Le Temps des Cerises

by sssmahh303, posted in Lifestyle

Mary Ann

I was travelling in Provence in early August with a group of friends.  We were driving down a country road when we came upon a field of lavender that was surrounded with hedgerows of cherry trees.  You know the kind with big, black, sweet Bing cherries.  They are delicious and as you devour them, they stain your fingers and lips a dark red.  We stopped the car to take pictures of lavender, but I ended up taking pictures of the cherries and tasting one or two.  Scrumptious! It was Le Temps des Cerises – the time of cherries!

I did not know that phrase, but I came across it later in a book.  The time of cherries is a happy time.  Life is good.  It was defined as the time in summer that is carefree and full of love.  Since I was last in France, the phrase has morphed into a clothing line, restaurants, and wine labels.  The phrase reminded me of our American catch phrase,” Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries” capturing that life is going well. (Did you know that phrase came from a 1930 song?) 

One Christmas, I took the pictures of cherries that I took in Provence and framed them as gifts.  I made a border in fancy script of Le Temps des Cerises, The Time of Cherries, Life is a Bowl of Cherries, and Life is Good that surrounded the picture. I put the photo on a small easel, and I then found glass cherries that I placed near the easel.  A little bit of France with wishes for happiness.  

When I visited Cynthia once, we went to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art to see their glass exhibits.  Dale Chihuly, the Master of Art Glass, has permanent exhibits there.  As a parting gift, Cynthia gave me a glass cherry that I place by my cherry photo.  It is so Cynthia, and the cherry represents the happy time I had with her.  It is always a reminder of her when I look at the cherry photo. 

Since we are talking about cherries, let me share with you one of my favorite desserts, and it is French. Clafoutis is a fruit custard dessert that is like a flan with fruits. It is usually made with Bing cherries. Though, I have made it with peaches and pears and is equally as good.  Just use the fruit that is in season. 

Here is the recipe from the Linousin/Augergne (south central) region of France.  I am not sure where I got this recipe so if I have stolen this from Julia Childs, please forgive me.  I have seen several Clafoutis recipes online, so I am not sure any recipe is scared anymore.  

CLAFOUTIS

1 ½ lbs. ripe black (Bing) cherries, not pitted (warn guests about the pits)

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

½ cup (4 oz.) sugar

2 ½ oz. butter, melted

2/3 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of milk 

Vanilla sugar (vanilla bean in regular sugar) or 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; wash, dry, stem the cherries 

Butter an oven proof dish large enough to hold the cherries in a single layer.  Place cherries in dish.  Combine the eggs and the yolk in a bowl, add sugar, and whisk until the mixture is pale in color.  Whisk in the butter.  Sift in the flour and mix well, then add in the milk.  Pour the mixture over the cherries. 

Bake for 40 minutes @ 400 degrees or you could bake @ 350 degrees for 50 minutes until golden brown and a knife comes out clean. 

Your house will smell delicious as the Clafoutis bakes.  It is really an easy recipe and so French.  You will have your very own Les Temps des Cerises, a happy time with friends and family as you enjoy the Clafoutis together.  Bonne Appetite!  Joie De Vivre!

The Bible Recap

by Cynthia, posted in Reviews

My grandson is studying interpersonal communication as a precursor to a career in ministry. Since high school he has led a youth group each week and facilitates Sunday morning gatherings for youth. He has been vested in this calling for quite some time and his enthusiasm is unwavering. Prior to getting married this past February, he lived with me, as my home is less than a ten-minute drive to the parking lot at his college. So that I may get my facts straight when we discuss religion, I decided it was time to reread the Bible*. Frankly, it has been a very long time since I sat down and went through the entire Bible and I don’t think I’ve ever completed the reading within a year.

I visited Mardel, the Christian Bookstore that is owned by the Greenes who also own Hobby Lobby. I was in search of Christian leadership books for my grandson. During my visit I decided to look at Bibles, too. Admittedly, I was overwhelmed by the selections and, frankly, surprised by the price tags. In addition to Bibles and related books I searched for Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year plans. Back at home, I continued my search online.

