A Walk in the Country...

I just got back from a much needed week long vacation visiting my mom, sister, and her family in Franklin, TN (just south of Nashville).



I travel there several times a year to visit and as usual my mom had her "Fabulous Pot Roast" ready and waiting for me when I got there.  She greets me with this dish every time...and it's a favorite of mine.  See, doesn't it look YUMMY?!

I'll give you a quick recipe on this tomorrow.



I have to say we cooked up a storm this time.  Made some old favorites, and some new ones too.  I'm excited to share these recipes with you over the next several days.  I think you'll like them.



I'm such a city girl...being from Southern CA anything that is less than 70 degrees, is cold.  It was COLD in Franklin!  I mean super cold....freezing...it didn't really get above 40 degrees all week...I'm frost bit!



And boy did I feel out of my element.  My mom and I were driving down this pretty country road, and all of a sudden..."EEK! what was that?"  Mom said, "It's hugh, and ugly".  I looked again and there were FOUR, count 'em FOUR VULTURES, as big as a springer spaniel, sitting next to the road, right next to my car!!!  "EEK!"



Such a city girl....



I didn't get a pic of the vultures, but I did get one of a red cardinal eating bird food in my sister's backyard!  Sorry, I couldn't get the head in the shot!  We don't have pretty birds like this in LA so this was really cool.

And then the snow...what is that white stuff?  It's pretty...kinda ethereal...it's COLD...and all over my car right before I had to leave for the airport!  Man, I had to do a quick tutorial on how to drive in snow!!! hehe!  such a city girl....!

I
t was a great week but I'm glad to be home, in sunny, warm LA. 

I'm jet-lagged...

Stay Tuned...Pumpkin Pancakes

The Autumn scents wafting through the house will have them running to the kitchen to eat these delicious Pumpkin Pancakes!

Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm off to visit my family in Tennessee tomorrow for some much needed R&R. While I'm there we plan to cook up some of our family favorites and do some recipe testing so I can come back and share all the yummies with you.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a recipe from my recipe box.  
Indulge yourself and have some pancakes over the weekend.  They're good!

When I come back in a week, I'll join you!

Pumpkin Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cup flour

1  t Pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs (separated)

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

3/4 cups pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoons vanilla

4 T melted butter, slightly cooled

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

With a hand mixer, whip egg whites until stiff but not dry.

Mix together buttermilk, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and fold in buttermilk-pumpkin mixture; do not over mix. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Cook on a hot grill until bubbles form at the edges. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.