More products to try from Tensuke Market

This was run around day for Beth, Alyssa, and I.  We got our nails done, visited Tensuke Market and ate in that area at a great restaurant.  Here are some products I bought to try.

Matt's degree is in Japanese , so I bought him these noodle bowls for him to take to work. Since we went through a bottle of kimchee hot sauce in a week (I put it in everything.), I looked for that in the market.  I finally had to ask and they were stunned to think I was going to make kimchee which is  cabbage based with hot sauce. I told them I had put kimchee hot sauce in my stews and soups and they were surprised for some reason.  Anyway, they did not have the brand we finished so I bought Momoya kimchee spicy chili sauce...wish me well.  Beth loves kimchee and we have cabbage and now the base so here goes. I also bought BBQ garlic soy sauce; miso sesame dressing and sauce; rice vinegar; and Yamasa soy sauce. Then black poppy seeds and sesame seeds finished the deal. I am going to be very busy.  (The peppers are from Pete, with thanks.)
                                             

Netflix choices

Tomatoes are pouring in from the garden.  This is the first offering of the season. Serve it hot or cold and make it spicy. Yum

Couscous couscous salad dressed with a bit of gazpacho 

Get busy.


I expect you all are on Netflix.  We love it here and Alyssa (in New Orleans) and I shoot notes to each other about what to watch for sure. I started slowly because I didn't think I would like a movie on an iPad, but I do.  I put on earphones and it is as though I am in the movie with the characters. I started off with Doc Martin, a British series that I really enjoyed.  I am looking forward to the next season. The movie Primal Fear is very good, but it has been on regular TV, but so has Doc Martin (on public television.) Scandal, the Borgias (really good), Double Jeopardy, the movie, is gripping. How to get away with Murder was good and then I got really confused and tired of trying to find out who killed whom. The old West Wing and Madam Secretary are favorites. The Lovely Bones was excellent, but sad. The Tutors was a favorite and there were lots of bad goings on in that one! I just finished Atonement today. In the Valley of Elah was gripping.Twisted with Ashley Judd was good. Madam Bovary makes me mad.  I had the same reaction to the book.  The Girl who Played with Fire series. The Double was interesting to me. Iris was different and I likes it. Loved Breaking Bad. Can't wait for the new episodes of House of Cards...so good. The Paradise; loved it. Call the Midwife is okay, but not my favorite. Keeping up Appearances; I've watched this British series for years. Haute Cuisine is another that I liked.  Basic Instinct is old but interesting. I have more, but the Republican convention is on and chaos is afoot.

We are looking at our plot of spaghetti squash with mouths watering.  The squash will take a few more weeks, but it looks like we will have a bumper crop.  Picture it with butter, garlic and shrimp as well as the tex mex boat below. (Also, chicken pot pie for dinner.)

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World Market products to try

 

Do you love coconut?  I tried this cake this morning and I am wild about it.  The recipe calls for coconut icing, but this, plain, has such a pure coconut taste that we have forgone the icing. Another plus is it is easy.  It is supposed to be white, but with four eggs how is that possible?  I will print the recipe for you to try at the bottom of this post.NOTE: I just made this with chocolate mixes and it looks great.  I have not tried it, however. Will let you know.  It's cooling at the moment.(I like the original better, but then I am not a chocolate lover.)

Beth and I went to World Market today and found a lot of new products. These will be fun to try.

                                                                        

Kimchi hot sauce gets rave reviews from the family.  The bottle is 1/2 gone already.

Tall bottle in the back is sweet chili sauce Mae Ploy; Kimchi hot sauce; roasted sesame seeds, lemon pepper; sriracha spice blend; roasted red peppers;Hoisin sauce; sesame oil--boy am I going to have fun with these goodies!              

Coconut cake: Easy, softly fluffy, divine

1 white cake mix (You could use yellow because with 4 eggs, how can the batter still be white?)
1 small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar ( I did not use this because it is sweet enough)
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup Baker's coconut (or some sweet coconut that is moist)

Mix all together and add the cup of coconut by hand at the last step.

The recipe calls for: soft cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, 1/2 cup toasted coconut. and enough milk to make it spreadable. (I would skip this, but it is up to you.)

supreme mac and cheese

Andy adores mac and cheese so I try to dress it up with pepperoni and today I added lobster.  Now that is what I call a mac and cheese. I need to get it back in the oven for a bit of browning and then Bob's your uncle, dinner is ready in a flash. I needed to use up the cheese left on the cheese board after the July 4th party, so this dish served several purposes.

