Fall Break Fun

I'm sitting here this morning still in my pajamas, hot cup of coffee in my hand. It's so quiet today. Last week our house was full. Two of our granddaughters were on fall break and they spent the week with us. They are old enough now that they don't require constant supervision so it's pretty easy having them here. But it does change the flow of our day. 

We talked about a few things we could do and places we could go but their favorite thing is staying right here at the farm. Hoola hoops, bikes, tree swings still hold appeal for them 

And they love playing pickleball in our driveway. The weather cooperated and most days were perfect outdoor days. We did venture out a few times for lunch and shopping in our cute little small town square and a trip to the nearby big town for lunch and bookstore shopping.

 

Then it was back to the farm for music practice, baking, and explaining technology to the grandparents. Thanks to Baby Girl, I now know how to use google translate. They tried to explain the latest Gen Alpha phrases to the elderlies—without much luck. 

My favorite part of the week? Dinner on our porch each night. No television. Devices inside. Jazz music playing low in the background. And we listened. How much fun to hear them tell about starting their first year at high school and middle school. They laughed at stories of our high school days back in the dark ages. 

We kept our meals simple but each granddaughter made a dessert during the week. Little Sister (the one in high school) made apple dumplings early in the week and we enjoyed them for several days. (Check the recipe index here.) I have not made those in so long. It's a perfect dessert for fall. Baby Girl (our middle schooler) is dairy free so she couldn't have the apple dumplings. I made her a quick substitute in my new air fryer.

Cut up an apple and zap it in the microwave for about a minute until the apple is tender. Spoon cooked apple in the center of a flour tortilla. Roll it up and tuck in the ends. Spray lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and air fry until it's hot and lightly browned.

This was an excellent dessert sub for her.  I'll make this for us one night soon. She said it was delicious.

But later in the week she wanted to make a dessert she could eat. Lemon might be her favorite flavor so she made a quick and easy lemon cake. I'm sure you've seen this recipe hack before. I have made "birthday cake boxes" for our food pantry with the two ingredients, but I had never baked one before.

Two-Ingredient Cake

I've linked an article from Southern Living that tells more about the cake and suggests many flavor combinations.

TWO-INGREDIENT SODA CAKE

1 box cake mix (we used lemon cake mix)

1 (12-oz) can soda (we used a can of Sprite)

Frosting of your choice (we used a canned frosting)

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Empty cake mix into a bowl. Add soda and stir with a spoon until well mixed, about one minute. Pour cake into baking dish and bake according to directions on the box. 

That's it! Keep in mind that this recipe has no dairy AND no eggs. If you need a dessert for those with those food allergies, this is an easy option. I'd like to experiment with other flavor combinations. We don't usually keep soda in the house, but I guess I could buy a single can from a vending machine. 

 And while I'm sharing kid-friendly two ingredient desserts, here is one baked by the 5-year-old granddaughter when she was here earlier in the summer. Pumpkin doughnuts! She added chocolate chips to the recipe and skipped the powdered sugar.

Keep in mind that this recipe mixes best with a hand mixer. Your little baker might need help. The Two-Ingredient Cake can be mixed with a spoon. Super kid friendly.

PUMPKIN SPICE DOUGHNUTS

1 box spice cake mix (or yellow or chocolate cake mix—your choice)
1 (15-oz) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

Mix dry cake mix and canned pumpkin in a large bowl until thoroughly blended. Batter will be very thick. Spoon batter into a gallon ziplock bag. Snip off a corner of the bag. Squeeze to pipe batter into the greased doughnut pan. (I sprayed it with Baker's Joy.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 17 minutes, until done. (The size of your doughnut "cups" and amount of batter you add will determine the baking time.) To test, press the top of a doughnut gently with your fingertip. It will spring back when it's done. Remove doughnuts to a cooling rack.

Put about a half cup of powdered sugar in another bag. Add cooled doughnuts, a few at a time and shake to coat. Remove from bag and tap gently to remove excess sugar. 

Let the small baker eat a doughnut. Turn on Nick Jr. or Disney Channel and let the littles watch TV while you clean up the kitchen.


