Celebrating Spring

Hi Everyone!

A new season is upon us, and with the new season, came the exciting opportunity for me to bring my Curiosity Cottage to 318Central. I have been writing about my curiosity for life for years and the opportunity to share this with you truly brings extra excitement into my world. Being a true creative at heart, you may find that my pieces are about everything from cooking to creating. You will just have to visit each month to see what I have decided to share.

Several months ago, there was an article on social media that talked about how people no longer know how to set a dinner table. I am right at the “empty nest” point in life, but both of my boys have developed an interest in cooking. This gave me the perfect opportunity to teach them how to set a table and prepare to entertain. My mom loved to make Crawfish & Saffron Rice Casserole, and it has always been one of our favorites. People always ask me for the recipe, so I thought I would share it, since this is crawfish season. It is super easy to prepare and can feed so many people. 

Crawfish & Saffron Rice Casserole 

1 large package of Saffron rice, cook according to directions 

Sautéed onions, celery, & garlic in olive oil.

Add the following:

2 packages of crawfish tails

1 can crème of shrimp soup

1 can crème of mushroom soup

1 can Rotel tomatoes

Combine mixture with rice. Add to casserole dishes and top with cheese.

Heat in 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted.

I recently purchased a GORGEOUS Bundt pan, which I used to make a Double Almond Wedding Cake. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous trying it out, but I was so pleased with the results; I thought it would complement this meal perfectly. When I make cupcakes, I use a traditional buttercream icing, but for the Bundt cake, I thought a glaze was in order.

Double Almond Wedding Cake

1 box Betty Crocker™Super Moist™white cake mix.

            Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on the cake mix box

1 tablespoon almond extract

Almond Glaze

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

¼ cup evaporated milk

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

Whisk ingredients together until smooth. Poor over cool cake.

Having my boys help with our meal not only passed down my mom’s tradition, but gave them a new addition to add to their recipes as well. Cooking together as a family definitely makes for a fun time, and in my world, it usually involves much laughter, singing, and dancing. So let our Spring Celebration give you new ideas for your family and friends too.

Hugs!

Jen

Hold Out For The Rainbow

Hi everyone,

The time has just flown by since Easter.  What is so wonderful is that when our lives move past our winter season and into spring the blessings and the beauty seem to just come so incredibly fast.  I left winter in the cemetery where it belonged and instead have found life.  

As the honey suckle blooms and fills the air with its sweet aroma, as the fireflies dance under the stars, as the flowers bloom even though they have endured numerous storms so do I find my own life coming into a season that I have never known.  

Yes, it is much more fun to dance in the rain while we wait for the storms in life to pass and when the rain stops, the rainbow does appear and when it does appear, it makes everything else so worthwhile.   

Always hold out for the rainbow – you will be so glad you did!

A Time and A Season for Everything

Hi  everyone!

This morning as I walked my dogs I could not help but notice the changes in the leaves.  Oranges, reds, and various other colors paint such a mosaic in the forest trees.  That is the beauty of living in my little corner of the world.  

Fall has always been my favorite time of year having spent many days in the woods camping and hunting with my family.  I was reminded of the seasons that we all go through in our lives as well.  God captures is perfectly in Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 (NIV).

¹ There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

I could not help but notice this morning as I watched the leaves fall to the ground that they make a graceful dance.  Sometimes the changes that happen in our lives happen at a slow and graceful pace, almost like a dance.  Yet when the acorns and Hickory nuts fall on my neighbor’s tin roof the sound is very abrupt and sudden.  Sometimes too, changes happen more suddenly and abruptly in our lives.  

Fall can be used to symbolize the falling down and shedding of different things from our lives; while winter may be seen as a stark and cold time for us.  There is also a side of these two seasons that is not so drab.  These two seasons, just like cold seasons in our lives, are also a time for us to draw near to the ones we love and treasure the gifts that God has given us.  We can hibernate, if you will, with God’s word and let it fuel us until spring returns again. 

 

While some view winter as a bad thing, the seasons, just like us, need winter so that we can appreciate the beauty that spring brings.  Just like the season, we will have a spring in our lives where new and beautiful things are brought to life.   We cannot control the seasons that surround us, which is all in God’s timing.  God’s timing also determines the length of the seasons in our own lives.  The key to it all, draw close to Him and cherish each season for the good it brings forth in our lives.

As I watch the leaves fall I will sit back, take a deep breath and enjoy the view.  

What Will Spring Bring???

Hi everyone!

As most of the country asks "what happened to winter," I cannot help but get excited about spring!!!  My fall last march forced me to by pass all of the projects I had planned outside for the spring and summer.  This year, since I have already declared that 2012 WILL be my BEST year EVER, I have projects to catch up on.

 

So as I look at my grandmother's empty potting bench, in desperate need of love & care, I am excited to think of all the potential this diamond in the rough holds!!

After all, with empty pots to fill and young plants just waiting to bring their beautiful flowers into this world, isn't our outside world just an extension of our world inside our house???

 I know that these beauties are going in my "Moonlight Garden".  I read about these once and having been dying to put one in, sooooo...  I started two years ago by putting in white crape myrtles and this year I will add these white hydrangeas and other white flowering plants.  Since my back yard is set up in such a way that one star lit nights it is like sitting in an amphitheater, the white flowers will glow in the moonlight...hence the name "Moonlight Garden."

  

This site on moonlight gardens is a WONDERFUL source for finding plants that will allow you to create this same  effect in your own yard!!!  For me, it is a way to bring peace and clam into my sometimes fast paced and crazy life!!

 As I make all of these internal and external changes in my life, I'll keep sharing.  Who knows, if I can plant one seed of hope into someone's life, then my work here is done!!  :D

Waiting for Spring

Hi Everyone!


Well today we get ready for another round of “wintery mix.” Usually this does not mean much to us Louisiana folks, so we will see. When I walked out yesterday morning though and saw my hanging baskets empty, this photo so seemed to just say “Waiting for Spring”!

The boys John Deere tractor from years gone by covered in snow really seemed to encompass the “Waiting for Spring” theme too.

Not sure how long it will take for spring to arrive, though next week it will feel like spring…yes, the beauty of our state, want one season get it one day, want another season and you can probably get that the next day!! :D Isn’t that how life is too though, the seasons we are in can change from day to day? So like my pictures, grab ever precious picture or moment you have, for tomorrow may be a different season!!