Sissyz, that looks like a great reward for snowblowing. Nancy, I haven't had a ham loaf for a while either. I usually get them already made up at the farmers' market and now am wanting one. Annie, I'd take that duck breast for dinner any time. Ann, here's the quickie cake recipe. This time, I made it without extra blueberries and added the grated zest of a small tangerine and substituted its juice for part of the liquid in the recipe. BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup sugar (can use part brown & part white or all white) 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick, sliced into 8 pieces) 1 package (18.25 oz.) Betty Crocker blueberry muffin mix with can of blueberries included 1 1/2 cups fresh or defrosted frozen blueberries 1 Tbs. juice from canned berries 2 tsp. lemon juice Mix first five ingredients thoroughly with your fingers to make crumbs and set aside. Drain can of blueberries, saving 1 Tbs. of juice. Make mix according to package directions, adding canned berries as directed. Spread in greased 8 inch square or round pan. Cover with the fresh blueberries and sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. of berry juice. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cover with crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool on a rack, if possible. Notes: You can make this without the fresh blueberries. Just make the mix as directed and add the crumbs without the blueberry or lemon juices. You can also add well-drained cut-up canned peaches to the top instead of the blueberries. It's peak tax return season so I'm working longer hours, although we've had some good meals this week - pulled pork BBQ, pasta with sausage sauce, shrimp and asparagus salad but no pix since my neighbor is using my camera for ebay photos.

Dixie I really must try your fire and ice salad.....it looks so good. I've copied and pasted it. Ann those prawns and avocado are one of my favourite combos as well. Just wish our lime tree would hurry up and produce. All citrus crops in the Canaries were devastated by the April hot winds. Just hope I get some fruit this fall. Nice burritos AM and your blog is great! Marigene....all you've made looks delish. I envy you being able to make some of Annie's salsa. We don't get any canning equipment over here. Perhaps I'll try and make some for my daughter when I get to Canada next month. Light and easy food these past days. Weather has been hot and humid and I've been clearing out closets in the guest bedrooms and caught a bit of a stomach bug. So I made a vegetable frittata one day to use up leftover veggies, together with a salad. And yesterday we went out to the newly tried restaurant of the other day where I had the gorgonzola tortellini. This time that was Wolfram's choice while I took ravioli in tomato sauce. Weather was lovely yesterday with a little breeze. View across the side street from the restaurant was of a pretty little Spanish cottage and a beautiful Canary palm. SharonCb

Beanthere, here is the recipe that Monique posted over on Gardenbuddies. Monique's picture accompanying the recipe is definitely magazine cover worthy. On-the-go lemon loaf with pistachios Flecks of green pistachios make this luscious lemon loaf even more appealing. The sweet-tart lemon glaze helps keep the bread incredibly moist. 220 calories Preparation time 15 minutes Baking Time 55 minutes Makes 16 slices 1-3/4 cups (425 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt 1 lemon 1 cup (250 mL) coarsely chopped shelled pistachios 1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1-1/4 cups (300 mL) granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla 2/3 cup (150 mL) milk 1.Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly oil or spray a 9x5-inch (2-L) loaf pan. In a medium-size bowl, using a fork, stir flour with baking powder and salt. Grate peel from lemon, then stir in. Coarsely chop nuts. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 cup (250 mL) sugar until well mixed, 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, vanilla and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until batter is moist. Stir in nuts. Do not overmix. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top. 2.Bake in centre of preheated 350F (180C) oven until deep golden brown and a cake tester or skewer inserted into centre of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze 3 tbsp (45 mL) juice from lemon into a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup (50 mL) sugar. It won't completely dissolve. When loaf is baked, remove pan to a rack. Using a cake tester or skewer, immediately poke several holes in top of loaf. Brush or drizzle half of lemon glaze over hot loaf. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then run a knife around inside of pan to loosen loaf. Carefully turn out loaf, then turn top side up on a rack. Evenly brush or drizzle remaining lemon glaze overtop. Great warm or at room temperature. Or cool completely, then wrap in plastic, then foil. Bread will keep well at room temperature 1 day or refrigerate up to a week or freeze up to 2 months. Packed To Go Slice bread, then place on a plastic tray and wrap in plastic. Or store in a covered container. Courtesy of Chatelaine magazine . *****My notes.. I wrapped this bread quite tightly almost as soon as it was cooled..This morning it was as moist as can be..and lemony luscious.I added some lemon juice to the batter also as I love the taste of lemons. Monique Quebec Zone 5

Diane, definitely get the software installed, I love to see everyone's pictures! For the muffins I used a King Arthur recipe, which I took some liberties with. I added a grated carrot, some leftover chopped pineapple and a handful of dried cherries. They didn't rise high and were a little dense, but very good. Apple Muffins These dark, moist muffins, studded with fresh apple, will keep well for several days. You don't even need to heat them up to enjoy them, which makes them a perfect after-school snack. The brown sugar sprinkled on top adds a nice, crunchy touch. 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar, divided 1 large egg 1 cup buttermilk; or 1 cup plain (not Greek-style) yogurt; or 3/4 cup Greek-style yogurt + 1/4 cup milk 1 cup (4 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples; about 2 large apples, about 3/4 pound whole apples 1) Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin pan, or line with papers and grease the insides of the papers. 2) Mix together the butter, granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, beating until fluffy. 3) Add the egg and mix well, stopping once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. 4) Gently mix in the buttermilk or yogurt. 5) Stir in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. 6) Fold in the chopped apples. 7) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar on top. 8) Bake the muffins for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 9) Remove the muffins from the oven, cool them for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn them out onto a rack to finish cooling completely. Yield: 12 muffins. In the meantime, my day started with a sore throat. We went to the farm where we found the water faucet had frozen so we hauled 150 gallons of water in a barrel to fill the stock tank. The tractor wouldn't start because of the cold so we towed a 1,000 round bale with the pick up. On the way home we broke a belt and limped the truck to Dave's for repair. (sigh) It was not a good day, and Elery made chicken soup when we got home. OK, that Asian fish wrap picture just isn't right, it looks fine on Photobucket, but won't copy over so I'm deleting it. Onward and upward! One night we had chicken quesadillas with refried beans and a side of wheat berries in a vinegar based dressing: Another night we had brisket, using Carol/Dishesdone's recipe. I didn't use catsup and chile sauce, though, I used a pint of Chase's chile sauce and in place of the beer I used some apple cider. It was really good and we had mashed turnips, peas and some multigrain bread with it. The multi-grain bread thread made me think about baking a loaf: And Johnliu's Fried Chicken thread made me haul out the cast iron skillet and make some fried chicken, along with some homecanned kale, warm cornbread and chipotle mashed sweet potatoes. Who knows what tomorrow might bring, in the kitchen or otherwise! Annie