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Sunday, December 24, 2006

'lil potato pies


When Allen was a small boy, his grandmother would make a special potato pie for him, hiding it away from all the others. She put it on top of the cupboard, and saved it just for him. I saw some beautiful tart shells in the store, and brought them home to make individual potato pies for the Christmas Eve Party. The recipe was so simple, and they tasted heavenly!
Well, he kept them hidden away, only sharing the one larger 9" pie, I had also made, at the party....So now he still has all his little pies to take to the deer lease! yummy!
Here is the recipe for the 9-inch pie.
Sheila's Sweet Potato Pie
2 sweet potatoes (1-1/2 pounds), peeled & cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. gound ginger
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1 9-inch frozen, unbaked pie shell (or homemade pie shell)
whipped cream (optional), for serving
Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan & cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium & simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well & place in a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mash the potatoes with a potatoe masher. Wisk in the sugar, spices, salt, eggs & cream.
Place the pie shell on a baking dish. Ladle in the sweet potato filling just to the rim of the pie shell.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake about 30 minutes more or until the filling is set (a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean), and the crust is golden.
Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. For dessert, dollop with whipping cream, if desired.
Serves 8.

Breakfast of Champions!


Melanie is home for Christmas! She called Allen ahead of time to ask if he would cook her favorite breakfast - pancakes! She brought a special buttermilk pancake mix, and lookie at Allen's beautiful pancakes! So fluffy & lite! Of course, he had to add a little German deer sausage (for me!)as a side, with sections of juicy grapefruit.....yummy-it was lip smakin' good! Plus, Melanie is home for Christmas!!!!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Comments Wanted!

Some of my "loyal Blog readers" may have had problems trying to leave a comment on my Posts!
Here is what the Blogger Team says: (I have changed over to the new Beta version!)
Logging in with an old Blogger account to post a comment on the new Blogger is giving a “please try again later” error. Until we fix this, it may work to log in first at http://www.blogger.com/login.g, and then go to the comments page on the new version of Blogger in beta.
Changing the Blog to Beta has caused some glitches, so until they are all ironed out, I hope this helps explain the problems you may have encountered. You can ALWAYS e-mail me at: rosajosies@yahoo.com
Hope your holiday season is running smoother than the Blog! God Bless!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Rosa & Josie's




I get a phone call from a customer with my card, "Are you Rosa or Josie?" "Neither" I say, "These are my two grandmother's names!"
I am Diane Cook, but my business is named after my grandmother's - Rosa Buechmann and Josie Schultz. I wanted a name for my business that meant something! Something to me!
I will start with Rosa (she & grandpa in top wedding picture) - Grandma Buechmann. She spoke mostly (only) German; and therefore, we didn't have much to say to each other. But our interaction was more action, than speaking when I visited. She grew beautiful mums in the front yard of her house, right up against the silver-wired fence. You know the kind, with large square corner posts, and a matching wire gate. I would occasionally go to her house, and she would let me pick as many mums as I wanted. Bright gold, white, yellow and deep crimson. I would have one of her large pair of sissors, and I would very carefully cut all the petals off into a large tin saucepan. I must have thought I was making dinner! She was a well-known seamstress in the area. She made me and my sisters matching dresses-WITHOUT a pattern. I have many beautiful pictures from Easter time where all 3 of us were dressed alike! (I will post the pics sometime!) She sewed my Pilgrim outfit for me when I was in the First Grade. I remember going to her house for alterations....I cried, of course, as the stiff material stuck me in places I didn't like! I had a matching white bonnet-I looked exactly like a little pilgrim girl. I am told she sewed many wedding gowns for local brides as well! She grew wonderful day lilies, strawberries, vegetables, and had fig, pear and pecan trees. She and my grandfather were farmers, as he grew sweet potatoes to sell. They were in a "butcher club" with their neighbors, sharing pork and beef on butchering day. They had some horses, for farm work, milk cows, chickens and pigs. Her life was not easy. She made a great coffee cake, and taught my mother quite a bit about cooking; as my mom & dad lived with them for awhile. One weekend, my mother dropped me off at her house, and she taught me how to embroidery! She had a tea towel waiting for me, with beautiful rows of embroidery thread. She taught me how to make a satin stitch, and a french knot that stood up just right!
She was of German and Czech descent.
And then there is Josie (she & Grandpa in Galveston, Texas)......Granny Schultz! I LOVED her so much! Occasionally I would get to spend the night with her, and she and I would go outside in the cool of the evening and water ALL her flowers using her big metal watering can! Later, we pulled the long watering hose thru all her little flower bed paths...being careful not to crush any of the flowers! She had a magnificent flower garden on the side of the house. The entire yard was white sand, and her flowers loved it.....roses, lilies, poppies at Easter, larkspur and bachelor buttons, corn flowers and cosmos. Have you ever smelled a four-o-clock at 4 o'clock? I have....with my Granny! (Debbie, I believe that is the smell we came upon on our Fun Run in Sealy quite a few years ago!) On Saturday nights, we would watch Hee Haw, and Lawrence Welk....a one...and a two...and a three! In the winter time we slept in her big old iron bed, under a feather bed that felt like it weighted 2 tons....it was GREAT! I couldn't move! My head just peeked out the top. But in summer, I would lie in bed waiting for her to finish spraying for mosquitoes with one of those old push sprayers...I can hear it now...swoosh...swoosh...swoosh! She was the Granny who made just a couple of jars of beets each year, and she gave one to just me! She had a hard life as well. Her husband was a barber, and they raised 13 children. Whew!...that wears me out just saying it!
So, this is my Rosa & Josie's Story....here it is, and I'm sticking to it!
Thanks to the both of them for teaching me so much! I wonder if they will every know what an impact they had on my life. Perhaps one day I will get to tell them......my Rosa & Josie's Story.

