Week 138, 8-12-2018

Thoughts and Quotes: Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.                    William Arthur Ward

When I started organizing my blog post for this week, I realized how truly blessed I am; friends, family, kitties, good health. Thank you, God, for all my blessings, and may you all be as blessed as I am.

Oh, dear. Where to start. You might want to grab a cup of tea. And speaking of tea -

Temptations: I saw this at the thrift store this week for only $5 total; $3 for the teapot and 50 cents for each mug. I really wanted it, but how would I use it? A Mexican tea? I can't go on Monday, but if it's still there on Tuesday, it's mine. If it's gone, I'll kick myself. A Mexican tea could be fun. Does anyone have a recipe for churros?

Tasting: And while we're on the subject of Mexican, Nancy and I tried the new Mexican buffet at Frida's, named for the artist Frida Kahlo (see some of her paintings HERE), and if you want to read about her click HERE.  Of course, the restaurant honors her, with her unibrow portraits, in the lobby and on the wall.

She's even painted on the outside wall.

I enjoyed the food, and I'm happy to have a Mexican buffet, because in a traditional restaurant, they never give me enough rice and beans. Here I can just dip away. They have two soups, hot and mild cheese sauces, a salsa bar, lots of meats, toppings, and tortillas or chips. The day we were there, we could choose our own meat, veggies, etc. for fajitas, which they grill in the back and deliver to your table. The special varies. The waitperson will bring ice cream to have with your sopapillas.

Travel: For those of you who were interested in my Lil' Sis's report from Punta Cana, here are her final thoughts. I don't know about you, but I love armchair travel.

Hola all!

Our final day at Punta Cana was a relaxing one to celebrate our wedding anniversary!  We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast in the morning, a "couples" massage late morning, shared an intimate lunch before spending all afternoon at the beautiful pool, and then had our best meal last night for dinner.  We had reservations at a place called the Brazilian Steakhouse and it was excellente'!!  We were greeted by an enthusiastic server who made Jim a margarita with Brazilian liquor and he said it was the best drink he had since arriving in the D.R.  The entire atmosphere the whole night was one of joy and elation.  The food was soooo good. We had a variety of soups and salads to choose from at the buffet before the meal was served.  The appetizer was banana chips and a tasty dip.  They brought the vegetables to the table in a serving tray with dipping sauces before serving the meat (small new potatoes, zucchini slices, eggplant, and red and yellow peppers.  The meat was served on a large skewer and the server went from table to table to deliver each type of meat.  They started with filet mignon, then grilled chicken, sausage, pork, turkey, another cut of beef, and prime rib--each brought at different times.  The meal concluded with grilled pineapple that was the best!  It tasted like it was grilled with brown sugar and cinnamon.  They served it by skewer at the tables too.  When they found out it was our 35th wedding anniversary, all of the servers gathered around in the kitchen, then proceeded to our table singing "Happy anniversary" at a high volume, banging a drum and presenting us with brownies and cheesecake.  It was so much fun... a memorable anniversary for sure!

As we leave this beautiful country and this resort experience at Punta Cana, there are several points that come to mind.  First is that being at this resort was reminiscent of our experience in the past of being on a cruise ship, but we were on land this time instead of being in a ship on water.  You have all of the benefits of having someone else "doing the driving" so to speak, with everything being available in one place that is needed for your vacation.  Despite there being six different resorts within this "Don Pablo Collection" and it being spread out over quite a large area, there are shuttles to take you from place to place (for instance our dinner reservations at night) to eliminate so much walking.  You can certainly eat at the buffets within the resort area where you're staying, but the food is more interesting if you can make reservations at many of the other themed restaurants.  If you decide to come here we recommend making your dinner reservations early (we did ours all at once the next morning after we arrived).  

The second point that comes to mind is that this is truly a multicultural experience.  We were certainly in the minority in terms of being some of the few Americans here.  We met some couples from Chicago, Boston, and three different cities in Pennsylvania, but other than that--everyone else spoke a different language.  There were many here from Canada, others from Russia, France, England, and right here in the D.R.  The church service we attended on Sunday was totally in Spanish.  It was definitely a different, but enjoyable experience, knowing we were all worshiping together despite the language difference.

