Charlie

My friend Hether's dog passed away suddenly today. She loves animals as deeply as I do. This quote is a tribute to Charlie:

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog."

~Gene Hill

Kitchen Thoughts

A good friend once pointed out that I keep a lot of my frequently used kitchen items out, close at hand. He likes his things all neatly put away when he's not cooking. There's room in the world for both styles. I think what I have is considered a cook's kitchen. If I'm focused on cooking, I don't like stopping to dig thru a drawer in search of a spatula or a whisk.

I like having things at my fingertips, on the wall, in a utensil crock, on a hook, or on a shelf over the stove. Sure, it gives my kitchen a busy fussy look which will never end up in a magazine, but I can post pictures of it on my blog now, can't I?!

The problem with having a small kitchen and a love of cooking is that the two don't work well together. Above is a photo of my built in spice cupboard. The house was built in 1920 and this was originally a built in ironing board closet. Around the corner, thru the door on the right, I have a big "pantry" of sorts in the back entry, and at the bottom of my basement steps is a rather large shelving system, filled to overflowing with large, occasionally used kitchen appliances.

I keep a set of frequently used measuring cups hanging over the sink. I also keep my dish soap mixed with a little water for quick pouring, in a decanter bottle with a measured pour spout on it, always close at hand. It's pretty, as well as a time saver.

I used to keep my knives in a draw, wrapped safely to protect them. I spent more time going into that drawer and unwrapping them, so I opted for a wall-mounted knife rack. No going back!


Some people cook with passion, and some people merely cook to eat. I think how I cook is obvious. With passion. I love cooking and I especially love to eat my cooking! Sometimes... a little too much! I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a good cook. When I used to date more, my friend Joe used to tell me that if I find a guy I really like, all I had to do was cook for him. When he's met men I've dated, he's said to them, "Has she cooked for you yet? She HAS to cook for you!" So my saying that I'm a good cook isn't just me tooting my own horn. Well, maybe a little.

Well friends, that's my kitchen. I didn't do anything special before taking the photos, so if you stop over, this is how it will look. I would like a new kitchen floor, pretty counter tops, a bigger kitchen, maybe opened up to the living/dining room area... I could go on, but this is the kitchen I have, and I enjoy cooking in it, in spite of its flaws.

What kind of kitchen do you have? Do you think it represents your cooking style?

Tangerine Chicken

I wish I would have taken a picture of tonight's dinner. Joe helped me with some things around the house yesterday, so I had him come over for dinner tonight as a thank you. It was 4:00 and I knew he'd show up around 5:30. Here's what I did.

Juice 4 clementines. Add 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 tsp ground rosemary, 1 tsp spicy mustard, and 1 tsp fresh minced garlic with the clementine juice. Put this marinade into a ziploc bag, along with 4 chicken breasts (on the bone with skin for full flavor). Let this marinate for about an hour. While it's marinating, peel and slice 4 carrots into 1/2 inch coins, thickly slice a half sweet yellow onion, and cut about 10 gourmet mini potatoes in half.

Coat bottom of a glass 9x12" baking dish with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread veggies out in the dish. Salt and pepper. Place 4 chicken breasts over the veggies. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Uncover and continue baking for 20 more minutes or until chicken appears done and veggies are fork tender. Serve with a little of the juices ladeled over the chicken and veggies.

YUM!!

Easy Peel Eggs

Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs (Every Time!)

Put the eggs in a pan and completely cover with cold water.
Bring the water to a full boil.
Cover the pan, and let sit for 7 minutes.
Rinse with very cold water.

The secret to easy peeling: Crack the egg and roll it around on the counter to crack apart all of the shell.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

I call it Vegetable Beef Chili because it has vegetables and ground beef. Most chili with lots of vegetables are vegetarian, but I can't go without the beef!

VEGETABLE BEEF CHILI

1 lb ground beef (85% lean for more flavor)

2 cans chili beans in sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 c sliced celery

½ cup green pepper, diced

1 large carrot, diced

½ c frozen corn

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

black pepper to taste

½ - 1 C water

Salt and pepper ground beef. Brown in a 4 qt (or larger) soup pot. Drain grease. Add chili beans in sauce, tomatoes, chopped onion, celery, carrots, green pepper, corn, chili powder and tomato paste. Add a little water, to the consistency you like. Simmer on low for 30 minutes or longer for the flavors to develop.

To serve, top with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and a dab of sour cream.

CHICKEN: IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!

BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS & VEGETABLES IN WHITE WINE SAUCE

6 chicken thighs (on the bone, w/skin)

4 large carrots – peeled and sliced on the diagonal

4 celery stalks – sliced on the diagonal

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 large onion – cut in half, then sliced thickly

½ cup dry white wine

1 tsp dry or 1 tbsp fresh chopped Thyme

salt & pepper to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp corn starch

Water

Season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy frying or braising pan, preheat pan over medium high heat and sear thighs for 5 minutes on each side. You may need to turn the heat down to medium. Remove oil from pan and discard. Put pan back on stove on low heat. Sprinkle thyme over chicken. Add carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions and white wine. Cover, simmer on low for an hour. Add small amount of water if necessary. Mix together 1 tsp cornstarch and ½ cup water. Leaving heat on low, mix this mixture into sauce. This will lightly thicken the sauce so that it will coat the vegetables but not overpower them.

After a year of neglect, I'm back. I've thought about posting often, but like so many, my time has been swept away by Facebook.

About two years ago I bought a bed on Craigslist. It's an antique headboard and footboard, sans stretchers to hold the two together. This weekend, being a long holiday weekend, Joe and I ran to various stores, picking up hardware, screws, and wood to attach the headboard and footboard to the drawer pedestal that my mattress set sits on. After many hours of work, it all came together beautifully. I'm thrilled.

Isn't it pretty?! I love it.

SMALL CONTEMPLATIONS

I’ve been contemplating the usefulness of my mom’s button jar. Why don’t I have one? I’ve collected buttons for years, in a pretty dresser dish. Did I have a button jar when my children were young? I don't recall. On my “to do” list… start a button jar.

What is more beautiful than old hardwood floors, sanded, polished, and made new again? The beauty and charm of aging, the imperfections of years gone by still evident, but the surface is smooth, proven every time the bright spring sun shines in the windows and I see every bit of dust! Wouldn't it be nice if society accepted aging in the same way? What if all we needed was put on a new dress and shoes, and the beauty and charm of our own aging was accepted?

Oven Clean Alert!

Only clean the oven during nice weather when you can open the windows and doors.

I am being smoked out of my house. I started the oven auto-clean cycle about 30 minutes ago. I shut the kitchen door and put a rug in front of it. Next, because it's a swinging door, not a tight fit, I put wide tape along the sides of the door to keep more smoke from seeping into the rest of the house. I also opened the back door and turned the ceiling fan on. Yuck. Bailey clearly does not like it. He is in the middle of the living room, pacing slowly in circles. Circle after circle after circle... I let him out side - out the front door, and the wind blew his ears straight back. He put his head down and it looked like a cartoon - I expected him to blow out of sight at any second. He didn't go, probably was too cold, so I let him back in. I don't blame him. I wouldn't go outside to pee on this cold windy night either.

What a mistake this whole oven cleaning thing was. Sheesh.

Change

Things are changing.

My job has gone from chaos to calm. In a building once filled to the rafters with 660 people, we are now 193. Most have been relocated to a refurbished building nearby. Now I understand why I have been kept at contractor status. The powers-that-be have known that this change was coming, and my position will become obsolete sometime in the future.

More change.
Tony & Leah have added a wonderful baby boy to the family. His name is Remington and he's a doll. His four older siblings love him to bits.

Baby Boy DeSteno will be named Dane Stanley. Emily is two months away from her due date. She's a cute pregnant mama. She is reading and asking lots of questions about her upcoming big event. And for me --- Dane is grandbaby #9. Here's Daryl with Emily, hosting Emily's baby shower. Her little baby bump is barely discernible but it's cute!

Last month I had my hardwood floors refinished in the living room, dining room, up the stairway and down the hall. They turned out beautiful, and my home has been transformed. Dave's Floor Sanding, you rock!

