Counting flowers on the wall that don't bother me at all. . .

Well here's a little blast from the past. . .



Love me some Statler Brothers!  Dad and I used to listen to them on the radio when we were in the car without Mom or my sister.  I sang along with this one, loving the Captain Kangaroo reference but I missed the whole point of the song until I got older.  Heck I hadn't played solitaire so how was I to know what that line meant?  And back in those days, everyone smoked--so what if someone did that while watching Captain Kangaroo?

Enjoy today's Saturday song!

Camp!

My baby went to camp.  My baby!  How on earth did that happen?

Oh yes, that's right.  She's my walking oxymoron. 

The same child who wouldn't go upstairs to her bedroom without an entourage (because it was scary!) decided to go to camp in another town with complete strangers!

One of her friends was also going and the camp is run by someone I vaguely know.  But still.  It is insanity I tell you.

But she's coming home today.  And I cannot wait.  While it's been quiet without her here (hey, it's quiet whenever any one of those critters is gone).  It will be good to have everyone back in the house where they are supposed to be.

Musty odors must be gone!

I know now that I grew up in a borderline OCD household.  Not that it was a bad thing.  I just learned that there is a right way to do things and a way we don't.

Among the things I learned was how to wring out a washcloth or dishcloth and hang it up so that it won't get musty smelling.

Unfortunately, I have now learned that not all households teach such tricks to their members.  You see, I have a host of washcloths and dishclothes that have been left sopping wet (not pointing any fingers here but the guilty parties know who they are) and became icky smelling.

I have an overly sensitive nose too so I simply cannot have that smell in either my dishcloths or washcloths.  I've even discovered wet dish towels in a heap that have started to smell musty.

My solution?  The soak cycle on the washing machine.  I have a good old fashion top loader so I can add baking powder to my wash and let it soak overnight.  Ahhhhhh, delicious fresh linens. 

Baking soda can get a real workout in my house.  Besides using it in my laundry I use it to clean countertops, sinks, bathtubs, showers, and toilets.  Incredibly cheap, safe and no nasty fumes plus it accomplishes the cleaning that I need.

So there you go.  Baking soda.  My little helper around the house.

I'm a going for a drive. . . .

When I was a little girl my grandparents moved out to the country.  It was a 20 minute drive between our house and theirs.  Usually we spent 15 minutes of that drive praying the rosary.  Sometimes my sister and I provided mini-concerts as well during the drive.  Those routine drives ended some 15 years ago when my grandmother had to give up her home because she could no longer live on her own. 

The other day we had a going away party to attend.  My cousin is being deployed to Afghanistan so he was in town with his family, on leave before deployment.  We took the drive out to the country to his dad's house for the afternoon.  This drive was almost twice as long as the one to my grandparents' house.  A trip that long would usually require a book but I was really interested in seeing how things have changed over the years.

I am happy to report that the drive is very much what it always was.  There are only a couple of new subdivisions that have popped up in the country.  But for the most part the homes and properties look pretty much like they did thirty plus years ago when my grandparents made their great move.  There is a flashing light at the intersection now (ooooo--a sign of increased traffic in the country!)  And the gas station/convenience store was updated from back in the day and sadly, it was closed down at some point. 

Of course we had to drive down my grandparents old street.  I guess I haven't been in their house since my grandmother moved out; my cousin and his family bought the place and have lived there ever since.  There are changes there.  They built a second garage and driveway on the opposite side of the house.  And years ago they tore down my Papa's shed.  But otherwise it still looks pretty much like it always did.  Neighbors' trees have grown and offer more shade.  But it's still a family neighborhood just like I remember it to be.

Nice to see that sometimes things don't really have to change at all.

Divergent/Insurgent--read them!

So now and then books come along that everyone insists you must read.  Like Harry Potter.  Like Twilight.  Like The Hunger Games.  Not all of them qualify as true must reads.

But Divergent and Insurgent are certainly worth your time.  The short summary is it is about a 16 year old girl who has grown up living in one "faction" but now must go through testing and determine which faction she will join.  If she leaves her faction, she leaves her family, presumably forever.  She soon discovers that she has a different aptitude than she might have expected and must find her way when no one can really help her figure it all out.  Along the way she makes new friends but she cannot tell them the whole truth about her aptitude. 

