Mmmmm, Sunday dinner for the four of us

We have had a crazy month of June.  There was a trip to California and a trip to Candice's potential wedding venue, lots of work and lots at home.  But Sunday was 100 degrees hot and I finally made it back to the gym after hurting my foot a month ago.  Walked-ran a total of four miles - yay, it went well.  Anyway, I was watching the Food Network Channel while on the treadmill and decided I would surprise Lonnie with something special for dinner.  So, I stopped at the store and picked up a pork shoulder blade roast (really inexpensive), some large baking potatoes, and fresh corn on the cob. 

I brought the pork home and placed about three tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of my roasting pan.  I placed the roast in the center of the pan and spiced it up with salt, pepper, garlic.  I added some basil and rosemary from my herb pot that Lonnie is growing for me in the front yard!  Covered the whole pan with aluminum foil and placed it in a 300 degree oven for about four hours!  When it was done it was fall-off-the-bone yummy!!

I peeled the potatoes and then sliced them three-quarters of the way through.  Melted a cube of  butter and added parsley and garlic.  Then brushed the butter over the potatoes and placed them in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile I grated about 1 1/2 cups of cheese, just a bunch of little pieces I had left in the fridge.  After the 20 minutes I pulled the potatoes out and sprinkled the cheese over the top.  Back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  A fantastic, part-roasted, part-baked potato!  Perfect with the roast.

Lonnie had some dental work performed recently and fresh corn on the cob is a real pain for him to eat.  So, I shucked the corn, cut the kernels off and then, using the back of the blade of the knife, I cut the corn milk from the corn.  Added 1/2 cup heavy cream.  Then I melted 1/2 cube butter in a pan, added the corn-cream mixture and cooked it on low heat for one half hour.  Creamed corn at its best.

Lonnie, Randy, Brittany and I had a very rich, very delicious dinner!  I love Sundays and love when I have time to be creative in the kitchen.

Inspired Cupcakes

I know I still need to post the recipes for the rest of the cupcakes we had at Randy's event, but yesterday was Brittany's birthday and I took the opportunity to create a new one!  Last week Candice posted on Facebook that someone should give her mom a cookie.  This lead to a short conversation in which Stevie interjected she wanted a cookie.  She also said she would take a brownie.  Or maybe some cheesecake.  I think pregnancy increases Stevie's love for sweets!  So, I posted how about a cheesecake filled brownie cupcake topped with a cookie?  They thought I was kidding!!  So, I created and was able to give Brittany a little surprise for her birthday.

Brownie Cupcake Over The Top

Cupcake (adapted from Martha Stewart)

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.   Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water.  Stir occasionally just until melted, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove bowl from heat.  Whisk in sugar and salt until mixture is smooth, whisk in eggs to combine.  Gently whisk in flour and cocoa just until smooth (do not overmix).

Spoon about 3 tablespoons batter into each lined cup.  Bake about 35 minutes until toothpick in the center comes out clean.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cheesecake Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream

Blend and pour into a pie pan.  Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 45 minutes until set.  Cool completely.

Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies (Nestle's original recipe)
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter, sugars and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in morsels.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheets.  Make the cookies small so they will fit nicely on the cupcakes. 

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla and mix until smooth.

To assemble the cupcakes, use a large decorator tip, poke a hole in the cupcake and pipe the cheesecake filling into the center of each cupcake.  Using a star tip frost the top of each cupcake.  Then top with a cookie.  A little decadent but worth the effort!

Birthday Cupcakes - Part 1

From my previous post you learned I went a little "cupcake crazy" for Randy's birthday party.  But I really haven't lost my mind (totally) or turned into superwoman baker.  The entire prep for the party was completed with a couple of hours on Friday night and then another eight hours on Saturday, after Kyle, Carly, Eva and I went garage saling!

So, needless to say, there was labor intensive baking and there was "easy" baking.  Here are the easy cupcakes.

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes jazzed up!

