Brian's Easy Meat Pies

My brother-in-law Brian spent the week of the wedding with us and brought to our attention new products, recipes, and businesses that I will share with my readers. Today, we will be talking meat pies. Brian loves Natchitoches Meat Pies which are not available in Bluffton, South Carolina. He came up with an easy and delicious alternative to the ever so difficult pastry.

 Goya makes a pastry that they refer to as discs that can be used to make latin empanadillas, fruit pies, etc. They come 10 to a pack and are frozen. Defrost to use - the discs are separated by paper which make them very easy to work with. (Note: We started working with the dough before it was completely defrosted - make sure you wait till they are completely thawed.) I have not found these in town as of yet but I will let you know who carries them.

 We started with one pound of ground chuck and one pound of ground pork.

We cut up (finely)  a bunch of green onions and not quite a whole bell pepper. There was some discussion at the table about omitting the bell pepper. In Louisiana cooking there is always a discussion - Michael and I liked the bell pepper and my son, Andrew did not dislike it but thought it would not be missed because of its strong flavor.

We added 1 pod of garlic minced (I used the garlic in a jar). The title of the post says Easy - right?

We put it altogether in a cast iron skillet with a teaspoon of Crisco. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (ground). This is the most important statement in the recipe - " When meat is done but NOT dry, remove from heat." When you remove from heat add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir well.

 We used the second Meat Pie recipe (page 6) in the Cane River Cuisine Cookbook.

Brian had suggesting getting one of these little crimping devices - while he was here we actually discovered 2 sets of these while going through a storage unit of a family member. They made the assembly effortless and easy. 

Michael dropped these in hot peanut oil and deep fried until golden brown. Thank you Brian - the pastry was awesome and now I can easily make meat pies till the cows come home. 

Readers - let me know how you like your meat pies. Do you do something special? Do you use bell pepper? Please comment....... I am very interested in this topic.

Enjoying a rainy day, Tina

Where Do I Begin

Where do I begin..... I know that I promised to post several times a week but a wedding can make everything go off schedule. My youngest son, Jon married Michelle on October 24, 2015. They were married at Immaculate Conception and the original venue for the reception was the Cane River Cottage outdoor area. When Michelle's parents and Michael and I looked at the extended forecast we saw the writing on the wall. Rain was predicted on Saturday. After much discussion, we decided to move the reception to the Natchitoches Events Center. We took a rustic theme and transferred it to an indoor venue and it worked! Thanks to everyone who helped us. The Miscisin and Shirley family were a great collaborative team.

Guests were greeted with lighted screened doors with grapevine wreaths.

There were welcome signs and bows.

There were family pictures and table assignments hanging from branches.

Tables had large wooden discs with lanterns, baby breath, vintage books, candles, and various design elements. Each table had a bag of Girl Scout Cookies ( an homage to the bride).

There was a beautiful cake with layers of chocolate, fig, and blueberry. It was so good.

Of course, my son chose a cake in the shape of the Super Dome. He is a wonderful New Orleans Saints fan. Who Dat!!

The couple created a wonderful bar menu with beer, wine, and colas. Old cabinet door with chalkboard paint displayed the menu with a clip on light to brighten the choices. Michelle found a great antique knob for the door. 

There was a table with the most wonderful Michigan cheeses and crackers. Michigan can produce some wonderful cheese.

Before the food arrived this is what the table looked like. Lasyone's  catered the reception. The menu included gumbo, crawfish etouffee, Caesar Salad , Carrot Souffle, and Meat Pies.

There was an awesome DJ with a great light show and Karaoke. (We had a blast doing Second Line).

Sashes and chandeliers hung from the very high ceiling.

 

The groom threw the garter attached to a football and the bride threw a faux bouquet. (She wanted to keep the original bouquet.)

The letter S adorned the lit screen door behind the wedding cake.

There were sparklers and lighters available to see the young couple off. Not even rain could stop this. We partied till the early morning, we danced and laughed and celebrated what Love really is..... more pictures on another post. Keep reading, I promise to post several times a week..... Enjoy the lovely Autumnal weather. Tina

I Mean No Harm

As I look out my screen door today, it has come to my attention that there is a growing resentment against blogs and Facebook pictures and stories. The article I read referred to this as Compare and Despair and I will admit I have experienced this. You look at all the beautiful photos and read all the lovely stories and you feel a little below par as you sit in your pajamas with uncombed hair at 11am . I have to remind myself that social media is not a real representation of our lives. The "hyper-glee" that is reflected in social media is a difficult thing for anyone to display or sustain. We tend either to only post about the very best things in our lives or the folks that always have a negative attitude about life (which no one wants to read).  I mean no harm.

