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Trin’s Tips❤️
Last year I made a goal and put out a tip Every. Single. Day. I was asked to gather these all together in one place, so this year I’ll transfer them all here. Here’s week 1 plus a couple of days. From here on out, I’ll try to put one on daily❤️
Cooking Without Photos Week 1 – McDonald Biscuits
Wahoo! We made it to 2023!!!
This year I decided to take my community cookbooks and put them to work. I love picking up community/church cookbooks from all over. We’ll go on vacation and I’m gathering spiral bound pieces of history. Fundraisers come around and I’ve gotta have some local flavor. There are so many recipes in these books that have been forgotten over the years.
So my goal for the year is to cook one recipe per week from a different community cookbook, share the recipe with you and take a photo of what it’s supposed to look like. I’ll also share the cookbook I took it from and a little about the community that put the cookbook together. Voila! Cooking Without Photos has been born! Here it goes!
Cooking Without Photos Week 1
I’m starting 2023 off with my home of Harmony, AR. These days Harmony is a sleepy community on Hwy 10 with not even one store (although Williams Junction should be opening back up this year).
At one time, Harmony had its own grist mill, saw mill, a cotton gin, school and post office. Several of the founding families are still keeping the community alive today. My family has been in the area for several generations, but some have lived there from the very beginning.
One of the first structures built in the area was a church. Harmony Baptist Church started out as a log cabin in 1872 and then rebuilt into the brick building that stands there today.
This week my recipe comes from, “Feeding The Flock: Harmony Baptist Church and Friends”.
I’d never heard of “McDonald” biscuits before. Three ingredients and that’s it🤷🏻♀️ When I read the recipe, all I could think of was, this must be one of those recipes you make when you just don’t have a lot of anything. I gave ‘er a whirl.
Y’all, these are the fluffiest biscuits I’ve ever tasted! Not a biscuit you could easily put a piece of sausage on, because they are just puffs of cotton! For sure a biscuit you could pinch up for gravy.
Suggestion: I made them twice trying to make them better. Make sure you mix the sour cream and bisquick together before adding in the sprite. You’ll need less than 1/4 cup. Like literally a splash and you should be able to cut the biscuits out. I put too much both times so I spooned them out. 😆 practice! I’ll for sure make them again and I don’t even like bisquick.
The recipe doesn’t say anything about spraying the pan. I tested one spot not sprayed and they stuck like crazy. Spray dat pan! Also not listed, they need to cook about 12-15 minutes.
Hope you like them as much as we did❤️❤️❤️
Cowboy Cookies
This recipe totally takes me back to my high school days. The lunch ladies made these and I never knew the name of them until after I graduated. I just called them “peanut butter things”. They probably thought I was crazy, but gave me one anyway. Enjoy!
Cowboy Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup lite syrup
1 cup smooth peanut butter
4 cups cornflakes
Wax paper
1. Combine sugar and syrup
2. Bring to a boil
3. Remove from heat
4. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth
5. Add cornflakes and coat in mixture
6. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper
7. Cool 20-25 minutes.
DIY Kitchenware Wind Chime
Who hasn’t seen a wind chime made from “junk”? You can make a wind chime out of anything under the sun. If it makes noise when banged against something else, string that sucker up!
It didn’t take me long to gather things for this project. Any of the following list can be purchased at a local thrift store, flea market or a good ole fashioned yard sale. Here’s what I used:
- Strainer type thing (I think the one I used is actually part of a pot.)
- Eating utensils
Here’s what you need to purchase or borrow, if you don’t already have it at home:
- Fishing Line
- Twine
- 2 wire hangers
- Beads (I took apart an old necklace.)
- Knife or sharp scissors
- Drill with 1/8 drill bit
- Table Vise
- Wire cutters
Once you’ve gathered all of your items, start by drilling all of the holes you’ll need. I chose to hang my strainer thing so I could put a plant in it. You can hang it however you’d like. You may not need the extra holes drilled if you choose to hang it by the handle. There is no way that two will be just alike. You just do what you like…pretty much like most crafting:)
1. Using a hand drill or drill press, drill extra holes in strainer thing in order to attach wire hangers.
2. Drill 1/8″ holes in all utensils.
3. Here’s the part where you can decide to do it the way I did it or your own way. I think twine is ADORABLE!! That being said, twine will also rot if left outside over a length of time AND beads are super hard to put through it. Here’s what I did:
- Cut even amounts of fishing line and twine.
- Starting on the bottom of the strainer, put the twine and fishing line up one hole and back down a different hole.
