summer nectarine cakes + a winner

....

summer nectarine cakes

 recipe by donna hay

`

3 egg whites

1 cup almond meal (ground almonds) i used pecans

1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar, sifted

1/2 cup plain (all- purpose flour)

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

50g (1 3/4oz) butter, melted

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind

1 nectarine halved and sliced

icing (confectioners) sugar, extra for dusting

preheat oven to 355

place egg whites, almond meal ( i used pecan meal) sugar, flour, baking powder, butter and lime rind in bowl and mix well to combine. spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into 12 lightly greased patty tins /muffin pan. and top with a slice of nectarine. bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. dust over extra sugar to serve. makes 12

`

these cakes are so easy to make. i used pecan meal instead of almond meal. i just whirled my pecans in my food processor until crushed fine

don't over whirl ; )

these cakes would be perfect for a tea gathering. i am not always a fan of overly sweet desserts, so these hit the spot. they remind me of a pecan sandie. 

enjoy

*

and the winner for my giveaway...

keishua

congrats

!

please email me your snail mail addy so i can get some mail your way

`

thank you for all the good wishes on 5

deep sigh ; )

*

have a most lovely day 

xo

5 ~

....

5

that's how old this little blog has turned this month

what a ride it has been

up

or

down

 you have been there every step of the way

yes you

!

palms clasped i thank you from the bottom of my heart

you are sweet as pie to me

x

`

...so leave your name in the comment box to win a little package

of hand picked goodies

from me

`

if your  a new reader

throw your hat in the ring too

or

if you just want to say hi

that's fine as well

come on in and stay a while

`

i will pick a winner on wednesday

9am centeral time

*

my post is up at the mortal muses blog

say hello won't you ?

`

you are loved

my friends

*

giveaway closed

sunday and i don't mind one bit `

....

it's sunday

+

i really need it to be sunday

`

slow

`

it's been a full summer

im not used to that

there has been so many good times this summer

+

there was something that was just difficult and so very hard...

i keep hoping to find the words to tell you about our friend

soon come though

with patience and prayer

maybe the words will find me 

`

i actually felt a coolness in the air yesterday

+

today

`

licorice tea before bed last night

`

a simple pot of homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight

+

hydrangeas for the vase

`

i noticed it's getting darker a bit sooner at night

autumn is near

and i don't mind one bit

`

x

good things ~

....

"joy is what happens to us when we recognize how good things really are"

marianne williamson

`

august break

`

x

bread and flowers `

....

"bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul"

the koran

`

thank you flower magazine 

`

hoping you are well my friends

you are loved

`

august break

*

... to be beautiful

....

evidence of last weeks anthropologie trip

along with a few journals i bought from a street vendor

; )

`

i find this video to be quite beautiful

`

august break

x.

cuppa memories ...

....

a day spent with friends

`

polish pottery

amazing blueberry and peach cobbler

french pressed coffee

the laughter of children

can you tell i adore photos with cups

?

i bet you can

: )

and my friend...

as she stood beside our teenagers

she pulled out photos of the day i gave birth our son

then of our daughter

tears

the memories 

tears

then more laughter

i SO dig that

happy day my friends

x.

good times ...

....

such good times these summer days offer

nothing fancy

just

simple

goodness

`

have you stopped by the mortal muses blog

?

there's lots of fun going on

+

a

giveaway

{ending tonight}

`

be back later 

x.

on paper and such `

....

such beautiful autumn wedding invites arriving in the mail

our summer days dwindling away

miles searching for tummy rubs

moleskin journals 

books at bedtime

banana bread

 morning light

*

signing off early this week

happy weekend my friends

`

x

sit a while `

....

"never be afraid to sit a while and think"

lorainne hansberry, a raisin in the sun

`

august break

x

times like these `

....

she greeted us with a smile

we were the only ones in the cafe

for most of the afternoon

`

a wine and coffee cafe

yes

`

we shared a bread and oil plate

 ordered a bottle of sweet moscato 

to balance the sea salt and olive oil

have i ever told you i like to play sommelier

? 

{and if i see your table struggling w/ the wine list i will get my sommelier on for you too}

yeah man

sure do

big smile

`

we sat and talked through the rain and its storm

she brought us coffees and biscotti...

no charge she said

my heart swelled with gratefulness

`

it's times like these...

but alas 

the hands of the clock continue to turn

the calendar pages sway

+

 and that's just fine by me  

*

wtsb 

the word is touch

have you stopped over

?

