Road trip - Westside Market in Cleveland

My friend Sue and me went on a road trip today.  Sue nor I have ever been to the Westside Market in Cleveland, Ohio - so we decided to make a day of it.  It is amazing to say the least.  On 2 sides are vendors for vegetables and fruits, on the most inside (original market) is the meats, baked goods, pastry, spices, seafood, dairy and cheese, etc.

Vegetables and fruits along both sides of the aisle.  Some were giving out free samples.  They all carried about the same stock, some had a few different things.  Prices were relatively the same within cents of each other.

I was up on a catwalk to take these pictures of the Market up above...

the other side...

See the Long Horn Steer mounted head in the lower right corner?  They had a fire here a few months ago in that booth, closed the Market down while they cleaned it from smoke damage.  The white tiles are now gleaming and the ceiling overhead is clean red bricks...

The Market started in 1840 and was dedicated in 1912 and has over 100 vendors. It was a very interesting and is a historical place in Cleveland.  All in all Sue and I had a very nice day.  Very warm in the mid 80's and puffy clouds outside.  I really enjoyed myself. 

Chicken Enchiladas

My sister, Leah June really makes some fantastic enchiladas - so I am trying my hand at it.  My 2nd Daughter (in-law) Jessica when she posts a recipe she takes pictures oh so well...me not so good.  I forgot to take a picture of all the ingredients first, then I missed taking pictures of each step...so you get a few pictures of the end results - LOL.  I will try to do better...

Here is my enchiladas made (6) in a baking dish:

I used about a pound of cooked shredded chicken, 1 10 3/4 oz. can of Cream of Chicken Soup and about the same amount of sour cream, partially cooked a medium sliced onion, and about 1 to 1/2 Cups of shredded Colby/Jack cheese.  Mixed this all together for my stuffing. As you can see in the above picture I had leftovers so I put that in a small soup bowl. Then I put the taco sauce over the enchiladas:

I put cheese on my extra in the soup bowl, put into the oven @ 350 degrees and I am baking it for about 35 minutes - will check the soup dish and the baking dish of enchiladas to see if they are done and may have to cook longer.

so this is my supper for tonight with a salad and lunch tomorrow and I will freeze a couple for later...that is my big cooking for tonight.  Ta Da!  Hope you enjoyed reading, and I am going to enjoy eating this.
Love to all, and remember to count your blessings God has given you - He is so good to me.

More Random things #2

Later on today I went over to my friend Sue's house and interrupted her mowing her yard:

and we went for a drive because of such a nice day it was.  While driving we saw 2 hot air balloons getting ready to launch:

We pulled into a school parking lot just after the 1st one launched, this one was getting ready to lift off. and this one below had already lifted off...

you can see the different design of the balloons.  Then we left the parking lot and followed, I got some really good pictures of the 2nd balloon through my sun roof...

and some random bridge while we were driving around:

It was nice to get out and about with a friend.  Count my blessings - Thank you Lord.

Setting sun behind a tree, along a lake - what could be better?

Just a few random things....

I took Miss Megan to get groomed and when I went to pick her up - why this country dog that is no longer a country dog had bows on top of her ears....

Of course Miss Megan does not like to have her picture taken, but she is oh so cute - look at those beautiful brown eyes.  She is a full border collie, about 14+ years old and I just had her clipped to about 1/2" for Summer.

See the bows? And those eyes?  I have to say she is very laid back and quiet in the house for not starting her first 7 years of her life that way.  Miss Megan used to be my parents dog and when they died together in a car accident 7 years ago, I inherited her.  And she became an inside dog, in the burbs, in a small village.  Miss Megan loves to go on car rides and to see her dog cousin, Peaches.

I was outside this afternoon and took my camera to take some misc. pictures:

My Hostas blooming and my yellow Lillies:

It is so nice not having rain...and being able to be outside in the sunshine!  Count my blessings!  God is good!

Blackberries

I traveled back to NC to visit with my sister, Sandi and to pick Blackberries.  She has a couple of acres of Blackberry vines.  And she makes the most delicious jam.  Well any ways, needless to say because of all the rain we all have been having, the Blackberries are not ripening like they should.  Sandi and I did get out on Friday morning for about 3 hours and got about a gallon worth.

The picture is of Blackberries I bought at the fruit/vegetable market Sandi goes to buy her peaches.  But man, these were ginormous!  And very delicious.  They were about 1 1/2" long - every single one of the them.  The guy at the market said he buys them from a grower down there nearby.  I am sorry to say that Sandi's was of the average size but still sweet and good too.

