Candy Corn Addiction

I love me some candy corn.  I try to buy only one bag per holiday season, and stretch it to make it last.  


I don't like the mix bag with the little pumpkins in it.  Just the plain old candy corn.  And not the store brand, either.  It has to be Brachs.  


And you know what's even better?  Put a few pieces in your hand, and hold it for a couple of minutes until they are just a little warm, and they are even yummier.  Yes, I said yummier.  And, yes, I know it nearly impossible to just hold them in your hand without eating them, but trust me...  it'll be worth it.  


Do you have a favorite holiday treat?


Now quit eyeing my stash up there, and go get your own bag........


AMW

PNW Trip - Day 5, Part 2

No, I didn't forget that I promised a second part of Day 5, I just decided to enjoy the weekend....

Also while in Fremont on Sunday, we found the Fremont Sunday Market. This market blocks off about 6 city blocks and has vendors lining both sides of the road.

Selling everything from cherries, to glasswork, to jewelry, to antiques, to fish and more!

This was one particular sign I enjoyed along the way...

But best of all was the crepe stand. Now I have to confess that at my age, I don't recall every having a fresh made crepe. And here was this young gal making them to order.....

They had a variety of toppings that you could choose, including sweet options, and savory options. Items from bananas, chocolate, cheese, basil, and much more....

We opted to try out a Cinnamon/Sugar crepe as a snack, and it was DELICIOUS!

As you can see, it was just about as fresh as you can get....

An enjoyable treat to watch and to eat.

Oh how I wish our town or even anywhere in the metro area had a market like this. I could easily spend the better part of most Sundays at a great market....

AMW

Swiss Chard

Ok - so the first attempt at a Swiss Chard recipe was a bust for me. It sounded good enough... Saute shallots and garlic in a small amount of oil. Throw in the Chard till it cooked down. Top with goat or feta cheese and serve.

D didn't mind it so much, but not me. It was bitter, and the cheese didn't do much to help out, although it was delicious goat cheese.

Will try again......

AMW

CSA - 2 weeks in

Back at the end of March, I wrote this post about trying out a CSA. Need a moment to catch up? I'll wait.....

Back? Great!

The CSA officially started this past weekend. June 4th. We got the 1/2 share since there are only two of us in the house. We also got an email that we could pick up a "bonus" over Memorial Day weekend. WOOHOO! BONUS!

Here is the list of what we got in bonus basket:

• Beets
• Turnips
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach
• Salad mix (lettuce and radishes)
• Herbs (mint and basil)
• small bag of frozen Peas from last year's harvest

Ok, I'll be honest. I don't eat a lot of veggies. I've gotten a LOT better over the last couple of years.

I've never eaten beets. I've never eaten turnips. I've never eaten Swiss Chard.

Last week, I cooked and ate both beets and turnips. And liked them!!

This first official week is good too! We got:

• Zucchini
• White Squash
• Yellow Squash
• Beets
• Turnips
• Swiss Chard
• Herbs (mint and basil)
• PEACHES!

I see grilled squash and zucchini this week, and I also see a peach cobbler! I also see more beets and mashed turnips.

But can someone please tell me what to do with Swiss Chard???

I have no idea!

And we've got 20 weeks of fresh veggies with different stuff every week!

YEAH!

Please help out with the Swiss Chard, or any other yummy recipes for some of the other items!!!

AMW

Tangier Island Day Trip

Last Saturday, a group of us went to Tangier Island for the day. Well, not for the whole day, really, but for a visit. This is a place I've always wanted to visit, and I'm so glad I did!

Here's the day in pictures...

View Larger Map

Tangier Island is literally in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. The only way to get there is by boat or plane. There are several ferries that go, and that's the way we opted for the day.

We caught the ferry in Reedville. Of course, it took us 2+ hours to get there. But once there, the ferry ride promised to be about 1.5 hours to the island.

This is our friend Larry. He told us he gets motion sickness, and was looking a little green. We hadn't left the dock yet!

On the way out, we passed a lot of ruins in the creek of previous fishing companies. This one had an Osprey nest on top, and we could see the babies sticking their heads up.

You could tell this area was a thriving fishing area. The captain said these boats were full of fish waiting to be unloaded.

One of the many fishing vessels we passed during the day.

This sign is at the mouth of the creek.

From the bay, our first glimpse of Tangier.

This sign is one of the first you see when you get off the ferry and onto the main road.

