Thursday, June 29, 2017

Why does a retiree need a lunch bag?....

When I bought this lunch bag my husband wondered why a retired teacher would need this....


...so, I showed him the purpose...


...oh, you can't tell what's in there?


It's a "Happy Hour To Go" Bag!


It's packed with a small bottle of wine, 2 glasses, napkins and a snack to enjoy down by the lake!


And now he understands the true purpose of this "lunch bag"!




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***This bag will only hold mini or 1/2 size bottles of wine, and not a full size bottle!***


Tuesday, June 27, 2017

My Clever Niece.....and a busy weekend

While in Ohio last weekend, we visited my niece's new townhouse and she made such a clever display for all of her favorite photos:


Mini clothespins are holding the photos, which makes it easy to change the pics.  The string is hanging from Command Hooks on the inside of the door:


Isn't this a cute idea - and looked so much better (and neater) than a refrigerator covered with pics!

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She and her husband made a delicious dinner:


Then we were entertained for hours by these 3, dancing, singing, swimming and karate:


Carter earned his "Purple Belt" in karate and held his 8th birthday party at the karate studio:


and we all went to see local fireworks:


On our way home to NY we stopped at a winery and vineyard in PA:


...and bought a few fireworks for the 4th:



It was a busy weekend - and we will do it all over again in another month!

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Thursday, June 22, 2017

It's that time of year again.....to Skip and Go Naked...

Open to page 118....


...to find my favorite summer cocktail:


3 simple ingredients...



...mixed up in a pitcher...


...served in a pretty glass with a simple garnish...


OR
my favorite way to serve these are FROZEN:


I usually freeze a batch and scoop it out into a glass with a splash of 7-up - a delicious slushy....


...however I found these cute frozen pop containers at Ikea and they will be perfect for a frozen drink!


Served either way, they are bound to make you skip....


ENJOY!
 

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Monday, June 19, 2017

Garlic Scape Pesto...

  I used to grow Egyptian garlic years ago, but as you know, the garden and I don't get along well.

Last fall I planted some garlic.....and surprisingly, it grew!

I cut the scapes once they curled and grew above the leaves, to help put the energy back into the plant to form a plump bulb:


The scapes look so pretty added to a fresh floral arrangement:


BUT
even better is making Garlic Scape Pesto!

I cut the bulbs off the scapes....


and cut about 8 scapes into 1/2" pieces...


...I measure out 1/2 c Parmegiano Reggiano cheese...


...and 1/2 c walnuts or pine nuts...


...and handful of fresh basil leaves...


..and 1/2 c EVOO and some salt...


...and throw it all into the food chopper...


I altered the original recipe a bit as I love parmegiano reggiano cheese!  
The original recipe can be found here

I froze some in ice cube trays to save for my fall soups - I just plop one into veggie soup for flavor!


This is also tasty on toasted baguette slices:


Now, hopefully in the fall I will have some garlic bulbs to dig up!


How I made Pesto last year - HERE

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Sunday, June 18, 2017

The Farmer's Market...

The Regional Market in Syracuse holds a Farmer's Market twice a week and you can find anything and everything there....


...even colorful cauliflower...


...fresh eggs...


...and lots of flowers...


...so, what was in my tote this week?  
Lemons, limes, radishes, tomatoes, berries and a small plant!

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Saturday, June 17, 2017

Smoked Tomato Seasoning....

I could spend an hour in a "spice shop". 
 My new favorite spice is Smoked Tomato from Spice Merchants in Falmouth, on the Cape

One way I use this spice is to add more flavor to cream cheese:


I add in about a tablespoon to Chive and Onion cream cheese and it enhances the flavor to a smokey, savory palate:


Sometimes I also add fresh chives - mixed in or as a garnish.


Storing it in a pretty container even makes it taste better!


I am ready for a quick afternoon snack!


The rain has finally subsided in NY and we can begin to enjoy our patio...


The last time we had "happy hour" out here was for St Patty's day - a warm, snowy afternoon:


So, it felt really good to be able to sit out there in the warm sun...


...and enjoy a little white wine and snack...


....and finally enjoy the fresh air...


...and make a few summer plans for the weeks ahead!


It was a long time coming, but I think the sun is here to stay!



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