Saturday Share Recipe - Summer Lemon Pound Cake

When the weather turns chilly as it has the last few days, I think it's a good time to bake something.

Since I have a lot of lemons left from the bag I bought at Costco a few weeks ago, let's bake something that's light and delicious and delightfully lemony. To me, something lemon flavored suggests summer.

This is an old-fashioned cake with a fine crumb and a dense texture yet it doesn't taste heavy.

It does require a lot of ingredients, and it is not a low calorie cake. Having said that, it is delicious and satisfying unlike a cake you buy because it has real ingredients not a lot of fake chemicals.

Let me know if you make this old-fashioned pound cake and think it's worth the time and the wealth of ingredients.

SUMMER LEMON POUND CAKE

Ingredients - Cake

• 
  3 cups AP flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup soft butter at room temperature
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions for Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.  (165° C.)

2. Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with baking spray or buttering it and dusting lightly with flour.

3. In a large mixing bowl place the ingredients in the order given and turn on your mixer to low and beat for a minute.

4. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.

6. Bake time is 90 minutes, but after an hour and 15 minutes, check the cake. I recommend looking at it through the window in the oven door if possible.

You should be able to tell by the appearance of the top of the cake if it might be done or still needs another 15 minutes.

7. When done, check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.

8. Let it cool in the bundt pan about 15-20 minutes.

9. Invert the pan onto the plate from which you'll serve it and remove the pan carefully.

10. Cool the cake completely before glazing it with the recipe that follows.

 

LEMON GLAZE

Ingredients

• Juice and zest from 1 large lemon (or 2 small lemons)
• 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. Into a medium-sized bowl, zest the lemon.

2. Then roll the lemon on the counter with your hands. The heat of your palms and the slight pressure from rolling it on the hard surface increases the amount of juice that can be squeezed from the lemon.

3. Squeeze the lemon juice into a strainer held over the bowl. Any seeds fall into the strainer rather than the bowl.

4. Check the powdered sugar. If it's lumpy, stir it around to break the lumps or sift it. Add it to the juice and zest in the bowl a little at a time until the glaze is at a pourable consistency.

5. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, and it's ready to serve.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I was once a chocolate cake fan, but my taste has changed over the years. Now, desserts that are lemon-flavored are my favorite.

Phtotpgraphs from Pixabay  (1) Lemon-Limone-Lemon Tree by Hans  (2) Lemon-Squeezer-Lemon-Juice-Citrus by Stevepb

April Fool Bride, now on SALE.

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Life in Shades of Blue - Just Ask Liz Flaherty

Life is what the bestselling author Liz Flaherty writes about in one emotional, compelling novel after another.

Liz is my guest this morning so grab a cup of coffee or other essential morning drink and let me tell you about Pieces of Blue, a book you'll want to read.

FIRST, A LITTLE BACKSTORY

This book was originally published in 2024, then it went out of print because sometimes that’s how things go in publishing, but Liz decided she wasn't ready to move on from this book. She said: "Pieces of Blue is one of the stories I hold closest in my heart."

Smart lady. Bringing this book out again is a good thing. Even better, Liz is offering the ebook on sale for only 99¢. For you print readers, you can also get Pieces of Blue in print at Amazon.

LIZ'S JOURNEY IN WRITING PIECES OF BLUE

My intent, once I got rolling on this book a few years ago, was to write Maggie’s story. Just that. She’s a natural-born loner, so maybe just this once, I could keep the character count in a book at a manageable level. Lots of others writers do it; surely I could, too.

But everyone—at least everyone who makes herself at home in my keyboard—needs a best friend, so we met Ellie Wentz, a nurse practitioner whose been Maggie’s “ride or die” since they were in second grade. 

Then, when Maggie was walking around the lake, she stopped to look at the pristine little church and, before she kept walking, she met its pastor. Young Cari Newland went to culinary school, worked in stained glass, and ended up in the pulpit—go figure.

Then there’s Sam, who’s Maggie’s lawyer and friend for over half their lives. Who suddenly gives her frissons. She’s a writer; she really likes the word frisson. When he appeared to me, he looked like Mark Harmon in his 50s, but to Maggie, he just looks like Sam. And he gives her frissons. Who knew that would happen?

