Cold Outside, Warm Inside

This is what it looked like outside Buttermilk Cottage yesterday.

But, no need for it to be dreary inside.

I made some homemade

Cheeseburger Soup!

Here's the recipe
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. shredded carrots
3/4 c. chopped celery
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried parsley
6 c. chicken broth
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced
3T. butter
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 lb. processed, reduced fat American cheese, cubed
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat about 3 minutes, stirring until meat crumbles. Add onion and next 4 ingredients and saute 4 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Drain well. Return beef mixture to Dutch oven.

Stir in chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Melt 3 T. butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, or until flour is lightly browned. Whisk flour mixture into simmering beef mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until thickened.

Whisk in cheese and next 3 ingredients just until cheese melts.

Makes 12 cups.

Yumm...just the thing to serve on a cold evening.

And just the thing to serve with it is

Sour Cream Corn Bread

I found this recipe in GOURMET magazine years ago.
Its simplicity was a bit contrary to what some of their recipes could be.
But, it is without a doubt the best cornbread I have ever tasted.
I have modified it just a bit to insure the crunchy crust on the bottom.

1 c. self-rising cornmeal
2 beaten eggs
2/3 c. cream style corn
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. oil

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pour oil into an 8-9 inch iron skillet and place in the oven while it is preheating. Meanwhile, mix all other ingredients together. When oven is preheated, pour excess oil from skillet into mixture, leaving a liberal coating in the skillet. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE, THE OIL IS HOT.

Quickly stir and pour mixture into the hot skillet and return to oven. Bake for about 30 minutes.

When baked, invert immediately onto a plate and slice.
Makes one 8 or 9 inch round of cornbread.

A perfect meal for a cold evening.

Because I'm sharing "my favorite" cornbread recipe

I'm liking up at

Favorite Things Saturday

Playing in the Yarn

I'm having "one of those days" today.

We've had freezing rain ALL day.

So I've been playing with my yarn stash

and trying to get inspired to create something new.

This is the start of something...

...what??? I began a

couple of months ago.

Then it got put away ("out of the way") because

holiday activities became too demanding.

Now that I've gotten it out again,

I don't love it so much, so it's going to be unravelled

and hopefully reworked into something else.

Life is too short to spend it knitting something about which

you're not wildly excited.
So, although I've done lots of creative thinking today,

nothing has been accomplished...
I do plan to make some homemade soup later,

so at least I'll have something to

show for the day.

Inspired!

Several years ago I made this quilted table runner.

I used it on my dining table for many years.

However, once I moved to Buttermilk Cottage

I needed something on my table that

reflected at bit more light.

I still like the runner but where to use it???

I have this very useful little side chair in my living room.

I like it because it's easy to move from place to place

as needed for seating.

However, it's a bit blah, particularly for the holidays.

Earlier this week, I got an inspired idea!
Why not use the runner on the chair?
Simply by draping the runner across the chair,
then tucking in the excess...


I got a nicely covered side chair!!!


Now my little chair is all dressed for the season!



And all I had to do was work with what I already had!

This week please join with me as I party with
Savvy Southern Style
No Minimalist Here
All Things Heart & Home
Hooked on Houses
Cheap Chic Home
The Shabby Chic Cottage
and
French Country Cottage

The Scent of the Holidays

One of my favorite things about holiday time is the scent of all the wonderful greenery.

But, I'm sorry to say,

I've almost exclusively decorated with artificial greenery

over the past few years.

I do usually "plump" up the artificial things with some real cuttings,

but unfortunately

the scent doesn't last very long.

But, this is a very nice alternative!

I found these scented reeds at Target this year.

They are by Nature's Wick and the scent is

"Holiday Wreath."
I have them just inside the front door.

When you enter, you get just a whiff of

their scent.

Brrr!

It's VERY cold in East Tennessee today.

It's the kind of day that makes me glad that I work from home.

There surely is plenty to keep me busy here today.

I always say you can tell how busy I am

by the messiness of my office/studio.

Need I say more?

I'm working on an order for a shop in Michigan

that I hope to ship tomorrow.

So...

...this is where you'll find me all day today.

What are your plans for the day?

Whatever they are, keep warm!

Treasured Ornaments

A special joy for me at holiday time is unwrapping treasured ornaments.

After many years of acquiring them, I have several collections.

But none are more dear than my little

"Santas on Animals"

created and made by my daughter Kate.

I began collecting ornaments which featured

Santa riding different animals.

(I'll share those another time.)

I loved these ornaments, but could never find

my favorite animal,

a sheep,

with Santa perched on his back.

Kate surprised me one year with one she had made herself!

She is now grown and following her dreams in NYC,

but since she was a little girl,

Kate has been especially talented in molding clay.

For several years she has surprised me each year

with a new one to add to my collection.

One particular favorite is the Kitty Kat.

Can't you just hear him purring?

This little canine was inspired by my, now gone, dachshund, Lizzy.

What would Christmas be without a red cardinal?

Kate's Santas are always serious.

This is last year's creation.

"When pigs fly..." always pops into my head when I see it.

Hang on Santa!

All during her childhood, Kate had a favored stuffed bunny

which was always called "Brown Rabbit."

I wonder if he's the inspiration for this little guy?

The Christmas Parade at Buttermilk Cottage!

Santa IS coming!

My "favorite."

Thank you, darling girl Kate,

for my beautiful collection

and

memories!

This week I'm liking up with parties at

Between Naps on the Porch for Deck the Halls

Savvy Southern Style for Boring to Better

A Stroll thru Life for the Christmas Cloche Party

All Things Heart & Home for All Things Merry & Brite

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Holiday

and

Favorite Things Saturday

Dressing the Dining Room Table for Christmas

Because it will be decorated for a while, I like to keep my dining room table "dressed" fairly simply for the holiday season.

Starting first with a bare table...

I add a holiday runner.

This runner is one I sewed myself. It's reversible.
Because my dining room is a bit dark,
I need the livelier of the two sides to brighten up the space.


This is a painted terra cotta pot.
Doesn't it look as though it's wrapped in ribbons?


It holds a small artificial tree topped with a simple twig wreath.


Next comes a collection of small pots which belonged to my grandmother.
She always had them filled with violets.
I don't use a lot of green in my house,
but I love to bring these pots out at holiday time.


I'm going to fill them with these tiny trees purchased at a craft store several years ago.



I'm also going to use napkins inside the pots for a bit of layering and color.
For several years I chose a new holiday fabric
and made napkins each year.
Now I have quite a collection.
Those of you who sew might recognize some of these fabric patterns.


These are the napkins I'll be using.
Looking at them against the runner, they look a bit discordant, don't they?
It will work, I promise.


The folded napkin is placed on top of the pot...

...and in goes the little tree.

Finally, they are all lined up and down the table.

It's very organic, don't you think?

I have to confess,

this is how I have dressed my holiday table for many years.

Am I lazy? I prefer the label "traditionalist."

I find I still like it after several years,

so why reinvent the wheel?

Just a word about the french doors behind the table.

They are real doors I found in an antique shop,

but I had them backed with mirrors.

They simply "lean" against the wall.

I love that they give my dining room some depth and more light.

I had no floor space for a piece of furniture and

they solve the problem of needing something large on the wall .

This week I'm visiting

"Boring to Better" Party at Savvy Southern Style

"Thursday Tablescape" Party at Between Naps on the Porch

"Fabric Fun Thursday" Party at Cheap Chic Home

"All Things Merry & Brite" Party at All Things Heart and Home