Mason's 15th Birthday

Cousins!

Great Grandpa and Grandma Thiessen

Great Grandpa T turned 88 on August 30, Mason turns 15 on August 31

Almost the end of summer...

My weeping willow

KT's pergola

Love cooking outside--love my RV

El Dorado Lake (August 2015)

A Little Quote by Tolkien

“Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament … There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth.”

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze & Low Country Boil Recipe

JAMAICAN BANANA BREAD

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (or pina colada flavored!!)
3 tablespoons dark rum OR apple cider
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, rum, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring with a whisk; drizzle over warm bread. Cool completely on wire rack.

Low Country Boil

Ingredients:
1/4 cup seafood seasoning (such as Old Bay®), or to taste
5 pounds new potatoes
3 (16 ounce) packages cooked kielbasa sausage ( or similar), cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, husks and silks removed
4 pounds fresh shrimp *Optional....peeled and deveined
1 Beer (optional)

Preparation:
Heat a large pot of water (+beer if using) over an outdoor cooker, or medium-high heat indoors. Add Old Bay Seasoning to taste, and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, and sausage, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the corn; cook for another 5 minutes, then add the shrimp when everything else is almost done, and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. **Note...here in SC we DO NOT peel the shrimp.
Drain off the water and pour the contents out onto a picnic table covered with newspaper. Grab a paper plate and a beer and enjoy!

This is why my grandkids need me:

Recipe from Tanya's Soup Kitchen

Tomato Soup from Tanya's Soup Kitchen

• 2 small cans of tomato paste
• 4 cups water
• 3 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic or 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
• 3-6 tablespoons of sugar (start with three and add more to taste if desired)
• 1 tsp dried herb of your choice (basil, dill, tarragon) OR 2 tsp minced fresh herb
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except salt and pepper in a medium sized soup pot, using a whisk. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding more sugar if you like. Cook on simmer for 15 -20 minutes, whisking. Serve hot. I garnish with grated parmesan cheese. At TSK, we like this soup on the sweet side. Serves 4-6.

Quote by Frank Lloyd Wright

"The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes."
                                                                        ~Frank Lloyd Wright

Shakespeare's Birthday~(1564-1616)

Chloe celebrated in a big way by making a paper dress for an art project.  She wore it in 2 runway shows--one at WSU and one at Maize High where they were celebrating Shakespeare's birthday.

A Charlotte Russe for the Crawley Family

[The cooks at Downton Abbey prepared a Charlotte Russe for dinner when the Crawleys came for a visit. I did not know what a "Charlotte Russe" was, so I looked it up on Wikipedia.  I realized that one of my favorite holiday desserts to stir up is a Charlotte Russe and all I had ever called it was "Ladyfinger Dessert".  It sounds so much fancier and more delicious to call it by its real name!  From now on, we shall be eating "Charlotte Russe"!]

Charlotte Russe

Ladyfingers (light, sweet sponge cakes)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. brandy
1/2 c. sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 t. vanilla

Brush ladyfingers with rum.
Line side of an 8" springform pan with half of the ladyfingers.

Beat cream cheese, brandy, and sugar.  In large bowl, whip cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form.  Fold cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.  Layer ladyfingers, then cream cheese mixture, ladyfingers, and then add the rest of the cream cheese mixture.  Chill.  Remove side of springform pan.
Top with cherry pie filling or strawberries in glaze.  I usually tie a Christmas grosgrain ribbon around the dessert before serving it--makes it look even prettier.

An Old Celtic Blessing of Light~2015

May the blessing of Light be on you, Light without and Light within.

May the blessed Sunlight shine upon you and warm your heart till it glows, like a great peat fire, so that the stranger may come and warm himself at it, as well as the friend.

And may the Light shine out of the eyes of you, like a candle set in the windows of a house, bidding the wanderer to come in out of the storm.

And may the blessing of the rain be on you – the soft sweet rain. May it fall upon your spirit so that all the little flowers may spring up, and shed their sweetness on the air.

And may the blessing of the great rains be on you, that they beat upon your spirit and wash it fair and clean, and leave there many a shining pool, and sometimes a star.

And may the blessing of the earth be on you – the great round earth. May you ever have a kindly greeting for people you pass as you are going along the roads.

And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly.

                                                        ~for all my friends and family~