Weeks are flying by – I can’t believe that it is the middle of August already! Mr. D’s job hunt has all but come to a halt since it’s August and everyone who hires is seemingly on their summer vacation. We are just trying to relax into our “new found freedom” and enjoy the opportunity that him being work-free has presented for us. For the last week, Mr. D and I have been in Northern Michigan visiting my parents at their vacation house. It is a lovely place to be. My mom’s kitchen looks over lake Michigan and she is quite an accomplished home chef … you can’t ask for a better cooking or baking situation than that!
My “De-De” (as I call her) is much more a cook than a baker. I compliment her by being a daughter who would prefer to bake over cook any day of the week! Needless to say, she has a lot of recipes she has been making since I moved away to NYC (over ten years ago!) I have a lot of recipes to copy and some learning to do. Earlier in the week we made sausage potato “lasagne” which is a very good dish, but made every pot in the cabinet dirty -Bleh! I am more of a “one pan” gal myself!
This past Saturday afternoon mom went into town for the day and I had the kitchen all to myself. I got my fill of scone and muffin making in. I made three separate batches of scones – plain Whole Wheat, Cherry Vanilla with crème fraîche and Lemon Poppyseed. Since I made them with morning coffee-time in mind, I did not want them overly sweet. I also like to make them a *smidge* healthier by using whole wheat pastry flour. Having the extra fiber in these scones helps to keep your blood sugar from spiking too high first thing in the morning. Eating one or two along with morning coffee – makes for a nice way to start the day.
I am dying to try this Cilantro Almond Chicken Salad recipe from July’s Gourmet Magazine. It is too bad that Mr. D is allergic to nuts because I could see this recipe being a very easy quick to fix favorite for any household! Looks fab, doesn’t it?
I am dying to make these “adult” popsicles from Fine Cooking too. Lemon-Vodka-Creamy-goodness, right?
Oh, and if you’re looking for a tasty pork tenderloin recipe – pop over to ABCD Design for my mom’s Pork Tenderloin with Maple Mustard Sauce recipe.
I made it on Wednesday night (following my De-De’s hand written recipe) when she was tending to her two new seven week old kittens. They’re the sweetest!
Twitter: @amy_i
So many great ideas, I don’t know where to start! Oh wait, yes I do… scones!! Looking forward to trying your recipe.
.-= amy i’s most recent blog post: Daring Cooks: Rice with Mushrooms and Artichokes =-.
Twitter: @abcddesigns
Amy I, Did you see, I posted the scone recipe (and all the variations I do) on my blog this morning.
Have fun, you’ll find you’ll be baking them on a whim – they’re that easy!
xoABCD
Twitter: @magmaeA
Funny, my mom and I are the opposite: I’m the cook and she’s the baker! That lake view looks heavenly… enjoy!
.-= Maggie’s most recent blog post: Friday I’m in Love =-.
Twitter: @amy_i
Yes, I did see, thanks! I’ve picked and frozen tons of berries already this summer, they’ll definitely be eaten in some scones very soon.
.-= amy i’s most recent blog post: Daring Cooks: Rice with Mushrooms and Artichokes =-.
Is that picture from Harbor Springs? It certainly looks like it! Hubby and I were married there last summer :)
I spent all my summers across the bay in Bay View, and my mom retired up there 3 years ago. Many members of my family are up there full time, including my gram, my brother, and numerous aunts/uncles/cousins. I just adore it there and love it when I find another person who also knows there area!
How long are you up for? Do you enter into either the Petoskey or HS art fairs? I’d love to look you up next summer if you do!
Twitter: @abcddesigns
AEOT -
Yes, yes it is Harbor Springs!! It is a one-of-a-kind view, isn’t it? My parents house is about 7 miles North of Harbor – not far from Stutsmanville Road off M119.
A wedding Up-North!?! I love it – I wish we could have figured out the logistics. We too considered getting married there – as it is such a lovely place that means so much to us. However, my husband’s work was based in London and we’ve got friends from all over the world who could make it to NYC, but not to Harbor Springs for a weekend -so- that’s we ended up with our big City wedding!
I am so glad you popped in and left a comment – maybe we’ll meet up next summer – OR – if you happen up there after the 23rd of this month, let me know!
xxoo
.-= ABC Dragoo’s most recent blog post: Velvet and Linen =-.