Foodie Friday – Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Bacon-Wrapped Smokies 4
.
With football season starting, I thought I would highlight finger foods, party foods, and appetizers this month. It’s always easy to just toss together some chips and dip, but every once in a while, I like to take something that will really please a crowd.

This is a quick and easy appetizer recipe that is sure to be a hit at any party – some folks call this “Pig Candy” 😛

There are lots of variations of this recipe out there (some with cola, rum and/or bourbon added); this is the basic one that most people build on:
.

Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies

.
1 package (1 lb) of Little Smokies sausage
1 lb of bacon
1 cup of brown sugar (or to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut bacon in thirds and wrap each piece around a sausage (can secure each one with a toothpick, if desired). Arrange on a baking sheet; sprinkle liberally with brown sugar.

3. Bake about 30 minutes, or until sugar is melted and bacon is crispy. Serve on platter or  in slow cooker turned to warm (or the lowest setting).

***For an extra-decadent treat, arrange smokies in a baking dish, mix together 1 stick of butter (melted) and 1 cup of brown sugar, then pour over smokies.  Sprinkle everything with additional cup of brown sugar. Bake at 375F for about 15-20 minutes, then turn the heat up to 400F for 5-10 minutes or until the bacon is crispy.
.

Bacon-Wrapped Smokies 6

.

Posted in Foodie Friday, Just Because, Recipes | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Tuesday Tunes – “Sinnerman” (from the BBC show “Sherlock”)

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.
Thanks to a trial subscription to Amazon Prime (which we subsequently upgraded to a full membership), we have been able to watch a bunch of shows online that we’ve really been wanting to see.

One of those shows is the delightful BBC series “Sherlock“, a fast-paced, contemporary retelling of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. If you haven’t had a chance to see it, I highly recommend it – both of the gentlemen who portray Holmes and Watson work very well off of each other; the casting for the series is top-notch.

Benedict Cumberbatch (whose voice will make you melt) is absolutely riveting as a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman does a marvelous job as his put-upon sidekick John Watson. Rupert Graves (who has been a favorite actor of mine since seeing him in 1985’s “A Room With a View“) has a recurring part as Inspector LeStrade, and Andrew Scott is spot-on perfect as Holmes’ criminally psychotic, brilliant arch-nemesis Moriarty.

.
.
Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway/TV/Film, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.
Twenty-two years ago today, a spirited whirlwind of a girl blew into our lives:

Watch out, world – this one is loaded for bear…..

….and we have never been the same.  Where has all that time gone?

God has a wicked sense of humor – ask any family that has more than two kids, and they will tell you that the third kid threw them for a loop.  Just when you think you have the whole “parenting” thing figured out – you’re thinking you know everything there is to know about raising kids – the third one comes along, and you realize that you don’t have the first CLUE…..

By the time Sarah came along, we had been parents for 6 years.  Poor Sarah got the “leftovers” – we were a lot calmer about things, but we were also just plain tired.  Rachel was starting kindergarten and Michelle was only a year old, so Sarah got whatever energy we could muster up at the end of the day.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Messin' with my kids, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tuesday Tunes – “You and I”

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.
Michael Buble, sexy and soulful – the boy can eat crackers in my bed any time.
(The lovely Mrs. Buble might have a problem with that…. 😛 )
.

.
Have a nice, relaxing day –
.

Posted in Contemporary, Just Because, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Saying Goodbye – Two Years Later

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

.

The following is a reprint from August 25, 2012:

…..She had drawn her first breath; she quietly drew her last, with no farewell but one loving look, one little sigh.

With tears and prayers and tender hands, Mother and sisters made her ready for the long sleep that pain would never mar again, seeing with grateful eyes the beautiful serenity that soon replaced the pathetic patience that had wrung their hearts so long, and feeling with reverent joy that to their darlings death was a benignant angel, not a phantom full of dread.

When morning came, for the first time in many months the fire was out, [her] place was empty, and the room was very still. But a bird sang blithely on a budding bough, close by, the snowdrops blossomed freshly at the window, and the spring sunshine streamed in like a benediction over the placid face ….. a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked God that [she] was well at last……

– from Little Women, Louisa May Alcott

Patient and long-suffering, Lady put up with a lot….

The time finally came to let our beloved family pet, Lady, go. She had been with us for so long that it is hard to remember a time when she wasn’t here. She “grew up” with all of the girls – she was already part of our family when Rebecca was born.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, Family, Feelin' Sorry for Myself, Inspirational | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sunday Funnies: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Back To School
.
This commercial came out in 1996 – the first time I saw it, I almost fell off of the couch, I was laughing so hard.

All these years later, it still makes me giggle 😛

.

.
Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary, Family, Holiday/Patriotic, Humor, Just Because, Messin' with my kids, Music, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The One and Only Gene Kelly

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

In honor of Gene Kelly’s birthday, I thought I would include some clips from several of my favorite movies of his through the years.

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, I Love America, Just Because, Music | Leave a comment

Still Crazy (In Love) After All These Years

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Thirty-four years ago today, two starry-eyed kids said “I do”….

To my wonderful husband, Paul – thank you for all of the special memories, and for making me so incredibly happy.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, Contemporary, Family, Just Because, Music, Special Occasions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Foodie Friday (A Day Early) – Golden Chicken Nuggets

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Chicken Nuggets 1.
From time to time, I have to remind my daughters that there was actually a time when we didn’t have the Internet and instant access to any recipe under the sun – we had to rely on recipes passed down from our mothers and grandmothers, dog-eared cookbooks, the local newspaper’s weekly “Food” section, and ladies’ magazines (which can still be relied upon to provide several recipes each month for their readers).

Microwaves were still a fairly recent invention, and they were quite pricy; there was no such thing as a “microwavable” meal back then (and the few that were available tasted awful).  McDonald’s was just about the only national “fast food” chain around; there were a few regional chains, but most restaurants were local in nature.

Continue reading →

Posted in Annual Posts, Family, Foodie Friday, Recipes, Special Occasions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Tuesday Tunes – Theme from “Somewhere in Time”

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Teresa in Fort Worth, TX

Sometimes when you start exploring YouTube, you stumble across the most beautiful things – this song has special meaning for me, because “Somewhere in Time” was the first movie that Paul and I saw as a newly-married couple.

Our anniversary is later this week, so I thought this would make a nice trip down memory lane:

.

The gentleman playing this gorgeous arrangement of the theme from one of my all-time favorite movies is a young man from Croatia named Maxsim Mrvica. I had never heard of him before I saw this video, but I’m now a huge fan…

Posted in Broadway/TV/Film, Contemporary, Just Because, Music, Tuesday Tunes | Tagged , | 3 Comments