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.
Halo REACH is the latest in a series of really fun games! CLICK on the picture above to be transported to their fun site and see it for yourself!
Karla was very interested in Halo Reach and so am I. The universe continues to do its thing thaks to the fact that I was able to obtain a copy. Karla loves games of all sorts and I remember the two of us standing for hours outside a Best Buy so she could get her first X-box.
Besides being a lot of fun to play with family and friends, video games are good for your brain! Now, go out and conquer the universe!
Alexander Dumas' "the Conscript: a tale of War" (1863)
What do you give your spouce for her 38th wedding anniversary? Well if you look on line for suggestions, they are all boring! I guess they thnk if you have been married that long , you shouldn’t need any hints! To a degree, I do believe this to be true.
Laura and I have a fondness for books and what better gift that to find a first edition of a familiar author Alexander Dumas ( Three musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo and Man in the Iron Mask among many others), but not one of his familiar books. The book “the Conscript: a Tale of War” was not one you often see listed with his other works, but the plot may see very familiar to you.
Nothing like an old book to transport you to another time!
Not every old book is expensive; in fact, many old books are amazingly affordable. It is picking the right book for the right person that is the key… and this one was a hit.