`

x

"hippie chicks rule"

....

yes it was love at first sight...

pink 

bug

love

; )

my first post at mortal muses blog is up today

won't you come on in for a visit

+

say hello

xo

`

the diner

....

saturday morning at the diner

*

august break

`

x

big smile ... go!

....

just wanted to stop in

+

wish you a most beautiful weekend

`

the mammogram and scan were just fine

a green light for 

go

!

the dr. said

`

: )

you are loved

{thank you so much}

me burnt et + a fall book list `

eh naw me burnt me dahm roll!
lol
sorry for the get down and dirty cheeseburger photo
i guess i am feeling a bit sassy
yeah man
*
we have gathered a fall book list for the teenagers

+

 since many of you offered great suggestions

i thought i would share

*

catcher in the rye- j.d. salinger

the book thief- markus zusak

cruisers- walter dean meyers

heart of a sumari- margi preus
rooftops of tehran- mahbod seraji

finding alaska- john green

the house on mango street- sandra cisneros

invisible man- ralph ellison

dark emperor and other poems of the night- joyce sidman

(i find this book to be glorious. i might teach a poetry unit from it)

deep sigh for poetry

+

(some of these books are being revisited from last year)
i am so looking forward to it all
*
so i am going for a mammogram and scan tomorrow for the breast i had the biopsy on
that biopsy turned out fine...
 they do a 6 month routine check up
so tomorrow i will be there
woot woot
let's do it!
lol
see it's the sassiness again
; )
will you keep me in your thoughts
+
  prayers
?
palms clasped
thank you in advance
you are loved
*
`

wednesday ... in life `

....

"...when i think of those sundays in the jardin de plantes,

i want to do things for people they never forget.

maybe that's the best i can do in life."

....

from the book~ "the secret lives of people in love"

*

by 

simon van booy

*

a beautiful book and a colorful bracelet has been the cherry atop my wednesday

happy day my friends.

*

ps: gonna join in on the august break

xo

life on a sunday`

......

"life is not measured by the number of breaths we take

but by the moments that take our breath away"

maya angelou

*

x

dirty berries and dreams `

......

on my way home

i passed the cutest road side fruit stand

"the last of the strawberries" she said with a smile

{i bought them all}

i could tell they were good

dirty and their flowers barely hanging on

a dirty berry will make a fine berry

at least that's what my grandmother always said

`

so i made more strawberry jam

very late last night

i couldn't sleep

and

after the bread came out of the oven 

apparently no one else could sleep either

lol

deep sigh of love for the gathering that simple good cooking brings

`

after reading "the blue chair jam cookbook"

i tried keeping the strawberries whole...

and

it worked

: )

i finally got the thicker and stickier texture i love in a jam

but could never achieve with sliced berries

a good cooking down of the berries helped as well

jam making really is a form of art

and 

i still dream of having award winning jam maker besides my name one day

oh no

i haven't given that dream up by any means

: )

what are your dreams

{?}

`

signing off early this week to finish up a project dear to my heart

happy weekend my friends

`

x

gathering this grey day`

......

im in need of routine today

greedy of this silence that has found me this morning

*

prayer

knitting

patience 

*

stapling papers

gathering books for a new school year

i keep researching high school history programs

but what about the reading

?

i'm in search of seven books for the teenagers to read this year

with only a few in mind

any ideas

?

*

although the heat reminds me summer is still here

the autumn calendar pages are open

filling quickly

*

thank you for the love

you show me

always

*

i am gathering this grey day by the armfuls

it slows things down for me

i dig that

*

such beautiful space over at wtsb

*

a most lovely day to you my friends

`

early morning sun and mortal muses ~

......

there is an early morning sun

+

the coffee is smooth

a low chatter from the people in the shop

and my reading awaits me

but

this yellow wall 

+

these dancing shadows of the chair...

it really is love

so i raise my lens

: )

are you well this morning?

i hope so

*

i have a happiness running deep inside of me

along with...

 major bed head

pillow marks on my face

but 

back to the happiness part 

i am honored to be a new member of

mortal muses

yes indeed

!

i'm over the moon

palms clasped 

thank you ladies for thinking of me

there is beautiful talent over there

and i hope to learn so much

gain some girl time

+

snap photos till my trigger finger begs for mercy

won't you stop over and say hello?

; )

big smile

*

you are loved

`