Day 116 - Jam or Marmalade Bars?

I would much rather have strawberry jam bars as I think the rest of the family would, but that is not the direction I took.
Remember back on day 73 when I made Orange Marmalade Soufflé with Grand Marnier (I STILL love to say that - it sounds SO cool on the tongue!)?
Yes, I still have that orange marmalade in the fridge and noone's touched it and I certainly haven't because I just don't like the stuff.
Yeah, so why would I make something that nobody will probably eat?  Because I don't want to waste the marmalade. 
I know.
I hear you chuckling.
Yes,... you.
I'll be wasting BOTH the marmalade AND the bars this way.
Oh well, we'll see.

The recipe said to use an 8-inch square pan.  I own a 9-inch square pan or an 8-inch round pan.  I chose the round knowing the 9 would be too big and didn't want to burn my creation. 
I certainly wouldn't want to waste it by BURNING it!  ;-) (I need to add smiley face icons - on my to do list...)

This is from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p.632; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Jam or Marmalade Bars - 16 bars, wedges, or pretty designs

½ cup shortening
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
jam or marmalade (did not specify an amount in the recipe)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Grease an 8-inch square pan.
Cream the shortening with the sugar, vanilla and almond extract.

Stir in the egg and blend well.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt, add to the first mixture, and combine thoroughly.

Spread half the dough in the pan.

Cover with a layer of jam or marmalade.

Pat the remaining dough on top and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool, then cut into bars 4 X 1 inches.

Or is you're using an 8-inch ROUND pan, cut into wedges however big or small you want.
'Cause they're your bars.

Or you can just cut them into pretty designs without regard to being pushed into making bars OR wedges.

Live a little.
Cut things differently.

Go outside your box.

...

ok, I'll stop.

If you have questions about pan sizes and substituting, check out this page at the Joy of Baking.  It was helpful and I know I'll need to consult this info. again during the course of the year.

Everything that I make is rated on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these orange marmalade bars earned 2½ rolling pins.
I knew I was going to have a problem putting the top layer of dough on the marmalade.
It really was a no-brainer that when I attempt to push the dough out from the center of the pan to the edges that the marmalade is going to move to the edges with it.
Yeah.
Before I placed the ball of dough on the top I flattened it as best I could like a pizza.  I placed that on the marmalade, but it wasn't big enough and still had to push it to the edges with a rubber spatula.  Consequently, there was more marmalade on the outer edges than there was in  between the layers.  It could have been the reason for it being dry, too.  Just guessing.
At first bite, they were very dry, but then the more I chewed, they became a little addicting.  And there really wasn't an overwhelming orange marmalade taste.
Go figure.
Know why?
It was all, ok, well almost all of it, pushed to the outer edges where it became crunchy and chewy which, I have to admit, was rather good.
Ultimately, I thought they were just kind of eh, or as we used to say in my high school French class, "Comme ci, comme ça" - could be better, but could be worse.

There.

There's your French lesson for the day.
The next time someone asks you how you're doing, say, "Comme ci, comme ça" (pronounced "come-see comme-saah"), and see how impressed they'll be!
Either that or they'll look at you like you have two heads and will wonder what the heck you said.
Cuisson Heureux!

Day 115 - Barbecued Spare Ribs & a Purpose

I'm having bittersweet day today.   The baby boy is having his 8th grade promotion ceremony tonight.

I know, he's 14 years old, but he'll ALWAYS be a baby to me!

It reminds me of the book, 'I'll Love You Forever', by Robert Munsch.  I absolutely adore that book!
 I've often said to my son that when he's a grown man I still want him to sit in my lap - even though I know he'll probably crush me.

And it's not even like he's graduating high school and going off to college at the end of the summer, it's only 8th grade!

But still it saddens me because I know with our oldest, her four years of high school FLEW so much faster than I ever thought they would.
Our middle child, our daughter, is now an official high school senior and I have no idea when that happened.
I think what really gets me is that my work here is almost done. 
I know I still have A LOT left to do, and I'll never stop being a mother, but I'll miss the dependency; my oldest standing at the door when she hears me pull into the garage, doing their laundry, proofreading reports, making their lunches, shuttling them to practices and games.
They're not going to NEED me as much and that hurts.
I know my purpose in raising these little people was so that they could be responsible, self-sufficient, competent, caring, compassionate, loving, etc., etc. adults., and I'm so happy that we're almost there.
I couldn't be more proud of those three kids and I love them far more than I ever imagined I would.