A few weeks ago I posted these cupcakes.  They are a new recipe from Pillsbury, Pink Lemonade with Pink Lemonade frosting.  So, I whipped up a batch, totally according to the box, cooled them, opened the can, frosted them and then topped them with a small slice of strawberry to jazz them up.  They are so moist, yummy and impressive. 



Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

I made a batch of Betty Crocker Chocolate cupcakes.  Then, when I was deciding how to frost them I remembered I had bought a can of the new Duncan Hines Frosting Creations because I wanted to try them.  The frosting is plain white frosting and then you purchase what flavor you want to make.  I chose an orange frosting mix known as Orange Creme.  You just open the little packet of flavoring and  mix it into the can.  There are lots of flavors to choose from.  If they are all as tasty as the orange, they are a great find.  I piped the frosting on to the cupcake with a large star tip.  Then, another little trick...I put about 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a ziploc sandwich bag and put it into the microwave for 30 seconds, flipped it over for another 30 seconds.  Then I zipped the bag and made a small cut in one of the bottom corners.  This allowed me to drizzle little V's over the orange frosting.  The candy on top is a small pice of an chocolate covered orange candy. 

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These were made from Duncan Hines Classic Carrot Cake mix.  The mix comes with a little packet of dried carrots and raisins that you rehydrate before mixing them into the batter.   I frosted them with Betty Crocker canned cream cheese frosting (because it was in my pantry).  They were frosted by piping the frosting through a large round tip.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Thank goodness for Pillsbury, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker - they make making gourmet cupcakes sooooo easy and soooo delicious. 

Part II will be the labor intensive cupcakes from scratch.......worth the labor if you are into that kind of thing!

Randy Is Not a Teenager Anymore!

Beautiful flowers from Chris!

On Saturday we threw a little party for Randy's 20th birthday.  There was great company, lots of music and dancing and I made a few things to eat.  Kidding.  I made a lot of food, which is my passion.  I had so much fun.  We had a baked potato bar.  I learned years ago to bake potatoes until almost done and then put them in a cooler - yep a cooler, without ice.  Close the lid and voila, hot potatoes throughout the night!  I made a big batch of chili, steamed broccoli, chopped green onions, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese for a selection of toppings.  Sliced some watermelon and fresh pineapple. 
Washed a big box of strawberries and served them with sour cream and brown sugar - Rand's favorite way to eat strawberries.  We had lots of bottles of water, some soda and a lime sherbert punch.  Instead of a cake I decided to create some cupcakes, making this so much easier to serve.  I went a little crazy and had my own version of "Cupcake Wars" with myself!  I will post recipes soon but here is a look at the cupcakes.....

Banana Cupcakes garnished with a banana chip!

Peanut Butter Suprise Cupcakes!

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes!





Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

And the cupcake that was the favorite of the night.....

Mocha Cupcakes with a center of Ferrero Roche frosted with Nutella Frosting!!

So much fun!

Happy Birthday to my Brown Bear.

Cream Wafers

I love when someone reminds me of a recipe from the past.  I have been cooking for years.  Many recipes are favorites for a moment and then forgotten when I find something new.  How fickle!  My friend, Pat, reminded me of a cookie recipe I used to cook when I lived by (and with) her in California over 30 years ago.  I searched my memory and remembered a recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook. 

Cream Wafers

1 cup soft butter
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 cups all purpose flour

Mix thoroughly butter, cream and flour.  Cover ahd chill.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll about 1/3 of dough at a time 1/8 inch thick on floured board (keep remaining dough refrigerated until ready to roll).  Cut into 1 1/2 inch circles.

Transfer rounds with spatula to ungreased baking sheet.  Prick rounds with fork four times.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until set but not brown.  Cool.  Put cookies together in pairs with Creamy Filling.

About 5 dozen cookies.

Creamy Filling

Cream 1/4 cup soft butter, 3/4 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla - can use 1/2 teaspoon flavoring if desired, such as lemon or almond instead of the vanilla, until smooth and fluffy.  Tint with a few drops of food color.

