Downburst Damage

Sorry for the bad pic - best I have.

 Remember that garden pic I posted just a bit ago? You know, the one with the lovely and tall corn? Well goodbye to most of the corn. We had a downburst that it wiped out about 85% of it. All my plans for freezing, drying and eating are gone. We'll have some for fresh and maybe a bit to freeze, but that's about it. Not only did we lose our corn, but it laid down on top of the peppers and couple of tomatoes - damaging them as well. That's what is still holding the corn up a bit in the photo. We are both disappointed, but that's nature - harsh and unpredictable. 

Air Plant my daughter gave me.

On a more upbeat note, my daughter bought me an air plant while she was here. I had some a few years ago, but the then kittens ended up destroying them - so I decided not to have any for a while. She bought me a nice sized one with purple tips and said it was a rare one. It was lovely, but upon closer inspection, the purple tips were only on the outside leaves and look suspiciously like they had been spray painted. All the newer ones are the plain green. I hope not, as I'm sure she paid a lot for a "rare" plant. Either way, I'm thankful for this plant and that she loved me enough to think of me when she saw it.

Hubby's version of a latte.

I always look forward to the weekends - not because we can travel and do things (although I like doing that) but these are the two days hubby makes me his version on a latte. He has an espresso maker and he just LOVES making the weekend espressos and lattes. He foams up the milk as high as he can and then pours the espresso down the middle, topping it off with a sprinkle of sugar. It's not the way I learned how to make them, but he likes putting his own twist on things. His lattes are the highlight of my weekend!

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

My son is a responsible adult, yet, he can turn back into a kid when he finds out Mom made Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats! I saw it last night when he showed up in the kitchen after his Tai Chi practice. His eyes lit up and I swear he was drooling just a bit when he reached for the knife to cut the first piece out of the pan!

I originally didn't plan on making the treats when I bought the marshmallows. I had all intentions of dehydrating them (yes - you read that correctly). They were on clearance at Ollie's for 50 cents and then I came across a sale on Crispy Rice for less than $1.50. Still, I had no intentions, until I opened up the marshmallows to find that they had become sticky and globbed together. These certainly were not dehydrating material! Change of plans!

This was not a problem though, as I ended up with a really happy son!

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

4 Tablespoons Butter
12 oz bag regular sized marshmallows
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups Crispy Rice

Butter a 9" x 13" pan. Set aside. Measure all ingredients ahead of time so they are ready to be added in when needed.

In a pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add vanilla and mix well. Add peanut butter. Mix well. Remove from heat and add cereal, mixing to coat evenly. Do this quickly as the mixture becomes harder to work with as it cools down. Pour into buttered pan and pan in evenly. Allow to completely cool before eating. Some prefer to cut when warm.