20 Years Ago Today.......

Plato said "At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet."
A poet I'm not. I am quite grateful that our love has lasted. We are blessed with good health and two beautiful and loving children. Happy Anniversary to my best friend forever.

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice; But for those who love, time is not." - Henry Jackson van Dyke

Happy Father's Day!

Mom and Dad at home.

My hubby and his favorite things - beer and bikes.

It's Hot!

We are still eating asparagus. It has been a wonderful growing season so far, but I do tend to get tired of it after awhile. Now that it's hot, we won't have much more of it. I've been running out of ideas as to how to cook it, and since it's so hot, I've been adding it fresh to salads. The garden lettuce is ready to thin out so I'll have baby greens too. Here's a recipe for a nice cold salad. It's what's for dinner, with a nice cold beer.

Cold Noodle Salad
For the dressing, mix together 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon freshly-chopped parsley.
Use salad greens, green onions, carrots, cucumber, red bell pepper, mushrooms, asparagus, or any combination of salad fixin's and top with cold, leftover spaghetti or small noodles. Cooked ramen-style noodles are good too. Top with the dressing and add a sprinkle of sesame or sunflower seeds if desired.

Recycling with Mom

My parents just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 16th! We're planning a huge celebration for the end of June. Mom and I have been buying decorations and making plans. When she asked me to bake a cake, I said I would, of course. I'm not very good at cake decorating, but somehow have become the cake baker for all the family birthdays and get-togethers. I can bake a good cake, but writing 'Happy Birthday Mom' with a few sprinkles is a far cry from recreating their wedding cake!! She has agreed to help me with the flowers and the final decorating, so I'm sure we'll be able to pull it off.

We couldn't find a picture of their cake, but she did bring over the original cake top that they used. She had fixed it up and added some fabric to the dress and it was used for her sister's wedding cake in 1971. We found a gold "50" and some new flowers. The base was pretty delicate and part of the back came off when we took the old veil off, but she covered it up with new tulle. Mom was thrilled with the way it turned out. It is beautiful. She is so excited now, too! I just hope I can get the cake to look as nice as the top. It's a great feeling to reuse something that has so much meaning. (And thanks Mom, for modeling for me. Sorry I cut off your head! This new shawl is the perfect color for her too.)

Pizza's Ready!!

So, I missed my Blogaversary! I've been blogging for over a year now - holy cow. How about a pizza party??
I've been making homemade pizza for many years. Pizza and pancakes....I could make them in my sleep! Want to try it? It's easy.

PIZZA DOUGH
Mix together 1 tablespoon yeast, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup warm water, and 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil. Let rest until bubby - about 5 minutes. Mix in 1 cup of flour and start to knead the dough together, adding more flour if necessary. Knead until smooth - about 3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until double. I often preheat the oven and let it rise on top, being careful it doesn't get too hot.

This makes enough for 2 pizzas (about 12"). Grease the pan and spread the dough. You can let it rise again slightly at this point if you want a really puffy crust. Top with your favorite sauce and/or toppings. Bake in a hot oven at 450° until brown and crisp. Make sure you don't under-cook the crust in the center and, if you bake both pizzas at once, try to offset them on the racks so that one isn't right on top of the other (or rotate the pans halfway through). I have a great recipe for homemade pizza sauce around here somewhere. Let me know if you'd like to have it. It makes a huge batch for canning. I make it once a year and it usually lasts until I make it again.

Enjoy your pizza....but don't burn the roof of your mouth!

Suddenly

My efforts to thoroughly clean my house continue. I'm trying to get rid of clutter, focusing on paring down, make do with what we have for a more simple and frugal life.
It was going so well....until I spotted it. This book with the 10¢ sale sticker - "The Moon-Spinners". I remember buying it at a library sale a long time ago. A young fan of Mary Stewart's Merlin novels, my paperbacks were borrowed or misplaced years ago, all but a brittle copy of "The Last Enchantment." Suddenly inspired by the crisp cover, yet torn jacket and pages, the urge to create something new was too strong.
Rummaging through my stash, I found some burlap strapping (that I am going to use to fix an old rocking chair), the little antique rickrack (from a huge antique bolt), a piece of paisley fabric that was just big enough, and beaded handles that seemed to pull the whole project together.
No offense to book-lovers. It was just a fun little project. Not something I would normally attempt. The finished purse is available in my Etsy shop! Thanks for browsing.
Now back to cleaning.....and my only love, yarn.

MMM Cheesecake!

Yes, Martha, it cracked. It almost always does, but it was delicious!
Our yearly extravagance for Easter dinner - an Italian-style cheesecake with the crust baked-in.