Sweet & hot pepper relish

Each time I visit Trader Joe's I bring home one item to try, one that I have not had before.   I have had Jake &Amos sweet pepper relish in my pantry for a while. Once I got it out to taste it I made a fast trip back to Trader Joe's to buy more.  Alas, it is a seasonal item, for some strange reason.  Never to be deterred I got on line and Amazon sells a lot of Jake & Amos products and not only did I find the sweet pepper relish but I found the (spicy) sweet & hot pepper relish as well.  Now I am stocked up.  Today I had it on brats, Johnstonville original brats are my favorite. I can imagine many ways to use both of these products to great advantage.  Beth likes it as well.  We are going to New Orleans this week and I am taking several products to Ann, Beth's mother.  I hope she enjoys these finds.

Yesterday Beth took me to Flowers and Bread a little boutique cafe for brunch.  Their cappuccino was excellent and so is their bread. I brought home a nice sour dough to Andy.  We have had it before and always attack it like it is our last loaf in this life time.

David sent, from Florida, a lovely fruit basket.  So pretty and delicious.  It has been a quiet Mother's Day here at Many Branches, but I like it like that some times.  I slept nearly all day yesterday and all through the night.  I go into those sleeps once or twice a year and have done so for as long as I can remember.  Then, that's it.  I have trouble getting to sleep from then on.

Thursday we leave for New Orleans and Cloe is waiting in anticipation of greeting us at the Claiborne Mansion.  Friday night is Rock and Bowl night.  Saturday is Alyssa's shower.  Thursday night Alyssa is cooking for us...she's gone domestic on us in anticipation of her marriage in October. Luckily she loves to cook and bake.

As soon as we land in New Orleans I want Beth to drive us to Sucre a wonderful bakery that sells French macarons.  I want to take a pretty box of them to Cloe. (Her lemon tree is doing well and I hope to exchange them for some Myer lemons to bring home again.)

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Off to school

Andy is 83 and off to classes at Ohio State.  He's taking three classes this summer term, and he is eager to get going.

Yesterday we spent time on my maintenance program, reading glasses. Today, after classes we pick them up, so strike one for the program. Job two is packing for New Orleans.  The zippers on my bags are not reliable.  I have used and abused them for so many trips that they are rebelling now.  I will have to take several of them to the Russians who have worked miracles on so many leather objects for me.

Yesterday we had the most scrumptious pork shoulder with carrots and potatoes that had slow cooker written all over it.  The meat was so delicious and today, with what is left, which is about two cups of meat I turned it into a soup with the addition of green beans and corn.  I will put peas in at the last because I want them to hold their color.

I am on series four of Game of Thrones and after I finish this series I will know all of the evil, salacious, demeaning,  things that one human can do to another.

The pool is finally clean!  What a job Andy had this year.  I helped but he did most of it.  Everything is blooming and Many Branches is welcoming spring.

Glorious Monday

That's the thing about a long winter, every spring day the sun comes out is a glorious day here at Many Branches.  I get to soak my bones in the sun and gaze around thankful for what I see.  

I will be doing maintenance for a few weeks now getting ready for some long trips. You know like getting new glasses for reading, having the bump on the top of my foot looked at, nothing serious but all necessary.

I have a nice pork shoulder marinating right now.  I have plans for it which should please the family.  Yesterday I made a scrumptious Cinco de Mayo chili with corn chips, cheese, and Andy's crop of fresh green onions.  It had a little kick. There is just enough for today's lunch for two.

Things are dropping from the trees like mad this spring.  Oak trees' moss is having a day of it, then the cottonwoods will act up and cover the tennis court like a duvet...  followed closely by spinners.  The pool works overtime clearing the water and in the end it will all come together for a good swim and some parties, with lovely trees to shade it all like a warm embrace of spring guiding summer into place. (I wax nostalgic.) Also a lot of I, I,  in this post. Sorry.

photo mini printers

I am technically challenged and there is no doubt about it.  So when Beth bought me a mini picture printer for Christmas one year it sat in the closet for about a year.  One time Alyssa visited and we were off.  In no time pictures from our phones were shooting out beautiful pictures with high glossy color.  It never went back in the closet.

In two weeks Beth and I will be in New Orleans for Alyssa's shower and I am going to surprise her with one of the cordless mini printers that you can even carry in your purse.  That way she can document every event of her wedding year.  I have a Kitchen Aid mixer already in New Orleans for her but I think this mini printer will out do that. I could wait until June when there is a second shower in Columbus, but I am in a hurry for her to start picturing for posterity.

I think we could mow two times a week now that the grass has been fed and showers have awakened the roots. Everything is so green, it looks like Ireland. Yea Spring.

