful to have "little ones" here for Christmas for I love watching their reactions to the the lights, gifts and all the love which is poured out on them We will have 4 generations here - our children, grandchildren and great grands. How blessed we are.

The picture above is bacon, of course. I bake all my bacon for it cooks evenly, shrinks less and all the grease drips in the pan underneath. When you take it out of the oven place paper towels on the top and they will absorb all the extra fat off the top. Do a whole pound at once and refrigerate part of it to use later or freeze some for later.

This time I added a new flavor. I found roasted pecan syrup at Big Lots recently and it is really good on pancakes so I thought why not on bacon. After placing the bacon on the rack of the pan, I brushed the slices with the roasted pecan syrup and baked it in a 375 degree oven until crisp. Watch it carefully when baking for the sugar in the syrup will burn if you leave it in too long. It was delicious!!! Next time I am going to use several different syrups such as plain syrup, butter syrup and maple. You could use whatever you wanted.

There is no recipe for this but I preheat my oven to 375 degrees, place my bacon slices on the rack of your broiler pan or I put my cookie cooling racks in my baking pan and put in the oven. It usually takes about 20 minutes but it will depend on the thickness of the bacon and your oven so try 350 degrees and 375 to see which works best. If the bacon is thickly cut, I use the 350 degree oven so it will cook evenly.

Place the slices close together or slightly overlapped on the racks for as they cook they will shrink. Brush the slices with the syrup of your choice and bake until crisp. I am going to brush both sides next time and will let you know how it works out. Try this and let me know what you think.

This is the cooked bacon with fresh, red grapefruit from our tree in our backyard. We are so proud of our grapefruit and orange trees this year for they are loaded and taste really sweet. Guess what kind of Christmas baskets we will be giving this year. Love living in South Georgia where we can grow our own citrus.

Let me know how you like the roasted pecan bacon or share what flavor you used. It is so much easier than frying and shrinks less plus the top of the stove doesn't get all greasy.

Ya'll come back to see us and be careful going home.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

2011-11-29T10:47:00.000-05:00

Egg McRobson by frances robson

Wow, 2 days in a row! Ya'll come on in and try out another easy breakfast recipe which you can freeze and eat later if you like. I am always looking for a nutritious breakfast which is delicious, easy and nutritious and this is all of these. Being able to freeze it is just another great big plus.

I won't take credit for the idea for I got the initial recipe from this wonderful blog http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/breakfast-sandwiches/. It had been posted on Pinterest and I knew when I looked at it I had to try it with my twists. You know me, I can't leave a recipe alone and I use what I have rather than run to the store. When you live out in the country you learn to make-do and this time it worked well. So, here is my version and I call it "Egg McRobson." The top picture is the finished product and my husband gave it a thumbs up. I did 6 and I am freezing 4 but you can make any number you need.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease or spray non-stick spray your muffin tins.
Put an egg in each cup (if you don't want to fix 6, put about a Tablespoon of water in the empty cups)
Place in preheated oven for 15 - 20 min. In my oven, it took about 17 minutes for a well done egg. If you want it softer, cut back the time.

The original recipe call for Canadian bacon but I didn't have any so I used ham slices and cut them into circles with biscuit cutter. I used one slice on my first ones but 2 slices are better. You could also use cooked bacon.

After the eggs are done, place the split English muffins on a baking sheet. I used the cinnamon raisin muffins for that is what I had but you could use the ones you like.
Put the ham slices on one half of the muffins and grated cheese on the other half and put it under the broiler until the ham curls and the cheese melts.

Run a knife around the eggs so that they will remove easily.

Remove the muffins from the oven and place an egg on each muffin. I place them on the ham side. The eggs remove easily with a fork run around the edges and lift gently.

Place the tops on and have breakfast, lunch or dinner. We put jelly on ours and it even better. Use whatever additions you like and enjoy such as butter, mustard, salt and pepper.

If you made extra, put them on a baking sheet and freeze, then wrap in plastic wrap or foil and place in zipper bag and keep in the freezer. To reheat, preheat oven to 350 degrees, unwrap the muffin, place on baking sheet and heat for about 25 minutes. I tried the microwave and it is not good - soggy. Use the regular oven.

I hope you like these and thank you to Nick and this great website for the recipe.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

2011-11-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich by frances robson

Good morning and welcome to South Georgia on a rainy Monday morning but we are rejoicing over every drop. Not looking forward to the cold weather coming in afterwards but in every life a little cold must fall in the winter.

I am sharing one of our favorite breakfast sandwiches with you for it is good, nutritional, and easy. This is so easy that if you put the ingredients out, older children can fix their own for you to toast in the oven. If you have a low broil setting, use this so the ham will curl but not burn and the cheese will get to the bubbling stage without burning.

So follow along and here we go.

Split the English muffins and place a slice of sandwich meat ham on one half of the muffin. Put in oven on low broil. Use and ham your family likes and I used turkey ham for these. You can also use Canadian bacon.

While the ham is heating, place shredded cheese of choice on other half of the English muffin. I use several type of cheese and on these I have cheddar and farm cheese.

Place in the oven and cook until the cheese is bubbling. Remove from the oven and place the 2 halves together for a sandwich. So easy and so good.

A tip for shredded cheese:
Buy cheese by the block for it is cheaper and grate a mixture of choice and keep in refrigerator for topping sandwiches, casseroles, pizza or any other dish needing cheese. You can also grate the individual types of cheese and store in separate containers according to type of cheese. I like to use a coarse grater but you could use your food chopper also.

Another ingredient you can add on top of the ham is a thin slice of apple for a little crunch and a sweet flavor.

Try these and let me know how you like them.

Ya'll come back to see me and enjoy the sandwiches.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Pumpkin Applesauce Cupcakes

2011-11-12T16:58:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin Applesauce Cupcakes by frances robson

Good Saturday afternoon and come right on in to the 'Net porch and have a coke and a cupcake. It smells so good in here that I am having a difficult time not eating all 18 of the cupcakes. They will be delicious with a cup of coffee or glass of cold milk so take your choice.

I baked these this afternoon while watching Univ. of Georgia playing Auburn in football. Watching and hoping that UGA will win for that is our grandson's alma mater and most of our friends are pulling for them. Now I realize that I am a native of Alabama but Auburn is not my team but Alabama so it's not difficult at all to cheer for Georgia.

I just love SEC football but after all I am a Southern Lady and we are raised on football. There is no other way to spend Saturday afternoon except to watch and pull for your favorite team. You try hard not to be rude to the fans of the opposing team but to be a lady, you just grit your teeth, smile and say "Bless your heart" a lot. So come on in and watch the game with us.

