Discovery Days

We are unpacked and all settled in. It is fun to go explore and familiarize ourselves with a whole new area of Dallas we have never lived before! We have lived in Cedar Hill, Downtown Dallas, North Dallas, Plano, Frisco and now….Carrollton! You notice I didn’t mention California two different times or AZ! But we hope that all this trying to find our new Chinese, Italian, Hamburger, Pizza, Seafood Restaurants, will keep our minds fresh and alert so we don’t need our kids/friends to remind us who we are and where we should be going! We have our own way of staying young, and yes it includes food! Anytime we move to a new place, it is only after I start baking and sharing with the new neighbors that I truly begin to feel at home! Last night it worked. As I walked down the hall back to our apartment, I couldn’t help but smile thinking of the new friends I had just taken little bags of gingerbread biscotti. Each person wanted me to come in and visit with them and that thrilled my soul!

As I remembered years ago Randy and I visiting a Del Webb community, it amazed me how differently my thinking is now than then. Then I couldn’t wait to get out of the model home we were touring! It made me feel so old, hearing all the “amenities” the place offered! Now, here we are living around all senior people, it almost makes me proud to be one of them! The ones we have met have great stories of their lives! They insist on helping us when they see Randy fall or help me unload the car when we drive up! We actually sit and share stories of times past! Play cards or dominoes in the afternoon! Learn to line dance! Gather around tables downstairs and watch a demonstration of how to make creme brûlée (Ok I admit I already knew how but it was fun to sit and make fun of others who had no idea how).

All this to say…why was I dreading getting old? Right now as I am writing this, I’m waiting on a dear friend to bring us both pink drinks and sit down in the library while Randy naps!

Well, I didn’t finish writing the post yesterday so I’m doing that now after finishing a TX Sheet cake. Jason and Sevy came Saturday to help me hang some of the larger pictures and take another load to Grace Bridge for us. So they usually request the TX sheet cake as their payment. The recipe I use that Is one of the best comes from Pioneer woman and it is sitting on the counter cooling off. Because of the heat, I have made two strawberry pies the last couple of days. And it was surprising how sweet the fresh strawberries were, even before pouring the strawberry sauce over them. We had friends come over today and surprised us with Canes box lunches of Chicken for lunch so I was nice (but it took all my Bapt upbringing) to share strawberry pie with them. I have to be honest to tell you that I cut the slices small so Randy and I could have another piece tonight while we watch Royal Pains and White Collar!

The recipe I used for the pie was this:

Bring to a boil in small saucepan pan:

1 cup water

1 cup if granulated sugar and

2 tablespoons corn starch whisking until corn starch is well mixed. Then stir until mixture is boiling and clear and remove from heat. Add 1 (3 oz) box of strawberry jello and stir until smooth!

Let cool and pour over 2-3 cups of washed and sliced fresh strawberries which you have placed in a 9” baked and cooled pie crust. Place in fridge and Top with whipping cream before serving! took one of these to one of our kids houses Saturday night for dessert and after 5 pieces had been served, Cam and Randy sat there with a spoon and just ate what was left out of the pie pan. Almost Didn’t have to wash it. Gave me a reason to make a second strawberry pie this morning! Discovering new areas are exciting, especially when each new discovery ends with food. As they say….”alls well that ends with a good meal”!