For Christmas, my grandson gave me an Amazon gift card to apply to the purchase of a new television in the family room. The one I had was having trouble with all the streaming. I was not ready to expend the money for a new television, but I wanted a new Bible for accomplishing this year’s quest. I asked him if he would mind that I use the gift card to purchase a new Bible. I have several but the most-read ones also have highlights and notes from days gone by. This goal would be approached in a different manner. Needless to say, he was thrilled!

I purchased an artfully covered Bible and matching tabs which I painstakingly applied. Then I settled on the plan that I would begin on January 1. The plan is called “The Bible Recap” (TBR) and is published by founder Tara-Leigh Cobble. The approach is reading the Bible in a year in biblical chronological order. It is a delightful way to accomplish my goal.

Each day I open the app on my smart phone. The day-of-the-year and the date are highlighted in a box. The reading for the day is listed by book and chapters to be read for the day. Ahead of the list is a “devotional.” Multiple methods exist towards the same outcome. The passage may be read in a hard copy Bible or the selection can be read on the phone. Yet I discovered after a few days that I can listen and follow along. The gentleman’s voice is soothing and his pronunciation of difficult names is delightful. I don’t have to struggle through those unfamiliar sounds.

Upon completion of each day’s readings, I go back to the devotional where Tara-Leigh Cobble recaps the day’s readings. Her seven-minute review highlights important passages as she talks about the culture of the times in which the scrolls were recorded. On Wednesday’s she does a “check in” with additional information. During this review I take notes and sometimes highlight passages with my fancy new Bible markers, which are designed not to bleed through the thin pages.

Each time a new book of the Bible is begun, a video from The Bible Project does an overview of the book. These videos are fun as the author/narrator draws while explaining. I have found these invaluable in understanding the totality of the book, so much so that I am recording the day that a book is introduced so I can refer to the videos again if necessary. (See https://bibleproject.com/ )

Honestly, when I set this lofty goal, I feared I would fizzle out. But The Bible Recap is an excellent guidepost and makes reading even the challenging stories more palpable. To date I can boast I am on target!

Whether or not you are religious or Christian, if you want to explore the Bible in its totality, I highly recommend The Bible Recap. https://www.thebiblerecap.com/

*The author has read other religious and spiritual texts over the years. It is the author’s philosophy that to understand humanity it is helpful to have a broad knowledge of various teachings.

Brain Games 

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

When you suddenly can’t remember a name or recall a word that is on the tip of your tongue, you begin to panic that you are getting early onset Alzheimers.  At our age, it probably would not be early onset.  It is just old age. 

It is frightening to think that you might be losing your mental faculties.  It is hard enough to deal with the aches and pains of aging and then be fearful that you will fall for a scam giving all your money away or be in a permanent brain fog.  So, what can you do about it?  

The experts would tell you to learn new things, get enough sleep, eat well, exercise, have social connections, and challenge your brain in novel ways.  Even in old age, the brain can adapt, learn, and build new connections between nerve cells.  This is called neuroplasticity. 

People with mild cognitive impairment can do many things to improve their mental skills.  They can “exercise” their brains with activities that require thinking, remembering, focusing, learning, and problem solving.  The secret is to challenge yourself.  There are lots of computerized cognitive games that you can do on your computer, iPad, or phone.  You can learn a new language or a musical instrument. Take up any new artistic endeavor.  Write a journal and read everything.  Take classes.  I Zoom classes all the time – a previous blog detailed this. The activity should be novel, test you, and be enjoyable so you will continue with it. 

Crossword puzzles are always mentioned.  However, I cannot spell so that makes it doubly hard for me.  I can look at a word and know it is misspelled, but if I must generate the word, it will take me several tries if I ever get it.  I have taken to doing Word Searches or Find-A-Word puzzles which I find relaxing.  After years of teaching, I can read words upside down and backwards which is necessary to do the searches. This comes from looking at students’ papers from the other side of the desk.  That learned skill has finally come in handy.  Who knew?  