I will share the recipe with you for the delicious cupcakes for they are tasty and easy. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Applesauce Cupcakes

1 Butter pecan Cake mix
1 tsp. Apple Pie Spice mix
1 cup chunky, homemade applesauce (I use my Microwave Chunky applesauce) Bought can be substituted
1 can pumpkin – not pumpkin pie
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg

Makes 18 cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray

Mix all the ingredients together and stir until well mixed. You don't have to beat. Fill cupcake liners or muffin tin cups 2/3 full and bake until top springs back when lightly touched – about 15 – 20 min.
Remove from muffin tins and let cool on rack. While still warm, sift brown sugar lightly over the tops, leave plain, or when cool frost with your favorite frosting. They are rich enough to leave plain.

The butter pecan mix is the best one to use for it is buttery tasting and the flavor of the pecans are wonderful with the pumpkin and applesauce.

To sift the brown sugar - place brown sugar in a small mesh strainer and use back of spoon to push the sugar through over the cupcakes. It adds a delightful taste and is less calories than frosting.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and come back to see us.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-10T18:01:00.002-05:00

Good evening and come on in for a visit and have a cup of coffee. Rain and cooler weather is here with the chance of a freeze tonight which doesn't make me too happy but I'll live with it and begin my hibernation. Into every Southern Lady's life a little winter must fall!!

I have a crock pot full of sweet potatoes getting ready for the freezer. A friend shared some with me and from the picture above, you can tell they were huge. I was going to cook and freeze about 4 and to my surprise 2 of these big potatoes filled my crock pot to the brim. I thought I would share this with you so you can have some in the freezer ready to use for later.

Crock pot Sweet Potatoes

6 cups peeled and thinly sliced sweet potatoes - fill up the container - used a mandolin to slice them
2 apples - peeled and sliced
1 cup orange juice or apple juice

Cook on low until tender - about 4 hours. Cool and mash then whip. Freeze in 2 cup portions to use in pies and casseroles. I find that the apples and orange juice add great flavors and apple juice is also good. Thaw out the needed portions, stir and use as you would canned potatoes but they taste much fresher.

I am also including a quick and easy gift you or your children can make. We have lots of shells, driftwood, and rocks we have picked up from the beaches we visit and I came up with this idea to use them. They will make a good gift for a parent or teacher to use as a paperweight or just to look at and think about the beach.

I used a clean Starbucks coffee jar for I like the flat sides and the larger opening in the top. It also allows you to lay it on its side for a different seascape. You could use any small, pretty jar you have. Baby food jars would be good as well as others.

Wash thoroughly, dry and paint the top. I use the paint pens for they are easy to use and not messy, especially for children. It eliminates the brush and you can use them on metal, glass, or plastic.

Gather together your shells and beach findings and begin to layer them in the jar. I use a knitting needle to turn them over or move them to the side but a skewer would work also.

I like to put a few larger shells as a focus for the seascape but if children are doing it, let them use their own imagination and creativity. Fill the jar to the top and add the painted top.

Add a ribbon or twine with a shell threaded through one strand. You could use raffia, twine, burlap ribbon or whatever you like. A shell hot glued to the top would also be pretty. Let your creativity be your guide. Make a tag with the name of the beach and the year they were gathered as a memory bottle of a special vacation.

If you don't have sea shells you could take a field trip with the kids and collect rocks, pebbles, sticks, acorns and other natural elements and fill bottles and decorate. Buttons would also be very pretty.

I have several in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/francesrobson?ref=si_shop if you would like some ideas.

Have some fun with your kids and they will have beautiful gifts for family and friends or a keepsake of a special time at the beach or a nature walk.

Let me know what you did and thanks for stopping by.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Hot Chicken Salad

2011-11-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

Good evening and come in out of the cold. We have had our first, mild, cold, winter day down here in Georgia. The wind has been blowing quite briskly the last 2 days and the temperature has dropped into the 40s at night but the days have been quite wonderful. The sun has been bright and warm and it has been beautiful. Of course, I would rather have hot and getting hotter but into every Southern Lady's life a little winter must fall and I will just have to pull out the sweaters and jackets.

As I was cleaning out the refrigerator today I realized I needed to do something with half a baked chicken and thought of several options but decided to try something new. Wanting something hot but easy I began looking at various recipes but nothing seemed to be what I wanted.
Chicken salad was on my mind but I wanted it hot and all the recipes I found were more casserole than salad and that is not what I was looking for. So I decided to base a chicken salad on a hot tuna salad we use to make tuna burgers but with a little twist. I had some lemons I needed to use and I know that dried cranberries are good in most everything so I began to cook.

This hot chicken salad was the results and Roy suggested it would also make a good, hot dip for crackers and I think so also. Tonight we ate it with Triscuits and I put mine on a bed of torn lettuce. The hot salad on the cold lettuce was good. It would also be good on toasted buns of your choice or croissants. Try it and let me know what you think.

Hot Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken – not shredded ½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped dill pickle
½ cup chopped apple – unpeeled
½ cup chopped bell pepper of banana pepper
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1/ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup salad dressing
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix chicken, onion, pickle, bell pepper, and chopped apple
Mix salad dressing and freshly squeezed lemon juice
Add salad dressing and lemon and mix well.
Fold in chopped eggs, cheeses and cranberries blending throughout.
Pour into casserole which has been sprayed with no-stick spray
Cover with additional grated cheddar cheese
Cover and bake until hot – about 30 minutes. Do not over bake.
Spread between hot, toasted buns of choice or serve with choice of crackers as a dip or spread
Can also be used as a main dish

I think if you sprinkled the canned fried onions or cracker crumbs on top that would be good also. Of course, like me you can leave out any ingredients you don't like or add others. Let me know how you changed it and I will add it to the recipe for others to see.

Ya'll come back to see us, be careful going home and thanks for dropping by my 'Net porch for a visit.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

The Doctor's Office

2011-10-29T14:24:00.001-04:00

Satsuma Tree - First Year's Crop

Good Saturday afternoon and come on in and watch the football games with us. We are watching Florida State beat NC State but waiting with great anticipation for Georgia (The Dawgs) to beat Univ. of Florida (The Gators). This is the site of the largest cocktail party in the South - Jacksonville, FL - so I am told. My friends say it is a grand ole party but I will take their word for it since I have not been. That is Saturday afternoon in the South - football, food and drinks.