Lanyards, Lanyards, Everywhere Lanyards!



My newest jewelry commission......badge lanyards! Yes, you too can own one......the request was for a basic black & silver! I just couldn't do it.....well, maybe sort of at the end! But I made 5 of them this weekend. 2-with my "new favorite" animal print art bead, 1-with a brilliant lime green polka dot art bead - Melanie says this is her favorite, because it is RETRO and yes, it has black in it! and 2-that have black & white bone, black wood, black onyx and a creamy white shell! At the end I put them all in a pile to see how colorful they looked! These were FUN!





Saturday, December 16, 2006

The Rockettes


Oh, my.........18 Rockettes came to H-town. Allen & I went to the Radio City Chrismas Spectacular starring The Rockettes on Wednesday, December 13th! They were breathtakingly precise, and ahhhhh.....just sensational! The beauty and "real reason" of Christmas came alive this night! Especially with the finale of Scene 12 "The Living Nativity".
I have heard that the Rockettes are are a must see while in NYC during Christmas, but Houston got a glimpse of their beauty for a short time this Christmas Season!
So many parties & get-togethers, tours and shows to see and do, and just not enough time during this busy season. I am so glad we bought tickets in September for this one!

bubble lites are the best!

Need I say more?



Sunday, December 10, 2006

Blue Cornbread

It is cold and rainy today in Katy....so Allen please make a BIG pot of homemade chili! Yes! and some of that fancy blue cornbread too! (It has sour cream and mexican style cheese in it-definately low cal!)




Saturday, December 09, 2006

simply simple

My jewelry stock is slowly going back up...but Christmas is knocking on my door!



















This necklace is made with brown shells, tiny black onyx spacers and a beautiful Artistic Stone Pendant. The "dangly" earrings are made only with the brown shell.

We all need a simple pair of crystal earrings (Czech of course), that will go with EVERYTHING.....just add a drop of sterling silver on the end and there you go......

Monday, December 04, 2006

Paws & Hearts



As usual, at the 11th hour, I sat down Thursday night to make some jewelry for Melanie, before I went to visit on Friday! I had previously bought the little slide hearts, so I reached into my chain bin and pulled out some beautiful sterling silver chain. And Viola! I made a beautiful Lariat Necklace for her using two slide hearts. So....this week, I made more, of course, but not the same-because no two pieces of my jewelry are the same! I made one Tiger Paw Lariat (for a Katy Tiger Fan-I hope!) and then I made a Two Heart Lariat! They are so delicate, and can be tied around the neck either tight or loose-staggered or not! I love them!

Leather & Crystal Rusty Belt Buckle

Hand crusted this letter topped belt buckle with large Swarovski flat-backed crystals. Melanie says this is real BLING. I call it quiet BLING!

Is this Tigger or a Cow?



Allen, Melanie and I went to eat lunch on Sunday at La Hacienda de Los Barrios http://www.lhdlb.com/. Dawling, it waz fabulus! I had the Classic Enchilada Assortment Plate-WOW.... is all I have gotta say! We enjoyed being together for Mel's Birthday Lunch.

Oh, yea, does this look like Tigger or a Cow to you? I loved watching a fellow, they had hired for tips, to make anything from a dancing ballerina to Pluto! In fact after he made one Pluto, he had to make four more! Needless to say, he was good-real good!

But tell me, what do you think - Tigger or Cow?

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Christmas Homes Tour

Melanie & I went to the King William Homes Tour on Saturday. It was the most beautiful day, and some of the most beautiful homes to tour. We sat down half way thru the tour and enjoyed a cup of coffee and that wonderful granola bar from Twin Sisters. It was a perfect day in every way!

Twin Sisters





















Happy Birthday to Melanie, Happy Birthday to Melanie,
Happy Birthday to Melanie, Happy Birthday to you!
Went to San Antonio this weekend to visit Melanie for her birthday-which is December 4th. But....
first things first...EAT! We tried to go here a couple of weeks ago, but missed the lunch time cut-off, but this time we made it to Twin Sisters (located at 124 Broadway), and it really hit the spot! Gotta' go to this little cafe/bakery....it is definately way cool! Before we left, we took one of the desserts home in preparation of the home tour tomorrow. The two special choices for the day: Lemon Pound Cake and Granola Bar. We had never seen that kind of choice for dessert-so-we got 2 to go! Very good...we were glad we tried them!
Check it out when you go to SA.... www.hotx.com/twinsister