I hope you love Maggie’s story as much as I do, and…hey…if you get a frisson or two along the way, all the better.

WHAT'S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

Life comes in shades of blue...

Self-imposed loner, Maggie North, has worked for bestselling author Trilby Winterroad her entire adult life, starting as simply his assistant and ending up as his ghost writer. 

Through ups and downs--including a divorce from an abusive husband--he has been the one person on whom she could always rely. So when Trilby dies suddenly, Maggie finds herself adrift, not sure what she’ll do or where she belongs in the world any longer. And the confusion continues when she discovers he’s not only left her his beloved dachshund, Chloe, but a house she knew nothing about, on a lake she’s never heard of.

It only takes one visit for Maggie to fall in love with both the house and the small lakeside community. The longer she’s there, the safer she feels and the more her life begins to expand...as do her feelings toward her friend and Trilby’s attorney, Sam Eldridge.
But is she really safe? Or are the glistening pieces of her new life about to shatter as an old danger returns?

HOW ABOUT AN EXCERPT?

  
There were ten of us that night, all women. A few drove together from Placer to join us. Several of them had been at coffee that morning. We entertained each other by explaining why we were or were not wearing the same clothes we’d worn then.

The night was warm, the air soft. I looked at them as we walked and talked. I listened to their stories—Trilby taught me a lot about listening and its importance.

We’ve all known struggles and heartbreak; several of us have known physical abuse. Sadie had lived in her car for a while. Rose had left Colby in Detroit and come to the lake, saying he could come or go; it was up to him. Adrian told the story of her Uncle Henry’s father beating his wife half to death because their son “wasn’t right.”

Maxine said her husband had raised his hand to her exactly one time and she told him he’d better not let it fall or he’d never, ever be able to go to sleep again. We laughed at that, but she didn’t. “I was scared to death and so was he. Not that I’d kill him, but that he’d gotten so angry over something minor. He got himself to an anger management therapist and I went along with him. But I’m aware every day that we’re the lucky ones. Our lives could have gone a whole different way from that day forward than what it did.”

We’ve laughed together at the images people have of others’ lives. While Harper Loch doesn’t look anything like a resort or even a high point on rural Michigan’s social scale, it does look like a place where bad things can’t happen. Where marriages are all good, no one uses illegal substances, and everyone is safe.

But we know better—and it’s not lost on me how often I use the word we when I talk about the lake. We’ve absorbed each other’s pain. I didn’t know how Cari could bear the weight of the secrets she kept.

“How many women around here have been abused? Not just on the lake, but in the area.”

“More than we know,” Rose acknowledged. “Just like anywhere. Some talk about it, but more than a few don’t.”

“Many,” Haley agreed. “Because they think it’s their fault or it’s never going to happen again or they don’t have any alternatives.”

I thought of those women. Of their children. I thought of the people who’d circled the proverbial wagons around me to keep me safe. I thought of Cari and Ellie and the confidences they kept and carried with them. I thought of Aunt Lin and Claire and Annabelle and how strong they’d been when their lives turned on them.

I thought of the ashes. And of the sapphires.

Click to get Pieces of Blue from Amazon.

If you buy books from other online bookstores, click here to get Pieces of Blue from other sellers.  

ABOUT LIZ FLAHERTY, THE AUTHOR 

Liz Flaherty has spent the past several years enjoying not working a day job, making terrible crafts, and writing stories in which the people aren’t young, brilliant, or even beautiful. She’s decided (and has to re-decide most every day) that the definition of success is having a good time. Along with her husband of lo, these many years, kids, grands, friends, and the occasional cat, she’s doing just that.

You can reach her at lizkflaherty @ gmail.com or anywhere on https://linktr.ee/LizFlaherty. She’d love to hear from you!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a book for the weekend, you won't go wrong in picking Pieces of Blue.

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Old Books Are Old Friends

Some Hump Day Thoughts.

