Friday Food – Birthday Edition

Standard

As it turned out, I was quite ill for my birthday last week. I did not want cake – no point if I’m not going to enjoy it, but some  things were simply postponed.

Instead of cake, my husband got me Haagen Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream. It was delicious. 10/10 would recommend and would try it again.

(c)2025

My birthday drink from Starbucks was a bit more complicated. The birthday drink is only available on your birthday, and I couldn’t do that, so I got my go-to: iced chai latte, but with no ice. I kept it in the fridge for three days, added my own ice, and drank it when I was feeling better. It was excellent, and I’m glad that I opted for that.

Iced Chai Latte, no ice on the left.
Hot Eggnog Chai Latte on the right.
(c)2025

Last but not least, eggnog is back at Starbucks. I’ve had their eggnog cold foam on an iced drink and their hot eggnog chai latte. Very rich, and its warmth is very soothing.

Finally, we had pulled pork sandwiches for dinner the other night. I did not want onions so I decided to put a slice of a Granny Smith apple on two slider rolls and ate that. Nice crunch, a little tart, but very nice with the pulled pork.

(c)2025

My birthday dinner consisted of a salad, a piece of brown bread and butter, and a baked potato. Overall, not exactly how I’d choose to spend my birthday, but it was still nice and I had some special time with my family.

Friday Food – Holiday Time

Standard

All the fast food places have dropped their holiday favorites and what they deem as “new” favorites. I’ve tried a couple; the rest I’m waiting until I’m in more of the holiday spirit.

Leftover Halloween Candy. It was a rainy night so we have more candy than usual. Halloween is almost the only time during the year that I eat the peanut/peanut butter candies. I have enjoyed the ghoulish green Snickers.

What candy do you have leftover?

(c)2025
(c)2025

From Dunkin’ Donuts, these are the Wicket Munchkins. You can get 10 of these in a cute tin for $9.99, but I just went for the bag. They were very good. The munchkins are a different consistency than regular glazed munchkins – more like the Halloween ones, but vanilla glazed with green and pink sprinkles. I have to admit I love a good crossover, and Wicked with DD munchkins are really a perfect combo.

On the right is the new Berry Sangria Refresher. This one came with a base of green tea, which I really enjoyed. The day before I had it with lemonade and that was too tart for me. It was lovely, but I’m going to wait for Starbucks to bring back their Blackberry Sage drink – that was my favorite.

In addition to the usuals (Snowman cookie, Polar Bear cake pop, Sugar Plum danish, and Cranberry Bliss Bar), Starbucks has added a Cinnamon Pull-Apart, which was quite good. Sticky and sweet, but enjoyable. I’d get it again.

Bonus: Red Cup Day at Starbucks is Thursday, November 13! Buy one of their holiday drinks and get a free reusable red cup! My daughter and I do this every year!

Friday Food – Milestone

Standard

My middle child turned 21 last week. Of my three kids, he is the only one who gets a homemade birthday cake. The reason for this is simple: he likes cheesecake and I can make cheesecake. Baking a regular cake, frosting it in buttercream, adding doodads on the top and words in icing is something I have never been able to do well. Baking, unlike “food cooking” is a science. It has to be measured a certain way. If it says sifted, it needs to be sifted. If it says baking powder, don’t use baking soda. It can be so complicated for those of us who do not have the talent for baking. If you’re a good baker, I am envious of you. It is a phenomenal skill.

Lucky for me (and my child), my middle son loves cheesecake and I enjoy making it. It’s the simple Philly 3-step cheesecake recipe from Kraft. However, for those special milestone birthdays, I try to do something extra.

A few of them have had raspberry swirls baked in.

Some have chocolate chips on top.

Some have fresh raspberries or raspberry syrup drizzled on top.

They all have whipped cream as the finishing touch.

For his 18th birthday, I added chocolate frosting bordering the edge with raspberries in the center.

For this birthday – his 21st – I had planned a center layer of caramel with raspberries. It was a good thing I spoke to my son and found out he doesn’t really care for caramel. Time for more improvisation.

I opted for melted chocolate and raspberries. My husband surprised us when he returned from the store with Heath bits. In the end, I put the number “21” in raspberries stuck into the melted chocolate covering the cheesecake and let it set in the fridge. When it was time to serve, I sprinkled the Heath bar bits on top and voila! Happy 21st Birthday!

(c)2025
Cheesecake with chocolate layer, red raspberries, and Heath bar bits sprinkled.
(c)2025

Friday Food – Anniversary Edition

Standard

Our anniversary was played out over a few days of really good food! Here are a few of my favorites!

1. Cranberry Cheddar Chicken with French Fries in Lake George.
2. Dragon ice cream (Mr. & Mrs.) at Baskin’ Robbins.
3. Raspberry Shortcake.
4. Hibachi Japanese.
5. Baskin’ Robbins (31st anniversary).
6. Dole Cherry at (famous) Martha’s Dandee in Lake George.
(c)2025

My kids went on vacation and…

Standard

Does anyone remember those popular souvenir shop t-shirts? My parents went to Florida, South of the Border, Gettysburg, and all I got was this lousy* t-shirt? My husband said no one would remember them, but I remember them. I think we all got one at one point, but they are long in the bin of history.