We are still eating the salads from the party and Beth took several to treat her co-workers to lunch.  I won't be happy until it all disappears, however.  I don't like opening the frig to surprises

I feel compelled to give out this recipe.  You can't hurt it no matter what you do and you don't need a mixer.  It calls for bananas and I made it that way several times.  Then I had so many blueberries, so I used them instead of bananas. Perfect.  Then I used a combination of apple sauce and homemade cranberry sauce (today) and look what I got.  I tell you there is nothing as easy as this excellent recipe. Here is the basic recipe and you can take it from there:


3-4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar (I use only 3/4 cup)
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

NO NEED FOR A MIXER. Preheat oven to 350

With wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.  Mix in the sugar, the beaten egg, and vanilla.  Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt over the mixture .  Mix. Add the flour last, mix until no flour shows. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. bake for 40-50 minutes depending on your oven.

All over~ another lovely time

July 4th 2016

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The dish that disappeared the fastest was corn salad with chili Fritos.  It was so good and easy to prepare ahead of the event.

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More Paula Deen Corn Frito images

2 cans of drained corn or use thawed frozen; 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup cheddar cheese (or your choice) 1 cup mayo

1/2 cup chopped onion of your choice.  Mix together and at last minute before serving stir in as many Chili Fritos as you like.  Easily doubled always tasty. Add what ever you like, peas, celery, peppers...Pinterest has endless choices.

Dessert table July 4th 2016

Wednesday and Thursday~ time is closing in

Yesterday I had a picture of baked beans on this site but it looked so dark and dreary that I took it off.  Actually the dish looks, in real time,  like it would be delicious and it is stored for consumption for Monday, July 4th.  We are expecting 40-50 people, the list keeps growing and we are glad to have everyone celebrating JD's accomplishments. I have a slow cooker going again with another ham and bean concoction.  If there are left overs, the Cincy gang likes to take the left overs home to enjoy all week so they don't have to cook. Yesterday was busy in the kitchen.  Andy brought in a large head of cabbage from the garden and I had a pork shoulder in the crock pot along with carrots potatoes. kale, onions...you know the bubble and squeak kind of goodness? Well, in went the cabbage for another hearty party dish.  All of this is not just for the party.  JD, David, and Johnna are coming Saturday for several days, from Florida, and they too have to eat (or so they hope.)  I don't want to spend every minute over the stove.(JD's thank you note.)

I had to bake another maple pecan cake with maple icing.  It has cream cheese in the batter and people went wild over it.  I have this file of 'to make' dishes and this scrap from the Dispatch paper (Cook's Corner) was among the clippings and I just read it and thought that sound lovely and easy and so I made it.  I took a bite and called Andy to try it and that was all it took; soon the entire family was tasting and then, some how, it was gone.  If you want the recipe, just email me.

I am cleaning out the kitchen frig today making room because soon it will be pasta salad day, cheese ball day, and who knows what else will appear on the party buffet.  I am cooking like this is my last event, I pray that it is not. lol

Have a great day.  Ours is cool and sunny and after the rain the plants are jumping out of the ground.  I have to make my rounds outside and pull the spent flowers off the plants so they will looking lush on Monday.

Note:  Keep checking back.  I keep adding to the post all day long.  No pictures so far, nothing pretty enough to show you, yet,... besides my phone is up stairs.

These thank you notes are so cute.  This one is from JD.  We celebrate him on Monday.


Pasta salads obviously, with pepper jack cheese, and salami and vegetables... With corn, black beans, and couscous
                                                                                             

Tuesday, last of the baking and wine gathering

Day two of party prep:

I finished off the baking with maple pecan cake, a new recipe that is easy, fast and delicious.  I will be going back to that one.  Then the bananas tapped me on the shoulder and indicated they needed using.. So I whipped up a loaf and said that's it!
Now I am off to Trader Joe's to get the champagne.  We like to start off the party with cold, sweet Italian bottles and Trader Joe's has the best prices for that.

After that it is set up and cover up day.  I haul out all of the plates, flatware, glasses, cake plates, serving bowls...well you get the picture.  After everything is in place I cover the areas to keep the items fresh and clean.  That process takes a lot of time and needs to be done well ahead.

Note:  I'm afraid this cake will not make it to the party.  I cut it and tried it and it is wonderful. (maple pecan cake.)It was new to me and I wanted to see how it tasted  The family will be on this like white on rice. It has cream cheese in the batter. Lovely.

