The Harvest Table Give~Away

Harvest in June?  Yeah I know... we just set our minds into the summer mode…thinking picnics, vacations, swimming, beach time and lake time…..and NO more school for a while!!  So why am I here talking about The Harvest Table?  To shift your minds to fall….get you geared-up and ready for football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and all the other wonderful fall and autumn heartwarming things associated with one of our favorite seasons!  But why?....you still ask….. Because there is a new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook out and ready for you! 

THE HARVEST TABLE…..it is jam packed with a bountiful collection of recipes, tips, wonderful ideas and stories!  There are recipes for tailgating, football watching, snacks, and all the way to the Thanksgiving spread….and don’t forget desserts!  I went through the book scouring the pages and marking them with sticky tabs.  I found a Pineapple Cheese Ball recipe that I WILL be making for my daughter’s baby shower in June; a Pizza dip, a Touchdown Pickle dip (how fun is that?), Halloween Popcorn balls that have candy corn in them, a cornbread dressing recipe and many many more! I have tiny green tabs sticking out all over the edges!!

I even found stories, tips, and memories posted at the bottom of each page.  One such story reflecting on home gardening and canning…something I can relate to!  Here’s a good tip for you this summer:  Make your own ice packs for your cooler.  In a gallon-size sip lock bag (I would use the freezer ones) combine 2 cups water, 1 cup rubbing alcohol, and 2-3 drops of blue food coloring.  Seal, leaving room for expansion and freeze.  They can be used several times over and over!

And for you fun crafty people who love glitter, here’s one for you: Lightly coat your holiday pumpkin with spray adhesive and dust with fine glitter. Try using those odd festive colors like purple and lime green or gold!! Fun fun!

And here’s one for all you Halloween cookie bakers that like to frost the cookies:  For orange frosting add 6 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red food coloring to a small bowl of white frosting.  For black, add 2-3 drops of blue food coloring to a small bowl of dark chocolate frosting!!  Now you are ready for orange pumpkins, black cats, bats and witches hats!!

This cookbook really puts you in the fall mood….I can close my eyes and smell the smells of fall….apples, cinnamon, spices, peanuts, grilling, the turkey baking in the oven….OH MY!  So I just had to go ahead and try out some of the recipes and share my thoughts with you on them.  

For this review, I will be making Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie, Signature Chocolate Cream Pie, and Ursula’s Breakfast Danish.  Yes I like pie!  I will be making the Pineapple Chess Ball later in June for the baby shower too and many others on down the road.

First up is the Upside-Down Apple-Pecan Pie

This is it before the inversion....too beautiful to mess with huh?

  But the secret here is to turn this bad baby out

 onto a serving plate for the surprise:

Voila'

A beautiful array of pecans and ooey gooey goodness 

cooked underneath the apple pie!! 

Apples and pecans make a great combination!

Next I tried a Signature Chocolate Cream Pie

for all you chocolate lovers...

It is a cooked custard-pudding pie using the

microwave which makes it quick and easy.

When chilled you top it with a  fattening yummy whipped topping made

from scratch using good ole whipping cream.

YummY!!

Oh for the love of chocolate!!

...and last I tried Ursula’s Breakfast Danish

...I believe this one is going to be a favorite come-back-to recipe.

An easy cream cheese filled danish that you can make

fresh at home using refrigerated crescent rolls!

Top it off with a sugar glaze and pecans and it is so good!!

It was so easy to prepare and with a few tweaks

of my own of the cream cheese filling

I believe this one will be perfect.

So now that I have made your mouth water and have you in the mood for baking…..go order this book!!!  And after you do….don’t put in on the shelf and only drag it down in the fall….there are lots of scrumptious recipes that you can use all throughout the year!

And now for the give-away  …just what everyone has been waiting for!  Gooseberry Patch and I have teamed together to give you a chance to win this wonderful cookbook…..and as with any give away there are a few rules to follow.

SIMPLE BUT NECESSARY RULES FOR THE GIVE-AWAY

~Post a comment below on this blog post only

~You MUST provide your name and an email address if you are not posting a comment as a blogger (otherwise I cannot contact you if you win)

~Give-away is open for US and Canada only due to high postage costs….sorry guys!

~Give-away will close on June 25th and the winner will be announced June 26, 2012.  

 If you do not feel lucky and are not the winner or live outside of the US and Canada......don't fret!  You can pre-order  your cookbook here before they hit the shelves. 

You can go here to this link to order. Just click on this picture...it will take you to the Gooseberry website.

OR

 you can get a sneak peek inside at Amazon and a

great discount off the price for a limited time...

...so what are you waiting for.....GO!

 Get it…you won’t regret it!

Credit where credit is due:  graphics are from Gooseberry Patch and photos are mine!!

Have a great day!

Gosh Where Do I Begin?

  I have been away so long and have been so busy with the painting of door hangers that I have neglected my blog!!  I have missed the interaction with you all but there are only some many hours in the day! 

