Cooking Thursday

I have a great dessert for you to make in these hot summer days.  It's a peanut butter dessert, not too strongly flavored and perfectly complemented with a little hot fudge sauce on the top.

Peanut Butter Dessert

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick melted margarine
Mix together and press into a 9x13 pan.

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup milk
16 ounces Cool Whip
Beat cream cheese, then add powdered sugar. Add peanut better and mix well. Stir milk in slowly, than fold in Cool Whip.
Pour over crust and freeze.
Top with hot fudge sauce just before serving.

Wordless Wednesday

My tips for visiting Magnolia Market

You probably remember that I visited Magnolia Market, in Waco, Texas in June.  I've had several requests for a blog post with tips on where to go and what works best when visiting, so I'm finally getting that done!  Several of these were tips I got from other people and I'm putting them all together here.

#1 - Parking.  You will see a lot of signs that may tempt you as you drive in.  There are many lots that offer parking for $5 or $10.  But, keep going.  There is a lot connected to the property just off 8th street.  We used it several times and there were always spots available.  It's a very short walk to the Silos from there and right now a Magnolia Coffee place is being built right in the front of it.

We walked in right near this relaxing area, which is in front of the silos.  There were food trucks, games and plenty of places to sit.




 #2 - Get there on time.  The market doesn't open until 10, but there are other parts that are open before that, plus parking is abundant when you are early.  We arrived a little before 9, walked around and checked the place out and then visited the Seed shop when it opened at 9.

 Magnolia Seed and Supply

The inside of the seed shop.

#3 - use the free trolleys!  There are 2 different trolleys available.  You can learn more about them here.  One takes you to the different Magnolia places, the other takes you on a little tour of Waco.

Both will let you off wherever you like, and will pick you up anywhere if you wave them down.

After we visited the Seed shop and wandered around, we got on the shuttle that took us to the Magnolia Table.  We thought we would get there and have brunch, as it gets busier at noon. We arrived shortly after 10.

 We signed in and were told it would be about a 45 minute wait.  There is a Magnolia Table gift shop attached so we checked it out and then went to the patio to wait.

This is the patio, a very comfortable place to wait your turn to go in.


After eating, we got back on the trolley to go to the Market.

At this point it was close to noon.  We went into the Market and did our shopping.  Since we were parked close, we were able to bring our things to the car before we visited other place.

We then got back on the trolley.  We took the one that toured the downtown Waco area, which was fun, both to hear the history and for ideas to stop at later.
We did use the trolleys to stop at a few other places, which I'll share with you later in this post.

After we stopped at the places we could using the trolley, we stopped at a few other places and then drove back to the Market, where there were still parking places available.  There are a lot of food trucks, and we each chose what we wanted for supper and then visited the bakery to get a cupcake to eat later.

The bakery is open till 6, and it is a busy place!  To avoid waiting too long, visit early or later in the day.  We chose later for our sweet treat!

Those are my tips for visiting Magnolia, but I also wanted to list a few other fun places to visit when you are in Waco.

Visit Spice Village - This is a place you can stop at using the trolley.  It's a huge place with over 60 vendors.  This place is hit or miss, the products change all the time, but you never know what you might find!

Drive through Baylor University.  You've probably heard Chip Gaines mention it on the show.  It's a beautiful campus t drive through.

Stop at The Little Store on Bosque.  This was Joanna Gaines first shop and there are a lot of things on clearance for amazing prices!

Stop at Jimmy Don's place to see some of his amazing iron work signs.  It's right across the road from the free parking on 8th, although a new place is being built right now.

Get some BBQ at Viteks Market. It was recommended by the desk clerk at the hotel we stayed at and we loved it.

Cool off at Heritage Creamery, located right next to Baylor university.  They have amazing hand crafted ice cream, in a cute little shop with super friendly employees.

Whatever you do, don't miss this - the Waco Suspension Bridge and Cattle Drive Sculpture.  The bridge was completed in 1870 and the sculptures were placed in 2008; at least 25 huge bronze pieces.

One last place to stop, and unfortunately I don't have a photo.  It's The Findery, a brick store just across the street and down a bit from Magnolia Market. Beside the Market, it was one of our favorite stops, loaded with all sorts of cute things for the home and clothing too.

These are my tips on what worked for us, along with fun places to go.  Enjoy your visit to Waco!

What's blooming now...

All winter, our yard looks pretty much the same.  When I take pictures, they almost look like black and white photos with the snow on the ground and the leaves off the trees.
One thing I love about summer, beside the fact that it's warm, is the constant change of scenery.  There is always something new blooming!
Here's what is happening in our yard right now.

The building is Bob's wood shop.  The plant on the trellis is a moon plant and it's blooming for the first time since it was planted 3 years ago.  Behind the shop is the play area and the rose of Sharon bushes are just starting to flower.  In a few weeks, they will be a riot of color.

