30 Posts in 30 Days

Gracious alive! I have had such a wonderful time during National Blog Posting Month.

I even earned this little ditty:



What a good 30 days it has been. I have enjoyed having all of you over everyday for the past month.

I hope you'll continue to drop by for tea, coffee or another beverage of your choice. I keep my fridge stocked for friends and family that like to pop over on a moment's notice.

Today I have chocolate mint cookies and vanilla ice cream to celebrate. I love dipping my cookies in the vanilla ice cream so feel free to do the same. Eat all you want. I have more in the oven.

The Old Lady Next Door is going to have an extra cookie or two right along with you.

Vulcans Buns Recipe

You may remember my Wordless Wednesday post a couple of weeks ago of the Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, Alabama. This recipe contains a dash of Southern humor with a twist on your usual yeast roll.

Vulcan's Buns

Ingredients:

1 package of dry yeast
Dissolve 1 package of dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water.
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar.
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes
1 cup milk
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup dry yeast
Olives or feta cheese

Directions:

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix in 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk, beaten. Add 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes and 1 cup milk. Sift and add 5 cups flour (sift 3 times) and 1 teaspoon salt.

Dissolve 1 package of dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Knead 5 to 8 minutes on floured board; place dough in a greased bowl, covered; allow to rise 1 hour (in a warm place) or until doubled.

Stir down risen dough; turn onto a lightly floured surface; form into smooth loaf; divide into approximately 36 balls, each the size of a large walnut. Punch hole in each center; put one pimiento-stuffed olive, ripe olive or chunk of feta cheese in each hole. Pinch closed.

Place 2, pinched side down, in each cup of a greased muffin tin. Mix extra egg white with 1 tablespoon of water; brush tops of buns. Allow to rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, until almost doubled; heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 7 minutes; brush again with egg mixture; bake 7 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Aloha Friday: Shopping in a Bad Economy



Happy Black Friday to you brave souls who go shopping today. Even with this ugly economy staring us in the face, I hear so many people saying they're not changing their shopping plans.

I am one of those gift-givers who isn't crossing anyone off her list. I am so blessed to have wonderful family and friends so I will be sticking to my original shopping plan. My Christmas gift is seeing those beautiful smiles when my loved ones open their presents.

Will you be changing your original gift-giving plans because of the economy?

Visit An Island Life for more Aloha Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving Neighbors



Oh goodness. It's that time of year again already. Where do the minutes of our lives go so quickly?

I hope you are enjoying the company of loved ones on this Thanksgiving. I am spending the day with my family and I know we are going to stuff ourselves silly.

We have a few family traditions we always share together on Thanksgiving. A few of us get together so we can start cooking the night before. We spend the night at the house of the person who will be hosting Thanksgiving that year.

We nibble on our works in progress where appropriate. A good cook always tastes what she or he will be serving.

We then start our Thanksgiving morning with a cup of hot cocoa. It's the one time of year I gladly give up my cup of tea because we sit in our pajamas and swap stories like teenagers around a campfire.

We turn our attention towards the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade next. By the time it's over, a few family members who chose not to cook with us wander into the kitchen wanting to know where their Thanksgiving feast is. I can think of five people right off the top of my head that get shooed out of the kitchen every year.

We set the table and squeeze everyone in. We did away with a kiddie table because they always wanted to sit with us and we didn't like having them feel excluded.

We say the blessing and with a wink and a smile, someone always tries to sneak a bite of stuffing or steal a green bean before we get everyone served. We carve the turkey with a knife from a set my Daddy won at the national fair when he was a young man. It's my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner because I can close my eyes and see my Daddy holding that big knife from the time he had dark brown hair until it turned gray and eventually fell out. It's like a slideshow in my head that brings back so many warm memories.

The men, boys and a couple of our girls who are sports fans head into the den to watch football. The women who cooked go to the living room to gossip about what they'll be getting their other loved ones and friends for Christmas. The women who didn't cook and a few men who are recruited against their will go into the kitchen to clean up and gossip about what they'll be getting those of us in the living room for Christmas.

This is my Thanksgiving year after year. I'm very thankful for that.

Tell me all about your Thanksgiving and please take some of these leftovers home with you.