Many happy wishes!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTS2 Comments

 Lots of wishes for the next two days… let me start with my sister… It’s Bridget’s birthday today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! You’re a great sister, we have a blast and I miss you TONS… Hope this is a wonderful birthday for you!! You certainly deserve it! You’re a great mom, wife, daughter AND sister. You certainly keep busy making everyone’s world a nicer and more happy place. God is smiling down upon you… let your pleasures be many and your worries be few, that is my birthday wish for you… (i’m a poet and don’t know it?)!

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad! I guess it’s 53 years now?? Whoa! Congratulations to you both for doing something that is almost unheard of in this day and age! You are an inspiration! Fred and I are so fortunate that our parents are still married. You guys are the best!

 
My wish for you is continued happiness together! I pray for your health, and cannot wait until I see you guys again. Darn this living far away from each other is torture! Come to your senses and move to SC, hee hee… that will be about the time we can’t take the heat anymore and move to Maine, ha ha… but wherever we all end up it doesn’t matter as long as we’re together or at least within reasonable driving distance… Have PTSD from the last car ride… 17.5 hours in a day is about 13.5 more than I can handle. Strap me in the backseat with a DVD player, some movies, treats and if all else fails some chewable Benadryl next time… Charlie can have the front seat! Hee hee… (nothing against your driving Fred, really! Awesome job, I just have the attention span of a gnat and 17.5 hours rattled my brain beyond what is comprehensible!)… ok, I’m a drama queen…
 
Happy Birthday William!

And finally… tomorrow is Bill’s birthday… HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL! Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing birthday maybe with something tossed on the grill, some cake (real cake, please ask Bridget to make you a REAL cake) and a float down the river! ENJOY YOURSELF!!!

 
Ok y’all, I appreciate you sticking around for all my wishes this week! I wish all of YOU the happiest week ever! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Meatless Monday… Giada’s Creamy Farfalle, with Cremini, Asparagus and Walnuts!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe4 Comments
Image: FoodNetwork.co.uk

I made this a few years ago and it was outstanding! I just now remembered it while trying to come up with a meatless recipe that I know you would all love! Trust me on this, it’s a WINNER with a capital W! It’s quick, easy and the taste??? Out of this world!! Pair with a small salad and whoa, it’s friends-come-over-to-dinner worthy! This is one of the most popular Giada De Laurentiis recipes. Dang she’s good!

Below is the recipe, or click HERE for the link to the Food Network page where you can print the recipe!

 CREAMY FARFALLE WITH CREMINI, ASPARAGUS AND WALNUTS

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound farfalle pasta

3 tablespoons butter

1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 cup mascarpone cheese

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

 

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the farfalle. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 1/2 cup of walnuts. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts. Serve.

Enjoy! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Another great (albeit older, 2003) movie… AWESOME!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: IMDB.com

OK, if you haven’t seen this movie yet you MUST go get it! It will make you smile, it will make you laugh so hard you cry**, if you’re like me, YOU. WILL. LOVE. IT! I adore this movie for so many reasons…

One is the house. The house is absolutely amazing, and I will share a secret fact with you about the house at a later date. Well, it’s not top secret, but… ok, so anyone with access to Google may know about it, but anyway… Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton are such a good team. There is a section in this movie where you may be tempted to rewind and watch, rewind and watch several times** it’s a part with Jack Nicholson, and lack of something… but I can’t tell you any more than that. My mom and I watched it and we were laughing so hard tears were pouring down our faces. My dad walked in to see what all the hoopla was and he started laughing. I love those kinds of movies. They’re GOOD FOR YOU… it’s great to laugh that deep laugh, so trust me on this… well, unless you don’t like romantic comedies… Click HERE to get to the IMDB website with more information about this movie!
 
Enjoy your weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Ahhh! A great movie for the weekend!

