Saturday Share Recipe - Lemon Dessert Sauce

Lemon is my favorite taste sensation in a dessert. Yes, I deserted chocolate and embraced this aromatic citrus flavor.

Everyone knows how to make chocolate sauce, but not many have a lemon sauce in the recipe box.

The remarkable thing about lemons is that they lend flavor to everything from main dishes to desserts.

Today's recipe is a sauce that you'll want to make and keep in the fridge. It's absolutely fabulous.

Even better, it can be made in a matter of minutes if you juice a large lemon in advance.

LEMON DESSERT SAUCE

This recipe makes 1 cup of lemon sauce that's delicious poured over pound cake, strawberries, ice cream, of frozen yogurt.

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar (the organic kind I usually buy won't work)

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (the bottled stuff won't work)

2 tablespoons butter (must add pinch of salt if using unsalted butter)

grated rind of 1 lemon

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, mix sugar and corn starch. Stir in the boiling water and the lemon juice.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly so it does not scorch. Boil for 3 minutes until the mixture is clear rather than cloudy. It should be thick at this point.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Add salt at this point if you used unsalted butter.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Actually, this is delicious on a crusty piece of toasted, buttered bread too!

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On the Road Again

Today's trip is to Louisiana to visit my older brother on his birthday.

In Texas, we're accustomed to road trips. Road trips require planning.

Darling Hubby takes care of checking tires, engine, and filling the tank.

I take care of the other important things: tunes and road snacks.

It's like Jenn McKinlay said, “Road trips required a couple of things: a well-balanced diet of caffeine, salt and sugar and an excellent selection of tunes....”

Each time we make this trip, we take a slightly different route. We try to avoid freeways and take the less-traveled roads. I even like detours because you never know what you may find on an unplanned road.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Road trips are infintely surprising. “The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man [or woman] can lose himself oneself.” – William Least Heat-Moon

Monday Magic - Free App for Screenshots

Looking for a better screenshot tool? Flameshot, a free open-source, cross-platform tool to take screenshots with many built-in features, is it. 

Flameshot, for Windows, macOS, and Linux, will save you time.

However, it is crucial to ensure you download Flameshot from a reputable source, like the official Flameshot website.

CAUTION IN DOWNLOADING APPS

Always download an app from the app's official website and keep the app updated from the official website. Like many apps, if you download from a website other than the official website, i.e. Flameshot.org, you run the risk of getting something that may contain a file infected with malicious code. 

Having said that, let me tell you about some of the main benefits of Flameshot.

1. Highly customizable

Set it up the way you want: interface color, button selection, keyboard shortcuts, how images are saved, and more with Flameshot's accessible configuration dialog.

2. In-app screenshot editing

Add an arrow mark, highlight text, blur or pixelate a section, add text, draw something, add a  rectangular/circular shaped border, add a counter number, add a solid color box —all using Flameshot's built-in editing tools.

3. Simple and intuitive to use

Using Flameshot is simple. Launch it, drag the selection box to cover the area you want to capture, make annotations as needed on-screen, save the shot to your computer. All simple and easy with the interface.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is easy to use, easy to customize, and free—three of my favorite things. Visit Flameshot today.

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Why Is June The Wedding Month?

Ah, June, when summer eases into our frazzled lives. Somehow, it feels just right to be a little lazy in the summer.

Here are a few facts about this first month of summer when we love to kick back and enjoy those long summer days and nights.

JUNE FUN FACTS

1. This month has 3 birthstones: pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.

2. The flowers that symbolizes this month are roses and honeysuckle—both highly aromatic. 

When I grew up, we didn't have central air conditioning. In fact, hardly anyone did in our small town. We had attic fans that would draw in the cool night air through open windows.

Yes, small towns felt so safe back then that everyone slept with windows open. The air was perfumed by roses, honeysuckle, and night-blooming jasmine. Oh, my but it smelled wonderful.

3. June was the traditional month of weddings because colleges and schools were out for the summer. 

Those of marriage age and intention would pick June for their weddings. 

Historically, June was named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage and childbirth, so the tradition of weddings in that month started long ago.

4. June is of course the month of the summer solstice with the longest day of the year and the shortest night.

5. In 1986, the rose, flower for June, was named as the official floral emblem of the United States. The Whitehouse's famous Rose Garden dates back to John Adam’s presidency.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is a month to be happy and carefree so try to achieve that. After all, attitude is everything! Happy June.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Blueberry Crumble Bake

I love blueberries, that super fruit that is so good for your brain and other crucial parts of the human body.