There's so much more I could say but I refuse to spoil the fun for you.  So you will just have to go out and get them for yourself!

I'd like a pound of ground round please

Once upon a time there were simple little grocery stores sprinkled throughout town--hometown owned and operated.  We went to the bigger chain for canned goods and produce.  But we went to the little store across the street--Saveway--for our meats.

Saveway had a big butcher counter.  We would go in and get a pound of ground round, fresh to make hamburgers or meatloaf.  Sometimes they had a big cow tongue in the meat case--ick.  I never could get past the comment my dad made:  "How would you like to taste something that can taste you back?"

The girls who worked at this store were familiar, like friends.  I remember Sandy.  She later went on to work at a larger grocery store when Safeway closed down.  I still see her now and then--amazing that she has not aged and yet I grew up and have kids older than I was back when I met her????

My sister and I used to love when they would have little tarts and we could talk my mom into letting us get them.  They were small little pies in aluminum pie pans.   They would have cherry, apple and lemon.  They were such a treat.

The neighborhood grocery stores are all long gone now.  It's a shame.  We didn't usually do a full weeks worth of shopping at Saveway but they definitely were our choice for getting good fresh meat for our family.

When I Was Just a Little Girl. . .

This one must have been on a record my parents had.  It might have been on my plastic Fisher Price record player but it wouldn't have had words; the one played records like a music box.  (I wonder what happened to that toy?) 

I don't remember seeing The Man Who Knew Too Much when I was a kid but I definitely remember the song from my childhood.  Yup, another one I sang with my flashlight microphone when no one was around.

Enjoy!

Books Books Books!

Summertime is in full swing and I am all over the map with my reading these days.

I've read some non-fiction. . .about a mother raising two autistic boys.  While it was a quick read, I don't really think it is worth recommending unless of course you are raising an autistic child and you wish to be able to nod along in agreement with what she has to say.  At times she was a little too personal and overshared.  Which is sad because she could have left those parts out and simply had a statement about what her life is really like--something that some people might find unbelievable.

I've picked up a few cookbooks.  My oldest made some amazing cookies using one of those cookbooks.  And I had a thoroughly tasty and unspeakably easy to make salad from another one of those cookbooks.  Plus we made some pretty tasty snacks and supper one day.  Recipes that make the cut will eventually be shared.  Have no fear there.

I've read some Harlan Coben--Shelter--which is his first young adult novel.   He blends in characters from the Myron Bolitar series in telling the story of Mickey Bolitar, Myron's nephew.  This is a series that perhaps boys can enjoy.  There are so many great books for girls but it seems to me that there need to be more books for boys.  The website shows book number two Seconds Away will go on sale September 18.  I am not, however, sharing the website because you really must read these books and form your own images of the characters before you let anyone else tell you what they look like.  Really.  Just go get the book.  You'll love Mickey.  Ema will make you smile.  And you simply cannot help but adore Spoon.

Greek Salad ala Rachael Ray, sorta. . . .

I went through a no meat phase for a while.  This became my version of a Rachael Ray Greek salad.  I'd mix it up and night and have it for lunch the next day.  Delicious!  Light yet filling.  Since it was mid winter and no fresh tomatoes were available, I had to use canned.  I look forward to making it with fresh tomatoes now!

Greek salad

1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained well (or 3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks )

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 cucumber peeled and diced (or1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks)

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 cup Kalamata black olives (sometimes I cheated and just used a sprinkling of finely chopped black peppers)

1/4 pound Greek feta, crumbled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in palm of your hand

Pita breads (also very good with English muffins found here)

Combine vegetables, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. Rest crumbled feta on the top of salad.

Mix dressing--oil, vinegar, and oregano--and pour over salad and cheese.

Season to taste with salt and pepper (I have a thing for white pepper but black pepper is fine as well)

Serve salad with pita bread, a thick crusted bread or English muffins.

Mr. Pip

I selected this book based on it's placement at my local library.  I was intrigued by the idea of a book about a man reading Great Expectations to a group of kids on a island in the 1990's. He was the only white man left on the island and he became their teacher.

