Author: Torianna

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Tasty recipes for a tasty “National Month”

In addition the “National Months” that have been featured earlier this month, July also happens to be “National Ice Cream Month”! (Didn’t I tell you it was going to be a tasty “National Month”?!) So… The recipes (Yep! Another “twofer”!) featured in this week’s “Tasty Tuesdays” post are for ICE CREAM! (I scream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream! Oops! I’m getting carried away!) The first “twofer” recipe is “Homemade Ice Cream”, and without further ado, here it is…

Homemade Ice Cream

(from “The Essential Amish Cookbook” by Lovina Eicher)

Ingredients

7 eggs

3 1/2 cups sugar

1 (5.1-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding

1 teaspoon salt

10 cups milk

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Beat eggs, then add remaining ingredients. Mix together. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

“When we make ice cream, we use a hand-cranked ice cream freezer. We use ice and salt to harden it in the ice cream freezer, and in the winter we even use snow!”

Although this is seemingly such a simple recipe for making ice cream, I discovered that my beloved Betty Crocker Cookbook has a much more in-depth recipe for making ice cream as well as LOTS of variations! So, I thought I’d share Betty’s recipe with you as well as Lovina’s recipe. And now, without further ado, here’s the second featured ICE CREAM recipe!

French Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks, beaten

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 cups chilled whipping cream

For crank-type freezer: Mix milk, sugar, salt and egg yolks in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until bubbles appear around edge. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla and whipping cream.

Pour into freezer can; put dasher in place. Cover and adjust crank. Place can in freezer tub. Fill freezer tub 1/2 full of ice; add remaining ice alternating with layers of rock salt (6 parts ice to 1 part rock salt). Turn crank until it turns with difficulty. Drain water from freezer tub. Remove lid; take out dasher. Pack mixture down; replace lid. Repack in ice and rock salt. Let stand to ripen several hours

1 quart ice cream

For refrigerator: Mix milk, sugar, salt and egg yolks in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until bubbles appear around edge. Cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla.

Pour into ice cube tray. Freeze until mixture is mushy and partially frozen, 30 to 60 minutes. Beat whipping cream in chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Spoon partially frozen mixture into another chilled bowl; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into 2 ice cub trays; cover to prevent crystals from forming. Freeze, stirring frequently during first hours, until firm, 3 to 4 hours.

1 quart ice cream

Now that you know how to make ice cream according to Betty Crocker’s recipe, I’m going to share with you her long list of variations. Here goes…

Chocolate Ice Cream: Increase sugar to 1 cup and decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Stir 2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted (Do not use premelted chocolate.), into hot milk mixture in saucepan.

Frozen Custard Ice Cream: Decrease salt to 1/8 teaspoon and cream to 1 cup.

Frozen Strawberry Ice Cream: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Stir in 1 package (16 ounces) frozen strawberry halves (thawed) after adding cream. Stir in a few drops of red food color if desired.

Nut Brittle Ice Cream: Stir in 1 cup crushed almond, pecan, or peanut brittle after adding cream.

Peach Ice Cream: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Mash 4 or 5 peaches to yield 2 cups. Stir 1/2 cup sugar into peaches. Stir in peaches after adding cream.

Pistachio Ice Cream: Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts or almonds, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and few drops green food color after adding cream.

Strawberry Ice Cream: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Mash 1 pint strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar; stir into milk mixture after adding cream. Stir in few drops red food color if desired.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: Omit vanilla. Add one 3-inch piece of vanilla bean to milk mixture before cooking. Before cooling, remove bean and split lengthwise into halves. Scrape the seeds into cooked mixture with tip of small knife; discard bean.

Wintergreen or Peppermint Ice Cream: Decrease vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Stir in 1/2 cup crushed wintergreen or peppermint candy sticks after adding cream. Stir in few drops green or red food color.

So, there you have it: Not one, but TWO tasty recipes in honor of July also being “National Ice Cream Month”! Hope you take some time this month to make — and enjoy — a batch of homemade ice cream this month, but definitely by the end of summer! Please take a moment during your “fun in the sun” this summer to let me know how your batch of homemade ice cream turned out and/or which of Betty’s variations you liked the best. As for me, I’ve got some fresh peaches, so I think I’m going to make myself a batch of peach ice cream. Enjoy and take care!

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A “twofer” in honor of not one, but TWO “National Months”

Last month, I featured Mrs. Beeton’s “Bill of Fare for a Picnic for 40 Persons” in honor of “National Picnic Month”, and a couple of recipes for “National Grilling Month. Since July was both “National Hot Dog Month” AND “National Beans-N-Franks Month”, I thought “Beans-N-Franks” would be an appropriate recipe for this week’s “Tasty Tuesdays” post. So.. without further ado, here’s the first recipe!

Read more: A “twofer” in honor of not one, but TWO “National Months”

Beans ‘n Franks

(from: nationaldaycalendar.com)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter

1 small onion, chopped

3 slices bacon

16-ounce can of pork and beans

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1 Tablespoon of Louisiana hot sauce (optional)

16-ounce package frankfurters

Directions

  1. Cut bacon into squares and fry in a large skillet.
  2. Add onion and saute until translucent.
  3. Remove from heat. Drain excess fat.
  4. Mix beans, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot sauce in a 2-quart casserole dish.
  5. Add bacon and mix well.
  6. Slice frankfurters and stir into beans
  7. Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

So, there you have it: a recipe for Beans ‘n Franks. As I was typing this recipe, I started wondering about the difference between frankfurters (called for in this recipe) and hot dogs since I’m more familiar with the latter. So, I did a quick online search, and hear’s what my Web browser’s AI had to say in answer to my question of “Is there a difference between frankfurters and hot dogs?”

