Nature's Sun Catchers

When the late afternoon sun gets together with the fresh green leaves it creates a magic that demands you drop what you're doing and grab your camera.  That's just what I did.  Dinner could wait, but the sun had nearly completed it's westward journey for the day.  Enjoy!

Looking West

Dark clouds make the trees look even brighter.

The tree tops are glowing.

A stately Locust tree.

Sun Dance

Bits and Pieces

I thought I'd share some bits and pieces from the last few days.  Saturday we attempted, once again, to spread weed and feed on the yard, and once again it clumped up in the spreader.  This was a bag that was left over from a couple years ago.  A word of advice...buy just what you'll use, and use it soon.

I love clouds, especially the wild, stormy looking ones this time of the year.

 

   

Spring Clouds

The best of buds

Bun let me snap a quick picture of her.  She belongs to our friends Bruce and Dixie.  We enjoyed a wonderful evening at their house Sunday.  

Bun

Here is Doodle hanging out with his favorite human.  I'm in the race for second place.

DH and the Dood

While I was mowing the yard this afternoon, I spotted my first Iris bloom of the season.  This is my favorite color Iris.

 Purple Iris

Quote of the Week

I nod to a passing stranger, and the stranger nods back, and two human beings go off, feeling a little less anonymous.

-  Robert Brault

An act of kindness, no matter how small, even just a nod or a smile, can brighten someone's day and ultimately our own.  Let's take a moment today and give it a try.

Restaurants.com 80% Off Promotion - limited time!

Restaurants.com has a new promotion going on now through April 26.  All gift certificates are 80% off.  Just use the promo code MEAL when you check out, and your discount will be applied.  You can get $25 gift certificates for just $2. 

What a great way to eat out and save!   Offer Extended Until April 30.

A Good Egg!

With the picnic season just around the corner, and all the ways we use eggs (e.g. egg salad, potato salad and deviled eggs), I got to thinking about how many variations there must be for achieving the perfect hard boiled egg.  I've read about people steaming them, and even pressure cooking them.  I haven't tried either of these methods, and I'm not here to bring you everyone's tried and true approach to the perfect egg - just mine.

This is the way my mom taught me to make boiled eggs with a twist of my own.  Place your eggs in a pan of cold water with the lid on, and turn the burner to high.  Set your timer for 15 minutes, and watch closely.  As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn the burner off and start the timer.

When the eggs are done, drain and rinse with cold water.  Run more cold water into the pan and let it set a couple minutes.  Drain the water, replace the lid and shake vigorously, holding the lid on.  The eggs will peel nicely and have a perfect yolk.  So give this one a try and see for yourself that boiled eggs are as easy as 1-2-3.

Here are some more tips for boiled eggs:

• Older eggs (3-5 days) will peel better than fresh eggs.  (Never a problem here)
• Do not add salt to the water.  This raises the boiling point of water and may make the whites rubbery.
• Room temperature eggs are less likely to crack, and take approximately one minute less to cook than eggs right from the refrigerator.
• A TB of vinegar added to the water will prevent the white from running out of any egg that happens to crack.  However, this can affect the taste.
• Overcooked eggs may produce a green ring around the outer surface of the yolks.

Basic Egg Salad 
The recipe is simple and consists of boiled eggs, mayonnaise and salt & pepper.  Other add-ins include onions, pickles, celery, mustard, dill, and bell pepper.