{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 10/03/2022 }

 

 

 

Good morning friends, welcome back.   

 

This has been a bit of a busy week.  I stepped back just ever so slightly, from my blog and even Instagram, choosing instead to tackle some very much needed projects around my house.  Master closet, hallway closet, linen closet, and hubby got sick with a stomach bug the past two days, so I've been helping him with that too.

 

But I'm glad to be back, and to share again.  I'm sorry I didn't get around to your HHM posts last week, I will get on track again starting today, so more visiting, more comments and more posting.  

 

Here we are, the first Happy Homemaker Monday post of October.  It may be one of my favorite months of the year, as I love Autumn so much, but then December rolls around and I'm very much looking forward to that too.

 

I made a new picture to use this month, if you want to use it, feel free to grab it.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful blessed week. 

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
Gorgeous, crisp, cool.  Perfect.  Our temperatures are finally dropping and we're very happy for that. 

Monday - Sunny, 87
Tuesday - Sunny, 88
Wednesday - Partly cloudy, 88
Thursday - Partly cloudy, 88
Friday - Partly cloudy, 78
Saturday - Partly cloudy, 76  

Sunday - Partly cloudy, 84



♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥
I have the sprinkler on in the garden, because we haven't had rain in about a month.  The birds are in heaven, they have flooded the garden, playing in the puddles, and enjoying all the water available to them.  I can sit for hours just watching them.  They lift their wings up, alternating between each one, to take in the water.  It's quite sweet to see.     

 

 

♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥
Catching upon some homemaking vlogs, and working on this post. 

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥
Just planning in my mind what I need to do this week.   

 

♥♥ How am I feeling ♥♥
I'm doing well, feeling a bit tired because we haven't slept well with Curt's stomach bug.  But, that's ok, i will find some time today to sit for a bit and get some rest.   

 


♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
I just had a cup of coffee with Peppermint Mocha creamer.  I'm thinking I may do instant pot oatmeal for breakfast.        

 

♥♥ On the lunch plate ♥♥
Salad.  I've been really enjoying salads, just plain lettuce, onion, tomato and cucumber with salt and pepper, and some olive oil.        



♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥
Slow Cooker Potato Soup, Baked Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches.   

 

 

♥♥ What I'm wearing ♥♥
At the moment I'm being lazy and still wearing my pajamas.  They are silk pink short and top pajamas.  I WAS wearing my robe though because it's a bit chilly at the moment and I have my window open to let in the fresh air.    

 


♥♥ On my reading pile ♥♥
Reading through Isaiah in the Bible.

Paul David Tripp New Morning Mercies devotional.
Morning and Evening Devotional by Charles Spurgeon.   

I set aside the Wild Beauty book, I wasn't enjoying it, so need to grab a different one to read.

♥♥ On my TV this week ♥♥
The Orville - We're on season 2 and really, really enjoying this series.

Homemaking vlogs
House of Dragons

The Lord of the Rings Series on Amazon Prime

The Serpent Queen

The Great British Bake Off 
Lucy Worsley Investigates on PBS

Hotel Portofino

♥♥ On the menu ♥♥

 

Monday - Slow Cooker Potato Soup, Baked Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches  
Tuesday - Ranch Chicken Tacos, Cilantro Lime Rice
Wednesday - Roast Chicken and Potatoes, Sauteed Greens
Thursday -   Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad

Friday - Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti

Saturday - Carne de Panela, Basmati rice, Beans, Roasted Squash
Sunday - Cheesy Tuna Pasta Bake



♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥
The windows are open to let in the fresh morning air.  I have some laundry in the dining room, that I folded and need to put away.        

♥♥ To Do List ♥♥
- Need to run downtown for an errand
- Iron some work shirts for Curt

- Start the potato soup in the crockpot

- Make another coconut pie.  I have half of the filling left from the Wicks Pie Contest.

 

♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
This is my favorite and most beloved candle.  I bought it about 15 years ago, at the Arizona Renaissance Faire.  The Royal Candlemaker Booth was always one of my favorites to visit, and if I could, I would have bought them all.  This was the most expensive candle I've ever purchased, I think it was $40 or $45.....but well worth the money.

 

They make intricate designs, and different colors too.  Check out their website, I've linked it above, if you're interested.  I think these would make a beautiful gift, maybe for Christmas?

 

I've had it for 15 years and it's still the most beautiful, intricate candle I've ever seen. 