On By Barbara StroudIn HOMELeave a comment
Image: imdb.com

We haven’t had the best of luck lately when it comes to picking a movie to watch on DVD. We don’t watch alot of movies, so we tend to stick with Redbox. It’s quick, they usually have the movie and I can return it to any Redbox, which is a big plus. My husband spotted THE LINCOLN LAWYER… I thought, ugh… a lawyer that appears to work out of his car? How good can that be? Then I read the Redbox reviews… they were really impressive reviews. So we rented it…

 
IT WAS AWESOME! A great legal thriller, it’s definitely worth watching. Everyone in it was very very good… so if you need something to watch, this could be it! Click HERE to get to IMDB website for more info on movie, including trailer!
 
Enjoy your weekend! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist to watch… Cleber Stecei!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Cleber Stecei - Nice Day

Can you imagine having this much talent at such a young age?  I’m sure some of you can, but whoa… this guy is good. So many fabulous peaceful works. Check him out, he’s at Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA. Here’s a blip from their website.

Born in Brazil in 1976, Cleber Stecei began experimenting with abstract painting as a teenager. After arriving in the United States at the age of 19, he became inspired by the beautiful New England scenery and has since excelled in landscape painting.

Stecei’s work is done both from photographic references and on location (en plein air), allowing him to respond to the effects of natural light and atmosphere.

Stecei is a member of the Cape Cod Art Association and his work has been awarded numerous times, including a Best in Show. Since showing at the Addison Art Gallery, his work has enthralled collectors as well as judges and has been featured in respected regional and national art publications.

“A Master in the Making…represented by one of the Cape’s most prestigious galleries, Addison Art in Orleans. Cleber Stecei paints weekly with the highly regarded Cape artist Paul Schulenburg, and is encouraged by other stellar colleagues, including Rick Fleury and Joan Brancale.

Stecei’s reputation as a landscape artist has been rising like a mellow tide that is still building. His work has been noted in several national art publications and his paintings are in collections country-wide. Stecei’s talent, age, and new presence in the market have thrust him to the heady upper echelons of the art scene—all in less than 18 months.”
—Mary Grauerholz, Cape Cod Life, July 2011

 Check out his other work! I look forward to seeing his work in person one day!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

 

A cancer prevention tip that will make you smile!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: Prevention.com

Now this is a cancer prevention tip that makes me smile… it’s one that I don’t have to think about… one that I can do… one that I can OVER do, ha!

Dark chocolate (70%+) is more than a tasty morsel that you let melt in your mouth, it’s rich in so many ways…  uh, excuse me, had to jump up and grab a piece, don’t want to forget! (I heard you laugh… you’re right… like I would forget!)! Info from Prevention magazine . Click HERE for a fabulous article that has the list of foods we’ve been talking about over the past few months!

Cure It with Dessert

Enjoy antioxidant-rich dark chocolate

Chocolates containing over 70% cocoa provide a number of antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and many polyphenols. In fact, a square of dark chocolate contains twice as many as a glass of red wine and almost as many as a cup of green tea properly steeped. These molecules slow the growth of cancer cells and limit the blood vessels that feed them.

How to Eat It: Enjoy about one-fifth of a dark chocolate bar a day guilt free. Milk chocolate isn’t a good alternative because dairy cancels out the cancer protection of the polyphenol compounds.

Next week is the last of this series…  but there will be more… I promise! Lets recap all the foods that can be fighting for our bodies to help prevent cancer, as long as we feed our bodies these nutritious warriors instead of say, those tart things you pop in the toaster (oh heavy sigh). It’s worth re-reading this list and adding as many to your day as you possibly can. Don’t ever stop!

BRUSSEL SPROUTS – BOK CHOY – CHINESE CABBAGE – BROCCOLI – CAULIFLOWER – GARLIC – ONION – LEEKS – SHALLOTS – CHIVES – WILD SALMON – ANCHOVIES – SMALL MACKEREL – SARDINES – ORANGES – TANGERINES – LEMONS – GRAPEFRUIT – STRAWBERRIES – RASPBERRIES – BLUEBERRIES – BLACKBERRIES – CRANBERRIES – DARK CHOCOLATE and next…. TOFU – MISO – TEMPEH – SOY MILK – SOY YOGURT, but that’s next week!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Ok mom! This is chemo #11, two treatments to go, WOOHOO!!

