Back stage at the Grand Ole Opry

One of the dressing rooms.

Standing in the famous CIRCLE!!!

Peggy & Connie

Remember Connie that Diana and I met at  the Loveless Cafe?  She is a quilter and came to Franklin to see the sites and check out The Quilting Squares while I was working on Tuesday.  We hit it off and met at the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday morning to take the backstage tour.  We got to see where the performers come in, the post office,  the dressing rooms, and where the performers wait to go onstage.  There are lots of pictures of Grand Ole Opry members and famous people who have either performed on visited the Opry.  It was a fun experience!

When our tour was over it was pouring outside - big time:)  We waited it out before dashing to our cars and heading to the Puffy Muffin for lunch - one of the popular local eateries that visitors don't always know about.  As soon as we got there the electricity went out and the skies opened up once again.    Fortunately, the power  came back on in a few minutes so we were about to have lunch. Connie even stocked up on some Chocolate Crinkles and muffins for later before we said goodbye.

Fun day!!!!

Great guide - she was a lot of fun and made it interesting.
She had lots of stories to share about the entertainers.

Where the performers wait to go on to the stage.

Back in the Kitchen with Peggy

Sounds like I am not the only one who finds it difficult to plan meals/cook for one.  Besides the comments on the blog, I have gotten several emails and calls so thought I would expand on what I have been doing.
Several people have asked for recipes, too.

Its easier for me to have a "cooking day" and fix several things at once.  Yesterday was a cooking day and I added several items to my freezer stock.    First up was Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  This was my first experience using vegetarian crumbles!  All four of these were frozen for later - I left off the cheese and will add it before baking.  Pork tenderloin is one of my favorites and was on sale at my local Kroger this weekend.  My fresh rosemary is doing great so I found a recipe for  Orange Marinated Pork Tenderloin It has been marinating overnight and will get baked this morning.   This will be sliced and frozen in one person portions.  As a tip, when I need something like orange juice for a recipe I buy one of the "single serve" bottles since it is something I don't usually drink.  The last thing I fixed yesterday was a Vegetable Curry dish.  I had bought the ingredients at a local Indian grocery.  This turned out great but it is not something that can be frozen.  It'll get eaten over the next few days.

Rosemary and Basil

Several people asked how I did the roasted vegetables.  This is a recipe from the South Beach Diet and is one of my favorites.  I usually do a big pan and eat the leftovers during the week - either hot or cold.  Super simple:  Slice all the vegetables (experiment!!)  you want to use and toss or drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper.  You can use other spices of your choosing.   Roast at 450 for about 20 minutes.  Really good with some freshly grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff!!!).

Green beans, sweet potato, asparagus,
red onion, green pepper, tomatoes & yellow
squash 

My freezer is pretty well stocked!  Besides the things I have blogged about, I also have several "stand-bys" to choose from.  I buy salmon (wild-caught), chicken breasts, and tilapia frozen in single serve portions from Sam's Club.  These are easy to cook and I'll usually have them with a salad.

My two favorite easy salads of the moment:

1.  Sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzerella cheese and fresh basil topped with some balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper.

2.  Spring mix, diced chicken, strawberries, almonds - topped with Honey Dijon Dressing (see post on April 14, 2010)  This is a great light meal.

FYI:  The Indian recipes I make come from the cookbook "Easy Indian Cooking" by Suneeta Vaswani. I have taken lessons from her in Houston.

If its underlined - its a link!  Just click on it.

PS:  Repost of dressing recipe

Honey Dijon Mustard Dressing

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard (Grey Poupon)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Mix all ingredients well in a food processor or blender, cover and use on a variety of salads.

Together again:)

My good friend, Diana, came to visit for several days (she is the one I went to Ireland with in December) and we packed a lot of fun into those days!!!

Diana and I on the front porch.

Diana by huge Osage Orange tree

First appearance at the Opry

The first night we toured Franklin with a stop at Cici's!   A must do in Franklin.  Diana is a history buff so Friday morning we went to the Carnton Plantation and did the tour.  It is really interesting - the house was used as a hospital after the Battle of Franklin during the Civil War.  After we toured the house, we walked around the grounds and visited the cemetery.   Friday night we went to the Grand Ole Opry and saw a great show.  Nashville was celebrating country music with the annual Fan Fest Celebration so we saw lots of great performers.  Included in the list were the teenagers who just won on American Idol as the youngest all the way to 90 year old Little Jimmy Dickens.  In between were some old favorites like Mel Tillis, Charlie Pride, Roy Clarke (all in their 70s) and Billy Ray Cyrus and Josh Turner.  We came home and googled all these performers to see how old they were:)

At the Opry!

With Jack Daniels!

