It's been a week. This past week, tragedy in my home town.
The week before, joyful time with friends, company, and Cork Poppers. Since I already wrote about the shooting at Michigan State University, today I look back on the happier moments of the week.
Rick and I kicked off the month with a dinner with friends. Nothing fancy -- just pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and Jan's fabulous salad. It's never the food; it's the friendship! But that salad rocks!
A few days later, my friend Suzanne came to visit from Ontario. For once, our time wasn't managed by a frenzy of holiday shopping! Instead, we had plenty of time for long talks -- and doing a belated Christmas. (Maybe I can take another tree down now!)
Usually, a significant part of our holiday gift giving includes books and Suzanne didn't disappoint! As you can see, I'll have plenty to keep me busy for the rest of winter!
Suzanne and Rick did a Sudoku race, being the maniacs they both are. We determined that Suzanne won -- Rick was faster but found out at the end he'd made an unfixable error.
We also enjoyed going to the moving "Living" with Oscar nominee Bill Nighy. If you remember him as the burned out rocker Billy Mack in "Love Actually," you won't recognize him as the repressed 1950s manager of the Public Works department at City Hall who discovers he has six months to live -- and starts living. It's difficult to describe but you'd never imagine a film where you know the lead character will die at the end could leave one so uplifted and with much on which to ponder after. It's an exquisite treasure of a movie, made in loving homage to those films of the 1950s. Highly recommended.
Lest you should think all our viewing time was spent with thoughtful movies, we enjoyed plenty of old Groucho Marx episodes of "You Bet Your Life." Quick wit, crazy contestants. Good fun. And of course there were lots of Lizzie moments, who took it all in stride.
She didn't even notice an intruder in our yard!
We also hit our favorite restaurants, including a delicious Thai dinner after the movie. You cannot beat pad Thai, soup and hot tea on a cold night!
After Suzanne left I rushed to make a few things in advance for our Cork Poppers the next day at Rick's. Both of these are super party recipes because they can be made largely in advance and in the case of the sliders, cooked off right before serving.
Ham and Cheese Sliders
Take 1 package of King's Hawaiian rolls (or more -- I used most of two) and slice through the middle. I kept mine attached at the end but you could completely divide them. Place in a baking pan.
Layer sliced ham on each bun and top with cheese. I used deli ham sliced thin and shredded nacho/taco cheese but a good sharp cheddar or your favorite works just as well.
In a small bowl combine: 1 stick melted butter with three or four finely chopped green onions. (Melting together in the microwave softens the onions)
Add: 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons of mustard (I used a spicy brown but yellow or Dijon would be fine); and 3 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Mix well.
Pour the liquid over the buns, cover and refrigerate 4-24 hours. Remove from the fridge a bit before baking and bake for 20 minutes at 350. Cut the buns apart for easy serving.
Slacker Lemon Meringue Tarts
Take one package of 24 slice and bake Pillsbury sugar cookies. Place each on in a mini-muffin pan. Bake as directed (but you will add more time so watch them. They called for 15-17 minutes; I was about 20 and maybe a minute overdone).
A minute or so before you take out of the oven for good, press down the center of each cookie. You could use your thumb (ouch!) but I used a melon baller. Pop in the over for another minute or so. Cookies should be browned but not burned.
Cool completely.
Fill with a scoop of your favorite chilled lemon curd. (I used about 1 jar of Bonne Maman.)
That's it! (I recommend filling shortly before serving so the curd doesn't soften the "tart shell" too much. I did mine about an hour or two before and kept in the fridge till served.
But where's my treat? (Coming up: A Cork Popping afternoon with tunes!)
Sharing with: All About Home
63 comments:
Jeanie, I know you so enjoyed your friend’s visit and the fun activities. Thanks so much for the two recipes, both easy but delicious. I love lemon curd, so that is definitely a winner. Wishing you a beautiful week!
Book gifts are the best.
What a clever idea for a lemon tart. I like that.
So glad you had a lovely visit with a dear friend.
That's great your friend was able to visit and that you could actually sit down and visit. Those are really pretty snowman dishes. And that looks like a great stack of books. Are you thinking of London in 2023? I just read book 1 of Maisie Dobbs and I'm reading a British Library mystery right now, but none of these. And your quick and easy foods sound yummy. I think those ham "sandwiches" end up as a great hot food. It sounds like even though you had that awful event, life is still pretty good. Isn't that just like life though, being a mix of good and bad. Hugs-Erika
Its best to concentrate on the positive things of life. A friends visit can do wonders to our mood. Have a great week Jeanie
You will be busy reading! Such a fun visit.
I had seen that movie "Living" and do enjoy Bill Nighy. It wasn't available over here yet so I already had it in my saved DVD rentals on Netflix for when it become available. Couldn't find it anywhere else...but I will keep my eyes open for it. Sounds really good! :)
A good visit with good friends can't be beat!
I'm sure I miss some delicious food as I don't mix meat with dairy (i.e. ham with cheese). I'm not religious , but there are certain aspects that I follow.
