Gifts

This weekend I was blessed with many wonderful gifts.


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Thursday evening my dear friend Babs brought over two samples of carrot cake: Betty Crocker and Holden Village.

She said that many testers preferred the Betty Crocker recipe, but I enjoyed the carroty flavor and density of the Holden Village recipe.

Babs is probably the best baker I know, and I'm always grateful to her for all the treats she brings us. Thanks, Babs!


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Friday evening my good friend Sarah L. brought over a loaf of her bread.

The recipe seems even easier than Rulhman's and the taste of it rivaled Zingerman's.

It was so warm and fresh and crusty when she brought it over in its little bundle that looked like a happily wrapped baby. This is definitely a bread I'm going to try to make and I think I'll succeed at.

What I love about Sarah is "DAMN, that girl can cook!" And I adore how she so thoughtful about and in her food writing.


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On Saturday, at my parish retreat, I received a box full of letters of support and love from my family and loved ones. I was overjoyed by all the expressions of love I received. FD, my parents and siblings, my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, my close friend DH and AL, and fellow parishioners helped me recognize the good in me that I sometimes forget, and it made me feel better about the world, my life, and myself. My words here are not doing justice to how I feel, but know that I appreciate and cherish all of your kind words with all my heart.

I have to give a shout out to the cooks of the retreat, too. The food was AWESOME! It fed the tummy and the spirit!


So now I'm thinking, How can I give something back? I have ideas. I always have ideas...