I start by melting a small amount of butter in the skillet, then pouring in one cracked egg with a light sprinkling of salt and black pepper.

Now things get personal when it comes to cook time.  I’m one of those people who unapologetically prefers a little browning on my fried eggs.  That’s how I like it.  So I watch my egg as it sizzles in the skillet and when it reaches the “right amount of toastiness”, I flip it onto my plate and breakfast is almost done.

Hmmm….what’s missing here?

Ahhhh…toasted wheat bread with grape jam.  Oh I’m so ready now.  Now, one more thing.

Hot coffee in my favorite cup.  Now my Friday morning is perfect.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your Friday and have a fantastic weekend!!

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I’m participating in the Foodie Friday potluck party hosted weekly at Designs by Gollum.  Join the fun!

As much as we possibly can, Miss A, Mr. B and I have decided to try something we’ve never had each week.  On a recent trip to the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, we were stopped in our tracks by the vibrant color of this Dragon Fruit.  We each enjoy various types of fruit but I sometimes wonder why we pass by the ones we don’t know.

After marveling over the fruit and it’s tasty potential, we decided to give it a try.  After we returned home, we looked up the fruit on the internet and found an interesting article on it’s origins, taste and health benefits here.  I learned that the inside of the fruit could be either red or white, each with little black seeds.  Mr. B was certain ours would be red inside.  I thought it would be white….

Removing the flesh of the fruit was really easy.  I just inserted a spoon between the flesh and the skin and continued to move the spoon around the edge of it until it easily lifted up out of the skin.

This hot pink color is amazing.

After cubing the fruit, it can be returned to the skin and then enjoyed.  Mr. B, Miss A and I were divided in our interpretation of it’s flavor.  I thought it was refreshing, with hints of pear, kiwi and jicama.  The boy and the girl thought it tasted like ice.  Ice.  Like the kind that’s left in your glass after you drink a soda.  And they were serious.  Poor things…they need to get out more.  Now I know why we pass by the ones we don’t know.

Well, we’re doing this again and hopefully they won’t have the taste of soda or ice on the brain.

Happy Monday!!

I’ve been seeing blueberries and blueberry muffins all over the place this year.

In my home, we’ve had our fair share of them.

So far, my favorite way to eat them is in a muffin.

It all starts by mixing a simple batter,

then stirring in floured blueberries so they won’t sink to the bottom.

After filling the muffin cups, you get to sit back and wait for the house to fill with their intoxicating aroma.

And soon enough, breakfast is ready.

A lovely breakfast.

And if all goes well, a nice little snack later on.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup buttermilk (approx)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup Blueberries lightly coated with flour

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and make a well in the center.

3.  Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup. Add the egg and enough buttermilk to fill the cup.

4.  Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Batter may be lumpy. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

5.  Fill the muffin cups about three-quarters full. Bake for 18 minutes until lightly golden or a cake taster inserted into center of muffin comes out with moist crumbs attached. Do not over bake.

Adapted from To Die For Blueberry Muffins

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I’m participating in the Foodie Friday potluck party hosted weekly at Designs by Gollum.  Join the fun!

If you enjoy sushi then you’ll love this adorable crocheted doll. This original design includes a fluffy ball of rice topped with a savory looking shrimp tail and is wrapped neatly with a band of seaweed. Wouldn’t this make a great desktop gift for a sushi lover?

The Sushi Amigurumi Crochet Doll can be found in ChocololicKnit’s Etsy Shop for $20. A pattern is also available for purchase.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!!

These carrot cake cupcakes taste as amazing as they look!  As a special treat for our Friday Family Night, I baked a dozen regular sized cupcakes and six large ones.  The family loved them!

Ordinarily, I would only bake the standard two layer cake with this recipe.  I guess I just wanted to try something a little different and I’m certainly glad I did.  The rest of the family was definitely okay with it too.

The recipe I used was the Better Homes and Gardens Carrot Cake Recipe.  Be sure to use freshly shredded carrots if you decide to try it and if you’re so inclined, add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. 

The cream cheese frosting I make includes 8 oz Philly cream cheese, 1/2 stick butter, 1/2 stick of margarine, 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring.

If you’re planning a birthday party, baby shower or some other special event, remember this recipe.  It’s worth a  try.

Recently my sister-in-law gave me a bunch of fresh veggies from her parent’s garden.  She gave me red and green tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and green beans.  I have a favorite recipe for green beans which I decided to make for dinner this week.  But, green beans alone?  Naahhh.  Instead I planned my meal around the beans and added sweet potatoes, salmon patties and corn bread.

The recipe that inspired these green beans was Steam-Sauteed Green Beans with Almonds and Parsley from the Food Network.  I made a few adjustments based on the ingredients I had on hand which included using sliced almonds instead of slivered, leaving out the lemon zest and substituting dried parsley flakes instead of fresh.  In all honesty, I do like fresh parsley better.

So far, this is really the only way I prefer to prepare or eat green beans.  They’re so good!

Now, sweet potatoes is like having a veggie and dessert all in one.  I don’t make these often but when I do, I make ‘em like good Southern cooks do…with a sufficient amount of sugar.  I started with about 2 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced.

