This & That Junk Drawer Wednesday-Spring Recital, How To Stay Young, Strawberries & Rhubarb Cobbler & Dandelion Wine!!!

My granddaughter's Bee's spring recital. May 10th, 2009. Five days after her 16th b'day



She played Sicilienne Op 78 by Gabriel Fauré. Scroll down to the left side to stop my music from playing, so you can hear her...She has been taking lessons from a college professor for the last few years as she had outgrown her original flute instructor...Needless to say we are all so proud of her...Last summer she was picked to go to Boston & New York to play for the 4TH of July....

How To Stay Young

By George Carlin
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. - This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. - The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening whatever. - "Never let the brain idle." "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. - The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. - Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: - If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. - Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER, Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything!

On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:
Tried everything twice...loved it both times!

Now that we have all the beautiful yellow flowers growing in our yards I thought you might like to put them to use.

Dandelion Wine:

INGREDIENTS:
2 Gallons, or about 3 pounds of dandelion heads
3 pounds of raisins
10 pounds of sugar
6 tsp. of acid blend (citric, tartaric & malic)
1 tsp. of grape tannins
2 tsp. of yeast nutrient
1 pkt. champagne yeast
5 gallons of spring water (or well water)
DIRECTIONS:
1.Combine all above ingredients in a 6 gallon pail. Specific gravity of 1.11 - 1.13Cover with a plastic bag. Let bubble and ferment happily for 10 days at room temperature. Every couple of days in those 10 days, stir the mixture.
2.After the 10 days, rack the liquid off of the solids into a 5 gallon glass carboy. Cork the carboy with an air lock stopper. Let it do it's thing in a dark corner of your house for 6 to 9 months.
3.Every 2-3 months during those six months, rack the liquid off the sediment. Put back into carboy and wait.
4.If you start it in May, it's ready to bottle in December. It's a great taste of Spring in the dead of winter. Enjoy!!!
5.All of the ingredients can be found at your local homebrew store or on line...Just google it....Have fun!!!

Strawberries & Rhubarb Cobbler
Cobbler is very easy to prepare, and this delicious topping will work with different fruits all season long. Strawberries and rhubarb make for the earliest (and perhaps best) cobbler. Wonderful with ice cream.

Filling:
1 quart strawberries, washed, tops removed and cut in half–about 4 Cups
4 Cups chopped rhubarb, washed and sliced into ½" pieces, (about 1 lb.)
2/3 Cup white granulated sugar
4 TB. Vanilla Sugar, divided
Topping:
1¾ Cup all purpose flour
½ Cup sugar
1 TB. baking powder
1 pinch salt
6 TB. (¾ stick) butter, cold
¾ Cup milk
Preheat oven to 350°. Place the strawberries, rhubarb, white sugar and 3 TB. vanilla sugar in a bowl, toss gently and set aside.To prepare topping, mix the flour, ½ Cup sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir to blend. Cut the butter into small pieces, put into the flour mixture and blend with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir just to blend.Butter a 9" by 13" baking pan (we prefer glass), place the fruit in the pan, and spoon the topping over the fruit. Spread it out with a spoon as best as you can, but don't worry if it doesn't reach to all the edges, as it will smooth out while baking. Sprinkle the crust with the remaining tablespoon of vanilla sugar. Place the pan in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let cool before cutting and serving. Serves: 8