 This lily is blooming behind the shop too.  It's a beautiful color and is about 5 feet tall!

This is looking to the back of our yard.  Bob replanted this spot this spring, so the plants are small, but things are starting to bloom.

 These cone flowers are a little torn up, but still pretty!

Here's a white cone flower almost opened up.

The side yard sitting area has an oak leaf hydrangea that is growing nicely, along with impatiens, ferns and lots of hosta.

This butterfly flower is blooming nearby.

This is a walk on the other side of the house, next to the garage.  Daisies and a knock out rose just finished blooming here, the chive plants are about to open.
I love this walk, even when nothing is blooming!

Isn't God's work amazing?

Friday Funny

Cooking Thursday

Last week I brought a meal to someone from our church who had been in the hospital.  I had planned to make some cookies and some side dishes, and then pick up grilled chicken from a food truck that is usually around all summer.  Usually is the key word - I saw a FB post from them that they would be closed for a little vacation.  So - I had purchased what I needed for the side dishes, but I had no chicken.  I went online to find a chicken recipe and hoped it would be good!  And it was.  Easy to make, didn't take long in the oven, was juicy and flavorful.  It came from Kristine's Kitchen Blog and now I'm sharing it with you.  I'll be making it again!

Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

3 pounds chicken thighs - may be boneless or bone in, just adjust cooking time*
2 tablespoons olive oil
Seasoning rub:
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the rub ingredients until well combined.
Pat the chicken thighs dry and place them on the baking sheet.
Rub both sides of the chicken with olive oil. Rub the spice mixture over the chicken, rubbing it on both sides of the chicken. Try to rub some of the rub underneath the skin as well as on top of the skin for the most flavorful chicken.
Bake in the preheated oven, without moving or turning, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken (not touching the bone) reaches at least 165 degrees F. This will take about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes on the pan before serving.

*If you use boneless, skinless thighs, the cooking time is closer to 30 minutes.

Photo Wednesday

This is a seed pod from a clematis.  Isn't it cool?

Paper Flowers

Last week when the girls were here we made a paper flower bouquet.  It was a fun and easy project.

I had cut strips of different colored papers, and punched out yellow circles.

 I put double stick tape at the end of the strips and the girls stuck them together to form a loop.

Then the loops get taped onto the yellow circle.

 Then we taped a green straw to the back to make a stem.

I have a several different punches, and Alaina used them to make some little circle flowers to add to our bouquet and they looked cute too.

They were proud of it, and were going to bring it home and give it to their mom.

Oh, what a night...

We had a terrible storm here Friday night.  It had been extremely hot during the day, and then in the middle of the night, this storm hit.  There was a question of a tornado, but it was determined that the damage came from straight line winds of approximately 90mph.
The area that had the worst damage was just a short distance from our daughter Laura's house.  They had no damage around them and didn't even lose power but about 3 miles away, it looked like this.

 This trampoline blew over from 3 homes down.

This was the home that had the worst damage.  A 76 year old woman lives here, and woke up to find her roof blow off along with part of the back of her house.  Thankfully, she wasn't injured.

In our area, things weren't nearly as bad, but there were some trees down.

This tree was in the backyard of a couple from our church. They were out of town, and came home to find a huge mess in their yard.

This is our driveway - our yard is covered with leaves and branches, but that's the extent of the damage here.

Many people are without power, some may be out until Wednesday.  We were without cable and internet until Sunday afternoon, so I was unable to visit your blogs over the weekend.
We're just so thankful no one was injured!

Friday Funny

Cooking Thursday

My friend Jenny, from I'm Having a Thought Here, recently posted a recipe that sounded like something we would enjoy.  So, I made it last week and it was a hit.  The crust is so yummy! It's like a golden, crispy cookie which is then topped with a mix of chocolate, cream cheese and Cool Whip.  Yes - it's dangerous, you don't want to make it too often!

Jenny's Chocolate Delight

Crust:
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sliced almonds
Stir ingredients together and pat smooth into 9x13 baking pan (preferably glass).  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust begins to turn golden brown.

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
8 ounce tub Cool Whip Extra Creamy
Mix cream cheese and sugar well, then stir in Cool Whip.
Spread this mixture over the cooled crust.

Topping:
2 small (3-oz) packages instant chocolate pudding*
3 cups milk (not 4 c as called for on pudding box)
8 ounce tub Cool Whip Extra Creamy
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Mix dry pudding mix with milk and blend.
Pour this over cream cheese mix in pan.
Top this with second tub of Cool Whip and sprinkle mini chips over top.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating.

*Jenny used Godiva Chocolate Caramel Pudding mix and said it is delicious.  We don't have that in our area, so I used regular chocolate pudding.

 

Wordless Wednesday