The end of August is almost here, and we are never too sure what the weather for September and October will be bringing to us.
Anyone home gardening should be considering what to harvest now, and what can wait a bit longer. Our summer has not been overly heated, but we never did get our annual monsoon, so dry, dry, dry.
Many gardens probably did well with constant secondary watering, and care; many did not fare well.

My friend, Marsha Birch Frank, in Minnesota, and I were discussing recipes and she sends me a recipe calling it “meatloaf”.
Now I was thinking about making meatloaf, so that’s funny right there that she gives me her recipe.
Well, the story gets funnier. I follow all her directions, but for the life of me cannot figure out how this becomes a meatloaf.

“Into the great wide open . . . Under them skies of blue . . . Out in the great wide open . . . A rebel without a clue”
Into the Great Wide Open, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1991
Since around June, hubby and I have taken short riding trips, with our dog, just to get away from the town. Like the song lyrics just read, into the great wide open, under the skies of blue. San Juan County certainly has a monopoly on both.

One of the great advantages of being raised in an Italian/Croatian neighborhood is not just experiencing two cultures, but sampling the variety of foods.

It has been a long while since I’ve attempted a book review of any type. Usually, if I’m interested in a book of any genre I will read the reviews already written.
Depending on the amount, most either regurgitate reviews from the back of the book or simply say, “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it or even finish it.”

Did you ever read one of those survey questions that asked, “How old were you when you found out about ______?” Well, here’s one for me: “How old were you when you had your first s’mores?” I was 52 years old at a cookout at a friend’s home.

Once again, we are going back in time to the Prohibition Era (1920-1933) and the banning of alcohol throughout the United States. While most legitimate restaurants and bars were suffering the loss of income, illegal bars, called speakeasies, offered clientele liquored drinks and food.
Speakeasies usually did a consistent business due to payoffs of local law enforcement and corrupt politicians.

“Don’t throw the past away.
You might need it some rainy day.
Dreams can come true again.
When everything old is new again.”
Everything Old Is New Again
Peter Allen - 1974

Back on April 27, 2022, I gave you a recipe for Garlic Chicken with Soba Noodles and it is a fantastically good dish. As with many recipes, including my own, I like to play with the ingredients; perhaps improving further, perhaps not. That’s the adventure, and honestly, do we really want to be stuck in a rut when it comes to eating?

In the past weeks I have seen repeatedly posted a recipe for Pork Chop and Potato Casserole featuring Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Usually, it is a photo of the completed dish with ingredients listed, just the names, not the amounts, and “Click on this link for full recipe.”
Clink on the link and you are taken to a cooking blog or a Facebook page that doesn’t give the full recipe unless you become a follower.

While none of the lyrics apply to the next recipe I will be sharing, getting to, at least, mention a title of an AC/DC song perks me up.
This recipe will be the one I mentioned in April, when Blackberry Tarts was the main feature. Blackberry Coconut Pound Cake is not exactly what might be found on the menu of a tea shop, but it is scrumptious.

Easter has come and gone. It’s a time when Christian religions celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his torture and death, at the hands of the Romans.
It is also a time when children, with baskets, run around backyards, fields, and playgrounds seeking chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs to fill those baskets.

Back in 2016 I wrote about a much-loved local restaurant called R&F’s, owned by Ray Arballo and his mother, Fana. On Wednesday nights, it was always packed because it was Mexican Night.
With the Arballos’ Mexican heritage, they were able to put out the most outstanding Mexican food around.
Unfortunately, due to financial troubles, R&F closed down and Mexican night was no more.

April Fool’s Day, in San Juan County, UT, gave me a very good reason to rename it as, “Multiple Personality Disorder Day”, as it pertains to weather.
All day long we experienced periods of snow, rain, sunshine, snow, rain, sunshine, repeat until the darkness of night finally said, “Hey, enough is enough!”.

Ah, the English countryside with rolling hills of green grasses, wildflowers, and forests, valleys with villages nestled deep within, cattle grazing, and sheep blocking the roadways.
Driving into one of these quaint villages, parking outside the pub, walking in, and being greeting by the publican and his smiling wife.
“What’ll it be yer havin’?” he asks.