Spring's Promise

One of the things I like about Spring (besides all the flowers) is that it is so full of promises and hopes of new beginnings.

Here are some of the first "spring promises" in our yard.

 

The pictures were taken about a week ago and Spring really has sprung now.

Chocolate Pizza!

It is a well-recognized fact that I like chocolate - and usually the darker the better. We've known that I come from a long line of chocolate lovers on my mother's side(Grandma Bessie Harmon plotting to get some chocolates by moaning on the couch "chocolates" about the time her dad was to be home). And I have passed the chocolate lover genes on (barely a toddler, BJ snatched a Bluebird chocolate out of his dad's mouth just as Dad was about to put it in his mouth).  I'm a little slow but, just recently I realized the Cowles line also has a thing for chocolate - else why would "Grandma Cowles' Brownies" be such a treasure?  

One of my Christmas presents was a cookbook, "Chocolate Never Faileth."  It is fun to read (delightful quips and chocolate information) AND has mouth-watering recipes.  When I came across Chocolate Pizza I had to give it a try for our "I Read the Book of Mormon in 2010" Pizza Party.

Armed with the recipe for the crust (kinda a blend of  sugar cookies and brownies) and suggestions for "sauce" and toppings, I let my imagination and taste buds soar.  On the right is a chocolate peanut butter pizza. - chocolate peanut butter frosting topped with chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips.  On the left is an Andes Mint pizza - Whipped Chocolate Ganache with chopped Andes mints and chopped pecans.

On a roll, I made more for our Visiting Teaching Conference.  Used the two above except omitted the cocoa from the peanut butter frosting. Also tried a Heath Bits pizza (chocolate cream cheese frosting with Heath bits, and mini chocolate chips) and I think my favorite, Rocky Road pizza (Whipped chocolate Ganache with chopped peanuts, mini marshmallows, and mini chocolate chips.  All four pizzas were glazed with a chocolate drizzle.  

Twas Chocolate Lovers Heaven.

Sugar Cookies

The sugar cookie making fun pictures I couldn't get on the previous posting.

Christmas 2010

 One of our joys this Christmas was to have Jenny and Nina come on the 19th of December and stay through the 30th.

Nina and Abby (second cousins) had a good time together. Among the Christmas activities was baking sugar cookies, of course.

 

My camera and I neglected to record my mother's visit from the 20th to the 24th and my sister Eileen's visit from the 22nd to the 24th. That meant that the Mother, Eileen, Jenny and I were all together for our shared birthday of December 23rd.

Someone else's camera hopefully has recorded the fun we had on the Riverwalk, at the SAS Factory Outlet/Museum, and just being together. I was touched that Nina remembered her mother sharing with her that I liked cardinals and when she found a cardinal ornament at the SAS store she asked her mother to get it for me.

Camping at Mustang Island

In spite of some predicted cold weather we went camping at Mustang Island December 27th and 28th. It was windy and cold. But the wind and the cold kept most everyone else off the beach.

Scoobi seemed to enjoy it the most.

 

Nina and Abby had fun in the sand.

Wendy was a good sport/brave and took the kids into the waves. Scoobi did her best to get Richard into the water.