Thanks Pat!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

It's Cinco de Mayo.  Our celebration was small but delicious.  Chili verde is Lonnie's favorite.  The husband gave total thumbs up for everything.  Randy and his friend, Brittany showed up to eat late but were happy with their meal.

So, we started with a little guacamole, salsa and chips.  The guacamole was two fresh avocados, mashed with garlic, salt, onion powder, cumin. chili and little lime juice.  My Mexican cooking was inspired by my time I spent living in Guadalajara.  So, most things are without recipes or measurements.  Lonnie had a beer and I had some homemade sangria.

Sangria

Bottle of your favorite red wine - I used a merlot. 
1/2 can grape juice frozen concentrate
Sliced orange
Two sliced limes

Muddle the fruit in a pitcher.  Add the grape juice and then the bottle of wine.  Stir and enjoy.

The next course was tortilla soup.

Tortilla Soup

3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed in small pieces
1 large can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can poblano chiles in adobo, less if you prefer less heat
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 small zucchini, chopped in small cubes
1 red bell pepper, chopped in small pieces
1 large yellow onion, chopped in small pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
48 ounces chicken broth
Grated cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips, I used the strip shaped chips

Saute the chicken in the oil in a large soup pot until chicken turns white.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Put tortilla chips in the bottom of a soup bowl, cover with soup and then sprinkle cheese on top.

Chili verde/carnita burritos

Chili verde

1 boneless pork butt roast, cut into large chunks
Vegetable oil
1 pound tomatillos, peeled and cut in half
1 large yellow onion
4 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 small can chicken broth
Salt
Garlic powder

Place cubes of pork in large pot with small amount of oil.  Brown pork for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 40 minutes.  If you let this cook and then refrigerate overnight the flavors will blend.  Thicken with a small amount of cornstarch mixed with water if desired.

Carnitas

1 boneless pork butt roast, cut into small cubes
Vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a roasting pan
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Coat meat with garlic, cumin and salt.  Place oil in pan and then spread meat in a single layer.  Roast at 350 degrees for one hour.

To make the burritos, take a large flour tortilla.  Add carnitas and chili verde, with some grated cheese.  Roll the burrito.  Cover with chili verde and more cheese.  Ready to serve!

Vacation Inspired Chicken

We took a trip last week to Disneyland where we met my family and friends from California.  We had so much fun watching our granddaughter, Eva, enjoy all the sites of the Disneyland and California Adventure parks.

On our first night in Anaheim we went to The Cheesecake Factory and Lonnie ordered a chicken and pasta dish that he really loved.  So, when we returned home I thought I would try to prepare something similar.

Parmesan Chicken with Basil Angel Hair Pasta

4 chicken breasts
2 cups finely crushed garlic bagel chips
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

1 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 cube butter
2 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely crushed garlic bagel chips

Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, in a large ziploc bag.  Pound the chicken as thin as possible - without making holes in the chicken.  Mix the remaining ingredients and coat each chicken breast.  Put the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the chicken breast thoroughly, about 10 minutes on each side. 

In the meantime, boil the angel hair pasta according to the package instructions.  Drain.  Saute the pasta with butter and basil.  Stir in cheese and bagel chip crumbs.

Place the pasta on each plate and cover with the chicken breast.  Really tender and yummy!!

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I just had to share!  Found something new at the store and they are yummy.  There was an end display with boxes of Pillsbury Pink Lemonade cake mix and matching pink lemonade frosting.  I needed to whip up something really quick tonight so I thought I would try these.  They were in the oven in less than 10 minutes, baked for 20 minutes, cooled for 30 minutes and then frosted in another 5.  But, best of all, they are absolutely yummy.  The aroma in mixer was great and then when they began baking it was fantastic.  They were a hit!!

Thank you, Pillsbury!!

What's for dinner?

What's for dinner?

