Link to New Blog

Here's the link to my new blog: North Shore Bungalow

Hope to see you there, please come and visit :)

We're Moving our Mess, to a New Address

Yup, we're getting down to the nitty-gritty.  This has been in the works since August 2013.  We'll probably, hopefully be in our new home by the end of this month.

 We'll be traveling with three cats.  Won't this be fun?! :/

This is me currently.  Neck deep in boxes.  I hate packing.  It's so boring.  

Here are some questions I am being asked over and over:

All these questions are legitimate and most probably, yes, we are crazy! ;)  Here are some of my answers:

Yes, I know how cold it gets up there.  We lived in upstate NY where they get just as much snow, if not more.

No, the kids are not going with us.  For goodness sake, they're grown and out on their own!

There's NO DOUBT I will miss my grandkids but they're growing up as fast as weeds and in no time  they'll be old enough to come stay with us.  Our ancestors have a rich history in upper Michigan so as they get older, they will get to come visit and learn.  I look forward to that.

There is no better time than now.  Hubby is retired.  I am semi-retired.  In some ways it will be cheaper to live up there.  My dads side of the family lives up there and I want to get to know them.  Hubby is all for the move, I did not in anyway have to persuade him, pull his leg, bribe, nor convince him.  He was already convinced when we visited last August.  My sister and her family are up there too. 

We are moving to Manistee, Michigan, note the green star:

Manistee is an old Victorian Port City, rich in history, right off of Lake Michigan.  Click here to read about it's rich history:  http://www.manisteemi.gov/index.aspx?nid=248

Manistee has the Manistee River going through it that spills into Lake Michigan.  It also has two lighthouses, the pride of the town.

Sugar sand beaches, fresh water lake with all types of pine trees lining the coast and interior parts.  Those of you who live in El Paso, TX will understand that it's like going from El Paso to Ruidoso or Cloudcroft, NM.

Downtown Manistee

Hubby and I look forward to watching these ginormous boats sail through the port. 

We'll only live about six blocks from Downtown Manistee and the Riverwalk.

The Native American Indian tribe my siblings, children and I belong to run the Little River Casino Resort.  It's just a few miles from downtown Manistee.  If you ever want to come stay at the resort, please do so.  It is beautifully decorated, has almost 300 luxurious rooms and all the amenities you need to relax and enjoy your stay.  Click on the Little River image to check it out.

Manistee takes pride in our men and women who have served in the Armed Forces.  This is a very big event, I can't wait to hear the  rolling thunder!

The Christmas parade is a grand event for the whole town.  Horses bring the city Christmas tree in through the parade route until it reaches it's final rest spot at the end of one of the main streets.  Town folk like to dress up in Victorian age attire.  A tradition after the parade are vendors selling roasted chestnuts all over town.

A favorite of the towns people is the Ramsdell Theatre.  They put on over a dozen plays, concerts, etc., throughout the year.  This is the theatre where James Earl Jones started his acting career as a teenager.  You know who he is, right??  He's the voice of . . . . 

Cool, huh??

Here's a sneak peak of our living room.

This home is considered an Arts & Crafts Bungalow

After hubby and I move in, we already have a long list of things we need and want to do.

This house is almost 100 years old and belonged to a prominent couple back in the 40's-50's.  They were also big supporters of the Ramsdell Theatre mentioned above.  They took James Earl Jones (JEJ) under their wings when JEJ was a teenager, helping out at the Ramsdell Theatre.  JEJ spent many hours in this house.  Is that cool or what?  I knew JEJ started his acting career in Manistee but we did not know that he frequented this house up until a few days ago.  We were also told that he returned years later when the former owners were older and would sit and have coffee with them outside on the porch.  We thought that was really cool.  My son thinks it's pretty AWEsome!  Perhaps he'll return and ask to sit and have a cup coffee!  I won't mind, I'd love to sit out on the porch and have coffee with anyone.

