Pimento Cheese

THE CHEW...

Love this program on ABC!

 Stars Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz, Mario Batali and Michael Symon

will keep you entertained with their lively banter.

They share tips and tricks of the trade as well as cook up some awesome dishes.

Carla Hall's

PIMENTO CHEESE

Ingredients

8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese (grated)

8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese (grated)

2/3 cup Prepared Mayo

1/2 cup Pimentos (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Shallots (finely chopped)

1 clove Garlic (minced)

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

2 teaspoons Hot Sauce

salt and pepper to taste

makes 2 cups



Friday Foto

GREAT GRANDSON ON GRANDSON'S BOOTS...BIG SHOES TO FILL

Baby Shower Decoration

My Granddaughter hosted a baby shower at the park. It was a typical windy day in Oklahoma. Since the shelter she was using for the shower was so big, we had to be creative with decorations. I had rolls of pink plastic table cloth, cups, plates and napkins purchased for half price after Valentine's Day. We took nylon rope and tied it across the shelter like a clothes line. Then we took onesies and hung on the rope. These photos would have looked better, but the wind had whipped the onesies up and over. It covered a large area fairly inexpensively. This could also be used for an indoor shower and hang along the walls.

I love this diaper cake made by Amy.

And this diaper cake made by my daughter.

Always think outside the box when you find yourself needing to decorate.

Car Air Freshner Craft

This is a quick and easy car air freshner craft to make.

I used the Art Foam Conversation Heart Stickers

Perfume Samples

Pieces of fabric from sweat pants

(I had cut off to make shorts)

Felt would also work good for the fabric.

and Ribbon

First I sprayed the perfume on the fabric and let it dry a bit.

(You could go to the dollar store and get the car freshner oil.)

Peeled the back off one of the hearts and laid the ribbon down on the sticky side.

Make sure you leave a loop of ribbon at the top to hang it with.

Next I put the fabric soaked in perfume on the heart.

Then peeled the back off another heart and put the sticky sides together.

I continued this process for three hearts -

I used 6 hearts total.

After I got the three hearts assembled I tied a knot at the bottom.

Then I decided to take a sharpie and personalize the car air freshner.

You could use as few hearts as you want, but I was doing three for the kids.

I have also seen car air freshners cut out in the shape of people that were too cute.

Sliced Cheese

We use a lot of Sliced American Cheese at our house. We make grilled cheese sandwiches, eat sliced cheese on lunch meat sandwiches, put sliced cheese on top of casseroles and many other dishes. We have found that if we buy a 5 pound package of pre-sliced American cheese it is less expensive than purchasing the individual packages of cheese. We bring the big package home and divide it up and put it in zip type sandwich bags. This 5 pound package with 120 slices costs $14.00. As you can see, it says Wisconsin's Finest...I laughed out loud when I read on the package that it is distributed by Wisconsin's Finest, Inc. Plano, Texas!

Baby Shower Sundae Table Decor

Baby Shower Sundae

How cute is this?

Just take onesies and fold, then roll around each other.

Put them in a sundae dish and add a baby spoon.

My daughter shared these with me from her friend Kim.

Bean Project - Science

This could be a easy fun summer project for your children or a good home school project to use for learning.

The students in my daughter's classroom conducted a scientific/biological investigation to analyze and evaluate how the conditions that a seed "bean" we're trying to grow in would change the seeds in various ways. Materials for the experiment were as follows: pinto beans, ziploc bags, water cotton balls, graduated cylinder, ruler, and light. The students got to chose how many beans, how much water, and how many cotton balls to use in each bag. After putting the items in the bags they chose where to hang it on the bulletin board. Each day for two weeks they kept a journal about the changes in their bags. Every other day they used a ruler to measure the growth of the bean/plant. At the end of two weeks they wrote a few sentences about the process.

1 Million Pillowcase Challenge

Make a pillowcase. Make a difference.

You can turn your love of quilting and sewing into messages of comfort, hope and love – for a foster child, a cancer patient, victims of domestic violence, and others. Every pillowcase can make a difference in your local community.

