Pearl, MS I think that from now on, I will just book my stays at Holiday Inn Express and Suites. The location in Pearl isn’t as nice as the one in Clinton but it is still better than Crowne Plaza in Baton Rouge and Grand Natchez. Everyone was so friendly. The room wasn’t very big, […]
Author: magnoliamentions
Salad Station
If you have a Salad Station near you, and you like salad, you will love Salad Station. I first went to a Salad Station in D’Iberville, Mississippi, and I loved it. After leaving a soccer game where my four-year-old niece played hostess to everyone after the game making sure everyone had snacks and drinks (so […]
Holiday Inn and Suites
Clinton, MS So far this has been the best hotel experience we have had on this trip. It was our third hotel in three days, cost less than ether of the other two, and as much nicer. The pleasant greeting from the moment we walked in set the tone for our stay. Everyone with whom […]
Salsa’s Mexican Grill
We met my niece and her daughter and husband at Salsa’s for dinner. The atmosphere was family-friendly. Our server had just started working there and was unable to answer some of our questions, but otherwise, the service was good. Mom and I started our meal with frozen strawberry margaritas, and let me just say, I […]
Old Country Store
What a treat this was!! This is no longer a store, but a restaurant. Mom was told that they had the best fried chicken around. When my mom was a little girl, she and her cousins and friends would ride to the Old Country Store quite often. The food was good, and yes, I did […]
The Natchez Grand Hotel
Where shall I begin. When we first saw the hotel we were amazed. The building is gorgeous and overlooks the Mississippi River. It was breathtaking. The young lady working the front desk when we checked in was very polite and welcoming. Unfortunately, the hospitality at Grand Natchez Hotel stopped there. The room itself was okay. […]
Red Top Seafood
What a lifesaver!! We drove around Natchez for an hour looking for somewhere to eat. Our hotel (Natchez Grand) is by the Mississippi River. It’s a beautiful hotel. Unfortunately, there aren’t very many eating options near our hotel. The young lady working the front desk gave us the name of a restaurant that she said […]
Crowne Plaza Executive Center
How do I express my disappointment in the Crowne Plaza Executive Center. Let me begin by explaining what was good. The service at the front desk was amazing. The lady who helped us check in and check out was so polite and friendly. I heard her joking with other guests and making people smile all […]
Chili’s, Baton Rouge
Our next stop was dinner with family. We chose Chili’s for its convenient location near the Crowne Plaza. The food was okay. I ordered a chicken fajita, and the chicken wasn’t seasoned very well. Don’t get me wrong. It didn’t taste bad. I just don’t think it was the best I’ve had. Usually when I […]
Drago’s Seafood Restaurant
Drago’s was the first restaurant we visited on our Trip Down Memory Lane. It is very conveniently located on Constitution Avenue just down the street from our hotel – Crowne Plaza Executive Center (I’ll get to that in a minute.) I’ve heard about Drago’s for years, but this was the first time I had eaten […]
Forever His
Precious Love Series, Book 3 “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set glory in the heavens…When I consider the heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings […]
Lovesick
Coffee Shop Girl, Book 2 “I won’t slide off the canyon road. I won’t plunge into the icy river below. I won’t die tonight.” This is Lizbeth’s mantra as she navigates the snowy canyon road in the middle of a blizzard. “This is fine. Everything is fine. I’m not panicked.” This is what Lizbeth tells […]
Forever Faithful
Precious Love Series, Book 2 “I’m sorry, Mr. Williams, your son is in intensive care in Royal Brisbane. He’s in a coma after receiving a punch to the head…He was assaulted…I’d suggest you come straight away. Your son may not make it.” A phone call no parent ever wants to receive is how Ben, Tessa, […]
Forever Cherished
Precious Love Series, Book 1 Forever Cherished continues Ben, Tessa, and Jayden’s stories. However, new characters are introduced, as well as new challenges. Leah, Ben and Tessa’s first guest at their farm “Misty Morn,” has been fighting demons for forty years. A baby literally taken from her arms at seventeen was just the beginning of […]
Triumphant Love
True Love Series, Book 3 Juliette Duncan chose the perfect way to end the True Love Series. Triumphant Love is a story about forgiveness and new beginnings. This book has a little bit of everything – from deceit to teenage pregnancy to drug addiction. Jayden goes through so much in such a short amount of […]
Tormented Love