- Cut twine and line
- You now can attach two utensils
- Feed beads onto fishing line
- Feed twine through 1/8″ hole
- Feet fishing line through 1/8″ hole
- Tie in several knots until secure
- I attached my utensils in a “roller coaster” fashion, using shorter and shorter lengths of twine/fishing line. You can attach yours however you’d like.
- Repeat process until desired amount of clanger/tinklers are attached
- Cut hangers and attach them to the strainer for hanging
Finish up by adding a favorite plant to the top or nothing at all. I used my Grandma’s Mammie Moss…also called Gold Sedum. This project takes only take a couple of hours to complete. It’s so cute!!
TADA!!! *Twirls and Throws Glitter*
Get on out there and gather up some junk for your new treasure!
-That Book Mama-
Beach Craft Reality
Wahoo! Beach season is upon us! …not that I enjoy being in a swimming suit…or have anyone see me in one. Nevertheless, I LOVE going to the beach! I’m talkin’ love! Have I used enough exclamations yet?
One of my very favorite things about going to the beach is collecting shells. I quickly realized that there are “dream” shells and “reality” shells. “Dream” shells are the ones that you read about in fantasy books and home decor magazines. “Reality” shells are what you get when you are on the beach using your kids’ sand sifter and shovel.
Since I gave up on my dream of finding huge shells, I make it a goal to find the tiniest one I can. …like smaller than a grain of rice… I collect shells all week. I’m like a maniac! I can’t have too many and because they are so tiny, I don’t feel bad about picking up like 9000 of them at once. Okay…not that many but close:)
Here’s what I did with the shells from our last trip to Orange Beach, AL. It sits on my desk at work and mocks me while I slave away.
Materials:
- Small container with see through lid
- Photo from your trip (wallet size)
- Sand
- Shells
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Glue sticks
Step 1
Place your container directly over the part of the picture that you would like to use as a background. Use your pencil and trace around the container. Cut out the circle and glue it to the back of the container.
Step 2
Add sand and shells. Replace the lid. Voila!
Step 3
Place it on your desk at work so it can mock you like mine does every single day.
Enjoy!
That Book Mama
Bargains Galore On 64
Bargains Galore! Wahoo! The greatest yard sale event that I know about. Every year we head out without a real plan and only vague ideas of what we are looking for and every year we make it home with treasures to treasure and stories to tell.
Bargains Galore On 64 has been going on for 16 years. It starts in Fort Smith, AR and ends in Beebe, AR. 160 miles of pure junk heaven.
People watching is my favorite thing. I’ve come up with my observation list this year. Oh y’all, this isn’t even the half of it:)
Bargains Galore on 64 Observations
1. Nowhere else can you swerve all over the road and people not think you’re intoxicated. Driving 20 miles under the speed limit is expected. Once farmland hits, it’s back to green flag racin’:)
2. Any other time, truck bed combinations would be questioned. Some of my favorites today include:
A gigantic tool box and a kayak
Old beds and a screen door
A baker’s rack and a weed whacker
3. With all of the horse trailers, you’d think the rodeo was in town. Except that no one is hauling horses around.
4. Free puppies should be placed up front so bypassing that particular yard sale is an easy decision.
5. You got a flat tire? Have no fear, there are true gentlemen still in this world. (I didn’t but I witnessed chivalry at its finest.)
6. People really do come from all over. Tennessee was well represented but we also saw Wisconsin and New Jersey plates. Witnesses to the greatest redneck outing this side of the Mississippi.
7. Most people drive sensible vehicles for yard saling (saling isn’t a word…pfffttt yes it is!) Anywho, some folks take this opportunity to break out the ole’ muscle car or flashy pickup to cruise and be seen. Oh we see you:). I’m thinking where in the world are you going to put your treasures? Oh well.
8. Parking on the side of the road with your tire over the white line is totally cool with everyone…no it’s not so don’t do that.
9. Selling snow shovels in the middle of Arkansas is not a very bright idea. I understand that they could double as muck shovels but they were advertised as snow shovels. Maybe that’s what those Wisconsin folks went back with?
We had a great day. Came back with a pile of clothes for our little Moonpie, minus a clown costume that our Farm Girl was convinced the baby needed. No, thank you. Bangle bracelets and fish rocks and alarm clocks, Oh My! Did I buy any books that I don’t need? Yes. A rather old copy of Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. It has an orange cover and I’ve never seen one like it, okay?!