So, when hubby and I work all morning on our to do list, this is what we'll be doing in the afternoons in the summertime:

I will be a little scarce between now and the end of May.  I will most definitely update you after we get settled in.  I will also be retiring this "i Savor the Weekend" blog and moving on to a new blog name.  A new home, a new town warrants a new blog, right?

Have a wonderful summer everybody and remember to Savor every moment!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

INGREDIENTS
3 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 eight-oz package Philadelphia brand cream cheese
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325F degrees

Lightly butter a 10-inch tube pan

Line the bottom with parchment paper, set aside

Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium speed until smooth.

Add sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, about 5 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add vanilla

Add flour and salt all at once.

Beat just until incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and shake lightly to even out the top.

Bake until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, 1 hour 15 minutes.  Place pan on a cooling rack, and cool for 20 minutes.

Remove cake from pan, and let cool completely.

Serve with your favorite fruit.

I've been obsessed with watching most of Martha Stewart's video's on Huluplus.  I really do enjoy her very much and am so impressed with how much she knows.  This lady is so smart.  Anyway, she and Chef David Waltuck made this recipe together and it just called out to me.  It is so rich, creamy and buttery and ohhhh so good.  Strawberries were perfect and this made hubby very happy.  Enjoy your week and remember to savor every moment!

Free Mother's Day Printable

I'm jumping on the band wagon of free printables.  When I saw a lot of bloggers designing their own free printables, I thought well, so can I.  As much as I love to design, draw and create.  I went ahead and did my own.  I did not draw the images on this printable but I did design it using My Memories Suite software and clipart.  Enjoy!

Just right click and save the image to your computer.

18 Bean Soup

Eighteen Bean Mix by"Beautiful Star"
Bouquet garni - included
Bean mix - sort through and wash thoroughly
8 cups water
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
10 oz. ham hock
2-14 oz. whole tomatoes, chopped, reserve juice
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups, celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 lb. andouille sausage
1/2 lb. fresh, boneless chicken breast

Place the beans, bouquet garni, 8 cups water and ham hock in a large dutch oven pot (I used two ham hocks since I didn't have andouille sausage).

Sprinkle with pepper.  Since I didn't have broth, I had plenty of creamy bouillon chicken base

It comes in this jar and they also make it in beef.  Once I stirred in the chicken base, I covered the pot and brought the soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add tomatoes, onions, celery, garlic, sausage and chicken.  Cover and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and cook for an additional 1 1/2 hours.  During the last 1/2 hour, stir the bottom of the pot as the soup should thicken.  I cooked it a little longer uncovered until it got thicker as that's the way hubby loves it.

Remove ham hock, bouquet garni from soup.  Discard the bouquet garni.  Place both meats on a clean surface, I personally like to use a pie plate as it keeps the juices from spilling.  Carefully locate and discard bones and fat.

Dice ham hock meat and return to soup (I was a little disappointed that I only got about a 3/4 cup of ham meat from the ham hocks)

Do the same with the chicken.  Stir and simmer the soup an extra 10 minutes, serve immediately.

I had on hand some cooked barley so I added it to the soup to give it more substance. Hubby loves to have rice with his soups and chilis but instead of using rice, I used a cup of cooked barley.  Just the perfect addition to any soup in my opinion.

Yum!  This was the best bean soup I've had and it was even better the second day.  I bought it at Fresh Market and I think I'm going back to get some more.  Beans are so healthy and so good.  I can't believe there were 18 types of beans in the mix so I counted them and sure enough, they're right!  Here's the list:

1. Navy Beans
2. Great Northern Beans
3. Pinto Beans
4. Black Beans
5. Red Beans
6. Light Red Kidney Beans
7. Yellow Split Peas
8. Baby Lima Beans
9. Brown Lentils 
10. Green Split Peas
11. Pink Beans
12. Black Eyed Peas
13. Cranberry Beans
14. Large Lima Beans
15. Dark Red Kidney Beans
16. Garbanzo Beans
17. Whole Green Peas
18. Red Lentils

Serve with your favorite bread and savor!

Have a great week and remember to savor every moment!