A Great Baked Bean Recipe for your Holiday Weekend!

It's almost the July 4th weekend and have I got a great

baked bean recipe for you.

This is actually "Dear Abby's" mother's recipe.

It was recently published in her column

and I gave it a try.

They are first rate and different!

ST. JAMES BAKED BEANS

6 slices bacon, diced

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 (16-oz) can pork and beans, drained

1 (10-oz.) can lima beans, drained

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10-oz.) pkg sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

1 c. ketchup

3/4 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter a 1 1/2-qt. casserole.

In a small skillet, saute the bacon and onions until the

bacon is crisp and onions are lightly browned;

drain well.



In a large bowl, combine the cheese, ketschup, brown sugar

and Worcestershire sauce.

Add the drained beans...

and mix everything.

Add the bacon-onion mixture; mix well.

Pour the bean mixture into the prepared casserole.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

(The one thing I might try differently next time,

is to use shredded cheese instead of cubed.

Perhaps my cubes were too large, but the

cheese did not melt consistently, so there were

some "chewy" bites.)

Yum...

I served these with "Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork,"

a recipe I found at 33 Shades of Green,

which was great!



(picture from 33 Shades of Green)



This week I'm linking to

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

From My Book Shelf

It seems like ages since I've blogged--

written a post or read any.

Sometimes, life just gets in the way!

I have done a little reading though.

WEST OF HERE by Jonathan Evison is a good read.

However, I don't feel as though I did the book justice.

I read it while my mother was visiting,

so there were too many times when I put the book

down for long periods. 

Then when I got back to it,

I couldn't always remember who was who.

There ARE a lot of characters in this book.

It's actually two stories intermixed.

One is the story of Washington state and

the Pacific Coast during the 1890s and how

it came to be explored and developed by early settlers.

Intermixed with that is a present day story of

those settler's ancestors.

This book explores our connections to our past.

I'd like to think I'll someday reread this book

and really explore everything there,

but considering all the books on my

"To Read" list,

it's probably not going to happen.

THE TIGER'S WIFE by Tea Obreht has gotten

outstanding reviews and awards.

It's a debut novel and the author was only

twenty five when she wrote it.

Quite an accomplishment.

Obreht's family left the former

Republic of Yugoslavia during

the 1990's Balkan War.

This is not light reading.

However, it is beautifully written.

It moves back and forth from realism to

Balkan mythology and  folklore.

It's the story of Natalia, a young doctor

who learns of her beloved grandfather's death 

while she is on a trip "over the border"

to treat orphans of the war.

While Natalia tries to explore the

circumstances of her grandfather's death,

she remembers stories he has told her

and the book becomes very surreal.

I'm glad I read this book, but

I'm also glad I'm finished with it.

Progress Report #2

The sweater knitting continues...

Twelve little mice now sport

their new green sweaters!

While I'm at it,

I think I'll knit

 twelve pink sweaters.

Group picture! 

Everyone squeeze in and say

"CHEESE!"

(Sixty four sweaters left to be knitted...)

The Porches at Buttermilk Cottage

You know the saying about..."best laid plans..."

I had every intention of showing off newly planted

flower boxes on my front porch for

Kim's Blog Party today.

The above picture is how my bedding plants looked

this morning after returning from the garden center.

I love red, blue and yellow together and

these fit the bill.

The pansies from last winter and spring were definitely

looking a little tired and ready to be replaced.

This is how they looked last month.

 The new plants are all in, the pansies are gone.

However, it was hot here today and the new

bedding plants need a little time

to themselves to "bloom."

That won't stop me from sharing the porches

here at Buttermilk Cottage.

The front porch is well loved, and well used,

throughout the year.

In summertime it's my favorite place for a

morning cup of coffee.

We use the front lawn and porch each summer

for our Porch Bistro.

We served cold iced tea on the porch the last time

Buttermilk Cottage was part of the neighborhood

garden tour.

The front porch even serves as the entrance

to our annual Holiday Show.

The front porch dressed for the holidays.

I can't talk about porches and not mention the little back porch here at Buttermilk Cottage.

It's a small enclosed porch and...

...a perfect transition from outside into the house.

A baker's rack just outside the backdoor

is the perfect spot for all those lovely things

we'll soon be bringing home

from the farmer's market.

Because it's unheated,

it's also the perfect place for storing

 goodies during the holidays.

Since, I wasn't able to show you my newly planted

flower boxes on the front porch,  check back later

and I'll be sure to share!

I'm linking this post to

Summer Decks & Porches Party

at Savvy Southern Style

I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream!

For my birthday a few weeks ago,

I was presented with an

ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

A couple of days later our daily paper's

recipe section had the directions

for making one.

Since my Mom's birthday was coming up

and she'd be here for a visit,

I decided to give it a try.

YOU SHOULD TOO!!!

I consider ice cream to be one

of the major food groups

and this recipe did not disappoint!

ICE CREAM CAKE

Two 1 and 1/2-qt. containers of ice cream

(two complementary flavors,

I used peanut butter and butter pecan

since these are my Mom's favorites.)

12 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed

1c. jarred hot fudge sauce

Half of an 8-oz tub frozen

whipped topping, thawed

1/4c. purchased caramel sauce

1/2c.chopped toasted almonds, divided

Wrap the outside of a 9-inch spring form pan

with foil (to prevent leaks).

Allow 1 container of ice cream to sit

at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes,

or until slightly softened.

In a medium bowl, mix all but

1/4c. of the chocolate sandwich cookies

and the hot fudge sauce.



In another bowl, stir together the whipped topping,

caramel sauce, and 1/4c. of the almonds.

Spread the full container of the softened ice cream

 into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spread the ice cream so that it is flat,

even and has no air bubbles.

Top with the hot fudge mixture,

then freeze for 15 minutes.

While the cake freezes, allow the second flavor

of ice cream to soften at room temperature.

Spread the second flavor of ice cream

over the hot fudge mixture.

Spoon and spread the caramel-nut topping

over the second flavor of ice cream.

Sprinkle the top with the reserved

cookies and almonds.

Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

To serve, remove the sides and bottom

of the spring form pan and transfer

to a serving plate.

Makes 16 servings. 

(They're all gone...)

This week I'm linking with

Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades of Green

All Things Inspired at All Things Heart & Home

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Progress Report #1



Remember these guys? ----

I told you about them recently.

Well, my Mom is here visiting for the week

and knitting tiny, little mice sweaters has

been a mindless project to work on

while we sit and talk.

Twelve down and

88 left to go...

Strawberry Sheet Cake

Sadly, strawberry season,

at least locally,  is over for me.

Last week when I went to the nearby farm stand for

the locally grown strawberries, they were closed.

No more locally grown strawberries until next year!

Luckily I still had about a half quart left at home

and used them to try out the following recipe for

Strawberry Sheet Cake

You will need 1/2 cup of mashed,

sweetened strawberries

Add a little sugar,

(I used 1/4 cup from the 2 cups called

for in the cake recipe.)

Mash them until they are well mixed and coarse.

Mix together:

2 cups self-rising flour

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup canola oil

1 cup milk

1/4 cup mashed, sweetened strawberries

1 small box dry strawberry jello

Pour into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the Icing, mix

1/2 stick softened butter

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup mashed sweetened strawberries

You may need to add more powdered sugar or

strawberries for a spreading consistency.

Mix well first, before you add extra

sugar or strawberries.

Store in the refrigerator.

This is a great cake for pot luck dinners.

This week I'm linking with

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollom

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home