PhotoHunt ~ Fan

The PhotoHunt for today is 'FaN'

Beautiful ~ but
You know . . . Peacocks will fan their feathers when they get ruffled or disturbed.
It is a defensive gesture.

I guess I am sitting here with my feather's fanned over this Google thing.
Apparently you can no longer post photos on Blogger, unless you use Google Chrome as your internet access.
I am not a 'fan' of being forced to change the way I do things . . .

I guess I will have to just fan my tail feathers for a bit.

Check for all the other FaN Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

Dear Blogger ~

Dear Blogger ~
Thanks for nothing.

I have figured out the problem . . . My inability to load pictures is because Blogger has decided that I am using an out-dated Internet Browser.
How can that be?? I have shoes older than this laptop.
 Once I used Google Chrome as my Browser, the photo jumped right into place.

Frankly Blogger . . .
I'll play the game and use their Google Chrome to post on my blog.

Pass the Chardonnay~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesday ~ Bags are packed

My bags are packed . . . I am ready to make my Great Escape to Italy ~ I hope y'all are going to travel with me.
First stop Positano, on the Amalfi Coast

A few days in Rome ~

Then on to Tuscany ~

Finally, my favorite city of Florence ~

I'll be posting along the way (time and WiFi permitting)


I am also joining Our World Tuesday
Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

Saturday PhotoHunt ~ Burst

The Saturday PhotoHunt is 'Burst'
My favorite Burst in the kitchen. . .  is when I finish my crème brûlée
With a Burst of flame to brown the top.

This is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman ~ who has gone from blogger, to blogger extraordinaire with a cooking show and everything.
 
Crème Brûlée
4 cups Heavy Cream
1 whole Vanilla Bean
10 whole Egg Yolks
¾ cups Sugar
6 Tablespoons Superfine (Baker's) Sugar Preparation
Instructions Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add vanilla (whichever product you’re using) and simmer over medium-low heat. Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick. Strain cream using a fine mesh strainer. Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs! Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly. Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown. Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap. To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to quickly (but carefully) brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top. Serve immediately!
I like to top mine with a bit of fruit or chocolate . . . or both ~

Check for all the other Burst Photos on The Saturday PhotoHunt
Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

~Happy Valentines Day Y'all~

I hope y'all share the love on Valentines Day~
Sandi

Friday Favs ~ a Virgin and a Griffin

How is that for a catchy blog title?
Something about a virgin, will always catch your attention
(and provide for some interesting google searches)

I am so excited to share this story with you.
I have a friend who has published her first novel ~ and it is ReALLy GooD.
I couldn't wait to download it  ~ and spent the weekend wrapped up in a story about 15th century Italy.

I wanted to do a bloggy post, and sent Sandra some questions. She does such great job of describing the art and people of 15th century Perugia, so I asked about that . . .

"I first visited Perugia in June 2007 and I fell in love with the city on my first day there. Of course, the city got a grip on my heart within that first day . It has some wonderful art (and almost every work I described in my novel is still there to be seen and enjoyed.) I loved the medieval atmosphere, the architecture, the churches, and, of course, the fantastic food and wine"

The novel leads us through the relationship of a priest and his students, both of whom work in their family's business. I wondered how Sandra came to write a novel about a textile maker  . . .

"I had begun to collect beautiful, hand-woven table runners from Perugia. These were produced by a young woman named Marta Cucchia, who is struggling very hard to keep her family's workshop in Perugia alive, while also preserving something of the Umbrian craft of weaving."
"From a beautiful table runner . . .the idea for a novel began to unfold: the story of a young weaver in Perugia, during the time of the Renaissance, who yearns to do something special just once in her life. She wants to create, with her loom, a work of great beauty. To leave her mark in the world"
"The first piece I bought from Marta was a beautiful table runner covered with scarlet griffins and the Latin motto: 'Per ardua ad astra' which translates roughly as: 'Only through adversity do we reach the stars.'
This quote is in the novel ~ I loved it then, and appreciate it even more now.

