Sunday Cake

I baked this week's Sunday Cake on Monday since we were late getting home Sunday night.  Larry wanted a cheesecake and since I'd never made one before, I just found an easy, classic recipe online.

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

 

HEAT oven to 325°F
MIX graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.  

You will notice that nowhere in the recipe does it say anything about placing the pan in water or putting water in the oven with the pan or anything remotely about water, right??  

My perfect beautiful cheesecake cracked wide open as soon as I lifted it out of the oven.  I joked about it on Facebook and THEN I learned about the water part.  And the temperature part.  I followed the recipe to the letter and had it said a word about water, I would have done that.  Grrrrr.

It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world but it sure is good!  And half gone already.  :)

Vintage lovelies!

There was just SO much to see at that little junk store Larry and I found on our way to the beach Saturday.  An absolute treasure trove.  Or Sanford and Son, however you want to look at it.  :)

Larry found some really cool patches and pins and I was all about the dishes!  I had just told him before we left not to let me buy any dishes on this trip because we have a cabinet slap full and we are running out of room.  He was no help whatsoever and actually encouraged the madness by picking out two plates himself.  I found an old green Pyrex mixing bowl and a FireKing casserole dish here along with the cutest little smiley face glass and then at Fish Art on Tybee Island, we found some plates (for 25 cents each!).  

The one I was most proud of was the Golden Meadow dinner plate by Sheffield that dates back to the 60's.  I was proud because Mama had some of these when I was a kid and when I saw it, I was immediately taken back to suppers at that little metal dinner table we had.

I just love it!  And I love that it was 25 cents and that Larry spotted it first, having no clue that I grew up eating off plates just like it.

I wasn't wrong when I called it nearly 26 years ago.  He is THE ONE.  :)

Beach weekend

We had a wonderful time at the beach!  The sun was warm and the sky was amazingly beautiful and blue the entire time.  It was around 50 degrees Saturday with wind at 18 mph but Sunday was better.  The wind had calmed some and the temperature was a little warmer.  February may not be the best time to go to the beach but it was the best time for us!

We went over to Tybee Island, a short three-hour drive from here.  It took us nearly six hours to get there, though, because we went adventurin' off the beaten path and ended up in a little town called Collins, where we found the most awesome thrift/junk store.  Memories Rendered is the name of it.  We must have spent every bit of two hours in there.  I found another vintage Pyrex mixing bowl, a FireKing casserole and the most awesomest of 70's glassware, a smiley face glass!  We had so much fun going through all that stuff!

We finally got to Tybee around 3:00 and as soon as we checked in at the hotel, we hit the beach! 

We ate supper at StingRay's, had some awesome crab legs and Low Country boil and listened to a very good Jimmy Buffet impersonator performing outside.  

Saturday night, I got a message on Facebook from my childhood friend, Brenda (Cox) Northern, who now lives in Tybee, and she said she wanted to come see us!  So she did!  She came to our hotel room and we all sat and talked for a long time.  It was so good to see her again! 

Sunday morning, we got up really early and watched the sun come up.  I have always loved the beach.  Ever since I was a baby girl and Mama and Daddy would take me and my brother to Florida every summer.  I feel pulled by the sea and I believe that the ocean is God's greatest creation.  I joke that He just showed OUT the day He separated land and water but seriously, if you have any doubt that there is a God, go spend some time at the sea.

It is without a doubt my happy place and where I feel closest to my God.

We went to the sweetest little Baptist church for Sunday morning worship.  Chapel By The Sea.  We loved everything about it and I was reminded of that little Baptist church I grew up in, from the hymns they sang to the quietly ushering out of the children for Children's Church just before the sermon began.  I loved it.  We were welcomed so warmly and they even sat us next to a sweet little couple from Warner Robins!  Both retired from the base and now living at Tybee.  Such a wonderful, loving experience.

Larry had the best time feeding the birds!  He fed them off the balcony of our room and he fed them several times on the beach.

Peace, love and the ocean! 

Sunday after church, we had lunch at The Crab Shack where I had the best clam chowder I've ever had!  We played with and talked to the exotic birds and the many kitties they have there and looked around in the gift shop.  Then we went over to the lighthouse and were disappointed that it was closed to the public for painting but we took a bunch of pictures and hung out at the Battery Garland at Fort Screven.

