"F" is for "Foghorn Leghorn"

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Foghorn J. Leghorn

A leghorn is a breed of chicken, and foghorn describes his loud, overbearing voice. Both parts of the name suggest the association with "Senator Claghorn", a blustering Southern Politician who was a regular character on the Fred Allen radio show in the 1930's. One of the most famous of Claghorn's catch-phrases was...."That's a joke...I say, that's a joke, son", which soon become one of Foghorn's famous quotes.

Foghorn is a large, anthropomorphized adult rooster with a strong Virginia accent, a "good ol'boy" speaking style with a penchant for mischief. Many of the story lines involved Foghorn and his canine nemesis, George P. Dog, aka The Barnyard Dawg, engaging in one-upmanship through a series of pranks. Unlike other Looney Tunes rivalries, Foghorn is often the initial aggressor out of self amusement and subsequently on the "losing" end of the gags. Foghorn especially enjoyed taking up a plank of wood, while ambling along humming "Camptown Races" (doo da, doo da) coming to the sleeping Dawg with his front half inside his doghouse, picking up his tail and rapidly whacking his exposed rear end.

Even though Foghorn described her as "looking like 2 miles of bad road", his efforts to woo the widowed hen, Miss Prissy, often found him babysitting her bookish son, Egghead, Jr. Quite the masculine role model, those episodes kept Foghorn busy saying "pay attention when I'm talking to you, boy".

Foghorn was created by Robert McKimson, and was a star in 28 cartoons between 1946 and 1963 in the Golden Age of American animation. All 28 of theses cartoons were directed by McKimson in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies for Warner Bros. Foghorn's voice was created by Mel Blanc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/ and http://www.stephen-foster-songs/

I am linking up to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. Please grab her button on my sidebar to read all the other great "F" words for today.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

"E" is for "Eclair au Chocolat"

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

"Eclair au Chocolat"

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup boiling water

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheet. In saucepan, melt the butter in the boiling water. Add flour and salt all at once; stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn't separate. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition about 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.

Put batter into a baggie. Cut a hole in one corner about the diameter of your thumb. Pipe the batter through this hole onto the cookie sheet. Make the eclairs about 4 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and puffy. Remove for the oven; slit, removing any soft dough. Cool on wire rack.

Fill with your favorite pudding mix or fruit filling and frost with a chocolate icing. I filled these with a chocolate pudding which made them really rich--double chocolate whammy!!

This eclair recipe is leavened with steam and is a delicate pastry. When removed from the oven they have a tendency to collapse, so it is best to slit the eclair immediately and scoop out any soft inner membrane of dough. They are so light and crisp that I love to eat them at this stage--YUMO. Exposed to so many delicious desserts, just how do French women stay so skinny?

I am linking up with Alphabe-Thursday. Please go over to read all the other "E" words for today.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir et Bon appetit!

"D" is for "DIRT"

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Dirt

There is red dirt and black dirt

You can blow dirt and you can play in dirt

You can plow in dirt and you can plant in dirt

You can even buy buy dirt-- in bags--pasteurized, or you can get it dirt cheap

You can race on a dirt track and you can be annoyed by a dirt dauber

You can be a dirt ball, a dirt bag, and even a dirt devil

You can be poorer than dirt and you can be older than dirt

You can dish dirt and you can eat dirt

(this is my favorite way to do both)

photo credit: Tammy Hopper http://allrecipes.com

Dirt Cake Recipe

16 oz pkg Oreo Cookies

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

1 cup Confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 3 oz pkgs Vanilla Instant Pudding mix

3 cups milk

12 Cool Whip

6-8 Gummy Worms

2 new 6" flower pots

2 bunches silk flowers

Line the pots with aluminium foil. Crush Oreos until they resemble potting soil and place 1 cup of crumbs into each pot. Combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and set aside. Mix the pubbing with the milk and beat well. Fold Cool Whip into this mixture. Gently fold the pudding and cheese mixture together. Pour 1/2 mixture into each pot. Top with remaining cookie crumbs and refrigerate at least 8 hrs but preferably overnight. Before serving, wrap flower stems in aluminum foil and insert into each pot. Strategically place the worms into the pots. Serve with a wooden spoon or small garden shovel.