Love you lady! me

A hot hot day needs a cold cold dinner… SHRIMP to the rescue!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment
Chilled boiled shrimp with homemade cocktail sauce

When the temperature soars the last thing in the world I want to eat is something hot OR something that requires turning on the stove/oven for more than a few minutes. This is what we eat most weekends and it’s fabulous! It couldn’t be easier either…it’s just boiled shrimp that has been chilled along with a homemade (always the best) cocktail sauce. If we’re really hungry that day we’ll pair it with some pimiento cheese and wheat crackers. Ohhh, our favorite summertime meal!  If you’ve never boiled shrimp before read on! If you have, then I’ll catch you back here tomorrow!

 
Start with fresh local shrimp if at all possible. It’s truly the best!
 
SHRIMP COCKTAIL WITH HOMEMADE COCKTAIL SAUCE
If it’s a meal we usually get a pound of shrimp. Clean and devein it (or buy it that way!!)
Turn on a large pot of water, add a tablespoon of salt, once the water is boiling, add the uncooked shrimp.
Watch it until it turns bright pink, the size we get is I would say medium size and takes about 4 minutes… a little less for smaller shrimp a little more for larger shrimp. Medium sized is a good size for shrimp cocktail.
Now drain the shrimp and run cold water to stop the cooking process.
I then dump into a very cold bowl of water (water and ice) and let sit until shrimp is cold (few minutes). I also throw a lemon that I sqeezed into the the cold bowl of water.
While this is chillin’, make the sauce:
Into a little bowl pour between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup ketchup (more or less depending upon how much cocktail sauce that you want to end up with). Then I squeeze a wedge of lemon and 2-3 spoonfuls (heaping, but depending on how you like it) horseradish, the good kind, the REAL horseradish, not a sauce with horseradish in it… pinch of salt and pepper, stir it together, put into a ramekin or small serving dish and stick it in the fridge.
 
Now empty the bowl of water and put the shrimp in a bowl (without water or ice), then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until you’re ready to eat… you will not believe how good this is and how QUICK!
 
ENJOY! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Artist (woodworker) to watch… Paul Baines!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image: http://www.paulbainesfinewoodworking.com/

Look at this stool. It’s a work of art no doubt, but do you want to know the most delightful thing about it? It’s COMFORTABLE! What? Yep. It’s comfortable beyond belief. This is high quality furniture and I think the prices are so reasonable. The first time we sat on one of these stools was at the Port Clyde General Store. There are a variety of finishes for the seat and the legs for you to choose from. A variety of heights among other beautiful furniture… it’s truly worth checking out!

These stools are made by Paul Baines Fine Woodworking. These are called Cathance River Stools and they are absolutely beautiful! Click HERE to read the story behind them. There is a Web Store as well as an actual place to go see, touch, sit… Here’s a blip from their website:

My shop is located in Bowdoinham, ME 04008. We are open from 8AM – 5PM. If you are ever in the neighborhood, give us a call at 207.571.8280, or please stop by!

Catch you back here tomorrow! If you get a chance check out my PHOTO BLOG!

Quick, easy and delicious! KEY LIME PIE, perfect for a hot summer day!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, RecipeLeave a comment

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Nellie and Joe’s Key West Lime Juice… it makes a tasty and tart Key Lime pie. What’s more perfect for dessert when the weather makes you want to melt?? I was making dessert to take to some friends who were having us over for dinner… I needed something nice and cold and refreshing… Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Pie recipe is a hit on all counts… It couldn’t be quicker to put together and toss in the oven for 15 minutes, let cool and refrigerate. Then serve topped with whipped cream (or meringue) which you need to cut some of the sweetness. It looks a little flat in the graham cracker crust, but it’s leaving room for the whipped cream, so before you serve it, pile it high, then add a little lime zest/lime slices! Ok, here’s the recipe, it’s also on the back of the Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice bottle! You can find their key lime juice in most grocery stores, usually with the bottles of drink mixers (margarita mix, etc.) OR in the juice section… photo of pie served on friends pretty green plates is below the recipe…

Screen Shot 2017-07-18 at 7.44.12 AM.png

Oh and don’t do like I did… DO NOT USE THE EGG WHITES. I separated the eggs and tossed the yolks, that’s right… apparently I’m in a caffeine deficit right now, heavy sigh! Luckily I hadn’t yet poured it into the crust… so I just needed to go back to the store for another can of sweetened condensed milk…

Oh no, now I’ve got keylimepieonthebrain…ugh! Catch you back here tomorrow!

