The Secret Pal Tea

Late last fall a group of ladies at our church exchanged names & became Secret Pals. It was fun to try & find something little & simple to brighten a day or bring a smile to someone's face. To finish off our adventure, Diane & Vikki - remember them - (http://ablipontheradar.blogspot.com/2007/02/earth-angels.html ) planned and executed the best, most fun ladies tea I've ever been to - well, okay, so it was the only ladies tea I've been to since I was in high school - but it was REALLY GOOD! -






Here's how we spent our luncheon -

The tables were set with divine china cups & saucers. There were plates of little tea sandwiches - aren't they CUTE! And they were very tasty, too!







But they didn't hold a candle to the cake that Vikki made -












The "picket fence" is made of the best sugar cookies & the little flowers - were almost too cute to eat














I'm sure it took her hours to decorate this cake - it was carrot cake with lots of raisins and a custard filling to die for.




Everyone brought a salad to share - I made an old Pampered Chef recipe - It is unlikely that you will have the PC Dill seasoning - regular dill from the store (get it in the bulk food aisle - much cheaper) & 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of onion flakes will do to substitute.

DILLY SEAFOOD PASTA SALAD

Dressing:
1 lemon
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. All Purpose Dill Seasoning
¼ tsp salt
Pepper to taste (lemon pepper would be good here)



Salad:
8 oz. uncooked medium shell pasta
1 cup cucumber, scored & sliced
½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup carrot, coarsely chopped
¼ cup green onions w/tops, thinly sliced
½ lb. (8 oz) cooked med. shrimp
(shelled & deveined)

For Dressing: Zest whole lemon using Lemon Zester/Scorer. Juice lemon to measure 1 Tbsp. juice. Combine Zest, juice, mayo, sour cream and Dill Mix in 1-Qt. Batter Bowl.

For Salad: Cook Pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse with cold water. Using Lemon Zester/Scorer, score down the length of the cucumber in evenly spaced rows around the entire cucumber. Slice. Chop bell pepper and carrot using Food Chopper. Slice Green onions.

Place salad ingredients into a 12 cup bowl. Pour dressing over salad; toss lightly, cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or over night.

Yield: 6 servings
copyright Pampered Chef Corp.




We ate lunch, and opened presents

It almost seemed a crime to cut into that beautiful cake - notice is said ALMOST...

Thanks to everyone who was involved - we had a great time and decided to do it again next year!

Ooooh, Aaaaw.....

Peony tulips are blooming out in the garden - there is a whole bed of them and they define sunshine! Ooooohhh.....

You won't see this very often - I'm generally on the other side of the camera - Look at those itty bitty feet - aaaawwww.....

WCB - Dancing With the Stars - Sinda Style

Sinda is doing the solo Tango for her first dance, she couldn't find her long red dress & heels, oh, well
















Or, maybe she's doing the Rumba...














OK, judges, are you watching here?














She get's ready for her big finale!

She bows to the crowd that has gathered to watch her dance

Thank you, thank you very much!

You can see more Weekend Cat blogging at A Byootaful Life http://www.byootaful.com/ - Thank you to Kate & Puddy for hosting this week!

Introducing ARLO

Taking pictures of lambs is like trying to photograph a butterfly - it seems like where ever I was pointing the camera, he was somewhere else. Kind of a shy little guy, but then he was probably a little tired, as the vet was out this afternoon to check on his mommy and he got picked up and admired a bunch.

The vet thinks she has a partially retained placenta - we're giving her (well, John is, anyhow) penicillin shots - to keep from infection and supposedly should help things "clean them selves out"


















Saturday night before Easter, we had tickets to see the Gutherie family Legacy Tour concert - it is Arlo, his son & daughter, and son-in-law. They also had a pedal steel player with them who doubled on the mandolin - WOW - what a great condert. What a treasure Woody Gutherie was too.










They sing a lot of Woody's music - some that is from words Woody left that other people have put to music and some of Arlo's hits - he is very funny and such a good musician.