For the first time (ever!) I am hosting my family's Christmas Eve gathering in my home. There are 22 of us, and it'll be 'cozy'...

Buffy

We lost a very important member of our family this week. Emily's very special little Buffy passed away. She was 18 years old, and spent all those years in the loving arms of Emily. Imagine having just one dog, from age 11 to age 29. That little girl-pup kept Emily company through every good and bad thing she went through, over all those years. We are all very sad, and will miss Buffy for a long time. She will always hold a very special place in our hearts.

Spring Yet?

Yes, maybe, no, no wait, yes, ok more snow, sunshine, sort of springy, no wait... sleet. And more snow.

Last year we had an unusually early warm spring. Some days were even hot. When it snowed quite heavily last Monday, I said, oh big deal, it will melt quickly. It took three days to disappear in that slow, nearly indiscernible way that snow has of going away. One day you just notice that the snow is gone. Then the spring warmth comes. Or at least, spring warmth in the Minnesota sense. It's been in the upper 50's to low 60's for several days now.
Snow in today's forecast. It has just begun to sleet. And Mama Bear goes back into the cave.

My Best Granola

I did it. I perfected my granola recipe. It's loaded with ingredients to help lower your (my) cholesterol - Oats, flaxseed, walnuts and almonds. It's delicious!

'LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL' GRANOLA

Gather these ingredients:
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
½ cup ground flax seed
2 cups coconut
1 cup walnuts or pecans
½ cup matchstick cut almonds
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
¾ cup honey
¾ cup canola oil (I use Carapelli extra light olive oil but either is good)
1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 275. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spread out onto a baking sheet. Place into oven, and stir every 15 minutes for 45 minutes. To finish, turn heat up to 325 for an additional 5 or 10 minutes to brown. Watch closely. It browns quickly and if it gets too brown it can taste burned.


This granola has all the best ingredients for for lowering cholesterol.

TIPS:
• Pour the oil into the measuring cup, and use the same cup for honey. The oil will make the honey pour out easier.
• If you want dried fruit, add it at last 5 minutes of baking.
• If there are ingredients that you don’t have on hand, substitute something similar. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, are interchangeable. Same with seeds – sesame, sunflower, flax.
• Cinnamon and vanilla measurements are to my taste. Make it your own by adding more or less of either.
• Clean up is quick and easy if as you put away each ingredient, as you add it.
• Set a timer for each 15 minutes. Losing track of time can easily ruin a whole batch of yummy granola.

Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Granola... Oh My!

Unfortunately, I'm still sick, but I did finally give in and make a trip to visit Dr. Fraley. All this time I've been expecting this crud to run its course and go away, but it wouldn't, not without antibiotics. It's a double whammy of pneumonia and bronchitis. I'm on day 3 of antibiotics, finally able to sleep nearly straight through the night. I missed work Wednesday through Friday, but feel confident I will return on Monday.

I'm preparing to make another batch of granola. I've changed my recipe again. It's a trial and error process. The first recipe (posted previously) was a little too grainy with both wheat germ and flax seed. I've also dropped the ginger and added a generous 2+ teaspoons of cinnamon instead, with both brown sugar and honey. It's much more flavorful, great to snack on, sprinkled on ice cream, or in a bowl with milk as breakfast cereal.

Sicksucks

For the past 10 days, a Kleenex has become part of my face. Anytime you've seen me, you've seen a Kleenex, as near to permanently attached to my nose as possible without using Super Glue. When someone says they have a cold or the flu, you think, yeah, that sucks. Well listen to me. It really does suck. Adding insult to injury, this flu cold thing has turned into bronchitis. Last time I had bronchitis I was 16. I remember it being rough, but it's much harder on my body now that I'm 40 years older!! I believe I've pulled muscles on both sides of my body, and my ribs have been strained. Coughing and sneezing is more painful that I've ever experienced, and that includes post-childbirth!

I worked all day last Monday - sick. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, sick - I worked until 2:00. That seemed to be my bewitching hour, every day. I went home and went to bed each day. Finally on Friday I gave up and stayed home. I knew I couldn't drag my sick self off to work, not one more day.

This tiny little powerful bug started with my best friend David; then LaRae, followed by roommate Joe, and now me. At work, there are too many struck down by it to name, but Terri, who I work most closely with, had it the week before I caught it, the same time that Joe did. Hard to say who the culprit is who shared it with me, but it could hardly be avoided.

Now, after three days at home, resting and eating homemade chicken soup, I'm not well, but I'm getting there, and I'll be back at my desk again tomorrow. I'm hoping that returning to a semblance of normalcy will help me recover.

Domestic Diva? Perhaps...

Hello Friends, Family and Strangers...
I've recently had a resurgence of my sewing and craft interests. Even as I type, Joe is sitting at the dining room table going over my sewing machine. He's studying it, learning to thread it, figuring out how it works, understanding how the bobbin and spool of thread work together... in order to hopefully set the tension properly. I took it in for a thorough going over, because the tension was so out of whack, but once I got it home and set it up for use, it was the same old thing - tension problems. I could have taken it back to the repair guy, but he was a 'once every other week' guy at a fabric store, and I not only lost confidence in his ability, but I also lost interest in sewing, once two weeks had gone by. It only took 10 years to regain my interest, due to reading a very short article in Martha Stewart's magazine last night. All these years I thought I needed to buy a new sewing machine, had given up on the old one ever functioning properly again, but not so, said Ms. Stewart! She said, in sum, if it worked well when I bought it (1970!) it can certainly work well again. It was top of the line in 1970, which is why I've never given in to replacing it. I've had a domestic weekend. I've enjoyed indulging in comfortable behaviors like cooking and cleaning. Yesterday I got up early, cleaned the kitchen, and put a beef roast into the slow cooker to make barbecued beef. This morning I got up, made a delicious strong pot of coffee in my new French press (thank you Syndi!) and cooked a breakfast of hash browns, sausage and eggs. Joe and I ate, and after cleaning up, I pulled out all the ingredients to make a big batch of homemade granola. Is it redundant to say "homemade" granola, if I say I'm making it? Saying it makes it sound better, fresher, more natural. I happened to have all ingredients on hand, and I've been craving it since seeing a recipe in a recent foodie email newsletter. I know that once it's done I'm going to love it, so I made a double batch.
***************

Low Fat Granola
* 3 cups old fashioned oats
* 1 cup flaxseed
* 1 cup pecan halves
* 1 cup sliced almonds
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 2 Tbs canola oil
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

In large bowl, mix oats, pecans, cinnamon and salt. In a small saucepan, bring 1/4 cup water and brown sugar to a simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over oat mixture and mix well with a spoon. Spread over two nonstick rimmed baking sheets. Bake until oats are golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Total baking time should be 30 to 45 minutes. Oats will crisp up more as they cool. Let cool completely in pans.

Christmas Day 2007

30 years ago today, I gave birth to my son Matthew. Now, Matthew is a husband and father. The circle continues, and time continues to fly by. I spent Christmas Eve afternoon at home with three of my four 'children'. With them, came Dale, husband of Emily; Syndi, girlfriend of Jay; Juletta, wife of Matthew, and their children, my grandchildren, Eli (3), Emma (22 mos) and Joshua (9 mos).

My oldest son, Tony, wife Leah and their four children Celina, Sullivan, Oliver and Evelyn will spend today with Leah's family in Alaska. I don't think in all of Tony's 16 years of living in Alaska, he's ever come home for Christmas. We miss having him with us on such a special day, but I understand the difficulties of a family of six traveling across country, weather flying or driving. Very expensive, either way.

Last night, Christmas Eve, we all piled into cars and went to my mom's house for our extended family Christmas celebration together. My youngest brother, David, is sick, has been for 6 years, give or take. His frail condition and mortality hit me hard, as I've never seen him look quite so thin and wan. Yet, he seemed, as always, ready and happy to be talking and laughing. His spirit is strong, even though his body is so weakened. Hopefully this will be the year that he will be healed. It is my strongest feeling that he has Lyme Disease. All of his symptoms are those of untreated Lyme Disease. His tests have always come back negative, but Lyme Disease is like that - very deceptive, that is. I hope that his doctor will soon come around to treating David for Lyme Disease, regardless of what those tricky test results say. Treatment is intravenous, not just your run of the mill series of shots or pills. I understand why the doctor may be reluctant. Meanwhile, my 'baby brother' is a shadow of his former self.

