A Week to Remember

Okay, so this isn't exactly Sparks's "A Walk to Remember".... sweet story.

No, this is Ruthy's "Week to Remember" beginning with oh... it's spring and farm stuff is ramping up... So how 'bout we put another ten or twelve hours in the week, 'kay????

Yep. Now you know why I welcome winter....

Here's a link to peaceful winter music, my friends!!!!

So we begin with a beautiful First Communion for grandson Xavier.... Look how sweet this boy is, and what a beautiful day!

I made him a First Communion cake and we were so happy to be at his ceremony...

Then there was the joy of book writing (and yes, that is a hugely fun part of my week....)

Tonight I am the sponsor for a beautiful young lady for Confirmation into the church... and what a blessing that is, to be asked to stand up for a kid accepting Christ as her Savior... Now there's a happy dance moment right there!!!

(No pictures because it hasn't happened yet.... But it will. Tonight!!!)

PICTURES ADDED!!!:  This was McKenna and me at Sacred Heart Cathedral... which is actually where I grew up.

And this is us with Bishop Matano:

And then tomorrow is normal (kind of) and then Saturday is another beautiful First Communion for granddaughter Anna....

 And a party, of course!!!!

And my beautiful Christina (daycare cutie from a while back and now works on the farm) is going to her SENIOR BALL!!!! And then college, where has the time gone????

And then we roll into Mother's Day and a wonderful performance by my young friend Taylor as "Belle" in "Beauty and the Beast"....

And did I mention that it's Mother's Day?

And then Beth's birthday rounds out the week.

Yep.

Beautiful stuff.

Crazy busy week.... and when folks look at me and say "Gosh, your kids are all grown up, why do you still get up in the middle of the night to work?" I just smile....

Real pretty-like...

And say something inane like "Oh, I'm used to it..."

Or the ever-famous: "I'm a morning person!"

Or there's always: "It's my most productive time!!!"

:)

There is some truth in all the above, but the reason is always first, last and in the middle: I don't get interrupted by life in the middle of the night...

And I don't feel guilty about doing the cool family gigs I love!

So there you have it.

That's my week.... I am blessed to be part of it!!!

And more blessed to see young families bringing their sweet babies to church.

Not much cooking.... Some baking... and definitely some garden work going on. The time of throwing stuff on the grill and having salads in the fridge is upon us...

And I'm okay with that!

Award-winning author Ruthy Logan Herne does love the peace and quiet of winter, and she just may find a rabbit hole one day but for now, the old farmhouse works and she slips downstairs when the birds are chirping and the frogs are peeping to keep on with her writing schedule... With a Diet Mt. Dew at her side! Write to her at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website ruthloganherne.com or friend her on facebook or follow her on Twitter... she's always happy to meet/greet/see you!

Combating the weather with colorful food.

Rain, rain, go away.

I feel rather petulant.

Isn't that a great word?

Now, mind you, given the horribly destructive weather being experienced in so many parts of the country (and world), I don't feel right complaining, but love a duck, this rain is getting on my last nerve. It's been cloudy or rainy for a very long time (and is raining even as I type this)!

Anyway, rather than complain, I thought I'd give you something bright to eat.

Remember when I shared this "pizazzy" dish from my daugher?

My daughter messaged me this photo of her dinner with the comment that it was nothing extraordinary, but she thought it had some colorful pizzazz.

Close your eyes, Ruthy. It's kale - lightly roasted. And I do mean lightly. She puts it in the oven for a couple of minutes just to give it a little crisping.

There is also avocado and tomato.

The dear girl must have realized I haven't done much cooking lately, so she remembered to take pictures for me as she assembled it.

These got roasted together -

Yellow pepper, purple daikon radish, broccoli.

She tossed in some black beans and corn.

And by the time I came home, there was nothing left but an empty bowl.

Lately, I've been doing my own variation on this quite a bit. Mine has blanched kale, honey chicken, sunflower seeds, beets, and orange slices. Very colorful and fresh.

Do you ever find yourself craving a cheery looking dish when the weather is bleak?

 

Sunday Afternoon Tea

You know, sometimes life gets crazy. That's when it's extra special to take a timeout with a friend or two and do something fun and relaxing. And if it happens to involve food, it's even better.

