Nancy’s Kitchen

Tonight, since I could not sleep, I went outdoors to enjoy the air.  Soon I remembered I needed to re-pot a tomato plant, so I went to the garage to do that.  As I worked in the garage, putting potting soil in the pot, I heard Spring, our cat, just outside the door making a lot of wierd noises!  I looked, and there she was, solidly perched in the Rose of Sharon bush/tree, catching and playing with the flying critters that had come to the light bulb!   Needless to say, my camera was in the house, upstairs!! 

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Sometimes a morning can feel like a poem! I awakened feeling happy and free this morning. The weather was beautiful and I had slept with the windows all wide open! How lovely!! I opened my eyes and was met by a beautiful bouquet of Crépe Myrtle blossoms! Opening my window and leaning out, I find this beauty!!

Leaning out through the window, my camera found this luscious cluster of this wonderful southern flowering bush!

Enthused with the morning discoveries of beauty, I and my camera proceeded downstairs and out the back door! There we found more worthy subjects to share with you!!

The Rose of Sharon dressed in sunlight & lavendar skirts, and dancing in the breeze!

A quiet, happy cat;             A regal cat                     King Cat!         Faithful Guardian of All

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The little green grass snake showed up again today. Here are some photos. Yes, I had my camera handy this time! (If you click on the photo, it will come up larger in a separate window.)

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I’m surprised I haven’t posted this recipe yet! This is the recipe Richard’s Mom’s Mom (Margaret Anderson) brought with her from Scotland. That’s right, Richard is 1/2 Scottish and Steve, Sean & Bob are 1/4 Scottish! (Actually, our sons are a bit more than that since my mom’s family also has some roots in Scotland.)

I’m making these cookies today for a tea next week. Yes, you can freeze the cookies. Ice them after you’ve thawed them out again. I wanted a cookie-cutter for a nice small round cookie. I did not have one. Richard was headed to Lowe’s for some “man stuff” and asked if I needed anything. I told him I needed a 1 1/2″ cookie cutter. Well, sure enough, he brought one home to me!! It’s a 1 1 /2″ drain extension from the plumbing department! Works great! Not bad for $1.50!

OK, Here’s the recipe:

Scottish Shortbread

Pre-heat oven to 350º. Baking time: 13-14 min. Makes about 3 dozen.

Combine slightly in large bowl:

3 sticks of butter (yes, real butter) - soft, not melted:  works fine with salted or unsalted butter - your preference 3/4 cup white sugar 3 cups white flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dump on counter and mix with hands. No flour needed. Chill dough in fridge if weather is hot If chilled, slice dough into 3/8″ slices, then cut. Roll to 3/8″ thick, cut.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil - no greasing necessary. Space cookies about 1 1/2″ to 2″ apart in all directions.

Bake until almost golden at 350º for 13-14 minutes. Larger cookies will take about 15 minutes. Trust your eyes more than the timer!! 350º on one oven may be more or less on another. Should just barely have a tint of golden on the edges. Texture should be flakey and layered.

Remove from baking sheet immediately. You can lift the foil right off and set it either on the counter or on cooling racks. After a few minutes, remove the cookies from the foil and let continue cooling directly on the cooling racks. These cookies are very delicate, so handle with care.

If you wish to ice the cookies, use a powdered sugar frosting or Portsmouth Frosting. Ice cookies lightly. They are very sweet already!

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Sean is out of town, so I watched the kids today while Amy worked.  After most of the day at their house, we went to our house so I could begin supper.  After watching a video and getting a snack, the kids wanted to play outdoors.  We have a nice area in transition for new landscaping and it has lots of nice, dry dirt! You guessed it!  The children had a wonderful time!  Here’s the “before cleaning up” photo!

