Author Archives: cathyboettner

I make big batches of these onions and store them in the freezer. They are great add ins for pizza, omelets, hot sandwiches, soups, etc. I portion them out into small bags and store them in the freezer. Here’s how to make them: Peel about 5 lbs. of onions and cut them in half fromContinue reading “Great Grilled Onions”

This recipe is from the Southern Living 2002 Annual Recipes Cookbook. You can find it here: https://www.food.com/recipe/caramel-glazed-pear-cake-187648 There are a few tips that I want to share: The batter will be extremely thick until you add the pears. Then the moisture from the pears will loosen the batter so that it’s pourable. Your pears mustContinue reading “Pear Cake with Caramel Glaze”

I am making shrimp and grits and bought raw, unpeeled shrimp for it. Since I have shrimp shells, I am going to make shrimp stock for the shrimp and grits. It gives it a some extra flavor. Here are the shells: Heat a pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two of cookingContinue reading “Homemade Shrimp Stock”

I pulled up the last of my tomato plants about 10 days ago. I saved all the tomatoes that looked like they would ripen. Here’s how you know which ones will ripen. Tomatoes that will eventually ripen have a white star on the bottom. This one’s star has turned into stripes up the sides ofContinue reading “End of the Season Tomato Tips”

Our fall garden is doing well. We have had nearly perfect weather. Here are the three tanks that I planted about 4 weeks ago. And here is an update on our forsythia project from earlier this year….. We have been so encouraged by how well that they have grown (they are as tall as me),Continue reading “Gardening Update”

If you have followed this blog for long, you know that I love to create a beautiful table for entertaining. This is one that I have been thinking about for a while. I started with a beige washed linen tablecloth from Williams Sonoma. I topped that with some of the log slices that my husbandContinue reading “Fall Harvest Table”

I am not big on kitchen gadgets, but we bought a sous vide (soo veed) this spring and it makes cooking meat on the grill so easy and everything is cooked evenly. I am using the sous vide for this recipe. Marinade: 1 cup beer 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup dijon or coarse ground mustardContinue reading “Honey Rosemary Pork Tenderloin”

The closets in this house were installed, but definitely not designed. The shelving in the boys closets was terrible making already small closets virtually useless. We reworked ours about four years ago, and now I am tackling the boys’ closets. First, I removed the old wire shelving. Everything for the old shelving was put intoContinue reading “Reworking the Boys’ Closets”

This is another driftwood project. Early this spring, we had a really large branch wash up on the rocks. It didn’t look like much, but when we cut it up, it had this fantastic spalting in it where fungus had grown. I loved how it looked. Since the cross section is what looks so cool,Continue reading “Another project for the wedding centerpieces”

We live on the river and frequently have driftwood wash up on the rocks on the river bank. Sometimes, this is really interesting looking and sculptural. I have offered to help my niece with some wedding stuff and I asked her about using driftwood in the centerpieces since we’re trying to keep to a tightContinue reading “Driftwood for Floral Arrangements”