From the Heart, My Favorite Thing RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, Molasses Cookies, Judith's Dance Recital AND 9th Annual Lake Trip (Guntersville)

Good Friday morning!

From the Heart - I'm currently watching Bellevue Women's Spring Bible Study (This Present Kingdom) on YouTube. I wanted to share this quote from Donna Gaines' Week 2 Lesson with you:

"To really grasp what you are studying, share it with a child, a grandchild, a friend, a sister, a brother, a mother, a neighbor. Once you articulate it and make it a part of your life, it really becomes yours."

So simple and so true!

My Favorite Thing RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE - I am currently watching the third season of Making It with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman which airs on Thursday nights (NBC). I'm not sure what time. My TV magically records it because of some buttons Mikie pushed on one of our 32 remotes.

But I digress.

It's a funny, clean, entertaining bit of television, and while I also watched Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 has kicked it up a notch.

I find it VERY ENJOYABLE!

Soft Molasses Ginger Cookies

You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, molasses and 1/2 cup of sugar with a stand mixer until smooth and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

4. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl until combined.

5. Gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled (at least 1 hour or up to overnight).

7. Remove dough from refrigerator. Using a 2-inch cookie scoop (about 3 tablespoons), scoop cookie dough into rounds, and roll each into a smooth ball. Place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar on a plate and roll balls in sugar to coat.

8. Arrange 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until cookies and edges are slightly darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes.

9. Let cool on baking sheet 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for another 30 minutes.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - I baked each batch for 15 minutes, and the cookies came out just like we like 'em.

ANOTHER NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - These are as good or better than the Archway Molasses Cookies in the store.

At least I think so.

So, yes.

In answer to your next question, you could just buy a package of Archway Molasses Cookies at your local grocery store...

But where's the fun in that?

RANDOMNESS #1 - Judith's Dance Recital - Because of the Pandemic, instead of starting dance at the beginning of school last year, Judith started taking lessons in January, 2021. We had such a fun time at her recital. It felt like a very normal-un-COVID-type thing to do, and with only five months of dance instruction, she did an excellent job...

And that is my totally unbiased opinion!

A picture under the marquee at The Princess Theatre in Decatur.

Kimmy and Eden...

Just a couple of her biggest fans.

Judith loved the tradition of getting flowers after the performance...

And ice cream.

She liked going to a local ice cream parlor with everyone, too.

Since I didn't receive any flowers, I would have to say the ice cream parlor was my favorite tradition on this particular evening.

RANDOMNESS #2 - 9th Annual Lake Trip (Guntersville) - We had some firsts on this trip. I'll point them out in the pics below.

Judith recently learned how to make Cinnamon Toast, so she was in charge of breakfast one morning.

RT caught his first fish...

And shortly after we took this pic, he caught nine more!

It isn't a first, but I decided I really, really like synchronized tubing.

ME rode the boat last year, but this year she remained AWAKE!

That was most definitely a first!

We celebrated Mikie's 60th birthday at the lake this year.

Such a big, big number!

RT tubed for the first time.

Last year he got on, and I took a pic...

But then he decided to wait one more year before officially attempting the "riding of the tube."

Little Man loved it!

Eden started wearing a fedora recently, and it quickly became one of my new favorite pieces of lake attire.

I hope you all have a most wonderful weekend. I will try to do the same!

Talk to you soon.

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. The 4th of July Celebration AND Judith's "W" Adventure will be featured in the next post.

I'm posting more often each month, but I'm still consistently late on some of the "big" posts. I'm just proud it's going to show up in July!

My Favorite Things RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, Taco Shells and Cheese AND Stomach Bug vs. 33rd Anniversary Trip to Oxford, Mississippi

Good Monday afternoon!

FYI - I've been blogging for about 12 years now, and every now and then Blogger changes the "rules" for something I've been doing day-in-day-out forever...

And I have no idea how to fix it.

So I will "play" with the computer for a few days, weeks, months (and one time a YEAR) before I figure out the new "rule."

I am sorry to say, the newest "rule" applies to making the picture at the top of every blog EXTRA LARGE.

One day this may be fixed...

Or not.

But it won't be because I didn't try.

ANOTHER FYI - I have been unable to crop any of my pictures for a little over eight months because of some new "rules" in my editing program.

And yes, I did try different editing programs...

But as of today's date, I have discovered I don't understand ANY of their "rules."

Not a single one.

I know what you're thinking...

And, yes.

It is hard being me!

My Favorite Things RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE - Mike, Roxie and I went to THE MOVIE THEATER this past weekend to see A Quiet Place Part II. It was lovely to be in a Movie Theater again without a mask! And the movie was good, too...

Just not for the Grand-Tots!

Taco Shells and Cheese

You will need the following:

1 pound small pasta shells
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 pound ground chuck
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 can Rotel
1/2 cup hot water
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk, plus more if needed for thinning
8 ounces Velveeta, diced
2 1/2 cups grated Cheddar jack cheese
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
Sour cream and jarred salsa, for serving, optional

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground chuck and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. Stir in the diced tomatoes and chiles, hot water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes, then remove to a bowl (it will still be a little juicy).

