Saturday, April 30, 2011

Saturday Sojourn...

St. Paul, Minnesota

This weekend I am on a vacation with the hubby and some good friends in St. Paul, Minnesota, so I thought this would be the prefect time to introduce you all to a really fun place to visit.

Cathedral of St. Paul
St. Paul is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849.  The original capital was located at Lambert's Landing and was called Pig's Eye after a local tavern of the same name. The Pigs Eye Tavern was run by  Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant; a retired fur trader-turned-bootlegger.  When Father Lucien Galtier, the first Catholic pastor came to the region, establishing the Log Chapel of Saint Paul (shortly thereafter to become the first location of the Cathedral of Saint Paul), he made it known that the settlement was now to be called by that name.  St. Paul also has original Native American burial mounds believed to belong to the Hopwell tribe.  These mounds date back over 2000 years, to put that in perspective, there were still Pharaohs ruling in Egypt.  According to tradition the dead were buried with artifacts. The Hopewell mounds are very distinctive and including burial of the deceased's ashes. Later the Dakota Indians used the same site to bury their dead; wrapping the bodies in animal skins.

The St. Paul Hotel
Now that you know a little of the history of St. Paul lets find a place to stay.  We are staying at the St. Paul Hotel because we are history buffs.  The St. Paul was built in 1910.  Besides being host to the general public the Hotel has had Presidents, international leaders, royalty, gangsters, movie stars, athletes and business leaders among its guests.  It's one of the Historic Hotels of America, part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, if you are a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation you can get 10% off your rate when you book on line plus discounts on various attractions nation wide.  The Saint Paul Hotel is listed at the #1 spot for places to stay on Tripadvisor, but if you are looking for something a little less pricey the list features the Best Western Kelly Inn as the #2 place to stay in St. Paul and the County Inn and Suites as the #3 spot.  Both are wonderful for families and feature indoor swimming pools, the Country Inn and Suites also has a water slide but the Best Western allows pets.  A huge bonus to both properties is that they offer complementary parking, that can add up to a big savings you can spend someplace a lot more fun.  Remember to check out the rewards for each of the vendors as well for more savings and freebies.  Both The Best Western Gold Crown Rewards program and the Carlson Club reward you with points for your stay that can be used for additional nights.

Landmark Center
Como Park Conservatory

Since we splurged on our hotel we strived to keep extra expenses to a minimum and found quite a few things that were either free or very inexpensive to keep us all amused.  Most of buildings we wanted to see offer free tours and have quite the history, first is the Landmark Center which is located right across the street from our hotel.  This building was completed in 1902, originally served as the United States Post Office, Court House, and Custom House for the state of Minnesota and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.  Next stop is the Minnesota State Capitol, construction started in 1896 and was completed in 1905.  The building features a beautiful rotunda and the golden quadriga (the horse sculpture) which you can go up to the roof to view.  An architecture tour wouldn't be complete without visiting the amazing Cathedral of St. Paul.  The church has spectacular stained glass windows, beautiful shrines, paintings and two fresco's.  The Cathedral welcomes over 200,000 visitors per year and photography is allowed, but please be mindful of mass and other religious services that may be going on at the time.  Finally we decided to visit the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.  Admission is a suggested $2.00 which is used to house, feed and care for the animals as well as take care of the plants in the Conservatory.  This is a fun place for folks of all ages, they have programs and rides for the kids and relaxing strolls through some of the most beautiful gardens for the adults.  The zoo features a California sea lion exhibit, a big cat display, gorillas, yaks and giraffes. Another great stop is the Science Museum of Minnesota,  they have both adult activities as well as quite a few different children's programs.  Now through September 5th they have an exhibit featuring the treasures of King Tut.  The price for the whole package is $38.00 on weekdays for non members and $43.00 on weekends for non member adults, but you can save a bit by opting out of the Omnimax film about Mummies and the audio tour, this will save you $13.00, which you can use to grab a snack.

Mickey's Dining Car
There are so many different dining options in St. Paul.  We all decided we wanted one dinner that was a little glamorous so we chose Moscow on the Hill, a place that compares to nothing we have back home.  (Blini and Borscht were a must for me.)  Another stop that is a must is Mickey's Dining Car on 7th Street. The diner was designed to resemble the railroad dining cars of the period. It is unique in that it is one of the first diners to be built in the Art Deco style.  Not surprisingly it is also on the National Registry of Historic Places.  Mickey's serves breakfast all day, so any time your in the mood for pancakes stop in and check it our for yourself.

