Lovely Lady

"To succeed in life you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone."~Reba McEntire



     This past week, my brother and sisters and I threw a big party to celebrate my Mom's 80th birthday.  It was a lot of work and we all helped.  Our spouses helped a lot also.   We invited cousins and relatives that she hadn't seen in many years.   I was barely able to finish the quilt that I made for her in time. The pattern is called Lovely in Lavender by Debbie Beaves.  Thanks to my friend, Marta, who machine quilted it for me and my friends, Sam, Marta, Marilyn and Mary Ann from quilt guild who helped me with the binding.  Like I've said before....There are no better people in the world than quilters.

     My mom loves reading and gardening.  She also loves to do word searches.  We had chicken salad sandwiches on croissants, salads and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  We served nearly a hundred people.  We enjoyed doing word searches and playing a few games of bingo.  We ended the evening watching a video that my nieces put together for the occasion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Salad

4 cups chicken, cooked and cubed

1 cup celery, sliced thin

1 small can water chestnuts, diced

1 (20) oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained

2 cups grapes, red or green, cut in half

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

Dressing:

1 ½ cups mayonnaise                         ½ tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. soy sauce                               1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. minced onion                         ½ cup cashews or almonds, chopped

Combine all salad ingredients, except mandarin oranges and mix together in large bowl.  Combine dressing ingredients except nuts and stir together.  Add dressing to salad mixture and stir.  Fold in mandarin oranges and nuts.  Serve on croissants or soft rolls.

 

     My mom likes to make these cookies for family get-togethers.  They are so yummy!

Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

1 ¾ C. flour                                          ½ C. shortening

1 tsp. soda                                           ½ C. peanut butter

½ tsp. salt                                             1 egg

½ C. sugar                                           2 T. milk

½ C. brown sugar                                 1 tsp. vanilla

 

            Put all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix well.  Roll in walnut sized balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375° for 10-12 minutes.  Take from the oven and press chocolate kiss or star on top of each cookie while still hot.

 

 

     Like I said before, My mom loves to read and has inspired all of her children to love to read.  I do believe she was the one that introduced me to the Mrs. Pollifax books many years ago.  We all enjoy a good mystery and these books are great.

Historical July

"As we give, we find that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all."~ Spencer W. Kimball


"The first white men of your people who came to our country were named Lewis and Clark.  They brought many things that our people had never seen.  They talked straight.  These men were very kind."~ Chief Joseph.

 

     I'll be referring back to our family trip to Oregon once more.  We visited Fort Clatsop, a place where Lewis and Clark built a fort and named it after the Clatsop Indians who were friendly to them.  I have been intrigued with the Corp of Discovery, Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea lately.  We visited the Astoria Column, a structure that is 125 feet tall.  After climbing 164 steps, you have a beautiful view in every direction.  The column has a unique frieze cement artwork on the outer side which depicts the history of the area from Native American settlements to the coming of the railroad.  There is a beautiful statue of Lewis and Clark at the beach's edge near the condo where we stayed in Seaside.  This statue honors the traveling duo as they reached their goal in finding the Pacific Ocean.

 

Visitor's Center

Sacajawea



Fort Clatsop




Astoria Column

 





 

As I visited the Fort Clatsop Visitor's Center I had many questions about Lewis and Clark and the people they traveled with.  In order to answer some of those questions I purchased a book at about a fifth grade reading level.  The book was very informative and added to my curiosity about Sacajawea.  So when we got home I read this other book about her life and the great contributions she made to the success of the Corp of Discovery.  I loved learning about these brave people.

 

 

 

 

 

My neighbor and friend, Dana, gave me some cherries she picked from her relative's tree.  They were so good to eat by the handful.  We still had a few left so I put them in this recipe that my family enjoyed.  We also had homemade vanilla ice cream left over from our Fourth of July fun.  My motto is any dessert is better with ice cream on it.

 

 

 

Peach Cherry Dessert

3 (15 oz.) cans sliced peaches, drained                                 ½ cup butter, melted

½ tsp. almond extract                                                             1 cup flour

1 Tbsp. lemon juice                                                               ½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ cups fresh cherries, pitted                                               1 ½ cups quick oats

                                                                                                            Vanilla ice cream

Spray a 9x13” baking dish with cooking spray.  Place peaches in the dish.  Stir in almond extract and lemon juice.  Sprinkle the cherries on top of peaches.  Combine butter, flour, brown sugar and oats in a medium bowl.  Stir together using a fork.  Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the peaches.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.  Serves about eight.

 

     Here's a refreshing treat for a hot July evening.  Try a cherry chocolate milkshake.

 

Cherry Chocolate Milkshake

½ cup milk                                                       1 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

4 scoops vanilla ice cream                             5 pitted cherries

            Put ingredients in blender and process until smooth.  Makes two servings.