Hometown Girl

what's for breakfast? Nell's pancakes

When I think of pancakes, I think of my grandmother, Nellie. She was a wonderful grandmother. We stayed with her and my grandfather often as children and she was famous for her pancakes. They are not your typical thick, fluffy ones, but more like crepes. I make them for my children and think of her and my grandfather fondly whenever I do. I can still picture the two of them in their tiny little kitchen feeding us with smiles like there was no place on earth they'd rather have been. Makes me miss them both.

Nell's Famous Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

dash of salt

1 tsp of sugar

Whisk all ingredients together. (Batter is very soupy). Heat vegetable oil until hot before pouring batter into pan. Makes enough for three hungry children. When I make them for all of us (5), I double the recipe. Serve with warmed maple syrup & fresh berries!

Hope you all enjoy this beautiful Fall day.

Thank you to all our Veterans for serving our Country so bravely.

God Bless.

~ Susan

Up to my ears

Hi sweet friends.

Thank you for stopping by.

I'm up to my ears in life and making cuffs for a custom order. Hopefully, the next couple of days I can get accomplished what I need to and take care of some things at home. One of them being a sick kiddo.

Hope to be back in the swing of things mid-week. Hope you all have a great start to the week!

~Susan

I Hope You Dance

The title of one of my favorite songs. My husband gave me a book based on the song awhile back. One of my favorite lines.

Give the Heavens above more than just a passing glance.

 

 

Have a beautiful day.

~Susan
 

An Autumn Afternoon

“But I remember more dearly autumn afternoons in bottoms that lay intensely silent under old great trees”.

-   C. S. Lewis

 

 

 

 

~Susan

Talking turkey, well sort of.

This year we will be hosting both Thanksgiving & Christmas for our families. Did I mentioned I have never cooked the Turkey? We've done both holidays before but someone else brought the bird! Despite my lack of "turkey" experience, it seems we are back in the saddle again and we will be cooking the bird this time. In preparation for the upcoming festivities I'm thinking about the table settings, centerpieces and other little details.  

My virtual shopping spree courtesy of Pottery Barn.

Aren't' these dishes just the sweetest? 

 

Love this classic stemware.

 

I actually own a set of these "caterer's" dishes. I love their simplicity, they show off the food beautifully.

 

Love this shiny new flatware.

 

Isn't' this platter charming?

 

I'm lucky enough to have some beautiful pieces given to me by mother, grandmothers and gifts I've received over the years so most of these will probably never see my table but it's sure fun to virtual shop!

This is the first of several Thanksgiving posts I'll tackle before the Holiday is upon us. Thanks so much for stopping by. 

~Susan
 

what's for dinner? mac & cheese with beef

Come on in and stay awhile.

Join us for some homemade mac & cheese. I make this for the kids and they love it. I figure it's better than the boxed stuff, I know exactly what's inside. I add ground sirloin to make it hearty.

Cook up some elbow macaroni til it's al dente. I use one pound of ground sirloin, add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and whatever cheeses I have on hand. Cook and break apart the meat as you go til it's thoroughly cooked. This version I used fontina,  velveta and parm. I cook until everything is melted nicely together. I usually add  a little water so it's not too thick. Mixed in the cooked pasta and put into a baking dish. I sprinkle with bread crumbs and a couple bits of butter. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until the top is crusty.

I always buy the low fat crescent rolls to have on hand. Before rolling them up I put some Olivio, garlic powder and a sprinkle of cheese. It makes them a litte more special.

Hope you enjoyed your visit. See you soon. ~ Susan

New banner made by Abby of Mavora. Thanks Abb, you rock!
 

eat cake

it's Monday!

 Hope your week is off to a good start!

~ Susan

What's for Dinner, a Chill in the Air & Chili on the Stove

Fall has arrived here, with it's cool days & cooler nights. There is nothing is better than gathering with family, a warm pot of chili on the stove, and a football game on TV.

I love to cook and entertain our family & friends. I tend to keep things simple from the menu to the setup. With that said I still spent most of the day in the kitchen preparing this simple menu. I made a pot of chicken chili, I use Ina Garten's recipe for the most part.  I keep the pot of chili right on the stove and let everyone help themself. I serve it with bowls filled with tortilla chips, sour cream & shredded cheddar cheese. The kids love dressing up their chili!

Picture from Foodnetwork! I forgot to photograph the chili :)

I made my now famous homemade bread and a beautiful apple crisp.

I really need to invest in an apple peeler for these times, that's the worst part of baking with apples. I looked up several recipes but since this is one thing you can bake without measuring I was in business. I peeled about 12 apples, three different varieties, I always squeeze with lemon juice to keep them from getting brown. I add sugar, cinamom & a touch of nutmeg to the apples. For the topping I used oatmeal, flour, brown sugar & butter. I didn't measure I just mixed it all up with my fingers until I got a nice crumbly mixture.

A good time was had by all! Enjoy the weekend, thanks for visiting.

~Susan

can you imagine my delight?

I've been kicking around the idea of buying a polaroid for months and I happened to mention it to my parents as they were leaving our house after Sunday dinner (pics & menu to come!) my father said, "Oh I think we have an old polaroid in the closet, I'll check when we get home". I was so excited, he called awhile later and said he had found it! My mom brought it to me this morning, I think I squealed! It was in the case, instructions, film, everything was there minus the battery which is good cause I'm sure that would have been bad. I found a place, ordered the battery and some film. I can't wait to play around with it! The film in the box had a date of 1971!

Isn't it cool? It reminds me of the ones you would see the news people with. I'll let you know when I get it up and running. Enjoy the week!!

A little change of plans I reopened yesterday, Susie Harris is featuring my shop tomorrow (wednesday) and I want to be open for her readers! See you soon, lots to do!

p.s. I've already added about a dozen new things so be sure to stop by.

Things change

I was out in the yard today and this beautiful red leaf caught my eye. It seemed out of place in the middle of the expansive green lawn. It reminded me how not only the seasons change but life too.  I didn't realize until after my Grandpa passed away that my grandparents anniversary is this weekend. I think he must have figured that spending the last two away from my Grandma was enough.  

See you soon. ~ Susan