Alice in Wonderland and The Queen of Hearts!

Let me introduce you to Alice in Wonderland, aka Annabelle and The Queen of Hearts, aka Lydia. Don't they look adorable?

West Gadsden Cafe Thursday Menu

Baked Ham
Fried Pork Chops
Beef Stew

Macaroni and Cheese
Green Beans
Creamed Corn

Fried Okra

Spinach

Baked Apples (before they moved to the last location)

Pear Salad
Tossed Salad
I know there was more, I will edit this when I can remember what else we had.

And of Course All the Great Pies--Chocolate, Coconut, Lemon, German Chocolate, Strawberry, Potato, and Egg Custard.

When the cafe moved to Forrest Avenue, the crowd was much larger, so they began doing a little something different with the Pork Chops. They would fry them in a skillet and get them very brown, then put them in a large "steam table pan" (long deep pan) with a wire rack in the bottom. Then they would cover the pan with foil and put them in the oven to bake for a while. All the grease would cook out of the pork chops and settle in the bottom of the pan under the wire rack. These are the most tender pork chops you will ever eat! Try them at home!!!!!

I still cook the Beef Stew for my family for Sunday dinner. Here is the recipe that I use. I put all the ingredients in my dutch oven to cook.

1 Can Tomato Sauce ( just a regular size can)
4 Cans of water ( use the tomato sauce can)
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Dash of Kitchen Bouquet
Dash of Garlic Salt
Salt and pepper to taste (you can wait until later to decide how much)
1 regular size bag of baby carrots (cut each in half)
2 ribs of celery (chopped very very fine) I like the taste if gives but my family doesn't like to see it!
3 pounds potatoes (cut in bite size pieces) DO NOT PUT THESE IN UNTIL THE LAST 45 MINUTES OR UNTIL MEAT IS TENDER.

2 packages of stew meat (OPPS I left this out!!!!)

You may need to add more water

Bring to a boil and then place a lid on top and continue cooking on low. I can get my stew boiling, put a lid on it, turn it on low and it will continue to slow boil.

Be careful if your pan isn't a thick one.....this will stick!

Serve with Cornbread!!!!!!

I hope I have remembered everything, this is from memory. As you can tell, I don't use a recipe, I just sorta dump!

The Weekend

I had a fun weekend. I kept Annabelle and Lydia while Missy and Tyler went to the Alabama ballgame. We had a fun day! On Sunday, Annabelle sang with her choir at church. She is in the pink dress with a white hair bow and of course, right in front of the microphone. She spotted that mic when she started up there and made sure she got right in front of it! It was hard to get a good picture even though we were on the 2nd row. I hope you can see and hear this.

The Pre-School Choir at Riverchase United Methodist Church.

Finally I am Posting

Well it has been a long time since I have posted. My dad was in the hospital for two weeks and my sister and I had to take turns staying with him. He is so much better now, still weak but better. I know now he is on the road to recovery. While he was in the hospital, Annabelle sang him a couple of songs. They are posted on the left.

I will post more later. I have Annabelle and Lydia today and things are a little hectic! Annabelle and I made gingerbread mini-cupcakes while Lydia took a nap! Annabelle decorated them all by herself!

Annabelle and Lydia

My Two Precious Girls!

Just wanted to show everyone how beautiful my girls are! They spent the night with me last week and we had a ball. Annabelle had "popcorn and milkshake," two of her favorite things!

I added more pictures to the slideshow on the left, so be sure to check them out. Lydia has really grown.

I'm Back!!!

Did anyone hear me screaming HALLELUJAH to the top of my lungs Monday night? Well I was screaming it very loudly. I would have sang but it would have scared Scooby and probably all my new neighbors too! The reason for all the Hallelujahs-----Matt and I have moved and we are completely out of the old house. It seems like it took us forever and I suppose it did take a long time. We have moved into my dad's house. He hasn't lived here in 4 years at least. My mom passed away 6 years ago and he was never really happy here alone. He moved in with his sister to look after her. She is 10 years older than my dad and is now legally blind. Her eye doctor took her license away and she needed someone to do the things she was no longer able to do. She does great for someone that will be 95 on July 10th.

The house is located on 10 acres of land that my grandfather bought in 1948. Mother and dad built this house in 1978 and enjoyed the house until mother's alzheimers progressed to the point that she could no longer do the things she enjoyed doing. At that point my dad cared for her until she passed away.

We are in the house, but there are still so many things to do. As my mother would say, "The carport looks like OUT OUR WAY." We will get it all done but with the way we both work, it will just take a little longer than we both would like. Matt is working full time and going to school 2 nights a week so he is pretty tired when he gets home. Bless his heart, he moved every piece of furniture by himself! He is a good son to have around!

