Aimee's Gift

A couple of weeks ago one of my blog friends, Aimee of 'The Daily Apron' had a great Valentines Day giveaway, and I was the lucky winner!  So, I've been patiently waiting for my package to arrive; don't you just love it when you know something is coming, but you don't know just when!  Anyway, earlier today when I went to look out my front door at the sunshine that is trying to peek out from behind the clouds, I happened to look down and there was a box sitting in front of the door.  For me????  Here's what I found!

A box decorated all over with pretty pink and red hearts and other valentines type stickers.  Very sweet!  So, I took it inside and opened it.

And here's what was inside . . .

A pack of valentines stickers - a little something extra Aimee said, and . . .

a bag of heart shaped ring pops, a box of Trader Joe's baking ccoa, two boxes of Trader Joe's instant pudding - one chocolate and one vanilla, and . . .

a box of Daisy Go Round Girl Scout cookies (hmmm, chocolate pudding, a couple of cookies, some cool whip - can you say dessert!).  There was also . . .

a cotton candy flavored lip smacker and a bunch of valentines static cling window decorations.  Here's a look at 'almost' everything . . .

She even used some very pretty valentines ribbon and gold foil hearts that will most definitely make it into my cardmaking stash!   And yes, I am holding out on you! There was also this . . .

The most precious apron - hand made by Aimee - in pinks and chocolates, with the most precious gathered pocket and a heart shaped button!  It is gorgeous, and it's very well made, and if you know me at all, you know I collect aprons, so now this one will be a very special addition to my collection!

Aimee, for a good while now you have encouraged me with your sweet comments on my blog, and you have no idea how much it means to me!  Now I have a 'piece' of you and your huge heart here to remind me of my sweet blogging friend across on the other side of the country.  You are a blessing, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  Becky

A Visit with Mildred . . .

I had the sweetest comment/invitation on my last post from Bennie and Patsy. They had shared my blog with their readers, and plan on highlighting different blogs the first of each month. That was so sweet of them, and I'm definitely adding them to my blog roll as soon as I finish here!

And in the spirit of their invitation, I'd like to invite you to visit my friend, Mildred at Mildred's Menagerie. The picture above is of Mildred's sweet Dachshund, Harriet, who is one of the members of the menagerie at Mildred's house. Mildred tells stories of times ~ and things ~ gone by, and I'm always learning something new from her.

I chose Mildred to share with you because she holds a special place in my heart. She lives probably 35 miles (more or less) from me, and she even knew and bought flowers from my sweet Daddy before he passed in September, but yet she and I haven't met face to face! I hope it will happen one day, though!

So, enjoy visiting Mildred today, and go and visit Bennie and Patsy, too - while you are out! Blessings friends, Becky

Recipe - Fabulous Fay's Fabulous Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I’m sorry it’s been so long between recipes, but I promise I’m working on it! This recipe is very special to me ~ almost as special as the friend who gave it to me!

Fay moved from Birmingham to Atlanta to work in the same office where I worked. Over time we began to strike up a friendship, and that friendship grew and grew and grew! Eventually she even joined the church we belonged to, and almost every Sunday we went to lunch together after church. She retired several years before I did, but we kept close contact and did things together like yard sales and antique shopping and going to festivals and such.

One day she told me she was moving back to Alabama to be closer to her son. I don’t think she knows this, but I just cried to think my best friend was moving away. And the day she moved I carried her a small gift, and when I left her house I had to pull over down the street and just have a good cry. (So, okay, she knows it now, because she reads my blog regularly!) I missed her already!

And I still miss her, although we keep in touch via e-mail and occasional phone calls. I even went to visit her several times, but when my dad got so bad those trips had to stop for a while. Now I’m hoping that after the holidays are over, I can go back down to her home and visit her for a few days.

Anyway, Fay gave me several good recipes, but this one is the best, and I’ve made it numerous times. In fact, I made it for us to carry on our Savannah trip, and one day we stopped at the grocery store and got some Mayfield chocolate ice cream, and every night I would have a big slice of this cake with chocolate ice cream, and almost just faint away because it was such a scrumptious combination!

As you can see by one of the later pics, the day I made it Mama and I had to cut it and put butter on a slice while it was still good and warm. There’s nothing like warm pound cake straight from the oven with a little butter melting all over it! When my brother and I were in school my mom would often make a pound cake and time it to be done when we got home and that would be our afternoon snack - warm pound cake with butter - oh, the memories!

So, here’s the recipe:

Fabulous Fay's Fabulous Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour tube pan thoroughly.

Ingredients:

3 sticks butter or margarine, softened (of course 'butter is better' but margarine will work fine)

1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese, softened

3 cups granulated sugar

Dash of salt

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

1 Teaspoon Vanilla, Butter and Nut Flavoring

(Note: Although Fay's recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, butter and nut flavoring, sometimes I use both, but if I don't use the vanilla, butter and nut flavoring, I substitute it with 1/2 teaspoon extra vanilla. And, do I need to tell you that the better the vanilla the better the cake???)

