Now and Then by Nancy Kline: OLD FASHION OATMEAL COOKIESNothing smells as good ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: OLD FASHION OATMEAL COOKIESNothing smells as good ...: OLD FASHION OATMEAL COOKIES Nothing smells as good as cookies baking in the oven.  Oatmeal cookies are easy to mix up and delicious to ...

OLD FASHION OATMEAL COOKIES

Nothing smells as good as cookies baking in the oven.  Oatmeal cookies are easy to mix up and delicious to eat.  My recipe is really good and just about right on the "chewy side". 

Recipe: 

1 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups uncooked old fashion oats

1 cup raisins

 

Mix first five ingredients together, add oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla

Beat until smooth

Stir in oats and raisins

Drop by heaping spoonful onto greased cookie sheets

Bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes

 

and Remember:

 

Mares eat oats

and does eat oats

and little lambs eat ivy

a kid'll eat ivy, too

wouldn't you

 

And a kid'll eat oatmeal cookies !

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: FALL IS HEREFall has arrived in the Ozarks with co...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: FALL IS HEREFall has arrived in the Ozarks with co...: FALL IS HERE Fall has arrived in the Ozarks with cooler weather, rain showers and the very tips of trees beginning to change colors.  A...

FALL IS HERE

Fall has arrived in the Ozarks with cooler weather, rain showers and the very tips of trees beginning to change colors.  At the same time that the leaves begin to fall things are falling out of my attic that have been stored there for the past year.  Most of my "treasures" are beginning to show their age but with a little fluffing, cleaning and some glue they will just have to get by for another year and probably the next several years.  

My favorite fall decorations are scare crows, pumpkins and yellow flowers.  Orange is not one of my favorite colors to use but I put up with it for a few weeks every year just to fit in with the rest of the people.  Just remember that orange and pink make "peach" and we all love peaches.

We can now enjoy shorter days which means less work in the yard and garden.  We can also enjoy seasonal cooking such as good old apple pie and pumpkin cake.  The flowers are also ready for a long rest from all their hard work in spring and summer and we too are happy to see refreshing changes.

 

The melancholy days have come,

 the saddest of the year,

Of  wailing winds, and naked woods,

and meadows brown and sear.

 

Bryant--The Death of the Flowers

 

Remember to make hay while the sun shines!

  

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: LEMONADE CAKEDelicious lemon cake to finish off t...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: LEMONADE CAKE
Delicious lemon cake to finish off t...: LEMONADE CAKE Delicious lemon cake to finish off the summer's heat and bring in the cooler fall.  This cake is a big hit every time...

LEMONADE CAKE

Delicious lemon cake to finish off the summer's heat and bring in the cooler fall.  This cake is a big hit every time I bake it.  It is simple to throw together and super moist.
Recipe:
1 lemon cake mix
1 lemon pudding/pie mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil
Mix all together, blend well then beat at medium speed for four minutes
Bake at 350  in bundt pan until done
Cool in pan 5 minutes then punch with ice pick to the bottom of pan
Glaze:
1 6oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate thawed, omit water
2 cups confectioners sugar
Blend well
Pour over cake
Cool 15 minutes before turning out of pan
Sprinkle a little confectioners sugar on top if desired

I used pink lemonade as the store was out of plain and it was beautiful.  This cake did not last very long and got lots of compliments.

Mix, Punch, Eat and Share  !

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PAINTED VICTORIAN CLOTH DOLL This beautiful lady ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PAINTED VICTORIAN CLOTH DOLL  This beautiful lady ...: PAINTED VICTORIAN CLOTH DOLL     This beautiful lady properly sits on a chair in my upper hall.  I found the pattern and directions...

PAINTED VICTORIAN CLOTH DOLL

 

 

This beautiful lady properly sits on a chair in my upper hall.  I found the pattern and directions in a magazine back in the 1980's.  The magazine is gone forever as the way of magazines goes. I made several of them that sold quite well and decided to keep one for myself.  Sadly somehow during our transition from Louisiana to Missouri she was lost.  I searched through all my belongings for several years and finally decided that the only way to recover her was to find the pattern and make a new one. 

As I have always been a seamstress I had several hundred patterns to go through before finally finding her pattern neatly folded and labeled in a white envelope.  I could hardly wait to start making the fabrics come alive in the form of this outstanding Victorian doll.  She is made out of all white fabrics and then painted with craft paints. 

