Have you heard the latest news?
Lexus GX and Monogram debuted an SUV with a pizza oven built in. They created this for the 2024 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. Such a fun idea!
Sounds like this was a one-off. However, sometimes show pieces can become reality.
Who says it is just about burgers and hot dogs! Get a pizza oven too.
Happy 4th of July!
A new walk, a new “Cicada Parade-A” sighting.
See a previous post, “Cicada Parade-A 2024” / Sponsor, then decorate your own Cicada!”
The first cicada I saw was higher in the tree. This one had lower placement, so I saw it immediately. Also, being painted in a reddish pink color made it stand out.
The Insect Asylum (taxidermist & insect museum) and Formstone Castle Art (create art for festivals & events) are promoting this Cicada Parade-A project to anyone who wants to participate. You sponsor a cicada by paying a fee, then you can decorate your cicada and it is put up somewhere in IL. Although, I saw a video that mentioned someone out of state bought a cicada to bring to their home town. So, everyone can participate.
Go to The Insect Asylum website, you can see a map of where the cicadas are.
If I keep exploring new neighborhoods, I’ll most likely find more, right?! Summer is not over yet!
What an amazing find! I was on a walk with a friend. She had to tie her shoe. While I was waiting, I looked up and I saw this Cicada art piece. I was intrigued, it had #481 on the sign, which meant there were more to see.
The Insect Asylum (taxidermist & insect museum) and Formstone Castle Art (create art for festivals & events) are promoting this Cicada Parade-A project to anyone who wants to participate. You sponsor a cicada by paying a fee, then you can decorate your cicada and it is put up somewhere in IL. Although, I saw a video that mentioned someone out of state bought a cicada to bring to their home town. So, everyone can participate.
Such a great idea. The artist who created #481 did an amazing job.
Go to The Insect Asylum website, you can see a map of where the cicadas are.
You can still buy one. It’s FUN!
Lately, so many social media posts feature “healthy” alternatives to our beloved favorites, ie brownies! As I watched the videos, the recipes looked easy, few ingredients and final product looked delicious. I felt compelled to give it a try. We’re all trying to find healthier alternatives to old recipes, right?!
Drum roll please…
Have you ever thought of making brownies with three ingredients, ie no eggs, no flour, no oil or butter, just bananas, almond or peanut butter and cocoa powder? I would never have thought this possible. You can see from the end result, they “look” delicious and like normal brownies. So, visually, they are appealing.
Now, for the taste. HUM…
No question about it, they were definitely extremely chocolatey. I liked that.
However, the texture was a bit strange. As there is no flour, they were a bit gooey. I know, you can argue that there are normal brownies with a gooey texture, but these just seemed different.
I needed some outside food critics. My daughters were happy to be taste testers. The brownies looked good, why wouldn’t they try them! You KNOW it’s not perfect, when they say, “ W E L L… they have a very strong banana taste and the texture is different.”
Of course, at first I defended my brownies as perfect, selling them on how chocolatey they were. At some point, I had to concede. YES, they had a strong banana taste, nothing wrong with that if you like bananas. However, we were expecting the old fashioned “brownie” taste in a healthy form.
So, would I make them again? I don’t think so. I’d rather make the real deal and plan for those extra calories.
A brownie should be ENJOYED, not re-invented! Laughing…
Easter is early this year. The cookies in the photo are from “An Italian in my Kitchen.” I’ve been following Rosemary Molley, a Canadian, who married an Italian and has been living in Italy for over 25 years. On her website, she shares so many wonderful recipes she learned from her mother/n/law and just living in Italy.
Here’s a screen shot from her website: www.anitalianinmykitchen.com
She has great cookbooks too.
For Easter, she has a variety of breads, cakes, cookies that you can try out. If you are looking for a good Italian recipe, you’ll find so many great ideas. I like her soups, stews, pasta, pizza and dessert dishes. In fact, there is a lemon mousse I want to try.
Wishing those of you who celebrate this holiday a “HAPPY EASTER!”
