Tomorrow, the previously long-promised limoncello dessert recipe will appear!  In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a couple limoncello cocktail recipes to tide you over and enhance the long holiday weekend.

As for me – I am still trying to catch up from the exceedingly relaxing and lazy vacation. After spending a week at an all inclusive beach resort where we had our own butler to fulfill our every wish, it’s been an adjustment getting back into the swing of it. On top of that, summer kid’s class begin on Tuesday, so I’ve been turning over the kitchen and grocery shopping like crazy for the last couple days. I really could use a little cocktail for myself! Above is one last picture from our magical week – dinner at the teppanyaki style Japanese restaurant.  Aw, good times!

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Today is my baby’s 19th birthday! We’re spending it in Turks & Caicos on our family vacation. Our suite includes butler service and our butlers, Minto and Ellen, made the day extra special. While we were out getting spa treatments, they hooked up our room with a full blown party.

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Graduation was wonderful! We stayed at the Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, which was beautiful. Had a celebratory dinner at J Bar after the big event, which was beyond delicious. Went back to the girls’ house for a dessert party after dinner, which was the perfect way to end the night. Then the next day, we were able to spend a relaxing morning with our graduate at the resort pool and then had a fun lunch at Frog & Firkin (a University of Arizona hang-out) before heading back to Phoenix.  All in all – a momentous and memorable weekend!  To keep with the theme of relaxation and ease, here’s an “easy-breezy” and versatile dish that can be used as an impressive appetizer or a quick dinner. To make it a meal, just toss with cooked linguini or spaghetti and add garlic bread.

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Proud! That is what I am today! My precious baby girl graduates from the University of Arizona today with a Journalism major and Creative Writing minor. She has been a hard-working dedicated student ever since kindergarten 17 years ago. Heck, since her “mini-threes” days in preschool! So yeah, I am a proud braggart mom, and I will not apologize for that, at least not today!

After the ceremonies, Dave and I are taking Marissa, Alberto (boyfriend), Grandpa Gene (my dad), and Connor (treasured baby brother) out to dinner to J Bar. You may recall that I posted about the amazing nachos we had there earlier this month(May 2). Well Marissa has been craving them ever since reading that post, and whatever she wants, she gets today!

After dinner, we’ll be heading back to her house where she and her four beautiful roomies (see picture below for the proof of said beauty!) are hosting a dessert party for all their families. The girls requested I make a trifle they tasted back in October that was posted here.  I changed it up a bit for the occasion. The lemon curd is now a lemon-cherry curd and there is a fabulous addition – cream cheese filling. Expect more mama boasting and pictures tomorrow!

Marissa, Kaley, Kelsey, Paige, and Petra

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For Mother’s Day my sweet husband and adorable son made me not only breakfast, but dinner as well!  So when our Phoenix Suns swept the Spurs to advance in the playoffs, it was if I hit the jackpot yesterday!

Breakfast was thick-cut bacon, mimosas and cinnamon-pecan waffles with fresh strawberries, bananas, and whipped cream! And for dinner they made  lamb, chicken, and beef kabobs (picked up at Whole Foods), our favorite parmesan asparagus, toasted garlic-olive bread, and sea salt roasted fingerling potatoes with whole fresh herbs.

Since the asparagus has been featured here a couple of times already, we’ll share the very easy potato recipe. You can use the fingerlings as the recipe calls for, or if fingerlings are hard to find or too costly, just use russet or yukon gold potatoes cut into wedges. Both choices are pictured below.

Connor and I spent the entire day yesterday unpacking and finding places for all his dorm stuff.  And since I’d left all his bedroom belongings in Marissa’s room after the new carpet was installed last month, we had the added fun of putting his room back together.  Marissa’s room has wood floors and because she is still at school, it has served as the perfect “storage” space all this time. Needless to say, Connor (and I) deserved a nice relaxing meal last night. Welcome home sweet boy!

Unfortunately, I took the picture before the sauce was poured on, so you’ll have to just imagine it there…

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Today, May 4th, is our 25th wedding anniversary~
Happy Anniversary, Dave ♥

Thank you for the gorgeous flowers!
xoxo

I Love You,
Linda

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My beautiful sister, Sloane, celebrates her birthday today.  As mentioned in the “forgiveness” post of last week, she is my little sister and was at my mercy during our childhood years. That’s what six years age difference will do for you, a distant older sister with the adoring younger always hanging around.  Thankfully, we are long past those days and I can not begin to express my love, eagerness to share and be with, appreciation and admiration for my best friend who also happens to be my sister.  This chocolate overdose dessert is for her. Once component of it is our Aunt Connie’s Mint Chocolate Pudding, a delicious ode to our childhood days. I love you, Sloane! xoxox

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I’m often asked, “How exactly do you come up with new recipes?”  Well, sometimes, it comes from inspiration; such as beautiful fresh produce at the farmer’s market, or a new product at Trader Joe’s, or even a great sale on a favorite cut of meat at the supermarket. Other times, it is the result of the rule, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That is the case today. Here is a word-for-word text I just received from my husband of nearly 25 years, (May 4th), David. “I forgot I was supposed to bring some kind of side dish to the (company) picnic today :) if you have something you could easily throw together…” This from a man married for, just weeks away from 25 years, yet it sounds more like something that would come out of your 4^th grade child’s mouth!

If you’re a married woman with children, you are thinking, “Yup, no surprise, been there- done that.” If you’re a man, you are most likely thinking, “What is the big deal, obviously the woman knows how to cook.”  Whatever! Of course, I do “have something” and I can “easily throw it together”. After all, Dave does know what our refrigerator looks like at any given minute. So here is how side dish for today’s picnic got thrown together.

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For the past year, I’ve been providing 2 dozen cookies a month to the winner of an auction item I donated to a local charity.  This is my last delivery of the year and these cookies are real winners.  I have a thing for malted milk balls, Whoppers, as it were.  They have long been one of my all-time favorite candies.  I’m sure my mistreated baby sister, Sloane, could tell some awful stories about my mean-younger self, involving Whoppers… I’ll just leave it at that.  I dearly love you, Sloane and I am truly sorry for that very mean big sister whom you had to put up with, when we shared a bedroom, all those years ago… please forgive me! xoxo

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