I was fascinated by the strong female characters in the book ~ Sandra is a strong woman on her own, but I asked her about that . . .
"I've drawn these women from real life. Most of my friends are very strong, determined women, who support each other in so many ways.  I firmly believe that women's friendships are crucial to our well-being, for so many reasons, and I wanted to bring that out"
"And, of course, my friend Letizia Mattiacci (who is from Perugia) is an inspiration. She is a very proud, determined Italian woman, who is running a wonderful bed-and-breakfast in the hills above Assisi"

The book is available on-line through Amazon.com for your kindle or e-reader. Download it today for a cozy weekend of reading . . . or share it with your bookclub.

Then come back and let me know how you loved it ~
You can also follow mi amici Sandra's life in Rome on her blog Leaping Without A Net .
I'm looking forward to sharing a glass of wine with her in May and discussing her next novel.
It'll be your Friday favorite to~
Y'all join in~
 Sandi

Julia Child ~ 100 years

This was a post I did 3 years ago . . .  to honor The Grand Dame of Cooking (besides Marcella Hazan, of course) I've decided to run it again ~ in honor of Julia Child's 100th birthday.

The more I learn about Julia Child... the more I like her.
~~~Not just love and admire her cooking abilities ~ but invite her into my kitchen to eat, drink, and really like her.
A story that was in the Birmingham News, told about when Julia Child visited Birmingham in 1973 for a series of cooking shows. She and her husband stayed with local Pediatrician Hughes Kennedy and became his long time friend. In fact she was so impressed with a chicken casserole recipe that she asked for the recipe for her garden club. Anyone who can love a southern chicken casserole full of cheese and mayo is my kind of people!

Chicken Riggins
3 cups diced chicken
2 cups celery
1 cup diced onions
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese
1 can slivered almonds
2 cups mayo
bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350°. Cook 4 chicken breasts and 4 thighs with salt pepper and celery tops until tender, about 20 minutes. Cool and dice. Dice 2 cups celery, Saute onions and cube 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese. Mix above with 2 cups mayonnaise and almonds. Place in a 3-quart casserole, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake at 350° until bubbly and golden on top (approximately 20 minutes).
Note: 2 tsp curry powder is added to mixture is an excellent addition.

One quote in the article Julia was talking about a particular dinner party she had attended...'God, it's horrible that people put on things like this for me when I'm just a plain ol' eater and here they think I'm the queen and have all these servants and all of these beautiful serving dishes, and it's so false.'

She would be happy in my kitchen!
I guess we could drink french wine for one night, along with our Chicken Riggins.
Bon appétit Y'all~
Sandi

Capturing Moments

It should be about the moments in life that take our breath away.

Yesterday was one of those days ~

I invited my friend Virginia from Virginia Jones Photography over to take photos of  Lindsey's little family.
Newborn Scarlett, 18 month old Gabriel, and 4 year old Lilly . . .

We had our work cut out for us !

Such sweet and precious children . . . full of energy.
It reminded me of when my kids were that age.

Now they are the Momma's !

I snapped some photos, while Virginia did the real photography. 
She posted one on her Birmingham Daily Photo blog; there will be more to come.
A true photographer can capture the moments.
Isn't that what it's all about?
Thank you sweet friend~
Sandi

Capture the Colors

Suzy @ Someday, Somewhere has included me in a fun Bloggy Meme that fits in perfectly with our Traveling Tuesday... and a little Blue Monday
This challenge is to find photos from my travels that represent the colors White, Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green.

I spent a quiet Sunday looking through years and years of travel photos, and came up with the one's that bring back the best memories for me.
That is the nice thing about taking snap-shots when you travel . . . to others, they are nice pictures.
To me ~ each is a memory of an event.

White ~ My 'White' photo was taken just recently at the beach. I do think we have the most beautiful white sandy beaches on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The white waves crashing and the early morning sunrise. This beach has been in my blood since I was a little girl ~ this is a memory I treasure.

