Happy New Year 2024

Another busy, crazy wonderful year!! We welcomed our fourth Grandchild, Hannah in February. She is such a delight; it has been seven years since there has been a baby in the family and we are so enjoying watching her grow. We can't believe she will be one in a little over a month💗We continue to divide our time between Florida and Pennsylvania and this year we took a Viking River cruise in Europe, we travelled through four countries: Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Hungary. We saw some beautiful cities and villages, ate so much wonderful food from the area and sampled our fair share of wine and beer. We met so many nice people, it was definitely a trip worth taking! Also did our annual family vacation to Edisto Island SC and had a hot, sunny beach week! We enjoy watching our grands play on the beach and jumping waves. Lastly, we spent some time in the Finger Lakes in New York wine tasting and of course stocking up our wine frig. This is a beautiful area to visit, the lakes are large, the area is lush and there are so many waterfalls to hike to. I still continue to enjoy my time in the kitchen trying new recipes. Check out Pecan Pie Bark, Hot Chocolate Dip and Easy Christmas Swirl cookies (these make such a pretty presentation on a cookie tray). On the heathier side there is Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers and Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Salad. Both of these are Low carb but tasty! I took up knitting again and made 3 chunky blankets as gifts. I really enjoy doing these, they are easy, quick and beautiful! My new craft adventure is working with Resin. I did a few projects but need more practice with complicated designs mainly making beach waves on cutting boards. In 2024 we are headed to Napa Valley, California. We have visited this state before but never the wine region. Looking forward to visiting wineries and taking in the food scene there, plus I hear the area is beautiful! We are also doing our annual Edisto Beach trip and we will let the rest of the year play out our adventures. Thinking road trip to the Midwest, Alaskan cruise, maybe Mexico. Life is Good😊

Happy New Year 2023

 What a busy year for us! We bought a townhome in Pennsylvania, near our family, painted and decorated it and now it's our summer home and a place to spend our winter holidays with family. We then bought a condo in Florida on the beach, with a beautiful balcony, views of the beach and ocean from every room. This is our winter home and we spend hours walking on the beach collecting shells for crafting. I still spend as much time in the kitchen as I can trying new recipes and revising old ones. I have done a fair amount of canning also, mainly salsas and barbeque sauce. Bought myself a breadmaking machine and have  made many recipes in it, some good others OK. I do make a really, really good Italian bread that is always requested for family dinners. New recipes in the blog are pimento cheese goes great on everything and so easy to make, chicken in mustard cream sauce, baked fish tacos, greek meatballs in lemon cream sauce, dal makhani. Scroll through and find something that appeals to you. Everything is easy and family friendly. Our family has been blessed with good health and we will welcome a new grandchild this February. We are also traveling again, besides our annual family beach vacation, my husband and I will travel to Europe and spend 21 days in the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Hungary. Life is Good😊

Happy New Year 2022

 Another year of the pandemic, we have seen two major variants Delta and Omicron. While we are able to do more, we must continue to be vigilant with hand washing and masking in public places. We carry proof of vaccination cards as there are some places that require them for entry. We have limited our travel to within the USA, but happily we spent our usual summer vacation at Edisto Beach, SC and a week in Orlando Fl. This has been a very busy year for us, we moved to Florida in February to a house we owned beachside but had rented out. We spent the next several months flipping the house, it was beautiful when it was done but too big for just two. We made the big decision that we would become snowbirds because all our family is in PA and we missed everyone so much. We sold our house in November, found a condo to rent for the next year still beachside and bought a condo back home, where we will spend our summers and holidays with our family. I still spend time in the kitchen trying new recipes! This summer I started canning tomato salsa, peach salsa, corn relish and some fruit jams. I really enjoy the canning process. Other new recipes include key lime pie, after all you can't live in Fl. without serving this classic dessert. Still trying to master the French Macaron, when I do, I'll post that recipe also. Our family has been blessed this year with good health as we navigate our way through this pandemic. We are hopeful that this will be the year we see the end of Covid! 

Happy New Year 2021!