Have you been to a doctor's office lately? We are going twice a week to Roy's doctor and I am hearing some really interesting information about lots of patients. The office is quite open with the receptionists located almost in the waiting room and they are very friendly and helpful. We feel like we are greeting old friends after about a month of weekly visits and appreciate the personal care we get. They are helpful and courteous and most attentive to the "old folks" who come in.

Recently a new patient - an elderly man - came in and was having difficulty filling out the 4 pages of information needed for new patients. The nice young man in the office came out and sat beside him and read all the questions to him and filled out all the forms. It was interesting to hear the answers and we had no problem hearing for the gentleman spoke loudly.

One of the questions was if he was married, single, divorced, etc. Instead of saying "married", he said that and began the long story of telling all about this wife, her illnesses, and that she lives in a nursing home. We then were told which nursing home and how often he visited her. This pattern went on of brief questions and looong answers. Then the question came, "Are you pregnant?" This was asked with a smile and the little man smiled back and said. "I hope not."

Everyone laughed with the gentleman except for one lady. She was sitting there with a sour look on her face and she turned to the man and said very sternly, "You are a man you can't be pregnant." Well, we all just looked at her and he said, "You are right but you never can tell" and we all about rolled in the floor. She huffed and puffed and didn't have any other comments. That Southern Gentleman shut her up very politely and I wanted to applaud but being a Southern Lady I just thought, "Bless her heart."

This last week we had "Miss Chatty Cathy" come in. I always have knitting with me or a book to read and don't talk a whole lot with other patients but she wanted to talk. She breezed in and spoke to everyone in the room and we all spoke back and went back to our reading, knitting or waiting for the doctor. All was quiet and peaceful and she looked at me and said, "Are those shoes Sketchers?" I didn't realize she was talking to me so she called me "Dearie" and asked again at which time I looked up and then looked at my shoes.

Now our good Southern Mama taught us not to ask people personal questions unless they were close friends so I was a little taken aback. I didn't answer her immediately and she asked again a little louder as if I was deaf. I finally looked at her and held back the answer I really wanted to say and said, "No, Walmart special." She immediately began to tell me that she sure thought they were Sketchers and how much she liked them and wanted to know where, when, and how much - all questions a polite lady would not have asked a perfect stranger. I continued knitting and politely ignored her but she impolitely asked again and I told here I didn't remember the price, when I bought them or which store.

I thought this would end the conversation but no way. She just kept on rattling on about this, that and the other as if I was interested or cared. After a few minutes, I politely excused myself and retired to the restroom hoping she would be in an exam room when I returned. I was blessed for she was gone when I returned and several looked at me with smiles and total understanding of the situation. Bless her heart, she was surely not raised by a good, Southern Mama or she would have known not to ask a total stranger personal questions about their wardrobe in a public place. Bless her heart.

These are just a couple of incidences I have had and I am sure there will be many more for we have several more trips to make. People in doctor's offices are kind of like customers in a beauty salon, some of them have to talk and talk and talk and tell you details you just as soon not know. It is intersting though and you get a chuckle every now and then.

Now ya'll be careful going home and I am about ready for a good SEC football game to begin. I have my snacks, my Diet Coke and a comfortable seat - all I need to enjoy my favorite sport.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Apple Sweet Potato Pie

2011-10-22T16:54:00.000-04:00

Bumper admiring the roses by frances robson

Good fall afternoon and come on in. It is an absolutely wonderful day down here in South Georgia for it is clear, sunny, and a little bit cool. The sky is so blue and the few fluffy, white clouds are a perfect touch. Love it!!

This will be a short posting for I have the shingles - not the kind you put on the roof - and am a lot uncomfortable. I am about to go to bed and take a long nap and see if the itching will stop for awhile. This is not a fun ailment to have and I hope I never have it again.

I made some pies yesterday and they turned out so well I want to share the recipe. I used the crockpot sweet potato apple sauce I made last week but I have written it without in case you don't have any. It is really good and I know you will enjoy it for my husband who is not crazy about sweet potatoes liked it. The apples add a wonderful flavor.

Let me know how you liked it and if you added any ingredients so I can try your way. I like to add ingredients and I bet you do too.

Apple Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato – 1 cup

2 medium apples – 1 cup

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp. apple pie spice mix

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:

1	Peel and slice sweet potato and apples and cook until tender. You will need 2 cups of potatoes and apples. Start the sweet potato while peeling and slicing the apples. They need a little longer cooking time.
2.	Drain the sweet potato and apples and mash together in a bowl with potato masher or fork. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, apple pie spice mix and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.
3	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools. If you have more than 2 cups, refrigerate the remainder and use as a spread on toast. It also freezes well Ya'll come back to see me Nuff said, The Georgia Peach

Sweet Potato and Apple Sauce in Crockpot

2011-10-13T23:41:00.000-04:00

Little Red House from Long Ago by frances robson

Good evening and come in for a visit. We have had another rainy late evening and early night and I love the sound of it on the roof. It is much needed and appreciated for our ponds were getting low and the fish really like the fresh water.

Today I had the privilege of cooking with 3 of favorite fall foods. I picked about 3 cups of peanuts off the plants, washed several times and boiled with a generous amount of salt. They are now done and soaking overnight in the salt water for me to eat tomorrow. You need to refrigerate them after about a day and you can freeze them for later if you like. This is a favorite Southern delight that many like although my husband does not. He loves them parched but not boiled. Not sure what his problem is but that's OK for it leaves more for me.

A friend brought me some sweet potatoes and I had some gala apples and I combined them like an applesauce. I cooked them in the crock pot and have put the recipe here for you to enjoy. To slice the potatoes thinly, I used the mandoline but you can slice them with a knife but they need to be really thin. For the orange juice I had to use the pasturized, bought juice for I didn't have any fresh ones but they would have been better but it still tastes good. I plan to use it as a spread for toast, a warm dessert with a little whipped topping on it or on a hot biscuit.

You can use it any way you would use sweet potato pie filling- pies, tarts or in casseroles. I am going to freeze it in 2 cup portions to use later. Try it an let me know what you think.

Crock pot Sweet Potato and Apple Sauce

8 cups peeled and thinly sliced sweet potatoes
8 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples
zest of 1 orange
2 tsps. Cinnamon
2 tsp. Apple pie spice mix
generous grating of nutmeg or ½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup orange juice
½ cup brown sugar

In crock pot layer the slices sweet potatoes and apples with the potatoes on the bottom layer. Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple pie spice mix over the apples and pour the orange juice over the the apples and sweet potatoes. Grate the orange zest over the juice, cover and cook until tender. After the mixture is tender, stir in the brown sugar, cover and cook until done. Mash with with potato masher then beat with electric beater until smooth. Store in refrigerator or freeze.
Use as you would applesauce – spread on toast, dessert, or use as a pie or tart filling.

