1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa, 3/4 cup sugar

Add 3/4 cup evaporated milk  and mix well.  (I use 1/4 cup  evaporated milk, then add enough water to make 3/4 cup)  Bring to boil 3 cups water.  Add above mixture to boiling water, stirring as you add mix.  When thick add 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tbsp. butter.  Serve with hot biscuits.

1/2 shortening (can substitute applesauce), 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup mashed banana (2 overripe bananas), 1 1/4 cup self rising  flour(I use whole wheat), 2 eggs, nuts.  Combine all ingredients.   Bake at 350 until done.  Approx. 45 min.

Beat eggs on high 3 min.  Gradually beat in sugar.  Stir in pumpkin, lemon juice.  In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Fold into pumpkin mixture.  Spread into a greased 15X10X1″ pan.  Top with nuts.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 min.  Turn out onto a towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Starting at the narrow end roll towel and cake together, cool and unroll.  Use wax paper to turn it out on. 

Filling

1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz cream cheese
4 tbsp butter-softened
1/2 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth.  Spread over cake roll.  Roll up pumpkin roll and chill well.

I thought I would share with you all my recipe for pumpkin pie spice coffee creamer.  I got the original recipe from http://drink.betterrecipes.com/pumpkin-pie-spice-coffee-creamer.html  I have altered it a little to suit our taste.  I use 1 cup plain non dairy coffee creamer, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup powdered milk and 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice mix.  Mix together with a whisk. After mixing,   I put the mixture in my coffee grinder and grind it up a little finer than it already is, just to make sure everything is incorporated.    This creamer goes wonderful with the pumpkin spice coffee I told you all about yesterday.  This jar is for Jess, per request.  We will be going down on Saturday for her baby shower. 

I have clothes to get on the line and school to start so I guess I better get busy.  I hope you all enjoy your day and God bless.

Today, we worked on making spaghetti sauce.  I got this recipe from Sally, our pastor’s wife.  We really like it. 

Spaghetti Sauce

Scald and peel half a bushel of tomatoes (we used our food strainer instead), 6 cups chopped onions, 4 chopped green peppers, 1 clove of garlic. Cook for 1 and a half hours, stirring frequently. Add 1 pt olive oil, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup salt, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp crushed basil leaves, 1 tbsp italian seasoning, 1 tbsp parsley, 5-12 oz cans tomato paste, 4 jalopeno peppers. Cook another 45 min stirring frequently. Put in jars. Heat lids and seals to boiling. Put lids and seals on jars. Cover jars with towel and let sit overnight.

The sauce simmering in the pot.   Can anyone guess what we are having for supper? 

Enjoy your day and God bless.

Today has been a beautiful day here in Floyd.  Temperature as I type this is 72 degrees with a slight breeze.  An absolutely georgeous day.  Thank you, Lord. 

This is a picture Grace took yesterday.  This is the view from the back yard of the house Hubby is working on.  The girls and I have  been working on plums today.  We did one batch of freezer jam.  I am trying out the ponoma pectin that my blog friend Cheryl at http://holcombhappenings.wordpress.com/ uses.  You only have to use a small amount of sugar with it.  I have some now on in the steam juicer.  I wonder how plum juice will taste? One thing for sure,  the  house smells delicious! 

 I am also making yogurt today.  This is a new recipe for me.  I got it from Cheryl too.  The recipe is Sweet Yogurt:
7 cups milk
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
2/3 cups instant milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tablespoon yogurt

In a small bowl, measure yogurt and let it sit. Mix ingredients (except yogurt) in a large saucepan and cook to 180º; do not boil. Cool to 112º in pan. Stir in a small amount of milk into the yogurt and then mix it all into saucepan. Stir well. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla (if desired). Divide into 2 quart jars, cover with lid and band. Wrap in a towel and set over a pilot light or on a heating pad covered with a large pot. Check in 4 hours.

The only thing I did different is use my yogurt machine.  Well, actually, it is Jessica’s machine.  She is letting me borrow it.  The recipe filled up the yogurt machine with about 1 pt left over.  I put that pint in the oven and turned the oven light on.  I want to see how that works.  I’ll let you all know. 

Well, the juice is almost done so I better get busy.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

A later note to this post.  The girls and I were working on the plums when the house started shaking.  David, my son-in-law called almost immediately to see if we were okay.  Evidently, there was an earthquake somewhere close to Richmond VA.  We have never felt an earthquake here.  It definitely was strange. Our friends, the Horn’s, felt it at their house also.   We said a prayer of thanks to the Good Lord for his protection over us.  We also prayed for the safety of others.  I will let you all know more about this as I learn of it.  God bless.

Here are a few pictures of some flowers that are blooming around our house now.  I am pretty sure these are called violas.  I so enjoy their tiny bright blooms.  So cheerful.  Purple and yellow are my favorite color combinations for flowers.

Yesterday, we made strawberry rhubarb jam.  I had enough rhubarb to make a rhubard pie as well.  The recipe I use is :

1 cup rhubard- finely chopped, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 eggs well beaten.  Combine all ingredients and pour into 1 unbaked pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees until done.  It takes about 45 min in my oven.  I have made this pie for about 25 years.  It is a family favorite.