She sits very quietly outside my bedroom in a chair and watches over everything that comes up and down the stairs.  She is not all that old maybe seven or eight years but is a very wise one for her age.

 

Pattern for Painted Victorian Cloth Doll

 

Don't Throw Away Your Old Patterns !

     

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: JAR SALADSWe take our lunch to work everyday and ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: JAR SALADS
We take our lunch to work everyday and ...: JAR SALADS We take our lunch to work everyday and usually eat a salad.  Over the weekend usually on Sunday afternoon I cut up the vegg...

JAR SALADS

We take our lunch to work everyday and usually eat a salad.  Over the weekend usually on Sunday afternoon I cut up the veggies and place them in canning jars and they stay fresh all week.  Lettuce of different varieties and sometimes spinach makes the foundation.  The beautiful colored bell peppers in red, orange, yellow and purple add a lot of color as well as chopped carrots.  Celery and cucumber are added and fresh herbs such as basil, parsley or whatever looks good that day.  Sometimes I put in some chopped cabbage.  If there are any cherry tomatoes or small varieties they can be added but not cut up ones as they are too juicy to keep with the other things so I cut up the larger tomatoes and keep them in a separate container and add them when we eat the salads. 

We have a small refrigerator in our office so we leave the dressings every day but put the salads in each day and can hardly wait for lunch to arrive.  The salads will keep very well in an insulated lunch bad with a freezer cube in the bag.

 

Chop, Jar, Eat, Enjoy !!!



Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE A good way to get your ve...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE A good way to get your ve...: CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE    A good way to get your veggies eaten is find cake recipes that call for them.  This chocolate zucchini ca...

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE

 

A good way to get your veggies eaten is find cake recipes that call for them.  This chocolate zucchini cake is "sooo" good and it practically melts in your mouth.  It is pretty easy to mix up and so far I haven't had any complaints about the zucchini in it.  Most people can't even believe that it even has zucchini in it.  It is really moist and the frosting is absolutely delicious by itself.  I always raise more zucchini in my garden then we can possibly eat or give away so I grate all the extras up and keep in the freezer for baking cakes and bread all winter long. 

Recipe:

1 stick melted butter

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

4 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix and pour into prepared 10 x 15 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until done.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 sticks butter softened

16 oz. cream cheese softened

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat until fluffy and spread on cooled cake.

 

Eat Your Veggies One Way or Another !

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PURPLE HYACINTH BEAN Several years ago a friend ga...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PURPLE HYACINTH BEAN Several years ago a friend ga...: PURPLE HYACINTH BEAN   Several years ago a friend gave me three bean pods from this plant that she had gotten from a friend of hers in...

PURPLE HYACINTH BEAN

 

Several years ago a friend gave me three bean pods from this plant that she had gotten from a friend of hers in Arkansas.  I had never seen any of these vines or even heard of them until then.  I put the three pods on the counter in my wash room to save until spring when I could put them in the ground.  Somehow all but one of the bean pods got misplaced during the winter but thankfully I found the one that was left that had fallen into a drawer. 

When spring came around I took the beans out of the pod and planted them in a sunny spot where they could grow on the fence.  They did come up and now I save several of the pods to plant each spring. 

These vines start off slowly but once the weather starts getting warmer they take a growing spurt and you can almost see them growing daily.  They  don't start blooming until August in my yard and by September they are in full bloom.  The flowers would remind you of sweet peas but they don't have that sweet scent.  After the blooms start falling the pods begin to form and they are really beautiful.  They love full sun and some water.  Thomas Jefferson planted them in his gardens and therefore some people refer to them as Jefferson Beans. 

My vines mingle with the red cypress vines and blue morning glory vines that climb on the fence.  I save several of the pods just to make sure I have some the next year but they usually come up voluntarily.  The beans are edible but have to be cooked a certain way because they are poisonous. They look real pretty in flower arrangements when added to other cut flowers or sometimes just by themselves.

Plant, Watch, but Don't Eat !!!



Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Starting of school year was ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES Starting of school year was ...: PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES   Starting of school year was always a wonderful time for me.  With four kids in the house all day everyday all...