 First I must catch you up and thank those of you who emailed to check on me….that meant a lot….more than you know! 

We are over the moon happy to tell you that our

daughter Holly is pregnant again. 

It has been an emotional roller-coaster to say the least after what happened last fall.  Tears of joy and fear, confusion, questions, giddiness and bittersweet memories have overcome us all.  Holly is now 27 weeks and she and baby Isabella are doing very well.  Doctors are keeping a very close eye on them both since Holly is considered “high risk”.  Isabella should make her Grand appearance sometime in August!

God has blessed us yet again.

 During the past couple of months Holly and her Coast Guard husband Richard have purchased their own home in Florida.  A very large home if you ask me….5 bedrooms…oh my!  We have been painting, walls, base boards, and doors in every part of the 5 year old house.  Yeah….I know what you are thinking…it was not bad colors….it was abuse to a beautiful home!  But that’s a long story for another day!  They are in the process of packing and moving as I type this.  Their 5^th move in 5 years!!! 

 I will be returning to Florida again soon to help finish up Isabella’s nursery….it’s going to be so cute.  It will include some of my artistic craftiness of course.  I’m hoping to share some photos later on.

 We are also planning a baby shower for June….so I hope to share photos of all the pink cuteness!!

 I could go on and on with news….. such as 32 years of marriage for me and Jackie,  trying to build up a place to work my crafts and buy a new piece for cutting wood…..but I will spare you all that…or maybe save it for later.  My next post will involve another review for Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks so be on the lookout for that because it will include a nice give-away!!

Gosh it’s nice to be back…..I hope I don’t stay away so long again. Take care!

Footnotes:  You can see all my door hangers on my FaceBook page here:

 The Painted Place.  Please "like" my page if you will!! :)

Minny's Chocolate Pie

Yeah I knew that would get your attention….Talk about food or share a recipe and everyone comes a running.  If you haven’t guessed already…I’m reading "The Help" …..and Minny’s Chocolate Pie is one recipe that you do not want…trust me.  Holly and I saw the movie back in the fall; I purchased it on DVD when it came out and have watched it over and over…now I’m reading the book!  It’s the best movie/book I’ve seen or read in several years!  Emma Stone who plays Skeeter in the movie could not have been a better pick for the part.  Watch this sneak peek and you will want to watch it:

It is filled with tears and laughter right up there with Steel Magnolias. 

I won’t spoil it for those of you who have not seen or read "The Help" but it is truly an eye opener about civil rights…I was born during this time period so most of what went on escapes me. 

Some really sad facts….I still cannot believe that folks thought that much of themselves….they needed todays saying of: WWJD…What Would Jesus Do!  Better yet…they should have stopped and thought:  What Would Jesus Think of me!!  Don’t you know He frowned down on those high and mighty folks and said tisk tisk…... Aside from the bad, there is impeccable southern humor and charm, and it is so worth the viewing and reading!!

Anyway…I can’t wait for Kathryn Stockett’s next book, although I don’t know if she can top this one!

I am here to share a recipe with you though…no not chocolate pie; but Honey Beer Bread.  I found the recipe on Pinterest, of course, and it sounded like something I could do….heck anyone could do.  Talk about easy peasy!!  Now let me tell you this….I have never ever bought beer…I don’t even like the taste of it!  So I head on out to Wally Mart with my grocery list for the week.  As I stand there in front of the beer case….I wonder…just what kind do I get?  Light, fancy, cheap, dark or what….I don’t know anything about beer!  So I opt for the one around $5.00 for a six pack in the pretty brown bottles, cause you can’t just buy one beer.  I "hide" it in my buggy because I just know the preacher or someone from my church is going to walk around the corner any minute!  Haha…..just kidding…how dare they judge me!  It just felt weird buying something you don’t even like!…and yes I call it a buggy not a cart!

Pinterest

So here’s the awesome, wonderful, tasty recipe for Honey Beer Bread:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons honey

1 can beer 12oz.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:  Preheat over to 350F. Spray a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan with Baker’s Joy.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. 

Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed.  (Microwave the honey for 5 to 10 seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in.)

Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan. Then spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Use a pastry brush to spread it around.  I even drizzled more honey on top!!

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Now this is the truth:  It is good cold, so you can only imagine how awesomely good it is hot-straight-out-of-the-oven.  Warm, buttery, sweet, and malty all in one!  Be sure to breathe deep while it is cooking…. you'll swoon with your eyes closed!!  As for the other 5 beer still in the frig….I told my hubby he could not drink them….it was for 5 more loaves of Honey Beer Bread and I’m keeping count!! 

They see no color...
This is how it should be!
"Change your thoughts and you will change your world."

 And always remember:

 

Have a joyous day and stay away from chocolate pie...Especially Minny's!!

