Family Today!

We had a great time! Friday afternoon Isabel arrived with her chauffeur. Grandpa on a walk with Brook and Isabel...Isabel fell asleep about 2 seconds later.

For supper we had shrimp pasta salad and Irish soda Bread.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Traditional%20Irish%20Soda%20Bread

Before...


...after...

After Isabel's night bedtime Friday, Colt showed up with his entourage. After some visiting, Colt got fussy. Granny (that would be ME) took him out to the screen porch and we sat in one of the rocking patio chairs. He fell asleep in about 2 seconds.

Saturday morning...HELLO COUSIN. Unfortunately, Colt had a bit of a stuffy nose and they weren't permitted to get too close to each other.

We visited and played and I held babies ...although from the photos you would never guess it!

I baked a ham and cooked pinto beans, roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of grated nutmeg and a very light sprinkle of cayenne pepper, roasted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt, mixed green salad with homemade honey mustard salad dressing... http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/honey%20mustard%20salad%20dressing ..., homemade peppercorn salad dressing, and a bottled jar of raspberry vinaigrette. And a loaf of bread machine white bread...with butter!

For dessert...a strawberry pie. http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Strawberry%20Pie

Before... ...after.

I'm going to have to do something different with the strawberry pie. The juice is too juicy. I don't want it set up like pudding...but I don't want it like water. I've always used flour for thickening in my fruit pies. Next time I bake a strawberry pie I am going to use cornstarch. If that doesn't work, I'll try tapioca.

We also had a chocolate pudding cake.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Chocolate%20Pudding%20Cake

I did not get a photo of it. And now...there's only one slice left. Hmmm...See you later!

Sunset and Spring

First camelia bloom of the season...
I'm going to have lots and lots of bluebonnets!
Redbuds are blooming all around. Mine is just starting to bud.
I purchased a couple of pork tenderloins at the grocery store the other day...they were buy one get one free...$2.50 per pound! I froze one. Tonight I baked the other. I sprinkled it with Kosher salt. Covered it with cracked black pepper. Sprinkled with dried onion and rosemary. Popped it in a 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes. You could slice it with a fork!!! So tender. And tasted so good! I thinly sliced a couple of potatoes and layered them in a baking dish. Chopped one leek and half an onion and sprinkled on top. Salt and pepper and some butter. When the potatoes were just about tender, I sprinkled with some shredded cheddar cheese. Oh, my! The leek added just the perfect touch. Along with a mixed green salad...olive oil and vinegar for me...homemade honey mustard for Sam. A near perfect meal!

I purchase almost no bottled salad dressings.

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons bold spicy mustard (or dijon)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Whisk it. Chill. Serve over your favorite salad.

Confession...I do not care for honey mustard salad dressing. Sam likes it. We went through several different brands trying to find one that tasted similar to some he had in a restaurant. I finally started checking the recipes on the internet. Tried some complicated ones...then landed on this simple recipe. Yesterday, da Judge bought our lunch. I walked across the highway (had to make sure there was no traffic...a Charlie's Angel I am not and refuse to run in heels!) to pick it up...grilled chicken wrap with homemade potato chips. I noticed that the dressing was honey mustard so was going to pass on it. Da Judge mentioned that she loved their JALAPENO honey mustard dressing. I tried it. I liked it pretty good! So I may drizzle some jalapeno vinegar in a small amount of the dressing and see if Sam likes it that way.

I had an epiphany in an antique store a while back. I purchased a couple of odd creamers (from sugar and creamer sets). I use them to serve homemade salad dressings! Perfect servers!