Another Entry

I've posted another entry in my travel Blog. Please hop over to;

http://packyourbagsletsgo.blogspot.com/

Many Thanks!

Many thanks to Bill of 'Just Plain Bill' for the gift of 5 squished penny's from his recent family vacation. They arrived today...I'm thrilled to add them to my collection. I've decided to use one of my special elongated penny books for the penny's gifted to me and the ones I'm trading with other collectors. Yes, I'm trading. It's really fun to see the penny's from other parts of the country.

Thanks again Bill, you made my day ! Now I have to go out & mow the back yard......

Segments of My Life

FOOD FRIDAY

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup sugar mixed together in a bowl. Add 2 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind(optional). Place 2 pints fresh blackberries or 3 cups frozen blackberries (thawed & drained) in a 2 quart oven proof baking dish. Sprinkle berries with approximately 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and then pour thoroughly mixed batter over berries. Bake a 350* for 1 hour, until top is crusty and brown. Remove from oven and cool briefly before serving. This is good over vanilla ice cream or topped with whipping cream.

Right now in my area the blackberries are pretty white flowers. But they'll soon turn into berries and I plan to pick as many as possible and get some in the freezer.

I guess everyone may be having trouble getting into Blogs.

I'm getting an Internet Error message and then I'm bounced out of the Blog I'm attempting to read. I don't know what's going on but it's frustrating !

I've Finally Posted An Entry Featuring our Recent Road Trip

I've been so bad about posting and getting around to reading Blogs. It seems that during the summer months there's just so much going on. Between working in the yard ~ which is becoming more of a chore each year. I've also resumed my work outs at Curves. So that takes some time out of my day. And I've also had several family & friends things....a graduation, graduation party, a 2nd birthday party, a Father's Day family get together, a potluck for the gals in my high school graduating class, my Tuesday movie dates with friends...the list goes on & on.

Anyway, I just finished an entry ~ the first couple days of our recent road trip, south to California and back. I hope if you have time, you'll stop by and visit. I'll be posting these entries in my travel Blog ~ 'Pack Your Bags, Let's Go.'

http://packyourbagsletsgo.blogspot.com/

I'm trying to read three or four Blogs a day. Please forgive me if I don't make it to your Blog every day. I keep hoping for a rainy day where I can stay in the house and on the computer longer. But no such luck.

Happy Father's Day

My dad in the middle with his brother & sister probably taken about 1921. Their parents both worked for the railroad so this picture was probably taken on the platform of a railroad depot somewhere in eastern Washington. This picture I've posted before but I love it...my dad on July 4, 1942 holding me. This picture was taken in the yard of my maternal grandparents in Sunnyside, WA. A couple days later he left for Camp Shelby, Mississippi and his US Army basic training. He returned from World War II in October 1945.

I want to wish all the dads, step dads, foster dad's and mom's who've been both mom & dad ~ a Happy Father's Day!

I thank God for my dad, Bill Smith.....he was wonderful. He loved the Lord and he loved his family. He was a hard worker, never complaining about the long hours he put in each day. We weren't rich but he always saw to it that we had a comfortable home filled with laughter and love.

FOOD FRIDAY

Zucchini Bread



3 eggs, 1 cup vegetable oil, 2 cups peeled & grated zucchini, 3 teaspoons vanilla, 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon salt (optional), 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)



Beat eggs until foamy. Add oil, sugar, zucchini & vanilla. Mix lightly. Add sifted dry ingredients. Mix and bake in 2 greased & floured loaf pans at 325 degrees for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.


If your area is anything like the Pacific northwest~zucchini grows like weeds. I have only 2 zucchini plants and expect to get as much or more zucchini than I can use. I have shredded the excess and popped it in the freezer in Ziplock Freezer Bags or if you have a Food Saver it can be vacuum packed, then frozen. I've used shredded zucchini in soups & stews and also muffins during the winter months.

FOOD FRIDAY

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2 cups sliced strawberries, 2 cups sliced rhubarb, 1/4 cup Minute Tapioca, 1-1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated orange peel (optional)

Mix ingredients together, let stand for 15 minutes and then pour into unbaked pie shell. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter and cover with top crust, seal and flute edge. Cut several slits in crust (I like to also sprinkle sugar on the top crust) and bake in pre-heated 400* oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until juices form bubbles that burst slowly. I usually cut strips of foil and cover the edges with the foil so they don't overbake.

I know I've posted this recipe before but it's strawberry season & also rhubarb season, so I decided to post it again.

HOME SWEET MOBILE HOME !

I am home! After almost a month, it felt like I was walking into a stranger's house. But my key worked so it must be the right place.

We had a great time, saw a lot of beautiful places, met some interesting people along the way but there's just no place like home.

The living & dining room are littered with boxes and bags of stuff that we unloaded from the camper. And there's a huge bag of laundry to do. So it may take a few days to get back to a normal routine here. We have a graduation Thursday evening and a graduation party on Saturday, so I don't have a clue when I'll start posting & reading Blogs again.

I missed each & every one of you and look forward to getting back into the swing of things. Until next time........Linda

FOOD FRIDAY

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch broccoli

1 bunch cauliflower

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 chopped sweet onion

1/2 pound fried & crumbled bacon

Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

Cut broccoli and cauliflower into Florette's. Add cheese, onion and bacon. Mix in dressing. Chill for 1 hour or more before serving.

GOING HOME ?

We are planning on leaving Pasadena sometime today. So far it's 10:30am and no move has been made in that direction. Our intended stop for tonight is California's Red Rock Canyon State Park~about 130 miles from here. Bob is finishing up a couple things around the house here and the camper still needs to be arranged for traveling.

I want to be home by next Tuesday evening because I've scheduled my mail to be brought to me on June 9th. I'm not sure if the mailman will leave a tub of mail on my porch if I'm not there to receive it. Then we have Bob's grand daughter's graduation on Thursday the 11th and her graduation party on the 13th. So next week is a busy week at home....we need to get there.

I'm sure I'll be off-line for the most part until I'm sitting in front of my own computer. If we stop in Carson City, I can always use his cousin's computer to get on line. So I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I'll be back when I can. Linda