Thacker Reunion and Elvis' favorite cake

I attended the "Thacker Family Reunion", with my Dad on Labor Day and we had a great time. There are many members of our family who are getting really old (like all families) and I cherish every moment I can spend with them. Here are a few photos of the day!



The Cloyd Thacker Family details below!



Dad's oldest brother John and his wife Nell on the right. Debbie in the middle is Uncle John's only daughter and this is her children. Darla with her finance Shawn standing behind her. Beside Shawn is Debbie's son Dustin. They all live in Georgie and due to schedules we do not get to see them often so it was fun getting caught up on what has been happening in their life.



Dad's brother Ray and one of his daughters (on left Darlenia) with her baby daughter (Kesha standing next to Pop), granddaughter (Emma) and their newest addition to the family (Sam).
I cut the other daughter out of the photo, the sun was very bright and I couldn't see a thing! SORRY CARLIA!!!!



This photo has Ray's youngest daughter (Carlia) on the far right. I cut Darlenia out of this one, I really need practice using a camera! Oh well.



Sam had too much to drink! :)

I think Carla was telling Uncle John something gross, look as his face.



It was fun being together for something other than a funeral this was all of us except for my brother.

I didn't worry about a lot of food for the trip, they always have soooo much that I find many things I can eat. I made a "Elvis Cake" so that I would have a dessert and added some "Soy Joy" bars to my purse. That along with a bottle of water was all I needed. Oh, and I did stop and buy a cup of coffee on the drive up, to help me stay awake while driving.

Here is the recipe for Paula Dean's famous "Elvis Gooey Butter Cake".



"Elvis Gooey Butter Cake"
Servings: 20
Website:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/elvis-gooey-butter-cakes-recipe/index.html#

Ingredients
1 18-1/4 oz. pkg. Yellow Cake Mix (I use "Gluten Free Pantry's" yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter; melted
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese; softened
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup peanut butter
1 whole banana
1 stick butter
1 16-oz. box powder sugar

Instructions :

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter together and mix well. Pat into a lightly greased glass 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Prepare the filling.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the peanut butter; beat. Add the banana and butter and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over the cake mixture. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not over bake.
Top each cake slice with a mint leaf and dollop of whipped cream.

This cake is wonderful but really rich, a little bit will do you! Have a cup of coffee on hand before you dive in.

Thanks for stopping by y'all and please come again soon!

A Taste of My Favorite Things

 
Happy Father's Day to all you men out there! I am so thankful for Steve and for the great father that he is to all our children!!!!

I wanted to post a blog but with it being so hot I have done little cooking these past few days. We have been eating light at lunch and then going out at night. So yesterday I was thinking what I really like about the Delta and thought I would share some of the facts with you.

The Delta

Tunica has gleaming casinos with resturants such as the famous "Lady and Son's" that features southern cuisine all the way from Savannah, Georgia.

Clarksdale - home to famous blues musicians and the world renowned Delta Blues Museum and the Hopson Plantation, one of the largest cotton farming operations in the South. There is also Morgan Freeman's blues club www.groundzerobluesclub.com/ or Madidi's www.madidires.com.

Cleveland - the Historic Crosstie Shopping District, offering an array of specialty shops, antique stores and cafes that serve down home southern cooking. One of our favorite is eating at "The Warehouse". http://www.visitclevelandms.com

Greenville - home to some of the country's great writers and a city that blends Native American history with the Blues, cotton and casino gaming.

Leland - the town that spawned one of the most popular Muppet characters, Kermit the Frog. Home to "Fat Baby's" steak and seafood restaurant.
Indianola, - a special place in blues music history - hometown of legendary Blues musician B.B. King, and home to one-of-a-kind Southern treats at the nationally recognized "Indianola Pecan House". www.pecanhouse.com "The Crown" it is so much more than a great place for lunch! It is an Art Gallery full of fabulous original Delta art, a Gift Shop filled with classic children’s toys and gifts for every occasion, a Bookstore shelving the best books about the Blues, the Delta and our favorite foods. And last but not least, it's home of Taste of Gourmet! You can buy the mixes and sauces they've created at The Crown and take them home to enjoy! And if you can’t make it for lunch, join them in the afternoon for Taste of Gourmet food samples and the best cup of coffee and pie you’ll have ever tasted. www.thecrownrestaurant.com Shop at "Young Ideas". Young Ideas is a specialty store that has been offering the Delta’s best in infant, girls, boys, juniors, and ladies clothing and gifts for almost 35 years. We offer a wide selection of merchandise, and we are known for outstanding service. http://youngideas.typepad.com

Inverness - 128 miles south of Memphis and 78 miles north of Jackson. The small town was virtually wiped away on February 21, 1971 when an F4 tornado struck portions of Louisiana and Mississippi. 36 people were left dead in rural Mississippi in the wake of the storm; 21 of the victims were from Inverness. Home to Good Farm's and the famous one and only "Hometown Restaurant".

Greenwood - discover the three "final resting places" of the enigmatic Robert Johnson, King of the Delta Blues. Unearth the mystery at the Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum & Gallery and find out how Southern hospitality and high-class comfort combine at the Alluvian Hotel and Spa. Take cooking classes at the "Viking Cooking School" or eat at our favorite restaurant "The Crystal Grill" home of the famous homemade pies.

