RHUBARB-FLOWERS and VEGIES

Hi there everyone....where did July go????? Now it is August, time sure does fly by quickly!!! I have not been doing many cards, but I bought a few things from Spellbinders which should be coming this next week....so maybe I will get some inspiration. This will be a treat, as I have not splurged on card making supplies for at least 5 months.) Hospice meets September 6th, so I better get cracking soon, and get some cards made.

A friend gave me a bunch of rhubarb last week (he has 23 plants), so you know I got a lot. I turned most of it into sauce. In this picture below, those are "Rhubarb Bread Pudding Cups." 
First I made the sauce: 
5-6 cups of chopped up rhubarb
1 to 1-1/2 cups sugar (recipe called for 3 cups sugar)
1 package strawberry jello

Now here is the trick...mix the rhubarb and sugar in a bowl and put in the microwave for maybe 7 minutes. (more or less depending on your microwave) It should be cooked through. Add the jello and mix. Can't resist...a few teaspoons went into my mouth...have to make sure it tastes right. So yum-ee

Next step, spray the bowl, place croutons in bottom of little bowls, pour a couple of tablespoons rhubarb sauce on top of the croutons. Mix 3 eggs and milk or cream together (you could add a few shakes of cinnamon) and pour on top of bread and rhubarb. Poke with fork to make sure egg mixture is spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. When egg mixture does not wiggle on top, it's done. Cool a bit. Top with ice cream or whip cream.....YES!!!

So in these pictures are some of my flowers. Here are my brown eyed susans….last years flowers did not do well.....this year there was an abundance. I love these flowers.

In the back yard are my Bee Balm and purple Clematis. So pretty when I look out the back kitchen window. When the storm came through, they got knocked down....oh well, next year they will be back. We call the Bee Balm our "choir" there are so many of them.

My little rose bush....adds some nice color in the front yard.

My Italian Beans....gosh I love these beans....they are more flat, rather then round, I like the taste of them. I have been microwaving then, adding butter and some garlic seasoning.....very good.

The picture above, you see my zucchini plant, (finally got 3 zucchini's so far) and 2 tomato plants. the one on the left is a "Big Girl" and the one on the right is a called a "Mortgage Lifter" Lots of tomatoes on the Big Girl, not many on the Mortgage Lifter yet. Looking forward to BLT's!!!

So here is the pretty pink rose the vet gave me for Kylie.....when we buried Kylie, I gave here the rose and her teddy bear.

I am still missing this little girl.....I cry almost every day. She was with us for 13 years....very hard to forget her. I don't know what hit me yesterday, but I had a break down....and cried and cried. It's only been 3 weeks today, since she left us. I hope she is happy and running around, chasing her rabbits and squirrels and butterflies.

Time to close here, gosh, it sure feels like Saturday, but it's only Friday night. We might be going to an annual scholarship fund raiser tomorrow....not sure yet. I guess we can go for as long as we want, cause there is no puppy dog to get home to and let out.

Have a great weekend, talk to you later. Cheers ~ Louise

Happy New Year 2017

Hi there everyone...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! YAY.....another new beginning. Well, so far, things are pretty much the same.....no changes. But anyways, I had a good evening. Spent it with my cards. Ending the year with making cards and beginning the year with making cards.....hope there is a profit this year...that would be nice. I might make this my last year with Etsy....didn't get very many sales in 2016, course I was not promoting it that much. Everything is for a season.....I think I have been on Etsy 9 years....maybe it is time to close down the store....I don't know...just thinking.

Friday night I made this Blue Apron meal.....this was really good!!! "Cod en Papillot with Freekeh and Spinach" "En Papillote" means "In Parchment" So yeah, the fish was baked in parchment paper. I do believe I will do this more often. This is what I like about Blue Apron.....learning something new and using it in my regular cooking.

The freekeh was cooked like rice. The spinach cooked down with garlic and the water drained from it. Parchment is laid out, freekeh laid to the side of the paper, then topped with spinach, then the cod that has been salted and peppered. The paper is folded to close into an envelope. Baked 10-12 minutes or until the packets are lightly browned and puffed up. A herb sauce of cream, parsley and lemon zest and 1/4 of the minced garlic and juice of 2 lemon wedges is poured over the fish, spinach and freekeh. I also made some oven fries which JP loves, served with sour cream and chives. Definitely a 5 star meal.

Following are the cards that I was working on last night. I got this new die cut "Stained Glass" from Spellbinders. I really like this die. The "Thanks" die cut not sure where I got it. But here I used all my purple colors, then ran the die cut through the cuttlebug with purple sparkle paper. And Wa-la, a pretty card. Then I thought....why not carry this through to.....

The red colors on a pink card. Then how about........

Green colors on a white card. I also have a card in blues....maybe the next one will be in oranges and today my thought was greys.....Yep, the ideas are endless!!

Today, New Years Day.....I made another Blue Apron meal....a really good one. "Steaks and Green Peppercorn Sauce with Kale and Roasted Potato" Yep....another 5 star. I will tell you about it in my next post along with a picture. For dessert we had cheese cake with cherries on top.....I am full.

Thought I would start my diet today.....nope, not today. Well, I did lose 5 pounds in December. Hopefully I can lose another 5 pounds this month.

Time to close here.....Packers are playing the Detroit Lions....oh, oh Detroit just scored...it's tied at 7-7 now.

You all have a great night and I wish for you to have a great NEW YEAR with good health and prosperity and only good things happen for you. Keep looking up ~ better days are coming.

Cheers ~ Louise