Yesterday morning I opened my computer and did what I do each morning. I checked my email, I made sure my blog post was posted correctly, and then I went on Facebook. The first thing I saw on FB was a post from my high school and FB friend, Cynthia.

Did you see that? A dare was issued to me on social media. I had to try this recipe now! I was dared! So yes, I made it. And yes, it’s pretty great. Although there were some serious omissions in the original recipe…

… such as the importance of placing the bottom round of dough onto parchment paper or a baking sheet before adding the filling. Let me tell you, it is impossible to move the dough with the filling on it from the counter to a baking sheet! But no worries, I suffered through that error and I’ve rewritten the recipe to reflect such an important detail.

I also amped up the filling to my liking and added other little details that were obviously done on the original recipe but not mentioned in the instructions, such as using an egg wash and placing seeds on the center section.

All in all, a great recipe that just needs a bit more explaining and details. And it really is easier than it looks to make. It would be perfect for Easter! Trust me, you can do it!

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This is a recipe from the Barefoot Contessa that I modified. These nuts are addicting… don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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Yesterday’s classic minestrone soup was quite the hit, so how about another recipe with ingredients that anyone can find in any grocery store?

This easy chicken salad has only 5 ingredients and none of those five is mayonnaise, sour cream, or yogurt… no dairy and no mayo!

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When I was cleaning my dad’s house last week, I came across a large envelope with a dozen copies of a page from a cookbook.

One of the recipes on the page was outlined. I decided to take a copy and make the soup for him for our Sunday supper.

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The Friday funnies this week have a theme.

This is what I would have said if you asked me how my day went either of the last two days.

That is because for the last two days, two full days, I spent all day at my dad’s house cleaning. My dad is a hoarder. He hoards recyclable items; plastic storage bags, plastic grocery bags, paper bags, boxes, sour cream and the like containers, frozen food containers, rubber bands, junk mail, etc.

He is spending three days and nights at his church on a Lenten retreat. The only time I can get in and successfully clean his house is when he is away. Otherwise, he watches me like a hawk and argues with everything I try to get rid of.

So, cleaning is the theme today…. yeah, good times!

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Here is the second recipe I made on Sunday night with a portion of that huge package of sausage I’d purchased at Costco. I bought a huge bag of live mussels to go along with it.

Remember, I made the Corn, Potato & Sausage Chowder? We had steamed mussels too.

It’s important to do two things with live mussels. First, pull out and discard any and all cracked or broken mussels.

The second thing; just before cooking,  pour a 1/2 cup or so of cornmeal into a large bowl.

Add cold water and stir. Then add the mussels and let sit for about 20 minutes. As the mussels breathe, they take in the cornmeal and fresh water and expel sand and grit.

Lift the mussels out of the water with a slotted spoon or spider and leave the sandy water behind.

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Sometimes April 1st sneaks up on me before I can plot and plan my April Fool’s prank.

Not this year.

This year I enlisted Connor’s help. He agreed to go to Costco with me to get the supplies as long as I’d stop at the grocery store to get two of the three needed ingredients for Rice Krispies Treats.

Deal.

Here is what Connor and I did with the Post-it® notes we bought.

We covered all the windows of Dave’s car with the colorful squares.

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I have a confession. It is really hard to get back into the swing of cooking and cleaning and real-life after nearly 3 weeks of being out-of-town and having company. I have no drive or motivation to do … ANYTHING!

Dave is knee-deep in tax season, so we are like ships in the night.

Connor works from 2:30 PM to midnight, five to six days a week, so he’s rarely home for dinner.

And although I didn’t have jet lag in the usual sense, I now realize that although I wasn’t waking up in the middle of the night… I am tired all day long!

I mean, when 3:30 or 4:00 hits each afternoon… I’m ready for bed! It takes all my power to stay up. Seriously, I feel like I need toothpicks to hold my eyes open! I think the latest I’ve hit the sack since our house-guests left is 8:00 PM. My usual bedtime is 10:30 or 11:00.

Enough of my first-world woes. I did get somewhat inspired by a package of sausage, of all things.

It’s a really good sausage! Aidells sausage from Costco. And one of my favorite flavors ~ Habanero with Pepper Jack!

I went on the Aidells website and found a recipe to zip up to our liking. Here is one of the two sausage dishes we had for dinner on Sunday night…

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The good news is that I did not have an ounce of jet lag!

Staying awake for 24 hours and then going to bed at 7:30 PM once arriving home from the airport was the key. I was still tired the next day, the day our company arrived, but I again went to bed early, by 9:00, and have slept well ever since. That is the first time I’ve ever returned from Europe and beaten it!

We had a wonderful time with Dave’s brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Beth.

We checked out Cubs Park in Mesa which replaced the old Hohokam Stadium and is now of the home of the Chicago Cubs for spring training.

We visited the Desert Botanical Gardens for the Chihuly in the Garden event.

If you haven’t seen it yet, it is a must.

It runs through May 18, 2014.

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