Recommendations

I am a recommender.  If I find something I like, I can be nearly evangelical in trying to help everyone else in the world to like it as well.  If I like a band, I want everyone else to like it as well, and I'm delighted to discover people who already know about it and love it too.  (I'd be a terrible hipster for that reason.  Plus, I'm not hip.  I think that's the primary qualification of a hipster.)

Anyway, I have two things I want you all to know about.  And they're both amazing.

#1:  If you, like me, have been on a quest to find the perfect set of silverware, look no further.  Well, look no further if your idea of the perfect silverware is this:  heavy solid handles with no ornamentation, long thin tines on the forks,

round smooth blade on the knife,

and an ever so slightly pointed, perfectly sized spoon.

Because here it is:  Canopy Forged Dinnerware.  Best of all, it's sold at Wal-Mart.  And you can pick it up for only $2.00 per 2-pack.  TWO DOLLARS!  I know the pictures are underwhelming, but seriously, the next time you are in Wal-Mart, just take a jaunt down the silverware aisle and give these a chance.  They're absolutely the best.  (Here's the worst part:  I think that other people have picked up on the greatness, so my Wal-Mart is always low on stock.  I just get as many as I can whenever I'm there.)

#2  Best Summer Slush Ever.  And I'm not even kidding.  Just try this Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade, and you'll be hooked for life.

But make sure you freeze the watermelon cubes first, because that's what makes it so slushy, cold, and delicious.  And if you like limes, it's delicious with lime juice instead of the lemon juice.   (I used about half the sugar, and it was still fabulous.  FABULOUS!)

One of my newest favorite movies

I especially love the eyeroll at the principal.  I rewound and rewatched that section 20 times, gearing myself up for the teenage years.  :)

123 Book Tag

Funny, easy little tag. I love books, and I was glad this one was the closest. (It's not as good as Kell's quote, but it's the best I've got.)

Here are the rules:
Find the book closest to you with at least 123 pages.
Turn to page 123
Find the fifth sentence
Post the next three sentences
Tag 5 people

"The door was opened by Bunter, who seemed to expect her and showed her at once into a sitting-room lined with bookshelves. There were some fine prints on the walls, an Aubusson carpet, a grand piano, a vast Chesterfield and a number of deep and cosy chairs, upholstered in brown leather. The curtains were drawn, a wood-fire blazed on the hearth, and before it stood a table, with a silver tea-service whose lovely lines were delightful to the eye."
From "Strong Poison" by Dorothy L. Sayers--my favorite of all mystery authors. Oh--my favorite. (Plus, I just love those British spellings--"cosy" anyone?) I recommend anything by her, except "The Floating Admiral" which was a combination affair with all sorts of mystery authors each contributing a chapter. Not a good idea, in my book (no pun intended).

Anyway, to tag 5 people. . . I've seen this all over, and I don't know who hasn't done it. Mags or Tris, April? Have you done this? Didn't I just tag you and wouldn't you like to just strangle me?

Delicious!

This recipe was a sample in our cooking group (Thanks, Kim!) clear back in September or October, but I haven't made it since then. It was even better than I remembered it. The recipe gives instructions for making your own cinnamon tortilla chips, but I used Honey Graham sunchips as an experimental substitute and YUM! It was a delightful addition to our finger food party with Jason and April.

I actually used the Honey Graham chips, but I think these would also be delicious.

Here's the recipe:

Apple Berry Salsa (from cookingcache.com since I couldn't open my e-mail to get the recipe Kim sent out)
2 medium Granny Smith apples, chopped (the recipe says to peel and chop, but I liked the green skin for color)
1 cup strawberries, sliced (I chopped, not sliced, them up to make the salsa's texture finer)
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 small orange
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. apple jelly (I'd never heard of this, but I found it easily in the jam section, and it's as cheap as grape jelly)

Combine apples, strawberries, and kiwi in a bowl. Zest and juice the orange, then put both the zest and juice in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar and apple jelly. (I actually skipped the brown sugar, since Jason and April have have given up sweets for Lent, and it was still delicious. I think brown sugar would make it even more delicious, since everything is just that much better with a little brown sugar.) Stir the zesty stuff together and pour over the fruit. Serve with cinnamon or Honey Graham chips. So refreshing and fun.

I should have taken a picture, since none of the recipes I can find online include a picture. Darn it.

I Love This!

I've been checking this series out piecemeal from the library here for over a year, but now I've just got to share. I love Foyle's War. (I've added it to the recommendations at the bottom of the page.) It's a BBC series, replayed here in the U.S. on PBS, all about a British police detective during World War II. The historical stuff is absolutely fascinating. The details really draw you in, like how ice cream sellers had to give up their little refrigeration units so the army could transport blood, or how everything was so scarce because the Germans were cutting of the shipping lines and so some of the characters hadn't seen an onion or a turkey in several months. (With food so abundant at the grocery stores, I just couldn't imagine that kind of crisis.) But what I really love is the main character, Christopher Foyle. He's so calm and dry and British and brilliant. I love most detective stories, but this is my favorite detective television series, maybe ever. See if you can find it.