Saturday morning we headed south to the Jack Daniels Distillery.  When we were in Ireland we toured the Jameson's Distillery so it seemed only fair!  Funny, the county where the distillery is located voted to go "dry" after the distillery was built so no tasting allowed!  You can buy bottles in the gift shop so we did:)  After the tour, we went into town and ate lunch and checked out a few shops.

Sunday morning we drove to Huntsville, AL to visit Janet and Nick.  We all went to lunch at the Brickhouse and then to see the progress on the new house!  Wow!  Amazing how much work they had done in one week.  It is really coming along and looks great.

Sunday night we headed over to the Natchez Trace and the Loveless Cafe for dinner.  Can't come see me without a visit to the Loveless:)  We shared photo taking duties with a couple from Phoenix (Ken and Connie)  while we waited.  We ended up sitting next to them in the restaurant.  After seeing their peach cobbler, we shared one, too!

She made me do it!!!

Monday morning we headed to downtown Nashville to see the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman Theater.  We had saved this for Monday to avoid all the crowds (and parking issues) during FanFest.  Great idea!  Parking was a breeze and things weren't too crowded.   We spent most of the day there and came home and collapsed:)

Sewing Update! (warning for my non-sewing friends)

The last couple of weeks I have been working on three little Oliver + S patterns.  One is on display at The Quilting Squares and the other two are for Kay's granddaughter, Abby.  They'll be used as samples when she outgrows them!  These are all size 12-18 months.  I was impressed with these patterns - the instructions were very well written.  That's not always the case with independent pattern companies.

Two cotton shirtings!

This one is a knit!

Now its time to sew for me!  Textile Fabrics here in Nashville had their semi-annual 50% off sale last week.  I went and got two fabrics for shirts and one for a dress.  I've also been knitting!  My scarf is coming along and should be done soon.

From the Farmers' Market

In cooking news, this week I fixed my favorite chicken curry.  I love this recipe and it means I've got five more meals in the freezer.  Soon I should have a decent variety.  Great success at the Farmers' Market this week.  I roasted some of my purchases - so good with some fresh parmesan grated on top.

In the kitchen with Peggy!

The only part of being single I don't enjoy is "cooking for one".  With my sewing, reading, biking, walking, working, etc,  (and visits to/from family and friends)  I stay busy and happy,  but the cooking . . . blah!!!  As many of you know I love to cook,  just not for one.

Cooking Away!!!!

Basil & Rosemary

When I was at Janet and Nick's on Mother's Day, Nick had been cooking most of the day!  He cooks ahead so during the week they have food that is quick and easy to prepare.  The past couple of weeks I have been trying to do the same thing.  For some reason, I had thought of this for families but not for "singles".  It is working great - I cook several things and freeze them for later.  Today is a cooking day.  Right now I have mini-meat loaves in the oven (my sister's recipe); purple hull peas simmering; a couple of chicken breasts poaching for chicken salad; a couple more chicken breasts grilling to add to salads or for whatever; the left-over ground beef is seasoned and cooked for tacos/salad; and bowtie pasta is boiling to be used with the basil pesto I made yesterday.  My herb garden consists of basil and rosemary in a pot and this was my first harvest!  I have tons and should have taken some to Huntsville yesterday - next time!!

The down side of all of this cooking is the clean-up!!!  But with all the cooking and the goodies from the Farmers' Market, I am set for a while!   I'm also going to be on the lookout for some "cooking for one" blogs.

Dog Days in Ardmore, AL

A small portion!

I met Janet and Nick bright and early Saturday morning at Dog Days in Ardmore.  It is a HUGE garage sale:)  We wandered around for a while and bought a few things.  Janet scored some great decanters and some old canning jars.  I bought a pair of suitcases but my negotiating skills were not as good as Nick's.  I had to pay the full asking price.

My new suitcases:)

John Deere Tractor

The negotiators!

There was tons of stuff!  We decided it was over-priced (meaning we weren't paying that much) or it was junk.  Good thing one man's junk is another man's treasure.  There were even kittens and puppies for sale - that did not come home with us!  We did see a John Deere Tractor - just like the one Doug had has in my storage.  The price - $200 and it didn't even have the wagon.  There was also a Farmer's Market and we came home with fresh peaches, tomatoes and cantalope.  Yum!!!

After Dog Days, we went to see Janet and Nick's house with a stop for Mexican food.  No progress this week but it is supposed to be finished the end of August.  Sun was in the wrong place but they are standing in their future garage.

Wow!! Time to catch up!

It's been a long time!  Since I posted last, its been busy.  For the first time ever, I got to experience a computer "hard drive crash".  No fun!  Fortunately, I had backed up recently so while it was a pain I didn't lose much information.  My Mac is 3.5 years old and this was my first ever problem so I won't complain.  My previous computer didn't even last this long.  Yes, I am one of those "Mac" converts!!

Sewing news  - I have been busy in my studio!  So far this month, I have made several items with more on the cutting table.

