Pound Cake Recipe from Old-Time Cookbook

I got this cookbook yesterday at the church rummage sale around the corner from the cottage and I absolutely love it.

This pound cake will be the first thing I will bake. Enlarge image for easier reading.

The nostalgic illustrations are wonderful.

I'm sure many of you are wondering why I've been posting so many recipes lately. Well it's because I now have to do all the cooking. My mother used to cook most of the meals and she still cooks my oatmeal in the morning. Her eyesight has deteriorated to the point that I am now the chief cook and bottle washer. I don't mind a bit, dutiful daughter that I am. I've been working on organizing all of my cabinets and I'm actually enjoying myself. That's the story.

It's Easier To Keep Up Than To Catch Up

This was my grandmother's favorite saying and she lived by these very words. She was never behind in anything...housework, cooking, sewing, gardening, and more. I wish a little more of her had rubbed off on me. But then I remind myself that she didn't have the Internet!

My grandfather (a minister) used one of these little wisk brooms to brush off his coat before he left the house every day. This one hangs in my vestible here at the cottage. My mother always says the reason Grandma was so caught up on everything was because she made the kids do most of the work. All I remember is that in her elder years she did everything herself with only Grandpa's help.



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Homemade English Muffin Recipe

I had a toasted English muffin with cream cheese and apple butter for breakfast this morning. I've never even considered making my own until I saw this blog post. Here's the recipe. If and when I make any I will make them bigger than the ones you buy in a package. I always use English muffins instead of hamburger rolls for my burgers. They are sooooo much better than those gummy white bread buns.

It rained overnight as predicted but so far it's not the flooding kind the weather person told us we might be getting. I have my fingers crossed. See you later.

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Acorns Are My Favorite Things About Fall

I picked up this bunch of acorns from the way back when walking Webster after an early dinner. The kitchen is clean and I'm ready for a nice evening. I took this picture on the deck just now. I love acorns but I'm glad I don't have an oak tree near my front walk or near my gutters. They can be a nuisance. Thankfully my trees are perfectly situated. See you tomorrow.



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Charles Dickens Loved Cats

I scanned the cat from one of my favorite antiquarian books The Royal Book of Crests. If the ears were a little less pointy and the belly were fatter it could be my Tabitha.



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A Woman is Like a Teabag

I made this illustrated quote by Eleanor Roosevelt some time ago using the USPS postage stamp as the image. People liked it so I'm posting it again.



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Kitten Hearts

A sweet photo to get your day started. Have a good one! 

Blue Bird House

All of my bird houses have all been vacated. The bluebirds usually come back in February to stake out their territory. Pretty soon it will be time for the migrating birds to fly south for the winter and time to hang the bird feeders for those that stay.

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Laundry Day On The Coast of France

I found this beautiful photo on Pixdaus. Don't you love it?
Jour de lavage (washing day)

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Beautiful Artwork on Real Maple leaves

Natural leaf carving is actual manual cutting and removal of a leaf’s surface to produce an art work on a leaf. I can't believe this is a real leaf. How beautiful! The art of cutting leaves.



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Another DIY Hot Water Bottle Cover

I found another picture of a hot water bottle cover made from an old sweater. I like the turtle neck, don't you? This one would be super easy -- actually the easiest one so far. I like the ticking bed linens too. I'd love to crawl into that bed tonight.

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Albino Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Wow . . . I would be so excited if I saw one of these rarities at either of my two hummingbird feeders. Photo by ©Marty L. Jones on Flickr



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Knitted Hot Water Bottle Cozy | Free Pattern

This is wonderful. Download free knitting pattern here. It is marked "intermediate" so I think I will stick to my original plan of making one by cutting up an old sweater. You master knitters can make this one from scratch. I so love a hot water bottle in the winter.



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Wall Mounted Bookmark | Do Want

I need this beside my bed. Such a clever idea for a bookmark.

Rainy Monday Morning

I don't have any gardening to do but my housework is never done. I'm forced inside because of a rainy Monday morning so I'll try to do some chores I've been putting off. I took this photo last fall. Have a great week.




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Southern Flourish Magazine | Online

My online magazines are piling up. Here is another one called Southern Flourish that looks very good. Home, Garden, Interior Design, Fashion, Food, and more -- with a Southern twist. Take a look at Issue #3 for Fall 2010. Enjoy.



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Sunday Morning Cheese Biscuits

I almost never photograph the food I prepare because I make such a mess in the kitchen. I was inspired to make cheese biscuits to go along with my fried egg this morning in order to test my "new" toaster oven. Well, it's not really new but you'd never guess it's not fresh out of the box. The firemen had their annual auction and tent sale yesterday and I had such fun looking at other people's junk. I got my Cuisinart Classic Toaster Oven for $14.00 and I am thrilled with it. It seemed such a shame to fire up the stove oven for only 6 biscuits as I have been doing ever since I made my first batch of homemade Bisquick Mix. This is my 4th pan of delicious oven-baked goodness with the addition of grated cheddar cheese. I was going to make grits this morning too but didn't have time . . . everything went together so quickly.

I used unsalted butter for the mix but next time I am going to use salted. It was all I had in the fridge at the time. I might use only half the sugar or eliminate it altogether. Southerners never put sugar in biscuits; I think that is a Yankee thing. You really can't taste any sweetness and maybe it helps with the rising. We'll see. Anyway, I am set for the day after a delicious breakfast. I have to host a Realtor open house this afternoon so I'd better start getting ready. See you later.

Here is my newest kitchen friend. You know you have too much stuff when you have to spend hours rearranging in order to fit one more thing in your house.

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A Change in the Weather

I so wish I could do this instead of putting on my clothes, pulling on my boots and taking Webster outside. The coffee is almost finished brewing and he's waiting patiently for me at the door. I am going to my sock drawer right now and find some thick woolly ones. It was hot yesterday but now it's very much like Autumn. Enjoy your Sunday.

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