Today was friends day at church.  We had a great day.  Probably about 70 people in total.  Our numbers usually run in the 40′s.  We had some really good music, a good sermon from our pastor and  a great fellowship meal afterward because you all know how much we like to eat.  I took pinto beans, green onions and a peach sauce pie.   We won’t be having evening bible study tonight so we plan on just relaxing this evening.  The girls and I will be traveling down to Jessica’s tomorrow to watch the boys.  She will be having an ultra sound tomorrow to (maybe) discover if she will be having a boy or girl.  This all depends upon the baby’s cooperation of course.  

Enjoy your day and God bless.

This morning as Hubby and I were having our morning coffee together, we saw what we thought were tracks on the pond.  Then we thought maybe it was just where the wind had blown the snow in swirls.  Later in the day, Grace took these pictures.

They look like they are having fun!

Maybe this is a sign of early spring.  They do seem to be here kinda early this year.  Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part.

Yesterday, for dessert I made an oatmeal pie.  This is one of my favorites, also Julie and Jess.  The recipe is:

2 eggs beaten, 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup uncooked oatmeal, 1 tsp vanilla, 2/3 cup melted butter, 2/3 cup corn syrup, 1/4 tsp salt.  Mix all ingredients together and pour into uncooked pie crust.  Bake at 350 degrees for l hr. 

Okay, so my crust is not too pretty but I promise you it tasted delicious!  It tastes a lot like pecan pie.  Temperatures here are warm-mid 30′s.  We have some sun right now but a storm is supposed to be moving in.  One forecast said 4-5 in of snow.  We’ll see.  Right now though it is nice.  I have clothes on the line outside, hopefully, they will dry before the clouds come in.

Tonights menu is deer bbq, made from the roast yesterday, home fries and slaw.  We still have some pie left for dessert.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

Well, the snow did come yesterday-about 4″.  So no family coming today.  Hopefully, Dave, Jess and the boys will get to come about the middle of the week.  I’m not sure when Chuck will come.  The girls are excited today.  There is enough snow to make snow cream, which is a favorite around here.  There probably will be some sledding today too.  The winds are supposed to start later today so we’ll just have to see how everything goes.  The cows don’t seem to mind the snow at all.

I took these pictures from our dining room window.  Later today, we will be going down to the barn to get milk.  I will try to take more pictures then.

Hubby completely surprised me yesterday morning.  We very seldom get each other gifts at Christmas but this year he got me this wonderful mixer.  He even braved Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve to get it for me.  Complete surprise!  I got up yesterday morning, went to turn the coffee pot on and there it was.  I squealed out loud and he just smiled that beautiful smile of his that always says “I love you”.  He said with all the cooking and baking I do, he thought it would come in handy.  Well, it certainly will.  I made a batch of banana nut muffins in it this morning.  I used a different recipe than I normally use and I think I like it much better.  The recipe is:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat), 2/3 cup sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/3 cup applesauce, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. allspice, 2/3 cup mashed bananas, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.  Combine all ingredients.   Pour into muffin tin.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 min.  I used my large muffin tin and got 6 muffins.  Very good.

No church today because of the snow.  I sure am glad we got to go Friday night to the candlelight service.  Enjoy your day and God bless.

Today along with my many other duties, I will be processing these beautiful cushaw and pumpkin.  There were 3 cushaws altogether but one is already in the steamer.   I plan to steam them enough to cut the peeling off, puree them in the sauce maker and then freeze the puree. You see the pumpkin in the box,  I have never tasted this type of pumpkin.  The lady who gave it to me said she thought they were called cow pumpkins.  She said they were very good for pies.  The cushaw was a gift from my mother-in-law.  Thanks, Judy. 

We had a nice afternoon yesterday.  Hubby needed a haircut so we went over to our friends house who cuts our hair for us.  We shared coffee and an excellent dessert she had made.  Then after he got his hair cut, Hubby and Faye got out their guitars and we enjoyed singing some old hymns.  I so enjoy these times.    The dessert she made was very simple.  4 large apples, 2 containers of store bought crescent rolls.  Quarter the apples and place a quarter in each crescent roll.  Roll the crescent around the apple.  Put into baking dish.  Heat 1 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon (to taste) and 1 1/2 cups water until melted.  Pour this mixture over the apple dumplings and bake at 350 about 45 minutes or until cresents are golden brown.  Serve warm topped with whipped creme.  They were delicious.  I guess since I am working up pumpkin today I thought this recipe would work with pumpkin instead of the apples.  I think I would change the sugar to brown sugar, also add a little nutmeg.  Maybe I’ll try that today.  We’ll see.   Sunday is our Thanksgiving dinner at church.  I need to get started making rolls.

The sun is shining here today.  Lots of wind-gusts of about 30 mph.  This made walking a little more difficult.  Hubby went with me though and that made it much more enjoyable.  Enjoy your day and God bless.