Outside the entrance door to a local country farm market, we discovered this enticing little stand.  Our noses led us here and our taste buds kept us from leaving:)   The big brown paper sign in front of the stand said, "Cider Doughnuts".  The aroma filled the air beckoning us to "come and try them".  Now, what is a person to do?

This lovely, gracious and friendly young lady was hard at work making doughnuts as fast as possible, and selling them as quickly as she made them.  It was her recipe, her business, and,  her smile added to the experience.  I love seeing business ideas come into fruition, especially when success follows. 

Our out-of-state friends could not resist the temptation to buy.  The doughnut bag was opened and offered to all of us.  Now, what is one to do?

As I sit here posting, with my hot cup of morning coffee, and see these pictures again, I find myself in a difficult situation.  Only 6 short miles lay between me and access to some hot, cider doughnuts...what is one to do?

My friends, it all started with the container seated on  the side counter of her stand, saying, "Try me".  The taste of that tiny sample was not a "good" thing for me.  What WAS good, is that I miraculously managed to only eat the sample piece, and was able to turn down those offered from our friend's brown paper bag. 

If you ever see a sign along the road for homemade cider doughnuts, I suggest you stop in immediately, especially if you have access, at the time, to a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk:)

Another bouquet from the roadside stand.  Love these fresh flowers on my kitchen table during the summer months.

I want to share this simple, yet so delicious salmon dinner.  The recipe was one my daughter shared with me and together we prepared this dinner, on Wednesday evening.  The salmon, the" 90 second", Uncle Ben's rice packages and the steamed fresh broccoli, was prepared and ready to eat in a short amount of time.  We served the dinner with cole slaw too.  Excellent dinner choice, and I know I will be making it again soon.  I am sharing the recipe with you, in case you are ready to try a new way to prepare salmon;

Panko-Crusted Salmon

Ingredients:

2/3 cup panko

2 Tbsp. finely minced fresh parsley

1 tsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. kosher salt (Judy's note: I found it to be salty enough without the added salt, so I would suggest omitting this)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

3-4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

4 (6-8oz) salmon fillets, skin on

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

Lemon wedges, for serving



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees farenheit. In a small bowl, combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss with a fork until the crumbs are evenly coated; set aside.

Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Generously brush the top of each fillet with the mustard and then season with salt and pepper (Judy's note: again, I would omit the salt). Press the panko mixture thickly on top of the mustard on each fillet to help the panko adhere.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch oven safe skillet. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes without turning to brown the skin. (If you don't want to eat the skin, this step also helps the skin stick to the pan so the fillets cn be easily removed without the skin later on.)

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes, until salmon is almost cooked through and the panko is browned. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with fresh lemon wedges.

Source: "How Easy is That" by Ina Garten via Annies-eats.com

The two of us worked quickly, because you see, we had to prepare dinner in a record amount of time...

...in the next room, this is what was taking place.  Time was of the essence:)

Hello dear blogging friends!  I know I have not posted for a while.  I've thought about posting many times in the last week but let me tell you, not a thing came to my mind.  It could be writer's block, it could be overload on my brain, it could be summer doldrums, it could be many things, but I was unable to share anything with you, so the brown and white horse kept it's place of prominence on my blog.  Sorry.

I did discover a fun find at the grocery store a few weeks ago. 

An old brand of cones, but they added new "kid size" cones.  Tiny cones that are fun to fill with ice cream, using a melon baller.

These tiny cones provide a perfect summer treat without lots of sugar, which makes happy moms and grandmas.

We tried "neopolitan" flavored ice cream.  I filled them ahead of time, covered with plastic wrap, and froze until ready to serve.

For the youngest one of our family, it was the first introduction of her own hand held, tiny ice cream cone.    She studied it, and than took the first bite.

The "cold" wasn't to her liking at first, obviously:)  That soon changed and then we could not get it away from her. 

It has now become the bedtime treat of choice when the older ones stay overnight.  For an extra special treat, I dipped their cones in "Magic Shell" chocolate, just like we used to have as a treat, during my school days.  Do you remember Dairy Queen cones that were dipped in chocolate?

That is it for today, my friends.  I close with this sweet picture of my little granddaughter's thrilled expression, upon discovering her own pair of goggles to wear, last evening at her great aunt's pool.  Never mind that she has them on upside down.  Hope it brings you a smile today.

Their white van pulled into the driveway and they jumped out.  Excitement was written all over their sweet, little faces.  My grandma's heart quickly surmised the situation at hand, and knew immediately that it was not seeing me that caused the detected sparkle in their eyes.  As they congregated around her, their mother opened the back door of the van and struggled to lift out a huge, real looking horse.  They said, "Mawmaw, this is "S'More" and she is going to live with you, if it is okay?"  I quickly learned that one of their older girl cousins had bequeathed this good looking horse to them, the evening before, with pink bucket of "straw", carrot, and hairbrush included.