I buy a carton of them every time I shop. Mostly I eat them fresh, but sometimes I make a blueberry dessert with them—a take on blueberry pie but instead of a double pie crust, I make a crumble crust.

This is a pie you can easily make if traditional pastry crust frustrates you.

I reduced the amount of sugar that was originally called for in this old recipe because it was too sweet to us.

Actually, I've done this with a lot of old recipes. I guess since we don't eat much sweets many of them taste too sweet when made according to the original recipe.

By the way, if you use AP flour, add 1 tablespoon of baking powder and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE BAKE

Serves 8-10.

Crust Ingredients

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 sticks of butter

Filling Ingredients

3 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

2 cups chopped pecans (or your favorite nut or omit completely)

3/4 cup brown sugar (can use white)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176.7°C)

2. Prepare crust by mixing all ingredients together. Mixture will be crumbly.

3. Divide crust dough into 2 pieces. Line bottom and sides of baking dish (either 10 inch pie plate or 9x13 inch dish). Press dough to a quarter inch thickness.

4. Prepare filling by mixing all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into the crust-lined dish.

5. Crumble the remaining dough crust into pieces over the filling.

6. Bake for 15 minutes then raise the temperature to 375°F (190.5°C) and bake for 15 minutes more or until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you make this, let me know if you think the sweetness level is good. Leave a comment or email me.

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Language of Medical Prescriptions

Doctors may no longer handwrite prescriptions, but they still use the Latin words in the prescription.

If you've been mystified by obscure abbreviations in prescriptions and wondered why doctors don't write a prescription in plain English, this post if for you.

I blogged about this many years ago so I'm happy to disclose the secret language of prescriptions once again.

No need to be puzzled by the esoteric words any longer. Just print and save the chart below.

Here is the Rx, which, by the way, means recipe in Latin, to understand what your doctor is telling your pharmacist.

PRESCRIPTION TRANSLATIONS FROM LATIN TO ENGLISH

Rx (prescription) = recipe

a.c. = ante cibum = before meals

p.c. = post cibum = after meals

č = cum = with

Ꞩ = sine = without (Symbol is Latin upper case S with line thru it.)

d = dies = day

b.i.d. = bis in die = 2 times a day

t.i.d. = ter in die - 3 times a day

q.i.d. = qauter in die = 4 times a day

p.r.n. = pro re nata = as needed

h.s. = hora somni = bedtime

O.D. = oculo dextro = right eye

O.S. = oculo sinistro = left eye

O.U. = oculo utro = in each eye

p.o. = per os = by mouth

git = gutta = drop

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Seriously, it's to your benefit if you know what those abbreviations in prescriptions mean. I hope this helps.

By the way, laughter is the best medicine. I prescribe a reading of THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE, on sale for only 99¢.

THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE

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Review - The Dry on Tubi

Looking for a movie packed full of surprises? Try THE DRY, an Australian thriller starring Eric Bana, directed by Robert Connolly, with a screenplay by Connolly and Harry Cripps.

The film is based on the novel by Jane Harper and also stars Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell, and John Polson.

It's available on some subscription services, i.e. Acorn, Sundance Now, and AMC+ and for rent on others. Lucky for you, it's available to stream free on my favorite free service, Tubi.

The film was released in Australia in 2021, received positive reviews from critics, and made its way to the U.S. 

Since this is a series of books based on the main character, Aaron Falk, portrayed so well by Bana, that a movie squel also starring Bana was produced and released last year.

I'm looking for it on the streaming services. The sequel, The Dry 2, is based on the second book of the series, Force of Nature.

ABOUT THE DRY

Australian federal agent Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken home town to attend a funeral for one of his high school buddies. Falk left the town immediately after high school, under a cloud of suspicion that he had killed a girl who was part of their friends group.

Stalwart and determined, he senses something is wrong with the official verdict of his friend's death. Somehow, his death may be tied to the girl's death years ago. Now in law enforcement, he doggedly pursues the truth.

MY TAKE ON THE MOVIE

The movie has layers that peel away like an onion to reveal the secrets and lies in what seems like a peaceful town. The atmosphere is ike a slow fuse burning that eventually ignites a powder keg of violence. One surprise after another builds the suspense. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you'll learn you're wrong.

Eric Bana is superb in this role.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for an intelligent story with "real" people, not a super hero rehash, watch THE DRY. Leave a comment and let me know how you like it.

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