(I have SO many thoughts going through my head right now about how I want to write the rest of this, but it isn't coming to fruition, so I'll end it here to prevent excess sappiness and unintelligible grammar.
I also think the hormones may be playing a supporting role in this as well.)

It's a question of purpose, my purpose, after the kids have left the nest.
I think I'm afraid that when this purpose ends, I won't be able to define the next one or who I'm supposed to be.
WHAT DO I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP?
I still haven't figured that out and don't know if I ever will, but until then,
I am a MOMMY.  The hardest and by far the most rewarding thing I could ever possibly do.
And with every ounce of my being, I am going to continue to be the best mommy to those three kids I can possible be.
Because they need me.
In some ways, they will always need me.
And I love that.
Because that's why I'm here.

How do barbecued spare ribs with some Southern Potato Salad from The Food Network and some corn on the cob for dinner sound?  Oh, and some fresh tomatoes from the garden.
Mmmmhhhmmmmm....that's what I thought.

This comes from my New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 251; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

Favorite Barbecued Spareribs - 6 servings

5 lbs. spareribs

Sauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup chili sauce
½ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons prepared mild yellow mustard
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line a cookie sheet with heavy duty foil and spray with cooking spray.
Place ribs on sheet and bake, uncovered, for 3/4 of an hour.

Drain off all drippings.
Mix sauce ingredients in a blender and pour over ribs.

Bake uncovered for 1¼ - 1½ hours longer, turning and basting every 20 minutes until tender and richly browned..
(Note:  For even better flavor, marinate the ribs in the sauce in turned-off oven 3-4 hours after first 3/4 hour of baking and drain off drippings; then bake for 1½ hours longer as directed.)
I doubled the batch, for what reason, I have no idea, but I'm glad I did because now we have leftovers for tomorrow.

I absolutely LOVE going to restaurants and gettin' me a real good slab of ribs with lots o' barbecue sauce!
These were as good and even better than some I've eaten in those establishments. 
My husband was thrilled, too!
I was pleasantly surprised at how these turned out.  The meat was very tender, but not quite at the point of falling off the bone in some spots and the sauce.
The SAUCE!
You know how sometimes when you're eating something barbecued and you get that sauce that sticks to the front of your teeth that you can't quite get off?
It was that good and sticky.
It was all-over-the-fingers-good, too.  EVERYBODY needed a paper towel.

Everything I bake is rated on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being you shouldn't go to your grave without at least giving this a try.  These lip smacking ribs earn 4 rolling pins!

Yee Ha!
Happy baking, y'all!

Day 114 - PB & Fluff Brownies

We received our order of Marshmallow Fluff yesterday.
Woo Hoo!
12 TUBS of the stuff!
My son's excited because he knows there won't be a shortage for quite some time.

So, between being inspired by our old favorite, the Fluffernutter, and my middle daughter' request for something chocolate, I decided to combine (hopefully) the two.
I'm not making any promises, but here goes...

PB & Fluff Brownies

½ cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons butter
1½ cups Marshmallow Fluff
2 oz. (2 1-oz squares) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking dish.
Combine 2 tablespoons butter and peanut butter in a small saucepan.  Heat contents over low heat and stir until well combined and butter is completely melted.
Place marshmallow fluff in a mixing bowl.  Add butter/peanut butter mixture and mix until completely incorporated; set aside.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.  Mix well.
Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, egg, salt, flour and vanilla; pour half of the brownie mixture into the baking dish.  Spread so that the whole bottom of the dish is completely covered.

The white stuff around the edges is the butter/flour spray I used.

Place approximately 9 dollops of peanut butter/fluff mixture on top of brownie layer.  Spreading gently, cover entire layer of chocolate.
Again, using dollops, place the remaining brownie mixture on top of the pb/fluff.  Spread gently so that the batter touches all edges of the pan.
Run a knife through the brownies to somewhat combine layers.

Place baking dish in oven and bake for 50 minutes.