The potatoes were placed in 2 cups of boiling water in a large pot.  On top of the potatoes I added 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 stick of margarine.  The potatoes were covered and boiled over medium heat for about 20 minutes and then a teaspoon of vanilla flavoring was added.  They continued to cook until fork tender.

When done, the potatoes were sweet with a really nice syrup which is awesome when served over cornbread.

This is one of my southern favorites!

A simple plate of cornbread made with White Lily cornmeal.  We use the recipe on the back of the bag.  If it ain’t broke…

Now, this is my salmon pattie mixture made with canned pink salmon.  I used two cans of salmon, cautiously drained.  I prefer to have about 1/2 cup of the juice in the bowl after draining.  Next, I combined in a small bowl 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ground mustard, 1 tsp cajun spice (w/no added salt), and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour.  I added the dry mixture to the salmon and mixed until well incorporated.

I used an ice cream scoop to form eight balls,

and sprinkled them lightly with cornmeal.

Next, I picked each ball of salmon up, sprinkled a little more corn meal on the bott0m of it, then flattened.

The patties were fried in a large hot frying pan with approx 1/3 cup vegetable oil.

I eat these with hot sauce.  Actually, in my house, we all do.  With the beans, sweet potatoes and cornbread, these salmon patties made dinner complete and totally satisfying.

Thanks for visiting!!

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I’m participating in the Foodie Friday potluck party hosted weekly at Designs by Gollum.  Join the fun!

Good morning and Happy Monday to everyone! Last Friday morning, Steeler Fan shared an email with me which made me feel better about a new challenge I’ve embraced. I’ve been doing some research on the requirements for starting a business selling some of my baked items. I started feeling a bit discouraged overwhelmed because it just isn’t as simple a process as I imagined. His email helped me feel better about my dream so I wanted to start the week off with a few words to motivate anyone needing a push.

The quote above is dedicated to the inspired. To those who have a dream but are afraid to see them realized. Be encouraged and know that it’s never too late to dream, to act, and to accomplish your goals. Hard work pays off so let’s get crackin’!!!

Remain Forever Blessed

Teresa

I’ve never made these before but I have family members who make them often.  My son really likes this version and asked me if I would make them as a side dish when we grilled last weekend.  They actually turned out really well.

I used two 28 oz. cans of baked beans.

I started by sauteing a handful of red onions and green bell peppers.

Then I browned 1 pound of ground turkey.  After browning, I poured in the cans of baked beans and added the sauteed onions and bell peppers.

Next, I sprinkled in about 1/4 cup of light brown sugar.  This is the part I wasn’t sure about but my son says they’re supposed to be sweet. Hmmm. I let it all simmer for about 1/2 an hour.

These beans really are good.  I had to warm up to the sweetened taste a bit though.  I’ll definitely do it again but the next time I’m going to spice it up a little with cayenne pepper and maybe even a dash or three of hot sauce.

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I’m participating in the Foodie Friday potluck party hosted weekly at Designs by Gollum.  Join the fun!

It doesn’t take much to make me happy. Just give me what I want and all will be well with my world. Every now and then, life throws me a curve ball and disturbs my BLISS. After dealing with the issue at hand I have to undergo a manual reset to restore said BLISS. Here is a list of some of the things that help bring me back:

1.  A cup of tea and/or a bubble bath – If taken separately, I can almost keep my eyes open afterwards. If taken together, I’m good for an incredibly long nap which is totally awesome!

2.  A Walk in the Park – After the first mile the only thing I care about is how far away my car is from me.

3.  Visiting my nieces and nephews or simply talking to them over the phone – Kids say and do some really strange and funny things. Seriously, if you need a good laugh…

4.  Taking random photos – I’m an amateur photographer and I love grabbing snapshots of unlikely subjects. Thank goodness for Point and Shoot cause I still can’t figure out what all the buttons and options mean on my digital camera.

5.  Taking a long drive on the interstate with the window down and the music blasting – Speed “driving with the flow of traffic”, wind in my hair and my favorite song blasting so loud I can’t hear myself think. Which is exactly the point.

6.  A good comedic or romantic movie – At home or in the theater, a movie can transport you away from your cares and plant you blissfully into the ones on the big screen.

7.  Treasure hunting at a local thrift store – I found a “like new” Imperia Pasta Machine with 3 attachments yesterday. I’m so beside myself. I paid $10.91 for it and it works!!! Woohoooo!

8.  Ice Cream – No further explanation necessary.

9.  Digging into one of my Somerset Studio magazines – In all seriousness, this really is one of my true joys. The level of creativity featured in each issue is so inspiring.

10.  Watching silly commercials – Steeler Fan just sits and stares at me wondering how I amuse myself so.

Okay, so again, these are ten things that help restore my Bliss. Now tell me, what makes you happy?

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I’m participating in the Writer’s Workshop hosted by Mama Kat at Mama’s Losin It! This post was inspired by Prompt Number 3 … Write a list of 10 things that are sure to put a smile on your face when you are not happy.