Mama Helen's famous Poundcake

I have been hungering for a pound cake for several days. My friend Sylvia at CHK network posted a black walnut pound cake that looked to die for, but I don't have any black walnuts or shortening so I decided to go through my recipes and I found one I had made several years back. It is just a classic pound cake, very simple not alot of ingredients and very very tasty, very rich though as it has real butter and eggs.

Hang on though, it has BUTTER in it, YUP REAL BUTTER, SHHHH DON'T TELL.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 CUPS BUTTER, ALLOW TO SOFTEN TO ROOM TEMP
• 3 CUPS WHITE SUGAR
• 6 EGGS
• 1 CUP MILK
• 3 1/2 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 SLIGHTLY ROUNDED TSP SALT
• 3 TSP REAL VANILLA EXTRACT
  

DIRECTIONS:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES,GREASE AND FLOUR 2 LOAF PANS. THOROUGHLY CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR TO A SOFT FLUFFY CONSISTENCY, AFTER SUGAR AND BUTTER IS COMBINED ADD EGGS ONE AT A TIME, CONTINUE BEATING. IN ANOTHER BOWL COMBINE FLOUR AND SALT. SLOWLY COMBINE THE FLOUR INTO THE BUTTER, SUGAR AND EGG MIXTURE AND SLOWLY ADD THE MILK, ALTERNATING FLOUR AND MILK.
AFTER FLOUR IS COMBINED ADD THE VANILLA EXTRACT. POUR INTO GREASED AND FLOURED LOAF PAN, BAKE FOR APPROXIMATELY 55 MINUTES UNTIL KNIFE COMES OUT CLEAN.

Weebles and Thorns

I wonder as I sit here and listen to the state of the Union address will I ever feel better?

Depression has ripped my life apart, literally. I am left in tatters, physically and emotionally. My weight is up again ( perhaps due to the medications)

I just want to feel better, I want to be better. I woke up this morning and was literally a roly poly, yes I was a real life weeble. You remember the weebles wobble but they don't fall down? Well I am now a FULL BLOWN WEEBLE, YES I am a WEEBLE. These medications have just about done a number on me, but its not a number
10, hahahahha ( Remember Bo Derek from the movie 10?)


If you have Never had fibro you cannot possibly understand; that is a bad enough diagnosis but if you add to the mixture a recent nervous breakdown that makes it even better doesn't it? Throw in some depression and that really makes the mixture tasty. If I could pull myself up by my bootstraps I would but alas I can't even find my own bootstraps.

and Tomorrow is another day. I pray for strength and I wonder ( I am human) why was I not blessed like other ladies my age who don't have those malodies.
The apostle Paul had a thorn in his side and when it was never removed the Lord said to him My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness.

So perhaps that thorn is perfecting me for his glory? Couldn't the result of that thorn be prettier than a weeble? Well I guess we don't get to pick our own thorns.

Life is About Two Questions
Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Life boils down to two questions:

Should I get a dog?

Or should I have children?

Courtesy of MckLinky Stuff - FREE!

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom
I know you would never come back to this earth for your eyes have seen our Lord.
I miss you so much mom ,and everyday brings a new set of fresh tears. You would think after
three years it would not hurt so much. Remember when you said you wanted us to just miss you a little? I wish I could only miss you a little, it might not hurt so much.
Life goes on its true, I cannot stop the world from spinning, or keep the sun from shining.
But there are many days I just want to step off for a brief moment and see you, just to say Hello and give you a kiss.
I always thought I was old enough to lose my mother and that I had my time with her and it would all be okay. I was wrong. Your never ready to lose your precious mother.

OHHHHHH baby, Bananna pudding to make your mouth water

This is the bananna pudding to bring to all the summer barbecues, Heck its great in the winter too.

This is the Dish everyone will beg you for, but if your smart, well sharing is an option perhaps.

2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 box of vanilla wafers
1 large tub of cool whip
1 container of sour cream 16 oz
3-4 banannas

Mix up the vanilla pudding according to package directions, use a hand mixer. After throughly mixed add in the tub of cool whip and continue to mix on low speed, then add in the sour cream and continue to mix.

Once mixed Layer the cookies, pudding and bannanas.

Garnish with cookies around the outside of the bowl.

Trust me this recipe is AWESOME, easy wonderful and Delish

yum yum yum

I am trying out a new recipe that I got from a friend of mine. I had generously given her my famous Bananna pudding recipe ( well I really had to think hard before I gave it up ) But I did and now its payback time. I saw her post on her facebook that she was making this dish for her son and it sounded wonderful. I messaged her and asked her if she would share and she did.

It is for Potatoe and Peas, I am going to change it up just a wee tad and add some stewing beef to it.

POTATOE AND PEAS WITH BEEF


4 LARGE POTATOES, CUP UP INTO CHUNKS
2 CANS OF SWEET PEAS ( DO NOT DRAIN)
1 CAN OF EVAPORATED MILK
1 CUP OF 2 PERCENT MILK
1 CAN OF BUTTERMILK BISCUITS, CUP UP INTO SMALL CHUNKS
SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE ( I THINK THE PEPPER IS MOST IMPORTANT HERE AS THE CANNED PEAS ARE LOADED WITH SALT)

Cut up the potatoes and put in large pot, cover with water
While the potatoes boil cook the stew beef in skillet with small amount of oil
when potatoes are done, do not drain, add the canned peas, add the evaporated milke and the 2 percent milk and the beef, bring to medium simmer and then add the cut up biscuits and cook till the biscuits are done.

