Killing Lincoln

I know you have heard about the newly released novel by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard, entitled, Killing Lincoln.  I have always been fascinated by stories of President Lincoln and admit that I don't remember all that I should from history class.  When I saw Bill on The View talking about his historical thriller, I couldn't wait to read it.

The authors recount the weeks leading up to and immediately following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, from the final days of the Civil War to the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth, the man who quickly became the country's most wanted fugitive as the prime suspect in Lincoln's death.

I learned so much from reading this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Read it for pleasure + history lesson. I didn't know (or forgot) that the original plan was to assassinate the Vice President Andrew Johnson, Ulysses Grant and Secretary of State Seward along with President Lincoln. Do you remember that John Wilkes Booth was an actor and very popular with the ladies?

It made for a very interesting read and I recommend it to you all! I wish more of history was written in this manner. Loved it! Five Stars Bill!!!

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

I follow The Southern Lady Cooks on Twitter and now her blog also.....when I saw her dumpling picture on twitter I knew this was one recipe I had to try. 

I usually buy Mary B's frozen dumplings.  They are similar to noodles in my opinion.  I like them but I prefer drop dumplings (that's what mama made).  

Hubby doesn't like them so I have made the switch just for him.

I thought he might really like these, (they look like the kind his grandparents made)  He ate them and only comment was, "too thick"!  That man!  They were simply delicious.  Next time I will roll them thinner.......

For the recipe go to The Southern Lady Cooks.com  I am not having any luck with sharing links lately....... You'll enjoy browsing The Southern Lady's recipes....I sure did!

I promise you will love this great comfort dish. 

I am having lots of computer problems.  If I haven't visited you it isn't because I haven't tried.  When I go to a blog other than mine, computer just locks up.  So frustrating.

Thoughtless Thursday

Comfort Food

Cool weather makes me want soup.  I could eat it every meal.  Since I am married to a meat and potato man that just doesn't happen.  Last weekend I made myself a pot of cabbage soup to have for lunch (many lunches/ha) 
If I have shared this recipe before, forgive me....here it is again.  Still delicious!

1 1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 large can V-8 juice (I like the spicy one)
1 large can stewed tomatoes
2 cans ro-tel
2 cans red beans (drained and rinsed)
2 pkg dry Italian salad dressing mix (zesty flavor)

Mix all together; simmer at least one hour.

I have had this recipe for years and don't remember where I got it. Thanks to whomever!!!!

For dessert, breakfast, snack, etc.
Comfort food in the shape of a muffin!!

I do know where I got this yummy Pumpkin Muffin recipe.......straight from Tootie's Place.  She posted it a few days ago and I have made them twice since seeing them.  I just took the second round of them from the oven...they smell so good.  This time I read the recipe a little more closely and put the amount of pumpkin called for, 1 cup, not 1 can! lol!  You know they were still delicious, even with more pumpkin than recipe stated.  Pop over to Tootie's and try her great recipe. 

Uh oh, I have a technical problem!  I updated to IE-9 yesterday and there isn't a copy choice when I go to her address tab???  Suggestions? Help? 

Go via my sidebar....Sorry Tootie.

I hate updates!!!!!!

Fluffy Breadsticks

You all know how I love trying my blog friends' recipes. 

This one is on my holiday menu!!

Get out your bread machines......

Breadsticks!!

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup oil
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
3 T brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Combine water, oil, flour, salt, brown sugar, yeast in order of bread machine instructions.
Set to dough
Once completed roll dough out on 10 x 12 lightly buttered cookie sheet
Using pizza cutter cut into 24 pieces

Let rise 1 hour
Bake @375 for 10 - 15 minutes

Brush with butter
Enjoy

Maybe with a little practice I will cut the breadsticks evenly...ha

All I can say is they were easy to make and very delicious.  My family is going to love these!

Thanks to Creatively Domestic for this recipe.  If you haven't read her blog, by all means go there today. You'll have your menu for the week in no time!!

Friday's Fences

My neighbor

She stands at this same place

On many mornings

And watches me drive away

Many more Fences Here

Why?

Local Price:

Fifty miles south:

Doesn't it all come from the same place?

11-1-11

Yesterday was a perfect fall day.

Bright sunshine and 70 degrees.

I decided to pack up the camera and travel back roads in search of fall foliage.

This road beckoned me.......

The sun was shining through the leaves, making them appear fluorescent

It was so much fun but disappointing too.  Do you find that

pictures are so wonderful on the camera but loose the

"pop" after uploading to computer?

Suggestions, anyone? 

New lens, mabye??

I realize I broke the cardinal rule of shooting with sun overhead,

But I love sun shining through the trees.

I got a real eye opener when I drove down my driveway:

The leaves in my own yard were as pretty as any I found.

The sun was a spotlight on this tree saying, "look at me"

This tree is visibile from my bedroom window......
It's hard to get anything done except sit and stare



The color will soon be gone, the leaves are falling.....
Maybe I'll go out and pursue the perfect shot today!
Have a great day all

Thoughtless Thursday

Fun items from years gone by. Worth a visit.

Convention Maybe?

It was a hot day in Dallas, (in October)

when I spotted this group huddled

around the monitor!

Phones and cameras were snapping

shots like crazy!

I'll bet these people were burning up!

Don't they know Rudolph doesn't post his

flight schedule?

Do You Tweet?

I am having so much fun with twitter!