 For us, this recipe yielded 12 doughnuts and four muffins.

The Older I Get, The Faster Time Goes By

Since I've written the last blog, we've had three cataract surgeries between the two of us (one more to go), an assortment of doctors appointments, had houseguests for a week, celebrated two birthdays, attended a pig show, had an MRI, and spent a week at the beach with the little grandchildren and knitted two pumpkin hats. I evidently don't move as fast as I used to, because that doesn't sound like much. But it has kept us busy.

This week we have the older two grandchildren here for the fall break. But I am determined to catch up here on the blog. Surely I've cooked something I can share. Or, maybe not. During all these weeks we have emptied out all of my cooked foods from the freezer except for two little packs of pulled pork. Just enough to makes sliders one day for lunch.

A dear friend texted me last week to ask what recipes I liked to make and freeze for later. She has knee surgery coming up and wanted to have some ready-to-eat meals tucked away. If I lived closer I would take her a couple of meals. But there are hours of interstate between us. 

So I sent her a list of things that are typically in my freezer. In fact I'm making chicken taco soup right now for supper and have my fingers crossed there will be enough to freeze after I've fed the four of us. It's hard for me to recalibrate my quantities after cooking for two for years.

Here is the list I shared with Betsy. I have frozen many more recipes than these but these are the ones that are on repeat, the ones we like best. And I am well aware that we all have different tastes and expectations. All I can do is tell you what we have enjoyed over the years and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Chicken Taco Soup  This recipe is written for an Instant Pot, but you could certainly cook it on top of the stove. You just have to get the chicken tender enough to shred. I freeze it in quart containers and pint containers. Some of each, so I can thaw what I need depending on who I'm feeding.

3-Packet Pot Roast  Oh man, we love this slow cooker recipe for tender roast. I freeze the meat in the gravy in smaller amounts in ziplock bags because it's so fast to thaw. Faster than pint containers. Serve it with your favorite quick cooking rice. And I discovered that Bob Evans Original Mashed Potatoes (in the refrigerated section) taste pretty close to homemade. And it take 5 minutes in the microwave. Yes. My standards have changed as my age has changed.

Baked Rotini This one is tried and true. You can make the recipe in one large 9x13-inch dish, divide it into two square pans and we've even made three smaller pans. Freeze before baking. Thaw. And bake according to directions. I've discovered that when thawed foods come out of the refrigerator it might take slightly longer to bake because the recipe time is written as if you are assembling it and putting it straight into the oven. BONUS: If you serve this for dinner the night you make it, you can freeze any leftovers after it's baked. 

Meat Loaf This recipe goes back to my home economist days. It's one of the rare recipes that goes straight from the freezer to the oven. That means you don't have to plan ahead and thaw before baking. It also makes two one-pound loaves. Sometimes I'll cook one immediately and freeze the other one.

Sloppy Joes A kid favorite that we like, too. A young mom that was in college with my daughters said this is what she always took when a friend had a new baby and also had older kids. Take the sloppy joe meat, buns, chips, baked beans and cookies. She said she usually got a call later asking for the recipe. This is a different flavor from Manwich. Trust me

Chicken Enchiladas These are not covered in red sauce so they can be wrapped and frozen individually. Wrap each one in foil and then put them all in a big freezer bag. I think we microwaved them to thaw and heat. It's been a while since I made them. But they are delicious. 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork BBQ The doesn't taste like you made it a slow cooker. It's so good. It makes a large amount, so there will be enough for dinner and more to freeze. This is the only thing left in my freeze right at the moment. We will finish it after Daddy-O's last cataract surgery next week. 

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin (soy, mustard, maple syrup) This recipe is one of the easiest recipes I have on my blog. I made this a couple of months ago and I think I need to make it again soon. So, so easy.

Damn Good Chili I chuckle every time I see the name of this recipe. It's straight from a magazine ad for Presto pressure cookers from decades ago. I won first prize at a chili cook off at our church with it, And Jessica and Todd won first prize in a neighborhood cook off. I almost always double the recipe. Sometimes I'll even triple it. I want plenty to freeze. If you chop the peppers and onions ahead of time, it's really easy to make and let it simmer all afternoon.

