Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients
1# mushrooms, stems removed
8 oz. cooked salad shrimp
1/3 C grated parmesan cheese
1 lemon
2 t parsley flakes
1/2 C chive & onion cream cheese spread
1/2 t dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, pressed

For crumb topping:
4 t butter
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 C dry bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F
2. For shrimp filling, chop shrimp. Place in mixing bowl. Add 4 teaspoons lemon zest and parsley flakes. Mix together. Add parmesan cheese, cream cheese spread, mustard and garlic. Mix well.
3. Stuff mushroom caps with shrimp filling.
4. For crumb topping, place butter and garlic in microwave safe mixing bowl. Microwave on high 20-30 seconds until butter is completely melted. Stir in bread crumbs. If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs.
5. Place mushrooms into a baking dish with the filling side up.
6. Sprinkle with crumb topping.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is hot.
8. Serve immediately.

Sweet & Saucy Meatballs

Yields 10 servings

Ingredients
40 meatballs (I use the frozen pre-made kind from the grocery)
1 8 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 C ketchup
1/4 C orange marmalade
2 T packed brown sugar
1 T worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Prepare meatballs as directed on package.
2. In medium sauce pan, combine last five ingredients. Heat until sugar is melted and all ingredients are mixed well.
3. Add hot meatballs, stir.
4. Simmer on stove for 5-10 minutes
5. Serve hot

Fab Find

If you've read my 100 list, then you know how much I love santa decorations. So, it should come as no surprise that I fell instantly in love with this.

It is handmade from vintage fabric. How incredible is that?

I purchased this from a husband & wife team from Cincinnati at Christmas Village last month. I was amazed by all of the wonderful things she makes out of vintage fabrics. They don't have a website, but you can email them here if you would like to make a purchase.

103 years ago today...

...my great-grandmother Olive gave birth to a baby girl who would one day become my fathers mother. She named her Ona... no middle name. After giving birth to 13 children, she had since run out of ideas for middle names, so Ona Mowrer it would be.

I have been blessed in my life to have had two wonderful grandmothers. Both smart, skillful and independent women. Today, I celebrate what would be Gramma Ona's 103rd birthday. She left this world 4 years ago in October and I think of her so often and miss her tremendously. I have very few regrets in my life, but one of them would definitely be that I didn't spend as much time with either of my gramma's during my early adulthood.

There are so many things I love about my grandmother.

She was a trailblazer and never even realized it. Unlike many young women of her day, she graduated from high school. She married a few years later and had three boys: Gerald, William and Lawrence (my father). During the height of The Great Depression she and her boys were abandoned by her husband. Being a single mother in those days was looked down upon, but she was committed to raising her boys. In an era where women did not work outside the home, she took a job as a seamstress in a shoe factory, where she worked until the factory shut down and she retired some 40 years later.

She was green before it was cool. She grew her own vegetables, baked her own breads, recycled everything! She was definitely a "waste-not, want-not" kind of lady.

She was a domestic diva long before Martha Stewart was even born. I swear she could cook, bake, grow and sew anything. I loved learning from her.

Some other fun facts:

• She loved yoga.


• She walked everywhere. She never owned a car or had a driver's license.


• She cut her grass with a manual push mower (no gasoline powered mowers for her) until she was in her early 90's.


• She put out a big garden every year and tended to it each day.


• She loved to wear a little sun/bucket hat.

I think my fondest memories of her relate to my birthday and a special tradition she began. As a little girl, each year for my birthday, she would bake me a lamb cake. It is a homemade angel food cake baked into a lamb shaped pan. It's frosted with 7-minute icing and coconut flakes. I can recall so vividly getting that big box in the mail. Dad would put it on the table and carefully cut it open, causing all of the real popcorn to come flooding out onto the table. For the rest of my life, this will always be my favorite birthday cake. I am blessed to have her special pan and her hand-written recipe for that cake.

Happy Birthday Gramma! I love you and miss you!

Happy 39th Anniversary to Mom & Dad!

Back to Life

It's been an awesome weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving... seems like forever ago, though. As soon as we finished up the feast, I had to get busy getting everything together to set up for the flea market.

We (mom and I) got the booth set up Thursday night, so we could just walk in Friday morning and get down to business. It was a fantastic weekend. We were so busy I couldn't believe it. I moved all of my equipment, so I was printing on-site and it was CRAZY. I had taken quite a few pre-printed things for cash and carry, but everyone seemed to want something special instead.
I couldn't believe how well I did... totally surpassed my expectations, which is awesome!

The only down side is that I am physically tired. I could use one day of rest, but I've gotta go in to work today. I have a big project that has to be finished up this week and it's going to take some pushing to make that happen. So, it's back to life I go.

How was your holiday weekend?

PS-Be sure to check out the website later this week for an inventory sale. Lots of cute stuff for Christmas gift wrapping. Last day to order for Christmas is December 7!!

Thankful

I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving. Unlike most other holidays, this is one that is really not about material things. It is about being with special people and taking time to count your blessings.

