Moonlight on the Water

This morning...

as the sun streamed in our bedroom window and the dogs lay sleepily beside me, I reached over and took my book off the nightstand. Although there were quite a few things that I needed to get accomplished, I let myself savor a chapter before even sitting up. What a glorious way to begin my day!

Strawberry Jam

Arinn and her family went strawberry pickin' yesterday. She invited me to share in a jam-making session this afternoon. After the jars were filled, we sampled spoonfuls of the warm strawberry syrup from the bottom of the kettle. We even drizzled it over little bowls of strawberry ice cream. Lee and I can't wait to slather the jam on warm toast with butter. Thanks for a fun and delicious afternoon, A!

Homemade Focaccia

I brushed the dough with olive oil and kosher salt. Then I rubbed it with minced garlic and Italian spices. The focaccia came out of the oven crispy on the outside & scrumptiously soft in the middle. A perfect accompaniment to our grilled chicken salads for dinner!

Going Green (and Yellow)

When we returned home last night, my spring issue of MerriMail was waiting for me. Inside was a yellow jute tote adorned with cherry blossoms...a reusable shopping bag to be used for errands and whatnot. I foresee it carrying library books to and fro, packages and letters headed for the post office, and Target purchases.

The arrival of my new jute bag was the extra nudge I needed to invest in reusable grocery bags. I picked up five green bags at the check out today. Arinn has been singing their praises for weeks now. I must say that I agree!

Home

Sauerbraten, Spaetzle & Red Cabbage

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is the first ever guest blogger on Joy Jottings. A trip to wonderful and wild would not be complete without inclement weather. So, as usual, Mother Nature dialed up rain and flash floods across the area for our drive to the "Outlaws". A busy day let me tell you. I had to take a nap before dinner which was awfully taxing. The highlight of our day, after hydroplaning, was a wonderful German dinner fit for the Desert Fox. I was admittedly suspect of this dish called Sauerbraten. Feel free to correct my spelling. A delicious beef dish and a favorite from Claire's childhood, it was a sweet and spicy roast with red cabbage and some sort of pasta/dumpling with an onion raisin gravy. No meal would be complete without a sixer of red wine to wash it down. It was a fitting dinner from the homeland and went well with the unseasonal weather of rain and 44 degrees. Get Some!Thank you to my super cute guest blogger who stepped in when I was so full that I couldn't even think!