True Love Series, Book 3 Ben, Tessa, and Jayden’s journeys continue in Tormented Love. Juliette Duncan touches on so many issues in this book that it is difficult to review the story without telling the story. The way she presents the issues of mental health, peer pressure, and abusive relationships helps the reader get an […]
Seafood Stuffed Egg Rolls
These are the Seafood Stuffed Egg Rolls from the Health and Happiness Society Cookbook. They are delicious! I got Sweet Chili Sauce in which to dip the egg rolls, and that added wonderful flavor. This is definitely a recipe I will make again. The one thing we changed was how we rolled the egg roll […]
Tested Love
True Love Series Book 2 “With God’s help, we’ll get through it.” No truer words have been spoken. Tested Love finds Ben and Tessa married and, along with Jayden, settling into a new home. Adjusting to being a wife and an instant mother to a teenager is a challenge for anyone. Tessa and Ben find […]
Tender Love
Book #1 of the True Love Series This is such a wonderful book! What’s even better is the book is appropriate for all ages. Tender Love is the first book in the True Love Series by Juliette Duncan. This is a Christian romance, and faith plays a large role in not only the lives of […]
Bitsy’s Apple Strudel Muffins
If you have not read the HEALTH AND HAPPINESS SOCIETY SERIES by Katie Cross, you definitely should. There is even a cookbook that goes with it (two actually), and that is where I found this recipe. These muffins are delicious!! The batter smelled so good I was tempted to eat it before cooking it. You […]
Waking Up Married
Waking Up Married Waking Up Married has been on my nook for several years. The cover photo makes the book look like a fun read, so I thought, “Why not try this one?” As far as I know, I have never read another book by Mira Lyn Kelly, and I love discovering new (to me) […]
A Redbird Christmas
A Redbird Christmas I love Fannie Flagg’s writing. I’ve read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café multiple times. I even bought my mom an autographed copy. Fannie Flagg’s books are fun, easy reads, and everyone should have at least one of her books in their library. A Redbird Christmas is the story of […]
Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe
Mission “This is not Jimmy’s story. This is the story of the real guy, a quiet, high-strung loner who fought feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.” – Robert Matzen As I begin this review, I am in awe of the amount of research that went into writing this book. As with Fireball: Carole Lombard and the […]
AT&T Sucks
AT&T Internet SUCKS I am so ready for my contract with AT&T to be up. They want to charge me to cancel my contract to their crappy service. Fortunately, only two months remain on my contract. YAY!! I actually have an internet booster in my bedroom. As I am typing this, I had to turn […]
Blueberry Lemon Cake
Once again I used the rum cake recipe I received from a friend and made substitutions to create this blueberry lemon cake. I didn’t have fresh blueberries, but I did have frozen, and they worked fine. I put a few blueberries in the batter, but not too many. Next time I will probably add more. […]
Evil Thing
Evil Thing Cruella De Vil has always been one of the more colorful of the Disney villains. I’ve always seen her as heartless, but entertaining. That view has changed since reading Evil Thing. Evil Thing is written in first person, which I love. Serena Valentino gives Cruella the opportunity to tell her side of the […]
WW84
I’ve been waiting a long time to watch this movie. It was worth the wait!! As expected, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine are brilliant as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor. That is no surprise. I don’t really think it is much of a surprise that Pedro Pascal is the perfect villain as Maxwell Lord. […]
Pineapple Cake
Pineapple Cake This cake was a bit of an experiment. I used a rum cake recipe, but instead of water and rum I used pineapple juice from the canned pineapple. The picture shows the three final stages: 1. right after I took it from the oven, 2. right after I poured on the pineapple juice […]
Sapphire Supper Club
Steak Oscar This house specialty is “two petite filet mignon medallions, asparagus, jumbo lump crab meat, and béarnaise sauce.” Delicious does not even begin to describe this. The steak was cooked perfectly. The crab meat, asparagus, and béarnaise sauce combined perfectly to make this an instant favorite. Three of us ordered three different dishes, and […]
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars My 14-year-old asked if I could make chocolate chip cookies but in a pan like a cake. Of course the answer was YES! All I did was follow the recipe on the Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chip bag. There is a “pan version” of the cookies underneath the regular cookie […]
Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut Butter Fudge It just isn’t Christmas without a little bit of peanut butter fudge. When i worked in advertising, I made this every year for one of my clients. I, too, love peanut butter fudge, as do my boys. All I do is take the chocolate fudge recipe and substitute chocolate chips and pecans […]
The Odd Sisters
The Odd Sisters WOW! What an astounding tale! After finishing Mother Knows Best, I was quite anxious to learn the fate of the odd sisters. Serena Valentino took me on a journey of incredible discovery. The Odd Sisters is the story of Circe and Snow White and their search for answers about Circe’s mothers. Circe […]
Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Fudge Anyone from the South knows chocolate fudge is a staple for the holiday season. Most of what I make goes to other people for Christmas. This is the first year I’ve made fudge in awhile (at least since my accident in 2018). You can get the recipe here.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge I decided to try something new in the kitchen yesterday. I had ordered Reese’s Pieces to put into cookies. However, the store substituted mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead. If you go to the chocolate fudge recipe, you will see that the recipe calls for chocolate chips and pecans. I […]
Chocolate Fudge
Chocolate Fudge 2 sticks butter 4 c sugar 1 can evaporated milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 1/2 c chocolate chips (more if wanted) 1/2 bag mini marshmallows 1 1/2 c pecans (more if wanted) Combine butter, sugar, and milk in large sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil 6 – 8 minutes stirring constantly. […]
Southern Pecan Praline Bundt Cake
WOW!! Thank you Spicy Southern Kitchen for this one! This cake is so good! I was surprised that I actually liked it so much. I’m not a huge fan of pralines, but this cake is delicious! The glaze is like having pralines poured over the cake. Honestly, this cake would probably be good even without […]
Mother Knows Best
The fifth installment of Serena Valentino’s Disney Villains Series took me a bit longer to get through. It was mostly just life getting in the way of reading, and I am fine with that. Life is like that sometimes, and that’s okay. About the book, it isn’t my favorite. The title is a bit misleading. […]
Mistress of All Evil
A Tale of the Dark Fairy Everyone knows Maleficent is the most notorious of the DisneyTM Villains. She is the one all others fear. I often find it difficult not to compare movies to books, and Mistress of All Evil was no exception. Having fallen in love with Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Maleficent, I was […]
Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
I cannot remember where I found this recipe (probably Pinterest), but it is a wonderful treat. These muffins are very rich, so I suggest having an ice cold glass of milk with them. Find the recipe here.
Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients 2 eggs 1/2 c oil 1 c milk 1 tsp vanilla 1 3/4 c self-rising flour 1/2 c sugar 1/4 c cocoa 1/2 c chocolate chips (I used 1 c mini chocolate chips.) Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin pan. (I use cupcake wraps.) Mix eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. In […]
Sapphire Supper Club
Steak Oscar This house specialty is “two petite filet mignon medallions, asparagus, jumbo lump crab meat, and béarnaise sauce.” Delicious does not even begin to describe this. The steak was cooked perfectly. The crab meat, asparagus, and béarnaise sauce combined perfectly to make this an instant favorite. Three of us ordered three different dishes, and […]
Poor Unfortunate Souls
Ah, the Sea Witch. Before reading this book, I didn’t know much about Ursula. To be honest, I’m not sure I have ever sat down and watched “The Little Mermaid” start to finish more than once, if that. I was very excited to see how the author might make Ursula’s story grab my attention like […]
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
Posted on Pinterest by Pinch of Yum Cake 1 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/3 c oil 1 egg 1 c buttermilk (I mixed a table spoon of lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 cup and let it reach room temp.) 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 1/2 c flour (I always use self-rising) 2 […]
Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese softened (confession: I didn’t read correctly and used an 8 oz pkg. It still turned out great, although had I realized my mistake, I would have added a bit more peanut butter.) 1 c powdered sugar 1/2 c crunchy peanut butter 1/3 c milk 1 8 oz carton Cool […]
Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
Frozen Peanut Butter Pie This is one of my favorite recipes. I have had it for over 20 years. I cannot remember where I got it, but it is delicious!!! View recipe here.
