Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

     It's not quite blueberry season yet but I had a frozen cupful left over from last week's pancakes (Pop's favorite). Incorporating them into a yellow cake mix along with some sour cream and an extra egg produced this lovely bundt cake. A generous lemon glaze boosted the citrus flavor. This cake may be MY new summer favorite!

Eastern Bluebird

     It was Easter. It was also April Fools Day. We were enjoying a sunny morning on the patio but snow was forecast for the afternoon. So why were we surprised to see the first ever bluebird at our feeder?

     

     On this day of incongruities, when a flash of vivid sapphire flew across the yard and lit on the feeder, I immediately ran into the house for my camera and was amazed that the chap remained in place long enough for a very focused photo. I was pretty sure this little guy was an Eastern Bluebird but my supposition was confirmed when I uploaded the photos and was able to fully distinguish his field marks - which included a white belly, rusty throat and short bill. I've seen bluebirds in non-urban areas but never inside the city limits. Our pretty pint-sized visitor didn't stay long and we haven't seen him since but we certainly enjoyed a little Easter April Fool!

New Dresser Top

     The dressers in our master bedroom posed somewhat of a dilemma. They were old but not antique ...the wood finish was in good shape, except for the tops...and nobody ever saw them but us! We could afford a new set but the frugal little gnome that sits continually on my shoulder whispered, "They're perfectly good so why spend the money on new ones?!"

      I tossed around the idea of refinishing or painting them but couldn't come to a decision. And then I happened upon a solution while scrolling through ideas on Pinterest. Put a marble top on them! Well a marble finish anyway...actually a contact paper that looks like marble. Husband was skeptical until we agreed that something was better than nothing in this case. And it certainly was! We love the new lighter, cleaner look - no more ugly dents or scratches.

     There was very little prep work involved - just minimal sanding of the scratches and water damage followed by a good scrubbing to removed dirt and any other residues. Accurate measurements were critical and applying the sticky paper was challenging but not horrendously difficult. I did use a credit card to push out bubbles and smooth some wrinkles. A few imperfections remained but they are almost undetectable because of the marble print. I think we'll keep this bedroom set a few more years.

Vintage Hand-Colored Portrait of Mom and Meema

     This beautiful photograph of little Joan and Phyllis, is a glimpse of maternal love and the comfort of a child in her mother's arms. It is also a splendid study of portrait techniques of the very early 1930s. In the midst of the Great Depression and in the midst of a failing marriage, Phyllis has a simple but polished look; Joan, who was born in June of 1927 and appears to be about four years old, is dressed in a pretty yellow dress with a frilly collar and a matching big bow, typical of the era. The coloring, which at that time was done by hand, is subtle but beautiful, with only the use of very soft shades of yellow and pink. 

     This is also a personal treasure because it is my mother and grandmother (who have both left this earth), at a time long past.

BIG Flat Oatmeal Cookies

     It's February...it's winter...but the weather is hardly cooperating. The sky has been the same shade of gray for about six days, with rain falling a good bit of that time, and the temperature is holding in the boring forties. Housework is finished but I did notice the cookie jar is empty. Since Christmas (and all the requisite special cookies), we've cut way back on sweet eating so the only baking I've done recently is a loaf of French Bread. Therefore I decided it would be appropriate to make a batch of "ordinary' oatmeal cookies (oats are nutritious, right?) Pop doesn't care for soft cookies - he likes big flat ones with crispy edges and chewy middles, so I obliged him with these beauties and even drizzled a glaze over them for good measure. I thought we would ration them to one a day, but I'm pretty sure a couple went missing mid afternoon!

Winter Visitors - Juncos and White-Throated Sparrows

     Several days of sub-zero temps kept us in the house (except for a dog walk around the block). To combat seasonal depression, we keep the drapes drawn wide open on the sliding back door and let the sun shine in. We also keep the bird feeders full because the winter visitors are quite entertaining. 

     It is amazing that the tiny little legs and bodies of these juncos don't freeze! I know it has to do with altered blood flow but these happy guys are always moving too - darting and flitting at top speed!

     Some new faces joined the group this year - a family of white-throated sparrows. Their faces have a disgruntled appearance, something like Grumpy Cat.

Homemade Raviolis (with help from a muffin tin)

     Ever the adventurous cook, I had to add something new to my repertoire. Although I have made simple noodles (some call them Amish noodles) from scratch for soup, I never had the time or even the inclination to try raviolis. Pinterest struck again on a cold snowy weekend after Christmas, when I saw a pin about using mini muffin tins as a form. So I made the filling of ground beef, onion, spinach, garlic and egg and then made the dough. After rolling it out extremely thin, which was the tedious part of the process, I placed half on the muffin tin and pushed down slightly with a melon scoop to make round depressions. Then I brushed around each indentation with water to help the top layer of dough adhere, and spooned in the filling . I don't have a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel so I just used a sharp knife to cut the squares and then crimped the edges with the tines of a dinner fork. They went into the freezer after a parboil, for a quick dinner during the work week.

  

     The funny part of this story is that I was still at work when Pop decided to cook dinner and pulled out the bag of raviolis. He phoned me to find out how to prepare them and I explained, "just drop them in boiling water for a few minutes and then keep them warm in a pan of marinara sauce until I get home." He phoned me a few minutes later and asked, "but how do you get them crispy?"

     Hated to burst his bubble with the fact that these were not the fried variety, but he was happy enough after eating more than one cheese-topped helping!