Week 70, 4-23-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men. Chinese Proverb

And weeds recognize it best. We've had three days of rain and more to come. However, today we finally have sunshine, so today's post will be brief, so I can participate in the War of the Weeds.

Teaching and Learning: I had another session with Brandon at the library, and the recipe pull-down tabs are ready to go. They're at the top, under the heading. I've arranged them in the order I usually find in cookbooks.

Click on a category - a list of recipes will drop down. Click on the recipe you want to see. You will be taken to the WEEK where I posted the recipe. You'll have to scroll down to search for the recipe. You'll be in a new window, so you must close it to go back where you started. Then click on "Home" to close the drop-down tab.

My next step will be learning how to alphabetize the recipe names in each category. Baby steps - we'll get there.

Time for Others: More cardmaking. Results of FS63.

Jeanne

Katie

Patsy

Results of FS64:

Jeanne

Katie

Patsy

And we made three cards in Katie's class

The Pepper report: We had to make a little trip to the vet. Pepper has been scratching his hair out and even making bald spots. Dr. said he probably has an allergy and gave him a shot. Let's hope it works.

And now the dilemma. Pepper wants a kitty and I don't want him to have one. Remember the photo of Pepper and Stormy from last week?

I decided to open the screen and see what happened. My boy is such a gentleman.

I haven't opened my indoor patio yet, so all the outdoor furniture and pots are still there with the indoor patio furniture. Stormy climbed over everything, sitting awhile in a pot.

Now remember that this little girl is a feral kitty, never touched by a human. I opened the slider, which leads into my family room. I was sitting on the couch, reading. Stormy walked right in, looked at me, went on into the living room, explored everything, went into the kitchen where she helped herself to most of Pepper's dinner though she'd already eaten hers.  

The next day, I left the screen and the slider open again (raining, raining), and Stormy walked right in. Pepper followed her and joined me on the couch in the family room. Stormy came over and plopped down under the coffee table in front of the couch and started watching television.

After a bit, she went into the living room and Pepper followed. When I took a little peek, she was lying on the couch and Pepper was on the floor in front of her. He adores this little lady. I went back to my book in the family room and then I heard a crash. Stormy had climbed into the middle of a pot of hyacinths on the coffee table and knocked it over. Dirt everywhere. 

I know she'd love to be a house kitty and Pepper really wants her, but can I put up with the mess of another kitty? She's still young and wants to explore and climbs everywhere. What to do, what to do? 

Things that Grow: Not my things, but Peter has given me permission to share some of his photos. 

A Bluebell Glade in Ireland

And photos from the Japanese Garden at our Botanical Center in Springfield, MO

Kudos to Peter for his excellent photography.

Theme Dining: I've scarcely started on the final theme meal for April. I'm definitely going to do A Celebration of Citrus - my refrigerators are full of grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons, and limes.

I'm deciding on the tablescape, and I don't have anything lemon yellow. Guess butter yellow will be okay. We'll see. I have no idea what to do for a centerpiece. Any suggestions?

I have plenty of pictures to make the invitations, and the envelopes are finished (made from pages of a produce calendar).

I have some tag ends from tea bags to decorate the menus; being inspected by my supervisor, as you can see.

The tentative menu follows. I haven't tested even one of the recipes yet.

Grapefruit Salad with Lemon Cream Dressing

Game Hens A L'Orange

Orange Rice

Lime Beets

Lemon Muffins

Citrus-Mint Iced Tea

Orange Meringue Pie

And for party favors, Lemon Fudge

So this week is going to be very busy. Status report next week. And as this is a short post, how about a preview of May Tablescapes?

May Flowers

Pansies Plus

Cabbage Patch

Blue Asian

Birds

Taking Time for Fun: Some days have more than one National Day, but you just knew I'd choose the ones about food, didn't you? These are American, but I hereby extend a welcome to readers from other countries to join us.

Monday, April 24: National Pigs in a Blanket Day - click HERE.

Tuesday, April 25: National Zucchini Bread Day - click HERE, but don't use that recipe. Use this one -

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 tsps vanilla

2 cups grated zucchini

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple, undrained

3 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Heat oven to 350°.

Grease two regular-size loaf pans and set aside.

Mix eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in zucchini and pineapple.

Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl and then stir into zucchini mixture.

Bake 1 hour.

Note: This is a nice quick bread to slice for afternoon tea or for making zucchini-cream cheese finger sandwiches.

Wednesday, April 26: National Pretzel Day - click HERE, and if you're not going to be near a mall to buy one, there are some recipes on the link. OR you can skip the pretzels because it's also National Kids and Pets Day. I'm sure Pepper is going to want lap time (and maybe some little bits of pretzel).

Thursday, April 27: National Prime Rib Day - click HERE. Go out to a restaurant or make your own from the recipe on the link. If you're a vegetarian, you can watch a baseball game because it's also National Babe Ruth Day, and if you can't find a game, it's also National Tell a Story Day. If you don't know any stories, as a last resort, it's also National Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day (if you can spare a day where you won't accomplish a thing). 

Friday, April 28: National Blueberry Pie Day - click HERE. There's a recipe on the link, or you can plant a tree because it's also National Arbor Day. Click HERE for the foundation website and information on how to get some free trees.

Saturday, April 29: National Shrimp Scampi Day - click HERE. And if you're allergic to shellfish, you can plant a rose because it's also National Peace Rose Day - click HERE. Antonia Ridge wrote a lovely non-fiction book about the Peace Rose called For Love of a Rose. You can find it HERE.

Sunday, April 30: National Oatmeal Cookie Day - click HERE. There's a recipe on the link or use the one on the Quaker Oats box. It's also National Raisin Day, so add some to your cookies or fix a Ham with Raisin Sauce. The sauce recipe is under "Sauces" above. And if you just don't want to cook, it's also National Honesty Day (but I thought that was every day). 

EAT YOUR APPLES

JOIN IN THE NATIONAL DAYS

START GETTING THE POOL READY

SPRING HOUSECLEANING TIME (YUCK!)

READ A GOOD BOOK WHEN IT RAINS

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE