An Easy, Cool, and Delicious Summer Treat

I’m home!!!!

I recently got home from a trip to Europe.  Well I guess I could include Asia in that because we went to Istanbul and it is technically on two continents so…  I digress.  When my friend Kim (one of the best travel partners next to besides husband), and I visited Chatsworth.  I had wanted to visit here for years and we finally got it on the trip itinerary.  We traveled up from Stoke on Trent to get there and arrived right at lunch time. 

Me, outside Chatsworth.  The home that was Jane Austen's inspiration for Pemberely

We decided to have lunch before heading into tour the house and grounds.  Our lunch was delicious but I can’t remember what it was.  What I DO remember is the dessert.  Kim had always wanted to try Eton Mess so she got some to try.  I had heard of it but didn’t know what it was.  Well she thought it was wonderful and asked me to try it and I did and it was heavenly!  It was a cool, sweet, and refreshing treat! 

This picture dose not do this yummy treat justice.  You are just going to have to trust me on this one. 

Since we have got home, we have both tested it out on our families at dinners and it has been a hit.  Especially when it is hot in Arizona, a cool dessert is wonderful!  Here is the recipe I used.  I don’t know the one Kim used but I will compare it sometime and let you know. 

Eton Mess (Serves 6)

6 oz (175 g) golden granulated sugar

3 large egg whites

 (*note- the above ingredients are to make the meringue.  I just used store bought meringues already made.  They came in 7 ounce containers holding approximately 28 cookies.  For this recipe you would need about 4 oz. or about 20 cookies.)

1 lb (450 g) fresh strawberries, hulled

1 rounded T powdered sugar

1 pint (570 ml) heavy whipping cream

To make meringue:

First, have the caster sugar measured out ready, then place the egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk until they form soft peaks. Add the caster sugar, about a tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk (beat) until each T of sugar has been thoroughly whisked in. Now take rounded dessertspoonfuls of the mixture and place them in rows on a lined baking tray (sheet) (I use either parchment or brown paper). Place the tray in the 250-275 degree oven on the centre shelf, and leave the meringues there for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven to dry out overnight, or until the oven is completely cold.

Begin here if using store bought meringues: 

When you’re ready to make the pudding, chop half the strawberries and place them in a blender together with the powdered sugar. Whiz the whole lot to a puree, then pass it through a nylon sieve to remove the seeds (I don’t do this). Now chop the rest of the strawberries and whip up the double cream to the floppy stage.

All the above can be done in advance, but when you are ready to serve, break up the meringues into roughly 1 inch pieces (I actually do this ahead of time, also). Place them in a large mixing bowl, add the chopped strawberries, then fold the cream in and around them. After that, gently fold in all but about 2 T of the puree to give a marbled effect. Finally, pile the whole lot into a serving dish, spoon the rest of the puree over the surface and serve as soon as possible.

P.S. Everyone I’ve served this to has loved it.

How to Preserve Every Kind of Citrus Juice

As a follow up to my recent blog about bottling citrus, I wanted to also share the instructions for bottling citrus juice.  I did orange and grapefruit juices but the process is the same.  Again, there are the instructions for this in the Ball Blue Book for canning.  (You really need to have this book in your library! http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ball-blue-book-guide-to-preserving/shop/229696/ )

Bottling Grapefruit Juice

Wash grapefruit and drain.  Extract juice from fruit and strain.  Combine juice with sugar to taste if desired, (*I did not add any sugar to mine.  I like it a bit tart anyway.)  

Heat juice for 5 minutes or until it reaches the temperature of 190°.  DO NOT LET IT BOIL!  Meanwhile, warm up the jars in a warm oven or dishwasher. 

Ladle hot juice into warmed jars, leaving a ¼ inch head space.  Adjust 2 piece caps as usual onto the jars and process pints and quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. 

That is it!  Easy peasy!   Now you will have your “fresh squeezed” juice all summer long.  It has only been a month since I did mine and it tastes as fresh as the day I squeezed it and bottled it. 

