Road Trip

The family and I took a road trip Saturday to Lake Charles, LA. Our niece was having a wedding reception following a destination wedding to Tennessee. If you know me, you know I am always looking for the perfect hamburger. We read about Fatboy and Skinny's in Leesville, LA. Wow! Awesome hamburger - great flavor and lots of options to build your own burger.

  Not only was it a great burger - it is in an old gas station that has been converted to keep the integrity of the old station. It looks like it might have been a Sinclair station but I don't know - I just know it is vintage and the inside has lots of old photos of the town.

 At this time, Bailey's in Coushatta, LA is the best burger but I also love the hamburger at Mim's Produce off the Ajax exit off I-49. We go there to buy our fire wood and fresh produce.

 This is the casino complex which is definitely a resort. This is the L'Auberge Casino. You could stay here with kids for the weekend and everyone would happy. I am no gambler -  I do not have the stomach for feeding the one arm bandit for any length of time.

 This is the Golden Nugget and it is another great resort. I really like the lazy river and pool area.

 The casino's have a boardwalk that connects the two casino's. 

 Snapped a great picture of a tugboat from the boardwalk. This picture really depicts Lake Charles.

The boardwalk includes a beach with swimming and fire pits. Lots to do. Thanks for reading the blog and let me know where I can find your favorite hamburger. Let me know about one of your favorite Louisiana destinations. This was a nice day trip..... the wedding reception was also great!

Old Things

My niece gave me this sign several years ago for Christmas. She knows me well, because I do love all things old. I love vintage items. Vintage refers to items 20 years or more in age. Antiques continue to refer to items 100 years of age (although some would disagree with that definition). I love the decades of the forties, fifties, sixties, and seventies. 

 I collect old letters - look at that penmanship.  More on ephemera on another post.We don't even teach kids cursive writing anymore. Don't get me started! I love old rubber stamps and one of my favorites was scoring this old rubber stamp from Derry, La. where my mother was born.

 I have several retro ashtrays because they are such works of art - not intended for smoking but for home decor. The colors are amazing.

 I love old maps and have several in my home. The old map was obtained from Michael's aunt - it is  a vintage historical map of the Natchitoches/ Sabine areas. I framed this and it is one of my favorite vintage items.

 I love to use old items like this camera to make a vintage statement. No words are needed - it immediately takes you to a time gone by.

 I love old furniture - especially those with a story. Michael's grandfather made this dressing table for his grandmother. Of course it has been painted with new knobs. My sweet mother-in-law asked me to never let anyone outside the family have this piece. She treasures it's story and so do I.

  I made this grouping in my main bathroom - 2 old rusty Avon powder cans, 2 old watch faces, and some newer perfume and pearls. Gives a retro feel in a subtle way.

 These chalkware plaques are so beautiful. I have done research on these and never seen anything like them. They are in relatively good condition for chalkware that is almost always damaged because of age. These adorn the wall in my master bath.

This is a printer's tray that contains sentimental items from our family members like: watches, knives, cuff links, duck calls, lighters, etc.

In conclusion, in the past I tried to decorate my home like pictures in a magazine ( and failed) but now I realize my home should be filled with things I love and sentimental items that tell a story. My house should reflect who Michael and I are - it truly is a work in progress even after all these years.  What do you enjoy in your home? Share with us your favorite things and why.

This and That

I am sorry I have not posted recently but I have been dealing with back pain that has moved into my knee. I have so much to share. This post is just a few things I want to share before I start discussing collections.

Best discovery of the year. Michael and I purchased this large bag of coconut flour. You use it in place of wheat flour (which sends my blood sugar through the roof).  Michael has made chocolate chip cookies and coconut cookies with the coconut flour. Both were delicious. I also used the coconut flour to dust my pork roast before browning. This is an awesome product.

It was suggested by Jessica that I decorate my file cabinet since I did not like it. I thought that was a great idea - so I painted each drawer front the 4 colors in my curtains. I then collaged each drawer by destashing my crafting supplies and stickers. It has a steampunk/vintage/Paris theme. It makes for a fun piece in a fun room.

Do not judge me - I was in Dollar Tree this week and they had Fall decorations out. I guess I am so looking forward to Autumn that I purchased this great sign that I hung on my outside door. You can not beat $1 decorations. Also, don't forget Dollar Tree still has lots of back to school items. It is a great time to purchase office supplies.

Our favorite low carb meal this week. We love stuffed bell peppers. I use hamburger meat, Rotel, and mushrooms to stuff the peppers. I would usually use rice but I substituted fresh mushrooms to reduce the carbohydrates. Cover with cheese and bake. Such a great flavor!

Please comment and let me know what you are buying or cooking. If you have not joined the blog, please join today.

Always Buy The Spirals

I have a love of cookbooks. I read them like a novel. I have my favorites for different reasons. I love Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real and Rustic (1996). All the recipes have Louisiana stories or history - inscription says...."To the people of Louisiana who shared with us their heritage and love of food. To those who are presently continuing these traditions and to those who will continue to preserve what has been passed down for generations." This cookbook pays homage to Louisiana - it's people, land, and resources.

I once overheard a woman at a Flea Market say 'always buy the spirals'. I thought about that for awhile and realized the truth of her words. Those little spiral recipe books represent the best recipes of the community. They are usually compilations of recipes from churches, schools, and organizations. They are also written by those who want to preserve the family recipes and history of the family through food. Cane River Cuisine is not known as a spiral (although it is bound by spirals). It is a great cookbook because of the awesome recipes, photography, and history of my home town. My very favorite spiral is big mama's Old Black Pot (1987) written by Ethel Dixon. I love that it  has great recipes and Louisiana folklore (If lost in woods, remember, moss grows on the north side of a tree.) It makes sure that the rural South's great history of living off the land should not be forgotten. Second..."an old black pot can't be beat when you want something fit to eat."

