While riding our bikes home from Lisa’s Cinco de Mayo party a couple Sunday’s ago, we spotted a neighbor’s “trash” on the side of the road. Amy, Scott, Ronnie, Dave, and I made a u-turn on our snazzy wheels to check it out.

There was a big screen television, a satellite dish, four Adirondack chairs, a bunch of boxes and toys… and a rustic outdoor couch. We moved the TV to the street, piled onto the couch and snapped a photo of our intoxicated selves. What can I say… that tequila punch was really potent… and tasty!

Then we rode our bikes home and Scott and I went back with my car, because I needed that couch! Either Dave was too tipsy or more likely, too embarrassed, because he wanted nothing to do with my dumpster diving ways.

Note: Drinking and driving don’t mix… this house is in our gated community, no intersections or major streets were involved in the excursion… it is only two cul-de-sacs away.

As a point of reference, in the photo above, I am standing in my backyard looking across at Ronnie’s house. The “trash pile” was in the next cul-de-sac – just behind her house. The big trash pick-up was the next morning. Please forgive.

When we drove around the corner, we were aghast! There was another car there, picking up stuff. They better not lay their grubby hands on that couch of mine! Alas, all they wanted was two of the Adirondacks.

We loaded up my couch, I dropped Scott off at home, and then forced Dave to help me unload it. He begrudgingly obliged.

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I made this pretty and festive punch to take to a Cinco de Mayo party last Sunday. Needless to say, it was a hit! So much so, that it ran out before the party was over. At that point, we were just pulling the pineapple rings out of the jar and eating them. I brought home the rest and poured light rum into the jar. I’ll now have the bonus of pineapple infused rum… in a couple weeks. Two for one – Gotta love that!

The recipe makes a huge batch – but it can easily be cut in half. I also doubled the simple syrup and plan to use it for mojitos over Mother’s Day weekend.

My excuse? Seriously, something has to be done with all the mint in my garden … before it chokes out everything else!

Plus, I saved the mint leaves used in the simple syrup. I’m trying my hand at sugaring the leaves … and making mint flavored sugar at the same time. I’ll keep you posted on how that works out.

So much going on from just one punch recipe!

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When Chef Beau MacMillan was teaching at Les Gourmettes last week, Duncan Family Farms sent over a huge box of squash blossoms.

The lucky students received the added bonus of Barbara Fenzl’s delicious Squash Blossom Quesadillas at the start of the class.

Once again, I was on the happy receiving end of a basket full of goodies! I brought them home and made Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms, intending to share the recipe here.

Then I discovered that I’ve already posted the recipe, nearly to the day, two years ago. CLICK HERE to see.

Of course, with that many squash blossoms, I also had to make Barb’s fabulous and super easy quesadillas!

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Last week Les Gourmettes owner, Barbara Fenzl, made this beautiful and delicious dessert for her classes. Everyone was wowed.

Meringues plus Berries and Cream. They made for a glorious presentation! Light, refreshing, and perfect for spring. This will continue to be the ultimate dessert throughout the upcoming summer months.

Orange Flower Water is one of the special ingredients. Although it is added to three different components of the recipe, less than 1/2 teaspoon is used in total.

Measure carefully and do not be tempted by the notion that if a little is good than more is better. Like Rose Water, Orange Flower Water is potent and if too much is added, your dessert will end up tasting like perfume. Not a good thing!

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It’s Friday!

That means it is once again time for some funnies.

Can you relate to any of these?
Which is your favorite?
My favorite, this week, is the last one.

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I had every intention to post a new recipe yesterday. Instead I was glued to the television from the moment I awoke until well after President Obama’s news conference once the Boston Marathon bombing suspect was finally captured and taken into custody alive.

What an amazing job by the local, state, and federal authorities. What an outstanding job by the residents of Watertown, Boston, Cambridge, and Massachusetts! I pray that all those brave people deservedly slept soundly last night.

Additionally, I hope that as a result of all that hard work and dedication, that the broken bodies and hearts of all those in the Commonwealth, who were affected by the tragic events of the past week, were healed at least a tiny bit too.

God Bless America!

I did eventually cook something yesterday. In-between news reports and updates – I soaked beans. I cooked beans. I let beans cool and turned said beans into a salad.

Not until this very moment, as I type, do I remember that Boston’s nickname is Beantown. Here is a tasty Bean Salad for Boston and for the great state of Massachusetts.

On Thursday, I received the beans as a gift from Kim Howard, my cohort at Les Gourmettes. Kim was in San Francisco last week and she thoughtfully brought me back a bag of cranberry beans and a package of ground Espelette chile powder.

I’ve cooked with cranberry beans before, but I had never heard of the Espelette chile.

Espelette a town on the southern-most edge of France, on its border with Spain. The town is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder and used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The plant, originally from Mexico was introduced into France from the New World during the 16th century.

I decided to use both of my gifts in this dish. It turned out perfectly delicious.

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I haven’t been cooking much lately.

Connor is at school. Dave has been working until all hours of the night.

Tax season ended Monday but now I’m working these first few nights of this week.

On Thursday, we’ll be taking my dad to Durant’s, a Phoenix institution, for his 82nd birthday dinner.

Maybe I’ll cook again on Friday.

Until then, I want to share something with you. Something I think is very profound for us women. Something to make you rethink the way you think about yourself.

Please take 3 minutes to watch THIS VIDEO. Then, please share how it made you feel.

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For years there was a terrible Chinese all-you-can-eat restaurant not far from our home on Cactus Road. I scoffed at it each time I drove by, wondering how such an awful place could stay in business for such a long time.

Then one day, last month, I drove by and if by glorious magic, it was gone! In its place stood a new intriguing looking eatery called Salty Sow, with the subtitle Swine+Wine+Beer.

Sounds like a kingdom of bacon, count me in!

Before I got around to making a reservation, our neighborhood Birthday Girls Group scheduled lunch there for Amy’s birthday. Yay!

Yay, because birthday lunches are fun…

…and yay, excited to go to a new place…

… with good friends!

I didn’t take photos of all the food, that would be tacky… just of mine, Amy’s and Robyne’s, who were sitting next to and across from me. Very discrete!

The Birthday Girl had the the Pig Panini, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

Robyne had Open Faced BLT with Egg.

I had the Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad – delicious!

Connor and I ordered take out from the Salty Sow on Saturday night.

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A few weeks before Easter, Connor informed me that he and Patrick didn’t need all the silly things I always put in their big elaborate Easter baskets. Oh really? Fine, go ahead a suck the fun out of my basket shopping!

As a result, instead of the usual big basket of goodies, they each received a little strawberry basket that only had Harkins Theater gift cards and a couple tubes of bubbles. How’s that for no silly things?

It looks like they had fun with the silly bubbles, to me! I’ll check back with him next spring and see if he might like to go to back to the big baskets!

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