A Random Memory from My Lips to my Daughter's Ears

In 1952, singer Patti Page’s hit song…How Much is that Doggie in the Window…was one of the popular tunes on the airwaves. I lived in Cleveland during that time. The song was playing on our car radio when my Dad turned it off. We were running an errand and I got out of the car and saw a toy store with a bear in the window, and made a bee line for it. The bear had brown fur and a green ribbon with tiny white stripes on it. I gazed at that bear and begged my Dad to buy it for me. My Dad was a sucker and I was his favorite daughter (only daughter) and we walked into the toy store and he bought that bear for me.

I didn’t need it wrapped or in a bag…I hugged it all the way to our car. To my surprise, its nubby tail had a squeaker in it and hence, I called my bear, Squeaky. Funny, when we turned the radio back on, the Doggie song was playing and my Dad sang…How Much is that Bear in the Window. He changed the lyrics and sang it for days that way.

When I went off to college, I took Squeaky with me. He would be a reminder of my home and my parents and he would be my safety net. When I got married, Squeaky moved with me to St. Louis and I had him for years even after some of my kids were born. Squeaky no longer squeaked, and the bottom of its feet wore off and I sewed some brown fabric on both. I had to replace his ribbon and I put him on the dresser in my first baby’s bedroom

Along the way, Squeaky got misplaced but in fact I am sure my then husband threw him away. But I still remember how I first saw Squeaky and how my Dad bought it for me and sang his own version of Pattie Page’s hit song. I would tell this story to my kids. I never thought anyone heard my story or even cared about it until this Christmas.

I was at my youngest daughter’s house and she handed me a present. I opened it and found some vinyl records along with Pattie Page’s record…How much is that Doggie in the Window. When I saw it I was touched and amazed that my story reached one of my kids.

I guess my memory did touch someone and for that I am grateful.

Thank you Becca for making my day and my Christmas!

Congratulations OLSH Chargers on your WPIAL Win!

This past Sunday, I attended a football sports banquet for my grandson’s team. He played football at OLSH. The football program has only been around for eight years. The first couple of years they didn’t win any games or if they did it was a few. Last year, when my grandson, Matt, was a junior at OLSH, they won their division and but lost in the playoffs. This year, they won and were the Big 7 Section Champs and the Class A WPIAL Champs! They got to play at Heinz Stadium which was quite an honor and one that they will remember for the rest of their lives! In reality, not a lot of athletes ever get to play at a pro football stadium.

In the past two years, I pretty much attended and cheered on my grandson and his team with all the other families and fans. It was an awesome season. A number of Matt’s family and relatives enjoyed watching the games and cheering on the team. They came decked out in the OLSH school colors and even made signs, cheering on Matt and the team.

While attending the banquet, I was impressed with the football team especially the 15 seniors. I enjoyed watching them and listening to their speeches. I don’t remember everything that was said but I felt like I was part of their extended family. Since they were freshmen…and now seniors, they still were funny but they had matured quite a bit. They had grown into extraordinary and respectful young men.

Each senior was given an award and they were allowed to say something…share a memory or give thanks. Pretty much most of them thanked their parents. When Matthew got up, he not only thanked his Mom and Dad, he also thanked me. I was touched and moved by this. He had introduced me to a few of his teammates, one that night and others when we ran on to the field to celebrate some of the teams’ wins.

  

My praise has to go to the families who sacrificed quite a bit by sending their sons to a catholic high school. And for all their time that they extended with their driving to and from practices and attending the games…some at home and others far away.

Mostly, I was impressed by how my grandson has grown and matured. He also was a dynamo and a force to be reckoned with on the field. He was chosen to the 1^st Team All-Conference for defense. Being his grandmother…he should have been named Defensive Player of the Year…and a number of coaches would agree with me. Regardless of football…I am so proud that Matthew always asked me to come to his games and invited me to his banquet. He is not only my oldest grandson but we share something special.

Congratulations to the OLSH Chargers for a wonderful, dream year!

