Closing down my blog...

Due to personal issues I am closing my blog.  

I have been lucky to have met some wonderful people & I wish you all the best.

Thanks for following along with me this past year.

Watermelon fun...Mosaic Monday...Outdoor Wednesday...

 
"On your mark, get set, go!"

Those were the words of the judges at the watermelon eating contest on the 4th of July here on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Each child was given a 1/4 of a watermelon to consume. 

After a few minutes some of the children were holding their stomachs while others kept up a frantic pace of eating their juicy watermelon, pits and all!

I have a feeling some of these children will never want to take a bite of watermelon for the remainder of the summer season.

(click on photo to enlarge)

 Do you have fun memories of  participating in a juicy and refreshing watermelon eating contest when you were a child on a hot summers day?

Inquiring minds want to know.

For more Mosaic Monday please visit our hostess Mary @ dear little red house HERE.

Please visit our hostess  Susan @ asoutherndaydreamer  Here for more Outdoor Wednesday fun.

Attention Izod your mascot is missing...

Last night I was on the phone with Sue @ RueMouffetard and I glanced out of my front door and this is what caught my eye.

A baby alligator complete with razor sharp teeth.

 

I told Sue to hang on because I wanted to get my camera and take a photo. Don't all good bloggers stop and grab their camera in a mini crisis?    Then it occurred to me that perhaps the Mama or Papa alligator could be hanging around teaching their little offspring how to terrorize the neighborhood.  I quickly hot tailed it back into the house and locked the door. Like a gator can really open a door?

A few minutes later I see my neighbor just sashaying down the block ever so slowly.  I bravely opened my door and told her there was an alligator headed in her direction.  She took off like a streak of lightening screaming in a high pitched voice with her brand new Hover-Round.  I think she burned the motor out on that one as it was smoking and she left burnt tire tracks on the pavement.  That alligator achieved in a few seconds what her physical therapist was trying to achieve in years. She jumped out of her chair and was not only walking but she was running .  I witnessed a true miracle*( see note below)  Hallelujah! 

Needless to say I am kicking myself this morning for not capturing that alligator. I could have made a beautiful pair of shoes (think he was only big enough for one shoe).

  Or a purse.

I should  have soaked that alligator in some buttermilk and dipped him ever so lightly  in FLOUR and fried him for dinner. Rumor has it alligator tastes like chicken so who would be the wiser when I served him/her at a blog luncheon.  You are all invited.
 

I could have become a millionaire with an alligator food stand on every corner in every major city across gator territory.    I could have made fried gator, baked gator, marinara gator, gator casserole, gator creole, gator grits, gator pickled claws, gator tots and last but not least gator cupcakes.  I could have had my own Alligator segment on the Cooking Network and become fat and famous.   To quote from a famous movie, "I could have become a contender" competing with my hero Bobby Flay doing an allligator throw down.

Who needs an alligator cupcake mold when I have real alligators to pull apart here on Hilton Head Island.

If you would like to purchase an alligator pull apart baking pan go here.

Don't you just want to whip up a batch of alligator cupcakes to scare the heck out of the grands to get back at the parents by having the kids stay up all night saying there are gators in the closets and under the beds?

Do you have any tried and true ALLIGATOR cupcake recipes?

Inquiring minds want to know.


Lemon Raspberry Angel Food Cupcakes

cupcake ingredients

• 1  (16-oz.) package DUNCAN HINES Angel Food Cake Mix
• 24  paper baking cups
• 3/4  cup  seedless raspberry jam
•  
• CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
• 1 1/2  (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 1/4  cup  fresh lemon juice
• 1  (16-oz.) package powdered sugar, sifted
• 2  teaspoons  lemon zest
• GARNISH
• Fresh raspberries

Preparation

Prepare Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325°. Prepare angel food cake batter according to package directions. Place paper baking cups into 2 (12-cup) muffin pans. Spoon batter into cups.
Bake at 325° for 22 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Make a small hole in tops of cupcakes with a knife or end of a wooden spoon. Pipe or spoon about 1 tsp. raspberry jam into centers of cupcakes.
Prepare Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add lemon juice, beating just until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended; stir in lemon zest.
Spread Cream Cheese Frosting on tops of cupcakes. Garnish, if desired.

Please visit our hostess Michele at Foodie Friday here for more recipes.

* Just kidding. My neighbor was actually walking but I thought we could all use a little humor today but she was running like her pants were on fire!
*green gator photo on public photo site.

Hilton Head Island celebrates 4th of July with a parade...

(click on photo )

Kids of all ages celebrate the 4th of July here on Hilton Head by participating in the annual parade.  This year "Mr. Vundervants" was excited to decorate his bike.  Of course we had to hype the event up in our house with "Mr. Vundervants" for a full week.  We all crossed our fingers that he would actually participate when the big day arrived.

First we decorated his bike helmet with pipe cleaners and stars.

Next we took coffee filters and had "Mr. Vundervants" paint them with markers and spray them with water.  We took  pipe cleaners and some tape and made them into flowers and attached them to the bike.

The result was one happy "Mr. Vundervants" participating in his first parade!

 We will celebrate the 4th of July by spending the day on the beach and having a BBQ.  Later tonight we will  view the fireworks with "Mr. Vundervants" if we can keep him awake that long.  We have been experiencing temperatures in the mid 80s here all weekend with NO humidity so this 4th of July has been perfect.  I hope you all have a perfect 4th of July celebration with family and friends.

Please visit littleredhouse  HERE for more Mosaic Monday.

Please visit Susan @asoutherndaydreamer  HERE for more Outdoor Wednesday.

Ina scores again with Peach & Blueberry Crumbles...Foodie Friday...

When little Oliver came to visit I made Ina's Peach and Blueberry crumbles recipe.  I did not have any ramekins so I baked it in a 8x8 Pyrex pan.  As a thank you gift the following week I received 8 of these Martha Stewart ramekins from Oliver and his Mom.

These ramekins enhance the presentation of this recipe.  The best thing about this recipe is that you can make them in the morning, store them unbaked in your refrigerator, and bake them just before your guests arrive.  We enjoyed them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.   

The recipe can be found in BAREFOOT CONTESSA AT HOME cookbook or you can find this recipe HERE 

If you would like to find more tried and true recipes please visit our hostess Michele at Foodie Friday HERE.

* Reminder to myself:  don't even think
about getting on the scale the next day!