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I have one particular set of buttons that I’ve managed to recycle numerous times. The first time I used them was on a pair of bell-bottomed jeans I wore back in the ’70’s. I THINK they came together. I don’t remember if I bought them new or picked them up at a thrift shop, but those buttons became my favorites!! I’ve used them on slacks, skirts, and shirts, and now back to a skirt that needs to be perked up. Here’s a photo of one:

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What a perfect day!! Our high temperature here in Portsmouth, VA was in the mid-to-upper 80’s; the sun was shining; the wind was blowing at just the right speed to offset the thermometer; and Richard and I got much yard work accomplished! We moved about 2 tons of river rock from the driveway to the corner of the yard that we are re-landscaping and smoothed it out around the ornamental grasses. I watered our potted plants (outdoors) and our former neighbors’ as well. I added water to their fish pond and fed the fish. Richard trimmed back the Lady Banks rose bush to the arbor. I cut the long trimmings into more manageable lengths for the trash removal. I also pulled out bricks from beside the house and stacked them to give to a friend. There had previously been a cold frame there that had rotted out and been removed. Richard also moved more rock from the driveway (off the alley) to create a splash area for the front of our gutterless house.

Sometime around 4 or 5 p.m., we stopped, came in and showered and rested for a bit before going out to buy groceries. We then fixed breakfast for supper and ate on the back deck in the waning light of the evening.

Finally, as an end to a perfect day, the fireworks began! Various people in the neighborhood were setting off fireworks and it so happened that we had a very nice display directly over the street in front of our house. We don’t know who was shooting them, but we certainly were enjoying the show!

So now, to the tune of occasional fireworks still shreeking and exploding in the air, I bid you, “Good night”.

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“What happened to TESOL?” you may be asking. The Lord has that “on hold” right now. My heart is there. I am looking for and at different curricular materials I might use. I am getting a clearer picture in my mind of what I’m looking for in curriculum. So TESOL continues to simmer on the back burner, periodically being tasted and seasoned as needed for a great dinner.

In 4 weeks, on August 2nd, I’ll be driving to Dulles International Airport to leave for Romania, Bulgaria and the eastern coast of Turkey to again minister God’s love and grace to the Gypsies there. I don’t feel the high level of excitement I have in past trips, but I do hear the Lord telling me to “prepare quietly”. So I am. Things are falling into place nicely. Having been there twice, deciding what I need to pack is much easier and low-key. I know I want to take about 1/2 of what I took last year!! Heavy suitcases are such a drag!! I am also asking God what He wants me to take as a blessing and a gift to the people.

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A few days ago, I came out of the tunnel and had to immediately slow w-a-y down (we live in a port area, so we have 2 tunnels and a bridge to choose from to traverse from west to east!). I had to yield to a family crossing the road. Dad, Mom, and at least a 1/2-dozen children were walking across the road. No big deal, but some photos would have shown the Canadian Goose family enjoying a walk together. (Yes, yes, I know… geese don’t “enjoy”! They were likely just looking for another feeding area, or a place for the children to practice swimming!)

By the time I found my camera in the bottom of my purse, they had crossed and traffic had begun moving again. Oh, for a camera attached to my eyeglasses!!

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This morning, I noticed Spring, our cat, playing with something in the yard. She was lounging in the grass, and occasionally put her paw out to pat something. I saw the something move, but thought maybe it was just a twig.

Moving closer, I saw that the “twig” was actually a small green snake about the size of my little finger and close to 24″ long! The little snake had reared its head and with mouth open ferociously, it was hissing at the big, bad cat!! With a smile and some calm, mommy-like words, I gently picked up the snake. Yes, it bit me… I didn’t catch it close enough to its head, but remembering the lizards we caught in Kansas years ago, I just pressed my finger farther into its mouth which loosened its grip. You see, you don’t want to just pull your hand away, because snakes and lizards have teeth that angle inward toward the throat (keeps the prey from getting away). I loosened the snakes grip a little with my fingernail, and held the snake gently and closely to its head. I put my hand under its trailing body and it gently wrapped around my arm.

Then I took the little green snake and released it behind the garage into the low-lying deep-green ivy. The little snake slithered away “happily”, and “relieved” to have made its escape!

I sure wish I had had my camera!

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