The past year has been a struggle for us financially. I have become increasingly frustrated with this lately. I find myself being caught up in jealous thoughts about what others have... or more importantly what we don't. Frankly, it's been a lot of feeling sorry for myself.

Last weekend every local news station as well as the local paper ran articles about the shortage of food donations at the local rescue mission. This organization feeds, shelters and clothes a majority of the Nashville homeless population (many of whom are mentally ill). I was saddened to hear that for the first time since they opened their doors, that they would not be able to feed everyone on Thanksgiving Day. They were several hundred turkeys short of what they needed and were desperate for donations of food and/or money.

My first thought was that I really wished there was something I could do to help. I mean we don't seem to have a surplus of money these days. I just couldn't get the food shortage off my mind. Sunday it came to me. I CAN do something. I may not personally have the ability to donate, but there is another way. I can use my influence at my full-time job to make a donation.

Monday morning I went to the grocery, purchased four cases of fresh turkeys and headed down to the mission. When I arrived, there was a line of vehicles on both sides of the street waiting to pull into the donation center. My heart was full, knowing that so many others were there to make sure that even if it was only for the hot meal, that everyone would have something to be thankful for.

When it was my turn to pull in, I got out and three homeless men greeted me with big smiles and a warm hello. I said "I've got some turkeys for you," and we walked to the back of my car and the look on their faces when they saw those cases of turkeys was the best thanks I could have ever received. As I walked back to get in the car one man thanked me again and said "have a blessed Thanksgiving." At that moment, I knew I would.

As I drove away it occurred to me that I need to be more thankful for the blessings in my life. I may not have all the treasures in the world, but I have clean clothes, a warm home to come to at the end of the day and I never have to worry about when I will get my next meal. I am so blessed and as pitiful as I think my life may be sometimes, so many have it much worse. I hope that I never forget that or the joy I felt on Monday doing something as simple as delivering turkeys.

More Than A Day

As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,

It brings up some facts, quite profound.

We may think that we're poor,

Feel like bums, insecure,

But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;

We have guidance from heaven above.

We have so much more

Than they sell in a store,

We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings, I say;

Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.

Enjoy what you've got;

Realize it's a lot,

And you'll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs

A Blessed Thanksgiving to All!

Thanksgiving Feast

Like many of you, I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving. Once again we are hosting the festivities at our house this year. I love to entertain, so I don't look at this as a chore at all. I am really looking forward to every little detail. It is a treat for me to do the shopping, polish up my great-grandmother's silver, break out the china and give my fun kitchen gadgets a good work-out. Thursday can't get here soon enough for me.

The Menu

Oven Roasted Turkey

Sage Dressing

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Squash Casserole

Chilled Broccoli Salad

Apricot Casserole

Fresh Cranberry Relish

Yeast Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

What are your plans for the holiday?

Apricot Casserole

This is a great recipe that I got from my mother-in-law. It is an amazing dish that we always prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 - 15 oz cans Apricot Halves, drained
1 - 2# bag light brown sugar, divided
1 box Ritz crackers (or any variety of buttery snack crackers) crushed & divided
1 stick butter (no margerine) cut into 1/4" pats

1. Spray 9 x 13 x 2 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Arrange half of the apricots on the bottom of the dish.
3. Cover apricots with half of the brown sugar.
4. Cover brown sugar with half of the crackers
5. Arrange half of the pats of butter on top of crushed crackers as evenly as possible.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 for 2nd layer.
7. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Seeing the Light

I can hardly believe it has been almost three weeks since my last post. Where does the time go? The days have been hurried and hectic, but I am so thankful that it seems (knock on wood) that things are starting to even out a bit.

Riley is feeling great. Such a weight has been lifted by his recovery. I feel very blessed and thankful that everything went so well. His new vet is wonderful. The pathology report was very good. All the cancer is gone and most likely, we won't be faced with this again.

I had a so-so showing at the flea market a few weeks ago. I was in a shed last month... sales are always much better when I am inside. I have an inside booth reserved for November, so I am looking forward to that. I need to re-think my display and package more cash & carry merchandise.

I just returned Tuesday from five great days in Newport, RI. I was there for a women chefs conference. Such a great group of women! We had a fantastic time. The winery tour was amazing and just got me even more excited about planning my trip to Sonoma Valley.

Mom is coming into town tomorrow for the weekend. On the agenda: pedicures, Christmas Village, yummy dinner out and football. Can't wait!!

What are you doing this weekend?

R&R

He's home and recuperating. There will be lots of resting and relaxation for this sweet guy for several more days. Now, we just pray for a good pathology report!

Heavy Heart

Today, my heart is heavy and my mind is filled with worry. I've been feeling this way for several days now. It has been a very tough week. Filled with emotion, fear and many tears.

My Riley has cancer. This is the first time I have written those words. There is something profound about seeing it in print. I got the news on Monday and since then have been going through many scenarios in my mind.

Yesterday was the lowest of the lows so far. I completely fell apart on my way to work. I am not ready to say goodbye to him yet. I still need him so much and I want him to be happy and healthy again. I phoned the vet and she put me at ease, which I really needed.

