PresentPast Collection

Ladies Who Lunch

The month of May in our family is like 31 days of parties and celebrations. Sweet Girls birthday fell on Mothers Day this year which made the day special for both of us. She also had prom and SAT testing on the same day this month. Next we have my sisters birthday and my nieces birthday along with a belated birthday for my nephew. So I suppose you can guess what I've been doing lately, gift wrapping and going to the bank. A lot.

To treat my Mom and Sis to an extra special lunch date I took them to the St. Regis Monarch Bay Resort for a delicious lunch on the patio. The views are spectacular to say the least!

The weather was gorgeous with a cool ocean breeze and the smell of salt water in the air. It was like taking a mini vacation in the middle of a hectic month.

It was so hard deciding on what to have for lunch because everything on the menu sounded so delish. My mom decided to try the Lobster Club Sandwich. Yum!

And for dessert my sister ordered their signature St. Regis Warm Chocolate Cake complete with edible gold leaf logo.

Pretty fun day if I do say so myself. The only thing we thought might make it better was to book an appointment at Spa Gaucin. Perhaps next time, today we had to get back home to pick up kids from school. Ahhh, reality.

Peppermint Bark

One of the best parts of Christmas are the homemade and handmade gifts that we give and receive. They take time, thought and care in creating and are so much more personal than a gift card. My yearly Peppermint Bark is very simple to make, tastes delicious and is always just the right small gift to have on hand for friends and family who stop by. Here is my very easy recipe, I hope you give it a try!

Peppermint Bark

2 pounds of white chocolate, chopped

1 box of peppermint candy canes (11-12oz)

3/4 tsp. pure peppermint oil

Break up peppermint candy canes in a plastic bag, setting aside 1/4 of the pieces. Next melt the chocolate ( I prefer the microwave) until all pieces are smooth, then add in 3/4 of the peppermint pieces and the peppermint oil.

Pour onto a cookie sheet pan that has been lined with wax paper and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining peppermint pieces. Cool until hardened then break apart into bite size pieces.

I package mine in many different ways. Sometimes I put them in tins or boxes or even an antique cup & saucer. For this batch I used cellophane bags and added a polka dot bow and small silver bell ornament tied up with baker's twine.

They make such sweet surprises! Well, I'm off to finish packaging up the two batches I made. This weekend I'll probably make several more, The Man has been getting requests from his employees who remembered it from last year. The list just grows and grows. Good thing is so simple and fun to make!

Treat or Treat

Edited: Cookie Recipe Added Below

  Tonight is my annual Chili Night. I've been having it for about 15 years now. It's an open house, no invitation needed and there's no need to call, everyone just stops in on their way to Trick or Treat or during the evening to refuel!  I cook the same recipes every year, except the desserts. This year I made my favorite Carrot Cookies because I thought they'd be the perfect pumpkin color. The only thing I did different with them this year was make a double batch of icing. Yummy!

And because there will be lots of little ones, I made Halloween cupcakes, with the help of Pillsbury. I hope you all have a fun time with your families and get a chance to treat yourself to a little treat!

Here's the recipe for the cookies, enjoy!

Carrot Cookies

1c. shortening

1c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1c. cooked, mashed and cooled carrots

2c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs then add vanilla and lemon juice. Next mix in the carrots. Then combine the wet ingredients with the dry. Use a mini ice cream or cookie scoop to create uniform ball shaped cookies. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes.

Icing

Please note: this is a double batch of icing

3c. powder sugar

2 tbs. butter

2-4 tbs. milk to reach desired consistency.

Make sure it's not too thin, or it won't stick to the cookies. Drizzle over cooled cookies, twice if you have enough frosting! Delish!

Peaches & Cream

Sweet Girl: Hey Mom, what's for breakfast?

Me: Peaches!

Sweet Girl: Mom, what are we having for lunch?

Me: Peaches!

Sweet Girl: Mom, are you going to make anything for dinner?

Me: Nope, just dessert! Peaches & Ice Cream!

The Man: Yum.

Yummy Delights

So, I was rummaging through my kitchen drawers the other day and stumbled upon these 1950's jello molds. I probably bought them 5 years ago with the best intentions of making something with them. I was going to put them in our last yard sale but Sweet Girl screamed "Nooooo, I want to keep them! They're cute!" Flash forward to today when I decided, today's the day.

Due to lack of time I pulled out my box of brownie mix, added an extra egg to the batter, threw in a teaspoon of espresso powder and started mixing!

When they came out of the molds, I kept thinking, these are so cute! Sweet Girl was right to make me keep them!

And everyone knows that cute things taste better! Right?

To keep us from eating these over-sized treats, I wrapped some in cellophane and silk ribbon to give away. Sweet Girl's taking some to school tomorrow for a friend's birthday and I'm going to take one to my dear next door neighbor.

And if it was possible I'd send one to all of you!  Of course, now that this was so much fun, I'll have to look for some more molds the next time I'm out on the flea market trail.