This is the majority of the group that we were with today.

While on the beach, we saw half a dozen planes landing on the island.

And that half a dozen all landed in the frame of about 15 minutes. Definitely a busy airport!

At one of our stops, a local woman came out and chatted with us about the island. She was so sweet and pleasant, and actually seemed glad that we were visiting. Thanks Ms. Pruitt!

While riding through town, we passed the library. The Muddy Toes Library.

Yes, it was a shed. It wasn't open, so we didn't venture in to see the selection.

Then we had lunch at Hilda Crockett's Chesapeake house. Family style, with all you can eat crabcakes and TONS of side dishes.

We definitely put a hurting on the food. And everything was delicious. Especially the crabcakes AND the corn pudding! Some of the best I've ever had!

We had only a short time to wander around before the ferry left again, but I did see this neat mural on the west side of town. Definitely depicts their way of life here.

Then, the ferry was waiting to take us back.

We figured that we were in the car for 4+ hours, on the ferry for 3+ hours, and only on the island for 2+ hours. May have to go back and visit one of the Inn's or B&B's for an overnight stay.

And what did we learn about the island? There are about 650 permanent residents. Their main way of life is fishing, crabbing, and tourism. They are the soft-shelled crab capitol of the world. They only have a couple of vehicles on the island and the main modes of transportation are golf cart and bikes. They have a bit of an accent that's hard to place, but it's definitely their own.

Their island is sinking AND the bay is rising. So the island is disappearing. How long will it be around???

I'm so glad I finally got out there. Having heard about this place my entire life. It's certainly worth a visit!

AMW

Omaha - Day 3 Cont.

When we last left off, I did an entire post about the zoo. It was fun!! But now on to the rest of day 3.

D finished the day early from the conference, so we had time to do some sight-seeing together. We went back to the Pedestrian Bridge, took our time, and walked all the way to Iowa!

We wandered around the riverfront area for a bit longer, taking in some of the other sites.

Then, we decided to go out for STEAK!

We had tons of good suggestions, but had to narrow it down to one place. We ended up back at Upstream Brewing Company, where I had eaten the night before, because someone said the steaks there were good. And they were right! Delicious! Probably one of the most tender steaks I've had.

After dinner, we headed out to a small event that we had heard about at a local diner, and there we met some great folks, and had pie a-la-mode for dessert.

And to top off the night, I should come as no surprise that we swung by our now regular hangout - Harrah's Casino.

And just in case you were wondering, no, we didn't win big. Again. But we did have a ton of fun. We took D's co-worker this time, and battled the raging weather to make it out there and back.

Just a warning... Day 4 is coming in two parts. The good, and the bad/ugly.

Stay tuned...

AMW

Omaha - Day 2

More good....

Today, I had plans to drive to Lincoln, NE and visit the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.

I must admit, that it was a smaller building than I was expecting. But that surprise only lasted momentarily. As I entered, I was greeted warmly and told of the tour that started in less than an hour. The tour was THE main reason I went on Wednesday morning, and was soooooo worth it. If you visit this museum, make sure you visit during one of the times when a tour is going on.

Before the tour started, I wandered up to the third floor to see a one-woman exhibit. Beautiful! This woman had taken up quilting in her 60's, and enjoyed applique so much, that she decided to reproduce some of the most important/historical applique quilts. They were stunning. I was greeted by a volunteer while I was up there, who also gave some additional insight into the museum and exhibit.

The actual guided tour consisted of two exhibits. Perspectives: Art, Craft, Design, & the Studio Quilt and Quilts Under the Microscope. While they were both at opposite ends of the spectrum, they were both absolutely fascinating! I'm so glad I waited and attended during a tour. To wander and see these exhibits alone, I would have missed great information!

Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed anywhere in the museum, so I have none to share, but it was definitely worth the drive out there.

On the drive back, I saw a sign for a "Wildlife Safari". I knew this was something I needed to check out as well, so I did!

It was a leisurely 5 mile drive through the 440-acre sanctuary, and there were animals all around you. A nice break of the interstate drive between Lincoln and Omaha.

Arriving back at Omaha, I decided to check out the Pedestrian Bridge that I had heard so much about. Just a quick visit, as more time was planned there on Thursday.

The bridge was beautiful, just as I suspected. On the way back to the car, however, was quite an unexpected site. Keep in mind, it was VERY windy, with sustained winds between 20-30 mph, with gusts higher.