Hope you are all having a great weekend!!

C.Q.

The Blog Entourage


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Friday, April 29, 2011

Friday's Freebie...

Today's freebies are all about smelling great.  The first is a free travel size signature item with any purchase from Bath and Body Works, if you are shopping on line just use coupon code 3786, if you are shopping in store just print the coupon out to bring with you.

The next goodie is from Victoria Secret, recieve a free deluxe sample of Heavenly Angels through May 9th or while supplies last when you bring in the printable coupon to the store.

I hope everyone is looking forward to a great weekend!

C.Q.



A Mommy's Sweet Blog Design Friday Blog Hop
#ff63e0

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

We took a local visitors cruise of Lake Superior last summer when my Sister-in-Law and her family came to visit.  One of the things we saw was this wheel house of a deconstructed Great Lakes freighter. It was kind of sad that it is growing old next to the lake it sailed.


The deal...

I have noticed a few of the bloggers I read all the time are talking about swimsuits and getting in shape for the season.  Although we actually had snow flurries yesterday it got me thinking that eating better for the summer is always a goal of mine, especially as the fruits and veggies come into the local farmers markets.  I found a great coupon from Best Buy for 20% off any WOLF juicer good through the end of the month.  I had a juicer way back when and we used it so much we burned out the motor.  Its a great way to use the excess fruits from the summer so nothing goes to waste.   My favorite was to make Cantaloupe juice and then mix it into vanilla ice cream and re-freeze it, not super healthy but super good!

Have a great Thursday everyone.

C.Q.


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

galley-west \gal-ee-WEST\ ~ adverb

DEFINITION: into destruction or confusion

EXAMPLES: A rogue wave knocked the anchored boats galley-west.

"'Get the door, Scott.' 'Daddy, what if he's … there?' 'Then I'll knock him galley-west with this thing.'" -- From Stephen King's 2006 novel Lisey's Story

DID YOU KNOW? American author Mark Twain is on record as one of the first to use "galley-west" in his writing. Etymologists believe the word is a corruption of dialectal English "colleywest" or "collyweston." The earliest appearance of those words, used with the meaning "askew or awry," dates from the late 16th century. The ultimate source of "colleywest" and "collyweston" is not known but is suspected to be from a personal name. When "galley-west" is used in speech or writing, the verb "knock" usually precedes it.


~THE REBATE~

This is a fun one, you can receive a $5 rebate check by mail when you purchase Tangled on Blu-Ray™ or DVD PLUS and any two (2) packages of Success® Rice.  Just mail in the proof of purchase tab from the movie and the UPCs from the rice together with your cash register receipts for the rice and the move dated between 3/1/11 and 6/30/11 with the store names at the top and the prices circled and the completed rebate form.  Allow 6 to 8 weeks for your $5.00 check to arrive.  If you recieve the All You magazine there is a coupon in the April edition for $1.00 off of two packages of Success Rice.  Also, remember if you are a member of Disney Rewards to enter the code for your points.  They are also offering a free charm bracelet with your purchases Disney code entry between 3/29/11 and 6/30/11.

I hope you are all enjoying your mid-week!

C.Q.





Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tastefully Tuesday...

I know, its Tastefully Tuesday, but I have something fun to share, which after yesterday will make me smile.  Don't worry, nothing tragic yesterday, just a good reminder lesson in manners.  In a nutshell, if you call on Friday to make an appointment to look at a house on Monday afternoon, don't put an offer in on a DIFFERENT house on Saturday then call on the said Monday to cancel the showing.  We spent all weekend cleaning instead of having a nice Easter. I wasn't in a really great mood yesterday, but on the bright side we have a nice clean house where you can eat off the floors if you want.

So here is the part to share, Bernie over at One Mixed Bag and I were chatting one night about awards and how fun they are to get but that they are a bit of work and we giggled that it would be fun to get one that required the recipient do nothing in particular, totally their choice, then it hit us, well gosh, why can't we make that happen?  So here is it folks, the No Hoops Award.  We are giving it to the blogs we read a lot, and in my case some I read but don't comment on a lot because I have been so busy.  When you get your award you MUST do what ever you feel like, you could sing a little diddy, whistle a little tune, dance the happy dance or nothing at all, its your choice.  You can pass it along or just post it on your blog, or you can ignore it, anything goes.


