Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

What the Beck???

The Girls

Sage and Sabrina are so happy that the 

cool weather has finally come to Kentucky.

Sabrina always looks like she is going to 

say something at any minute.

You are a sweet, coy dog little Bree.

Sage loves the wind.


The Combine Harvester

The combine arrived two weeks ago 
to cut down the corn. Here he is 
on my bottom land.

Turning the corners looked like a challenge.

It was fun to watch him cut the crops on my property.

Here he comes.

Harvesting corn is a dirty, dusty event.

I took this through the fence. It looks
like the combine is so close.
Ya gotta love the zoom feature on cameras.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Monday, November 13, 2017

What the Beck???

“Apple Crisp” by Winifred F. Rempfer

Festival of Favorites Cookbook

   I was glancing through my cookbooks looking for a recipe for pumpkin bread, when I realized that this recipe book was not copyrighted. I plan on making several of these recipes, and I can actually print the recipe right in the blog. I will, of course, list the name of the person who submitted the recipe to the cookbook. I decided to begin with an Apple Crisp, since I had some apples that needed to be used immediately.

Apple Crisp

Submitted by: Winifred F. Rempfer

Found in Festival of Favorites Altar Guild Cookbook

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. John

Sycamore, Illinois

Apple Base Ingredients:

¼ teasp. cinnamon              ½ c. granulated sugar

    1 Tblsp. flour                    3 cups apples

Blend the above ingredients together and put in a greased pan. I used an 8 x 8 inch pan.

Topping Ingredients:

½ c. dry oatmeal              1/8 teasp. baking powder

  ½ c. brown sugar              ¼ c. softened butter

  ½ c. flour

     Blend the ingredients together and cut in the butter until crumbs. Place this mixture on top of the apples and bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 – 50 minutes, or until light brown and apples are tender. The reason the time frame is so long is because the original recipe said 350 degree oven, but gave no cooking time. When I made it, I called my Mom and asked what she baked hers on and changed in mid-cooking to Mom's degrees and time.

     I really liked this recipe. I ate it warm and it was rich and comforting. I also shared it with the plumbers that were working here yesterday, and sent home some with Jerome and Travis. Yum!!!

 I began by making the topping. 

In a bowl, I mixed the brown sugar, dry oatmeal, 

flour and baking powder.

 I added in the softened butter.

I cut in the butter.

 Now, on to the apple base.

In a bowl, I added the granulated sugar,

 flour,

 cinnamon,

 and the apples. 

I used Red Delicious apples for this recipe.

 I mixed it all together.

 I used a greased 8 inch square dish.

The apple based was dumped in,

and then I sprinkled on the topping.

Too bad I forgot the photo.

It was so warm and wonderful. 

This is a must for the fall season! 

FYI - Those are Pioneer Woman's cute

little bowls. The spoons are not hers,

but I did find them at Walmart, too.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Saturday, November 11, 2017

What the Beck???

Siding and Trimming is Beginning

     The hailstorm that damaged my property occurred the first week in April of this year. Last week, I finally became number one on the list to repair/replace the siding. I am so thrilled with the results. They are not quite finished yet, because they need to replace some of the gutters and downspouts. I also requested an upgrade to install gutter guards, so that I don’t have to worry about cleaning out the gutters every fall. Almost all of the screens need to be fixed, too.

 The Guest Cottage had damage (above), but not to 

the level of the main house's damage.

Now, it looks brand new.

The main house damage was extensive. 

These are a few of the holes the hail left in the house.

The siders had started to rip off the 

siding when I shot this photo, so I 

remember the extent of the damage.

Yeah!!!  It's looking better.

Next Spring, I am going to paint the concrete 

area to match the siding. They had painted

that area on the cottage and it looked 

100% better.

It was amazing that this area was damaged in 

the storm. There were two enormous trees nearby, 

but they didn't help at all.

I couldn't be happier with the quality of their work.

Thank Heavens the window screens saved the 

windows from being broken!  Some of the

frames were damaged, however.

It will be perfect once we get the 

screens back on the windows.

What a mess. Thank the Lord that the

old cedar siding was underneath.

There were minor issues on the workroom.

All better! 
I have to remind myself how much
I have accomplished in the eight months
that I have lived in Kentucky. There
are just a few things left to do. I can't wait
to hole up in my home for the winter, and hopefully
have nothing to do or change on the house.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Thursday, November 9, 2017

What the Beck???

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Recipe Review

Today’s Recipe and Location: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip         Pancakes

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/chocolate-chip-hazelnut-pancakes-3721271

I figured out that there are 1,203 calories, if 2 servings are made OR 602 calories if 4 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

    These are absolutely fabulous and rich tasting. I suggest that you make 4 - 6 servings instead of 2, which reduces the calories, and helps you feel better when you are done with breakfast. They are rich and I made mine way too big and had to work off the rich food later. These are a very special treat!

