All Dogs Go to Heaven

Our sweet Libby. We love you. We'll miss you. Thank you for being our friend.

"People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

~ Anonymous

Friday the 13th

Did you know that Paraskevidekatriaphobia is a fear of Friday the 13th?   If you're interested, you can read more about it here.


I am not a superstitious person.  I've never owned a lucky rabbit's foot, I'm not fearful of black cats nor am I overly concerned about broken mirrors or walking under ladders.  However, I did find these facts, which confirm a kind of universal concern  about the number 13, fascinating:

·      More than 80 percent of high rise buildings lack a 13^th floor

·      Many airports skip Gate 13

·      Airplanes have no 13^th aisle

·      Hospital and hotels regularly have no room number 13.

·      Italians omit the number 13 from their national lottery

·      On streets in Florence, Italy, the house between houses number 12 and 14 is addressed as 12.5

·      Many cities do not have a 13^th Street or 13th Avenue

It might not make the worriers among us happy to know that this year, unfortunately, Friday the 13th will occur 3 times (for the record, the day occurred just once in 2011 and 2010).  What to do?  Cross your fingers and wish for the best.  

National Apricot Day

Who knew something as obscure an an apricot would have it's own day?  On second thought, perhaps something as "obscure" as an apricot needs it's own day -- a way of calling attention to this member of the plum family.  


My extensive research (okay, I Googled apricot) tells me apricot means "precious" in Latin and that 95% of all apricots are grown in California, yet I'm fairly certain I'd never even eaten an apricot before a friend gave me this recipe.  This simple list of ingredients changed all that for me.  Because, you see, this recipe, which I call Frozen Apricot Salad, makes 36 servings (yes, you read that correctly, 3 - 6) and it's delicious.  


You will need:


1 can (12 oz) frozen orange juice, thawed
2 juice can of water (12 oz)
1 cup of sugar (I use Splenda instead)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 can (17 oz) crushed pineapple with juice
2 can (17 oz each) apricots, drained, then chopped
6 bananas, diced


Combine all ingredients.  Spoon into paper muffins cups then set in muffin tins.  Freeze.  Remove paper wrapper and place in freezer safe sealable bags until ready to serve. 


Here's a printable copy of the recipe (and might I add, hooray to the non-tech-saavy me for figuring this out!)

A little bit icy, but still delicious

I take a few out of the freezer at a time just before a meal, usually while I am setting the table (they do need to thaw a bit, so they are easy to eat). 

In my grandmother's little parfait glass.  Cute (or should I say, precious?) and delicious.

Trust me when I say, they are a delightful way to end any meal.  We especially love these in the winter when good fresh fruit is expensive and difficult to find.   Enjoy!