I can't express to you their excitement and my apprehension.  The big, real looking horse was placed in my small play room and hurriedly they flipped her "on" switch.  It was uncanny to me how "real" this horse became.  It turned it's head, it actually chewed the "straw and carrot" with sound effects, it twitched it's tail, it made so many real life movements that I had to laugh.  No one can prepare grandparents for the situations that can come into play in daily life.  They eagerly watched for my reactions as they showed me each action the horse was capable of performing.  Really, I did not know anything like this existed and here it was sitting in my home.

After working to break up the fights that errupted over who gets to ride her first, and pulling out my trusty timer, I went to find my camera.  I wanted to document a few of these moments for you, knowing full well, the smiles it would bring you (especially in light of all the many difficult life situations you all are facing).

The littlest one took it all so seriously, and believed in her heart, that the straw was really being eaten.

She kept giving S'More(perfect name for the horse), more straw from the bucket.  Never mind the (cardboard pieces) straw that was now all over my playroom floor. 

This is one of my most treasured pictures, little girl and horse falling in love with each other.  Now, one more tidbit of "important" information I want to share with you, and that they asked to bring the other horse we already had, into the room so they ( the horses) could be friends:)

One small play room, two big horses, three thrilled little ones, and one smiling mawmaw.  How is that for an "over the top" post?

I do want you to know that the horses found themselves in storage rooms of our home, until the little ones visit again.  My granddaughter called this morning to see how S'More's night was?  Who would have thought I would find myself with an in-home stable of sorts.  Do you need me to board your horse?

In the midst of our complex lives there comes some moments of joy that tend to add encouragement to daily life.   These moments are most often unexpected and can easily be overlooked as the blessings that they are.  Here are a few  simple "smile makers" that stood out for me, in the last few weeks.

I needed a gift recently for a friend.  I stopped at my favorite roadside farm stand and discovered this arrangement on the old wooden bench.  It was picked and arranged by the two dear ladies who own the farm, and the best part...the $6.00 dollar price tag (including the white basket).  Don't you think this would be a gift you would enjoy receiving?

A few weeks ago, I walked into my husband's "organized/messy" :)  office in our home, and I was so delighted to be serenaded by an unexpected concert.  Now, think about it, how often do you come upon an unexpected concert?   There they were, my husband playing his harmonica, one granddaughter strumming a small guitar, and the other two playing  harmonicas.  Oh, I can't tell you the way it all blessed my heart at that moment.  For one of them, it was her first time ever to be attempting to play a harmonica, but she did not let that hinder her efforts.  The smiles on the little one's faces will remain with me for a long time.

I enjoy the privilege of playing "Travel Scrabble" with my mother, when we are on road trips.  Recently, while my husband drove, her and I played games of Scrabble.  For both of us, this is definitely a rare happening, but so much fun when we do have the opportunity.  It certainly helps the time go by quickly, when we are concentrating on our game.  Do any of you play "Travel Scrabble" during your road trips?

Another rare, and unexpected blessing for me, was the privilege of babysitting our little granddaughter who lives in another state from us.  We kept her for her parents, so that they could celebrate their 5th Anniversary together.  We had time to give her our undivided attention and believe me, that was a real blessing for me. 

On a recent occasion, I had quiet evening all to myself, and I need that.  It is rare for me to have uninterrupted time to read, to think, and to reflect on my life.  I feel like that is a crucial element for each of us in our lives.  In our busy, demanding, and fast paced lives, time to be quiet and reflect is so important.

This is all I have to share on a warm Tuesday evening.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have some unexpected moments of joy that bring a smile to your heart today.

Brilliantly colored gerbera daisies added the perfect touch to their beautiful black and white wedding.  I like how they tied them to them on the wooden pews, down the center aisles.  The simple arrangements sitting on top of the white pillars completed the look.  It was so tastefully done.  The flower arrangements were removed and carried to the reception area after the ceremony.

The flattering black dresses and the white shirts with black bowties that the guys wore, added an unique aspect to the look of the bridal party.  Pictured are my neice(the groom's sister) and another one of my  nephews, who will be getting married in September.

The bride and groom's first dance as husband and wife.

An ordinary church fellowship hall is dressed up by the bride's family, using tobacco cloth to cover the walls and ceiling.  The tiny white lights underneath created a softly lit ambience to the room.  I never would have thought of doing this and I must admit, it sure did disguise the recreational room in a gorgeous way.

From left to right, the groom's sister, the new bride and groom and the groom's brother.  Don't you think the bride and the groom's sister could pass for sisters?  That is one of the comments the groom made in the last few years, that he wanted to meet someone that looked like his sister.  What a kind compliment for her.

The elegantly done black and white wedding cake tasted as good as it looked. 

Thank you for stopping by today to share in this special celebration.

"The beauty of the earth, the beauty of the sky, the order of the stars, the sun, the moon...their very lovliness is their confession of God: for who made these lovely mutable things, but He who is Himself unchangeable beauty?"

~Augustine