So I’m not the only one not getting subscription emails. It kinds bums me out that I have to log on to see if anyone updated. Hopefully they’ll start up again soon.

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I feel like I have all kinds of time on my hands. I finished editing my last portrait setting & finished a baby blanket gift. I have even cooked supper for TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW!!! Amazing, I know. I’ve also been home two nights in a row. Double amazing. Now all I have to do is clean out my car, get my tax information together, organize my file cabinet, sew some clothes, straighten up my house & read a book. Boredom is not in my vocabulary, at least not since nineteen aught seven, or since I was a teenager, whichever was not most recent.

The baby blanket idea I got from my very cool CIL [cousin-in-law]. She had made one for her baby. Now that I think about it, Clarita had made one for her baby too. Anyway, it’s made from 3 different flannel fabrics and is really easy to make. And fun too.

I had intended to give a little hoodie sweater to my friend’s baby but when I pulled it out to send, I discovered it was an 0-3 months, weight of 11# and by now my friend’s baby was 2.5 months old, plus she weighed 10# at birth so she had long outgrown it. So what to give? The flannel blanket caught my eye. Linda even went along to Savannah and helped me pick out co-ordinating colors. At the fabric store there is this very [how shall we say it?] unusual male employee. He is one of the results of mixing arts with Arkansas. [Honestly, he is a student at an art & design college and is from Arkansas.] I’d love to post a picture but I’d better not. Yeah, I managed to discreetly get one with my phone. I love looking anonymous.

Her blanket on the left. Mine laying on the [clean] floor ready to be sewn together. Gotta love the combo of leather and wicker furniture. Very inspiring.

The finished product. Snipped to pieces but not yet washed, which will help it look softer.

So that’s out of the way and it’s time to check some more things off the list. But first, a few recipes I’ve been wanting to share. Both come from my sisters. The rice balls come from Hannah. She had us over for supper recently and we fell in love with these things. She got the recipe from Taste of Home. The original recipe had a complicated meat sauce to serve with it but I’ve eliminated that, choosing instead to pour a warm marinara sauce over it.

Italian Rice Balls

3 eggs
2 1/2 c. cooked rice
1/3 c. butter, melted
2/3 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/8 in. cubes
1 c. dry bread crumbs
oil for frying

Combine first seven ingredients. Place in fridge for about 20 minutes. Form into 1 in. balls. Put 1 cheese cube in center and form rice around cheese. Coat with bread crumbs and fry in oil, about 4 minutes.

I like to cook the rice several hours ahead of time or even the night before. The chilled rice seems to stick together better. These really are not greasy and you wouldn’t know they’ve been fried.

The next recipe is one Lois got from a co-worker. A local restaurant serves it on their southern buffet. I think it is top-notch!

Key Lime Cake

 

1 lemon supreme cake mix
1 lg. lime gelatin
1 c. orange juice
1/2 c. key lime juice
5 eggs
1 c. oil

Mix orange juice and oil together with lime juice. Add eggs 1 at a time. Add dry ingredients. Mix well until smooth. Divide into three 8″ pans. Batter is pretty runny. Bake at 325* for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t overbake.

Icing

 

8 oz. cream cheese
6 T. butter
1 box powdered sugar
3 T. lime juice

The icing is yummo good. I could eat that by itself. It nicely compliments the cake and I think it has such a cool flavor. Makes a great summer dessert. Yeah, I know. Summer’s not for a few months. Most of you are saying bring it on. I’m saying let’s enjoy the cool weather because summer will come soon enough. Come live in south Georgia and you will agree.

This one I made in a 9×13 pan instead of 3 layers. So I had extra icing leftover.

And freeze any leftover cake. It is not safe to keep in your kitchen. Trust me on that one.

And just what did I make for supper? I don’t know but it looked like this:

The Unknown Main Dish was penne pasta, marinara sauce, hamburger, sausage, pepperoni, cottage cheese, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, mushrooms, black olives and a little mozzarella to top it off. Did I clean out my fridge? No I did not. Well, not all the way. It was fun to empty out a few containers. I don’t know how long the feta cheese has been in there. Let’s just say it hasn’t turned to blue cheese yet. Must take years for that.

And I know what else you’re saying. “Is that really a pea salad?” Yup. It most definitely is. Made with canned peas and it’s something our family grew up eating. Funny, I haven’t made it in ages. Lois walks in tonight and says, “just last week I was hungry for pea salad.” So there! We do sometimes agree on a few things.

The green stuff is french style green beans. I like frozen green beans much more than canned. Well, gotta run. It’s bedtime.