These once again proved to me that I am better at this point following recipes instead of creating them.
Don't get me wrong, these were still good, but didn't bake  and resemble that picture I had in my head.
You know, the perfect picture that I was going to submit to Tastespotting.
No, not today.
So here's the story.  I baked these for 35 minutes at 300, took them out of the oven and let them cool completely (about 1/2 hour).  Seeing that they were extremely mushy (probably due to the amount of butter and relatively low baking temperature - those are my guesses and I'm stickin' to it), I decided to bake them again at 300 for another 15 minutes.
I didn't want them to get burnt, so 15 minutes was my time limit.
Almost success.
These were VERY rich and reminded me more of fudge than a brownie.  They were a little caky on the top, but waaaaayyyyyyyyyy moist on the bottom.
The taste of peanut butter was definitely present, but as with the     I think the marshmallow fluff was just completely SUCKED into the brownie batter because I couldn't see it as a separate layer.  But then again, oh yeah, I ran a knife through the final product to "kind of mix them" together.
Ah well, my job here is not done.
Whoops, I almost left without rating these.
I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with a 4 being the best.  Based on a variety of input from the peanut gallery, these brownies earned 3 brownies.
No, not brownies, haha, rolling pins!  They earned 3 rolling pins!
Happy baking!

Day 113 - Boston Cream Pie

I've ALWAYS wanted to make a Boston Cream Pie.  Maybe it's my New England upbringing and love for all things Boston or maybe it's just because it's always really yummy whenever I have a slice in a restaurant.
I found this recipe in my New Doubleday Cookbook, pp. 802, 801, 823; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.

Boston Cream Pie - a 2-layer (9") cake  (16 servings)

2 (9") layers Basic Three-Egg Butter Cake
1 recipe Basic Vanilla Cream Filling
1 recipe Chocolate Glaze

Basic Three Egg Butter Cake
2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Sift flour with baking , and salt and set aside; combine milk and vanilla.
Cream butter until light, add sugar gradually, continuing to cream until fluffy.

Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, beginning and ending with the dry and adding about 1/3 of total at a time; beat just until smooth.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into batter.
Spoon into two greased and floured 9" layer cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes until cakes shrink slightly from sides of pans and are springy to the touch; cool upright in pans on wire racks for 5-7 minutes; then invert on wire racks.
Turn right side up and cool completely.

Basic Vanilla Cream Filling
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
¾ cup milk
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with ¼ cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend cornstarch, sugar and milk in a small saucepan and heat, stirring constantly, over moderate heat until mixture boils and is thick; boil and stir ½ minute longer.
Off heat, beat a little hot mixture into egg yolk, return all to pan gradually, beating constantly.  Mix in vanilla and cool to room temperature, beating now and then.

Chocolate Glaze

2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons warm water

Melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double broiler over simmering water; stir to blend well.

Set top of double broiler on a damp cloth, add ½ cup confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon water; beat until smooth.

Add remaining sugar and water and beat until glossy.



Assembling the Cake

Sandwich cake layers together with filling, spread glaze on top, and let stand until glaze hardens.  Store in refrigerator.

This was really good and my husband really loved it.  I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  This Boston Cream Pie recipe earned 3½ rolling pins.
I have to admit that I did become really upset when I placed the top layer on top of the filling and it all started leaking out the side.
I was SO upset that it didn't turn out perfectly as I think everything I make should.
Ok, I'm realistic and I know there are some things that will flop. but the Boston Cream Pie?
C'mon!
I realize it was baker's error impatience and that I should have sliced the top of the bottom layer off to make it even.  Both cakes were a little domed in the middle, so naturally and with gravity playing its' part, the filling would tend to run out the sides.
Oh well.
It was still edible and pretty good for the first time.
I just learned what to do to make it better the next time I make it.
Happy baking!

Day 112 - Chicken Noodle Casserole

What a wonderful weekend!
I say that because I was finally able to be productive and get some housework done!
Ok, I was really only able to do laundry, but the mounds just kept growing during the week because I hadn't had any energy to do much of anything.
Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get through the day without taking a nap.
I've done that every day this week!
Being sick stinks!
Everyone, stay HEALTHY!!

This is adapted from my New Doubleday Cookbook.

Chicken Noodle Casserole - serves 4

¼ cup butter
¼ cup sifted flour
½ teaspoon McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated pepper
2 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken
8 oz. thin noodles, cooked according to package directions until al dente, and drained

Topping

3 potato hamburger buns sliced into small cubes and tossed with 3 tablespoons melted butter
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Melt butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat and blend in flour and poultry seasoning.

Slowly stir in broth and milk, add salt and pepper, and heat, stirring until mixture thickens.

Off heat, mix in all remaining ingredients except topping.