3 cups plain (all purpose) flour

6 eggs

Cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add salt and vanilla. (I usually add the salt to the flour, but either way works)

Add eggs, one at a time, beating very well in between each egg. (Fay told me the more you mix between the eggs, the better the texture of the cake, and it is TRUE!

Spoon in flour, mix well.

Pour into greased tube pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

Now for the good stuff - pictures!

Look at that crust! To me, that's the best part of the pound cake!

See how the cake has come away from the pan? That's a sure sign of 2 things: It's done, and you did a good job of greasing and flouring the pan!

Perfection!!! Isn't that pretty? One of the 'prettiest' pound cakes I've ever made. The taste was perfection, too!




Delicious!


Whoops, I smell a rat. Oh yeah, I'm the rat - so sorry!

Ahhhhhhh! Absolutely delicious!

Now, a little note. Usually at Christmas I make this exact same cake, but I reserve about 1/4 cup of flour. Mix about 1/2 to 2/3 cup chopped black walnuts and coat them with the reserved flour. Right before pouring into the tube pan, mix the nuts into the batter and blend well. Bake as usual. Then while it's still warm I put the cake top down onto a pretty cake plate. Then I take a fork and make holes in the top. I use some powdered sugar and milk and just a touch of vanilla to make a glaze, and pour it all over the cake, and sprinkle more walnuts around on top. This is so good, you just won't believe it!!!

I hope you'll try this recipe, and let me know if you do! I promise you will love it! Blessings folks, Becky

Snacks . . .

Do you have a favorite snack or 'light lunch' that you enjoy when you don't have time for a real meal??? One of my favorites is a nice apple, peeled and sliced, and some good sharp cheddar cheese. It's a fruit and dairy together, and it's filling, easy to eat, and delicious!

A long time ago, probably close to 20 years ago, a friend and co-worker told me about it, shared her lunch with me, and I was hooked. My love of the combination hasn't changed, but I just wish the friendship had lasted.

Her name was Barbara, and she was a few years older than me. We worked together off and on for a long time, we did things away from work together, I went to her daughter's wedding, and she put in a good word for me and helped me to get a better position in our office. I cared about her, and admired her, and valued her friendship. And I'm talking we were really friends . . . maybe not 'best' friends, but we were close.

Over time, she got a couple of promotions and moved to another department, and one day I realized she wouldn't even acknowledge me in the hall. I was devastated! Before long we were both at a company function, and she openly snubbed me, and that broke my heart!

Now, I've been retired from the company for more than 7 years now, but Barbara still comes to mind occasionally. Almost every time I have an apple and cheese, thoughts of her are there. And each time I make squash casserole from the recipe she gave me, I remember her.

And from time to time, when she comes to my mind, I lift her up in a quick prayer and ask God to bless her wherever she may be today. Because that's what friends do for friends.

A New Friend!

I have a new friend! Of course it's a fine, feathered friend, and I've been so glad to make her* acquaintance!

(* I am calling my friend a her although I really don't know the gender of my new friend!)

About two or three weeks ago, as I was sitting here at my computer I heard a strange noise outside my window. I looked up, and there was a squirrel trying to get to one of the feeders, and a strange bird refusing it access! Way to go, birdie! After the offensive squirrel left, Birdie (as I have affectionately named her) spent quite a while eating from the suet cake I have attached to the deck.

I hadn't seen a bird like that on my feeders before, so I grabbed my favorite birding book (Birds of Georgia by Stan Tekiela) and started looking. The closest thing I could find was a Northern Mockingbird, but they aren't known for visiting feeders. But I soon knew she was a mockingbird, for after she finished eating, she sat up on a limb and showed her appreciation by singing a lovely concert. She sang happily and at her finest!

I can't say I see her every day, but I don't spend every minute of every day sitting at my computer where I can look out the window, although some days it seems like it! But most days I do catch glimpses of her on the suet feeder or in the poplar tree just beside the deck.

Last Friday, after I got home from my estate sale and visit to Bessie Mae's, I made a sandwich for my lunch, and took lunch, my laptop and my camera out onto the deck to enjoy the sunshine. I ate my sandwich and started loading the day's pictures, but soon I was visited by Birdie, and she wasn't happy that I was so close to her chosen food source! After all, about three feet IS a little too close for comfort.

But she stayed in the tree nearby for a long, long visit, and I talked to her softly, and tried to convince her she could feed there any time, as long as she kept those thieving squirrels off the feeders! I think we made deal that day, because I'm seeing much less of the rodents, and much more of Birdie!

So that brings me to my question of the day. Do you talk to your feathered friends? Do you talk to your four-legged furbabies? Do you sing to your houseplants? Just curious to know if I'm the only crazy lady who talks to her dogs, the birds, and sings to the hummers!

Happy Wednesday! Becky