I'm sure at one point or another, we've all received text messages by mistake. Private messages that were intended for somebody else. A couple of years ago, my phone number was mistakenly added to a family group text. I didn't recognize any of the other phone numbers so I sent a text politely asking to be removed from the group. This is the day I learned that a person cannot remove themselves from a text thread created by someone else. 🤷🏻♀️ The only person who could have my number taken out of the group, was the original creator of the group text. And after several dozen hilarious exchanges with this mystery family, it was determined that it wasn't within "Aunt Pattys" capabilities to remove my number. 😅 The mistaken texts continued for nearly a week and the most historical part of the whole mix up was that no one in the family group text seemed disappointed or annoyed by the fact that an outsider was receiving all of the messages. As a matter of fact, I was encouraged to participate in family discussions, weigh in on topics and give my opinion on several upcoming events. At one point, my husband and I sent a selfie of ourselves to the group which was followed up with an invitation to "break bread together" at a family bar mitzvah! No joke. 🤣 Nearly a year after the first set of messages, I got another message from the same text thread, asking for my RSVP to an upcoming wedding. When I politely declined, assuming again that I had received the message in error, they most graciously extended a cursory invitation to the wedding anyway. 🤣 I didn't go, by the way, even though they are quite possibly the most hospitable family I've never met. I can't explain how I ever got added to this family's group text or how "Aunt Patty" ever managed to remove my number, but it's been a least 2 years since I've heard from them. I kind of miss my text family who so graciously accepted me into their group. 🤷🏻♀️ I feel like God placed these people in my life at exactly the right time. Like He always has. Only once has He done it through an anonymous group text but He's always put someone beside me who can help me walk through whatever I'm walking through at the time. Two weeks ago it was 24 Kindergarteners that I needed to brighten up my week. 24 hugs, high fives and five year old toothless smiles from my daughter's Kindergarten class was exactly what this girl's heart was craving. And to make their little hearts happy - I took them a little treat of my own. Peanut Butter Cereal Bars 4 cups Cheerios 4 cups Crisp Rice Cereal 2 cups Peanuts 2 cups M&M's 2 cups light corn syrup 1 3/4 cups sugar 2 1/2 cups Creamy Peanut Butter 1 3/4 tsp vanilla Combine cheerios, rice cereal, peanuts and M&M's in a bowl.
Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat. Press into a greased 15x10" pan. Allow to cool. Invert onto a cutting board. Slice. These Peanut Butter Cereal Bars are all decorated for Easter with pastel M&M's but you could easily make them suitable for any occasion by adding your favorite M&M's.
Ciao!
0 Comments
Does anyone else have a spouse who eats as if someone is standing behind them waiting to snatch a french fry from their plate the minute they look away? I'm not trying to throw him under the bus, but my husband eats with such gusto that it's not uncommon for him to not look up from his plate until it's empty. There's so little time between bites that any discussion outside of "pass the ketchup" is usually out of the question at mealtime. 🤣 I've tried to get to the root of his accelerated eating and I have absolutely no answers. He's had this style of eating for as long as I can remember - and I've known this man since he was 10! He's never lived in an environment where food was limited or been in a situation where he was required to eat quickly but he eats every meal as though it is his last. 🤷🏻♀️ I give my poor husband grief about being a speed eater but I would not categorize myself as a slow eater, by any means. My competitive spirit keeps me engaged in the race to keep pace with my husbands accelerated eating. 😅 I do have to remind myself to put my fork down between bites, to take time to enjoy and appreciate every forkful and to relax and enjoy the mealtime experience. I feel like the time that I devote to preparing a meal is directly proportional to the appreciation that I have for it. I can devour a turkey sandwich that I slap together for lunch in under 2 minutes. But if I spend several days, preparing, kneading, rising and shaping a bread dough - you better believe that I am going to appreciate every single bite. 🥖 I realize that the thought of making a bread over the course of two days is daunting for most people. But I promise you that this Overnight Focaccia is easier than you think. Other than a minimal amount of hands on time prepping and kneading the dough, most of time is spend rising and proofing which doesn't involve any work from you. And if you've got a Kitchen mixer or a food processor that can do the kneading for you - it's even more hands off. It goes without saying that Overnight Focaccia is the perfect accompaniment to almost any Italian meal. 🍝 But you might not have thought about serving focaccia as an appetizer. It's goes great with cheeses and olives. It also makes great sandwiches. And if you've never had a warm focaccia sandwich with turkey, Swiss and avocado - you're missing out. Overnight Focaccia 4 cups flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons yeast 2 cups water olive oil coarse salt fresh rosemary
Press fingers straight down into dough to dimple. Transfer to a preheated 425 oven immediately and bake 25 minutes. Lift out of pan with a spatula. Slice into squares. If you want to fill your kitchen with the smell of fresh-baked bread but you're nervous about shaping and working with a starter, focaccia is the best place to begin. This homemade focaccia requires minimal baking skills but still provides ample opportunity amaze yourself by the wonders of yeast. Letting the dough do its first rise in the fridge produces the most deliciously, bubbly bread. This focaccia is worth a try for sure.
