Garage Sale Finds and the Recipes (as promised)

ByDeborah Raney
10 Comments

After Tammy and Joe’s visit on my birthday weekend last month, Tammy mentioned that I’d be sharing our garage sale finds and the recipes for the dishes I made while she and Joe were in Missouri for my birthday, so as promised, here’s that post. I’m still, almost a month later, basking in the memories of our celebration.

Tammy and I lined up our finds on the dining table after we got home from garage sale-ing. She found sandals for Ari (her granddaughter), toys, books for her sweet grandkids, and a deck of vintage cards. And I found some items for the pink bags I share with our grandgirls whenever we’re together, plus a vintage book for my bookcase collection, and a cute rooster candleholder.

These little Cat & Jack sandals are a tad too big for Ari for now, but they’ll clean up nicely and be ready when her little foot grows. And Leo (Tammy’s grandson) is crazy about cars so this was $.25 well spent.

The cute rooster candleholder found a place on my coffee bar and the Horatio Hornblower book is now lined up with other vintage books on our living room shelves.

My favorite find of the day was in an antique shop near the farmers market, and Tammy insisted on buying it for my birthday (even though she’d already given me a fabulous gift bag full of presents!) I just LOVE my new huge globe that sits between the fireplace and piano. The old globe was from the small-town Jackson, Missouri school system sometime in the 30s or 40s! Every time I look at it, it reminds me of our wonderful weekend together! Thank you again, dear Tammy!

And now, for the recipes I made while Joe and Tammy were here. Truly they are nothing fancy. In fact, that’s why I like them: they can be put together quickly leaving maximum time for visiting and other activities, yet they are hearty and delicious. The first one-pan dinner is new for us, but we’ve now made it three times, and it’s delicious! (Ken found it on Facebook but I’ve adjusted some of the amounts to our taste.)

The roast beef is a simple crockpot meal and the leftover meat goes into the Copacabana Tacos the next day. The taco recipe is one I made up after our favorite restaurant in Salina, Kansas closed and we no longer could order their Copacabana Tacos. After a lot of trial and error, I think I got pretty close! (And I’ve simplified the recipe over the years to make it easier to throw together, but just as delicious.)

Thanks for letting me drag out my 70th birthday for almost a month! I promise I’ll keep all my birthdays from here on out very low-key! 😉

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DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she's still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. Her novels have won RWA's RITA Award, the ACFW Carol Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the HOLT Medallion. She is also a four-time Christy Award finalist. Deb is on faculty for several national writers’ conferences and served on the executive board of the 2,500-member American Christian Fiction Writers organization for 18 years before retiring in 2022. She is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas to be closer to kids and grandkids. They love road trips, e-biking, Friday garage sale dates, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard.

10 Comments

  1. I make a one-pan chicken bake similar to yours. I use the Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing packet. I may just try yours later today as I need to do some batch cooking for the week. I’ve enjoyed celebrating your birthday with you!

  2. Love your garage sale finds! So fun! I’ve done potatoes and green beans in one pan but never thought to add chicken. I’ll definitely have to try that one! So glad you’ve had time to bask in the glow of your celebrations!

  3. I was born in Salina, KS!!! Surprised to see my place of birth pop up especially since few people know where it is. Want to try your one pan chicken bake recipe. Thanks for sharing.

    1. My husband grew up in Ellsworth, KS where Salina was the “big town” they went to on the weekends. Our first three kids were born in the Ellsworth hospital and we lived there for 8 years so Salina was our “big town” too. It’s still a really nice little city!

  4. I love the new world globe! Best item of the newly acquired goodies! Glad you had so much fun on your birthday!

  5. Happy belated birthday! Thank you for sharing your recipes – I’m eager to try them all, especially the roast beef and tacos since they are ‘summer friendly’ (no oven involved).

  6. I apologize for the late response – in case anyone is still reading this post!

    My husband lived in Narka, KS as a young boy before moving to Omaha. We visited several years ago and sadly it has lost people and buildings over the years. But lots of good memories remain.

    Celebrating this birthday deserves at least a month! My 70th is this coming Sunday so I’m right there with you in making it last. Afternoon tea with my best friend on Friday, breakfast at our favorite cafe’ on Friday, a spa day next week, and beach trip with daughter and her family in August. Can’t wait to play in the sand with those little grandkids.

    1. I just now saw this, Karen, but love that you’re celebrating your 70th so close to mine! I hope your birthday week is as special as mine was! Blessings on you!

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