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

 

Starting of school year was always a wonderful time for me.  With four kids in the house all day everyday all summer I was ready to welcome the first day of school.  One of the sweetest memories was having some home made cookies waiting for that after school hunger.  Nothing better than a few peanut butter cookies and a glass of milk to fill up empty bellies and then go outside and play in the neighborhood until "supper".  Supper was the time of day when daddies came home from work, kids came in from the neighborhood and we all sat together and ate and discussed family topics and who had homework.

If there were any cookies left over they were put into the lunch boxes for the next day's lunch at school.

You probably have a good recipe for peanut butter cookies but in case you don't here is mine:

1 cup shortening

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon sale

Roll the dough into little balls and then press a fork  on the top and make the criss cross print that is famous only to peanut butter cookies.

 

Mix, Press Eat and Enjoy!!

 





Now and Then by Nancy Kline: RED SPIDER LILY Red spider lilies are from the ama...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: RED SPIDER LILY Red spider lilies are from the ama...: RED SPIDER LILY   Red spider lilies are from the amaryllis family and the proper name for them is Lycoris radiate.  They are truly wo...

RED SPIDER LILY

 

Red spider lilies are from the amaryllis family and the proper name for them is Lycoris radiate.  They are truly worth waiting for their appearance in the late summer and early fall. 

Memories of them popping up in the lawns of St. Augustine grass in the deep south still linger with me as I watch them suddenly appear, very similar to yard spiders, in the yard.  My mother always had these lilies in her yards and they were one of her favorites.  You don't realize they are there until you walk out to the yard and there they are standing in full beauty to give a powerful showing that you did not expect. 

My sister-in-law who lives in Texas gave me a brown bag full of the bulbs two years ago in the spring.  I  put them in the ground and patiently waited for them to pop up that fall.  Nothing happened that fall and I was very disappointed as I am used to my very green thumb's quick results.  But I decided to wait another year for the blooms and was certainly surprised when I thought I saw something red under the big oak tree and upon investigating found that the spider lilies had decided to put on a gorgeous show.  They stand very tall and erect on a slender green stem and when the flowers are gone some long thin leaves appear. 

They reproduce new bulbs each year and I am looking forward to a much larger display next fall.

Plant, Wait and Enjoy!

 

 

 

.  



Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MOIST OATMEAL CAKE An old recipe that just jumped ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: MOIST OATMEAL CAKE An old recipe that just jumped ...: MOIST OATMEAL CAKE   An old recipe that just jumped out at me from my old recipe collection is this delicious very moist oatmeal cake...

MOIST OATMEAL CAKE

 

An old recipe that just jumped out at me from my old recipe collection is this delicious very moist oatmeal cake.  It is easy to mix up and quick to disappear from the pan.  Maybe it is the broiler icing that causes it to be so good.  Anyway, it looked worth trying and from the looks of the empty pan it must have been well received. 

 

Oatmeal Cake:

Combine 1 stick butter, I cup quick cooking oats, 1 1/2 cups boiling water.  Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.  Add to this mixture after 20 minutes, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix until mixture is smooth.  Bake in 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. 

 

Broiler icing:  6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cream or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Blend above ingredients and spread over hot cake

Broil until brown

 

Have Your Oats All Day Long!

 





Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SUMMER FLOWERS ENDINGAs summer comes to an end ver...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SUMMER FLOWERS ENDINGAs summer comes to an end ver...: SUMMER FLOWERS ENDING As summer comes to an end very soon there are still some gorgeous flowers enjoying the slightly cooler weather we...

SUMMER FLOWERS ENDING

As summer comes to an end very soon there are still some gorgeous flowers enjoying the slightly cooler weather we have been having lately.  The roses are still budding but not as abundantly as in the spring.  They have really worked overtime to produce beautiful blooms that have supplied my home very well this summer and are probably ready for The Last Rose of Summer.  There are a few zinnias left as well as a some other scattered blossoms of different plants making their last statement before the first frost comes in a few weeks.

Weekends will now be spent cutting back shrubs and perennials for the winter.  This is not an easy task for us as we have surrounded ourselves with too many flower beds but we will get it done in due time.  As hard as my flowers have worked this year I am sure they are ready for a long winter's rest and I think that we are also. 

Then we can sit back and enjoy the memories of the warmth of summer and wait for the last cold snap to happen so we can start all over again.

