Archive for March, 2009

I first met Magnolia a few weeks after my husband and I started dating. I had no idea at the time what an unusual weekend that would be. My husband has four siblings and lots of nieces and nephews, all of which descended on us over the course of the weekend. Apparently my sweet darling hadn’t brought a girl home in a long time and everyone wanted to check me out. But that’s not really the point of this post…

The first night I met Magnolia, she asked me what my silver pattern was. Being from Michigan and growing up with parents who didn’t really care about those things, I was understandably confused by this question. Now, you’d have to know Magnolia to understand why my silver pattern is something she needs to know the first day she meets me. But she did. The only thing I could think of was Oneida. Yes, I know what you’re thinking…bless my heart. I actually told Magnolia that my silver pattern was Oneida. Being the Belle that she is, she did a great job of covering up her horror. Can you imagine? Her precious son finally brings home a girl to meet them, obviously adores her (I’m adding that in myself), and not only is she a YANKEE but her silver pattern is Oneida! Which really isn’t a silver pattern anyway but it was the only thing that came to my mind. Because of my vast ignorance of silver patterns, I wasn’t really that bothered by the whole exchange but looking back now, I’m sure Magnolia was shocked.

I woke up the next morning, opened the guest room door, and found a darling little book outside my door. There was a section conveniently bookmarked for me. I opened it up to find a whole chapter on what your silver pattern says about you. Oh, word. That was the beginning of my being a Belle In Training. It was quickly becoming apparent that this was no ordinary woman. This was a Belle and a force to be reckoned with.

After attending church and hearing a wonderful sermon from my future father-in-law (I’ll be getting to him soon… THE most amazing man I’ve ever known), we came home to a beautiful Sunday dinner. I noticed that Magnolia had very pretty silver with scallops down the sides and most of it was engraved with the letter “B”. During the dinner, the subject of my silver pattern came up again. I quickly picked up one of my many forks and said “What is this pattern?” Magnolia informed me that it was Strasbourg and from that moment forward, my silver pattern was Strasbourg. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind that someone would eventually be getting all that lovely, engraved silver and I decided it might as well be me. And my husband, of course. Plus I really did like it.

I now have 8 place settings of Strasbourg, all courtesy of my in-laws. We received a place setting for birthdays, Christmases and our anniversary until we had a proper set. I don’t use it as often as I should but each piece means a lot to me. And the best news… my silver pattern is no longer Oneida.

Here are some excerpts from The Southern Belle Primer, the book Magnolia left outside my door.

The Twelve Patterns of the Southern Silver Zodiac

1. Francis I Reed and Barton   The Belle who chooses Francis I is a girl who wants it all. There are twenty-eight pieces of fruit just on the knife handle. It’s showy and opulent and so is she. A Francis I girl is likely to want a husband, children, a place on the board of the Junior League, and a full-time career. There is no end to what she can buy in the Francis I pattern. It comes with pickle forks, tomato forks, shrimp forks, lobster forks, grapefruit spoons, dessert spoons, ice cream spoons, even half olive spoons. Francis I girls are always compatible with mothers-in-law who have Grand Baroque or Burgundy. Their styles are similar.

2. Grand Baroque  Wallace International    This is Francis I with roses instead of fruit. Grand Baroque girls also have a sense of the dramatic. But they often also have a literary bent. That’s why you can buy a sterling silver bookmark in the Grand Baroque pattern. Grand Baroque girls often date boys whose families have the Acorn pattern. But they don’t marry them. It’s just a youthful rebellion.

3. Burgundy  Reed and Barton   This is Francis I without the fruit. Burgundy girls tend to be somewhat shy. They have dreams of being splashy, but they just can’t let go. Louisiana girls love Burgundy. It shows up on a lot of tables during Mardi Gras. They do well with friends who have Buttercup. They are not made to feel too competitive.

4. Rose Point  Wallace International   Old-fashioned girls pick this pattern. It’s very popular with girls named Rose. Sentimental mothers who have chosen patterns like Old Master and Eloquence sometimes name their daughters Rose just so they can have a legacy all their own.

5.  Buttercup  Gorham   Belles who choose Buttercup are always cheerful. They even choose the pattern because it’s so uplifting. Buttercup girls have friends with every kind of pattern. They are usually followers rather than leaders, but they are just so upbeat it really doesn’t matter.

