Category: THOUGHTS

From the heart…

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Cards do nothing for my husband, so he says. Me on the other hand… I LOVE cards… I have every one he’s ever given me (and NO I’m not a pack rat, really!). I saw this card and thought it was perfect! Our mornings are fabulous! We both are early risers, in the winter, we have a nice fire in the morning and enjoy a leisurly cup of coffee, read the paper, and chat. On the inside of this card it talks about how wonderful our mornings are, and nights are pretty fabulous too… not exact wording, but I didn’t want to copy…

Papyrus cards are top of the line… I love those cards. We have a Papyrus store in Charleston, but you can also buy them at Target and Whole Foods. I was good, I didn’t buy the card, because really it would be for ME, ha ha… instead I will creatively MAKE a card. Yep. MAKE. A. CARD. It will be from the heart and totally awesome, I hope!

Here’s wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Eve! Until tomorrow!

Image via: http://www.papyrusonline.com/

Whoa, a thing of beauty… an apple or…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments
Image: apple.com

Whoa, a thing of beauty, eh? So many decisions to be made… Mac or Dell? Desktop or laptop? Ok, I’m waiting to hear from those of you out there who have experienced both… which do you prefer? We have had a Dell for a very long time, like forever. I love Dell… my curiosity has gotten the best of me and I, like half of America has been pulled into the great marketing and awesome looks of the Apple products. When we get a computer we like to get one that lasts. Good question for y’all: Does a laptop last as long as a desktop? Or not usually? Other than the convenience factor of a laptop, what are the pluses? Minuses? I’m thinking it would do my brain good to learn something entirely new… I’ve got the iPad mastered, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a stretch to get an Apple computer? I have always had a desktop, I’m comfortable with them, they aren’t portable (are they? ha ha) . I’m like a sponge just wanting to absorb some information, so if you have it… and you have a moment, please share your thoughts!

Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com if you get a chance! Until tomorrow…

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie… oh my!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

This is a Cooking Light recipe, and it’s TO. DIE. FOR. I’m not kidding you! My husband says “It’s so good it’ll make your tongue beat your brains out!” or something like that. I have to admit, I haven’t heard that saying before, the images that flash before my eyes give me the willies, BUT, it’s a GOOD thing… means it’s soooo gooood!

Oh yeah, the BLACK BOTTOM BANANA CREAM PIE (click on that for direct link to My Recipes where it’s easily printed) is delish! It’s not difficult, bake a pie crust, melt some chocolate, make the banana cream custard filling, slap the sliced bananas on top of the chocolate, smear on the custard, then they top with “whipped topping” EEEEK, which just doesn’t happen to be in my vocabulary. Instead mine isn’t pretty until served, I make whipped cream or if in a time pinch use the canned REAL whipped cream, then using a microplane shred a little chocolate on top and whoooaaaa! Have you got yourself a masterpiece! But don’t take my word for it. Really. Ohhhh, please tell me I didn’t toss those overripe bananas!

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients:

  • 1  (9-inch) Pastry Crust
  • 3  tablespoons  cornstarch, divided
  • 2  tablespoons  sugar
  • 2  tablespoons  unsweetened cocoa
  • Dash of salt
  • 1 1/3  cups  1% low-fat milk, divided
  • 1  ounce  semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2  cup  sugar
  • 1/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1  tablespoon  stick margarine or butter
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 2  ounces  block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
  • 2  cups  sliced ripe banana (about 2 large bananas)
  • 1 1/2  cups  frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
  • Chocolate curls (optional)

Preparation

Prepare and bake Pastry Crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sugar, cocoa, and dash of salt in a small, heavy saucepan; gradually add 1/3 cup milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in chocolate; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Spread chocolate mixture into bottom of prepared crust.

Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, eggs, 1 cup milk, and margarine in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook 30 seconds or until thick. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Beat cream cheese until light (about 30 seconds). Add 1/4 cup hot custard to cream cheese, and beat just until blended. Stir in remaining custard.

Arrange banana slices on top of chocolate layer; spoon custard over bananas. Press plastic wrap onto surface of custard; chill 4 hours. Remove plastic wrap. Spread whipped topping evenly over custard. Garnish with chocolate curls, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

315 (29% from fat)
Fat:
10.1g (sat 4.8g,mono 3.4g,poly 2.4g)
Protein:
6.9g
Carbohydrate:
49.6g
Fiber:
1.6g
Cholesterol:
58mg
Iron:
1.4mg
Sodium:
253mg
Calcium:
94mg

Greg Patent, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1998

Visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com !