Okay. Now you have my freezer favorites. It's time for me to get busy and restock our freezer. It's rare I cook something with the sole purpose of freezing it. With only two of us here, I'm more likely to make a recipe and eat part and freeze part. Make it work for your household!

Betsy, we all wish you well with your knee surgery. ❤️

Summer Catch-Up

Peach Cobbler

Three months! Where did they go? Y'all, it's been crazy around here. In three months we've been sick, traveled to Scotland, been sick again, had grandchildren here several times, held the 10th Mimi Camp, hosted 36 family members at the lake on July 4th, tried to keep up with friends here, and the list goes on. 

And for reasons I don't understand this blog platform is getting harder to use. Maybe it's because blogs are considered old-fashioned now. But I'm not ready to move to a newer platform. I am not an influencer or a content creator (although that is what I'm doing) so I'll stick with this old blogspot until it ages out. My grandmother blog has been around nearly 15 years now. My life is very different than when I started. 

Here is a jumble of photos from the last few months in no particular order. And at the end I'll share the peach cobbler recipe since fresh peaches are still available. The recipe has been here before but it's worth sharing again.

Jessica cooked for us one night—corn pasta with sausage.

Brother and his toys.

Baby Girl made so many potholders during Mimi Camp.

A special friend came to camp one day to teach us a new recipe.

A variation on a favorite summer pasta recipe. I'll share this later.

Little Lady at a neighboring flower farm.

Big Sister added to her knitting skills during Mimi Camp.

A trip to UK and Scotland was an experience.

 

Daddy-O made peach cobbler for us one afternoon. 

This recipe is an old favorite. If you haven't made it yet, try it while peaches are still available. Here where we live, we can find them at roadside stands, farmers markets and in local grocery stores. 

PEACH COBBLER

3-4 cups sliced fresh peaches ( Daddy-O used 6 peaches to get 4 cups)

1-1/2 cups sugar, divided

3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 cup milk

1 stick butter

Put 1 cup sugar on the sliced peaches and set aside.

Melt butter and pour into a 2-quart baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and milk.

Pour batter into melted butter. DO NOT STIR.

Spoon peaches over top of batter. DO NOT STIR.

Bake at 350º for 1 hour.

We love this served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The Real Us

What a few weeks we've had. Babysitting there. Covid there. (Daddy-O) Little people here. Covid's first cousin here. (Mimi) Those three weeks are mostly a blur for me. But this morning the sun is shining and I feel better. 

The older girls skipped coming here for their spring break. Decided we didn't need a germ swap.  But the following week Jessica and the littles came anyway. She rightly said, "We've already had everything. Plus, you probably caught your germs from Little Man while babysitting!" And it all worked out. Jessica kept groceries in the kitchen and everyone fed while I was just an observer. The littles mostly played outside. Two doctors told me to stay indoors. We live in an area of the country with an extremely high pollen count. Then toward the end of the week as I started to feel better we had a good rain that washed the air. So I got to join them outside for a couple of days and sit in the sun and watch them play.

It certainly wasn't the week we had planned. But we made good memories all the same. And I learned a thing or two. Uncle Todd (we need a better blog name for him now) had invited a friend from London to spend the night here before they went to the Masters. He was very careful to ask if it was still okay since I wasn't feeling up to par. (Doctor assured me I wasn't contagious.) And I told him sure. As long as he and the friend were okay with our house in an "as is" condition. Toys everywhere. No extra straightening up. No doing the fluffing up I usually do before visitors arrive. No special meal served at a well set table.  

I planted myself in the rocking chair in the kitchen and watched. I watched his friend sit in the floor and play Candyland with the kids. And I watched the young men enjoying our glorious outdoors, driving the vintage Jeep and 4-wheeler through the pasture, shooting clays. Things he couldn't do in London. How glad I was that a son-in-law wanted to bring a friend here. 

