Our Tennessee Vacation-Day 1

Day 1
Our excitement was tangible in the morning as we finished packing and left Tallahassee for the 8-hour drive to Pigeon Forge, TN. I drove through Atlanta on I-75 (no bypass this time, and I can tell you, I am one brave woman), and on into the Knoxville area. I have always wanted to live in the low mountain area of Tennessee, so as I was driving, I was taking in the scenery and just enjoying being in the mountains. We arrived at our accomodations, Whispering Pines Condominiums, and checked in to our beautiful 2-bedroom condo with furniture that Megan said made her feel like we never left home. By then, it was 8pm, and we were ravenous, so we went down the street to Mama's Farmhouse Restaurant, and had one of the best family style meals you can get in a restaurant. The waiter pegged our family as carnivores because all of the meat was gone, and the carbs and veggies were barely touched. So true... We then came back, put the kids to bed, and watched the season opener of True Blood. It's going to be a great season, I can tell already.
George, Zachary and Megan all took pictures of the first day, and I'll share a few. I will document each day as they happened, so more to come tomorrow...

The Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

A couple of weeks ago, George talked me into buying a new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. This book is chock full of home-cookin' recipes and amazingly well-shot photos of her life on a ranch in Oklahoma. It is also apparent that Ms. Drummond loves her husband, the Marlboro Man, almost as much as I love mine. One stipulation of buying this is that I have to make the food in the cookbook (and I thought I was buying it to look at the pretty pictures!), so last night I made the Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches for the family. Oh my, were they tasty. If you're a fan of farm life and you love great photos, then this is the book for you. It is definitely a keeper for us.

Banana Pudding

I got my absolute favorite Banana Pudding Recipe about 13 years ago. Curtis Akins, one of the original food network chefs, is a vegetarian soul food chef (is that an oxymoron?), and he made this pudding. Once I tried it I was hooked. All natural vanilla custard (that means no cool whip!), bananas and vanilla wafers. Simplicity at its finest. The recipe goes like this:

Banana Pudding

2-3 bananas, sliced

Vanilla Wafers

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla (I use homemade vanilla, it's lighter)

In a large bowl (2 qt.), place one layer of sliced bananas, then a layer of wafers until bottom of bowl is filled (I put one banana and wafer on sides), making sure that the top layer is wafer. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, beat eggs. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in flour, vanilla, and milk. Place on medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the wooden spoon. Pour over banana and wafer layers. Chill to allow the custard to set (at least four hours or overnight).

Variety is the spice of life!

I made scrambled eggs on Saturday morning, and when I opened the container, I just had to share the sight before me. Beautiful shades of dark brown, light brown, blue green and white greeted me. One of the many benefits of getting fresh eggs is the beauty that nature provides. Beth, you are awesome! Thank you so much for your family's kindness and generosity. We always appreciate it.

That little sneak!

Ah, Saturday morning and a good cup of coffee! I don't usually drink coffee during the week, but I indulge in a cup on the weeknd mornings. So yesterday, I was finishing up the book from our mother/daughter book club, and out of the corner of my eye, I catch my little Danny sipping my hazelnut blend. Over the course of twenty minutes, I count fifteen times! I couldn't say "no" because he gave me that smile of his. I guess I'll be sharing my weekend cups from now on.