 

 

♥♥ Devotional ♥♥ 

It really is true that peace in times of trouble is not found in figuring out your life, but in worship of the One who has everything figure out already.    

 

— New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp 

{ Wicks Pies Blogger challenge }

 

Hello everyone!

Today I am bringing you two pie recipes, as my submission to the Wick's Pies Blogger contest.

I have always really enjoyed participating in these contests, not only because of my love for food, but it also pushes me to try and come up with some delicious recipes to share.

First though, let me tell you a little about Wicks Pies.  

 

From raising pigs to starting a trucking company, Duane “Wick” Wickersham was always a hard working entrepreneur. On September 2, 1944, Wick was making a delivery to a local factory in Winchester, IN, and upon arrival noticed a commotion; an employee had spent his lunch hour at the pub and returned intoxicated. In his impaired state the employee caused an accident that shut down production. Wick overheard the plant managers complaining about how often their employees were getting intoxicated during their lunch break, and Wick suggested that they open a café inside the facility so employees would stay for lunch. A week later, the owners of the factory called Wick and asked if he would like to open that cantina. After a successful first year, he sold the cantina to the factory and started The Rainbow Restaurant in downtown Winchester.

Using many of his Grandmother’s recipes, Wick was successful with his new restaurant. The pies were such a hit (especially Sugar Cream Pie) that he started delivering them out of a 1934 Buick Sedan. Wick reached his goal of producing and selling 300 pies per day after just 4 years. Through hard work and word of mouth, the demand for Wick’s pies outgrew his capacity, and he needed to scale his production.

  

In 1961, Wick purchased a building just East of downtown Winchester and built his new production line which featured a nitrogen freezing process that allowed for the shipment of frozen pies. We still reside at 217 SE Greenville Ave in Winchester, where we now make 10,000 pies and over 30,000 pie shells in an 8-hour shift.

 

Like many family businesses, Wick employed his own children to help grow the company. Wick’s daughter, Paulette was hired in 1983 to work in production and retire as HR manager in 2006. Her son, Rob Kelly, has been with us since 1990 and is now our plant manager. In 1985, Mike Wickersham joined his father at Wick’s Pies and became our new company president. Mike’s son, Dylan, was brought on in 2014 for sales, social media and marketing. In 1990, Marsha Wickersham, Wick’s Daughter, joined Wick’s Pies to head up sales. 

Together, the family has grown Wick’s Pies by staying true to Wick’s values of making the highest quality product while providing great customer service. Today we employ more than 70 people who are part of the Wick’s Pies family.

I was so excited to try out the Pie Crusts because after looking through their website, and doing a little research, I kept reading nothing but amazing reviews.  Some going as far as saying that this is the best pie crust they've ever had.

I was a little skeptical at first, I mean, we all like to think we have the best crust around, but let me tell you something, after trying it for myself, I was blown away.

These have to be the flakiest, softest, tastiest crust I have ever had.  Like EVER!!!

Wicks Pies lives up to it's reputation, and I am now a proud member of the Wicks Pies fanclub.

 

Before I show you the two pies I made, let me first point you over to their website and social media platforms, because I'm sure you're going to want to get yourself one of their pies, or at the very least, their amazing crust.

 

Website

Facebook

Instagram 

Twitter

 

Their bestseller is the Sugar Cream Pie, which sounds divine.  So go on over, take a look around, but don't say I didn't warn you, because you'll walk away wanting a slice of every pie that Wicks sells.

 

So we were asked to make some pie, and you don't have to tell me twice, because I'm a pie girl, more so than cake.  The trick was, coming up with a pie that was original, not just using someone's recipe and making the pie and submitting it.

That makes it a little more difficult because I think at this point, if there is some sort of pie filling out there that you can think of, it's been done.  

I decided to just go back to my roots, dig into my Portuguese childhood and maybe use some of my favorite homecooked meals, as pies.  These are meals that I grew up eating, meals that never had recipes, that were just passed down from generation to generation, from one woman's brain to another.

Ask any great grandma or grandma for a recipe, and they'll spout off some ingredients without any measurements, just eyeball it all they say.  And that's how I learned to cook and bake.

 

For the first recipe, I used a savory filling from one of my favorite childhood meals.  It was a simple dish, that my great grandma Ema would make all the time, because it uses leftover meat.  Whatever meat you have whether it be a roast, a chicken, steak, ground beef, whatever.  