So here are the blogs I would like to give this award to, in no particular order (OK you caught me, they are alphabetical), and if your new here today feel free to grab the award and pass it on to someone or just keep it for yourself.

A Long Way From Texas (She makes me want to move to Ireland... most days)
10 Steps to Finding Your Happy Place (and staying there) (I do try but some days its hard, she helps)
Bags Books and Bon Jovi (Even the name is great)
Cat Chat (I know she is an award free blog space but I wanted her to know I was thinking of her and Cody)
Cat Thoughts (Who's reading is making me sooooo jelous!)
Dogs, Cats and Other Crap I Talk About (One of the best advocates I know for animal rights)
Egg and Twig (Who is causing me to drool almost everyday I read her posts!)
Facing 50 with Humor (I am right on her heels!)
Housecat Confidential (Fin is a great author, and I can't wait for the next book!)
Its a Keeper (Another blog trying to keep my weight up, they even weed out the bad recipes!)
Kat Happy Haven (Because she works harder than anyone I know to take care of injured critters)
Life with Dogs (Who doesn't need a little unconditional love?)
Meet Virgina Designs (Fashionista extraordinaire and fun to read!)
Never Growing Old (Best blog hop host-er ever!)
Photographing New Zealand (I love seeing places I have never been in beautiful pictures)
Shibley Smiles (Great coupons and blog hops!)
Simply Beautiful Veg. (I love reading the adventures of College life and a new appartment from such a nice lady)
The Thrift Shop Romantic (She makes me want to go looking for treasure!)

Have a great Tuesday everyone!!!

C.Q.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Rewind...

I sure hope you all had a beautiful Easter!! We were blessed with news that we have a showing request for our house today so we have spent the weekend cleaning to perfection anything and everything. Because there is no Meet Me On Monday hop this week and I have been overly stressed I haven't had a chance to prepare something for today's post......Enter one of the best friends a gal could have and you get a great story from Bernie over at One Mixed Bag. I made a special request for the Thrift Store Story, a tale of madness and mayhem....I hope you all enjoy it, please check out her blog if you haven't already, she is sooooo much fun to read!

C.Q.

I Live With A Super Hero
After unpacking our few boxes of Christmas, we decided to head to the thrift store to beef up our lack of Christmas decorations. I had a few ideas in mind and you never know what you can find. Who knows what treasures were awaiting for us to snatch up.

While I was looking for Christmas stuff, Mr. Bernie was looking at tools and other assorted items that I could care less about. I lost track of him for a bit. I struck up a conversation with a couple who were just poking around as well. We were having a nice chat when all of a sudden Mr. B found me. It was not a little, "Oh, there you are." No, he came running up and hopped in front of me and said, "Look what I found!!" I about died, he was wearing a black helmet and bouncing around like a little kid! The gal I was talking to stared at him like a deer in the headlights and quickly scampered away. I took it all in, Mr. B. standing in front of me wearing a black helmet and grinning. He asked if he could have the helmet for when he rides his bike. Its one thing to carry the helmet, but another to actually wear the darn thing in the store and bounce around.

I had a couple other things I wanted to look at and suggested that he might want to take off the helmet. He explained that he wanted to wear it around and followed me around like a puppy. He kept saying, "Do you like my helmet? Does it make me look sexy?" Finally, it was time to go check out. I suggested that he take off his nice helmet so the cashier could ring us up. He pouted and whined but did take it off. As soon as the lady had rung it up, he snatched it back and promptly put it back on his head, grinning. I reminded him that I only had him signed out of the home for a few hours. I had to say something as I think the cashier thought he had lost his mind. I hissed under my breath to take it off. But he had selective hearing and chose to ignore me.

He walked out of the store with the helmet on. I walked a few steps back. We get into the car, with him still wearing the helmet. I told him that, "Nobody wears a helmet to drive, now take it off!' He looked at me as if I was the one who had lost their mind and said, "Race car drivers wear helmets, Vrrrooom, Vrrrrrroooommm!" I'll be dipped if he didn't wear that helmet all the way home. He got quite a few odd looks. Shocking, I know. Everyday you see someone wearing a helmet during a commute home. *eye roll*

We have a running joke about him wearing a helmet and cape. He always wanted to be a superhero. Now he has a helmet and so I wanted to get a picture of him looking all Super Heroish. I asked him if he wanted a green cape, (one of my green towels) He explained that he wanted to wear his special ORANGE cape to have his picture taken. When one is going to ask so weird, does the "cape" color really matter? I found out that Yes, yes it does.