The first half of the book went quickly.  I was re-introduced to Pip, Estella, Miss Havishim, etc. Many years ago I taught this novel to 14-15 year old students.  So it was definitely refreshing to see how he "hooked" the kids on the island with this story about a land so far away from them.

I must confess that as I was reading, I was terribly disappointed that they finished the novel as quickly as they did.  I expected it to last longer.  In fact, when I finished the book I closed it and thought, "that's disappointing."  I even told my mother the next morning (read this one while on a mini vacation with the parents) that I was very unhappy about how the story ended.

And then I had my "a-ha" moment.  It all clicked.

Looking back on it, I'd call it a book worth reading.  If you are not familiar with Great Expectations, I'm not sure you will come to the same conclusions as I did.  I'm not certain how important it is to have that frame of reference for it.

Take a look at Lloyd Jones' novel here

'ello Rosy? What time's dinner?

Oh how I miss those phone calls.  My dad's older brother would call us up on a Sunday morning to ask what time we were having dinner--his way of asking if they could come in town for the day to visit.

My uncle was so much like my dad.  Quiet.  Thoughtful.  With a little twinkle in his blue eyes and a little smirk that told you he was thinking things he wasn't going to share.  He was a bit shorter than my dad.  But strong.  In my memory he is wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt.  His blond hair is just a bit wind-blown.  He has a toothpick in his mouth.  And then he spoke to you, so fast with such an old Dutch accent you could hardly understand him.

So his early Sunday morning call came across more like:

"ElloRosyWhattime'sdinner?"

He's been gone for nine years.  I'm guessing my parents haven't had that call from my uncle in 15-20 years. We kids grew up and things just changed for us all.

Time marches on. . .and leaves us with sweet memories of how things used to be.

Weird moment at the gym. . .

Not weird bad.  Just funny coincidence.

We go to the gym at all sorts of odd times.  Sometimes we show up at 8:30 or 9:00 at night and workout for an hour or so.  Lunchtime on Friday is another good time to go. 

Now in order for me to workout, something has to pass the time for me.  So I love the fact that every machine I use has a little TV attached.  (Except the rowing machine.  Perhaps that is why I use that one the least?)

The downside to this is that I never know what I'm going to get to watch while I workout.  The better the show, the longer I'll workout.

So the other day we went in for a lunchtime workout.  I watched a little HGTV but got bored with the House Hunters International episode so I started channel-surfing.  I was also listening to my iPod; I read the TV so I consider this a huge feat of multi-tasking while working out.  Sometimes I even talk with the kids while doing all the above. 

I landed on an episode of M*A*S*H.  In case you are not familiar with it, it is about a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Korea.  Classic TV.  When it went off the air it was the longest running show on TV.  Many people mistakenly thought it was about the Vietnam War rather than the Korean War.

Anyway, I'm watching the episode where Hawkeye Pierce and Major Houlihan are invited to show off some technique to another unit but en route something happens and they are lost plus Hawkeye is injured.  At one point she hears a chopper outside and runs out to see if it has come to rescue them.

Here's the crazy little moment.

Just when she think she hears a chopper outside the song on my iPod switched to "Goodnight Saigon" by Billy Joel. . .which starts out with the sounds of a chopper.

Of course "Goodnight Saigon" is Vietnam but still it was almost like having the soundtrack to the silent TV show playing through my earbuds since it was chopper on TV and chopper in my ears.

So there's my odd little moment.

And if you aren't familiar with the song, listen here. 

It's one of the most powerful songs I ever knew as a kid.  When I was a little girl my night prayers always ended with "Bless and please take care of the POW's in Vietnam so they come home to their families."

Memories Are Made of This

I truly have my parents to thank for my very eclectic musical tastes.  I grew up listening to music from the 1930s-1970s.  When I started playing piano and violin I was a huge fan of classical music.  But I also enjoyed the fiddle some. 

This one makes me think of my grandparents, not so much because I ever heard it around them but more because Dean Martin would be their generation.

Are those the right wedding rings? Why yes, I think they are!

Sixteen years.

Quite hard to believe.

