Goodbye To This Louisiana Life Blog

I want to thank all of you who have joined the blog, viewed the blog, and  read the blog. However, my goal was to have an interactive site where we shared ideas and inspirations. It seems it just was not the time. I sadly am ending the blog and wish all of you the very best 2016. Thank you again, Tina

A Hobo Supper

I was looking through some vintage cookbooks recently, and found a recipe for a Hobo Dinner. We have all used foil to cook various things - but calling it a Hobo dinner was just fun. Oh course, being southern it quickly became a Hobo Supper. Michael, Drew and I each got a piece of foil and a chicken breast - we took some suggestions from the recipe but each of us got creative.

 Drew went with a Chicken wing sauce, with jalapenos, mushrooms, onions, and a few slices of potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper.

 Michael went with worcestershire sauce, jalapenos, mushrooms, onions, roma tomatos, and mushrooms. He added a few potato slices and seasoned with salt and pepper. Micheal contends that his was the best even though he did not taste the other two. That is SO Michael - (LOL).

 I went with a pretty basic concoction - onions, roma tomato, potato slices, and lots of fresh mushrooms. Salt and pepper with some lemon juice. Everyone put a pat of butter under the chicken breast .

 We wrapped the chicken up in the foil and placed on a small baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for one hour.  These turned out fabulous but the potatoes were not fully cooked even though they were sliced thinly. We all decided we did not need the extra carbs and next time we will leave them out.

 

 My Hobo supper was awesome - when it came out of the oven I added some shredded Swiss cheese. It was soo delicious! Creating different Hobo suppers was the conversation around the table. The original recipe called for onion, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, and celery. What about spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and cheese? What about a cajun version with sausage and cajun seasoning? What would your Hobo Supper look like? Please share............. Have a great day, Tina

Happy New Year 2016

Happy New Year Everyone! 2016 started so perfectly - I hope it is an indicator of what's to come. I am a homebody - I would rather be home than anywhere else in the world. I woke up to a cloudy and cold morning. The day had a great winter feel.....especially after all the heat we have experienced.

 My husband arrived later in the morning after a duck hunting adventure. He brought a duck home but who shot it is questionable. He said it was either him or his brother. (Hunting story?) He dressed the duck and it is in our freezer waiting for a jambalaya.

 Michael then built a roaring fire in the fireplace. 

 I made a big pot of black eyed peas with ham to bring us good health. I just love Southern traditions.

 I made a big skillet of cabbage and sausage to bring us wealth. 

Michael made a great pone of cornbread. It was so good. We make a pretty good team in the kitchen. 

This made for a great New Year's Plate. One of my favorite meals. Today just could not get any better.....................

 Did I forget to mention college bowl games ,,,,,,,,,

How did you spend the first day of the New Year? Please share and leave comments. If you have not, please join the blog for more fun in 2016. Feeling thankful, Tina 

Organization

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I have really tried to get a lot done so that I start 2016  with a clean slate. Last month I went to Dollar Tree and bought some storage bins and bowls to organize my pantry shelves. 

 I love the shelving that we bought several years ago,  but we organize it - then we start putting things on the shelf that don't belong there.  Hence, a total disorganized mess.

 The shelves were so disorganized I did not want my readers to see them (actually I forgot to take a picture before clearing the shelves) We now have a clean palette to work with. 

 My husband and I put up a table in the den and put everything outside the room. It really was a lot of work but I am very proud of  how we organized it - I think it is a system that we both created so it should be easier for both of us to keep it straight.

 This is a picture of the finished product. We are pleased and so far so good. We have been using this for about 2 weeks. Let me know if you have any good organizing tips - please share.

 Everyone enjoy the holidays and hold your family close.

Merry Christmas!

Handmade 2016 Planner

I am just about finished with all the Christmas shopping (2 items left) and my eyes turn toward 2016. I do not believe in New Year's Resolutions but I have set some goals for myself. My goals involve my health, crafting, my Etsy business, etc. As I thought about 2016 I wanted to make myself a planner that was inexpensive and created for my needs.

