Life Lesson #18...Do not let life get in your way.

I see I have not posted in nearly two years. Yes life got in my way a bit. Not that I didn't have thoughts, recipes, projects and life to share, I just didn't seem to find the time for it. And quite honestly I do enjoy blogging, it's kind of like keeping a diary. I wish I knew how to do the pretty blogs that the sweet young things do, but I'm not that advanced on the computer. Remember the long ago post about Bali Tea? Well I've just made me a cup, hadn't done that in quite a long time. It's a hot summer day, but I'm on the porch with a fan and the setting seems perfect for this cup of tea. It takes me right back to that lovely hotel we stayed in in Bali, I remember I drank that tea every meal and kept making mental notes until I figured out how to make it for myself. I made some curtains this summer for a friend. They were made from painters drop cloths, the khaki colored ones. I cut some in half and hemmed them and added ties to the tops that I made from yellow thirties fabrics. My hubby and grandson, Morgan helped to hang them using coat hooks and pvc pipe.

I really enjoyed doing this, though it took me some time to do it and some time to figure out how to make everything work. Now I'm contemplating making pillows out of the same fabric, use the ties to close the backs, add old doilies and buttons to the front. I'm in a "I want to do everything frame of mind". I made a blueberry pound cake day before yesterday, I think the cakes stands and domes I ordered from Etsy just now arrived....how cool! I've always wanted one of those, now I will have two, a regular size one and a smaller one. This is what the cake looks like, later I will publish the recipe. I got it through a feed on facebook, it's fabulous.

I had a bumper crop of blueberries from my bushes at the beach house this summer so picked and used them daily, froze some and have made this cake twice.

We're going to attend our 50th class reunions later this summer,looking forward to that. I had thought we'd both diet and get in great shape....ha.....didn't happen. We went to different high schools but graduated the same year, and dated through most of high school. I'm eager to open the boxes that just arrived, see if it is the cake stands so will post again soon. I'll put that recipe on for the blueberry and lemon pound cake.

Life Lesson #17

My my my, I so need to catch up. I quit blogging when my hubby told me to keep it to myself that we were not going to renew his contract at the university and transition back to the states this year. It was too difficult to keep that secret so I just didn't talk to anyone for a really long time.....Life Lesson #17, if you want to keep a secret, just don't talk and certainly don't blog so I didn't....wasn't I good? But I have so much to say and no one in particular to say it to but my little blog here and I've also discovered some new bloggy friends and I'd like to link them to my blog so we can share all things cooking, gardening, crochet and quilting and sewing etc....I rather enjoy all of that and love it when an old friend stops in and leaves me a message. I'm currently working on a Granny Stitch Afghan that I just love and is totally mindless to do.....that does not mean that there aren't three so far that I've found mistakes in it, but unless you're totally picky you're not going to find them, but the Shadow knows where they are! I need to take a picture and post it and will do that soon....for now I'm just finding my old blog spot and saying hello.....and now for that after breakfast catch up on lost sleep nap.

Time for a recipe

Apple Crisp Recipe.....

Butter a 9x13 inch pan.
Peel and cut up 5 to 8 apples, I like a variety and they must be crisp ones, place in the pan.
Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 to 2/3 cup regular sugar, depending on sweetness of apple or your tooth.
For the Crust: Mix and spread over apples, 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar...lightly packed, 1/2 cup butter, pecans, chopped (optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

30 years ago my youngest daughter was in 2nd grade and all the kids submitted apple recipes for a cookbook. This was back in the days of mimeographed papers. I may have even run the mimeographs as I did do volunteer work at the school back then, I remember I loved the smell of the ink!

This recipe is simple and is so good served with either whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream while the crisp is still warm. I used to make up several and pass them out to the neighborhood...oh this was back when we lived on a farm.

I have more news, but will make a separate post. I haven't blogged in a while, been busy relocating. So today made a foray into the mess that was once our den here in the states and did an I Spy on this old children's cookbook, what a find! I'm now more encouraged to clean out the room and set it back to rights. I wonder what other treasures I will find. For now I must make a grocery run for apples...ummm....can't wait to make this again.

Life Lesson # 16

Don't go so long without posting might be a good life lesson, but even better...find some joy in each day! Such a great life lesson, joy is so easy to find if you only let yourself stumble over it.
I've been emailing with an old high school friend who is troubled just now, I have been trying to help her find a new path so that she can enjoy her life again, as I've done that I think of my own life.
My own life is complicated right now due to my husbands job and our locations. He is in Abu Dhabi and I'm home in the mountains in the USA and it is so glorious. I do worry about my hubby as he is there alone and men don't do right alone do they. Mine doesn't eat right or exercise without my nudging. Thank goodness for Skype, we are on it twice a day and his weekends I'm sort of locked into it with him. I'm nudging him just now to get on the exercise bike while I do the same.
I'm not totally alone...we brought our dog home at Christmas time and all our kids and grands are here nearby. Our dog is a boxer as you know and our vet said since you're going home for the holidays you really should take her now so we did as my husband's contract ends in late July so we had thought we'd come home for good this year. Now we're undecided as the economy still struggles at least for our grown children and our grandchildren and my hubby has this wonderful job and we help as much as we can with the struggles at home. So what do to now? We have not decided, we'll stumble along and "see how it goes" as a Dr I worked with for years used to say.
Meanwhile I'm sitting here listening to my dog snore, my hubby occasionally talk, and the wind rustling the trees...do you ever turn off all sounds and just enjoy listening to the outdoors, so your own spirit can talk with you? Oh my...how wonderful it is! The wind just rushed by our house and made this amazing rustling sound...and I just stopped everything and watched and listened. Well...may the spirits move you all to enjoy this day and those simple wonderful things that happen in it! This picture I posted reflects the trees surrounding my home that I can hear and see from where I am sitting posting this note, I took it yesterday during our mountain walk.

