Recipe Time Again

This is such a delightful taste sensation. I promise it won't dissapoint!

Blueberry Soup

4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries or 2(12oz.) packages frozen blueberries may be substituted
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp. dried lavender (I used 1/2 tsp.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
Sweet Treat Croutons

1. Stir together fresh blueberries, lemonade concentrate, and 1/2 cup cold water in a 3 qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, stir in dried lavender, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until blueberries burst. Remove from heat, and cool 5 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract.

2. Press mixture through a fine wiremesh strainer into a large bowl, using back of a spoon to squeeze out juice. Discard pulp. Stir in yogurt. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours. Serve with Sweet treat Croutons.

Makes 5 cups


Sweet Treat Croutons

1/2 (10.75 oz.) package frozen butter pound cake, thawed
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint (I used 1/2 tsp dried mint flakes)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butter pound cake into 1/2 inch cubes, and place in a large bowl. Add butter and chopped fresh mint, and toss gently to coat. Place cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Sorry there isn't a picture, but we ate it all.

This is a What?

Mystery solved!

I was relieved to find out that nothing creepy was eventually going to come out of this. It is a True Sea Bean or Red Hamburger Bun. It is a seed from a tree native to Africa, Central or South America. When the seed pods open the seeds fall to the ground getting into the water system and eventually are carried to the ocean. Sea Beans are great oceanic travelers, they have small air pockets inside making them buoyant. They can endure the salt water for up to two years. They are stranded at the highest tide drift lines along with sea weed. If you find one, it is considered to bring you good luck.

Very interesting...I think we have discovered a new kind of treasure!

Beach Epilogue

It was a perfect beach day with the gorgeous blue sky, the ocean breeze and the soft sand under our feet. Shane was waist deep in the ocean playing in the waves and I was barely "two feet" deep looking for shells at the edge of the water. After a while Shane joined me and we meandered aimlessly along the beach looking for shells, without having much luck finding any, so we decided to go back to the house. As we were walking through the stranded sea weed...

Shane: What is that?

Kay: I don't know? Is it a shell? Is it alive? You touch it.

Shane: Reaching down taps on it with his fingernail and after no response picks it up. It feels like a shell. The black middle is kind of soft. He sniffed it. Shook it.

Kay: Does it open?

Shane: I don't know. It might. Do you want it?

Kay: YOU carry it.

For two days I left it outside waiting for it to open and for something to ooze or crawl out of it, or to stink really bad, but so far nothing.

Its home with us now and even gets to be in the house.

After several ventures to the beach we accumulated a small collection of shells,

And I love them everyone.

Shane was so diligent in finding them for me because he loves me.

I'm such a lucky girl.

We're back!

We loved our vacation at the beach,

but as you know,

there's no place like home!

We love you! Mom and Dad

E-E-E

Ta Da!

I have been working on my tan all week.

What da ya think?

A little blinding, maybe.

Sun screen will do it every time!

Wednesday, May 6 - A Day in Paradise

We are enjoying

nice ocean breezes and
the smell of the ocean,

walking in the surf,

laughing at scuttling crabs

and hunting for treasures (shells).



What a wonderful day!

Adventure #1 Shane is a Jungle Boy

We were off to a great start leaving earlier then we planned on Sunday, but that was the only thing that went right.

After:

1. Driving through tornadic (per the weather man) conditions in Alabama

2. Arriving an hour early in Prattsville Alabama to watch the CES Fireside with Elder Bednar, because we didn't know we changed to Central Time

3. Going about an hour out of our way from following the GPS, we finally made it, or so we thought.

12:31 a.m. I directed Shane to, "Turn right at the stop sign," and because I am the navigator, my head was buried in the map preparing to give Shane further directions. With great alarm Shane said, "Aw...we're on the bike path!" It paralleled the road and he had mistakenly turned onto it.

JUNGLE BOY TIME!

High adrenalin flow!

I looked up and was impressed that our car was small enough to drive on it. He stopped suddenly!

12:33 a.m. we shared a silly laugh, bordering on hysteria and then pressed on.

1:04 a.m. we simply couldn't find the rental agency to get the keys and directions to the beach house. Shane did the noble thing and called the rental agency's emergency number and learned we were 15 miles off course. (Thanks to that dependable GPS!)

1:42 a.m. we unlock the front door.

I'll let you know about Adventure #2!

Ah, the beach

We're here!

On the sunny Emerald Coast.

Whiling away our time at Endless Summer beach house in Santa Rosa Florida.

It's just a little bit of

H-E-A-V-E-N on earth.

Sorry, but we don't wish you were here...

we'll send you a post card.

Love you,

Mom and Dad