We cleaned them and smashed most of them to get 2 vacuum sealed bags to make 2 batches of jam - which I brought home with me.  I also brought home enough to make a cobbler out of them.  I brought peaches home with me and split with my other sister, Leah June.  I worked mine up and got 4 bags, enough for 4 batches of jam and enough in a 5th bag for a small cobbler also.  Although I am thinking of making a sorbet with them...don't worry I froze everything.

I hope to go back to NC in August sometime, Sandi says the peaches are bigger then.  I am thankful to have family I can visit and also come home with fruits to freeze and be able to make jam and cobblers.  I am very blessed and thankful to God for all my blessings and family I love.

2013 Family Reunion

It was fun to be had by all!  My family: 2 sisters, 1 brother-in-law, 2 children (both married), 2 nieces (1 married), 2 nephews (1 married, 1 engaged) and 1 GREAT nephew had a family reunion in NC.  Last time most of us was all together was 7 years ago at me and my sister's Dad and Mom's funeral in 2006.  A lot has changed in the 7 years...2 divorces, 3 marriages, 1 very recent engagement and the birth of a great nephew.

I have to say we had great eats, great laughs, wonderful conversations, getting to meet each other for the first time, meeting the newest soon to be addition and of course getting to celebrate the 1st birthday of the newest member of our family.  I was remembering past years of my family getting together for holidays, birthdays, vacations, hunting, summer fun, and sad times of past saying goodbye to family that have gone on.  I felt the whole long weekend that Dad & Mom was amongst us, laughing with us and enjoying their children, grandchildren and great grandchild having fun and making memories.

I took 245 pictures, mostly I have to say of my great nephew - he is the cutest little boy!  Such a happy boy, good nature and loves his Grammie, my sister.  Of course my sister just LOVES her grandchild!  So be prepared for a slew of pictures, not much commentary and see the love and fun we had.

   Getting ready for target practice and just having fun shooting guns

my daughter (in-law) Jessica in the fore ground and the newest soon to be niece, Krystal (just got engaged to my youngest nephew, Jesse.

My son, Grant watching...

His turn...

Grant and my niece, Corrie shooting at targets set up...

Don't know if you can see all of the targets that were set up.  There were 2 spinner targets set closer to the shooters, then a target when you hit it would go down, there were 3 and then you hit the far right one and it would re-set the other 3 up.  There were 2 metal targets set up way back, a turkey and ram (some of us thought it looked like an elephant) those were really hard to hit for some us and some of us not so much.

My brother-in-law, Rick - my sister Sandi's husband.  I think he was grinning the whole weekend!  Here he is shooting free hand with no rests or scope.

My daughter, Amanda

My son-in-law, Bryan - Amanda's husband...setting his sites.

Kyle, my niece Cassie's husband (my sister Sandi's daughter) and my son, Grant

Bryan, Ryan (my sister Sandi's son) and Jesse (my sister Leah June's son)

Grandpa Rick and my great nephew Levi - riding the 4 wheeler and having a blast!

Proud Daddy (Kyle) and Levi - Levi was not too happy to be done with his 4 wheeler ride and be taken out of his carrier.

Levi with his Grammie, my sister Sandi

Okay, now for Birthday pictures...there are a lot of them...just enjoy!

Levi with his Aunt Katie, Ryan's wife...

Rub-a-dub Levi in the wash tub...bubbles and toys...boy oh boy what could be better on a hot day?

Oh and we did have lots of good eats too.  We had the usual hot dogs, hot dog sauce, cole slaw, potato salad, chips, lots of beer, country slow boil (with potatoes, corn on the cob, sausage, shrimp, crab legs), taco salad, eggs, bacon, waffles, sausage gravy, biscuits, smoked pork loin, chickens and good appetites.

Kyle manned the hot dogs.  I have to say this was a fantastic family reunion.  We decided that we could do this every 2 years.  The only thing I am sorry about is that we did not get pictures of the nieces and nephews together, their spouses, a whole family picture and so on.  In 2 years we will get those pictures for sure.  It is so much fun to be together and in 2 years to see the changes in the family...hopefully more babies by then and with a marriage not to far off and then hopefully another one in the next few years - who knows what great things to come.  Dad & Mom I know you are proud of your clan.  We love the legacy you left us!!!!

if you want to see more pictures you can go to my son's blog at Warfield Family - est 2008.