Bell Buckle Craft Fair

Hey Y'all! Mark your calendars! The big Bell Buckle craft fair is coming up next month. Bell Buckle, as we call this craft fair for short, is scheduled for Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, 18th. It is a huge craft fair put on by the town of Bell Buckle in Tennessee which is about an hour and twenty minutes away from our area. It is made up of about 150 booths and vendors set up for The Webb School and around 500 additional vendors are always there set up in yards and throughout the town. There are also local shops and the antique stores.

Bell Buckle, TN is a very small and cozy town located south of Murfreesboro. We have made it tradition in our family and several of us are seen there every year. We generally spend Saturday there looking, buying and eating! It's always a good time as the weather is cool in the morning and nice in the afternoon for a wonderful October day craft fair.

So get those comfortable walking shoes out and your fanny pack! Hope to see you there!

http://www.bellbucklechamber.com/events.html

A Biscuit A Tasket

Last weekend I found pork tenderloin on sale at the grocery. I never buy tenderloin because I think it's a little pricey but this time I was all in. So yesterday during my daily jog I was thinking of what to make for supper and the tenderloin came to mind. I could have Shaun grill the meat while I made the sides.. inside. When I started hunting for canned biscuits in the refrigerator I came up short. So I pulled out a cookbook all about biscuits called "The Rise Of The Southern Biscuit" by Maryann Byrd that I had purchased after watching the wonderful documentary on an NPT telethon a couple of years ago. I searched through and found a quick and easy recipe. To my dismay the ingredients that I thought were staples in my kitchen were not there for me this time. I didn't have any all-purpose flour.. which I always have and I had no buttermilk... which I never have. I made my own buttermilk by using 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to a measuring cup and filling the rest of the way to 1 cup with regular milk. You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar. Alas, I still had my flour problem. I thumbed through and found another recipe using self-rising flour. I threw them together and turned out pretty pleased with my results. It's a quick recipe in a pinch.

Mother's Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold buttermilk
3 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour and salt together, cut butter into flour using a pastry cutter or fork, add buttermilk and stir in slowly until dough ball forms a soft ball. Kneed dough on lightly floured surface 10 to 15 times. Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 inch cookie cutter and place on greased cookie pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

I brushed them with a little melted butter when they came out of the oven. They had a surprising lift to them and weren't dry and crumbly when we ate them.

The recipe made about 16 biscuits.

A Recipe For "Me Time"

Now you tell me... who doesn't need a little me time?  Here's a recipe that I hope you will enjoy for a soothing body bath soak.  It makes enough to last a while but not recommended to use every day. 

Me Time Bath Soak

1/2 cup baking soda
1 cup epsom salt
1/2 cup dry milk
1 cup sea salt
1 envelope powdered drink mix (like Kool Aid) - your favorite flavor recommended

Mix ingredients together and store in a pretty glass container.  Use 2 tablespoons for a quick soak and 4 tablespoons if you actually have 15 minutes or more to soak.  The drink mix is optional but adds a little fun color to your bath and a nice aroma.  I have used lemonade and grape in the past.  Feel free to accompany this Me Time Bath Soak with a cold bottle of water or Kahlua and milk followed by a good book and a restful night's sleep.

A Super Duper Summer

Happy Tuesday All! Last night I was scrolling back through a ton of pictures on my digital camera and realized.... "what a wonderful summer it has been!" Since fall is upon us I thought I could get your memory juices flowing and challenge you to think back and name just five wonderful things that happened to you over the summer. Maybe it was a family vacation, something you learned how to do, something you did for yourself or somebody else or maybe just time you spent doing your favorite things.



Here's what I came up with for myself:

1. I GOT MARRIED!!


2. I learned how to make cantaloupe and watermelon popsicles.


3. Got to spend my first summer with my pets and new husband in our new home.


4. Won 1st place at the county fair.


5. Started this fabulous blog just for me and you!

As I started my list I realized there are so many more wonderful things that occurred during summer 2009. I love having my flickr account and digital camera so that I can go back and see things that I did and things that caught my eye. We are all so blessed!

Now, if you want to, take a second and leave a comment letting me know what wonderful things you did this summer!

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Howdy doo all! Well it's Monday and after a tough weekend full of sadness at the loss of one of my beloved best friends, Sipsey Maye Alabama Brown, my 11 1/2 year old dog, I've sort of been at a loss for words today. Not wanting to cry I think I'll just post something sweet. So please enjoy this recipe.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup powdered cocoa

1/3 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups oats

In a medium saucepan, bring the first four ingredients to a rapid boil and boil for three minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla and oats. Stir until combined. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper and allow to cool.