My sister helped me too. I could never have cleaned this house and packed the other one if it had not been for her! I know she is glad her work is done. I will never be able to thank her enough!

Missy and the girls are coming to spend the night tomorrow night! I can't wait! It is so nice to have room for all of them to visit for overnight. I will try to take pictures to post. Lydia has really grown since you have seen her.

Bella Prima Dance Recital

Today is Annabelle's dance recital. I can't wait to see her dance. She loves her dance class. She is the youngest one in her group. I will have pictures to post tonight!

I kept Lydia Thursday, Friday and Saturday. She is such a pleasant baby. She never really cried. She fussed a little when she was hungry or needed her diaper changed but that was it. I put her to bed at 8:00 p.m. and she slept the first night until 6:00 a.m. and the second night until 7:00 a.m. You can't ask for a better baby than that! I sure did miss her last night!

Annabelle did such a good job at her dance recital! She is the youngest one in her group, most of the other girls are 6 and she is only 4. I was so proud of her!!!!!

Moving!!!!

I haven't posted in a while because Matt and I are moving to the country! We are moving into my parents' house in the country. My dad hasn't lived in his house for about 4 years because he moved in with his sister to look after her. She is legally blind so she can't drive.

Since the house hasn't been lived in for such a long time, it is taking us much longer to get things ready to move. It has been slow go because I can only go up there after work. I will try to get some pictures to show you soon. Matt is working on the big yard and he has his hands full with that.

We can't wait until we are ready to live there. We will have sooooo much more room.

I will try to post more soon!!!!!!

A Day With Lydia

Isn't Lydia a beautiful baby?

I am waiting on Lydia, my youngest granddaughter, to get here!  I get to keep her today while Missy works.  She is almost 4 months old.  I can't wait!  I will have pictures to post this afternoon. The weather today is suppose to be cool so we will be staying inside.  Check back for pictures!

Gold City Quartet

This is a You Tube Video by Gold City Quartet.  I wanted "It's Still the Cross" but I couldn't find that one but "Midnight Cry" has always been one of my favorites!  These wonderful singers are based in my home town.  The newest member is Bruce Taliaferro, lead singer.  Bruce and his family attended church with us for many years.  Bruce was in Alan Hudson's Youth Choir with Missy and Matt.  He is now living his dream!  Congratulations Bruce!!!!!  My dad worked with Bruce's granddad at Republic Steel and he tells us all the time, how proud his granddad Ed would be of him.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter and you share it with the ones you love.  Enjoy the music.  If Gold City is ever singing near you, I encourage you to go and see these fine young men, you will receive a blessing.  Our family went to the Gold City Homecoming  at North Glencoe Baptist Church last summer and really enjoyed it. 

Happy Easter

I have no idea what year this was. It was when we were living with my grandmother.  I believe this was 1964.  Our first Easter picture in color!

This is Easter 1963. 

This was Easter 1960, at my grandparents house.  I have on a white dress with red cherries ( I think they were cherries) and red shoes.  I remember going to the commisary at Republic Steel to buy these shoes.  I thought they were the prettiest shoes I had ever seen.  This is my sister Pam in the pictures with me.

This is me outside Dwight Baptist Church.  I was about 4 years old in this picture.  I guess I wasn't old enough for a hat yet.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter!  Oh the memories this brings back!  I hope everyone spends time with family this weekend.  

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is my Dad's birthday! He is the best dad ever. I have never heard him raise his voice or use profanity. He raised us in church, going with us, not just sending us. He has worked hard all of his life. He worked at Republic Steel in Gadsden and helped run the cafe until his retirement.  Above is a picture of mother and daddy, he hasn't changed a bit since this picture!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!

West Gadsden Cafe - Wednesday Menu

For many years the cafe was open Monday through Saturday. In the late 1960's the cafe began closing on Saturday and the Wednesday menu changed a little. This is the menu we served when we were opened six days a week.

Wednesday's Menu

Chicken and Dumplings

Roast Beef and Gravy

Baked Ham

Creamed Potatoes

Pinto Beans

Cream Style Corn

Candied Yams

Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce

English Peas

Fried Squash

When the cafe started closing on Saturday the menu changed.  We replaced the Chicken and Dumplings with Chicken and Dressing (which was one of the Saturday meats).  I missed having the dumplings because we never had those again.  

I hope you will add your memories of the cafe to the comments! 

Southern Hospitality is Having a Give-a-way!