6. Chantilly  Gorham  Belles with Chantilly tend to be a bit prissy. They do best with men whose mothers also have Chantilly.  Never put a Chantilly girl with a man whose mother has Francis I or Grand Baroque. They will always be upstaged. Don’t let all that sweetness fool you. Chantilly girls were often fast in high school.

7.  Strasbourg  Gorham  Strasbourg girls are traditionalists and just a bit formal. As good Southern girls, they are entranced with anything that’s festive and use their good silver almost all the time. Southern men love girls who pick Strasbourg because when Strasbourg girls bring out the good silver, they also bring out the good food. They don’t mix well with boys whose mothers have Buttercup. They will both always fight for control.

8.  Acorn  Georg Jensen   Beware of the Acorn girl. This pattern is lovely but foreign (it comes from Denmark). Girls who pick Acorn are rebellious. They march in parades and sometimes have been known to go to colleges in the East and drink beer straight from the can.

9. Old Master  Towle  Old Master girls have spirit but don’t drift too far from tradition. Because of this they are fiercely attached to their family heirlooms. One Texas Belle got thirty place settings of her groom’s grandmother’s Old Master as a wedding gift. When she got a divorce, she took her husband to court over the Old Master and let him keep the Cadillac without a whimper.

10. Eloquence  Lunt  Eloquence girls like nice things. They expect their husbands to provide. They are extremely loyal whether it’s a boyfriend, a best friend, or a pet. Because of this they get along well with more flighty girls who have Francis I or Grand Baroque.

11. Chrysanthemum  Tiffany  These girls have been known to turn up their noses at Francis I girls. They are just as flamboyant and just as demanding. They also usually have a lot more money to spend. Their husbands have to be good providers because they also insist on Tiffany crystal and Tiffany china. This is a relatively new pattern compared to some of the others. Girls with Chrysanthemum sometimes go really wild and live in avant-garde homes. But don’t worry, they still cut the crusts off their tea sandwiches and their daughters always get good recommendations to Kappa, Theta and Pi Phi.

12. Repousse  Kirk  Repousse is one of the oldest silver patterns. These girls often have mothers and grandmothers who also have this pattern. One Charleston woman explains every woman in her family for three generations chose this pattern. Then her son married a woman who didn’t even have a silver pattern. (uh oh) The mother-in-law insisted she pick something out and had relatives fill in the place settings. When the new bride completely bypassed Repousse by calling it “too fussy”, the mother-in-law knew the marriage wouldn’t last. And it didn’t.

So there you have it. Obviously I didn’t make the same mistake of the Repousee girl and I am glad to say that I have been married 10 years… one big happy family…me, my husband, Magnolia and my Strasbourg silver.

Ahhhh…. Giada. It’s really not fair. She’s beautiful and skinny. She’s Italian and from a famous family. She can cook… really well. And makes it look super easy. She has perfect finger nails and beautiful hair. She’s bubbly and sweet without being fake. She’s married to a fashion designer. That is almost too annoying just on its own especially since I’m convinced my husband is still wearing clothes from first grade. Sorry, honey! She’s perfectly petite. She had a baby and came back the next week looking two sizes smaller than she used to be. Even when she was 9 months pregnant, you couldn’t tell. She certainly didn’t gain the 70 lbs I did. Stop gasping in horror. I’m tall.

I try not to like her but she convinces me every time that she wants to be my friend.

Giada, I love your show. I love your recipes. I love your cookbook. Every now and then, please throw us average girls a bone and screw up. Have a hair out of place. Or make something yucky. Break a nail. We’re not picky! And while we’re waiting for that, I’ll be in the kitchen making Chicken Tetrazzini, Giada-style.

My sweet and thoughtful friend Tanya (yes, the same amazing Belle from the Holy Alphabet post) just stopped by on this cold and rainy day with a warm loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a starter for me. The starter is for four new loaves. We will definitely be enjoying our Friendship bread tonight with the delicious Sausage and Barley Soup I have in the Crock Pot. If that turns out as yummy as it smells, I’ll put up the recipe tomorrow. It’s a cold, raw day here and I can’t wait to dig into a lovely loaf of bread from the hands of my beautiful friend and a bowl of belly-warming soup.

Amish Friendship Bread

Important Notes: 

DO NOT use any type of metal spoon or bowl for mixing.

