JUST BE...

Running in circles this week, going nowhere fast, and lagging behind in my travel guide for your summer vacation suggestions (continuing on Monday with Jerome and Prescott, AZ; a trip over the new bridge at Hoover Dam; and through Las Vegas, itself) ~ spinning my wheels, most certainly.  A trip to my mailbox, mid-week, brought a VERY wonderful surprise from two new Internet friends with a new blog.  I won a giveaway from JUST BE FARM ~ "two men, ten acres, and a whole lot of living"!

An AMAZING array of goodies inside...beautiful bamboo cooking spoons (which I sorely needed if you looked close at my post about the chili); new, CLEAN kitchen towels (I had just purchased a piece of fabric the week before, to use in a gift, and loved it so much that I went back, the very morning before this box arrived, to purchase more for a new Roman Shade in my kitchen...same colors as the towels, by coincidence); cake to bake in cups; a ceramic trivet/plaque with a Roasted Pepper Soup recipe (see below); jars of THE most decadent looking home canned items ever...Pepper Jelly, homegrown peppers, and Apple Butter; AND, Ghirardelli dark chocolates (because you HAVE to have chocolate after spicy - it's a MUST)!  My mouth watering (yeah, the spicy is RIGHT up my alley, and Apple Butter is an absolute favorite), I made myself promise not to open them until I had a chance to take pictures...

After I finished the impromptu photo session atop the table this morning, it was time to dig in on the apple butter...taking my friend Jackie's lead on renaming my chili recipe this week, this shall forever be known to me as "Bob and Eric's OH MY GOD APPLE BUTTER"!  I'm sure the Pepper Jelly and peppers are going to be just as "knock your socks off", as this was, but it was a little early for spicy this morning, with a migraine...I was warned in their note, and will take them at their word!

Just a smidgen of butter underneath the Apple Butter...whole wheat muffin...HEAVEN!  I'm in love and I'm hiding it in the back of the fridge, where no one else can find it!

And believe me, I have no shame...I DID lick the plate clean after this shot...you can't waste perfectly good Apple Butter!  Please drop over to their blog at JUST BE FARM, and tell them I sent you - beautiful scenery, wonderful (and pampered) animals, growing things, COOKING...and lots of love!  THANK YOU, BOB AND ERIC - I said it before, and I'll say it again, you guys ROCK!  Will keep you posted when I dig into the "hot stuff"!

However much wheel spinning I did during the week, I did manage to knock this out, during some quiet evenings at the kitchen table - my green for St. Patrick's Day this year.

Hope your weekend is wonderful - have a happy Saturday and a fabulous week - just BE!