Shirley McMurtrie

Valentines Day

Valentines Mouse

Twas the night before V. Day,
When all through the kitchen,
Daddy Mouse smelled odors of my candy fixin'.

He saw in the paper
The next day was V. Day
Mama Mouse's expecting again, he did say.

Best Ever Oatmeal Muffins

Best Ever Oatmeal Muffins

This offering is about oatmeal muffins. But let me stop and say a few words about blueberry muffins. My youngest daughter's first job in Tennessee was at Krystal's on Broadway. We had never heard of Krystal or even White Castle, for that matter. They both set their reputation on dinner roll sized hamburgers. In 1987, you could buy an entire meal for a dollar. I fell in love with them and ate until I couldn't stand to see another one.

Valentine Pudding

Who doesn't like banana pudding? It is the signature dessert of the South. Here is a variation of that yummy classic. I like strawberries almost as much as I like bananas.

I first made this variation in June of 2013 as a dessert for the Wednesday Night Bible Study Supper at Revival Vision Church of God. I delighted in introducing a dish the group wasn't familiar with. This is a tasty example.

Groundhog: Soon to be Roadkill?

Golly, I hope not. That fat furry Feb two feller will soon be in the news. It is the only day he gets to shine. Atlanta's Col. Beauregard Lee is our weather forecaster around here. There is a feller up in Pennsylvania, but what does he know about the South? I will stick with our local boy.

Perfection Salad

Perfection Salad

Have you ever eaten Perfection Salad? It is one of my favorites. Back in the day, you would see at least one at every potluck on the end of the table among the several macaroni salads. It is one of those dishes they say we are tired of. Not so. If I should be fortunate enough to spy one at a potluck, I wIll plop a good-sized spoonful on my plate and probably go back for more.

Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Grandma made the best cookies, didn't she? She didn't work outside the home. Those were the days when she washed, starched and ironed her ruffled curtains and had time to crochet frilly doilies for the end tables next to the sofa. Ruffled curtains are things of the past as are crocheted doilies. She didn't have to get the kids properly dressed for school and then get herself to her job on time. She did have time to polish up on her cookie recipes.

Lemon - Cheese Salad

Lemon - Cheese Salad

I saw an article online the other day. It listed recipes that are outdated and thankful to be gone. I don't agree. Everyone of them are on my “favorites” list. I think the reason they are outdated is that they were over-used back in the day. I remember when I first discovered canned tuna fish. We had a Tuna Noodle Casserole about every other week. I have a good recipe for that, too.

Baked Doughnuts

I have had this recipe for years. I love doughnuts, either cake or yeast. I don't eat them much any more. They quickly add pounds to this old frame. With no exercise and a healthy appetite, Anne limits my diet as best she can. However, sometimes we do splurge.

Krispy Creme is on my “do not even look that way” list as we drive by. I do sneak sweets at Revival Vision Church of God's Sunday morning coffee hour before Sunday School. Pat Hunt makes some tasty goodies.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

Marinated Vegetable Salad

New Years 2019 is here ready to start us on another year long adventure. Black eyed peas are supposed to bring good luck. Maybe so, but they taste good anyway. Here is an easy recipe to make. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry. No need to trudge out to Food City. Let's get marinating!

My First Job

Telephone

Do you remember your first job? I do. It was a long time ago, but is still fresh in my memory. It was 1944 when I moved in with the telephone operator in our “the wide spot in the road” community. I was in the tenth grade. My folks were in the midst of the in-fighting leading up to their divorce. I looked for a way out of the tensions at home. When the job became available, I jumped at it.

Potato Griddle Scones

Potato Griddle Scones

Cold weather is here again. The wind whips around the house stirring up piles of fallen leaves. As soon as it warms up a bit this morning, Anne will be out there with the leaf blower corralling leaves, blowing them across the road into the woods. It is weather like this that calls for a hearty breakfast.

Almost Log Cabin

Almost Log Cabin

How can something be an “almost log cabin”? Easy, when you have a big enough supply of 3” by 6” lumber. Of course we could have used it for studding, but Dad would hear none of that. Let me tell you about it. A little background first.

Scalloped Cabbage

Scalloped Cabbage

I like cabbage just about any way you fix it. Stuffed cabbage is my favorite, with cole slaw a close second. That said, there was often more cabbage in the garden than I could use. Those heads were wrapped in newspaper and hid away until December or so. That is when Scalloped Cabbage entered the picture.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus

This is a Christmas card my father received near the beginning of the last century. It was addressed to Master Owen Stimer. That was the way a young boy was addressed back then. It was a more formal time. Postal cards were sent rather than the folded cards we receive now. I have an album full of such cards. This card cost 1 cent for domestic delivery and 2 cents for foreign delivery.

Ham Loaf

Are you having ham for Christmas dinner? In our house, that feast is too close to Thanksgiving Day to have turkey again. We only like so much. A couple days of second-day turkey dishes and we are over it.

Anyway, turkey is a lot of work to prepare. There are a lot of ham recipes that don't take much time. With so many things to do on Christmas Day, roasting a turkey is not on my agenda. Opening presents is number one on my mind for Christmas morning.

Great Balls of Fire!

Great Balls of Fire!

Not really. This is the time of the year when we attend Christmas parties at church, at work and among family and friends. It's party time! After New Years Eve we are all partied out. That's when the bills start rolling in. So while we can, let's look at some recipes to enjoy. I like cheese balls and such. They can be made ahead of time, stored in the fridge and brought out a half hour or so before the first guests arrive.

Parallel Parking

Parallel Parking

Can you parallel park? I did once, only once. I quit while I was ahead. It is hard to do. I need a forty acre field on a good day. How I ever got through life without bumping fenders trying to park, I'll never know. Yes, I do. I always looked for a diagonal parking space or a parking garage where the attendant parked my car.

Chocolate Bon Bons

Chocolate Bon Bons

My favorite kind of chocolate to work with is cocoa. However, that doesn't work for making dipping chocolate. At least I don't know how to do that. I have several candy recipes I make every Christmas, but Anne's favorite is my Chocolate Bon Bons.

I came across this candy recipe a few years ago. It certainly didn't look like a candy recipe. What candy lists flour among its ingredients? This is the only one I know of.

Soft Molasses Cookies

Soft Molasses Cookies

There are handsome gingerbread men. This is not that recipe. This is an, oh, so soft, ginger flavored work of art. The aroma lingers in the air long after you bake a batch. Your kids coming in the door from school will head straight for the cookie jar. This is a cookie to make when a cold west wind is swirling snow around the yard and you hope the kids get the mail from the mailbox when they get off the bus so you won't have to go out in it. It is that kind of cookie.

Liver Patties

Liver Patties

Not everyone likes liver. It is safe to say that most people dislike liver. I love liver. My daughter Anne hates it. We live together, so I can only fix it if she is not going to be home that day. That out of the way, let me tell you why I like liver. Well, I don't know why, I just do.

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