Life Lately in Photos

 

February has been flying by and I have been quite busy as usual.  Coming up is some fun travel I can’t wait to share.  But, so far this month has included the excitement of coming close to a hole in one, dinner with friends sitting at a chef’s table for an eight course meal, and a quilt show of the only in Florida variety, with colorful quilts hanging from palm trees and gulf breezes making them move about.  The weather has been nothing short of lovely and winter in Florida is just the best.

On a sad note, all day yesterday, I still felt the shock and sadness of knowing that a place I love more than any other place was violated by senseless violence.  As CNN was mentioning all the places on campus that are so tied into my memories it was a lot to process.  But, the MSU community is strong and often described as a family.  It will take some time to heal and hopefully some good will come from such evil.  I have to believe that.

Simple Raspberry Margarita

 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I used the Super Bowl as an excuse to make a new cocktail.  And, like all my recipes, simple is the key.  I tweaked it a bit from the original idea, but it turned out really good, light and refreshing.  I will keep this one in my repertoire for hot pool days, but give it a try on Valentine’s Day for a lovely and special pink drink.

To make: Rim a clear glass with lime juice and salt.  Add ice.  Add 6 ounces Raspberry Lemonade, 2 ounces good quality Tequila and a splash of Triple Sec. Add a squeeze of lime juice and stir.  Garnish with fresh or frozen raspberries.  

Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day.

5 Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time

I saw someone posted about this thought provoking list and it has been on my mind.  There are books in my long book loving history that have stayed with me and given me the love of the way a writer’s words can make you feel.  They have given me the gift of becoming immersed in a story that takes you places you would never experience in your real life.  They have given me the gift of beautiful words that have influenced my own love of writing.  At the time in my life when I read them, they were exactly what I needed to read.

It took some thought and it was hard to narrow it down to just five, but these five are a representation of books that I not only loved, but are like old friends that I can pick up and read again with the same enjoyment as the first time.  But, like the point of this post, oh how I would love to experience each one of them for the first time.  

There are many more I considered, (including the first Harry Potter book) but the true test for me is the reread and all of these are high in that number.  What are your five?

Making Pierogi

 

I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend’s house on Wednesday to learn how to make Pierogi.  And, I love Pierogi.  If I am at a restaurant and Pierogi are on the menu, that is what I will order every time. I am not Polish and did not grow up making any Polish dishes, but in the Detroit area, Polish food is very commonplace and have many friends and relatives who are great Polish cooks.  There was a Polish festival we attended often and there is an area of Detroit known for it’s Polish restaurants.  I’ve had delicious Pierogi in Pittsburgh where my daughter lives, as well.

So, Pierogi are basically a filled dumpling that is boiled, then sautéd with chopped onion.  It is traditionally served with sour cream.   The ones that I made and brought home are filled with sauerkraut, minced onions and sour cream and everyone’s favorite mashed potato, grated onion and cheese.

The hardest part is rolling out the dough and cutting the squares evenly, but after that you soon get the hang of filling and shaping them. We boiled the ones we made, put on cookie sheets and then placed the cookie sheets in the freezer.  After the Pierogi are frozen, you can put them in freezer bags to take out and sauté anytime you wish.  

My friend did cook up a few for us to try and they were so good.  I am now all set for meatless Fridays during Lent and have a new skill I can use again.

Happy Friday!