SUMMER GARDEN, GOLF AND WHAT'S COOKIN'?

 Oh Kindred Spirits...
how in the world are you all doing?
We are in the dog days of Summer..
those hot triple digits heat!!!!
This is the time of year, I struggle to keep
the plants alive and water daily....
seems like we didn't have this extreme heat
when I grew up......

July birthdays have come and gone..
three of us are another year older.....
when I say it outloud, it seems unreal to me....
you know the saying, when you have your health,
you have everything and for this, I am so thankful....

We are in the throws of preparing for the
ATLANTA family visit..cleaning and sprucing up
around here at Estelle's.....
I thought I would share a bit of food inspiration with you
of recipes that were really good this week...

You know, it's tradition to visit a local Farmer's Market during Summer..
all that Luscious fresh fruit and vegetables is a delight to the senses
so of course, we picked up some delicious peaches for a cobbler...

I tried Caleb's recipe for a cobbler which was quick and easy
and indeed, it was delicious...not like my Mother's but delicious!
The link to this tecipe is provided below.

PEACH COBBLER

Saturday night is sometimes Pizza night..
my son is the the best at preparing a homemade Pizza...

All fresh ingredients and hot from the oven..
such a treat for us....

He tried a recipe for Blueberry Grilled Cheese..
this was delicious...
it included fresh Basil, honey and fresh berries

AND now a little garden update...

I planted Sunflower seeds this year and grew
my first sunflower ever....how exciting!!!

My beautiful Trumpet Vine

And the beautiful pink Zinna's

Saturday evening, the entire family will
be here for the party of cocktails, appetizers and games...
preparations are underway.....



I planned for the colors to be vibrant and beautiful to the eye....

And, I am including my favorite Milo's to the beverage bar..
SWEET TEA AND LEMONADE...
if you haven't tried Milo's, you should....highly recommend....

This is where you can find Lucy and I on Summer afternoons.....
you know the lazy, crazy days of Summer.......
see ya' next time....

THE WINTER BRUNCH

Company is soon coming to Texas and I intend
to serve five star meals while they are here for a short visit!
Let's start with a fabulous dining experience with
a few yummy brunch recipes!

I want them to have the Bed and Breakfast experience and be able to sleep
a bit late in the morning...linger over coffee and serve brunch around 9:30 or 10 AM.... 

We have freshly squeezed orange juice, Petite Bacon and Swiss Quiches,
and a decadent Blueberry Muffin....



I have made these tiny quiches for many, many years and sometimes
include them on the Christmas morning buffet.....they are that good!


click the link for this delicious recipe

TO DIE FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

The blueberry muffin recipe is probably my all time favorite....
that buttery cinnamon crumb topping is the piece de resistance......

I promise, you will receive rave reviews and the ones you love,
will so appreciate the extra effort you made for them.....

I have had the privilege of making this little guy breakfast over the years,
and it never fails to bring a smile to my face and to his too!

BLUEBERRY HAND PIES...BEST EVER!

 Hello Loves...how in the world are y'all doing today?
I love bringing you the best of the best
tried and true recipes from other bloggers
and today, ladies and gents....WE HAVE A WINNER!

I loving making hand pies for the darling and me
since it's just the two of us most of the time
and these turned out just amazing!
You really don't need any special kitchen gadget to make small
pies....just a 4 or 6 -inch cup or jar will do the trick!

Now, I ask you, aren't these just beautiful!

You can find the recipe here.....

BLUEBERRY HAND PIES

This recipe was featured on a wonderful website

known as Spaceships and Laser Beams,

which was created in 2010 by Stephanie Keeping.

Every day, they post amazing recipes by various home chefs and

those who know the joy of cooking, creating and gathering!

Stephanie is the Chief Navigator who is assisted

by her team of taste testers, food writers and creators along

with food photographers!

I am thrilled to find yet another great resource for 

sharing the joy of cooking!

Y'all take good care........

Piper Rose....April in Atlanta

DIVINE BLUEBERRY BISCUITS WITH PIONEER BAKING MIX

I am so glad y'all stopped by the blog today!
I have the BEST EVER Blueberry Biscuits
that you have ever tasted and they are
made with Pioneer Baking Mix!
I love trying recipes from a baking mix
because it's economical, easy and always turns out delicious!
If you have a brunch planned for company or just plan
on enjoying a yummy breakfast, you will definitely want to try these!

