I am constantly amazed with the development of social media and the various related technologies that allows for sharing information easily and quickly. Well, in our family, we all have iPads and it has been one of the best investments each of us has made. There is one ‘ap’ (application) that allows my daughters to share presentations with others and even one lucky and ‘curious’ dad. This application is called ‘slide share.’ You tap the SLIDESHARE ap and a screen opens up allowing you to search for the person and their presentations, in this case I was looking for my daughter Karen.
You meet the most interesting people on SLIDESHARE
From this point it works just like any other powerpoint presentation. It is wonderful to see what they are up to… professionally.
All of my families super secret recipes appear here … sometimes. It looks like Kristin has something very yummy in mind! Here’s what she wrote today …. Bon Appetite!
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After talking to some of the fine folks at the C-Ville farmer’s market, I found the general consensus in favor of butternut squash pie as opposed to pumpkin pie! Being a fan of butternut squash, I decided to try it out – and it’s yummy! Here’s the recipe I used if you want to branch out. I also used a basic pie pastry recipe that I’ll post later, but I’ll share the secret of the homemade ice cream, too 😀
Butternut Squash Pie
Pie Pastry
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 slightly beaten eggs
2/3 cup cream
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
~14 oz of baked and pureed butternut squash
To prep my squash, I like to peel it, remove the seeds, chop it up into chunks, and let it sizzle in a buttered skillet until it’s soft, but you can bake it as well. Once it’s soft, throw it in your food processor or your blender until you have a nice paste. I find it easiest to combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set them aside, then combine all the wet ingredients and slowly add the dry to the wet, mixing as you go. Once you have a creamy mix, pour it into the pie pastry and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, or until you stick a fork in and it comes out clean.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Two vanilla beans
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
You can make this one or two ways – it’s easy if you have an ice cream maker, but you can always freeze a metal bowl, throw everything in, and let it sit in the freezer overnight, too. To start, combine the milk and cream in a saucepan. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape out the “seeds.” Stir the “seeds” and bean pod into the milk as you bring it to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce, simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Good time to catch up on your favorite book (I am nose-deep in “The Girl Who Played With Fire” right now). Then toss the vanilla pod, mix all the rest of your ingredients until smooth in a bowl, and chill them for about 2 hours. Then either pour into your ice cream maker or into the metal bowl and solidify. Trust me, it’s yummy 🙂 And you do not want the nutritional information. This is NOT light ice cream, fro-yo, or gelato. This is the real stuff.
Everyone stuffs grape leaves somewhat differently depending on whether they intend the dish to be a side or a main dish. As a side dish, I have seen plain or lightly flavored rice and rice with raisins and pine nuts. However, it needs to be a bit more robust to make it as a main dish and this calls for meat.
If you like lamb, you realize that you have to tenderize it a bit by grinding it and mixing it with some softer meats. In my case, I use pork. Seasonings are up to you, but I like a blend of peppers and salts and my own curry with just the right amount of Fenugreek ( spice of the Greeks). Topped with a dolup of Greek Yorgurt and a few Kalamata Olives and you have a nice lunch!
So, it should be ready when Laura comes home from her first day back.
One of my relatives thought that I was going to be fairly smug about being married a while. And although there might be a little truth in it, I am remined that it ‘takes 2’ to make a marriage and help it prosper. No matter how committed one person might be, without the support of the other, it will never survive.
So, please excuse me if I am a little smug … it’s all about marrying the right person. Thank you, Laura for always being there when I needed you! <3
Okay, I admit it! I do look a little smug in this picture. I guess I never thought anyone would stay with me for 38 years! Thank you, Laura
Vote for Paul Brown for San Luis Obispo Mayor... I can't help it... he's playing Rugby CLICK on the picture to read about Rugby up here with the boys and girls.
What better way to celebrate the American Life than to play/ watch football or Rugby? They served hamburgers for lunch and BBQ’d tri-tip for dinner. I took this picture of one of our members of the city council , now running for mayor… very cool, Paul.
Karla remembers 911, like many of us with a mixture of sadness and anger.