Use for a sweet potato casserole using your favorite recipe.

It is good and Roy even liked it although sweet potatoes are not his favorite. Next time I think I will put about 1 cup raisins in it and see what that tastes like.

Ya'll be careful going home and let me hear from you.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

2011-10-10T15:16:00.000-04:00

Vegetables from Our Raised Beds

Good evening and come on in for a cup of coffee on this chilly, rainy, windy day in South Georgia. We need the rain and re thankful for each drop though the peanut farmer next to us wishes it had waited several days. He had turned his peanuts up to the top of the ground and they have to dry out before harvesting. Rain will lengthen this process and sometimes they turn sour so we hope the sun comes out tomorrow and dries them out.

In the cooler weather we like soups and dried bean soups are some of our favorites. We enjoy ham and dried bean soup a lot so I used that basic recipe and used smoked sausage as the basis. Using the dried bean and peas adds lots of protein and and flavor. I have used the canned beans but the dried ones are less expensive and are more flavorful and if you forget to soak them overnight, I have included instructions for cooking them quickly. A neat shortcut is to cook several cups of dried beans, use what you need for a recipe and freeze the remaining beans in 2 cup portions to use later. They freeze really well.

The sausage I used for this is a smoked sausage from a company here in South Georgia - D. E. Lee Sausage in Alma, Georgia.
It is a family owned and operated company in a little town and the quality is wonderful. Their meats are always my meat of choice when I need sausage of any kind. I recommend it highly.

This is the recipe and I hope you enjoy it.

Sausage Bean Soup

2 cups dried beans – a mixture of different dried beans of your choice
1 cup chopped onions
¾ or about – chopped bell peppers – mixing the colors if you like
1 tsp. Cumin
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 can tomatoes, okra and corn mixed
1 can of tomatoes - chopped
2 cups sliced smoked sausage
salt and pepper to taste (taste a couple of times for salt – the beans will need lots of salt.)
1 bay leaf

Add whatever types of seasonings you like – paprika, smokey paprika, parsley, or others you enjoy.

I use a mix of dried beans for variety. Using ¼ cup, or whatever you have of each, different varieties makes a pretty and tasty combination. Use whatever you have to make up about 2 cups of dried beans.
Soak beans overnight, drain, rinse, cover them with water and bring to a boil, simmer until tender. If you don't want to soak overnight, cover beans with water, bring to a boil, and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let sit for one hour.
Rinse beans and add to soup pot. Cover with 8 cups of water.
In frying pan, brown the sliced sausage until slightly browned and remove from pan.

Add the onions, peppers and garlic to sausage dripping and saute until wilted but not tender. Leave them slightly crispy. Add to the pot of beans with the cans of tomatoes and tomatoes, okra, and corn mix.
Stir in the seasonings and simmer for about 2 – 3 hours or until beans are tender and flavors are rich.
Freezes well and makes great leftovers.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful soup and let me know what you think about it. Make it your own by adding seasonings and ingredients to make it better and let me know so I can enjoy them too.

Going to sign off for we have just been issued a tornado warning for our area so I am going to begin monitoring the weather.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Blueberry Bacon Waffles

2011-09-30T17:18:00.000-04:00

Seagull by frances robson

Good evening and come on in for a visit. We can sit on the 'Net porch today for it is getting cooler which we are enjoying unless it gets cold. It was 87 at lunch and supposed to be 50 in the morning - welcome to South Georgia. This time of year we are up and down in temperature but just as long as it stays warm I am OK.

We spent several days at the beach on Jekyll Island GA last week and sure did hate to come home. Ya'll know how much I love the beach and would be happy to be living on the beach year around. I think I have finally figured out why I love it so much - I am the granddaughter of James Burt Williamson. Granddaddy Burt never saw a body of water he didn't like and preferred it had fish in it for he would fish every day if he could find a water hole with fish in it.

He carried several rods, reels, and tackle boxes in the trunk of his car all the time and when he left work he would find a pond, lake, creek or puddle of water to fish in before the went home. This was every day except Sunday for he did not fish on Sunday. In his 30's he became a bi-vocational preacher and was very strict in his observance of Sunday which meant not fishing.

It was interesting he did not eat the fish he caught. He would take it to someone he know would enjoy them and carry one or two home for Grandmother and Charlie or release them to catch again. Seafood would be eaten occasionally but not often. He just liked the sport of fishing and enjoyed sharing his catch with other people.

This may be where I got my love of being on the water, near the water or in the water and I prefer the beach. Any beach will do but I think my preference is the Gulf Coast for that is where we went as children but now Jekyll is my favorite for it is only about 2 1/2 hours away and the drive is easy and I am anxious to go back. Soon I hope but we will see.

This morning I wanted some waffles for breakfast and had a good blueberry pancake mix which makes good waffles also. I really like the Krusteaz brand but any good mix will be fine. I keep cooked bacon most of the time for I bake a pound at a time and keep it in the fridge. If you bake it on a broiler pan at 400 degrees for about 20 min. or until crisp, it shrinks much less than when you fry it and all the grease drains down into the pan. When you take it out of the oven, place the slices on paper towels and most of the grease is gone. We like it this way much better than fried.

I hope you will try the recipe and like I have suggested, make a double recipe and freeze some to pop in the toaster later for a quick breakfast. Let me know what you think about the addition of the lemon juice but I have found that lemon enhances the flavors of most fruit and brings out flavors and we like lemon. I usually use fresh lemon juice but had to use the bottled kind this morning but freshly squeezed would have been better. Enjoy!!

Blueberry Bacon Waffles

2 cups blueberry pancake mix
1 ½ cups water
2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
3 slices cooked bacon – chopped
1 tsp. Lemon flavoring

Mix water, lemon juice, oil and flavoring together. Pour over blueberry pancake mix and stir until mixed but do not over mix. Will be slightly lumpy. Fold in bacon.
Let rest about 3 minutes. Bake in hot waffle iron according to instructions for the waffle maker.
Serve with blueberry syrup or top with fresh blueberries and whipped cream.

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Sweet Potato Apple Butter Tart

2011-09-16T21:19:00.002-04:00

Sweet Potato Apple Butter Tart

Good evening and come on in or we can sit on the porch for it has cooled off and feels just right outside to sit and talk. It rained all around us us this afternoon and we didn't get any rain but we got the cool air and that is wonderful. Of course I realize that the hot weather is not gone but we are going to get a respite from the hot weather for a few days.

