Recipe of the week

Lest you feel misled, I actually have two recipes to share with you today. I have a huge manila folder full of recipes I've ripped out over the years, and am finding that if I don't try them shortly after ripping them out, they sit and languish in said manila folder for years on end until they no longer even sound good, but for some reason I have this compulsion to save it because I still might try it some day. Hmmm. Frankly, this is really only one of my strange habits. I have a small collection of them. Including the fact that I only like to listen to my radio if it's turned to specific volume levels, mainly even numbers. I don't listen at volume level 9 or 11, 10, 12 or skip to 15.

Which leads me to ask, what are some of your strange habits that you are willing to admit? Drop me a comment so I can feel more normal reading yours!

And also leads me to comment that I have strayed far, far, from the topic I led you to believe I was going to share. A new recipe.

We had a lovely Easter dinner here. I was proud to say I produced a meal I would have been happy to share with a group, though it was only the four of us here on Easter. We had a big ham with a homemade glaze, rosemary mashed potatoes, peas with a Ritz cracker/butter topping, and a fruit salad which was divine.

We also planted the beginning of our garden for the year, potatoes and onions. Folklore contends that these should go in around Good Friday around here. After making this fruit salad again, I am excited to plant some fresh mint that I could use to make this in the summer. It gives the fruit a wonderful light taste without being overwhelming.

Hint of Mint Fruit Salad
(Prep 20 minutes plus chilling)

1 c sugar
1 c water
1 c loosely packed mint sprigs
2 1/2 c chopped apples
2 1/2 c choppe ripe pears
2 c cubed fresh pineapple
2 c sliced fresh strawberries
1 c fresh blueberries
1 c mayonnaise (I would think you could leave this out and it would still taste great, but it's good with it as well)

In a large saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add mint, cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain and discard mint. Transfer syrup to a small bowl, refrigerate until chilled.

Just before serving, combine the fruit in a large bowl. Stir mayonnaise into mint syrup until blended, pour over the fruit and toss to coat.
Yield: 12 servings

I will also share another recipe I made tonight which was quite easy and I thought was good.

Crab Crescent Loaf
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 box cream cheese (I always use light)
1/3 c chopped onion
1 tsp dill weed
1 c chopped imitation crab meat
1 egg yolk beaten
(Optional: I would probably add diced celery or toasted slivered almonds to give it a little crunch)

1. On a greased baking sheet, unroll crescent dough into one long rectangle; seal seams and perforations. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, onion and dill until blended. Spread mixture lengthwise over half of the dough to within 1/2 " of edges. Top with crab.
2. Fold dough over filling; pinch seam to seal. Brush the top with egg yolk. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into slices. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

Introductions

Apparently, some introductions are in order. I'm sorry, I thought you'd already met.

Late April, meet spring:

Please feel free to mingle and get to know one another.

How do you like me now?

I'm ready for spring.

I'm not one to complain much about the weather. Really. I do complain about some things, but generally the weather isn't one of them. But we woke to this on Saturday morning:

I feared that the bunch I'd picked the night before might be the only fruits of this year's daffodil harvest, but apparently they are hardy souls who won't let a snowfall in April rain snow on their parade, so they seem to have bounced back.

I'd say it was no small coincidence that Luke wore a Santa hat all day that day too. I would show you proof of this, but he insisted on my taking this photo instead:

Somehow a light sabre weilding skeleton doesn't scream snow or Christmas like the photo of him in the Santa hat would, but I didn't feel like arguing. Plus, I only had one free photo left on my memory card, so I didn't have room to take any extras. You see, my memory card is full so I don't know what to do now. I could save them on my computer, but I don't know how much memory a computer has or how to find out how much space all my photos from my memory card would use up on my computer. 1/100th? 1/4? I really  have no idea. So, I don't know what to do. Try to save onto a flash drive? (HOW?) And how long would that take my geriatric satellite service to accomplish? Or should I just buy a new memory card? I know it's all silly, but you might need to refer to my previous post of being technologically impaired to better understand. So clearly, my current solution of just not taking any pictures anymore until I figure this out seems to be the best alternative.

So, I'm tired of it being cold. While I should be happy as I sit here clearing the perpetual pile of papers on my desk and finishing up my laundry, I have a case of the Monday blah's. Which is not helped by the male cardinal that has been hurling his body at my back windows for the last week in a slow death march. I'm not sure if he's more intent on mating, or possibly destroying the competitor he believes he sees in his reflection, but whatever his motivations he has been at it nonstop, all day, for a week now and it is really quite depressing. When I do manage to scare him off he just reroutes his deathcapade to a window by the garage. Sad.

But before I wallow needlessly into deeper despair, I must bring to mind what a badass I really am. Or, so it seems, this certificate would imply:

And, so, dear reader, if you were able to wade your way through the snowy daffodils, suicide cardinals and paper pushing which is my everyday life, you will reach the conclusion of this rambling post.

Howdya like me now?

I just feel sort of important and boasty having this certificate. Doesn't it make you feel safer when you are with me strictly through association? Even though you have no idea why I have this certificate? Rob thinks I should frame it next to my diploma.

But before I get ahead of myself, let me explain. I am volunteering to become a CERT member of my community, which is a Certified Emergency Response Team member. What this means is that I go through about 20-30 hours of training which makes me better prepared than the average citizen in case of an emergency, be it natural, such as tornado or floods, or otherwise. I have sprayed a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire, come upon a room of "bodies" and completed a triage of sorts to determine how many victims and the extent of their injuries, and crawled on hands and knees through a smoky room determining how many victims there are (including how many dead). We have talked about the 3 main "Killers" with injuries, how to determine if someone is in shock, what the government believes you should have on hand for an emergency kit, and how to decide if a scene is safe to approach. Once the training is completed, I will also receive identification as a CERT member as well as a loaded backpack to keep in my car so I'd be prepared whenever I was called upon. This is entirely voluntary, and at any point you can choose not to assist if you are unwilling, or if your own family was affected by disaster and needed you. It's been fascinating quite frankly, and I hope that as a result, I would be more prepared in case of a disaster or accident than I would have before. On the flipside, I have a fear that upon approaching a disaster which my CERT helmet, nametag, and backpack, looking all official, that a person would think you were akin to an EMT and expect you to definitely be able to save their life, even though you are really just a level further up the knowledge ladder than your next-door-neighbor.

So that's the story and I'm sticking to it. The Department of Homeland Security thinks I'd be a real asset in times of trouble so that is what I'm going to hang my hat on on this cold spring day.

Book reviews

I've read several books since I last updated my book selections on the right. Here's a few to chew on if you are looking for your next read:

Editor's note: You cannot click to look inside on the book cover as it indicates. This book cover photo is from Amazon, where you actually can do that, but I'm too  lazy to find another book cover photo elsewhere that doesn't say this on it.

This poor boy has led such a disfunctional life that you sort of feel guilty laughing at his considerable misfortunes in this memoir, but if you can put that guilt aside, it's a funny read. Boy has he had some adventures! Makes you feel like your life is a bit boring in comparison.

This book is narrated by an autistic teenage boy, who, as is typical with autism, takes everything for face value, unable to infer meanings or emotions from others. It was a "murder mystery" of sorts, and I found it an enjoyable, easy read. This was a bookclub selection of ours, and it was really interesting finding out which members identified more with the boy's parents, or the boy himself.

Review from Amazon:
Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Dave Barry does not write his books to impress with tricky plotlines or zigzagging mysteries. He writes the plot to give his books a basic outline to insert all of his fantastic humor and insight into daily life, which he does in this first novel. I chose a book based solely on my love of the author, and now that I have delved into his books, I know I will keep going down the list of his other books anytime I need something funny and easy to read.

Review from Publisher's Weekly:

Gudenkauf's scintillating second suspense novel (after The Weight of Silence) opens with the release of 21-year-old Allison Glenn from prison, where she has served five years for an unspecified but particularly horrible crime. Allison is reluctant to enter a halfway house in her hometown of Linden Falls, Iowa, where "even a heroin-addicted prostitute arrested for armed robbery and murder would get more compassion than I ever will." Allison, her family's former golden girl, secures a job at a local bookstore, but her efforts to resume some sort of normal life are undermined by her well-to-do parents' indifference, her sister's hatred, and the stigma of her conviction. Meanwhile, one little boy holds the key to the tragedy that led to Allison's imprisonment. The author slowly and expertly reveals the truth in a tale so chillingly real, it could have come from the latest headlines.

A good book but not as thought provoking of a read as I am usually looking for. Maybe a bit more Jodi Piccault-ish. Would be a good beach read though.

Finally, I am currently reading two books, one of choice, and one as the bookclub choice (which FYI is tomorrow night, the book is 500 pages long, and I have only started Sunday night... something's not computing):

 From the cover:

Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and a multi-million dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same.

While I love the premise of this one, I am feeling so far she's getting a bit bogged down in the science details. Maybe once I've finished I will better understand why.

And last but not least, our book club selection:

There you have it folks.

Happy reading!