Monday, May 11, 2015

                               What the Beck?

Monday, May 11, 2015

  

Bucket List #57

       I was looking through the recipes that I skipped in Ree’s three books and I decided that it would be a new learning experience for me to learn to make my own ice cream.  So, while I was there I bought an ice cream maker. Of course, I just don’t have the time now to make it, but this summer I want to make it a priority to learn this new skill.  Doesn’t it sound dreamy….and cold.

buy an ice cream maker and make ice cream

go to one of Ree’s book signings

make dress-up clothes for a great niece (if I ever get one)

attend a rodeo

learn a new skill

invite my neighbor women to a tea luncheon

submit an article to a magazine

Host a family brunch

Talk a walk or dance in the rain

I want to create units for teachers to purchase

Write a book on organizing a home

Using my dogs and possibly my great-nephews, and design a series of          greeting cards

Plan my funeral

Spend a fun day with each of my nieces/nephews (Alaina has          volunteered          to be first!)
Take a formal cooking class
Organize and host a Christmas Caroling Party
Watch the IMBd list of the best 250 movies
Vacation in Colorado
Create a list of home repairs
Prepare to teach a new course at Aurora University
Visit Brookfield Zoo and photograph the animals
Have absolutely no debt
Set up a schedule for next summer to visit area cities
Organize and purge the basement
I am going to learn as much as I can about large animals
Make repairs in each and every room of my home to prepare to sell
Research Hadrian’s Wall for visit to Scotland
Enter a quilt in a local fair
Write a book about school for parents
Host a game party
Purchase a truck
I would like to learn more about fostering animals
Visit the narrowed list of Kentucky towns each for a weekend
Have a B.M.I. of 24.9 or lower
Return to Florida/Alabama and see old friends
Play tennis again
Learn to play bridge
Have an in-ground pool
Finish writing a book on the Scent Family
Save up enough money for a down payment on my Kentucky house
Research every town in Kentucky in hopes of relocating
Work on learning calligraphy and bettering daily penmanship
Begin making my own clothing using a mannequin
Volunteer at an animal rescue
Visit all 50 states
Photography courses
Complete all of Mom’s and my scrapbooks
Go skiing again in Colorado
Meet the Duggar family
Watch every nominee and winner for the Academy Awards to date
Remodel my kitchen
Take piano lessons
Write 2 books for my great-nephews
Travel to Wales
Travel to Scotland
Alaskan cruise

Random Reflection:  Update on watching every best picture nominee and winner for the Academy Awards to date.

       I am having such a good time enjoying so many fabulous movies. Tonight I am watching A Farewell to Arms, which was nominated in 1934. It starred Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes.  I had no idea how long Helen Hayes was a star. I remember her in movies like Airport when she was in her sunset years. She was really a beautiful young woman. This picture is set during WWI. A great picture and a love story.

         During the past few weeks I have seen:
                  Grand Hotel (1932)
                  The Champ (1932)
                           This was a great movie – I cried!)
                  Mutiny on the Bounty (1936)
                  The Good Earth (1938)
                           I loved every minute of this movie. I remember                                       reading the book in High School, but this made it                                     so real!
                  Ninotchka (1940)
                           I never thought much of Marlena Diedrich, but she                                   was wonderful and funny in this flick!
                  Of Mice and Men (1940)
                  Kings Row (1943)
                  The Magnificent Ambersons (1943)
                  The Pride of the Yankees (1943)
                           Great movie about Lou Gerig’s disease
                  Casablanca (1944)
                  Gaslight (1945)
                  A Letter to Three Wives (1950)
                           Didn’t like this one at all
                  A Streetcar Named Desire (1952)
                  Roman Holiday (1954)
                           A fabulous movie!
                  Witness for the Prosecution (1958)
                  The Defiant Ones (1959)
                           Great movie dealing with racism
                  Ben-Hur (1960)
                           Lord help me this was a long, great
                           Movie.
                  The Nun’s Story (1960)
                           One of my top favorites!!!
                  The Apartment (1961)
                           I was shocked that this movie was shown in 1961.                                     Men using a guy’s apartment as a “love nest.”                                         Seemed like something we would see now, but not                                   in 1961.
                  Lawrence of Arabia (1963)
                  How the West was Won (1964)
                           I love history and this movie
                  Dog Day Afternoon (1976)
                  Ghandi (1983)
                           Another of my all time favorites. I never knew all                                     about his life – a truly amazing man
                  Broadcast News (1988)
                  Fargo (1997)
                  Seabiscuit (2004)
                           I love any horse movie, and this one was                                               wonderful. Thank you Susan for lending it to me.                                    I loved every minute.
                  Inglourious Basterds (2010)
                           Wow is all I can say. I thought it was just going to                                     be a “war movie.”  It was fantastic!
                  The Grand Budapest Hotel (2015)
                           A strange movie!

       A big thank you to Turner Classic Movies (TCM). I just hunt each week for any movie on my list and put it in the que (is the how you spell Q?). I love that I am watching so many over the entire list since 1927 to today.  Yee Ha this is so much fun and entertaining.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

What the Beck?