Image via www.myrecipes.com – Becky Luigart-Stayner

Paintapalooza Artist: Jeff Bonasia

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTS, TRAVELLeave a comment
Image: Addisonart.com

YOU GONNA EAT THOSE FRIES? I would say this painting is aptly named, wouldn’t you? I simply love the light on this birds belly, it’s stoic look and how it’s really looking right at you. Kind of Wyeth’ish, don’t you think?

This doesn’t appear to be what he normally paints, but it just has so much character!
 
Years ago when vacationing in Maine we had rented a cottage. Down the street from our cottage was a large group of painters from all over the country. Real artists, the ones who do it all the time and are so good at it. The paintapalooza story is for another post, but it was a great group of talented guys.  Jeff Bonasia was one of the talented artists that week. He shows in several galleries, click on his name for a link to his website. This photo is from Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA.
 
If you get a chance, check out my photo blog at:
http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com
 
Until tomorrow…

Always trust your source…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image: cookinglight.com

Always trust your source! Especially when looking for a recipe online. There are many websites and blogs out in the cyber world, but when it comes to throwing costly ingredients together and having it turn into something fabulous, TRUST YOUR SOURCE. I have been a subscriber to Cooking Light magazine since the mid 90’s. It has changed over the years, but it has always been a great magazine FULL of fabulous recipes.

I read mine, fold down the pages of the recipes I like, then I go online to MYRECIPES.com where I pull up the recipe and save it to my “recipe box”online. That way I can pull up a favorite recipe no matter where I am, a big plus for sure! Then I can pass the magazine on to a neighbor. You can also subscribe to their daily email which sends you a meal suggestion each day as well as a host of other emails targeted specifically to one type of food. This is done through MyRecipes.com, which has the recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living and a host of other popular magazines.
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Cooking Light, I urge you to do so, or look at it at the library! Trust me, you’ll be copying down recipes like nobody’s business! It pays to subscribe, it’s much cheaper that way.
Remember to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – Until tomorrow…

Classy lighting… Circa…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via circa.com

One thing that can make or break a room is good lighting… Just my opinion. If you have nothing but bright light it gives the room a cold sterile feeling, if all the lighting is dim, it looks pretty at night but its difficult to see. All overhead lighting isn’t my thing, but if the light is on a dimmer it can work. We don’t have a huge house. We don’t have a table near every chair. We have lots of places to sit, but you can’t see well enough to read, knit, etc. in every seat. We think we’ve found a solution… Remember (well, maybe you don’t but I DO), those tension floor lamps that went to the ceiling, with lights hanging off of it? You could turn on one or all one, I think back in the 1960’s (wow, sounds like I came over on the Mayflower, doesn’t it?) ours had three lights. They’ve made a comeback (or perhaps they never left?), in a new sleek style. This image is of the ZIYI TENSION POLE LAMP. We are fortunate to have a Circa Lighting in Charleston! We can walk in and touch and feel and actually SEE what the lighting looks like and whether or not it would work at our house. This is on our list one day. Not sure where we would put it, so far we have many possibilities…

If you ever get a chance to check out Circa Lighting, do so! We always deal with Matthew and he is a pleasure! It’s so nice to talk to people so knowledgable about what they sell!
Their website is a good one! Go to www.circalighting.com to view all their lighting, they ship for FREE! You can’t beat that with a stick!
Don’t forget to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com – until tomorrow!

Bowtie pasta with sundried tomato and scallion cream!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Food & Wine

I was trying to think of what to make for dinner… ugh, I don’t want to be in a rut and make the same thing time and time again. We were both in the mood for some pasta, but we just weren’t sure HOW we wanted it… I happened to be on Facebook and I saw that Food and Wine magazine had posted a recipe that was quick and easy and sounded DELICIOUS! So off we went to the store, hunted and gathered the ingredients, popped home and threw it together in NO TIME! Seriously. This pasta sauce ISN’T. EVEN. COOKED! I had some reservations… hmmm, seems like you should at least cook it. I usually do try a new recipe pretty much as it’s shown, then the next time I make it I tweak it and change it up a bit. The only thing I did with this recipe is to use basil instead of parsley (LOVE tomatoes and basil together!) which the recipe did have listed as an alternative, and I used sundried tomatoes in oil instead of reconstituting… I also used mini bowties, well, just because I like them and they’re cute!  This. Was. Delicious. Say no more… I will be making this time and time again!

If you get a chance, check out this recipe. It would be nice paired with a small salad or a crusty loaf of good bread (as Ina would say). The recipe also mentions that it would be good with fusilli pasta, as the sauce would hold on to the crevices. See the wine pairing suggestion from Food and Wine below…
Pairing Suggestion – A fruity red wine will be ideal with the rich sauce and the assertive, salty taste of the sun-dried tomatoes. A slightly chilled bottle of Barbera or Dolcetto from the Piedmont region of Italy would be perfect.

