Falling Leaves

I had intended to make butter pecan ice cream for dessert on Sunday, but at the last minute I changed my mind and went with a more familiar recipe. These cookies are at least as decadent as the ice cream, maybe even more so. I don’t care. I still want one.

Magic Cookie Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Prepare a 9x13” pan by spreading parchment paper over bottom, allowing edges of paper to stick up out of the pan. Spray lightly with a cooking spray. Combine crumbs with butter and press firmly into pan. Pour milk evenly over crust. Sprinkle remaining ingredients over the top and press down gently with a fork. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Lift parchment carefully from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.

Framed Geese

A week from tonight the Sandbox Theatre Company will present Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Midvale Performing Arts Center, 695 West Center Street (7800 South and 7th West) in Midvale, Utah. There will be performances on May 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 24 and 25, with a matinee on the 20th. Spamalot is the musical version of the classic 1975 (yes, it really is that old) film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This promises to be an outstanding show. We have swallows and coconuts, rabbits and cows, a very brave black knight and the ugliest Can-can dancers you’ve ever seen. Tickets can be purchased at the door on performance nights, or you can buy them online at www.sandboxtheatrecompany.org. I do hope that you will. We’re having a lot of fun with this show, but it will be so much more entertaining with an audience.

Four Maple Leaves

If you have high blood pressure (or even if you’re mildly hypertensive) there are things you can do about it that don’t involve drugs. The most effective of these is to lose weight. A healthy diet that includes foods like celery, beets, blueberries, sweet potatoes, apples, tomatoes, watermelon, garlic, bananas, cantaloupe, dark chocolate and hibiscus tea can help. So can limiting sugars, grains, caffeine, processed foods, and sodium. If you don’t have a pet, consider getting one. Walking a dog, holding a purring cat or just looking at fish swimming in a bowl can lower blood pressure. So can avoiding smoking (even second-hand smoke) and plastics. Start an exercise routine like biking, yoga, or Pilates. Take up a creative, relaxing hobby, like gardening or woodworking. Reduce your stress level; avoid dwelling on negative emotions, and cultivate a positive attitude. Of course, if you’re taking a walk in your skinny jeans while munching on chocolate, you’re probably already there.

Star of Virginia

Last week the FCC announced that they’re considering relaxing the decency standards governing what’s shown on television. In essence, they’ll no longer get their knickers in a twist over full frontal nudity, the S-word or the F-word, even during times of the day they know there will be children watching. It’s a mystifying decision. Were they bombarded with calls and emails from viewers complaining that there wasn’t nearly enough smut on TV? I was too young to watch the Dick Van Dyke Show when it first appeared on television, but I’ve seen plenty of reruns. I know Rob and Laura had separate beds because viewers might have been offended by a married couple sleeping together. Ten years later the costumes on Star Trek couldn’t bare their wearers’ navels. And now pretty much everything goes. But just because the FCC says it’s okay doesn’t mean I have to watch it. Neither do you.

Four Maple Chains

Everything tastes better when you’re on a diet; especially the things that AREN’T on your diet. I’m thinking of making this for dessert after Sunday dinner this week, when I’ll have half a dozen other people to help me eat it.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

2 cup cream

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (they’ll taste even better if you toast them lightly first)

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon maple extract

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and pour into ice cream maker, freeze as instructed. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Combine remaining ingredients and fold into whipped cream. Pour into a loaf pan or 2-quart container and put in freezer at least six hours.

Broken Rolling Stone

Today’s block, like most of the blocks I post here, was made of leftover scraps from other projects. When I make a block I usually start by spreading out bits of fabric I want to use. Then I decide what kind of block I can make with what I’ve got. I cut the shapes I need and lay them all out before I sew.  I swear I wasn’t drunk when I pieced today’s block. What happened was that I was so focused on the little details – getting all the points to come out exactly where I wanted them – I didn’t see the big picture until the whole block was done. I couldn’t make out the forest for the trees. It’s a simple matter to fix my mistake. I just have to pull out a few seams (8), rearrange the pieces and stitch them up again. And that’s exactly what I’ll do, if any of you can spot my mistake.