Update: I forgot to mention that I sprayed the molds very well with non-stick cooking spray. And if you can't find espresso powder you can use regular espresso available in the coffee aisle of your local grocery store.

She Fears No Meringue

I have never made meringue in my life! Until now I should say. I don't know why I've never given it a try. Maybe because I've heard so many failure stories about how it was runny or stiff or didn't brown right. And I can hear Julia Childs in my ear saying, "beat the whites until soft peaks form then slowly add the sugar". What exactly are soft peaks anyway? I used the 2 egg white to 1/4c sugar recipe. Next time I will use more of both because hey, if I'm gonna make meringue I want it to be BIG to show off my newly acquired expertise! Now if you're looking at that shiny metal pie tin in judgment I say to you....I have not perfected the crust! But Marie Calendar's has just come out with frozen ready to bake crusts available at the grocery store and they are delish!

Working on some fun things this week. May is the biggest celebration month for my family. Birthdays include Sweet Girl,  my sister, my niece, my Sweet Step-Daughter's college graduation and of course Mother's Day. So I've been shopping. A LOT! Hope to show you my finds soon. 

Oh, I almost forgot! Do you remember this post? Well, here's what's been happening since the last photo!

Spring Berries

Can't you just smell them?  They are so fragrant it's intoxicating. I love, love, love strawberry season.  Fortunately in California it comes early and stays late.  I've been buying pint after pint and don't see any end in the near future.  I was inspired by this beautiful post by the lovely Daisy Cottage.  She shared with us how delicious and beautiful the strawberries are in Central Florida and I just thought it was only fair to show the world what California strawberries are like! (Wink, wink)  You know, to represent!  Now in fairness, I'm sure that they are both equally delicious.

I got this beautiful porcelain berry basket some years ago.  I bought it online and can't remember exactly where, it could have been eBay.  It's made by Two's Company if anyone wants to research finding one.  I think the creamer and sugar make it sooo adorable.  I don't put cream or sugar on my berries.  My favorite way is sliced up with a banana and some.....dare I say....Cool Whip.  It seems almost unthinkable not to top them with real freshly whipped cream. And if they aren't in season in your neck of the woods yet, I hope these photos will tide you over until you can get your hands on some too!

Sunday Valentines

This afternoon I spent some time with my 2 girls making Valentine cookies. I have a great recipe that I've perfected over the years. It makes light, delicious cookies that taste sooo much better than any store bought dough or mix. We all had fun making our own designs and of course getting frosting everywhere.

I kept thinking while I was decorating cookies with them that I don't know how many years I have left to do this with them. One will be married next weekend and one will graduate high school in 2 short years. People always tell you how fast time slips by and it's so true. Precious moments in time to be treasured. I hope that you all find some time to capture this week with your loved ones. And perhaps to make something sinfully delicious to enjoy together!                                                                                                                

The Man Can Cook

Thought I'd share with you a recipe that The Man likes to cook. He got it from our local Trader Joe's demonstration kitchen. The samples they make always smell so good and he very rarely passes one up. This one is for Steel Cut oatmeal. I believe it is called McCain's. Don't worry you can find it in most supermarkets. It comes in a metal can. Anyway you cook the oats according to the package instructions. While they are cooking you peel and slice up an apple.

Now of course, you don't have to use one of these contraptions. But The Man loves kitchen gadgets. I usually do it the old fashioned way. Next you saute them in real butter, not the fake stuff, along with some brown sugar until they are tender. After that you stir in some pecans or walnuts, whichever you choose. Lastly you put your oatmeal in a BIG bowl and place the apples on top. Sometimes he adds milk as well, but not today. This is great for a cold winter morning. Hope you give it a try, and hopefully I explained it well enough for you to understand! 

Santa Baby

Sunday evening was spent at my Mom's house for our family Christmas celebration. We opened our gifts early because we'll be on vacation for the holidays. We all had such a nice time, yummy dinner, music, dessert, movies. While everyone was watching movies The Man put together the gift we got for my Mom. An art easel for her creative spirit. She is very artistic and talented! We also got her a complete set of oils, watercolors and acrylics. Can't wait to see what she does with them.

Isn't this Santa so adorable? I don't know how old he is, my Mom's had him for quite some time. Perhaps if she ever tires of him she will give him to me. I'll take good care of him.

Santa's face is so chubby, pink and jolly. And he always has that twinkling in his eyes. Then there is that creamy, snowy white velvet suit. It's so much more magical than a red one. Oh, I hope to adopt him one day. Soon. 

Celebrations were all day on Sunday. Earlier in the afternoon my sisters, girlfriends and Mom took me to lunch for my early birthday. We had a great time, the food was delicious and the cake spectacular. It's an Italian Cream Cake from Sam's Club. They only make it during the holidays, from Thanksgiving to the New Year. If you've never had one I suggest you run, don't walk to your nearest Sam's to claim your stake in one.