~Bernie~

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sunday's media madness...

I love to watch TV shows on DVD, I can pause them, watch them back to back, or even skip an episode without waiting for the show to come on once a week, sure, I could download the shows but usually only certain episodes are available to watch on my computer or iPad, with a DVD I get them all and I can watch them on any screen in the house, plus I get the extras that are usually on the DVDs.  The down side is the cost.  My latest purchase was the final season of Numb3rs at Target for $40.00, ouch!  I did have a $20.00 gift card from my purchases there last week and a 5% off discount credit from our pharmacy rewards and I used my Red Card for another 5% off but still it got me to thinking about the difference between finding a boxed set vs. the series one at a time.

I found the lowest price for the boxed set of Numb3rs at Overstock.com for $132.29 with shipping of $2.95 on any order.  If you are a member of Club O you would get free shipping and until April 25th you would earn 18% back on your purchase.  To join is $19.95 per year so on this purchase you would save $21.24 plus the $2.95 shipping, making it worth the price.  Interested in seeing the boxed set savings over the individual season?  Here is the breakdown from the lowest prices for new copies per season:

Season One:          $17.95 with free shipping from EDVDoutlet
Season Two:          $16.86 with free in store pick up at Walmart
Season Three:       $16.74 with $2.98 shipping at Buy.com
Season Four:         $27.00 plus $0.96 shipping from GoHastings
Season Five:          $22.49 plus $2.98 shippinbg at Buy.com
Season Six:            $38.25 plus $0.96 shipping at GoHastings

The total for the individual seasons with shipping is $147.17 vs the box set at $132.29, a savings of almost $15.00 that you can use to buy popcorn.

Happy Easter everyone, hope you are having a beautiful day!

C.Q.

Sunday Blog Hop Shibley Smiles


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The Blog Entourage

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Saturday Sojourn...

Astoria, Oregon


So this may reviel my true age, but one of my all time favorite movies is The Goonies.  Its the story about a group of young boys that save their town from being bought out by a developer while at the same time capturing a notorious gang of thieves.  Its a great feel good movie of the 80s and always made me wonder about the town they saved.  Well it is in fact a thriving place in Oregon, the house and neighbor hood (the Goondocks) is still there and people still come to visit.  You can even print a Google Map of where The Goonies was filmed, as well as Kindergarten Cop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Short Circuit, Come See The Paradise and Free Willy which were also shot on location in and around the area. So besides the movie Goonies what else is there in Astoria?  Lots!

Finding a great place to unpack your bags is pretty easy, the number one Tripadvisor rated hotel in Astoria is the historic Cannery Pier Hotel.  The hotel amenities include an on premise spa facility, complimentary Continental breakfast (featuring Finnish delicacies, fruit and beverages), complimentary wine and Lox evening reception, a complimentary Chauffeured 1939 Buick, 1938 Packard or 1945 Cadillac, free wifi, use of the hotel library and free bicycle use during the day.  They also allow pets, a huge plus in my book. Got a special Goonies story from your past?  Enter the Cannery Pier's Goonies contest and you could win two nights at the hotel, dinner for two, desert, drinks and a travel voucher.  You need to enter before May 31st, contest winner will be named June 7th.  Even with the goodies included in the room it is a little pricey at between $159 to $299 per night.  If you want a really great bang for your buck try one of the many beautiful Bed and Breakfast Inns, Tripadvisor lists the Astoria Inn at #1 and the Benjamin Young Inn at #2.  The Astoria Inn is a lovely Victorian home with rooms ranging from $80 - $95 per night and every room has a queen-sized bed with private bath.  They do not allow children or pets on the property.  The Benjamin Young Inn is also a Victorian home and overlooks the Columbia River in Astoria.  This Inn has three resident cats but does not allow guest pets.  Room prices range from $75 - $135 per night.


