Flowers

....trying out a new web-based slide program from Animoto

Yummy Feta Chicken

Ramona gave me this recipe which I made this evening... so good!

And, very easy to make.

Placed four chicken breast in a greased baking dish.

Top with a mixture of 1 cup crumbled feta with 2 diced roma tomatoes, 1/2 pepper (I used red), 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1 TBS olive oil.

(I not have parsley so I added chopped basil and fresh oregano and chives)

Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes. I put a lid on the casserole dish but I am not sure you need to.

Here it is plated... so attractive served with rice and veggies

Breakfast special

When I was in Swift Current Pam made some wonderful meals. We had a very tasty spaghetti supper followed by an attractive dessert that is one of easiest dishes to make... I am sorry I don't have a picture but Pam's ice cream sandwich cake is made by layering a cake dish with ice cream sandwiches, spreading them with cool whip and then topping it with chopped chocolate -- Pam used a bittersweet chocolate bar with nuts.... oh it was soooo good!


Equally as good although there was more involved in the prep was the Hashbrown and Ham Quiche she made for breakfast. What a great way to start the day!

Ingredients
4 c frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 TBS butter, divided
1 medium onion chopped
½ c green pepper (optional)
½ chopped fresh mushrooms
2 tsp flour
¾ cup diced fully cooked ham
3 eggs, beaten
½ c milk
½ shredded chedder chees

Procedure

• Sauté hash browns w/s&p and 2 TBs butter
• Press into the bottom and the sides of greased 9 inch pie pan (can be made ahead of time)
• Sauté the onion, green pepper and mushrooms in remaining butter
• Remove from heat and sprinkle with flour
• Stir in ham, eggs and milk, pour into curst
• Bake at 350 for 25 minutes
• Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer
• Let stand 10 minutes before cutting

Saskatoon Home Care 25 years of Caring Silver Anniversary Cookbook

A visit with Carter

Actually the visit was with Zane, Pam and Carter but as you can well imagine a charming three year old can be the focus of a visit.

I left Wednesday afternoon for a meeting in Regina. I volunteer with SCIC (Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation) to work on an e-zine project, Worldbeat where we review sites for global education. We not only create the e-zine but connect the web sites with relevant Saskatchewan curriculum objectives. I like this volunteer work because we meet for half a day and then the work is over... no responsibilities until the next time we meet. And... I think we create a worthwhile product that can be used by teachers anywhere. This time we were reviewing web sites that provided lesson plans and activities about diseases in developing countries, e.g. HIV/AIDS and malaria.

After the meeting I drove to Swift Current and had a wonderful visit with Zane, Pam and Carter in their new home.

Carter was exceptionally charming and loved the dinosaur puzzle that I brought him.

Although I must admit it was a little difficult to put together with him sitting on the pieces!



Carter loves the computer, playing with his toys - especially his dinosaurs (amazingly he can remember and pronounce all those difficult names. He also is really into the Cars phenomena and we spent a few tense minutes looking for Bruce (under the love seat!).


And, of course, he loves his books and there is nothing Auntie Donna loves more than reading with her nieces and nephews!

It was a wonderful visit and I look forward to the next one.

Chocolate Carmel Torte

If you need a quick recipe that will really impress people try this dessert that Ramona told me about. It's awesome!

Bake one chocolate cake mix according to instructions. I used a bundt pan. While still hot and in the pan pour one jar of caramel sauce (the kind you pour over ice cream) over the cake. Let the sauce soak into the cake. When cooled cover the cake with tons of cool whip. Top with four bars of chopped skor bars. Yummmmyyy!

I made it for a group of friends and they loved it.

Thanks Ramona... tonight I going to make your Feta Chicken Casserole.

Donna

dave

You're The Great Gatsby!

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Having grown up in immense wealth and privilege, the world is truly at
your doorstep. Instead of reveling in this life of luxury, however, you spend most of
your time mooning over a failed romance. The object of your affection is all but
worthless--a frivolous liar--but it matters not to you. You can paint any image of the
past you want and make it seem real. If you were a color of fishing boat light, you
would be green.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

During my summer holidays I....

I have spent the last few days going through old memorabilia, throwing away many pieces of paper and reorganizing my files and storage system.

Things looked like this










and now they look like this.

It so interesting how this occasional purging is good for both my home and my head. I feel so uncluttered and organized now! And, it is also good for my soul. I think it is useful to everyone once in a while look back at where you have been and what you have accomplished. I never keep things that bring back bad memories so I always this wonderful feeling of a life well lived after going through my memory boxes! I find birthday cards with special greetings and wishes, thank you cards from my nieces, photos of family times, newspaper articles, souvenirs of travels and pieces of work that brought special recognition. This time I reread the letter that mom and dad wrote to all of us after their trip to Spain and the speech Jim gave at dad's memorial service... sad but heartwarming at the same time.

Ramona and I talked about about keeping 'stuff' while we were on holidays this summer and agreed that it can be overdone which is why I took out many, many, many bags to the dumpster. A few mementos are all that is needed to bring back memories. Still, there are a few more trinkets around my home after our travels on Vancouver Island andmy memory box has grown to three. As I poured though them these past two days I realized that I am very blessed with a loving family, good friends and a vocation that is a passion.

I have been doing more the organizing this past summer and I trust that you saw the pictures on flickr of the road trip to East Central Saskatchewan


St. Michael's Hall at St. Peter's College where dad went to high school.

I have also been tending my flowers. I love bright colours almost to a point where I would say that I can feel them... kinda like synesthesia.









And this year I planted a crop of tomatoes... nothing better than a fresh off the vine toasted tomato sandwich!













I have also been doing a bit of this...



...and this...
















And some of this....


.... all in all not a bad summer.

Hope everyone else is enjoying these last few days in the sun!

Mom's Literature Profile

You're I, Robot!

by Isaac Asimov

While you have established a code of conduct for many generations to follow, your demeanor is rather cold and calculating. Brought up to serve humans, you have promised never to harm them, to follow orders, and to protect yourself. Living up to this code has proved challenging and sometimes even drives you mad. If you were a type of paper, you would be pulp.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Who is this?

My literature profile

I am "To Kill a Mockingbird"

You're To Kill a Mockingbird!

by Harper Lee

Perceived as a revolutionary and groundbreaking person, you have
changed the minds of many people. While questioning the authority around you, you've
also taken a significant amount of flack. But you've had the admirable guts to
persevere. There's a weird guy in the neighborhood using dubious means to protect you,
but you're pretty sure it's worth it in the end. In the end, it remains unclear to you
whether finches and mockingbirds get along in real life.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

What great piece of literature are you?

Donna