Roupa Velha.....translated to English Old Clothes.  It's quite a comical name, but a great way to use up leftovers.  I've always loved the meal on it's own, but I figured it might be even better, as a filling inside a yummy flaky buttery crust.  And I was right.

Old Clothes Pie

 

Ingredients

2 9' inch Wicks Pie Crusts

Leftover meat (I used leftover pork roast)

Fries

Eggs

Onions

Olive oil

Garlic to taste

Salt and pepper

Chili Flakes

Shredded cheese

Cream (I used a drizzle of Crema Mexicana)

Directions

In a large skillet pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil and finely chopped garlic.  I don't measure, I just add to taste.  Add in some finely sliced onion, and stir well.  Cook for a few minutes until onion is transparent.

 

At this point, I take the leftover meat and shred it, then add it to the skillet.  If it's a bit too dry, I add a little more olive oil, and then season it with salt and pepper, and chili flakes to taste.  Cook until the meat is warmed through.  

 

I had leftover fries as well, so I added those in, combined everything well, then poured in some eggs and stirred it well until the eggs scrambled.  

 

Check the seasonings and pull it off the heat. 

 

 

For my pie, I started by placing one of the 9' inch pie disks into a pie plate.  Next I added a layer of shredded cheese, topped it with the meat mixture, then poured on some cream, some more shredded cheese, and topped it with another pie disk.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until pie dough was brown and cooked through.  Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

This pie turned out so good, so tasty, and oh my word the crust is to die for.  The best part is that it's such a versatile pie because you can literally use whatever leftovers you have on hand.  The main gist of it though, is the meat, olive oil, garlic and onions all sauteed together.  Yum!

Now for the sweet filling.  I had a hard time figuring this one out.  Like I said above, any pie you can think of is already out there, and there are recipes for every kind of filling you could imagine.

So, I had to really use my brain and again go back to my childhood.  That's when I remembered one of my absolutely favorite desserts ever.  Coconut Pastries,

Growing up, one of my parents friends were this very sweet couple.  We would either go to their house, or they would come to ours, and while our parents chatted over cups of coffee, us kids would play with their kids, swim in their pool and just have a blast.

But, there were these amazing coconut pastries that Miss Idalina would make.  I would dream of these, and when she would bring them over, I almost drooled everytime.  I was already very much into baking and cooking, and mind you I was around 13 years old at the time, so when I found out that the family was moving to Portugal, I begged her to give me the recipe.

She told me that she didn't have a specific recipe, because again, like I said above, it's pretty common to have these family favorites that have been passed down, without measurements or recipes.

She quickly wrote down what she could remember off the top of her head.  Just 4 ingredients, mixed together and thickened over medium heat.

Now the original way they are made, is using puff pastry, baking it and cutting it into squares before stuffing them with this coconut filling.  It is sooo good, especially if you love coconut.

So I decided I'm going to take this filling and I'm going to use it as a pie filling instead, but adding in a brown sugar glaze as well.

The result was AMAZING, SO GOOD.  I am definitely making it for Thanksgiving dessert.  As much as I love puff pastry, the Wicks Pie Crust was the perfect combination with the coconut and the brown sugar.  Yum!!!

 

Coconut Pie with Brown Sugar Glaze

 

Ingredients for coconut filling

6 eggs 

2 cups of milk 

2 cups of sugar 

2 cups of coconut 

Dash of vanilla extract 

 

Brown Sugar Glaze 

1 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon butter 

1 tablespoon flour 

1/2 cup heavy cream 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

 

2 9' inch discs of Wicks Pie Crust

Powdered sugar for garnish

 

 

Directions

Grease a pie dish, and line with a 9' inch Wicks Pie Crust.  Poke a few holes with a fork, and bake in a 375F oven, for about 12 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

In the meantime, add the ingredients for the coconut filling to a saucepan, stir well to combine, then cook over medium heat until thickened, set aside.

 

In another saucepan, make the brown sugar glaze.  Melt the brown sugar and butter over medium heat, then add in the flour, stir well, then pour in the heavy cream and the vanilla extract.  If you want the glaze thinner just add a little more cream.  Let thicken slightly, then remove from heat.

 

 

Once the pie crust has cooled a little, pour the filling over the dough, top with another pie disc, sealing edges to keep the filling from overflowing.  Make a few slits on top to vent, then bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until the dough is brown and cooked through.

