Off to the Granite State

Hi there and I'm going to wish you a happy weekend and great all next week today because tomorrow we are leaving on a jetplane. Actually, two planes on our way to New Hampshire to spend a week with the extended family at Lake Winnipesaukee (Indian for impossible to spell) to celebrate my dear dad's 80th birthday. This should be fun, I haven't seen my brother and his fiance in several years and my sister and her family in a year. (They both live on the East Coast, my parents and my family live in California). We are going to water ski, relax, eat, antique, swim, read, chat, eat some more, and share alot of laughs. I plan to eat my fill of lobster rolls and steamed clams. I haven't been to New Hampshire in over 35 years, since I was 10 years old. It will be a bittersweet reunion, the youngest of my two older brothers, Jim won't be there. He died at age 24 from a brain tumor and even though it's been 24years since he died, his absence still leaves a big gaping hole in our hearts. We honor him and celebrate his life, and we will miss him terribly during this celebration of our Dad's life and of being together.

(I miss you bro, I know you will be there with us, love you always, always in my heart).

I hope to check in on you all during my vacation, but unsure re.internet access at the lake house. I will think of you all and as always, send my best to you and your family.

Rocking Good Times in Los Angeles

Well, that was quite a jolt, a 5.4 earthquake before lunch today. I grabbed the dog and went under my desk. It feels like a freight train coming through your house as it shakes and trembles. And how was your day?

Great Marinade for Chicken, Fish, Tofu

Hello and hope you and yours are doing well. For lack of any concise or cohesive thought this Monday as I recover from doing 14 loads of laundry, here is a delicious and easy recipe from my friend, Jeri for a Marinade that is Just Outstanding on chicken, fish, or extra firm Tofu.

For 1 lb of meat-
1.Mix together 1/3 cup of Vietnamese Chili Garlic Sauce (Huy Fong is most popular here in LA, available in hot sauce aisle) and 2/3 cup of Ranch Dressing (any brand).
Reserve 1/3 cup of mixed marinade to baste.
2. Place meat in bowl or ziplock with marinade for 15" to overnight if you like.
3. Fire up the grill, cook meat to your liking, baste with reserved marinade towards last 5 minutes of grilling.
4. This can be adjusted to your Spicy Heat Tolerance.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Thank you so much and I wish you a Most Delicious Day that's easy and a little spicy too!

Show and Tell - Snake Avoidance Class for Dogs

Here are pictures of our puppy, Charley during snake avoidance class a couple weeks ago. There are two rattlesnakes complete with venom in 3 wire cages on a field. Charley has an electroshock collar on and the one trainer applies an electroshock if the dog shows any interest in the sight, sound, or smell of the snakes. I'm glad we did this for our pup as we love nature and live in Rattlesnake country.

Thanks so much for stopping by, wishing the best to you and your family including the trainable ones!

Recipe for Lemon Raspberry Cake

I like to bake for special occasions (it's got to be really special to turn on an oven in 100 degree heat btw). I thought you might enjoy this Lemon Raspberry cake recipe from my buddy, Mimi.

Ingredients: Lemon Cake Mix (and required ingredients to make cake)
White Grape Juice
Lemon Curd (available in jelly aisle)
Raspberry Seedless Jelly
Lemon Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)
Fresh Raspberries


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Apply non stick cooking spray to (3) 8 inch cake pans.


2. Make a box of Lemon Cake Mix according to directions EXCEPT SUBSTITUTE White Grape Juice for the water in the recipe. Divide Batter into 3 cake pans and bake for 20-22 minutes, check for doneness. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack, then remove from pans onto plates and cool completely. (approx 2 hours)

3. Prepare Lemon Buttercream Frosting.

16 oz confectioner's sugar
6 tablespoons Real Butter, softened
3 -4 tablespoons Lemon juice
pinch of salt

Beat all Frosting ingredients with mixer until smooth, add more juice until good spreading consistency.


3. When cakes are cooled, trim 2 tops of cooled cakes flat if needed to get rid of the "dome". You can leave the dome for the top layer, but the bottom and middle layer should be trimmed flat with a sharp non serrated knife.

4. Assemble the cake with a layer of Raspberry jam on one layer and the lemon curd in between the other layer. Frost completely with Buttercream frosting and garnish with fresh washed and thoroughly dried Raspberries.

This recipe can be made with strawberries, blueberries, ollalaberries, etc.

Writing this out has made me hungry, off to my favorite new French Bakery. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear about any great recipes or Taste Sensations You might Have! Merci!

Wordless Wednesday

Best Parenting Books I've Ever Read - One Easy/One Toughie

Hi, All and Welcome ILCW'ers! I'm so delighted to participate in ILCW and am learning so much from fellow bloggers. Today, I was inspired by a book loving blogger from ILCW who wrote about how consumerism and excess affects our parenting and purchasing choices. Powerful stuff, kind of scary to recognize this in yourself or acquaintances, and in our popular culture. The antithesis of living within your means, sad to say. However, it did motivate me to share a couple GREAT Books, well, the second book is actually part 2 of a series, but I'm jumping ahead.

To preface this, I will tell you I have probably read just about every Parenting book on the Planet, including Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach and Dr.Spock, etc. etc. If you are looking for diaper rash or breast feeding advice, well, those are great. The two books I Highly Recommend (not just for Parents BTW) are ones that deal with the "Emotional Diaper Rash" if you will.

How to Talk So Children Will Listen and Listen So Children Will Talk by Farber and Mazlish.
Whether your kid is two or twenty, this book is incredibly helpful.
Example from this book: Don't pepper your child with questions when they get home from school or whatever activity, just say "Welcome Home" and give them some time to transition to share their day. This book has great "vignettes" which are short, sweet, and to the point.

Protecting the Gift (Keeping Children Safe and Parents Sane in an Unsafe World) by Gavin DeBoecker (Security consultant/profiler for FBI, Secret Service, celebrities)
This is a follow up to his first book, Protecting the Gift. The first 30 pages are painful to read because the author makes you examine your worst fears, child abduction by a stranger. However, when you finish this book, you feel incredibly empowered to equip your child with the skills to help them trust their instincts for survival which we all possess.
Example: when going to a store with your child, rehearse with them, where will we meet if we get separated? Who is safe to get help from? It's safer for the child to choose who s/he seeks help from. Point out the employees in their colored smocks and also women with children are usually safe people to seek help from. You learn most predators are men. Not an Easy Read, Sorry. But again, I learned so much and Nothing Kills more people than Denial.

Well, onto Cheerier things, I hope today finds you and your loved ones happy and well. Thanks so much for stopping by. I appreciate it and any other great reads that you can recommend.