All unpacked, time to head out and see some sites.  Other than the movie tours you can visit Fort Stevens State Park.  The Fort was built towards the end of the Civil war at the mouth of the Columbia River to guard against an attack from the British.    Fort Stevens is preserved within Fort Stevens State Park, part of Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks.  The 3,700 acres park includes camping, beach access, swimming at Coffenbury Lake, trails, and a military history museum.   Also be sure to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum, home to the Lightship Columbia.  "Lightships not only provided a beacon where a traditional lighthouse could not stand, but they could also be stationed offshore, where a beam from a coastal lighthouse would not reach."  It is also home to the "ultimate heavy weather vessel, the Pilot Boat Peacock crossed the most dangerous river bar on the planet, the Columbia River Bar, more than 35,000 times during her 30-plus year career."  You can stop in and visit the research library while you are there and find out some historic information on the cannery or discover ship wrecks at the mouth of the Columbia River.  Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children ages 6 to 17, kids under 6 are free.  Had your fill of history for now?  Stop over at the Shallon Winery and indulge in the decadent with a little chocolate wine.  Yes, you read that right, they make a chocolate and orange wine, much like a liqueur, while your there you may see some other unique wines to try and buy like Wild Evergreen Blackberry, Peach, Lemon Meringue Pie or Cranberry Whey.  If this is something on your must see list I would recommend calling to make sure they are open at the time you want to see it, per the web site "The TASTING and SALES room in the winery is open most every afternoon in the year, even Christmas and New Years. The sign says "1 to 6 p.m.," but as the winemaker gets older, the one o'clock opening gets pushed a little later."  They can be reached at (503) 325-5978. 
 
 

For a memorable and unique dining experience check out the fish and chips at Bowpicker Fish & Chips.  The restaurant is an old re-purposed fishing boat, open Wednesday thru Sunday From 11ish - 6ish, Weather permitting, high winds being the worst offender.  All they serve is lightly beer battered Albacore tuna with steak fries, this falls into my category of a place that does one thing and that usually means they do it to perfection. 
 
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
 
C.Q.



The Blog Entourage



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Friday, April 22, 2011

Friday's freebie...

Today is Earth day and to celebrate Starbuck's is giving away a free beverage to folks who bring in a reusable cup.  You can find out more great things about Starbucks by visiting their Community Service page.

Asside from getting free coffee, do you have plans for Earth Day?  Hope you are all having a great Friday.

C.Q.



#ff63e0


A Mommy's Sweet Blog Design Friday Blog Hop

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thursday's picture perfect deal...

The picture...

Lake Superior will polish anything, even ice during the spring melt.  These ice balls thrown up on the shore look like white rocks and they shine when the sun hits them.  Its an interesting site in the spring when there is a whole shore line that is covered in round ice.

The deal...

Looking for a fun creative idea for Mothers day?  Shutterfly is having a great sale, you can add your photos to a classic photo book or stationary for 30% off, put together a collage poster or a calendar for 50% off or personalise a coffee mug,  a jewelry box or make a silver charm  for 25% off.  Be sure to check out the other items on sale for more savings.  As an added bonus you can get a free Mothers day card just by using code MOMCARD.  Also, with coupon code SHIP30 you will get free shipping on your order over $30.00 until April 28th.  Shutterfly offers free picture storage and you can elect to have your prints sent to you or picked up at CVS, Target or Walgreen's.  If you are a new customer to Shutterfly you will also get 50 free 4x6 prints.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

C.Q.



Obviously MARvelous

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

vespertine  \VESS-per-tyne\ ~ adjective

DEFINITION(s):

1: of, relating to, or occurring in the evening

2: active, flowering, or flourishing in the evening

EXAMPLES: A vespertine fog crept over the farm, concealing the outbuildings and the orchard and stranding the house in an inky ocean of darkness as the evening turned to night.

"In research involving American black bears Ursus americanus, Bridges et al. … recorded activity patterns at bait sites in Virginia and found bear activity was generally vespertine but exhibited seasonal differences with bears becoming more nocturnal in the fall…." -- From a chapter by A.S. Bridges and A.J. Noss in Camera Traps in Animal Ecology (2011)

DID YOU KNOW? Imagine this vespertine scenario: Hesperus, the Evening Star, shines in a clear sky; little brown bats flutter near the treetops; somewhere in the distance a church bell calls worshipers to the evening service. Can you find three words (other than "vespertine") associated with the Latin root "vesper," which means "evening," hidden in that scene? The evening star was once known as "Vesper" ("Hesperus" is from the Greek for "evening"); "vespertilian" means "batlike" (the Latin word for bat is "vespertilio"); and we still call an evening worship service "vespers."