Thank you, Matt!

Pumpkin Scones

It took a while looking for the perfect Pumpkin Scone. I looked through a few baking books and magazines and finally found the recipe that sounded like a winner.

I made them last week using flour, sugar, eggs, butter, half and half, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and pumpkin puree. I increased the recipe and quadrupled it to make more scones making sure that I was precise and correct with my measurements.

After mixing the ingredients, I made long rectangle logs on the floured surface of the prep table and cut them into triangles, weighed them, and placed them on a sprayed parchment sheet on the sheet tray. Then I put the tray in the Walk In for the scones to get firm.

When everything was ready…I put the scones in the oven and rotated the trays every five minutes until the scones were golden and baked completely. I pulled the hot trays out of the oven and placed them on the cooling rack.

While I waited for the scones to cool down I made an a spiced glaze using powdered sugar, almond extract, half and half, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.

When it was ready, I glazed the top of the scones. Of course I baked a tiny scone and sampled it without the glaze. It was good but with the spicy glaze, it was out of this world!

The scone was heavenly! I could taste the spices and the pumpkin. What I liked was that it wasn’t too sweet. With the spicy glaze brushed on top of the scone, the pumpkin and spice flavor popped out. It was delicious and I plan on making more for Erin’s Deli. The scones will be sold at the Deli starting in October.

Pink Ribbon Cookies and Pretzel Rods

October has arrived and that means falling leaves, mums, hayrides, and pumpkins. It also means Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Starting October 1, Sugar Ribbon Cut Out Cookies with pink icing will be sold at Erin’s Deli.

Along with the cookies you will also have a chance to buy Pretzel Rods dipped in Chocolate or dipped in Pink Chocolate with white, pink, and silver sprinkles. The pretzels will be sold two to a bag.

Support Breast Cancer Awareness with a Pink Ribbon Sugar Cookie or Chocolate and Pink covered pretzels.

Better still buy both and enjoy!

Confetti Cake

Making Confetti Cookies are easy and fun. I like changing the color of the sprinkles for the different months, seasons, and holidays. I will be making these cookies for a long time. I will probably make a Vanilla Bean Scone, using the sprinkles in it as well.

Last week, I made a Confetti Loaf Cake which I doubled the recipe with unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, salt, and rainbow colored sprinkles. After I baked the loaves and let them cool, I frosted the loaves with a white vanilla frosting that had rainbow colored sprinkles.

I stepped back and admired the festive look of the cakes that would go down to Erin’s Deli.

The cake was easy and delicious and would make the perfect cake for a birthday or any kind of celebration. In the meantime, the cake will be served at Erin’s. Stop in the Deli and celebrate with a slice of Confetti Cake.

Being a Browns Fan - Ain't Easy!

I am a Browns fan and it definitely has been hard.

I wasn’t born in Cleveland. I was born in New York and moved to Cleveland when I was little. I attended grade school and high school in Cleveland and went to college in Ohio. So I have been a fan for a very long time. I have seen and felt the highs and lows of being a Browns fan. In the 50s and 60s, we had THE TEAM. We were winners and champions under Paul Brown and Blanton Collier. We had some great players like Otto Graham, Lou the toe Groza, and of course Jim Brown who was in a league of his own. The Browns were winners in the 50s and 60s. They won their last the NFL Championship in 1964. If they had a Super Bowl back then…the Browns would have had rings on one hand and one for the thumb.

I cheered for the likes of  Brian Sipe and the Kardiac Kids of the 80s. I loved how they would come from behind and pull out a win in the last two minutes of a football game. Those games left me excited, ecstatic, and exhausted!

Then there was the home grown Ohio boy…Bernie Kosar. He loved Cleveland and wanted to be the quarterback for them. Cleveland fans loved him.

I booed Art Modell and Bill Belichick when they got rid of Bernie, along with all the other disappointed fans.

Then Art Modell pulled the Browns out of Cleveland and relocated them to Baltimore. That was the ultimate worst offense and the fans wouldn’t forget it.

