January Fourth and Fifth

Started the fourth with Janice and Bonnie at our favorite breakfast place in Mesa

T.C. Eggington's

One of the things we three women have in common is we all love the same dish at this restaurant.

If you live in the valley and you have not gone there try it. Order the Crack of Dawn.

Split it with someone, if at all possible. The servings are too big for one person.

If you do not live in the valley of the sun you can pretty much make a close replica by doing the following:

When you bake potatoes for supper, bake a couple of extra ones to save for breakfast.

Cube the potatoes, cut up some onions, or chop some green onions, including the greens, and add some sliced mushrooms. Dice some ham from a ham steak or a left over ham. Toss all these items into an iron skillet with a small amount of bacon grease--- sounds good already, doesn't it? Fry the mixture until the potatoes are slightly browned. Remove the mixture and place it in the bottom of individual shallow serving dishes. Top each with some grated cheddar cheese. Microwave just long enough to melt the cheese after you complete the following: Fry an egg for each portion. The egg they serve is basted and served sunny side up. I like my white done and my yellow runny. This adds to the taste of the dish in my opinion. Cook your egg to your preference and place it on top of the potato, cheese mixture. Enjoy!

Same day but different friends and different restaurant.

What a wonderful day for food and friends!

Abby, sitting next to me in the picture, was my neighbor for around twenty years. She and her husband now own a resort in Canada and also have a place in Queen Creek. Her daughter, Heather, ( I watched her grow up ) now lives in Portland. Heather is in town doing an internship to complete her culinary training. The item we all love to eat is served at Flancer's in downtown Gilbert. It is their Prickly Pear Chicken sandwich. Flancer's makes their own rolls and they are delicious. I would love to tell you how to duplicate this dish but as of yet I have not even tried to figure it out. The restaurant is so close to my valley home I can enjoy the sandwich at the drop of a hat, so to speak. Also, you cooks out there that are reading this know bread making is a funny business. It is one of those items that regardless of following the recipe to a T, it probably will not taste exactly the same as the original cook.

I first learned this when about 46 years ago I asked my grandmother for her biscuit recipe. My grandmother had a Hoosier cabinet and sifted her flour directly from the cabinet---again, those of you out there that love vintage like me know what I am talking about.

Anyway, the recipe went something like this--

A bowl full of flour

A fist full of lard

A little baking powder

A glass full of buttermilk

With your hand,work a little of the flour with baking powder added, into the lard and continue to do this until all the flour is used. Add the buttermilk and stir. Pat out dough and cut ----etc. You get the picture.

I actually tried to do this once. She made it look so easy. Uh-NOT-- Takes Strong Hands---

This wreath used to hang in my hall bathroom. I purchased it years ago at the Biltmore shopping center on an annual holiday outing to see all the beautiful Christmas displays. There was some sort of contest artists had entered for charity and the wreaths were for sale. I fell in love with it.

Upon picking up the house ( as much as possible since the house is still under construction ) I found it lying in the bathtub. There are no pictures on any of the walls yet and when I passed by the pantry door I decided to hang it so I had at least one place that looked like it was finished. I love the look.

Looks like I am moving across country, doesn't it?

Packed up the car with all my upcoming packaging deliveries and of course a few other paper goods and goodies. I never did sign up for the Valentine swap. I, however, continued to purchase items for the swap! Every where I went the Valentines was in the back of my mind and items were placed in my hands to take to the register. My plan is to finish it ( within my time frame instead of pressuring myself with the current swap guidelines---which were most generous and I could have worked within---- so why didn't I just do it???? Decided I wanted to not have the added pressure right now and that is that ) and be ready for next year if someone happens to have a Valentine box swap again. I have lots of goodies planned to go inside.

Back seat is also full but more with my suit case and camera case. See the camera case in the floor. I stopped on the way through the canyon and snapped the below pictures.

Regardless of the number of times I make the drive from Gilbert to Pinetop,

by way of Globe,

I marvel at the beauty.

This is the last picture I took. At the beginning of the year ,I had in mind to snap at least one photograph a day during 2010. I realized ,as I started this post, I missed yesterday, the 6th.

I will just pretend it needed to be blank and beautiful in it's own right.

Wishing you a time of beauty

whether it be filled with activity

or the restfulness of silence.