Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!!!

Miss Hayden 'Hartley" Willis' first Christmas! Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!

QUICK AND EASY Shrimp Dinner

A really quick and easy (and very yummy dinner) is a shrimp and rice dish. I gathered the ingredients above.

Easy Shrimp and Rice Dinner

1/2 to 1 pounds shrimp (you can vary this depending on how many you are serving or if you like LOTS of shrimp), peeled and deveined. I leave the tails on; however, you could remove them. Once you have the shrimp peeled, marinate in 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 clove garlic (minced), salt and pepper (to your taste). Marinate for at least two hours.

Grill shrimp.

Use two pouches Uncle Ben's Ready Rice Original flavor - heat for 90 seconds in the microwave.

Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of bought Pesto (I use Classico brand)

Place on platter, cover with shrimp, add one roma tomato, seeded and chopped on top of shrimp.


I love my stove top grill!

Dinner is served! It is simple and quick, but nice enough for company. Serve with a salad.

Outdoor Table

Jeff made us a new outdoor table...we had been using an old coffee table, which was really too low to eat on. The dogs had a field day if anyone had to step away from their plate (yes, I know, they are not well mannered when it comes to food!!). Anyway the new table is great - he recycled lumber from an old gate to make the table top and the legs are from some pecan trees we had to remove to build the house. This is the first time he used the lathe...on the table legs to make the decorations/grooves.

You can tell it was a rainy, chilly day...I can't wait to use it in the spring! I think he did a great job...I love the rustic feel of the wood.


He also made our dining room table (I'll show you later) and the sofa table the larger snowmen are setting on (previous post). He has several projects he is working on like a new storage piece for the dining room. We purchased some old doors at Round Top and he will build a cabinet around them.


Stay warm and have a great day!!

Merry Christmas!

A few of our Christmas decorations...we had the Christmas Party for our associates this past Saturday night...it was a fun party. We have the event catered by our neighbor, Heidi, who has a great local catering business called "An Adequate Snack". Check out her web site for the story of the name (www.anadequatesnack.com). I bought this bench years ago and it is very rustic, originally from Mexico. It was used for many years in San Antonio at a local store.

Part of my snowman collection...
The niche with some festive decoration...each year at the party we have a theme and this year it was seafood...
Our tree...each ornament is unique. The oldest one is from 1979!

Picture Frame

In yesterday's post, you may have noticed the picture in the background. We found this picture by D.L. Lawrence in a gallery in Taos, New Mexico. It is on canvas, but did not have a frame. Jeff made this frame using a picture in a decorating book as inspiration. It is made from pecan wood (from one of the trees we had to knock down when we built the house...more on that later). Notice the three stars at the top. I found 10 at a garage sale earlier in the year. He spray painted them and they are the perfect finishing touch!

Jeff and I saw this church once when we were exploring between Santa Fe and Espaniola. The picture is made right at sunrise, you can see the mountain in the background. The photographer is now deceased. He had such a great eye for pictures mostly celebrating the southwest. I am glad that we have one.

Wedding Gift

Back in May, my dear friend Anne-Marie's, daughter, Emily had her wedding reception at our house. Since both Emily and Tom are from the Northeast (but wanted to marry in Texas), I thought a Texas gift would be appropriate. First I purchased a picnic backpack, which included plates, flatware, fabric napkins and wine glasses. I replaced the plastic glasses with glass ones.


Then I went to a local store that specializes in Texas items and added...a bottle of Texas wine, snack mix, jelly, salsa, BBQ sauce, a magazine on the Texas Hill Country, Texas vintage post cards, a pencil with a Texas shape at the top, and a Texas ornament.


Wrapped everything up in cellophane and tied with ribbons. They loved it and it was a nice reminder of the wedding and reception!

Good sport FiFi!!!

At a recent event, that we attended to raise money for 6 rescue groups (Dogtoberfest), many folks came out and gave 110%. This is my friend Sandy, who raised money for the 401k-9. This group is so cool in that they raise money for retired police dogs and help meet the needs of current working dogs...

Thanks Sandy for going all out to help rescue dogs and retired police dogs!!! You are a very special person and I applaud you! (Here she is as FIFI at the event)

Glenn!

My dear friend, Glenn Bass, is running for State Representative here in Texas...regardless of your politics, Glenn is a great person and is looking out for the folks in his district! I think that he would represent the state of Texas very well!

Picnic at home....