The Sweet Potato Apple Butter was so good I made this week I found another way to use it today. I made some tarts and baked them rather than fry them and they are really good so I want to share the recipe with you. They are quick and easy and if you don't have the homemade sweet potato butter to use, substitute sweet potato pie filling but this will add some sugar that is not in the homemade. All the sweetener I added was about 2 Tablespoons of honey.

I am trying not to use sugar in my recipes but either honey of maple syrup and the amount will depend on how sweet the potatoes and apples are. These were sweet so it needed just a little bit of honey. You can use about 1/4 cup of brown sugar if you would like or an artificial sweetener if you want it sweeter.

Baked Sweet Potato Apple Butter Tarts

I made 6 but you can make the number you would like.

6 frozen biscuits - thawed or the large size canned biscuits

2 Tbsp. filling per biscuit

cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

On floured surface, roll out the biscuits into circles. Roll as thin as you can without them tearing. As you roll, flip the dough several times so it will not stick. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling on one side of the dough circle, fold over the other half and press edges together. I roll the bottom edge over the top one, press together with a fork to seal. Use the fork to punch several holes in the top of the tarts, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and place on baking sheet. Place in preheated oven and bake until brown - about 20 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

These are low in fat and sugar and taste really good. Try them and let me know how they taste.

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me and enjoy the tarts.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Sweet Potato and Apple Butter

2011-09-14T20:56:00.000-04:00

Learning to Fly by frances robson

Good evening and come on in for a visit. I love this picture I took back in the spring of a baby mockingbird sitting in a rose bush outside our window. It was trying to learn how to fly and knew the rose bush would keep him safe and the rose was there to give him inspiration. He rested there for several minutes admiring the beauty.

Our roses have been and are still blooming well. I keep them trimmed back and they have done well but after all they are knockout roses and even I can grow them. I enjoy cutting them and bringing them in the house for they smell like old-fashioned roses and last for days. The bonus is that the more you cut them, the more they bloom.

I am still looking for low carb recipes and found a really good one. Dr. Mansberger said his wife like the sweet potato butter she bought at a Mennonite bakery in Thomasville, GA so I bought some and agreed with her. It is very good and I began looking for a recipe which would be similar. I found one and am sharing it with you and of course I made a few changes like I always do. It called for water but I used lemonade for I knew it would a little tartness and a little extra flavor but next time it could be cranberry juice or whatever I have. Apple juice would probably be best since you have apples in it. Try it and let me know what you think. Just click on the comment box at the bottom of the blog.

Sweet Potato and Apple Butter

Ingredients

4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into slices about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples
1 tsp. cinnamon or to taste
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 cup lemonade – or apple juice, water, cranberry juice or juice of choice

How to make it

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes and apples with a mandolin if possible. If you don't have a mandolin slice thinly with a sharp knife.
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir. Cook on high until sweet potatoes are fully cooked. Takes at least 4 hours.
Mash or beat with an electric mixer until well blended.
This mixture will be a little thicker than apple butter.
If you put it in hot jars with fresh lids and bands it will seal and you can put in your pantry.
If not canned it will hold in the refrigerator for several weeks

I plan to use it on toast, English muffins, pound cake, or eat it by the spoonfuls.

Ya'll come back and be careful going home.

Nuff Said,

The Georgia Peach

Breakfast

2011-09-13T07:36:00.000-04:00

Jekyll Island GA Friend

Good morning and I'm not dead or sick just procrastinating. I am a master of this and have not posted because I have been lazy but as I told a friend at school last week, I have earned the right to be lazy if I want to. He agreed with me and said he was looking forward to retirement when he could be lazy too.

We are going to a new doctor for pain management for my sweet husband and sweetheart and it is working. He is having acupuncture for chronic pain related to a back problem and after the second treatment his pain is better and we are looking forward to continued progress.

Dr. Mansberger in Thomasville GA is the doctor and he also suggested we begin a no carb or low carb diet for sugar makes pain spike. We have begun trying and are cutting back but breakfast was challenging but I am finding some good ideas. We needed to leave off the grits (Roy's favorite food) and cut back on the bread so these are some ideas I am using. These can also be used for anyone and are some good ideas for easy and quick breakfasts.

In preparation for breakfast:

Bake sausage patties in the oven and store in refrigerator or freezer
Bake a couple of pounds of bacon and do the same
Chop peppers - bell, banana, and hot if you like and store in fridge
Chop an onion and do the same
Keep cherry tomatoes or your choice of tomato types
Grate cheeses of choice and store in fridge

Super Duper Scrambled Eggs
Beat eggs - 2 per person - until frothy and set aside.
Crumble the bacon or sausage and put in hot skillet. Add onion and peppers and saute until warm and add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the shredded cheese and chopped tomato and scramble until done.

Pour into serving bowl and sprinkle with additional cheese if you like.

I serve this with 1 slice of whole wheat sandwich thin and applesauce.

For a quick, to-go breakfast, roll a serving in a flour tortilla and eat as you go. This would be a good idea for children also they can eat this on the way to school.

You can add any ingredient which you like to the eggs such as hot peppers, ham, or seasonings of choice.

Having all the ingredients cooked or chopped and stored in fridge makes it quick and easy and teens could fix their own nutritious breakfast. You can also use egg substitutes if you like.

Try this and let me know what you think and I'm going to fix some eggs.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

2011-09-04T07:33:00.000-04:00

Gulf Shores, AL by frances robson

Good Sunday morning to all of you. I hope you are having a wonderful, holiday weekend and plan to go to church this morning for starting the day off with Bible study and worship will make it a better day. The recreation will wait until you re-create your soul.

It is beginning to sprinkle here, thank goodness and I hope it will eventually rain for we are pretty dry here. Everything is sort of droopy and wilted outside and the dust is really bad. I hate to think it will ruin your holiday but I think we need the rain more.

The recipe I am posting today has become a favorite for us. I planted 1 Japanese eggplant in the spring and we have gathered and are still gathering lots of eggplant. I like these for they grow long and slender and when you slice them, they are all about the same diameter. Fried is the way we like them best but I don't fry anything much anymore so I tried the roasted in the oven and it is delicious.

If you think the recipe looks incomplete, I didn't put specific measurements for it will depend on how many you bake. It usually takes about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil for 2 eggplant and I season according to taste. I use about 4 or 5 leaves of fresh basil and a generous sprinkling of the Italian seasoning, a little salt and freshly ground pepper. This is according to your own taste. The slices are about 1/4 inches thick but I sure don't measure so some are little more. If you slice too thinly, they will burn.