Have A Jog And A Smile

Yesterday while on my semi-daily walk/jog I call exercise I decided to try a breathing technique that I have used for a long time in other ways. I've not trained or been in marathons so I'm not sure if this is something that is taught but it worked for me and should for you too.

It's a simple four-count method. You breathe in deeply through your nose for four counts (which goes along with your steps), hold for four count, exhale through your mouth four count and wait four count. Then do the process over and over again.

This helped me to control my heart rate as well as gave me something to concentrate on besides how far I'd been. I didn't tire as quickly and truthfully was ready to make another lap when I'd gone as far as I normally do. I was even up for some stretch exercises when I got back to the house.

Last year for Christmas I asked for a pedometer which Shaun bought for me and I love! It tells me how many steps I've made, how far I've been, how many calories I've burned and even how long it took. Since I walk our abnormally long driveway plus some it's hard to just know how far I've gone without it. When I used to run at the park I never knew how far I'd been, I only knew how long it took which was still ok just to time myself. But for around eight dollars you can easily calculate your every step.

Exercise is important although I admit I do go through spurts of time without doing so myself. Fall is a good time of the year to get outside and walk with cooler evenings!

Vintage Bed Sheet Goodness

There's nothing like a hot summer day and cool summer sheets. The feel of old sheets that have been washed a trillion times and are so thin you can see daylight through them as you flap them over the bed... it's a comfort you can't get anywhere else but home.

There are some yard sales that I just can't pass up digging through that box of old sheets. Looking for bright colors, flowers from the seventies and stripes that they just don't make anymore. Sometimes they are in need of a new hem on the pillowcase, sometimes they are just perfect.

Mixing and matching different pillow cases to sheets depending on the season is becoming a favorite thing. The softness of vintage linens is like no other.

I usually keep them put away during the winter, cool months and pull out flannel sheets. Good flannel is a wonderful thing. If washed and cared for correctly they can be as soft as a kitten and every bit as warm.

Sleeping comfortably... it's in the sheets.

What To Do With Those Herbs?

Well... I think it's almost official... summer is over.. sniff, sniff. I am looking forward to the feeling of fall and all of the bright colors that will be presented to us. Yesterday I completed a two week long wait on drying some herbs. I had dried some mint and catnip from my friend Katety and some of the lemon herb that I had grown. Unfortunately I can't remember exactly what I bought that was lemon but it has gotten huge over the summer. Anyway, I dried these by attaching a twist tie to each stem and twisting it onto a coat hanger. I made sure they weren't touching each other and I hung the hangers in my laundry room. Yesterday I felt of the herbs and sure enough they were crispy so i got them down and just sort of crunched them up between my fingers, put them each into their own jars and labelled them.

I just can't wait to use the lemon herb on fish. The mint I will use in cooking but also in my herb pouches. The catnip I have already made into a little pillow for Tommy of which he kicked around the house all afternoon yesterday!

I still have sweet basil, chives and dill to do. I am wondering if you dried tomato leaves would they smell as good as they do in the garden? I think it's worth a try! Have a wonderful Tuesday!

My Fair Lady

Mama always said I was a winner! Check this out... http://www.robertsoncountyfair.com/2009%20winners/DCC01.htm

I am under Lot 08 for Kosher Dill Pickles and Lot 22 for my plum preserves! I entered a lot more than just two things but I am ever-so tickled to have any kind of ribbon!

P.S. This is the recipe that I blogged about in July called "Well Pickle Me Spears".

Mexican Cornbread

Howdy All! I've been a busy gal the last few days and haven't had an inch of time to blog! I helped at the annual Dove Shoot yesterday and, for the third year in a row, made my Mexican Cornbread. It wasn't near as spicy this year because I forgot to pick up one of the ingredients at the grocery. It is super easy and really good so I thought I would share it with you.

My Mexican Cornbread

2 Jiffy cornbread mixes
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 jar chopped jalapenos
1 can corn with red and green peppers (Mexican mix)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven as directed on cornbread box. Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes. This is a spicy and colorful cornbread that is just terrific.

(As I was typing the ingredients I realized I left out 2 ingredients yesterday! Oh well... that's what I get for trying to do too many things at once!)