I plan to make this recipe soon. I’ve had it before and can highly recommend it. I have an electric ice cream and frozen yogurt maker that is easy as pie. Just put these ingredients together, pop them in the frozen bowl, and in 20 minutes you have delectable frozen yogurt, honey-sweetened if you like,…
Month: July 2023
Flash Fiction: “Oh”
“You have to dish,” Sylvia said to her friend Joyce right after they sat down in the restaurant for lunch. “Come on, tell me what happened!” “You are not going to believe what a hunk he was.” “And?” “Talk about a slow hand!” “So, was this right after dinner or what?” “No, it was right…
Auschwitz Exhibition Today at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley
Today, we went to the Reagan Library and saw the Auschwitz exhibition entitled Not Long Ago, Not Far Away, which has been hailed as “the most comprehensive exhibition on the history of Auschwitz in US history.” Nazi soldiers at this death camp murdered 92% of the Jews who arrived there, which numbered approximately 1,100,000. The exhibit was…
German Chocolate: My First “Scratch” Cake
The first cake I ever made was at age 12 when I made a German Chocolate cake from scratch. For many, this wouldn’t be a significant milestone, but in my house where my mother didn’t cook or bake at all and my dad’s time in the kitchen was limited to Saturday morning breakfasts, my making…
Held in Light and Love
Yesterday was the birthday of my childhood friend, Patricia Jean Butler. Patricia and I met as little girls at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, and we spent nearly every Sunday morning together—often followed by long afternoons at each other’s homes. Over those many Sundays, we forged an unbreakable bond that carried us through childhood and into…
Tasty Summer Recipes Using Pineapple
I made two recipes today that both used canned pineapple. That doesn’t sound all that good, but both were exceptionally tasty. One was a rice salad and the other was a maple and molasses-sweetened pineapple upside-down cake. Here are the recipes. Let me know if you try these. I think you’ll like them. California Rice…
My First Cousin: “Grandfather of the Green Berets”
This is Billy Waugh, my first cousin. He was the son of my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Lillian, my mother’s brother and sister-in-law, who lived in Mom’s hometown of Bastrop, Texas. Billy was more than twenty years my senior and was a mysterious figure in our family when I was growing up. My mother simply…
Thanks, The C.R.E.W!
Today, we took a trailer load of tree limbs we’d trimmed in our orange orchard to the C.R.E.W. drop-off spot, where workers were waiting with a chipper. It took them about twenty minutes to pull out all the limbs we’ve cut over the past few weeks. We gave them a sizable tip to acknowledge the…
A List of a Few Childhood Memories
I remember: Warm pavement under my bare feet Doodlebugs tickling my arms Train whistles in the distance My father’s biscuits and gravy My mother’s typing The smell of chlorine at the swimming pool in summer Chicken and dumplings Incense at church Freshly mown grass My dad’s old farm truck My Uncle Doc’s café My Uncle…
Happy Birthday, Gregorio!
Today is the birthday of my son-in-law, Gregorio Pacheco Ambriz. He is a fine husband, father, brother, uncle, son, son-in-law, soccer and baseball player, as well as coach. He is also passionate about anthropology and archeology and never stops learning. In addition, he is my go-to person for any bird, animal, or plant I what…
20 Minutes a Day 