Anyway, when we were thinking about names for this little fellow, Arlo seemed just right -

Elsewhere on the farm

Luna & Scooter have become terrorists (oops, don't tell the HSA)

Common mom, mooove it!

Neelix is still on high patrol in the barn...

And this beautiful tree peony is blooming in the greenhouse. You never know what your're gonna get around here.

Sadness

I am sad for John tonight - Susie had her lambs today - a ewe and a ram, but the little ewe didn't make it - he reminded me that she lost one of her lambs last year too (I had forgotten that) She seems very down tonight - altho she did eat all her grain and it looked like she had been nibbling on her hay. Hopefully he will call the vet tomorrow if she hasn't perked up any. We haven't come up with a name yet for the little guy, but he's cute as a bug. White with a grey saddle, kind of a brownish head with a kronet spot - looks like a big white unibrow. Hope he makes it.

I'm also sad for my friend Michelle at Boulderneigh (http://www.boulderneigh.blogspot.com/) - she lost a very good friend today. Her friend had been ill and her passing was not unexpected, but it is still hard to say those goodbyes - I hope her memories of good times with Joan will sustain her through these next few weeks.

This was Yummy!

I made this Sunday a.m. before church - our friend Diane - kitchen maven extrarodenaire - fixed a little "brunch" for after the Easter service - this took a little longer to bake than I thought it would, consequently making us late for choir practice - boy that makes the director mad at me (and since he was the one driving, all he could do was grumpus)

So anyhow, I get an email newsletter from Land-o-Lakes - what's not to love - butter, cream, eggs, etc. & there was this recipe for Apricot Cream Coffee cake. Do you realize than in all my years of baking, I've never made a real coffee cake? It sounded pretty tasty, so I thought I'd give it a go for Diane's Easter brunch. Well, mine didn't turn out quite like the one on the picture in the Land-o-Lakes web site, but I think that's because I used "lite" cream cheese instead of regular - it made too thin a mixture and all the jam sunk to the middle - but let me tell you - that first bite was a little bit of heaven!

APRICOT CREAM COFFEE CAKE
Preparation time: 20 min Baking time: 45 min Cooling time: 20 min
Yield: 16 servings

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 LAND O LAKES™ All Natural Farm Fresh Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling Ingredients:
1/4 cup sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 LAND O LAKES™ All Natural Farm Fresh Egg
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
1 (12-ounce) jar apricot preserves

Glaze Ingredients:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour bottom and sides of 10-inch springform pan.

Combine all coffee cake ingredients in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Spread batter on bottom and 2 inches up sides of prepared pan.

Combine all filling ingredients except apricot preserves in small bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Pour over batter in pan. Spoon preserves evenly over filling.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes. Loosen sides of cake from pan by running knife around inside of pan; remove sides of pan.

Meanwhile, stir together powdered sugar and enough lemon juice for desired drizzling consistancy in small bowl. Drizzle over warm coffee cake. Serve warm or cold; store refrigerated.

Nutrition Facts (1 serving): Calories: 280, Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 220mg, Carbohydrates: 35g, Dietary Fiber: 0g, Protein: 4g

5356A © 1995 Land O'Lakes, Inc.

NOTES: I will definately make this again - it was very easy & worth every calorie! - I put my dry ingredients together the night before so I had less "reading" to do at 8:00 in the a.m. - I probably could have left my butter & cream cheese out too, but I nuked them instead.

I didn't grease OR flour my spring form pan, but the cake popped right out of it - without running a knife around it to loosen it - I think this would be excellent with any jam - I used Smuckers Apricot Preserves - (with a name like Smuckers, you gotta be good) - or I would think that you could just drop some blueberries or raspberries right into the cream cheese mixture. Or maybe some lemon curd. Ho, mamma, wouldn't that be tasty?

