Dick's Hot Dog Stand, Wilson, NC

Dick's Hot Dog Stand in Wilson, NC.

On Wednesday night I went with Michael and Meredith to Winterville. The Broughton Boys Basketball Team was playing South Central in the State 4A Tournament there.  Michael had mentioned that we would stop in Wilson on the way down to have supper at a place he knew, Dick's Hot Dog Stand.  Although it didn't sound so appealing at first, it was a unique place and the food was good and reasonably priced. Michael made a good choice.

Michael, Tyler and Meredith.  Notice the memorabilia on the wall.

The Hotdog Stand has been there since 1921, and from all the memorabilia it seems that lots of folks, many famous, have eaten there.

Menu showing reasonably priced choices.

Dick's is  known for the hot dogs and cheeseburgers that are reasonably priced.  We each had a hot dog and a cheeseburger, and I must say they were quite good. 

Hotdog and Cheeseburger with fries.

If you are in Wilson, I would recommend trying this if you want a good hotdog. 

And by the way, Broughton won the basketball game. Grandson Brooks is on the team.

Baa. Baa, Black Sheep

Three week old black lambs in the meadow.

We are all familiar with the children's nursery rhyme/song Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.  While in Cleveland County this past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my cousins who have a flock of sheep. Within the last three weeks several lambs were born.  All the lambs are black, but will become white or gray as they mature.

One sheep had twins and one of the lambs was too immature to learn to nurse from her mother.  Cheyenne and Savannah have fed this "Little Bit" with a bottle (using  the mother sheep's milk).

Savannah (left) and Cheyenne holding one of the twins, "Little Bit".

The other twin nurses from its mother.

One of the lambs nursing from its mother.

It was fun seeing the lambs frolicking in the field as the sheep were fed.

Both Cheyenne, six,  and Savannah, five,  are animal lovers.  Cheyenne is quite the little "fashionista" too.  She was sporting a Clemson tee shirt (she said her mother went to Clemson), some cool sunglasses and a pretty little hair clip.

Cool sunglasses and pretty hair clip.

The girls show their sheep at the county fair.

Showing the sheep at the county fair.  (Photo by Debbie W. Bridges)

I may never be able to eat lamb again after seeing these cute little black lambs up close frolicking in the meadow.

Celebrate National Cherry Pie Day

Cherry Cobbler to Celebrate National Cherry Pie Day.

With today being National Cherry Pie Day, I wanted to make a cherry pie, but couldn't find frozen or fresh cherries.   So I used a can of cherry pie filling (not my favorite choice) to make a cherry cobbler using the recipe below.

Enjoy this recipe for Cherry Cobbler. It's made with canned cherries or with a cherry pie filling option.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. butter (1 stick)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• dash of salt (optional)
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 20 oz. can cherry pie filling

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in  8x8 square or equivalent pan.

Melt one stick of butter in 8 x 8 inch pan.

 In a medium bowl with a wire whisk, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk. 

Combine completely. Pour batter into prepared pan.  

Batter ready to add to butter in pan.

Add cherry pie filling to batter.  Do not stir.

Finished cobbler with crust rising up through filling.

Ready to celebrate National Cherry Pie Day.

Pour cherry pie filling over batter in pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cobbler crust will rise up through cherry mixture.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. This recipe for Cherry Cobbler Serves 6 - 8.

It would have been better had I used fresh or frozen cherries.  But I was short on time and didn't have time to run around town looking for frozen cherries. 

Crockpot Chicken with Cashews and Ginger Sauce

 Someone shared this recipe on Facebook so I snagged it right away and made it for supper yesterday.

This recipe is easy and will cook slowly in the crock pot.  Serve over rice with a side salad and your supper is ready. By the way I also have a little video showing the best way to peel fresh ginger. 

Crockpot Cashew Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:
Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat chicken with flour mixture.
 

Coat chicken with flour and black pepper.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker.

Brown chicken on both sides.

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken.
 

Ginger sauce.

Chicken in crock pot covered with sauce.

Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

Cook for four hours on low.  ( I stopped at four--not eight.)

If you like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.

Chicken with sauce and cashews added just before serving.

In preparing the sauce, I needed ginger, and I wanted it peeled.  Here's the best way to peel ginger.

Isn't that a nice trick?

Ready to eat.

This was yummy!

Dental Chic in Our Guest Bathroom

Vintage 1930s dental cabinet used to store bathroom linens.

Several years ago we completely gutted and remade our guest bathroom.  After removing the tub and replacing it with a walk-in shower, we had an empty wall in the area where the tub had been.  In a magazine I had seen a bathroom decorated where an antique dental cabinet was used for storage for bath linens and that whetted my appetite for one.  Searching online I had found several that were priced at a thousand dollars or more and that would have required a hefty freight cost for shipping it to North Carolina.

This one is listed on Ebay now for $1400. 