Rembrandt and the face of Jesus exhibit… Paris, Philly then Detroit…

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Head of Christ, Rembrandt, mid 1600’s

Rembrandt and the face of Jesus… what a facinating exhibit that will be! It’s been in Paris, is now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (through October), and then to Detroit Institute of Arts in November. If you’re near any of these locations stop in, I think it will be an exhibit you won’t want to miss! Here’s a blip from Philadelphia Museum of Art:

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) is universally acclaimed as the greatest master painter of the Dutch Golden Age, the 17th-century efflorescence of art in the Netherlands. Thanks to an inventory of his home and studio conducted in July 1656, we know that Rembrandt kept in his bedroom two of his own paintings called Head of Christ. A third painting—identified as a “Head of Christ, from life”—was found in a bin in Rembrandt’s studio, awaiting use as a model for a New Testament composition. Today, seven paintings survive (from what was likely eight originally) that fit this description, all painted by Rembrandt and his pupils between 1643 and 1655. Bust-length portraits, they show the same young man familiar from traditional artistic conceptions of Christ, yet each figure also bears a slightly different expression. In posing an ethnographically correct model and using a human face to depict Jesus, Rembrandt overturned the entire history of Christian art, which had previously relied on rigidly copied prototypes for Christ.This exhibition, the first Rembrandt exhibition in Philadelphia since 1932 and the first ever in the city to include paintings by the Dutch master, reunites the seven paintings of this exceedingly rare and singular series for the first time since 1656. Of these portraits, three are being seen in the United States for the first time. Complemented by more than fifty related paintings, prints, and drawings, Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus allows visitors to consider the religious, historic, and artistic significance of these works. Objects of private reflection for Rembrandt, the paintings in this exhibition bear witness to Rembrandt’s iconoclasm and his search for a meditative ideal. In addition to major paintings, many of the selected drawings in this exhibition have been rarely exhibited or lent owing to their light-sensitivity and fragility. Indeed, never before have so many of Rembrandt’s finest paintings, etchings, and drawings that depict Jesus Christ and events of his life been assembled for an exhibition. Organizers and SupportThis exhibition is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Musée du Louvre, Paris, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. In Philadelphia, the exhibition is made possible by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Montgomery Scott Fund for Exhibitions and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Additional support is provided by Carol Elizabeth Ware and the Marian S. Ware 2006 Charitable Lead Annuity Trust and by generous individuals. Funding for conservation was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

 Curator

Lloyd DeWitt • Associate Curator of European Painting before 1900 Location

Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries, first floor Itinerary

Musée du Louvre, Paris • April to July 2011
Philadelphia Museum of Art • August to October 2011
The Detroit Institute of Arts • November 2011 to February 2012

 Catch you back here tomorrow!
Image: http://www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/409.html?page=1

Leonardo da Vinci – Vitruvian Man

On By Barbara StroudIn ARTLeave a comment
Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, 1490

Leonardo da Vinci was one smart cookie… that’s my opinion. I mean the man was a brilliant artist as well as an inventor?? I’m sure you’ve seen this drawing some time in your life?? He drew it in the year 1490. If you would like to read more detailed information on this image (fascinating!), click HERE for a great link to Stanford with lots of interesting info…

This image has mostly been related to health and fitness or the medical community. Here’s a blip from ArtQuotes.net

The Virtruvian Man has also been referred to as “Canon of Proportions” or the “Proportions of Man”. The image and accompanying text of the Virtruvian man displays the understanding that Leonardo had of the proportions of man. The artist used the theories of the Roman architect Vitruvius, calculating the proportion of the perfect male figure. The text above and below the drawing is written in Mirror writing by Leonardo.