Red ~ This 'Red' photo is from years ago, on one of my many trips to London.
The classic red phone booths always bring a smile to my face. Who can help but get that 'been to London' photo?

Yellow ~ You don't know yellow, until you have cracked open an egg from the area of Bologna. This is what makes their pasta that rich yellow color.
You see a photo of yellow eggs in flour... I am reminded of a great weekend with friends. Cooking, Eating and Laughter.

Blue ~ My choice for 'Blue' was harder, because I am always on the lookout for Blue Monday . This is a shot of the replica of The David in Florence. With this photo, the music of Italy comes to my mind. A cafe in the square surrounded by the chatter, sights and smells of Italy.
Bellisimo~

Green ~ I have to include a shot from one of the many markets I have spent time in. I love nothing better than to wander in a fresh market . . . whether it is in Alabama, or in Europe. Small farmers and business people, with produce they can be proud of.

Those are my colors~
The challenge is to :
- present 5 photographs from my travels showing the colours blue, green, yellow, red, and white
- nominate 5 bloggers to participate in the challenge
- complete the challenge and indicate you've entered by:
- linking to your blog post on your Facebook wall mentioning Capture the Colour and
tagging the TravelSupermarket.com Facebook page or...
- linking to your post via Twitter including @travelsupermkt and #capturethecolour in
The best Capture the Colour entries will be shared throughout the competition by expert judges and the TravelSupermarket social accounts.
Each judge will select their own colour category winners and will then combine to select the overall winner of the travel prize. For further information see Terms & Conditions here
Now to tag other bloggers ~ I hesitate to do this, because not everyone has the time to do this kind of thing.
If you don't want to . . . fine by me!
These are the friends I would love to see play ~
PalmaBella will have plenty of photos of Italy,
Jerry always has a camera handy when he is traveling, 
Val is planning a trip,
Jan  just got home from one,
Holledayz is always on holiday.
Happy Traveling y'all~
Sandi

~ 52 ~

Do y'all know Laura @ 52 Flea ?
When I was wandering around the backroads of Italy . . .
I saw several things that reminded me of her ~

I decided to make it a bloggy  '52'  scavenger hunt...

It's amazing the things you will see .  .  . if you keep your eyes open

It's almost like she was traveling with me.
That's another traveling tuesday~

Y'all enjoy the ride~
Sandi

Do you Pintrest ?

Just ONE . MORE . THING.
That is all I need.
Just one more thing to pin me to this laptop. (Photo lifted from Google ~of course)
Pinterest is like thumbing through a magazine ~ without having to read any of the articles. I am fascinated.
I figured out how to put a 'pin it' logo on my side bar. Now I can pin my favorite pictures and recipes. . . or you can. (another photo lifted from Google)

http://pinterest.com/sandimcmc/ ~here I am.
Just one more thing~

Promises for 2012

Every year I have blogged about my list of Promises. They aren't really New Year's Resolutions; More a list of Promises to MySelf (which are the very best kind aren't they?).

In 2010 , I procrastinated . . . and included my 2009 christmas letters. In 2009 I decided to support our local markets and stay out of Walmart . . . I was ahead of the 'Local Movement'.
2008 was the year to 'learn Italian' ~ pfffft ~ we all know this is an example of a poorly planned promise. That is just not a goal for one year. I promised to wear sunscreen in 2007 . . . this has proven to be to little, to late.
It is funny to see over the years how things have changed. It is even funnier to see my list of promises for 2011 ~ to dance at my daughter's wedding and to welcome a new son into the family.
WOW!
That barely covers the year that we have had! Not complaining~ Just sayin'. I am still exploring those moments in life that lead to contentment. I've cooked my way through TheEssentialsofItalianCooking and now I'm working on Flavors, neither lead towards skinny jeans!

Which leads me to my Promises for 2012
~ To love on our new grandbaby Hope!
~ Make use of frequent flyer miles to Charlotte
~ De-Clutter my world
~ To go down one size in those skinny jeans