The other day I saw a Facebook post about Shanna, a historical romance novel by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, the housewife who started the romance revolution with the 1972 publication of her first novel, The Flame and The Flower.

That first book sold over 2.3 million copies in the first 4 years of publication. It's still selling. I don't know if her genre-busting early books have ever been out of print.

(I'll confess that I didn't care much for the book which is the Forced Marriage trope, a polite way of saying sexual assault.)

As soon as I closed Facebook, I went to the armoire in my office and pulled my copy of Shanna from the shelf of paperback books in there. Yes, it was on my keeper shelf along with several other vintage novels.

When Shanna was published, it sold over 3 million copies and remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a full year.

I remember the first time I read this book probably a decade or more after it was published in 1977. It was filled with lush  descriptions of characters, setting, and the sexuality and passion of the characters. 

We're talking thrusting loins and heaving bosoms and bodice ripping—by the villain, never by the hero in Woodiwiss's novels.

I started reading it again. Yes, it's dated, and I had to smile at the flowery analogies used far too often. However, it's still a page turner.

Eventually, over the years before I was published, I read all of Ms. Woodiwiss's early books. Life and writing got in the way, and I became enmeshed in the contemporary romance world so I never got to her later books. I plan to correct that oversight this year.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

A keeper shelf is a place of delight and comfort. Reading an old book is like visiting with an old friend.

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Review - Dropping Names - Podcast

Today's review is a little different because it's not for a movie, TV series, book, or  music album.

It's for a Podcast viewable on YouTube. Dropping Names With Brent and Jonny is hosted by Brent Spiner and Jonathan Frakes.

The episode I watched on Dropping Names was Once We Were All Spacemen, and it's funny, smart, and a great showcase for the personalities of all involved as they swap war stories on their respective careers.

The delightful episode I stumbled across and stopped on was because the guests were Alan Tudyk, currently starring in Resident Alien, and Nathan Fillion, currently starring in The Rookie. Both Tudyk and Fillion are not only wonderful actors but also highly entertaining in their own personas.

I'd seen the teasers featuring the cast of Firefly but didn't really know what they were pitching. I was delighted to discover it was Fillion's and Tudyk's own podcast, Once We Were Spacemen which debuted in November 2025.

The hour-long conversation, which is what it seemed like rather than a podcast, was a nice afternoon break with NO political or other divisive hot-button issues discussed or argued—just a free-ranging conversation with people who genuinely seemed to like each other.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Check out both podcasts if you're looking for something intelligent and entertaining.

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Monday Magic - Free Meal Planning App

I, like most of you, lead a very busy life. I work all day at writing, marketing, graphic design, and publishing—yes, it takes all of that to be a successful author in today's world.

I try to plan meals a week in advance, but sometimes I just can't get that done. I really hate it when six o'clcok in the evening rolls around, and I'm scrambling for something to prepare for dinner.

With that thought in mind, I checked out meal planning apps and found one that I think might work for most people.

EAT THIS MUCH

This website app is more than just a meal planner. Eat This Much creates personalized meal plans based on your food preferences, budget, and schedule. It can help you reach dietary and nutritional goals with their calorie calculator, weekly meal plans, grocery lists and more.

You can use it to create 3 meals a day based on the amount of  calories you want to consume—carbs, fat, etc. The FREE Forever level allows you to generate daily meals plans, track what you eat, add foods from barcodes, and create custom foods and recipes. 

You can click Generate, copy the meal plan, click ti again to get another meal plan, etc. until you have 7 days of meal plans.

There is also a Premium level for $5.00 a month if you want to unlock extra options, and a Professional level with a price that varies.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Solving the "what's for dinner" problem is huge and that's a big relief for me.

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Daylight Savings Time Strikes Again

I like Benjamin Franklin, but I wish he'd kept his thoughts about time to himself.

Yes, he's the culprit we can blame for making us spring forward in the spring and fall back in the fall.

He came up with this daylight savings concept in 1784. Actually, he wasn't really trying to "save" daylight. He simply made the statement that Parisians could save money on candles if they changed their sleep schedules.

If you recall your history, Franklin was in Paris as the first U.S. Ambassador to France. He was there for the ratification of the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War.