Lemon Juice

The best way I have found for preserving lemons is to simply clean the fruit and pop them into a freezer zip lock bag and put them in the freezer.  You usually don’t need much lemon juice to use in recipes so it isn’t worth bottling it.  Then anytime I need lemon juice, I pull out 1-3 lemons a couple of hours ahead of time and let them thaw.  I get all the juice I need.  The only thing this doesn’t work for is if you need some lemon zest.  The thawed lemon peel is too mushy to get zest off of it. 

Anyway, I hope you will try your hand at bottling citrus, whether you grow it or purchase it when it is on sale and it will save you a lot of money! 

As Good As The Real Butter Beer

Last December I went with my husband to Florida where he was attending a Business Conference.  We rented a vacation home for a week and my parents joined us to keep me company while Bruce was at his meetings.  One of the days we were there we visited Universal Studios and “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter”. 

At the entry gates of Hogsmead

The Hogwarts Express with the Conductor.

It was the most amazing themed attraction I have ever been to! (Sorry Disney).  There were only 3 rides, but the Hogwarts ride was the best and longest ride I have ever been on, it was amazing!  Even though there were only 3 rides, we spent the entire day just in this section of Universal Studios, where they had recreated the village of Hogsmead as described in the books.  There were so many shops and things to see that the time passed quickly.  We had lunch at “The Three Broomsticks” and of course we had to have the famous butter beer! 

In front of The Three Broomsticks Restaurant

Now if I had ever written a book, especially a book of fantasy, I think I would worry about someone creating an actual item that I had in my book, and I wonder if Ms. Rowling worried about what the butter beer would turn out like.  Well, it is wonderful!  Really, it is one of the best drinks I have ever had! ( I know I am using that phrase a lot but…).   I wanted to have as much as possible because I knew it would be a while before I got to have some again!  You could have it either of two ways, frozen/slushy or just cold.  Bruce had it frozen and I didn’t.  It was quite sweet, so it was more like a dessert than a drink to have with our lunch.  I can still taste it in my memory!

About ready to taste for the first time, Butter Beer!  YUM!!!

When I got home, my mom sent me a copy cat recipe that tastes almost as good as what they had at the park.  She found it in an article by Heather Witherspoon (McClatchy Newspapers), along with a few other “Harry Potter” recipes in addition to the Butter Beer.  I made it for my family one Sunday night when they were all over for dinner, and then I also had it for the neighbors when our street had our Christmas luminary and dessert night.  Everyone that tried it LOVED it!  I slightly tweaked it when I made it for my family to make it a bit easier and it was just as good.  I will put her recipe here then explain the variation that I made:

Butter Beer

1 c light or dark brown sugar

            2 T water
            6 T butter
            ½ t salt
            ½  t cider vinegar
            ¾ c heavy cream, divided
            Four 12-ounce bottles of cream soda

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water.  Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240° F on a candy thermometer (I just did the drops in cold water until it forms the soft ball stage).  Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar, and ¼ c. of the heavy cream.  Once the mixture has cooled, stir in rum extract (this is not a typo, I know it is not listed in the ingredients, so I just added 1 teaspoon and it was sufficient.  You may want to add more to according to your taste). 

(*see below))  In a medium bowl, combine 2 T of the sugar mixture and the remaining ½ c of cream.  Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened but not completely whipped, about 2-3 minutes.  To serve, divide the sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about ¼ c per glass).  Add ¼ cup cream soda to each glass and stir to combine.  Then continue to fill each glass to the top with the cream soda, and then spoon some of the whipped topping on top of the soda. 

*(Here is where I changed the recipe)
My alternative:  Instead of following the recipe at this point, here is what I did.  I had 12 ounce cups.  I put 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture into the cup, 1-2 tablespoons of un-whipped heavy cream and mix those in the cup until combined.  Then pour the cream soda into the cup.  It makes its own foam, just like when you make root beer floats, so you don’t need that extra step of whipping up the flavored foam. 

Looking up at Hogwarts from Hogsmead

The Village of Hogsmead

The Frog Choir from Hogwarts singing "Bubble bubble, toil and trouble..." See, Shakespeare is EVERYWHERE!!!

So, try this delicious treat on your Harry Potter fans and it will tide you over until you have a chance to try the real thing when you go to “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios in Orlando Florida. 

Need An Excuse to Watch 5 1/2 Hour of Pride and Prejudice? Bottle Citurs!

