Met Monday & Today’s Thrifty Treasures … Terra Cotta Fleur-de-lis

 

Double duty post… Met Monday & Thrifty Treasures..

This little terra cotta bird bath I’ve had for years… Remember back when the Target birds went off on their lil holiday adventures?

Visit Between Naps on the Porch & Southern Hospitality for more Met Monday & Thrifty Treasure participants.

 

As I was looking for lil ideas for my Target Bird couple.. I came across this lil bird bath that I had packed away for goodwill.. Lucky for me I never found time to drop it off.

  

Look how cute it turned out..

Even better … I was able to give my Target Birds.. Dale & Danielle an addition to their family. A little Babe.

 

And for me I got a dull piece transformed into a bright piece of beauty.

  

Thrifty Treasures… Fleur de lis

Hobby Lobby  90% off of Clearance items. I paid $2.60 for the one on the left.. and  $1.90 for the one on the right. I got these back in early May .. they are both very heavy.. I wasn’t crazy about the color so this past week I started transforming them.. which I’ll share next week for Met Monday.

Special thanks to both Rhoda and Susan for hosting these fun events.. Click on their blog buttons above to join in on all the fun.

Happy Week Everyone …. ~ Big Ole Hugs, Debbie

 

Co’op The Who What Where & How .. June’s Products..

As I have stated a few times here on my blog.. I belong to a Co’op. Many of you have asked.. What is it?.. What all do you get?.. How much do you pay?.. etc. So last month I started keeping track and taking photos of each week’s load.

As for the questions.. I’m going to answer all that I have answers for.

• What is it..   In our group we have 10 ladies including myself.. We all split a load that is picked up weekly from a warehouse where everything there is sorted in equal amounts to be divided amongst 150 groups like ours. Each group is to have no more or less than 10 members. When they divide each load at the warehouse.. each load is sorted so each member can get equal amounts.
• Where do the people in the Warehouse get all this stuff..  All of the items are donated from Companies, Corporations, Farmers, etc from all over.
• Why do these Companies donate it.. Most of them for Tax credit, Promotions of new products, Discontinued products, Close to sell date, damaged packages, dented cans … etc.
• Why not just give it to a food bank.. Guidelines for donating to area food banks are very strict, and believe it or not, alot of them refuse it if it’s not of a certain amount.
• How did you get in this Co’op… I got in through a friend who actually gave me her spot about 2 years ago. Which is a no no , and not something that is usually ever allowed. Normally you have to be put on a waiting list to get in a group.. and because the stuff is so great nobody wants to drop out.. therefore you can be on the waiting list forever. I lucked up because my friend had started a new job and wasn’t able to pickup her stuff each week.. and she had asked me to do for her. Which I gladly did for about 2 months.. by that time I  had already bonded with everyone in the group.. they loved me lol… and when my friend asked if it’d be okay for me to move into her spot.. everyone agreed.
• How much does it cost.. I pay $13.00 a month. Yep that’s all.. 13 bucks.
• What all do you get.. Anything and Everything.. Produce, Frozen products, Paper products, Shampoo, electronics, cleaning products, school supplies, office supplies, we’ve even gotten furniture. You just never know what each week will bring.
• Do you ever get bad stuff.. Yes, sometimes we get things like produce that shoulda been chunked days ahead.. and sometimes we get things that are out of date. Those things I just toss out, because the good always out weighs the bad. We even get electronics..  that people have returned to a store for some reason or another.. sometimes they work.. sometimes they don’t.
• How do I get in a group like this.. That I do not know. Like I said earlier I stumbled in this one, and it’s sorta a word of mouth thing. I’ve never seen any thing listed in my area. You may check your local Churches to see if they know of any. I know that is how this one got started about 6 years ago.
• There wasn’t a question asked about this but I’ll throw it in.. We all take turns each week picking the load up… which is about 40 miles away. So we each get a 9 week break before it’s our turn to pick up again. Each load is brought to my home to be divided.. One reason is that I’m sorta the center of where everyone lives and secondly because I have a huge covered porch which makes it easier if it’s raining… and third because I’m a clean freak and everyone knows I’m not about to sort stuff on no dirty ground like I’ve seen done in other groups.. That’s just nasty and Debbie don’t do nasty lol.

Now I hope I covered the basics .. if you have any questions that I didn’t cover, just leave it in the comments and I’ll respond whether I know the answer or not.. or at least try and direct you to finding it.

Everything you’re about to see is from the last Friday of the last week of May and the entire month of June up to Friday June 26th.

The Last Week of May..  Since everything is visible in this photo I won’t list each of the items. Also by seeing those diapers down there.. you may be thinking .. Hey I didn’t know Debbie had a little baby.. Well I don’t lol ! We do tend to get things we don’t need or use sometimes.. which is ok.. cuz I always have someone that I know can and will use it. Like those diapers.

First Week of June.. Large load. The next 5 photos are of that week.

