"Makes You Smile"- Day 28

I'm definitely the kind of girl who laughs at a funeral...can't understand?  Well you soon will...I don't mean to laugh at the wrong times.  Or at the inappropriate.  & I wish so often I could say what I am thinking out loud...like these...

And, I love the crocs...they have always cracked me up and my son was too young to be looking at the book I had but he got the humor, which was so funny, so we used to read one or two together before bedtime and just laugh at the crocs and their antics.

Birthday Month!

Birthday month!  Four of us (including myself, my daughter and stepdaughter) are celebrating with a family party today...grilled roast beast, pulled BBQ chicken (a crock pot fave that is super simple!), roasted veggies, fresh fruit, and hot dogs (and of course mac and cheese for veggie boy)...and for dessert, (teenager approved)  Chocolate Cupcakes with Mocha Buttercream Frosting (1T. instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 c. hot water, 1/2 c. softened butter, 3/4 t. vanilla, 2 T. cocoa and about 4 c. powdered sugar...add more or less to taste/consisteny...and just Devil's Food Cupcakes)... and a Pig Pickin Cake! 

Pig pickin cake is a delightful dump of mandarin oranges, yellow cake mix, Cool Whip, crushed pineapple and vanilla pudding mix.  Gonna be a question of what to eat first!  (last time I served this cake at a family party it was the first time not one crumb was left of a cake. so maybe I should start there?)

Another Serendipitous Saturday...

We were headed to Kent Island for the night, and had planned to spend time at one of the more well known places for a night of food and fun...but not long before we left it occurred to me that we would be arriving at prime time and there could be waits to eat dinner, and I am not one that likes to wait...fast forward to Trip Advisor, and I found Bridges Restaurant, which takes reservations online.  What a fortunate discovery!  Three hour meal that was more romantic than what I thought it would be; the only negative was they were sold out of pizzas (?!?!?!?)...apparently with prom they had an overwhelming influx of high school students earlier in the evening. I guess that just gives me a reason to go back! The Flat Iron Steak was divine, the Cream of Crab Soup yummy, and the tapenade they serve with their bread was unique in a good way!  I also like that they have the wine lists but also have an "Under $30" wine list.  We were able to sit outside on the upper deck and it was perfect, it did seem as if it could get loud inside.  I hope next time you are headed to "that place everyone goes" that you think twice and check out what is next door...you might be serendipitously suprised!



Orange you glad it is a rainy Sunday?

Hokey joke (in our family we call those John and Linda jokes...)...but seriously, was one of those days where I had the luxury of taking a shower and putting on clean pajamas, and that doesn't happen too often!  Watched "Sarah's Key" (good movie!), getting ready to drink some wine and steam some shrimp with some Old Bay and homemade cocktail sauce, roast some veggies, and hang out with my love.  But then there is dessert, thus the reference to "orange..."- a heavenly and light orange pound cake- you can see the flecks of orange zest in the cake, and the ricotta makes it super moist.  Just one of those things that makes me smile!  Try it yourself!
Giada's Orange Ricotta Pound Cake Recipe from Food Network