 ~THE REBATE~

I was just noticing that when hubby took our dog with him the other day that the dog's ID tag was getting hard to read so this was perfect timing!!  Arm and Hammer is offering a free 7/8 inch diameter stainless steel  pet ID tag when you purchase any two Arm and Hammer® Clumping Cat Litters between 1/1/11 and 12/31/11.  Just send in the completed order form together with your original cash register recipe(s) with the cat litter and the prices circled.  While it is helpful to have a printer for this offer since you will need to fill in your pets information, if you don't have one you can print the required information onto a 3" by 5" card and mail along with your proof-of-purchase.  All requests must be postmarked by 1/15/12, please allow 6 to 8 weeks for your tag to arrive.

Hope you are all having a great week so far!

C.Q.



Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tastefully Tuesday...

With Easter coming up I thought I would share a recipe for one of my favorite treats, Hot Cross Buns.  The buns, believed to pre-date Christianity are said to have been made by the Saxons to honor the goddess Eostre, the cross divided the bun into four quarters representing the phases of the moon, and the name Eostre may be where the word Easter originated.  When the church came they tried to ban the practice but it was so ingrained in the culture that they allowed the buns, but only for reliogous pourpeses like Easter, Chrismas and Funerals.  One of the superstisions associated with the buns I really love says that sharing a hot cross bun will guarantee friendship through the year, espically when the "toast" of "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said before eating.

Hot Cross Buns
Recipe from Fabulous Foods

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
4 eggs
5 cups flour
1 1/3 cups currants or raisins
1 egg white

Glaze
1 1/3 cups confectioner\'s sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
1- 2 tablespoons milk


In a small saucepan, heat milk to very warm, but not hot (110°F if using a candy thermometer). Fit an electric mixer with a dough hook. Pour warm milk in the bowl of mixer and sprinkle yeast over. Mix to dissolve and let sit for 5 minutes.

With mixer running at low speed, add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Gradually add flour, dough will be wet and sticky, and continue kneading with dough hook until smooth, about 5 minutes. Detach bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough \"rest\" for 30-45 minutes.

Return bowl to mixer and knead until smooth and elastic, for about 3 more minutes. Add currants or raisins and knead until well mixed. At this point, dough will still be fairly wet and sticky. Shape dough in a ball, place in a buttered dish, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator (see note at right if you\'re in a hurry). Excess moisture will be absorbed by the morning.

Let dough sit at room temperature for about a half-hour. Line a large baking pan (or pans) with parchment paper (you could also lightly grease a baking pan, but parchment works better). Divide dough into 24 equal pieces (in half, half again, etc., etc.). Shape each portion into a ball and place on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 400° F.  When buns have risen, take a sharp or serrated knife and carefully slash buns with a cross. Brush them with egg white and place in oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° F, then Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack. Whisk together glaze ingredients, and spoon over buns in a cross pattern. Serve warm, if possible.

Todays no cook option is a free order of Zeppole Italian Style Doughnuts from Maggiano's.  Be sure to join the Email list for more coupons in the future. This coupon is not good with other offers or on delivery or take out orders, limit one per table and expires on May 4, 2011. 


I hope you are all having a great Tuesday!

C.Q.





Monday, April 18, 2011

Meet me on Monday...

Well here we are again at Monday,that means it's time again for the Meet me on Monday hop hosted by Java over at Never Growing Old. Here are today's questions:

1.  Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?
2.  Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?
3.  Last thing you spent lots of money on?
4.  Window seat or aisle seat?
5.  Do you know your blood type?
---------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Caesar Salad or Garden Salad?

This totally depends on the season, in the winter months when its hard to find great fresh produce I like a Caesar, but in the summer when I can get stuff right out of my garden or from the local Farmers Market then I love a Garden Salad.

2.  Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on April 29th?

I would but we will be spending the day with friends out and about so I won't be able to watch, I am guessing it will be recapped a couple few times though. 

3.  Last thing you spent lots of money on?

Ugggg, the last big spend was on air fare for an upcoming vacation at Christmas, I wouldn't recommend buying that early but the price of gas has been skyrocketing so that meant air fare would follow, and it is starting to creep up.

4.  Window seat or aisle seat?

I prefer a window and hubby prefers an aisle so it works out perfect for us.  I always want to know if there is a gremlin on the wing and hubby would prefer not to be bothered with minor little things like that.

5.  Do you know your blood type?

You mean its not Red!?!
Hope everyone has a great week!!

C.Q.