Happy Easter Left Over Recipe.

    My last post, "Company Coming", I mentioned I was making Macaroni and Cheese with Ham for a dinner party I was hosting. A lot of my blogger friends and followers left comments asking for the recipe. Well ,I made it up many years ago and I am not sure of exact  amounts.This is how I do it. I am sure it will work for you as well. This would be good with left over ham from that big Easter meal. If not, I buy ham in the meat section of my grocery store. It comes in 1 pound bags and is perfectly cubed, ready to use. So easy, why not?
   The cheese sauce I make can be used for many things. I find in a staple when I am cooking. I use it to make scalloped potatoes or cabbage. It is great on vegetables.  Chicken and rice or cheese soup. I make it with Velveeta Cheese. I know it is processed and not good for you. So they say. Well no other cheese would work the same. So get over it. My mother cooked with velveta my whole life. I am 63 and going strong. I guess if you ate it every day straight out of the box it might effect your health. I say, take a chance!
     So here is the cheese sauce recipe first.
A.  Finely chop one medium onion and 1/2 of a green pepper,saute in 1/2 stick of butter until tender. This can be done in a large sauce pan or skillet. Stir often, do not brown
B. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of milk, still until blended.
C. cube up 1 small box of Veleevta cheese into about 1 inch square cubes. Add to above.Stir constantly until cheese milts. If fire is to hot it will stick to the bottom and burn. If it does, it will change the taste, so be careful not to let this happen.Add more milk if too thick.
D. Add  a tablespoon of prepared yellow mustard , stir into the above to blend.
E. Add the cooked, cubed ham piece and stir till all is blended.
F. If you are a pepper lover, I am, add a generous helping of black pepper. If you want you can use white pepper.
This is my famous cheese sauce. I have used it for years and it is a wonderful staple for your kitchen.
 
Cook 1/2 pound of your favorite macaroni according to directions.I add salt to the water and a little oil so it will not stick. Test to see if it is tender. You do not want to over cook the macaroni as it will fall apart when you bake it.
Drain and rinse.

Add the cooked and drained macaroni to the cheese sauce and stir until blended.

Pour into oiled baking dish and top with grated  Cedar Cheese. I add pepper to the top of this. This would be up to you.

Bake for 1 hour in a preheated oven set on 300.

Remove from oven and serve. One think, make lots as people are going to love it.


     Happy Easter. let me know if you try it. Say so if you like it, go on down the road if you don't. I hope you are with wonderful family and friends this Easter Holiday and rejoice in this wonderful world the Lord has given us.
   Come by any time for a tour. I will always leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will be there with a jump and a kiss. If I know you are coming, I'll whip up a big batch of mac and cheese.

     

Company Coming.

I do my table setting and decorating in stages, helps when you have to work and do stuff before and after work. This is the silver epergne on my dining room table ,stage one, with Easter grass and my antique hand blown Glass egg collection. I will add fresh flowers the day of the party. Secret, I have a thing for Easter Grass. Love it!!!

   What a day for a party. First of all it is April Fools Day! I keep thinking, what if the April Fools me and not show up? I don't think that  would ever happen, most people have trouble turning down a beautiful meal. I am sure there will be a April Fools before the evening is over.
   I belong to a group of good friends. They all live in the next town up, Louisiana, Mo. They all live in a couple of blocks from each other, on a hill. Thus, the name,"The Hill Group." I am not sure how I got in this group, as I no only do not live on that hill, I also live in another town. Putting all that aside, I am sure glad that I am included in this fun group. One couple in the group, Carl and Judy, always seem to host  the dinner parties. We usually meet once a month to celebrate any birthdays that month. Some times we just meet, because we like to eat. Sometimes we go out to different restaurants to eat. This month it is Judy's birthday, so I felt it would be good if some body hosted her. So, I guess that somebody is ME!
  I have been working getting the spring yard work done. It is far from finished, but the side yard, where every one comes and goes, looks pretty good. I mowed it last night, again, just so it would look fresh.I  have also been working to get the screen porch opened for the season. It get's awful dirty during the winter and takes some effort to get it cleaned up. It is ready and the weather is suspose to be spectacular.I just hope it is not too warm, I sure do not want to turn the air on,  especially the first day of April.
     The host of this group usually makes the main course and every one else brings a dish. We usually have so much wonderful food. This way it does not cost the host too much nor cause them too much work. I am having a odd menu.But, it is things I like and can make very well. I am having Mac and Cheese with Ham. Yes, that's the main course. I make the best mac and cheese in the world. I have won contest with it. I am also serving Fried Cabbage with Bacon. Yum. I add sour cream and caraway seeds at the last minute. All most every one in this group likes beets. When we go out, they always get them off the salad bar. I am having a Beet Jello Mold. Yep, you heard me right again, Beet Jello. I have served it for years. It is a shock to most guest. But when they finally agree to try a bit, they ususally like it. I love serving jello molds. I always put them on glass cake stands and they are so pretty. It will be fun to see how this goes over. I am including my receipt, just in case you want to try it.It is more of a salad than a dessert.

My kitchen ice box has become a florist cooler for the past week or so. I cut the flowers from the garden, put them in warm water, let them set for a few hours to drink and then keep them fresh in the cool temperature of the ice box. Comes from years working as a florist.

This is the first year my white bleeding hearts have done well. I love em!

Not much room ffor food, but sure is pretty when the door opens and the lilacs smell so good.

    I have been working on this party for a while. As the garden flowers are blooming so early this year, I have been picking them and putting them in the ice box, just like the florist do, to hold them for tonight. I am serving buffet style, with all the food on the kitchen island. This is a very informal group, kinda like my family. I still want it to be pretty and nice. I have created an Easter centerpiece for the dining room table. I used my silver epergne and  hand blown glass antique Easter eggs. I have a large collection of them. I did a post about them last Easter, scroll back and visit it. I believe it is titled, " Which Came First, Chicken or the Egg?"
 People are bring a  Green Salad, Carrot and Raisin Salad , Olive Spread and Crackers and Home made Cake and Ice Cream. What a feast.

This is how the finished product looked. The silver epergne, eggs,flowers and GRASS!

    I wish you could all be here to share with us. I am sure there would be plenty as I always seem to make way to much. I guess I think every one eats like me. I grew up in a family with 7 kids, so large pots of food were common. Come by anytime for a tour. I will always leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will meet you with a jump and a kiss. If I know you are coming, I will cook up a mess of something. Hope you enjoy and try this beet jello, you will be surprised. 
     

Close up of the Eggs and GRASS!

Arranging flowers on the kitchen island.

                                               BEET JELLO
1 can, 1 lb. 4 oz. pickled beets, chopped
1 package, 3 oz. lemon jello
dash of salt
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped fine.
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
3/4 cups chopped celery.
 Drain beets, add water to beet juice to make 1 and 1/2 cups.
Heat and add jello, stir well to dissolve , add salt.and green onions.
Chill to partially set.
add beets, horseradish and celery.
You can put this in a nice dish, or I double the receipt and pour it into a oiled mold.
Before serving, run knife around edge, set mold into warm water for a few seconds , turn onto a
serving plate. I some times serve with mayonnaise.
Try it for Easter or any time.
     I wanted to take a picture of the jello, but people started arriving and it just left my mind. Part of getting old, they say/! I took some pictures of the guest, when I put them in Picasa to clean up, I hit the wrong button and they are gone. Another part of getting old. I know I am getting old as this party just about did me in. I loved every minute of it, but,the body say's help. What every happened to YOUNG???

The rest of the pictures are of my porch. It is just off the kitchen. Everybody wanted to be out there last night. It was April 1st and almost 90 here in Missouri. Almost too hot, but was a beautiful evening for a party.

The Art Chair Project.

This is the chair I did. I chose to wallpaper it with paper from the entrance hall at, My Old Historic House.I felt it would represent the museum best that way.

The 1845 Historic Elgin/Cottrell House Museum, aka, My Old Historic House.

  My blog, My Old Historic House, is all about my home, the 1845 Historic Elgin/Cottrell House Museum. It is an adventure that I have been on since 2006. I started the blog adventure late 2010. Mostly it is about the old historic house,but often I include home town events and shopping experience. Today's blog is a Home Town Event. I live in Clarksville,Mo.It is a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi River. We have 490 citizens, give or take. It is a tight knit community where every body knows your name. A few years back a couple of of more concerned and energetic citizens worked hard to re- build most of our historic riverfront buildings. Part of there plan was to encourage artist to come live and work here in Clarksville. It worked and today we have a strong group of artist who make Clarksville there home and they all have studios and shops in the historic buildings. The artist work hard and have formed a guild to help promote the Arts and Clarksville. One event they have twice a year is, "50 Miles Of Art." You see there are 3 towns on this river that all have a strong art population. Clarksville, Louisiana and Hannibal. There is 50 miles between the three towns. So this celebration of art was born. This weekend is the Spring Art Studio Tour. All the shop owners have worked hard to do window displays, re- stock,put on demos and send out notices. Along with the event this year, the artist have come up with a special art project. I have dubbed it, "The Art Chair Project".We have a new artist, of which we are very proud. She and her husband have bought a church here in town. The membership was off, and the church had closed. We were all concerned about the building. But, it is in good hands now. Mary, the new artist, had a brainstorm of an art ideal. In the church was a group of chairs. She gave one to each artist and asked them to paint, decorate or create a design that represented there studio. I was luckily included. I wallpapered my chair, with paper from the Elgin/Cottrell House. The chairs are all on display this weekend in front of each shop or studio. The chairs are offered for sale, and the money will go toward advertisement. We had a beautiful day yesterday. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze. People came from far and near to view the art. People were happily surprised to seek out the chairs all about of town.