“Hot Dogs vs Frankfurters

Yes, there is a difference between frankfurters and hot dogs, although the terms are often used interchangeably.

The primary distinction lies in their ingredients and origins. A frankfurter, also known as a frank, is a German-style sausage that originated in the city of Frankfurt and is traditionally made exclusively with pork, often seasoned with specific spices like salt, pepper, ginger, mace, and nutmeg. They are typically smaller, have a smoother texture, and are often served with dipping sauces as an appetizer…

In contrast, a hot do is an American invention inspired by the frankfurter but is not limited to pork. Hot dogs can be made from a variety of meats, including beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, and are often a blend of different meat trimmings. They are generally served in a bread bun with various condiments and are commonly associated with American cuisine, such as at baseball games and barbecues…

The terms are sometimes confused, with “frankfurter” being used in American culture for hot dogs, particularly in punny names like “Franks A Lot”. However, technically, all hot dogs are a type of frankfurter, but not all frankfurters are considered hot dogs. The flavor profile of a frankfurter is often described as more robust and distinct due to its specific German-style spices and pure pork composition.”

Now that we both know the differences between a frankfurter and a hot dog, I think you could probably get away with using hot dogs in this “Beans’n Franks” recipe if you can’t get your hands on any frankfurters. Just remember that if you do make such a switch, then the name of the recipe should probably be called something like “Beanie Weenies”, which are just as easily made from scratch, using Great Northern beans and molasses.

In case you’re interested, the Web site called savoryexperiments.com has a recipe for “Beanie Weenies” (Homemade Franks and Beans) that’s so simple, I just had to share it with you, making this week’s”Tasty Tuesdays” post a “twofer” — two recipes in a single post! Without further ado, here is Savory Experiment’s recipe for “Beanie Weenies (Homemade Franks and Beans)”

“Beanie Weenies” or Homemade Franks and Beans

Franks and beans, beanie weenies, hot dog beans… No matter what you call this dish, it brings back fond memories of childhood for almost all of us.

This recipe is made with real beef hot dogs and less sugar than the canned version. Perfect as a quick and easy lunch or a classic camping food!

Ingredients

4 hot dogs, sliced

30 ounces Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 Tablespoon spicy (or regular yellow) mustard

1/4 cup ketchup

3 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon salt

4 bacon strips, cooked and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

  1. Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the hot dogs, stirring until browned. (They should have enough fat to not stick in cast iron.)
  3. Stir in the beans, spicy mustard, ketchup, molasses, salt, bacon and brown sugar. Continue to heat and stir until all of the ingredients have combined and sugar has fully dissolved.
  4. Serve hot!

So, there you have it: the second recipe in this “twofer” post. If you try either of these recipes, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear you thoughts on one — or both — of these recipes.

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July 2025’s “7th of the month” Journal Post

Welcome to this month’s “7th of the month” journal post, which highlights the previous month — from the 7th of June through the 6th of July. As I’ve done ever since I started writing this kind of post, I’ll be following the same pattern — by discussing events that fell into the following three categories:

  • Holler
  • Personal, and, of course,
  • Writing

Holler Happenings

Hello from “my holler in Kentucky”! I did some (a bit of) “spring cleaning” by sweeping off the front porch and front walkway as well as the solar panels since they tend to get covered with grass whenever the lawn is mowed. During the hot days of summer, I started “binge watching” home improvement shows on Amazon’s Prime Video and Netflix (like “Flipping Boston” and “My Design Rules).

In addition, we finally managed to get to the local county “dump” — though doing so was quite a nightmare! It seemed as though everything that could go wrong DID go wrong, turning it into a VERY CURSED trip to the “dump”. After postponing this task to the point of having absolutely NO ROOM in our collection of trash cans, we finally finished loading all of the trash cans onto our “hauler” and set out for the dump. Not more that a few miles away from the house, we heard a gosh-awful noise, so then Sweet Thing managed to find a place to pull over and investigate. It didn’t take long to discover that one of the tires on the “hauler” had blown out, thereby ending our first attempt at getting to the dump.

The next trip was successful at getting us and the “hauler” full of trash cans to the dump, but the curses continued. While filling his pickup truck with gas, Sweet Thing got stung by something that flew out when he opened the gas tank cover. Unfortunately, the gas station didn’t carry any first aid supplies, so Sweet Thing just dealt with the pain as best as he could. However, as I just said, the curses continued. After unloading much of the trash, Sweet Thing needed to move the “hauler”, so we could unload all of the trash in the back of the pickup truck. Well… In doing so, Sweet Thing slipped and fell in the mud that was left over from the rain the day before. He landed on his bum with the tongue of the “hauler” in his lap. Needless to say, he had trouble sitting for a few days after our cursed trip to the dump!

Speaking of the dump and trash cans… Since we now had LOTS of empty trash cans (both the big “Herbies” that I think I’ve mentioned before as well as some little ones), we needed a more permanent place to store them, preferably (for me) somewhere that was out of sight from the top of our driveway. So… We batted around a few ideas (including the buillding of a platform similar to the one currently in front of the reliquary) and then FINALLY decided up the idea of just using pavers. Armed with a vague idea of the amount of pavers we’d need for this project, we made a trip to our local “big box store” where we purchased about forty pavers. After offloading the pavers, I spent the next day laying ’em down in rows next to the barn — on the reliquary side of the barn, the one that is out of sight. About halfway through the project, I realized that we hadn’t bought enough of the pavers to completely finish the”landing pad” (as I started calling this project). Fortunately, there were enough rows upon which to place ALL of our trash cans! Still have to go backto the “big box store” to get more pavers to finish up that last row, but at least all of our trash cans now have a place to call home!