 Let's face it - I am retired and I am no social butterfly. I do not have a busy schedule and I like it that way.However, my memory is just not what it used to be so I write EVERYTHING down. I chose to buy a little Avery notebook (about 9" tall and 7" wide) and also bought dividers and protective sheets.

 I used some paper and stickers and decorated it to my taste. It does not look business like - it is something I created.

My dashboard has some post-it notes, pens, paper clips, and a small ruler.

 The back contains small tabs, ruled cards, a small notebook, and a piece of cardboard which is the template for the notebook.

 I made copies of a small calendar and put everything in the planner in protective sheets.

 I divided the planner into sections like Things To Do, Medications, Contacts, and needed information ( like what size is the air conditioner filter, etc.)

 I made copies of a shopping list and put a lot of them in this area.

I also have a section for grocery coupons and store coupons. I did not show the sections for crafting, gift ideas, Etsy, etc. I included lots of extra paper in each section and also put in a lot of paperclips. I know when I begin using it I will need to make changes as needed. I plan on taking this little book everywhere I go. What kind of information do you like to include in a planner? Let me know what you think I should include. I hope you are enjoying the holiday season!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

It is beginning to look like Christmas around my house. Our local Christmas festival was today and I am decorating the tree tomorrow. I like decorations but I never want my home to look like Pee-Wee's Playhouse. LOL! This is a short post to show you a few items I have made or bought in the last several weeks. I hope all of you are enjoying the holidays as well - share a favorite decoration you have made or bought. I LOVE Christmas.

 I bought an old black purse, one just like my grandmother used to carry. The thrift store is full of old purses. I glued a small frame on the front (no glass) - leaving the top open with no glue and placed a Christmas card in the frame. I hung it on the wall and filled with flowers. I used a rubber band to connect the 2 clasp so it did not open to wide. It really gives a vintage feel. After Christmas I will put some other flowers and a picture of the family. It will work for all seasons and all holidays.

I filled my Tussy Mussy (Yes that is what it is called) with poinsettias. Just a little reminder of Christmas on the dinning room wall.

The above picture is the Christmas frame wreath I made for the front door. I was really pleased how it turned out.

The plant was a gift and I made it festive with Christmas picks and a couple of white candles in Dollar Tree candle holders. There is also a vintage candy dish on the table.

My favorite purchase is my Charlie Brown Christmas tree. I made quite a scene at Hobby Lobby when I discovered the 50th Anniversary tree. Peanuts is my all time favorite and our family always said it was not Christmas till a Charlie Brown Christmas aired. It plays the theme song. I am soooo thrilled.

Not only did I buy the tree, I found the - For Unto Us A Savior Is Born- wooden sign to put in front of the tree. I can just hear Linus explaining to the peanuts the true meaning of Christmas. This little tree has made Christmas 2015 one of my favorites.

Sweet Potato Cobbler

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope all my readers also had a great holiday. Prior to Thanksgiving, Michael found a recipe for Sweet Potato Cobbler. We love sweet potatoes and he was thrilled with the recipe. It turned out to be so delicious and we will be making this again at Christmas.

Click to Read

Peel and slice 2 lbs. of sweet potatoes - about 4 large ones.

 Boil the sweet potatoes about 10 minutes or until tender. Reserve 1.5 cups of liquid.

 Butter a 13 X 9" glass pan.

 Sprinkle a mixture of flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg on top of the drained sweet potatoes. (See recipe)

 See recipe for very easy pastry. My grandmother Sallie used to put orange extract in her sweet potato dough and Michael decided he would do this next time.

We decided to add pecans on top , but that is strictly optional. Put pats of butter on top. (If a little is good, lots of butter is better - Right?)

 Place pastry dough on top of casserole and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and and brush with melted butter.

 This is what it looks like when cooked. This could be served with whipped cream or ice cream. It is sooooo good.

 We just served ours as a side dish with pork loin medallions and rice and gravy. Michael and I were thrilled with how this came out and he feels this pastry recipe can be adapted to many other pie and dessert recipes.

Let me know if you found a new recipe that you want to share with the readers. I love sharing recipes and working with new recipes. Happy Holidays, Tina.