 What a crazy and long year. Started out pretty normal in January and February but we began hearing stories about a new virus strain coming out of China. At the time, we never thought it could reach us. Silly assumption on our part! We visited the Finger Lakes in New York March 1st, went to the wineries, did some tastings and the rumors expanded while we were there of cases in Washington state and California. Everyone was talking about it and people became cautious. Mid March there were reports of cases in our area in Pennsylvania and by the third week, we were under stay at home orders. You could only leave the house for food, gas and to go to the pharmacy. Everyone had to wear a mask and social distance. All schools began virtual classes. More people began working from home and Zoom meetings were the new conferences. The economy tanked and unemployment numbers were high. Many stores had to close, restaurants were only open for take out. Toilet paper and hand sanitizer shortage and liquor stores were closed. We stayed in, watched TV, read and did whatever we could to pass the time. I took advantage of being stuck in and painted all the rooms in our house to prepare it for sale. Hospitals were over run with Covid cases, mask and gown shortages, a bad time to work in healthcare. Since I was still per diem, I tried to work less hours to limit exposure. We couldn't visit other relatives, drive bys were how you saw your children and grandchildren, talking on a phone, while standing outside their car. We missed birthdays and holidays with extended family. Isolation and depression became issues for many. In June case numbers decreased and everything opened with limitations, wearing a mask and social distancing outside your home became the new norm. Our grandson graduated from high school in the midst of all this. We were able to travel to Edisto, South Carolina for our annual beach vacation. That also was very different. Resorts could only function at 50% capacity, no amenities except the pool and numbers were limited, you had to make a reservation to swim. Thankfully there was plenty of beach area so you could social distance. We were all so happy to have a vacation! By the end of summer Covid cases were on the rise again and restrictions had to be imposed. We all knew people who had it and people who died from it. Our hopes hinged on a Covid vaccine. Everyone was tired of the new normal. In the midst of this we sold our home in October, marketed and sold in 3 days! So bittersweet for us, we lived there 36 years, raised our 2 children and 2 grandchildren there, lots of memories. We temporarily moved into a near by apartment and celebrated the holidays in small family groups. Covid numbers are way up again and many are frustrated. In December, two vaccines were approved and frontline healthcare workers and the elderly have been the first to receive it. As a nurse, I was fortunate to be one of them. In spite of all this there have been so many blessings. We as a family remain healthy, children and grandchildren have adjusted and we are all hopeful by summer Covid will be gone. My husband retired this past year and I will retire mid January. We will be leaving Pennsylvania for warmer weather in Florida. As you might have guessed I had a lot more time to try out new recipes both in the instant pot and air fryer. Chicken Korma, Swedish Meatballs, Pasta Carbonara to name a few. Check out all the food categories for new additions, I have also been trying healthier low carb recipes. My next cooking challenge will be the French macaron both regular and sugar-free.                                                                                                                                   
 Stay safe and healthy😊

 
 

                                                                            
 

 
 

 

New Year 2020

Wow, back again for my yearly summary, and a busy year it has been. We traveled to England, Scotland and Wales this past June! What an amazing trip. I absolutely loved driving thru the lake district, so green with flowers everywhere and thatched cottages. Edinburgh Scotland was probably my favorite city, lots of great restaurants and shopping. We toured Edinburgh Castle, which was amazing and stayed in an authentic castle, Dalhousie Castle, just outside the city. Wales was also a beautiful country, wish we could have spent more time there. We stayed a total of 5 days in London. Such a fast paced city. Did a lot of walking and saw almost all the major historical sites. Fifteen days flew by, but we plan to return to do Ireland in the next few years. My husband and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary in Fells Point, Md. at the Admiral Fell Inn, such an old quirky Inn, with lots of great restaurants, bars and shopping nearby. I still love using my Instant Pot, trying new recipes all the time. Check out some of them under my Misc. category. I made Cinnamon Vanilla Applesauce, so easy and so good. New Indian recipes, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala, New soups, Broccoli Cheese, Split Pea, Lasagna all great for winter weather. I also have tried a few Cheesecake recipes, yummy! I got an Air Fryer this year and have been trying recipes found on the internet, makes great Brussel Sprouts, Potatoes, Fried Chicken and Fish. Ill continue to experiment. Look for an Air Fryer Recipe category in the near future. Hope everyone has a Happy and Healthy 2020!

New Year 2019

Big changes in our lives! I retired from Full-time nursing to per diem and love it. I work when I want to and have so much more free time, which I managed to fill quite easily. Still love my Instant Pot, now I have 2. I make my own yogurt and hummus once a month and both are truly the best I've ever had and so much cheaper. I continue to try new recipes and  use this method of cooking more than traditional ones. I broke my foot Valentines Day 2018 and was in an air boot for 12 weeks, no driving! To keep the "crazies" at bay, I started loom knitting. I totally enjoy it and have made scarves, hats, mittens, boot cuffs and next I'm making socks, so relaxing. New recipes added this year are no churn ice creams, easy and taste amazing. Made coffee and mint chocolate chip flavors while at the beach last year. If you have an instant pot check out a few of my recipes under the misc. category. The tikka masala, mac and cheese, meatballs, lasagna and alfredo bow tie noodles, all good and family approved. We are planning a trip to Great Britain this year and have been watching a lot of British baking shows, can't wait to try some of the foods they prepare, not to mention seeing all the marvelous sights!

New Year 2018

New Year 2018
Another year, flying by!! This winter has been very cold with a few snow falls already. Cabin fever has set in. In the midst of the "Bomb Cyclone" snowstorm, we drove to the New York Finger Lakes, specifically the Cayuga and Seneca wine trails. We were running low on Dry Riesling, which this area is re known for and they do have the best. Spent a couple days wine tasting and stocking up. It was so cold up there, highest day time temp was one degree with wind chill factors of 30 below, but well worth the visit. We try to visit twice a year. Beautiful region!! New recipes are, Melt in your Mouth Caesar Chicken, only 3 ingredients easy and tasty. When summer comes around again, try the Chopped Cucumber Caprese Salad, a family favorite. New desserts worth mentioning are the Pumpkin Spice Squares, very easy starts with a cake mix. Chantels New York Cheesecake  I've made several times, the best recipe I've tried. This year I treated myself to an Instant pot pressure cooker and when time allows, have been experimenting with recipes found on the internet. I love it, cooks so quickly, have to try cheesecake using this method!! Another new endeavor is mango-cello, just bottled my first batch, yummy. Next flavor will be orange!!