I am participating in Alphabe-Thursday and linking back to http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

Please make a stop over to her place to see other featured "D" words!

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

The Best of Both Worlds

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

courtesy: www.wikipedia.com

I finally got to watch IT and what a treat! If you haven't seen IT yet, I highly recommend IT to all you bloggers that love to cook.

Inspired by the movie, I got out my Julia Child & Company recipe book. After perusing all the pages, I will quickly tell you that I have NO inkling to challenge myself to preparing all the recipes it contains. However, not-so-much a fabulous cook, I do love making desserts and found a chocolate mousse dessert cake recipe, "La Gateau Victoire au Chocolat, Mousseline" that I have the ingredients on hand and am going to bake.

Since the movie subtly hinted at Julia's desire to have children, I found this postscript that I thought was worthy of sharing. She says ..."I am all for encouraging children to work productively with their hands. The small rituals, like the clean hands and clean apron before setting to work; the precision of gesture, like leveling off a cupful of flour; the charm of improvisation and making something new; the pride of mastery; and the gratification of offering something one has made--have such value to a child".

Even with adults, I think this still applies. I know I certainly love giving and receiving homemade food items.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

"C" is for "Crazy"

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

1993 United States Postage Stamp Commemorative Issue

"Crazy", written in 1961 by Willie Nelson, ranks as the #1 Juke Box Record and is one of Pasty Clines's most famous recordings.

Patsy was born Virginia Patterson Hensley in the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA on September 8, 1932. Legend has it that she was entertaining neighbors at the age of 3! Her natural talent and spirit took her to the top of the Country Music Charts in 1962 and her style and popularity has never waned.

Patsy's big break came when she won an Arthur Godfrey Talent Show in 1957 with the hit "Walking After Midnight". She pursued a recording career and appeared on the Grand Ole Opry in 1958 and was awarded Country Female Artist of 1961 and 1962.

On March 6, 1963, at the age of 30, Patsy's career ended tragically when she died from injuries received in a private plane crash near Camden, TN.

In 1973, she was elected posthumously to the Country Music Hall of Fame and her reputation is on record as one of the major female vocalists of all time.

(www.pastycline.com/ and wikipedia)

I am participating in Alphabe-Thursday and linking back to :

http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,

a little bit of Hope

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

Got another giveaway to share with you this morning!!

The Sea Witch, a.k.a. "I Need This, Antiques" and "Musings of a Sea Witch", has opened up a treasure chest and it is loaded with all sorts of French ephemera and assorted French goodies!! I certainly know that THIS sea nymph is excited about it and I'm sure that you will be too!!

If I tried to list everything, I would surely miss something, so swim on over to "A Sea Witch in Paris" giveaway to look at the stash and get the rules for entry to the giveaway. Hurry up, the deadline is February 7th.

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company!

Au revoir,

A little ray of Sunshine

Bonjour from Campagne Maison

This picture reminds me of why I love the color yellow!

Even though the earth is frozen and quiet, and all creatures, including moi, are hunkered down for a long cold spell of winter, a bright jolt of color warms the soul kinda like....(in no particular order)

sitting in front of a warm fireplace

drinking a hot cup of Campbell's Tomato Soup!

sipping a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows melted atop it

soaking in a tub of Dream Angels Divine....Victoria's Secret Angel Wash

a bowl of Quaker Oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon and filled with bananas and walnuts

a generous portion of hot apple pie with an equally generous portion of vanilla ice cream

a Burger King Quarter Pounder with Cheese and french fries loaded down with ketchup chased with a Diet Coke

a warm bed with a warm spooning partner and no alarm clock

a pair of fuzzy slippers and velvet plush robe

a hug and a kiss

a sweet note signed xoxooxoxoxo

Well...I think you get the gist...

Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse for a visit today. We love having company.

Au revoir,