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Continuing on with the autumnal theme.  @slowsimpleseasonal is my favorite source for memes.  The artwork is beautiful as are the sentiments.

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What will autumn look like for you?

I'm team crewneck, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin bread, and autumn baking.

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I'm amazed at the things I stumble on as I scroll through Facebook and Instagram.  Are you a Downton Abbey fan?  Do you fancy owning a piece of the series?  Here's your chance.

Bonhams, a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques, will offer an auction of iconic props and costumes from Downton Abbey.  There will be a free exhibition open to the public between 18 August and 16 September at their New Bond Street saleroom in London.  Oh, to be in London now.

Check out all the details here.  Is there something on your wish list?  How about Lady Mary or Lady Edith's wedding dresses?  Or Lady Sybil "Harem" pants?  Or the Dowager's walking cane?  Cricket whites?  A riding habit?  Shrimpie's Scottish formalwear?  What an amazing collection.

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I found this when I was searching for holiday diffuser blends during Christmas in July.  It was from The Cents'Able Shoppin blog, but I can't find the post so I'm not sure what oils she's using.  I think you can find these oils pretty much anywhere - Melaleuca, doTERRA, Young Living, and others.

Do you use diffuser blends for the different seasons?

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I never know from week to week what's going to catch my eye.  Vic didn't grow up eating dairy products and they don't really agree with him.  He did try a little slice of Gouda, one of the samples at Costco one day, and really liked it.  I found this in my surfing around the Internet which was really interesting.

This article tells you more and lists other cheeses for those with a lactose intolerance:

What Is Low-Lactose Cheese?

According to Steve Carper, author of Milk Is Not For Every Body: Living With Lactose Intolerance, there cheeses that contain less than 5 grams of sugar per serving clock in at about 2 to 3 percent lactose. For reference, whole milk has around 4.8 percent lactose, making it one of the worst offenders for sensitive tummies.

"As a general rule, the longer a cheese has aged, the less lactose it will have; over time, the lactose in cheese will convert to lactic acid," says Catherine Rall, a registered dietitian at Happy V. So those with particularly sensitive stomachs will want to avoid creamier varieties such as ricotta or cottage cheese at all costs.

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Have you ever made risotto?

There are many varieties of risotto, 54 are listed here on Taste Atlas - I love mushrooms so Risotto Ai Funghi appeals to me, and you can find the recipe here.

Christmas in July 2024 - Day Four

 

Today's post is being brought to you by Around the 'Net as I searched Christmas Centerpieces and these two caught my eye.  I'm all about symmetry but one of the merchandisers at the gift shop where I worked told me about the Rule of 3.  A grouping of three items, especially of varying heights, is always a winner.

This grouping of three glass cylinders is called Snowy Scenes and is number 27 of 38 easy Christmas centerpiece ideas from Midwest Living.

This grouping of three mercury glass candlesticks is called Frosted Forest and is number 28 of 50 Creative & Classy DIY Christmas Table Decorating Ideas from HomeBNC.  This design can be modified to use clear glass candlesticks or even wooden ones.

Do you have any decorations in a group of three?

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July 4th is coming and here is some inspiration for yummy treats.  These are from the Facebook page of The Happy Whisk, a local small business.  She has some great decorating ideas for cake-sicles, cake pops, cakes in cones, and pretzels.

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How many of these snacks have you eaten?  In Europe, in a European restaurant in your area, or recreated at home?  Is there a particular one you'd like to try?  We're big fans of afternoon tea, eaten in a tearoom or created at home.  I was so disappointed when my local IKEA stopped carrying the Swedish Prinsesstårta - it's a bit of a challenge to make, requiring 26 separate ingredients with 14 steps, but it is so worth it!

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It's really amazing what you can find on an Internet search.  This McDonald's menu is from 1967, the year we lived in San Jose, California while my dad was in Vietnam.  I'm not sure if I've included this story before or not, forgive me if it's a repeat.