Lizzie's look in the last picture is priceless!
Since I've been away from blogging it sounds as if a lot has been happening in your world. Good company is a blessing. Enjoy your book reading Jeanie.
What a fun visit from your friend in Canada. You did a lot of things together. I see you read the the Jacqueline Winspear books - I enjoy Maisie Dobbs very much, too. Have a good week.
What a wonderful time you had and so nice you got to visit with your friend. Going to the movies is always fun and Thai food afterwards, a delicious ending to a lovely outing. Bill Nighy is such an excellent actor. Those books look very interesting and thank you for the recipes. Have a great week Jeanie.
You have been busy! It sounds like a fun visit. And I love quick and easy recipes.
I love those wintry dinner plates! And lemon curd.... oh I have to hold off buying that dietbuster because I love it so much. I'm concentrating on using up bits and pieces in my freezer and store cupboard right now, and it's surprising what a lot of fun it is devising recipes around them, so we are having quite a varied diet at the moment LOL.
When friends visit out of blue, it is one of the best gifts on the day. I always get elated when that happens.
Getting together with old friends is always fun. Good food, books, a movie, and games all make a great time. I always enjoy reading about your social activities but see your furry love is the best part. She seems to take everything in stride. Have a great day!
That certainly sounds like a wonderful visit, and I'm sure it was much appreciated after the previous tragedy. I love books as gifts, and Jacqueline Winspeare is a favorite author. I loved her "Maisie" series, and I recently read of her new stand alone, A Sunlit Weapon and want to read it.
But the way, my new blog is at Wordpress (below) as I was having problems with Blogger on my "Fourth Wish" blog. Do come and visit the new site.
Hello,
Visits with friends and family is a blessing. Your meals sound delicious, I love most salads. The ham and cheese sliders sound yummy. Books are a great gift, I see a few I have not read. Maisie Dobbs is a favorite, I am a wait list for her latest coming out. Lizzie looks ready to eat, love the photo.
Enjoy the cork popping evening. Have a great day!
What a lovely time you had with your friend! Good fellowship is nothing to take for granted. Your book stack will be a delight for you.
Thank you so much for the recipes. They will be perfect for Book Club the next time I host.
Have a blessed week ahead!
Good books are awesome gifts! I just finished Erin French's memoir, finding freedom. What a story! (True story) if you haven't yet become a fan of The Lost Kitchen
I am glad that you had a great visit with your friend, Jeanie. I had no access to the internet while in Cuba (I just returned last evening), so I was unaware of the mass shooting in Michigan, but sadly news of renewed slaughter comes as no surprise. It is now a more than daily occurrence. How utterly sad that there is no political will to stop this insanity.
4 good reads there, good BLCC authors and Of course Jacqueline Winspear is always excellent.
It's so wonderful to have an old friend visit where you don't stand on expectations of entertaining all the time. It sounds like you all had lots of fun--part of what a good friendship lends to your life.
I make those sliders all the time but brush the tops with melted butter and poppy seeds...using 'dipping stuff' on the side.
Have a wonderful day. I have to look for that movie LIVING. xo Diana
Just saw Nighy last night in a 20-year-old Inspector Lynley. I was surprised that he didn’t have a bigger part. I didn’t love the Lynley series the time because I thought both he lead characters were miscast, but I am over that now, and have really enjoyed the first few episodes.
Lizzie looks so much like Lacey except for the nose. Lacey’s is all pink, which I quite adore.
Yum, sounds delicious! Fun party food!
Glad you enjoyed.
Nice table setting. I bet you have plates for every holiday! I used to have Christmas ones but I did away with them years ago. Never learned to play Sudoku. I like cross word puzzles. Looking like fun times again with friends. I love friends, and I have some of the best. Have a great rest of your week.
Fun times..I want to see that movie one day.I just love him.WE don't have Hawaiian Rolls here and that bugs me lol.
It's always amusing to see how you entertain yourself and others. Despite the tragedy at MSU, you did find some time for joy. Keep on doing this. You are truly blessed.
Thanks for the movie recommendation. It sounds perfect for my mood right now. I never past up a lemon tart and in fact they're one of the few things I like to make and take to parties.grocery store. I used the shells you buy from the freezer department. Next time I'll try the cookies.
The movie sounds good.
Lemon tarts you say. A favourite of mine.
Always nice to have wonderful company.
Enjoy the week, Jeanie.
We all need good friends. And mashed potatoes as well - what could be better?! Hugs, Valerie
A grand time with friends!
Prayers for better days
Time with friends, and Lizzie can heal hearts. Suzanne reminds me of Mia Farrow.
How much fun you had with your visiting friend, Jeanie, and after recent events, this was a much needed relief and sharing of good times. I was not familiar with several of the authors on the gift books list. That said the Sergeant Cluff ones and Murder Underground bear worth looking up in my library's online catalog.