Personal

Most of the news in this category revolves around my newest hobby of quilting with a bit of sewing added to the mix this month. On the 7th of June of June, I started looking for fabric to use during Summer 2025’s “quilt-along” session. The first searches I did were online, but because any fabric I ordered online wouldn’t arrive before the start of the first “quilt-along” class, I ended up going to the local fabric store the day before, where I purchased my very first “jelly roll”, a collection of forty-two 2 1/2″ strips of fabric, that would be used to make this summer’s quilt.

In addition to getting ready for the start of Summer 2025’s “quilt-along” class (on the 10th of June), I also worked on “Butterflies”, the second of the quilts that I started during the last “quilt-along” class. (I gave the first of these two quilts (“Purples”) to my daughter as a college graduation present.) I finally managed to finish the pieced top, and then I gave it to Liz, the “quilt-along” class instructor, so she could do the actual quilting for me. I was REALLY excited when I first saw the finished quilt, probably because “Butterflies” is the very first finished quilt that I am keeping for myself! After getting it home, I felt like showing it off to someone, so Sweet Thing and I visited one of our neighbors, who used to quilt, too. They liked it, AND I was able to learn more about their quilting experiences, including how they hand-quilted all of the quilts that they made.

Quilting wasn’t the only times when I used my sewing machine this month! In addition to the “quilt-along” sessions, the venue where those sessions are held also offered a variety of sewing classes. During these sewing classes, I made such things as a “hobo bag” and a “zipper pouch”. Haven’t used the”hobo bag” much since I predominantly use the tote bag that I made there last summer — when I was relearning how to use my sewing machine! However, I use the “zipper pouch” A LOT since its use prevents me from having to dig down to the bottom of my tote bag for such things as my keys and my wallet.

Other than quilting and sewing, I started a “Summer Movie Night” by watching “Geostorm” with Sweet Thing. Since it’s difficult to find movies that Sweet Thing likes to watch, my “Summer Movie Night” tradition continued with me watching movies by myself — either with or without popcorn. I always enjoy sharing a movie-watching experience with Sweet Thing, but watching movies SOLO isn’t so bad either. In addition, no “7th of the month journal post would be complete without mentioning calls from my “darlin’ daughter’ — of which there were at least two this month. It’s always good to hear from her — even though the news isn’t always good.

Writing

As far as my writing for this month is concerned, most of the focus was on updating my author Web site (this site), and I managed to publish several “Tasty Tuesdays” posts as well as my “7th of the month” post for June. It’s been a while since I’ve focused on my true love: romance, especially historical romance. Consequently, I was hoping to get back into writing fiction with this month’s GWIC (Global Write-In Crawl… NOT the Global Wave International Commission or Wyoming’s Ground-Water Information Center) event Fourth of July weekend. Sadly, though, I completely forgot all about this month’s event! This was too bad since I really enjoy “riding the rails” and “visiting” so many fun and interesting stops around the world. Eventually, I want to host an Eastern Kentucky stop on the “GWIC Express”! Only time will tell whether I’m able to make this dream/goal a reality. The first thing in making it a reality is to REMEMBER the next event, which will be the first weekend in November, a month formerly known as “NaNo-vember” for me)!! Once summer has officially ended and another “trip around the sun” begins, I’ll be focusing more on writing fiction, so stay tuned to this author Web site of mine (and other “7th of the month” journal posts) for more information about what’s happening with regards to my fiction projects.

And on that note, I’m going to close this “7th of the month” journal post. Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my personal (AND professional) life, and, as always I look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime… Take care.

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First “Tasty Tuesdays” recipe of July 2025

Ever heard of “National Months”?

I hope so because “National Months” is the theme for this month’s “Tasty Tuesdays” posts. For those of you who don’t know, “National Months” are opportunities to have fun exploring a variety of topics each month of the year! I came across the concept of “National Months” while perusing the nationaldaycalendar.com Web site. Lately, I’ve been trying to “celebrate” different “national days” every month (to make my life more fun and less boring), so I’m usually looking for specific days to celebrate, but this month, I ended up more focused on the “National Months” instead of the individual “National Days” like I usually do. I discovered that July features lots of different “National Months”, but I was intrigued by those related to FOOD, a perfect pairing for my “Tasty Tuesdays” posts. So… This month, I’m going to feature recipes that are related to the following “National Months”:

  • National Grilling Month
  • National Picnic Month
  • National Hot Dog Month
  • National Baked Beans Month
  • National Ice Cream Month
  • National Peach Month

Don’t these all sound YUMMY?! I thought so, too! So… This month, I’m going to feature a variety of recipes that will help you celebrate these various “National Months”, but before I get into the recipes, I’m going to share with you Mrs. Beeton’s “Bill of fare for a picnic for 40 persons” since that info is pertinent to National Picnic Month — AND I love picnics! (Note: I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a picnic that had more than “40 persons” in attendance! I think this was probably why I was so intrigued by Mrs. Beeton’s “bill of fare” in her “1861 Classic” called “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management”. I can’t even imagine what a logistical nightmare the planning of such a large picnic would have been for the hostess!) Anyway… Without further ado, here it is:

“BILL OF FARE FOR A PICNIC FOR 40 PERSONS

2149. A joint of cold roast beef, a joint of cold boiled beef, 2 ribs of lamb, 2 shoulders of lamb, 4 roast fowls, 2 roast ducks, 1 ham, 1 tongue, 2 veal-and-ham pies, 2 pigeon pies, 6 medium-sized lobsters, 1 piece of collared calf’s head, 18 lettuces, 6 baskets of salad, 6 cucumbers.