These are a sampling of some of my spirals. They are well read and remnants of flour or other ingredients can be found on some of the pages. I learned from my Maw Maw that cooking is a messy business! The woman's kitchen was always dusted in flour.

I know we have the internet to access every kind of recipe you could imagine - but that does not replace the beauty of a recipe book put together with love.

The blue cookbook (Compiled by Presbyterian Auxiliary - Ferriday, Louisiana) above was given to us by Michael's grandmother in 1981. She wrote the following on the front page... To Tina and Michael: These recipes were compiled during the depression in the 1930's. They have been tested and enjoyed for nearly 50 years. Hope you enjoy using them for the next 50. Love, Nena

The internet can't do that!

One Christmas some of our family members made spirals with recipes specific to their family and every family got a copy.  I think this is a great idea for families needing some fresh ideas for Christmas. I cherish those books.

Last but not least, I love these spirals that offer recipes for gifts in a jar - I have gift recipes for Soups, Bars and Brownies, Muffins and Breads, and Cookies. I hope you enjoyed this post and wish you would share with me some of your favorite cookbooks. I am always looking for great book or spiral.

Happy Cooking......................!

Hobby Lobby Haul

 Saturday we made a quick trip to Alexandria to visit the SHRINE for all crafters. Hobby Lobby is my favorite store. I literally could stay in there for hours. They were having a great sale and I added some more crafting items to my growing stash. I thought I would share my haul.

I purchased this gorgeous paper pack called Tyin the Knot by Paper 

Studio. Although some of the papers are specific to a wedding, most can be used for any theme.

This is a sample of one of the papers - so lovely. I have wondered away a bit from paper crafting but I am excited to share with my readers some of the new ideas I will be working on.

I purchased several new stamps. I will begin making altered postcards so I needed the postcard stamp. I am excited about getting started on these.

I love the stamp color called ocean. I also got some great flowers at a great sales price. These are great for greeting cards and scrappin.

I was also able to add some bling to my stash. I have a concept that I will be experimenting with that involves altered note cards. I will share as soon as I get a set made.

I hope my readers remember my messy craft room. This is the newly organized room - I hate the file cabinet but the beast stores so much and it was free. I know not everyone is into paper crafting but I want to share what I am doing. Please let me know how you enjoy your free time.

No I Am Not A Prepper

Several years ago prepping for everything cataclysmic was all the rage. While watching several of these videos the Food Saver kept reappearing as an optimal way to save food. Michael and I decided to invest in the Food Saver V3880 and paid about $170.00. It has been 2 years and we use it on a weekly basis. This is NOT the old seal a meal (which by the way they still make) from your youth. This is a great machine for a safe air tight seal. The Food Savers come in different sizes and now they come in the color white as well. Prices vary according to which unit you purchase.

We buy larger quantities of meat and divide it up to meet our needs. It makes air tight seals and has a very sharp cutting blade for bags. It is very user friendly and is very light weight and easy to store. I don't know about you but to me the prices at the grocery store are astronomical and we try to save money wherever we can. 

You can buy bags of various sizes but we like to buy a roll and make our own bags . These items can be bought in places like big box stores or even Ebay. We have found some good deals on the bags. 

I

One of my favorite features is the ability to vacuum seal jars. It is so economical to buy large bags of rice and beans and use the jars for storage. The jars and rings can be used over and over ( I just buy new lids).

The Food Saver comes with 2 sizes to seal jars - regular and wide mouth. Just place the right size sealer to the top of the jar, attach a tube to the jar and then to the Food Saver - press a button and you have sealed jars. ( I only use this for dry ingredients) I also love the jars in my pantry - Just look at the clear jars and you know exactly what you have and how much you have.

I really do recommend this product - 5 stars! Is there a 5 star product you have been using that you would like to share with my readers? Please comment and try to stay cool in this brutal heat.

Inspiration

Inspiration is the stimulation of the mind and feelings. Inspiration comes from everywhere and I get inspired from so many places and people. I thought I would share with you a few inspirational people and things that inspire me. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch continues to be so meaningful to me. I have listened to this lecture many times. Randy was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon. Prior to the annual lecture, Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His lecture "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" was his last lecture in 2007. Cancer took Randy in 2008 and he left quite a legacy for his wife and children. If you could tell everyone about life before you die - what would you say? Go to YouTube and type in The Last Lecture and choose the best quality version. 

I love all things Louisiana. I love the culture and I find inspiration in my favorite author, James Lee Burke. He has a series of crime novels and the main character is detective Dave Robicheaux, from New Iberia Louisiana. I have read every Robicheaux novel and I am inspired by the wonderful descriptions of south louisiana and Louisiana culture. The family visited Books Along The Teche in New Iberia, where I met JLB and he signed 2 books. It was one of those awesome days for me.

I love food. I love the history of food. I am so inspired by Louisiana cuisine. I love the history of the rustic dishes that we cook everyday. I am inspired by the great new chefs in the state who I read about in Louisiana Life. But I love John Folse and Paul Prudhomme. True Louisiana cooks who share food that they grew up with.

What is love according to the Bible? It is difficult to define love - but this little book by Henry Drummond was instrumental in me having a better understanding of God's love. Drummond simply explains that we love others and our enemies because He first loved us. He also states the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love. The little book (very short) is on the internet for free and you should be able to use this link to access the book.

henrydrummond.wwwhubs.com/greatest.htm

I will continue to share with my readers what inspires me - please let me know what inspires you.