I also like to do Hidden Picture Puzzles.  I guess I always loved the Highlight magazine’s Hidden Pictures that we found in the dentist office. The company Brain Games has a wonderful selection of all kinds of brain games.  The Scavenger Hunt books from them are challenging but lots of fun.  The Find the Cat books are hard.  Kitties are tricky.  

If you like numbers, there is sudoku.  I have a variation of the puzzle that is a wooden board with colored balls.  It looks easy, but it is very thought-provoking.  There is a game for every interest and attention span.  You just need to find something of interest to you.  You can sign up for expensive online courses or go to Dollar Trees and stock up on Word Searches. And of course, Amazon has endless brain games.

I start everyday with prayers, meditations, readings, and brain games.  I am hoping that it is all helping my brain.  At least, I am trying, and it is all enjoyable.  It is nice to kill two birds with one stone – exercising the brain and having fun doing it!  Join me in making a difference in your brain and in your life.   

Goalie – Check

by Cynthia, posted in Taking Care of Business

Okay. By the title I selected I bet you were thinking this post would be about the FIFA World Cup. If you were following the sport, I apologize for the teaser. We have arrived at the 204th day of 2026 with only 161 days to go – so we are a little past half-way through the year.  For me, that means it is time to check in with my goals and task list that were created in January.

I want to see how true I have been to completing those items that were important to me six months ago. And if they are no longer relevant, it is time to adjust. Hence, an update!

Elderly woman reading handwritten notes in a notebook at home

Overall, I have the physical aspect of my goals down to a science. My emphasis on the Mediterranean and Portfolio dietary guidelines have served me well. I feel healthy and satisfied when I stay close to those suggestions. I drink a lot of water and exercise daily. I find that, as a writer, I tend to sit too long at a time. So, I wear a smart watch that encourages me to move every hour if I haven’t done so. When I get those reminders, I jump into an exercise snack (which Mary Ann wrote about earlier this year).

My friendship circle is expanding. Yes, it takes a lot of effort yet interestingly this year the friends are reaching out to me at the same rate that I reach out to them. This seems like a first as I have always felt that I must be the one to initiate visits. Maybe it is the people with whom I am now interacting opposed to sometimes-friends of the past. My heart is warmed with the people whom I see regularly and share a few moments.

I am on target with a part of my spiritual goal. Using the Bible Recap app, I have finished 23 books of the Bible, reading in chronological order, with the goal of completing the entire Bible in one year. The Bible is not included in my goal of reading 24 books this year. So far, I have read eleven books and am currently reading four others. I know that sounds crazy but two of the books require writing, one is a weekly reflection, and the fourth is an art-related novel about which I will post a review upon completion. All that to say, I feel I am on target to complete the reading objective.

In the “occupational” or “professional” category I had but one goal – to update my estate plan.  The legal part of that is complete but the personal part is taking a lot more time. Still, I am moving forward. I think one’s “estate plan” for lack of a better moniker is really never complete. Life offers many and constant changes.

Elderly woman reading documents at a table with a dog lying on the floor

One of my creativity goals will span years, but I have made some progress. I am attempting to select the best or most relevant pictures from various time periods and events and create Shutterfly books. Those take time and are not inexpensive. Thus, I am pacing myself.  Still, I have completed a few this year.

Admittedly, the one goal for which I seem to fail is writing. I write all the time, but I want to finish at least one book! I have several chapters started for four books! I think about them frequently yet don’t sit down and work on them. I have a tendency to think I need to get the little tasks out of the way first. Doesn’t sound like this is an important goal, does it? I will reflect on that.

All in all, I feel I am accomplishing what I set out to do this year.  Did you set goals or New Year’s resolutions?  If so, how are yours coming along? Hallmark is showing Christmas movies in July as this is half-way through their year, too. Now is the perfect time to check in on things you want to complete before the year’s end.  Good luck with your goals!