Just as the bathroom was being finished, I was doing an antique show up in Burlington, NC and was setting up my booth when the vendor across from me brought in his wares that included a 1930s vintage dental cabinet in almost perfect condition---in white metal with glass doors and sides and shelves.  Just what I had been looking for and only $500.  I immediately walked over and told him I would buy it (I didn't even try to dicker with him over the price) and to please mark it "sold"  Good thing too, because a number of people indicated interest in it.

Arts and Crafts style lamp on top of vintage dental cabinet.

Perfect for storing towels.

The seller was even willing to deliver it at no cost.  I was ectastic.   The dimensions were perfect, and the color and style were just what I wanted.  The only blemish was a few scratches on the top of the cabinet.  I remedied that by finding a pretty vintage linen dresser scarf with intricate designs on each end to use on top.  Then I topped that with a plant and an Arts and Crafts style lamp. That works perfectly.

Dresser scarf with intricate decorations on ends.

Plant a nice touch to top of cabinet.

I can't tell you how many guests have commented on the vintage cabinet.  It really makes the bathroom.  This cabinet is among my favorite things in our house.

Be My Valentine

A 1940s vintage valentine.

With Valentine's coming up, I thought back about when I was in elementary school in the late 40s and remembered the kind of valentines we would share with our class mates.  I would usually buy a bag or box full of valentines at Woolworth's and then go through them picking out ones for class mates, and putting them in the little envelopes with their names on them. At school we would put all our valentines in a large box and several students would then hand them out. 

I'm thinking I always made a card for every class mate.  I hope so.  There were probably some kids who didn't get many cards, and that was cruel.  I hope they don't exchange cards like this in school these days.  Anyway here are some old vintage cards very similar to the ones I would send. 

Of course we always had a card for our teacher.

Many of these seem pretty corny now, but it is a bit nostalgic looking back at these old cards.

Wishing all of you a very happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Snowflakes Up Close

Now that it's snowing again, I thought you might enjoy seeing these macrophotographs of snowflakes by Alexey Kljatov of Moscow, Russia.Of course snowflakes are water crystals, and because of the configuration of the water molecule, the crystals are hexagonal in shape. All photos by Alexey Kljatov.

These are truly beautiful.  Nature is the best artist. 

Early Valentine by The Clothes Horse

Rebecca, the Clothes Horse, photo by Thomas. 

I just love this post by Rebecca, the Clothes Horse, and I couldn't resist sharing it with you.
Just click on this link, The Clothes Horse to see the post.  Such a nice early valentine post.

Rebecca, the Clothes Horse.  Photo by Thomas.

Isn't she lovely?

"The Beatles! Let's Bring Them On."

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan Show, February 9, 1964

"Now yesterday and today our theater's been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that this city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles. Now tonight, you're gonna twice be entertained by them. Right now, and again in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles! Let's bring them on."---Ed Sullivan

In 1964 I was teaching science and math at Orange Junior High School in Hillsborough, NC.  All day that Friday the little girls in my 8th grade science class were chattering about "the beatles".  I had no idea what they were talking about---thought it was about insects.  When I asked they told me about this group that was going to be on the Ed Sullivan Show on that next Sunday night.  I told them I would watch.  I admit I was pretty much hooked from the beginning.  I'm still a loyal fan fifty years later.  I would love to touch base with some of those little students of mine who would now be about 62 or 63 years old.  Egads!!!!

Yes little eighth grade girls, you were right.  Great group.  And they have stood the test of time.

Corner Table Out, Counter In

Small table in corner of our kitchen. 

When we renovated our kitchen a few years ago, we saved a corner for a small table at which we could eat if we didn't want to eat in the dining room.  And for a while it served us quite well.  However, I found myself short on counter space.  When my knee surgery was approaching I thought it would be easier to have the option of eating at a counter top height than the small table ( I wouldn't have to bend my knee so much in the early days of recuperating from the knee replacement.)

We arranged for our friend Steve to build in a corner counter in early January so it would be ready when I was recovering from my knee surgery.  In late December I purchased two counter height stools that I liked and that would work with the new counter. 

I found these counter height stools at Pier One Imports.  They are quite comfortable.

Steve built the "foundation' for the counter, and we located a company, Countercraft in Youngsville, NC, that could match our Gibraltar counter tops in the rest of the kitchen.  They did a beautiful job. 

Our new corner counter.

I can use this counter as my baking corner.  I plan to store the mixer, which is quite heavy, on  the counter.  It's difficult for me to carry it back and forth from the shelf in the pantry where it usually "lives".  I've ordered a pretty cover for it, and the mixer will be there when I need it.  As one ages, it is necessary to make adjustments of how things are done.

Mixer stored in corner of counter.

I've ordered this cover for the mixer.

I will use this counter as a baking center.

When not using it as a baking center, it makes a great place to have breakfast, or any meal for that matter.  To get into the dining room, there is one step down.  When I was first recovering it was hard to make that step, so I could just eat in the kitchen.

Counter set for breakfast.

The little table has for now found a new place at the end of the dining room/sunroom.  Eventually we may end up giving it to one of the grands when they move into a place of their own.

Table moved to end of dining room.

Yes, I  believe we are going to enjoy our new corner counter.