In the kitchen....

This is Cinco de Mayo!  No, I don't have something with that kind of flavor.  Instead, this is something that I made over the week-end for an event at church.

The beginning base is just out of the oven.  I wasn't thinking about pictures when I was doing this. Instead, I was hoping to keep myself on schedule.:-)

Here is the finished product - 

I even forgot to take the picture - until I had already wrapped it and was ready to load it in the car!  

This is a version of the ever-popular Fruit Pizza.  I began with my own sugar cookie recipe, though the rolls of sugar cookie dough that are available at the super market are usually what the recipe suggests.    

On top of the baked sugar cookie, I brushed some warmed orange marmalade.  After that had set for awhile, I spread a mixture of cream cheese and powdered sugar - about 1/2 cup of sugar per 8-oz. of cream cheese.  The fruit topping can be any combination you like, or it can even be only one kind of fruit.  I did make this the night before, and it was fine, though I wouldn't make it too far ahead of serving time.  

The recipe I used made two, and I had one to serve when City Girl and a friend came by as they were returning home from a trip.  It was a good thing to offer them at their "detour."

Added an "extra...."

The can of paint and the hammer and nails have been receiving some pretty active use in the past few weeks.  An "extra" project that was added was that of "dressing up" the fireplace, which was just plain, plain, plain when the house was built.  

I apologize for not having a "before" picture, but here is the "after - "

Trim was added to the edge of the mantle, and the same trim lines the rectangle shape between the mantle and the fireplace.  The added decorative piece gives it a good finishing touch!

With the pretty spring weather we are currently having, the indoor projects are bound to come to a screeching halt.:-)  I think we will be in a holding pattern now.:-) 

Last week-end....

If you keep up with this blog, you are aware that last week-end was a special one for birthdays in our family.  It was also the time for a special United Methodist Women Conference event.

The Husband went with me as we made a trip to Lake Junaluska, NC for this two-day meeting centering on the theme for the next two years - Feed My Lambs.

Our housing was in the newly-renovated Terrace Hotel.

The rooms are very comfortable, and a refrigerator has been added!  Reservations can be made for those who want to visit the area.  I encourage you to consider investigating this option if you have plans to be in this part of North Carolina at any time.

We actually went a day early, and that gave us time to do some exploring in nearby Waynesville, always a favorite place to visit.  Dinner was good here -

There were several menu selections that were appealing.

All the celebrating came home in the form of an extra pound or two, so it has been a concentrated week to send those pounds away!

Before I end this post, I will mention the Kentucky Derby!  Today is the day!  Will you be watching?

Restaurants....

Is there any one of us who doesn't enjoy going out to eat?  I know I do!

On the cover of this book, we have the words, "A must-read for anyone who eats at restaurants." - Danny Glover

This book is from the United Methodist Women Reading List for 2015.  It is listed in the Social Action category and is a bonus book, meaning it counts as two books for Social Action.

With the founding of the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) in April 2002, the plight of restaurant workers has begun to demand attention.  This book gives attention to wages, working conditions, benefits, and opportunity for advancement by those who work "in the back."  Those of us who eat in restaurants have the right - and obligation - to ask questions regarding policies of the place where we are eating.  

With a basic wage of less than $2.15 an hour, dishwashers and bussers receive a meager share of the tips that are left by the diners.  The typical restaurant worker earns about $15,000 a year, about 1/3 the income of the average worker.  It seems to me that this is an industry that definitely needs reform!  This book is truly an "eye-opener!"

Perhaps some of you have worked waiting on tables in a restaurant - or even as a dishwasher.  I did not ever have this experience.  Reading this book hasn't made me wish I had, either!

Out and about....

We've had some lovely days recently, and I went out and about into our yard.

I can never remember the name of this!  I love it because it blooms both in the late spring and early fall.

The Burning Bush (I think) has tiny blooms!

The azaleas are blooming beautifully!

The snowball bush is full!  

Even the white azalea bush is blooming!  This is better than we had last year!  I was ready for it to be cut down!  

The asparagus has been really good, too!  (Yes, I know! There are weeds in the asparagus patch!)

How is spring where you are?

Cookbook Wednesday....

As a retired elementary public school teacher, increasing interest in books and reading among my third-grade pupils was one of my goals.  The Boxcar Children was a popular series in 1992, and this cookbook was a good addition to my collection.

Published in 1991, the Table of Contents is very appealing, even for today's time!

Safety tips are good for children - or any of us - to have!

Hints for measuring are always helpful.

This recipe comes from The Snowbound Mystery, and is a good one for gift-giving.

Brown bread has always been a favorite of mine!

Here is a way to keep your hands clean while working on baking bread!

This is from Mystery Ranch, and who doesn't like French Toast?  Yum!

There is even a recipe for making one's own peanut butter!

From The Snowbound Mystery we have that good standby - spaghetti and meat sauce!

A tossed salad would go well with that spaghetti!

Try making your own dressing!

Chocolate Pudding!  A good way to end your dinner in Tree House Mystery!

While written in terms that are understandable for children, this cookbook can give new ideas for even the most experienced cook!  Perhaps you've been given an idea or two.:-)

A favorite....

The cake pictured in the last post was one from last week-end when we were able to have everyone together for a bit of early-birthday celebrating.  It is City Girl's favorite -  yellow cake with chocolate frosting - and it went home with her.

This is The Husband's favorite cake -

I was so busy with putting everything together - in a bit of a hurry, I might add - that I didn't remember the picture taking until this point!:-)  The Husband has always loved Carrot Cake.

This is a recipe that I have had for years (rewrote the recipe card a few years ago), and I do not remember the source.  

I used reduced fat cream cheese, and it worked out very well.  

Enjoy!