The Correspondent 

by sssmahh303, posted in Reviews

Mary Ann

Dear SSS Reader,

I am writing to share a unique book with you, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.  In the last few years, there have been several books written in the letter format, so I decided I would write the review in the same manner.  Let’s see how this goes.

The Correspondent is the story of Sybil Van Antwerp.  Sybil is a woman of letters, that is, letter writing. The story progresses through her letters and emails that she writes each day.  Sybil is in her 70s, and this is another trend in some recent literature with Theo of Golden and Remarkably, Bright Creatures with Tova’s story.  All older people who share their wisdom thorough the stories.

Sybil writes her brother, her best friend, her children, her neighbor, and famous authors such as Joan Didion who do answer her. There is a continuing battle with her garden club. You can identify with Sybil and her fellow characters as they live life just like you.  She has a charming exchange with Harry, a young man who needs a friend in his corner.  We watch Harry grow up in Sybil’s letters. 

There are some romances in Sybil’s golden years, and secrets from her past that unfold with the evolution of the story.  Sybil was adopted, and her DNA opens new avenues to investigate. The Correspondent is full of surprises and is a good lesson for us all to learn.  There are surprises waiting for all of us that are just around the corner. 

As you join Sybil by reading her story through her letters, you will find a book of memorable characters and witness a life well-lived.  The Correspondent has been a selection for many book clubs and questions are provided at the end of the book.  Cynthia read it as a selection for her club.  

The Correspondent is being made into a major motion picture. Won’t that be fun!  Maybe Helen Mirren will play Sybil?  It is fun to imagine who will have the lead role.  As I read books, I often cast the movie in my head, and for the most part I never get it right.  I guess I do not have a future career as a casting director.   Do you do this as well?

I have enjoyed sharing this review with you through a letter.  I hope you have enjoyed it too.  The Correspondent is a quick read, and maybe it will encourage you to write an old friend or your grandchildren.  It is nice to get a letter in the mail.  

Fond Regards,

Mary Ann

Why Book Clubs?

by Cynthia, posted in Lifestyle

Book clubs seem to be at every turn. Celebrities and large organizations are getting into the act of hosting book clubs. Many of the popular publications produce lists of must-reads.  Is it any wonder people are gravitating towards book clubs?

In my professional days I had little time to read random genres or books simply for pleasure. As a university executive, I read books on leadership, universities, government, and technical and legal publications. The reading was interesting but rarely light and fun. So, once I retired, I was free to start reading for enjoyment. The question was, “where do I start?” Honestly, I didn’t know what kind of books I would like to read at this juncture.

Hence, I started a book club! Of course I had ulterior motives, too. I needed some intellectual stimulation and a chance to foster friendships. A book club seemed to fit the bill. There are articles, blogs, and websites galore about managing or participating in book clubs. Many are what I would call theme based. Mary Ann for instance has a nature-oriented book club. (She has written about her club previously.) I invited friends whom I believed would enjoy the camaraderie and whom I thought would actually read and discuss the selection.

Group of six people discussing books around a wooden table in a café.

Setting expectations was my first mistake. At first, everyone came and most read the book of the month – or at least some of it. Over time, however, people became less reliable.  In fact, one of the first to drop out, after having little commitment in the first place, started her own book club a couple of years later. That fizzled out too. But that is a different story.

I joined another book club. It is small but members are committed to the process and to each other. It’s wonderful to see the value in coming together for a common purpose. The thing I enjoy most is the variety of genres we read. This particular book club is not theme-based. We have read fiction and non-fiction; Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winning books and beach reads; best sellers and barely known; and well-known and debut authors. Some books are short, some are easy, some are thick, and some are more challenging.

Reading a variety of titles and authors is expanding my thinking and knowledge. How fun it is to seek out the “next read.” The Literary Lattes work well together. The club is self-managing – no one person is in charge – we all share the load, so to speak. What a great group of women and man (yes, only one man in our group!) Since we determine what we will read at least six months in advance, I can have the book on hand.

