Faith, Folklore, and Friends

Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, is one of my favorite cooks.  I have found that combining some of her recipes with Paula Deen's recipes can make some tasty food. On Sunday afternoon, I made the Pioneer Woman's  Seven Can Soup  .  It is super easy to make and so good. These are the cans of food I used:  Chili Beans (she used Pinto beans; I didn't have any in the house), black beans, corn, kidney beans, 2 cans tomatoes with peppers, and a can of Chili with no beans. Open the cans and dump them in a pot. How hard is that? Keep dumping. Stir it all together.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer at least fifteen minutes. Just before it is done, add about eight ounces of Velvetta cheese.  If you are a cheese snob and refuse to use Velvetta, you can use whatever you desire.  By the way, we paid $5.99 for two pounds of Velvetta; we bought 2 pounds of good cheddar for $4.99 at Sams. Velvetta is no longer cheap cheese, u...

Another place we love in Pigeon Forge is The Island.  It is a newer place with restaurants, shops, and rides/games for the kids.  Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville is now open, and a hotel will open soon.  Paula Deen is also opening a restaurant there. It is always beautifully decorated, as you can see here. The Island has a huge Ferris Wheel that is lighted, and can be seen almost everywhere in Pigeon Forge.  It makes it easy to give directions; for example, the LeConte Center is right past the big wheel on Teaster. When we were there for Quiltfest in March, my lil' ole sister and a friend rode it.  I prefer to watch it from the ground. This is part of the new Margaritaville Hotel that will be opening soon. They have a large fountain with free water shows every thirty minutes. They even supply rocking chairs to rest in while you are watching the water shows. The last time we...