BLUEBERRY BISCUITS 
2 1/4 cup baking mix
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix baking mix and sugar.
Add buttermilk and stir to combine.
Add blueberries at the time you have a few more
strokes of mixing together...being sure to gently fold
in the berries.
Drop on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12 minutes.

The Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Glaze the biscuits when hot from the oven.
Now, you're ready to enjoy a bite of these
moist, incredibly delicious biscuits!

Remember, if you do not have buttermilk on hand,
you can make your own by adding a Tablespoon of lemon juice to one cup of milk!

These are a very light and fluffy tender biscuit!

Bakery worthy!

I know you're going to love em'! 

PRACTICING WINTER HYGGE....PIE, PODCAST AND DECORATING

 

Welcome to Estelle's morning news....
Old Man Winter has arrived and we are doing our best
to make it cozy...
you can count on a hot breakfast, 

after waking the house up about 5:30 AM

I have always been a morning person.....how about you?
I think I must have inherited that from my Daddy
as he was always happy in the morning and would
often come into our rooms singing....."wake up you sleepy head...."

It's that time of year for cute little hats and scarves....
I ordered this lovely deep green beanie back in November....

Y'all....I have jumped on the bandwagon finally
and decided to order an essential oil diffuser.....

I think I absolutely love it!
I placed ours in the foyer for now and our home
is filled with this subtle, yet wonderful aroma,
the vaporizer is also supposed to improve air quality, lift your mood
and relieve stress..how lovely is this during the winter doldrums!!!

We enjoyed a lovely weekend visit from our youngest
who had a few days of rest and relaxation....
he was able to connect with long time friends in Dallas,
and watch the Cowboy game with us on Sunday afternoon...
we all had high hopes for the Cowboys to win a playoff game,
but alas, it was not meant to be.....a rather big disappointment!

We also have a new family member.......

Meet Otis!
We are so happy that these two have found each other.....
We will be meeting Otis in March as we are
finally getting to travel and use our saved tickets
from the cancelled trip back in 2020 when
the pandemic started and we had to cancel our trips
to both California and Atlanta!

Anytime an idea pops into my head, I'm grateful!
The Divine MISS M and Luke the Duke are coming
for a visit next month, and I'm busy planning menus
and decorating to entertain them!
We are beyond exited for their visit!
The wheels are in motion for creating
the last of Winter tablescape....stay tuned!
It feels like Christmas....we can all be together
except for the California kid. and one grandchild.....
I'm hosting a family dinner of Lasagna
a fresh Honeycrisp salad and Italian bread...

I'm also creating a cozy coffee corner for her.....
It's my practice to incorporate family heirlooms
in my vignettes, and I added my Mother-in-Law's
pair of these darling brass deer.....I have always loved these....

Do you enjoy creating a little cozy corner
for coffee..it can actually be rather fun
to choose a theme reflecting the season.
I love using pine cones in both fall and winter....
the house I grew up in was surrounded by
tall, majestic pine trees...they will always remind me of HOME!.

The robins will let you know, when winter weather is about
to move in........

I baked the best homemade Blueberry Pie on this winter afternoon.....

Everyone is happy when eating pie......

TCM has three series of Podcasts called, The Plot Thickens...
Lucy is the third in this series and it is absolutely marvelous!
Do yourself a favor and enjoy these episodes which
are narrated by Ben Mankiewicz, telling the entire
history of Lucy, Desi Arnez and Desilu productions!
You can download the Podcast to your I Phone or also
listen to the series on You Tube!

The Divine Miss M and Luke the Duke
went to see the new Spider Man movie on his day off school....
she's the best Mom ever!

We have been doing alot of this lately.......
and, I think it's a lovely way to spend a winter afternoon.....
What are y'all up to?

VALERIE'S BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Hello Loves....

Before Summer ends...which cannot come soon enough,

I wanted to bring you this marvelous recipe

using fresh blueberries...which are plentiful in 

the grocery right now.

Valerie Par Hill has been gracious enough

to share her well-known recipe

and I finally decided to try it this week....

my oh my...it's one of the best coffee cakes I have ever made! 

There are two things, that make this so tasty....

the cream cheese and the brown sugar topping!

Her original recipe calls for just one cup of blueberries,

but I added the entire pint...and would recommend doing so.

I noticed on her social media, she also says

she added 3 cups of berries, rather than just one cup...

I promise, you will love her recipe!!!