A friend of ours tried this last week and loved it even though they are not especially fond to eggplant. It's kind of like potato chips - you can't eat just one. I hope you will try it and you can use any eggplant but the Japanese are the best I have found.

Oven Roasted Eggplant

Eggplant sliced thinly – I like the Japanese eggplant
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped basil
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Slice eggplant into thin slices – I leave the peeling on – into glass bowl. Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and other seasonings and toss gently – I use my hands. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 20 minutes. You want them crisped but not brown.

Leave a comment if you tried this and let me know how you liked it or what changes you suggest for I am always open to suggestions.

Ya'll have a good Sunday and holiday. Have some fun and rest.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Quick Shrimp Scampi

2011-08-25T11:51:00.006-04:00

Jekyll Island, GA by frances robson

Good morning and come on in for a visit. As you can tell by my pictures I need a beach fix and Jekyll is my favorite place to visit and I hope to go soon. Jekyll and seafood always go together and there are a couple of places over there which make wonderful shrimp scampi so I found a way to make it myself until I can get over there.

I found Sea Pak's frozen shrimp scampi at SAM's club last week in the frozen seafood section and it is very good. The shrimp are frozen coated in the sauce and as you cook it, the sauce is made. They are also individually frozen so you can pour out as many as you like and keep the remainder frozen. I used 6 shrimp per person for they are nice and big but you could use more or less per person. I didn't want any leftovers for it is so easy I would rather make it fresh.

If you use frozen seafood or fish, adding fresh lemon juice gives it a fresh flavor and it doesn't taste like it has been frozen. With this recipe, I suggest you use freshly squeezed lemon juice and the zest, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and fresh tomatoes. You can buy the little cherry tomatoes year around and they taste good even in the winter.

You cook the thin spaghetti or vermicelli as you cook the scampi, drain it and keep it warm until you get ready to serve it. I also have some freshly grated Parmesan on the table to sprinkle over the individual portions if you like.

Let me know if you like this and your additions.

Quick Shrimp Scampi

Frozen Sea Pak Shrimp Scampi – 4- 6 per serving
2 -3 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ – ½ cup chopped peppers – red and green bell peppers or banana peppers, or hot red – mix to suit your tastes
1 lemon – juice and zest
1 cup cherry tomatoes – cut in half
Parmesan Cheese
Cooked linguine or thin spaghetti

The shrimp scampi is frozen and the shrimp are coated with the scampi sauce.

Heat skillet with about 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil until hot. Add the peppers and saute slightly – leave slightly crisp. Add the shrimp – I use 6 shrimp per helping but you can use less or more. Add the lemon juice and zest. As you stir, the sauce will be formed from the shrimps' coating. Cook just until the shrimp turn pink, add the tomatoes and grate a liberal amount of Parmesan cheese on top, taste to see it you want to add more salt and pepper, stir gently, cover, turn off the heat and heat for about 1 minute.

Serve over the cooked linguine.

This is good, quick and easy.

Serve with slaw or tossed salad, toasted french bread and you have a wonderful meal.

Ya'll come back to see me and enjoy the recipe.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Don't Forget Your Roots

2011-08-14T20:34:00.003-04:00

Good evening and come on in for a visit on an early Sunday evening. It has been a wonderful day of Sunday School, worship and a long afternoon nap to re-create for the coming week. I so enjoy going to church and worship, fellowship and renew for the coming days but the greatest joy is worshipping the Alpha and Omega - God of the beginning and the end and everything in between. So ya'll just come on in to help me complete my day with good fellowship.

The picture above is taken beside the door into the home where we grew up in Camden, AL. Our home was in a smaller community named Canton Bend about 5 miles from Camden which made us country folk. Daddy worked in town as a Soil Conservationist but planted huge gardens, raised cows, chickens, once some rabbits, and 3 children. Mama was a stay at home mother and worked part time in several places but mostly she mothered us wonderfully and was a beloved and respected wife.

It was a warm, loving and Godly family but we were not a unit until ourselves. We were an integral part of our town - Camden for that is where daddy worked, we attended church and school, and it was where we spent our early lives. The people in this small town helped raise us and we carry bits and pieces of these people in our lives today for they taught us in school, at church, and by they way they lived in front of us. Their examples were mostly positive but if it was not acceptable we loved them anyway for we were taught that everyone has value and we were to respect them and accept them as they were and just shake our heads and say, "Bless their hearts."

On Facebook someone from Camden started a group called You Know You Are From Camden, Al if.... and people from that area are posting their memories of our home town. It is wonderful for I have been reunited with old friends, made new friends, met children of old friends and scratched my memory to remember some of those who are posting and what they are talking about. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I'm not, then I ask my brother but he doesn't always remember either so we just shake our heads and keep reading.

We moved from Camden about 40 years ago and in that time much has happened - many have left, many have come and there have been many changes. We would visit at least once a year or more often but we always spent most of our precious time at our home out in the country with our parents for they were the reason we were there but we were somewhat aware of the changes. However, most of our memories are from the years past and it has been good, through this group, to become aware of how our hometown has changed through the years and how many of the children we knew have grown up.

I have made several observations about the postings of this group which is composed of about 4 decades of ages. It ranges from 70's down to the 30's and occasionally a few younger ones which makes it multi-generational and quite interesting for we get memories from many years. This gives we older ones the opportunity to share early memories with the younger ones about their parents and grandparents which is wonderful for them. For the older ones, we can follow the progression of the years through those children we taught and helped raise as they grew up and learn some things maybe we don't need to know but are enjoying. My children are saying, "Mama, you didn't really do that did you?" Well, yeah, I was a teenager once.

It is also an opportunity to help the younger ones to know the history of their families, why we have certain customs, what happened to change Camden, and most of all, who were the people who helped shape that area and the people who live there. Hopefully they will appreciate the lives who built and shaped Camden through the years. It is an opportunity for all of us to appreciate the love and hard work that made Camden and us what and who we are.

One of the observations I have made which is exciting for me are the people who have been named as those who are most remembered and respected. It seems that school teachers top the list and what a statement that is about the wonderful people who have taught through the years at the schools in Camden and Wilcox county. It is interesting that many of them were the teachers who were the strictest, the hardest, and the best. They were our friends but not our pals and taught not only a subject but how to live as a responsible adult and contribute positively to society. They taught us discipline, hard work and how to enjoy life. They were and are great examples for us to follow.

