Now with all things I am blessed

You are the poem I dreamed of writing, the masterpiece I longed to paint.

You are the shining star I reached for in my ever-hopeful quest for life fulfilled.

You are my child. Now with all things I am blessed.

Basic White cake, Bertha's Coconut Cake, and Divinity Fudge

This recipe was in Granny's recipe box. Looks like a basic cake recipe she used often.  She loved Swans Down cake flour.

This was a common frosting for a special cake.

This is the frosting that everyone loves! Aunt Bertha always sprinkled coconut on top of the frosting between 3 layers, top and sides.... Don't try to make this frosting on a humid day or in a humid hot kitchen. The humidity will not let it become fluffy!

This is the candy everybody loves. Best results are going to come in dry non humid conditions. Also it's a good idea to have all of your ingredients ready to add. It is delicious with chopped pecans. Maraschino cherries chopped are good also. If you add cherries just be sure to drain them for about 30 min. before you make the candy. 

Spinning a thread refers to the hardball stage. If you are using a candy themometer, let the mixture cook until it gets to hardball stage which is 260 degrees. Another way to test if you don't have a themometer is to drop the hot syrup into a glass of water and if it sinks to the bottom of the glass it's hardball stage. 

My Niece Brooke is 12 Today!!!!

Happy Birthday Brooke! I can't believe you are 12:) I hope you have fun with your friends tonight. Watch out for payback from Colton!

I am posting some pictures of your happy little face that are some of my favorites!

This was taken when you were born in Flower's Hospital.

Your Dad with your Granny and Great Grandmother Momma Peacock. We were all so happy when you finally came! You were a beautiful baby.

This is a picture of Brooke and her Poo Blanket. Poo was her constant companion. He had to be with her at all times.  I think he still is!

Sharing Poo with Colton:)
We like to watch movies. One day we were watching Babe. I thought Brooke would like it because she has always loved animals. All of a sudden Brooke started sobbing really hard. She said she was crying because Babe was lost. I turned the movie off! :)

Brooke, Poo and....... Is that Donald Duck?

In Grandpa's Lap eating Cheez Its with Gracie.

Playing and Singing Jesus Loves Me!.....

Presenting.......THE FACES OF BROOKE

BIG APPLES!

                                                       

                  Having punch with Gracie during Baby Shower for Cicely.

During the shower....in background are Brooke's Granny, Aunt Kim's back, cousin Whitney, cousin Calee, great grandmother Momma Peacock, Aunt Mary, Cicely opening presents, Brooke and Colton.

Home from School Sick with Colton!

That Book Looks Serious!

Halloween Party 2005

Cousin "It" Is Here!

Jasmine, Count Dracula and The Little Mermaid.

With Isa during a party!

Dressing Stephanie!

"You're kidding....."

Brooke, her dad and baby King Louie:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKE! WE LOVE YOU AND WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU!



God's will in our lives.......

The Birthday Boys!....Hudson on the right was 1 yr. old Nov. 6 and Holland is 2 today, Nov. 9.

These boys have quite a story to tell already! Holland was born premature and stayed in Children's Hospital in Birmingham until Christmas Eve of 2008. We were so happy he made it home for Christmas.

A year later, Hudson, with great care, was born a full term baby. Soon after his birth there were complications and he was taken to Children's hospital in Birmingham. The doctors told his Mom and Dad, Amber and Justin, there was only one hope to save Hudson's life and of course they agreeded to the procedure. I won't attempt to explain it. But I will tell you a story.......

Justin and Amber had just agreed to the medical procedure and came back and sat down in the waiting area of the intensive care at Children's Hospital, where Justin's mother and I were. One of the Chaplins of the Hospital came over and sat down next to Justin. He had some stones in his hand that had words like wisdom, strength, understanding etc. on them. The Chaplin held out his hand and asked Justin to choose one of those rocks that represent what he would like to pray for. Justin looked at the rocks and thought for a minute and said,  "Well Preacher if it's all the same to you I won't do that." You could see the Chaplin squirm a little. Justin continued, "You see I've found that when you pray for something the Lord puts it in your path to need those things. So if it's all the same to you I had rather just pray for God's Will in my son's life."  The Chaplin was overjoyed to hear that and we prayed..........  There's a lesson there for all of us.

Amber, my niece and Justin, her husband, are two of the most courageous people I have ever known. I am so proud to have you in our lives. We love you all very much.

