Our March Walks

 March 13, 2022

We did a bit of a different walk today. Started off near Schooner or Later cafe and walked by the Crab Pot to Alamitos Bay. We crossed the bridge to the bike path and walked to the now closed Rivers End restaurant . This area is often a bit windy but today it was still and warm and beautiful. Many people riding bikes and boating but few on the beach itself. A lovely quiet Sunday.

 

 

 March 19th Signal Hill

Sunday March 20th the Naples Canals Long Beach

Before This and After This

  "There are moments that mark your

life, moments when you realize

nothing will ever be the same. And

time is divided into two parts,

before this and after this." 

Soft and Chew Oatmeal cookies

 Yesterday I baked a new cookie recipe which I liked. I’ll attach the recipe In the comments section. For a bit of a twist on an oatmeal cookie I exchanged one cup of Heath bar toffee bits for the butterscotch morsels. I added one cup of chopped pecans and just a scant half cup of chocolate chips. I also added a teaspoon of almond extract and a 1/4 cup shredded coconut .

 https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/oatmeal-scotchies/

 Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon unsulphured or dark molasses
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups (240g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
• 2 cups (280g) butterscotch morsels

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Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. With the mixer running on low speed, beat in the oats and butterscotch morsels. Dough will be thick and sticky. Cover and chill the dough for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
5. Scoop cookie dough (here’s the cookie scoop I love), about 3 Tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place 4 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
6. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more butterscotch morsels into the tops– this is only for looks!
7. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

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Spring Break for the kids

 It’s Spring vacation for the Dallas kids. Zio Marino is visiting. They are spending the week sightseeing in Austin. The kids loved feeding and petting the goats on the farm they are staying at. Activities for the week included tour of the Texas state Capitol building, boat ride, bat caves, Univ. of Texas Paleontology q & a, food stop at Magnolia store and lunch at the Silos.

 

 

 

Questions for the Paleontologist at the UT Austin.

Helping collect the eggs at the airbnb

 

One all day sucker for Sofia and one tiny sucker for

lollipop for Bobo.

Wait a minute....

 

this is more like it!

 

 

a stop at the Silos at Magnolia for lunch

Last day of spring break March 20th

St. Patrick's Day Traditions

 

These are the pins my girls would wear once a year on St.Paddys day. You may think it a bit odd but our Japanese family really embraced this holiday. Growing up we always had corned beef and cabbage and all the traditional sides for this holiday. As married adults my sister in law Barb hosted an annual st. Patrick’s day party. Her house was fully decorated with shamrock garlands and green everything-even green desserts. Everyone dressed in green and we became the O’Yamadera’s and the O’Cabot’s. Happy St. Patrick’s day to all the Irish friends and to all those that will be Irish for the day! Can you guess what we’ll be having for dinner tonight?

 

 

Rocco:”My mom sent me to school on St. Patrick’s day in this shirt! I told my classmates the dinosaur is green!” Sofia had green milk. That’s the next generations twist on tradition.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2022

 

Well that was fun and we had green beer too! Happy St. Paddys day to all.

 

A delicious blueberry dessert courtesy of our neighbor Darlene.

 An Irish Blessing:

"May your

troubles 

be less and

your blessings

be more, and 

nothing but

happiness come

through 

your door."

The Bachelor Finale

 
 

 

My friend Sherri and I had two fun nights on Monday and Tuesday watching the Bachelor finales. 

 

Sherri had prosecco and chocolate cake one night and I brought over some cookies I baked on Monday. We always have a lot of laughs watching the crazy twists and turns.  It's a show we love to hate.

Ohhh but wait...

Twist alert

More twists