We moved to Arizona in 1982 when my husband came to ASU to get a graduate degree.  We loved it so much that we never left.  However there is something that has bothered me throughout the many years we have been here that I couldn’t get the answer to until this year.  The question was, “how do you bottle or preserve all the citrus that grows here?” 

Having "fun" sectioning the Grapfruit.  This is where the 5 1/2 hours of "Pride and Prejudice comes in!

Over the years I had contacted the County Extension Service, did research in recipe books and on the internet, checked in my Ball Blue Book (the Bible for home canning), but never found any instructions or ideas EXCEPT for orange marmalade (not a fan).  I was lamenting out loud again last year when I saw all my citrus going to waste.  Of course my husband insisted that he could find the answer and I assured him that there was no way and that I had checked every possible place for an answer and that it just wasn’t possible.  He grinned and confidently told me he would find one. 

Well, much to my frustration, he did find some!  And not only did he find some, he found video instructions and also informed me that Ball had come out with a new version of their Ball Blue Book (mine was 20 years old), that had the instructions on how to bottle grapefruit segments and citrus juices.  Don’t you just hate it when that happens!  I didn’t stay mad long because I was so excited!  I had to wait a few months but last week I had 4 of my daughters over (#5 lives in North Carolina), and we bottled my citrus!  First we did the grapefruit sections, then orange juice and ended with grapefruit juice.  Here are the directions for the segments from the Ball Blue Book: 

Grapefruit Sections

            2-2 ½ lbs of grapefruit per quart
            Sugar
            Water

Wash grapefruit, drain.  Peel grapefruit, cutting deep enough to remove white pith.  Cut membrane away from pulp for each section; lift out the pulp without breaking the sell structure.  Discard seeds.  Make a light syrup; keep syrup hot pack grapefruit into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Ladle hot syrup over grapefruit leaving ½ inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process pints and quarts in a boiling water canner. 

Softening the lids in hot water. 

I mixed the yellow and pink grapefruit because I liked the look of it in the jars. 

Bruce also found a youtube video of someone canning the segments if you want to watch it.  Here is the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkyl2n51ClQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

I will post the juice process in a few days so stay tuned! 

A few of many jars

Sourdough Any One?

I grew up on sourdough.  My dad had a crock of sourdough starter in our home my whole childhood and he still has it today and I am 53 years old!  Usually on Saturday's, he would make breakfast and it always involved sourdough in some way.

A few years ago on my first trip to England with my husband and parents, we accidentally found a Roman Villa that was being excavated.  It is the Chedworth Roman Villa in the Cotswold's.  When we visited it, they had a demonstration of how the Romans used sourdough in their cooking.  Well, my dad was in heaven, and really chatted up the young lady that was in charge of that demo and exhibit.  It was pretty funny to watch him get so excited about sourdough and comparing notes and recipes. 

Chedworth Roman Villa

Well, I am ready to take the plunge and start my own sourdough starter.  My dad said it is best to get a cup of someone else's starter and build from that, but I don't know anyone that has some except him, so I am starting from scratch. 
Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup water
1 T yeast
Soften yeast in water then add:
1 cup flour. 
Mix well, cover and place in a warm spot for 2-3 days.  It should be bubbly (is that even a word?).  Then every other day, add another cup of flour and another 1/2 c water and mix it in until you have the quantity you desire. 
One important things to remember, NEVER use anything that is metal when mixing or storing your starter.  I don't know why.  Dad didn't say why, he just said don't!  He did threaten me never to let my starter die.  OOOOO  I am so scared!
Well, I will begin this experiment/adventure next week since I am leaving to go out of town in a couple of days, but I just wanted you all to be prepared and get ready to enjoy the ride! 
I plan on documenting this with pictures!   

Belgium “Belgian Waffles” are better than American “Belgian Waffles”!

In America when you hear the words “Belgium Waffles” we think of breakfast, but I learned what a real Belgium Waffles was when I visited Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium this summer. There it means dessert! It is the most wonderful dessert. So delicious that we had one everyday that we were there! You could pick various toppings, but maple syrup wasn’t even a choice, thank goodness.