We have a little bench on the ridge above the house, where we like to sit and have tea. The view overlooks the creek and the house. We can listen to the musical sound of the creek running over the rocks...aaaahhhh...so peaceful!

The other day, I made some vegetable beef soup (recipe below) and we took a couple of bowls up on a tray. Jeff had bread with his soup and I had crackers.









Vegetable Beef soup

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 large onion sliced thinly
1 clove minced garlic
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 large can of Veg-All (drained)
1 regular size can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (or 2) regular size cans of sliced potatoes (drained)
1 can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
2 cans beef broth
1 Bay leaf
1 teaspoons Italian seasoning

In a Dutch oven, place EVOO and onions. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook until translucent. And garlic and cook for 1 minute.

In a frying pan, cook hamburger mean until crumbly. Drain. Add hamburger to onion mixture, as well as all other ingredients. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with bread or crackers.

Yum!

Zoom! Zoom!

Jeff loves his car! While we were on vacation in October (at the Grand Canyon), quite a few folks asked Jeff if they could photograph his car! His smile was wide when he said "Sure"! Most of the folks were from overseas...I guess you do not see very many Corvettes there. It is a very pretty car, but I wouldn't trade my Hummer!! :-)

The C Word!!

You have met my sweet baby, Ranger (which in addition to the Trooper, who is 9.5 years old), is the dog love of my life...Ranger has been diagnosed with cancer! A small growth on his gum, which Jeff (Ranger's personal Vet) removed that came back with less than desirable results. He is only 4 years old and this growth is unusual for this age...please keep him in your prayers!!

He may have to have chemo...my Mom, who is a cancer suvivor, had chemo. Her hair was black and after chemo feel out totally...the good news is that it grew back in salt and pepper tones and was curley!! Score, Mom!!

Welcome!!

Welcome to Miss Hayden Hartley Willis! She met her Poppy (her great-grandfather, who noticed immediately that she looked just like him!!) and Clare, (who thought she was a doll...well exactly!!) :-) This is Jeff's first grandbaby and, if I say so myself, he is the sexiest "Pops" ever! As my Mom, has been called GranPat, I thought GranDeb would be appropriate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On the 18th, my baby puppy Ranger turned 4 years old!! He now weighs 115 pounds and still thinks that he is lap pup! See him hiding in the paper on the sofa?

Finally Fall!!

It is finally fall here...we are having some beautiful days. Cool mornings, plus we have had some much needed rain, so everything is green and the wild flowers are blooming. This is my fall center piece. I love fall...the pumpkins, colors, fires and Indian corn!

We just got home from a road trip to the Grand Canyon (AZ), Bryce Canyon and Capital Reef (UT) and Taos and Santa Fe in New Mexico. Had a great time...but sure missed the boys!

Great Tee!

Wednesday in Fredericksburg, I saw this great pink tee shirt:

SHOPPING WITH MY HUSBAND IS LIKING HUNTING WITH THE GAME WARDEN!!

Amen!

Pizza!!

I love pizza and lately I have been leaning towards white pizza (no sauce). Here is my favorite...

1 small pre-packaged pizza shell
Brush with olive oil
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (as little or as much as you like)
Thinly sliced roma tomatoes
Ground black pepper
Italian seasoning to taste

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes (or until bubbly)

YUM!

Chunky Guacamole

Love this guacamole!! Easy to make and it always disappears...

3 medium alvacados
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine avacodes, lime juice, onion, cilantro, salt and pepper - using a fork mash the alavacodes and other ingredients.

Cover the guacamole, pressing plastic wrap directly onto mixture. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or to chill.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday sweetie! Today, my sweet husband turns 55 years old! He is outside "puttering" in his workshop - a very good time for him. I have good news (for me)/bad news (for him) later today. Since he is 55 now, we can get a 10% discount at Ross every Tuesday, which happily coordinates with one of his days off! Yippie! I hope he is as excited as I am....

SCORE!

Do you ever shop at Ross? I do, usually several times a week. It is one of those places that you have to visit quite a bit. Recently, I scored this king size quilt, shams and throw pillows for $30!! It is a nice summer weather choice. Maybe I will have time to stop by tomorrow! :-)

Blog Changes

I have made a few changes to my blog! I added my first button (see on the right side of the page) for a new magazine coming soon. For most folks adding a button is no big deal...for me, the blog super challenged, it took several tries and now I am ready for a glass of vino to celebrate! Click on the button for more details!