If air gets into the bag, let it out.

It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

DAY 1  Do nothing. This is the date your starter was begun.

DAY 2  Mush the bag.

DAY 3  Mush the bag.

DAY 4  Mush the bag.

DAY 5  Mush the bag.

DAY 6  Add to the bag 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup milk, and 1 cup of sugar. Mush the bag.

DAY 7  Mush the bag.

DAY 8  Mush the bag.

DAY 9  Mush the bag.

DAY 10 It is time to bake! Follow the directions below.

1. Pour entire contents of bag into a nonmetal mixing bowl.

2. Add 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix well.

3. Measure out 4 separate batters of 1 cup each into 4 one-gallon Ziploc bags. Keep one for yourself and share the other three with your most beautiful friends (I might have embellished this part a little!) along with these directions. Make sure to write the date on the bag. This will be the first day for the starter.

4. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

5.  To the remaining batter in the bowl, add:

      3 eggs                       3/4 cup oil                            1 lg box of instant vanilla pudding

      3/4 cup milk             3/4 cup sugar                       1/2 tsp baking soda 

       2 tsp cinnamon       1/2 tsp vanilla                      1 1/2 tsp baking powder

       1/2 tsp salt               2 cups plain flour

6.  Grease two loaf pans and mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Dust the bottom of the greased pans with half of this mixture.

7.  Pour batter evenly into two pans and sprinkle with remaining sugar mix.

8.  Bake for one hour. Cool until bread loosens from pan, about 10 minutes. (Cupcakes – bake about 25 minutes, mini-loaf pans about 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean).

I started to write this and then realized that if you don’t have the starter bag from a friend, this is really meaningless. So after a not very exhaustive search of the internet, I found what I believe are the ingredients for the starter bag.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 cup white sugar, divided
• 1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Go make yourself some Amish Friendship Bread and pass it along to the beautiful Belles in your life!

One of the things that Magnolia makes and knows I love is Dig Deep Salad. I’ve heard it called 7-layer salad too but we call it Dig Deep. It has so many things in it that I really like so I eat it happily and try to ignore what I think is the calorie content. Like most good things, I don’t think it’s very low in calories.

And that reminds me of when Paula Deen was on Oprah last year. Did you see it? She was making something appropriately yummy-looking and Oprah asked her if it was healthy. Dear Miss Dean just looked at her and said “I’m your chef, not your doctor!” Love her! If you didn’t see that episode of Oprah, it was a classic. Miss Dean had something in the blender and her and Oprah were peering down in there when Paula started it up. Unfortunately she didn’t have the top on tight or have it on at all (I can’t remember) and the stuff in the blender sprayed up all over both of them. Oprah had on this gorgeous leather jacket and it was covered in food. Like any good Belle, Paula Deen wasn’t going to let it get her down and  just died laughing. I don’t think Oprah thought it was as funny but you just have to love Paula Deen! Thankfully I have a DVR and I just watched it over and over again. Priceless!!! Anyway…

Here is Magnolia’s recipe for Dig Deep Salad.

Dig Deep Salad

1 small head of lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 pkg. frozen peas, cooked, drained and cooled (my favorite part!)
1/4 cup sugar
6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 strips bacon, fried crisp
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip). A true Belle does not use Miracle Whip.

Layer in glass bowl.

1) Shredded lettuce – place half in bowl
2) Blend mayonnaise and 1/8 cup sugar. Spread half over the lettuce.
3) Add onion slices. Sprinkle with half of sugar (1/8 cup).
4) Add celery, green pepper, egg and cheese.
5) Add remaining lettuce and cover with remaining mayonnaise/sugar mixture.
6) Top with green peas and crumbled bacon.

Chill at least two hours. Dig Deep when serving.

Yum!

My beautiful friend Tanya sent this to me last year. She had no idea at the time how much this would mean to me that day and many days since. I’ve kept it handy and refer to it often. I just love what it says, especially the reminder that prayer is the best & easiest solution to a problem. Don’t borrow worry!

I hope you love it as much as I did.