And I thought about how many times I've worn myself out getting ready for visitors. Haven't we all? This time it was "Take us like we are." And the real us seemed to be good enough. No magazine worthy house. Not that I ever achieve that but I try. That usually would bother me. But this time these bookshelves where books are mixed with all the things set up high out of harms way look perfect to me. This is real life. This is our life.

We'll Sing In The Sunshine

Sunshine Muffins

The name of these muffins makes me want to sing all the sunshine songs! 

How many can you name or sing?

I am so aware that it's been a minute since I've posted. It seems like these posts get further and further apart. Let's just blame it on old age. And staying busy with all the things that "old people" do. But I want to catch up a bit and get this recipe in my "recipe box" here. That's in case I can't find the paper that it's written on. I know it will always be tucked away safely here.

Daddy-O and I were on grandparent duty about a week ago. Little Sister and Mommy were both away at the All-State Choral event. We spent a few days with Baby Girl—who is certainly no baby anymore. But she told me she liked the name. When they were here over the long Christmas break, she asked if we could make these muffins and we never did. She had made them here during Mimi Camp. 

The recipe came from good friend Joanne. She told me that her grandchildren love these. I can see why. And the recipe is easy enough for a 10-year-old to manage alone. Big thanks to Daddy-O who washed two sinks full of dirty bowls and pans when she was done. 😊

Seeing the handwriting of the one who shares a recipe makes it so personal. But handwritten recipes are nearly a thing of the past. I have mixed feelings about them. I love seeing recipes that my mother and even my grandmother wrote down. But my own handwriting is pretty awful and hard to read. And it's so much quicker to use a keyboard. Here is my legible version for you to copy and paste if you want to print it out.

SUNSHINE MUFFINS

1 box Lemon Supreme cake mix

1 (3-3/4 oz.) box instant lemon pudding mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk

4 eggs

    Glaze: 2 tablespoon lemon juice

               6 tablespoons orange juice

               1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

               3-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix the muffin ingredients together, blending well. Spoon into greased mini-muffin tins. Bake about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. (Baby Girl filled hers really full, so they took longer to bake.)

While muffins are baking, mix the glaze. When muffins are done, remove from muffin tins. Dip the mini-muffins into glaze while warm and place them on a cooling rack. (I put wax paper under the rack to catch any drips.)

I'm not sure how many muffins Joanne gets from this recipe, but it's a lot. That makes it a good party recipe. Baby Girl made 2-1/2 dozen mini muffins and 6 regular size muffins. 

Things have changed on the farm since Hurricane Helene blew through months ago. It has changed our lives. Downed trees are everywhere.Too many to count. Barns are in the process of being repaired or rebuilt. Our lake house is nearly mended.

The trees fell on all the fences, so the remaining cows were all sold. And this is probably the last hay that will be baled by Daddy-O. We are no longer a working farm. The upside of that is that Daddy-O got to come stay with me and Baby Girl last week while the others were away. He has a little more freedom now.

We used to dread "hay season" because it's such hard work. Long hours in the field on a tractor. And often the weather would complicate things. It would be too dry or too wet to get a good cutting. Or it would rain on the cut hay before it was baled. But I'll miss seeing these bales in the field. 

See the downed trees at the edge of the woods? There is still so much visible damage around. Crushed houses in town. Bright blue tarps on roofs. Huge up rooted trees in yards. Piles of debris are still visible although crews have worked tirelessly hauling away tons and tons of it. And I still remind myself that we were on the edge of the bad damage. 

Trifle Wrap, pattern from Helen Stewart

Knitting! You haven't heard me mention knitting in ages. That's because I don't knit as much now, but I have not completely stopped. I enjoyed a long weekend at a knitting retreat last month. And I just finished this large wrap for a dear friend. It's huge and soft and squishy. I hope it will feel like a hug from me when she wears it.

Online Friends Can Be Real Friends

A zoom class with friends across the globe.

Goodness knows when the internet was unleashed it was a bit like Pandora's box. Yes, it can be a dark and murky and dangerous space. But there is also much good to be found there. I have learned how to do many things, like programming the garage door opener button in my car, by watching YouTube videos. There are plenty of recipes and music for me. But the single best thing the internet has given me are the friends I've made. Friends from so many places I have never been. Let me tell you about a few. 

