Mix:

6 egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup lemon…

As readers enjoy the thirty-four very different vignettes in Heart Full of Hope, they will surely internalize author Christine Geery's warm, hopeful perspective about the importance of living a simple life with lots of love and few regrets. Though some stories in this memoir are filled with difficult family dynamics and grief, all are a glimpse into a cohesive perspective of self-awareness, positivity, and hope that is…

It happens every year in October. I think of my sister, Frances. Of course I think of her more than during this month, but this was her favorite season of the year. The colors, scents and crisp fall air gave her an added spring to her step. Not that she needed any added spring.…

On Sunday mornings when I was a little girl, we were usually wakened at 6:30 am to a cacophony of clanging and clambering coming from the kitchen. It was apparent to us what was going on because this was a weekly tradition. My father was making sauce—spaghetti sauce that is. No Italian home I ever knew of would think of having anything but spaghetti and meatballs, or some variation of it…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RMSBINADT0S6S/ref=cm_cr_dp_title/280-0567847-0241606?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B000KKNQBK&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=65801031&store=drugstore&tag=vig-21

I will soon be sixty three years old. My first gift arrived early, wrapped in a red bow. I was surprised to say the least. It is not often that one receives this sort of gift upon turning this age. It is round and red and is situated right under the right side of my nose. A huge ZIT! Now, I ask, “Wouldn't you be downright flattered to think that you may still have some pubescent hormones lingering about, at sixty three?”…

Yesterday I went out to do some Christmas shopping. I needed only a few things and decided to go to one of my favorite little malls, which houses only a few specialty stores. I can easily meander through these shops for a long time, choosing what I believe to be the perfect gift for one of the few people in…

About a year ago we joined some good friends of ours for dinner in their home. They had other guests also and we had a great time getting to know some new people. Daniel and I love acquainting ourselves with people of varied backgrounds, making our own lives more interesting and diversified.…

Ingredients

• 10 slices bacon, sliced…

When I was a little girl, I was always the last one sitting at the dinner table. I was, and still am an extremely slow eater. The fact that I was the last one sitting still remains true today. I love food, especially really tasty, home cooked food. I am not a person who eats to live, but rather the alternative. I know there are other things and people I live for, but eating is one that ranks near the top of my list.…

It is picture day tomorrow in grade two and my mother is getting me ready by washing my hair. I am leaning over the sink kneeling on the green padded chair that matches the Formica kitchen table and I am screaming. I always screamed when she washed my hair; she scrubbed so hard with the rubber brush bought from the Fuller Brush man. Silencing my screams did not lessen her tension on my scalp, the water to rinse so hot.…

I have always hated shopping. Not all shopping. I like antique stores, thrift stores, kitchen and some grocery stores, like delicatessens and open air markets. But when I have to shop for clothes, I procrastinate until I have absolutely no choice but to face the elements and venture out.

 …

It's either feast or famine when you live where there are four seasons. Right now I have an abundance of tomatoes, herbs and cucumbers and beets calling to me. Today I made enough pesto to last us during the winter. I make a huge batch and freeze it in zip lock bags. Tomorrow I'm making picked beets. Yum.

There are numerous recipes for what one can do with…

It is a well known fact we have five senses, those being, hearing, tasting, seeing, touching and smelling. I believe that the sense of smell is one of the more powerful senses. It is this sense which enables most of our other senses to react in a certain way. If a particular food doesn't smell good, there is a reasonable chance it will not taste good. Ever smelled sour milk? Would you drink it? Some believe that you…

I have just begun to read Ray Bradbury's novel, “Dandelion Wine”. It is a semi- autobiographical story of his childhood growing up in the small town of Green Town, Illinois, and the adventures…

A short while ago my little poodle, Phoebe, seventeen years old, started showing undeniable traits of canine dementia. With one eye removed and the other clouded with cataracts, she could no longer retreat from stairs and she would walk in circles, in search of what still remains a mystery to us. When put out to relieve herself, the “crop circling” as we called it, began again, sometimes so fast she would lose her…

This recipe is a crowd pleaser. If you are having a get together you can freeze most of it beforehand, and finish it up the day of in no time at all. It can also be easily doubled

Artichoke Pesto

Ingredients:

Before the freezer:

• 1 (8-ounce) pack frozen artichoke hearts, thawed or 1 can artichokes packed in brine, rinsed

• 1 cup fresh parsley…

Now that strawberries are plentiful, you might want to consider making this wonderful cold soup. It's a great way to start dinner on a hot day. And it's easy too.

 Cold Strawberry Soup

Ingredients:

2 pints strawberries, washed and hulled

1 cup half and half

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp. lemon…

I just finished reading Linda Seccaspina's book,"Menopausal Women Of The Corn," and found it be as delightful as the author. Linda writes from her beautiful heart, something we have all known for a long time. It is funny, introspective and at times soulful enough to bring you to tears. 

I'm so glad I read this book. I was able to learn a little bit more about my friend, my soul sister and kindred spirit. 

Thank you Linda, for all your cyber hugs. We…

When I was newly wed many years ago, my first husband and I would frequently buy Marie Callender's pies. One of our favorites was the cheesecake, which we paired with a fruit pie and enjoyed the best of both worlds. While eating our pie one day my husband said,”No one can make a cheesecake like this.” I immediately responded, “I can. In fact I can make a better cheesecake than this!” Of course the bet was on…