This poor guy was trying to hula-hoop across the bridge in the wind. It wasn't working out so well for him, but I was thoroughly entertained!

I was on my own for dinner today, so I wandered down to the Old Market area (another VERY cool spot in the city) and ended up at Upstream Brewing Company. I love visiting breweries, and trying something made there. This time I had the American Wheat, as I love a good wheat beer. Dinner was pot roast, because I was waiting for D to go out for steaks in Omaha!

Later that night, another quick trip over to Harrah's Casino! Nope, didn't win big again, but still had fun!!

Tomorrow - The Zoo!!

AMW

Omaha - Day 1

This is part of the good! We flew out, had a layover in Atlanta, and got into Omaha and got our luggage about 1:00pm.

From there, we headed straight to a Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives location. There are 5 in Omaha, but we only managed to get to one on our trip.

We went to BrewBurgers. Of the 3 items featured on Triple-D, they were out of one. The Old Fashioned Sandwich. But we did try the Alligator Bites, and the Cheesy Sacramento. The Cheesy Sacramento is a burger that was featured on yet another Triple-D location, but it was still worth it!

Also, they had fries done many different ways. I tried the "Garlic Parmesan" fries. They are fries "tossed with freshly chopped garlic, freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper". They were yummy, but VERY garlic-y.

D tried the "Las Vegas" fries. Those are "tossed in buffalo sauce, and topped with crumbled gorgonzola cheese".

After lunch, we found our hotel, checked in, and got settled. After a registration dinner, we headed over to Council Bluffs, IA (about 5 minutes away) to Harrah's Casino! A fun, 3 story, mostly slot, casino. Didn't win big, but had fun.....

Tomorrow - The International Quilt Museum.

AMW

Trying a CSA

So, we think we're gonna try a CSA produce subscription. (A whaaat???)

According to Wikipedia:

Community-supported agriculture (in Canada Community Shared Agriculture) (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and fruit in a vegetable box scheme, sometimes including dairy products and meat.

In looking around, I found quite a few in the general area, but most weren't close enough to home to be efficient. Most of them had Friday or Saturday pick-ups, which for most would be fine, but for me, it would mean going 20-50 miles out of my and fighting tunnel traffic on a weekend to do it. The prospect of doing that every weekend didn't sound appealing to me.

The season's were quite long (which I guess is a good thing), and moderately expensive for something we had never done before. We really wanted something that we could get our feet wet with.

After looking around for a while longer, I found a farm that was across a tunnel, but the "good" tunnel, could be picked up on any specified day from Thursday to Saturday, and had a shorter season that cost a little less, as well. Sounds like a good "starter" CSA to me.

The season runs 20 weeks from June 1 to October 16th. Here is an example from their website of what they expect to have this season: Asparagus, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Cucumbers, Eggplant, English Peas, Green Beans, Spring Onions, Peaches, Pumpkins, Radish, Southern Peas, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Peppers, Watermelon, and Zucchini. YUM!

While I'd love to have my own vegetable garden, I don't think I'd be able to grow everything that they are offering, and I certainly don't have the time to put into it like I'd like. This seems like a good alternative.

If I forget, please remind me to update you on how it's going. But I think it will be FUN!

AMW

40th Birthday

Saturday, I turned 40. I guess I was a little nervous about. But not too bad... When I turned 30, I nearly thought it was the end of the world. And then my life got turned upside down, and at 35, I finally realized what it was to live my own life!

In these last 5 years, I've met some amazing people that have all touched my lives in different ways. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of them come out and celebrate with me as well as a few friends that I've known longer.

Here are some pictures from the day....

I had flowers delivered in the afternoon from my aunt and 3 cousins. They were beautiful, and filled with daisies, which happen to be one of my favorite flowers! What a cheery way to start the day!

Paul's Restaurant, which I featured here, opened just for us to have our little get-together.

There was PLENTY of Corona Light on ice, just waiting to be consumed. I did MY part!!!

It was decorated with all of the obligatory black balloons, and the place look great!

More decorations...

The best part, however, was EVERYONE! So much fun to have so many important people there to help me bring this decade in with style!

Of course, the CAPTAIN and his PRIVATE STOCK showed up, too. He's the BEST!

And the cards! I've never laughed so hard... Who knew that a bunch of over-the-hill cards could be so funny. Especially after the first few.... But they were all GREAT!

Definitely a night I will remember forever...

Thanks everybody! My bucket overflows!

AMW