[HINT:I wrote this in 2 posts. This reads a little better if you scroll down to the photo of the lilacs and start there!]

After the visit to the Mall of America, Friday, we met our son for lunch and a tour of where he works, a university library where he is a student ( this was the end of Spring Break there).

See this quilt?

It was behind the check-out desk where Andrew had been working! It is beautifully done and shows a famous Minnesota landmark on Lake Superior.....do you see the lighthouse? The fabrics include a brown batik ( used near the "Bear Paw" block) which has animals of the North Woods.....bear, moose, etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At lunch, I came across an art supply store and quickly picked up a new sketch book. [Sketch coming up later....] and a new cutting tool for collage.

*************************************************************************
Saturday morning we went out for a hike (walk?), taking the "granddog", Juniper. It was too cold and windy to walk along Lake Harriet, though we tried, so we found a trail near a creek in a wonderful neighborhood.


It was a day for windblown hair, smiles and sunshine!!!


****************************************************************
That evening we went early to a place called "Matt's" at 35th and Cedar for a famous hamburger called a "Jucy Lucy" which has a center of melted cheese. The place was small and packed, with a line going out the door for quite a while!

**************************************************************************

Then, Sunday brunch. [MORE food!]

Before visiting the cathedral of St. Paul, and the Minnesota History Center, we went to Patrick's French Bakery. Delightful! It was so hard to choose!

We did manage to make a reasonable (and even healthy!) selection and shared tastes all round with expresso and cafe au lait!

Then back to the display case to choose take home items.....macaroons and croissants.

Here is that new sketch book. As I often do, I have to sketch the foods before they are consumed! Still life and art journaling.

This page also tells how, after coming home from this jaunt [which was long as we went on to St. Paul and spent a couple of hours at the cathedral and seeing the exhibit about Benjamen Franklin at the history center], we found that Juniper, had found my cough drops and had eaten them all......we were concerned but she seems to have suffered no permanent damage! [I KNEW I should have put them more out of her reach! not used to having a dog around now!]

Our breakfast before starting home this morning! Life is good in Minnesota!

I'm finding wonderful recipes on the internet. It started with my e-mail newsletter from Dorie Greenspan. Soon I had more creative cooking and baking ideas than I can ever accomplish in just one day off which is what I have this week.

Take a look at these!



COCONUT MACAROONS From Modern Spice by Monica Bhide
Yield: 35-38 small macaroons


Cook Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes to cool)
1 (14 oz) package shredded sweetened coconut
10 oz. sweetened condensed milk from a 14 oz can (I like Eagle brand) (Note from Dorie - this measures out as a scant cup)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 small egg whites, whipped to stiff peaks (Note from Dorie - you can use the whites from medium or large eggs; Monica told me she just doesn't want you to use extra-large or jumbo egg whites)
1. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper and lightly spraying with nonstick spray.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, saffron, cardamom and salt in a bowl. It will form a mixture that is not like typical cookie dough. But once the egg whites are folded in, the mixture will stay together during baking.
4. Gently fold in the whipped egg whites.
5. Using a spoon, mold the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and place 1 inch apart on the prepared pan.
6. Bake the macaroons for about 14-16 minutes until the exterior is very slightly brown, the middle is still soft and the bottoms begin to turn golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. (Note from Dorie- I cooled the macaroons on the baking sheet because they were too fragile to move while they were hot.)8. Serve at room temperature. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.