Gifts from Guests

Not too often but from time to time a guest will bring us a gift.  Sometimes it's a gift for our granddaughter.  What sweet people to do such a thing.  It's not expected and it is a lovely surprise when it happens reminding us of how blessed we are to be in this business!

                                          Thank You Dear Guests!

Last weekend we received a couple of really welcome gifts.  A couple from Chicago talked with Dave on the phone long enough to know how we love the Greek lemon soup from Greek town.  Wish I knew the proper name for it.  And if you know Dave, you know how easy he is to get to know before you ever get here so this wouldn't surprise you!

To our surprise they checked in on Friday with two take-out orders of soup.  Oh how we enjoyed that.  It was like being in Chicago and brought back sooooo many great memories.  Like the first time we met our son.  He was 5 weeks premature and in the hospital.  We were to adopt him so we went to meet him right away.  Afterwards we celebrated in Greek town with our daughter and of course had our favorite soup and flaming cheese!

Saturday we had some new friends stop in with their charming family.  They presented us with a lovely and delicious pineapple.   

I quickly pulled out one of my favorite books "The Gentle Art of Domesticity" by Jane Brocket.  In it she writes about her first experience with being gifted with this lovely jewel of a fruit.  Not only does she discuss the symbolism of "hospitality" that it carries with it but she also discusses it as an art form and how we see it in crochet, prints on fabric, carved on furniture, in architecture, etc.  Interesting. 

On the web I found this description "The princess of fruits and the symbol of hospitality".  I like that. 



Dave loves, loves, loves, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and I make it for him every March 17th for his birthday as any smart wife would! Please enjoy this recipe.  I bake ours in a round cast iron skillet!    

  Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 can (16 ounces) sliced pineapple, drained
• Maraschino cherries,if desired
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granluated sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Heat margarine in 10" ovenproof skillet or square pan, 9x9x2 inches, in oven until melted. Sprinkle brown sugar over margarine. Arrange pineapple slices in skillet. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

Beat remaining ingredients on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour over fruit in skillet. Bake skillet 45 to 50 minutes, square 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately invert onto heatproof plate. Let skillet ramin over cake a few minutes. Serve warm and, if desired with Whipped Cream.

Blog Special:  Come and stay with us 3/17 and have a piece of Dave's fresh baked Upside Down Cake!  Just mention the word "Pineapple" when you book your room!



Basil Pesto

Bernadine in our kitchen downstairs

Frequently a guest will ask Dave, "Dave, what is that great smell coming from downstairs?".  Well, it's usually the Pesto that I'm cooking with!

I grow Basil outdoors all summer.  I can just clip away at the plant whenever I need some.  At the end of the season I harvest all the greens and make one large batch of pesto.  Then I freeze it in ice cube trays, separate the cubes into freezer bags (about 6 pesto cubes per bag) and in the winter, if I need some, I just pull a bag out of the freezer and let it thaw.

Here's the recipe I use most often:
4 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted or not
1/2 cup olive oil

Put the basil, cheese, garlic and salt in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add nuts; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream.  If you need to you can add more oil to make the mixture fluid, like salad dressing.

Ways to use Pesto:
Toss with pasta or roasted vegetables
Spread on toasted baguette slices
Blend with mayo for a sandwich spread
Mix into mashed potatoes, meat loaf, casseroles or salads
Coat your favorite meat or fish with pesto, dip into bread crumbs, and pan fry
Stuff pesto into chicken breasts, steaks or burgers.

At http://www.lostartofdomesticity.blogspot.com/ you can see a blog about my parsley plant and what great success I've had with that.  It's a pretty easy thing to grow!  It likes shade/sun, mostly indirect sun, so it gets enough in our lower level living quarters from the patio doors all winter long.  I snip it up and use it in soups, salads, pasta dishes and more!

Places To Visit In Galena

 Rendezvous Coffe & Tea shop...One of our favorite places to visit downtown Galena.  I believe they opened in July 2010 and it's just a quaint, marvelous place to stop for some of the best coffee and/or tea you've ever had. 

Say "Hi" to Steve and see if he will play a song for you.  He's a great singer and writes his own music!