Wednesday, May 5, 2015

Recipe Review

May 5, 2015

Today’s Recipe and Location: Apple Peanut Butter Delights

Found in: The Pioneer Woman blog

         This is a wonderful snack food. I loved the apple peanut butter combination, and the cinnamon sugar on top just made it so flippin’ wonderful.  This is a quick snack that is easy to make.  I imagine that every kid, who is not allergic to peanuts, would love this one.

Great. The first picture is blurry.
 I think I am out of practice.
FYI - I bought wheat English muffins

This is my favorite creamy peanut butter

Ree says to spread about a Tablespoon on
each half - I went a little lighter. 

Gosh it looks good,  even now.

Now the thinly sliced apples are laid atop

Don't ya just love cinnamon sugar?

I placed the one full muffin on parchment
paper on a pie plate.
You could use a cookie sheet if
you were making several snacks.

The final toasted product. YUM!

Random Reflections – The Glorious Garden

         Yesterday, I ran over to Costco for the fourth time in two weeks to see if they received the Mandella plants. These climbers are amazing. My Mom and I used to buy them for $40.00 for a small pot, because they were tropical and rare in this area.  A couple of years ago we found them at Costco. Their plants were about three to four feet tall and quite bushy. The best part is that these giants only cost $24.99 each.  I needed five plants. What a steal!

          Unfortunately, tropicals can only remain outside when the weather is consistently above 55 degrees.  So this is the view of my dining room bay walkout window. I hope these beauties can move outside permanently next week. 

These three form a path to the door

The two complete the trail
Now they just need to grow and bloom

This is what the flower will look like soon

They will climb my 11 foot trellis

They just make me smile!

Trivial Triffles

       After shopping at Costco yesterday, I headed over to JoAnn Fabrics for the big 40% off sale on quilting fabrics.  I knew it was going to be a bad idea because I love to quilt and this was going to be an expensive trip.  Four hundred fifty some dollars later, I left with four adorable decorative storage boxes, and enough material to create 13 quilts. Okay, now I am ready to retire and begin a sewing frenzy.  Yeah for retirement, relaxation, and being in my home!

Here are six future quilts to be

Can you tell that I like bright colors?

The final two quilting materials

I fell in love with these four storage boxes!
Madonna - we could keep our knitting
supplies in these beauties.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Recipe Review

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Sigrid’s Carrot Cake        

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

                  Pages:  110 - 112     Copyright:  2013  Harper Collins

I figured out that there are 686 calories per serving, if 12 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

         This carrot cake was a hit at school.  This is a new thing for me to love.  The cake was moist and very flavorful.  It was made in a Bundt pan was a pretty cake. This is definitely a cake that I will make for many different occasions!

Here are the ingredients

First, we sifted the dry ingredients

Mix in the eggs

Blend it until it is smooth and creamy.
Lookin' good!

In go the shredded carrots

Out of the oven and ready to cool

Begin mixing the yummy frosting

Doesn't it look good?

What could be better than all of those pecans?
Is it pee can or pe can?
I guess it all depends on where you were raised.

Just look at those yummy carrots.

Here's what your guests will see after that first slice is cut

Fabulous “Family and Friends” Food

Crunchy Apple Salad

No name of the card

Ingredients

2 cups chopped apple

2 cups sliced banana

1 cup chopped pecans

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup mayo

lettuce leaves

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients except the lettuce. Toss gently to coat. Now, chill for one to two hours.  Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Tuesday April 21, 2015

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

This blog is switching from daily to sporadic, so I will just begin posting the date I wrote it, as opposed to the week. I took a week off, and it was actually rejuvenating. Today, I am reviewing Ree’s Arnold Palmer tea. 

Recipe Review

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Today’s Recipe and Location:           Arnold Palmer’s Iced Tea        

Found in: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays

                  Pages: 182 - 183      Copyright:  2013  Harper Collins

I figured out that there are 245 calories per serving, if 10 servings are made. (Please note that the calorie counts vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients that you choose to use.)

         I really liked this tea. I only tasted the real Arnold Palmer’s tea once, but I don’t remember my reaction to it at the time. What I love about this tea is that you can control how much tea and lemonade you mix together. I usually make it with more tea than lemonade. I will make this again because it was quite refreshing.

First, I laid out all of the ingredients

This is what my lemon juice and sugar
mixture looked like as it heated

There is nothing like freshly squeezed lemon juice

Now, to make the tea concentrate.
I used black tea.

This is called an oops picture. 

I love that you make the ice cubes using the
lemon syrup and a portion of the real lemon.

The tea concentrate is ready to go

I love these mugs!

This looks as refreshing as it tastes

                 

Memory Musings

         When I attended Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, I lived on the 16^th floor of co-ed Higgins Hall. Our brother floor was the 8^th floor. I was sitting here thinking about three of our brothers that became good friends. They were Tom Roth, Tom Roegner, and Dwayne Pottoff. We had so much fun together. I loved attending WIU and had a ball.