"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blessings,

"The doors of opportunity are opening around us all the time. You have to have the vision to see what is possible on the other side and the courage to walk through them. You never know what opportunities for greatness are waiting for you."

~ Erin Prais-Hintz

Hope you enjoy this inspiring poem and all these different views from around one gorgeous yellow maple tree residing in our front yard!

Blessings,

Here are some beautiful flowers from my "beading garden" for you to enjoy!

Petite Pinks

Orange Blossoms

Black Lily

Blessings,

Thought for the day!

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

~Mother Theresa

Blessings,

From My Kitchen to Yours

With the return of fall and it cooler temperatures, in the kitchen my thoughts turn to my favorite comfort food recipes! Soups, pot-roasts and stews become the delicious staples for our fall and winter meals!

Many years ago I received a copy of a recipe with a yummy cheese potato soup on it! Over the years, I have added different spices and ingredients until it has evolved into the following recipe:

Cheesy Potato Soup

2 cans of chicken broth
4 c. potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 c. onion chopped
1/2 c. carrots peeled and diced
1/2 c. celery diced
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. parsley
one small clove of garlic peeled and minced
1 c. milk
1c. shredded cheddar cheese plus extra for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Pour the chicken broth into a large pan and add prepared potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, sage and garlic to the broth. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Put half of the cooked vegetables into a food processor and blend until smooth. Please be sure to use caution while processing the hot vegetables! Return these to the pot and add the milk and cheese. Simmer for one minute, stirring constantly. Ladle hot soup into serving bowls and garnish with additional cheddar cheese. Serves four.

Special Note: for a smoother soup, put all the cooked veggies into the food processor and blend. For a chunky soup use a potato masher.

Happy fall, y'all!

Blessings,

Debra

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Albert Einstein

(I choose the latter! ;)

Blessings,

Debra)

From My Kitchen

to Yours!

Old Fashioned Banana Bread

1/2 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. bananas mashed (2 very ripe medium sized bananas usually makes one cup)
1 T. lemon juice
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together vegetable oil and sugar in large bowl.
Mash bananas with a fork and stir in lemon juice.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
Alternate mixing a third of the flour and bananas into the sugar and oil mixture, and stir until just combined. Pour into an un-greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.


This wonderful old recipe is a family favorite! It is very easy to make and delicious too! Recently, I tried making this with whole-wheat flour and it just didn't have the light, delicate texture I love. Whole-wheat flour is much too dense for the amount of leaving in this recipe, so I will recommend using white flour for the best results.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Debra