Sandi is blogging from the WhistleStop Cafe kitchen. It's all about good home cooking; food, family and fun. Thousands of posts . . .

~In the south and around the world.



Saturday, December 27, 2014

PhotoHunt ~ Smooth

The PhotoHunt today is 'Smooth'

Santa isn't the only one who is putting in some air time . . . I am going to be doing a lot of flying this weekend to get my Holiday visiting done.
First, to Charlotte for a little 'LuLu' time ~
Then to the gulf coast to ring in the New Year.
I am hoping for 'smooth' flights!

Check for all the other SmOOth Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas from Sandi Claus and her husband

I want to take a bloggy minute to wish each of you a very merry Christmas. I hope that you will be speding it with family and friends. . . remembering the reason we celebrate this season.

Some of you in the local area, have seen Sandi Claus ~ as I a pitching for my husband who "is very busy this time of year."

We have made several commercials for WhistleStop Products and have been spotted all over the local airwaves. This is the LINK to the WhistleStop web site, where you can find all kinds of good batter mixes, spices and marinade.

Good friends helped us with the production . . . and of course it was filmed right in our kitchen. (good thing we got that renovation done~ that hole in the wall came in handy)

Sandi Claus can be hard to find in public!
Merry Christmas y'all ~
Sandi

Saturday, December 20, 2014

PhotoHunt ~ Craft

The photohunt for today is 'craft' . . .
Y'all know I have lots of crafty photos.
I have been making Wedding Cake Toppers for years. . . they can be found on my ETSY page Gimme Some Sugar Y'all ~ that is crafty.

These are custom wedding cake toppers that are made for happy couples about to be married.

This is a special wedding cake topper. . . I was actually with them when they became engaged in Piazza Navonna in Rome.

They the the most fabulous couple ~ fun and so in love. She is a dance instructor in Texas. Don't you love the little cowboy boots? He is definitely Mr. Right!


I was thrilled to be a part of their wedding. I couldn't be there for the actual wedding, but I was able to share this special momento with them.


Check for all the other 'crafty' Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Monday, December 15, 2014

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Happy 'Blue' Monday . . . I had a busy weekend, in the Holiday rush.

I made some office gifts for my invaluable girls at work. They all deserve much much more, but 'Tis the Season' ~

Tis the season to get crafty.
I have made sugar scrubs before and they are so simple. Here are the links to Vanilla Spice Sugar Scrub and Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub, part of the fun is the cute packaging. They make great gifts.

This year I decided to go with the relaxing scent of Eucaliptis and Peppermint . . . Mostly because I love the Dr.Teals salts that you can find at Target (in the BLUE bag). Why not give it a try?
So . . . my recipe was
1 bag of Dr.Teals soaking salts
1 bottle of baby oil with aloe
1 cup raw sugar
AND Stir ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Even my olive wood spoons enjoyed the job of stirring the oil and salt. Mix it until it is well combined. (I was a little worried that I would end up with a bowl of disolved salt and sugar, but it worked ! )

I was able to make 8 little jars of Sugar Scub that can be used in the shower or just a dab for a refresing Hand Scrub.
The hardest part was finding the little candy canes!
~~tis the season~~


Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues and Boogie Board Cottage for her Masterpiece Monday.
Y'all enjoy ~

Sandi

Saturday, December 13, 2014

PhotoHunt ~ Beauty

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'Beauty'

Just another Beautiful sunset in Alabama ~
I've decided that might be why it is called 'Happy Hour'.

Check for all the other  Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Travel Tuesday ~ More precious picutures

Travel Tuesday ~
and I get to show more precious pictures from our beach trip

Just to watch Hope discover shells ~ and ride on Pop's shoulders.

Our own special time . . . with LuLu, Lolly and Pop.

And maybe a Christmas List to Santa . . .

I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

Saturday, December 06, 2014

PhotoHunt ~ Precious

The PhotoHunt today is 'Precious'
A perfectly precious time for me is a RoadTrip with LuLu ~ to the beach.

A Precious time with the cutest thing in the world . . . and the whole family.
Well . . . actually most of the Auburn side of the family.

We spent the weekend singing songs, swimming in Lolly's pool and building sand castles.

Precious time that we will always have in our memories . . .
Love those little footprints in the sand.

Check for all the other Precious Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Cooking Light ~ Warm up to Winter

The virtual supper club menu for the month of December is 'Warm Up to Winter'. I will say that as far as the weather goes, we have been Very lucky in Alabama. . . So Far So Good. Thanksgiving at the beach found tempatures in the 70's.
Oh well, turn up the A/C and celebrate Winter  . . .  I found This Recipe on Cooking Light for a red wine marinated stew.
It looked like just the thing for a cold winter' eve.

Red Wine Marinated Beef Stew
5 parsley sprigs
5 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry red wine
1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
Cooking spray
1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 cups less-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Place first 3 ingredients on a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather edges of cheesecloth together; tie securely. Combine cheesecloth bag, wine, and the next 4 ingredients (through beef) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal. ( I cheated here and Tied the herbs into a little bunch . . . a few thyme leaves never bothered me anyway )
Marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Strain beef mixture through a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade; drain well. Set cheesecloth bag aside. 
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef mixture to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove beef mixture from pan. Add mushrooms to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Return beef mixture to pan. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved marinade, cheesecloth bag, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Discard cheesecloth bag.
Those are the instructions according to Cooking Light... I Simply added the herb boquet to the pot and cooked it down.
I served it over a bed of Polenta . . .
I think even Marcella Hazan would have approved.



 

Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Winter Supper.
Jerry has made Warm Gingerbread with a Lemon Glaze
Val is making an English Cottage Pie
Susan is bringing Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Sara is Roasting Garlic and making a Shallot Potato Soup with Cheesy Croutons
Shelby is bringing Sauteeed Haricort Verts with Bacon and Buttered Breadcrumbs.

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi
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