Once we got home, I started craving the Belgium waffles that we had had on our trip so I began to scour the internet for a recipe that was close to it and I finally found it. I tested it on the family one night for dessert and they all loved them. I had 3 topping available, powdered sugar, strawberries and whipped cream, and the last was a creamy topping like peanut butter but made of crushed up biscoff cookies. I can’t remember what it is called, but it was delicious!

I want to share the recipe with you and I hope you all try it for a new dessert some time. Here it is:

Belgian Waffle Recipe
For a Basic Belgian Waffle recipe we will need:
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
4 medium eggs
whole milk
two sticks butter
vanilla sugar
some salt

1. Take a cup of milk and heat it until it is lukewarm then mix in your yeast. You can now leave the yeast standing for a while.
2. In the mean time – melt the butter, but stop as soon as it melts, don’t over heat it or even burn it – you will lose the taste. You also need to...
3. ...separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and beat the egg whites until you get snow.
4. Now take a big giant huge bowl and throw in all the flour, vanilla sugar (one tablespoon) and some salt. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and fill it with melted butter, dissolved yeast and egg yolk.
5. Mix while you are adding milk. You should mix it really well so there are no lumps. The question you might ask here is how dense should the dough be, how much milk? It should be thick, think pancakes and then make it a bit thicker.
6. OK, now gently mix the beaten egg whites into the dough…and…STOP! Enough mixing :).
7. Leave the dough to rest and rise at room temperature for a while until the volume of the dough doubles or even triples! If you are in a hurry then wait for 30 minutes to one hour, but if you can, make the waffle dough in the evening and leave it overnight.
8. Use the oil to grease the waffle iron (which should be hot hot hot) so your waffles don't stick to it and pour the dough in it. Bake them until they turn golden brown.
9. Eat!
***As I mentioned above, we tried it at home with the 3 toppings mentioned. I hope you like it!

I found these instructions for making vanilla sugar also:

Vanilla sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, whole or scraped
• 2 cups granulated sugar
Directions
If vanilla bean is whole, slice down side of bean with back of knife and scrape seeds into airtight container with the sugar. Bury bean in sugar and seal tightly with lid. Let sit for 1 to 2 weeks. Use as regular, granulated sugar.

To make vanilla sugar with vanilla extract:

o INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( to make it yourself see homemade vanilla extract)
1 cup of granulated sugar (any kind : white sugar or sugarcane)
o DIRECTION
Mix the vanilla extract with the sugar, that's it!

For Lasagna, Who Needs Electricity? All You Need is the Sun!

I have told you about the great product called the Solar Hot Pot, and for those of you who live in places where there is an abundance of sun, like here is AZ, it will save a lot of money on your electric bills. I recently made a recipe called “Skillet Lasagna” that has been a family favorite for years, but instead of heating up the kitchen using the stove top, I thought I would try it in the Hot Pot on the pool deck and see if it would work.

In the morning I browned the Ground beef and onion (recipe is at the end of the post). Then I added half a jar (2 cups) of spaghetti sauce. Use your favorite brand, any one will work. I use sauce that I make and bottle here at home. After it is mixed in I put the meat mixture into the hot pot. Now this next step is different than the recipe but I then layered the cottage cheese, then the noodles (uncooked), and topped it with the Italian spices, the can of crushed tomatoes and the remainder of the spaghetti sauce.

I covered it and place it into the reflector that was set up on a table on our pool deck. Now I just had to watch it and rotate it to follow the sun about every 30-45 minutes. After 4 hours, I topped it with the shredded mozzarella cheese and let it cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

It turned out perfectly! The noodles were cooked to perfection and it tasted great.

If you don’t want to invest in a Solar hot pot, I have seen instruction online about how to make your own homemade version so try it out if you want to experiment before buying one. Although I promise, once you try it you will love it!

Here is the recipe for the Skillet Lasagna:

Skillet Lasagna
1 pound ground beef
¼ c. chopped onion
1 16oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 quart spaghetti sauce
1 ½ t Italian seasoning
12oz cottage cheese
2 c. uncooked egg noodles
16oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown beef and onion, then drain. Pour tomatoes and Italian seasoning over meat. Layer cottage cheese, noodles and spaghetti sauce over meat and tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes until noodles are soft. Last minutes, sprinkle cheese on until melted.

This is the site that I bought mine at:  www.solarovens.net/ 

The Greatest Product for Organization!