He is undergoing surgery today. His doctor will be removing the growth from the left side of his face. She is optimistic that she will be able to get all of it so that no other treatment will be necessary. Oh how I hope that is the case.

Say a prayer today for Riley. He (and his momma) need all we can get.

UPDATE 3 p.m.

Riley has made it out of surgery and "is doing just fine". Will be heading out to pick him up and take him home in about an hour. Can't wait to see his sweet face!!

UPDATE 6 p.m.

We are home. I can't tell you what a sense of relief I feel to have him back here with me. He has had a tough day and is very groggy and somewhat disoriented from all the meds. Now he is resting in the cozy comfort of our bed... his favorite place to nap.

Greetings from the side of the earth!

I've not been around much lately and I'm sure some of you think I've fallen off the side of the earth. Not so, just lots going on these days.

The Nashville Flea Market is coming up Oct. 27-28, so I'm scrambling to try to get new displays made and ready. My product line has really grown in the past 12 months, so my old set up just won't work. As if that's not enough, I also signed up to do an open house thing on the 27th. It was originally scheduled for the 20th, but the host had to change the date. Luckily a friend of mine is going to work my booth there. The bummer is that now I have to put together two sets of sample displays in short order.

I've been popping in to check on several of you, but haven't done much commenting lately. When I'm pressed for time I would rather read than comment. Bear with me, I hope to be back in the swing soon.

I wanna send a shout out to sweet, sweet Carlo! You are always so great to check in and make sure everything is okay. Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated!

Isn't she lovely?

You can find her and some of her little friends right here. Go check it out!

Comments

I love comments on my blog and thought I'd never NOT like getting comments, but I've been getting some *spam* comments lately. So... I've switched to moderated comments, which means that it might take a little while for them to appear.

Keep talkin' to me! I love to hear what you have to say.

it's a good thing....

It's pink week over at Good Things - Stationery with Style. Go take a peek!

I've also made some changes to the color palette here on my blog. I'll keep this up until November... then who knows what will strike my fancy!

Yankee Candles

I dont' know about you, but I absolutely love Yankee Candles. They have the best candles with lots of great scents, too. I thought I would share a coupon I received that is good through this Sunday either in their stores or online. It is a buy 2 get one free deal. A great way to stock up on all the great new fall and holiday scents.

Get the coupon here.

Have a great day!

Randomness

We made it back safely from our weekend getaway. Had a great time and took tons of pics. Will post a suitable update soon... got to get all the pics uploaded first. Why does that have to take so long!

I'm almost completely over the sickness. I still have a cough, but other than that I am feeling better.

Between being sick, business travel and vacation, this is only my 6th day in the office all month. I am so far behind. Needless to say, my stress levels are through the roof, but I am trying my best to deal with that.

I haven't posted about the item of the week in a while, so thought it was about time to remind you to check out my website every Wednesday for a great new half-price special. The beautiful design below is only $5 for a set of 12 this week!

Weekend in New England

Thanks to all of you who have sent emails checking on me the past few days. I am alive. I am feeling better. Most importantly, though... I'm leaving for vacation in an hour!

We are hopping on the 4:15 flight into Providence and from there we will drive about two hours to Eastham, MA. I can't wait for a few days of fun and relaxation. This is my first visit to Cape Cod and I'm very excited. I love the beach, so I think this may be exactly what I need. We'll be back Sunday and hopefully I will have a lot of things to post about.

Have you been to the Cape?

running on empty

This, my friends, explains it all. I have not posted for 13 days. I can't believe it. I really hate "wo is me posts" and try, as much as possible to not do them myself, but I have got to have an outlet!

Life seems to be kicking my butt lately and it is taking quite a toll. All the stress, lack of sleep and running (not the excercise kind) has manifested itself into a nasty virus. I've been coughing horribly for three days. I went to Minute Clinic this morning to try to get some relief only to be sent away with a transfer of care form. My blood pressure was so high that they could not treat me. I have never had high blood pressure and it has never been a concern for my physician.

Since I couldn't get in to see a doctor, I went to an urgent care clinic for Vanderbilt hospital. Fortunately my BP had started to come down some, but was still quite high. They were unable to prescribe anything that would cure what ails me. So from there I was off to the pharmacy for some cough syrup and Advil PM. I just woke from a heavenly nap.

This whole experience has been a huge wake-up call. I've got to make some life changes. I need to learn to manage or eliminate stress as much as possible. I've got to rest even if it isn't convenient and I've got to live healthier even if it doesn't sound like fun.

happy birthday to me

Today it happened. I officially turned 34. So far the birthday celebrations have been great. Rich and I had a great night out last night with my parents who came into town earlier in the week for a last Titans pre-season game.

I've been blessed and surprised by some great birthday good mail. I will post pics and do a more thorough recap on Monday. Rich is taking me out for birthday breakfast, then I'll be meeting my BFF Lisa for a mani/pedi. We'll finish the day with a Vanderbilt University football game tonight. Busy day!

What are your plans for the holiday weekend?