Sweet Potato Souffle

Ingredients

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter (softened)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 whipping cream
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
   

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients at once using an electric mixer on medium for 3 - 4 minutes.

Pour mixture into prepared souffle dish (either use Pam or shortening/flour to prepare pan).

Bake until knife comes out clean in center, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.


  

I Have a Confession to Make ...

I have a "dumb" cell phone.

No, not a stupid phone, but one that just sends and receives phone calls. It is not a smartphone and no, please do not "text" me on it or ask me to use it to go online to find something. It is a standard, cheap, pay-as-you-go Trac phone.

For years I have kept my laptop and cell phone as separate devices and fought long and hard to keep them from ever intermingling.  I even have a tablet just for for reading e-books with a Kindle app. 


Remember, I am an I.T. Geek who knows that cell phones, laptops, or any device that connects to the Internet can be hacked. Keeping them separated was an added level of security to me. I am still hesitant to go all "smart" until I feel comfortable with the security of the devices.

Over the past five years, I have mocked those who were always texting away on their smartphones, not living in the present or talking to the people who were sitting right across from them in a restaurant for a meal.  I saw it as an absurd thing to do while you were out with friends and family.  You should be interacting with them in real life, not texting others while you are supposed to be enjoying the company of who you are currently with.

Everything was fine and dandy with my "dumb" phone ... Until the service started to get increasingly flaky.  A few months ago, the phone had no service more often than it did have service.  I think it was a 3G, which is very old. 

I firmly believe it was the carrier's idea to gently nudge the last remaining "dumb" phone holdouts to move to smartphones. Being the stubborn person that I am, I refused to be pushed to something I did not want until I was good and ready.  So I let the service expire along with the cell number that I have had for over five years. That will show them!

I have been without a cell phone for about a month now and have been using my husband's newer "dumb" phone (that has text and Internet ability) when I need to run errands and such. We do have a land-line, since cell reception is so crappy out in boonies where we live - so two cell phones are really not necessities for us.

Just a few days ago, the hubs showed me an advertisement for a $10 smartphone, with no contracts and pay-as-you-go for $10 a month. Well, being the very frugal person that I am, I agreed to purchase it for a test drive.  I only bought a month of service and will see if I like it.  

I am probably just going to use it mainly as a phone like I did all these years with my "dumb" phone, but we shall see ... Wish me luck ...

Farm Girl Freak's EASY Blueberry Scones

Ingredients

    4 cups all-purpose flour
    3 tablespoons sugar
    3 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 cup cold butter
    2 eggs
    3/4 cup milk
    1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries


Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• Cut in butter until mixture appears as coarse crumbs.
• In another bowl, combine the eggs and milk.
• Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients until just moistened.
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface and incorporate the blueberries by pressing them into the dough. 
• Divide the dough in half.
• Pat each portion of dough into even circles and cut each into eight wedges.
• Place on greased baking sheet.
• Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.