Bow Ties with Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cream

SERVINGS: 4   FAST / VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

5 scallions, white and light-green parts only

6 tablespoons chopped reconstituted sun-dried tomato halves (about 12 halves); see Note

1 cup light cream or half-and-half

1 pound bow ties

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

  1. In a blender or food processor, puree the scallions and sun-dried tomatoes with 1/2 cup of the cream.
  2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the bow ties until just done, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the puree, the remaining 1/2 cup cream, 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water, the salt, pepper, and parsley. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it by adding more of the reserved pasta water.

 Notes

Reconstituting Sun-Dried Tomatoes In a small pan bring enough water to a boil to cover the dried tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, then remove from the heat and let steep in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain. You can also use drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe. Since they’re already soft, you don’t have to reconstitute them.

Variation

Bow Ties with Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Cream An equal quantity of chopped fresh basil or chives or 2 tablespoons of tarragon would be a good alternative or addition to the parsley.

Remember to visit my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com!

Image via Food & Wine – Melanie Acevedo

Last neurotic entry… for now…

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment

This SHOULD be the last neurotic post for a while… I’m making up for the weekend I took off in February. Ha ha… just heard the ding on my Blackberry… checked it and these two posts are going to my subscribers. Well… this is the last one. Hang tight, I am NOW CAUGHT UP and have this off my mind!

It’s funny, I started out thinking HOW WILL I BE ABLE TO WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING EVERY SINGLE DAY. It’s much easier than I imagined. It’s the getting it into the blog that’s the most time consuming. I have always enjoyed “creative writing”… technical writing isn’t my thing… it sucks away the creativity… I don’t care for that!

Enjoy your day… you won’t hear from me again until tomorrow.

PROMISE :)

I wish…

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTSLeave a comment

OK, this is cheating. I’m technically now a cheater… so I guess I can no longer say “cheaters never prosper” again. Hmmm. I started this blog on 1/1/11 and the first weekend of February, decided to take a weekend off. This POSTADAY2011 challenge isn’t about posting every day EXCEPT weekends… it’s about posting every. single. day. It can be grueling. No one understands WHY i’ve done this to myself. Ha ha… I am back dating this, and I’m not sure that it will work, but it’s my way of paying back the time I took off… I want to be able to say at the end of the year that I posted EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. PERIOD.

If this goes out to my subscribers, I apologize. Ha ha… I can be a little compulsive when I commit to something, ha ha… Have a great day!

Jump in a puddle, go ahead, you know you want to!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is… JUMPING IN PUDDLES! Long ago when my husband used to show horses I had a pair of LL Bean boots, they were the best, you could walk through anything, and at horse shows you did precisely that! From the stable to the puddles your feet were safe and dry. Today it’s raining, it’s pouring at times, yet I could don these LL Bean Rubber Mocs and go skipping through puddles with no worries (which is exactly what you want to do when you have these shoes on, well, maybe not the skipping part, but…). You can get these in a variety of colors and shapes, from tall boots to shoes, from plain ones like I have to the shearling lined for winter, they’re the ticket! If you’re in the market for a good pair of rain boots/shoes that will keep your feet nice and dry, and are comfortable to boot (hee hee, pun intended), check them out! LL Bean!
 
Hey, I think I’m taking the weekend off… If I run into a spare few minutes I’ll pop on a post, otherwise check back on Monday… Until then…
Remember to check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com! Have a great FRIDAY!
 
Images via www.llbean.com

Death by lemon squares…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Oxmoor House photo – Cooking Light

Everyone loves a good lemon square. Normally when I post a recipe I post it as I’ve made it with some changes, additions or subtractions. But this my friends is PERFECT JUST AS IT IS. It’s a Cooking Light recipe. You can copy and paste the recipe below… (the link to Cooking Light no longer exists).

Beware, this is “16 servings” which is really like “4 servings” in my book, so the calories, etc. do go up… but it’s worth every bite! Really…

EASY LEMON SQUARES – Cooking Light

 For the crust:

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add flour to sugar mixture, mix on low until resembles fine crumbs. Gently press into the bottom of an 8” square baking pan. Bake at 350˚ for 15 minutes; cool pan on wire rack.

 For the topping:

3 large eggs

¾ cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/3 cup FRESH lemon juice

3 tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs at medium speed until foamy. Add sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well blended. Pour mixture of partially baked crust. Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes or until topping is set. Cool on wire rack.

 Before serving:

Sift 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar evenly over the top once it has cooled. (I skip this step, but it’s pretty!)

