Easy like Sunday morning….and Kentucky style french toast!

Kentucky Style French Toast

Sunday has always been my favorite day of the week!

When I was a young girl Dad and Mom helped each other make breakfast on Sunday. My brothers and sister and I scoured the Sunday Funnies while we waited for breakfast. We went to Church and then came home to the smell of Mom’s pot roast.  In my mind it has always been a day for worship and for family.  Even if I don’t go to Church…I feel gratitude and count my blessings. It’s a Sunday thing!

There is just something about Sunday! The words in the song, Easy, that Lionel Richie sings (easy like Sunday morning) strikes a chord with me.  Just hearing those words makes me feel like it is Sunday…or makes me long for Sunday! It reminds me of days spent with Dad and Mom, my kids and grandkids and those easy peaceful Sundays that I spend now with Poppy (my husband).

Sunday breakfast and dinner traditions remained a constant while raising my family. Even when some of the kids had grown and moved away from the nest, for many years Sunday dinner was still at Mom’s! Growing and ‘grown’ children with their own families have busy lives. Sunday was generally the easiest day to get everyone together! I loved those days!

Now…my family lives ‘out West’ and Poppy and I are living in Kentucky.

Sunday is our day. We enjoy easy, peaceful Sunday mornings here in our empty nest and I enjoy making us a special breakfast.

Let me see if Poppy enjoyed it….

Kentucky Style French Toast

A bit like bread pudding.

Didn’t like it..one bit!

Inspired by an item on a restaurant menu here in Kentucky, I created some Kentucky style french toast this morning. It is delicious! It’s texture and flavor remind me of bread pudding. A bit of bourbon is added to the egg and milk mixture. I made a bourbon butter sauce last weekend for my hummingbird cupcakes and had some leftover that I froze.  It made an outstanding syrup for the french toast.

The following link will take you to a printable version of the Bourbon Sauce…

https://sites.google.com/site/recipesfromhomeandtherange/vee-s-kentucky-bourbon-sauce

It was an ‘easy like Sunday morning’ breakfast!

I thought of my brother-in-law this morning. He makes french toast for his family every Sunday!

I think each of us must have a favorite day of the week and a favorite family tradition that goes along with it.

‘Til we meet again…

Wishing you a day that fills you with that …

‘Easy like Sunday morning’ feeling,

A day that is blessed simply….and simply blessed with

family and tradition!

Happy Trails!

Vee

Honoring Mom, being a Mom and sharing the blessing…Happy Mother’s Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day Bouquet

My Mother has inspired me in so many ways. She has been a dedicated and devoted woman, Wife and Mother and I am thankful for her. I am also thankful for the blessings of Motherhood. I have been blessed with children and grandchildren that I adore…they are my life!

Each year, as this day draws near, I reflect on the journey and every thankful day and moment of having my Mother…and of being a Mother.

Blessed…I am!

One small inspiration for today….

My tiny Mamma is no bigger than a Hummingbird! (Well…kind of!)

I have been working on creating some new cake recipes and today my tiny Mamma inspired this one….

Hummingbird Cake, a Southern favorite!

Little Hummingbird Cakes

My Mother is my Southern favorite! She has Southern roots and she is definitely a lady!

She has southern style…without the accent!

Little Hummingbird Mamma

These little cakes are so tasty! I came up with a recipe…without the bananas! Who always has bananas…at just the right stage of ripeness? These are tasty…and still have banana flavor (not sharing the secret just yet). They are frosted with my new version of Pecan Praline Frosting…and I wish my Mamma was here to enjoy them. She is pleased that I made them for her anyway.

Wishing you a day full of gratitude for your Mother, Grandmother, Mother of your Children…all Mother’s!

May you appreciate these wonderful women in your life, today and always!

‘Til we meet again…

tell Mom you love her!

Wishing you a day that is blessed simply…

and simply blessed!

Vee

Mamma Robin…and a lucky place for her nest!

Mamma tends her nest.

I have not participated in a photo challenge in a while. This…I couldn’t resist! UP is the subject matter.