The weather sixteen years ago on this day was incredibly hot and humid.  Somehow when we set the wedding date we thought "we should get married in June before it gets so hot."  Somehow we were dead wrong.

I love my wedding ring and engagement ring.  I love them so much I don't always wear them.  It's not about wanting to keep them shiny in a box.  But I love to bake and if you are working in dough, who wants rings on?  Not the OCD chick who thinks about germs and how will she get the dough outta the little channel set diamonds!  Plus I hate wearing them to the gym or any other place my hands might swell and feel icky.  And finally, years ago we discovered that I have a little metal allergy and even though I know my rings won't cause a reaction, I still feel like my fingers need air sometimes.  Usually I don't wear my rings around my own house but if I have plans to go somewhere, I put them on.

But a few weeks ago I was out without them and  realized just how naked my hand felt.   It's been more than seventeen years of ring wearing here (you know, when you consider there was an engagement ring first) and when I find myself out anywhere without them, I feel lost.  Even when I know that I left them at home on purpose I get panicked about where they are.  It felt good to get back home and slip my rings back on my finger.  Right where they are supposed to be.  And apparently I need to wear them a lot more because the title of today's post comes from the lips of our oldest child who somehow forgot what my rings look like.  Oops.  But it's funny because seriously, how many wedding bands does she think I have?

Chicken Viscious. . .another before kids meal

I found this one years ago on allrecipes.com (submitted by tocoyote)  It quickly became a favorite for my husband.  It's fast to make, usually ready in just under an hour,  and needs just 1 skillet. 

Chicken Vicious
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tablespoons garlic powder, or to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 (8 ounce) package button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup frozen green peas
3 green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat. Add chicken pieces, and fry, stirring, until browned. Pour in the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar; stirring to dissolve sugar. Season with red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and ginger. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste the sauce at this point and adjust seasoning to taste. The sauce should be very sweet. If it is too tart, add more sugar; if it is too sweet, add more vinegar.

Once the sauce is to your liking, add the mushrooms, peas, and green onions. Simmer gently over low heat for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms shrink a bit. Stir together the cornstarch and water, and stir it into the sauce. Continue to simmer until it reaches the desired thickness.

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage

One of my first picks for summer reading was this account of the Titanic.  I am not sure what exactly I thought I would be getting but I was surprised how far into the book we went before the Titanic hit the iceberg.

Hugh Brewster is the author.  He manages to give great insight into the people who made up the Gilded Age, sharing how so many of these "movers and shakers" of the time landed on the maiden voyage of this unsinkable vessel.  Among the passagenger list:   Margaret "The Unsinkable Molly" Brown,  Lady Duff Gordon, Dorothy Gibson, Helen Candee, Bruce Ismay, Frank Millet, Archibald Butt,  Benjamin Guggenheim, and the Astors--John Jacob Astor and his wife, Madeleine.

I was fascinated by their backstories (who knew there was so much divorce back then?) and stunned by their wealth, evidenced in part by tthe lists of what they packed for the voyage.  But the early part of the book still seemed to lag for me.  I was most interested in the fateful night and how these people fared.  Perhaps I should be ashamed of myself for this because these people had lives beyond that night and I should be more interested in those lives, not simply the final moments. 

Eventually, I did skip a few pages in the middle, around 20 or so. 

Possibly the most interesting part of the book was the postscript where Mr. Brewster gave additional information on the survivors.  So many accounts seem to stop with the ship going under or with the passengers on the Carpathia.  But Mr. Brewster continues with the arrival in New York followed by the investigation.  Then he round it out by detailing what happened to many of the survivors.  For some, that fateful voyage cost them everything--their money, their reputations and the life they had known.  Others managed to move onward and upward from the experience, finding a new calling for themselves. 

It is an interesting read for anyone fascinated by the Gilded Age or the Titanic story.  However be aware this is less about the ship and that night and more about the people on board the ship.


Amazon link to Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: The Titanic's First Class Passengers and Their World

Working Out

So this working out business is, ahem, working out better than I anticipated.

For a good long while the hubby kept saying that we were going to get a family membership to the gym and then we could all workout together.

Whatever.