I wore a browns sweatshirt “Countdown to 1999” until a new team was formed using the same name, uniforms, and colors.  I owned season tickets with my daughter. We sat in the stands cheering, frustrated, until the Browns team looked like a third class team from some underdeveloped country that had no idea who they were or what they were supposed to do. Winning was elusive and watching them was even harder.

The only bright shining star was their offensive tackle, Joe Thomas who always played the game and always was constantly  named to the Pro Bowl, no matter what Cleveland’s record was.

I watched QBs come and go, along with coaches, players, GMs, and Owners as if there was a revolving door in Cleveland

The Browns were the butt of every joke. All I heard from my family and friends was how the Browns Sucked! That was hard to swallow living in Pittsburgh!

Every year when football season would begin, I would believe in the Browns but then the team just couldn’t do it. But this year, 2018, with a tie and a close lost, came the unbelievable win…after 635 days of not winning a game...the Browns gave the fans something to celebrate…a Win.

I do believe…Go Browns!!!

Decomposition Notebooks

Every so often my writing takes a back seat to life. I lied, my writing takes a back seat more often then I like it too.

Right now, I have sent a few queries out for my children’s book and for a few magazine articles. While I wait to hear if my writing gets accepted, I keep working on my Blogs and my journal.

I look for something to add a difference to my writing or someone to help me jump start it. The other day while I was at the bookstore, while looking for a book, I found a few of my favorite decomposition notebooks that I like to use for my writing. The last time I was at the bookstore I came across the decomposition notebooks and bought a few for Christmas presents.

This time I found an array of the notebooks and bought three for my personal use.  Okay, you’re thinking, what’s the deal? To you, nothing. To me, those little gems are a real treasure and those decomposition notebooks help me. They are like an aid. They are my writing muse.

Here’s hoping that my writing starts to move forward.

Chocolate Cappuccino Brownies

I’ve had this recipe for Chocolate Cappuccino Brownies for two years. I looked through one of my baking books, found this recipe and marked the page. I looked through the book off and on and every time that I came to the recipe I would think…I need to make this for the Deli.

Well, today, I finally decided it was time. Instead of baking the brownies in the catering kitchen, I decided to bake it at my house. I doubled the recipe and was going to make it in a half sheet tray with one of the collars. Instead, I baked it in a rectangle pan measuring 9”x13”.  After making the brownies, I decided that the next time that I would make it in the half sheet tray for the Deli. I would probably triple the recipe. But for now…I went with a smaller pan.

I hoped the brownies would be good. They looked good and my daughter, who owns the Deli, stopped over and sampled a piece. I took a taste and decided that the next best thing to a cappuccino itself was this brownie.  Better still, the next time I would drink a cappuccino and eat one of these sumptuous brownies. 

I posted a picture of the brownie and announced that it would be down at the Deli. I have had a few requests for the recipe…so here it goes for a single recipe: 

            ½ cup unsalted butter, melted                            ½ tsp. salt

            1 cup brown sugar, packed                                1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour

            2 Tbs. instant coffee granules                            1/3 cup + 1 Tb. baking cocoa

            3 eggs, slightly beaten                                        1 cup chopped walnuts

            1 tsp. Vanilla extract                                           1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

            ½ brewed coffee, cooled                                     Garnish: powdered sugar

            1 tsp. baking powder

In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and coffee granules; blend well. Add eggs, vanilla, and cooled coffee; stir. In separate bowl, combine baking powder, salt, flour and cocoa; add to butter mixture. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 13” x 9” baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar before serving. Makes 1-1/2 to 2 dozen.

The recipe is easy. But if you don’t want to try it make your way to Erin’s Deli, downtown, and sample one!

Fresh Blueberry Bars

After looking through one of my food magazines…I spotted a recipe for Blueberry Bars and decided to try out the recipe. First, I made a small pan of the bars and to my surprise they sold out at the Deli right away.

