Easy Appetizers just in time for Super Bowl Parties!!

Most of you know that we do a Friday night card game...and I end up spending most Friday mornings fixing the "goodies" for the group. I've recently decided that Pillsbury refrigerated dough is very cool for this purpose. I snapped some photos as I was preparing appetizers for the past two weeks....easy and I hear they're really yummy!

First - is the little "wiener" appetizer....

This one uses Crescent rolls - any style will do. These were the style that is intended to make a spiral.

I cut each portion in half - and cut sliced American cheese to fit...

Put the wiener on top...


Roll up....squeeze...and repeat over and over....


Bake at 350 degrees for about 17 minutes until brown and crispy...


I put on a heating tray to keep them warm. I understand they freeze really well - but mine never got the chance!!


Next up is a appetizer made with ground beef/onions (already browned), cheese, and "Grands" flakey biscuits.

Peel each biscuit into 3 layers...


Lay out and flatten - or just do it in your hands ....


Plop cheese on top....


Plot ground beef ( or veggies, sausage, whatever) on top of cheese....


Pinch it up to close .....

And squeeze it to completely close the "dumpling"...

Place upside-down on a cookie sheet (I spray with Pam).


Bake at 350 for close to 20 minutes until brown. I hear they're quite tasty. Again, no leftovers!!




I'll try to come up with something different next week!!! Happy Partying!!

Sad post....lost a longtime family "puppy"

I've always called them "puppies" - I don't know why. They were obtained in the fall of 1995, Robert was 6 and Richard was 5 - from a "free puppies" ad in the local paper. So they stayed "puppies" to me. I guess it's like your kids are always your "babies", aren't they?

I found Princess, the last of the kid's pups, in the garage this morning - still warm with life.

Peaceful.

Richard buried her beside her litter-mate, Goldie, this morning in the edge of the woods.....

Last photo of her - don't know if you can see it, but it was just after the snow last week - she had been out and had snowflakes melting on her coat....

Airplane in Tree (model, that is)

This is cute - Robert and Richard borrowed my camera to take with them when they went to fly Richard's model airplane over at Siler City. When I got my camera back (finally!!), the photos were still on the camera. Here is a funny one. OOPS, looks like that airplane's flight was cut a little short!!

More guest room refurb

Sorry to bore you with more room refurbishment photos, but not alot has been going on lately!!

Lucky us, the boys were both home Sunday - so they got nabbed to do the heavy hauling!! (What good are grown young sons if not to help the poor, decrepit old people move heavy things!!)

Old carpet going out -

New carpet - not finished yet - I'll post the finished product later. Almost ready for guests!!

Regional Poker Tournament

We play "free" poker at our local pub on most Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This league sends the top finishers to a regional tournament 3 times a year. This season, Duane and I both qualified to move on to the regional. It was held yesterday in Jacksonville, NC.

I think there were 176 entrants - at a large, smokey bar just outside the gates of Camp Lejeune. (I suspect this place really hops on Friday and Saturday nights!!) But, it was mostly a middle-aged, quiet poker crowd.....


Here I am at my final table - I ended up about 30th place - not bad, but not enough to get the trip to Vegas (the grand prize)! (I don't know what the guy beside me was doing - sleeping??) Fun time.

Robert's Birthday Dinner

We celebrated Robert's 20th birthday a couple of days early because we have a busy weekend scheduled. He chose to go to Maggiano's for dinner....so Richard and Miranda and a couple of Robert's friends from NC State joined us.



WAAAAYYYY too much food was consumed! We did the family style dinner - where they just keep bringing plates of food. I was absolutely stuffed when we left.

Of course, they had to bring out the cake for the Birthday Boy - luckily, the restaurant has the restraint to refrain from the silly singing of the birthday song!! (We did our own off-key rendition!)

Dad and Robert cutting up - Happy Birthday Rob!!

And even more snowy photos!

The flag photo, one day later - now sunny skies!!



Driving up our drive - thought this was pretty also! (Hey, I'm snow-starved!)


Last night when I came in, Richard had left the front floodlights on so I had to go snap a photo!

More snowy photos, sorry, I can't help myself!!

This is the railing on our deck - piled high with snow....the sailboat is just waiting for summer!!!


I couldn't resist measuring the snow....


Richard dressed up to go sledding over at Pat and Diane's -

More measuring! (Almost 9 inches if you can't read it).


I love the way the runway looks all covered with snow.


The other direction down the runway...


Sledding - me getting ready to get a push off down the hill. AD - the Airport Dog is harmless - she just likes to chase....


Pat and Diane pushing Rich...



Richard had a cute spill at the bottom of the hill - covered in snow


Diane being a sport...

Pat trying to go the farthest down the runway
Walking back our house and hangar - always looks so peaceful in the snow!

Southern snowstorm!!

A pretty patriotic photo on a patriotic day!!



Woke up to a pretty, silent blanket of snow.




It's supposed to continue snowing until this afternoon. Princess had to go out for a quick jog this morning (she slept all cozy in front of the gas logs last night.)


You'll have to forgive my over-exuberance about the snow - remember, this is the first measurable snow we've had here in YEARS!

Rearranging Rooms

Richard has decided to move back home from Boone. He's signing up for EMT training and some other classes at the community college.

We're letting him set up in our original guest-room (it's a bigger room, cooler in the summer). So, our current activity at home is re-vamping Richard's old bedroom into the new guest room. It needs paint and carpet after 13+ years.....

Here's the 'before" shot after Richard moved out and I just got rid of all his old "stuff" he didn't want/need anymore. (This photo was posted sometime last year also)


Last week, Richard helped by doing some of the painting -(I'll make sure he never tries to get a job as a professional painter unless we get him some serious training!!) Good intentions, anyway...


So, over the weekend, I took over and did the remainder of the painting. I even painted the ceiling! There had been a roof leak several years ago and there was a spot on the ceiling...so the entire ceiling had to be painted. Actually, it was not as bad as I expected - using a pole on the roller handle and a great-big fuzzy roller.


Duane took all the baseboards off and removed the carpet.....we haven't got the replacement carpet yet - I'll be sure to fill you in as we progress. Then you're invited to try out the guestroom!!

Getting ready for snow!

They're forecasting a nice little snow-storm for our area tonight. We haven't had a really nice snow for several years now.

I noticed that spring is already in the air - these daffodils are a little confused. I expect they'll hold off on blooming for a while yet - amazingly - they survived the 10 degree night we had 4 days ago! Nature is neat....



These iris stalks are sprouting also....didn't think they usually come out until later in the spring. Maybe it's a sign that warm weather is on it's way. I hope so!!