Meal Planning with Connie

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season! Ours was quite eventful - but fun! I look forward to sharing more in the coming days.  Can you believe we have entered a new year?! I find the old adage - "The older you get, the faster time flies!" to be so true!  There is a poster with this poem and a painting of Nadine Stair in the ladies’ room at Square Books in Oxford, MS. I take time to read it each time I am there, which, at my age, is almost every time I am in the store! It reminds me to not take myself – and life – quite so seriously. I am reminded for my need to trust God more – especially with the small things of life! IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER I'd dare to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax, I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual t...

I received the following ditty from my sweet friend, Susanne.  We all got a kick out of it. I thought some of you might enjoy it, too! Sad News Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71. Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the  California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers.  He was considered a very smart cookie, but wasted much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old m...

My sweet and hilariously funny blogging buddy, Mub , asked about Ro*tel tomatoes in the comment section under Cornbread Tomatoes . I thought I'd answer her question in a post, since some others might not be familiar with Ro*tel Tomatoes. Hey, Mub! Ro*tel Tomates are just canned stewed tomatoes that have been kicked-up with some green chillies. If you can't get Ro*tel tomatoes in the Netherlands, just throw in some canned green chillies or chopped jalapeno peppers with a can of stewed tomatoes. I'm not sure about the rest of the country (USA), but in the South, we do love us some Ro*tel tomatoes. We actually just call it Ro*tel. As in - "I added a can of Ro*tel, and it was just what that recipe needed!" I doubt there's hardly a pantry in my town without at least one can of Ro*tel. Most of us don't like to cut it that close though, so we keep several cans on hand. We put it in dips, stews, casseroles - whatever we're cookin' that we think needs...

We had a full, but fun, week-end, with two wedding receptions, a trip to Oxford, a visit from my dad and a late Sunday lunch with Dude and Aunt Jean. All events included some really good eats!! Both wedding receptions were lovely! With the growing trend of destination weddings, these receptions are becoming a regular event in our area and, I assume, across the country. Great food was served at both! Best wishes and many blessings to both of these sweet couples!! Emileigh's Table Our Plate Lunches Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie (We momentarily dug in before remembering to snap a picture!) Saturday, I had an errand I needed to do in Oxford. Larry and I decided to make a little morning trip of it! We drove out to the Plein Air community in Taylor, located about 8 miles outside Oxford, and ate a plate lunch at Emileigh’s Table . Everything was absolutely delicious and came served on their fun, eclectic collection of dinner plates. I had the shrimp and grits, green beans and succotash. Larr...

Here are a couple of freebie cookbooks: Copy Cat Recipes 50 page PDF cookbook This has recipes for everything from Cracker Barrel’s Hashbrown Casserole to Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion to Houston’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip Kids in the Kitchen PDF cookbook from Wisconsin Milk Board Great recipes with cheese! You can also request a copy by mail! Friday Funny Read Roan’s funny take on grocery shopping. I believe we can all identify and agree with her observations! Susan sent me this a few weeks back. I thought it was worth sharing. It's good to be reminded occasionally of the great spiritual benefits of corporate worship. I know I need to hear what God has to say to me through my pastor, and I need the fellowship and encouragement of fellow believers. God has designed group worship to nourishes our souls in a very unique way. Hebrews 10:24-25 We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.Some people have gotten out of the habit of mee...

Completely dried up, They've become beans. - Santoka Taneda, 1882-1940 Mountain Tasting , Translated by John Stevens I laughingly tell Larry that I am the cheapest date of all times! Take me to Cracker Barrel, give me the Pot 'O Beans and a plate of Cracker Barrel's ever-so-yummy corn muffins and for less than 5 bucks, I’m happy! Ritz crackers topped with whipped cream cheese and a dab of Judy's Tomato Jam Pinto Beans, cornbread and Tonya's Tomato Relish (Yesterday, Aunt Jean brought me these tasty pinto beans she had cooked in her crock pot!) If you’ve never tried tomato jam or relish, you really must! I was fortunate recipient of a jar of each this summer. Tonya brought me a jar of tomato relish, and Judy shared a jar of her tomato jam. Tonya’s relish is yummy with peas and pinto beans! I got hooked on doing this at Cracker Barrel, as they serve their pintos with a bit of green relish. I love to top cream cheese with Judy’s Tomato Jam and spr...

“When one has tasted watermelon, he knows what the angels eat.” ~ Mark Twain Look what I found on our front porch yesterday afternoon!! Five watermelons!! I know it looks like four, but I already had one of these beauties snatched up and chillin' in the fridge before I thought to make the picture! Finding the watermelons was such a nice surprise!! We got another one when we cut into one of them and found that it was yellow!! Oh my, oh my!! For those of you who aren't watermelon connoisseurs, this might not mean much to you, but for those of you who love watermelon like we do, I don't have to tell you what a delightful discovery this was! Wikipedia says this about the yellow version of this fruit: "Yellow Crimson Watermelon : variety of watermelon that has a yellow colored flesh. This particular type of watermelon has been described as "sweeter" and more "honey" flavored than the more popular red flesh watermelon." They even have a photo labe...

“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.” ~ Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird If you got a chance to listen to Jeanne Robertson's funny tale about her 7-Up Pound Cake, you heard her say that this cake is her traditional dish to carry to those in need. Most ladies down South have a particular "cradle-to-the-grave/bless your heart" dish that we take to our neighbors, friends, and relations to help them to celebrate the birth of a new baby, to recover from an illness, or to comfort them at times of loss. When you go into a home to deliver your food offering, you can almost always tell what other neighbors and friends have been there before you, just by glancing at the dining room table. It will be laden with familiar bowls and casserole dishes, filled with each community member's specialty. If you are new in town, be sure to come up with your own unique dish to carry on such occasions. There are two things a ...