Spa Wraps

1. Marcy Tilton Vogue pants - revisited this pattern.  These are finished but were not my most successful with this pattern.  My fabric was a little too stiff for the style.
2. Apron - this was fun to make.  It is on display at The Quilting Squares right now and will then be Janet's.   
3. Spa Wraps - my niece, Amy, graduates from high school next week and these are for some of her friends.
4. Oliver + S Family Reunion Dress - This is another shop sample.  So sweet!!!  I have two more of their patterns I am working on.
5. Hemming - Not my favorite project but it was for my daughter!  So she has four pairs of pants she can wear.
6. Started a new knitting project - super simple scarf with some gorgeous yarn.

In other news, I have a new ride!!!  A Cannondale hybrid bike (and helmet) are now in my possession.  If it ever stops raining around here, I'll start riding more.  There is a park with a bicycle path that is a good place to ride.   I went there and rode 6 miles the other day.  Too dangerous to ride in Franklin - all roads lead to Sweet CeeCee's (local frozen yogurt shop).

And, I also have a new "do".  After letting my hair grow longer, I finally admitted that it wasn't working for me so . . . it is short, short, short!!!  This happened in two stages.  The first cut was really cute - it reminded me of how I wore my hair for a while in high school.  Ardell even wanted to know if I still had my hot pants!  But it drove me crazy hanging in my face so chop! chop! chop!!!  It is now super short and I love it!!!!

Stage One - Cute style but it hung in my face:)

Short! Short! Short!!!

 
(I will update this with pictures when I find my camera.  Honestly, I had it yesterday!!!)  Found - and I am too embarrassed to tell you where it was:)

Happy Mother's Day

Ruth Lamond Chance
1922-2001

Happy Mother's Day!  My five siblings and I were blessed with a truly wonderful mother.  Which also means our children had a super grandmother who taught them lots of games.   Mother was known for her great sense of humor among other things.  All of her friends requested she bring her famous brownies to all events and she was well known for making the best crab cakes and fried shrimp anywhere.  My children called her "Brownie Grandma" which meant she rarely visited without bringing them brownies.  Smart kids.   Even at my age there are still days when "I want my Mommy"!!!  

As for me, I love being a mother and have the best children. Thanks for making me feel special today.  I have had calls, cards, flowers and will be having dinner tonight with Janet and Nick in Huntsville.

Tulips from Doug and Leigh Anne

Happy Birthday Janet! Happy Birthday Sarah! Happy Birthday Doug!

It's that time again!!!   Happy Birthday to my three great children. This may be the last time I post their ages (29, 29, 27).

Doug

Sarah

Janet




Leigh Anne's birthday (26) was April 24th so a Happy Birthday to her as well.

Leigh Anne

Going back to Houston!

After Betty and I drove to Houston, I spent a few days with Barbara and her family.  The countdown is on!!!  She has one more chemo treatment and six weeks of radiation and then she is DONE!!!!   Barbara's family is coming to Nashville sometime in late summer.  One of the main side affects of the chemo is extreme fatigue, so I volunteered to drive Barb to work in the morning.  While she worked, I ran errands, etc. - and ate:)

Becki and I

My car had the oil changed and a professional wash job.  My income tax return was filed for the first time as a "single" person in 35 years.  A couple of new patterns were added to the stash from the Joanne's pattern sale. I went bike shopping.  My hair was cut by my favorite hairdresser.  And, I ate!!

Jackie & I 

One morning I met my friend Jackie for a four hour breakfast!  We have been friends since our girls were in kindergarten but she nows lives in Florida.  Since we would both be in Houston at the same time, we planned a meeting.   Next I met my sewing friend, Becki, for lunch at a Greek restaurant near her office.  We both had on garments we had made.  Fellow sewers always have plenty to talk about.  That night Barbara and Jim took me out for a Tex-Mex fix so I was well fed that day.

Biker Babe

Not me!!

It was fun!!!

Sunday I met my sister, Ardell, for lunch and to look at bicycles.  We then went to Maynard's house to see his new "bike"- a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited.  Not in the same league as the one I am planning to buy:)  Ardell and I decided we needed a test ride so we "geared up".   Maynard's usual companions are obviously a size or two smaller than his sisters.  I had to suck it up to get the jacket zipped. When he asked if the helmet fit, my answer was "if I take my earrings off".  I am not kidding!!!!  But, please note the stool in the picture was not for me.

Monday morning I packed up to go, met some friends for lunch and then headed back to TN with an overnight stop near Lufkin at Diana and Jim's.   Tuesday's drive back home was a tough one - super windy as well as a couple of accidents on the interstate.  I knew a big storm was a few hours behind me and it hit Franklin a couple of hours after I got home.

Elizabeth and Jan (taken with my iPhone)

Cathy and Kathy watched Sissy for me while I was gone.  She is totally spoiled and is waiting for me to leave again.  Thanks!