happy easter

boy salad

Do you ever watch Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn?  Now that I am semi-retired this has become one of my favorite shows to watch.  Mad Hungry is on everyday from 11 am to 12pm on the Hallmark Channel.  She makes regular food that anyone can make, no fancy ingredients, everday food and it all looks so good.  I have tried a few of her recipes and they are delish!  Today she had Boy Salad - she has three sons.   I can't wait to try it.  It has one of my favorite ingredients - sausage.

Boy Salad

Serves 5

• 2 hot Italian sausage links, meat removed from casings
• 4 sweet Italian sausage links, meat removed from casings
• 1 yellow pepper, cut in 1/2-inch strips
• 1 large shallot or 2 small, sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 5 slices ciabatta bread
• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, well dried, and crisped in refrigerator, and chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan

Directions

1. In large skillet, saute sausage meat. Using a metal spatula to break the pieces up, cook until it is golden brown and with some crispy bits, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate.
2. Add the peppers and shallots to the same pan. Saute to soften, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the wine, cooking to reduce it to a slight glaze on the peppers. Place the pepper mixture on the plate on top of the sausage.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic to the pan. Let the garlic sizzle, and remove before it is brown. Add bread and cook to golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the up side of the bread, turn, and continue cooking until crisp.
4. Place the lettuce and fennel in a large bowl; add the sausage and pepper mixture. Drizzle over the vinegar, sprinkle with salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Toss well and serve in a large salad bowl topped with the shaved Parmesan and a crostini.

antiquing

Just in time for Easter an egg cup.

family

My aunt, my mother, another aunt, my grandmother pregnant with my uncle.

Working on my family tree. Discovering things about my family I did not know. I love it. I feel like a detective. What excitement to discover something that you did not know. My mother is the only one left that remembers things so I have been asking and writing down everything she tells me. I did not know that my grandmother lived in Iowa. I did not know that her mother my great-grandmother and my great-great grandfather are buried in Iowa. My great-grandmother died in 1918 at the age of 38 of the great flu epidemic that killed an estimated 50 million people world wide.

spring is here

After 174 inches of snow this winter I am sooo looking forward to Spring.  Warmer temperatures, flowers, walking, baseball and getting out of the house.

 

Cleaning not my favorite thing to do but necessary. 

It does feel good after it's done.

 Baseball - opening day March 31.

 Happy Spring everyone!

antiquing

Look at this drawer I found with cubbies.

  Perfect for storing my ribbons.

that's a whole lot of snow

This is what the snow looks a few miles north of here. We've had our share too - 133.2 inches so far. Thirty seven days out of the last thirty nine we have had snowfall. Watch the whole video to see how high the snow can get. Click on the link to take you to the news report.

Snow fatigue in Oswego County: "Neighbors in Fulton and all across Oswego County says they are exhausted by the seemingly non-stop snow."

ground hog shadows

Batten down the hatches.  We are about to get hit with another snowstorm on Wednesday - Ground Hogs Day. One to two feet is one predication I heard on TV. 

So far this winter we have had 115 inches of snow. The all-time snowiest winter we had was 1992-1993.  We had 192.1 inches.  Some parts of  Northern NY get over 200 inches of snow on regular basis.  


Pennsylvania is going to get some of this snow and ice - so does this mean that Punxsutawney Phil won't see his shadow and we'll have an early spring?  We can only hope.  I haven't seen grass in over a month.

winterfest

When winter gives you snow what do you do?

You have a Winterfest! ...and a Polar Bear Plunge.
Brrr..... shivering as I think about it.

Sherwood Inn, Skaneateles, NY

Dog sled demonstration.

Getting ready for the Polar Bear Plunge.

Water temperature 34 degrees. Brrrrrr.....

Firemen at the ready.

The first one in.

Milli Petters daughter of Cindy Petters 

at Hidden Pond Farm.  She was so brave.

Stopped at the Creekside Books and Coffee

to listen to music by "Edgy Folk".

 There were 20 ice sculptures around town.

A speedboat.

Old style Ford truck.

Back to the Sherwood Inn for lunch.  

We ate onion soup and chili and had

turkey reuben sandwiches with warm German potato salad.

Mmm... good.

computer challenged

Experimenting - trying to find a new look - bear with me!