I opened the garage door one day last week and a small bunch of straw and debris fell on my head.When I looked up…this nest is what I discovered! We have been watching this Mamma Robin and her nest since then. We are hoping that all goes well for her and her little ones! This Mamma built her nest above the door of one of the barns here on the property. It is at the top of the rail that the barn door (aka the garage door) slides back and forth on. It is a very precarious place for her to be. We are being so careful and gentle when we do have to open the door. This poor Mamma gets so upset when we have to be anywhere near…taking care of the yard, walking the dogs or going in and out of the barn. Poor Mamma!

My thoughts…

Mamma’s Nest

 It happened one day…while we were away,

Mamma Robin built her nest.

I am concerned, little Mamma,

About your choice…

It seems unstable, fragile, subject to circumstance.

 With every uninvited movement, unsettling noise…

Mamma bird flees the nest.

Watching….

She frets…

At every thing that seems a threat!

But she returns and waits…

As do we!

 

How often we build our nest…

Home for our families, uncertain of the foundation,

Hopeful of the outcome; our parental mission…

We anticipate and desire only the best;

No matter…our surroundings, circumstantial things;

We pray for shelter, provision…

Courage and strength in our little ones’ wings,

A bright and promising future,

Fulfillment of their dreams.

 

As I watch Mamma Robin, ever near;

Always watching, protecting, she frets…

I think of my own worry, fear,

Wonder, regrets!

Did I do everything…

To give my children the best?

 

When every stick and straw has blown away…

Will they still remember the nest?

Will they remember comfort and shelter?

Will they remember my watchful eye?

Will they know that they were pushed gently…

 

To learn, on their own…how to fly?

Another view…

A Lucky Home!

Perhaps this little Mamma Robin thought this had to be …

the luckiest place on earth!

It has to be…there is a horse shoe!

Until we meet again…

Wishing you good luck for YOUR home!

Happy Trails!

Vee

(The Empty Nester)

FUNERAL POTATOES (aka Nauvoo Potatoes)…and we call them ‘HAPPY POTATOES’!

Announcing the death of ‘funeral potatoes’….we now call them ‘happy tators’!

“Happy Tators”

I have been absent for a while…at least not posting much here at Home and The Range. I was beginning to think my  job may be the death of me…I mean my blog! I truly miss this little blog when I’m away!  Home and The Range is my journal of the people, places and things that I love.

Speaking of people that I love…

I had opportunity, a couple of months ago, to spend time with some of my loved ones that live out West. It was a wonderful time! Three of my children (and my daughter’s fiance’) made the trip from Arizona to Utah to visit with me and all of our family there. There was much to celebrate! Dad just turned 83, Dustin (our hero…still battling through his Muscular Dystrophy) just turned 30, Waylon just turned 5, Darryl just turned 53 and one of my daughters is newly engaged.

A few highlights from Home…where family gathers!

Dad…still upholstering at 83 yrs young!

My Crazy Kids…out for a chilly thrill!

Ninja Waylon!

Hanging out with Darryn

Tender Mama love…my niece and her boy!

Brother John, Dad and Tiny Mamma

My Handsome Boys!

Porch…love!

My daughter…and her husband to be. :)

And from the Range … some food that we love!

A grand meal shared with loved ones that included funeral potatoes!

“Happy Tators”

This is a popular dish in Utah. I love these creamy, cheesy delicious potatoes! A few years ago my youngest daughter suggested we name this delicious dish ‘happy potatoes’ because funeral potatoes sounds a bit depressing. So we now call them ‘happy potatoes…or happy tators’!

They have been so named ‘funeral potatoes’ because they are often made for the dinner provided for a family following a funeral. The Relief Society in the LDS Church provides the comfort of a home cooked meal for family and close friends in attendance of a funeral. The name ‘Nauvoo Potatoes’ has to do with the history of the LDS Church and Nauvoo, Illinois.

My sister made the ‘happy potatoes’ for our get-together in Utah and I was reminded of how much I love them.  I made them when I got back home to Kentucky as part of our Easter meal. I’m bringing the West and Southwest…to The South!

The green onion adds to the unique flavor of this dish and the crunchy corn flake topping makes this recipe…tops!

There are a few versions of this dish on the internet but I LOVE this recipe that my sister and I use (she gave me the recipe several years ago).