The photos of you and Suzanne showed what fun you had during her visit, which most likely went by so fast as they always do
The ham and cheese sliders looked delicious and sure they tasted even better.
Popped over from AC's blog, and enjoyed reading your doings and recipes very much. Bill Nighy is one of my top favorite actors. Can't wait to see this one! And those lemon tarts, will definitely have to try them.
Looks like a lot of VERY yum fun, those sliders make me hungry, though I am not. Mustard, good idea!
And a very cute Lizzie, as always :-)
A friend's visit creates a nice memory that lasts forever. Books are also friends that we meet when we read, an adventure for us to enjoy. Have a wonderful week, Jeanie.
Nice to spend time with a good friend and a sweet cat!
Always nice to spend time with friends.
That film with Bill Nighy sounds very good.
Happy reading, the books look good.
All the best Jan
Oooh, those sliders look really good! I need to add those to my grocery list. A great time with a good friend, can't beat that!
Lizzie has such a priceless expression.
What more could you ask than dinner and movie with friends and a pile of good books. I am a soduko fan as well. It can occupy me for a long time. I even managed to get Martin, my husband, into it. We have never done a competition like this, but it is a good idea.
So glad you had that wonderful time with friends. I love spending time with friends and family and great conversation.
Cathy
I like Thai designed pots.
Yum, those ham and cheese sammies look good! Thanks for your lovely blog comment. That made my day. :) Have a great week.
It looks like a wonderful time, although I'll confess being in awe of the very concept of a Sudoku race. I can't figure out Sudoku even when I have all the time in the world to deal with it. Lemon tarts, on the other hand, I can figure out, and your variation sounds luscious. Have you ever tried the lemon curd from American Spoon? For my taste, it's so much better than any other than I stock up when they have their 12 jars for $10 shipping sales.
I spy a Rick Steves' guide in the stack and my heart jumps for joy to think you might actually travel there again soon!
Myself, I just bought an updated street map (includes TfL's Elizabeth line) and have a new guidebook on order.
Maybe I'll see you there!
P.S. Your hair looks so pretty!
XOXOXOX
What a great time. I make lemon curd quite often. It can be used so many different ways. OK, is it just me? What is the intruder in your yard? LOL Have a great day today
Sounds like a wonderful visit. I'm so glad. You, and Lizzie, look great;)
Fun to have a good friend visit and have time for chatting and sharing of good times. Mentioning pork loin and mashed potatoes reminds me I have a loin in the freezer. I think that's on the menu now for tomorrow!
You had a fun time with your friend's visit and with the Cork Poppers.
"Living" sounds like a great movie, I like Bill Nighy, a great actor.
I just bought a couple more books at the op-shop, just adding to my already big pile to read! I just need time...
There's nothing like a visit from a wonderful friend to lift your spirits! It sounds like you guys had a wonderful time! I love the sudoku race! Phil would be a good contender for that. He is so good at sudoku!
You've got a great stack of books, too! I see a London guide - does that mean you'll be heading back that way soonish? :)
What a fun time you've had with a visit to you from a friend. Fun activity all around and time spent with special friends is a blessing. Wow, the sliders look delicious. Hope you are snug as a bug after the cold there. Stay warm Jeanie and enjoy all those books!
So glad you had a fun friends week Jeanie! You can't beat ham and cheese sliders on Hawaiian Rolls, and those Slacker Lemon tarts are brilliant, I am definitely going to make those!
Jenna
It's nice to get together with your friend, Jeanie. Watching old movies, good food, and conversation sounds wonderful. And I have to say that I love your fuschia sweater, and that's one of my favorite colors to wear. What is that critter in your yard? The ham and cheese sliders look delicious. Fun times to cherish. You still have your trees up? Wonderful. : )
~Sheri
Friends and food are truly the best, and it sounds like you made some great foods. I love them all.
Sounds like a fun time with your friend. Is there a trip to London in your future???? The recipes have made me hungry!
Time with friends, such a wonderful thing! I have a dvd series from Rick Steves and sometimes watch reruns of his travels on t.v. The books were a nice gift. I used to do Sudoku puzzles but couldn't usually finish the advanced ones. Word search is more my speed. ;)
Love all the photos!!
~Mary
What is that thing?? An opossum? A...muppet?
I like your snow people plates. I don't know the movie "Living" but will look it up, thanks! Groucho Marx is a particular favorite of my husband. What a riot. Such a quick wit.
Is that a possum tail? I haven't seen one in a while, but we have actually had possums on the patio in the past. They are welcome here any time :)
Ham and cheese sliders sound like an excellent idea -and easy. I'm putting that on the list :) Ooo, and the lemon tarts sound nice, too.
ooh yes what is that animal? Great to have friends visit isn't it?
That sounds like a perfect visit with your friend.
I want to check out that movie now.
I hope Lizzie got a treat!
"Living" is on my list since I love Bill Nighy and have seen quite some of his movies. He is an excellent actor. I have to wait until we can stream it. My husband and I used to do Sudoku races, sometimes even with my daughter when she was around.
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