Perfect Weekends

This weekend was perfect!  On Friday, dropped off twelve photos at TwistStyle hair Salon for their community artist wall - the theme “Women.”   Later a visit to ComFest - a community festival in its 40^th year - nothing like a good-old fashioned hippie alternative funky festival to kick off your weekend.  Had a couple of kids over for the weekend - always great to have children in the house. 

Saturday started with the Clintonville Farmers Market for fresh flowers and amazing organic cheese followed up with a walk in my childhood neighborhood - big old houses and shady streets.  Quick stop by Ragorama vintage clothing shop - purchased a pair of classic brown corduroy pants for a nephew. 

On Sunday fourteen photos put up at Corner Stone Deli. Then a trip to the Columbus Museum of Art - free admission on Sunday!  Meanwhile had  been thinking about making lemon cupcakes. After endless looking through my cookbooks with no luck decided to wing it and use a simple white cake mix from the internet, adding  my own touches to create a lemony flavor.

White Cake Mix - to Lemon Cake

1 cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk, ¼ half & half (or just use ½ cup whole milk)

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

Mix wet ingredients

Add & mix well:

1 ½ cups flour (I like unbleached)

1 ¾ tsp baking powder

Cupcake liners in tin, pour ½ full in each

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Icing

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 to 2 tsp of vanilla

¾ box of confectionary sugar

Touch of milk

Mix until creamy smooth

Add & mix:

Juice of one lemon

Zest of ½ lemon (or more if you like)

Beating the Heat

For the last several summers we have enjoyed sitting in our walled backyard observing  Mrs. Squirrel and her annual brood.  Two summers ago we watched her move her young babies, one by one, carrying each one protesting and mewling in her mouth, jumping from one branch to another on to the roof-top to their new location.  Why she decided to move her offspring is still a mystery.

Last year two tragedies struck. The day after her youngsters emerged from the safety of their nest, tentatively moving up and down their “home” branch scurrying back to the nest if spooked, one fell to our patio and I found the following day. Then in the Fall a fierce wind storm shook the nest down, completely destroying any remnants. In early Spring, the trees still bare of leaves it was obvious that no new nest had been built, much to our disappointment.

But good news,  last week semi-hidden amongst the leaves, the nest is back - same exact location, sturdy-looking and ready for occupancy.  On the evening of this year's sweltering summer solstice (90 plus degrees), low and behold Mrs. Squirrel made her appearance. Stretched out along two  branches, her goofy little front feet clasping a narrow branch, her head resting along side, her big pregnant belly splayed out between the two wider-set horizontal branches. She looked like any soon-to-be mother, ready to burst, desperately trying to find a comfortable position on a hot summer night - waiting, waiting, just waiting for her job to begin.

Irish Recipes

Bread recipe from a lovely cooking book called:  

The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews

Treacle (Soda) Bread

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups White unbleached flour plus more for dusting

1Tbls sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

½ cup treacle or Black -strap molasses

1 ¾ cup buttermilk  (save 2 Tbs back for brushing on dough before baking)

Butter for greasing

Mix flour, sugar, salt and soda into large bowl with hands, make a well and add wet ingredients (which have been mixed together) and mix with hands or wooden spoon - don’t overdo it.

Place on floured surface and knead lightly for 2 to 3 minutes

Shape into a round loaf, place on buttered baking pan, cut a cross on top, brush top with the 2 Tbls of buttermilk

Bake at 400 degrees (I would do it at 350 to 375) for 40 to 45 minutes

Serve warm with salted butter

Beth’s Recipe:

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

1 to 2 lbs ground sirloin - browned

1 medium sweet onion - chopped and sautéed

1 cup or more sour cream

Salt & pepper for taste

(Mix all three together and set aside)

Bag of frozen peas (thawed)

6 to 7 Yukon gold potatoes boiled, then mashed with real butter, salt and Half & Half cream - make it loose so it doesn’t dry out during baking

Layering:

In large casserole dish layer as follows:

-Peas

-Meat/onion/sour cream mixture

-Mashed potatoes

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees