BANANA BREAD COBBLER

As some of you know, cooking is not my most favorite thing to do; but occasionally I run across a recipe I just have to try. In the new February issue of Southern Living magazine was a recipe for Banana Bread Cobbler. If you love bananas, this is both unusual and quite tasty. How can you go wrong with two cubes of butter? If you don't have the magazine, you can check out southernliving.com.

This recipe calls for self-rising flour. I always make my own to keep on hand. My recipe for self-rising flour is:
6 cups regular flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt

Mix the three ingredients together and store as you would regular flour.

I'm joining in with Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
for her weekly Foodie Friday party. Check out her blog for a list of participants.

SURPRISE PACKAGE!

Sue of Rue-Mouffetard is the best blogging buddy ever. She is always sending me cards, notes of encouragement, and presents. After my recent surgery, she knew I was struggling a little, so she sent me a box of goodies to cheer me up.

Inside this beautiful basket was yummy biscotti, a huge tea cup, and a variety box of teas. Somehow she just knew that I was trying to cut down on my Diet Coke intake, and I was searching for a tea as a substitute. I have had so much fun sampling all of the teas from this neat gift basket. A little biscotti with my tea hasn't hurt either.

Thank you, thank you, sweet Sue. You are the best!!

Sally

MET MONDAY - HEADBOARD

It's time for a new project! Ever since we bought a king-sized bed 18 years ago we have not had a headboard. I was tired of losing my pillow down between the bed and the wall, but couldn't decide what type of headboard I wanted. The problem was that I absolutely love our bedroom furniture, which my parents purchased new in 1937. It is walnut and the quality is wonderful. The set consists of a four-drawer chest of drawers, a dressing table with bench, and a full-sized four-poster bed. Pictured below is the chest and the dressing table. The bed is up in the attic waiting to be reunited with the others someday in the far future. The bedstead is so beautiful, I just couldn't make myself somehow cut it up to make a king-sized headboard.

I had been thinking an upholstered headboard just might be the thing; then, Bob brought home these pieces of a former twin-size head & foot board that he salvaged. So we decided to use the posts in combination with the upholstery. After Bob redid the posts, he cut 2 pieces of plywood for the base of the upholstery.

We then upholstered the plywood with 1" batting and the toile fabric that matches the dust ruffle. We added the antique brass tack strip 1 1/2 inches in.

I always like to finish the back of anything - you never know when part of it will show. So we stapled this fabric on the back, and covered the staples by gluing on the gimp.

The three posts were attached to the two upholstery boards, and now we have a fast and inexpensive headboard that compliments our great walnut furniture!

I'm joining in on Metamorphosis Monday this week hosted by Susan at
Between Naps on the Porch.
Check out her blog for a list of all of the participants.

IT'S CLOCHE PARTY TIME!

It is cloche party time again with our able hostess, Marty, at
A Stroll Thru Life.
You will be inspired by all of the wonderful ideas of the participants. Be sure to go by Marty's for a list.

For my cloches this time, I have assembled some jewelry, etc. from my family.

Four of the pocket watches belonged to my paternal grandmother and grandfather, and a great, great uncle. The gold watch with the bird engraving belonged to my great grandmother. The little crocheted change purse in the lower right corner belonged to my maternal grandmother.

The medium-sized cloche is sitting on my mother's baby cap, and encloses my grandmother's wedding ring, my grandfather's cuff links, another grandfather's stick pins, and a pin belonging to my grandmother. The picture is of one of my great grandmothers taken when she was 16.

BIRTHDAY BOY!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST VALENTINE PRESENT EVER!

Wyatt, you have completely stolen our hearts.
Love from Grammy and Papa

VALENTINES IN A BOWL

Not a lot of energy flowing around the Salmagundi household since the surgery, but I sure didn't want to miss the Valentine's Day party hosted by Laurie at
Bargain Hunting with Laurie.
The extent of my Valentine decorations this year just include some of our collection of vintage cards in a bowl.

You know that any party at Laurie's has to be a blast, so be sure to stop by her blog and check things out!

I'm also linking up with Mary at Little Red House
for Mosaic Monday. There is always such beautiful photography at that Monday party, so check Mary out also.

Thanks for stopping by; and may you have a lovely Valentine's Day!

TARNISH BUSTERS

I have sure enjoyed seeing all of the blogs recently showing off their beautiful silver. I love silver, but the care of it sometimes overwhelms me as I'm not really into the tarnished look especially on eating utensils. I have four large sets of beautiful sterling flatware that I have inherited, but I find myself reaching for my stainless steel to avoid the care and feeding of the sterling.

Yesterday, I received my March 2010 issue of "Country Living" magazine which suggests storing the silver with a piece of chalk to ward off the tarnish. I've also heard that camphor available at a pharmacy works when stored with silver.

Have any of you tried these two methods? Also, do any of you put your sterling flatware in the dishwasher? If so, I would love to hear your comments. I found a piece of sidewalk chalk in the grand kid's stuff, so I'll be giving this a try.

Happy Ground hog's Day. I guess we are to have six more weeks of winter, but I'm sure Spring is not too far off!!!