Text from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
From the roots of his hair to the bottom of his chin is 1/10 of a man’s height; from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head is 1/8 of his height; from the top of the breast to the roots of the hair will be the 7th part of the whole man. From the nipples to the top of the head will be the 4th part of man. The greatest width of the shoulders contains in itself the 4th part of man. From the elbow to the tip of the hand will be the 5th part of a man; and from the elbow to the angle of the armpit will be the 8th part of man. The whole hand will be the 10th part of the man. The distance from the bottom of the chin to the nose and from the roots of the hair to the eyebrows is, in each case the same, and like the ear, a third of the face.

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Image also via ArtQuotes.net

Artist to watch… Jill Carver!

On By Barbara StroudIn ART, Featured ArtistLeave a comment
Image from artist’s website – JillCarver.com

Jill Carver. I love her work, it’s got such a neat twist to it. One look and you can tell this artist is a pro. I’m familiar with her work from South Street Art Gallery’s website, facinating! The image being featured is “Winter Harmony” Matter-of-fact here’s a blip about Jill from South Street Art Gallery’s website:

Jill Carver – Originally from England, Jill Carver moved to the United States in 2002 following a twelve-year career as a research assistant at the National Portrait Gallery in London.  She now divides her time between Austin, Texas and Rico, Colorado.  Recognition for her work has come quickly, and she has won numerous awards including “Artists Choice” most recently at the Laguna Beach Invitational in 2009, also at Telluride in 2009 and at Plein Air Easton! in 2008.  The Art Academy Museum in Easton, Maryland has purchased two of her paintings for its permanent collection.

A self-confessed “addict” to outdoor painting, she frequently packs up her pick-up truck and two dogs for “hunter-gatherer” painting trips across the West.  “I spend as much time walking and observing and sketching as I do painting. It tunes me into the landscape. My first step is exploring and just looking.  I do hours of that, and I find lots of paintings as a result.  You pay attention to what your mind keeps wandering back to.”

Although Jill painted often as a child, she never really thought she would pursue art for a living, and majored in British history at the University of Sheffield in England.  After graduation she worked briefly as an art teacher only during the period she was applying for “real” jobs.  During the next 12 years she continued to paint while working in the archives at the National Portrait Gallery in London. But after a four month painting sabbatical in New Zealand, she returned to London, and married American Larry Carver who encouraged her to start her painting career after their move to Texas.  Inspired and taught by Scott Christensen, successes came quickly to Jill, and awards followed.

In January 2009, the editors of Southwest Art Magazine named Carver as one of ten artists to watch.  Peter Trippi, editor of Fine Art Connoisseur, named her as one of three artists to watch in the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of FAC. In 2009 she was invited as ‘guest artist’ to participate in the prestigious Maynard Dixon Country event in Mount Carmel, Utah and in 2010 she returned as an ‘invited artist’.

The artist also has a great website, she’s in several galleries, and is teaching a few workshops. If you get a chance check her out!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Berries… TODAY’S hot cancer prevention tip…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTHLeave a comment
Image: BonAppetit.com

Who doesn’t love berries? Fresh or frozen they’re always a treat! Today’s cancer tip is from a great magazine article “Edible Healing: Food Cures for Cancer” by Prevention Magazine! Perhaps you’ve heard me talk about what a great magazine Prevention is, it offers ways to stay healthy, from diet to exercise and everything in between. A good gift idea as well! Click HERE to subscribe! (Nope, Prevention Magazine hasn’t a clue as to who I am… wish they did, but this is not a paid advertisement (boohoo), just a heads up about something I rely on!). On to the tip of the day…

Disease-Fighting Fruits – PART TWO

Fresh and frozen varieties provide year-round protection

 Berries

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries contain ellagic acid and a large number of polyphenols, which inhibit tumor growth. Two polyphenols found in berries, anthocyanidins and proantho­cyanidins, promote cancer cell death.

How to Eat Them: At breakfast, mix fruit with soy milk and multigrain cereals. (The best cereal options combine oats, bran, flaxseed, rye, barley, spelt, and so on.) Frozen berries are just as potent as fresh.

Well, I’ve been adjusting my weekly recipes to include foods we’ve talked about like garlic, onion, salmon, oranges, lemons, ginger, pomegranate juice, green tea, turmeric spice and veggies… finally a week where not much tweaking to my diet is necessary, we consume a good amount of berries, so woohoo… we’ll just keep up the good work!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Here’s to you mom! Week 10… only three weeks remain! Keep up the awesome work, you’re the best!