I began by combining pancake mix

with peanut butter,

granulated sugar,

whole milk,

egg, and

chocolate chips.

Ooey, Gooey, Goodness!

I mixed the ingredients,

melted some butter in a skillet,

and cooked them until done.

As the pancakes cooked, I began frying the bananas.

I browned them until they were warm.

I stacked the pancakes and then added
the cooked bananas atop. I personally
needed very little syrup. They were rich,
warm in the tummy, and filling.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

What the Beck???

A Fun Fact to Know and Share:

Did you know that Sally Field turned 71 

years old on November 6th?  

     Why do you need to know this?  You don't! I have always loved her in shows and movies. Do you remember her as Gidget? Unfortunately, I am old enough to remember her clearly. Here are some of my favorite Sally Field shows and movies.

TV Shows and Movies

1967       The Flying Nun - I have never met any Nun            that was as fun as Sally Field was in the show.

1971       Alias Smith and Jones – I absolutely loved this            show. Sally played a scheming friend of Kid                    Curry and Hannibal Hayes.

1971       Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring – This            was a great movie. I am not sure, but I think                    this was her first made for TV movie. I                          remember that I was so sad watching it.

Big Screen Movies

1976       Sybil – This movie opened my eyes to abuse. I            was horrified by the trauma this little girl went                  through in life. It was also the first time I heard                of multiple personalities.

1977         Heroes – Field plays the girlfriend of a                          returning Vet who suffers from PTSD. Harrison                  Ford was also in this great movie.

1977       Smokey and the Bandit – “East Bound and                   Down” was the perfect song for this movie. Sally                and Burt Reynolds were fun and silly, but Jackie                Gleason was my favorite character as the sheriff.

1978       The End – Another Fields/Reynolds movie. In            this one she was his wife. Reynolds plays a dying                man who eventually attempts suicide. He ends                  up in a mental hospital with the always-fabulous                Dom Deluise.

1979       Norma Rae – Sally won the Academy Award for               Best Actress for this amazing film. She plays a                 textile worker who decides to rally her fellow                   workers to unionize. This is one of my favorite                 movies. I haven’t seen it in years. I think I will                   have the library find it for me and watch it again.

1981       Absence of Malice – Sally plays an investigative                reporter who gets information about a murder                  from a leak. Paul Newman plays the man 

              accused of murder who has an alibi, but doesn’t                want to share it because it involves another                      person. Fields falls in love with Newman. I loved                this movie, too.

1984       Places in the Heart – The setting was Texas in             1935. Fields plays a widow with two kids. She            has to pay back a loan for her farm. She hires            a handyman, played by Danny Glover. The            banker wants the land, so he forces her to take            in his blind brother-in-law as a boarder. John            Malkovich plays the blind man. Sally won                   another Academy Award for Best Actress for            this role. I absolutely loved this movie.

1989       Steel Magnolias – Fields stars with Julia Roberts,                Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis,

              and Daryl Hannah as women who become dear                friends. The setting revolves around a beauty                    parlor. These friends support, love, and care for                each other. This movie stars some heavy hitters                and it was GREAT!

1991       Not Without my Daughter – Sally plays an             American woman married to an Iranian-                  American husband. They have a little girl.                      Her husband plans a vacation to Iran for the                    family. Fields is hesitant because of the                          difference in their treatment of women. Once in                Iran, Fields learns that her husband will not let   

              his daughter ever leave Iran.

1993       Mrs. Doubtfire – This is one of those movies that               you can’t help but laugh even if you have viewed               the movie many times. Sally plays a woman                     married to a man who acts like a silly boy. Robin               Williams is fantastic as Mrs. Doubtfire, the family               father and (in disguise) housekeeper. If you are 

             ever down and out, this is a must see to lighten                 your spirits.

1994       Forrest Gump – Sally Fields plays the mother of 

              a special needs boy named Forrest Gump. He is a                lovable character who functions in the world by                running away. As he reaches adulthood, he                      becomes an amazing hero and friend. I loved all                of the historical footage from the times. Every                  time I see or find a feather, I think of this movie.

2003       Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde -  I            liked the two Legally Blonde movies. They are             light and airy and just plain silly. Sally Fields            played a Congresswoman who hires Elle for            her staff. Elle, now a lawyer, finds out that Fields                is undermining her bill. This is another fun 

              movie with Fields not playing the all American                  girl.

2015       Hello, My Name is Doris – This is a movie that            I have not yet viewed. This is on my list of films 

              to check out at the library. I don’t know                   anything about this movie, but the previews             are fab!

 These were just a sampling of the Sally Field movies. There are so many more for you to see! I enjoyed writing about them and have just added a few of them to my must see list for the upcoming month. There is nothing more enjoyable than re-watching an old favorite.