I am on my third season of Game of Thrones. Wow!  You think we have violence now... Beth treated me to 3 months of HBO just so I could watch the series.  Before that I had seen the first series and series 8, the most current, so filling it in is interesting.  I watch it in the dark because the lighting is so very dark during the battles and in the dungeons--a lot of battles and a lot of dungeons.  I am glad I live now and not back then. Ugh. Don't they ever take a bath?  The same with the series on public TV, Jamestown.  There is only one clean blond on the entire show, although the women on that show tend to be much cleaner than the men.  I think it is distracting...while you are at it, cut your hair too.

We are off to the flower sellers for the last of the containers plantings.  The herbs are doing so well this year.  Our enormous Rosemary bush is not doing too well and Mike is glad.  He has a time hauling that thing in and out of the conservatory every year.

Happy spring.

One down more to go--

I have become a slug when it comes to the blog.  I may be talked out.  But, I promise you things will get more interesting because this is a big event year.  We enjoyed the wedding of Alex and Kyle, both doctors beginning their Residency. We danced and acted crazy which makes a wedding reception a happy place to be.  There were about 300 people there and the dance floor was crowded but it worked!

In two weeks Beth and I leave for New Orleans for four days.  I am packing now looking forward to seeing the New Orleans family branch and attending Alyssa's shower.  Shower number one.

I have been enjoying the testing of all my new olive oils from The Olive Scene.  The Blood Orange remains my favorite.  There is a sample bottle of good balsamic vinegar that I am eager to try. Today I marinated pork cutlets or breakfast pork for sandwiches.  I look forward to seeing how that works because the Olive Scene oil played a big part in the marinade.

We have had such a bad time cleaning the pool this year.  It was black when opened and now is simply holding on to cloudy. Poor Andy, he's spending so much time on it and the pool guys have been here twice so far and need to come again. Andy did not want the pool in the first place.  He came home one night to see an enormous hole in the back yard...sigh.
Under normal circumstances:

Black berry cobbler

Having been frantic for a week trying to get the pool clean (it still isn't) we went to the pool shop and scheduled a service call from them to come do something, anything...please.  We felt some relief so we did a little running around. We went to Sam's to get their tasty Driscoll blackberries and they are so good.  I kept some to snack on and put the rest in a nice cobbler.




Excellent BlackBerries from Sam’s

In the oven black berry cobbler.

Eating out

What has happened to the steak world?  The last three times I have ordered steak it appeared with awful potatoes, ubiquitous green beans, and steak so thin and over cooked one might be able to see through the meat. The cost of a sliver of steak is ridiculous to begin with. But, I keep trying.  It is so foolish of me, I know. It is like when the nail woman shorted me $15. and I simply looked at the five dollar bill all the way to the car convincing myself that it was my mistake.  That's what I do with the steak order, convince myself that it tastes okay for a $34. bit of beef.

The flowers are glorious this spring.  Andy and I have made several trips to visit flowers all over town and we have brought home some beauties.  The one disappointment is the pool.  Everyone I have talked with says their pools are black to start with then green (we are on the green scene at the moment) but the pool people promise it will get better.)  WHEN???  We have fussed with it for three days and it refuses to get pretty.  Last year at the opening we had hardly anything to do, but this year is different.

We are getting ready for Saturday's wedding, well, not actually dressed and ready, but maintenance appointments are made for Friday and Saturday morning.  Yea. A party!  Another shower is planned for Beth's daughter, Alyssa, in June here in Columbus.  Beth and I leave for New Orleans in a little over two weeks for the first shower.

I have only seen one coyote since Winston's mauling so I hope they have moved on to other areas.  The deer are back and are dining on our peach tree.  They are not afraid of us in the least and simply look at us as if we are silly.

I am wild about Trader Joe's and buy at least one thing I have never had before to test.  I bought Trader Joe's fish nuggets in the frozen food aisle.  Pass that by.

I hope your spring is a happy place.

Flavors

My olive order came and I have been trying them out in a variety of dishes.  I still can't get the joy of dipping bread in olive oil as a starter for an Italian meal, but I do enjoy olive oils with good strong flavors in other ways. I have about seven or eight different flavored olive oils, so far Blood Orange is my favorite and Tuscan is my least favorite having no taste at all. When we are in Italy in October I bet we will get our fill. 

Many Branches is shaping up and we have several containers planted including a big one full of basil.  I know basil does not like cold weather, but we are in for a string of really good days.

A week from tomorrow we drive to Cincinnati for a wedding which we have been looking forward to.  We have not seen the Cincinnati Lechlers over the winter. Then on to New Orleans for Alyssa's first shower and then a night at Rock and Bowl.  Live band and all. Love that.  I also get to stay at the Claiborne Mansion with my friend Cloe.

