THESE ARE THE DAYS (WE WILL REMEMBER)

Well, hello my blog, and all of you great friends!  I'm here to get some relief from all the world events, as important as they be. I keep well aware of all the happenings, clearly spending way too much on TV, social media, newspapers, and alerts I get on my cell phone regarding anything and everything in my area. I see protests which make me afraid and other times relieved.  I hope we all continue to be diligent in staying safe during this time of contracting or spreading Covid19.  Many of us have the okay to go ahead into the world, and I can't say much more than make it safer now than we did before we were sheltered in place.  It matters a lot and will help us stay in a more normal way of living.  My thoughts anyway.

And the death of George Floyd. I was sick to my stomach to watch the footage.  I am 100% for major change.  We had peaceful protests and violent. I don't think the people who were looting and destroying property were actually there to be part of the message. This happened recently a few blocks from my home in Chicago.  Stores and shops were evacuated and closed, some boarded up.  Businesses and gas stations were shut down.  I've been in Michigan but I was worried sick about my family.  The violence is uncalled for.  Peaceful protesting sends a better message.  I'm not here to preach-just my personal feelings and what I've experienced.   

Above is a picture of my little Poppy who was  recently spayed.  She did really well but was absolutely miserable and frozen with the cone on.  My niece saw this pic and thought we posed her with  little chef's cap on!  She survived and is a happy camper now.  She always delights us.  Now 8 months old, she's maturing but some of her puppy antics have us laughing, and some--not so much.

I was really happy to zoom in on this little family of three.  Swans are majestic and I like that they spend time on our little bay.  I've always had a little info on my blog,  based on personal experience that they can be very aggressive and people on the water need to steer clear.  Never mess with nature.  They guard their little babes like all get out.  With a wing span of 6 feet, you never want to get close to them on the water.  I have been able to touch their beaks---okay, I've offered them little bits of our meals or snacks when they swim close to our guest cottage near to the water.  Surprisingly, they are quite gentle in taking a bit of food.  But I'm sincerely not a fan of interfering with the ways of nature.  


French Yogurt Cake

I'm jumping in sooner than normal with a recipe.  I'm still cooking up a storm and I find it super comforting right now.  I'm also working on gardening here at the lake and getting some herbs and veggies going, albeit somewhat later than usual.  I've been here since mid-May and and I'm chipping away everyday at the indoors and out.  But--I keep telling myself, it always gets done.  And I carve out time to sit outside, read some of my current book, and just enjoy the beauty of the lake.

So this is a recipe I found on the blog, Rosie The Londoner.  I found it unique because it not only calls for yogurt, but all of the ingredients are measured in a yogurt container.  But beware, the ounces of said yogurt container was not included in the recipe, and I found our American size was a bit smaller,  so reduce the ingredients a bit in our American yogurt cups. But it was a wonderful cake and we all loved it.  Doesn't it look good?  I used blueberries but you can always do the berry of your choice.  I was so proud as I'm not much of a baker and my pics never really look this delicious! The cake was very dense and moist, and not very sweet...the powdered sugar made it a bit more so but I would have loved it without.  This is the link.

In the city house, I recently bought a new set of stainless steel pots and pans by Calphalon. My cookware was all mismatched and pretty beat up.  Some of the cheaper pots caused my food to stick and burn so I knew I needed to make the investment.  As much as I cook, I wonder why I waited.  I do have a few heavy duty ceramic pieces of Le Creuset and I treasure them.  When I arrived at the lakehouse a few weeks ago, I took a good look at what I have here and it was dismal.  I didn't want a whole lot, just essentials that I use most of the time.  

Above is the dutch oven from Target in the Chrissy Teigan brand.  I have one of her pieces and love it.  This dutch oven is ceramic and goes from stove to oven.  I love the color and pretty copper handle.  

I have two Calphalon skillets that can go from stove to oven, but I wanted non-stick skillets as well.  These are also from Chrissy Tiegan's line. They are so easy to clean up.  Just a note: always let your cookware cool before you add any water to soak or wash.  I also pay attention to the handle and the screws as they can get a buildup which is hard to remove.  These areas are often overlooked.  

I have been longing for a piece from Staub.  It's very high end and I really couldn't find a a need---until I came to the lakehouse. I actually only have one casserole dish and I used foil to cover food in the oven.  Then one of the handles chipped and it was dangerous to use.  I was beyond happy to find this piece at Target.  Who would have thought?  I had spent so much time pricing everything from this brand at Williams-Sonoma and Sur-la-table, and it was always way above my budget.  It's a thing of beauty and it still sits on my counter: I hate to put it away!  Does anybody out there get excited about cookware?  Would you like to share what you have and would recommend?

And finally, we pretty much knew we needed more for than just the kitchen refrigerator, especially when we have company who usually brings a lot of food which we later have to refrigerate the leftovers, and because I love fresh food and veggies that take up so much room.  I found this refrigerator/freezer at Home Depot.  It's from the Unique line and a retro style which  comes in several classic colors, mine is a light minty green.  It's smaller than your conventional fridge and takes up very little space. It fits just perfectly in our laundry/mud room.  Some of my neighbors and friends who stop by go gaga over it!

So...this is it for now.  If you read this before I go back over it tomorrow, forgive any typos.  I'm too tired to edit!  But I will.

Take care all,

Jane ❤️