It's April 26th and its SNOWING!!!

I can hardly believe it, its snowing and quite hard, too.  So far about 4" of the white stuff and pretty and fluffy and thick and great for snowballs.
The birds were crowding and fighting at the covered feeder.  I guess all their lunch places are covered in snow so they can't eat their usual wild fare in the woods.
I just came indoors from sweeping a path to the feeders to clear them off and refill them.
I've seen juncos, purple martins and chickadees in abundance today.  Love to watch them.   Its still snowing so I may have to go out again and clear off the tray feeder that is exposed to the elements. I've done my usual 'chickadee...dee....dee' call and they are back again to feed.

Computer still no back.

I'm using someone else's computer.  They were kind to let me use it for this weekend, but since its not mine, I can't post pictures.

I was out in the garden cleaning up debris, pulling old plants and stems, cutting back the old stuff in the asparagus bed and pruning the fruit trees and rose bushes.
That's kept me busy so far with still more to do in that area tomorrow.

Hope you all are having some good days.  We're sunny and in the high 50s and low 60s for a few days.
Enjoy!

My Computer is on the Fritz.

My computer is not working right now.  I had to borrow a friend's laptop to come here.
When its fixed, I'll be back with some pictures.

.......Of our first robin this year.

.......Of some American gold finches, both a male in full color and the pretty but drab females.

Today we had snow again.  I know spring is here, but there are days when it seems to be hiding pretty well. 

Have a great day.  See you soon.

Baby Boy Cake!

My DDIL loves to make and decorate cakes.  Well, a friend is having a baby shower so she came up with this one.....

This is the edible cake that goes with the Diaper Cake I posted earlier.  I love the colors since my favorite is Turquoise.  I also love the little baby boy with his bottom up in the air.  Adorable.

Congratulations dear, you did a great job.

Snowdrops are Blossoming!

When I see my Snowdrops perking up, I know spring can't be very far behind. 
Today, its sunny and in the 60sF here in southern Maine.  I'm lovin' it.  As I walked thru my gardens today to take stock, I see they sure need some clearing out of winter debris.
.....But by my kitchen door I was greeted by:

These Snowdrops are the very first flowers I see every season.

 

Their pretty white heads are bobbing in the sunshine today.  Fighting thru last year's bed of fallen leaves, they look pretty darn good today.

 

On a different note, here's a Diaper Cake my DDIL made for a friend.  Yes, its made all with diapers.  And yes, she made another cake for eating for the baby shower.  I just thought this 'cake' was cute and wanted to share.

 

I hope everyone is able to get out today and enjoy the bright sunshine.  We all need to get our Vitamin D today while we can.  I hear rain is coming in next week for a few days.  If we're lucky, we'll mist most of it.

 

Foggy and Warm Today.

What weird weather we are having.  It reached 55*F today.
Usually February is our worst month for snow blizzards.  Last year we had over 80 inches of snow thru the winter.  This year, practically nil.
And Feb was just a dusting here and there and from what I see of the weather charts, not much snow left for the rest of this month.
I'm not complaining folks, I'm just declaring myself mystified and happy.

Last nite I made some spaghetti and meatballs for me and the family.  I haven't made them for awhile so they were pleasant.

Nothing exciting happening in my life right now.  Hope all is well with all my friends out there.  Have a Happy Day!

Enjoy!

Buckeys, A.K.A. Peanut Butter Balls

I've been making peanut butter balls for years.  Sometimes they are bigger and sometimes they are smaller.  Today I used my new Oneida Trigger Cookie Scoop.  Its the small one, only one inch.  It makes very uniform candies which I like immensely. 

The mixture is only 3 ingredients, so very easy.  I'll add the recipe at the end.

 

Here's a close-up of the scoop.  I didn't have to flour or grease the scoop to do this.  Just pull it thru the mixture and pick up a portion.

 

I lined a small cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Then rolled the balls between the palms of my hands.  If they started to get sticky, I just ran my hands under the faucet to wash off the residue and continued.

 

I put a bowl over hot water to melt the chocolate but before I add the chocolate, I put about a 1- to 2-inch square of Gulf Wax in the bowl to melt first.  This gives the candy a nice glossy finish.

I put 3 or 4 balls at a time in the bowl and use two forks to turn them in the chocolate, then lift them to put back on the waxed paper.

 

They have to go back into the refrigerator to harden.  You can keep them fresh in the fridge for a couple weeks and if you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them.

Today I got 65 one-inch buckeyes from the recipe, all uniform.

 

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 Cup, (1 1/2 sticks) Butter or margarine, softened

One 18-oz jar Creamy Peanut Butter

1 Lb Confectioner's (Powdered) Sugar

1 piece of Gulf Wax, if you want but its not necessary

12 oz bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bits

 

Cook's Note: The original recipe calls for 12 oz. peanut butter, but I like my candy to taste richly, so I use the 18-oz jar. Its also easier than trying to get every last bit of p.b. out of the smaller jar to get the full 12 oz.

 

In a large bowl, I cream the softened butter and the peanut better together first, then I add the Confectioner's Sugar and mix it together well with a wooden spoon.

When all the mixture is incorporated I use a small scoop to form the balls.  You can use your hands (which I did for years and it works well), but for uniformity, I found the Oneida cookie scoop ideal. 

Form the mixture into firm balls between your palms.

Place on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper.

Place them in the refrigerator to chill at least a half hour.

Use a double boiler or place a bowl over a pan of hot water, the pan not touching the water.  Heat the water on the stove.

First place the Gulf Wax  in the bowl if you are using it.  Let it melt.

Add the Chocolate Bits to the bowl and stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

Leave the pan and the bowl on the heat, but turn it down very low.  You just want to keep the chocolate from hardening up again.

Dip your balls in the chocolate, using 2 forks to control the balls.  If they aren't covered completely, it doesn't matter. That's where the term 'buckeyes' originated.  The uncovered bits of the ball look like the light bouncing off the eye of a wild buck.

Place balls back on the waxed paper, not touching,  and put the dipped candies back in the refrigerator to chill and harden.

 

You can eat them whenever they are firm enough to hold.  Place them ina plastic bags to keep in the fridge to keep fresh for weeks.  Or you can put them in freezer bags and freeze for much later.

 

These are a hit in my family, especially at Christmas Time.  But they are so tasty and enjoyable year round.  When I make them, I have to remember to give them out to family close by or they'd never forgive me.

Happy Cooking!