Scenes from the Door County Renaissance Faire 2013

 Vicki says : We're here!

The Door County Ren Faire is only 4 years old, but steadily growing.

 Equestrian Arts included an act with horse tricks, including this magnificent black stallion.

  

Vladimir the Horseman

I love that mane behind him.

They also had a jousting competition, and other contests of precision and skill.  

We were this close to the action!

 Vicki M. enjoying the day.

 The Rat Catcher - Often seen at Bristol, too. 

He provides a valuable service, and I thanked him for his work.

 Vicki, The Rat Catcher, and Me

 The Evil Queen was at the Wishing Well selling bottled water. 
She accepted apples as payment, which Vicki happened to have in her bag.

 My straw hat needs a few small repairs.

 

Andrea the Gypsy Dancer performs The Sword Dance

 

 I love the swirling skirts!

 Vicki blowing bubbles.

 A Lady plays the hammer dulcimer.  

Her music added a lot of atmosphere to the Faire.

 Gypsies with dancing ribbons.

Vicki's walking stick.

 

Fare thee well, until next time!

Simple Goodness : Taste of Summer

 

Red, white, and blue.

Strawberries, angel-food cake, and blueberries : 

The perfect July dessert combination.

Here it is with a little bit pf Peachy Sun thrown into the mix. 

Simple Goodness.

Speaking of our New Kitchen ...

All I can say is : I love it!  And I can't believe we waited so long to do it.

That corner straight-ahead is where the Kitchen Aid lives.  [Wink!]
Black granite and natural cherry are match made in heaven.
Electrical Outlets and lights! Such a vast improvement!

Here's a slide show of the whole changeover, including the miserable hovel we lived with for the past 14 years :

Summer Goodness : Home-made Frozen Yogurt with Strawberries

 

We recently discovered the Kitchen Aid attachment for making ice cream, or in this case Frozen Yogurt.  (Special thanks to my friend Vicki Moen for sharing this!  You can get a pretty good deal on a used one at Amazon.)  This is the greatest invention since sliced bread.  I can finally retire the old 1960's vintage ice-cream maker I've had since I was a kid.   It's a hassle compared to this dream machine!  No ice and no salt to mess with--and no bathtubs to contain the mess!

 

So nice to know that our ingredients are all natural.  

 

CL has since made a delicious frozen yogurt with cardamom and a touch of almond essence.  Yum! Now that we've remodeled our kitchen, the Kitchen Aid has a place of honor there.  No longer relegated to the basement because it won't fit on the counter.   Life is good!

Here's e recipe :

Frozen Yogurt with Cardamom

32 oz. container of Danon plain full-fat yogurt

1 cup Fage 2% Greek Yogurt

1 cup honey

1 tsp. ground Cardamom

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

      A little Rose Water would also be tasty

Make according to the manufacturer's directions.

Enjoy!

July Peaches with ...

It's July with the bounty of summer fruits.  CL got 2 boxes of July peaches, so we've been eating these non-stop while we can.  I made a delicious flavor discovery this week :  The peaches above are drizzled with Slim and Nunne's (formerly Bite Your Butt Mustard) Sweet and Hot Mustard from Middleton's Mustard Museum.  This stuff is so good, we should be buying it in barrels!  It has a sweetness and a bite that is perfect for these peaches.

I dare you : Go ahead and try it!  It's a match made in heaven.  Mmmmh!