Cooper's Hawk - Sharing the Backyard

     Large red-tailed hawks are not a rare sight in our suburban neighborhood. Usually they sail silently, high over the tree tops, but occasionally one will perch on a tree limb or phone pole while searching for prey. Yesterday I stopped to look out the big back window and just by chance saw a very large swoop of wings - a red-tail who flew down to snatch a squirrel off the trunk of an ash tree - and immediately vamoosed with its meal. It happened so quickly that even if I'd had a camera close, it wouldn't have been possible to catch a photo. (Once a feisty red-tail seemed to be perturbed by our Siberian Husky, who circled underneath him - I could swear the bird dropped an arm-sized stick at that dog!) 

     Anyway, lately we've been spotting a smaller hawk but never close enough or still enough to make an identification. Then I saw this guy on the neighbor's lawn, eating away at his lunch. This time the camera was close and I stepped quietly out the door, but he startled and flew up into a tree. However I was able to get near enough to use a zoom lens and capture a picture - not a great one but reasonably good - and I think finally his identity was revealed: a Cooper's Hawk. The size of him, his long legs, the squarish head and the tubular body were the clues. Just call me Sherlock!

Waffled Potatoes

     Years ago for our anniversary, Pop and I rented a riverfront cottage on the bluffs in Hermann, Missouri. It was quiet and secluded, and boasted lovely views from a hot tub on the deck, but one feature we always remember with delight was the Belgian waffle maker in the tiny kitchen. On the counter, we found waffle mix and syrup and had great fun making the giant fluffy treats for breakfast, which were served with orange juice from the stocked refrigerator. So when I happened to see a waffle maker on sale in the paper earlier this month, it seemed to be the perfect anniversary gift to ourselves. We've since made regular waffles a couple times, but when there were scalloped potatoes left over from last night's dinner, I thought to try something different. After crushing the potatoes slightly, and adding a little milk, flour and an egg, I placed dollops on the waffle maker and cooked till the outsides were crispy brown. What a nice change from the usual hash browns and so pretty next to the bacon and scrambled eggs!

Valentine Surprises - Amy Style

     On winter weekdays it is dark when I leave the house in the morning and dark in the evening when I return. Because of that, I have a slight excuse for not noticing a couple of cute plant picks that were mysteriously added to my Valentine decor. Well sort of mysterious! Sweet niece Amy and her husband shared our fun on Superbowl Sunday and she had brought some fun photo props made with her new Cricut cutting machine so it was a no-brainer to figure out who had planted these delightful surprises.(She also is partial to anything French and especially Parisian.) Thank you, Amy - Je t'aime aussie!

Sweet Hearts for My Valentines

     While grocery shopping early in February, I stumbled across some heart-shaped York Peppermint patties and was immediately smitten with thoughts of Valentine cookies. Because of limited time, on baking day I used a box of white cake mix to make the cookies (easy-peasy to just add shortening or butter and eggs). The balls of dough were dipped in pink nonpareils and after baking, a heart candy (so very hard to not eat half of the minty little devils!) was pressed gently on each cookie top . The result was quite pretty and a sweet way to say, "I Love You" to my little Valentines and my co-workers!

Vinnie Loves Scarlett

     For the first time ever it was difficult to come up with an idea for gifts for grandson's birthday. At nineteen Vinnie is no longer a boy (although he has always been mature in many ways for his age) and the oft-given suggestion was just to give money, I dislike just handing over only cash for a present. However, when he expressed his extreme admiration for movie star, Scarlett Johansonn, an idea was hatched. I found a lovely photo of her on the internet and made a copy on my printer. Then I visited the hobby store and talked with a helpful sales clerk, who recommended a product to transfer the picture to fabric. The end result was not perfect and I was less than pleased, but Vinnie liked it and that night the lucky guy got to sleep with pretty Scarlett.

Cake Pops

     

     

     Cake pops seem to be quite popular, judging from the proliferation of Pinterest pins and Facebook posts with tutorials. Just because of the ingredient composition, I was skeptical of the whole idea. Bake a cake, crumble it and then smush it with frosting to make a ball? Why not just mix basic ingredients, similar to a non-baked cookie, and dip it in chocolate? Anyway, when grandson expressed an interest in cake pops, I volunteered to make some for his birthday. The multiple steps - baking a cake, cooling it, crumbling it, adding frosting (till a play dough consistency is reached) and rolling into a ball, cooling the balls, inserting sticks, melting chocolate in a double boiler, dipping the balls and then decorating with sprinkles - were tedious but not difficult. The results were pretty and held up well in their Styrofoam base on the one-hour  trip to Vinnie's home.

     Everybody enjoyed the pops, even the dog who got to eat the sprinkles that fell on the floor. (Vinnie fabricated a foil catch for his sprinkles!) But I stick by my original thoughts and feel my skepticism was warranted - I would rather eat a good moist cake with a silky buttercream frosting than a mushed combination of the same!

Peanut Butter Cookies

     In another decade, heck in another century, my mom made peanut butter cookies and crosshatched them with the tines of a fork. I'm not sure why she did, except perhaps that her Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book included the technique in their recipe.  I own the same cookbook, published at a much later date but containing mostly the same recipes. So when Pop asks for his favorite, the finishing touch is sure to be the same as Mom's.

     A little research hinted that Pillsbury popularized the use of a fork in the 1930's, perhaps to help the dense dough to bake evenly. Whatever the reason, the distinctive pattern is always a signal that a nutty treat is imminent!