Nutritional Information:

Calories 118, Fat 3.2g (sat 1.7g, mono 1g, poly 0.3g), Protein 2.2g, Carbs 20.5g, Fiber 0.3g, Cholesterol 47mg, Iron 68mg, Sodium 68mg, Calcium 16mg

Post updated 01/23/25

Will he or won’t he??

On By Barbara StroudIn THOUGHTS1 Comment

Image via http://www.groundhog.org

Dangit! I forgot to go to Hallmark to get cards… hmmm. Wonder if we get mail today… hmmmm. It IS a holiday. YOU did remember, right? What holiday you’re thinking… ahhh, that would be GROUNDHOG DAY. Yes, today is the day, in the middle of an ice/snow storm that good ole Punxsutawney Phil will be pulled into the limelight to determine if we’ll see six more weeks of winter…  DO WE SEE HIS SHADOW? If it’s cloudy and there is no shadow that means an early spring… I’m kind of hoping he see’s his shadow. Winter in Charleston is nice, I sure don’t want to rush it! Here’s hoping you have a great groundhog day! Until next time…

A walk to remember…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

Move more – Eat less… it’s what the experts say we should all be doing… Well, we’ve been really good about moving more, that’s for sure (we could probably eat a little less, but…). Charlie (our Jack Russell) is instrumental in our fitness regimen… if we don’t get him walked at the bare minimum of four miles he’s wound up tighter than a tick (ick, what does that mean?)… Here are a few pictures from our walk today. We live near the West Ashley Greenway, it’s a great path that goes many miles out… Today we ventured out 2 miles and back 2 miles with a quick reward stop at Petco for Charlie… He loves to shop… then as we headed back down the greenway we detoured at Dolittles (another pet store with cool toys and treats) and then headed home. Hope you’re able to get out this weekend. It’s so nice this week, I’m looking at my Brookstone “weather station” and it’s shows 75 for Wednesday… holy cow, can you imagine August? Eek… for now, the nights are still cool, YAY!!! So a fire in the fireplace is what we look forward to! Have a great weekend… until tomorrow…

Artist to watch: Robert Joyner

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured Artist, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Image via http://www.robertjoynerartist.com

The day started innocently enough… taking the dog for a walk we ran into a neighbor. “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” she asked. Hmmm, we really hadn’t thought about it. We don’t usually go out to eat or buy flowers, etc since the dinners out that we have had on Valentine’s Day have been rushed and the flowers are at an overinflated price. But… that got us thinking… Fred was on Robert Joyner’s website (www.robertjoynerartist.com) and reading his blog, he saw this painting that we’ve had our eye on, Old Timer Number 5… it was still for sale… AND at that moment there was a 20% sale! Robert is very savy when it comes to his sales. Sales are there and then they aren’t, and then they are…  Earlier it was 15%…, now 20%, ohmygosh, a sign? We had just talked about cutting back, no more art this year. During the last year we’ve gotten some great pieces, but it’s time to slow down… we both agreed. BUT… IT’S. ON. SALE. So, we decided it would be our Valentine’s gift to each other (can we justify just about anything or what?), so it’s a done deal. It’ll be on it’s way here shortly and we CAN’T WAIT! If you haven’t been to Robert’s website I encourage you to visit it. It’s full of great information, stories and PAINTINGS! His blog is as interesting as it is informative. Speaking of his blog, there is a demo of him painting this very painting and it’s AMAZING! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxZm8YxK3GI You won’t believe your eyes! If you’re looking for a painting, check them out, he paints a variety of subjects, ALL AMAZING.  Horses, cows, Maine scenes, landscapes the list goes on and on… Enjoy the demo AND your weekend!

Don’t forget to check out my photoblog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com ! Until tomorrow…

Why did Panera change their chicken noodle soup…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, THOUGHTS38 Comments

UPDATE: 2015 I tried their chicken noodle soup, it’s been years. It was very good! 

I lied. Not on purpose, but I did. I said I wasn’t going to post anymore about Panera Bread changing their chicken noodle soup recipe. BUT. I need to. I have gotten a tremendous amount of traffic on this site because of one thing. My fantastic writing skills PANERA CHANGED THEIR CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE and (in my opinion) it’s not the best. I’m here to encourage those of you who haven’t, to let Panera know how you feel. You have reached my blog not because you enjoyed the new soup but because you were shocked at the new “improvement”. So go ahead, contact Panera (info from their website)…

👉You can email Panera Customer Support or give us a call at 855-3-PANERA (855-372-6372). Phone support is available every day from 7 A.M. – 7 P.M. CDT.

It’s a good company, so they would want to know why we aren’t buying the chicken noodle soup any longer.

Until tomorrow!

Image via www.panerabread.com