I have found the greatest product if you want to organize and effectively rotate your canned goods in your cupboard or storage room. Let me tell you about it!

Most Emergency Preparedness sites encourage you to have a supply of food on hand for emergencies. It can range from a 72 hour emergency food kit to up to 1-2 years of food. In our church, they encourage us to get a 3 month supply of food you eat every day, and then begin to accumulate a longer term food supply that includes wheat, rice, dried beans etc. The problem with this, is finding the space to store it and how to rotate it efficiently. I have been very creative in “hiding” the food almost everywhere in our home since we don’t have a basement or a large storage space for food.

I recently received a handout for a product that helps with the rotation, storage and organization of canned goods. They are called, Can Organizers. They are cardboard boxes that fold into units that you load the can into the top and it rolls around to the bottom, so you are constantly rotating the cans you buy! It is amazing, and INEXPENSIVE!!! I have purchased plastic shelving that does this but they are costly so I was so excited to try these!

They come in 2 sizes, a cupboard size and a pantry size. They eliminate the need to but special shelving units that do the same job! The cupboard size holds; 6 pie fillings, 8 vegetable cans, 9 soup cans, or 18 tuna fish cans. The Pantry size holds; 13 pie filling, 16 vegetable cans, 18 soup cans, or 39 tuna cans. I love them! The web-site to see the product is:  http://www.thecanorganizer.com/

The printed instructions for folding them is not very good, but there is a video on the web-site that shows how to do it and it only takes a couple of minutes once you see how it is done.

Check it out!!!

Happy Birthday To Jane Austen!

Jane Austen was born on December 16th 1775. 

For the past few years I have had a tea party to celebrate with other friends who are Austen fans and a couple of friends I would like to convert to be Austen fans...Tammy and Marie...I'm still hoping for you!

For the tea, I have a menu that I use every year.  For the luncheon we have Sweet onion tart, cucumber sandwiches, and crumpets with cloted cream.

Sweet Onion Tart

Then for the desserts (the most important part next to the tea), we had 3 flavors of scones, cream wafers, strawberry tarts, and lemon cake cookies. 

I made 4 flavors of tea and also, since it is almost Christmas, I made some Wassail, for our drinks.  The most popular flavor of tea for the past 2 years has been the dessert tea, "Almond Sunset" (YUM, the best with cream and sugar).

I usually set the tables with placemats of pictures from different Austen books, miniture tea pots and my favorite flower, and English primrose that I plant into teacups and run down the center of the table. 

I also have stacks of Jane Austen trivia questions on each table for my friends to try to see how much they know about Jane Austen  and her books. 

Then we are ready for the party to begin!

Here is (l to r) Diana, my daughter, Marie, Anita is hiding but you can see her sleeve, Kim (who studied Austen at Oxford University), Tammy, Lori, Sheli, Jennifer, Susan (also hiding), and Megan (yes we have the next generation that likes to come also!)

Then we have (l to r) Carrie, Joan, Dorothy(mother of the soon to be bride, keep reading and you will understand), Charlotte, Leslie, Tiffany, Linndsy (who is getting married next week and she still had time to join us!), and Alicia. 

Yes, that is me in the costume...any excuse right, here with Lori, Sheli, Jennifer, and Susan

Me again with Charlotte and Carrie

I had a quiz that some of the ladies took to see which female Austen character they are most like and which male character they would be the most compatible with.  I am the most like Anne Elliot from Persuasion and my "guy" is Captain Wentworth also from Persuasion.  Maybe that is why it is my favorite book!  It is nice to have friends that humor me with my crazy party ideas.   It was also fun and we had a great time taking a break from the Christmas rush for some great conversation about Jane Austen. 

Celebrate the day with all the Austen fans out there!

The Public Has Demanded It!!! Here is my Doughnut and Root Beer Recipe

As I mentioned in my last post, we have the tradition to make homemade doughnuts and dry ice root beer every Halloween for friends, neighbors, and anyone who wants, that stop by while out trick-or-treating. I have had many requests for the recipes so here they are!