So, I picked up more fresh blueberries and decided to make the bars in a half sheet pan, using one of the metal collars around it. I placed a piece of parchment down, laid the collar on top and sprayed the pan with vegetable spray.

I made the crumble crust mixture a bit differently from the original recipe. I used the extra Lemon Cookies with White Chips that we had in the refrigerator. I crumbled them in the food processor, added some old-fashioned oats and melted butter and made it into a crumbly crust. I added this to the bottom of the sheet tray and pressed it firmly on the bottom of the sheet tray.

I washed the blueberries and drained the excess water. I placed the blueberries in a bowl and added sugar, cornstarch, and some lemon juice, and tossed them together, and added the mixture to the crust. I used the left over crumble mixture to sprinkle over the top of the blueberries.

The bars were baked at 325 degrees for 40 minutes or until the top got golden brown. Let the bars cool completely in the pan and then cut into squares.

You can pick up one or two bars at Erin’s Deli, along with a salad or sandwich. Or take home a few for dessert!

Lemon Loaf

I have a great recipe for Lemon Loaf….and a story to go along with it. 

When I first moved into my house in the north hills area of Pittsburgh, over 40 years ago, my next door neighbor brought over a Lemon Loaf to welcome my family to the neighborhood. The Lemon Loaf was amazing and I had never tasted anything like it before. I asked her for the recipe and she gave it to me.

That Christmas, I decided to make mini Lemon Loaves to give to my children’s teachers, the bus driver, and my friends. I wrapped them in foil and left 23 mini loaves in my garage. One day, I walked out to pull some of the loaves and to my horror…they were gone, only a few scrapes of foil remained. It seems that my garage door was opened and my next door neighbor’s Golden Retriever CR (Comanche Red) got in and ate all 23 loaves, foil and all!

I called my neighbor in concern and told her what happened. I was worried that her dog was going to get sick or die from eating the Lemon Loaves and the foil. She promptly brought over 23 mini loaves and gave them to me. CR didn’t die (which totally amazed me). Nor did he get sick. He definitely must have had a cast iron stomach! But CR spent a few weeks in a kennel being banished and trained in obedience.

To this day, I still make my Lemon Loaves and love the fact that the recipe came from a neighbor, who became my friend, and had a dog named CR.

Now everyone in my house is grown up, and when I make my Lemon Loaves at Christmas, I give each of my children one or two of them and I give some away to my friends.

Recently, since I became the baker for my daughter, I decided to make Lemon Loaves. The Lemon Loaves were a change from making cupcakes, cookies, or scones. I am always interested in trying some new baking items for the Deli.

To make the Lemon Loaf, I use flour, eggs, butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, milk, and fresh lemon zest. Usually when the Lemon Loaf is done and while it is still warm, I add sugar with the juice of a lemon and drizzle it over the tops of the loaves. Instead, for the Deli, I decided to make a thick vanilla icing with lemon zest.

Maybe because it was something different from the usual baked goods or maybe because it was summer…the two large loaves that went into the Deli, sold out in two days. Everyone who bought a piece of the bread raved about it. It was a big hit. It was also a thrill for me! Now I have been asked to bake more loaves for the coming week.

Stop in at Erin’s Deli and pick up a slice of Lemon Loaf before it sells out again! Don’t worry; it doesn’t come with foil wrap!

Clyde Butcher: American Photographer, Artist, and Environmentalist

While on my vacation in Florida, I spent a few hours going through the cool shops in Sarasota. One of the shops was the St. Armands Art Gallery. What pulled me into the gallery were the massive framed black and white landscaped photographs. At first I thought the photographer of the photos was Ansel Adams.

A few steps inside I saw an old fashioned camera on a pedestal. It was beautiful, old and the wood gleamed in the sunlight that streamed through the door. The camera took my breath away. I loved it. I loved cameras and it reminded me of my original Yashica camera that I used as an undergrad at Kent State where I majored in Journalism.

A man, who worked in the gallery. walked over to me and we started to talk about the photographs. He then proceeded to give me a crash course, 101, about the camera and the photographer called Clyde Butcher!

