Patio Blooms

     We spend  a LOT of time outside on our patio!  We've tried to make it as peaceful and tranquil as possible to balance out the craziness of everyday life.  I hope these photos help you to unwind and relax.....

 
   The pond is still a work in progress.  If anyone has any ideas how to surround it with something inexpensive and easy to walk on, I'd love to hear them! 

     I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

     This morning I thought it would be a great day to make these pancakes. They are so easy and delicious! You can buy the sweet potato pancake mix, but I find that there aren't enough sweet potato in them. This is another way to get the kids to eat their veges!


Sweet Potato Pancakes

1 cup complete pancake mix - any brand
1 cup drained, canned yams
3/4 - 1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients together and add enough water for desired consistency. Spray skillet with cooking spray and make desired size pancakes. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. These are delicious as they are, or you can drizzle syrup or sprinkle powdered sugar on them. Enjoy!

Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands

     Today is the annual Showcase of Marching Bands at Ragin Cajun Field in Lafayette!  If you have never experienced this event, it is a must see.  There are over thirty high school marching bands that perform starting at 8 o'clock a.m.  and it doesn't end until late tonight with an award ceremony.
    
     These high school students have put in a lot of hard work and determination to put on an approximate ten minute show.  They have spent many hours practicing in the hot sun, marching even though they had blisters on their feet. They learn teamwork and discipline.  The outcome is amazing! 

     I was able to go and watch about half of the bands perform. These pictures don't do it justice, but you will have an idea of what this event is.   It's wonderful to see the support and pride from all of the band parents in the stands.  Both of my sons were in marching band, so this brings back many wonderful memories! 

Pecan Picking

     Now that fall is here, it's time to pick pecans!  Everywhere I go, I see people under pecan trees, picking them.  It's like finding treasure on the ground!   My grandchildren were here a couple of weeks ago on their way to my son's next duty station and as you can see they had a wonderful time picking, cracking and eating them!

 

  
     Now that the pecans are picked, the real work begins.  Have to get them cracked (I'm talking 10 gallons of pecans) and the meat out of them so that I can make a pecan pie!  This may take a while....

Time for Gumbo!

Woke up to BEAUTIFUL, COOL weather and here in Louisiana that means GUMBO!  Most of the time I make chicken and sausage, but we also like duck gumbo.  Whenever the hubby and sons get to go hunting and actually shoot a duck, I will make that kind!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

5-6 lbs. chicken - legs, thighs, breast, whole- cut up first (whatever you have on hand)
1 lb. smoked sausage - sliced
3 quarts water
8 oz. roux (any brand will do)
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup onion tops
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's seasoning (or use salt and pepper)

Add water to large pot and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add roux and stir continuously until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low-medium for 2-3 hours.  Be sure NOT to cover pot fully- leave large crack for ventilation or it WILL boil over!  Serve over cooked rice.

***This is one meal you can save as leftovers and it is BETTER the second time you eat it!

NOTES:
- If you'd like to cut some of the fat out of this recipe, you can remove the skin from the chicken, use chicken sausage and cook as usual.  If you refrigerate the gumbo overnight, you can remove the fat that has risen to the top and discard it.
-Sometimes, I have gumbo juice left over, but no meat.  In this case, you can cook some cut up chicken breast and sausage in a pan and add it to the gumbo juice and cook on low for about 20-30 minutes to blend the flavors.
-Gumbo freezes well also.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Carrot Beignets

Good Morning!  Today I wanted to share my grandmother's recipe for carrot beignets.  This is a wonderful way to get your children to eat vegetables!  The beignets are deep fried, but you can make them into pancakes instead if you'd like to make them a little healthier.  My grandchildren love these as pancakes!

You will need:
1 can carrots (drained and mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour

Heat oil in skillet to 350 degrees, mix all ingredients together and drop by teaspoonfuls into oil.  Drain on paper towels.  Enjoy!

Happy Hummingbirds

     A few weeks ago, the hummingbirds were flying through here on their way south, so I decided to put out two feeders and take a few photos. At one point we had over 15 of them and I was refilling both feeders everyday. I made my own hummingbird food by mixing 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup sugar.  Obviously it was a big hit! They are such beautiful, delicate birds.  There was one in the flowerbed in the front yard- I started calling him butterball because he was pretty round and didn't fly much! Enjoy.....