I guess he had time on his hands and rather than twiddle his thumbs, he came up with his daylight savings concept to help Parisians save money.

The rest, as they say, is history. The U.S. adopted it in 1918, but it was repealed in 1919 because it was so unpopular. Then in World War II, it was instituted again as year-round "War Time."

In 1966, the Uniform Time Act signed, but in 1974-1975, it was temporarily made year-round again due to an oil embargo. In 2007, the current biannual schedule began.

The bottom line? We're stuck with it, and, despite grumbling from the general population, daylight savings time continues.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

The first couple of weeks are the worst. Be careful. Sleep more. Make sure you're awake before you zoom off to work each day. Take care. We're all in this together, but we can get through it. Again.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Creole Sauce

Today I'm going back to my roots again and sharing a recipe for what we called Creole Sauce.

I love sharing recipes for the food my family ate when I was growing up.

This is easy to make, and it's good on just about everything from scrambled eggs to pork chops to hamburger steak to anything you want to try.

This receipt makes about 2 cups. It's easy to make and stores in the fridge about a week.

It also freezes well if you want to make a big batch. Simply defrost however much you need when you wish to serve it.

CREOLE SAUCE

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper, any color 

I always choose the Original

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup chopped green olives

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons butter (or extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 bay leaf crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Salt to taste

For extra spicy, add a few drops of Tabasco Sauce.

Directions

1. Saute the bell pepper, onion, olives, and garlic in the butter until they are translucent and soft.

2. Add the other ingredients to the sauteed vegetables and stir. Simmer 20 minutes on low.

3. Serve hot.

4. Store any leftover sauce in refrigerator or freeze until needed.

Why do I always choose McIlhenney Tabasco Sauce? Probably because that's what my Mom and all the othr home cooks used. The sauce is still made at Avery Island, a little dot on the map off the coast of New Iberia, Louisiana, where I lived when I was a kid.

We toured Avery Island and the factory long ago. I don't know if that is still allowed in today's world, but it was exciting and memorable to me. The air would nearly singe your eyeballs and nasal cavities.

So I choose it because it tastes better than any of the other hot sauces, and because it's rooted in tradition and memories of my Mom.  

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

 My mother was an amazing home chef, and I love sharing her recipes with the world.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

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Review - Letters to Juliet - Netflix

I watched Letters to Juliet, streaming on Netflix, a couple of weeks ago. I'll confess that the title of the movie is why I chose this 2010 romantic comedy starring Amanda Seyfried, Christopher Egan, Gael García Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. 

Strictly speaking, I didn't find it to be a romantic comedy. It was more like a romance with mild humor. 

Regardless, I found this film, the last directed by Gary Winick before he died, to be entertaining and romantic with its dual love stories.

The "feel-good" film leaves viewers with a sense of optimism and hope that romance and love can be found at any age.

MOVIE DESCRIPTION

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is on a pre-honeymoon in Verona and  inadvertently finds an old unanswered letter asking for love advice from Juliet. She discovers that this is a traditional practice in Verona with the letters answered by a group of women who write as Juliet.

Sophie takes it upon herself to answer the decades-old letter which brings the letter-writer (Vanessa Redgrave) to Verona, along with her cranky grandson (Christopher Egan). Together the three go in search of the woman's long-lost love (Franco Nero).

The film was inspired by the 2006 non-fiction book Letters to Juliet by Lise Eve Friedman and Ceil Jann Friedman, about the phenomenon of writing letters to Shakespeare's Juliet.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I enjoyed Letters to Juliet very much. I'm sure if you're not a Netflix subscriber that you can purchase  the movie from Amazon.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

Get it for 99¢ before the sale goes away.

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Monday Magic - Landscape Design App

Spring is coming, and I'm excited that gardening season is here again.

Every spring I make plans to finish landscaping the front and back yards, but I never quite get it done the way I like it.

Darling Hubby gets frustrated because I'm always changing the plan so this year, I thought I'd do something different.

I searched online and found a few free landscape design apps. I thought I'd post about them so you can try them along with me.