If you would like to try the recipe that my sister and I use …select the following link:

https://sites.google.com/site/recipesfromhomeandtherange/-happy-tators

Until we meet again…

Wishing you the blessings of home, family…and maybe some ‘Happy Tators’.

Happy Trails!

Vee

An Irish Blessing and my first go with Royal Icing…a Royal Pain!

Ahhhhhhhhhh…..

The luck of the Irish must not have been with me during my first go with Royal Icing!

Well, after all, I am Danish and French! My children are part Irish…but they weren’t here helping me make these cookies!

Shamrock Cookies

One of my goals for this year….try new ingredients, products or gadgets for the kitchen.

My first new product, dehydrated buttermilk….a success! (See January post…http://wp.me/p2e6iL-sz).

Second new product…

Meringue Powder

Hmmm….

I think there is plenty of room for improvement. I’m sure it was baker error!

The purpose of this kitchen adventure was to find a ‘travels well’ frosting.

I am quite fond of sugar cookies and have made hundreds, if not thousands, of them over the years. In all of those years, however,  I have never sent frosted sugar cookies to loved ones. I have been experimenting with ‘travels well’ cookies since moving faw away from kids and grandkids. Standard, frosted cookies have not been in the goodie boxes yet. I have never frosted my sugar cookies with anything but cream cheese frosting or a simple icing (always preferring the cream cheese frosting).  As I understand it, ‘royal icing’,  is a good option for cookies that need to travel or for a crunchier cookie, as the icing that I usually make has a tendency to make a cookie soft after a while, due to the fat content in the icing (butter and cream cheese).

After searching numerous recipes and tutorials available on the internet I decided on using meringue powder. The result was not what I wanted or expected! These cookies did not disappoint in taste but I will go back to the drawing board on the royal icing. The royal icing was a royal pain!

You may notice that my cookies are not perfect!

Luck ‘O The Irish Cookies

What I learned from my research…you need two bowls of frosting. One bowl must be a thicker consistency for outlining the cookie.

Outlining Cookies

When outline is dry… ’flood’ the cookies with a thinner icing.And the end result…

‘Flooded’ Cookie

Some of the cookies that I found online…

All Recipes Easter Cookies with Royal Icing

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/royal-icing-iii/

had a consistency similar to that of the frosting that I made.

And…:)

All Smiles…with Royal Icing

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sugar-cookie-icing/

these cute little smiley face cookies seem to be a different consistency . The recipe details indicate that the frosting dries hard and shiny.

These are so cute and I must make these to send to a friend out West. It will make her ‘happy little self’ (one of her expressions)…happy!

I will give the Royal Icing another go for some Easter cookies and hope for the desired result.

Meanwhile….

Until we meet again at The Range I leave you with…

Vee

Be Blessed!

Remembering Honest Abe….his Kentucky home and favorite almond cake!

Today was the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday!

I thought this would be a good day to post some pictures of Abe Lincoln’s Kentucky home. Poppy and I went to see Abe’s birthplace last fall. The grounds and surroundings are beautiful and we could imagine Abe running in those woods as a child.

Abe’s Stomping Grounds, Hardin County KY

There is a small log cabin, kept in a building for preservation, that was once believed to be the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.

Home to the little log cabin from Abe’s era.

The staff explained that the log cabin is no longer thought of as Abe’s birthplace but is, rather, a log cabin from this area in Kentucky and from the 1800 era.

Log Cabin from the 1800′s.

Poppy reads about an idyllic frontier.

Hey Poppy….who is that with you on the porch?

Poppy (Bud) and Lincoln on the porch!

Well….Southern gals find a recipe for every topic of conversation! So…to honor that tradition, and satisfy my curiosity, I looked up Abe’s favorite cake recipe…of course!

This is a deliciously moist, tender cake and has a delicate almond flavor…not overpowering.

Abe’s Favorite Cake,
Mrs. Lincoln’s White Almond Cake

Here is a little bit of history ….an excerpt from LINCOLN HOME, National Historic Site

http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/liho/printVersion.html

Food  and Entertaining Mary loved entertaining.

