LOL Annie, I'm surprised they even turned out that well for me. I don't crochet all the time, but I thought it would've been fun to make some decorations for the movie day. It's funny since there are hanging stars at Carrie's prom, too. I was thinking of crocheting a garland with magnolia flowers on it (yes, there are patterns for that, too lol), but I think that would be going overboard. I've never had ranch oyster crackers, but they do sound very good. Steel Magnolias is one of my all time favorite movies. I think even the guys who will be in attendance will laugh and cry (don't wanna spoil it for you who haven't seen it). I love Ouiser, too. "I'm not crazy, M'Lynn. I've just been in a bad mood for 40 years!" LOL. Mrs. Doubtfire is always a good source if you're in need of a laugh (who could forget when poor ol' Robin was cooking dinner). The Brave Little Toaster is a fond memory of my childhood. Oddly enough, I'm listening to a song from it right now lol ("Worthless", the one sung in the junkyard). Just a little less than a month until the big day! Brad AKA Moonwolf

Last year I served fantastic shrimp and grits, Scotch eggs, ham and cheese biscuits and orange slices. This year I'm gonna try this, it's a new recipe: Easy EGGS BENEDICT CASSEROLE 6 English muffins 10-12 ounces Canadian bacon (2 packages, or use diced ham) 8 large eggs 2 cups reduced-fat milk (or whole milk) 1 teaspoon onion powder cooking spray 1/2 teaspoon paprika easy hollandaise sauce- (I just use package) How to make it -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cut muffins into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Cut Canadian bacon into 1/2-inch squares. Set aside. Whisk the eggs well in a 2-quart bowl. Whisk in milk and onion powder. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking oil spray. Scatter half the Canadian bacon evenly in bottom of dish. Scatter muffin cubes on top of Canadian bacon. Top with the remaining Canadian bacon, scattering it evenly over the bread. Pour egg mixture over the casserole. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, to let bread absorb egg mixture. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove casserole from refrigerator and uncover it. Lightly sprinkle the paprika evenly over the top. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove dish from the oven, remove foil, return dish to the oven and continue to bake, uncovered, until the eggs are set and the bacon on top begins to crisp, about 20 minutes more. Remove the casserole from oven and let it stand 5 minutes before serving. To serve, cut casserole into squares and place them on plates. Spoon about 2 tablespoons (or to taste) warm Hollandaise Sauce over each serving just before serving. Makes 10 servings Serve with pineapple casserole

It's grilling weather here (74° and sunny), but I've chosen to cook inside because I plan to make the Normandy chicken recipe that Islay posted because Kevin bought the dry English cider, and I bought chicken thighs yesterday. We'll also have broccoli and rice with a mushroom sauce for both. I was going to make a beet salad as well, but I don't think we'll need it. I used to crochet when I was very young - Aunt Marie (who was Alsatian like my grandmother) taught me how to do it to make doilies when I was four or five. I also used to play croquet at that age, up until I was about ten. I haven't played badminton since I was about 13, but my sister and I used to play that quite frequently. I only played horseshoes at summer camp, although we did have horses, along with horseshoes, at home. I've never played bocce, however, although I've seen people playing it in Golden Gate Park. We had spicy grits with sausage and cheese for brunch today. I add peppers, celery, herbs, chicken broth, and frozen corn to the grits as well while they are cooking. We've never had a Memorial Day tradition, but one year I drove up to San Francisco, and it rained heavily the first day I was there. I also forgot to pack pants on that trip, and so in addition to having to buy an umbrella, I had to buy pants.

The brunch was fab. Lots of good leftovers. I couldn't corral anyone into grilling the turkey sausages so I skipped them. No biggie, we can have them any time later. I'm also glad I did three bean salad instead of the white bean tuna salad. That allowed the smoked salmon to be the star, and good on that because I bought the really expensive stuff since it was the lowest in salt. When I realized no turkey sausages I threw some feta on the three beans salad for a little extra protein. It was very colorful, served in a cut glass dish, with home grown cherry tomatoes and green pepper, plus some celery and scallions and some fresh parsley. I lost my phone and my camera is stashed away so no photos. The roasted sweet potatoes, red onions and squash was a great side for bagels and lox and matzah brei. I got distracted at the end and overcooked the matzahbrei but it was OK, lots of other good things. The melon was particularly delish . . . I forgot to add that I served sparkling cider as a beverage. No one wanted coffee with dessert, so I have it ready to go in the coffee maker for tomorrow morning. I tried some new yogurt for on top of the apple crisp, it was Chobani cinnamon vanilla lower sugar greek yogurt. It was on sale so I got a few other flavors to try. It was very good! Great for mixing with fall fruits!