 

Please Do Stop and Smell the Roses!



Now and Then by Nancy Kline: COOK BOOKS Although I don't collect cook books as ...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: COOK BOOKS Although I don't collect cook books as ...: COOK BOOKS   Although I don't collect cook books as a hobby I have accumulated quite a few over the past sixty one years.  There ...

COOK BOOKS

 

Although I don't collect cook books as a hobby I have accumulated quite a few over the past sixty one years.  There are my favorites and then there are the ones I just love to look through every now and then.  So many of them are from church groups from long ago.  It is fun to look back and remember all the people who shared their favorite recipes. 

 

 

This one is probably the oldest that I have.  It is a collection of recipes from Woodrow Wilson's wife.  This book was in my mother-in-law's home and she gave it to me when I was a young bride.  The recipes are hard to follow because of the way ingredients were measured at that time.  Wilson was president from 1913 - 1921.  There is no publishing date in the cook book but it probably dates back to the early 1900's.  The pages are very fragile but I still enjoy very carefully going through the old yellowed pages of times past.  





As you can see, the dessert pages were well used as seems to be the case with all cook books.

These are the ones that I have use the most.  The Anne Byrn American Cakes is a gift from my son that includes cakes through the years of our nation from the 1700's.  It is a delight to use with beautiful pictures and easy to follow old cake recipes.  The Good Housekeeping Cook Book was a shower gift before our wedding.  The Woman's Home Companion Cook Book was one I inherited from my mother who was a wonderful cook.  I remember sitting at the kitchen table as a young child and looking at the beautiful colored pictures scattered throughout the book while my mother was doing the cooking.  I was  probably dreaming of the time to come when I would be doing all that kind of stuff.

The two cloth bound books are where I keep all the loose recipes that I use almost daily.  They are the ones I find on the internet or that friends give me.  You know, the ones on old recipe cards, scratch paper, envelopes, magazine clippings, newspaper clippings or whatever was handy to write on at the moment.  Some of them are hand written by my mother, my aunts and my many friends.  They are inserted into plastic sheet covers and can be removed from the books so they are protected from all the drips of cooking.  The one with the red floral fabric is nothing but desserts and the other one is everything else.  Needless to say, the dessert book gets the most attention in my kitchen. 

Read, Cook and Enjoy!!

  



 





Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CINNAMON ROLLS Baking homemade cinnamon rolls tak...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CINNAMON ROLLS 
Baking homemade cinnamon rolls tak...: CINNAMON ROLLS   Baking homemade cinnamon rolls takes a bit more time but they are truly worth the work.  My cinnamon rolls had jus...

CINNAMON ROLLS

 

Baking homemade cinnamon rolls takes a bit more time but they are truly worth the work.  My cinnamon rolls had just come out of the oven and were sitting on the counter when I heard some footsteps and laughter coming in the back door.  Three young boys ages eleven, twelve and thirteen suddenly appeared in the kitchen.  The aroma of baking must have gone farther than my own front porch.

The twelve year old, my grandson Preston, was visiting our neighborhood that he just moved from last week.  The other boys are my neighbors.  They were going from house to house as usual when they suddenly smelled the cinnamon rolls.  So in they came following their noses.

Preston saw the cinnamon rolls sitting on the counter and asks: "Whatcha doing Nanny?"  I replied the obvious with: "Baking cinnamon rolls."  Preston:  "They sure do look good."  I replied:  "I baked these to take to work tomorrow."  Preston looking a little worried asked:  "Can we have  just one?"  My reply: "Only a half one each."  They all decided that was better than nothing but as soon as they had devoured the halves they asked for the other half along with a big glass of whole milk. 

 

Boys Will Be Boys! 

 

Recipe:

4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

Mix and let stand 5 minutes

6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

Beat until blended

Add 2 cups of flour

2 cups hot water

2 eggs beaten slightly

Add the yeast mixture

Gradually mix in 6 (it might take a little more) cups of flour and 1 tablespoon salt

Knead until easy to handle then put in bowl and cover

Let stand 30 minutes

Divide into two parts and roll each one out into a  large rectangular

Melt 1/2 cup or more butter and spread on the rolled out dough

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups brown sugar and some raisins on the dough

Roll into long rolls and cut with dental floss into 1 1/2 inch slices

Place cut pieces on greased baking pans and bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown on top

Mix 4 tablespoons melted butter with 2 cups powdered sugar and 4 tablespoons milk

Pour on top of slightly cooled rolls

 

They are now ready to melt in your mouth!