Until next year:)
That Book Mama
Back From The Beach:(
We are getting back in the groove of normal life after coming back from our trip to Orange Beach, AL. I’m gonna start by saying, I’m pretty sure I could go to the beach like 3 times a year! It’s so sad when we have to leave!! AAAAaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! I hate it!! We haven’t been to the beach in TWO YEARS! My beach chair had DUST on it! I need not let this happen again… I was a tad bit nervous about traveling with our little Moonpie. He did great though..of course:) The drive there from our house isn’t all that bad. We left out super early so we could beat the co-razy traffic and the kiddos can sleep a little. Did our plan backfire this time…possibly but that’s okay:)
Besides the normal things that keep our older kids happy like tablets and of course their ds, I like to bring along an audio book or two for a long drive. Since we were going to the beach, I packed The Cay – By Theodore Taylor and Island Of The Blue Dolphins – By Scott O’Dell. What would get you even more excited about the ocean? Listening to books that involve the ocean, that’s what:) Wherever we are going, I try and pick up an audio that goes along with the theme of the trip. And by “pick up” I really mean, check out. Oh my gosh! Go to your local library and get them for free! (stepping off soapbox now) By the time we listened to one book, made a couple of pit stops and changed a couple of diapers it was time to be sightseers for the first time.
USS Alabama – Mobile, AL
We made our first real stop at the USS Alabama in Mobile, AL. I’m pretty sure my husband would spend our entire trip in the ship if he could. Crawling down in the belly and all over the top of the ship is a favorite activity. Plus, it gives us all a chance to get out for a couple of hours and stretch our legs.
Once we got back on the road, it was a short drive made longer with all of the other beach crazed folks flocking to the coast. After navigating traffic, picking up awesome Papa Rocco’s Pizza for dinner and applying the brakes more than the gas, we made it to our condo. This year, we stayed at The Enclave. It was a perfect small condominium (only 10 stories) that didn’t have a lot of bells and whistles but we didn’t go for that anyway. All we needed were enough beds for our party and a pool for those who are not ocean water inclined. Voila! After unloading the van and making a quick trip down to the beach, the gals and I made a mad dash to get groceries before we were left eating chip sandwiches and buttermilk. Day 1 was in the books.
Blue Angels Air Show – June 10, 2015
Our week long trip went by in a blur of events. We went to the National Navel Aviation Museum…twice… We wanted to see the Blue Angels and it rained their first practice out. We went through the museum and then decided to head out to Pensacola Beach. We had never been there and let me tell ya, it is beautiful! If you have a fear of bridges, you may want to skip this excursion though:) EEK! Also, just because dolphins are painted on huge holding tanks, it doesn’t necessarily mean there are any inside. Way to fool a country girl, Pensacola Beach Water Department! Anyway, after taking our little mini trip we went back the next day to the museum to see the Blue Angels and they were great! They always put on an awesome show!
National Naval Aviation Museum – Pensacola, FL
Fort Morgan, AL
Fort Morgan, AL is another place we had never been to. We made the trip to avoid rain in our area and I’m so glad we did. It was sunny and beautiful at the fort. Such a cool place with perfect picture opportunities! Everyone loved exploring all over the fort and I loved taking pictures of it all. For sure a place we could visit again. A place we won’t visit again…Mexico Lindo’s in Orange Beach. Don’t go there…just don’t.
Fort Morgan, AL
One of my most favorite things we did was go to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. It was a little on the small side but you got to get up close and personal with all of the animals. I got to hold a baby kangaroo! It just snuggled down and licked my finger:) AWE! Our daughter, being the tomboy that she is, wanted to hold the python and alligator. I just shook my head. That girl! Perfect photo op!
Our last night we had photos on the beach! Who doesn’t love that?! My husband, that’s who… Getting everyone together for a family picture is always a struggle for us. In order for everyone to remain happy for our beach picture, this time I let the outfit choice be my husband’s decision. What was his pick you ask? Razorback shirts and jean shorts. Turns out, taking pictures on the beach of a rival team whilst wearing Razorback attire wasn’t a problem at all. I thought we’d get heckled but I’m pretty sure that the majority of folks on vacation were from Arkansas. In fact, I got my id checked at the Aviation Museum and was asked if there was anyone left in Arkansas because he thought they were all at the Museum that day. Disaster diverted:) Could I stop there and just be happy with the pictures we had? NO! Why? Because, isn’t it my job to torture them? They were troopers though and I appreciate that!
After eating at one of our favorite places, Live Bait, we went back to the condo and played “The Great Refrigerator Clean-out” Not really a fun game. Actually, it was kinda depressing. Time to pack everyone up and pray everything fits in the van. Boooooooo Hiiiiissssssss!!!!
Everyone had a great time and I for one can’t wait to pack up and do it all again. Where to next time….we shall have to wait and see:)
Remember! Travel light…because you never know what you’ll need to haul home from a junk shop:)
The Plot Twisted 