July 4th was coming, and my friend Linda and I covered our garage door with paper.  I think it must have been butcher block paper or something similar to that.  We set to work coloring a giant American flag.  Just as we were finishing up, a small sports car, a convertible, pulled up the curb and a man hopped out (hopped as in jumped over the door).  He approached us, thanked us for our patriotism, and handed us each a voucher for a hamburger, French fries, and a milkshake at the local McDonald's.  Then he hopped back in the car and drove off.

I'm not sure I'd ever been to McDonald's before this point.  I was 7 years old and had lived in Germany, Boston, Norway, San Francisco, and Chico, California.  My Dad was a junior enlisted soldier, Mum was a housewife, and we lived modestly.  Fast food just wasn't a thing in our lives then.  So, Mum and Linda's Mum took us down to McDonald's and we enjoyed every bite of our hamburger and French fries and loved the milkshake.

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This weekend will see the Armed Forces Day Parade in our local area.  Does your community have a parade this weekend?

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Interesting - everything you ever wanted to know about fruit in a jar.

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A little vegetable trivia today.

This reminded me of a page from a DK book.  We loved our DK Illustrated English-French Dictionary when our French exchange student came to stay.  If we couldn't think of the word, or couldn't get the pronunciation right, we could always point to the picture!

So, what's your favorite vegetable?  Any on this picture you don't like?  Any you've never heard of?  I have to say I've never heard of knol khol, moringa, and ash gourd.  My favorite would be cauliflower especially in a cauliflower cheese and I don't like okra at all.

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If you've watched The Great British Baking Show, you'll know that there is an episode titled "Pastry Week" in every series.  This popped up on my Facebook the other day - a sample of some of the yummy pies that are available in British grocery stores or made at home although shepherd's pie doesn't have a pastry crust.  There is nothing better than a pie, warm from the oven, served with chips or mashed potatoes.  Banoffee Pie is a delicious dessert.

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Do deviled eggs feature on your Easter menu?  Here are some fun variations.  We like ours garnished with a slice of pimento-stuffed olive or a small piece of chilled shrimp.

Source:  Williams Sonoma Instagram

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Amy over at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa had a fun post yesterday, Are We Still Using Pinterest?, so I thought I would give it a try.  After all, Pinterest is on the 'Net, right?

The trend floating around on IG was to search for "celebrity, outfit, quote, and aesthetic".  A couple of my searches came up the same as Amy's so I went with the second photo for each one of those.

Celebrity:

Emma Watson aka Hermione Grainger

Outfit:

7 Simple Ways to DRESS BETTER - great tips

Quote:

I love Dr. Seuss!  Click on the graphic for the link.

Aesthetic:

I've never heard of GrandmaCore, a rising aesthetic trend that’s all about embracing the charm and simplicity of our grandmothers’ lifestyles.  Click on the graphic for the link.

Are you still using Pinterest?

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In anticipation of barbecue weather on the horizon, I found this marinade guide.  It doesn't give any measurements, so you'll just have to wing it. 

I had to laugh, yesterday I thought about this graphic and today I woke up to this:

Looks like we'll be sweeping the snow off the barbecue before we can use it!

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Since I took macarons to our small group last night, I thought this would be fun.

By the way, these were delicious and a bargain considering the price for an individual macaron from a bakery can be anywhere from $2-$4.

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Love these charts that pop up here and there.

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I sometimes struggle with finding a topic for a blog post on Thursdays so here's a quick and easy new feature, Around the 'Net.  What have you found lately that was interesting or intriguing?

As you know, if you've been reading my blog in the last 17 days, we've been following the Whole 30 program to kick off healthier eating in 2024.  One thing I really miss is bread and so, looking forward to my first slice, here are four ideas that look delicious.

There wasn't a description with the photo so here's my guess:  On the bottom is Nutella with raspberries (be still my heart!), left center is avocado, right center is a nut butter with bananas and chocolate shavings, and at the top is yogurt drizzled with a red berry syrup and topped with blueberries and granola.  I think Yoplait's Oui French Style Yogurt would work well here as it's thicker than many yogurts.

Which one is your favorite?