As I’ve written last week, I had to have surgery on my achilles tendon, so our vacation was cancelled; however, we sent our kids for half of the vacation since there was a “comic” convention, Fan Expo Canada. The three of them had never gone away alone together, and they all came back in one piece, and hopefully with stronger relationships than when they left. I had concerns about crossing the border, but I grew up going to Canada all my life, and I feel that they are an extension of New York and vice versa.

I thought for this month’s inspiration, I would share a few collages of some of the things my kids brought back for me. Some were requested (the clothes and stationery items) and others were surprises, especially Niagara Falls. (*Nothing in here represents anything lousy!)

Continue reading

World Book Lovers Day

Standard

I’m having surgery next week. This is the list of books added to my Kindle for Recovery Reading:

  1. The Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clark
  2. 100 Places to See After You Die by Ken Jennings
  3. War by Bob Woodward
  4. Lieutenant Nun: The True Story of a Cross-Dressing, Transatlantic Adventurer who Escaped from a Spanish Convent in 1599 and Lived as a Man – Gambling, Duels, and Leading Soldiers into Battle by Catalina De Erauso
  5. Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary by Joe Jackson
  6. How We Learn to Be Brave by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
  7. The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries in Seventeenth-Century North America Edited by Allan Greer

As a bonus treat, I discovered this in my emails, and plan to visit the next time I am in Montreal:

Cafe Three Pines – Inspired by the bistro in Penny’s Three Pines novels, their cafe is a haven for book lovers, croissant seekers, and anyone in need of a quiet moment. They can be found at 51 Chemin Lakeside, Knowlton Quebec J0E 1V0 and on Instagram! They are open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm.

Friday Food – Saturdays are for Ice Cream Sundaes

Standard

Last weekend I went on retreat. The spiritual companionship of a weekend retreat is soothing. It is inspiring, it is motivating, and in this case it’s non-routine routine is comforting.

Lunch is usually soup and salad bar with ices or ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

Saturday’s dinner is something wonderful (last week was onion chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and garlic knots) and dessert is ice cream sundaes.

Always.

Vanilla ice cream. Chocolate or caramel sauce. Whipped cream. Sprinkles – rainbow or chocolate. And cherries. (Last week there was also strawberries.)

I want all the cherries, and the woman who scoops the ice cream knows this about me, so I get “all” the cherries. (Not really, obviously, but more than one or two.)

I save them for last, and then I savor them.

I savor the cherries.

And then, Saturday night concludes, often with mass, sometimes with quiet fellowship. And then, we get ready to rejoin our regular lives.

(c)2025

Inspired, and More

Standard

The last few weeks have been nothing short of active, and I hope I’ve gotten through it with less scathing than would be normal for this kind of busyness. This post will be part mental health check-in, part inspired, part goal-setting.

I went back to my original post to see what the goals were that I thought I needed to focus on, and this was less than helpful. Goals and goalposts are constantly being adjusted. Looking at the biggest priorities, it’s still been iffy. Although to be fair to myself, I’ve been busy and not wasting time and opportunities, so while it’s been slow-going, it has still been going.

This is very much a positive.

Where are we this week?

  1. I was working on my presentation until about 7pm the night before. I realized there comes a point when it just needs to be done. I laid everything out on index cards, and did my thing. It was fantastic. I think everyone liked it and learned something new about St. Kateri Tekakwitha. I was able to constructively see things that I would change. I did a little improvisation and even though I finished later than planned, I was able to end on a decent note, and skipped a few slides at the end, and no one was the wiser. All in all, a good experience. I’m willing to do another powerpoint, although I’m hoping someone else presents it.
  2. Work. July 8th, I began working full-time. I haven’t worked full-time (outside the house) since my now-twenty-eight year old was two. It is a big adjustment for everyone, but my family is being supportive and picking up some tasks, and my co-workers and colleagues are amazing.
  3. Cursillo needs attention.
  4. I mentioned that I was going to avoid snoozing my alarms. I’ve still snoozed, but not as much and it’s made me more aware of what I need to do in the mornings to get out the door more efficiently.
  5. I’m disappointed in how our government is being run. I’m disgusted and repulsed by the Republican party, their hypocrisy, and their hatred. I don’t know how we come back from this precipice or how we survive.

Mental health check-in = EH.

I’m looking forward to taking my presentation and using it to push my book in the right direction. Below the cut are some of my inspiring and inspired photos from St. Kateri Tekakwitha’s feast day weekend.

Continue reading

Friday Food – Montreal

Standard

We spent the last five days in Montreal doing research for my book, seeing the St. Kateri Shrine, attending masses, seeing St. Brother Andre Bessette’s tomb and relics at the St. Joseph’s Oratory, and we also ate some really great food!

Picture heavy/links to restaurants below:

Continue reading