Under a Red Roof

Fruit Cake

December 10, 2021 in Uncategorized by Colleen | Permalink

Good Friday morning to you, dear reader!

I’m fairly certain I’ve written about this before, but hey, I’ve got 1,799 posts (say what?!) out in blogland, and that is A LOT to remember. So, fruit cake take two here we are!

I often think I was born in some strange space-time vortex because I love a lot of foods, music, clothing, and miscellaneous yadda-yadda that my peers do not AT ALL. This is not new (surprise!). Among other outstanding oddities, I had a thing for Richard Nixon as a fifth grader, which on many levels still holds true (read this); liked the Doors when most kids were grooving to the BeeGees, and absolutely love fruit cake.

I legit wonder what is wrong with it: buttery, fruity, nutty, just a little boozy. Seriously, all the things! And will you look at it? It’s stained glass pretty, peeps. I have convinced Greg of the goodness, too.

It had been a while since I made it. Southeast 56th Avenue Portland, Oregon (gun not gone: never was, never will be) circa 2013. Eight years! We moved to Pittsburgh in December 2014, so it was totally off the radar amid boxing and unboxing and a Monongahela incline steep learning curve. Then my Grandma died, and she was among my chief recipients (Grandpa, too!). Then life, another move, and, truth be told, a whole lot of not remembering.

I also never bought any when I saw it on offer because I really like my Martha Stewart from ages and ages ago recipes, and didn’t want to waste those dollars, just in case. Remember that I am quite particular about my favorite foods, dear reader. Quite.

But oh, this year I remembered, bought all the necessary ingredients, and made a small batch. It is as good as my tastebuds could recollect and so heady with remembrance it makes me swoon. Take a slice and do a happy dance while the flavors pop and pop. Life is good.

Tags: Cooking and Baking

Pastel

April 7, 2021 in Uncategorized by Colleen | Permalink

The sky Sunday evening, beautifully illuminated, casting pastel light all around the garden. A perfect end to two very wonderful and productive days getting ready for this year’s green up.

We also grilled some chicken in a tasty Tex-Mex style, loaded up on salad and beans, and farted plenty afterwards (oh, yes I did!).

Since we’re patiently awaiting our ability to return to restaurants, we haven’t had our favorite beef bulgogi at ShinSaDong since last summer. I remedied the fact with another internet search. Ground beef bulgogi salad success. It’s the small things.

In the BIG things category – Greg got his first vaccine last Friday, and I am on the roster for the J & J this Sunday – one and done. Praise be to science and kindly nurses administering shot after shot after shot.

Oatmeal peanut butter cookie, gilded with peanut butter frosting. Sometimes you need extra.

I bought a Willie mug!! It has Trigger on it, too, plus blue bells and mockingbirds, state flower and bird of Texas, of course. A mighty fine sip, if I do say so.

Sleeping giants….

Clouds

November 20, 2020 in Uncategorized by Colleen | Permalink

Hi All! Damn. Pike’s Peak – Tabeguache to the original inhabitants – just gives and gives, doesn’t it? I love the clouds! The way they nestle in close, like friends and lovers nuzzling for a bit of sweet respite.

How have you been? All is well here, delightfully strolling along in our usual ways. Enjoying simple pleasures. I found more church records for my New Mexico roots; Greg got a new coat (in black) after the zipper in his last went kaput. Pockets, pockets, and more pockets! Cooking and baking galore, despite not having taken a photo in a while. We raked up the most gigantic pile of leaves last weekend under the sunniest of skies, and will again soon, which ought to be the end of them. The compost thanks us!

I could not be more pleased about the outcome of the election, especially that so VERY many people voted! The most in our nation’s history, which sure sent my heart singing. We care about this place, America! YAY us!

We’ll be keeping isolated for Thanksgiving, with the usual suspects on the dinner table. No surprise there, I think. A definite surprise for subscribers to the blog was the fact that I fixed a glitch which actually started sending reminders out again. I hadn’t noticed that it wasn’t working until someone new came along (Hi Bobbie!) and asked. Things slip by.

Stay well and healthy…

Today’s Garden

July 26, 2019 in Uncategorized by Colleen | Permalink

The volunteer hollyhock is over SIX feet tall!

The spent hollyhock flowers make faces at us. Boo!

Native bee house, with at least 30 tubes filled with eggs for next year. Woot!

Also, I don’t recall if I’ve ever shown the shed before. It came with the house, and had a rather ugly peachy-beige paint. We used all of the salvageable boards from the original and very much falling down fence to spruce it up. I love it!

morning shade

rabbitbrush

happy dog…

Volunteer penstemon!

ratbida

yellow harmony dianthus

first crocosmia blossoms

mallow

Before my Grandpa died, he insisted that we take all of the potentilla bordering his back porch. Rather sadly, this is the only one that survived the move and the severe storms of the past couple of years. The whole of last year, it had ONE green twig. Even though some critter has munched on it, you can imagine my delight that it’s got more green branches than I can count and is blooming! Way to go, Grandpa!