Category Archives: Food

Shoot Happy: Bad Day Muffin

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31DaysNiftyFiftyButtonOver the month of October, I’ll be posting (or trying to post) everyday. These posts will be centered around all things nifty about the fifty, they could be about how awesome the 50mm is, or just some cool shots captured while enjoying the nifty-ness of the fifty. You can read this series from the beginning here.

So, you ever had one of those days where nothing goes the way it’s supposed to? Ya know, the kind of day when you lose your sunglasses but your actually wearing them, or you realize you don’t have your keys just seconds after the door has slammed shut behind you, or you fear your automatic window closing button (highly technical term) has broken because it only clicks instead of closing the window only to realize the window was never down in the first place. And that was all during my morning rush out the door. Thankfully, after looking for my sunnies for a solid 5 minutes ,I finally realized why the world looked so dark, and I was able to use a spare house key hidden in my top secret hidey hole to gain access back into the house. Let’s just say, the rest of the day didn’t get much better.

It was one of those days where you just want to cuddle up with Netflix, and eat baked goods for dinner. Who needs protein anyway?

banananut

Aww..yes…a muffin from my favorite diner. If you ever find yourself in the Albuquerque area you’ll definitely have to hit up Manny’s on Central. Their muffins are huge and oh so tasty. The perfect remedy to a terrible, horrible, not good, very bad day.

banananutmuffin

 

 

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Honey Bears and In-laws

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So, I’ve finally been going through the zillions of photos I’ve taken over the past several months and came across a trip Bubba and I took down south to Las  Cruces over the long President’s Day holiday. Yeah, I know it’s June, and these shots were taken waaaay back in Feburary, let’s just say I’m behind, and losing at the game of catch up.

Instead of getting all wordy like I always do I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

organmountainsriogrande

Okay, I lied, I am going to get wordy, but only to explain the photos, because some of them really can’t speak for themselves. Well, they can but I’m a chronic interrupter. So anyways, that sandy stuff in the middle of this photo is the Rio Grande River.  And those mountains are the Organ Mountains, very pointy.

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Here’s another view of the Organ’s set in contrast to an alfalfa field.

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Here’s where we almost got married. From another view you don’t see the green houses, but instead see the surrounding gardens. The grounds are operated by the local college, and quite often you’ll see some pretty interesting plant life. One year they did an entire ornamental pepper garden. It was gorgeous!

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And here’s a giant rooster. Bubba wouldn’t let me bring him home. Maybe one day I will surprise him like the Bloggess (may contain four letter words, and I don’t mean words like “skinny jeans”) did for Victor.

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And here’s a bench made from a Ford tailgate. I couldn’t fit it into my trunk so it got left behind.

church

And an old church, I love old churches.

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This one is in Old Mesilla, Basilica of San Albino, gorgeous church.

While we were in town we stopped by to visit my Bubba-in-laws.

grandpababy2Father-in-law with Bubba niece.

neiceyIsn’t she the cutest? I couldn’t get an un-blurry shot though, the little rascal moves like lightening.

momandbabyHere she is with her momma, enjoying some chocolate cake.

motherinlawSpeaking of momma’s, here’s Bubba’s mom.

After visiting with family it was time to head home and bail our brat girls out the kennel, which is actually considered a pet boutique. Yes, I’m that weird dog lover that can’t bear the thought of my beloved pooches spending any amount of time in a kennel. This place allows free range dogs, so the girls are part of herd while we are away. I think they like it…they come back exhausted as one usually does when away from home and ones favorite chair.

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Or ones most prized sunny spot near the fridge….

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Anyways, getting on with it…

helencorbittbrowniesSince the three day weekend fell around Valentine’s Day Bubba made my favorite brownies from my favorite cookbook by Helen Corbitt. The recipe can be found here.

As I munched on the most delectable of brownies and decided skinny jeans just weren’t in the cards for me I enjoyed gazing at the red tulips that Bubba surprised me with.

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And unloading all the sweet honey goodness I found while poking around a farmer’s market while visiting the southern part of the state.

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I couldn’t resist the teeny honey bears.