I am crossing my fingers and hoping this is good, I will write more later and let ya all know if this is a hit or a flop, ahhahhaha

The steps of a good man

Oh how I love the song the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

SO this means that even though I may not know where I am going,my steps are being ordered by the Lord right now.

Thank you to God for his mercies, because frankly I don't always know where I am going.
Just like a proud daddy holds the hand of his tottering infant taking his first steps so My Lord will hold my hand while I teeter totter along too.

Kind of like the verse where it says 'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path"
I was meditating on this verse last night and thinking that it is not a floodlight but rather a small flashlight,and one step at a time is lit, not the entire length of the journey just one small step. I can take one small step at a time can you?

Summertime and Baked oatmeal

This past summer we drove up to Long Island. We had several things on our agenda to do. The first was go to the dreaded family wedding, okay you all KNOW exactly what I am talking about. The inevitable so and so is getting married and we HAVE to attend. We packed up and drove 18 long hours to get to the Island. Getting over the cross bronx, finding Brooklyn, looking at the dreary buildings we sure were glad we MOVED OUT, the graffiti alone is enough to bring you into a tailspin of depression. What are these people thinking? How can they LIVE in such a place.
Well this was our "vacation" ( if ya wanna call it that, cause lets face it, a family wedding is no vacaction) so we were determined to make the best of it.
Long Island is known for its beaches, its seafood, the north shore, the south shore and DINERS, yes folks ya got it right DINERS. Well in my mind I am on vacation and if foods a cookin, Helen's a lookin. So first and foremost on vacation to do list is drum roll please ...............
Diner. The second day into our beloved vacay I told hubby we were going to the Diner for breakfast. Yup its been awhile since my lips have been wrapped around a hot cuppa joe from the nearby diner and my tastebuds were ready. We showed up at the break of dawn and slid ourselves into the booth. I look at the menu and something called "BAKED OATMEAL" it sounded different, not something you would order in the summertime but I thought why not. I went ahead and gave my order to the gal. When this steaming bowl of brown yumm yumm arrived with its side of luscious warm cream, I grabbed my spoon, poured the cream on and began eating.
Never in my WILD imagination did I ever expect to experience this perfect combo of pure deliciousness to envelope my mouth. This bowl was chock full of toasty nuts, raisins, cranberries, oatmeal, just a variety of textures to tantalize me. Halfway into my gourmet feast the realization that this bliss would end hit me straight on. I thought I am going HOME in a few days. How in the world am I going to satisfy my new found craving for baked oatmeal. HEHEHHEHEHEHEHE I concocted my plan. I would call the waitress over and ask for it. She arrived at our table and I ever so sweetly began asking for the recipe. She said I'll see what my manager Joe has to say. She came back and said ( IMAGINE a GUM SMACKING YANKEE) Joe said to tell ya he's real sorry he can't give it out. Wait what do you mean he can't give it out, you mean HE'S not going to give it out. Okay folks although I have been southernized for over 11 years I still have enough yankee left to pull out all the stops, I said sweety go get Joe for me whileya? Joe comes over and I begin my best yet effort to finagle this recipe from him, I told him I don't even LIVE around here, I am not in competition with you , please please please can't you share? I batted my lashes and did my everloving best to get it. Do you think I succeeded?
Nope, I could not break Joe.
For the Last 7 months I have tried my best to do without that baked oatmeal. Finally I caved ,I had to at least try to replicate it. I searched high and low and remembered what that warm creamy bowl of deliciousness had in it and I finally found a recipe that I could tweak and here it is
HERE IS THIS BEAUTY
3 c rolled oats
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinammon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c milk
2 eggs
1/2 c melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c dried cranberries
1/2 raisin
1/2 c chopped pecans/

Mix all dry ingredients first, add eggs and butter and mix well. Spray a nonstick loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Serve hot with warm milk.

This is simply Delicious.

Oh don't ask how the wedding was, the oatmeal was much better

Test

test

Roadblocks of life

Throughout Life there are going to be roadblocks. This is inevitable. We cannot go through this life and expect every day will be full of roses. What we choose to do when these roadblocks come display our character. The last few months have been very difficult for me, the shadows are looming and darkness has been ever present in my life. BUT God knows this, he is ever present in the darkness with me. He has been holding my hand and enveloping me in his arms of love. He has made himself known through his word, through his people and through my family. These special friends have prayed for me when I could not pray for myself. The Lord has brought new people into my life and he is using me now for his honor and glory. Roadblocks are inevitable, right now I cannot jump over these roadblocks. I just cannot physically do it. But I can move this roadblock piece by piece with God's help and slowly get through it. Only the Lord knows why he allows trials to blanket us. This dark period has been difficult I am not going to lie. But after I emerge from this darkness the sunshine will be present and I pray I will be able to lift someone else up.