Remove from oven, drizzle some of the brown sugar glaze over the crust and let the pie cool down.  Once it's cooled, top with powdered sugar, and serve with the remaining brown sugar glaze.

This pie came out better than I could expect.  It is SO good.  A trip down memory lane for me, but even better with the pairing of the Wicks Pie Crust.

If you try any of these, let me know what you thought, and don't forget to go over to Wicks Pies and check out their products.  You won't regret it, I promise.

{ Time to move things around }

 

If you've known me for a while, you should know that the minute Fall officially comes around, I get right into deep cleaning my home.  With that, also comes the time to move things around.

If you don't know what that means, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about.

I got into the habit, once we moved into this house, to switch the dining area and the sitting area, during the colder times of the year.  We love having dinner by the fireplace, and in the summer, we love having dinner right by the big window, watching the property and the animals outside.

 

Yesterday, I managed to get nothing done, due to my allergies.  I was ok in the morning, but as the day went on the allergies increased and I found myself really struggling towards the afternoon.  I would tell you I am so over this nonsense, but I'm sure that would be a waste of time.  If you suffer from allergies, you know what I mean.

As I woke up today feeling much better, I decided to get right into it.  I pretty much worked all day long, took about an hour break in the afternoon to work on the meal plan and grocery pickup, then got right back to it.

 

It is a lot of work, a lot of moving, pulling, grabbing, carrying and pushing big furniture around.  But I love seeing it all done and the end result.  It's always worth it.

I did get quite tired, and my hands starting hurting after a while.  I wanted to stop, but I know that if I did, then tomorrow I would not want to get back to it all.  So I finished moving everything where I wanted it to be, and then tomorrow I'll just clean and tidy whatever is still needing work.....the fireplace specifically.

I also managed to carpet clean the room carpets, and both rugs.  Let me tell you, you think your house is clean, until you run your carpet cleaner over one of those rugs, and then want to cry yourself to sleep just seeing how much dirt was still on it.  Don't ask how that is possible, I have no clue because I feel I'm vacuuming and carpet cleaning all week long.  

I guess it's just one of those chores that is never ending.

 

The days are getting shorter, and I am already thinking of dinners around the fireplace, with candles glowing nearby.

Hearty soups, slices of fluffy soft apple or pumpkin cake, hot cups of coffee or milky tea and warm blankets draped across our legs, as we turn the page of the book we're reading.

Fall just evokes all these warm feelings of cozy.

 

I have a list of fall specific chores that I need done.  One of those being the clean up and harvesting of the last garden produce, so that I can get the fall and winter garden going.

Another of those chores is chopping wood for the fire, which I think Curt and Nick are doing this weekend, and I'll just get it all packed away and ready for use.

I'm also hoping to get all the remaining pecan harvest boiled, dried and in the chest freezer.  I don't think we are getting a pecan harvest this year, since they only produce a harvest every 2 years, and if I'm not mistaken we got a huge one last year.

 

If I'm wrong, you will surely know as you'll no doubt start seeing pecans show up all over my photos.

 

That is pretty much all I did today.  I almost didn't take photos, but then I reminded myself that I need to get back to my daily blogging, since I missed a few days last week.  So out came the camera, took just a few to document this day, and even though I don't have much to share with you, or talk about, I still wanted to come in and get a post up.

I hope you're all having a wonderful Tuesday.  I will come around tomorrow, to all the Happy Homemaker Monday participants, to say hi.

But I'm going to end this one right here, as my laptop battery is getting low and I really need to charge it.

Have a great night friends,

Sandra

{ Happy Homemaker Monday - 09/26/2022 }

 

 

Good morning friends, welcome back.   How are you all doing, this last Monday of September?

 

I'm happy that we are quickly moving towards the cooler months, but, I goodness, how is it the last week of September?  

 

The past week has not been a very good one for me, my allergies have been absolutely dreadful.  I've been practically rubbing my eyes, nose, and roof of my mouth, to smithereens, taking my allergy meds, and sleeping on and off.  It's frustrating because I've not been able to get much done, hence the lack of posts since Thursday.

 

But, I'm praying that this week is better, and although the allergies are still here, they're not as horrid as they've been, so I'm hoping they go away.  Irregardless, I will be back to daily posting, which I'm excited about.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful blessed week. 

