Friday, January 15, 2010

Help for Haiti




Hello! Today at Bama Cooking I am going to talk about the tragedy occurring in Haiti. I know everyone has seen the photos, video, and news footage. The devastation is just overwhelming. I don't see how life in Haiti is going to get better any time soon. But I'm praying that relief will arrive in time to aide the survivors. The Bible tells us to pray for other nations, and this is a time when I know prayers are abundant. I know that my fellow Americans will rally together and give as they always do.

I plan to find in my budget $100 to donate to an orphanage in Haiti. I met a fellow real estate investor who owns an orphanage in Haiti. She said that it is believed that none of the 165 children in residence at her orphanage survived. A team carrying supplies left today to search for survivors and to get ready to rebuild. I'm certain after this awful event, more children will need a home soon.

So that is how we are planning to handle our donation. This would not be the best time for me to donate by choice, because I am having surgery in a few weeks, and will not have a paycheck during that time. So I was already trying to juggle my budget to cover the time without checks. But I believe that God wants us to bear our brothers' burdens, and sometimes He presents opportunities for us to step out in faith. The good thing about donating at a time like this is that every dollar adds up, and you don't have to have a big amount to make a difference.

Think about it, pray about it, and if you find it in your heart, GIVE. Honey

Thursday, January 14, 2010

"Blessings" Soup




Hello Everyone. I'm so thankful it is Thursday. The weekend is almost here, and it very relaxing to be able to plan to stay home and take care of my family without any distractions for the weekend. We are very busy, and work different shifts. So a lot of the time Pappy and I are like "two ships that pass in the night". But finally, the last few years we both are off the weekends, so that is really nice for our family time.

But anyway. I want to welcome you all to Bama Cooking. If this is your first time to look at my blog, I am so glad you stopped by. Today I am going to talk about something I cook at least once a month. That is "Blessings" Soup. I think of it as Blessings Soup because my family is blessed to always have plenty of food to eat and share, and we are thankful for this. When I have lots of bits and pieces of things left in the refrigerator, I clean out the fridge, and make soup. It is never the same twice, but always good. I once had a friend, Mary, who said if I had leftovers every day, then I cooked too much, because she never had leftovers at her house. I told her that if I didn't have leftovers, I didn't think I'd cooked enough, and would wonder if someone was still hungry! Now I will outline what I put in my soup today, to help you see that it really is as easy as scraping out bowls and letting your pot simmer!

When I began to clean out the fridge, I found: one cup of turnip greens, black eyed peas, ham, two venison steaks that looked a little tough, corn, macaroni and cheese, and homemade scalloped potatoes. I dumped everything in the pot, including the venison steaks. I left them whole, and decided if they didn't become tender, I would fish them out and give them to the dog. I chopped up the potatoes a little, also. To the refrigerator finds, I added a quart jar of tomatoes canned from our garden, a frozen quart bag of okra from our garden, an onion, and filled the pot with water. I sprinkled salt, pepper, and my favorite spice, Soul Food Seasoning. I let the soup cook for a couple of hours. I pulled the steaks out onto a plate, and shredded them with two forks, then added them back into the pot. The soup is a wonderful golden color. I didn't think about it before hand, but I guess it is from cheese in the mac and cheese and the scalloped potatoes. This soup is delicious. A smoky ham flavor in a "potato soup" texture. It was great and we all liked it. No one complained or noticed the turnip greens! With the soup, I served salad and corn bread.

This soup is always better the second day, after the flavors have blended together. But it is good anytime! My husband is not a big fan of soup, but he never complains when we have our Blessings Soup. I hope this soup becomes a habit of your family as well. Sometimes if we don't have many leftovers, I will put my leftovers in a freezer bag, and try again next month! But one of the best things about this soup is it is just about free!

I hope you all have a great weekend and I will see you again tomorrow! Honey

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Things to Be Thankful For



Hi Everyone,

Welcome back to Bama Cooking. Today I am going to talk a little bit about what I am thankful for. At Heavenly Homemakers blog, Laura talked about Gratituesday, and asked everyone to blog about what they were thankful for, large or small. Our family and home are going through a lot of changes lately. Two of our "little birds" have left the nest, one taking our "grandbird" with her! Our last birdling is in nursing school, and it is only a matter of time before we are alone, Pappy and I, in our empty nest. Just the two of us, once again. This is a time full of adjustments for all of us, and I'm really trying to see the positives in this special time of life. One positive I thought of yesterday was that I have so much more time in my day. Caring for three people takes much less time than caring for six, especially when the three are all adults. So I now have time to do things that I said all these years I would do when I "retire" like write, and like trying my hand at blogging! I know God has a plan, and I try to remember that each and every day when the lonelies set in. What are you thankful for today? Thanks for visiting Bama Cooking! Honey

Monday, January 11, 2010

Bible in 90 Days - Day 11




Hi Friends! Welcome back to Bama Cooking!

I haven't posted in a few days, as you can obviously tell. We live in a very rural area of Alabama, a half mile off the road. So when the weather is bad with snow or ice, I rarely go out, since I can't even see the road from my house to tell what it looks like. This blogging is new to me, and I have not yet learned how to be prepared to cook recipes to share with others, without planning and then shopping first!