Andy bought Madeleine a Minnie Mouse tricycle for Easter.  It's pink and has a get-out-of -the way bell and pom poms on the handle bars.

I have been cleaning out the fridge and have a pot of soup bubbling on the stove and I keep tossing things in as I find them.  It should be interesting.

Now this bread would taste great dipped into our selection of olive oils. 

Beth is so thoughtful. She brought us that wonderful bread from Flowers and Bread. Happy Easter everyone.

Olive oil , yum

I just discovered the best olive oil I have ever tasted.  Carly and Brooks gave me a gift of 2 sample bottles of The Olive Scene's Blood Orange olive oil and I just now put it on roasted vegetables and I can't stop sampling the results.  Delicious. You know many times when we are dipping and tasting in restaurants the oil just tastes salty or bland, nothing like this peppery delicate taste that leaves an after pleasure behind.  So, I went to their site online.  It is not easy to use, I can tell you that! I had to use the 'contact us' button and I hope they answer because there are several things I would like to buy without spending hours on this sale.  They have all different tastes of olive oils and recipes to go with them.  It is so exciting especially since I can't get what I want.  I will be careful and not so generous with my blood orange bottles which are like sample bottles so I could be out of it in no time unless I am careful.

We got the news that another great-granddaughter will come to us in October.  I will probably be in Italy, but when I get home there will be a bundle of joy waiting for me along with little Madeleine who announced the news in a cute video on my Facebook page.

We are busy planting and sprucing up the place but the real action starts tomorrow with power washing and goes on into Friday and maybe even Monday. (Better save my money for this one.)

Spring 2019... hello

We had a wonderful 60th wedding anniversary and it is not over yet.  Joe (Andy's brother) and his wife will be married 60 years in May, so a family party is to be held in June or so I understand for the two couples that have lasted this long.

Madeleine, our great-granddaughter comes over on Saturday afternoons while her dad runs errands. We have never had a girl and so this two year old is the apple of our eyes.  She will have some competition in October, however. And, today we learned it's a girl!!! Mckenna. Another perfect girl.

The daffodils are rampant this spring. Andy just picked a large bouquet for me and they are so welcome.  I have been covered with flowers in the last two or three days.  Love it.

There is a lot to get done around here after the winter we have had.  One thing is a lovely new mailbox with a flower box attachment on one end.  I hope the snow plows don't knock it over next winter.  It was an anniversary present from Mike and Beth.

I made deviled eggs today and remembered, not in time, how much trouble they are to make.  I made some and then put the rest into a big bowl of potato salad.  Both went down pretty well. I have a big pot roast to turn into a nice soup tomorrow.  Soups have been on the menu all winter and even easing into spring.

The family had a nice anniversary dinner at J. Gilbert's steak house.  The food was really good and there were NO GREEN BEANS.  Why are green beans always the sides in these restaurants? They are always limp or just blanched and either way tasteless. Fresh asparagus was on the side of my steak and very welcome.

Busy 2019 into 2020

Wow!  This is a busy year.
Brooks, our grandson is in Iraq 
 with a load of responsibilities.  He does have time to messenger and email us, however.  Today he was waxing nostalgic about home and family, so we came up with something to look forward to, a party. He loves the family parties, the all-day affairs with two meals, cards, drinks, and constant chatter while catching up with everyone's activities.  Alex's and Alyssa's weddings will be over and we can settle in on Carly and Brooks.  December 7th we will gather the families, as many of them as can come, for an all-day get together with a shower for Brooks and Carly and a welcome home break for Brooks. He gets a month off and wants to make the most of it.

But, before that great day, Andy and I will have been married 60 years on April 4th. It is out to dinner and then there is a party in the offing in June, I understand. Alex is next and her wedding is April 27th, the week after Easter.  May brings a four day trip to New Orleans for Alyssa's shower and related activities. Then there is summer, yes folks, summer is coming with a ton of to-dos. Then October 3rd we start traveling to Italy and Alyssa's wedding and our tour of the country which is a couple of weeks of seeing Italy and all its pleasures. There is a new baby on its way in Columbus and that happens in October too.  Matt and Stacy are having a second baby. Then November is birthday month for many of us and parties for sure. Then Brooks comes home in December with the big party to celebrate he and Carly.

Brooks and Carly's wedding will be in spring of 2020. And, just announced Brittany and Andrew are getting married as of yesterday! (Andrew is Pam and George's child.)  Then another shower for Alyssa in June here in Columbus at Flowers and Bread.

I have been in the kitchen a lot today.  I made chicken salad, potato salad, and sausage and shrimp soup.  I hope they come home hungry today.