Mountain Musings

Year of Color: Week 4 - Hot Pink

This week's color theme in the Year of Color is hot pink, and how could I resist these beautiful peonies taken earlier this spring at Viette's where there were fields and fields of blooming peonies of all varieties--incredible!

And here's one of our own hot pink hibiscus plants growing around our garden fence. This one was a bare root I purchased for 50 cents at a yard sale a few years ago; it always has showy blooms, and I've enjoyed watching it grow!

~Deb

Autumn Package Arrives

Susan P recently posted a challenge on her blog A Place Called Home for readers to leave comments on how they decorate their homes for fall. Of course, I participated because I love fall, and I love to decorate with pumpkins, leaves, and a tasseled corn shock made from the leftover corn stalks from our garden...and...I love to win things! :)

The names of all who commented were put into a hat, and two names randomly drawn to receive an autumn wreath which Susan made. Guess who was one of the winners!!

The package arrived yesterday, and my Virginia cyber friend, Susan P, outdid herself! There was a big orange leaf on the outside of the box near the address label that caught my attention right away! Then...when I opened the box, inside were more beautiful leaves and a spicy, cinnamon-y smell wafting up from beneath the tissue paper.

Here's what I found inside: a pretty fall card (one little mouse was raking leaves while the other sat on a big orange pumpkin and watched--cute!) with a nice friendly note written inside, a Yankee Wax Potpourri Tart Harvest Candle, and the beautifully decorated wreath.

As you can see, Susan wrapped a pre-made straw wreath with a shimmery gold-edged 2-inch ribbon with bright fall leaves embedded in it, and then glued more leaves (like the ones I found inside the box) onto the wreath itself. She then added colorful gourds to the wreath and tied one of those gorgeous bows you always dream of being able to tie yourself on the side. It's beautiful!

Thank you, Susan P, for being so generous to give away such wonderful fall treasures. I'd like to invite any readers who don't already read Susan's blog to hop over to A Place Called Home and pay Susan a visit.

~Deb

Recipe Box: Show & Tell

Since the beginning of school is in sight for lots of families, I started thinking about the "Show & Tell" assignments most students have participated in at one time or another. I actually don't think I ever remember doing one when I was in school; maybe I was deprived or maybe my memory isn't what it used to be!

So, I've been considering doing a Recipe Box Show & Tell. Tammy had so much success with her Apron Show & Tell earlier this year that I thought I would do one that most of us ladies could identify with. Are you interested?

If you'd like to participate, within the next week, post a picture on your blog showing your recipe box(s), three-ring binder, or wherever you keep your treasured recipes and tell us the story behind it.

Is it a hand-me-down box that's filled with family recipes from a favorite grandmother or did you receive it as a wedding gift? Is it one that was handmade? Or it is a shoebox filled with all sorts of newspaper-clipped recipes that one day you'll get around to organizing?  (My sister just bought a new recipe box at Country Treasures in Harrisonburg when she visited us a couple of weeks ago, and I'd definitely like to see a picture of it on her kitchen counter.) :)

Whatever recipe box you use - take a picture! After you've done so, send me an email with the link to your post (girotti at ntelos dot net), and I'll list all the participating links next Wednesday morning. Have your entry to me by 9 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, and I'll include it in Wednesday's post. If you want to participate and don't have a blog, email me a picture; I'll post your picture along with your story.

Have fun!

~Deb

Recipes from the Weekend

Here are the promised recipes from the weekend and how they ended up in our recipe box.

Salsa

• 10 plum/Roma tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• juice from 1 lime
• cilantro - pull leaves off stem to fill 1 cup, minced
• season with salt and pepper

Thanks to our friend, Martha, for passing along this recipe. We enjoyed this delicious salsa at a church potluck last year and asked around for who made it. We found out Martha makes it fresh daily to serve in her son and daughter-in-law's restaurant in Harrisonburg. This was our first year of planting Roma tomatoes, and they sure have been great for making this salsa.

Tammy also recently posted her Salsa recipe.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

• 2 quarts water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped onions
• 1 cup cheese crackers, crushed
• Garnish: green onion fan

Bring water and salt to a boil in a large Dutch oven; stir in macaroni. Return to a rapid boil, and cook 8 to 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine macaroni and next 4 ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish; sprinkle with crackers. Bake at 325 degrees for 30  - 35 minutes. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 6 - 8 servings.   Southern Living, October 1993.

