At the Beach

"Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think."

~Robert Henri

Y'all have a great weekend!

Guess Who's Been to the Beauty Shop?

Miss Daisy!

"This is my new summer-time look!"

"Aren't I bea-u-tiful?!"

"Check out my mani-pedi!"

"My groomer said I was an angel! When do I go back Mommy?!"

"Flowers always make people better,
happier and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food
and medicine to the soul."

~ Luther Burbank

illustration courtsey of www.allposters.com
"Picking Summer Flowers"

No supper recipe this evening. On a busy night, you just can't beat a meal that takes 12 minutes from start to finish to prepare. ;-) Thank you Kroger frozen ravioli and frozen bread sticks!

Shortbread

Shortbread
2 dozen

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 ¼ cups flour

Cream butter. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in flour a little at a time. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. (I always roll out cookie dough on wax paper - easy clean up!) Cut in traditional shortbread rectangular pieces. You can use a pizza cutter for this - quick and easy. Use a fork to make traditional shortbread holes in each piece. Or you can cut with cookie cutters. Bake at 300° for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Linked to Gooseberry Patch Recipe Roundup.

Perseverance

"Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves."

~Dale Carnegie

"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday."

~Author Unknown

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

~Earl Nightingale

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken
4 servings

1 pound chicken tenders

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 green pepper, cut into strips

1/2 onion, cut into strips

1 cup salsa

Brown chicken, green pepper, and onion in oil. Stir in the salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until chicken is cooked. Enjoy!

So quick, so easy and so good! This would be nice to make ahead and freeze for a busy evening. You could just heat it up and serve on flour tortillas when you don't have the time to fuss with fajitas.

Summer Beauty

~At Home Facial~

cleanse skin and remove all traces of makeup
apply toner and remove all traces of cleanser
exfoliate
rinse with warm water
apply facial mask
rinse with warm water
moisturize

"Cleopatra" Facial Mask

1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg white

Combine ingredients and apply to face. Leave on at least 15 minutes - 30 minutes is ideal.

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com
"A Summer Beauty, 1909" by Emile Vernon

Elegant Artichokes with Lemon Sauce

Elegant Artichokes with Lemon Sauce

4 servings

2 medium artichokes

1 medium lemon, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

for sauce -

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Trim stems and cut 1 inch off the top of each artichoke. (I found it very hard to cut off the top, so I didn't.) Cut the tip end of each leaf with scissors. Rub artichokes with lemon (this prevents browning). In a large pot, combine artichokes, lemon slices, and garlic; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Drain and refrigerate for 1 hour. For sauce, whisk together oil, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.

To eat - pull leaves off and dip into lemon sauce (or melted butter). Pull the leaf through your teeth, scraping off the pulp. Cut the heart into chunks, and enjoy - it's the best part.

Tomato Rice Cups

Tomato Rice Cups

4 servings

4 medium tomatoes

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Cut a think slice off the top of each tomato. Scoop out pulp. Chop pulp and set aside. Sprinkle the insides of tomatoes with salt; invert onto paper towels to drain. Saute onion in 2 tablespoons butter until tender. Add reserved tomato pulp; cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat; sir in rice, cheese, parsley, basil and garlic salt. Stuff into tomato shells; dot with remaining butter. Place in baking dish. Bake uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

I am participating in "The Simple Woman's Daybook" -
please visit The Simple Woman Blog to join in the fun!

~for today~

Monday, June 9th, 2008

Outside my window...

a little swimming pool is calling my name. :-)

I am thinking...

about going outside!

I am thankful for...

each new day.

From the kitchen...

we're having quesadillas for lunch.

I am creating...

a packing list.

I am going...

to the beach soon!

I am wearing...

a baby doll top, a denim skirt and flip flops.

I am reading...

the mail.

I am hoping...

to go to bed early tonight!

I am hearing...

the children chasing the dog.

Around the house...

I'm planning, organizing, cleaning, and playing.

One of my favorite things...

is iced tea with lemon in a big mason jar.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

finish up swimming lessons, do a little shopping.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you...

a rainbow from this weekend. :-)

" That it will never come again
Is what makes life so sweet. "

~Emily Dickinson

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com
"Summer Morning" by Barbara Applegate

Supper Menus
June 9th-12th

Monday
oregano lemon chicken, rice stuffed tomatoes, elegant artichokes
Tuesday
salsa chicken, spanish rice, black beans
Wednesday
ravioli with tomato sauce, garlic bread sticks, green salad
Thursday
steak and cheese sandwiches on onion buns, home fries

Please visit Menu Plan Monday at www.orgjunkie.com for more menu plans.

“When one has tasted watermelon

he knows what the angels eat.”

~Mark Twain

Recipe for a Birthday Party :-)

Take some balloons,

a few streamers,

some "flower" leis,

parasol straws, :-)

and pretty plates for pizza.

Stir in a few sea shells,

soda pop on ice,

and the mandatory jelly bellys.

Add water!

Warm in the sun for several hours.

Soon you'll have a house full of giggly girls and lots of fun! :-)

"There is beauty in homely things which many people have never seen. For instance, do you know

Sunlight through a jar of peach-plum jelly;

A rainbow in soapsuds in dishwater;

An egg yolk in a blue bowl;

White ruffled curtains sifting moonlight;

The color of cranberry glass;

A little cottage with blue shutters;

Crimson roses in an old stone crock;

The smell of newly baked bread;

Candlelight on old brass;

The soft brown of a cocker's eyes?"

~Peter Marshall

Enjoy the beauty that is all around you

and have a wonderful weekend!

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler 
12 servings

8 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 cups flour
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
½ cup boiling water
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine peaches, 1/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly, and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Combine flour, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in water until just combined. Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. Sprinkle entire cobbler with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake until topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Linked to Mom's Crazy Cooking.

Country White Bread

Country White Bread
2 loaves

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup vegetable oil
6 ½ cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. (Let water and yeast sit about 5 minutes, then stir - it will dissolve easily.) Add sugar, salt, eggs, oil and 3 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide in half and shape into loaves. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375° degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes then remove from pans and cool on wire racks. Slice and enjoy!

Delicious for sandwiches! :-)

Linked to Down Home Cookin' Recipe Linkup and
Little House Living's Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange

If any little word of ours
Can make one life the brighter;
If any little song of ours
Can make one heart the lighter;
God help us speak that little word,
And take our bit of singing
And drop it in some lonely vale
To set the echoes ringing.

If any little love our ours
Can make one life the sweeter;
If any little care of ours
Can make one step the fleeter;
If any little help may ease
The burden of another;
God give us love and care and strength
To help along each other.

~Author Unknown

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com
"Summer at the Brook" by Johan de Jong