I poo-pooed the idea.

I am not a gym person.

I have no interest in becoming a gym person.

The much bigger factor in your weigh is how you fuel your body and that's what we need to fix around here.

Blah blah blah.

So back in April he took the plunge.  Spent the money that I felt was surely going to be a waste.

But no.

The girls love going to the gym.  They all spend time on the treadmill, elliptical, recumbent bike, rowing machine and even running the track.  The two younger ones love shooting hoops.

So it has been good for us.  As much as I hate the actual working out. . .sweat and pain are just not my things. . .I do love how I feel after a good workout.

Thusly, family gym visits will continue.  Since school let out we have been going almost daily.  When the school year picks up that won't be likely.  But we have started a really great family habit.

Our favorite homemade ice cream recipe!

It comes from Rival but once again, I don't exactly follow it entirely.  So here's my version of their recipe:

2 1/2 cups skim milk (they say use 2%)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk (they say use half and half)
5 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Heat 2 1/2 cups milk on the stove to scalding (bubbles form around the edge of the pan).  Remove from heat and stir in sugar and salt.  Stir in the rest of the milks and vanilla extract.  Refrigerate 1 hour then freeze according to your ice cream freezer's instructions.

This makes 5 quarts of ice cream.

We use this one for good old vanilla ice cream.  Or you can puree 5 cups of strawberries to add to the mix to have delicious strawberry ice cream--no preservatives, no food coloring.

Or for fun we make mint Oreo ice cream.  Increase the vanilla extract to 2 1/2 tablespoons and add 2 1/2 tsp mint extract.  Then at the end of the freezing cycle, fold in about 20 crushed Oreo cookies. (Be careful here. . .overzealous stirring at this point crumbles up the cookies and makes it more of a grey mess than pretty mint Oreo ice cream)

Deeeee-lish! 

A little Paul Mauriat? Why yes, that sounds lovely!

(Please ignore the coverart if it offends you.  My one aunt very precisely taped over the picture on a Paul Mauriat album that she borrowed from us.  I suppose these were extremely racy for the 1960s; it seems that many 1960s easy listening albums had "cheesecake" covers.)

Just a little over 2 minutes long but oh my we loved this one.  My dad would pretend to be a puppet on a string for the length of this song.  You couldn't help but be amused watching him move in time to the song just like a puppet.  His facial expressions were the best!  Once my own kids came along I had to do the same for them.  Now we play this one in the car and become a whole car of puppets.  I wonder what other people on the road think of us.

Japanese Chicken Salad

Sometimes you just want a light meal.  This one fills the bill.

Japanese Chicken Salad (good as a main dish with rolls/bread on the side)
1 head lettuce
6 green onions
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1 pkg Top Ramen noodles (break in bag, don’t use spices)
2 T sesame seeds
½ cup slivered almonds

Brown top ramen, sesame seeds and almonds in 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Mix with other ingredients

Dressing (add just before serving)
2 T sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
½ tsp MSG (optional)
1/4 cup salad oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp white pepper

Enjoy!

Holiday Road!

I cannot get the youtube link to work but if you click here you can listen along to Holiday Road

Yesterday the middle child had a trip to go to the amusement park with a group.  However, sending her wasn't enough.  The rest of us had to make the trip too.  And I just can't help but giggle over the song.  So you know me, I had to share!

Fortunately for us, our great trip down Holiday Road meant a trip to a great amusement park/water park.  I won't lie and make it something it wasn't;  it never is as much fun as it looks on the commercials but that's probably because we aren't big fans of heartstopping rides.  At one point we lost track of a couple of kids--we knew the area she and her friend were in but couldn't find them--and then not an hour later another one got separated from the rest of the family.  That about did me in!

But on the upside, the kids did get to talk with the park owner who was just out wandering among the crowd.  She saw the girls looking over a map and asked if they needed help finding something.  The looks on their faces as they realized who it was talking to them was just priceless.

In the end we came home tired and a little sunburned but I think we'd all call it a successful trip!

D-Day June 6, 1944

D-Day.  The day 156,000 soldiers from the US, Great Britain and Canada stormed the beaches of Normandy.  It was the start of a battle which lasted for just under a week.  And it was the start of the end of WWII.  By August of that summer, Paris was liberated.  Germany surrendered the following May.