In this upcoming new year, 2008, I will make David's health my first and foremost prayer. I feel God at work in my heart. I don't know what He is doing, but I expect that 2008 will be a year of change for me. I welcome and look forward to what God has in store for me.

Catching Up

Ok, so I don't do so well at blogging now that I've gone back to work.

I went back to work on September 19, approximately 7 weeks ago. The hardest part of my training is behind me and I'm enjoying going to work again. I never thought I'd say that again, but it's true! Medtronic is a good solid company, one of Minnesota's top employers. Each day brings on new challenges, but nothing very difficult. I am surrounded by people who are friendly and caring, and laughter goes on all day. I enjoy being the first point of contact at a busy desk where new and interesting people are walking through the door all day.

That's all for now.

The Summer of Deb

I know I sound excited, but truly, it's disappointing to know the "Summer of Deb" is over. I have so enjoyed being a homemaker again, gardening, cooking, and enjoying being a lady of leisure. I'm sad that it's over.

On Friday I was offered a contract position at Medtronic in Columbia Heights. I will be part of a four person front desk team. I interviewed on Friday @ 9 a.m. As the interview came to a close, woman apparently in charge said she will contact me next Friday. They had a few more people to interview that day, as well as several more next week. I left feeling like I had a fair chance at the job.

I was truly shocked when just four hours later my recruiter called and offered me the position! Yes, I accept!

I'll be earning a little more money this time round, plus I'll be back to 40 hours, so it'll be quite a bit more money than I'm used to! I feel a little bit intimidated, because they changed the job description I was originally given. It's certainly more unusual responsibilities than I'm used to. When the recruiter first discussed the position with me, it seemed to be a typical receptionist position. By the time I was interviewed by the team of three, it had morphed into more of a facilities/front desk security position. Crazy.

The recruiter is sending me paperwork that I should receive tomorrow morning, going over my benefits, etc. I also have to go for a drug test, and a background check is in progress. No problem on either count. (No, I'm not a felon/drug user!)

I don't have a start date scheduled yet. I'll let you know how I like it once I've worked there for a few weeks!

This-n-That

Food:
Last night for dinner I made a big salad (remember Elaine's big salad on Seinfeld?!) with baby spinach, radicchio, bok choy, garbanzos, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, green pepper, chopped hard cooked egg, peanuts, chow mein noodles and butter garlic croutons. I combined a balsamic vinaigrette and with bacon spinach salad dressing and it hit the spot. Emily blessed me with her usual Monday afternoon visit, and joined Joe and I for dinner. I had filled my largest bowl of salad and between the three of us, we ate all but one small serving - my lunch today. I love keeping a well stocked kitchen!

More Food:
The best little naughty snack in the world:
Lay's Kettle Chips & My Favorite Dip
The dip is 1 part Kraft Ranch (not Buttermilk) dressing and 2 parts Western dressing. It tastes somewhat like a creamy sweet and sour sauce. I also think it would be excellent as a dip for chicken fingers. Can't wait to try it!

Fun:
After dinner, I invited David to join Emily and I for drinks on the deck. Emily, David, EW and I toughed out the 90* heat. It started out a warm, beautiful evening with a light breeze. Emily headed for home after a few hours. David, EW and I sat watching the clouds roll in, and thunder and lightening slowly made its appearance. After a few hours the winds kicked in and the temperature must've dropped by about at least 10 degrees. It felt so nice and cool! Suddenly BOOM!! The biggest clap of thunder I've heard in years! The clouds opened up and I could swear that every drop of rain up there landed on my deck! We all got up and ran for our perspective doors, and by the time I got inside, I was soaked from head to toe! I only had about 10 yards to my back door, but the short distance was no match for that downburst! Thank goodness, no damage. Just lots and lots of rain for my lawn and plants. Everything out there looks happy again.

