Foodie Friday - Baked Oatmeal

Designs by Gollum is hosting Foodie Friday. Check out her site for other yummy recipes.

This is part of my series of regional foods. I would like to share Baked Oatmeal. I don't know if this is actually Amish, as the Amish don't blog, but I do know it is popular with local Bed and Breakfast Inns. That being said, I also had it at a B&B in Vermont.

I like to make this when I have a house full of company and everyone is getting up at a different time. This way, they can all have a substantial breakfast and I'm not standing in front of the stove all morning. I like to scoop it into a bowl, add milk or yogurt. It's nice to top it with more raisins, maple syrup, or brown sugar.

It's even good cold eaten like a cookie, although a bit crumbly. I have it shown cut into squares, but this particular recipe is a bit too moist to be considered a finger food.

This recipe is courtesy of Elaine Heckman, Taste of Home.

Baked Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sugar (I used Splenda Blend. Adjust accordingly.)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup raisins (I used dried cranberries.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine in a bowl. Pour into greased 8" baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

I doubled this recipe for the photo.

Tablescape Thursday - May 21

I want to thank Susan from Between Naps on the porch for hosting Tablescape Thursday. My inlaws came to visit last weekend. I was so happy that my MIL was here for our mother-daughter banquet at church. Check out her site to see other tablescapes.

My in laws came to visit last weekend. My mother-in-law has only been to this house once before, before we had the kitchen remodeled. My sister-in-law and her daughter have never been here, so I wanted everything to be nice. They arrived Friday and I served lasagna, a salad and garlic bread. This is pretty much our every day table, only with the water goblets added. The plates are my every day Correlle. I found more of the same pattern at a thrift shop and got them. Now I can serve 11 people.

The tablecloth and the centerpiece vase were found at the thrift shop. I purchased the silk flowers at Michael's and did the arrangement that morning.

Bloggers Outing at Longwood Gardens

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer hosts Outdoor Wednesday every week. I always save my outdoor pictures to share on this meme. Click the link to view more outdoor photos.

Becky from Hospitality Lane invited all bloggers to attend a day with her at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, last Saturday.

I got to meet Becky, her friends and family, and Jill from Ribbon Challenged. Jill makes those beautiful homemade cards. Above is a photo of the girls. Mrs. Rabe, Beck's daughter, Becky, Jill and myself.

We met at the gate at 10:00. The day started out rainy, so we started our tour in the conservatory.

The Conservatory:

Purple Lacecap hydrangeas and white astillbe will definitely be an addition to my shady back yard.

By the time we completed our tour of the conservatory, the rain was stopping. We had lunch at the restaurant on site. We discovered that Becky and I had met once before at a wedding we both attended. What a small world.

Here is Becky and Jill.

I want my wisteria in my yard to be like this one, when it grows up. That's Jill checking out all the great plants.

I know that in garden design, it looks better when planted in mass. I will just have to keep looking at these photos to remind myself.

Longwood Gardens is famous for all it's fountains.

The tree house is every kid's dream:

I posted about Longwood Gardens before. If you want more click here for my previous post.

SS John W. Brown, The Project Liberty Ship

Smiling Sally is hosting Blue Monday. Today I'm taking you on a cruise of the beautiful blue Chesapeake Bay aboard the SS John W. Brown. Click on the link to check out other blogs who are sharing their blue.

The SS John W. Brown, a Project Liberty Ship, is a restored WWII Merchant Marine ship, which cruises the Chesapeake Bay leaving the port of Baltimore, MD. The whole cruise is tribute and an honor to all veterans.

The ship is a living museum. Once aboard, you are stepping back to 1944.

My step father is very proud that he is a veteran of WWII, and never misses an opportunity to tell everyone he meets. I highly recommend it to any veteran, especially the WWII vets.

As we sailed past Fort McHenry, we Pledged Allegiance to the American Flag and sang the Star Spangled Banner. Once we were out in the bay, we had a memorial ceremony to all who gave their lives in service to our country.

We were able to tour the ship. My husband, who did weather observations in the Navy, really enjoyed the opportunity to check out the ship. Artifacts, posters, and photos of the era are displayed.

The Museum Room:

The Bridge:

Topside:

Navigation Room:
General McArthur:

We saw President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who read the historic “Declaration of War”, General McArthur, Abbott & Costello, an Andrews’ sisters type trio. The band played songs from the era.

The highlight of the cruise was when the Japanese Zero planes “attacked” us. Gunners manned the gun turrets and returned fire.

Then an American War Hawk plane came and “shot down” the enemy planes. They left the area leaving a trail of smoke. I don’t know what the sail boats and other pleasure boats on the Chesapeake though about the mock battle.

Brownie, the ship's pin-up girl:

We were served lunch:

If you have a veteran in your family, I highly recommend this outing. Cruises for the 2009 season are scheduled for May 23, June 13 and September 12.

I Took Your Place

Charlotte and Ginger are hosting Spiritual Sundays. Click on the link to view other spiritual posts. Thanks ladies.

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near him. The driver got out and said, "I always park here! You took my place!"

The visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this statement, but still he said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hand and on his sandled feet. Someone from the congregaton noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"

A crown of thorns appeared, and a tear fell from his eye. The visitor replied, "I took your place."

Outdoor Wednesday - Peregrine Falcon

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer is hosting Outdoor Wednesday. Click the link to check out other Outdoor Wednesday posts.

This is a picture from a live link taken of a parent Peregrine Falcon feeding 5 chicks which were just hatched on May 1st. If you would like to view the actual falcon cam which refreshes every 2 minutes click on this link http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/falcon/default.htm

The Peregrine Falcon nests on cliffs or tall buildings or bridges. Through either luck, or divine intervention, the falcons chose to nest on the roof of the the Rachel Carson State Office Building, which is home to the Department of Environmental Protection, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Which, BTW, is where DH works.

The Peregrine Falcon was listed as an Endangered Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1972 following the catastrophic decline of the species worldwide due to DDT poisoning. They have made a dramatic recovey, and was formally removed from the federal list in 1999. However, they are still listed as an endangered species by the PA Game Commission because of the small local population and continued threats.

Flaunt Your Red - Jewelry Keeper

Nancy at Southern Lady is hosting a Flaunt Your Red party. Click on the link to take you to her blog to check out wonderful reds.

I would like to share my red lady jewelry keeper. I keep just what I use everyday. It holds my watch, glasses and that ugly lanyard with my ID/door key badge. Everything I need is there where I can grab them when I'm getting ready for work.