If you have never visit Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality then you are missing a treat!  She has great ideas when it comes to decorating your home.  Right now she is giving away an HP Wireless Printer!!!  Go over and sign up now!

West Gadsden Cafe - Tuesday's Menu

Tuesday's Menu

Fried or Bar B Q Chicken (In later years the Fried became Chicken Fingers)

Meat Loaf

Baked Ham

Creamed Potatoes

Large Dried Lima Beans 

(fordhooks I think my mother called them)

Turnip Greens

Harvard Beets

Buttered Carrots

Tossed Salad

Congealed Salad

Pear Salad

Special for Today was Banana Pudding

and regular pies

If you cook dried beans, then you know you have to "look" each one.  There are things in there that you don't want to eat--rocks, bad beans and etc.  The cafe cooked 25 pounds of beans at a time, so we had a lot to "look".  They would pour them out on one of the tables when the crowd was almost gone and as the waitresses had time, each person would sit and "look" the beans.  You would be surprised at the number of people that would come by and say, "Are yall counting the beans?"  My mother would always say, "Remind me to never go eat at their house."  Mother was very picky about cleanliness at  the cafe.

On Tuesday, there were several postmen that always ate a "meat loaf sandwich".  If someone came in and asked for something not on the menu, but that could be fixed from what we had, we always tried to prepare it for them.  If you were on a special diet and were a regular, then mother would cook your food as you needed it, sometimes without the same seasonings used in the regular preparations.

The waitresses had "sections" and each of them had customers that sat with only them.  If their waitress's tables were full, then they would sit somewhere else and asked for their waitress or sometimes they would wait until a table was clear in her section.

We had some very special folks that ate with us.  They became like family.  You knew them and their children.  Some had been eating with my grandparents long before I was born.  I literally grew up in the cafe.  My sister and I complained when we had to work, but we sure miss it now!

The picture above is our family eating Thanksgiving Dinner at the cafe.  There were so many of us that year that we thought it would be easier for us to eat there.  I think it is Thanksgiving but it could have been Christmas.

West Gadsden Cafe - Monday Menu

I wonder if this will bring back memories to anyone but me. I am not sure what my favorite day was at the cafe because no matter what day it was, there was something that I loved!

Monday's Menu

Country Fried Steak and Gravy

Kraut and Weiners

Baked Ham (was on the menu everday)

Creamed Potatoes

Field Peas

Baked Beans

Steamed Cabbage

Scalloped Tomatoes

Fried Okra

Slaw

Congealed Salad

My Favorite for today was Dry Steak and Slaw! This was old fashion "Bucket Steak" not some frozen wannabe! We bought this from William's Packing Company on Forrest Avenue. Spencer and Bill Williams were the owners!

The wondeful smells that came from that kitchen.......I can almost smell them now.

I am sure I have left out a veggie or two. I will repost if I remember what they were. The pies were about the same everyday so I will save those for a post by themselves!

The steak was cooked in iron skillets. The stove would be full of skillets while the frying was going on.

During the summer months when fresh vegetables were available you could find us, the afternoon before, on the front porch (at home), shelling beans, peas or something else fresh to serve. We weren't able to do this after the cafe moved to the last location. One bushel just wasn't enough then.

The Pioneer Woman Give-away!

If you haven't signed up over at The Pioneer Woman's blog, then you had better hurry on over.  She is giving away 3 Kitchen Aid Mixers!!!!  I love those mixers!!!!!!  You will also want to add her to your list of "Blogs to Read".  She has wonderful recipes and other stuff too!!!!!

Hurry on over!

Aprons

Do you love Aprons? My grandmother wore one everyday working in a cafe. She wasn't the only one, most of the ladies in there had on aprons too! I always loved them. I have a pink one hanging in my kitchen. (Will try to remember to post a picture of it). Calamity Kim loves aprons too. She was just published in the new Apronology Magazine! To celebrate she is doing a GIVEAWAY! Be sure to check it out!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Annabelle!!!!

Today is Annabelle's Birthday! I sure hope she has a great day. I think all days are great with her. She has the most wonderful personality, very outgoing and always very lively.

I wish I could see her today. I hope mother and dad buy her a cupcake today, because she loves cupcakes.

Happy Birthday Annabelle! Your Gran loves you!

Annabelle's Birthday Party

Annabelle's Birthday Cake

Annabelle's Birthday Shoes

Annabelle had special shoes for her Birthday Party on Saturday! They were very cute! She had a great time. There was an Easter Egg Hunt, an Easter Bunny, lots of cake and ice cream and plenty of fun! I will post more pictures later.