Today we pause simply to remember again the sacrifices made by those before us.  The men and women of that generation are certainly entitled to the nickname "The Greatest Generation."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer June 6, 1944

My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.

Source http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/odddayp.html

Cheese Scones = Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits?

I am not a huge fan of seafood so a trip to Red Lobster isn't a huge thing for me.  Except for those little cheddar cheese biscuits.  Those make the trip worthwhile for me.

The other day my girls had a sleepover and asked me to make scones for breakfast.  They prefer chocolate chip scones but I was looking to make something with cheese because I was more interested in savory rather than sweet for breakfast.

The result?  Truly yummy and enough like the Red Lobster cheddar biscuits that I decided I should share this one in case anyone else really craves them.  My basic recipe is one I clipped from Parade Magaine back in May of 2009.

Basic Easy Scone Recipe
1 large egg
1/2 c milk
2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup of your preferred mix-in (chocolate chips, finely shredded cheddar jack cheese, raisins, craisins, blueberries, etc)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Whisk the egg and milk together in one bowl and the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in another.

Drop the butter into the flour and using your fingers , cut and rub until the mixture is pebbly.  Poru in th emilk and egg.  Mix with a fork until the dough is evenly moist.  Add your "mix-in" and give the very sticky dough a few more stirs

Spoon a dozen mounds of dough onto a baking stone (or foil-lined baking sheet) and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the scones are golden brown.  Cool for a few minutes.  Serve with butter or jam, or a little of each.

If you follow this recipe and use raisins, the following nutritional analysis applies:
Makes 12.

Per Scone:  170 calories, 26 g carbs, 3 g protein, 7 g fat and 35 mg cholesterol.

Things I know. . . .

In no particular order:

1. You can lead a horse to water but you seriously cannot make that animal drink if he doesn't want to drink it!
2. A clean house makes me happy.
3. Other people who live in my house seem to not care if it's clean or dirty.
4. Refer to #1 again.
5. You should always read through the whole recipe before you decide "I think I'll double that" because otherwise, you might end up with a lot more English muffins than you were planning to make.
6. Wrap-around porches rock.
7. Air conditioning rocks even more.
8. Friends with swimming pools are good to have in the summertime.
9. I always thought I was a people person.  Turns out I just might be more of a loner than I ever thought.  Give me a good book and some quiet time and I can be happy for many many hours.
10. Pinky promises work.

Only Love Can Break A Heart

More Saturday music from my childhood!  Poignant song.  Odd choice for a kid to pick as another favorite but then again, who ever said I was entirely normal?  I grew up in the 70s in a thoroughly 1950s house with a stay at home mom and a delightfully sheltered life that included weekend visits to family farms or a convent.  What can I say.  It made me the girl I am.

(PS, I do hope one day my kids will say that they had the luxury of growing up in a house that was stuck in the 1950s in a good way.  Even if I can't be a full-time stay at home mom, I manage to play that role for several weeks at a time for my family.)

An Economist Gets Lunch

Economics--the dismal science.

And yet I am absolutely intrigued by how economists think.  Their brains work in ways I can't even imagine.

My new read is Tyler Cowen's An Economist Gets Lunch which my husband mentioned as a possible read for me.  The review by Dwight Garner for the New York Times was definitely not full of praise.  However, Jerry Weinberger is more complimentary in his article here.  I admit, I'm not through the book yet.  It's still intriguing to me.  Who blames Prohibition for all the bad food in America?  Tyler Cowen.  That's who.  It's not entirely Prohibition's fault though.  He acknowledges other forces at work such as the rise of TV, the American style of parenting (which revolves around catering to the bland tastes preferred by children),  Emergency Quota Act of 1921 (which limited immigration greatly, thus reducing our food choices) and even the fact that the United States got to be really good at food production, storage and transportation.  We do not have to depend on the freshest ingredients grown locally because we can store and ship all kinds of foods.

It's an interesting perspective on why we love the foods we do and why we don't have more choices.

To read more by Tyler Cowen, visit his website or pick up his book