This chair was hand painted and beaded by our own DiAnne. She is a Drum Painter by trade. This chair was designed after a Native American Rug weaving. Love the beads.

This chair was by our ceramic artist. It has hand made ceramic decorations.

This is for Clarksville Sun Flower Days. made by Trish at Clarksville Glass Works.

    The chairs are of many media and designs. Some were embellished with hand made ceramic ornaments. Others had had beading. One was wrapped with wild grape vines and decorated with Sun Flowers. You see, the Art Guild also has a sun flower festival.One chair had a skirt, mine was wallpapered,one was painted  with a Eagle.( Clarksville has Eagle Days in January, where people come to watch the nations bird fish in the Mississippi.)One chair  was purple and had a child's theme and  came with small decorative note books. All in all the chairs were a special delight and a big hit to the Studio Tour.

This one from  Cool Beans Coffee Shop.

Bent Tree gallery

Mary ,our newest artist

    I am sharing the chairs with you all today. I only wish you could be here in person to see the town, studios, shops and tour, My Old Historic House. The house was open yesterday and many people came and had a tour. We are at it again today. I hope we have lots and lots of tourist and people buy all the chairs. I know there are people with they eyes on several. Come soon and have a visit. We will all leave the lights on. Almost every studio or shop has a dog. So like Sissy Dog, they will all meet you with a jump and a kiss. In the mean time, Support The Arts. With out them, life could be rather beige.

Another Mary Original

DiAnne made two chairs for her gallery, Earth's Heart Beat. Old Yellow looking out.

Caron from the Windsor Chair Shop.

Lady in Red!

                   

                                                     MY OLD HISTORIC HOUSE
Is a Blog about the 1845 Elgin/Cottrell House Museum  in Clarksville,Mo. I am the owner, writer and curator. My name is Richard Cottrell. I live in the old mansion along with my faithful dog, Sissy the Beagle. I purchased the house in 2006 and spent the last 6 years restoring it to it's original splendor. The house has been featured in many magazines, such as Victorian Homes, newspapers and TV stations. I offer tours of the entire house with  a reservation. I ask they you call at least one day in advance and have a least two people. I do charge for the tours, the fee helps me maintain the property. 573 242 9688. or email. www.cottrellprissy@aol.com. The old house was built in 1845 with a 1860 addition. It was built on land that was given to Samuel Elgin from President Manroe. Mr. Elgin's son, Hazakeiah, built the house. The bricks were hand made on the spot,by slaves. Because I am only the 4th owner, the house has stayed mostly in tack.I have used reproduction materials that represent the time period of 1860. The house very much reflects the American Ante Bellum period of history.( before the civil war.) The houses has a vast collection of antique furniture, accessories and portraits of that period. Call soon to make your appointment to come and visit Sissy and me.  where I personally guide the tours.





     

Richard and Sissy Dog. Kitchen

 



               Today the  blog is about a Lady in Red. She is one of my many ,"store bought relatives." my family never had money to have portraits painted, so when I started making some money, I bought me some relatives. I have named this lady, my rich cousin Julia. I call her rich because of her velvet dress with fancy lace trim and her gold, ruby and diamond jewelry. I had a lady friend named Julia. She was from a very well to do  family, that's where I got this ladies name. Who she really is? I have no ideal.

   This painting is done with oil on canvas. Her cloths, jewels, hairstyle and background, all indicate that she was painted around 1850-1880.She is beautifully done, especially the velvet of her dress and the lace. She has a beautiful, kind and sweet face. When she sat for this portrait she wore all her jewelry, and it is very fine and beautiful.She must have been a real lady of means.

    Julia hangs in the Up River or Ladies parlor at the Elgin/ Cottrell House. She always gets lots of attention, as do all the other portraits.That is why I made up the story about, store bought relative. People always chuckle when I say that and it seems to make them happy, as I have no real ideal who she really is.
    I wish you would consider coming for a tour. I will leave the lights on and Sissy Dog will always meet you with a jump and a kiss. If you can't come today, maybe soon. You all are always welcome.