Sometimes I get tired of figuring out what to cook for dinner.  My husband and son will eat almost anything I put on the table.  This afternoon I went to the store and, thank goodness, the market decided for me!  There were some lovely spareribs on special and the asparagus looked great.  So, I grabbed them and brought them home to whip up a lovely meal. 

The spareribs are so easy.  Just mix a jar of hoisin sauce with 1/4 cup of brown sugar and slather it all over the ribs.  Place them in a 300 degree oven for about two hours and they come out sweet, succulent and falling off the bone.  I toped this off with a small casserole of scalloped potatoes - just sliced potatoes, cheese, milk and a small amount of flour to thicken it.  The asparagus are a quick cook in a fry pan with about 1/2 inch water.  Bring this to a boil, remove from the heat and cover for five minutes.  Dinner is done.

I finished the meal with a fresh apple cake.  I received this recipe years ago and absolutely love it.  I had some leftover apples that I didn't want to spoil, so into the cake they went. 

Apple Cake

4 cups diced apples
1/2 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, unbeaten
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts

Mix everything together.  Bake in a 9 x 13 inch greased pan at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.  It is done if a toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Blend until creamy.  Spread over cooled cake.

Store this cake in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!!

My husband loves biscuits and gravy!

Biscuits and gravy

My husband loves biscuits and gravy.  Whenever we eat breakfast out he orders biscuits and gravy - even if he has ordered another menu item.  Or he orders extra gravy.  Then the gravy gets slathered over everything.  It ends up as one very messy, grey plate and he is in heaven.  On that note I am always searching for a great biscuit recipe.  This one was very good.  The only downside is the biscuits need to be devoured the morning they are created.  They were pretty crumbly the next day.

Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
2 tablespoons shortening, cold
1 cup buttermilk

Cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces and refrigerate it along with the shortening.  Place the cake flour, 3/4 cup of all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of the salt in your food processor and pulse.  Add the butter and shortening and pulse to combine, until everything becomes small crumbles.  Add the buttermilk and pulse until it forms a dough ball.

Place the dough on a floured work surface.  It is pretty messy dough.  Flour your hands and press the dough into an 8 x 11 inch rectangle, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  Dust lightly with flour and fold into thirds.  Then press out to 6 x 6 rectangle, about 2 inches thick.  Cut the dough into 9 squares (2 x 2).  Transfer the rolls to a silicone mat or parchment paper covered baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Melt the remaining tablespoon butter and brush tops with melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.

Place baking sheet in the middle of the oven and immediately turn oven down to 450 degrees F. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove biscuits to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes.

Sausage gravy

Brown your favorite sausage in a fry pan.  Add 1/2 cup flour blended with 1/4 cup milk to the sausage.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  If needed add milk until it is the desired consistency.

A little comfort food early in the morning!

Love Saturday mornings that start with Apple Dumplings!!

As I was considering if I would be able to blog about things I love to cook, I read many food blogs.  There are so many great ones.  I had watched the Pioneer Woman on the Food Network, so I took a look at Ree Drummond's blog.  Her point of view is fun to read and her recipes are really down to earth, often featuring fairly ordinary choices but with her touch.  I bought her new cookbook and thought I would try some of the recipes.  Here is here recipe for Apple Dumplings.  They are really easy to put together and very delicious.  Great morning surprise!!

Apple Dumplings

2 Granny Smith apples
Two 8 ounce cans crescent roll dough
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2  cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 12 ounce can mountain dew
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel the apples, core them and cut each apple into eight wedges.  Wrap each apple wedge in one piece of crescent roll dough, beginning at the wide end and ending at the point.  Place the rolls seam side down in a buttered 8 x 10 inch baking dish. 

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.  Add the sugar and vanilla and stir for a few seconds.  Pour the butter/sugar mixture evenly over the rolls.  Pour the 1/2 can of Mountain Dew all over the top.  Sprinkle the top with cinnamon.  Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve these warm with whipped cream or if you are going for dessert with vanilla ice cream.  Spoon some of the syrup over each serving. 

Ree also notes you can substitute peaches, pears or apricots for the apple and substitute ginger ale or lemon-lime soda for the Mountain Dew.