The Literary Lattes meet at a Barnes and Noble café one morning a month to catch up. Then we discuss the selection of the month. There is no pressure to host (meaning we don’t have to worry about cleaning the house, putting out hors d’oeuvres, or sending someone out after having had too much wine!) Our selections come from some of the recommended reading lists, or from recommendations of friends and family.

I enjoy most of the books but occasionally I don’t care for one of the reads. Still, I am usually glad I read the book. A lesson is to be learned in every experience and books are no exception. I am grateful for the opportunity to read and to discuss with others.  It’s a Reading Rainbow!

Moonflowers

by sssmahh303, posted in Friends and Family

Mary Ann

When I bought my house in South Carolina from my fairy godmother, Mimi (I wrote a blog about her), left me some treasures in the empty house when I took ownership.  On the kitchen counter was a bottle of my favorite wine that we used to share together and a picture book, The Moonflower by Peter and Jean Loewer.  Mimi’s inscription on the inside of the book wished me happiness in my new house and that she planted some moonflowers for me to enjoy as the summer progressed. 

Moonflowers are climbing vines in the morning glory family.  They have white trumpet-shaped flowers and heart-shaped leaves.  They bloom at night and are pollinated by moths rather than butterflies.  This nocturnal flower only blooms for one night and in the morning wilts.  They are often part of a moon garden. 

That first summer I would watch the tight white buds bloom and if you listen carefully, you can hear a pop as it unfurls.  The moonflower has a lovely scent that is pleasant to enjoy on a summer’s evening.  For the remainder of my time in South Carolina, I planted moonflowers each year.  I didn’t have a yard when I moved to Jersey City, so no moonflowers until I retired and began the tradition again for my patio garden that I call Little Provence.  I just love watching all stages of moonflowers.

I grow the moonflowers from seed that I get from Renee’s Garden, a gardening company that has high-quality organic seeds and plants.  In prepping moonflower seeds to plant, you need to take a toenail clipper and snip a corner of the seed which are hard as bullets.  Then I soak paper towels in water and place about 10 or 12 seeds on the towels and cover with another towel that I keep moist.   Within a few days the seeds swell and out comes seed leaves. I then plant the seeds in little paper pots to await additional leaves.  Along the way some seeds to not sprout or some do not get leaves.  I am hopeful by the end that I have 6-8 plants for the two big pot that will be their homes.  I have trellises in the pots.  I usually do all of this at the end of April and have the plants in the big pots after Mother’s Day when there is no frost.  I keep them well watered in an area with good sunlight.  

The warmer weather encourages more leaves and tendrils that begin shooting up the trellises. Soon the trellises are covered in vines and little buds begin to emerge.  The buds grow bigger until they are ready to pop into the moonflower blossoms.  They usually keep blooming until the fall frost. I deadhead the withered moonflowers each morning which I think spurs future growth.  

Most of the flowers I plant are from a nursery, so I am transplanting more mature plants.  However, there is something magical about growing plants from seeds.  I love to feel dirt between my fingers.  My moonflowers are my little ritual each year.  It is a flower that makes me happy, and I always think of Mimi and the gift she gave me by introducing me to this amazing flower.  

I hope that my experience with moonflowers will spur you on to try to grow some yourself. You will be so surprised to hear that little pop and how the moonflowers will make summer evenings more special.  Good Gardening, My Friend!

Keep Moving!

by Cynthia, posted in Wellness

As the temperatures soar, we may tend to slack off on our resolve to exercise. Yet there are so many ways to support our health in the comfort of our air-conditioned homes.  I was reminded of this yesterday, after I spent 45 minutes pulling weeds out of some flower beds that line the front walk to my house. The temperature was 80-something and rising when I stepped out with gloved hands and my trusty weed puller. The fifteen minutes turned into almost an hour as I worked my way up the sidewalk. At the same time, the sun felt more and more intense. I cooled down by sitting in the Urban Oasis (my deck) with a glass of iced tea and my current read.