And now I’ve run out of pictures and words…how’s that for an eloquent ending?

Valentine’s Day

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Maybe it’s all the sugar, or maybe I’m just plain tired from a busy week, but I’m not really up to sifting through, editing, and posting about all the great things I’ve seen this past week while sniffing around some pretty awesome thrift stores. So, with it being Valentine’s Day, I bid you a very happy, love and sugar filled day!

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I’ll just owe you a Thrifting Thursday next week. You might be surprised to find that Thrifting Monday is just as exciting as Thrifting Thursday!

Thrifting Thursday: Husbands and Wives

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Welcome to Thrifting Thursday, my personal celebration of what I like to call Friday Eve. Which normal people just call Thursday. How boring right? Shouldn’t the day before happy Friday be celebrated too? Unless of course you do some sort of shift work and your Friday is on a Tuesday in which case Monday would be your Friday eve and Friday would be your Monday so Thursday and Friday would be nothing to celebrate for you. Unless of course you absolutely love your job and can’t wait to jump into your work week. Then YAY for you!

But back to Thrifting Thursday….

Today is going to be one part talk-about-old-stuff and another part oh-yay-there’s-cookies! Confused yet? I think I’m still confused about the Friday on a Tuesday thing….

Anywho, here’s a picture to help illustrate this windy path I’ve set us down.

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See that cute blue pedestal plate? Yeah, that’s the let’s-talk-about-old-stuff part of this post. The pedestal really isn’t all that old though, I just brought it home because it was cute and blue and cheap. Those a few of the criteria this girl can’t pass up when she’s sniffing around old junk shops. (I say sniffing, but in some of those places you really don’t wanna literally sniff too deeply. IfyaknowwhatImean)

You see that yummy magic deliciousness sitting upon my pretty blue pedestal plate? That’s the oh-yay-there’s-cookies part of the post.

marthastewartcookies1

These are cookie bars I made a while ago for a little office get together. I used Martha Stewarts  Cookie Bar Recipe. Which can be found here.

The cookies turned out OK, and honestly, I had no complaints from my co-workers. But the cookies just seemed a bit dry to me, I like my cookies to be gooey and soft. Maybe next time I won’t cook them as long. Most food stuffs I prepare end up being a little on the “well done” side. For instance, when I was making grilled cheese sandwiches for me and Bubba the other night, my sweet, gentle, and honest husband politely requested his sandwich lightly brunt instead of charred. I then promptly dropped his on the floor and let the dog lick it while he wasn’t looking. Ya know, being the sweet, gentle and PATIENT wife that I am.

How’s that for a random post about everything from Friday Eve, cookies, plates, and husbands and wives?

Thrifting Thursday: Pink and Cinnamon All Over

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Welcome to Thrifting Thursday, as the name implies, I’ll be talking about items I’ve either thrift-ED or have deemed interesting enough to photograph and share with you here on the ol’ blog. The thrifting doesn’t necessarily happen on a Thursday, I just thought that TH-rifting went well with TH-ursday, besides is there a better way to celebrate Friday eve than enjoying all the thrifted goodness out there in the world?

On this weeks edition of Thrifting Thursday, lets focus on the kitchen, shall we?

Mmm….yeah I know the cinnamon rolls aren’t vintage or thrifted, if they were that would be kind of gross. But on a non-second hand food note, notice the bowl these yummy and tight jeans inducing rolls are sitting in. That’s what we’re really talking about today.

I don’t remember exactly when, where, or how this sweet little pink dish entered my home, but she gets a lot of use. And she looks pretty cute too. Those sweet little flowers make me smile every time I pull her out for the next batch of cinnamon rolls or whatever else I deem her just the right size for. She’s a vintage Pyrex, I estimate probably from the 60’s or 70’s. We have a matching split casserole and small-ish rectangular casserole dish. So, it’s the beginnings of a matching set! Exciting stuff!

Now onto the good part, the cinnamon rolls. You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging on those did ya?