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake I found this recipe on Pinterest posted by Pinch of Yum. I wasn’t too sure about it because I have never been a fan of apple pie. Nonetheless, I though it would be a good use of the apples on the counter not being eaten. Let me just say, this is […]
The Beast Within
“Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme.” I cannot even begin to count how many times I have watched Disney’s live action “Beauty and the Beast” with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the title roles, and Luke Evans as the best Gaston EVER. When I started The Beast Within, I expected […]
Fairest of All
Everyone knows the story of Snow White. The tale has been shared for generations. We all know the Wicked Queen wanted Snow White dead. However, was it really just a story of good versus evil? Serena Valentino offers a new paradigm through which to see the Queen. When we read basic fairy tales, we often […]
Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3
I often select a book based on its subject matter or story. That is what led me to Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II. I absolutely love Audrey Hepburn, so I read Dutch Girl. While reading Dutch Girl, I fell in love with the way her story was being told. As a former […]
Maternal Instincts Mysteries
If you like Stephanie Plum, you will enjoy Kate Connelly. The Maternal Instincts Mysteries are fun, easy reads with interesting characters and unexpected plot twists. Kate Connelly is a new mom who really doesn’t want to go back to the corporate world. Through an unusual series of events, she finds herself involved in a murder […]
Coffee Shop Girl
ANOTHER SUCCESS FOR KATIE CROSS!! “This place needs to burn to the ground.” This is how Bethany’s story begins. She is struggling to keep her father’s dream alive even though he is no longer there. Owning a coffee shop was not her dream; it was his. She doesn’t even like coffee. From the moment the […]
Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion Pan This is a collage of all four sides of my hunted mansion cake pan. (pan purchased from Zulily) Haunted Mansion Cake This is actually the second time I have made this. The first time, I used a regular cake mix, and it only filled half the pan. Even after the cake rose, […]
Skeletons – 1st Attempt
Skeletons 1st Attempt What a DISASTER!! The pan looks so cool, and I was so excited. The picture on the bottom is the first batch I tried. They look like they are from some 3 million-year-old society that was just discovered. I used the recipe that came with the pan, except I substituted vanilla extract […]
Waiting at Hayden’s
The first novel by Riley Costello, Waiting at Hayden’s is a modern-day love story that draws in the reader from the very beginning. Once I started reading, I could not put this book down. It quickly became my favorite love story. I empathized with the characters and their difficulty making tough decisions – decisions that […]
Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II
I have always loved and admired Audrey Hepburn. After reading this, my love, admiration, and respect for her have grown exponentially. In all the years teaching WW2, I never presented it from the viewpoint of someone who actually lived under Nazi occupation. What Audrey Hepburn endured during WWII stayed with her the rest of her […]
The Health and Happiness Society
Once again, Katie Cross creates characters that are so relatable to every woman in some way. From the very first chapter of BON BONS TO YOGA PANTS, I was amazed by how closely I related to Lexie. In each book, Katie Cross continues the story of the Health and Happiness Society, but each book is […]
Halloween
Halloween As Halloween approaches, I am experimenting with new cake pans. This was my first attempt at skulls and tombstones.
Chocolate Chip Pecan Bread
Chocolate Chip Pecan Bread This is actually a different take on strawberry pecan bread. I got that recipe from Pinterest. However, I didn’t have strawberries, so I substituted mini chocolate chips. It’s quite the culinary delight. WARNING: This bread is very rich. Grab a glass of milk.
Guitar Cake
Guitar Cake This was for Mason’s 2nd birthday. He loved pretending to be a rock star, and he was. (still is)
Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Icing
Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Icing Sometimes you just need chocolate, and this is perfect. Plus, the kids love it!
Strawberry Cake with Creme Cheese Icing
Strawberry Cake with Creme Cheese Icing This cake is perfect if you love strawberries. The recipe calls for fresh strawberries, which give the batter the rich red color. The batter was enough to make the cake and a full pan of cup cakes. Also, the icing recipe makes so much that I was able to […]
Grave Digger Cake
Grave Digger Cake This was for Dylan’s birthday. He was very into Monster Jam at the time. It is one of the coolest cakes I have ever done. It was quite the hit at his party.