Happy New Year and Genuine Oliebollen

Would you rather have a genuine oliebollen dish?

Or would you like genuine oliebollen from this dish?

Enjoy the changing of the years!

See you on the other side tomorrow in Leap Year 2016 !

Easy Homemade French Breakfast Puffs

One of my dear friends on Instagram (mamijami123) inspired me to search for a recipe for French Breakfast Puffs like the ones pictured above. I found lots of recipes, but I tried this one.

Betty Crocker's Recipe for French Breakfast Puffs

(Note: I added 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and will add a bit more the next time I bake these yummy muffins.)

French Breakfast Puffs

• Prep Time10min
• Total Time35min
• Servings15

Ingredients

1/3

cup shortening

1/2

cup sugar

1

egg

1 1/2

cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 1/2

teaspoons baking powder

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2

cup milk

1/2

cup sugar

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2

cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions 

• Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 15 medium muffin cups, 2 1/2x1 1/4 inches. 
• Mix shortening, 1/2 cup sugar and the egg throughly in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg alternately with milk. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. 
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
• Mix 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll hot muffins immediately in melted butter, then in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Serve hot.

Weather is Upside Down! December 27, 2015

Better heat up the leftovers while I can. 

Storm is brewing!

Christmas Past

My mom began writing her blog in September 2012 at the age of 87. This is a snapshot of her Christmas Eve post of that year.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Click here for more of Ridges of Lee County

Christian Card

I have never been a Bible packing Christian, and I rarely openly discuss my faith. But today as I cleaned out my purse I found a small card with this poem written by Emily Matthews. The card slipped out of a vintage Seiko watch instruction pamphlet that I found at my Mom's house.

God, Will Carry You

When it seems as though

 the Lord's no longer with us,

 It's important to remember

what He said:

"If you fail to see Me 

walking right beside you,

It's because I have you

 in my arms instead--

And together we will cross

 the highest mountain,

Together we will face

 the stormy sea,

You never are alone,

 you're never helpless!

I'll carry you----

let go and lean on Me."

(Emily Matthews)

[Suppose this was a message for me.]

Azaleas and Geraniums and 1000 Kilometers on December 21, 2015

And grass that could be mowed!

Even down here in southwest Louisiana, we do not expect to see these blooms at Christmas. Even my Knock-out roses are "knocking it out."

And I have "knocked out" 1000 km in the last year. ( Even with the timeout for a broken foot!)

Back on Track ( Well, Almost!)

Twice around the meadow and once inside the thrift store yesterday.

I have a 8,000 step per day goal at the moment. Yesterday was my best day since I began walking again on December 1, 2015. And I have been upstairs one time, too. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things.

Finally!

Happy Holidays

Ten years ago I was sitting in this same theatre with just such enthusiastic Middle Schoolers. The American School of The Hague sent me this video this morning, and I decided to share it with my followers. Enjoy! For video CLICK HERE

Ask for the Recipe

When I first began this Wetcreek Blog, I dutifully published all of the handwritten recipes my dear mother wrote in a cookbook she especially made for me in October 1990 (almost exactly 25 years before her death on October 20, 2015).

But she didn't reveal all of her Plain Cooking secrets. And now it is too late to get her recipe.

Maybe it was our own fault for not letting her know that we really thought her Christmas Date Nut Roll Candy was her best holiday treat. 

One thing is for sure, no one else's recipe will ever be as good as Momma's.

Pecan, Panko, and Butter Casserole Crust Topping

Today I made a veggie casserole to take to a senior citizens Christmas luncheon. My hub was feeling "under the weather," so we skipped that event. For my lunch, I decided to taste what I had prepared. The casserole itself is nothing to write home about, but the crust topping is outstanding.

Here is my recipe for Pecan, Panko, and Butter Crust Topping;

(Simple, Simple, Very Simple) 

1/4 cup salted butter

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 -1/2 cup broken pecans

First, melt the butter in a skillet. 

Add the Panko and broken pecans. 

Stir well and allow to get hot for 1 minute. 

Then sprinkle the topping on your favorite veggie casserole, macaroni and cheese, tuna casserole, or steamed veggies. Bake casserole as usual, but make sure the pecans do not burn.

Give it a try.

(Next time I try this crust, I'll add Italian herbs/spices.)

Borrowed Christmas

I am finally walking, but climbing stairs up to my junk room is still a dream of 2016. I can't even go up to bring down the Christmas ornaments or to check to see if I am the guilty one who has been hiding my Mammaw's unfinished quilt top.

Oh, well (as my dear mother always said).

So yesterday I went back over to my mom's house and brought home a box of Christmas ornaments that no one seems to have tagged. There is a fiber optic Christmas tree, a wreath with jingle bells, a few hand decorated ornaments, a garland, and lots of twinkling lights. That will probably be the extent of my decorating this year.

Oh, and I found a real Gurley Santa candle (never burned) and these twirling angels with one "dangle" missing.

More photos to follow after I "decorate."

Who says a plastic wreath isn't nice. This one looks good on my corner cabinet.