Life Lesson #15

Never leave anything that resembles food out where Daisy can spy it or possibly find it because she will find it. I had bought an interesting looking pasta and left it on the counter...not thinking there would be any smell to it or appeal to it at all in it's plastic wrapper. This little past resembled rice, or a small risoto but it was called Italian Macaroni. I was thinking of making a soup with it, but Daisy had other plans. It ended up trailed all through house like Hansel and Gretel had used it in the woods. Daisy snatched it off the counter and opened it in the family room, but then wandered the entire house (all 4400 sq ft of it) with bits dangling from her jowls I'm quite positive. Later all that dried pasta seemed to be a bit upsetting and there she was pacing the floor in the bedroom until I got up and came down stairs with her, after a few trips outside (thank goodness for that one) she was ready to settle in for the night, though I was wide awake by then. So the moral of the story is to always close the kitchen door when away from the house, also be sure to put non removable (by Daisy at least) objects in all the chairs and on all the couches. And don't believe that poor pitiful me look as you go out the front door, it's all an act.

Beyond Excited! Life Lesson #14

After several weeks of nothing but bad or sad news I've had two terrific news days! On Friday we were told our first great grandbaby is a Boy and he will likely have my hubby's name in his, how terribly exciting. Not to rush our lives away but come on February!



My other news is kind of a longish story...Sunset Beach, NC, our favorite vacation spot and home to our wonderful little vacation home (actually it borders on Ocean Isle and Sunset), had a lovely old swing bridge. We always enjoyed it, enjoyed even the wait when it was open to allow for taller boats to pass along the intercoastal waterway. Sadly the bridge was removed for progress and safety reasons I suppose; and a new high tech and very high bridge installed.
A group of energetic old bridge lovers formed the Old Bridge Preservation Society and were able to purchase the bridge and have it moved to a site off water but near where it was originally and are proceeding to make it a park like setting and using it for educational purposes and museum type purposes.
A couple of years ago my second oldest grandson and I had our own special beach trip...one grey misty morning we were heading to the beach and were stopped by the opening of the bridge. We pulled over and I whipped out my ever ready camera and took a couple of pictures. I really loved one of the pictures I snapped that day, enlarged and printed it and framed it in my beach home.
When I bought tee shirts from the OBPS this summer they were delivered to me by a member of the board, as I had had to order them and I missed the time frame to go by the bridge to pick them up. Well this nice lady, brought them and I showed her a framed rendition of the picture I had taken that grey misty day with my grandson. She loved it and I sent it to the facebook page of the OBPS for her. After showing the picture to two professionals she wrote me that they had said it was wonderful and one of the best they had seen. So now they have asked my permission to turn it into notecards and things for the purposes of fundraising for the bridge. I am so honored to be able to contribute to the OBPS by allowing this. I suggested a journal and they will likely make framed pictures too. Hmm, just thought about tea towels, will have to write her that one...hot pads? placemats?
It's the little things in life that can just make your day. I have my fingers crossed that they can make a few dollars using my picture and perhaps be able to contribute to their work on restoration and setting up the park like setting for the bridge. I think maybe this could be Life Lesson # 14, always carry your camera because you just never know.

Another Soup Recipe

I found this one in a Cookbook called Tidal Tastings, I bought it at a flea shop in Sunset Beach. They were selling them to raise money for schools in the area. This recipe is attributed to Jayne Mathews. I've made this one three times already, it's easy, it's comforting and it's really good, it passed the Tom test so you know it's a winner.....a great way to get spinach into your family.

Comfort Soup
I pound ground chuck
2/3 cup fresh grated Parmeggiano Reggiano
salt and pepper
mix those and form into small meatballs, small bite size, makes quite a few.
drop those into boiling chicken broth, at least 2 twelve ounce cans or use a large box of broth,
and let boil for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cook a half a box of frozen spinach in a small amount of water, if you use a whole box
it just seems like too much spinach I think. I used a strainer to strain it, then squeezed out the
excess water and dropped the spinach in the broth with the meatballs.
Then drizzle in one beaten egg...let cook until egg is all cooked and dispersed, swirl as it cooks.
Serve with a nice crusty bread. So easy, so good. Quick ingredients, takes no time at all. I even
did a quick cook then put it in a small crock pot on warm until supper time so I could walk away
and leave it. These meatballs are surprisingly good and with only the few ingredients. I was amazed.

I forgot to add...I added the juice from half a lemon and half a jar of cannelini beans to this soup, then serve
it with a nice rustic bread, either fresh or lightly toasted in the toaster or oven (butter it and broil it).
My husband really enjoys this soup so it goes in the TOMFOOD category.