Happy Birthday Graeme!

My son Graeme is 14 years old today! Not only is Graeme a computer genius, he is also a reptile enthusiast! Pictured above is his bearded dragon named Saurus. Hermione, his leopard gecko, also celebrates her 1 year old birthday today as well! Happy Birthday, Graeme!

Our 19th Wedding Anniversary!

Today MacGyver husband and I our celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary! Several months ago, our youngest daughter went to the local gem show for a school field trip. She came home and gave us these two rocks and said, "See how these rocks go together? That's just like you and Dad!" Isn't that neat?

What's for Dinner?

Mexican food is always a big hit at Love and Life at Leadora. So, when I found this recipe for Pico de Gallo chicken quesadillas on Sisterscafe Blog , I knew that I had to try it. This recipe is definitely a keeper. The carmelized onions give the quesadillas delicious flavor. The monterey jack cheese melts beautifully and tastes oh so good. It wasn't quite spicy enough for MacGyver husband, so he put some Tapatio hot sauce on top of his. I omitted the green bell pepper, because it is not a popular item in the dining room at Leadora. Sometimes I can sneak things past the diners here, but green bell pepper I definitely cannot! Overall, everyone gave Pico de Gallo chicken quesadillas a thumbs up!

Check out the blog, Sisters Cafe. This blog was created by 5 sisters who love to cook and share recipes. The recipes are not intimidating for the everyday home cook, and the ingredients are easy to find. This is the first recipe I have tried from the Sisters Cafe, and I will definitely try something again.

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake was created so that no extra egg whites would go to waste. It is also thought that probably African American slaves from the south baked this cake because strong arms and lots of labor were needed to whip up all the egg whites. Here at Love and Life at Leadora, angel food cake has quite a bit of history too.

I figure that I've been baking angel food cakes for over 20 years. Angel food cake was my father's favorite cake. He would smile his big smile and make me feel like I was the best baker in the whole world whenever I made him an angel food cake. Little did I know that when I met MacGyver husband, it is his favorite cake too. In fact, when he was a little boy, his mother made a huge mistake and bought him a store bought cake for his birthday. When he saw the cake, he pulled a big fuss and when upstairs to his room. In the meantime,she quickly made an angel food cake to replace that store bought one. Never again would he be without an angel food cake for his birthday.

Besides birthdays, I have made angel food cakes for other events as well. I remember making several for our engagement party when our two extended families met for the first time. I also remember a long time ago getting so mad at MacGyver husband that I threatened not to make an angel food cake for an event, and I don't think that I did.

Angel food cakes are easy to make. You basically need a dozen egg whites, sugar, cake flour and almond extract. Yes, I could go to the store and buy one of those perfect angel food cakes in the plastic tube pans. However, a store bought cake isn't nearly as delicious, and the memories of this special homemade angel food cake are even better.

birthday dinner tablescape

Yesterday we celebrated my mother's birthday. MacGyver husband grilled steaks and we dined alfresco on our front porch. I decorated the table with sunflowers, small lanterns, and a french inspired table runner. I picked apples from our trees and placed them in the center next to the flowers. To complement the red runner, I used my white Martha Stewart plates and glass goblets from Cost Plus. The lanterns were purchased at Walmart on the clearance shelf. Since the lanterns only cost $2 each, wouldn't it be fun to have one sitting next to everyone's placesetting?

Mini dog

There are 5 of us here at Love and Life at Leadora along with 2 dogs, 1 rabbit, and 2 reptiles. Today, our welsh terrier, Mini, took a trip to the groomer. She left Leadora looking quite scruffy, and came back home with a great terrier haircut!

My new blog header

Did you notice my new blog header? I would like to say "thank you" to my son. I had no idea that such a talented computer whiz was residing at Leadora! He casually mentioned during our trip last night to the L.A.Galaxy game that he could easily make a blog header, and today he helped me design what you see up above. Not only did he design exactly what I was picturing in my head, but he had an infinite amount of patience while I decided sizes, fonts, colors, and so on. I am still trying to learn about all these things in blogland, and it is very comforting and helpful to know that I have such a wonderful and talented son to help me along the way.

What's for Dinner?

Everyday, one of my three darling children or MacGyver husband asks,"What's for dinner?" So, I thought it might be fun to post what we had for dinner. Tonight's dinner is in honor of 4th of July! I made fried chicken strips, coleslaw, baked beans,and buttermilk biscuits. Needless to say, it was quite delicious and enjoyed by the family. Not the healthiest food, but I tried to make it a bit better with sliced watermelon on the side. What's for dessert you say? An evening walk with MacGyver husband!

Hello!

Welcome to my blog, Love and Life at Leadora. I have thought a lot about creating a blog, and so here is my first post! I'm not really sure that many people will be visiting this blog, but so far building Love and Life at Leadora has been a fun and creative outlet for me as well as a great learning experience. In future posts, I hope to reveal more about myself and my interests. So please come back and share with me Love and Life at Leadora!