Holland left, Amber and Hudson right





National Peanut Festival

This Banana Tree came up next to a barn at the farm where some limbs, that were trimmed from Granny's Banana tree, were thrown away. They were o.k. not very sweet.

Yesterday I watched some of the Peanut Festival Parade on television. I called home and Momma said that Holland was riding in the parade on a tractor with his Daddy! Glad the tractor had a cab, it was really cool outside. Great parade day though. The National Peanut Festival has always been a bright spot for our family.
My first memory of the fair was when I was about 4 years old we lived on the Cottowood Highway and the fairgrounds were located on the grounds of the Houston County Farm Center. We could see the farris wheel from Momma's bedroom window. I remember lying on the bed with Momma waiting for Daddy to come home and take us to the fair. My favorite game was Pick up Ducks! I won a little sock monkey once! We all enjoyed the greasy pig and calf scramble as much as the midway. We also enjoyed the livestock tents and of course the crafts and cooking tent. When it was time to go home we always bought a corn dog and then a candy apple!

I found this clipping in Granny's recipe box from the Dothan Eagle featuring the Peanut Festival Cake winner, Mrs. Carolyn Coskrey. Mrs. Coskrey was one of Momma's good friends in later years.  Mrs. Coskrey was a great cook and a good friend to all. She passed away recently and is missed by everyone in the community. I'm not sure of the date of the clipping but LBJ was president.  There is a cartoon on the back.  The LBJ Tax Bill is standing in front of President Johnson saying "I bring you a message from Congress" ....on his back side is a big foot print!

The rides were operated by Johnny's United Shows. Granny's brother Eddie Sims worked for them. Every year he came to visit and sometimes he had a surprise for me! I  will post some pictures of Uncle Eddie.

Uncle Eddie on the right and his father, my Great Grandfather, Henry Sims on the left.

Thanksgiving 2007, Chicken and Dumplings and Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy

Momma's Thanksgiving Table 2007

In the early days on Thanksgiving Day we were usually at home with Granny and Grandpa. Aunt Ruby and Aunt Bertha came over to our house, and sometimes, Aunt June and Uncle Bob and Mick and Sandra came too. Momma, Aunt Bertha and Granny cooked enough food for an army. They served cornbread dressing, with giblet gravy, chicken and dumplings, fresh peas, potato salad, baked ham, baked turkey, sweet potato casserole, collards and/or turnips with mustard, with fried corn bread. For desserts there were cakes, pies, and cookies. Momma usually made a coconut cake with a 7 minuet frosting, and a lemon cheese cake. Aunt Bertha often made a Japanese Fruit Cake and Granny usually made a German Chocolate cake for Thanksgiving.

Steve left standing, Keith right standing,
Mickey Wayne holding Teresa and Daddy, 1978

Aunt Bertha made the chicken and dumplings, Granny and Momma both made a pan of dressing. And they each cooked meat and vegtables. There was alot of food. But there were alot of hungry guys to feed! We ate left overs and made turkey and ham sandwiches the next day while we watched the Alabama/Auburn football game.


I'm not sure where to start. This is a big task because they didn't measure things except in baking. Baking measurements had to be exact. Aunt Bertha's chicken and dumplings were so good. She made the dumplings from scratch. Her dumplings were the best of all the Aunts! Sorry Aunts! Every Holland Family reunion I always made it a point to ask Aunt Bertha which pot of dumplings she made so I could be sure to eat hers! It's going to be hard to tell you how to do this because there are no measurements, but I will try to explain it. "Practice makes Perfect applies here. I think she had a lot of practice!


Steve about 6 yrs old and Aunt Bertha




Holland Family
Standing Left to Right Naomi, Lena Mae, Jessie, Bertha about 7 years old, Seated are Oree left and Hubert my grandfather Right

 Momma dictated the following directions to me, without measurements of course. I tried to pin her down to approximate measures for the oil and buttermilk:) She said "You just have to do it and you will know how!" So here we go lets see how we do.......