The path I want to follow is an interactive blog where I want you to tell me what is going on in your life. I live a very peaceful life - not a lot of excitement but I prefer it that way. My house is a normal house in a normal neighborhood - no bells and whistles here. My family is beautiful and normal. We experience all the good and bad things that life offers. Some days I am happy, some days I am blue, and some days I am reflective. I am so thankful to be retired and able to do the things that make me happy. I am content - I am at peace with myself and my experiences and I think that is a successful life. This blog is meant to share fun crafts, cooking, decorating, collections, etc. Please comment and let me know what is happening in your lives. 

FYI -  Please visit my ETSY shop (address on the sidebar) to look over the vintage items I have for sale. As the holiday season approaches, remember vintage books and items make very thoughtful gifts - especially for those hard to buy for folks. I have a lot of items not in the shop. If you are looking for something specific just let me know and I will check my inventory.

I Am Not A Couponer But I Use Coupons And More

[First let me apologize for the lateness of my post. I want to post 2-3 times a week but this month is crazy. My youngest son, Jon is getting married October 24, 2015 and it has been a busy time. I can't wait to blog about the wedding.]

I know we have all seen Extreme Couponers on TLC. I am NOT a couponer but I do use coupons. I collected and used coupons in the 1980's. The coupons then had a very long duration, unlike today where their use time is about a month or a little longer. I no longer depend on newspaper inserts for coupons. The most popular inserts in newspapers are Smart Source, Red Plum, and P and G. Newspapers are becoming obsolete, however I sometimes buy the local paper and it sometimes has the popular inserts. I no  longer buy a newspaper just for the coupons. 

One option are coupons that appear on a product. Some of the coupons are ... redeem now or on your next purchase. I usually always use these coupons because they are items that I already buy. 

My new favorite coupons are those obtained from the computer. You can go to the Wal-Mart website and download many Manufactures coupons. Some are just for Wal-Mart but most are for any store. There are many websites that provide coupons and you clip what you need. 

I use coupons for only the items I use on a regular basis. You must resist buying an item just because you have a coupon. I keep track of how much I save using coupons by keeping/ or recording the amount saved. If you don't believe there is a recession, just go to the grocery store. 

My youngest son had a beautiful Baptismal ceremony and Mass at Immaculate Conception today. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and became a Catholic. I am so proud of the man he has become.

On a last note, I have had a difficult night. I was sweeping the dinning room floor when my favorite broom's handle broke in half -  I grabbed the scissors and some Duct tape and pulled out the amount of tape I needed - I grabbed the scissors (Fiskars) to cut the tape and they fell apart - broke in half. Are there any quality products left? I now need a new broom and a new pair of scissors. 

Let me know how you use coupons. I currently have saved about $15.00 this month using coupons. Just saving money using coupons and savings from stores to off set high prices. Share any ideas you have for saving money. Have a lovely Autumn day, Tina

Chalk Paint - What's All The Excitement About?

I don't know about you but I see and hear about chalk paint almost everyday. Recently, a friend of mine explained why chalk paint was a great product to paint furniture and how versatile it is. She showed me some of her pieces and they were just beautiful. She uses Annie Sloan chalk paint. I almost fell over when she told me it was almost $40 a quart. A little investigation revealed that Annie Sloan, in the 1990's was looking for a furniture paint that she could use that did not require priming and sanding. The result was chalk paint that provides an ultra matte finish. I have even seen people on the internet making their own chalk paint. ( I think I will leave that up to the experts) It is just not in my nature to pay that kind of money for paint. 

As I was pondering chalk paint, I noticed in a local advertisement that there was a chalk paint made in Louisiana. My readers know I am very loyal to Louisiana products.I did some more research and realized I could use this paint to redo my backdoor. Off to the hardware store.......

Before we bought a storm door, our back door was open to the elements and 2 large dogs who liked to scratch. I can't believe I waited this long to do something about this door. In most cases, I would have to sand this door - however chalk paint apparently lets one skip this step. I was somewhat skeptical.

The paint I used was Chalk Finish Paint- The Painted Pretties - Made in Louisiana. The color was slate gray. Directions indicated that a good nylon brush should be used for the best coverage.

After painting you apply a wax to protect the finish. I chose the clear wax that you apply with a lint free cloth. If you use the dark wax, you apply it with a brush. The company, which is located in Denham Springs, LA has a Facebook page - Down South Painted and Pretty. Make sure you look at their photos. I can't believe I don't remember the prices but I think both products were a little less than $20.

This is one of the best paints I have ever used. It goes on so well and had almost full coverage with one coat and 2 coats made the door look amazing. All those scratches disappeared. I waited till the next day to apply the wax. The wax went on easily and it did not take much elbow grease. 

I highly recommend this product. The quality was excellent and the price was reasonable. Easy clean-up with water. I did this door and used less than one third of the jar. The paints come in some muted as well as bold colors. Let me know if you have had any experiences with chalk paint and review it for the readers.