WTF?!? Friday: Roll Your Own

I'll let you do the guesswork on this swirl of mystery meat...It might be mighty enough to pull you from the carnivore to the herbivore side. Find out this weekend...

Invasion of the drinks from another dimension

Southern Comfort's Happy Hour Bar Guide [I'm guessing circa '69] is anything but comforting. It's creepy.

First, it's the giant head of our hostess:Then it's the giant drinks being served at her various venues:Just think of how huge their hangovers are going to be, or their tolerance levels are.

Cinco De Mayo!

I can't lie. I took German in high school. I don't know uno from dos and my Spanglish is pretty broken. But I celebrated Cinco de Mayo [and my cat Oona's birthday] today/night with a bigass bowl of guacamole! Funny, but I couldn't locate a recipe in any of my cookbooks from the 'feast library.
Here's what I smashed together for my get together:

Guacamole
6 avocados, gutted
2 limes, squeezed
1 tablespoon salt

Mash and nosh with chips!

Ole my friends, ole [can you tell I've got a few glasses of sangria under my belt?]!

It's Tipsy Tuesday - Get up off your seat & jump around!

A few of these cocktails [that are almost as good as the Keebler cookie] and you'll be bouncing off the walls -
[This giddy, guzzle-it-inducing image is from a Birthday Bar Book I picked up this weekend for a quarter - check out the grody thought-for-the-day; "The grasshopper receives auditory impulses through his stomach." Cool science stat. Not the coolest party starter.]

Grasshopper
2/3 jigger green creme de menthe
2/3 jigger white creme de menthe
2/3 jigger creme
Shake well with ice and serve in champagne glass.

And try to keep your mind off the insects auditory impulses. Just try.

The $20 Road Trip

I came close to busting my budget of $20 last Sunday in Sparks. But I didn't. Feast your eyes on my lawn - full of dusty, divine treasures from the trailers, tables and tents of Kansas:
[vintage gift wrap, cards & stationary, paint-by-numbers rose print, fab frames, grand ge clock, boozy recipe books, pretty pink hinged tissue box & the like]

There was also this amazing lady with the best. tent. ever. She's been buying up old carnival prizes and gumball machine goodies. My friend Mandy walked out with enough cracker jack-y charms to fill two bracelets! I also scored these fun tiles to spell out the kids' names and a neat-o candle holder for birthday & special occasion cupcakes:This may come as no surprise - but I've got a little [believe me, it'll be bitty] etsy shop up my sleeve. Stay tuned this summer when I'll share my stash!

Road Trip!

My friend Mandy & I will be HERE tomorrow. Celebrating her birthday at a fabulous flea market fiesta! I can't wait to drag my old-school, old-lady cart through the miles of aisles at one of the country's top markets. The last time we went to Sparks, I bought all of this for way less than $20...Yes. YEs. YES! Bring it on. And hey, will I see you there?

Getting Fresh with Family Circle

What would you do if a friend handed you a dozen of these fabby farm-fresh fellas?I baked a cake. From the Family Circle Cake & Cooky Cookbook (c)'53. One with a beautiful blueberry base. And a luxe lemony topping. And the aide of Betty [in a box].

Blueberry Cake
[Makes 1 square cake, 9x9x2]
1 cup washed fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon flour [I sweetened the deal with confectioner's sugar instead]
1 package white or yellow cake mix [I kept it pure with a white mix]

1. Coat blueberries with flour [nah! confectioner's sugar.]
2. Mix batter according to directions on package of mix; fold in berries.
3. Bake and cool in square cake pan, 9x9x2, according to directions on package.
4. Cut in squares; serve warm with Fluffy Lemon Sauce
Fluffy Lemon Sauce
[Makes 2 1/4 cups sauce]
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
1 egg [from a local, loved chicken!], separated

1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan; stir in water and lemon rind and juice.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick and clear and boils 1 minute.
3. Beat egg yolk slightly in small bowl.
4. Stir about 1/2 cup hot lemon mixture into yolk; return to saucepan.
5. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
6. Beat egg white until stiff but not dry; fold into sauce; serve hot over cake.

Okay, so maybe the labor intensity of the 'Fluffy Sauce' trumps the ease of the cake. But it's a wash that is so worth it! This is one super-duper spring cake, suitable for potlucks, card parties, brunches or a housewarming nosh [we did partake in cake at my sister-in-law's new digs last night]. Turn on the oven this week and turn out your own Blueberry Cake.