We hit some surf shops after that then went back to the beach for a while before we started home.  

We took long walks on the beach and laughed so much, my face ached.  Sandy toes, salty kisses and wind in your hair.  I just don't believe it gets any better than that.

Fifteen

Today is my and Larry's fifteenth wedding anniversary and the very first one we got to spend together, well, at least all day together.  We had another winter storm blow through and we were iced in yesterday.  We did have ice on our deck this morning but mostly, we were just cold-rained in.  I'll be glad to see this winter go.  I am so ready for some sunshine and warm days.  Hopefully, this weekend!  We're heading to the beach to celebrate our anniversary and Valentine's Day.  The forecast is now saying 70 degrees and sunny.  Fingers crossed!

We went shopping this afternoon for things to take on our trip and then to LongHorn for steak for supper.  



Larry got me these pretty flowers and a new purse and I got him a new work watch.  Church watch for his birthday, work watch for our anniversary.  He ought to always know what time it is!  :)  We got sweet cards from Mama and Daddy and Ami and Brian, along with lots of love and good wishes on Facebook from our friends and family.  

Here's the beautiful card that Ami made for us.  We just loved it.

 So sweet.  

Thank you so much, Ami.  This made me cry!

Happy Anniversary, my love. 

Come grow old along with me.  The best is yet to be.

Sunday Cake

Since I've had some requests for my Sunday Cake recipes, I thought I'd start giving y'all the recipes with today's cake.  I always ask Larry what kind of cake he wants and then we go buy whatever we need that we don't already have on hand in the pantry.  This week he said an orange cake.  He loves orange juice and has it every morning with his breakfast.  I love oranges, too.  They always remind me of summer vacations in Florida when I was a kid.  So I was excited to find a recipe for this week's Sunday Cake!

I used this one.  It called for a yellow cake box mix but you can use my basic cake recipe as well.   

1 cup of sugar 
1/2 cup of butter 
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Tried and true.  :) 

Orange Cake
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 small box of orange gelatin
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
2-3 teaspoons orange zest

Orange Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest

Heat oven to 325F degrees.

Beat cake mix, dry gelatin, orange juice, oil, eggs and zest in a large bowl on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed for 2 minutes or so. Pour into a generously greased bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan. Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest in a small bowl. After you move the cake to the serving plate and while the cake is still warm, prick the cake with a fork. Pour glaze evenly over the cake. Allow the cake to completely cool before serving.

 Beautimous!

Do what makes you happy

Yesterday, Larry and I went on a shopping spree!  Thursday is our 15th wedding anniversary and of course, Friday is Valentine's Day so we did our shopping together.  That way you get what you really want, right? 

Larry's birthday is the 24th, too, and I already knew I wanted to get him a new watch.  We found a beautiful gold Seiko at Belk.  On sale, too!



We started out getting haircuts and he got his beard trimmed.  His very first time in a salon!  I got a few layers cut into my hair.  Not too much of a change.  Just enough to not make me cuss when I'm trying to fix my hair.  During the week, it's fine since I wear a ponytail to work but on the weekends, I wear it down and it was starting to really make me talk ugly.  I have extremely fine hair and it will not hold a style to save its hide.  Never has, except for that period in my life that I completely lost my everlovin' mind and got a perm every three months.  We probably shouldn't go there, though.  The girl who cut my hair yesterday did her job and sold me some foamy gel to go along with my new haircut.  Some stuff called Blow It Up.  Absolutely fitting for how I feel when I try to fix my hair.  Blow. It. Slap. UP.  :)  It's good stuff, though!  I love it!!  

We each got some new church clothes and a couple of shirts a piece and Larry got some jeans and a belt.  And an absolutely beautiful aqua blue paisley tie.  I just fell in love with that thing the moment I saw it.  And when I held it up to him and saw how it made his eyes just pop, he had to have it.  He bucked a little when he saw the price tag, but it was on sale!  Plus 20% off!  Plus it makes your eyes pop!  He couldn't say no to that.  Or me.  :)

I got some Clinique Happy for my Valentine's present and since Belk was having their Clinique bonus time, I got that, too.  My anniversary present was a pair of Skecher's GoWalk shoes that I've been wanting ever since Brian, Ami and I went to Stone Mountain in October and stopped at Tanger Outlet on the way for a bathroom break.  Ami and I saw those shoes in the window at the Skechers store and we both said how comfortable they looked.  And they are!  They're like not even having shoes on at all.  And y'all know how I like that.  I put them on right then in the store and wore them the rest of the day.  