Work:
I've begun my job search. I had my first interview last Thursday, and it went well. I would love to be hired for the position. I expect to hear something this week, and I hope it will be good news. In the event that it's not, this morning I found two more interesting positions and submitted my resume to each of them.

Family (and more fun!):
Last Saturday was the 3rd Annual LaPointe Reunion, in honor of my Aunt Janet, who died of cancer 4 years ago this month. Her daughter, my cousin Sandy hosts the event at her home every year. She had her hands full this year, with quite a turnout! Midway through the day I looked at our happy crowd and realized it was predominantly women!! Look at this turnout!!!

WOMEN & GIRLS (18)
andrea
bernice
chrisann
daryl
debra
delphine
demi
denys
emily
emily
emma
juletta
kaiya
katie
linda
marilyn
sandy
sara

MEN & BOYS (7)
dale
dale
elijah
joshua
matthew
smith
talin

Sound like a lot of estrogen in the room?! Those not in attendance were Linda's partner Cheryl who was working, my cousin Tim and his girlfriend, their combined two daughters and one son, and my cousin Sue's daughters, Gen and Bekah, & Bekah's hubby Geoff and daughter Olivia. Notice the number of females among those that didn't attend! More! The LaPointe family is a large family, but many of our immediate family members live out of state, and were very much missed! Our day together was so much fun. So much catching up, reminiscing, laughing and good food. I'm already looking forward to next year's reunion!

The Summer of Kabobs and Marinades

After all these years of passion for cooking, this summer something new has at long last happened in my kitchen. I've discovered the joy and simplicity of kabobs. I've been using pork and beef, suitable for cutting into cubes. So far I haven't used chicken, but that's because I have so many other favorite ways of cooking chicken. I've made up a couple of marinade recipes of my own, as well as trying out my sisters favorite marinade - Western dressing. How easy!! She uses it for beef, but I've also tried it with pork and it was wonderful. My other favorite is bottled Teriyaki dressing with half as much orange juice, 1 tsp powdered ginger, a few smashed cloves of garlic, and a splash of sesame oil. I try to plan ahead far enough to marinate the cubed meats overnight. That gives me enough time to run to the store to pick up bell peppers, mushrooms, green onions, yellow summer squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, pineapple,etc. . . whatever grabs me for a good kabob. Did I miss anything? It's so nice to have cook up some rice and make it a complete meal. Marinating meats not only adds flavor, but it also tenderizes the meat and it seems to retain more moisture when grilling.

If you have any good marinade recipes or favorite kabobs, please fill me in! I love trying something new, especially when it comes with a recommendation!

Precious Family

Today felt like Thanksgiving at my house. No, we didn't eat turkey, there were no pilgrim candles, and it's May 22, but I had so much to be thankful for. For the first time in three years, I had all of my children and their families all under my roof. What's the occasion, you ask? Tony (oldest son), Leah (his wife), Celina (12), Sullivan (8), Oliver (6) and Evelyn (3), from Alaska, came to visit. They flew in from Anchorage, en route to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Tony is in a Master's program there. They bought a car (via eBay!) which my brother had ready and waiting for them at the airport when they landed.

Also "in attendance" was my son Jay, son Matthew and his wife Juletta and their children Eli (3), Emma (1) and Joshua (2.5 months), and daughter Emily and her husband Dale. That's my four children, three spouses, and seven grandchildren. I couldn't be happier. Below is a picture of me with my grandchildren. I wish I could hold that moment forever.

Since there would be many young mouths to feed, my goal was to fix a lunch of very kid-friendly food. I got up early, began prep work for a nice lunch to feed them all. I made ham, macaroni and cheese, and glazed carrots. Juletta brought juice boxes, chocolate milk, banana bread and blueberry muffins. Emily brought ice cream, sherbet, and two kinds of cookies for dessert. We all ate so much that we forgot dessert! (what???!!!)

Sullivan was quick to figure out that I'm the one who taught his dad how to make our style of macaroni cheese, not vice versa. They are requested to bring it to all their holiday dinners in Alaska. Leah's family is now hooked!

After getting reacquainted, hugging, kissing, laughing, and catching up, our day came to an end. We have a few other family gatherings planned between now and Saturday.