Brother Ken continued with the message series on Waiting on God . The focus verse was: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 What a beautiful promise from the Lord! This verse fits in well with a quotation I heard on the radio one morning this week while I was walking. The quote was attributed to Charles Spurgeon. However, a check of the web didn't turned up verification of this. So, I can't say for sure who said this or the context in which it was said. But, I do love the quote and find it to be full of truth. "Seek preparedness, not opportunity." This can have several interpretations, I suppose. I often encourage my kids, especially Logan at his age, not to worry so much seeking opportunity (as in the spot light or fortune), but instead, to constantly seek to prepare himself - spiritually and educationall...

Bodock Food Court Food-on-a-stick and funnel cake booth Fried pancake-like batter channeled into a vat of hot oil, deep fried and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar - commonly known around these parts as a Funnel Cake Many thanks to Wayne Carter for great meals the last two Saturdays. Last Saturday, I ate some of Wayne and Barbara's delicious cooking, and tonight Larry and I enjoyed preparing one of Wayne's favorite suppers that he so graciously provided the recipes for! Our town’s annual gala is the Bodock Festival. In case you're wondering about the festival’s name, it hails from a tree, more officially know as a bois d’arc. You can visit Dictionary.com for a definition, description and auditory pronunciation. I’m assuming it’s of French origin, and that the name was probably given during the years of the South's early exploration. Of course, over the years we’ve managed to corrupt its pronunciation by leaving out a sound or two. To borrow, and slightly amend,...

Cinnamon is a tree native to the region from India to China. Traders made it available in Israel very early in Bible history. Today, cinnamon is best-known as a baking ingredient. However, in ancient times, it was used either as a perfume or in oils. Cinnamon was one of the ingredients God commanded Moses to use in the making of the holy anointing oil. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon , 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil.” Exodus 30:22-25 Chef Sarah I just have to give a shout out to my buddy, Sarah!! Her Cinnamon Cake won first place at the county fair!! I am so proud of her!! She was invited to a local restaurant, Vainisi's , to demonstrate her cooking skills! W...

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established. The LORD has made everything for its purpose... Proverbs 16:3-4a We had a visiting preacher speak at church tonight. He brought a great message! He challenged us with this verse: Acts 13:36 (New International Version) "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation , he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed." The message centered on our serving God's purpose for the time He has given us. How do we serve God's purpose? What is our purpose? I agree with our speaker that our purpose is to glorify God. How do we glorify God? I believe Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 22: 37-38 when He quotes from Deuteronomy: Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'...

Omit and substitute! That's how recipes should be written. Please don't ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute. ~ Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet Mr. Willie's Apples and Judy's Tomatoes and Beautiful Red Pepper Although Larry and I were busy trying to accomplish some much need cleaning and clearing around the house and yard yesterday, I did manage to get in a bit of cooking, mainly because I had fresh produce that needed using. The problem was, I kept not having something I needed. Determined not to go to the grocery, I forged on, making omissions and substitutions as I went! I had let Judy know at church the other day that I was out of tomatoes. For those of you who may be lifting an eyebrow and questioning my good Southern manners, she had told me to let her know if I wanted more, which makes my asking completely acceptable. (Is it any wonder Northerners have such a hard time learning all the nuances of the Southern...

Tyler's "Thank You" Cookies While we were in Destin, I received a call from my friend, Donna Mc., who had kindly escorted a group of recently-graduated Pontotoc students on a senior trip to the Emerald Coast a few days prior to our arrival there. One young man's suitcase was accidentally left behind. Donna called to see if we might could pick it up and bring it home to Pontotoc with us. We were delighted to do this. We are always having to ask others to come to our rescue for such things. It was nice to be able to be the "helpers" for once! When Tyler and his mom came by our house to retrieve his duffel bag, they were very generous with their expressions of gratitude! It made us feel so good to have had the opportunity to help them out. On Monday night, I heard a knock at the front door. When I opened it, there stood Tyler with a tin of homemade chocolate chip cookies, more "thank you's" and another hug. His parents should be very...

On our way down to Destin, we decided to take a detour through Foley, AL and eat at Lambert's for old time's sake. When the kids were small, they loved going there and catching the rolls the waiters lop through the air from across the restaurant. We always came away stuffed on good Southern fare. On the way out, there was always a game of sidewalk checkers, and Dad had to take a photo or two (or three, or...) with all the different memorabilia that is in abundance both inside and outside this eating establishment. It had been years since we’d eaten at Lambert's, and fortunately, we found nothing had changed! We ate our fill of meat loaf, fried chicken, ham and beans, and a wide variety of sides, including mash potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, turnip greens, slaw, black-eyed peas, fried okra, country fried potatoes, etc.!! The Lambert's waiters go from table to table with metal mixing bowls filled with side dishes they have dubbed “Pass Arounds”. One can literally ea...

We made a quick trip out to the orchard for some fresh early peaches. They are $7.50 for a five pound flat. The cashier said they should have peaches every day for the rest of the season. They taste delicious! I kept three or four peaches for us, and Larry carried the rest across the street to our sweet neighbor, Mr. Ray, who came to Larry’s rescue last week. Larry was loading the lawnmower into the truck to take it down to Dude’s house, when he had a slight mishap. The mower flipped over, pinning him underneath. While he lay trapped beneath the mower in our drive, with gasoline spilling all over him, he yelled at the top of his voice for one of us inside to come and help him. Unfortunately, we were all oblivious to his peril. Fortunately, Mr. Ray was more alert than us and came to Larry’s aid. Praise the Lord for Mr. Ray’s assistance and that, other than some bad bruises and scrapes, Larry is fine. A basket of fresh fruit makes a lovely gift. I picked up a cute metal and wic...