June: Week 2.. Very Small Load …  Lettuce and Vadalia Onions again .. 2 yellow squash, 2 zucchini squash.. Most of the lettuce from last week and this week I gave to a friend for her rabbits.  Next 4 photos.

 

June Week 3: Average load.. Next 2 photos.

   

June Week 4.. Average load.. Everything below but the Green Beans & Tomatoes.. My friend Suzanne brought those to me from her garden when she picked up her co’op. Which I cooked for dinner the next night.

That Jelly Belly box.. which I cropped out because I didn’t want you to see that water ring on my table..  are freezer pops. I’ve not seen those before .. so they may be new.

That’s it.. That’s my haul from the last 5 weeks. Not bad for $13.00 huh.  Tomorrow morning is my turn to go pick up.. so for next month I’ll have pictures of the warehouse and other things involved.

 

Tomorrow .. I’m going to try and get a post out about this awesome new program I’ve been using called Windows Live Writer.  Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality blogged about it and I decided to give it a try.. and I’m loving it. Have you noticed a difference in my photos.. how big and easier they are to see .. and how about this font.. can’t cha see it better.. Oh my Gosh.. I’m in hog heaven over it. So stay tuned.. I’m gonna do a lil tutorial showing you all it’s tricks. 

 

Big Ole Hugs, Debbie

Southern Fried Corn & Fresh Homemade Croissant Recipes

 

I made a terrible boo boo when posting for my Foodie Friday addition.. I didn’t list the recipes .. eeek!  So at the request for them I’m adding this new post instead of adding it to my original post. Why not add it to the other … well because dummy me is now using this wonderul Windows Live Writer .. That I really really do LOVE  but I’m not quite sure how to do an edit yet and I wanted to get this done quick as possible.

Here’s the dinner… supper here in the south .. that I made Foodie Friday.

 

  

As I stated.. All of the veggies are garden fresh.. compliments of my Veggie Dealer and Best Friend Suzanne. Also Please excuse the pictures below.. Jeff & Ashley both took the good cameras.. so I had to use the ole cheapie.

I belong to a food co’op.. I’ll be posting all about that later.. and we tend to get tons of frozen bread loafs. The possibilities are endless as to what can be done with them.

Fresh Baked Croissants:

You can buy frozen loafs just like these below in the freezer section at the grocery store…

• When making croissants I cover it with plastic wrap that I’ve sprayed using Pam Butter Spray and let my dough thaw in the frig.. to keep it from rising… plus you want it to be cold when you start to make the croissants.
• Make sure you have a large area prepared up front for rolling out the dough. I usually cover my area with wax paper that I’ve sprayed using Pam Butter Spray.
• Make sure to work quickly when rolling.. cutting is easier when it’s not gummy.
• Once you have it all rolled out.. I use a pizza cutter and cut out the triangles.
• Remove excess pieces and start rolling your croissants …
• Roll large end forward toward triangle point.. then turn your 2 sides toward the center.
• Now go ahead and place them on your baking sheet… cover with that same sprayed plastic wrap and let em rise at room temp.
• Once they’ve risen to your desired size they’re ready to bake.
• Preheat your oven to 325
• Bake at 325 for … depending on the size .. I normally bake mine about 12 – 15 minutes. I just kinda eye ball em and when they look ready… they’re ready lol I’m no Paula Dean.

If you end up having more than you want to cook at once.. You can freeze them like I do.

• Once you have them shaped.. quickly before they start to rise.. put them on a sheet of wax paper and stick them in the freezer for bout 30 to 45 minutes. Once they are a little frozen on the outside you can take them and place them in a freezer bag neatly without them sticking to each other.
• When you’re ready to bake just pull them out of the freezer.. lay them out on your baking sheet.. cover with a sprayed piece of plastic wrap and let em thaw and rise. Then bake.

 

Southern Fried Cream Corn:

I always freeze my fresh corn on the cob in the husk.. I just cut off the tassels and end pieces and stick em in a freezer bag.. So we have fresh corn all year round.

When making Southern Fried Cream Corn .. you start with fresh corn on the cob. You can use either yellow or white.. Me I always use White Silver Queen Corn.. it’s the bestest. Never EVER use can corn.. that jus ain’t southern and plus it’ll be YUCK!

• 12 Ears of White Corn
• 3 stripes of bacon
• Milk
• Salt
• Pepper

I always use my well seasoned cast iron skillet or cast iron dutch oven.. but you can use any non stick frying pan.

• Fry the bacon and then set it aside leaving only the bacon grease in pan.
• Cut corn from cob… you want to make sure you catch all of the milk from the cob. Start by using a really sharp knife and shave thin layers of the corn away .. don’t cut straight to the cob.. you want to make sure you cut each of the kernels a couple of times before you reach the cob. Once you reach the cob.. take a potato peeler and scrap all that milky juice from the cob into the bowl.
• Put cut corn into the skillet with the bacon fat.
• Now you add Milk… How much? Well that’s the tricky part. Depending on how much juice you were able to get from the cobs.. You just have to use your own judgment. With mine I add just enough to reach the top corn level. Stir well and fry until it’s not thin any longer… the starch from the corn with thicken it up as it cooks. On medium heat in cast iron.. bout 10-15 minutes.. Make sure you don’t leave it .. it gets thick quick and the milk will scorch and burn. Now don’t waste that fried bacon.. crumble it up and mix it in as well.