Older woman kneeling in a colorful garden pulling plants from soil and smiling

Checking my steps, I found I had only 693 for the morning! What! After all that up and down, scooting along, and pulling, I felt I should have gotten more exercise credit than that! So after a shower and feeling somewhat refreshed, I pulled up a YouTube video and walked a mile. Well, at least an equivalent mile – 15-20 minutes of low impact aerobics with increased heart rate for about 10 minutes of that.

Next, I used my stretch bands to perform resistance exercises at three levels — 180 degrees, 90 degrees, and 45 degrees. Then on the floor to do lifts and squeezes with varying sizes of balls and clamshells with a resistance band. And always with a large glass of water close by.

When someone calls, I begin walking around the house, up and down the hallway, around the dining room table, through the kitchen to the family room and back down the hallway into each bedroom. I can get 2,000 steps in while talking to some people!

Senior woman walking on stone path beside house holding wooden railing with a key on a lanyard around her neck

Even when I sit down to watch a movie, I can do leg lifts and arm lifts. Or bring my trusty little hand weights to the chair and add even more resistance.

My point is, I have no excuse to avoid exercising when the sun beats down and the mercury rises. The exercises I do are age appropriate. My sister reminded me one day when I felt low on energy that maybe a little exercise would lift my spirits along with my heart rate. She was right! Not only did I feel better physically, I was proud of myself pushing through.

As we age, arthritis begins to creep in. The best defense is movement. It’s easy to become stagnant, thinking tomorrow I will feel more like exercising. My 95-year-old aunt walks every day. She also naps. Her health, overall, is pretty good. Mary Ann inspires me, too. She makes herself go to the gym a few days a week, even when she isn’t feeling it! Way to go, girl! Keep Moving!

Superpowers

by sssmahh303, posted in Wellness

Mary Ann

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman!  I am sure that you may have played Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman as a child or that your children or grandchildren did.  I used to pin on a towel on my son’s shoulders every day for about a year as he faced the world and defended our home. He was only four, but he was sure he had superpowers.  I am lucky he didn’t try to fly by jumping off the roof.  

We live in a world of Marvel or DC characters in movies, TV shows, and books, and do not forget fantasy worlds where witches and elves have magical powers – superpowers!  We love them all.  Then there is the Harry Potter universe.  I am sure you have gotten lost in those worlds over the years.  Let’s explore this a bit more.

A Superpower means that you have extraordinary or paranormal abilities. I found websites that list 100 or more superpowers. There is telekinesis where you can move objects with your mind.  There is invisibility where you are cannot been seen with the naked eye – remember Harry Potters’ invisibility cloak?  You can have super strength, or you can   manipulate time that includes time travel.  You can be a shapeshifter changing from one shape to another – a person to an animal. You have the power to fly, or you can teleport traveling from one place to another.  You can have healing superpowers that can regenerate body parts and fight an infection.  Power negation sounds pretty good because you cancel all other powers.  Check out Pinterest with its extensive display of Superpowers!

Have you ever wished that you had a Superpower?   I sure do.  It would be nice to disappear at awkward moments or move my groceries from the car to the kitchen or better yet put them away. However, what I really want to do is animal communication where I would understand and communicate with animals.  Move over, Dr. Doolittle!  I have always been an animal lover.  You must know that from my blogs.  I would have loved to know what my dogs and cats were thinking.  Today, I would love to talk to the catbird who has taken over the patio garden.  He (I am assuming he) brings food to its mate and soon to his hatchlings.  He flits around the garden with his tail bobbing up and down exposing his little red patch on his tush.  He checks me out to the point that he looks in my windows.  I think he would like to talk too asking me what I am doing in my nest!  