2150. Stewed fruit well sweetened, and put into glass bottles well corked; 3 or 4 dozen plain pastry biscuits to eat with the stewed fruit, 2 dozen fruit turnovers, 4 dozen cheesecakes, 2 cold cabinet puddings in moulds, 2 blancmanges in moulds, a few jam puffs, 1 large cold plum-pudding (this must be good), a few baskets of fresh fruit, 3 dozen plain biscuits, a piece of cheese, 6 lbs. of butter (this, of course, includes the butter for tea), 4 quartern loaves of household broad, 3 dozen rolls, 6 loaves of tin bread (for tea), 2 plain plum cakes, 2 pound cakes, 2 sponge cakes, a tin of mixed biscuits, 1/2 lb. of tea. Coffee is not suitable for a picnic, being difficult to make.

Things not to be forgotten at a Picnic.

A stick of horseradish, a bottle of mint-sauce well corked, a bottle of salad dressing, a bottle of vinegar, made mustard, pepper, salt, good oil, and pounded sugar. If it can be managed, take a little ice. It is scarcely necessary to say that plates, tumblers, wine-glasses, knives, forks, and spoons, must not be forgotten; as also teacups and saucers, 3 or 4 teapots, some lump sugar, and milk, if this last-named article cannot be obtained in the neighbourhood. Take 3 corkscrews.

Beverages — 3 dozen quart bottles of ale, packed in hampers; ginger-beer, soda-water, and lemonade, of each 2 dozen bottles; 6 bottles of sherry, 6 bottles of claret, champagne a discretion, and any other light wine that may be preferred, and 2 bottles of brandy. Water can usually be obtained so it is useless to take it.”

And there you have it: Mrs. Beeton’s “Bill of Fare for a Picnic for 40 Persons”. All I can say is that the Victorians seemed to love their desserts AND their alcoholic beverages!

Anyway… In addition to that bit of information in honor of July being “National Picnic Month”, I am going to feature a recipe in honor of “National Grilling Month”. Ever since Memorial Day (the unofficial start of summer), we’ve been doing A LOT of grilling lately! Sweet Thing loves to grill “burgers and brats”, but I recently discovered something new to grill: SHISH KABOBS! So… I’m going to share a recipe I discovered online which searching for a good marinade recipe. It’s from a Web site called “House of Nash Eats”, and it’s delicious! Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Best Beef Kabobs Marinade

Marinated Steak Kabobs are the perfect summer meal idea for grilling season, and extra delicious when the meat is marinated for hours in the best beef kabob marinade, then skewered with potatoes, onions, peppers, and other colorful veggies! This fantastic shish kabob marinade helps make this an easy summer meal the whole family will love!

Ingredients

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon black pepper

Kabobs

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak or sirloin tips, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons Dijon or whole-grain mustard

1 Tablespoon dried rosemary

8 ounces Crimini mushrooms

1 red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade.
  2. Place the cubed meat into a large plastic zip-tight bag and pour all but the reserved marinade over it, then seal and squish to coat well. Place in the refrigerator for 1-6 hours to marinate. This is also a good time to place wooded skewers in water to soak.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water until just tender enough to pierce with a fork, about 6-8 minutes. Drain well, the toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, rosemary, and mustard. Set aside.
  4. Preheat grill to high heat while preparing the kabobs. Chop all vegetables into chunks that are roughly the same size as the cubed steak, keeping 3 layers of onion together in each chunk. Drizzle vegetables with the reserved marinade.
  5. Thread alternating pieces of meat, vegetables, and potatoes until the skewers are filled, aiming for 4-5 pieces of steak on each skewer.
  6. Place kabobs on the grill directly over the heat and reduce heat to medium-high. Grill for 8-10 minutes, flipping every 2-3 minutes, until the meat is cooked medium-rare to medium and the vegetables start to char just around the edges.
  7. Remove from the grill and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

So, there you have it: the recipe for “Best Beef Kabobs Marinade. I must say, though, that the “House of Nash Eats” Web site has LOTS of additional recipe about this recipe, including answers to such questions as:

  • What is the best meat to use for kabobs?
  • What vegetables to put on a shish kabob?
  • Should I precook vegetables for kabobs?
  • What kind of onion is best for kabobs?
  • Do you close the grill when cooking kabobs?
  • How far in advance can you prep kabobs?

In addition, there’s a list of “More Grilling Recipes like these Shish Kabobs after the FAQs, including one for “Hawaiian Teriyaki Chicken Skewers” that might just be the next thing I grill this month — in honor of National Grilling Month. If I do, I’ll certainly let you know how they turn out. Until then, though, I’d love to hear what you think about the Best Beef Kabobs Marinade. Bon appetit AND HAPPY “National Grilling (and Picnic) Month!

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A very tasty way to end…

Wow! I can’t believe that the last day of June 2025 is almost upon us AND that this is the last “Tasty Tuesdays” recipe this month. However, I think I’ve saved the best for last! This week’s “Tasty Tuesdays” recipe is…

Chocolate French Toast!

Anything with chocolate is great, but chocolate for breakfast? That is AWESOME! When I stumbled upon this recipe online (see my note below), I knew that I had to try it, primarily because Sweet Thing is a chocoholic (which just might have something to do with his nickname…). Haven’t made it for him yet, but it’s on the menu for later this week!

