Friday Fragments

 

 

 

This fire was the view from my chair last night, as I caught up with some friends at a lake cottage only thirty minutes away from my house. We don't see each other as much during the summer, since everyone is busy with vacations and family commitments, so it was wonderful to give all these women a hug and hear about their lives since our last book club. These are friends who sincerely want to know about how you have been, how your children are doing and it leaves you with a warm feeling at the end of the night. We also laugh a lot and just enjoy each other's company so much. A casual girl's night out with a glass of wine, is the best kind of night.

 

 

I just finished reading Summer Secrets by Jane Green and though I have enjoyed her books in the past, I can't say this was my favorite. It as her typical British girl in America story and while I did enjoy the setting and descriptions of Nantucket, the rest of the story fell a little flat and was pretty predictable. Luckily it was a quick read and there are plenty of other books on my summer reading list to look forward to.

 

I'm still feeling happy that I was able to see Megan for dinner this week and catch up with her life. Though we text almost every day and I'm thankful for the technology that makes it so easy to keep in touch, there is really nothing like giving your child a hug in person and seeing their smile. And, I get to see her again in just a few weeks :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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Pineapple Banana Muffins

 

 

 

Whenever I wake up to a morning that feels a little cool in the summer months, it always puts me in the mood to bake something sweet. There is a perfection about cool air streaming in my kitchen, my morning cup of coffee and a freshly baked muffin. I saw a recipe on Pinterest for Pineapple Banana Bread and decided to give it a few tweaks to suit my lower carb, diabetic needs and it was still delicious. As always, I used the Truvia equivilent instead of the sugar. For those of you wondering, there is a chart on the back of the package that gives these equivilents. I also left out the coconut and did not glaze the muffins to further decrease the sugar amounts.

These were perfectly sweet the way I made them, with flavor from both the pineapple and the banana. It was a great combination of flavors and perfect for a summertime breakfast treat.

 

Pineapple Banana Muffins

1 stick, butter, softened

1 cup sugar ( I used Truvia equivilent )

2 eggs

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 T poppy seeds

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 cup crushed pineapple, juice drained and reserved

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar with mixer; beat in eggs one at a time, then almond extract and poppy seeds. Blend in crushed pineapple and banana. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, just until blended. Place batter in muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden on muffin tops. To glaze muffins: mix reserved 1/2 cup pineapple juice with 1/2 cup confectioners sugar and drizzle on top of muffins when cool.

 

{Linking with these friends}

A Stroll Thru Life

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Skip To My Lou

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DIY by Design

No Minimalist Here

Stonegable

Rattlebridge Farm

 

Nancharrow

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A Day At The Lake

 

 

 

We were lucky enough to spend the 4th of July holiday at a friend's lake cottage and it was such a beautiful day. The weather could not have been nicer, with plenty of sunshine and a slight breeze off the water. We took a ride on their pontoon boat before dinner and it was really lovely to relax, have a cocktail and talk, as we slowly made our way around the lake.

 

 

 

Our hostess set a beautiful table for dinner with a view of the water and festive red, white and blue touches galore. We sat around the table for quite a while, enjoying both the delicious food and the good company. My contribution to the meal was my favorite summer salad; butter lettuce, green onions, mandarin oranges, strawberry slices, Chinese noodles and poppy seed dressing.

 

 

This was our beautiful view as we ended the day around the fire, waiting for the fireworks over the lake to begin. Just a beautiful and relaxing way to spend the holiday.

Happy Tuesday! I am excited because Megan will be here for dinner tonight and even though it is just for a few hours and she will be heading back to Pittsburgh, I am so looking forward to giving her a big hug and hearing all her news.

 

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