Cookie of the Month

Yes, it is that time again. Cookie of the Month. This month's cookie is Cherry and Chocolate Chip Cookies, a recipe that I found in Bon Appetit magazine. Do I have your attention?

First the stars of this show.





Look closely and you will see a couple of new ingredients for this month's cookie. Cherry liqueur and almond extract, neither that usually appear in a chocolate chip cookie. I know you can't read the cherry container but those little beauties are from Traverse City. I had a choice of buying cheaper cherries from a state that will go nameless but I couldn't do it. I must support the Mitten.

First things first. The butter and sugars must be creamed. While I was doing that I had the cherries simmering in the liqueur. Yum.





Next the eggs and extracts are mixed in followed by the flour mixture. Here comes the part I like the best, the chocolate! The recipe called for semisweet chocolate but I used bittersweet chocolate instead. Why? Because I don't like semisweet chocolate and I love bittersweet chocolate. I hope the winner of the cookies agrees with me.





And then the stars of this cookies, Michigan cherries!





They're looking good, don't you think?





I formed them into balls and then on to the oven.





Don't they look good? Take my word for it they tasted as good as they looked. I think D agreed too because he had a small container that disappeared within two days.





The part most of you are interested in, who won the cookie drawing this month? We know who one of those boxes is for but the other will remain a mystery for now.





Unlike last month, I only picked one winner. I followed all rules of the Western PA Gaming Commission to the best of my ability. Six slips of paper, one winner. They were mailed Saturday so they should be showing up on someone's doorstep sometime this week. Good luck to all and until next month happy munching to this month's winner.

With Autumn Closing In

Another month, a new song. I don't think I have to defend this choice. I wanted to post a video but youtube doesn't seem to be working right. Sorry.

I Think She Is Holding A Grudge

Ever since this morning when she thought I had yelled at her, stung her, and beat her she has given me this attitude. She keeps her distance and just stares.





Of course, one person is really happy with the whole situation. It is his lap she now prefers.





Now before you start feeling sorry for me her attitude is starting to soften. She sat in my lap after dinner and has started to wag her tail again. Of course, as I write this she is downstairs with D in his office. But, hey, I will take the small victories. The battle for her affection is far from over.

We Are Losing The War, The Last Who Was Standing Has Fallen

Sad but true.

Just to recap this has been the wasp summer from hell. Just last week D was stung for the fourth time. I should say fourth incident because one of those times involved numerous stings.

I was four I believe. Until this morning that is. I was walking Jo in the yard and saw that some of the mulch under one of the trees had been scattered out onto the grass. Being the good gardener I am I kicked the mulch back where it belonged so it would look neat and tidy. That was a mistake. I stirred up a wasp nest in the mulch and Jo and I were being swarmed by very angry wasps. Of course I start speaking in a louder voice than normal and try to pull her away. We get maybe 20 feet away and they are still attacking and I ended up getting stung. Now I am yelling about that because it hurt and still trying to drag her away from that tree. Then she yelps so now I know she has been stung but she is looking at me like I did it. I drag her another 20 feet and see one of them is one her back so I took the end of the leash and start hitting at it hoping to knock it off of her. She thinks I am beating her so now she is cowering on the ground. She has some abuse in her past so this is not a good thing. Eventually we made it back in the house where it was safe.

By the time it is over I have been stung and she has been stung at least once if not more. She thinks I have now been yelling at her, stinging her, and beating her. The result of all of this I am sitting here at my computer and she is DOWNSTAIRS with D on his lap. She never is with him if I am anywhere around. Of course, he is taking full advantage of this situation. Jo, would you like a treat? Jo, would you like to sit with me? Jo, would you like to go for a ride in the car? Watch out, D, I will win her back.

And just for the record this one sting has hurt more than the other four combined. I am now at five. D at four. Jo at one. Would anyone else care to join our party? We love to share.

On a brighter note, New York Strips on the grill tonight with my not that much younger brother's marinade. D loved that one. Tomorrow, pork wrapped in bacon, another D favorite. Stay tuned because my cookie review will be coming next.

Was I Right?

Do nice things come in blue boxes?

Happy 26th Anniversary To Us!

Yes, today was our 26th anniversary. Don't let anyone try and tell you that we don't know how to celebrate in style.

Of course, no anniversary is complete without a nice dinner out to celebrate the occasion.





And where did we celebrate this five fork gourmet meal? Why, here of course.





And no celebration is complete without after dinner entertainment so we watched the last remnants of Fay hit the windshield.





And before you start feeling to sorry for me, the best gifts come in little blue boxes.





I have no complaints.

The Girls Will Understand

I'm not home yet but should be by dinnertime. Jo will be happy I am sure. My sister-in-law forwarded this to me a while ago and so in the meantime I thought some of you would enjoy this because it is so true.


When you have to visit a public bathroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied.

Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern 'seat covers' (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't - so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants,
and assume ' The Stance.'

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold 'The Stance'.

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, 'Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!' Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday - the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's still smaller than your thumbnail

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backward against the tank of the toilet. 'Occupied!' you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious,
tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lose your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper - not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, 'You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get.'

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the
inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks.

You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting.

You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet paper trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, 'Here, you just might need this.'

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, 'What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck'

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms (rest you've GOT to be kidding!!). It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!