But today, I am going to share with you about my experience in participating in reading the Bible in 90 Days. It is now day 11, and I will be current when I go to bed tonight! I did get behind, but caught up during the snow time at home. I am enjoying this, and am learning a lot. I have previously read the Bible through in a year. But it is much more like reading a novel, when you read with this program. I think this is because the daily readings are much longer than I would normally have read on my own, and capture your attention.

I did not chose to purchase the Bible in 90 Days Version of the Bible and study guide to participate in the program. This is my first time to participate, and I just did not want to spend the money at this time of the year. I pulled out an OLD copy of the NIV Womens Devotional Bible that I used and carried when my three girls where LITTLE. They are now grown. So it is old and well used, with the first several chapters paperclipped to keep them from falling out! There are pictures and writing drawn in the back pages by little girls trying very hard to sit quietly in church! If I have the opportunity to participate again, I will consider purchasing the 90 Day version with the study guide. But I want everyone to know that I have been able to keep up with my old ratty version, and you can too.

I appreciate the program, and all the people who encourage me to keep on reading daily. It's not too late to start! Why don't you join us? See you tomorrow! Honey

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Bama Tailgating - Day 2




Hey Everybody! Today at Bama Cooking we are going to make Dumas Walker Cheese Spread. At our house, we call this Uncle Donny's dip. This is part of our tailgating week before the big Alabama Texas Game Thursday night. My brother-in-law (the same brother-in-law from yesterday, owns the Dumas Walker Pepper Company in Texas. So this is a recipe from his collection, and one we make often.

To begin with, you will need:






Cheese Spread

1 Container of Cream Cheese
1/3 cup chopped Walker's Jalapeno Mexican Strawberries (in plain English, these are chopped jalapenos in a sweet syrup). You can add more to your taste.



I start by putting the cream cheese (room temperature) into a bowl.



Next, I place my peppers on a plate and chop.


I add the peppers to the cheese, and add a of the little syrup, if needed to blend.




I used fat free cream cheese today, but the regular mixes better and looks prettier. I will remember that next time! That is about it! You put on a plate and serve with crackers or chips.





You should be able to find a canned jalapeno product at your local grocery, or contact me to find out how to purchase Dumas Walker Mexican Strawberries.

I hope you all enjoy this dip at your next gathering. The guys love it, the hotter you make. And remember, Roll Tide! Until tomorrow - Honey

Monday, January 4, 2010

Bama Tailgating

Hi Everybody! I'm back! Welcome back to Bama Cooking. Boy, my New Year is kinda busy. Not counting my old life from last year, this year I have added "Reading the Bible in 90 Days" along with this blog. Those two things alone, seem to be rather time consuming! But I'll get the hang of it. Wait and see. Now, lets' get down to business.

I'm sure you all know that Bama is playing Texas in the Citi BCS National Championship Game this Thursday night at 7:00. My parents are on their way to California, as we Speak! So in honor of this great occasion, I thought we would talk about tailgating food this week, and get ready for the big event! We'll start off the week with a recipe I got from my brother-in-law, Donny, who actually lives in Texas. This recipe is called Texas Fire Crackers. Everyone loves them, and I'm sure you will, too. I'm told this recipe is sold at fairs and such in Texas, but we serve it at all our get-togethers, and someone always wants the recipe.

So let's get started.

Texas Fire Crackers

You will need: 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 pkg powdered ranch dressing mix, 1/4 to 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper, and 1/4 to 1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes, 1 box of 4 sleeves of saltine crackers (I use wheat saltines).






First you empty the crackers into a very large bowl.







Next, mix together the oil, ranch dressing mix, and peppers.






Pour mix over crackers and use your hands to stir and coat the crackers till covered well. The crackers will look wet. If you have a bowl with a lid, you can toss lightly, but be careful, because crackers will crumble. Let stand, tossing occasionally to recoat, until crackers have absorbed all the mixture and are dry.





Store in zip-lock bag. Serves 24.





These are spicy and hot. We love these, and I'm sure you will too. They can be made ahead of time, and stored until game time! They can be made with oyster crackers instead of saltines, or you can leave out the peppers if you absolutely don't want spice! Hope you enjoy them!



See you tomorrow. Pop back in to see what else we will serve at our tailgate party. Thanks for stopping by Bama Cooking! Honey

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Welcome to Bama Cooking!

Hi! My name is Honey, and I want to welcome you to my blog, Bama Cooking! This blog has been a plan of mine for some time, but I decided that 2010 will be the year that I get started in changing my life! So here goes. As a follower of the Savy Blogging site, I have been challenged to post my goals on my blog. So here I am, after setting up my blog. Now for my goals.

1. I plan to post to my blog daily.
2. I plan for this blog to be a place to collect a lot of information in one place that I feel my daughters would benefit from one day. Maybe others will feel the benefit as well!
3. I plan to learn "from the ground up" all about blogging!
4. I promise to get better at this blog daily.
5. I promise to share myself and my family life with you, and hope you will share with me as well.

Well, I think that about covers it for today. Tomorrow we will get started on some Bama Cooking!