Two other groups which are well represented are the preachers, Sunday School teachers, Scout leaders, and law enforcement officers. Does this make a statement about the quality of these people? You bet it does for they have been remembered with fondness and respect. It also says something about how successfully they helped raise us that we can now recognize how much they impacted our lives in a positive way.

There are stories I could tell, people I could name, memories I could share but I have the link above and you can go and read some of these memories. I hope you were raised by a whole town like we were for it leaves wonderful memories, some sad but mostly happy, about who and what made us who we are and I am proud of where I came from. I still have my roots firmly planted there even if I am far away.

Ya'll be careful going home and I hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane.

Nuff said,
The Georgia Peach, transplanted from Alabama

The Front of the Andrews House across from the Camden National Bank

Peach Pound Cake Dump Cake

2011-08-06T15:16:00.003-04:00

Peach Pound Cake Dump Cake by frances robson

Good evening and come on in for a dish of warm peach dump cake. It smells so good and as soon as it gets a little cooler we are going to have a dish with some ice cream on top. I love the mixture of the cool and hot and as hot as it is today, we need some cool. We are so thankful for air conditioning but I am not complaining for my family in Texas has it much hotter than I do. They are also much dryer and we are all praying for rain.

This dessert I am sharing is from my favorite fruit - no exceptions. Fresh peaches are like nectar from the gods and taste so good. We grew peaches when we were growing up on a farm in South Alabama and sold them. Mama also made everything you could with peaches - preserves, canned, frozen and pickled. Her pickled peaches were a great treat at holidays.

We are fortunate enough to live in the center of a peach growing area and can buy them straight out of the orchards or pick them ourselves. I leave the picking to someone else but I will surely buy and eat them. When it is peach season we have fresh peaches almost every day and I will just wash them off, cut them in half, remove the pits and eat them peeling and all. I just love them.

The season is over down here but we were in middle Georgia this week and were able to buy some fresh ones. We are enjoying them raw but I also like to make dump cakes with them. When I looked into my pantry the only cake mix I had was a vanilla pound cake mix so I used that. I also added 1/4 cup brown sugar to give it a richer flavor and it worked. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did. It is a really good dessert so try it and let me know.

Peach and Pound Cake Dump Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1- 9 oz. Vanilla Pound cake mix
2 – 3 cups peaches – peeled and sliced
¼ cup – oatmeal, not instant
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 stick butter
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon

8x11 inch baking dish sprayed with butter flavored non-stick spray

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with the sliced peaches. Shake the dish slightly to evenly distribute the peaches. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. Cinnamon and the brown sugar. Zest the lemon over the peach mixture and pour the lemon juice over the peaches. Sprinkle the dried pound cake mix over the peach mixture then the oatmeal. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cover the top with the sliced butter. You can slice the butter easily if it is cold. Bake until the top is browned about 40 to 45 minutes.

I hope you will try it and leave me a comment.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Plarn Crocheted Bags

2011-07-28T07:26:00.011-04:00

Good morning, ya'll. Come on in and have a cup of coffee and I will explain why I have a pictures of "pocket books". This is what we called purses or bags back in the olden days before they became known as bags or totes.

As you know, I like to crochet, knit, loom knit, and just generally play with thread and yarns to make stuff. I also like for it to be quick and easy and if I can recycle, it's even better. In a library book about bags to make, I found the instructions for crocheting strips made from plastic bags. I was fascinated by the idea and began a hobby which I enjoy and saves hundreds of plastic bags from the landfills.

I found several good websites about this idea and discovered it is called "plarn" or plastic yarn. Rather than bore you with details, I am attaching several websites you can look at and see how I make these bags.Each one is different for I have to change the directions on each one to make it mine. I like to add buttons, shells, yarn and string to decorate them.

This is my favorite website about plarn, www.myrecycledbags.com/, for she does a fantastic job with designing and explaining the process. Planet M Files has great pictures and instructions for making the plarn and you can find them at http://planetmfiles.com/2008/09/06/how-to-make-plarn/. These 2 sites will show you how and what some creative people are doing with this hobby.

These are the instructions for my basic bag but I design new patterns with each one for I let my imagination go and see what happens.

Basic Plarn Tote Pattern

Materials: Several large balls of plarn (plastic bag yarn)
Crochet Hook: Metal J or K

chain 25

Rnd 1
Sc in 2nd ch from hook in each chain.
Continue to the corner end st, work 2 Sc in end st. Continue around and down the back side of chain by working a Sc in every stitch of chain, work 2 Sc in end st.

Rnd 2
Sc in each st down to first end. Work 2 Sc in the two end sts, and then SC in ea st down to other end. Work 2 Sc in ea of the two end sts. Do not connect at end of rounds, just continue working Sc in each st to create a seamless bag bottom.

Rnd 3 – Same as row 2 but 2 Sc in the 3 end sts.
Rnd 4 – Same as row 3 but 2 Sc in the 4 end sts.

Rnd 5 - Change to Hdc
Hdc in each st around entire bag continuing until you have it as deep as you like. I like mine to be about 14 inches deep.

Top Edging:
Row 1 – Sc around in each stitch around the bag. Join to the first Sc.
Row 2-4
Ch 2- Hdc in each Sc around the bag and join with Sl St in top of Ch 2.
Row 5
Ch1 , Sc in each stitch around the bag and join with sl st to the Ch1 and end off by leaving a length of yarn to weave in (to secure the end), cut the yarn. Pull the cut end of the yarn through the final loop that is left on the hook.

Straps (Make two)
I like to make my straps and attach them to the sides with yarn or plarn.

Chain 5 stitches.
Turn and SC in each of the 5 stitches

Continue until desired lengths are reached. I usually make mine about 18 inches long. You can make it shorter or longer and finish off.

To attach the straps I thread a needle used to make seams in crochet. Place one end of the strap about 2 inches from the side of the front or back of the bag and about 1 ½ inches down the bag on the inside. Sew the strap to the bag using an X pattern. Do the same for the other side and the back piece of the bag. If you use a contrasting yarn or heavy twine, it adds a decorative X to the bag. You can also attach them to the front of the bag and sew a button on each end of the strap for embellishment.

Abbreviations:
Ch - Chain
Hdc - Half Double Crochet
Plarn - Plastic Bag Yarn
Rnd - Round
Sc - Single Crochet
Sl St - Slip Stitch
St – Stitch
If you have any questions about these instructions, please email me at fprobson@yahoo.com
This pattern is copyrighted by Frances Robson and may only be used for private individual use. No commercial sales or use is permitted. Links to this pattern are acceptable. ©2010

This is my first tutorial so forgive me if it is not correct. I tend to free crochet but I usually begin with chain 25 for a medium size tote and will chain 35 for a large one.

