July 3, 2011

My Dad is doing excellent today. He is speaking and acting like his old self. I couldn't be happier. Hopefully, nothing but good news from here. My M's are at the Lisle festival AGAIN today. Big surprise! I'm glad they are enjoying their wknd, although it didn't go as planned. Lily enjoyed her day, as well. She went swimming w M#1 and her bf and is now just playing w one of her chew toys, taking a much needed break. You know, because dog's lives are so stressful. :)

I do have a disaster, which hopefully will be short lived. I cannot find my camera! Sometimes my daughter likes to take pictures for her Facebook page. She has a tendancy to "forget" to ask for permission to use the camera and to return it IF I say yes.  So, if I can't find it in the last final spots I think it could be, I will have to take on the adventure of M#2 and me cleaning her monster of a room. So, no personal pictures today, but here are some other things making me smile today:

1. Strawberry Lemon Bars with Oatmeal Crust:

Strawberry Lemon Bars

makes about 12 lemon bars
for crust
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
12 tablespoons of frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ cubes (1 1/2 sticks)
for filling
3/4 cup halved then sliced strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon meyer lemon zest
2/3 cup strained meyer lemon juice
powdered sugar for dusting

Line a 9″ x 13″ pan with enough parchment paper to go about 1″ up on all sides. In the work bowl of a food processor, add the flour, rolled oats, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla seeds. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the butter and pulse until the dough looks like pea sized gravel (about ten, one second bursts). Sprinkle the dough evenly over the parchment lined sheet and use your fingers to press the dough into a uniform sheet of dough that goes about 1/2″ up all the sides. Put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar and toss to coat. This will release excess moisture and sweeten the strawberries. To prepare the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and lemon zest. Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.
Remove the crust from the freezer and put in oven and bake for around 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown and fragrant. When the crust is done, take it out of the oven, then immediately scatter the strawberries around the crust, pour any accumulated juices into the lemon mixture and whisk to combine. Pour the lemon mixture over the strawberries.
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, then put the pan in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center of the lemon bars doesn’t jiggle anymore. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely. Slice, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.

2. My friend's baby. Her sassy outfit is so cute!

3. The dress and dog both make me smile.

4. Captiva Beach. I have a feeling of ultimate freedom whenever I am walking along a beach.

5. I am watching this Documentary on CNBC right now. I am not sitting here smiling away, but it is quite riveting to hear about the different laws that out there that effect the Porn industry. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, even with the loss taken from the internet and piracy. 

 5. Groove Theory, "Tell Me". Smooth old school :)

I leave my readers with my thought for today:

Perhaps the most important thing Mothers can communicate to their children and to friends and family is a sense of satisfaction with their choice of parenting as their life mission.