My friend, Debbie, and I met for afternoon tea this weekend at one of the bed-and-breakfasts in our little town. By the way, did you know that there is a difference between afternoon tea and high tea? Afternoon tea is what most of us think of. It typically has three courses made up of tea sandwiches and petite savories, scones with clotted cream and jam, and then rounded out with bite-sized desserts. High tea, on the other hand, is served later and is more of a full-size meal served with tea. One website referred to it as a working class family's evening supper. So there you have it. When it comes to tea-time, you are in the know. 

One of the things that always makes afternoon tea feel extra special is the pretty plates and cups. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for chintzware.

But the food is the star of the show. 

The savories...

The scones, one savory, one sweet. Here we have a Pimento Cheese scone and a Cookies and Cream scone. The Pimento Cheese one was amazing.

Finally, it's onto the sweets.

And lest we forget the teas. One fun thing about going to tea is getting to sample a couple different varieties. On this day we had Cream Earl Gray which is a pleasant, more delicate version of traditional Earl Gray, and Chocolate Mint Rooibos. That one didn't do much for me, so I stuck with the first tea.

Of course, the best thing of all is sharing that time with friends, catching up on all the things that have gone on in our busy lives. That right there is worth the price of admission.

What would be your favorite part of afternoon tea? The food, getting together with friends or all of the above?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.

Kentucky Memories and Hot Browns

Jan here, with a bit of horse talk.

The first Saturday in May...what does it mean to you? For many people, it's best known as Derby Day. I grew up watching the Kentucky Derby every year. The afternoon of the first Saturday in May, I'd be in front of the television, watching the best two minutes of the year. I still am. Every May.

I watched Secretariat win the Derby in 1973...and the Preakness...and the Belmont. He was some horse.

I watched Affirmed win, and Seattle Slew. None of them topped Secretariat in my mind, though.

I also enjoy watching horses from the past run the race: War Admiral, Man O War, Sir Barton... YouTube has the videos of all of them.

In the five years that we lived in Kentucky, I learned a lot about horse racing. I loved to drive on the country roads between our house and Lexington or Frankfort or Louisville, past places with names like Calumet (former home of 1948 Triple Crown Winner Citation,), Jonabell, Three Chimneys, Woodford, Pin Oak, Taylor Made...

I also enjoyed visiting the Kentucky Horse Park, where many retired race horses live. My favorite sites at the park were the Hall of Champions and The Big Barn, the Draft Horses.

Yes, I'm a horse geek.

Saturday's Kentucky Derby was one for the record books. If you watched it, you saw what happened. The lead horse, Maximum Security crossed the finish line first. But after a complaint, the stewards investigated a claim that Maximum Security had interfered with other horses as they were coming down the home stretch. Maximum Security was disqualified, and Country House was declared the winner.

That's something that has never happened before in the history of the Derby. 

Does the disqualification taint the Derby? Maybe. Maybe not. There's something about the allure of watching those horses run...

In honor of Derby Day, I made one of my favorite Kentucky recipes for my supper on Saturday night.

The original recipe I have says "Recipe courtesy of The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky." With apologies to the Brown Hotel, here's my version of the Kentucky Hot Brown!

Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich

ingredients for one sandwich (multiply the ingredients as needed):

1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon flour
3/4 cups milk
2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, about 1/8 teaspoon each
1/2 egg, beaten (I gave the remaining 1/2 egg to Thatcher, and it was greatly appreciated!)
1 slice whole wheat bread, toasted
3 slices deli roast turkey
1 slice tomato (optional)
4 strips bacon, cooked

Preheat your oven to 375°. Lightly grease a small casserole dish, at least 6".

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour, whisking it into the butter until smooth. Let the roux cook for about a minute.

Stir in the milk, a little at a time, whisking until smooth between each addition. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Cook until the cheese is melted and incorporated, stirring constantly.

Stir in the beaten egg, and cook for an additional three minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

To assemble the sandwich, place the toast on the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with the slices of turkey, the optional tomato slice (I leave it off) and two strips of bacon. Pour the sauce over the sandwich and top with the remaining strips of bacon.

Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 8 minutes, or until the sauce is hot and bubbly.

Sorry, I didn't get a picture after baking - I was too anxious to dig in!

You might wonder why the tomato is optional...well, there are a few things I don't enjoy eating, and a big, juicy slice of tomato on my sandwiches is one of them. If you like tomatoes, all the better. Include a slice on your Hot Brown and enjoy!

Do you enjoy watching the Kentucky Derby? Do you have any traditions for the first Saturday in May?

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-six years. Her writing partner is her corgi, Thatcher, who makes life…interesting.

