Outing with Lou

Since Lou is visiting from California and has never been to Charleston, we took him to my favorite place, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.  Winter has set in already and there was very little color but we did find these winter blooming azaleas which were a nice splash of color in the brown background.

 They were trying to decide if the tree was a cypress so they smelled it.  The decision was No.

This is on the trail at the Swamp Gardens.  They were fun even without the flowers and the wildlife - which was gone to somewhere!

Thanksgiving 2011

Ah, Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for Thanksgiving! We had such an awesome day!

Lou, is Kirby's best friend from California and he was here to celebrate Kirby's birthday with him and we talked him into staying for Thanksgiving. The day was spent at Christie and Michael's with grandsons Brendan and Casey. This was their first holiday in their new home and what a difference it makes to have an oversized kitchen with 2 of everything! 2 sinks (separate, not next to each other), 2 dishwashers and 2 ovens (again, separate). We all had plenty of room to work and clean up without bumping into each other. I am in love with that kitchen!

Here are Casey and Kirby watching football - of course!

See, the kitchen is so big there is room for everyone - even those who are not working!

Brendan did help out in the kitchen.  He learned to peel potatoes and he also carved the turkey and cleaned the carcass after dinner.

Michael, our gracious host, was the first to fall asleep after dinner!

This is LOU!  Thanks, Lou, for coming to visit.  It is so, so good to see you after too many years!  Just wish Vivian could have come with you!

Casey was busy with a school project most of the day but did hang with us some! (both Casey and Brendan are attending Clemson University here in South Carolina.)

My beautiful daughter and our hostess with the mostest, Christie.  She is on the phone with her best friend forever, Devani.  Christie and Devani have been friends since they were 3 years old so they are almost sisters.

That bird is looking fantastic!

Time for dinner!  Christie sets such a beautiful table! The china was my mother's!  It is so nice to see it still being used as I grew up with it.

The dogs wanted to join us at the table. That is Socks on the left (she blinked), Jake in the middle and Lacy on the right.  They had a fantastic day too as they ran and played outside - the day was perfect!

Brendan did a great job on the turkey!  Thanks for the help Brendan!

Nutty Coconut Carrot Cake

This is an antique recipe.  It came from Kirby's mother who would be about 90 right now if she was still with us.  The recipe I have only lists the ingredients, oven temperature and cooking time.  This time as I made it, I wrote down the method - as I believe it to be.  So, following is what I came up with.  If you think the method should be different, by all means feel free to change it.  By the way - this cake is to die for; rich, moist, heavy and delicious! (I know my picture is a little funky but it was Kirby's birthday cake and had a red decorators frosting on it and I forgot to get a picture until the cake was almost gone!)

2 C. sugar
1 C. oil
3 eggs
8 oz can crushed pineapple (undrained)
2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. chopped walnuts
2 C. grated carrots
1 C. coconut
2 tsp. vanilla

1. With a mixer, cream the oil and sugar for about 2 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat for 2 more minutes. Add the pineapple and mix with a spoon.
2. In another bowl combine the flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.  Add the chopped nuts.
3. Pour the flour mixture into the oil/sugar mixture and mix to combine making sure the flour is all mixed in.
4. Now add the coconut and the grated carrots.
5. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

ICING

Now you need to top the cake with this frosting which had some instructions with it.

Combine 1/2 C. butter , 8 oz cream cheese, 1 tsp. vanilla and cream well.  Gradually add 1 lb. powdered sugar, beating well.  If too thick, add a small amount of milk.

Zucchini Soup

While we were staying at Donna's villa in Punta Mita, Mexico, her housekeeper made us some wonderful soup. It reminded me of a recipe that I hadn't made in years. So, of course I came right home and made it - Zucchini Soup. We had daughter, Christie and her husband, Michael over and I added some quesadillas and spicy black beans to the menu. I think this was the first time we had ever had dinner just the four of us. It was kind of strange without at least one grandson there. But we had a good time anyway!


So, here is the recipe with some pictures -

• 3 T. Butter
• 4 zucchini, shredded in the food processor (about 4 cups)
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 4 T minced fresh parsley
• 1 C. chicken broth
• 2 C. milk
• 1/2 C. whipping cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Minced parsley for garnish

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir in the zucchini, onion and 2 tablespoons parsley. 

Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini is tender, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and blend in the milk.

(At this point I transferred it to a larger pan) Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the milk is almost boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.
Transfer soup to a blender (I did it in batches) and puree until smooth.  Return to pan.  Add the cream and stir over medium heat until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with parsley.

Mexico 3

Donna gathered us up in her golf cart and toured us all around the Four Seasons Resort in Punta de Mita, Mexico.  The beauty of the resort is unparallelled.  Everything is pristine and well planned out.  If you look in the picture above at the houses set up on the hill you will see where Donna's home is.  It is one of those up there - we never figured out exactly which one!!

 The Girls taking the tour!

 This the the view from the St. Regis Hotel which is the newest addition to the Four Seasons Resort....from the pool to the waterfalls to the ocean.

 I don't think this picture needs any narration.

It really is kind of rude when someone just snaps a picture of you, isn't it?  I am sorry, Donna, I caught you drinking!

Mexico 2

Those pictures below were just a teaser.  I am now going to start at the beginning and try to share some of our experiences with you.  It was all like a magical dream!

Linda and I had arranged our flights so that we met at the airport at Dallas and then flew the rest of the way to Puerto Vallarta together.  Here you are seeing two "mature" ladies who hadn't seen each other in 47 years.  Thank you, Facebook!

Donna (in the white) and Sue on the left flew in from Denver together.  Donna had a driver and her van waiting for us and we traveled the 45 minutes to her villa in the Four Seasons Resort at Punta de Mita.  In this picture we are enlisting the help of Adela, her housekeeper/chef in drawing numbers for the gorgeous bedrooms.

This is the room I got!  Isn't it gorgeous?  And a large bathroom with a mega shower and walk in closet.  I was in heaven!

Adela had nice Mexican snacks and some tasty Margaritas waiting for us which was perfect after such a long day of travel.

We all fell in love with the villa and the gorgeous views of the Pacific.

We enjoyed this awesome sunset and drank a glass of wine as we got to know each other again.

Mexico

I just returned from an incredible visit to Puerto Vallarta and Punta de Mita, Mexico with 3 wonderful friends from my high school days. It was a dream vacation!

 The beach at the Four Seasons Resort at Punta de Mita where we stayed at Donna's Villa.

 Quatros Amigos Viejo - Four Old Friends.  Donna, Sue, Suzie (me) and Linda

There's a Cold Wind Blowin'

There was a cold wind blowing from Canada and it blew Connie and Ken right down to Charleston! Their last name is Finney but we always call them "Oz" because that is the name of their boat.  We met Connie and Ken when we were in the Bahamas on our boat 5 years ago and just seem to always hold on to each other.  When you find good people, you shouldn't let them go!

They are on their way down to Florida right now where their boat is waiting for them and they will head out to the Bahamas again. Darn. Wish we were going to! So, anyway, they stopped by for a couple of days (I seemed to have to work most of it) and we talked Connie into making us her famous Eggs Benedict!  We were very lucky - it was fantastic!  They even brought the real Canadian Bacon with them!

Here is wishing you smooth sailing!!  Have some fun for us!

Christie's Birthday

 Christie had her birthday this week.  Husband Michael was out of town on a business trip and her boys are both away at Clemson University.  I invited her over for wine and appetizers.  I didn't tell her that I also invited her best girlfriends over too!  She was surprised!  Hard to surprise someone - she almost didn't come but I told her in no uncertain terms that she HAD to come!  We had a wonderful time - I got to be with "young" women - the make me feel a little bit younger!

 But as you can see, being around younger women does NOT make me look younger!

 All the women are from our neighborhood and they met because they all have big dogs - labs....some yellow, some black.  So, with Jake, I fit right in (even if I am not quite their age!)

This is Pam, Barb, Christie and Kimberly.

Night of Witches

I can't believe a year has gone by since LAST HALLOWEEN!  Here we all are again but dressed as witches this year.  I think there were 7 or 8 of us!  It was so much fun!  And the children were precious; especially the really little ones.  So, here is my collection of fun pictures.  Enjoy!

Jennifer, Me and daughter Christie
I had on so many layers of clothes I could hardly move!  But I was NOT cold!

Very frightening!

Miss Nicole - getting bigger and prettier each year!

As you can see in the background, some of the parents got into the act also!  I loved seeing them participating!

This is Owen and he was putting out our fire in the pit.

Now, isn't he a doll!