Also, I have started adding some of the blogs that I love! Check them out when you have time. Each one is very inspiring! Happy Reading!

This old school or church building is in New Mexico. It is beautiful to me!

"When you can choose, choose happy." Pancho Barnes
(Search the web to see who Pancho Barnes was - it might surprise you!)

Top Chef Masters

I love that program and just watched the finale (I had to tape it). It was great!! All of the chef's were wonderful but my two favorites made it all the way - Michael Chiarello and Rick Bayless. Rick Bayless won and his food looks incredible. Wish I lived close to one of eateries!

Here is one of my favorite recipes and the recipe I am probably asked for the most:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cooked chicken, boned and shredded (I usually buy one at the grocery)
1 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
4 limes
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (the bottled kind works fine too)
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 - 32 ounce cartons of chicken broth (I generally use organic)
1 - 24 ounce jar of Chunky Pace Picante salsa (I like really spicy but usually mild for everyone else)
1 - 1 pound package frozen corn kernels (this is optional, but I always use - I use the sweet corn, just has a nice flavor)
1 bag tortilla chips
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Lime Wedges
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions (salt and pepper to taste) and cook until translucent, the juice of 2 limes, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook 2 minutes.

Add chicken, broth, salsa and corn. Stir to mix. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to boil for 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, I usually reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or so; however, you could eat it sooner.

Crush some tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle soup in. Use toppings as desired (cheese, lime juice, cilantro...avocados are excellent on the soup) and serve.

The soup actually tastes better the next day!

LakeFest and Boat Races

Last Saturday, Jeff and I were going to drive to Johnson City, maybe on to Fredericksburg. While passing through Marble falls, actually crossing over the bridge that spans Lake LBJ, we heard them...even with the windows up and the radio on...what you ask? Racing boats! Really fast racing boats and Jeff loves speed in cars, boats, motorcycles (you get the picture!)

After the somewhat legal U-turn, we found a place to watch the races. A one fourth mile course, with the really fast boats finishing in under 7 seconds!

Lots of people, food and fun...but it was really hot! After an hour or two, I was read for lunch at Chili's in the wonderfully air conditioned dining room!

Marble Falls is a great place to visit, so if you haven't been, head on out!

Roasted Veggies and Rice

A quick and easy side dish for dinner (or lunch):

Roasted Vegetables and Rice

1 pound zucchini, diced
1 pound yellow squash, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 (8.5 oz) packages ready-to-serve brown and wild rice (I use Uncle Ben's)
1/2 cup salted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together the first 7 ingredients until veggies are well coated. Place veggies in a single layer in a jelly roll pan.
2. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir veggies, and bake 20 more minutes or until slightly crisp and golden.
3. Prepare rice according to directions. Stir together rice, veggies and almonds.

YUM!! Sorry, I did not make pictures!

A Good Visit

How fun...my dear friends, Gwen and Milton just visited with their granddaughter, Danielle. We went down to San Antonio to visit the Alamo and had lunch on the Riverwalk. We went in a few shops.

Next day to Fredricksberg for a day in the hill country.

Of course, we took them to all the 'best' places - see Danielle and Gwen in front of Rudy's BBQ. We also went to the Oasis! Fun times!!

Dinner Time!

Speaking of dinner time...Trooper and Ranger eat twice a day...first thing in the morning and at 5:00 pm in the afternoon. Not 5:05 or 5:15, but at 5:00! They start stirring 5-10 minutes before that time...they have an amazing built in clock that some how tells them it is TIME TO EAT!! In this picture, Ranger is giving me a gentle hint that the time has arrived! :-)

Small Bites

Whenever we entertain, we always start with some small bites (tapas, appetizers). One of my favorite ones is Baked Artichoke Dip...quick and easy!

Baked Artichoke Dip

1 can medium artichoke hearts
1 cup mayo
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic
Fresh lump crab meat or 1 can of crab meat

Drain and chop artichokes and mix with all other ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

A note: Usually I have not added crab meat but did this last time...Yum! Quite a hit. I can see adding other things that would compliment the artichokes...sliced black olives, shrimp, etc. A nice presentation is to hollow out a loaf of hearty round bread and place the dip inside. Use the removed bread for dippers.

See my great bread board? I have two antique ones, which I use to serve appetizers or use on the table. Some great appetizers to buy are peppered salami, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber (sprinkled with black pepper), olives, etc.