And now, without further ado, here is the last “Tasty Tuesdays” recipe for June 2025

Chocolate French Toast

3 large eggs

1 cup 2% milk

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 slices day-old bread, crusts removed

3 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 oz each), halved2 tablespoons butter

Confectioner’s sugar

  1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour half into an ungreased 13×9-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 slices of bread in a single layer over the egg mixture. Place 1 piece of chocolate in the center of each piece of bread. Top with remaining bread; pour remaining egg mixture over all. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  2. In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Toast sandwiches until golden brown on both sides. Dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm.

So, there’s the recipe for Chocolate French Toast — that was, for me, one of those “Duh! Why didn’t I think of that?!” moments. I’m sure Sweet Thing will like it since (1) he already likes me to make french toast for him, and (2) he LOVES chocolate! I’ll let you know what Sweet Thing had to say about this recipe — once I’m finally able to make it for him! I’d love to hear about (1) what you think of this recipe for Chocolate French Toast AND (2) your own favorite french toast recipes!

Note: When I published this post, I couldn’t remember its source, but I (the Queen of Tabs) will go through my browser history to see if I can track down the Web site where I found what is sure to be one of our go-to breakfast recipes!

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How breakfast used to be…

In today’s “Tasty Tuesdays” post, I’m going to be sharing with you some thoughts about breakfast from Mrs. Isabella Beeton (in her “1861 Classic with Advice on Cooking, Cleaning, Childrearing, Entertaining, and More” — “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management”). Although breakfast was usually only mentioned in passing throughout this book, I was intrigued by the “Bills of Fare” that Mrs. Beeton presented for breakfast — as well as for the other meals of the day, including “luncheons and suppers” as well as “a bill of fare for a picnic of 40 persons”. So… Here’s what Mrs. Beeton had to say about breakfasts:

“It will not be necessary to give here a long bill of fare of cold joints, &c., which may be placed on the side-board, and do duty at the breakfast table. Suffice it to say, that any cold meat the larder may furnish, should be nicely garnished, and be placed on the buffet. Collared and potted meats for fish, cold game or poultry, veal-and-ham pies, game-and Rump-steak pies, are all suitable dishes for the breakfast-table, as also cold ham, tongue, &c. &c.

The following list of hot dishes may perhaps assist our readers in knowing what to provide for the comfortable meal called breakfast. Broiled fish, such as mackerel, whiting, herrings, dried haddocks, &c.; mutton chops and rump-steaks, broiled sheep’s kidneys, kidneys a la maitre d’hotel, sausages, plain rashers of bacon, bacon and poached eggs, ham and poached eggs, omelets, plain boiled eggs, oeufs-au-plat, poached eggs on toast, muffins, toast, marmalade, butter, &c. &c.”

So, there you have it: Mrs. Beeton’s “bill of fare” for “the comfortable meal called breakfast”. I read through “Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management”, hoping to find a recipe for something on her bill of fare, but I couldn’t find anything. (Guess she expected that most Victorian women (and/or cooks) would already know how to make such things.) So… I did what I generally do when looking for new recipes to feature in my “Tasty Tuesdays” posts: I did an online search, specifically for “Victorian Breakfast Recipes”, and I found an article called “Victorian Era Breakfast Recipes: 11 Morning Meals From the Past” on the following Web site: littlethings.com, and because I liked the way this article started, I’m going to begin with that. So, here goes…

“Breakfast is probably — no, definitely — my favorite meal of the day. In fact, I see no problem with enjoying some yummy eggs or piling up a plate of pancakes for lunch or dinner, too. This is why I was so happy to stumble on these scrumptious Victorian breakfast recipes!

… Obviously, things were much different back in Victorian-era England. Still, they certainly knew how to make a good meal that would fill one up for a long day of work. Some of their ideas might seem a little strange to us, but I guarantee that you’ll find more than a few things you’ll want to whip up in the morning.

Take a look at these Victorian breakfast recipes, including a few by Queen Victoria’s own chief cook!”

Although this article featured eleven recipes for such things as bread steaks and egg fritters, I want to share a recipe for something I usually think of as Victorian (or at least, British)… CRUMPETS!

Crumpets

(from: littlethings.com)

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk

2 Tablespoons unsalted melted butter

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Scald the milk, then add melted butter and the lukewarm water. Mix in the yeast and sugar. Stir over heat until frothy. Allow to rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size. Butter muffin tins without bottoms* and arrange on a buttered skillet. Spoon the batter into the rings and cook for about two minutes on each side. Remove the ring and cook again for about three more minutes.

Note:

*If you can’t find bottomless muffin tins for this “true English muffin”, you can use clean tuna cans with both ends removed! (Such a clever idea!)

Because I’ve never really liked “English muffins”, I thought I’d give this recipe for crumpets a try to see if I like these “true English muffins” better. At this point, the verdict’s still out, so I’ll have to let you know when it’s in and what it is. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts about Mrs. Beeton’s bill of fare for the “comfortable meal called breakfast” AND what’s on your “bill of fare” for breakfast. What’s breakfast like for you?