Yazoo City - the land that inspired acclaimed author Willie Morris to share his childhood memories in My Dog Skip. Experience the town's history and culture at the Oakes African-American Cultural Center and visit some of the most beautiful antebellum homes in Mississippi.
Enjoy the traveler's Delta Travel Diary and then make plans to feel the Delta rhythm for yourself with a trip to through the Mississippi Delta. http://www.visitthedelta.com/


MSU info....

Those of you who know me know that I am an avid college basketball fan I like all sports but LOVE basketball. I had rather watch basketball (any college team) than anything else on TV. I've told my kids when I get old and can't get around much just subscribe to Directv's Full Court and I'll be happy! This week I read some excited news about one of our MSU Bulldogs. MSU's Varnado makes USA hoops team http://tinyurl.com/knts6w It will be exciting to see where the Dawgs take us this next season. I'm so thankful for my season tickets in the past and pray we are able to get them once again!

These are just a few of my favorite things. Look for more in the future.

What is one of your favorite things in Mississippi? Leave your answer in the comment section I'd love to know.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Explains Her Gluten-Free Lifestyle

I am always astounded at how gluten-free living is becoming more common. Elisabeth Hasselbeck is co-host of “The View” and has been diagnosed with Celiac disease. Her new cookbook “The G-Free Diet” came out this week and this is an excerpt from it.

My G- Free Journey

I learned about gluten the hard way. I wrote this book so you don't have to. Most people with celiac disease, like me, have a story to tell. My hope is that in reading mine, and the pages that follow, you will be able to begin your journey to a better body and a better self—without all the heartache (and bellyache!) that I endured for far too long.

The trouble began in early 1997, during the spring of my sophomore year of college. I went on two big trips that spring. The first, over winter break, was a three-week-long immersion/teaching trip to the village of Red Bank and the city of Dangriga in Belize. The second, a spring training trip, was within the United States, with my Boston College softball team. I had been feeling a little under the weather since Belize, and shortly after I returned from the softball trip, I was diagnosed with a severe bacterial intestinal infection—residue, the doctor said, from my trip to Central America. I landed in the school infirmary for nearly a week, with an immensely distended belly and a 103- to 104-degree fever. My memories of that week are hazy at best: I can recall little more than opening my eyes to see my mom standing over the bed. And Tim, my college sweetheart and now husband, looking more than concerned.

Once the initial infection had subsided, I was incredibly relieved, thinking I was finally in the clear. As an athlete, I couldn't bear the thought of being "off my game" for more than a day or two. Little did I suspect that my game was going to be significantly "off" for quite some time...
After leaving the infirmary, I was eager to get my body back on track again, but my digestive system was seemingly shot. My efforts to regain some of the muscle mass I had lost during my convalescence went nowhere. And though I felt ravenously hungry all the time, the only dining hall option that looked even remotely appetizing to me was soft-serve vanilla frozen yogurt with Rice Krispies mixed in. Food just didn't appeal to me like it had before.

Regardless, I continued to eat, though nothing satisfied my hunger—and everything seemed to throw my stomach into a frenzy. Each meal left me bloated and gassy, with sharp, explosive pains in my abdomen. No matter what I ate, I would soon be doubled over with cramps, awful indigestion, diarrhea—or all of the above simultaneously. I soon became all too familiar with the location of any and all bathrooms. Half an hour later, I would be too lethargic to move.
What on earth was happening to me? I had always been filled with energy before, and now I wanted to crawl back into bed five times a day. I was always in pain, always uncomfortable—especially around mealtimes.

An Open Letter from the Executive Director of the Celiac Disease Foundation

Wednesday May 6, 2009

Elaine Monarch, Founder and Executive Director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, tonight sent the following open letter to the celiac community:
Celiac Colleagues:
I am writing to call your attention to the current publicity surrounding the new book, The G-free Diet, A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, by Elisabeth Hassselbeck, co-host of The View. While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate – the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs and to those yet to be diagnosed if people self diagnose and start eating GF. Our mission is to assist in getting people accurately diagnosed and the message in this book could defeat this mission. It appears that this book is being marketed as a fitness diet – eat g-free and feel so much better. Celiac is incorrectly referred to as an allergy not an autoimmune disease.
The GF diet is the medically mediated prescription that controls the condition for a diagnosed celiac. Several items in the book are misleading and inaccurate and place further limitations on the GF diet. The gluten-free lifestyle is a lifelong commitment for the diagnosed celiac, not an option, not a fad diet – adhering to the GF lifestyle requires patience and persistence. This lifestyle can not be trivialized.
Elisabeth will be interviewed on Larry King Live this evening on CNN. PLEASE take the time to call in to the show or send an email to Larry King Live to help correct some of this misinformation.
Email Larry King Live at: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.lkl.html. The phone number for call-ins to the show is 1-800-676-2100.
Thank you.
Elaine Monarch

Sick But Thankful

It has been three days since I have known what it felt like not to have a headache. If I leave home I feel a lot better so therefore we believe it may be something in the house but we can’t figure out what. I am so thankful that we don’t own this house; it would be awful to own a home and find out that you were allergic to something it was made of and couldn’t live in it. Last summer I was sick a lot also and Steve thought that it was the allergy shots. This summer I asked for a break from the shots because I was getting sick after everyone and I didn’t want to deal with it all summer long. Now I wonder if I’ve made a mistake, maybe it wasn’t the shots after all, maybe it was something in this house.

Happy Mother's Dad to all you Mom's out there!!!!!
God Bless