My garden looks terrific this spring! The flowers have really taken off, and by some twist of fate, everything seems to be purple. Really, I didn't plan it that way, but it has turned out that way! That nasty-looking wooden door in the upper left corner of the picture has been replaced with a steel door, and I'm going to buy paint today. I'm thinking...purple? :)
I made watermelon sherbet. It was incredible. The recipe called for me to make syrup from sugar and water, then add it to stiffly beaten egg whites, then fold in the watermelon puree. I froze it in the ice cream maker and it was so good there weren't any leftovers. :)
Aidan took golf lessons at the community center last fall, and Jim got him some golf clubs some months ago using an IBM Thanks award. The boys had spent some time at the driving range, and here they are on their first actual golf outing at Maple Hill. Aidan did really well!
The boy has nice form when he can focus. Kind of like his mom.
Here are Esme and I on a Saturday morning at Marge's Donut Den.
This is besan burfi. Besan is flour made from chickpeas, and burfi is a sweet snack. Those are pistachios sprinkled on top. I thought this tasted a lot like peanut butter bars. Anyway, it was really good and I'll certainly be trying more burfi recipes!
Chicken and andouille etoufee with corn cakes. I spent about all day in the kitchen on this one...the same day Consumers turned our power off to put in new service down the street. I had to move my chicken stock out to the grill to keep it simmering while I had no power in the kitchen. I don't think I'll do this again unless I have a special occasion to serve it, but it was really good all the same. Just too much work!
Esme and I felt a little left out with the boys spending so much time playing golf together, so Jim got Esme her own little set of clubs and we went to the driving range and putting green to see what would happen. She did pretty well!
My sweet husband and children gave me a gift card to Panopoulos Salon for Mother's Day. I had an amazing hot stone massage, a refreshing sugar body scrub, and a pedicure. This color is "An Affair in Red Square". I've never chosen red before and I think I like it best. :)
Our neighborhood had a barbecue gathering on 22 May - it was fun! It was great to meet more of our neighbors and have some time to chat and watch each other's kids tear around the whole neighborhood on a sugar buzz. I made a creole tomato gratin, which was really good. Good thing I had some at the picnic, because on the way home the Pyrex dish slid out of the back of the wagon and smashed into a million pieces!
Fortunately I put the rhubarb goodie in a metal pan - it survived sliding out of the wagon, no problem!
We will be starting our anniversary vacation on Father's Day, so we gave Jim his gift a little early. This is one heck of a coffee machine, lemme tell ya!
An Indian sweet potato dish with lemon and mustard seeds. My children and husband in general don't like sweet potatoes...but this, they liked. Not sweet, more of a vegetable dish than lots of ways yams are prepared. So they ate it right up.
Zydeco beans and Brabant potatoes, from my New Orleans cookbook. Seems to me a fancy name for what we've eaten all our lives, minus the bacon, plus some onions and garlic. Good stuff!
Aidan wanted naan in a bad way, so I had to make a meal with which naan could be served! Clockwise from top left, naan, basmati rice, yellow dal (split peas in a tasty spicy broth), and sev sabzi - spicy apples. All very good.
Aidan got his braces off on Wednesday 26 May. He was so glad! Now he has to wear a retainer all the time except for eating and brushing his teeth for 6-9 months. His teeth are much straighter and he no longer tries to hide his smile when he's happy. That makes it worth it for me! The orthodontist gave him a big bag of caramel corn, Skittles, etc....all the things he wasn't allowed to eat for 4 months!
We spent part of Saturday, Memorial Day weekend, at the Alma Highland Festival. Lots of fun...super, super hot. Jim's leather sporran had seen better days, so he picked out a new one at the festival. It's a muskrat.
In early May, my crabapple tree bloomed spectacularly, after taking a year off.
This is what makes dragging the kids out of bed every school day worth it!
Mom and Dad came to spend Sunday of Memorial Day weekend with us. We had a sandwich lunch at Jimmy John's; the three boys went to Menard's to buy a door while the pickup truck was here, we played croquet, we played Band Hero together, we had grilled chicken, beans & potatoes, and fruit salad for dinner, we played croquet again, and we had Houseman's ice cream for dessert. It was a nice relaxing day! We also presented Dad and Mom with their fortieth anniversary present - tickets to A Prairie Home Companion at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in August. :)
The first weekend in May, I hosted a bridal shower for my niece, Jessica. It was a fun time.
Marge's Donut Den did the cake; they're going to do Jessica and Jake's wedding "cake", too - a tower of cupcakes. :)
I made a nice little spread, if I do say so myself.
Jessica got some nice gifts, and we all had a great time together.
We spent a Sunday afternoon at Meijer Gardens. The butterflies are gone for the year, but the Dale Chihuly exhibit is in full swing. Glass creations all over the grounds, inside and out. Beautiful addition; I wish they could keep it all!
Our favorite picture spot.