None will be as special as this one, all of my children and grandchildren, with me again.

Floor Washing: Round Two!

You might be aware of my recent floor washing frenzy. It started two weeks ago. I washed the floors of my living & dining room, kitchen, bathroom and front porch. Each time I finished, I started over again, and kept going until the final water was clear. I felt satisfied that my floors were clean. And no, I won't be saying how many times it took!

Last week I thought about washing the floors again, just to maintain them, not to have to go through the 'wash, rinse, repeat' process again. I couldn't seem to drum up any enthusiasm to tackle the chore. Maybe I overdid it the first time around. Today my inspiration returned. I've now completed washing all rooms once. I'm taking a break and then I'm going to go over them all again. I think that will do it this time. I'm washing them with Dawn dish soap.

That brings to mind something I've been meaning to share with you. In addition to orange scented Dawn Dish Soap, my favorite kitchen cleaning products are Soft Scrub with Bleach and Lysol Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner. They're both topnotch in my book. My friend LaRae recently told me about a good hardwood floor cleaner but she can't recall the brand. I'll have to track it down.

One of these days I'll have my hardwood floors refinished and my beat up kitchen floor replaced, but in the meantime, my floors are clean.

Spring Grilling Menu

I truly celebrate cooking in the summer months. My imagination soars when I see my little kitchen garden of herbs growing outside.

Cucumber, Pea and Mint Salad
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped bite-sized
1/2 c fresh or frozen peas
1/2 c sour cream (+/-)
2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
Mix ingredients together and refrigerate one to two hours for flavors to meld.

Veggie Foil Packets
3 carrots, peeled, bite-sized
4 medium red potatoes, bite-sized
2 thick slices yellow onion
1 fresh whole garlic clove, peeled
20 fresh sugar snap peas
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Divide ingredients to make two foil packets; wrap in heavy duty aluminum. Drizzle with olive oil; salt and pepper to taste. If you don't have the heavy duty foil, use two or three sheets of regular to prevent veggies from burning.

Boneless Country Pork Ribs
1/2 bottle original Western Dressing
Marinate the pork ribs in Western Dressing for 2 hours.

I chopped the cucumber, thawed frozen peas under running water, and made a chiffonade (thin strips or shreds) of fresh mint. I mixed it all together with a big spoonful of sour cream, topped with fresh black pepper and a few mint sprigs for garnish and put it into the refrigerator.

The foil packets are also ready and waiting, peeled sliced carrots, a thick slice of sweet yellow onion, a peeled garlic clove, sliced red potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, and a sprig of fresh thyme.

I've done all the prep work. When Joe gets home from work he'll do the grilling, the foil packets for 20 minutes on medium heat on the gas grill, and the pork ribs, about 10 minutes on each side. He's become very adept at grilling over the past few years. No matter what I make, he seems to have a knack for knowing how long it takes, and what temp to set the grill at.

Lucky Me!!

Out My Kitchen Window

Looking out my kitchen window makes my heart happy, seeing my grass turn green, the patio furniture all clean, arranged and ready for use, birds and squirrels slowly coming around. This is my season. It brings to mind the childhood game, "I Spy With My Little Eye".

I spy with my little eye . . . the firm red buds of rhubarb peeking out of the ground, bright green shoots of chives growing right through its protective winter covering of leaves, peonies coming up, and tulips, close to showing off their blooms, usually a nice breakfast for the squirrels. I need to go to the garden store and buy some garlic spray to keep them away. Yesterday I saw a robin splashing, bathing itself in my birdbath, the first of the season. I smiled at the thought that I provided a place for this to happen.

Soon it will be warm, even first thing in the morning. Then it will be safe to uncover my garden, and I can watch each and every one of my plants push its way through the dirt. Until then, I have to imagine that it's happening, underneath the protective insulation of leaves. The early morning hours are my favorite, between 6:00 and 8:00. Once or twice a week I enjoy walking down the street to the newspaper box, dropping a few coins in the slot. That will be my morning reading material. Other days, I slowly page through magazines, catch up on the growing stack that's accumulated.

The neighborhood is still asleep. I can almost imagine that I live in the country, instead of right in the middle of the city.