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Another tasty breakfast recipe…

Hello! The theme of “breakfast” continues with a recipe that I have often heard about but never tried myself. So… That is going to change just as soon as try what I hope will be worthy of a “Tasty Tuesdays” post: Baked Oatmeal

Now, before you say anything, I realize that oatmeal is one of those “love it or hate it” foods. Personally, I’m on the “love it” side, but Sweet Thing is on the opposite site, preferring Cream of Wheat instead. (Hmmm… I think Cream of Wheat is another of those “love it or hate it” foods: He loves it, and I hate it. That’s a discussion for another day.) While going through one of my Amish cookbooks (“The Essential Amish cookbook” by Lovina Eicher), I came across the recipe for Baked Oatmeal. As I said earlier, I’ve often heard about baked oatmeal, but I was intrigued by the addition of eggs in this recipe, so I thought I’d give it a try myself — finally! And now, without further ado, here’s this week’s featured breakfast recipe:

Read more: Another tasty breakfast recipe…

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup butter, melted; or 1/4 cup applesauce

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

3 cups quick-cooking oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Pour into greased 2-quart baking dish (or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan). Bake 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

For added flavor, after the oatmeal is baked, top with any combination of chopped fresh fruit, such as apples, peaches, or strawberries, as well as raisins and chopped pecans or walnuts. We sometimes like to pour cold milk over the top when serving.

Makes 8-12 servings, depending on portion size.

Lovina’s note:

My dad had oatmeal almost every day for breakfast. I do not care for the taste of oatmeal, but a few of our children like it, so we have it once in a while.

So, there you have it: Lovina’s recipe for Baked Oatmeal, and she confirmed that oatmeal is, indeed, a “love it or hate it” food — some of her children like oatmeal, but she doesn’t. Which “camp” are you in: the “love it” OR the “hate it”? Please leave a comment to let me know whether you love or hate oatmeal AND what you thought of this recipe.

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June 2025’s “7th of the month” Journal Post

Welcome to yet another “7th of the month” journal post highlighting the previous month, which, for this entry, spans from 7 May through 6 June 2025. As Ive done ever since I starting writing this kind of post, I’ll be following the same pattern — by discussing events that fell into the following three categories:

  • Holler,
  • Personal, and, of course,
  • Writing.

Holler Happenings

Hello from “my holler in Kentucky”! This month, I spent some time working outside — once I finally recovered from whatever was ailing me the first two weeks of May (more on this later)! During my “spring cleaning” sessions outside, I picked up trash that either marauding raccoons or a neighbor’s dog had found while rummaging near the barn, where we keep our trash cans; got all of the burnables, recyclables, and trash out of the house and carted off to where they belong; and cleared off the “wood processing” side of the front porch, so we can start stocking up on firewood this summer.

In addition to doing some “spring cleaning”, Sweet Thing and I spent some time talking about our plans for the holler, and we came up with a “plan of attack” — an ordered list of what we want to accomplish in the coming months (and beyond):

  • finally build a place to store all of our trash cans;
  • relocate the trailer to the “back 40” (which will eventually become my “writing retreat”) AND get at least one load of gravel;
  • build a storage shed behind the reliquary;
  • build a ramp up to the front porch (I’ve never liked stairs, so I’m REALLY looking forward to getting this project finished); and finally,
  • build the much-anticipated “loft storage” in the reliquary (so we can turn half of the space into a guest house and the other half into a workshop).

Hopefully, the price of lumber will come down enough to allow us to tackle ALL of these projects between now and the end of this calendar year.

Another “Holler Happening” occurred on 21 May 2025 when we experienced a late-night power outage. I was exercising on the treadmill when the power glitched for the first time, and I was almost thrown off the treadmill when it quit working! Unfortunately, that experience seems to have had a lasting effect on me: I’m VERY leery whenever it’s time for me to get off the darned thing! I need to look down at my feet to check — and double check — to make sure that the moving belt on which I’m walking is no longer moving! Hopefully, I’ll get over the trauma that this late-night power outage seems to have caused.

Anyway… The power was out for two hours and ten minutes, and once I’d recovered from the “treadmill incident”, I spent most of the time shutting down computers: Denny, my desktop computer, and Zenny, my laptop computer. Since I tend to have A LOY of open tabs on both of my ‘puters (being affectionately called “The Queen of Open Tabs” by Sweet Thing), the power outage proved to be agreat time for me to do something about ’em — bookmarking those I wanted to revisit and CLOSING all of them! In addition, I saved and closed all of the documents and other things that I had open. Shortly after I’d finished shutting down both computers, the power was restored, but I can’t help but wonder just how many people were late to work that morning. I am a “night owl”, so I was well aware of the power outage and was able too reset the clocks in the holler house. So, yeah… I wonder how the “early to bed/early to rise” folks fared during/after the late-night power outage.

Well… That’s about all the “news” I’ve got to report about “holler happenings”, so I’ll now move on to the next category: “Personal Events”:

Personal Events

The month of May began with me getting sick after our trip to “Flordida” for my darlin’ daughter’s college graduation! Don’t know how I got sick, but I finally felt ready to “rejoin the living” and get my life back on track — after TWO full weeks of being sick! Unfortunately, I also got sick again near the end of May, but I was able to “sleep off the sickies”, so I wasn’t sick for as long as I’d been at the beginning of the month. Being sick is definitely NO FUN!

Once I was finally feeling better, I got back to working on “Butterflies”, another “Trip around the World quilt that I started during my second “quilt-along” class at the LGCHC. I had stopped working on this quilt so I could get another quilt (“Purples” finished in time to give my daughter after she graduated. I finished the inner border on 20 May, and I expect to have it finished before the start of my third “quilt-along” class on 10 June 2025. By the way, I started taking these “quilt-along” classes in the fall of 2024 after finding out about them when I started working on repairing my daughter’s (well-worn) “trailer quilt” that a dear family friend had given her decades before! I think I’m definitely hooked on quilting! In fact, I suspect that I’ll be writing a few books that will feature quilts and the Amish women who make them.

