What Cats Think of Winter

Well its all over the news today that we are in for a doozy of a winter storm.A blizzard to be exact. Its been many years since we have heard that word in our area. Im totally not ready for it but if it brings us one more day closer to spring then so be it. ....  My house cats seem to disagree.

What Salem thinks of the forecast......

Reeses wants to know is it over yet??

Stay Safe and Warm Everyone!

Put On Your Dancing Shoes and Roll Up The Rug! WIth SOUND!

My Grandma Doris said that every Saturday night when she was a girl my Great Grandma would clear out all the furniture in their living room, roll up the rug , invite over all the neighborhood friends,wind up the victrola and they would DANCE! How wonderful that would of been to see as a child.

I am a proud owner of not one but two victrolas now. The first one I ever heard belonged to my brother and sister in law. There was just something about that scratchy old time sound that sucked me right in. I was hooked. My first Victrola I bought at an auction.It is a floor model and it was the most common and affordable one they made for its time period

The cabinet is in pretty rough shape, it has a lot of water damage and needed a little bit of work to get it going but the sound that comes out of it is just amazing and it uses NO electricity. That is just so remarkable to me.

The sound box

If you open the cabinet doors the sound will get louder.The bottom of the cabinet stores your records.

This Victrola I believe is from the early 20's. You can listen to it here

The song is called Put A Little Salt on the Bluebirds Tail (Before He flies Away)

Close your Eyes and picture dancing a Saturday night away

Wagner Ware and Southern Cornbread Recipe

Thse are my Wagner Ware cast iron pans I purchased at an auction awhile back.
A little bit of history about Wagner Ware. From what I have read it changed Americas kitchens for the better. 

"In 1895 the Montgomery Ward mail-order catalog drew from a growing number of foundries in the United States to present customers with the widest variety yet of cast iron cooking ware.

They featured lots of gem pans, and a waffle iron produced by the Wagner Manufacturing Co. in Sidney, Ohio.  However one of their biggest sellers was Schofield's Patent cake griddle.  The catalog proclaimed these griddles "makes better cakes than any other griddle ever invented, because the little pans are deep and hold the batter and prevent it spreading out, getting thin and drying out." Depending on size the pans were billed as provided six to eight cakes per minute.  Cost was 65 cents per pan"

The ones I own are called corn stick pans. Im not sure of the exact date when they were made but Im guessing maybe the 1920's or 30's by what I have researched online. They are very heavy and very well made, not like the type of cookware we have nowadays. This is what My Great Grandma cooked with. I get a bit of nostalgia using my pans to bake cornbread for my family, Even though they made fun of the fact that their dinner did INDEED look like a corncob. I hope to pass them along to the next generation in the future and I can almost guarantee that these pans will outlive me.  Now if I could just find a cast iron skillet to call my own. Just think how great my fried chicken will turn out if I have one of THOSE!


Stirring up the cornbread

This was a mix shhhh!! No ingredients in the pantry to make it from scratch

Taking them out of the oven and yes my children made me aware of the fact I did overfill a few of them :)

Out of the pan and ready to eat! Some butter and honey and Waa Laa!! SO delicious!

Southern Sweet Cornbread recipe

Ingredients:

Servings:
12 12

12

Servings Size

• 
  

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups white cornmeal (for less gritty) or 2 cups yellow cornmeal (I use white)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/southern-pride-sweet-cornbread-79857#ixzz1CFyOMnnE

1. 1 Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with shortening.
2. 2 Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. 3 Mix sugar, butter, eggs, milk, honey and water together in a large bowl.
4. 4 Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: cornmeal, flour,baking powder, and salt.
5. 5 While stirring, add dry ingredients to sugar, egg, and milk mixture and mix thoroughly.
6. 6 Mixture will be slightly lumpy.
7. 7 Pour into greased rectangular pan.
8. 8 Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

I Found Willie's Baby Picture!

If you havent met Willie please read about him here


Such a cute Little Baby!



Native Plants To Grow:Lead Plant

Description: This native perennial plant is 1-3' tall, producing occasional side branches. Lead Plant is usually semi-erect; in partially shaded situations, it will sprawl along the ground in the direction of greater lighter. With age, it becomes increasing woody, assuming that growth and development are not disrupted by occasional fires or browsing from animals. The young stems are light green and covered with white hairs. The compound leaves are whitish to greyish green, depending on the intensity of sunlight reaching the plant. Sometimes fine hairs cover the plant to the extent that it appears to be heavily dusted with white lead, hence its name. The compound leaves are bipinnate, 4-12" long, and may have up to 50 small leaflets, each about ½" long and ¼" wide. The small flowers occur along pubescent spikes, about 2-6" long, at the ends of major branches. These flowers range in color from light to dark purple. Each flower has a single upper petal, which is tubular at first, but later unfolds horizontally to protect the reproductive parts. There are also 8 exerted reddish stamens with bright yellow anthers that are quite conspicuous. There is little or no floral scent. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-summer and lasts about 3 weeks. The central root occasionally branches, and can extend 15 ft. or more into the soil.

Cultivation: The preference is full sun and average to dry soil. Lead Plant is not particular about soil type, and will flourish in loamy, sandy, gravelly, or clay soil. It adds nitrogen to the soil. Partial sun is tolerated, but it will flower less abundantly and have a tendency to sprawl. Leadplant is easy to grow, but slow to develop – flowers may not appear for at least 3 years. A wire fence or cage may be necessary to protect young plants from rabbits and other herbivores.