On the menu....

 The breakfast treat for this morning....

The first pan out of the oven, unglazed as yet, was Cinnamon Rolls.  The Husband was ready and waiting for one of these!  He’s not a fan of extra sweetness, so omitting the glaze suits him very well!

Using the same sweet roll dough recipe, these are Orange Rolls.  The dough was made last night and refrigerated until time for rolling out and shaping this morning.  

Half of each pan has been stored in the freezer for enjoyment at a later time.

The menu for Sunday Lunch is oven-fried boneless pork chops, glazed carrots, green pea salad, and rolls. Yes, there will be dessert!  

I’ll be back on Monday with pictures!

Another Friday....

 We have reached another Friday, and it’s time for that Friday list of things I love.

1)  I love walking on the beach.

This is from last year at Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard.  We had a wonderful family vacation to Cape Cod and took the ferry for Martha’s Vineyard for a day.

2)  I love pizza!

Of course, you knew that I’d make it to food, didn’t you?  When I went to college in the fall of 1958, I had never even had a taste of pizza!  I have a good recipe that uses the food processor to make the dough....enough for four pizzas.  It freezes very well in a freezer bag.  While I have been known to also make my own pizza sauce, Rao’s is an excellent choice at the grocery!

3)  I love reading in bed.  No picture for this one, though this time of day is one that I anticipate all day long!  I’m currently rereading Jan Karon’s series at bedtime.  They leave me with a feeling of comfort and calmness.

4)  I love the new hummingbird feeder that was a gift from family.

If you look closely, you’ll be able to see that first visitor!

5)  I love the sunsets that we have here.

Each evening brings a new view!

Sending you good wishes for the weekend ahead.  Be safe, and stay well!

There was dessert....

As The Husband says, “A good meal is not complete without dessert!”  Taking the lead from someone who has said, “Eat dessert first!”, this is what was ready....

“Hmm....”, you may be saying.  “This looks like last week’s dessert!”  Well, the unveiling will wait until the end of this post!  Once again, however, it was meringue-making during a rainy day with high humidity!

The weekend included a live-streaming District United Methodist Women Social Action event dealing with the problem of Human Trafficking.  I am missing the opportunities to gather with other United Methodist Women as we become more aware of issues of our times.  It was good to be able to watch this presentation via technology.

Sunday Lunch was this....

This was the first time I have tried roasting grapes, and they were delicious!  Also, I usually don’t have any kind of topping for salmon....except perhaps a lemon slice or two....and this was really good with a Dijon mustard/mayo blend, kosher salt and pepper added!

Now....under that meringue....

Using a ready-made walnut crust (already in the pantry), I made this chocolate filling which uses condensed milk (also, already in the pantry).  It made for a very tasty combination!  One of these days, I will be motivated to try meringue when it isn’t raining and see if that makes a difference in the weeping.

A new week is ahead....sending wishes for all good things to you!  

On the menu....

 Do you have a special Saturday morning breakfast routine you follow?  When the “children” were at home, it seems that everyone expected pancakes on Saturday.  I don’t remember if that was a regular Saturday morning breakfast, though I remember making them much more often than in recent years.

This morning, I added some homemade goodies to some purchased ones and had this offering for breakfast....

Here we have homemade buttermilk biscuits, gingerbread muffins, and blueberry breakfast cookies to go along with purchased mini-scones and croissants.  Of course, there were leftovers!  That’s considered a treat around here!  Oh, also homemade strawberry and blueberry preserves!

On the menu for Sunday Lunch is....Salmon with roasted grapes, rice pilaf, mixed vegetable casserole, roasted asparagus, cheese rolls, and dessert, of course!  Wonder what that will be?!?

I’ll let you see the finished product on Monday.  

Good wishes for the remainder of the weekend!

Friday’s list....

 How is your mood today?  Are you welcoming a weekend?  Do you have something different planned?Are you feeling a bit “low,” perhaps?  What do you do to lift yourself out of a low mood?

Thinking about this list of things I love has turned my focus on pleasant memories.  That may help us rise above the “blues.”

1)  I love “The Sound of Music!”  I must have seen the movie dozens of times!  I love the music, and Julie  Andrews is a favorite!  No picture for this one, though.

2)  I love “brown paper packages tied up with string!”  

  Doesn’t this just spread a festive mood?!?

3)  I love Mount Airy, North Carolina!  The Husband and I visited there in 2018 and have a return trip on our list!  

Sobota Manor was an amazing Bed and Breakfast!  If you were a fan of Andy Griffith’s television show, you will love visiting Mt. Airy!  

4)  I love to shop in antique stores!

This elegant chocolate set did not come home with me, however!

5)  I love that I’ve been able to be a Kids Hope, USA mentor!  Kids Hope is a mentoring program that has been sponsored in the local elementary school by a church in the community for more than ten years!  The spring usually includes a group activity; unfortunately, it had to be cancelled this year due to the virus.  The following pictures are from the previous year.

The Kids Hope children have a great time with the games, food (pizza, cookie, ice cream), and a photo booth!  This school year begins with an added awareness regarding the virus, and mentors will not be going into the school for sometime into the future.  What a difficult time for all of us, particularly the children!

How are you keeping your spirits from sagging?  Are you able to focus on the good that surrounds you?  Are you able to keep in touch with friends?  While you may not be able to be with them face-to-face, a text, an e-mail, a card in “snail mail,” or a telephone call are all good ways to stay connected.  

Take care of yourself!  Be safe!  Stay well!

Special times....

 August is a month that holds no special dates to celebrate already worked into the calendar.  Our family has made great progress in correcting that void!

This little Munchkin became fourteen on the 14th!  In a hurry to arrive, she came seven weeks early and spent three weeks in the NICU.  She has grown by leaps and bounds and has now passed her mother in height!  Happy birthday to Munchkin #2!

Earlier, in 1969, The Husband and I created our own special day in August when we became husband and wife on the 16th!  That was the motivation for preparing a special meal for Sunday Lunch.

And....yes, that pie survived intact until dessert time on Sunday!

You are probably able to see that the meringue did a bit of  “weeping.”  I have heard that it isn’t a good thing to make meringue on a rainy day.  Well, Saturday was sort of one big rainfall after the other!:-)  It was still a special treat for The Husband!

Someone has wondered what we do with “all that food!”  I’m a real believer in the “cook once, eat twice (or more)” policy.  For instance, the turkey breast from a couple of weeks ago reappeared in a pot pie along with the peas and carrots that were served for lunch that day, and the gravy helped create the sauce.  More of the turkey found its way atop a salad as well as in a sandwich.  

When we were dating, we sometimes ate at a place called The Roman Room.  The Husband liked to order a hot roast beef sandwich, so some of Sunday’s leftovers will reappear this week in that form for a memory reminder.  The roasted zucchini will find its way into a favorite vegetable soup!

Be sure to be diligent in following the recommendations for maintaining good health in this pandemic!  

On the menu....

 Did you know that today is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day?  I haven’t shared that information with The Husband, hoping he will be surprised with this....

Oops!  Almost too brown on the meringue where I tried to be fancy!  Anyway, The Husband is a fan of anything with meringue.  This may, however, wait until Sunday Lunch, which is a special kind of lunch this week.

On the menu for Sunday....roast beef, twice-baked potatoes (with help from my favorite market), roasted vegetables, and cheese rolls (also from my favorite market).  Even if this pie doesn’t remain uncut until tomorrow, some of it will still be around to make an appearance.

I’ll be back to let you know how everything goes from here.  

Take care, be safe, and stay well!