Looks like I am baking again tomorrow.  I have to make this again, it was that good.  I got the recipe from Cook's Corner years ago and it has been on my 'to make list' a long time.

Looks like we are ready for a party...or getting there.

Monday is cake making day~

I've made three cakes so far and had my nails done and shopped at Carfagna's.  I am moving right along because I thought I had two weeks before guests arrived and I have only a week as of today.  It will work out because the Cincinnati gang is taking care of all of the meat this time and Pam is doing pies.  Everything is under control because Matt is doing the outside, Andy does the pool and flowers, Beth does the inside and I am doing the cooking sans the meat dishes. Heather's husband is bringing one of his big, famous, luscious, cheesecakes too.  So we are setting up the dining room as the dessert station; the porch is the drinks and starters, and the kitchen holds the rest of the delights for two meals on the 4th. We figure forty people this time and the day is supposed to be beautiful.
The orange juice cake is still in the oven, but here are two finished products: a rum cake / pecans and a raisin spice cake with a frosting of ginger lashing.   And above, right is an orange juice cake. If you want recipes email me at dorislechler77@gmail.com

 Cake #4 maple pecan cake

Feeling pretty happy here at Many Branches.              

July 4th

Note: The ladies who travel are back on American soil.   
Chow from Italy.  Thanks, Beth.  To the right, Nate's garden on a Sunday morning at Many Branches.

This is JD Lechler.  July 4th is all about him.  He graduated from high school with honors and amazing grades, won free tuition to any state university in Florida, and is enrolled and ready to meet his future. We are having this party to celebrate his success.  The ladies who travel, the ones you have read about for the last twelve days, are helping to make this a success.  There is a lot to do with thirty or forty guests and not knowing exactly how many will or won't be there, so we go all out. We have worked out a menu and we are off! (It might include fish.  Look at what Andrew, Dan, and George caught in Alaska while the ladies were away.)

JD with his honor cords. 

JD movie star pose.

Pam's guys were busy in Alaska.  Maybe we could have these bad boys for the 4th.

What happened to the one bag rule of carry on?  LOL.  I thought that wouldn't work.  The ladies are in the sky now and on their way home.

The last flash dance for the tour guides and tour friends.

The End.

The last full day of a wonderful trip~

Note: Stop back now and then, they send pictures and comments all day long...believe me. lol

Kathy. Pam. Beth. Chee. Pam Taylor

Water taxi                                  

   Pam. Chee. Pam Taylor.Kathy.                                                            

                                           
                                             

                                                                   

The last supper in Venice.

Today they are to take a walking tour sight seeing all morning. The afternoon will be theirs to explore as they wish.  Wednesday around noon the plane leaves for home and we will be happy to see their sweet faces many hours later.  We will have a big family and friends party on July 4th here at Many Branches with David, JD, and Johnna flying in from Florida.  Can't wait. Life is good.

My phone started pinging early this morning but not at 4:00 like the other days.  It is a nice alarm and gets me going.  I will miss that.  Today they meet Anna, their walking guide.  The water taxi picks them up and they are off to the open market and a morning of exploring. 

   Yiiiikes. expensive

     
-We arrived in Venice yesterday and it is just like in the movies. There are water canals everywhere and beautiful scenery. Today we went to San Marco square and walked around then headed to Buranno via water taxi to see all the different colored homes. While in Buranno we had a  3 course fish dinner with wine and dessert. It was another great day.

Today we went back to San Marco square to tour the island and shop. Alex met up with some college friends whom coincidentally were here also.  We did our version of a flash mob dance for our tour guide before departing. I don't think it will make the Ellen show but it was fun.We love Venice and the picturesque scenery. It was a nice relaxing way to end our vacation.

t we have our farewell dinner and sadly will be saying goodbye to our new friends.We have met so many nice families on our tour and in the words of our tour guide Almedeo “ we are family.”   We have a family from California who lost their dad/husband in a car accident last year. The honeymooners who can’t keep their hands off each other. The Washington state doctor and pharmacist with their teenaged daughter who is a terrific photographer along with his widowed sister  (and dancer)  and her college aged children. The family from Pennsylvania with their teenage daughters. The librarian from Australia who is headed to Greece to visit family. Everyone gets along so well and yes they still talk to us after all our  antics.  Kathy

THE END

hee boarding the water taxi.

Outdoor
market and 
Chee & the 
water taxi.

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It's like 'Where's Waldo' picking them out of the crowd. Pam is standing high up; Beth and Kathy and Alex are sitting in the middle of the steps and Pam Taylor is standing far right.