Mary’s main homemaking interest appeared to be cooking, especially  making sweets.  The  cookbooks she purchased after getting married are in the Presidential library  in Springfield.  Her white almond  cake was one of Mr. Lincoln’s favorite desserts.  She had brought the  recipe from her favorite bakery in Lexington, Kentucky.  Mary baked the white cake for Abraham Lincoln when they were  courting, as a Springfield housewife, and when she was First Lady.  Today, there are many versions of it,  including the one listed below.

The Lincolns purchased macaroon pyramids  (macaroon cookies stacked in a pyramid and covered with caramelized sugar  drizzle) from local confectioners when they had a big party. Mary often  served strawberries and cream, probably with cookies.  Oral tradition had it that the neighborhood  children were guaranteed a cookie or donut from Mrs. Lincoln when they played with  the Lincoln boys.  With Mary’s copious  amounts of sugar purchased, there were plenty of cookies.  During the course of one week in 1849, Mary  purchased 13 pounds of sugar!

Abe’s favorite cake…
Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Cake 

(Recipe from Lincoln’s Table by Donna D. McCreary was adapted by Janice  Cooke Newman)

1 cup blanched almonds, chopped in a food processor until they

resemble a coarse flour

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

6 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

confectionary sugar

• Preheat  oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.
• Cream  butter and sugar. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times. Add to creamed butter  and sugar, alternating with milk. Stir in almonds and beat well.
• Beat  egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Stir in vanilla extract.
• Pour  into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted comes out  clean. Turn  out on a wire rack and cool. When cool, sift confectionary sugar over top

A basic white frosting sprinkled with  almonds was also popular.

I made this cake with a few changes….I used toasted, slivered honey almonds, added 1 teaspoon cardamom (goes well with almond), buttermilk , instead of milk,  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract.  I frosted the cake with an almond cream cheese frosting.

A tasty slice of the past!

We stopped in at the gift shop and visitor’s center and I purchased this very cute country style sampler.

Country Bear Sampler

Only after bringing it home did I see that on the tag it read…Made in China!

I’m sure we could find some Kentucky folk to make these! It just doesn’t seem to fit into the whole ‘Idyllic Frontier’ theme…does it? Oh well…such is life on the new Frontier!

Until we meet again….

Happy trails on your Frontier…wherever that may be….Kentucky, China…wherever!

Wishing you a day that is blessed simply….

and simply blessed!

Vee

Snow and Yoberry (Yogurt Strawberry) Muffins…What a great Saturday!

We have had some very strange weather this winter in Kentucky! It has gone from cold to high 60′s, back to the teens, tornado weather and….finally….snow, beautiful snow!

A peaceful winter morning.

We have waited for the snow since the last snow just after Christmas!  The snow we had then didn’t stay on the ground for long. Our weather has been crazy! After the tornado like weather last week we had snow flurries but nothing stuck to the ground. The snow flurries were fun though. The snow flakes were large feather-like flakes and the wind swirled them around in circles. I heard someone say that it looked like being in a snow globe! I thought that was a great way to describe it and I quite enjoyed watching the big flakes swirl around throughout the day…in the snow globe! I was overjoyed when the snow started up again and actually started sticking to the ground at about 12:00 a.m. on Friday morning. I want to take in every minute of it that I can. I went for a walk in my P.J.’s…at midnight!

P J’s, snow boots (not tied)…and snow…yes…snow…at midnight!

The snow was nearly all melted away by Friday night. What a wonderful surprise to wake up on Saturday morning to a soft falling snow…sticking to the ground!

I LOVE it!

Snow Love!

OK…never mind where I got a little off balance…it’s still a heart! And…next time this old gal is going to make a snow angel!

I love the peace that the new snow brings. The sweet, peaceful calm is so welcome and so beautiful!

The quiet of nature!

What a great Saturday morning…watching the snow…and baking some muffins!

Yo…berry muffins!

I wrapped these fruit filled, tasty muffins in some wintery fun…

Wintery muffin liners.

Poppy and I enjoyed the day…and the muffins!

The dogs enjoyed the snow too!

Poppy and Nella enjoy the morning walk in the snow!

Poppy and Bear in the snow!

 

Pogo and Snow…he loves it!

Until we meet again…

Wishing you peaceful, sweet moments to treasure…

with a day that is blessed simply…

and simply blessed!

Happy Trails!

Vee