Trip to the Texas Hill Country

 The Texas Hill Country is so beautiful, and especially in the springtime when the wildflowers are blooming everywhere!  The photo doesn't even capture all the beauty of the area. My friend, Joyce and I went to visit our friend, Laura, who moved from her McKinney, TX home, to the Texas Hill Country,  into their renovated lake house, that had belonged to Laura's parents. 

Ben and Laura were our outstanding hosts.  We felt like we were in a fabulous B&B, and so spoiled. 

 This is their back deck where we ate most of our meals.  You can see that they have a wonderful water view, and where they launch their canoe and kayaks.  

 

Deer are everywhere in the Hill Country, and this fella showed up at our breakfast!!  You can see from the photo above that the deer had already gotten to their potted delphinium!!

 Here we are canoeing in the evening and enjoying a peaceful time  together right behind their house. 

 Another friend, Mary Jo, who sold her home in McKinney, TX, and is in a home right down the road from Laura, joined us on our daily adventures. 

 We hiked in Enchanted Rock State Park, and stopped to view the wildflowers.

 Yes, I hiked the pink granite on the Enchanted Rock trail!

 I couldn't help but take a picture of this truck which was outside a gift shop in Marble Falls.

 We also hiked in Inks Lake State Park, and stopped to cool our toes at the Devil's Waterhole.  While at this spot, two ladies came and started playing their flutes.  It was our own private concert!

 On our way home, Joyce and I stopped at the Storiebook Cafe, in Glen Rose, TX,  and oh my, was it the cutest cafe ever!! There were books everywhere, and besides the cafe area, there were meeting rooms for groups to use. 

 Here's my fabulous lunch of Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, homemade pickles, and a chicken salad on croissant, with peach iced tea. 

Another room had oodles and oodles of teapots that have been donated.  This was a collection of just some of them.  I can't wait to go back and visit our friends again.

I would like to share a quote from the Dallas Morning News on the subject of Memorial Day, written by Mike Tharp:  "Memorial Day, the last Monday in May, is America's Day of the Dead.  It honors those who have died in  military service."  Thank you to all who have fought for our freedom. 

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Keep In Touch

Full Plate

Dishing It! & Digging It!

60 Minute Yeast Rolls

 We had quite the stormy weather yesterday afternoon, but today  it is sunshine-y and beautiful!  Please join my for a favorite roll recipe and a cup of tea, won't you? 

 My son, Tim, and his daughter, Avery, picked me this pretty teacup orchid for Mother's Day.  I hope I can keep it going!   If you have any tips, please let me know. 

 This cast iron Grapevine teapot is from World Market, a favorite store of mine.  Grapevines are a Japanese symbol that represents the blessings of nature.  That's a beautiful thought, don't you agree?

 My late beloved Mom sent me home one year with this pretty Royal Albert teacup.  There isn't a pattern name on the back, but it has such a pretty Springtime pattern.

 My daughter, Molly, and her kids gave me this pretty topiary azalea plant for Mother's Day.  I hope I can keep it going, too!  

Here's Cissy with her baked rolls that she took home for her family.  We actually doubled the recipe for us each to have a dozen rolls.  Cissy made her mom and me some sugar scrub for a Mother's Day gift.  Wasn't that sweet of her? My son, Kevin and his wife, and little girls were out of town for Mother's Day, and he has been making me something for Mother's Day.  

I'm leaving for the Texas Hill Country this week, and driving with a friend to visit one of our friends that moved there to her lake house.  I won't be around to visit as much. 

Yield: 1 dozen

Author: Kitty and Cissy,  and taken from Fleischmann's

60 Minute Yeast Rolls

ingredients:

• 2 to 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (2-1/4 tsp.) envelope  Rapid Rise Yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter 

instructions:

How to cook 60 Minute Yeast Rolls

1. Combine 3/4 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120° to 130°F). Add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add 1/4 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes, or knead in mixer with a dough hook, for about 4 minutes.  Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
2. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; shape into balls. Place in greased 8-inch round pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; brush with additional melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.
4. To Freeze (unbaked rolls): Follow recipe as recommended up to and including when rolls are shaped and placed in pan. Tightly wrap rolls and pan with plastic wrap and foil. For best flavor, thaw and bake within one week of freezing.
5. To Thaw: Place pan of rolls covered in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator and continue the thaw and rise process at room temperature. When thawing at room temperature, allow at least 2 hours for rolls to rise after removing from the refrigerator. If rolls are not rising, boil a pot of water, remove from heat, cover the pot with a wire rack and place pan of rolls, covered with a cloth on top of rack. The steam will warm the dough to speed the rising process. Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake according to recipe.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Thank you for your visit!  xo

I am sharing this with these lovely parties;

Keep In Touch

Full Plate

Dishing It! & Digging It!