Ask folks over and have fun!

Summer Go To Meal

We entertain almost every weekend during the summer and fall months. In the summer, I prepare this shrimp and mussels dish quite a bit. It is so easy and always a hit! Serve with crusty bread for dipping. Add a salad, corn on the cob and new potatoes for a large crowd.

Shrimp and Mussels

2-3 pounds large shrimp (14-16 count)
2-3 packages frozen mussels
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup dry white wine (use a good wine that you drink with dinner - such as a Sauvignon Blanc)

In a large pan, add EVOO and butter. Once hot, add wine. Cook together for a few minutes for the wine to reduce. Add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add shrimp. Cook until shrimp is done - usually 6-7 minutes.

In separate pan, prepare mussels following directions.

Once shrimp and mussels are done add together in large bowl. Pour the sauce from shrimp over both and mix.

Add some fresh herbs for extra flavor - any think that you like. In this picture, I used minced dill and basil. YUM!!

See the cute small red colanders...they are from Target (the dollar section, although they were $2.50 each - go figure!)

I place one of these by each table setting with half of a lemon, and a warm wet wash cloth wrapped in foil (this is a finger food meal and can be messy!!). During the meal, they make a place for shrimp tails and mussel shells. Easy clean up as well!

Happy Summer!!

Happy Birthday Danielle!

My dear friend Gwen's granddaughter, Danielle, has just celebrated her 21st birthday! As you can see, she has grown into a beautiful young lady. My question is...HOW DID THIS HAPPEN SO FAST??? I can remember when she was born! Times fly and moves forward...best wishes for all things good Danielle!

Trooper

Trooper turned 9 years old this past May. He is experiencing some minor health issues but still likes to have fun!

"Life is too important to be taken seriously." Oscar Wilde

Ahhh, my pup!

This my Ranger when he was just a baby pup...now he weighs 114 pounds and still thinks that he is a lap dog!

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." Ben Williams

Santa Fe

On our way to Telluride, we stopped in Santa Fe...one of my favorite places in the world! I love the shops, buildings, history and restaurants. This is a picture of the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed. We had breakfast at the table in the courtyard. A fruit plate, quiche, hard boiled eggs and sweet breads. The juice was excellent - tasted fresh squeezed!

Another favorite place is Taos...we stopped by there and ate pizza on the way back to Santa Fe from Colorado. Luckily, that took us by the Black Mesa Winery, where stopped for a few minutes. They were very busy! We picked up some bottles of wine.

Vacation

We just returned from Colorado and New Mexico for a short vacation. The weather was such a nice break from our 100 degree plus days! We went white water rafting, hiking and "mudding" (which my husband really loved!) on one forest service road. On the others we just admired the scenery.

While on this road, we met some other folks from Texas and chatted a while. Beautiful area around Telluride. We stayed in Mountain Village and really enjoyed the fact that the gondolas were dog friendly. Not sure how our dogs would do that high up!

This is a picture of Jeff driving through 2 big boulders! Incredible views and cool temps - in the high 50s!!

Before and After

Recently when we were in New Mexico, I purchased this ceiling tin at a boot shop. I love the weathered texture but didn't care for the cowboy picture which was on the tin.

So I stripped off the picture and painted the center part of the tin - first white, then red, then tried to tone down the red and finally decided that I liked it red - gives the kitchen a POP of color! At first I was going to use a greeting card, but found a wooden cutout that I had in my 'treasure closet' and decided that it would be a better choice.

It is a cutout of St. Pasqual - The Patron Saint of Cooks (I need all of the help I can get!!)


At a garage sale, I found some little star nails and thought that the tin would look good hanging on one of those cuties. Sorry the after picture is not the greatest, but you can see a big change! I like the new look.

Lavender Days

Each June in Blanco, Texas Lavender Days are held on the courthouse square (and surrounding areas). This was our first year to attend and it was great fun!

Lots of booths with crafts, jewelry, clothes, hats, food, Texas wine, and other goodies! We looked through all of the booths and ate our way through the food tent...yum!

See the old buildings in town? There are some cool looking shops there - wish we would have had time to browse in those too!

All of the Lavender Farms were open for tours. The event lasts for 3 days and, hopefully, next year we will be able to spend more time.

On the way home we stopped at Whittington's Jerky in Johnson City...lots of great jerky and gifts! We bought some of the peppered beef and turkey. Yum!