I can’t take credit for these confectionery delights, Bubba made these last Saturday early in morning, ya know before 11 am. So here’s the basic recipe:

Dough for Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

The dough is based off of a recipe for the Pecan Caramel Rolls found on the Betty Crocker website, you can find the exact recipe for those here.

31/2 to 4 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk (120 to 130 degrees F)

1/3 cup margarine or butter softened

1 egg

Filling for Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

This came from one of Bubba’s old cook books, he couldn’t remember which one, but here’s an estimate of what was used:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

raisins and walnuts or pecans to taste

Happy thrifting and baking everyone!!!

Thanksgiving Recap

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So, here we are nearly a week after Thanksgiving and I haven’t provided a full and complete run down of my day of thanksgiving! Are you ready to be bombarded with too many pictures of pumpkin pie and faux gourds? No? Well sorry, you’re gonna have to endure this picture laden post, or not. This is the internet afterall, I can’t force you stay and watch my virtual slideshow as I detail each and every event that is documented within each and every photo. Maybe I should make some virtual queso so you’ll all stick around and listen to my babbling. (Can you name that Rotel commercial? Wait, I think I already did. Such a party pooper aren’t I?)

This Thanksgiving, much like every Thanksgiving, was spent at my mothers house. I got to pretty up the table.

I just used what Mom had around the house, nothing new here. The covered cake dish that I used for the base of my pumpkin extravaganza, was given to my mother for Christmas one year by me, her favorite child of course. The clear dishes have all been collected over the years from various garage sales and thrift stores. My mom has an even greater weakness for pretty glassware than I do.

The table linens were all purchased at Wal-Mart after the holidays many moon ago, at a pretty steep discount. That bargain hunting runs deep through my veins thanks to Momma. (Don’t you love how it’s all about me?)

And what Thanksgiving would be complete without the Thanksgiving fowl?  No, not the one in the oven, the fowl of the decor variety. The hen and rooster are usually floating around Mom’s kitchen somewhere, but that little turkey in the middle? She’s made her annual appearance for the past 4 or 5 years, no Thanksgiving is complete without her nearby.

And did I mention that Mom has a weakness for interesting and vintage glassware?? I love this piece, and it was in brand new condition. Apparently, it’s previous owner never used it. Mom was able to pick up a few pieces from the same household that were all equally unused, and in perfect condition. If only I had thought to take a picture of these stunning pieces, but alas, dinner was calling my name.

After we feasted on our roast beast and Who-pudding, it was the doggies turn for their Thanksgiving dinner. Let’s just say that didn’t sit around the table and talk about the things they were most grateful for before chowing down.

Pardon the fuzzy pictures, excited dogs are hard to photograph at dusk.

And the best part of this holiday, ya know, aside from the thankfulness and the spending time with family, the left overs.

Don’t they taste so much better the next day?

Weekend Happenings: A Weekend Long Ago

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A weekend long long ago, actually a month ago, we had a little visitor.

My sweet and beautiful mom came over. It’s always exciting when she comes around, her granddogs especially love these little visits.

That’s Annie when she spotted Mom’s car pull in front of the house. Notice the happy tail.

This time she brought along a few fall inspired gifts from her recent trip to Ohio. My favorite and apparently the only gift that got photographed:

Authentic outdoor-cooked apple butter. This stuff is like crack in a jar! Maybe its the melted red hots or maybe they use some type of special addictive apples, who knows. All I know, is that the contents of this jar have long been eaten, and I didn’t share.

So, today, I’m thankful for apple butter imported from Ohio. But mostly, I’m thankful for my sweet mom that cares enough to have my sweet uncle wrap up and Fedex my coveted crack in a jar.

There’s nothing like that apple butter/red hot high.

Thankful Thrifting

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Happy Friday everyone!! I trust you have all made it this far in the week, it was a little touch and go for me. But thankfully, God created sweet tea to help us poor working souls along. And for some reason, it tastes so much better out of a thrifted Donald Duck mug.

Speaking of thrifting, it’s been a while since I’ve done a Thrifting Thursday, on a Friday. I’ve kinda missed them, there’s nothing like reviewing all the treasures I passed up for one reason or another, or found worthy to cart home. Here’s what I found on a recent thrifting trip:

This Rudolph tea set made me smile, I can’t decide if it’s cute or really tacky. What do you think?