Finally, our gauge on whether we've experienced a successful vacation is if we enjoyed ourselves throughout the vacation time and would we return here again in the future.  We both agreed that we would visit here again in a heartbeat!   Several of the couples we met last night as we were being shuttled around said this was their third trip for each.  

We hope you've enjoyed seeing some of our pictures and hearing about our experiences while we've been here!  As we leave Punta Cana, Me siento feliz (I feel very happy)!  Psi chicos (good-bye) for now.  

Bendecido (blessings) with love,

Becky & Jim

Tasting: Yeah! More food! A recipe I tried this week which starts with a cake mix. Not the best cake I've ever tasted, but a definite candidate for a Baskin Robbins theme dinner.

CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY CAKE

1 strawberry cake mix

1 small instant vanilla pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup mini chocolate chips

2/3 cup chocolate frosting from a can

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease and flour a 10” Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, and oil.  Beat on medium for two minutes.

Fold in mini chips and pour into pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes.

When cool, invert on cake plate.

Microwave frosting on high 10-15 seconds to soften. Drizzle over cake, allowing it to run down the sides.

Tasting: Why stop now? We're on a roll. Mim's turn for VECC. She opted for brunch instead of lunch. I goofed by not checking my photos right after I took them, and most came out blurred. I do have one of her beautiful china and silver.

Fruit Cups, Tomato Quiche, Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust, Ham and Cheese Croissants, Zucchini Bread, and Blueberry Muffins

Recipes next week. We've dispensed with hostess gifts and party favors. We're all trying to pare down instead of add to - most of the time, that is.

However, sometimes you just have to follow the advice of Forrest Gump, "Don't buy things you don't need unless you really, really, really want them." And since I really, really, really wanted them, and since they were on sale, here are my new dishes. Should arrive this week.

Thrifting: And that's not all I added. I couldn't refuse a few things from the local thrift store.

How could I resist this cute little flower for 25 cents?

And this sunflower square might be handy for a centerpiece for 25 cents.

I do have sunflower dishes, you know.

And you just can't have too many measuring cups. These are really nice and only 25 cents.

This cup and saucer is rather large, and perfect for a pink rose centerpiece. $1

It's small and no lid, but probably large enough for a hyacinth bulb - 25 cents.

I love these to scatter on the table, in plants, or whatever. 25 cents.

Just couldn't resist this sweet little plate named "Rock Garden". I paid $2 because it's bone china from England.

I didn't know what to do with it, but decided to just leave it on the kitchen island with the little pink flower.

Tidbits: Don't forget to watch the Perseid Metero Showers. Check HERE.

The Pepper and Pals Report: Everything is about the same. The final BJ kitten has disappeared. Still no luck in trapping BJ. She's making herself scarce, probably out romancing already.

Stormy has taken up yoga.

Trying to follow my auntie's advice: She told me to "Never let anyone kill the fairies for you", I bought this sweet little book of teas based on Alice in Wonderland.

My favorite

Tidbits: And just for fun, what is your fairy name? You can find out HERE. Or your Anne of Green Gables name? Check HERE. 

So Goodby for now from Fern Snapdragon of Thistle.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

ENJOY THE POOL OR LAKE

AT LEAST TAKE A MINI VACAY

TIME TO BUY BACK TO SCHOOL CLOTHES AND SUPPLIES EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SCHOOL

TAKE A CLASS AT HOME AND SAVE THE TEACHER'S APPLE FOR YOURSELF

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Week 137, 8-5-2018

Thoughts and Quotes: There are two worlds; the one I live in and the one in my head, where my books are finished, I entertain weekly, my house is sparkling clean, my garden is full of veggies, my flower gardens are an explosion of colorful blooms, my Snooty Pantry is filled with homemade jams, jellies, chutneys, flavored vinegars and oils, my freezer is stocked with baked goodies just waiting for someone to drop by, I have a stock of handmade cards ready to go, and I weigh what I did when I was 25.     Me

And that brings me to Thousand Island dressing. When I was young, salads were totally unimaginative in our house. We might have Cole slaw, carrot-cabbage salad, an iceberg lettuce slice smeared with Miracle Whip, a pineapple slice with grated cheese on a lettuce leaf, wilted lettuce (leaf lettuce with a hot bacon grease dressing poured over, reducing it to a sodden mass), potato salad, kidney bean salad, or macaroni salad. The closest we got to a tossed salad was iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and a dressing made with mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and milk. 

