Chili Bean Time

It's that time of year again! My husband makes his wonderful chili beans. He uses turkey meat instead of beef. I like it better than beef and its better for you. Unfortunately, you will not see this on my recipe page because its his own special blend of flavors. Everyone has there own way of making chili beans. Just try using turkey instead of beef. Kids will never know the difference and you probably wont either except it just taste better and leaner.

Now put this with a cake of homemade cornbread cooked in an iron pan and the cobbler I made last night and you got meal so good you will think your at the table with the Waltons!

Blackberry cobbler.

Whats up Downtown

Saturday, the town I live in held a celebration in its honor. There were games and jump houses for kids, several bands, car shows, funnel cakes, etc. I even got to meet Ronald McDonald! As me and my husband walked through the streets we could smell the cookers and smokehouses of BBQ. It smelled so good and made me hungry. I thought I could get a taste of the BBQ but it was just a cook off amongst the BBQ chefs. So, we went into a little cafe uptown where I got me a gourmet hot dog.

"G-Town" dog. It was delicious! I didn't even think of taking this

 picture until it was half eaten. 

A couple of the cars in the car show.

They even had wine tasting from a local winery.

Later that evening we returned to the streets where they were having an Oktoberfest with several bands, beer and dancing. I even participated in a demo, with my dance class while the band took a break. It was fun but it was cold! We didnt stay long. Just long enough for me to dance then we headed out to eat. Events like this are nice because you get to see friends, mingle and support the town you live in. Three years ago this place was like a ghost town.

Crafty Pumpkins

I'm not a big fan of the Fall season but I do the best I can to enjoy it. So,I seen a really neat craft-pumpkin Idea on confessions of a former couch potato and just had try it. It was really easy. Me and my daughter made 3 of them. She took one for her college dorm, gave one to a friend and I kept one for myself. I thought they were adorable and they also have an aroma to brighten up the season.

Here is how you do it:

• Roll of toilet paper
• Seasonal colored fabric squares ( can be found at any cloth or craft store)
• News Paper
• Raffia ( found at any craft store) or Ribbon.
• Cinnamon sticks (I like the smell of Cinnamon) or craft sticks.

Open the fabric square with print side down. Cut or tear a piece of newspaper to the same size or slightly smaller than the fabric square. This will give it a litte bit more puffiness.

Place the toilet paper in the center and bring the fabric up and tuck it inside the roll ( I pulled up the sides first and then the corners. It seemed to do better that way).

Tuck the cinnamon sticks in the center and tie a bow around it with your raffia or ribbon.

That's it!!! See, It's easy and you don't need any glue or tape.

Speaking of pumpkins....I just had to share this photo of a Jack-o-Lantern my daughter carved for the first time without My help! If I had been around when she did this, I would had been scared to death to see her with a knife and a pumpkin!

Yikes! Kudzu Bugs

I read in my local newspaper about a new bug in town called "Kudzu Bugs". When I walked out to my car after work today I didn't want to open my car door! The tracks, hinges and around the windows were invaded with these little ugly greenish brown bugs.

I read where they were first discovered in Atlanta in 2009. Kudzu Bugs are a member of the stink bug family and have a stinky chemical odor when disturbed.

The bugs stayed on my car all the way home, so now my neighbors can thank me for introducing these things to the neighborhood. Unfortunately for me, they are attracted to things that are white. Since I have a white car, a white trimmed home and love to wear white clothes, I'm pretty sure I have a new enemy.

 

Read more here http://www.dawsonnews.com/archives/10527/

 

Party in Pink

This weekend I had a great time participating in a Party in Pink Zumbathon. Its a Charity event for the Susan G. Komen "fight for the cure". This is something I like to participate in each year.
This charity event means a lot to me as I keep in mind that some of my family members and friends are survivors of breast cancer. Unfortunately, I also had a childhood friend that was not a survivor but fought the battle.
The event was two hours of Zumba dancing and fun. There were also more options to raise money such as riffle ticket sales, a bake sale, merchandise sales and vendors from around the area.

We raised over $10,000 for the cure!!





Girls just wanna have fun

 

We are waiting on the dancing to begin!

   

Sales and Vendors





Shake it girls!

above Photos by: Encaptured & Co.

Im getting ready to bust a move!!



My First Sushi Date

I have always looked with confusion yet amazed at the sushi on Chinese buffets I visit from time to time. Yes I love Chinese food. I have dared myself a time or two to try this fun looking food, but never with any satisfaction of the taste, texture or even the thought of what I might be eating. So Sushi was not on the top of my food diet. However, My daughter has come to like it and wanted to take me on a Sushi date at a reputable restaurant that specialized in Sushi. I thought ok so what could hurt. Its never killed anyone that I know of and everyone seems to have fun eating this funny looking food. So I took her up on her offer. After looking at the menu, for what seemed to take about 15 minutes to decide, I finally agreed to a dish that was made up of seafood that I was familiar with. I can call it "seafood" right? After all, it is made up of raw fish and sea creatures.

When they brought it to the table I had my mind set to dig in. Needless to say. Again, I didn't like it but I tried very hard to eat it. I was full of questions and the waitress was very helpful. I just wished I'd asked all the questions before I ordered. After knowing a few things on what I was really eating and options they have such as "tempura" which means lightly fried, I was willing to give it another try on another day. So couple weeks later I picked a local place in town and we tried it again. This time I got what was called a "Gastonia Roll" and I loved it, well no, I just liked it really good. It was made up of fried shrimp, avocado and cream cheese, wrapped in seaweed (that's the black papery stuff around the sushi) and rolled in rice with a piece of fried Salmon on top. They say tempura, I say fried. I'm from the South and that's just how it is. They forgot to add a side of potatoes.

Have to Start Somewhere.

OK, so I have decided to take a shot at doing a blog. So here it I am. I have no idea where this will take me or how long this will last. It seems like a fun idea and maybe even a stress relief at times. I hope to share some of my thoughts, ideas, and maybe even a recipe or two. I hope you will continue to follow me as I try to make this interesting for me and all who read.