We first sampled this delicious homemade Macaroni and Cheese dish at our going-away luncheon in Williamsburg just before we moved. A sweet couple in our neighborhood Bible study group, who had volunteered to take over the study after we left, served us a feast that day to say good-bye, and this recipe has been a real keeper; Sarah has made it many, many times since. (Sorry we didn't take a picture before it was all gone!)

Southwestern Grilled Chicken

We have always used the Grill-Mates packets by McCormick's to marinate the chicken before grilling. This link will give you the exact recipe. And the chicken has always been delicious!

However, recently Susan posted a recipe for a fajita mix that I would like to try. Does anyone else out there make your own southwestern style marinate mix and would like to share it? I'd like to do a little experimenting to see if we can come up with something similar to Grill-Mates.

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

We have a 2 quart Rival Ice Cream and Yogurt Maker that was passed on to us, and that's what Sarah uses each time she's made ice cream.  Here are the ingredients from the instruction booklet:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup sugar
• dash salt
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups whipping cream

Scald milk until bubbles form around the edge. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved. Stir in half and half, vanilla, and whipping cream. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. Freeze as directed.

Since our ice cream maker is only a 2 quart machine, we usually make another dessert and top it with a scoop of ice cream so there will be plenty for company.

~Deb

Very Enjoyable Weekend

Saturday - We had a very busy but enjoyable weekend. Saturday consisted mostly of cleaning, cooking, and preparing for friends from church to come and share dinner with us. Sarah and Hannah are always such a big help; in fact, I don't know how I would manage in the kitchen without them! 

Sarah prepared homemade macaroni and cheese and chocolate pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. Hannah baked homemade whole wheat rolls, prepared fresh tomato salsa, cut up fresh pineapple, and cooked diced zucchini and onions for a side dish. I grilled the marinated southwestern chicken, and we served our garden cucumbers with the salad. All turned out yummy, and the fellowship with our friends was very fun! [Recipes follow tomorrow.]

Sunday - Yesterday was the home church meeting in Richmond which we try to attend every 5th or 6th week when it's located at the home closest to us, which is still 1-1/2 hours away. The other weeks it makes for too long a drive to travel farther to the other families' homes. Actually, a new family was visiting who traveled 4-1/2 hours from West Virginia to attend and see what a home church gathering was like.

We enjoyed the hymn singing and teaching time on Romans 3, the fathers taking the lead in prayer and discussion, the Lord's Supper in the kitchen afterwards, and the potluck meal with lots of conversation into the afternoon.

We contributed two watermelons from our garden and Hannah cut up ten cantaloupes to serve as our part of the potluck, along with bringing 15 more cantaloupes to giveaway. This is the first year Hannah planted cantaloupe, and we'll harvest close to 70! It is great to be able to share the abundance!

That's what kept us busy this weekend. Hope yours was a good one. I'm very thankful that today is a relaxing Monday! Yay!

~Deb

Recipe Swap - Summer Salads

We're participating in Tammy's summer salad recipe swap. Here's our entry:

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Toss all lightly together (using as many fresh garden vegetables as you can):

• 17 oz can peas, drained
• 17 oz can white shoe peg corn, drained
• 15 1/2 oz can french-style green beans, drained
• 2 oz jar diced pimento
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 - 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Combine and bring to a boil - stirring occasionally:

• 1 cup sugar (or less)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup vinegar

Pour over the vegetables and mix well. Cover and let chill for 24 hours.

~Deb

Year of Color: Week 4-Chestnut Brown

For this week's color theme of Chestnut Brown, a photo of Dallas Police horses seems to fit. And I was able to get as close to them as it looks--the two stood regally with their respective officers in the downtown streets as I took their "portraits."

~Hannah

I Was at the Airport Today

No, thankfully I wasn't at the terrorist airport, and I wasn't stranded standing in long lines waiting for a flight to leave. I drove to our small--very small--local Shenandoah Regional Airport to meet Tom for lunch at the Flyaway Cafe. Sounds romantic, huh? Actually, it was, as it was our delayed celebration from last weekend of our "Been-Through-A-Lot-Together" Anniversary.