Then I came across some really awesome pieces. This stuff was super heavy and really old, and I instantly fell in love.

The curves on this guy had me at hello. Or maybe she’s a girl, with all those curves maybe I’ll call her a girl. Aside from the curves, I noticed some markings on the back.

That’s got to be from a moving company right, or maybe a maker signature? And it’s got to be old, I don’t know anyone with handwriting like that anymore.

Then I came across this cute Lane Cedar Chest. I was tempted, but the $200 price tag was a little steep for this cheapskate.

The inside was pretty clean, and still cedar-y. But not quite as immaculate as mine with original tags and key attached to the inside of the lid.

One day, when I get a better stand/platform for my TV, I’ll show you the inside of my cedar chest. Then I’ll finally be able to get to the pillows and comforter stored inside. Nothing but the most convenient of storage solutions for me!

Have you found anything fun or reindeer-like on a recent thrift store run?

Weekend Happenings: Randomness

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Happy Tuesday all! I trust you all had a great weekend, and an easy Monday. On this Tuesday, I don’t have many words, but I have lots of pictures. So pull up a comfy chair pour yourself a tall glass of sweet tea and enjoy.

This weekend, I realized I would never make it as a 50’s housewife. I took it upon myself to make Bubba his favorite fried eggs, everything went smoothly until I had to turn them over. It was at this point I turned the spatuala over to the cook of the house before more disaster ensued.

So, we often feed our dogs morsels from the table while we eat. Therefore, this one sees fit to beg at every meal. Does this make us bad pet parents? And does calling myself a pet parent make me crazy?

With that in mind, I spied this mug at a thrift store. This is the first side.

And this is the other side. For some reason it reminded me of Annie-Dog.

Which brings to mind this other thrifty find. I know this is how Annie feels about her kibbles, makes me feel a little guilty.

Then I remember the evening pulls I get taken on every evening.

I’d say the evening pulls are worth it though, since it makes my puppies tired. And I get to take cute doggie butt pictures afterwards.

And I get to spend time outside, while they all wait for me to take pictures of a weed.

This weekend I also got to spend time with my mom. Isn’t she pretty?

We went shopping for craft supplies while she was visiting. She’s starting a new hobby of quilting.

While I’ve taken on the hobby of crochet. I’ll talk more about it later, if I remember, no promises of consistency around here.

We ended the weekend at Goodwill, that is next door to a rug store with questionable architecture.

The sunset was breathtaking though.

What did you do this weekend?

Weekend Happenings: Labor Day

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Alright, so Labor Day is officially behind us, in fact it’s two weeks behind us at this point. But I never got to share what we did on Labor Day, which apparently after looking at the photos really wasn’t that much aside from eating and riding in a car. Speaking of riding in a car, my Bubba and I decided to take a teeny tine little non-overnight road trip to Madrid NM. And it’s not pronounced MUH-drid it is clearly MAD-rid, ask any of the locals they would be happy to clarify that for you.

Most of the trip looked a little like this, especially once we got to Madrid. Note to anyone who is thinking of visiting this quaint little town over a long weekend, it’s gonna be crowded and parking will be at a premium. Which is why we didn’t stop, we drove through it and made a vow to return when things weren’t quite as busy.

But all was not lost, I did get a glimpse of the diner that was featured in the movie Wild Hogs.

Along the way we did see some pretty New Mexican scenery.

Then we tried our hand at homemade chili rellenos (ray-en-oh). If you are unfamiliar with this spicy delicacy, it is a green chili stuffed with monterrey jack cheese battered and deep fried. Delicious, and oh so fattening, but come on, it’s stuffed with cheese breaded and deep fried, how can a girl pass that up?

Tuseday brought with it the return to work, but also a little surprise:

My very own  Swingline stapler thanks to our sweet office manager. Let’s hope they don’t move me down to the basement stop giving me a pay check and ask me to kill roaches, a la Office Space.

How was your weekend? Deep fry anything interesting?