Puff pastryis the ingredient that makes the simple and/or ordinary dishes, such as ham and cheese sandwiches, a little more special. It’s a light, buttery, and flaky dough used in making croissants, palmiers, turnovers, beef Wellington, and tarts. It is also known as Pâté feuilletée, in France. Puff pastry is readily available in the frozen section at the grocery store and specialty stores. The three main brands I’ve used are Dufour, Trader Joe’s, and Pepperidge Farm. I like to keep puff pastry on hand in the freezer for whenever it is needed.
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It was a busy Sunday morning at my house preparing for brunch with friends after church. I decided to assemble the puff pastry sandwiches first thing in the morning, and have them ready in the refrigerator to be baked later in the afternoon. All that was needed when I got back home was to give them a quick brush of egg wash over the top and placed into the oven to bake.
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Mixed greens and strawberries drizzled with tangy-sweet homemade balsamic vinaigrette make for an ideal fresh and light summer salad. This is a nice side dish to accompany almost any entree {chicken, beef, pork, and salmon}.
Recently, I came upon Chip and Joanna Gaines’ website, Magnolia Homes and discovered their show on HGTV, Fixer Upper. They are a beautiful, loving couple with four kids from Waco, Texas. Chip’s experiences in construction and real estate combined with Joanna’s interior design talent, established a successful company, Magnolia Homes. In their HGTV shows, they find a home, redesign, renovate and decorate it to suite their client’s needs and wants. The transformation of some of these homes featured on their shows were incredible and provide many great ideas and inspiration.
In 2012 the Gaines purchased an old farmhouse, believed to be over a hundred years old and fixed it up to make it their family home. The farmhouse combines rustic, modern with a lot of white and soft neutral colors. In one of Joanna’s posts on Instagram she said, “My three favs: wood, white, and antiques.” These touches are evident throughout the farmhouse.
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The front Entry is warm and welcoming.
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Neutral living room with shades of cream and soft touches of gray.
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Open and airy white kitchen.
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Simple storage with open shelves.
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The bunk room for the boys.
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Joanna’s garden.
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Chip and Joanna Gaines
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more about Chip and Joanna Gains {click here}
HGTV, Fixer Upper {click here}
the farmhouse {click here}
The sights and sounds of fireworks on the 4th of July never get old ….. from the anticipation of it to start, to the loud “boom” sounds, then the amazing display of lights in the sky. The picture above is a little sample of what we saw last year and looking forward to another great firework display on the 4th of July!
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A beautiful sight of the US flag flying high in the sky with the rainbow in the background. The day I took this picture, the weather was interesting with a mixture of wind, rain, and partial sunshine. I was sitting in the bleachers watching my son play flag football down on the field. There was a slight opening in sky for the sun to come out and within a few minutes a rainbow appeared near the flag pole. Glad I was able to capture that moment and share it with you.
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Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”
{video not playing, click Here}
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men.” -United States Declaration of Independence, July 4th 1776
Information about the signers of the Declaration of Independence , click Here
Lemonade is the official summer drink at our house!
Summer afternoon breaks ….. oftentimes I would find my kids and their friends gathering in the kitchen eating and making all kinds of drink concoctions or maybe more like a science experiment. When it was over and done with, the unanimous drink of choice was always lemonade. After their thirst was quenched, they went back outside to play. I was often left with wet & sticky counter tops and trails of sugar on the floor. Over the years, they’ve learned to clean up their mess and have become experts at making lemonade. It’s a wonderful sight to see all the kids mingling together, talking and having fun in the kitchen, making lemonade and making memories.
To simplify the process of making lemonade, I introduced the kids to,”simple syrup” as a way to sweeten drinks instead of just adding granulated sugar. Sometimes I would have sparkling/seltzer water available to add a little bit of fizz to their drinks. A large supply of lemons was always on hand. I have to set a limit on the amount of lemonade they can consume or else they will make it to the last lemon.
Sparkling Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup simple syrup {recipe, here }
1/2 cup seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in a 12 oz glass, stir, and serve.
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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade is a twist on the classic lemonade with strawberry flavor infused into the simple syrup. .
Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
{1 serving, 12 oz glass}
3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice {1 large/2 small lemons}
1/4 – 1/3 cup strawberry-simple syrup, {recipe, here}
seltzer/sparkling water
ice
Combine all the ingredients in an 12 oz glass, stir, and serve. .