Cherry Coffeecake

 It's teatime inside today for we've had sooooo much rain in the Dallas area lately!  Can you join me for some cherry coffee cake?  I'll pour you a cup of tea, too.  I'm using my darling cherry apron and tea holder that was gifted to me a few years ago from Stephanie.  My deacon's bench has been in my life for about 47 years now, and is a staple around my home, and has moved from Ohio, to Michigan to Texas.

 Don't you just love this cherry teacup that was also gifted to me?  It's so vintage looking, don't you think?

Yield: 15-18, or more, depending on size cut

Author: Kitty, taken from Southern Living 1994

Cherry Coffee Cake

This is a quick and easy coffee cake, using a cake mix, but containing yeast. My family loves it!

ingredients:

For Cake:

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix, divided (See NOTE)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 package yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water (120-130 degrees)
• 2 eggs
• 1 can cherry pie filling (or any other fruit filling)
• 1/3 cup butter

• Glaze:
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 T. light corn syrup
• 1 T. water ( may need a little more)

instructions:

How to cook Cherry Coffee Cake

For Cake:

• Combine 1 & 1/2 cups cake mix, flour, and yeast in a bowl; add warm water, stirring until smooth. Stir in eggs.
• Spoon batter into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Pour cherry pie filling evenly over batter; set aside. Cut butter into remaining cake mix with pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over pie filling.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack. Drizzle with Glaze, and cut into squares.

For Glaze:

• Combine all ingredients; drizzle over cake.

NOTES:

Since cake mix sizes have changed in weight, and now weigh 15.25 ounces, I buy an extra cake mix to weigh out the additional measure to equal 18.25 ounces.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 My son, Tim, and DIL, Julie, along with my granddaughters, Avery, and Ella treated me to Brunch at a nearby restaurant, on the day before Mother's Day.   

 My grandson, Caiden, turned 14 on Mother's Day!!  Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

 My daughter, Molly and her four kids brought brunch over to my home.  It was so tasty, and Cissy helped make the food.  In the  back row, left to right is Connor, Riley, and my son, Mike. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!  Thank you for your visit!  xo

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Keep In Touch

Full Plate

Dishing It! & Digging It!

No-Roll Pie Crust

 Let's enjoy some quiche by my little waterfall today, shall we?  My little lady vase is sprouting some mini roses and some other flowers from my garden. 

 This is one of my favorite springtime teacups that I received from a teacup exchange, several years ago. 

I shared this no-roll pie crust when I first started my blog, before anyone even visited me, and it is so quick and easy.  Everything is measured and prepared right in the pie pan. I know, I know, there are those who only believe in a pie crust made with butter, shortening, or a combo of both, but please try this.  It is made with oil, but it is really flaky, and pretty amazing! 

No-Roll Pie Crust

Yield: 1 single crust pie shell

Author: Kitty, but taken from a Penzey Catalog recipe

I cut this recipe out years ago from a Penzey spice catalog, and it comes in handy. I do hope you try it, and see for yourself how flaky it is.

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
• 3 T. milk

instructions:

How to cook No-Roll Pie Crust

1. Put all ingredients in a 9 inch pie pan. Mix with a fork until well blended & pat into the pan. Push the pastry up the sides & form a nice edge with your thumb & finger. Prick the crust with a fork to prevent bubbling of the pastry during baking.
2. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. I used my convection oven & turned it down to 400 degrees.

NOTES:

For a quiche, I pre-bake the crust for about 7-8 minutes before filling and then do the baking. For an pie that does not require baking, bake the crust, let cool and then fill. For a single crust pie that requires baking, make the crust, fill, and then bake as directed.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 I added a new birdhouse above my waterfall.  The spider plant and pot, was gifted to me from a friend that moved to the Texas Hill Country. 

 Here's my cleaned up fairy garden. 

 When Cissy comes over during the week to bake after school, she likes to enjoy a cup of chai tea with a mound of whipped cream on top!  We like having our tea parties outside on the patio, while we chat and enjoy each other's company.

After she finishes the whipped cream, Cissy likes to place her stroopwafel on top of her teacup, for the caramel to melt that's in the middle of the cookie.  Cissy made cheerleader for next year, and had just received her uniform.

 My four-year-old granddaughter, Harper, was so happy to spend the night.  She asked her Daddy if she could stay "for five days"!  Breakfast and tea in bed is something that she looks forward to. 

Harper set up her own tea party before her Daddy and baby sister came to pick her up.  She cried so hard before she left!  We will have to arrange a "five day" stay soon!

 Thank you for your visit!  xo

I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

Keep In Touch

Full Plate

Dishing It! & Digging It!