Happy 4th Y’all …  Debbie

 

Tablescape Thursday & Foodie Friday … 4th of July

 

Welcome Everyone…

This is my very first time participating in Foodie Friday.. and my second addition to Tablescape Thursday. So hopefully you’ll all bare with me through my nervousness and greenhorn skills. 

 

I wish to thank Our Hostesses Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch and Gollum @ Designs By Gollum.. for always graciously hosting these fun and entertaining blogland events. They have both inspired so many of us to be creative wonders. I know for me many of Gollum’s treats have helped me fill my husbands tummy so full of joy he forgets to pay attention to all I spend on tablescapes.. So after you finish looking around here click on the buttons below and go visit these lovely ladies and all the other talented ladies participating today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In honor of the 4th of July Holiday..

 

We’re all decked out in Red, White & Blue. 

• The 6” Blue Bowl is Mainstay that I picked up from Wal-Mart.
• The White Fish are from Target.

 

The White Salad plate is Simple Dining .. that I found at Ross. They don’t have lil black dots on them I promise lol.. something happened as I was trying to adjust the resolution of the photo.

The Red, White & Blue Tea Towel.. Dollar Tree.

Dinner Plate.. Seltmann Weiden “Christina White” .. Given as a wedding gift years ago.

Red Sedona Plate.. under dinner plate is Mainstay.. from Wal-Mart.

Red Mat Charger.. Wal-Mart.

Blue Place Mat.. Dollar Tree.

• Flatware .. Oneida Brooch pattern .. Target.

This darling little hamburger salt & pepper set is from Pier One.. I love how it stacks together perfectly as one piece .. or separately.

The Flags used in the center piece were some I already had.. but I saw plenty of them at Dollar Tree, which had multiple sizes and packages that had 2 & 3 flags in each pack.

• Blue Water Goblets.. filled with homemade lemonade.. are Mainstay also from Wal-Mart.
• The Pitcher is Crisa that was a gift from Dillards.
• The Red Stemware below is from Target from years ago I purchased for my Christmas table.
• Sunflower plate.. is by Boston Warehouse Trading Company.. picked that lil set up at Kroger.

On to the FOOD:

Those YUMMY tomatoes up there.. They came from my dear friend Suzanne’s garden. She has been supplying me with tons of veggies over the last few weeks.. some of which I’m about to share with you.

How about a fresh picked cantaloupe.. perfectly chilled for dessert.

Fresh baked homemade Croissants.. I made 2 dozen of these because I knew I’d be fixin lots of tomato, cucumber & vadalia onion sandwiches with them over the next few weeks.  Click HERE for my croissant recipe.

We like a lil twang with our meal .. so I made this lil pepper mix you see below. It’s a mixture of diced black olives, red, green, yellow, orange peppers, vadalia onion, and cucumbers. I normally dice up enough so that I can toss it in a pasta salad for the next day. BTW.. those lil white appetizer bowls are from Target and the Mini Crystal Pastry Stand is Laura Glass that I got from Ross.

Another shot of those Croissants filling up an Old Glory basket. I had made these cute little star ice cubes.. but I totally forgot to get a picture before they started melting.. so this is the best photo I have of them.

On to the Main Course:

• Grilled Boneless BBQ Pork Chops …  with grilled red & yellow peppers.
• Green Beans … straight from the garden.
• Fried White Cream Corn.. also from the garden. Click HERE for My Southern Fried Cream Corn Recipe.
• Red Ripe Tomatoes.. also from the garden.
• Pepper Mix.. all fresh from Suzanne’s garden except the black olives.

 

Are you hungry yet? It was so delicious! This was the meal I prepared for Jeff and Ashley the Saturday night before they both left for camp on Sunday..  

    

Another view.. as it started to get dark outside.

The Centerpiece with the larger flags.. The Red Canister is from a canister set that I purchased recently from Kirklands.. They matched the Red Stemware perfectly. I removed the larger flags from the centerpiece before we sat down for dinner because they were so large we couldn’t see one another.

Thank You All for dropping by to visit my addition to this week’s Tablescape Thursday & Foodie Friday..

Greenhorn mistake: I didn’t include recipes for the Croissants and other goodies in this post.. so I made a new post with those listed. Click HERE to view those recipes. Sorry for that lil mishap, Debbie

 

From My Family To Yours.. We hope you all have a Wonderful Safe Fun Filled Happy 4th of July. Enjoy the Great Food… The Spirit of the celebration.. and the Freedom we all share in this Great Country of Ours.

         

 Happy 4th Everyone!

God Bless, Debbie