me time...

 I knew even as I was making this apple dip that I was going to put some away for my "me time" this week...

You know, that time when everyone is taken care of...

The dishes are done...

The house is straightened...

And you finally have a chance to

take a deep breath...

Put your feet up...

and relax for a minute or two.

Maybe you pick up the book you've been reading...

or that magazine that you haven't creased the cover of yet...

or maybe you take time to visit with your favorite bloggy friends...

When I was in my early 20's, my sister in law would take me to visit her mother in law...an older woman, (in her 40's I'm sure)...

She would serve us wine with apples and cheese. 

The height of sophistication in my impressionable mind.

To this day my "me time" usually involves a glass of wine and a salty snack.  It always makes it more enjoyable when I put my simple meal together on a pretty plate.

I found this incredibly yummy apple dip in a Gooseberry Patch Quick and Easy cookbook...

Cream Cheese Apple Dip

8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 t. vanilla extract

1/2 cup toffee baking bits

apple slices

Blend together cream cheese and sugars, mix in vanilla.  Stir in toffee bits.  Serve at room temperature with apple slices.  Store in refrigerator.  Makes about 2 cups.

I'm telling you I could eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon, it's so good...

Do you have "me time"?  If you don't, you should... 

You're worth it!

Enjoying the moment,

Patty

fruit ambrosia...

Do you remember Home Economics class?  I know I'm dating myself but I remember it well...the old singer sewing machines...the test kitchens in the back of the class...

that's exactly what I think of everytime I hear someone say fruit ambrosia.  That was one of the dishes we were taught to make...complete with little colored marshmallows and coconut.  I still make that little salad with a few variations to this day.

My tablescape is a kind of fruit ambrosia mixed in with some cool thrift store finds...The strawberry teacup is from a local thriftstore (thanks to my SIL Shelly's keen eye)...the green stemware was also a thriftstore find from a few years back.

This adorable basket, complete with a miniature ladybug tea set is from a yard sale this weekend for only $2.00.

I found a set of four of these strawberry bowls at my Goodwill...

Mmm...peach cobbler and ice cream.  The perfect afternoon snack to read cookbooks with...

You can find the recipe here at The Daily Apron...

I made a little side dish so that I could sample it...I couldn't feed it to my family without tasting it first...right?

Incredibly delish and so easy...

My husband's cousin in Delaware introduced me to pretzel salad...so good!  I added a few fresh blueberries to the strawberry jello just to give it a Memorial Day look...No leftovers with this fruit salad that's for sure.

Here is Becky's recipe...

2 c. crushed pretzels

4 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 c. melted butter

mix together and bake in 13x9x2 pan at 400 for 8 minutes no longer.

cream together the following

1- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 c. suger

8 oz. carton cool whip

Spread over pretzel crust.

dissolve 2 c. boiling water with 1 lg pkg strawberry jello.  Add two 10 oz. pkg frozen strawberries; stir until berries are separated.

Pour jello mixture on top of cheese layer and refidgerate. 

I hope you all had a wonderful relaxing weekend...

My family BBQ on Sunday was a lot of fun.  I took plenty of pictures of my SIL Elsa's whimsical garden that I'll share a little later.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  Galatians 5:22

Blessings,

Patty

I'm linked up to A Stroll Thru Life - Tabletop Tuesday...

Southern Hospitality - Thrifty Treasures...

Rose Chintz Cottage - Teatime Tuesday...

The Plumed Pen - Tea for Two

Easy Peasy Muffins

Okay, let me start out this post right up front with the disclaimer that I am not the world's greatest cook. Oh, I might have watched enough of the food network and bought enough of the right tools to fool you, but don't confuse this with cooking great, gourmet dishes. My husband would be satisfied with a rotation of three staples, spaghetti, burritos (of any kind) and some kind of chicken dish. Throw in a delivered pizza every once and a while and were good to go. That doesn't stop me from pulling out recipes and buying cook books because someday...when I have the time...

This really simple recipe is from a Southern Living magazine (not sure what issue, I ripped it out and filed it) that gave several options for dressing up a basic store bought muffin mix. This one is for blueberry muffins. I happen to have fresh blueberries, (my grandson loves them), so I used them instead of dried as the recipe suggests. I also used my itty bitty muffin pan so that it would make more than the six indicated and I doubled the recipe. No math here just two bags of muffin mix.

Tomorrow night is our final bible study meeting for the summer and we always end with a snack fest and these are my contribution. I can't believe summer is coming to a close, before you know it we will be planning our turkey dinner and Christmas feasts. Let's not rush, let's just enjoy each day, with it's good and bad, thanking God that he has given us a new day, full of grace.

"This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Enjoy the day,

Patty