~ Relax with mi amici under the May sunsets in Italy
~ Make a difference in someone else's life
~ Sink my red toes into the sand
~ To NOT text when I drive
~ To be a part of someone else's special wedding day, through my cake toppers
~ To Laugh Out Loud at myself more often
And . . . there it is.
My list of promises for 2012.
Our hope is . . . that each of you can find the Promise of the New Year.
Now ~ let's watch the Rose Parade!
Sandi

Blue Monday ~Christmas by Fifi

This is indeed a 'blue Monday'.
The rush of the holidays are over and the house is once again a little to quiet ~ except for the sound of the washing machine.
The good news is . . . now I have time for a little blogging! I have been dying to share my Christmas by Fifi.
Y'all know the artist at Fifi Flowers ~ we have been bloggy friends for years. I contacted her several months ago about doing some commission paintings for me. She did such a wonderful job . . . and many of the Christmas gifts I gave this year were special paintings by Fifi.
I love the touches of blue in this painting she did of the Duke of Wellington Pub, near my sister's flat in London.
You can see them enjoying a pint at their favorite table. This is a special commission of my niece's wedding.

It is a combination of several photos. This painting was for another niece who graduated this year in Hospitality Management ~ I invision her doing this for a career.I could just kick myself that I didn't get pictures of the Paris scene for my 'in-law's', or the cute bench settings that I gave to friends.

It was indeed a Christmas by Fifi !

You can see copies of all of Fifi's art work at her ETSY Shop.
Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ JOY~

The PhotoHunt for this week is 'JOY'

~y'all know love it when I am on the GO~
If you want to play in the Saturday PhotoHunt... click on The Link
You will see all the other bloggers who have decided to join in the fun!

Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~ Lights

Thanks to so many bloggers. . . The WhistleStop is the home of the new Saturday PhotoHunt! Each saturday morning bloggers from around the world post a photo that represents the 'theme' of the week. This is the link to the new Saturday PhotoHunt.
The Photohunt theme for this week is 'Lights'
I welcome each of you to the new PhotoHunt blog, with a warm cappuccino in front of the Christmas tree.

Everyone is welcome to join in ! These are not professional photographers for the most part. These are bloggers with cameras ~ who love to play with their pictures.
The themes are set on the SideBar

Happy Hunting y'all~
Sandi

I need my friends...

I need y'all to do me a favor...
I want to host the new Saturday Photohunts.

Please go here to VOTE for the Whistlestop. TN Chick has been our Hostess for years, and has decided to step down.
I have some fun ideas for the future of Saturday PhotoHunts !
Even if you aren't a photohunter... show me some bloggy love
Thanks y'all~
Sandi

Traveling Tuesdays ~ it's a WhistleStop Tour

I've had a Brilliant idea! (actually Another brilliant idea ~ they come frequently you know. . . and usually in the middle of the night.
I am always looking for something that I can count on blogging about. I have been following the weekly Photohunt for years. Every saturday we post a new photo.

So . . . I have decided to start 'Traveling Tuesdays'. This will be a sort of a WhistleStop tour. A quick post every tuesday with a photo of someplace that is a traveler's delight. (that'll keep me hoppin' for a while)

I will put a linky blog hop in case anyone else want's to join in an post a photo of their vacation spot. I'm hoping we will be able to hop around the world. We can make this our own Great Escape!
My first Travel Tuesday will be a photo of my favorite Great Escape~
Even if I can't have my toes in the sand... I can travel on Tuesday.I am wishing we were there!
Y'all join the ride~
Sandi

Seedless?

What makes a watermelon seedless?
Well . . . that is one of those questions that could keep you up at night.
Thank God for Google.
~To get fruit, the seedless watermelon (called triploids) must be grown next to the regular watermelon (called diploid). The seedless watermelon is sterile and unable to pollinate by itself. Therefore, the regular watermelon assists in the pollination process for the seedless watermelon to get fruit.~ from ehow.com
I also found that watermelon is a natural diuretic and 92% water . . . That'll keep you up at night too . :-)
Y'all enjoy~
Sandi