Anyway… Here are a few more things that fall into the “Personal Events” category:

  • spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what I need to do to get my life back on track — after the focus of the first four months of 2025 being on getting ready for the ROAD TRIP down to “Flordida” to attend my daughter’s college graduation. After that event became history, I was at a loss as to what I want to focus on now.
  • the “checking on you” phone calls from my darlin’ daughter continued throughout the month, including one during which she managed to get her brother on the phone — a rare, but greatly appreciated, treat. (Found out that he’s still alive (sometimes I wonder…) and working at a Winco — at least I think that’s the name of the grocery store where he works!) In addition, I also had an enjoyable chat with one of our family’s neighbors when I was growing up! It had been quite a while since I last spoke with her, so it was great to catch up on what’s been happening with her ever-growing family!
  • I read a couple of books by Danielle Steele: “The Butler” and “Five Days in Paris”. I’ve never really been a fan of Danielle Steele, but I read those two books to give her another chance — to see whether my “literary tastes” had changed. I like the concept of “The Butler”, but as a romance (which is what I was expecting), it didn’t cut it for me. I much preferred “Five Days in Paris”. Anyway…
  • I FINALLY got DJ back from the repair shop — after over TWO months (much of which was waiting for parts). Thankfully, the repair bill was A LOT less than expected! A VERY pleasant surprise.
  • I created a “Summer Bucket List” — of things that I want to accomplish this summer! It includes many of the things I keep saying I want to do each summer but never do. Hopefully, this is the summer that things like (1) going to see movies at a drive-in theatre and (2) make at lease one batch of homemade ice cream! Once again, I’ll have to type it up, print it out, and post it somewhere prominent, so I’ll be able to check to see how close I am to accomplishing everything on this list.
  • I ended this “month” ( on 5 June 2025) with something I know is my “civic duty” but is also something I dread: JURY DUTY! Unlike jury duty in the state where I used to live, jury duty here is an all-year responsibility — mostly due to the lower population. Thankfully, the local judge understands that jury duty isn’t always a favorite activity for the folks around here, so she does her best to make it so that the “petit court jurors” don’t have to come in until they’re really needed. Well… It turned out that these jurors, including me, were actually needed for a jury trial that day (and into the next), so I spent that morning listening to every that was going on in the courtroom — AND taking notes, so I could possibly include a scene in which one of my main characters has been summoned for jury duty. The taking of notes actually helped keep me calm during that whole “ordeal”, BUT I am VERY grateful that my name was NEVER called for me to become a juror for that trial. I was able to walk away from the courthouse breathing BIG sighs of relief. In addition to NOT being called, there was another bit of good news: the judge’s calendar was filling up fast for jury trials in the other jurisdictions in which she serves, so I won’t have to worry about jury duty again until OCTOBER! Only time will tell whether I’ll be summoned for jury duty in October…

And on that note, I’ll move on to the third, and final, category in June’s “7th of the month” journal post: my writing!

Writing

As far as my writing is concerned, I FINALLY got back to my writing on the 8th of May (after being sick for a FULL TWO WEEKS!), and one of the first things I did was to get all of my postcards mailed for April 2025’s postcard swap! With virtually all of my attention in April focused on our ROAD TRIP (for my darlin’ daughter’s college graduation), working on my postcards got pushed to the back burner. Consequently, I made working on those a priority once I (finally) regained my health! “Better late than never!”

In addition, I continued researching Amish life by perusing Web sites such as “Amish America: Exploring Amish Culture & Communities”, which is a treasure trove of information about the Amish in this country AND by ordering a book called “Pocket Guide to the Amish”, by Mindy Starns Clark, and author of Amish romance novels. (I also checked out her author Web site, too — to get more ideas about what kinds of things I might want to add to my own Web site!) Although this book is small in size, it is packed with LOTS of information that will probably be incorporated into some of my own Amish romance novels in the future!

Speaking of my own Amish novels, I decided to use my jury duty experience as research for a scene to include in my current work-in-progress or, possibly, into a “short” story. I figured that doing this would help keep my mind occupied and off the possibility that my name might be drawn as a potential juror! So… I started taking notes about jury duty as soon as I got into our “little white roadster” (thanks to Sweet Thing agreeing to drop me off and pick me up since there’s a distinct lack of parking at the local courthouse) and continued to do so throughout the whole nerve-wracking experience. Thankfully, I made it out of the courtroom WITHOUT my name being called! (THANK YOU!) Once outside, I called Sweet Thing to let him know he could come pick me up, and then I proceeded to walk to our agreed-upon pickup location: a place that might be a good place for me to park should he not be able to drop me off in the future. Anyway… Now that I’ve got pages and pages of notes from my three-hour jury duty service, I need to start thinking about how to incorporate such a scene into one of my own Amish romance novels (or a short story)! Coming soon to a book near you: JURY DUTY!

The last thing worthy of noting in this “7th of the month” post is that Sweet Thing introduced me to ways AI can help authors, including (1) creating characters, and (2) coming up with plot points for a story based on a given genre and a one-sentence description. For a long time, I’ve been hearing about AI, but I’m rather old-fashioned and just didn’t want to have anything to do with AI. However, that all changed when he started giving me examples of what AI could do the help me as an author. Now, I see the potential that AI has, so I’ll probably be “playing with” it — though NOT as much as Sweet Thing has been doing lately. At this point, “the jury is still out” about how much I’ll allow AI into my writing life, but I would love to hear about your experiences with AI. So… Please leave a comment below.

On that note, I’m going to close June’s “7th of the month” post. Stay tuned for another glimpse into my personal (AND professional) life. As always, I look forward to hearing from you! In the meantime… Take care.

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Let the day begin — in a tasty way!

The theme for this month’s “Tasty Tuesdays” posts will be BREAKFAST, and each featured recipe will be a tasty way to begin your day. This first recipe is for a tasty treat I first discovered in a bulk bin at one of my local supermarkets back when I was living in the High Desert of California decades ago! It was French Vanilla Almond Granola, and I just could NOT get enough of it! Consequently, I tried time and again to recreate the recipe at home, but what I made NEVER tasted as good as what I purchased in bulk from Winco! So… When I heard that my daughter was going to Winco a couple months ago, I asked her to purchase four pounds of it for me. Thankfully, she did — AND she brought it all the way from California to Florida to give to me when she saw me at her recent college graduation. It was just as good as I remembered! However, knowing that I would soon run out of what she’d bought for me, I started looking online to find a recipe that just might turn out as good as what she’d purchased from Winco before her trip, and I found it — on the Delicious As It Looks food blog! And now, without further ado, here is that recipe…

French Vanilla Almond Granola

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats and sliced almonds.
  3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar and salt into the water. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in canola oil and vanilla. Pour into the oat and almond mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Spread mixture out on the lined cookie sheet and bake for 2 hours, or until dry. * Do not stir! Remove from oven and let it cool before breaking apart into chunks. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes

  • I’ve found that when I increase the recipe, it requires more baking time. When I double the recipe, I have to bake it for almost 3 hours total.

So, there you have it: French Vanilla Almond Granola… a recipe for granola that rivals what can be purchased at Winco. Since there are no Winco grocery stores in my “neck of the woods”, I’m so delighted to have found a recipe that will satisfy my cravings for granola AND get my day off to a tasty start. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I feel a craving for some granola!

As always, I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe for French Vanilla Almond Granola as well as what your favorite granola recipe is, so please leave a comment below. In the meantime… Take care!

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The First Irish Recipe I Ever Made!

“Tastes from the Irish” continue with (as the title of this post suggests) the first Irish recipe I ever made, and that recipe is for Colcannon, “a classic Irish recipe for potatoes with the addition of milk, butter, and greens like kale, cabbage, leeks, green onion, or chives.”

I first heard about this recipe when a co-teacher of mine (Thanks, Cuca!) made it as part of a St. Patrick’s Day feast that we served to our (primarily Hispanic) students and their families to celebrate this holiday. When I found out exactly what it was, I wasn’t too sure about it since I really don’t like mashed potatoes, but I gave it a try. Much to my surprise, I really liked it, so I’ve been serving Colcannon as part of my St. Patrick’s Day feast ever since!

As with the first of my “Tastes from the Irish” posts, this recipe is from the Web site called theviewfromgreatisland.comm, and here’s some of what the author had to say about this recipe:

“Colcannon Flavor Variations to Try

Though not traditional, I added a bit of horseradish to my Colcannon for an extra flavor boost. I love the flavor of horseradish in my mashed potatoes, it gives a great little subtle kick. But you can definitely leave it out, or adjust the amount to your taste. Here are some more ideas for adding a layer of flavor to your Colcannon.

  • mustard, either creamy or grainy
  • garliic, fresh or dried
  • crummbled bacon (!)
  • sour cream
  • fresh herbs like thyme, parsley or rosemary

Other Veggies to Use in Colcannon

While kale and cabbage are traditional, there are so many other greens you might use if you want to get creative!

  • spinach
  • watercress
  • chives
  • leeks
  • chard
  • raddicchio
  • shaved Brussels sprouts
  • other types of cabbage such as red cabbage, Savoy, or Napa

The Best Way to Mash Potatoes

How do you mash your potatoes? I’m partial to an old-fashioned potato-masher. They make quick work of well-boiled potatoes, and allow you a little more control over the final texture. I don’t like my mashed potatoes to be perfectly smooth, in fact, I usually don’t even bother to peel my potatoes (although I did for this recipe.)

If you do like a perfectly smooth texture, you can use electric beaters, just be careful not to over beat them, over beating can cause your mashed potatoes to become ‘gluey’. Not a good thing.

How to Make Colcannon Ahead

Colcannon can be made up to a few days ahead to time. To reheat, cover with foil and heat in a 350F oven, or in the slow cooker. You may need to add additional liquid and butter to loosen them up. You’ll want to stir a few times while reheating so they heat evenly.”

And now… without further ado, here is this week’s featured “Tasty Tuesdays” recipe:

Colcannon (Mashed Potatoes With Kale)

This authentic Irish dish teams up creamy mashed potatoes with vibrant and healthy kale for an unbeatable side dish!

Equipment

Potato masher

Ingredients

3 lbs russet potatoes (the best for mashing), peeled and chopped

5 Tablespoons butter, divided, plus more for serving if desired

8 cups chopped kale, about 1 large bunch (remove the tough stems first)

1 cup half-and-half or buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

4 teaspoons horseradish sauce [optional]

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the chopped potatoes, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are very tender. (The tip of a sharp knife should slide in easily.)
  2. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.
  3. In the same pot, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter, and sautee the chopped kale over low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until soft.
  4. Take off the heat, add the potatoes back to the pot along with the rest of the butter, half-and-half, salt, and horseradish sauce. Mash together with a potato masher until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
  5. Adjust seasonings to taste, and serve with more butter if desired.

So, there you have it: the recipe for Sue Moran’s Authentic Colcannon. I hope you’ll give it a try and then let me know what you thought about it.