Coffee Talk Mom

Taking time to STOP and smell the roses...

Can you believe that this week marks JULY??  Where is the summer going??  The reason we all cherish summer in Colorado is because we have WINTER...just remember, in Palm Desert where CTSister lives, it is a miserable 115 degrees.  Have you taken time to just soak in the joys of summer?

Last week I was in a bunch of pain and not sure exactly what was going on.  CTDad was traveling and I was on my own.  Although I tried 4x to get into a doctor, they were "full" and Thursday I finally braved the walk in care, waited 2 hours, and left feeling pretty crappy.  In the middle of the night, I was having a serious headache and decided I needed to be first in line Friday!  It felt like I was on an epsiode of "House" explaining all fo my crazy symptoms.  The doctor took one look at me...sagging eye, headache, and now open sores and told me I had shingles!  UGH!  I have only heard about them through my family, but it all started to make sense: pain, more pain, stabbing and itching and a headache like no tomorrow. 

The weekend went by with the majority of time sleeping in a very dark room...reading hurt, light hurt, brushing my hair is pure pain, and makeup is out of the question.  I'll get over it, but it really got me thinking once again, "God...what do you want me to learn?'.  I typically end up learning big lessons when it comes to physical illnesses that stop me in my tracks.  This one has been rough: it's not about looks , it's about the heart.  You see, my "shingles" are all through my hair and on my face.  I dont want to go anywhere and reminded CTDad that I was pretty sure the vows say, "In sickness and in ugliness".  This week has had me appreciating my garden, my room with the black-out curtains, some time with Buzz playing cards and talking.  I think everything brings a lesson, and I am chosing to somehow enjoy the pain and the time to relax and see what God is bringing me next. 

I am pretty blessed when it comes to my friends and family.    Our pastor is always saying, "I'll go first" and somehow I feel that God puts me out here to "be first" with some things.  Now I am a bevy of information for shingles...haha! 

Whatever you are going through this week, God has it...He can handle it!  Take time to stop and enjoy your summer!! 

 

CoffeeTalkMom

 

WOOHOO Happy Hour time!

Open the doors! It's time for some Happy Hour!

I love this time of year in Colorado! It is tough for me to travel because THIS is the place to be! With the move to Boulder came a major downsizing, so opening the French doors and using the patio adds a bunch of square footage and, besides, we can sit in the garden and see the mountains from the porch.

I love to cook, but turning on the oven in the summer isn't ideal and spending the "hour" slaving over the oven is worse. Needless to say, people like hot apps! Happy hour brings another issue in a cook's mind: Where to start? How do I balance what to do? A general dinner typically brings a salad, side, and main dish to the table, but a Happy Hour has few rules. THIS is the awesome thing about HH...no one cares! They are just ready to be happy!! Here are some guidelines I use:

Have a unique drink offering: Last night I made "Silver Basil Honey Collins" and it was a huge hit! Here is the recipe:
In a pitcher, muddle 20 leaves of basil with 8 tsp. honey and 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice. (Sounds like a lot of lemon, but it is yummy and not in a sour patch kids way). Add 1 1/2 cups of a good quality dry gin. I used an organic brand that I found and it worked perfectly. While this sits for a few minutes, fill large glasses with ice and garnish with a lemon. Pour glasses half full with mixture while holding back large leaf parts with a wooden spoon. Top with seltzer water and serve with a colorful straw. I used lemon flavored, unsweetened seltzer. It was light and summery and not too sweet.

Add a couple of hot apps:
Bacon wrapped dates: pit 12 dates, wrap with 1/2 piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place (can do a little early) in oven at 350 until bacon is nice a crisp...move to warm spot. EASY! Also, if you don't like dates, use dried apricots and (with both) you can roll into brown sugar before baking! YUMMY!
(For easy cleanup, foil line your pan)

Easy crescent roll pizza: flatten a roll of crescent rolls onto a cookie sheet and press together the seams. Cover dough with pesto/red sauce or olive oil and salt and pepper. Add your favorite cheese and toppings (I used turkey pepperoni and fresh parmesan and basil). Bake until browned and remove before your friends come. Don't cover (it may get mushy)...use a pizza cutter to slice into small bites.

How about something cold?
Fresh veggies with a yummy dip work and don't over purchase. Typically, people will grab a couple of pieces.
I also had softened cream cheese with pepper jam covering and wheat thins! (You can get the jam for $3 at Trader Joes and their pita crackers are the best!)

Sweets are an added bonus

I made an easy lemon cream pie and had a tub of fresh slices strawberries to cover it with.

Music

Turn on some tunes and be sure it isn't too loud but sets the tone for the night. It's always good to use Pandora and "make a station" to your tastes.

Make it beautiful
Creating a beautiful presentation is not difficult, and it makes a huge difference. This time of year, think COLOR. I used all green and turquoise serving platters, cut flowers from my garden, used square paper plates (green) from Target and ALWAYS...real glasses. There is something about a real wine glass-vs.-paper cup. It doesn't compare.

HAVE FUN!

Cheers,

CoffeeTalkMom

Note on the photo: Some of the food was missing because I was keeping it warm and too embarrassed to take pictures once the guests came! J