We picked up a few more albums, too.  We're getting quite a collection!  Larry had hundreds of albums when he was younger but lost them all so we're trying to replace some of them.  No way can we get them all back but the ones we can get, we're going to get.  We got Carole King's Tapestry.  One of my favorites.  We have it on CD but there's something about that crackly vinyl sound.  A CD cannot compare with that.  Larry told me that he bought this album as a soldier boy in Germany in 1971 and it was one that was lost to him.  Well, now it's found.

When we got back out to the truck with all of our purchases, Larry found a little blue card under the windshield wiper and on it was written, "Do what makes you happy".  We thought that was so appropriate because that was exactly what we were doing!  We were spending the day together.  A day that was still way out of our reach this time a year ago.  We looked around and the car behind us had a card as well.  What a sweet, thoughtful gesture somebody made!  We were both so touched by that.  It's behind a magnet on our refrigerator right now.

We had such a great day!  And today, Larry felt the Holy Spirit tugging at him at church and he made the decision to join our church!  I went down to the altar with him and when our pastor introduced us to the congregation, he told them, "If you get to know this couple, you will find that they are a delight."  How sweet that was.  Everyone came around and shook our hands and welcomed Larry to the church family.  

Right now, I can hear the power saw out in the backyard.  Larry's building a work bench for his shop.  

Another wonderful weekend. 

Super weekend

Saturday was Ami's birthday and we had a little party for her at Mama and Daddy's house.  We stopped off at The Party Store before we left town and picked her up some birthday balloons and Larry picked out a Birthday Girl ribbon for her to wear.  He'd already been to Books-A-Million and got her the entire set of V. C. Andrews' Flowers In The Attic books.  I read them as a teenager and passed them and the story down to her.  She mentioned wanting to read them again as an adult, with adult perspective, and I thought that was a great idea.  I might do that, too.

Before we got to the party, I took Larry on a little tour of Montezuma and Oglethorpe and showed him a little bit of my hometown(s).  I was born in Montezuma but raised in Oglethorpe so I claim both of them.  I love that Montgomery Gentry song, My Town.  I agree with Eddie Montgomery.  No matter where you go in this world, you always take a little piece of your hometown in your heart.  I couldn't wait to show Larry where I keep all my yesterdays.  I've been telling Larry about Troy's for 25 years so we had to go there, even though we were going to eat and have cake and ice cream at Ami's party!  I ordered two double all-the-way, two double chili cheese and a chicken breast dinner.  You just ain't lived until you've had a double all-the-way Troy Burger.  Larry's now a believer  :)  I took him to the high school, too, and when I saw the condition of it, I almost cried.  Nobody is taking care of it and parts of it are in horrible shape.  What is going on in Montezuma?  When I went there from 1981-1985, we took pride in that school.  Coach Peaster demanded it.  We were angsty teenagers and naturally we hated school and couldn't wait to get out of there but we respected it, both the building and the people inside it.  Something is terribly wrong now and it makes me very sad.  And the sign outside the football field that prohibits "excessive walking around" during a game??  What??  That's what you do!  You walk around during the games.  We sure did.  That was the best part!  I've said a thousand times that I would have loved to have lived in simpler times, in better times.  Well, I DID.  I did live in simpler, better times.  When I was a kid, growing up in Macon County, Georgia.  I didn't appreciate it then but I sure do now.  

We enjoyed having our LizzieBean with us Saturday!  Here she is in Larry's lap.  He was blowing in her face and she loved it!

Since Sunday was the Super Bowl and since I couldn't care less about the game but I love my Larry more than life itself, I made him some Super Bowl snacks.  He didn't really care about the outcome but he was pulling for Denver because he's a big fan of Peyton Manning.  Well, we all know how it turned out.  It was actually painful at times to watch.  And the commercials were a huge disappointment for me, too.

Anyway, I made a spread!  Chili cheese sausage dip and little smoked sausages in the crock pots, a bacon ranch cheese ball and crackers and lemon pepper and buffalo wings.  And we had our Sunday Cake.  Larry wanted another German chocolate so that's what we had.

Super fun, super yummy weekend!