It's Apple Time!

I love it when Honeycrisp hits the stores.....The combination of sweet and tart is just what I like. And oh they are so crisp! That's always been a requirement for me. I remember our fruit bowl always had fingernail marks on the apples....I was searching for the crisp one! (awful wasn't I) I don't have to poke these apples, they are all perfect!

What's your favorite apple?

Sweet.......Tart.......Mellow......

Delicious.....Rome......Gala.......Granny Smith......

If you haven't tried Honeycrisp, you really should while they are in stores. The season doesn't last long. They can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 months!!! That's a great reason to buy them!

I love to slice them and eat with slices of cheddar or a spoon of natural peanut butter....yummy!

Have a great day

Nanny

Betsy's Best Chocolate Cake

What do I do when I promise my grandson I'll bake him a big chocolate cake......Pillsbury just didn't seem to be the answer to this promise!

I seem to remember sweet and talented Betsy of My Five Men sharing her best chocolate cake recipe.....If five men say it is good, it must be.

So I got out the kitchen aid and gave it a try.

A couple of hours later (yes, I'm slow and make a mess)

this beauty was ready to be delivered.

I hesitate to serve anything without trying it (that's my excuse for cutting into his cake)ha.....so this morning I had a small piece with coffee.

If you notice on Betsy's comments on the cake recipe post....mine said, "I'm not a fan of chocolate but it looks good".....WRONG.....I love this cake and I want it all for me!!!! Can you just see the moistness? Oh my!

Jackson, I hope you enjoy your cake and pay no attention to the tears on the cake cover!

Have a good weekend all and GO HOGS!!

Nanny

Bye, Bye Summer!

I love the color of fall.....I can't wait for the peak color...I'm hitting the road in search of it.....



Trixie loves fall....and squirrel hunting/ha or maybe I should say squirrel watching!




I hope you all have a wonderful first day of fall!

Nanny

Little Pink Houses

Every time I drive by these I start singing:
Oh but ain't that America for you and me
Ain't that America something to see baby
Ain't that America home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me

And if you look closely.....Sold....in every window



Two more left and one is blue....




Looks like you just hook on and drive away with these cuties. Do these replace travel trailers? Guess you could make a great playhouse for the kids after you were done camping or whatever these are for!

Kale Chips

Yes, that's what they are called.....very unusual uh?

I love First for women...the magazine. It's by the candy, gum and other temptations at the checkout at WalMart. It is filled with recipes, coupons, beauty tips, etc.

Kristen Bell's slimming kitchen cure was just so interesting that I had to try it first.

"The actress calls homemade kale chips her "everything superfood", and for good reason! Kale is rich in fiber, which boosts satiety, and trace minerals that optimize metabolism. To make: Break up fresh kale leaves, drizzle with olive oil and add sea salt. Then bake in a preheated 400 deg. oven for 10 min., or just until browned. Kale is available st supermarkets for most of the year. Look for bunches with the darkest green color and the stiffest leaves.

The flavor is remarkable. Pure fresh kale in every bite. Crunchy with a hint of salt. I had to walk away from the chips to keep from eating the entire pan while standing in one place. If you like the flavor of greens, give this snack a try. I know it is not for everyone and I will be in trouble if there is a trace of the scent left in the house when you know who comes home.......ha. But if I don't contain myself they will all be gone before he gets home!
Nanny

Woooo Pig Soooie

How bout them hogs??????

Creole Stuffed Peppers

Do you know how happy it makes me to find a new recipe that will go on my list of favorites? Very ! I knew when I saw this recipe I would love it. It has so many delicious ingredients that it couldn't be anything short of scrumptious! For the recipe click here, Cajun Delights and while you are there look at all of the other delightful cajun recipes that Marguerite serves daily!!

The peppers are par boiled and cut up instead of stuffing whole. I like that idea.

The meat is browned, spices added and simmered for 20 minutes, allowing all of the flavors to come together. Then rice is folded into the mixture.

Next the layering of peppers, meat, and cheese....
Bake until bubbly and as Marguerite says; Cest bon cher!


And the leftovers are to die for! Even the husband wanted them.....that's a big Wow!

Nanny

Fair Week

It's fair week!!
My question is:
Will you go to your fair?
Do you like the fair?

I haven't been to the fair in many years....since the girls were small!

I don't miss this event in the least!

What I do miss is fresh cotton candy...oh yes!