Bertha's Chicken and Dumplings

Self Rising Flour
Buttermilk
Vegtable oil
Large Hen
3 Stalks of chopped celery
1 large yellow onion

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, stainless dutch oven is best, cook a large hen, salted and covered with water, with 3 stalks of celery, and 1 large onion chopped. Cook for 2 hours on medium low heat. Watch the hen and when the legs and thighs begin to separate from the breast it's done. You want it to hold together while you take it out of the water, so don't over cook it. Let the hen cool and then remove from the pot and remove the skin, and bones, pull the breast meat apart and reserve for later use in the dressing and the giblet gravy. At this point it's best to make your dressing. When you have the dressing almost cooked return the broth to stove and bring to a boil. Make sure the pot is about 1/2 full of broth if not add some water, this would be about 4-5 qts of broth.

In a bowl of self rising flour make a well and put 3 tablespoons of vegtable oil, and about 1 cup of buttermilk in the well. With your hand flip the flour from the sides of the well into the buttermilk and mix it until you have a dough ball big enough to make about 10 to 12 biscuits. If you need more just add more buttermilk and flour.

When you have a ball that is thick enough you can pick up, transfer it to a floured surface. Kneed  until it is soft and smooth. You may need to add flour to get it smooth and not sticky. Then flour a rolling pin and roll the dough into a thin sheet, 1/8" thick or less. Take a knife and cut the sheet of dough into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide, about the width of lasagna noodles or a little less, then cut them again into pieces about 2 to 3 inches long. You can lay the long strips in stacks and then cut the whole stack into the smaller pieces.... it's a little faster.

Pick up a stack of the cut dumplings and lay the dough in the boiling broth in single layers. After you add each layer of dumplings sprinkle the top of each layer with black pepper until you have added all of the slices.  Do Not Stir!!!! Press dumplings down in broth with the back of a spoon. (Very Important). Cook only for 1 or 2 min. and then turn the heat off and let the pot sit for at least 5 min. on the cooling eye of the stove. Remove from the eye and let stand or serve DO NOT COVER WITH LID and DO NOT STIR. 


Corn Bread Dressing with Giblet Gravy

3 cups of medium grind corn meal
10 pieces of white bread for bread crumbs
2 tsp. of salt
3 eggs
2 1/4 cup milk
3 Stalks of celery sautee until tender in 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 large onion chopped
7 eggs boiled and chipped (reserve 3 eggs chipped for gravy)
Hen meat previously cooked with celery and onion, deboned and shredded

For Cornbread:

Heat oven to 450
Pour 1/4 cup vegtable oil in 10" cast iron skillet set aside.

Mix cornmeal, salt, 3 eggs and milk. Place in skillet in 3 pones. With a spoon take the oil that comes up the sides of the pan and dab the tops of the pones.  Bake in 450 degree oven for 30 min or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. You can make cornbread the night or day before and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before crumbling.

Toast the white bread until crunchy. Let cool and roll toast with rolling pin into fine bread crumbs.

Ok now you are ready to combine everything and make your dressing. At this point you can refrigerate everything and assemble the next morning.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine crumbled cornbread with sauteed celery and onions, 4 sliced and chopped boiled eggs, ( chop eggs into slices about 1/4 inch thick or less and then cut in half. You don't want to smash the eggs or cut them too small they will break up when you start mixing it all together), add the bread crumbs, and reserved chicken and season with black pepper. Pour some chicken broth into the cornbread mixture and mix with spoon until well blended. The dressing should appear wet and pour easily into a 13 x9 baking dish. Bake 45 min at 400 degress until golden brown.

Giblet Gravy

3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
3 to 4 cups warm chicken broth
2 cups dark meat chicken diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
3 chipped boiled eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet and add flour stir until brown add warm broth and season with salt and pepper, add celery, onions, chopped chicken and chipped boiled eggs. Cook on medium for about 10 to 15 min. until thickened. If too thick add more broth. This gravy should be medium to thin....not thick.

Gosh I sure am looking forward to seeing everyone. I found some pictures from Thanksgiving 2007. We were all together in Rabun Gap. It was a really nice Thanksgiving. Our last with Momma Peacock and Daddy. I can't find any of Momma Peacock except her back! She must have been doing that on purpose.  Amber may have some more she had her camera. I will post them if she does.


Happy Birthday Baby Hudson. Hudson Smith is 1 year old today! We are so thankful for you!

Daddy Nov. 27, 2007

Danielle on the way home! She's sleeping :) Shhhh!  We love you Danielle!

Momma, Aunt Shirley and Aunt Brenda during the National Peanut Festival Parade around 1995.

More tomorrow....