First up is Neighborbrite, an AI powered landscape design app that is always free to use unless you decide to upgrade to the pro version for more control and custumization for plant types, placements, and some other features. 

HOW IT WORKS

Neighborbrite uses advanced AI technology to help you design. Upload a photo of the outdoor space  you want to design, choose a garden style, and get design ideas for your space.

That's it. There's nothing to download and install since it's an online site to use. You don't need any special tech skills or knowledge because it's designed to be user-friendly and intuitive.

To learn more before you try, check out their FAQ page.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I'm photographing my yard front and back. I'm excited to try this, and I hope it's as easy as it sounds. I'll let you know next Monday when I post another free app blog. Let me know if you also try Neighborbrite.

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7 Truths About Being an Author

I visited with a local book club recently and enjoyed it very much. They had read my book, Heat Lightning, and we talked about it.

As usual, they asked what inspired me to write that book, and what inspired me just to write books.

I told them that writing was one of the best jobs in the world—and it is. 

What I didn't tell them is something I'll tell you today—what a professional writer learns when she or he is lucky enough to establish a writing career.

7 TRUTHS ABOUT BEING A PROFESSIONAL WRITER.

1. Perfecctly good books get written but never get published.

I once believed that you could write a book about anything that struck your fancy, and if it was a good book it would get published. 

The traditional publishing business doesn't work that way. There  are budgets and quotas that prevent publishing just any book no mattter how beautifully written it may be. Editors can only acquire so many books.

When your Agent submits your book—yes, you really do need an agent—you don't know if the editor recently acquired a book with the same premise. 

You don't know if the Editor has already acquired books for the entire year or longer, or any number of other issues that prevent the Editor from acquiring your book.

The indie self-publishing business allows you to go ahead and publish the book, but publishing a book and getting readers to buy it are 2 different things. More on that later.

2. Writing successfully requires a commitment. 

You cannot sit around and wait each day to be inspired. The "Muse" is a myth. Real writers put butt in chair in front of the computer and write hundreds of words on a consistent basis until the book is finished.

3. No one knows how long it takes to write and publish a book.

The number of pages and the time it takes to write a book depends on the story and on the writer.

A story takes as many pages as it takes. It may be 140 pages or 980 pages. 

How long it takes to write those pages depends on the writer and his/her consistency of effort.

4. Writing is hard work physically so one must take care of the physical body from the beginning.

Prevent problems like back spasms, sciatic pain, carpel tunnel, etcetera, rather than try to "cure" them once they begin. Trust me, once established, muscle, tendon, and nerve pain are nearly impossible to cure. You'll be dealing with them the rest of your life.

5. Writing is hard work emotionally so nurture your spirit and your inspiration.

Take time to play. Take time for your relationships. Sometimes, you just need to go with the flow and make up the writing you may have missed on a day when you played. 

Pages can be written another day, but time with loved ones can't be reclaimed. Life is short. Children grow up while you aren't looking, and love relationships can grow stale.

6. Accept that not every good book will sell well.

As I said in #1 above, publishing a book and getting readers to buy it are 2 different things. Yes, as an indie self-publisher, you can publish anhthig you choose, but it may not sell more than a few copies—even if it has captivating characters, a stunning plot, and is beautifully written.

That's the downside of not having a traditional publisher who buys a manuscript based in part on how many thousands of books will sell based on the Editor's calculations. 

As an indie publisher, you hope and pray that enough books will sell to allow you to break even on any expenses you incurred in writing and publishing the book.

You have no guarantees though. If you have had previous success, you have a pretty good idea of how another book will sell.

In today's self-publishing world, i.e. Kindle Digital Publishing, the competition is fierce. The vast majority of these books rarely make more than a few hundred dollars.

You, the Author, are also the VP of Marketing which means you're going to spend a lot of time hawking your book on social media or with Amazon Ads and/or Facebook ads.

The best case scenario is to find a marketing channel that works for you as soon as possible because you need to be writing the next book.

7. There is no such thing as an instant million copy seller in today's book publishing universe.

The first book may sell, and that's great, but today's readers consume books like movie-goers consume popcorn. Your name will fade away if it's not out in the world on a consistent, regular basis.