Eating out was a root beer and coney at A & W, or a hamburger with French fries. After I was grown, married, and moved to California, a whole new world of salads came into my world. After all, the growing season there is almost year round, so fresh vegetables are readily available. Plus, we were all becoming more aware of the value of eating a variety of nutrious foods.

And sometimes I got to eat at a real restaurant. Foodie that I am, I was in heaven. And then I discovered Thousand Island dressing. My imagination went wild. Wow, a thousand islands. The dressing was surely made from exotic ingredients from the islands around the world. It became my favorite. I didn't really know much about cooking. I don't think I even owned a cookbook. And it never occured to me that I might be able to make it myself. 

Flash forward and I'm becoming interested in cooking. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that I could make Thousand Island dressing with the ingredients right in my own kitchen without visiting a single island.

Flash forward some more and I was on a trip to eastern Canada. We were going on a little half-day cruise on the St. Lawrence Seaway in an area called Thousand Islands. See images HERE. The area is between the US and Canada. They even have the shortest bridge in the world, right on the boundary. Click HERE. And the tour guide told me the real reason it's called Thousand Islands dressing. Now I find that there are two stories about its origin. You can read it HERE. Then last night I was reading a cookbook and there's even a third version. The bits of pepper, egg, pickle, etc. simply resemble lots of islands floating around in the sea of dressing. 

I had some dressing in the refrigerator which I purchased to make Reuben sandwiches, so I had a salad and poured it on. Somehow it tasted so much better when I could imagine  mysterious ingredients from tropical islands.

When I was young, my aunt gave me a book of Andersen's Fairy Tales, and inside she wrote, "Don't ever let anything kill the fairies for you". I don't believe I have.

Wow! I do tend to get blabby, don't I?

Tidbits: When shopping at Aldi, I saw this shirt and the young man was kind enough to let me photo the back. 

Travel: Not mine; my brother and sister-in-law are in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. I wanted to share their comments and photos in case you're looking for a bargain vacation.

"The resort is the "Luxury Bahia Principe Ambar Green" (for adults only).  I am still in shock that the entire trip for everything (airfare, lodging for 7 days in an all-inclusive resort with all meals and beverages covered) was just under $3,200. total for both of us.  I share this with you to let you know how reasonable the stay is here." 

You can find more information HERE. Be sure to click the triangle to watch the video.

Talented Youngsters: The Greene County libraries sponsor a bookmark contest each year and they post the winners in their newsletter. Here are this year's winners. I hope you can see the ages. In case you can't, they go left to right, top row first: Grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12. Amazing kids!

Thankful: When I wrote my book on Everyday Afternoon Teas, I made notes as I prepared the teas so that I could write a plan for each. Then I had my cooking buddies sit with me and Bev was sweets, Mim was savories, and I was scones. We tested the plans by recreating the teas on paper, moving each item from the beginning to the table. I was confident that my plans would work, so I pushed the button which told the printer to create my order.

Later I wondered if perhaps I should actually prepare the teas according to the plans so that I could check for flaws. The tea I posted last week was the June tea with additions. I really don't want to recreate - I want to do new things. Now I can move on - take a look at the fortune I pullled from my cookie.

Tasting: Here's the Pineapple Cookies recipe I couldn't find last week. It's a rather soft cookie. I'd like them better frosted.

PINEAPPLE COOKIES

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, drained (save juice if frosting)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted (optional)

Heat oven to 350°.

Cream butter and sugars, then add egg and pineapple. Mix well.

Mix together remaining dry ingredients and add to pineapple mixture.

Mix well, add vanilla, and fold in optional nuts.

Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake 10-12 minutes.

If frosting, mix powdered sugar with reserved pineapple juice.

Sorry I'm late. A bug got me, and I've been holding down the couch. Fever is gone. Don't send the paramedics.

SENDING LOVE TO EVERYONE I KNOW

AND EVERYONE I DON'T KNOW WHO IS READING THIS

TAKE A PICNIC TO THE PARK

OR GO VISIT PUNTA CANA

HAVE AN AFTERNOON TEA

SING IN THE SUNSHINE

DO SOMETHING FUN YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO DO

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE