Thursday, June 30, 2016

Have I mentioned....

Rabbit, rabbit!  It is the first day of the month!  July has arrived!!

Have I mentioned that Susan Branch (and Joe) have been on a cross-country book signing trip?  They left Martha's Vineyard on April 30, and they are nearing home.


Have I mentioned that I would be in Asheville at Malaprops Bookstore for her book signing there?


There was great excitement as she entered the store!


After a brief book talk and question/answer time, it was time for the book signing!



Joe was good to mingle with us as we waited our turn.


Susan spent time to interact with each one of us!


Finally, it was my turn!


The tray was a gift of several interesting treats from Tennessee, including blueberries from our very own bushes!

Beginning at 7:00 pm, the whole process lasted until almost 11:00 pm.


Time to wrap up and go home!

What a wonderful evening!

Friday, June 24, 2016

Preparations....

"Wait a minute!  That's from yesterday!"  That's what you may be saying!  Well, yes, it is the same cookbook, but a different recipe.





Did you observe National Cream Tea Day yesterday?  This is a great recipe to try!

First, there are a few preparations.  Flowers always enhance the tea table!


A tea tray is also helpful!


.....and - those scones, of course!




Then, there is always clean up!


A little chocolate will make that more pleasant!:-)

I hope you enjoyed your afternoon!


For the week-end....

....or any gathering, summertime or otherwise, is a recipe from this cookbook from my "archives."



You will notice that this is a rather straight-forward recipe, with a few variations.  I've seen some very elegant versions myself, but around here, we just stick to the plain and simple.  



No paprika deco, either.  Paprika is not friendly to gluten-sensitive people, and we have one of those in the family now.  

These are a favorite of Munchkin the Younger.  She has been known to eat many more than one!:-)

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Thrilling Thursday tidbits....

 - That salad from the previous post -


The dish pattern is Nouveau Green by Colony, now discontinued.  The pan is Strawberries and Cream by Villeroy and Boch, also now discontinued.  Stainless is Chateau by Oneida.

 - The women's chorus had our debut performance for this season.  In step with our "Color My World" theme, we wore shirts in varying colors - green, yellow, red, lavender, and this blue -


The earrings that we wear are hanging on the collar.  Some wonderful crafty soul in the chorus made them for us a few seasons ago.  With white pants and white shoes, we do appear to be rainbow-related.:-)

 - Chevy Chase and Burt Reynolds - remember them?  Well, they've been in the area filming scenes for a movie.  Can't remember the title.  Anyway, I noticed trucks/trailers behind our neighborhood super market (a mile away), so I asked about them on one of my several days of stopping into the store last week. Turns out they were connected with the production of the movie!  Wouldn't you know that there had been some filming - at the store - the day before?!?  Burt Reynolds himself had actually been in the store!  Probably the only day of the week I hadn't "needed" to do any shopping!

- Just across the road from the aforementioned store, there is major construction underway!  Our county is adding a new middle school to the area where we already have an elementary school and a high school.  Are the roads sufficient to handle all this extra traffic?  Well, no!  In fact, there is a creek that will have to have a bridge built to cross it before actual construction on the middle school can begin.  So, there is a huge effort underway to take care of that, plus the addition of a necessary turn lane.  Thus far, we haven't been too negatively impacted by all this construction as we pass through this area everytime we head out to "civilization."

- Are you in the need of employment?  If so, give Zaxby's a call!  They have a new restaurant under construction in our neighborhood and need employees!

 - This week began with the Summer Solstice - and that Strawberry Moon.  Here is our view of the moon as it was rising.


 - Did you know that tomorrow - Friday, June 24 - is National Cream Tea Day?  Now you know so you are able to make your plans ahead of time.  I hope you will enjoy a special tea around 4:00 wherever you are!  It's a great way to ease into the week-end!

Wouldn't you know it....

Just when I've "dedicated" (using that word loosely) myself to a bit of a cookbook-related purge, wouldn't you know that another series would catch my eye?!?!


So, today's feature recipe is a new one for me.




Here is the base that has chilled.


This is after the topping has been added.


Sprinkled with nuts and ready to serve.

I want to add that it has been years since I have used the usual "non-dairy whipped topping," and had no plans of using it in this recipe.  Fortunately, I found this product at the store -


It seems to be a great option!  

Congealed salads/desserts don't seem to be mentioned as much as they once were.  I'm hoping this one will be perfect for a gathering later today!

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Surprise from a friend....

The Faeries are alive and well!  This is proof!


Do you see the Faeries? 


Complete with a frog and a lady bug!


Even a bird in a cage....


....and this precious little house!

A wonderful surprise from a friend!

Monday, June 20, 2016

From evening....


Taken on a pleasant evening....


....leading into the next morning!  Are you able to enlarge this picture to see that robin sitting in top of the cedar tree?  It was merrily chirping, greeting the day!


This leads us to Summer's official beginning!  It is also time for another full moon - the Strawberry Moon!  We've no cloudy skies expected, so hopefully we will be able to see the moon tonight!  These two events don't occur together very often!

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Berries for breakfast....



Strawberries saved from the bunnies!!  A few raspberries saved from the Japanese beetles! Yikes!  The first blueberries saved from the birds!!  The first blackberries!!  We are happy to share with the wildlife, but are ready to have our share, too!😊😊

Friday, June 17, 2016

Never too old....

....to enjoy a story about Peter Rabbit!


I recently became aware of this appealing book.  Written by Emma Thompson, there is even a CD included with the story being read by the author!


From the front....


....to the very back....


....you will find a delightful story unfold...



....complete with wonderful illustrations!

I'm really happy to have this addition to my bookshelves!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Concert season....

From the opening number....


....to the ending notes....


....and with everything else in between....


....the women's chorus is ready to color your world!

With a program generously spread with color....


....you are invited to sing along with us!


We are ready for our "summer tour!"