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Oh. My. Goodness!
Yes, this is one of those recipes that IS a keeper!!
The whole family absolutely loved this dish tonight, and unanimously decided that it earned 4 rolling pins! 
I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best of the best.
The sauce was so delicious and I think it was largely in part due to the fact that I used the Montreal Chicken seasoning.  That seasoning is great when we grill chicken, so I knew it would give this dish that extra boost I was looking for.  Also, instead of using the 1 teaspoon of granules I used 2 for even additional flavor.
This was SO yummy!!!!!
The only thing I think I'd change, is to double the amount of sauce.  The noodles weren't dry, I just like things really saucy.
Saucy.  I like that.
I'm so glad this was better than those Nutella sour cream cookies I made yesterday.
What a relief!
Happy baking!

Day 111 - Nutella Sour Cream Cookies

It's almost June.  This year is FLYING!
Only four more days until our two younger children are out of school. 
Then SUMMER begins!!!!
Who knows what we'll be doing.  We don't really have any major travel plans...although I DO have my 25th high school reunion coming up toward the latter part of the summer.
If I go, I'll have to borrow somebody's kitchen, so I can continue my 365.
We'll see what happens.  I'll keep you posted (haha - no pun intended.).

This recipe is adapted from my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition.

Nutella Sour Cream Cookies - makes about 60 cookies

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
½ cup sour cream
¼ + 2 tablespoons Nutella
5 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the eggs well, then add the sugar, sour cream, Nutella, butter, and vanilla, beating well until well incorporated.

Mix the flour, baking soda, and nutmeg together and add to the first mixture, beating well.
Arrange by teaspoonfuls, 1 inch apart, on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

Ok, yeah. Don't make these.  I really wanted to use Nutella in a recipe, so I changed this recipe around and it didn't work out. 
I don't even think they look that appetizing.
On my rating scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best, these cookies earned a 1 - definitely not worth the effort or money spent on ingredients.  I couldn't taste the Nutella.  The only flavor I detected was the nutmeg.  They just tasted blah.
Not the kind of cookie I enjoy.
We'll go for a better recipe tomorrow.
Happy Baking!

Day 110 - Cornflake "Macaroons"

A great evening spent with friends.  Everyone needs to remember to do that once in a while.  It's good to socialize and forget about "things" even if it is only for a few hours.
It helps to keep me grounded.
And everytime I come home after being with friends, I'm thinking, "darn!  Why don't I do that more often?".

I found this cookie recipe in my Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition, p. 621; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.

Cornflake "Macaroons"  - about 18 cookies

1 egg white
½ cup sugar
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup cornflakes
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Place parchment paper on top of two cookie sheets.
Beat the egg white until stiff, then stir in the remaining ingredients.

Place by teaspoonfuls on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and I thought these cookies earned 2½ rolling pins.  They were different.  They weren't bad, they just weren't something that I feel I absolutely have to make again.  I really liked the texture: the egg white was similar to a meringue, and the chewiness of the coconut mixed with the crunch of the cornflake was a good combination.  I like that there wasn't too much coconut, like a genuine macaroon, and I think a little less sugar would have been better - they were very sweet.  But that was probably because I used sweetened coconut, too.  Use unsweetened or cut the sugar amount in half.
I have to say that the smell of these brought me back to childhood.  I used to eat these sugar cookies from Nabisco that came in a pink wrapper and of course, they don't make them anymore.  The faintly smelled of coconut and were absolutely delicious.  I really miss those cookies... They were big, their shape reminded me of a flower and they had a hole in the middle that I used to stick my finger through and eat from the outside in.

Ah, the good 'ol days...(sigh)

Happy baking!

Day 109 - Corn Flake Chicken

Wow, I have really nothing to say.  That must be a first.  I won't bore you with my health.  I'm tired of talking about it and thinking about it just makes me exhausted.  I'll sum it up and say, I'm better, not perfect, but better.
Thank you.


Corn Flake Chicken - serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter, melted
5 cups corn flakes
1½ teaspoons dried parsley
½ teaspoon thyme
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine corn flakes, parsley, and thyme in a large plastic bag.  Crush cornflakes until they are small crumbs.  (This is something I would have the kids do when they were little.  They loved it and were able to help me with dinner.  As teenagers, no one wanted to help me tonight.  Go figure.)  Transfer crumbs to plate.
Combine egg and milk in a medium bowl and mix together.
Whisk in flour, salt and ground pepper.
Place one chicken breast in milk/flour mixture, cover completely.

Put chicken in plate of cornflake crumbs.  Coat both sides of chicken.

Place in baking dish in single layer.

Repeat with remaining pieces.
Using a spoon, drip melted butter evenly over chicken.
Bake for 30 minutes.

