Memorial Day has made me homesick...that begs the question can I be homesick for somewhere that I was not born and raised?
I was raised in Medford NJ. A wonderful little town that has a Memorial Day Parade every year..they had theirs today. So did Medford Lakes. There were many stops along the way before my husband and I ended up in Orange Park FL. We lived there 27 years before moving to WV 7 months ago. Orange Park is NOT a little town, quite transeint because of the large military presence. Today I missed them both...terribly.
I had to drive "downtown" to drop something off. As I was leaving the neighborhood, I noticed something. Our house was the ONLY house flying the flag. Actually, on Memorial Day and Fouth of July, we line our walkway with flags and today was no different. Not ONE American flag in sight. I checked the entire neighborhood. Then I headed into town. The only flags I saw were at the Hometown bank and the Volunteer Fire Dept. (they fly daily/lighted) I felt a small bit better when I hit Main Street because the town had put flag up on the telephone poles..but as I checked only two other businesses had flags.....not ONE house had a flag.
That would never happen in Orange Park. In my little neighborhood a good amount of the neighbors fly the flag every day. Our house is one of them we have a 20ft. lighted flagpole, we fly 24/7. On holidays, probably 80% of the homes have Old Glory proudly displayed which is quite an effort because many of my neighbors are elderly. (Fox Valley you ROCK!) That is repeated in neighborhood after neighborhood. Maybe Orange Park is such a "flag flyin'" town because we are such a military town. If so, I miss my Navy town.
I have been gone from Medford a long time...but I would bet it is still the kind of town that when our flag passes by at the parade you do not have to ask people to stand...they just do.
I miss the flags...I miss knowing that my neighbors fly the flag because they care.....they "get it". I don't know if the lack of flags denotes lack for care or patriotism but it made me sad.....and homesick.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
June Cleaver is back! Expresso Cupcakes!!!
Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist chocolate fudge cake mix
1 1/3 C water
1/2 C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1T instant expresso coffee powder
Filling
1 container (8oz.) mascarpone cheese
2t milk
2t instant expresso powder
1C powdered sugar
Frosting and Garnish
1t instant expresso
1 container (12 oz.) Betty Crocker whipped milk chocolate frosting
Chocolate-covered expresso beans
1) Heat oven to 350 for shiny metal pans or 325 for dark or non-stick pans. Place baking cups in each muffin tin
2) In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, and eggs with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for two minutes, scaping bowl occasionally. Gently stir in 1T just until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3) Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4) In medium bowl, beat mascarpone cheese, milk, 2 teaspoons of expresso powder and the powdered sugar onj mdeium speed until smooth. Spoon mixture into decorating bag fitted iwth a 1/4 inch (#9) writing tip.
5) To fill each cupcake, insert tip of bag into center of coller cupcake, gently squeeze bag until cupcake expands slightly but does not burst (each cupcake should be filled with about 1T of filling)
6) Stir 1 teaspoon expresso powder into the frosting. Spoon frosting mixture into decorating bag fitted with a 3/4 inch (#824) star tip. Pipe over top of cupcakes Garnish with expresso beans. Sore covered in refrigerator.
These are FAB...if you want to save time you can just frost the cupcakes with a knife and "plop" the expresso bean on top! The filling must be inserted with the decorating bag!
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist chocolate fudge cake mix
1 1/3 C water
1/2 C vegetable oil
3 eggs
1T instant expresso coffee powder
Filling
1 container (8oz.) mascarpone cheese
2t milk
2t instant expresso powder
1C powdered sugar
Frosting and Garnish
1t instant expresso
1 container (12 oz.) Betty Crocker whipped milk chocolate frosting
Chocolate-covered expresso beans
1) Heat oven to 350 for shiny metal pans or 325 for dark or non-stick pans. Place baking cups in each muffin tin
2) In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, and eggs with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for two minutes, scaping bowl occasionally. Gently stir in 1T just until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
3) Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4) In medium bowl, beat mascarpone cheese, milk, 2 teaspoons of expresso powder and the powdered sugar onj mdeium speed until smooth. Spoon mixture into decorating bag fitted iwth a 1/4 inch (#9) writing tip.
5) To fill each cupcake, insert tip of bag into center of coller cupcake, gently squeeze bag until cupcake expands slightly but does not burst (each cupcake should be filled with about 1T of filling)
6) Stir 1 teaspoon expresso powder into the frosting. Spoon frosting mixture into decorating bag fitted with a 3/4 inch (#824) star tip. Pipe over top of cupcakes Garnish with expresso beans. Sore covered in refrigerator.
These are FAB...if you want to save time you can just frost the cupcakes with a knife and "plop" the expresso bean on top! The filling must be inserted with the decorating bag!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
I had more to say than just "Dinner O' the Day"
To "all" my followers (seven of you dear people).I have changed the name of my blog. I moved all of my posts over to: Not Just Dinner O' the Day. I can't move my followers. So, if dear friends you would still like to see what's for dinner (and some random other stuff) I hope you will follow me here.
I changed the name because I have more to say than just stuff about food. Those of you that know me well probably started laughing right when you read " ...because I have more to say..."
I changed the name because I have more to say than just stuff about food. Those of you that know me well probably started laughing right when you read " ...because I have more to say..."
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