PINK SATURDAY

Thank you to our hostess, Beverly, for bringing us this fun event every Saturday.

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com

GOOD MORNING, CUPCAKE !

I JUST STOPPED BY
TO
 WISH YOU 

A 

 PINK SATURDAY !

BROWN RICE WITH FETA, PISTACHIOS AND MINT

Thanks to our hostess, Michael, for bringing us this popular weekly event. It's always a taste-treat!

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com

I think I got this recipe from Southern Living Magazine. It's very tasty and healthy, too. Best of all, it fits my criteria of quick and easy!

BROWN RICE WITH FETA, PISTACHIOS AND MINT

Makes: 8 servings   Prep: 15 minutes                                          

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped pistachios

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Stir in salt and 3-1/2 cups water; bring to a boil.

Stir in brown rice, cover, reduce heat to low. and cook 10 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients.

That's it, you're finished!

With this type of recipe, I almost always find that I like more of everything than the recipe calls for. In this case, I added the entire 6-oz. carton of feta cheese and considerably more mint and lemon zest. I also sprinkled extra pistachios on top. Of course, you will season with salt and pepper to your personal preference.

OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY AT BARNSLEY GARDENS

Thank you to our hostess, Susan, for this very enjoyable weekly event.
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

Barnsley Gardens was a mansion built by Godfrey Barnsley, of Liverpool England, in the late 1840’s. It is located in Adairsville, Georgia, where it was once referred to as Woodlands, by Barnsley. The home was built for his wife Julia. When Julia fell ill, Barnsley wanted to stop construction of the mansion, until he said he had felt her presence at the site telling him to finish the house for him and his children. The estate was built in the style of an Italian villa by architect, Andrew Jackson Downing. During the Civil War, the mansion had been the site of a Union battle, with much of the house and Barnsley's possessions being ransacked by the Union Army. Barnsley lost his fortune during the Civil War and later moved to New Orleansbefore he died in 1873. His heirs stayed at Woodlands until the roof of the manor house was blown off by a tornado in 1906. The remaining Barnsley heirs moved into the detached kitchen building and did not restore the manor house. The home eventually fell to ruins, and it wasn’t until Prince Hubertus Fugger, purchased the estate, in 1988, that it was restored. He restored the mansion and expanded its gardens. Today Barnsley Gardens is open to the public as a historic golf resort.                       www.barnsleyresort.com

These charming cottages offer luxurious overnight accommodations. They have a really nice website for anybody who wants more information.    www.barnsleyresort.com

SUMMER AFTERNOON

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." --- Henry James

I'm a Summer person, and this has always been one of my favorite quotes. I'm pairing it today with work by one of my all-time favorite artists, Laura Trevey. I would love to own every painting she creates! If you haven't yet discovered this very talented lady, I hope you'll treat yourself today!

♥ WEBSITE: www.lauratrevey.com
♥ BLOG: www.brightboldbeautiful.blogspot.com  

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY AND PINK SATURDAY

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com

Thanks to Beverly for not only hosting us again this week, but for also inviting us to post non-pink things today! Happy Pink Saturday and Happy 4th of July Sunday!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

OH BEAUTIFUL,

FOR SPACIOUS SKIES...

FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN...

FOR PURPLE MOUNTAINS MAJESTY...

ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAINS...

AMERICA, AMERICA

GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE

 

AND CROWN THY GOOD

WITH BROTHERHOOD

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA.

BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE FOR FOODIE FRIDAY

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com

Thank you to Michael for hosting this very popular (and delicious!) party each week.




I don't post anything for Foodie Friday very often. I enjoy baking something occasionally, and I love to cook for family holiday celebrations. But, after years of every-night cooking for a picky and unappreciative audience, I pretty much gave that up when the children left home. Every once-in-awhile, though, I get in the mood to bake something.

BUTTERSCOTCH CAKE

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup vegetable oil                                                    

1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups pecans, chopped

1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly grease and flour a 9"x13" baking dish.

Stir together sugar, brown sugar, eggs and oil in medium bowl until smooth.

Stir in flour and vanilla.

Add pecans and stir until evenly mixed.

Soon into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

(Or if you feel decadent, have some with your morning coffee.)

This blue bowl is a family heirloom. It has been serving up cookie dough for at least 80 years!

 

In the interest of full disclosure: We were so eager to taste this, (oink, oink) we cut it before it was cool, so it's not a neat little square. And, we didn't have any ice cream, tonight... but we'll remedy that tomorrow!