Clyde Butcher is an American photographer, artist and environmentalist. He is famous in Florida for his large photographs of the wilderness of the Florida landscape. Butcher was born in 1942 and he was from Kansas City, Missouri. He is a photographer who used to shoot his photos in color. When his son was killed, he ended up spending time in the wilderness where he used his over sized camera taking black and white shots.

Butcher, who is revered in Florida, earned numerous awards, like the Florida Artist Hall of Fame Award, Ansel Adams Award from the Sierra Club, North American Nature Photographer Association Lifetime Achievement Award in Nature Photography and many others.

As I walked around the gallery, I felt very small and very humble amidst these huge landscape photos. I finished my tour, bought a book, and two black and white photo cards. Now I know a little bit about Clyde Butcher. I hope that I see more of his work. I not only discovered his works but I learned about the man thanks to the man who gave me a crash course in him. At least, I have a book to read about him with some of his photographs.

I hope to see more of his work, even if it means going back to Florida to visit his gallery.

How To Make Pepperoni Rolls (my way)

One of my baking jobs is to make pepperoni rolls for Erin’s Deli. The job isn’t difficult but it does take a while to get the rolls made.

*First, remove the frozen dough and leave it in the refrigerator to thaw out.

*Next, when the dough is thawed, I take it out of the refrigerator and place it in the Proofer to rise.

* Take out the dough from each bag, cut it in half and roll the dough flat on a floured surface.

*After I get a few flat pieces of dough rolled ouy, I brush on an oil mixture with herbs, then place pepperoni on the top, and sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

*I pull the sides of the dough together and roll it up with the seam placed down on a sprayed parchment paper, on a sheet tray.

*When I get at least 9 pepperoni rolls, I put two slits in the top of the roll, brush on more oil mixture, and sprinkle chopped pepperoni on top.

After I complete all the rolls, I bake them and when they are a golden brown, I take them out of the oven and leave them on cooling racks. After the rolls are cooled, I place them in a plastic bag in the freezer to be taken down to the Deli.

The delicious rolls can be purchased at Erin’s Deli, downtown. The hardest part of this job is not to eat one of those delicious rolls all by myself!

Steps for Making Scones

First find a good scone recipe. When I make scones for the Deli, I follow a recipe that is in our book and it is doubled.

Mix all ingredients together which includes sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add soft butter to dry ingredients and mix until it gets crumbly.

Add eggs with the lemon juice and mix.

Add sour cream with baking soda, mix well.

Blend all ingredients until mixture forms into dough.

Then add whatever you want…chocolate chips, blueberries, oatmeal and raisins, strawberry…etc.

If using frozen fruit, thaw and drain well.

For the scones like the Dark Chocolate Chip and Orange Zest…I add the zest and juice of the orange and blend well. Or if I make the Vanilla Bean and Lavender Scone, I add vanilla extract and lavender to the mixture.

Scones are easy to make. Try it sometimes. Or better still, come on down to Erin’s Deli and buy a few!

My Favorite Scones...

There are two scones that just might be my favorite ones…well, make that three. So, I guess my top three scones would be: Dark Chocolate Chip Scones with Orange Zest, Oatmeal Scones with raisins, cranberries, and chopped nuts, and Bacon, Cheddar, and Jalapeño Scones.

What I love about the Dark Chocolate Scones with Orange Zest is that both the taste of the dark chocolate chips and the orange zest really compliment the flavor of the scone. But it is the vanilla icing with orange zest that completes this scrumptious tasting scone.

As for the Oatmeal Scone – I like to think of it as a healthier scone with the oatmeal, raisins, cranberries and chopped pecan nuts. The top of the scone is brushed with melted butter, honey and brown sugar. I snack on this scone without feeling guilty.

The savory taste of the Bacon, Cheddar and Jalapeño Scone is totally different from the other scones. Who in their right mind doesn’t love bacon? The bacon and cheddar cheese are delicious together but it is the Jalapeño peppers that give this scone a pleasant punch. It brings the heat to the scone and the taste.  The scone is completed with melted butter, honey and brown sugar brushed on the top.