The American Patchwork & Quilting 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge is continuing through 2012 – and they need your help to reach their goal of providing 1,000,000 pillowcases to people who need to know someone cares.

The need is great. Our compassion as quilters is greater. So far, nearly 400,000 pillowcases have been recorded on their website. But they’re not done yet!

Pillowcases are a quick and easy project (and a great way to use up your stash). Even if you’ve never sewn before, you can make a pillowcase. The challenge website has free patterns and a how-to video to make it even easier!

To find a participating shop, check the counter, download free patterns and watch a how-to

video, visit the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge website:

AllPeopleQuilt.com/millionpillowcases

This is a super neat idea for shelters...we have a children's shelter and a battered women's shelter in our area. How neat would it be to arrive at one of those places and have your very own pillowcase. I know at the children's shelter those babies often arrive in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs. I wanted to share this pillowcase challenge with you and also the website. The site has lots of information for anyone who quilts or wants to learn to quilt. 

Friday Foto

I love these old gas pumps...I remember when gas was 25 cents a gallon!

Cupcake Decorating Ideas

These are popcakes and cupcakes by Kim. Neat ideas for your next party.

Cake Decorating Ideas

My daughter sent me these photos of cakes decorated by her friend Kim.

Doggie Duds

I want to share this awesome DOGGIE DUDS site with all you dog lovers. Of course, my cats would not allow me to put anything on them, and if I tried I probably would get clawed to pieces. I borrowed the beautiful  photos of the doggie duds model, Miss Payslee from KC's blog http://kcsheperd.blogspot.com/ to show a sample of the Doggie Duds by Deb. Debra also does consignment paintings of pets...she is a truly gifted artist!

Check out: doggiedudsbydeb.com

doggiedudsbydeb.com

 by Debra Babcock

This little girl is the most adorable dog baby I have ever seen! She has more clothes in her closet than I do, and as you can see she loves getting dressed up. She is also a therapy dog and her Mommy takes her to nursing homes and other facilities to work with the people.

Ham - 99 Cents a Pound!

I did a double take the other day at the grocery store...

Cook's Ham for 99 cents a pound!

Cook's Ham is my favorite Hickory Smoked Ham.

When I grocery shop I cruse down the meat counter and look for something inexpensive to purchase. I prefer to find something that will make several meals. Lately our store has had hamburger meat for $3.49 or more a pound, which is totally crazy. We have been finding cheap cuts of steak for less than we can buy hamburger. I also look for the bright orange reduced stickers on meat packages. I always look at Cook's Ham, but one Ham Steak is usually $3.99. When I saw this 99 cent sticker on this ham I tossed it in my cart!

I took it home and sliced off as many pieces of ham as I could. Yes, it has a bone in it. After I sliced off pieces for us to eat with eggs for breakfast and with sweet potatoes for lunch and other meals. I chopped off as much of the ham around the bone as I could get off. I cut this ham into little chunks. I took was was left of the bone and the little chunks and put them in a big pot with pinto beans. We had the most delicious ham and beans with cornbread! We were able to get a bunch of meals out of this one ham.

Shopping today makes me nuts. Everything has gotten so expensive it is hard to budget the needs of a family. Packages are smaller, but the same price they were when there was more in them. Look for the bargains in the meat counter and base meals around what you find or load up on veggies and learn new ways to prepare healthy meals for your family:)

NBA Finals 7pm ABC - GO THUNDER!

My husband took this photo of one of the bank windows in Weatherford, OK

This is the neatest contraption for washing my husband's hats.

Just put the hat in and toss in the washing machine,

 and then put somewhere to dry.

Do not put in the dryer.

My husband puts it out on the front porch to dry.

He wanted his THUNDER hat clean,

 for game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight at 7pm on ABC.

Baby Shower Gift

My daughter sent me this neat idea. Baby wash cloths wrapped around like lollipops and attached to a baby spoon. Then covered with plastic wrap and add a bow. What a great baby shower gift or favor.