And a good granny smith candied apple!

Those two could get me to the fair!

Nanny

It's Here!

OK, I admit it.....I love fall TV and all of the great shows returning! I do have a dilemma about Wednesday nights this season. Why are so many shows moving to Wednesday? Take for instance this Wednesday night....America's Got talent (Season Finale), Master Chef (Season Finale), Survivor (Season Premiere), Big Brother (Season Finale), and Top Chef!!! Then next Wednesday add Modern Family and who knows what else to the lineup. I don't have enough DVR's to even get it all.

Two new shows have got my attention....Hawaii Five 0 and Blue Bloods...I could sit and watch Tom Selleck and Donnie Whalberg all night! I hope the show is as good as it looks.
Well back to the guide and setting dvr.....

Thank you Amazing Race for staying on Sunday and not moving to Wednesday!

Nanny

Flea Market Fun

And they weren't lying!

I could have spent an entire afternoon in this quaint fleamarket!

Row after row of so much stuff to look at. It was hard to focus! ha
I was with my husband so I had to browse in a hurry, before he found me and said "ready to go"?



When I found the table with the tin sucret box, I had to pause and reflect!
I always had a box of sucrets in my purse in high school...I mean always! I kept a sore throat from cheering at games and sucrets were the only thing that saved me.




What does one do with the empty boxes you say? Well they were perfect for keeping clippies and roller pics in! Those were the days of dippity do and brush rollers. The pics left an indention on your scalp from digging in!!!! The clippies were for your little side curl on your cheek...give it a twirl and hold with clippie or scotch tape...but that hurt when you pulled it off. Plus tape left your face red where it had been/ha Oh me those were the days!

I'm going back to this place soon and ALONE to spend all the time I want.
I'll show you more from this trip on Flea Market II.

Nanny

Welcome Back!

I look forward to the hummingbirds arriving in the spring......

This year they just didn't show up......

Two weeks ago I was outside and I heard the chirp I had been listening for....

I have been feeding 3 or 4 for a few days but today when I got home the feeders were covered and more swarming waiting on a drink. They had emptied both feeders so I hurriedly got the pan, dissolved the sugar, cooled it off and gave them a refill!

I don't know where they spent the summer but I am happy that they are stopping by before going south. Maybe I will have them for a few weeks.

MIGRATION & SITE FIDELITY
DISTANCE: About 845km (525mi) non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico, and then up to another 1,600km (1,000mi) into Central America; RTHU that nest in Canada must also fly from there to the Gulf Coast, a distance of another 1,600km (1,000mi) or so.

ELAPSED TIME: Estimated 20 hours to fly across the Gulf of Mexico. (Some RTHUs may go overland through Mexico.)

FEEDING & METABOLISM
RATE: Eats about its weight in nectar or sugar water each day.

FREQUENCY: About 5-10 times per hour for 30-60 seconds each time

BODY TEMPERATURE: 40.5 degrees C (105-108 degrees F)

TORPOR: On cold nights, a RTHU can lower its body temperature by about 20 degrees C (30 degrees F), thus conserving energy that we be used to maintain its normal temperature. The next morning, the RTHU speeds up its metabolism and get its body temperature back up to normal within a few minutes.

ENERGY USE: On a typical day, a RTHU needs about 10 calories of food to survive. This can come in the form of carbohydrates (sugar water or flower nectar) or fats and proteins (primarily from tiny insects and spiders).

Fascinating aren't they?

Nanny

Wordless Wednesday

Smudges made by sweet little thumbs that like to scroll thru pictures!!!

I'll clean my phone soon....but not today!!!

Nanny

Being A Nanny!

This week I am doing my most favorite thing in the world.....being a nanny.

Sweetpea has changed so much since I saw her in July. She is walking and enjoying every step she takes. She initiates conversation by saying her version of "what's this" or "whziz"? And believe me she wants to know whziz about everything!! So Cute!

Of course we have done some shopping and the Hallmark Store has been her favorite so far! It was all I could do to keep from bringing one of these big dogs home, she loved them so much. But I guess two big black dogs are enough for now.

Baby Mum-Mum's are a definite favorite in this house....keep plenty of these on hand!

I had to come to Texas for this scene....One that I haven't seen in ever so long...I tried to wave it north, all the way to Arkansas but reports are that I was unsuccessful...

Well breaktime is over, I need to cut up some watermelon for a snack.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week too!

Later,

Nanny