The first "online person" I got to know was Dr. Jim who has a ukulele site. When I was learning to play, I emailed him to ask a question about a song on his site. Little did I know then that he was a real physician who did this as a hobby and would answer my questions during his lunch time between seeing patients. He called me once because he said it would be easier to answer my question that way instead of email. When I answered his call, he paused for half a second and then sounded so surprised (he lives in New England)..."You sound southern!" Well, yes. Yes, I do.

When my ukulele skills were better, I started a ukulele band and wrote a blog about each performance. It was an easy way to keep our performance schedule public. Another ukulele player was starting SMUG (Saturday Morning Ukulele Group) a similar band and I became the one to answer his questions. Then after many, many email exchanges, daughter Jessica and I planned a vacation to Prince Edward Island, Canada where David lived. We got to meet him in person and had the loveliest dinner at his home with David and his wife. And play with his ukulele band.

Knitting Pipeline retreat in Georgia

The knitting world has a strong online presence. Like all of these people I've become friend with, it starts with an exchange of information. I "met" Mary on Ravelry, a knitting website. There were many friendly exchanges with knitters but for reasons we don't understand, Mary and I "connected." When I first learned that Mommy and J-Daddy were expecting a baby I was told "Don't tell anyone yet!" Well, to keep from exploding from excitement, I shared my news with Mary! She lives in New York and knew no one close to where I live. Thank goodness. Mary and I finally met years later at a knitting retreat in Maine.

Knitters in Ireland

Another knitter I met on Ravelry was Missy who talked me into coming to a knitting retreat with a bunch of people I didn't know and hosted by a podcaster I had never listened to. I met so many people there and we have stayed in touch for years now. I traveled to Ireland with some of those folks a few years ago. And some of them have visited with me here at the farm. And that first retreat lead to other retreats in other states. And more new friends.

And in the last few years (during the pandemic) I found online piano friends. This group, Piano With Jonny (PWJ) is the most global of all. I have not met any of these folks in person—yet— but people do get to meet in person while traveling. Like traveling from the Netherlands to Japan. We got to see videos of these pianists playing together. It's such a fun way for those of us who stay close to home to be part of the bigger world. Yesterday I was in a zoom group with a handful of people from Iran, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and several states in this country scattered from one coast to the other. 

(If you are interested in learning piano or dusting off rusty skills, it's a great platform. There are many free lessons on YouTube but to join and have full access there is a modest fee. Worth every penny!)

This all gets me back to the Christmas cookies I wrote about last time and my piano friend Joyce. (See the previous post.) She said she was happy to share her recipes. I'll share one today. More coming later.

I got these recipes in the mail—the actual mail—just before Christmas, too late to share for your holiday baking. Both cookies are equally delicious.  But the raspberry cookies especially would be a great Valentine treat.

RASPBERRY BARS

  For 1/2 sheet pan, yield up to 96 cookies (Joyce cut these into tiny bars)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups quick or old fashioned oats (if old fashioned, pulse in processor about 10 times)

1 cup chopped nuts, pecans, almonds or walnuts (more fine than coarse)

2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3 sticks butter, at room temp

1 (18-oz) jar seedless raspberry jam (not jelly)

Whisk all dry ingredients together, set aside.

Stir butter in bowl of KitchenAid mixer, using paddle attachment.

Add dry ingredients all at once, mix on low speed until texture of crumbs or pebbly sand.

(Do not mix into a cohesive mass—it needs to be loose.)

Preheat oven to 350º. Line a 1/2 sheet pan (18x13-inches) with parchment, waxed paper or foil. Spread 2/3 to 3/4 of crumb mixture into pan and pat down. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Remove from oven.

Spread jam over top, spreading to 1/4 inch from pan borders. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over top. Return to oven and bake 30 minutes more.

Cool completely, then loosen edges and turn out entire sheet onto a cutting surface. Cut into bars or triangles. DO NOT CUT BARS IN THE PAN! It mars the pan surface.