The second and third and fourth books—or the 10th—build your reputation as a dependable author who doesn't disappoint.

Don't mope and/or drown your sorrows in hot fudge sundaes. 

Get on with the next book whether that's book #2 or book #10. Sometims, that's what it takes for a writer to build an audience.

TAKEWAY TRUTH

Writers write. If you love writing, keep doing it. If you find it depressing and tedious to pour your heart and soul in a book that earns less than $500.00, then you're probably not cut out to be a professional writer. That's okay. You're probably meant to do something else so try different things until you find your bliss.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Savory Bread and Corn Pudding

I bought some fresh corn on the cob yesterday with the thought of boiling some to serve on the cob.

The rest I'll use to make this Savory Bread and Corn Pudding, a delicious hot, cheesy casserole that's hearty, and it serves 8.

Ingredients

8 cups stale bread, preferably a rustic bread, crust on, cut or torn into half-inch cubes (usually takes about a pound of bread)

3 cups whole milk

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

5 eggs

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter + 1-2 teaspoons to butter the casserole dish)

1 1/2cups fresh corn kernels (usually 2-3 ears of corn)

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (if you use dried herbs for these fresh ones, use half the amount)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut or tear the bread into cubes.

2. Grate the Gruyere.

3. Beat the eggs.

4. Clean the corn and cut the corn off the cob.

5. Preheat oven to 375° F. (190° C.) and use the 1-2 teaspoons of butter to prepare a 9x13 casserole dish.

6. In a saucepan, heat the milk, fresh chopped herbs, and black pepper until the milk begins to simmer. turn the heat off and let the mixture cool.

7. In a large skillet, heat the butter, stirring constantly until the milk solids begin to brown which takes about 4-5 minutes. 

8. Add the corn kernels and salt and stir over low heat about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

9. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well then stir in the cooled milk and mix well. Then stir in the bread, the cheese, and the corn mixture. Blend well.

10. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press down on the bread to make sure it's submerged in the batter. Let the dish set for 30 minutes until the bread absorbs the liquid.

11. Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the dish and back 20 minutes until golden brown.

12. Serve to acclaim!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Anyone who likes bread, cheese, and eggs will love this. Store any leftovers in covered containers in the fridge.

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All About Azaleas

At last, my azaleas are blooming! I was afraid the sudden cold snap we had a couple of weeks ago destroyed the buds.

In case you didn't know, Houston is famous for its azaleas. Every year, thousands of people flock to the Azalea Trail. This yera it runs from March 6–8.

Organized by the River Oaks Garden Club, it  features tours of private gardens in the River Oaks/Tanglewood areas and the historic Bayou Bend and Rienzi gardens.

ARE AZALEAS RHODODENDRONS?

Azaleas are not Rhododendrons, but they are part of that genus that has over 10,000 varieties.

These gorgeous shrubs thrive in acidic, well-drained soil with dappled shade, and they're known for spring blooms. They can be evergreen or deciduous. Amazingly, they've been around for 50 million years. They symbolize femininity, passion, fragility, and temperance and are native to Asia, Europe, and North America.

You should know that all parts of the azalea plant are poisonous to humans and pets because they contain grayanotoxins. They can grow from small dwarf shrubs to large bushes reaching 8–10 feet in height and are often called "royalty of the garden."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Most of my azaleas are the Formosa variety shown above—large shrubs covered with blooms. I have some medium height azaleas that bloom red.

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Review - The Night Agent 3 - Netflix

Read The Night Agent, Amazon

 Thankfully, Season 3 of The Night Agent on Netflix is infinitely better than Season 2.

The Night Agent was a big hit for Netflix when the first season premiered on March 23, 2023. It was so popular that it was renewed in its first week of broadcast.

Fans of the thriller series couldn't wait for Season 2. Unfortunately, that season was underwhelming.  In fact, it was so disappointing, I didn't immediately watch Season 3 when it hit the small screen last week.

However, this past weekend when we were searching for something to view, we clicked on it. I'm glad we did because it was as compelling as Season 1 had been.