Western Books by Elmer Kelton

My husband reads talking books all the time. He received a Elmer Kelton Western from the Library for the Blind and was hooked on Kelton's writing. Elmer Kelton writes in such a way that you can picture yourself in the middle of the action, sweating because he says it is hot, or thirsty because the cowboys are out in the hot Texas sun. You feel the emotions he poured into his characters and can find yourself teary-eyed when something happens to one of them. I have never listened to such awesome story telling details as Elmer Kelton wrote. My husband has requested every Elmer Kelton book from the library and can't wait until the next one arrives.

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

LIST OF ELMER KELTON BOOKS:Hot Iron. New York: Ballantine, 1955

Buffalo Wagons. New York: Ballantine, 1956; London: Four Square, 1960. Spur Award 1957
Shadow of a Star. New York: Ballantine, 1959; London: Four Square, 1961.
The Texas Rifles. New York: Ballantine, 1960; London: Four Square, 1960.
Donovan. New York: Ballantine, 1961; London: New English Library, 1962.
Bitter Trail. New York: Ballantine, 1962.
Horsehead Crossing. New York: Ballantine, 1963.
Massacre at Goliad. New York: Ballantine, 1965; London: New English Library, 1967.
Llano River. New York: Ballantine, 1966; London: Panther, 1968.
After the Bugles. New York: Ballantine, 1967.
Captain's Rangers. New York: Ballantine, 1968: London: Arrow, 1971.
Hanging Judge. New York: Ballantine, 1969.
Shotgun Settlement. New York: Paperback Library, 1969. Writing as Alex Hawk.
The Day the Cowboys Quit. New York: Doubleday, 1971. Spur Award 1971
Bowie's Mine. New York: Ballantine, 1971.
Wagontongue. New York: Ballantine, 1972.
Looking Back West. San Angelo: The Talley Press, 1972.
The Time It Never Rained. New York: Doubleday, 1973. Spur Award and Western Heritage Award
Manhunters. New York: Ballantine, 1974.
Joe Pepper. New York: Doubleday, 1975. Writing as Lee McElroy.
Long Way to Texas. New York: Doubleday, 1975. Writing as Lee McElroy.
The Good Old Boys. New York: Doubleday, 1978.
Barbed Wire. New York: Ballantine, 1979.
The Wolf and the Buffalo. New York, Doubleday, 1980.
Eyes of the Hawk. New York: Doubleday, 1981. Writing as Lee McElroy. Tie for Spur Award 1981
Frank C. McCarthy: The Old West. Trumbull, Conn.: Greenwich Press, 1981.
Stand Proud. New York: Doubleday, 1984.
Dark Thicket. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
The Big Brand. New York: Bantam, 1986.
There's Always a Second Chance. San Angelo: Fort Concho Museum Press, 1986.
The Man Who Rode Midnight. New York: Doubleday, 1987. Western Heritage Award
Sons of Texas. New York: Berkley Books, 1989. Writing as Tom Early.
Sons of Texas, Book Two, The Raiders. New York: Berkley Books, 1989. Writing as Tom Early.
Sons of Texas, Book Three, The Rebels. New York: Berkley Books, 1990. Writing as Tom Early.
Honor at Daybreak. New York: Doubleday, 1991.
Slaughter. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Spur Award 1992
The Art of Howard Terpning. New York and Trumbull, Conn.: Bantam-Greenwich Workshop, 1992.
Elmer Kelton Country: The Short Nonfiction of a Texas Novelist. Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1993.
The Art of James Bama. New York and Trumbull, Conn.: Bantam-Greenwich Workshop, 1993.
The Indian in Frontier News. San Angelo: The Tally Press, 1993.
The Far Canyon. New York: Doubleday, 1994. Spur Award 1994
My Kind of Heroes: Selected Speeches by Elmer Kelton. Austin, Texas: State House Press, 1995.
The Pumpkin Rollers. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1996.
Cloudy in the West. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1997.
The Smiling Country. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1998.
The Buckskin Line. New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 1999.
Badger Boy, New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 2001.
The Way of the Coyote , New York: A Forge Book, published by Tom Doherty Associates, 2001.

Any opportunity you might get to read a Elmer Kelton book I would highly recommend these Westerned themed works of art. Elmer Kelton was a one-of-a-kind author!