You can check my Etsy site for some pictures of my bags. http://www.etsy.com/shop/francesrobson?ref=si_shop

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me sometimes.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

Baked T Bone Steak

2011-07-26T18:43:00.006-04:00

Lake Eufaula Alabama by frances robson

Good evening and come on in out of the rain and I say that with joy. We are dry down here in south Georgia and need every drop we can get. The sound of rain is beautiful and is a good time for reading and napping. So come on in for a cup of coffee for I have a couple recipes to share with you.

We like steak and I like to grill them on a griddle on top of the stove but I have a problem. Our smoke alarm is so sensitive that when I grill the steaks, the alarm goes off and then I get a phone call from the alarm company. We also don't like to fire up our gas grill for 2 or 3 steaks so I began to look for a way to bake them so they would be tender and juicy.

I found this recipe on the Net and added my own touches to it and we like the results. Before you put the steaks into the dish you can sear them in a hot griddle if you like but they are good if you don't.

Baked T-Bone steaks

4 T-Bone steaks
1/2 bottle Worcestershire sauce
1 sm. jar liquid smoke
1 c. red wine or beef broth
Salt & Pepper to taste
Optional - garlic powder, onion powder, or other seasonings of choice

This can be halved easily

Line baking dish with heavy foil. Put steaks in dish. Mix and pour all ingredients over steaks. Bake, uncovered at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or until cooked to your taste. The cooking time depends on the thickness of the steaks and how done you like your steaks. For 1 inch steak, medium done, I cook about 20 – 30 minutes. Remove from dish, place on cutting board, cover with foil and let rest for about 5 minutes and serve. I like to slice them into thin slices across the grain and serve. The juices are delicious served on the side to pour over baked potatoes.

I served these with baked potatoes, split and the pan juices poured over them, green bean salad and toasted french bread.

Try this and let me know what you think.

Smoothies are one of our favorite breakfast meals and this one is a favorite. The mango juice I use is bought at SAMS Club and is in individual packages of about 11 oz. but I also the juice I buy in the jar. The best tasting is the one I buy in the ethnic section and is pure juice with no sugar added. This smoothie is delicious and is good any time of the day.

Peach Mango Smoothie

1 ½ cup mango juice
2 peaches – peeled and sliced or 1 cup frozen peaches
2 cartons peach yogurt
1 cup milk

Blend all ingredients in blender. Makes 2 smoothies

I hope you enjoy these and let me know what you think.

Ya'll be careful going home and come back to see me. Try the recipes and let me know what you think.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach

The Kitchen Table

2011-07-21T13:31:00.007-04:00

Good morning and come on in for the coffee is hot and the air conditioning is on. We are experiencing summer in the the South and it is hot even in the early morning but I am not complaining. I love the summer, heat, humidity and all, so come on in for a visit.

It was interesting last week when I heard an interview on how to encourage positive interaction between family members, some of the suggestions which were given by the "experts." In other words, they were suggesting ways to get family members to talk to each other and one of the suggestions was to have family meals at least once a day. Well, hello, we've been knowing that for years for the kitchen table was and is the center of our family for generations.

As we were growing up, the kitchen table was the place where most communication between the family and visitors took place. The kitchen is on the front of the house and one of the two main entrances was into the kitchen and everything began there. The table was where we dumped everything as we came in and then we looked for food. I can hear mama saying now, "Put your books, coats, toys, and various other objects in your room" for our table quickly became covered with everything but food. It was the place we put everything in our hands so we get something that mama had cooked.

It was the place where our days began and ended for we always had 3 hot meals together. Breakfast, dinner and supper were prepared by mama every day and it was all served at the kitchen table with all of the family and anyone else in the house present. It was not optional and it was eaten with great enjoyment for it was always good. The only added element was the radio playing softly in the background sometimes but not always and we would talk and talk.

In the mornings, we would discuss what we were going to be doing during the day. If it was during the school year we had to assure mama that homework was completed, review spelling words, and make sure we had our lunch money if it was on Monday. The day would be planned as we ate the delicious, hot, breakfast mama had prepared and Daddy always said we had to eat our grits for they are "brain food" and we did.

Dinner was our big meal of the day even if we were in school for mama cooked her main meal for noon. Whoever was at the house at noon time would have a big meal of great food and much conversation. Daddy would bring home whoever was in his office and mama never seemed to mind for we didn't have a phone and daddy would just show up with another person or 2. As I look back, I bet mama would grit her teeth, count to ten, and smile but want to kill him sometimes for she would think it wasn't good enough for company. I can tell you from experience that whatever she had cooked was good and plentiful. The food would be delicious and conversation would flow and it would be difficult to leave the table and if we were not pressed for time, we would sit there for and hour or more just eating and talking and talking and eating and talking some more.

Supper would be leftovers but that was OK for the leftovers were as good as the "first overs." It was just the dinner meal reheated and added to and plentiful and delicious as always. Occasionally we would have something special but whatever it was it would be accompanied by conversation. The day was reviewed and we would share with each other all the event of the day and eat, talk and eat, and sit there for a couple of hours sometimes. Communication flowed freely and then the table was cleared, coffee or another glass of tea of milk was poured and we would listen to the radio or play games, read, put puzzles together or a million other activities. The kitchen table was the center of our activities together for didn't have TV or other mind grabbing electronics to steal our family time.

The last activity of the day would be our daily Bible reading and prayer time and it was often be done at this table too. Daddy would read the daily Bible reading and the comments from the Open Window, we would each pray and off to bed. Often mama and daddy would stay at the table and mama would sew while daddy read the paper or they listened to the radio.

That table was the center of our family and as we married and would bring our families home, it stayed the center of the family and still is when we all get together. We can still sense mama and daddy sitting at that table and I know they are looking down and smiling at the togetherness which still flows around the same table.

From experience with my family I would urge that you have at least one meal a day sitting around a table with TV and other electronic toys shut off, ear plugs out, cell phones shut off and in another room and eat and talk. It is amazing how much you can share with each other when not distracted by "electronic" mind grabbers and sharing your thoughts, joys, tears, laughter and dreams will help a family stay connected and healthy. The meal doesn't have to be fancy, can be deli bought, sandwich or take out or heaven's forbid, actually cooked by a family member but eat together and see what happens. As my brothers used to say, "I double-dog dare you" and let me know what happens.

It is special place and I hope you have a "kitchen table" at your house, we do.

Nuff said,

The Georgia Peach