In the future, I will be playing around with other flavors along with the usual big sellers, Blueberry Scones and Chocolate Chip Scones.

Try one of these delicious scones at Erin’s Deli. See which one is your favorite and let us know! Whichever you choose, you won’t be disappointed.

Just call me Murphy!

I think my last name is Murphy. I also think my whole life has been subject to Murphy’s Law. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Most of my life, I have been under the Murphy’s Law adage. It has followed me like a storm cloud, with my children; even as I worked in the greenhouse and now in the kitchen. All these anecdotes will be for my future writing.

In the last two weeks – I took my car in because of a major recall that I neglected. Let’s just say that I could have run faster than my car was driving, even with my foot pressed down to the floor.

My car was at the dealership over a weekend and it took 8 hours on a Monday to complete the work. After I drove it for a day, the engine sensor flashed a message that the engine needed fluid. I promptly took it to Pennzoil for an oil change, they put in engine fluid, and the sensor went off, and I drove happily away.

A few days later my sensor flashed a message that my tire was low on air. By the time I arrived home it started to get flatter. My oldest son took my car and put air into the tire, actually in all four tires.  The next morning it was flat and my son came over and changed the tire for me. I owe him big time.

I ended up taking the car to A & M Family Tires on Rochester Road (yes, this is a free ad for them. They are clean and take cars in with or without an appointment. They work on tires and more. They have saved my butt a number of times).  After about 20 minutes, they rotated my tires and found nothing wrong with the tire that lost air. I hope they are right. The man charged me $20 bucks and I drove happily away. I have been using my car all day, no sensor warning and the tires all seem fine.

I am ready to go on vacation. My car has been a pain and I wish that I had a horse but I bet if I did, it would throw a shoe and me off of its back.

Yeah…Murphy’s Law is alive and well in my life. So maybe I should just call myself Mary Murphy!

The Hot Woody, Signature Sandwich

The Woody Signature Sandwich has been on the menu since Erin’s Deli opened. It’s named after the man who gutted the Deli and did all the construction work to make Erin’s Deli look the way it does today. The Woody Sandwich has been made and named in honor of Chris Gauntner!

The amazing Woody Sandwich is filled with a generous helping of Italian salami, capicola, roasted red peppers, sharp provolone cheese, arugula; balsamic aioli served heaping on homemade Ciabatta bread.

After one bite of this signature sandwich, you will understand why it is Erin’s best seller. Besides that it is so good and delicious. Erin’s Deli is the home of the Woody. One bite and you will get it!

Snickerdoodle Cookies

I usually made cookies or some type of after school treat for my kids when they were younger. It usually was chocolate chip cookies or a frozen treat of graham cracker sandwiches with chocolate pudding and peanut butter. Both were a big hit. I did make other types of cookies but I never made Snickerdoodle Cookies, until today.

Recently, I decided to make the Snickerdoodle Cookies for Erin's Deli. It was hot in the kitchen, so I made sure that I went in to bake my cookies early, before it got any hotter. I looked over the recipe, and jotted down the amounts of things that I needed after I decided to make 4x the regular recipe. I pulled out the butter, shortening, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, salt and the baking soda, and the cream of tartar.

I creamed the butter and shortening together, and then I added the sugar.  After, I added the eggs, vanilla, beat both together,  and added the flour mixture. When everything was mixed, I scraped the dough into another mixing bowl. I used an ice cream scooper, weighed each cookie, rolled them into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, and placed them on a cookie sheet that had parchment and was sprayed with cooking oil. I placed the sheet in the Walk-In. After about 20 minutes, I transferred the cookies to other cookie sheets and baked them for about 12 minutes, or until they were finished.

I sampled the cookie and was able to send a picture of the Snickerdoodles with a smile and thumbs up to the Chef. The cookies can be purchased at Erin's Deli!