For years I've been campaigning to, "Let's go watch planes take off and land!" In fact, every time there's a beautiful Sunday afternoon I suggest riding to an airport to watch planes. I figure that I've suggested that activity for the past 18 years--from way back when we lived in Richmond in 1988 and drove to the airport one evening with four little munchkins in tow to watch planes arrive. Oh, the excitement of those big birds touching down. I loved it! I'm not sure the kids even remember the outing, but I sure do.

Today was the fulfillment of that wish to do it again. Of course, the local airport boasted only about five planes that I saw--all very small ones that maybe 6 or 8 people could fit into. It was a dreary, off-and-on rainy day, and I wondered if any planes would actually be taking off or landing.

We walked into the Flyaway Cafe, ordered, and enjoyed lunch together. (Their from-scratch strawberry shortcake was worth the trip.) Afterwards we made our way to the lobby and the wall of windows that looked out onto the runway. Amazingly, one small plane's propellers started spinning as we watched, and lights started flashing on each wing. I could not believe it! I might actually get to see a plane take off in this little airport?

Take off, it did! I don't have any pictures to prove we were there! My camera was in the van because it was too rainy to bother. But, I have to admit that I felt that God was smiling at me as He granted me this insignificant wish to see a plane take off today. It was such a very fun and unexpected excursion. I loved it!

But I can't help but wonder what all those folks that were stranded in the terrorist airport were thinking when they realized the flight they were to be on could have been their last. I'm wondering if I had been one of them if I'd ever want to see a plane again!

~Deb

Front Porch Hymn Sing

Here are some pictures of one of the fun evenings we had last week when my sister visited. After our cookout on Friday, Tom grabbed his guitar and some hymnbooks, and we sat out on the front porch watching the sunset as we sang some of our favorites. Thankfully, the temps were cooler, and the haze had cleared over the mountains. It was a wonderful evening!

Micah and Elizabeth came over and joined us. Even Barney was quiet when we sang Sweet Hour of Prayer and Were You There? The evening ended much too soon, but we picked out favorites and sang until it was too dark to read the words in the hymnal.

We love simple family times together. What is your favorite family time that doesn't cost a cent?

~Deb

Got Chocolate?

I L-O-V-E chocolate! And I would add that it's unfortunate that I like it so much...until I heard and read recently that chocolate (the dark variety) is actually good for you. Check it out:

"Hershey Special Dark and Dove Dark are good for your health as long as you are consuming it in moderation and it is not putting you over your daily calorie limit. The general guideline is up to about an ounce a day (the equivalent of about 6 dark Hershey's Kisses or 4 Dove Promises) and about 150 calories. So take your time with the 1 ounce and make it worth every dark moment - it's good for you. But you don't have to have the entire ounce. You can have less - if 2 or 3 Kisses or 1 or 2 Promises do it for you, you don't need to keep going. Sorry, milk chocolate and white (not) chocolate are NOT beneficial to your health."

"Activity for Today: Walk to the store and get a bag of dark chocolates. Then go around telling people that dark chocolate is good for them and give them a kiss or a promise (the ones you bought at the store, of course)."

Would you believe I had my first two dark chocolate Dove treats only a few weeks ago at our ladies' luncheon!? Our hostess had a bowl full of bright red dark chocolate Dove hearts to be passed around the table after our bag lunch. They were yummy...even though I prefer milk chocolate over the dark. Hmm, but I see from the article above that milk chocolate doesn't fall under the healthy-for-you category. Now that's unfortunate! We actually only buy candy around the Christmas or Valentine holidays to have out for company. Maybe I should keep some of those dark chocolate purple kisses on hand when a chocolate attack hits.

However, Sarah whips up quite a number of chocolate desserts around our house whenever the mood strikes her, which is often. Who needs Doves when we have Sarah? Our favorite is Chocolatetown Pie, and the recipe and accompanying picture were posted here in case you didn't see them when we served it recently.

This post was submitted to this week's Carnival of Beauty with the theme The Beauty of Chocolate and is hosted by MsEllen. Check her site tomorrow for the links of all participating chocolate-loving bloggers.

~Deb