Happy New Year!

 

Happy New Year 2020

I'd like to extend Happy New Years wishes on behalf of all of us here at the Cafe.

We hope everyone has a wonderful new decade beginning today!

Love, Ruthy, Missy, Jan, Mindy and Cate

Greens and Beans and New Year's Good Luck!

Missy Tippens

How many of you eat greens and black eyed peas for good luck on New Year's Day? My family always did that while I was growing up, so I usually try to do the same to keep up that tradition.

Okay, so this year I admit we went out to eat on January 1st! I was too lazy to cook. haha However, we did eat our good luck meal on the 2nd.

First, I sautéed some green and red peppers and chopped up leftover HoneyBaked ham. (I would have used onions but we have a family member who can't eat them.)

Then I dumped in a bag of frozen field peas and a bag of frozen collards. And followed up with about 3/4 of a box of chicken broth.

I simmered them until hubby got home, which ended up being about an hour. It takes at least 30 minutes for the peas to get tender.

It made a nice soup! You could also thicken it up and make it more like a stew, but I didn't want to add calories. I also served these new grapes I recently discovered. They really do taste like cotton candy to my daughter and me! (Hubby didn't agree.) However, once you eat a few, you don't really notice any more--and I decided I like regular grapes better. Still, it was fun for something different!

I also wanted to share these gorgeous chocolates my daughter-in-law got me! She bought them at a store in downtown Duluth, Georgia, called The Chocolaterie. They make them there. Almost too pretty to eat!! ALMOST. Because the box is nearly empty now. ;)

www.missytippens.com

Happy New Year!

Creative New Year's Day Meal

Missy Tippens

I came down with the flu on New Year's Day. What a way to welcome in 2018!

So, being a little puny that day, I tried to pull together a somewhat traditional meal. When I was growing up in Kentucky, that meant steamed cabbage (my parents didn't care for greens), corned beef, black-eyed peas, and cornbread. We always called it a meal for good luck.

Well, I hadn't been to the grocery in a while, so I had to do the best I could with what I had on hand. Again, this is the story of my life of never having ingredients I need! :)

Plus, I was running a fever. LOL

First, I had no cornmeal! Oh my gosh, how did that happen?? But, like any good southerner, I DID have grits.

I did not have black-eyed peas, plus my family doesn't love them. But I did have pinto beans.

I didn't have collard greens (first choice) or turnip greens...but I did have a spinach-kale mix.

But (and here's another Tippens move), the greens were getting past their peak and were a little gross in the middle. SOOOO...by the time I threw away the slimy pieces, there wasn't much left. We each got about a tablespoonful. hahaha!

Did I mention I had a fever and chills by that point? And I was starving. My husband kept saying they could make their own sandwiches or something. But I was determined! We would have our good luck meal like from my childhood.

No corned beef? That's fine. I never really liked it anyway! I got a package of turkey sausage hotdogs out of the freezer, thawed them in the microwave, and added them to the beans to cook.

Voila! Our New Year's Day dinner.

Here's to hoping our insanely weird good luck meal doesn't bode poorly for the year. :)

Notice (with your magnifying glass) the microscopic serving of greens!

The grits got a little too thick, but they were amazing with the butter and cream. And the whole thing filled our stomachs. That's a blessing right there!

Plus, look at these pretty new dishes I just bought on clearance at Macy's! I enjoyed eating on them for the first time.

Even hot-dogs, grits, pinto beans, and greens could taste good on these. :)

Happy 2018 everyone!!

Missy

www.missytippens.com

In a Word...

Welcome to 2018!

Seriously?

2018?

What happened to 2017?

For me, much of it went by in a blur. Rotator cuff surgery, our big move, renovating the big house, TWO grandbabies...

Yes, I'd say 2017 was an eventful year. One filled with more blessings than I count.

Just a few of this Grammy's blessings.

So it seems only appropriate that my word for 2018 is GRATITUDE. 

An attitude of gratitude is something I need to exercise more often, instead of allowing myself to get bogged down in the pithy little things that seek to steal my joy. Not when I have so much to be joyful about.

Like this...

And this...

Brie is really is a wonderful thing. Especially when it's baked.

This one is topped with honey, pecans, dried fruit and bacon...

In a word...AMAZING!

Sweet, savory, melty deliciousness.

Now you'll have to forgive me, but I can't help throwing in a couple more photos of our sweet Taegan Olivia, our day-after-Christmas gift.

 She's just...

 So doggone cute.

 Now it's your turn.

Do you choose a word as you head into each year?

Or are you a resolution person? Maybe a goal-setter?

What are you hoping for in 2018?

Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com  

Happy New Year!

Whether you ring in the New Year with

Black-Eyed Peas,

Fireworks,

or watching the ball drop in Times Square...

Looking Toward 2018

Missy Tippens

Happy almost 2018, y'all!

Have you barely caught your breath from Christmas? That's how I feel. I can hardly believe how quickly we're racing toward the new year.

We had such a wonderful time this holiday. We had my parents, sister and brother-in-law here with us. Here's a photo of the Christmas morning service. My dad didn't brave the cold that day, but he did make it for Christmas Day at my house. My oldest and his wife made it that night for the candlelight service. So we were all together on Christmas!

My sister and brother-in-law on the left, hubby in the pastor robe, and two of my kids

After Christmas, we headed to south Georgia to spend a late Christmas with my husband's parents and sister and family. I so wanted to get a good photo of the Spanish moss on the trees, which is how we can always tell we're truly in the south part of Georgia. But it rained the whole time! I didn't want that photo bad enough to get out in that. LOL

So, backing up to before Christmas... Here are some photos from the Duluth, Georgia, town green. We went out before Christmas to celebrate our son's and our daughter-in-law's birthdays. Duluth has a wonderful historic area as well as the fairly new town green. It's a little dark, but you can see some of the beautiful lights.