Credits: Google, YouTube, and Pinterest

I'm Addicted and I'm Not Alone

I am an addict…..yes I am addicted to Pinterest.  I know that I am not alone….most of you are also addicted….but if you don’t know what it is…. DO NOT go there.  Warning: if you do you will be captured and engulfed by the obsession of pinning. Webster cannot even define it!
Seriously....Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.  It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web.  It allows you to:  collect things without having to dust them, be the author of your own custom virtual cookbook, inspire your creative juices, create a picture book full of eye candy, quote somebody, travel the world over, dream big, and wish beyond your wildest imagination…………oh my I could go on and on. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.  There are some real smarty pants ideas out there too…..why couldn’t I have thought of those helpful things?  Don’t know how we have survived without Pinterest so long!

You can follow my madness here if you like ~ Click here:

And you will see what I’m talking about….. but remember you have been warned…so don’t blame me!!  Here are a few lovelies that I found:

Oh the wonderful things you can find....

Here is just one of the many recipes, found on Pinterest, that I tried at Christmas:

~Chocolate-Marshmallow Pillows~

You can find this cookie recipe here: "Good Eats"   Or here: Betty Crocker 

As you can see I did mine a little different…Instead of using the frosting, I opted to drizzle melted chocolate over the tops of the marshmallows…..so you could see the white gooey goodness!!  Either way they are so good….and if you cannot find the Betty Crocker® double chocolate chunk cookie mix,  no worries, just use any regular chocolate chip cookie mix…it works and is good either way!  And by the way…more nuts are always better!!!

Check out all my other recipes that I have collected on Pinterest under “Good Eats” and for the ones I have tried out on my family, go to “Tried and True Pins by Me”.  The White Queso Dip and the Broccoli Pasta Salad are to die for….well not really...but they are oh so good! 

With what I have found on Pinterest; I now want to build another house, cook like a chef,  become an even crazier crafter, sew like a mad woman, collect every vintage thing I can find at the thrift store, grow a beautiful garden and dream my days away!  And with the time I have spent pinning….well I could have done several of these things and marked them off my list by now!......But what better way to spend a cold damp winter day than pinning!! :)
  

So far, this year has been a JOY for me….my new word for 2012…

and I hope and pray it has been for you too.  

Take care, heed the warning, and happy pinning!

Credit where credit is due: Please note that all photos in this post are

selected from Pinterest except the one of the cookies....it is mine!

Reflections…

This is how I spent ringing in the new year…..

Yes....the empty chair is mine!! Temps in the 70's and lots of relaxing
with some shopping, good seafood, and fireworks over the ocean!!

The warm beaches of Panama City in sunny Florida were a welcome treat as the year lingered for the last time. As one door closes new ones will open….and I look forward with anticipation..........

2011 came to a close like the slamming of a door.  It started out good….really escalated to being on the top of the world…. and then came crashing down all at once.  Life is good when we are constantly walking on the top of the mountain….however; God wants us to rely on Him in every moment.  Those moments when we are struggling deep in the valley of darkness, we are not alone.  I walked in this deep valley from August 30 until the end of the year.  I honestly do not know how people can pick themselves up and move on without the unselfish help and love of our Heavenly Father.  

He has now shut that door and I am glad to put it all behind me…not forgetting and not without learning, but moving ahead and excited about what He has in store for our family in 2012.  I have missed blogging and so appreciate those of you who “checked in” on me throughout this time.  I know without any doubt that things could have been worse and others experienced far greater tragedies than we did; so I must remember how truly blessed we are and to take this valley journey and see it as a bridge between the mountains.  While crossing this swinging dark path, I learned that there are not always answers to our questions…so we have to rely on FAITH and TRUST.  Sometimes that is easier said than done….but the sun will again rise over the hills and a new day is always there. That new door will open wide and welcome us in…..

I have busied myself with crafting and painting. Door hangers (speaking of doors)  seem to be all the craze at the moment …so I tried my hand at it, first making a couple for Holly….and then boom….everyone wanted some!! I’m not complaining, mind you, it’s good money for a hobby I love!  Here are a few I’ve done:

Aubie from Auburn University

This one is reversible!!

Not a door hanger...but still some of my work!
Gooble Gooble!!

These are all designed, cut, sanded, primed, painted,
sealed, and ready to hang.... all by me!!
Yes I use power tools....don't mess with me!! :)

So…. my reflections on the past are for making me stronger, they are for putting a few things into a new perspective, and for making me grow in the Lord and trust Him more each new day. When I look in the mirror this year and see that reflection I hope I will be smiling most of the time....and with God's help I will.

As many bloggers have done in the past by picking a "word for the year"…so shall I this year too.  My word for last year was "HOPE" and I carried it throughout each day until the year ended; but it did not end without "hope"; it was still always there….  This year my word will be

 ….too find "joy" again in everyday experiences and regain some "joy" that was lost somewhere toward the end.  So I’m looking forward to the new year with hope and joy.  I hope you too will have a joyous new year with lots to make you happy!