♥ A Day with Aunt Mary & Uncle Tuck♥

Mary is my cousin but we have always been as close as sisters... We both only have brothers so we became very close as kids and continued up through adulthood... My kids consider her their Aunt and her daughter considers me her Aunt... That being said we went over Sunday to spend the day with her & Uncle Tuck (Mary's husband)... her daughter Christal along with her family, My daughter Denise, and the twins. They live out in the Osceola National Forrest near Lake City and it is definately Country Living at its best!

The boys had so much fun ... First they got to feed the fishes in the pond, then they went & checked out the grapes on Uncle Tucks grapevines (he makes a yummy wine with them), Then they went to the chicken coop to gather eggs. Aunt Mary gave them the eggs so we could have them for breakfast the next morning and we did ~

Aunt Mary cooked us the best dinner ~ Tempura Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Balls, Chicken Nuggets for the boys along with mac & cheese, Potato salad, Cole slaw & Macaroni salad... For dessert we had Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whip cream...

It was outstanding to say the least!

It was a GREAT day and we all had a GREAT time!

Thanks Aunt Mary & Uncle Tuck ♥

Have Fun, Travel Safe & Stay Healthy!!!

♥♥♥ Foodie Friday ~ Chili on a cool night ♥♥♥

Thanks Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday... Go on over to Designs by Gollum and check out the rest of the great bloggers who have participated in this fun event... Lots of food stories, great recipes & fun ideas...

It is getting chilly in the evenings here in Arkansas so one of the first things my honey always wants when the weather gets cooler is Chili. So I decided to make it for him without hesitation since I love Chili too... I also usually make enough to freeze some so we can have it another night without all the fuss of cooking... Just heat it up and serve!

Donna's Easy Chili

Ingredients:
2 # Ground beef
2 Large Onions - chopped
2 Large Green Peppers - chopped
2 Garlic - minced
2-3 cans chili beans
2 cans pinto beans - drained
2 cans black beans - drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel is good)
1/4 cup Chili Powder
Crushed red pepper to taste
1-2 TBS Cumin
1-2 TBS Turmeric
Black pepper to taste

Optional:1-3 cans of beef broth to add if chili is to thick
(depend on how thick or thin you like your chili)

NOTE: I add no salt because there is enough in the canned beans for me

Saute onions & green peppers until tender

add ground beef & brown - breaking it up into small bits as it browns


Now it is time to add in all of the remaining ingredients. After you have added in the rest of the ingredients stir them all together and bring the chili to a boil. Once the chili starts to boil reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours.

Be sure to stir every 15 to 20 minutes.


After about 2 hours we have our bowl of chili.

Just add your favorite cheese and other toppings and grab a spoon and enjoy!

It will be even better the second day but who can wait that long.

Extras ingredients you can add after it is cooked if desired: Sour Cream,

Cheddar cheese, Corn, Fritos, Macaroni, Mexican cheese, and hot sauce.

So if it is getting cooler where you are at, sit down and enjoy a big bowl

Until Later