Then I would love to hear what the butterflies and hummingbirds have to say.  Maybe thank you for the plants that I have planted for them to have a tasty snack.  I am sure the bunnies and the foxes have some tales – no pun intended – to tell.  Now, we just look at each other, and I imagine what a conversation might be.  

if you could have a superpower, how would you use it?  Let us think about it as we visualize some possibilities. I do believe that those of us in the winter of our lives, maybe the fall for some, could use a few anti-aging superpowers.  How about a superpower for better vision or hearing?  How about a supercharged healing power where we could rid ourselves of pain or fix a bad hip joint.  We could use an anti-fall power – on the way down, we would right ourselves immediately.  How about anti-wrinkle or anti-gray hair powers?  We could use superpowers for sleeping better or talking to our grandchildren by just thinking about them. How about superpowers to do all our cooking or laundry and give you back lost skills like skipping or hopping. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to recall that word on the tip of your tongue or remember where you put your glasses. We need some superpowers for that.

 I am sure this list could go on and on.  We have not been blessed with any real superpowers, yet we have some power at our fingertips.  We can be a great friend.  We can be kind and helpful. We can always have a smile for someone.  We can deeply love our family.  We can give to charities and help hungry people. We can appreciate the small treasures in our world.  So, you see you really do have power to be super to others!  

Red, White, and Sue

by Cynthia, posted in Friends and Family

My aunt Kathy is one of the most beautiful, gracious women one will ever meet.  She consistently holds parties and dinners for birthdays and holidays and sometimes just because. Is it any wonder that each year when her birthday rolls around I want to do something for her to let her know just how special she really is.

Kathy is the youngest of six children, one of whom was my daddy. She is the last one of her childhood family and no one would ever guess she is 84 years old today. Growing up we all called her “Sue” but as we all matured, she indicated she would prefer to be known as Kathy rather than Sue.  I could relate. (The family called me Cindy – which I always hated. My name is Cynthia and I wanted to be addressed as such.) One of my daddy’s sayings was, “I’m full clear up to Sue’s house” when he ate too much. Obviously, we didn’t live in the same city as she.  Luckily, now I do!

For her birthday each year I try to avoid a patriotic theme. It just doesn’t seem fair to her to have to share her birthday with America every year. I liken it to someone who has a birthday around Christmas. The birthday girl needs to be celebrated for herself!  However, this year, she is sharing her birthday week with America’s 250th so it’s kind of a big deal. Thus, I decided the theme would be Celebrating Red, White, and Sue.

Planning was so much fun! I started a month early to ensure I could carry off the theme in food for the dinner. At first all I could find were desserts. Summer fruits are fairly easy – watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, cherries – you get the idea. But the other food was a bit of a challenge.

Appetizers included three dips – red pepper salsa, creamy garlic, and blue cheese — with white and blue corn tortilla chips; popcorn with dried cranberries and blueberries and blue and red M&M’s; and watermelon squares topped with feta and a blueberry. Sparkling fruited lemonade rounded out the starters.

For those who eat meat I made oven-fried chicken – white meat of course! Red, white, and blue roasted fingerling potatoes, and white corn with red bell pepper, to which I sneaked in some chopped jalapeño and cream. I made red, white, and blue deviled eggs, a cannellini bean salad, fruit and purple greens salad, coleslaw with dried blueberries, and a blue pasta salad. *

Since Kathy is a wonderful baker, I didn’t even try to create a cake. Whole Foods has the most delicious Chantilly cake with berries, and a local grocery store had a vanilla, strawberry, blueberry neapolitan ice cream.

Everyone wore red, white, and blue and the party was a huge success. We celebrated our precious aunt in style.

Mary Ann and I wish you a safe and joyous celebration of America’s semiquincentennial! Happy Independence Day!

*Most of the recipe inspiration came from FoodNetwork.com. The Summery White Bean Salad was from KyleeCooks.com and the blue pasta was inspired by a Mermaid Pasta recipe at veganeasy.org. If you follow this blog you know that I consider a recipe a suggestion – I rarely follow a recipe exactly. That said, I am appreciative of these cookbook authors and bloggers for graciously sharing their recipes for people like me to gain inspiration.