Ina Garten’s New Potato Salad… easy and delicious!

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe6 Comments

Ahhh, Ina’s potato salad. Simply the best. I’m not a potato-salad-kind-of-gal… prefer my macaroni salad any day. But one day I was watching the Food Network show with the Barefoot Contessa herself (AKA Ina Garten) and she made potato salad. It intrigued me. I loved the way she cooked the potatoes for a short time and then covered them with a clean kitchen towel to steam. Brilliant! Nothing like mushy potato salad, and that does the trick, no more mush! Hey, maybe that’s why I never cared for it before? This is tasty, makes a good bit and is EASY. My husband needed to take something into the office, so I tried this recipe and he didn’t come home with any (not that THAT is a true indication, long story short, at an office I had worked at I burned a Pop Tart (yes, you know, those little healthy tarts filled with all things good… ha… I think I heard they last 13 years on the shelf… I buy them in case of a hurricane, hee), I didn’t just burn the edges the entire thing was solid dark black. I was about to toss it when someone said not to throw it away, to put it on a plate on the table in the breakroom and one of the programmers would eat it. I came back an hour later and that puppy was GONE and it wasn’t in the trash!!), but I’m sure they ate this potato salad because it was DELICIOUS! Try it for yourself!

INA GARTEN’S NEW POTATO SALAD

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds small red potatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup good mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk, milk, or white wine
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion

Directions

Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.) Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Print Recipe

Catch you back here tomorrow! Check out my photo blog at http://almostdailypic.wordpress.com

Image and recipe via www.foodnetwork.com

Birthday gift idea: a gold chain for his furry chest…

On By Barbara StroudIn HOME, THOUGHTSLeave a comment
Happy 2 year birthday Charlie!! You’ve turned out to be an angel… thank you God!

I can’t seem to come up with a good excuse, other than the fact that time got away from me… I have good intentions but I get stuck in my everyday routine and completely forget the important things sometimes. Argh! It’s our little beast’s two year birthday today. I really wanted to find him a nice gold chain, maybe with a peace sign or something, to hang on his furry little chest. Hee hee… Can you imagine. Kind of like something for a furry man maybe in the 70’s with the shirt unbuttoned low (mid-life-crisis look), ok, maybe a little too disco… humph! I think we’ll order him a box of bully springs that he loves to chew on and call it a day! I need to find his birthday hat, it’s here somewhere. Last year I was in Michigan, so it was a challenge for me to get it on AND snap a picture in the nano second that he left it on…  We love this little guy. Things started out a little rough. He’s never been bad, just so afraid of everything. Of me, of Fred, of the outside, the fire hydrant, the grass and on and on… slowly (and with the encouragement of cooked chicken pieces) he’s learned not to be afraid of things… he’s definitely NOT afraid of other dogs. He’s the official Walmart greeter, he greets every dog no matter where we go, it’s the sweetest thing to watch. Now people, hmmm, it’s a slow process and they definitely have to EARN his affection. This can take time, but it’s worth the wait. He’s a special little beast. And WOOHOO CHARLIE, it’s raining today… NO WALK IN THE HEAT TODAY! (Don’t feel too sorry for him, he gets walked practically before the sun comes up and then he flies into the backyard where he jumps up on the teak table waiting to be hosed off to cool down. This dog has so much personality…  He is accepting cards and gifts, hee hee… HAPPY 2 YEAR BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!

 
Here’s one of the pictures from the breeder… it was love at first site…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
When I told him he was being neutered...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ahhh, went through LOTS of TP!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Last year's birthday pic!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ahhh, yes, I am thankful that he’s grown up some. We can now have toilet paper on the roll instead of up high out of his reach. It’s the little things in life, ha ha… Truly, Charlie is a joy to be around, and I can’t imagine how quiet things would be here without him! Happy birthday Beast!
 
If you are one of the few that hasn’t heard about Charlie’s blog (from his first year), if you want a laugh, click HERE… I wish I could publish that into a book!
Catch you back here tomorrow!