4. In the same pan over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the milk and cook until hot and bubbling. Add the processed cheese and cook, stirring, until melted. Do the same with the Cheddar jack. Pour in the cooked pasta, add the taco meat and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, thinning with a splash of milk if needed. Stir in the cilantro.

5. Top each serving with some sour cream and salsa if desired.

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - Mike and I tried this last week, and it was very good. It makes a lot for just two people, so we will be sharing it with Austin/Melia and Josh/Courtney to make sure it won't be wasted.

I will definitely be making it again in the near future.

RANDOMNESS - Stomach Bug vs. 33rd Anniversary Trip to Oxford, Mississippi - Anyone have a guess who won this contest?

Before we hand out any trophies, let me share a few pics of the Airbnb we picked for our anniversary getaway.

We stayed in a great old house which was located on top of an ACTIVE fish pond which was such a good, good thing for Mikie later on when The Bug attacked.

After we dropped our bags inside the foyer Friday night, we headed up the road to a place called Taylor's Grocery and Restaurant. It was on our list of places to try while we were in Oxford, so even though we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, dinner was definitely covered.

It had the look of a college hangout, but all ages were very well represented. There was live music by a guitarist (around our age), and I am assuming that is why his play list was so good.

I wasn't feeling great at dinner, but I wasn't sick either. On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I was a solid 2.

In this pic, Taylor's is the two largest side-by-side buildings. There were two separate dining rooms and these were connected by a hallway near the back of each building.

Don't let this photo fool you. On Friday night, this place was hoppin'!

On Saturday, we started the day driving through the Old Miss campus on our way to have our brunch/lunch at a local place.

Mike ordered the hamburger steak and fries, and in true Enchanting Belinda fashion, I tried the pimento cheese.

Semi-Fun Fact - When in doubt, I have always ordered the pimento cheese because (to me) there has always been a very low risk factor of it not being tasty...

Until we went to Oxford, Mississippi in January of 2021.

I took a bite of this particular pimento cheese sandwich, and while it looked very normal, it tasted like it had vinegar and/or dill pickle juice all over it.

No kidding.

And not just a little dab of vinegar and/or dill pickle juice!

It tasted like it had been marinated overnight.

Because we were in a small place with very good service, I didn't want to hurt the server's feelings, so I continued to eat half of the pimento cheese before the magnitude of how bad I was starting to feel began to register.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I was now a 4...

And I knew it had nothing to do with my pickled pimento cheese sandwich because I was also experiencing aches, pains and chills...

Which indicated a fever.

I asked Mikie to get me back to the Airbnb as quickly as humanly possible.

This was me from noon on Saturday until noon on Sunday.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I became a 12 by mid-afternoon.

This is the fish Mike caught on Saturday.

Mid-afternoon on Sunday, we ventured out and drove around the Square, drove to the entrance of Rowan Oak (William Faulkner's home), and at my request, drove back to the Airbnb.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I was now a 9...

And because of how badly I felt when I was a 12 out of 10, I was grateful for the 9.

This was me from 1:00 p.m. on Sunday until 5:36 p.m.

This is the fish Mike caught on Sunday.

I know what you're thinking...

It looks exactly like the fish he caught on Saturday.

I have no idea if it was or not, but if it was the same guy, I am very grateful he hung around and kept Mike company.

At 5:36 p.m. on Sunday, Mike and I ventured out one more time to a little coffee shop called The Lost Dog which was very close to where we were staying.

It was so cute and comfortable and lovely. Mike was starving, so he ordered their special Meat Sandwich and I ordered a Cheddar Bagel which I cautiously nibbled during our 15-minute outing.

This was me Sunday night.

That's right, People! I was sitting up!

On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I was now a solid 6!

Monday morning came, and it was time to check out and head home to Gardendale.

On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I was a very weak 4.

The following pics are the four things we actually got out of the car and WALKED SLOWLY PAST...

Dear, dear William Faulkner.

I loved this English telephone booth on the corner.

Can you tell the "hair thing" didn't happen this particular morning?

Can you tell I didn't care?

There are several different Square Books stores, but I am drawn to children's books ALWAYS.

And this particular Square Books offered some whimsey...

And I LOVE ME SOME WHIMSEY!

We ended up at Ajax Diner for a late lunch.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I ordered the Ajax Salad which consisted of smoked catfish, toasted pecans, crumbled blue cheese, black eyed peas and corn served over mixed greens.

The two smallish bites I had of the salad were excellent, so if and when we visit Oxford again, I plan on ordering it AND actually eating it!

After our late lunch, we went home.

As I crawled into our own bed later that evening, Mike asked me how I was feeling for the 100th time, and I answered...

"On a scale from 1 to 10 (with 10 being the SICKEST I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH A STOMACH BUG), I am proud to say I am a solid 5."

And I asked him to please make me a piece of very dry toast served with a Sprite, which he cheerfully did...

And I declared the Stomach Bug to be the winner!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

Take care, and I'll be back in a few days!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. RT and I have started his Alphabet Adventures, and that is why we are pictured here in a C-C-C-Cave.... with our C-C-C-Cousin!

I'll have a few more "C" pics from this Adventure next time.