Cut Out Star Sugar Cookies

 If you are a Sugar Cookie lover, the Star Cut out Cookies will catch your eye and satisfy your sugar cookie craving.

 Cut out cookies are fun and easy to make, especially if you have an awesome cookie dough recipe in your book. In the kitchen, we usually make four times the recipe. Then we store it in the freezer; pull it out to defrost whenever we want to make cut out cookies.

For the 4^th of July, I rolled out the soften dough and cut out Star Cookies. Then I baked them, cooled them, and frosted them. I frosted about twenty cookies with blue icing and the other 20 cookies with red icing.

The Star Cookies are down at Erin’s Deli. They are the perfect cookie for the 4^th of July…and they taste good too!

A Birthday Celebration...

Last week, we celebrated my granddaughter, Juliette’s, 6^th birthday. It’s amazing how kids really get so excited when it’s there birthday. Let’s just say when you get older you aren’t as excited. But kids are and it was contagious!

The day started off with breakfast at one of the local restaurants. I brought along my two grandsons, Will and Nolan and we met my daughter- in-law and her four children, Juliette, Shelby, Mina and Bayleigh Then my daughter-in-law’s mother arrived and we went in and we were seated in the restaurant.

We sat awhile at breakfast. The kids were good. The waitress was lovely but the food took forever to get to the table. The kids spent a while coloring and then they got antsy but thankfully the food arrived and we ate with relish.

After breakfast, we went to an early show and saw The Incredibles 2. This was the first time that I had ever taken Will, 4 and Nolan, 2 to a movie. It was there first time period. It was also the first time for Mina, 2 and Shelby, 4.

I held my breath and surprisingly, the grandchildren were mesmerized by the Incredibles 2 (so were the adults). No one had to go to the bathroom. (And who says that miracles don’t happen)?!

We completed the day at Chuck E Cheese. Everyone had a blast. Wow it was a long day but it was totally fun! It was a day to just relax and be a kid!

Thanks, Pam, for including me in the birthday treat for Juliette. Happy 6^th Birthday, J!!!

Erin's Deli T-shirts

Erin’s Deli doesn’t just make the best breakfast and lunches in town. It is also the home of the signature, Hot Woody sandwich. Now the Deli is selling two different T-shirts.

The first shirt is a black one with Erin’s Deli on the front in white print. 

The back of the T-shirt has Erin's Deli and the address.

The gray shirt has Erin’s Deli printed on the front. In the back it has Erin’s Deli…the only place where you can get a hot woody.

Stop in for breakfast or lunch. Eat in or take out. The food is great! The service is friendly! The atmosphere is comfortable and light. While you are there, check out an Erin’s Deli T-shirt. Buy one or both. You won’t be disappointed!

Blueberry Patriotic Cupcakes

I found a delicious looking cupcake/muffin. Since blueberries are everywhere – I decided to pick up a few containers of fresh blueberries and try my hand with the blueberry cupcakes. If they were a winner – they would be sold at Erin’s Deli, the last few of days of May, and even around the 4^th of July.

Following the recipe was easy.  I doubled the recipe to make 24 cupcakes. I lined the cupcake holders with paper cupcakes that were red/white/blue and had stars on them. I filled the cupcake holder ¾ of the way. When I finished, I placed the cupcakes in the oven and baked them at 325, until they were golden and done.

The cupcakes – looked great. After one cooled – I broke off a piece and sampled it. Mhm…I could have eaten the whole cupcake, without frosting. But I didn’t.

I placed the cream cheese that I had out and the butter and mixed them together until both were creamed. Then I added the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a few tablespoons of heavy cream. I beat the mixture for about two minutes.

Then I placed some frosting on the rest of the cupcake and sampled it. It was perfect. I promptly ate the entire cupcake.

Later, my daughter, the Chef, piped the frosting on the cupcakes, and I added the blueberries and the American flag.

Ta Dum…the cupcakes were done and looked quite patriotic. And having sampled both, I knew how good those cupcakes were going to be a winner down at the Deli!