The Holy Alphabet

Although things are not perfect
Because of trial or pain
Continue in thanksgiving
Do not begin to blame
Even when the times are hard
Fierce winds are bound to blow
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know
Imagine life without His love
Joy would cease to be
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts to thee
Move out of “Camp Complaining”
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone
Quit looking at the future
Redeem the time at hand
Start every day with worship
To “thank” is a command
Until we see Him coming
Victorious in the sky
We’ll run the race with gratitude
Xalting God most high
Yes, there’ll be good times and yes some will be bad, but…
Zion waits in glory…where none are ever sad!
 
“I AM Too blessed to be stressed!” The shortest distance between a problem
and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.

The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything. Love and peace be
with you forever, Amen.

My husband loves meatloaf. I guess it is a true comfort food and the leftovers make great sandwiches. I’ve been trying to find the perfect meatloaf without success. So I decided to come up with my own. We had it Friday night with homemade mac and cheese and the whole family gave it a thumbs up. It has a yummy glaze on the top that gives it a slightly sweet taste. The kids totally loved it! Here it is:

Susanne’s Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pinches nutmeg
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the pan. You can use a loaf pan but I prefer just to “form” a loaf and cook in a baking dish.

Soak the bread crumbs in the milk in a small dish. In a big mixing bowl, combine together everything else except the brown sugar and ketchup. You have to use your hands or it just doesn’t taste the same. Add in the bread crumb mixture. Shape your loaf and put in the baking dish. Mix together the brown sugar and ketchup and put on the top of the loaf as a glaze.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

Pretty easy and turned out absolutely delicious! Next time I’ll make more because there weren’t any leftovers for sandwiches. Let me know how you like it!

Two days ago I decided to read The Shack. I’m sure most of you have heard about it by now. I had heard people talking about it a few times over the past few months, but it never seemed like anyone said anything specific except “It’s good.” I understand that better now…. I think. I love to read and was looking for a book and there it was. So I started it. And now I’ve finished it.

This is one of those books that I will need to sit with and digest for a bit before making up my mind about it. It was definitely hard to put down. Very thought-provoking. Interesting and a bit strange. Beautiful in parts. There are several lines in this book that made me want to jump up and get a highlighter and that never happens to me unless I’m reading the bible or a bible study. Not just a “book” book. Of course I didn’t get up and get the highlighter (most likely because I was in the bubble bath where I do most of my reading) so now I’m going to have to go through the book again to find them. But it will be time well-spent.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. It’s an easy read and a fairly short book and is definitely worth taking the time to read it. I can’t talk much about it without spoiling the whole thing but I am interested in what others think of it. Especially my church friends. I will say that it has given me a lot to think about regarding my relationship with the Lord and any thing that gets me doing that gets a thumbs up from me!

Tell me what you thought of it if you’ve read it and want to share. I’ll be back to revisit this in a few days. And if you haven’t read it, get started!!!

We are going to Curacao in a few weeks and I can’t wait! We are taking the little rascals with us so it’s a family affair. Curacao is in the Netherland Antilles which makes it a Dutch island. It looks beautiful…. gorgeous beaches and fun places to go explore.

We’re staying at the Marriott. Looks dreamy, doesn’t it?

A lot has been going on lately and I haven’t even begun to plan the trip. We have our plane tickets and the hotel reservations but the rest is a total mystery. I did read a while back that there is an ostrich farm and a place where you can do swim with dolphins. The children are really excited about that! I’m dreaming of warm breezes, reading by the ocean, walks with my honey under the stars….

I’m headed over to my favorite travel website: TripAdvisor. Cole and I went to France a few years ago and I planned the entire trip with the help of TripAdvisor. It’s all user-generated content and you can find out amazing details about any location. We were able to find this adorable little bed & breakfast in Beynac, a small town in the Dordogne River Valley of France. It was run by a sweet couple who spoke very little English but were the most gracious hosts. The first morning we were there was my birthday, and I must have mentioned this at some point during the reservation process because she presented me with a lovely birthday cake for breakfast! Gotta love France! I’ve planned trips to Scotland, Cancun, and England all with the help of TripAdvisor. It allowed us to get off the beaten track and find some things we probably would have missed otherwise.

If you have a trip coming up (and I hope you do!), check out TripAdvisor. It’s a terrific and valuable website. If you happen into the Curacao forum, you might see me there!

