My life

By the Ladybug.

When I was little I was mommy's little  cowgirl  : ) . So any way when I was 7 in a half me and Master Chef Mommy would read so I had a dream to be like Ree Drumund ' s blog just for the love of blogging a dream can make diffrent thing in your life : D so follow your dream in your life like a seed to grow by a path .                                                          

                                     THE END : D                                               

Ask the Ladybug about Curtis...

Curtis is a tiger salamander she found in the downspout to one of our gutters. He is darling but has been returned to his natural habitat. Suffice it to say that the Ladybug misses Curtis!

A Food of Love Thing: Guest Chef, New Tools, Pork Tamales

Notice the sign!?! This was a Christmas gift to our family from some of our dearest friends - everyone needs a friend like Diane...my life is different, richer, more fun because of our friendship. She and her family live in Texas, so we have missed her (and them!) every day that we have lived in small town Georgia!

Under the new sign, we enjoyed a real adventure that exemplified "a food of love thing." Under the direction of our second guest chef of the holidays - Oma - we made pork tamales. The process was supported by one of our new tools a FOOD PROCESSOR (that is a pumpkin pie filling in the picture, but you get the idea)! Equipped with our AWESOME food processor (a gift from Gran), we decided we were ready to tackle homemade tamales. We used a recipe from the Food Network Magazine December 2011 PORK TAMALES

This is the Ladybug stirring the masa before we assembled the tamales.

Yes, we even used real corn husks.

Everyone - Master Chef Mom, BBQ Pit Boss Dad, the Ladybug, Pots, Oma, and Opa - was involved in the assembly and, of course, the eating. After a loooooong time in the kitchen, the tamales were AMAZING, sorry I don't have a picture. My expanded waistline is proof enough that they were DELISH!!

The Apple Barn

As I cleaned out the refrigerator yesterday, it occurred to me that one of my resolutions for 2012 was to eat less and blog more...the leftovers in our refrigerator were evidence that we had eaten well over the holidays! 

So in my attempt to blog more...I wanted to tell you about a trip to one of our favorite places. We traveled to visit some of our extended family in Knoxville, TN - always a good time. During these visits, we often make our way to the Apple Barn in Sevierville, TN. We enjoy a variety of treats at the Apple Barn including fresh cider, deep fried apple pies, apple wine, and the signature Applewood Juleps served at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.

Applewood Julep

4 cups apple juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

Mix and serve over ice.

Serves six.

 

Photos courtesy of the Ladybug