Spudnut Doughnuts
1 pound russet potatoes peeled and quartered
1 packages active dry yeast
1 ½ c warm milk (110 to 115 degrees)
½ c vegetable oil
½ c sugar
2 eggs
1 t salt
7 ½ cup all-purpose flour
Oil for deep-fat frying
2 c confectioners sugar
5 1/3 T butter
1/3 c hot water
½ t vanilla extract

Place potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil: cook until tender. Drain reserving ½ c cooking water: Cool to 110-115 degrees. Discard remaining cooking water. Mash potatoes WITHOUT ADDING ANYTHING TO THEM!!
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in reserved potato water. Add mashed potatoes, milk, oil, sugar, eggs, and salt. Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Punch dough down. Divide into 2 or 3 sections and roll out one at a time on a floured surface to ½ thickness. Cut with a doughnut cutter. Set cut out doughnuts onto a flour surface a let rise for another 30-45 minutes. In an electric skillet or deep fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time until golden brown. Remove and let drain a few minutes before glazing.
For glaze, combine powdered sugar, butter, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Dip warm doughnuts into galze and let cool in wire rack. Yield: 4 dozen

Dry Ice Root Beer

5 lbs sugar
5 lbs. dry ice
1 bottle root beer extract (5 oz)
5 gallons water
Mix sugar, extract and water in a large container. Add dry ice 30 minutes before wanting to drink.

Easy Peasy!!!  Hope you enjoy the recipes!  For our night I make 4 batches of the doughnuts.  You want to eat them that night because they just don't taste good the next day for some reason!

Cook with Solar Power!!

Some of my most popular classes on self-reliance have been how to cook with alternatives fuels. Today I will show you my favorite. Here in AZ we have an abundance of SUN!! So it makes sense to use the sun instead of electricity, especially in the summer. The other advantage is that it doesn't heat up the house, so you don't have to cool it down with more air-conditioning. The newest product I have found is called the Solar Hot-Pot. Anything you can make in a crock pot can be made in this solar hot-pot. I have cooked casseroles, one pot meals and even a 4 pound roast with the vegetables and they all turned out perfectly. I just made them in the morning, and put them out in the sun, aiming the reflector towards the sun and it starts to cook immediately. It took the roast and veges about 6 1/2 hour to completely cook without any electric power. All you have to do is about every 30 minutes, go out and turn it so it will continue to follow the sun. I was so excited about this product that we gave it to all my married kids for Christmas last year. I don't know if they have used it but at least they have it if there is ever an emergency and we are without power for an extended time. Just do a search for "solar hot-pot" and you will find multiple outlets to buy one from.

Solar Hot-Pot

The product that I have been using for at least 15 years is the Solar Oven. This can cook anything that you can cook in a regular oven. Besides using it at home, I have taken it camping, and cooked frozen lasagna, cookies, cakes, breads, and casseroles. It is great. The temperature in the oven can get up to 375 degrees. Again with this, you need to turn it every 30-60 minutes as the sun moves. I have used this in the summer mainly but I have also used it in the winter. It may not get as worm but that just means you need to cook the food longer.

Solar Sun Oven

These are both great products and both can be found and purchased in numerous locations so shop around. If you don't want to spend the money, you can even find instruction on the web on how to make your own solar ovens and pots. HAVE FUN!!! It is a great feeling to be self-reliant!

A Fun Family Celebration

I have a great family that puts up with me and my celebrations. Last week, on the 23rd, (as noted below in a blog) was William Shakepeare's birthday. Each Sunday we have a family dinner and who ever can will come, so last Sunday instead of the regular family dinner we celebrated the Bard's birthday with a feast! We had fans in case we got too hot.

Plenty of trivia questions to try to answer.

Yes, I made everyone wear a hat or flower crown for pictures. Some lasted longer than others in wearing the hats.

Books and information to look at and learn more about WS's life.

But the best part was the food!

We started with cheese curds, grapes, and apples.

Then moved on to the mushy herb and pea soup with shepards bread.

Next came the geletin filled oranges...YUM!

Then the main dish of lemon and onion stuffed cornish game hens and herb roasted potatoes.

And topped it all off with our favorite English dessert, Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch sauce and cream! YUM YUM!!!

The kids loved to color, sword fight, and put on puppet shows throughout the meal. They are good sports for me and it was a lot of fun! It was also a good excues for me to dress up which I love to do. Happy 445th birthday Mr. Shakespeare!