Magnolia called today and invited me over for a little visit. We had a delightful and impromptu lunch of pea soup, cheese and assorted veggies. I’ve been trying to explain to the lovely Magnolia about blogs, mine in particular. At first there was some hesitancy about me relaying her advice and wisdom to the world at large. She even mentioned suing me, but I politely (so Belle-like!) told her you can’t really sue someone for telling the truth. Belles have very strong thoughts on certain subjects and will not be pushed around… and that goes for both of us.

Over our mug of pea soup (served in a beautiful white ironstone mug with a sterling silver spoon of course), we discussed the advice she’s given me over the years and how it could help so many others. She vehemently denies ever telling me that you should marry a man that has his own shrimp forks but I did see a little twinkle in her eye, and I’m pretty sure she knows she did. I finally convinced her to actually look at my blog and see what she thinks.

Now, Magnolia has a really, really nice Mac computer. What she doesn’t have is the knowledge to work it. She has finally learned that the picture of the Stamp will somehow get her to her emails but beyond that, Magnolia is a little computer-challenged. But she’s learning! I showed her how to get to Modern Belle and then the waiting began as she started to read.

We reviewed the Belle In Training page that has all of her advice. She gave me a few “suggestions” along the way, and then the most amazing thing happened! I heard her start to giggle. She liked it!!! Then we looked at the other pages and posts including her corn pudding recipe which she wanted me to tell everyone goes perfectly with ham and you must serve ham on Easter. See, Mom, I was listening!

I left Magnolia’s house with a lighter heart. I don’t think she’s going to sue me anymore and she gave me some really wonderful tips to share. Check out the Belle in Training page for her latest which I wrote down word-for-word because the way she phrased it was just too good to change.

I hope all of you have a woman like this in your life. She’s really funny in a tears-in-your-eyes kind of way. She never means to be funny which just makes it all the more funny. She just is. She’s an accomplished cellist, plays the piano and knows a song for almost any topic you can bring up. My children just adore her. She has a way of making even the simplest task fun. She’s beautiful, sophisticated and elegant in just the right way. If you ever have the privilege to meet Magnolia, I have to warn you that she will know everything about you before she lets you go. She has a tremendous gift with people and always makes everyone feel comfortable and wanted. I don’t think you’d ever forget her.

And before I go, I promised I would give out this very crucial piece of advice from Magnolia:

The first and most important thing to remember about being a Southern Belle is kindness. Be kind. And never contradict your mother-in-law in front of other people.

Even though she probably didn’t intend it this way, I feel very honored that her most important piece of advice involves her little ole daughter-in-law. She’s my teacher in the arts of being Southern, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Love you, Mom!

I’ve always loved felt. I’m not sure why exactly except maybe it reminds me of being little and doing crafts. It just comes in such pretty colors and it’s so soft. I’ve recently discovered needle felting. I’m tempted to try to learn how to do it, but while I’m contemplating that, I’ve found some artists who do wonderful work with it.

So what is needle felting? From what I can gather (and this might not be much), you use a piece of felted wool as the base and then another bunch of wool yarn as the design and you use felting needles (which are like little barbs) to felt the pieces together. You just push the needles into the pieces, up and down, a thousand times. The top part becomes kind of fuzzy and three-dimensional. People swear it’s not hard to learn and I just adore the look of the finished pieces. But anything you have to do a thousand times… and I may be exaggerating a little but I know it’s a lot of times… doesn’t hold a ton of appeal to me. You can do lots of neat things with this technique and they are all so cute. Don’t take my word for it. Look at what my friend Kay is selling over at her shop on etsy.

This is her little Woodland Terrarium. It’s all made by hand and comes in a little glass jar. Love, love, love it!

Look at this fawn! I don’t how they do this kind of detail but it’s really amazing. Most items are made without a pattern but with a lot of imagination. This is so great for anyone who collects deer or just as a cute shelf sitter. I personally adore this little deer because she looks like Clarisse from Rudolph. And since this is my husband’s favorite movie and the only one I’ve ever seen make him cry (the Land of Misfit Toys gets him every year), I think I may have to snatch this one up for a gift for him.

I also love these sweet felted beads. My little princess would surely love these made into a bracelet. But they look good enough to eat, and she probably would try that, so maybe I’ll just keep them for myself.

Kay’s store is called Finger Stuck Felts. Kay is a mom of two (both under 4!) and is a self-taught artist. She has a lot of other really neat things over in her shop. She also has a stained glass store on etsy. Obviously a woman of many talents! So jealous….

Check her out!