Ciao! I don't know a whole lot about "AI" and how it's able to target specific audiences with marketing campaigns. I just know that when I log onto my social media accounts, I see adds that are directly aimed at women in the 50+ range. I tend to forget that the ads that I see are different from everyone else's, until my husband jumps on my Facebook page. He scrolled my Facebook for 2 minutes last week and the look on his face said it all. In that amount of time, he saw ads for the best strapless bra, hormone replacement therapy and home wine delivery services. 🍷😅 I feel like I should be targeting specific audiences with my Facebook blog shares too. If only I knew how this worked. 🤣 My recipes are all over the place. Just think if I could send my dessert recipes to those people interested in baking and my Big Green Egg recipes to those people interested in grilling on a BGE. Who can teach me how to do this? 😬 If I were to categorize this particular recipe, I would send it out to healthy eaters, Keto dieters and cooks with a limited amount of time. So if that's you - consider yourself targeted and personally invited to give this recipe a try. Making chicken breasts in a homemade Italian dressing is easier than you might think and their super versatile. Serve this chicken with a side of rice, on top of a fresh green salad or on a bun with melted cheese as a sandwich. Italian Dressing Chicken Breasts 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1/4 cup olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons lemon zest, grated 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon pepper 4 bone in chicken breasts 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced Italian Seasoning Blend 2 1/2 Tablespoons oregano 2 1/2 Tablespoons thyme 1 Tablespoon basil 1 Tablespoon rosemary 1 Tablespoon sage
Slice each chicken breast crosswise into 1/2" slices. Serve with pan juices. This Spring weather has me all excited get outside and fire up the grill so I can see this recipe in my near future - next time cooked on the grill. Enjoy!
Ciao! April is National Brunch month! I am so on board with this. Sure, breakfast is great. It’s your jumpstart meal and it sets the tone for the rest of your day. But, more times than not, it’s eaten in haste as I run out the door to meet up with friends for a morning walk or its a granola bar that I eat in my car while I run errands. I rarely take the time to relax and enjoy my breakfast the way that I should. That’s where brunch comes in— with its decadent egg dishes, delicate pastries and bottomless drinks. Brunch is set up to be the most unhurried meal of the week. Sipping on a drink while relaxing and enjoying the bounty of sweet and savory dishes is the essence of meal enjoyment for me. And, let's not ignore the sleep-in factor. We can all agree that gathering around the table with friends and family is much more pleasant after a little extra sleep. 😴 In honor of National Brunch month - I'm sharing one of the things that I include on almost every one of my brunch menus - biscotti. These carrot cake are the essence of Spring. They add just the right amount of sweetness and crunch to a brunch table filled with tangy french toast and herbed chicken salad. They're also a great little treat to tuck inside baskets this time of year. 🐰😉 Carrot Cake Biscotti 8 oz carrots, peeled 1/2 cup raisins 1/4 cup pecans ½ cup butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 3 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt
Reduce temperature to 325. Bake 10 minutes. Flip. Bake another 10 minutes. Drizzle with white chocolate.
|
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|