 



Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CHOCOLATE CHIP SHEET COOKIESWhen in a hurry and ru...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: CHOCOLATE CHIP SHEET COOKIESWhen in a hurry and ru...: CHOCOLATE CHIP SHEET COOKIES When in a hurry and running out of time this is a good way to bake homemade chocolate  chip cookies in a h...

CHOCOLATE CHIP SHEET COOKIES

When in a hurry and running out of time this is a good way to bake homemade chocolate  chip cookies in a hurry.  It takes a lot of time to dip out the dough individually and get them all the same size so this is a quick remedy to that.  They may not be quite as pretty but they taste the same and they don't last long enough to matter what shape they are anyway.

 

I use the recipe on the chocolate chip package but you can use whatever you want.

 

This is what I used:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

12 oz. package chocolate chips

 

Prepare pan with cooking spray

Using a dampened spatula, spread the dough onto a 9 1/2 x 15 inch baking pan.  Use one with an edge to keep  dough from running over in the oven.  Bake at 350 degrees until brown, usually 15 to 20 minutes.

 

When cool cut into any size. 

 

Lesson in sodas:  Baking Soda causes dough to spread

                             Baking Powder causes dough to puff

 

Mix, Bake and Share

 

 

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SWEET AUTUMN CLEMATIS Sweet Autumn Clematis is a b...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: SWEET AUTUMN CLEMATIS Sweet Autumn Clematis is a b...: SWEET AUTUMN CLEMATIS   Sweet Autumn Clematis is a beautiful vining plant that blooms in the fall.  It is nicely fragrant and is love...

SWEET AUTUMN CLEMATIS

 

Sweet Autumn Clematis is a beautiful vining plant that blooms in the fall.  It is nicely fragrant and is loved and visited by thousands of bees.  When it blooms it is covered with small star shaped white flowers. It is very invasive and will climb on anything.  It thinks the gingerbread trim on my house was cooked up just for it. 

It is supposed to be cut back in the spring but we cut it back in the fall hoping to slow it down. 

 

 

 

The vines in our yard love to climb on the old leaning arbor that will not stand up straight.  We have had it propped up so many times only to find it wanting to lean like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  We feel embarrassed to ask the grandsons to stand it up again for fear they will not come back to see us. 

 

The Sweet Autumn Clematis is absolutely beautiful when it blooms but is quite a task to cut down and tow away in the fall.

 

Sweet Scents and Happy Bees for a Few Weeks!





Now and Then by Nancy Kline: EMPTY NEST AGAINSixty one years later! After fou...

Now and Then by Nancy Kline: EMPTY NEST AGAINSixty one years later!  After fou...: EMPTY NEST AGAIN  Sixty one years later!  After four kids, ten grandkids and ten great grandkids (and one more on the way) we are ba...

EMPTY NEST AGAIN



Sixty one years later!  After four kids, ten grandkids and ten great grandkids (and one more on the way) we are back to the empty nest.  We have gone through this empty nest syndrome so many times.  Our first child was born nine months after our wedding and the last one came twelve years after that.  We also had the honor of housing husband's father for ten years along with all four of the children.  We thought we had an empty nest when the last one left for Pepperdine University but that didn't last long.  Before he finished college the grandkids started popping out.  We have had kids of some kind in and out for so many years.  They have all decided to leave the nest for good and let us enjoy a few years to ourselves. 

The ones that moved out this weekend have been with us for three years.  We had the mom, dad, their one daughter and two sons plus a dog and two cats.  We had a ball the whole time but the big old house seemed too quiet over the weekend with no noise and messes.  Believe it or not we even miss the neighborhood kids ringing the door bell and eating all our snacks and drinking all the milk and colas. We watched the three kids grow up so much.  Daughter is now a teen ager and boys have grown up to be very independent twelve and nine year olds.   

We will have to get used to each other again.  We will be busy repainting and getting all the little fingerprints off the walls and wood work.  Plenty of work to do!

 

The older we get the faster the time flies!