Cappuccino at the Four Seasons

In Philadelphia on a Saturday night.
Fun. Fun. Fun.

How I like 'em

I realized that I hadn't updated this blog all week. And because today is a snow day here in Maryland, I've made myself a nice little breakfast. I like my eggs (3 whites, 1 yolk) scrambled and with fresh salsa on top. And I'm loving this ginger marmalade I just bought. Have a beautiful day, all.
Photo taken with a Nikon D80 and 60mm macro lens.

The apple pie that wins hearts

Someone was cranky today. I won't name names but decided to cheer that someone up with one of their favorite desserts. This homemade apple pie is really wonderful, people. It's simple and perfect, and easy to prepare. The recipe is from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook (Doubleday & Co., Inc. 1959, reprinted 1972) and I highly recommend this pie.

FAVORITE APPLE PIE
A pie that lives up to its name ~ it's one of our best
Pastry for 2-crust pie
6 large tart apples
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. butter
Peel and quarter apples into saucepan (cut each quarter into about 4 slices). Add 1/4 cup cold water; simmer just until tender, about 5 minutes (do not overcook). Cool.
Fill pastry-lined 9" pie pan with cooled apples.
Combine remaining ingredients, except butter; sprinkle over apples; dot with butter. Moisten edges of undercrust.
Adjust top crust; cut 6 chevron vents; flute edges.
Bake in very hot oven (450 deg)10 minutes; reduce heat to moderate (350 deg) and bake 45 minutes longer.

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I use an old family recipe for the pie crust. And if you must know, it's Betty Crocker pie crust mix. Just add water and roll. And I always put a heart in the middle. It's a symbol of how much I love to cook.
Not.
Apologies to all who are planning on dieting for the New Year. I just had to share this.

Give me something good to eat

Imagine, for a moment, what it would be like to work in a school (in the main office no less) and have parents bringing in holiday treats on a regular basis. As scrumptious and tempting as their offerings are, a girl really needs to watch her figger ya know. So when a parent stopped by today with a big bowl of fruit, I could have kissed her. And now I am craving this little number.
I found this recipe at The Noble Pig, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I posted about it on my other blog last January.

I love grapefruit

Call me crazy but here I am posting this lovely healthy grapefruit on my Picture A Day Blog while I have a decadent dessert on my Chronicles blog. I usually do a Mosaic Monday here but am on a self-imposed exile from it due to the fact that I didn't visit a single other blog last week who participated in MM. Very rude of me, I know. Usually, at the very least, I visit the blogs of those who come to visit mine for Mosaic Monday. And this time I didn't even do that.
Hence the exile. And I will console myself with grapefruit.
Oh, hell. You know I am lying. I will console myself with Apple Cheese Crisp. The recipe link is on my other blog today.