SOUTHERN LIVING'S HUMMINGBIRD BUNDT CAKE, AND A VERY HAPPY DAY!!



Picked up our kiddo at the airport in Syracuse the other night, and because Abbie's my daughter, she's used to being totally embarrassed on a regular basis.

This time was no exception.

Heck, I wanted her arrival to be celebrated in grande style! She's back in the United States for the first time in almost 6 months....

Balloons and a big, obnoxious sign waving at the arrival gate...she wouldn't expect anything less....

Funny thing was, since we live so close to the Army base at Ft. Drum, I think everyone  waiting to pick up somebody else at the airport thought that my child must be coming home from Afghanistan or Iraq or somewhere dangerous like that, what with the red, white and blue/Patriotic thing going on in my sign.

She was in peaceful Paris, France...hey, their colors are red, white and blue, also!

Anyways, you will all be happy to know that Abbie made it home safely, is already unpacked and ready to get to work with her mama, planting flowers and scooping up movie theatre popcorn.

SO very happy to have her here in New York, for the time being, at least!

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The other day I had a hankerin' to make a special celebratory cake, and the first cake that came to mind was a Hummingbird Cake. Specifically, Southern Living's Hummingbird Cake. I think this is probably my mom's and my favorite cake of ALL time to make.

Why? And what IS a Hummingbird Cake, you might ask?

Here's a photo of the three-layered fabulosity.........

(photo compliments of Southern Living)

The consistency of a Hummingbird Cake is similar to a carrot cake, complete with a decadent cream cheese frosting. Except it's different--just as moist, but you include canned, crushed pineapple and mashed banana and toasted pecans.

I am here to tell you that this is one of the best pieces of cake you will ever have. AND, the traditional Hummingbird Cake recipe (you can find that, HERE) makes a HUGE, HUGE cake--enough to feed a very large crowd.

Well, it's only the three of us Willards around here right now (most of Abbie's friends are still away at school or off traveling), so I didn't want a huge ol' cake hanging around my kitchen for days, going to waste and tempting my sorry self.

Good thing I opened up my latest Southern Living Magazine and found their latest creation...a Hummingbird BUNDT Cake. Same incredible recipe, but much smaller, with a lot less cream cheese frosting.

Oh my.......

Here's my finished product, freshly drizzled with frosting and sprinkled with toasted pecans.....

You can find the recipe for Southern Living's Hummingbird Bundt Cake, HERE.

I hope you love this cake as much as we do.

It's excellent for breakfast, BTW.

Till later,

Leslie

XXX000

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TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT..........

***I have a subscription to Southern Living Magazine. Which may seem strange, living as close to Canada as we do, but I tell you what.....they have the best, best, best recipes in the whole wide world. My girlfriend Lisa will attest to that!

***My daughter is so eager to learn about gardening this summer....someone else to help pull weeds...yippee!!!

***it's almost the weekend, and we are so very excited to go to our favorite nursery and go nuts, and the decks are finally getting stained! Thank you, Mother Nature, for providing us with a sunny, dry weekend.

A BACON CHEDDAR HASHBROWN QUICHE AND A LITTLE BIT OF FREEDOM.....

Well hello there, and a very happy Monday to you!

Here's what I started my day with yesterday.... my (and Abbie's, for the summer) new ride.....



Ain't she sweet? I haven't had my very own bike since college, a good 5 or 6 years ago..........

My favorite part? Well, besides the white-walled tires and women's frame, I just adore this little Nantucket basket wired to the front (so great for mail and farmer's market hauls this summer)..........

The best part of my Mother's Day Sunday was taking a lovely ride about the hood with Wink......just lettin' the good times roll! We also had fun going over to nearby Lake Delta for dinner and digging in the dirt most of the morning.....

Digging in the dirt is the best thing in the world to do, ever, in my book...it's all about the simple things, no?.......

I was truly spoiled by my husband this Mother's Day. AND, our Little Miss Thing (home tomorrow night at midnight!) wrote me the sweetest e-mail; it made me cry. She makes it so easy to be a good mama, because she's such a wonderful child. Hey, did I ever show you (I know I have, at least four or five thousand times thus far)  this very prestigious award I won a few years back? Finally, finally got it framed so hopefully now it'll last forever.....

Mmmmm Hmmmm. that's right. It's official, so all you other moms out there can just wallow in jealousy, forever.....unless you've received a similar award, that is!

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A long time ago I posted a recipe for a Hash Brown Quiche that my family really loves. Well, I changed it up a little bit recently by eliminating the ham and sprinkling the whole pie with crumbled bacon......

This quiche is my reason for living......

We love it for breakfast. We love it for lunch. We love it for brunch. Sometimes, when we're feeling speshally naughty, we even like it for supper, with a crisp green salad on the side! Shhhh...don't tell the neighbors......

Yes, it's cheesy. Yes, it has bacon. Deal with it......do an extra 3 miles on the treadmill tomorrow, and you'll be just fine.......

If you'd like to try this, you can find the original recipe, HERE. I have never been a huge fan of ham, so I really like my new version better: Just eliminate the chopped ham from the filling, and sprinkle the finished pie, just out of the oven, with cooked and crumbled bacon. Maybe 4 or 5 slices.

See you next time!

LESLIE

XXX000

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT.......

***I became a mom. Because the joy my child brings me will last a lifetime.

***That I have such a wonderful mom, Carol in California! She taught me all about the finer things in life, including good food, good men and the Clan McGregor.

***That I have such a wonderful Mother In Law, Marilyn in California! Her support and love for our little family is unwavering.

SPINACH, MUSHROOM AND RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Wanna know my latest obsession?

Here it is:

Finding, then preparing, recipes from  Pinterest.

It's sort of like searching for  hidden treasures..and the hunt is too much fun! If you'd like to check out the yummy recipes I've pinned recently, just click on the "Pinterest" button in the upper right hand margin, then click on "Recipes to try fer sure"......

Last night, I made these Spinach, Mushroom and Ricotta Stuffed Shells for supper....pinned this recipe from a fun blog called Handle The Heat.........



Can I just tell you that not only were these beauties low fat AND vegetarian (my little vegetarian and always hungry LMT is flying home next week!), they were also DELICIOUS! The recipe made enough that we shall be dining on the leftovers tonite.

If you'd like to make these for your family, you can find the recipe HERE.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Leslie

XXX000

TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT...............

***My new/vintage looking cruiser bike is waiting for me at the local bike shop...complete with no speeds and a women's frame. Can't wait to find a cute little basket to put on the front!

***I've discovered Pinterest, finally. Because I'm always the last person on the planet to jump on any new trend. Seriously.

***Our daughter finished her last exam at Sciences Po in Paris, and will be flying that ol' red eye home on Tuesday. Cannot wait to start baking lots of treats for her and her friends!

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM, AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO.....

First up, I'd like to say THANK YOU, from the very bottom of my cotton pickin' little heart, for all of your thoughtful words via Facebook and e-mail and phone, regarding the passing of our beloved cat Pee Wee......it really means a lot......

 Some non-cat-lovers would probably say "Get over it"; that he was just a CAT, for Heaven's sakes, but we love all animals, and shall truly miss our fat Pee and his sweet spirit..........

(doesn't this daffodil look like I stuck a plastic one in the ground? For reals, I didn't--it's the real deal!)

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Spring has finally sprung here in the North Country of America, and with it comes a heck of a lotta work! Wink and I have pretty much spent the whole weekend sand blasting our decks (in preparation for staining), pulling weeds and mulching flower beds (Oy, my aching back!) in happy anticipation of the growing season ahead.

These new buds on our Red-leaf Maple make me so happy, every single year.........

Love potting sweet-faced little Pansies, for a happy touch of yellow on the porch (where the deer won't eat them and the frost won't kill 'em!)...........

Even the pesky Dandilions on the lawn make me smile (but I'll for sure get to you later, my pretties!).......

I love to bring a touch of the garden indoors...check out this centerpiece I created out of an old green serving tray, terra cotta pots (5 for $3.99 at Hob Lob!), gardening tools, a birdhouse and seed packets.....Really hoping I don't set the whole darned thing on fire!...

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Have you noticed a lot of these in the grocery stores lately?

I love strawberries, but they don't love me. As I get older (and older!), I've noticed that I've become increasing more allergic (lips swell up, burning mouth rashes, fun stuff like that) to certain fruits, especially citrus fruits and strawberries.

Life is SO not fair sometimes.

Anyways, I've found that I CAN eat strawberries if they're frozen in desserts, or cooked, like in jams and pies. I just happen to LOVE ice cream, so the other day I picked up a jumbo container and decided to make some ice cream for dessert.

First thing I do is puree the de-stemmed, halved strawberries with about a tablespoon of sugar in my food processor (a blender would work fine, too).........

Then I just add this puree to my normal ice cream recipe base of 2 cups 2% milk, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. I also added a squirt of red food coloring to this, just so my strawberry ice cream would be light pink in color...........

Follow your ice cream maker's directions, and in a few hours time, et VOILA!.....

We like ours with a "little bit" of chocolate sauce........YUM!......

HAPPY SPRING TO YOU!

until next time,

Leslie

XXXOOO

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TODAY I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT.....

***My brother Andy's heart surgery went off without a hitch....here's to better health, Android!

***We finally have a date for my parent's 50th Anniversary party--August 18th! Cannot wait to see everyone out there in Kolly-fornia...

***Our wonderful realtor Richard, who is trying his DARNDEST to sell our home!

ODE TO PEE WEE...........

                                       

R.I.P.

Pee Wee Willard

1998-2012

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We had to put our beloved 14 year old cat, Pee Wee, to sleep yesterday. His demise came upon us rather suddenly....he was normally the happiest, chubbiest, purr-iest cat you ever done seen.

Kidney failure is a Witch with a B............

Here are a few fun facts I'll bet you didn't know about him:

***Pee Wee Willard was born in Sonora, California, and he drove (well actually, we drove...he didn't have his license yet) all the way across the Unitied States in the back of an SUV, to his final home in upstate New York.

***Pee Wee Willard weighed 19 pounds, and when he jumped off of the bed, the whole house shook. For reals.

(Pee Wee tried to get along with most dogs)

***Pee Wee Willard was bulimic. I am not kidding. He was known to regularly "binge" on his kibble, then "purge" it back up. Thank God for wood floors, paper towels and 409!

***Pee Wee Willard was an agorophobic. The above photo is pretty much the closest he ever got to going outside. The world was just way too scary for sensitive Pee........

***Pee Wee Willard was all about love, and didn't have a mean bone in his chubby body....his bliss was cuddling up next to whoever was on the sofa or in bed.....

Rest in peace, our red headed son.

We love you!

Mom, Dad and Abbie

XXX000