Looks what's growing in my garden........

My little Finch birdies are back. I had hung a RED Finch feeder....and no birds. So, I took down the red feeder and put up a new yellow feeder and here they are.
Just step outside and my new friends are there to greet me. Just got to love it:)

Red Day Lilies

Hydrangeas

Tiger Lilies....these are all across the back of my yard.

Clematis from Mom and Dad's yard.

Yellow Day Lilies

Roma Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Zucchini

Red Peppers

Jalapeno Peppers

Red Raspberries...we have already started picking them.

Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini and Red Peppers will be ready soon. I just love this time of year. Stay tuned for my recipes using all my fresh garden items.

Foodie Friday ~ Trader Joe's

Gollum at "Designs by Gollum" is the hostess for "Foodie Friday".

So......it's hot out and I don't feel like cooking. Just happen to have some great treasures in the freezer from my last trip to Trader Joe's. Put the Mandarin Orange Chicken and Sweet Potato Frites in the oven for 20 minutes, make a yummy salad, pour some iced tea and...............dinner is ready. Doesn't get any better than that:)The Mandarin Orange Chicken is great. The Sweet Potato Frites are so wonderful. Almost taste like a pastry. We dip them in ranch dressing.

Trader Joe's is just a wonderful experience. A must for everyone. Everything is soooooo good.

Thanks for stopping by........can't wait to see what everyone else is cooking this week.

Have a wonderful weekend:)

Foodie Friday ~ Marinated Shrimp

Gollum at "Designs by Gollum"

is the hostess for
"Foodie Friday"

Marinated Shrimp

4 pounds frozen cooked shrimp, thawed

2 cups evoo (extra virgin olive oil)

1/2 cup hot sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon each of the following....(I used fresh from the garden)

seafood seasoning (Potlatch Seasoning from William-Sonoma)

basil

oregano

thyme

parsley

Whisk together and put all in ziploc bag overnight.

Happy "Foodie Friday" to you all. Have a wonderful weekend.....and Happy Father's Day:)

Cara's Baby Shower

Four generations.....Cara (with baby in her tummy), Lauri (Nana), Caty holding Eli and Mana. The cousins..........Emily, Cara, Elle, Lauren and Caty. Jill wish you were here:) Kendra we missed you too. But everyone loved the presents you both sent!

Emily, Elle and Kelly. I just love Elle's smiles:)

Nana with her girls............and Eli. Oh Cara, and you are not due until August. Get your rest now.

Can you guess why the pink roses...........Cara is having a baby GIRL:)

She will be here in August!!!!!!!

The shower today was fun. Great to see everyone. Sure hope the ultrasound is not wrong. Everything was PINK.

Foodie Friday ~ BBQ Ribs

Gollum at "Designs by Gollum" is the hostess for "Foodie Friday"

Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Lemon Juice, Worcestershire Sauce and in the bottle with the red top......

Neely's BBQ Dry Rub

Makes about 2 cups

1 1/2 cups paprika

3/4 cup sugar

3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

In a small bowl, combine paprika, sugar, and onion powder. Stir to combine.

You will need 1 slab of baby back ribs per person. Splash with Lemon Juice and Worcestershire Sauce. Add Pepper and Garlic Powder. Season both sides of ribs with Neely's BBQ Dry Rub.

Cut ribs and place in Dutch Oven. Add water to cover bottom. Cover with lid and bake in 325 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Mississippi Barbecue Sauce
I normally would have made the Neely's BBQ Sauce, but this looked interesting.
Just in case you want to make homemade.......here is the recipe.

Neely's BBQ Sauce
Makes about 3 1/2 cups
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
In a large saucepan, combine ketchup, water, vinegar, sugars, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, onion powder, and mustard. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hours and 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
(Makes the house smell so good)
Place ribs from the Dutch Oven to a large bowl and cover with BBQ sauce.

Grill on medium heat until sauce is set. About 10 minutes. Turning and basting with sauce from bowl.

Wow..............so good:)

Have a great weekend......see you next Friday.

Foodie Friday ~ Fresh Herb with Spinach and Cheese Frittata

Driving home from work thinking what will I make for dinner........ As long as you have eggs and cheese you can always make a Frittata. So I just started taking food from the refrigerator and this is what I came up with. I especially love adding herbs from my garden to just about everything. The family loved it:)

Fresh Herb with Spinach and Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thaw under water and squeezed dry
• 8 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon each, fresh from the garden; sage, tarragon, thyme, oregano and basil - chopped
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 small container Philadelphia chive and onion whipped cream cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the spinach and onions and cook for 3 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy. Pour eggs into the skillet and cook until the bottom has set, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes. Sprinkle herbs on top. Dot the cream cheese randomly and sprinkle with cheeses. Salt and pepper

Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then slice.

Gollum at "Designs by Gollum" is the hostess for "Foodie Friday"

Road Trip to Andersonville, Illinois

The day started at 8:45 am at Mom and Dad's. Kelly picked us up and we were off to Andersonville. Steven (my son) is the manager at Charlie's Al House and we are going there to have lunch. Here I am enjoying a great lunch with......

Mom......

Dad.....

and sister, Kelly.

Before lunch we went to the Swedish Bakery. Wow....good stuff there. Of course we all came out with a shopping bag. After lunch we went to Erickson's Delicatessen were Mom and Dad did a lot of shopping. Dad had a list. We all bought the "Bondost" cheese. We even went through a few antique shops. What a fun time we all had.

Thanks Steven.....we had a wonderful time:)

The Famous Bird Bath

Since I haven't had any Humming Birds yet, I bought these. They are on the screen of my sliding patio door. I have two of them and will be buying more. Plus it's good because you know the screen is there and won't walk into it. Cute aren't they....
This is the famous bird bath. It was a present to Mom and Dad. Then when they enclosed their porch they gave it to Kelly. My lucky day, today she gave it to me. So here it is. This weekend I am going to cut out the area around it and plant flowers. I just love it. Thanks Kelly:)

What a great find..............

Went to Indian Oaks Antique Shop today. Found this pineapple milk glass vase. It was a great find for $5.00. Had a very relaxing afternoon.