My photo sources seem to have nothing but doom and gloom lately, so I present a gallery of Squeak pics from 2016-2022. Backstory: In February 2016 my daughter asked me to kitty-sit a kitten found under the hood of a neighbor's car. Both she and neighbor had a dog, so I became the Foster Mom for a scrawny dark calico kitten "just until a home could be found." (To this day, Squeak is terrified of a running car engine. She likely crawled under the hood for warmth, and can you imagine her terror trying to keep her balance when the car started moving?) Naturally, inevitably, we bonded, and Squeak and I have been growing older together for nine years now.
 |
| February 2016 |
 |
| Growing . . . |
 |
| January 2017 |
 |
| Squeak, playing Queen of the Mountain, 2021 |
Which resulted in . . .
 |
| Tower constructed by Riley |
Squeak made an occasional climb up the etagère after that, but none in a long time now. For which my glass and ceramic collection is exceedingly grateful.
RECIPES
This is an updated version of the Ambrosia recipe previously shared.
AMBROSIA SALAD - UPDATED
The original Ambrosia recipe (from way back when) called for whipped cream (in later versions, Cool Whip). I have adapted this to a binding of yogurt and sour cream. The amount of fruit and nuts used, plus how thick a coating you like on your fruit, dictates how much “white stuff” to make to bind the fruit and nuts together.
Few amounts are given as this depends entirely on how many people you’re feeding. Feel free to leave out any of the fruit or nut ingredients. For a single like me, I find ambrosia lasts three days in the fridge.
green grapes, halved
fresh strawberries, sliced
canned pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple*
canned mandarin oranges
1 cup flaked coconut*
½ - 3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans
1-1½ cups mini fruit-flavored mashmallows*
Sugar in the Raw (optional). White sugar, if you must (mostly for the strawberries)
Binding:
1-2 cups vanilla yogurt
sour cream
*packaging has changed considerably since this recipe was first created. Nowadays, it’s easiest to use 2-3 “cups” of pineapple & mandarin oranges (from a 6-cup pack). Original recipe called for shredded coconut. If you can find it on Supermarket shelves, your eyes are better than mine! Flaked works fine. Fruit-flavored mini-mallows can be found on Amazon but only in large quantities. Plain white will do.
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt & a conservative amount of sour cream. (More can be added later, if necessary, after mixing everything together.)
2. Using a rubber (or soft plastic) spatula, carefully fold remaining ingredients into whipped topping, saving strawberries for last.
3. Chill before serving. (Overnight works well.)
Grace’s Everything Salad
There are no amounts listed as that entirely depends on how many you want to feed. For a big event at Girl Scount Headquarters in Orlando, I used a large plastic container of mixed greens plus one-third to one-half of a large container of baby arugula.
Mixed greens, including baby arugula, if possible
Coarsely chopped pecans
Pine nuts
Dried cranberries (remove from fridge early to soften)
Diced cucumber (note: diced, not sliced)
Red onion, sliced thin (to taste - I used maybe 1/3-1/2.)
Feta cheese (crumbled with garlic & herbs)
Sliced green olives
3 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced
Fresh herbs*
*If you do not have an herb garden, I’d put rosemary & basil at the top of the “buy” list. But since that gives you way more than you need, maybe now’s the time to start at least a windowsill herb garden. (Herbs available in the garden departments of Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.)
Just mix it all up, top with an egg slice or two; offer all-natural Paul Newman dressing. . .
Okay, you don’t have to go as far as organic dressing, but that was what I served with the salad that disappeared so fast at the Girl Scout dinner that there was nothing left by the time I hit the line. .
The bacon recipe below was found on Facebook. It works well, except I needed 20 minutes in my oven to get it to the crispness I wanted when the original suggested 14.
BACON IN THE OVEN
Cover sheet pan with foil, fastening foil around al four edges.
Lay out bacon strips on foil.
Place pan in COLD oven. Heat to 425°.
Cook 15-20 minutes to desired crispness.
Transfer bacon to paper towels (on cookie pan) to cool.
Cool 5 minutes to crisp.
Note: allow bacon grease to cool before attempting to get rid of it.
~ * ~
This Week's Featured Book:
Although a classic Marriage of Convenience tale, A Gamble on Love features Regency politics and Regency Christmas customs, including food (as I recall—it's been a long time!) It is also a perennial favorite, despite making its debut as a Signet Regency more than twenty years ago.
Miss Aurelia Trevor has a problem. Until she reaches the age of
twenty-five, she will have no control over her beloved Pevensey Park,
and by that time her unscrupulous uncle will have run it into the
ground. Marriage to someone other than her uncle's leering son is her
only way out, but, one by one, she rejects the men on her list of
suitors. In desperation, Aurelia does the unthinkable. She hires a
solicitor to find her a husband strong enough to stand up to both her
uncle and her cousin. And soon learns the truth of that old adage: Be
careful what you wish for.
Thomas Lanning is a man of the City. Unlike Aurelia, who stands to
inherit vast land and wealth, he has made his own place in the world. He
is not at all tempted by the suggestion of marriage to an heiress, but
other considerations, such as a power base for a seat in Parliament,
tweak his interest. Plus an unexpected twinge of chivalry when he hears
the full extent of Miss Trevor's difficulties with her uncle and his
family.
Aurelia, who only wants to live in peace on her acres, finds she has
acquired a ready-made family in Thomas's younger sister and brother, as
well as a head-strong husband whose campaign for MP fills her household
with a shockingly odd assortment of characters. It seems her marriage
of convenience is fast becoming a marriage of inconvenience. Just how
far will this strong-willed pair bend to accommodate each other? And
will they do it before it's too late?
Reviews:
"Blair Bancroft's warm and tender [novel] boasts a great heroine in
Aurelia: She's attractive, courageous, vulnerable and intelligent."
Robin Taylor, Romantic Times
"Reading how they gradually learn to like and eventually love each
other is wonderful. Blair Bancroft is now definitely one of my favorite
traditional Regency authors and this book is a prime example of why."
Nicole Hulst, Romance Junkies
"Set against a backdrop of rural politics (and a fascinating look at
the early world of "buying" votes) this is a story that entrances,
enlightens and endears."
Celia at A Romance Review
No comments:
Post a Comment