I just wonder if any of you tweet?

I would love to follow you if you do.

Such a great way to receive updates

on news, sports, weather, celebrities

and friends.

One liners, pictures, links.

Join online at twitter.com

then get the free app for

phone and lets talk!

Beware, it's habit forming!

Fog

The early morning fog was so pretty! The silence called me outdoors to snap a few shots. It hung around until mid morning and then the sun broke through. Another 70 degree day and tomorrow 80!

Those of you that know me well will not be surprised to hear what I have on the agenda for the 80 degree day.... I think I'll mow. Just one more time.  A day outdoors cures what ails you!!

Maybe it will take my mind off my sick computer! I am still taking it to Staples every other day for one problem or another!! Today they installed a new version of IE and it has fixed the current problem.  I have decided if I get infected again the easiest route might be a new system......(not necessarily the cheapest route though)    The tech and I had an interesting conversation today while waiting on the update to install.  He told me HP is now the best system to have, beating Dell by a long shot.  Dell has outsourced to other countries and lowered their quality and HP just the reverse...... food for thought, folks.

Traveling Tuesday

Big D!

As the move gets close for my daughter and family, I managed one more trip to this wonderful city called, Dallas!  On this last visit we took the opportunity to visit The State Fair.  A first for me!



Corn dogs,french fries, cotton candy, ice cream (yes, we tried it all) were delicious. The show stopper was this ear of corn......



Butter bean enjoyed every kernel of this and wouldn't move on until it was all gone! ha

We fed the goats, petted the baby pigs (wanted to take one home), watched the dogs perform and even rode the four wheeler:





Next on the visit was a trip to the Pumpkin Village at the Arboretum. You really must put the Arboretum on your vacation list of places to see. The grounds are manicured to perfection and every season brings such beauty.



Dallas will always hold a very special place in my heart. I have many, many wonderful memories of the city and spending time with my family there. My daughter became engaged, married and had a precious daughter in this city.

And now as they move to Arkansas to start a new chapter of their lives.....guess what? I'll have another wonderful grandchild born in Arkansas....yes, in May!!!! Life is good!


Join Traveling Tuesday....click here

Have a great day all!

Virus Alert

My computer at the office is very, very sick.

I was so impressed with the commencement address Steve Jobs made and wanted to print it to read and reread!!! I googled it and as it printed.....virus attacked!  I think that is just awful!  People with way too much time on their hands wrote such a program.

So I pushed the button:

They removed the virus....I worked with Century Link to log on again, (hours), installed new virus protection, (more hours), restarted computer and BAM, virus attack!!!

Presently pushing the button again!

Warning.....don't google Steve Jobs....and don't print his impressive speech! I'll mail you a copy if you want!

Greens

Earlier this week we took a drive to our hunting grounds.  Deer season is upon us in Arkansas.
Time to clean out the deer stands, fill the corn feeders, check on the growth of the food plots, etc.
This year the guys planted a mixture of clover, oats, beans and turnip greens.  When we approached the plot I nearly fainted.......




Do you see what I see?
A beautiful patch of young tender greens?
I scrambled for a sack and there was none to be found.
What am I going to do? I have to take "a mess" of these home to cook.
Ah ha, I spotted the 40 lb sacks of corn. I asked hubby to please pour the corn out...I need that sack. Luckily the feeder had enough room to hold one more sack of corn. And then I hit the greens. (he thought I was nuts)
Within an hour I had them washed and in the pot for supper.



This brings me to a question for you. Do you cook your corn bread with sweet milk (that's what mama and daddy called whole milk) or buttermilk?
I was using Paula's recipe for the greens so I thought I'd try her corn muffin recipe to accompany them.



I found a recipe of Paula's that I don't like!!!! The flavor of muffins made with baking powder and milk did not taste good at all, no, mam!

Soooo, the next night, with leftovers (I had lots) I had my good buttermilk corn bread sticks! Yum! I use the Dixie Corn Bread recipe on Aunt Jemima corn meal sack.



Needless to say, I overate that night.

Now tell me, do you like turnip greens?

One More Day!!

One more hot day for awhile!  Cool front is approaching.  90 today and tomorrow night 40's!!! Wow!

I want to sit here and tell you all about the week, read many, many blogs........but.......my chair and book are calling!

Until tomorrow..
Have a great Thursday!

Traveling Tuesday

A Sunday afternoon drive down the dirt roads, aka, "the bottoms".

The simple things in life bring much pleasure.

Click here and join at  Whistlestop Cafe Cooking

Happy Fall Ya'll

Cool, crisp, fall is here. The days that I put on jeans and long sleeves...then by noon I am back in shorts and tank top. I love the cool evenings, piling on an extra blanket and sleeping in! I love the afternoons when the sunshine is still really warm and we sit outside and soak up the healing rays!

On one side of my yard I have the beginning of fall colors emerging:





And on the other side the grass is thick, lush and green:



Parts of my tomato plants have given up:



And other parts are blooming and thriving:





The geranium hasn't given up....blooms are just very small:



And oh how I love the Encore Azaleas that Landscape Solutions picked for me this summer. They bloom in spring, summer and fall. How cool is that?
Since the temperature dropped this week, the blooms have really opened up. I love them.....



I hope you all are having a great Friday, first day of fall, and have a great weekend!

And don't forget.......To Call Those Hogs......GO HOGS!