I was playing around with Canva. Right now, when I look at this image, it’s sparkling. However, when I press publish, I’m not sure if the sparkles will remain. At any rate, it’s nice to try new programs.
For those of you not familiar with Canva, it’s a free graphic design tool allowing you to create graphics for presentations, social media, logos, etc. There is a bit of a learning curve, for me anyhow. I’ve worked a little bit in Photoshop, so I can see it is somewhat similar, just need to get up to speed on how to use the different tools on the dashboard.
What new programs have you learned lately?
Sometimes life is funny. I was making an English muffin. The timer buzzed. When I opened the toaster oven, I saw a bear paw!
A great time to write a story. WHO was in the toaster oven?
Have a nice day!
Did you know that Pop-Tarts were created in 1963? They were originally called, “Fruit Scones.” This name didn’t seem to fit, so they were renamed, “Pop-Tarts” after the Pop culture at the time. However, I had a funny thought, “POP-out-of-the-toaster” might have played into the name too.
William “Bill” Post, who invented Pop-Tarts 60 years ago, passed away at 96 in Grand Rapids, Michigan on February 10, 2024. Here’s where it gets tricky. News articles say that Post invented Pop-Tarts, but when I went to the Pop-Tarts website, it doesn’t mention his name at all. That’s sad, right.
Well, Netflix is coming out with a film on May 3rd, “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story” directed by and starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. This has to be good with Seinfeld. I look forward to the film to better understand “who” invented the Pop-Tart!
Look what’s been coming to my Junk folder lately. A lot of these dating messages. Obviously, some spammer has my email. Without even opening the messages, I smiled. So, THIS is how it’s done.
Like writing a job resume, crafting an online dating message takes skill. I admit, I don’t have it. Years ago, I tried online dating. I’d last for about 2.5 weeks, realizing there were a lot of strange people out there and I had just wasted 3 months of money!!
The issue was with the profile. First, you need that GREAT photo. Even if it doesn’t look like you, it has to be great. When I say, “even if it doesn’t look like you,” I mean that it sometimes takes zillions of photos to get ONE winner. That winning photo, might not represent who you are on a daily basis; however, it doesn’t matter. For purposes of the profile, it’s a glamour shot. DONE!
Next the profile message. I was never good at this. That’s why I smiled at the dating emails coming to my Junk folder. My message to attract someone was boring. Basically, imagine fishing without any bait. That’s how my dating message was. If you fish without bait, it means you don’t really want a fish.
Now, if you REALLY want to catch the fish, you need good bait. These messages in my Junk folder made me smile. Such fake love messages, but they work! I admit, I was drawn to them. Take the one that says, “Are you ready for some magic and romance mixed together?” Who would say, “NO?”
So, I’m sharing this idea. If you are still dating and having trouble writing your profile. Draw writing inspiration from dating emails you find in your Junk folder.
Guaranteed — You’ll increase your online match results!!
Marketing is marketing, even in the dating world.
What do you do when your weather hits -1 degrees? The weatherman says if we are out for more than 10 minutes, we can get frost bitten. We don’t believe him/her. So, we bundle up (just in case, they’re right) and head outside. We don’t last more than five minutes and we are back in the house.
As I was house bound, I wondered what to do. Ok, read a book, watch TV, call a friend, clean the house, writer extra blog posts (LOL)… you get the idea. I needed something different. The light bulb went off.
Where was all my extra yarn?
I found it after a good search. I decided I’d make a lap blanket. So, I’ve been happily knitting in the evenings. Inside a knitter’s mind.
Knit, knit, knit…REPEAT. Next row. Knit, knit, knit… REPEAT.
It’s like we are in a trance. I’m using an Alpaca yarn, it’s very lush and warm. Perfect for cold weather.
While I’ve been knitting, I started listening to The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. The movie is out now, but usually the book is better. Isn’t the recommendation to always read the book first?
Has anyone seen the movie yet? Would love to hear your review.
Start here…
Brilliant Viewpoint 