And we made a stop at The Chocolaterie while downtown. They make the most gorgeous chocolates. They're almost too pretty to eat. Here's one photo, but if you check their website, they have better photos than mine. Personally, my favorite is the pecan turtle. :)

That night we also went to Crave Pie and Simply Done Donuts. We all wanted different desserts! :)

Then back at home, our sweet senior doggie had a new bandana and was soundly sleeping in his bed.

Here's wishing you a wonderful end of 2017. May you celebrate the blessings of this past year, and may you have a very blessed 2018!

Missy
www.missytippens.com

Back to Healthier Eating

2017 has arrived!

I hope your holidays were happy and filled with wonderful memories. Here at the Obi house, we were met with a few unexpected events, though, in the end, everyone survived. Of course, it'll take until March to get our family room back in order.

Christmas Day aftermath.

I don't know about you, but now is time when I'm ready to toss all of the leftover holiday treats and get back to eating normally. And dare I say healthier.

Of course, that doesn't mean we can't still indulge. We just do it in a different way. For me, it's without all that sugar. By now, I'm once again addicted to the stuff, so it's time to break that cycle.

Luckily, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a few treats. Nor do I have to bid pumpkin season farewell just yet.

Yes, it's true. You can have your cake and eat it, too.

Okay, so it's really a muffin, but let's not split hairs. Especially when it satisfies those sweet cravings without knocking us off the low-carb wagon.

Best of all, you can whip this up in no time for a luscious afternoon snack.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 flat tablespoon 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 2 heaping tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons golden flax meal
• 1 tablespoon almond flour (if you don't have almond flour, you can use 3 tablespoons of the flax meal)
• 3/4 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 5-6 teaspoons Truvia, separated (you can use more or less, depending on your tastes. If you use another artificial sweetener, adjust according to your personal taste)
• 1 generous tablespoon pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

First, the frosting.
Put cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and 2-3 teaspoons sweetener into a small bowl.

Mix until smooth and set aside. This gives the sweetener a chance to dissolve.

Now grab yourself a nice size mug, crack the egg into it and whisk with a fork.

Then add your flax meal/almond flour, pie seasoning, baking powder, sweetener to taste (I usually use about 3 teaspoons/packets), pumpkin and coconut oil and whisk until everything is incorporated.

Place mug in microwave and cook on high for 60-70 seconds**. You can also bake it in a ramekin or divide batter between two holes of a regular size muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Those methods would probably make for a prettier muffin, but since I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, I usually go for the microwave. Besides, even in the micro, it still comes out with a nice, cakey texture.

**Note: My microwave is 1100 watts, so if yours differs, you'll need to adjust the time accordingly.

Once done baking, dump your muffin(s) onto a plate...

I like to cut mine in half before topping it with the frosting.

And I love that there's an ample amount of frosting, so that no bite is without.

My tummy is happy, my sweet tooth is satisfied and I'm breaking the sugar cycle.

A definite win-win.

Now it's your turn. How were your holidays? Anything exciting happen?

Do you feel the need to break the sugar cycle when January hits?

Happy New Year's Eve!

Hello, everybody!! Mary Jane here wishing you a VERY happy New Year's Eve!

If you haven't claimed your prizes, please be sure to contact us by our blogs or facebook pages so we can get those to you. :)

If you have a party planned but still don't know what to cook, check out our list of delicious appetizers, warm and filling easy recipes and melt-in-your-mouth delightful easy desserts!

Also, be sure to stop by Seekerville tonight for their annual New Year's Eve blowout! Lots of fun book chats and (of course) giveaways. Yours truly will be there around (counting backwards an checking time zones) 2PM Pacific Time so come on by and tell me what YOU do to beat discouragement!

I hope to see you there, and may your New Year's Day be peaceful and bright!

New Year's Fun at the Ranch

Last week, my men and I retreated to the ranch where we were met with beautiful sunrises,

Brisk mornings,

And lots of mud.

The first part of the week was spent with our youngest daughter and her husband, along with their two dogs. Dayton was eager to shoot a little skeet.

Not one to be outdone, I made sure I got in on the fun.

My grandpups, however, were not so impressed.

While we were shooting, number one son was busy transforming this cedar log into a work of art.

He works with a gallery that uses the pieces in high-end homes. 

Things really got lively when our oldest daughter and her family showed up, though.

Brycen is the oldest.

Then Caden.

And Gavin.

Then there's this little mischief maker.

Elijah was ready to have fun.

So, we went for walks.

Watched the cows.

Watched the cows watching us.

There were puddles to be jumped in.

And hikes with a big brother.

Do y'all have any idea how much food one must prepare when there are FIVE teenage boys to feed?

I made multiple pans of biscuits.

A gazillion pancakes.

And countless other items, culminating with a big ol' smoked brisket on New Year's Day.

Have I ever mentioned that the ranch sits outside of a very small town? So small that when you visit the grocery two days after Christmas expecting to pick up some frozen garlic bread, you may find yourself having to improvise because the shelves have yet to be restocked.

But necessity is the mother of invention, right? So I grabbed a package of brown-and-serve rolls (it was the best I could do), brushed them with melted butter infused with garlic, then sprinkled them with a bit of shredded Parmesan and Italian seasoning and voila.  

They were gone in a flash.

Speaking of flashes, I forgot to mention New Year's Eve.

How's this for a bonfire?

I'm not sure what number two son is reaching for, but this looks suspect to me.

 Yes, we had a fantastic week. 

And from where Big Daddy stands, 2016 is looking pretty bright, too.