Simple and (Sort of) Quick

Missy Tippens

I'm just sharing a good ol' stand by today. Something made a little easier by my Instant Pot. I thought to make this because we had a bag of frozen leftover ham that was months old that my husband wanted to throw away. I didn't want to waste it since it didn't have freezer burn, so decided to use it to flavor one of my favorite things...

Pinto beans!

Good protein, good fiber. And inexpensive.

I took a 1 pound bag of dried pintos and rinsed them.

Because I was using the IP, I didn't need to soak them. However, they weren't as tender as I would have liked, even after reheating them the next day. So next time I'll try to remember to let them soak overnight to see if that makes a difference.

I added 6 cups of water because I like mine soupy. But I think you need to add at least 4 cups.

Then I added some olive oil, chopped onion, chopped ham, and a bit of vinegar.

I cooked them on manual, high setting, for 45 minutes with a natural (not quick) release.

They turned out tasty! I ate them several times leftover as well. And I didn't waste that ham! :)

(I also had a good laugh as my husband very tentatively ate them, asking me to promise him the ham wouldn't make him sick.) LOL

P.S. We were both FINE. :)

www.missytippens.com

Easter, Spring-in-bloom and New Beginnings

Well, it's spring in Upstate/Western New York and there are daffodils....

And buds on the trees!!!

Birds singing at 5:00 AM...

Peepers peeping...

Our FIRST THUNDERSTORM YESTERDAY!!!

Oh, that's a joyous thing after a long white winter of silence from 4:00 AM on.

I am loving the noise!

And here's some pics from our Easter preparation:

The Mighty Finn and The Little Princess, preparing for Easter with remembrance art work:

And some baking, of course...

While I spent Holy Week in Dallas and Waco and Fort Worth, we still needed to read and talk and learn about Christ's sacrifice... and have Easter dinner and the joy of the Resurrection.

Easter is my favorite holy day...

We haven't wrecked it yet!!!! Yay!

Our family Easter Egg Hunt for the grandkids:

And then Dads and Uncles gathered to watch and coach and encourage... the way dads and uncles do!

Hunting on the porch...

In the sleeping gardens...

 And snooping around the wood rounds that Grandpa has cut for customers...

And Jello Eggs are always a crowd-pleasing favorite!

So I love getting ready for this beautiful day.

But this year I wasn't home to bake, so Beth went to Jackson's Bakery and got an amazing selection of stuff that was delicious! And someplace I have a picture of that tray of high-calorie goodness but I can't find it, so y'all have to trust the Yankee today! :)

It was a crazy and crazy fun and blessed week, and as I write this it is pouring outside... it's been pouring for hours, and they're predicting snow and rain for the next two days, but that's okay...

We've got a cozy wood fire and I've got contracts to fulfill and pretty soon I can get outside time between chapters... and finish cleaning my crazy messy garage!!!

But in the north we take this day-by-day out of necessity... and because we know when the change comes, it's like winter one day... summer the next!

And that just gives us something else to talk about!

Multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne loves what she's doing, writing compelling stories with unforgettable characters from this century or those past and having the time of her life while she's doing it. Write her at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website at ruthloganherne.com and friend her on facebook where she talks way too much!

It's Cherry Blossom Time

I thought I was being so original sharing some local Brooklyn information, only to discover I had already shared about this before.

That's okay. The cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is amazing enough to share again.

Me, I go nowhere near the gardens on this weekend. They expect 35,000 people each day of the festival. The beauty of living in the neighborhood is that I can visit any time and avoid the crowds.

Sakura Matsuri

And when the wind blows, like it did this weekend, you get more of a cherry blossom blizzard!

The aftermath. So pretty, but sad to see those lush blossoms fade.

So back to the festival - You can check out the Botanic Gardens page here and see they have so many events scheduled for Cherry Blossom weekend. It's a beautiful blend of nature and culture - everything from Japanese techno-infused music to Samurai sword fighting to Manga authors.

If you go to the main page - you can see the Cherry Blossom esplanade in full bloom.

There is also a beautiful and peaceful Japanese Garden.

Last year everyone was frustrated because the cherry trees didn't bloom until the Monday AFTER the festival. This year the blossoms were at peak and the trees were amazing!



If you're ever in Brooklyn in April (or May), be sure to drop by this amazing garden and see the spectacle.


Of course all you have to do is walk down any of our streets to be treated to a splendid display.