The family likes this dish.  I rate everything that I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and everyone thought this earned 3 rolling pins.  It's especially good with cranberry sauce served on the side.  I've also substituted potato chips for corn flakes, but of course, the corn flake version is a little healthier.
Happy baking!

Day 108 - Three Berry Cobbler

Thank you all for your patience and your continuous reading while I've taken this short hiatus.
I was feeling well enough today to bake although I am still not over my illness. 
This recipe was simple to make, but because of my energy level and inability to focus at times it took me a couple of hours to complete it.
I'm sure it won't take you as long.

Adapted from Fannie Farmer Cookbook Thirteenth Edition

Three Berry Cobbler

1 pint of strawberries
1 pint of blueberries
12 oz. blackberries
12 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
½ cup milk
1 egg
1½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Pour 4 tablespoons of the melted butter into an 8 X 8"-inch baking dish.  Spread evenly in dish.
In a small bowl, mix together ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup of the sugar.
Combine all berries into a large bowl.  Pour sugar/salt mixture over berries and fold in gently with a wooden spoon. 

Place berries in baking dish and set aside.
Pour remaining 8 tablespoons melted butter into a bowl, add the milk and egg, and beat well.
Mix the flour, baking powder, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl.
Stir the egg/milk/butter mixture into flour mixture and beat together until smooth.

Place 9 dollops of batter onto berries.

Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into dough comes out clean.  If browning too quickly, cover with foil.

The cobbler was delicious and on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best, this earned 4 rolling pins!  It was even that much better with the vanilla bean ice cream on it, too.
And yes, I had a little bit of an appetite to eat it.  And I could even taste it, too which was a plus!

I had gone to bed early, and I mean like 7:00 pm early hoping to call it a night, but I tossed and turned for at least an hour or more and couldn't fall asleep.  So, I sat on my husband's side of the bed and was on his laptop when I noticed something very near my foot move on the floor.

Fortunately, he's a bigger one and less dangerous than his smaller counterparts.  He was in a plastic cup when this picture was taken 

I was going to put this at the top of the post, but didn't want to freak anybody out. 
It's been a couple of years since we've had a scorpion in the house and usually I'm not too freaked out by them and can dispose of them without having to call my husband for assistance.  Last night was different though.  I didn't need my husband, I just freaked out knowing that I had walked back and forth over that same are not a couple of minutes beforehand to go into the bathroom.
I'm just so glad that I saw it before anyone stepped on it, and not to mention the dog who wanders the whole house.
I'd love to know where it came from and if it has any brothers or sisters we need to be on the lookout for.  Did he come in from a vent in the ceiling or somewhere at ground level.  I'll never know, but I did have trouble walking around the house afterwards and going to sleep.
We didn't have scorpions in Rhode Island.  I can't say that I'm happy to see them here in the desert.
~ Happy baking everyone! ~

Exorcism

I know, weird title for a food blog post, but I can't think of a more appropriate term for what I want to do with this sickness.
Unfortunately, this thing is getting the better of me, so I won't be in the kitchen today.  I am going back to bed.
Everyone STAY healthy!
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Happy baking!

The Garden

Sorry, all.  I just do not have the energy to put anything into the oven today.
I think I may have jinxed myself the other day when I said the only times I haven't been able to post is when Blogger is down or when I'm sick.
Today it's the latter, definitely the latter.
It started with my son who missed three days of school because of a fever, cough and achiness.  He thought it would be nice to share it so he passed it on to his father and me.
RARELY does Mr. 365 ever get sick and it's even rarer that we are both sick together.
He even missed work today!
Frankly, this whole sickness thing stinks.
Know why?
Because I'm not getting any sympathy love!!!!!
And it's ALWAYS about me (haha).

No, it's not, but I'm not lying when I tell you that sometimes I really want it to be.
Hey, I'm an only child, can you blame me?
Right now neither of us are feeling well enough to take care of the other, but the kids have been chipping in and helping out.

I really didn't want to make this a boring post, and the flowers in the backyard are so gorgeous and are displaying so much color that I wanted to share them with you.

Look at all of these summer squashes!!!  You can bet you'll be seeing some upcoming squash recipes in the near future.

We even have strawberries!  Not a lot, but a few.

So, I'm calling it a night to sleep this thing off.  I've got to kiss this bug goodbye so that I can bake tomorrow.
I hope this post finds you healthy, real healthy.  And that you are relaxed and in your happy place.
Happy baking!