♥♥ The Weather ♥♥
Still dealing with the heat.  Hoping the temperatures start dropping soon.  G

Monday - Sunny, 89
Tuesday - Sunny, 92
Wednesday - Sunny, 92
Thursday - Sunny, 89
Friday - Sunny, 89
Saturday - Sunny, 89   

Sunday - Sunny, 90



♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥
Bright sun streaming through the windows.  Doves flying around the back yard, and the pumpkin patch littered with bright yellow blossoms.     

 

♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥
Sitting on my bed still, working on this post, and finishing the Lori Vallow documentary on Netflix. 

♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥
Just planning the fall and winter garden, what I need to harvest soon, dry, and so forth. 

 

♥♥ How am I feeling ♥♥
I'm doing ok, like I said  above, still dealing with the allergies, but ok overall. 

 


♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥
I've just had a cup of coffee at 6am, but will have another cup later, and not sure what I'll eat for breakfast.  Maybe oatmeal, maybe toast.      

 

♥♥ On the lunch plate ♥♥
Not sure either, but I've been loving salads lately, so may just do a salad.      



♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥
Crockpot Turkey Chili, Cornbread.   

 

 

♥♥ What I'm wearing ♥♥
Still in my pajamas for now, but after this post goes up, I will get dressed.  I'm probably just gonna put on a comfy dress for the day.   

 


♥♥ On my reading pile ♥♥
Reading through Isaiah in the Bible.

Paul David Tripp New Morning Mercies devotional.
Morning and Evening Devotional by Charles Spurgeon.   

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

♥♥ On my TV this week ♥♥
The Orville - We gave up on Perfect Strangers.  Used to love it when we were young, but now it just seems kinda silly, and not as funny as it used to be.  Really enjoying The Orville, aside from the dumb jokes which seem so out of place.   

Homemaking vlogs
House of Dragons

The Lord of the Rings Series on Amazon Prime

The Serpent Queen

The Great British Bake Off 



♥♥ On the menu ♥♥

Need to start working on the new meal plan, for the next two weeks.  But this is what we are having, until Thursday.

 

Monday - Crockpot Turkey Chili, Cornbread  
Tuesday - Fish Stick Po'Boys, Potato Salad
Wednesday - Beef Filled Crepes, Rice, Salad
Thursday - French Bread Pizzas 

Friday - *Grocery Shopping*

Saturday -
Sunday -



♥♥ Looking around the house ♥♥
I need to vacuum, and tidy up the living rooms.      

♥♥ To Do List ♥♥
- Clean the house, the usual daily chores
- Run downtown for an errand

- Make a Banana Cream Cake

- Start the chili in the crockpot

- Start the meal plan and grocery pickup list

 

♥♥ From the camera ♥♥
Just loving the Fall vibes going on in my home.  

 

 

 

♥♥ Devotional ♥♥ 

True faith lives on the basis of two unshakable realities - that God really does exist and that he always rewards those who seek him.     

 

— New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp 

{ Cooking Thursday - Fluffy Hamburger Buns }

 

 

Good morning and welcome back to another Cooking Thursday.

 

I must say, I have really been enjoying posting a recipe every Thursday.  It has made me want to dig into my cookbooks, cook and bake more, and share them here with you.  It keeps me on track, that's for sure.

 

 

 

So for today's recipe, I am sharing these amazing, fluffy, delicious hamburger buns, from Alyona Demyanchuk.   I have made many a hamburger buns over the years, but none have ever been so light and fluffy, and so close to store bought, as these are.  They are going to be my go to burger bun.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

 

 

Fluffy Hamburger Buns

Yield: 32 rolls 

 

Ingredients 

Dough: 

 

2 cups warm water 

4 Tbsp dry yeast 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 Tbsp salt 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup shortening 

6 1/4 cup flour 

 

 

Instructions 

How to Make Hamburger Buns: 

 

 

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Whisk in the sugar, salt, eggs, and shortening. Stir in the flour and knead 7 minutes. Let rise 30 minutes or until doubled. 

 

Cut dough in half and then cut each half into 16 equal pieces. Roll all 32 pieces into balls and place onto a cookie sheet about 2-inches apart (9 rolls fit into a large 18x13 cookie sheet.) 

 

Let buns rise in the cookie sheet until tripled in size or the size of a hamburger bun. 

 

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes on the lower rack of the oven.