WHY WATCH SEASON 3 OF NIGHT AGENT

Better story. Better drama. Better new characters. Better pacing. Interesting villains.

It was great to see a character from Season 1—Secret Service agent Chelsea Arrington (Fola Evans-Akingbola )—who helps ground the series emotionally. Her character is likable, smart, and brave. She does the right thing even if it means her career is at stake. 

Honesty in a character is so refreshing. She had a big part in Season 1 but only a cameo in Season 2. They were smart to bring her back because for whatever reason they haven't brought back Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan) whose relationship with Peter (Gabriel Basso) was a big part of the Season 1 success.

 WHY NOT BRING ROSE BACK?

Showrunner Shawn Ryan made the decision not to bring Rose back in order for Night Agent Peter to be a lone wolf focused only on his assignments. Blah blah blah. I see it as another James Bond persona with no relationshiips except fleeting one-night stands. Peter though isn't finding a woman in every destination. 

Emotionally, he still has his demons—still trying to prove his loyalty to his country. He seems lonely and has no "real" life. Maybe Season 4 will change all that. We can only hope to see some emotional growth in a compelling character.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for action, adventure, and thrills, definitely watch The Night Agent 3. If you don't have Netflix, read the book.

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Saturday Share - Brunch Quiche Cups

Today's recipe is packed with protein and is great for breakfast or brunch.

Brunch Quiche Cups

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teeaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/4 cup diced ham or crumbled bacon *Optional

Directions

1. In a 12 cup muffin pan, line each cup with a foil baking cup and pre-heat the oven to 350° F. (176° C.).

2. In a small saute pan, saute the red bell pepper and the onion in the butter until soft.

3. Microwave the spinach on high for 2-3 minutes. Drain the spinach well and squeeze all the liquid out of it.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the cheese, spinach, onions, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. If you are adding meat, toss it in now.

5. Evenly divide the mixture into the 12 muffin cups.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Serve immediately.

You can make these ahead of time and reheat in a microwave. Store any leftovers in a plastic storage bag in the freezer.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

These make a nutritious and delicious snack so make a bunch of them and keep them in a freezer for an easy breakfast or a snack as you need them.

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Ordinary Marvels - Navel Oranges

I slept late today because I stayed up late watching Olympic highlights. Amazing athletes doing amazing things.

Like many, I particularly love the ice skating events. Maybe that's because I've never ice skated before, and I'm in awe of those who do.

TODAY'S TOPIC

I'm not here to talk about the Olympics. I want to talke about things that are ordianry yet amazing.

Like the navel orange I peeled for breakfast. I was stripping away the rind from the orangish-pink flesh when I started wondering how the navel orange came into being. I was pretty sure that it had to be have been created by some kind of hybrid technique so I looked up the history.

Yes, it was a hybrid—created by Mother Nature. Surprise!

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

In 1820, in a Brazilian monestary garden, someone saw a mutated orange growing on a tree. This was a  seedless mutation, possibly derived from a Selecta orange tree.

The mutated tree produced a small "twin" fruit at the base of the fruit—something that looked like a human navel thus the origin of the name.

Horticulturists began grafting the mutated tree to other trees until there were enough for export. It took more than 50 years for the navel orange tree to be introduced in the U.S. 

When the newly-formed USDA received 12 cuttings from Brazil, someone there gave 2 cuttings to  Eliza Tibbets of Riverside, California. She planted them in 1873 which gave birth to a billion-dollar industry.

TREE TRIVIA

The mutation of the orange tree means its fruit is seedless and sterile so all navel orange trees are technically clones of that original 1820 tree,  continued through grafting.

The trees planted in California were named Washington Navel Oranges because they came from the USDA in Washington, D.C.

The trees planed in California thrived because the climate was perfect for the, and the citrus industry in the state simply boomed.

The "belly button" at the bottom is actually a conjoined twin fruit that aborted during development.

The original tree planted by Eliza Tibbets is now a California Historic Landmark.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Learning all this made the sweet navel orange I ate even more delicious and satisfying. Have you eaten an orange lately?

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