leder legends

Since three of the recipes for next week's diner are new, I decided to try them this weekend. I made the curried butternut squash soup yesterday...oh so good especially with the toppings. (toasted coconut, toasted pepitas, cilantro and strangely enough ...orange zest) The salad was just okay. I looked for another recipe that used some of the same ingredients and I will try that tomorrow along with the pork tenderloin with caramelized pears. The salad had a bacon, bleu cheese dressing with red wine vinegar.  The hubby thought it was too bitter.  I added a tablespoon of honey and that perked it up but it was just okay. I found a recipe that has apple, pecans, dried cherries and bleu  cheese but no bacon and a bit of maple syrup... sounds a bit brighter.  Stay tuned. I also just realized there is a church potluck tomorrow.  We are supposed to bring a potato dish and a dessert.  There was not a single potato in the house so I made...

  I worked at the house for a few hours on Wednesday. I still need to go clean out 4 kitchen drawers. I decided that could wait. It's looking good. The floors are waxed...I love Mop n Glo for these older linoleum floors. The bathroom upstairs also got a good scrub...much easier than the downstairs one.  The older wooden vanity got a good coat of wax.  I ordered Joe a pair of boots on-line. He has very particular tastes and no credit card! On Thursday I did a lot of planning for the dinner on February first. Since the soup and salad recipes are ones that I have never done, I am going to try them out this weekend.  I went out and bought some ingredients in the afternoon.  New2You from 4 - 7. Slow night. Dinner menu:  Appetizers: bacon wrapped dates, olives, stuffed mushrooms (champagne) (hand held) Soup: Curried Butternut Squash Soup (Chardonnay) (white bowls)  Salad: Frisee Salad with Blue Cheese, bacon and hazelnuts (Rose) (red plates) Sor...

Yesterday I spent the day working at a house we own.  It was a rental but we are planning on selling it.  At first, all I was going to do was clean it, put it on the market and sell it as quick as possible, but our realtor gave me a low-ball price at which to list it and I think I was seriously insulted!  So I told we would list it for $15,000.00 more! Although I figured he would say that was dumb, he said okay. I went through the house and looked at it with a critical eye. I thought of what I would do if I were going to move into this house. I knew I was going to clean carpets, floors, bathrooms, kitchen cabinets and perhaps wash some walls, but after I looked at things more closely a longer list emerged.  In addition to the list, we painted the entire upstairs, painted the front and back entry ways, painted the entire front room, touched up and/or repainted trim.  Late yesterday I "revived" the hardwood floors.   Painting the front entryway ...

She did it!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!! My oldest daughter and two friends climbed Mt Kilimanjaro!!  So thankful that they are safely back down and in a hotel...recuperating!

Kristin Hannah wrote The Nightingale and Still Alice. Before I read those, I read the Winter Garden. I didn't know she was so prolific and that I would find more of her books captivating.  I just read The Great Alone and The Magic Hour!  Good stuff!

Last month there was an auction at our church to raise funds for the FOOD pantry that we run with the Meijer food company here in town. There is much to say about that partnership...  BUT ...back to the auction.  We raised $10,000 in one evening and that's amazing!   One of the items for the live auction was a dinner for 6-8 people at our house.  It went for a tidy sum!  Now that Thanksgiving and Christmas have passed,   it's crunch time!!   The dinner is set for February 1. I'm a good cook and can usually put out a pretty fancy spread.  I know that! Yet, for some reason this is making me very nervous.  I'm loosing sleep just thinking about it. My stomach is in an uproar every time we talk about.  The hubby has ideas but they don't gel with mine. My only restriction is no seafood!

DUTCH CAKE For special occasions I always make a "dutch" cake with special mocha frosting. I think it's called a Dutch cake because that's what my father called them.  It's an old recipe from the Netherlands where he trained as a baker. It's a simple sponge cake! My sister, Louise, fashion a simple frame to sit in a half sheet pan.  It works very well. Beat egg white with a bit of sugar Do the same with the yolks and FOLD together. ...until fully incorporated and still fluffy (there's the trick) Add some flour and a bit of Baking powder and bake! It always looks so ugly.  I'll slice it, fill it and  ice it tomorrow  If I can salvage the Bavarian cream I spent hours making this morning.  It is so so stiff.