These were a two-thumbs-up by the husband!!!  So crazily easy they will definitely appear in our house again!

Coconut Cupcakes

On Easter Lily did not have a lot to say.  She had started her day with her two young cousins, sharing treats at their house.  On the drive to our house she nodded off and came into the house in her mother's arms.  She woke up to see Easter treats and get her basket from Grandma and Grandpa.  She enjoyed her new glasses and her tea set, but still remained relatively quiet.

Then, as I carried her to take a look at the Easter feast on the table, she looked at me, pointed and said, "Cupcake."  She knew what she wanted!!

Coconut Cupcakes

3/4 pound (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened coconut

Makes 18-20 cupcakes.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar for about five minutes, until light and fluffy.  With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time.  Add vanilla and almond extracts.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in the batter, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix just until combined.  Fold in half the coconut.

Line muffin pan with paper liners.  Fill each to the top.  Bake 35 to 35 minutes until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.  Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Almond Buttercream frosting

2 sticks butter

4 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream the butter and sugar.  Add milk until desired consistency.  Add the extracts.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining coconut.





Easter Brunch with Sugar Buns

Happy Easter to everyone.  We were so lucky to have our kids and grandkids to our house for an egg hunt (which is extremely slow with two little ones who didn't really understand why they had to pick up these "toys" they didn't leave out!) and a lovely brunch. 

Lonnie suprised me with a cute dwarf lemon tree (just read in Martha Stewart how I could keep a lemon tree in the house during our cold winter and then outside for the warm days).  I love fruit producing trees.  Let's hope this little one survives and produces.

Carly, Kyle and Eva brought a fantastic tropical plant.  It is so pretty and just helps me wiht a kick start towards spring.

I thought I would try something new so I put in a little extra effort and made sugar buns.  They were a hit! 

They require a little preplanning as the dough needs to be prepared the night before.

Quick Danish Dough

1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten
a few drops of almond extract
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold and cut into small diced pieces

Stir together the water, milk, egg and almond extract.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, sugar and yeast.  Scatter the cubed butter across the flour mixture.  With a pastry cutter cut the butter into the dry mix.  Make a well in the center, then pour in milk/egg mixture.  Stir to bring together into a messy dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or as long as two days.

Bring to room temperature.  Roll out to a 20 inch square.  Fold in thirds, turn 90 degrees and roll again.  Fold again, then turn.  Repeat three more times.

Wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes or freeze for a later date.

Makes two pounds of dough.

Sugar Buns

1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of salt
6 tablespoons of browned butter, cooled
2 pounds quick Danish dough

Combine sugars, zest, spices and salt in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Brush the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with a thin film of browned butter, using about one tablespoon total.  Set aside the rest.  Coat generously with granulated sugar.

On a lightly floured board roll dough to a 8 x 20 rectangle.  Brush the remaining butter across the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on the long sides.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture atop the butter.  Press lightly.  Starting on the long side carefully roll into a tight log.  Pinch seam to seal.  Seam side down, cut into 12 equal portions.  Place slices in the prepared pan.  Let rise until double, about 45 minutes.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake 20 minutes.  Immediately turn out from pan.  Cool for five minutes.  Roll hot buns in a bowl of sugar.

These are so rich and yummy - they are worth the work.

Easter at China Camp

Traditions run strong in my family.  In California Easter starts with a sunrise service, then a wonderful Easter service at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Napa (including choir for Carole and chimes for mom, Carole and my "sis" Paula)!  Then it is off to China Camp.  China Camp's future hangs in the balance with budgetary cuts in California, but for now the traditional afternoon by the bay on Easter continues.  My sister, Carole, is a great cook but she has the extra advantage of being a very talented artist.  Today she prepared cupcakes to take to the picnic. Mini cupcakes with fondant decorations.  She shared pictures.  They are so pretty and yummy looking.  I wish we could be there! 

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL MY CALIFORNIA FAMILY!!