The Menu -

Fruit Salad, Baked Ziti, Layered pea Salad, Confetti Pasta Salad (I promise I'll post that recipe later this week), deviled eggs, of course, Apricot Cream coffee cake and a GLORIOUS pineapple upside down cake with REAL whipped cream. Diane, it was to die for :-)

HAPPY EASTER ! ! !

Penelope the sheep & I went looking for Easter eggs today - (Penelope arrived in the middle of a snow storm, the day after my birthday - a gift from our friend Kathy @ Sheep Thrills farm in Flagstaff ( http://ablipontheradar.blogspot.com/2007/01/not-gain.html )







All she found were these pretty little tulips that are growing out front.











She just didn't know where to look...






































E. Bunny must have spilled his basket here in the rocks














If'n you knew where to look there were little Easter critters all over the place today!













Regina & the lambs - they're doing great - Lambdamonium has begun!


Happy Easter to all from those of us here on the farm!

Choir is singing at church tomorrow - and I had the bright idea that I wanted to take an Apricot Cream coffee cake from Land o'Lakes, to help with snacks - gotta get to bed! If it turns out good, I'll post the recipe!






P.S. - We've had several new visitors recently - so glad you all could stop by - hope you enjoyed your visit and will come again soon!

How're they doin?

Maaaaaaa?

This distinctive marking - the white patch on the top of Luna's head is called Krunet - although I think she could also be considered Moget, as that indicates white around the mouth & ears. (I love her little white Elvis Presley sideburns too.) Many of the Shetland marking & color names come from the old Norse language - for more Shetland colors & markings look on the North American Shetland Sheep Association (NASSA) web site: http://www.shetland-sheep.org/ , click on "The Gallery" then click on colors or markings.

John moved Regina & the babies outside yesterday - If it's not raining, I'm going to take a lawn chair out into the pasture and see if I can get some more pictures -

OK, Susie, the birthing suite (aka, lambing jug) is ready - you're up next.

A year ago - Sinda plays Jack-in-the-box on the deck.

First lambs of 2007 at Marietta Shetlands!

"Hmmm," Neelix says - "somethin's happenin out in the barn - those vishus sheeps are gone and the door is open...I wonder what's going on in there?"

Maybe I'll go in for a look see.....

"Mamma - what are you doing out here in the cold old barn, and what's dad lookin at? "

I heard them say they were going to name the little girl Luna, after the full moon this week. Mamma thought Harley would be a good name for the boy, but dad says he isn't big enough to be a Harley - (he only weighed 3#4 oz) - Dad says we're gonna call him Scooter

Luna is brown, but she'll turn light colored like her daddy Thorson real soon - she has funny spots on her ears.

Hey sis , a little warm milk sounds pretty good about now - what is that green stringy stuff that mom is eating?

Regina is a good mom - everyone is all dried off now, but that heat lamp the farmer just plugged in sure feels good.

Oh, Oh, Neelix - here come the vishus sheep back into the barn - do you see the angel spots on this picture - They only show up when there are special doin's out in the barn.

Guess it's time to get out of here - they don't need my help any more.

Mom & babies are doin' just fine!

Dinner, interrupted.....

One of our favorite Sunday night suppers is turkey legs - they are CHEAP - generally only .99/lb. and John can snack on them the next few days and then I can make soup with the bones - Just turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and peas. Yum, comfort food - Oh, wait a minute - don't start mashing those potatoes - John thinks that Regina has gone into labor and we have to go put up the lambing jug (pen) - Ok, lids on everything and head off to the barn. Got the jug up, nothing happening, so back in to a somewhat lukewarm dinner - oh well, that's what microwaves are for - BUT! at about 10:30 - John went out to check on them and - ta da - Houston, we have babies! Here he is drying off the little boy - A ewe lamb - her name is Luna and we haven't decided what to name the little guy yet - it will probably come to one of us in a dream....

Anyhow, you'll get more pics in the next day or two - it's been a very long day, it's almost 1:00 a.m. and I have to work tomorrow

But I knew you'd want to know!