Ellipsis Weekend Cooking... Macarons

 

Chocolate Macarons - NYT - Recipe

"I lean against the window, biting into the delicate macaron. It feels like I'm drinking a lightly sweetened, warm cup of green tea, sprinkled withe a tiny contentment spell, one of mom's specialties."

~ Julie Abe

The Charmed List

The photo above is mine, those gorgeous macarons are not. Well, I mean, I didn't make them, I bought them. Costco, had a sale on them several years ago, and I was hooked! The brand, Le Chic Pâtissier, was reasonably priced, as it was right before Easter, and they make a beautiful addition for Easter afternoon tea, or for a quiet moment when you just have to turn off the noise, and decompress. I have learned to make all kinds of sweets, but I have always been a bit intimidated when it comes to learning about making them myself. But, Sally's Baking Addiction, one of my go-to sites for baking, has a marvelous step by step recipe and guide to follow and it sounds enjoyable. Also, Harry and David, has a recipe for Halloween Macarons that will have me in a sufficiently spooky mood by the time my favorite holiday arrives!

Americas Test Kitchen

The Ultimate Guide To Making Macarons

Just remember, a Macaroon is not a Macaron!

Saturday's And Sunday's At Farrell's

 

"Some day you will be old enough

 to start reading fairy tales again."

~C.S. Lewis

Oh yes, here I go again dwelling on my youth. Really, seriously, I am finding a great deal of joy in my current reality. I have my hobbies, such as photography and birding. I have three beautiful cat children, and a husband who treats me like I'm made of gold. But not that hideous gold spray paint Trump likes to cover everything with, but rather real gold, white gold, like my hair, because lets face it, there is plenty of white hair on the top of my head now. 64 will do that to you! 

I wouldn't change my white hair for the world, but some days, when I look in the mirror, I see my life inching away to the point that I wonder when I will forget my past all together! Time. How could 45 years go by so fast? And how can it take the best of everything with it? Everything eventually changes, and passes away, sometimes even great restaurant's that you didn't think would ever go away! Grain D'or bakery, Banchero's Italian Dinners, and the ice cream parlour... Farrells, all the places I though would live forever. But that's what we do when we are young, live like there is no canceling waiting for us, which is as it should be!

I found a cool documentary the other day, that both delighted me, and broke my heart at the same time. It brought back such memories of spending Saturday afternoons, after movies, and Sunday afternoons after church, laughing with my friends, and just hanging out at the mall, at Ferrell's! The ice cream was smooth and Lucious, and they certainly had plenty of flavors to pick from! Farrell's was a big part of the fun for me. My personal favorite ice cream sundae was the, Blackberry Straw-ana, 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, with bananas, whipped cream and toasty nuts on top!, Alan's favorite was the Gibson Girl Sundae. It was huge!

After my teens, when I began working, my job wasn't too far from the Hayward airport, and Southland Mall, so my friends and I would drop in there for lunch. That was in the early 1980's, and at that time the menu had been revamped somewhat, and you could build your own hamburger! There were tons of choices, but I was set in my ways, even back then. My burger always consisted of a burger Pattie, tomato, Swiss cheese, 3 slices of deli ham and thousand Island dressing. Never onions. Never pickles, Never lettuce.  I still put that combination on my hamburgers even after all these years! Yes, it's a glorified Big Mac, but Farrell's buns were better, They toasted them with plenty of butter!

And now, it's all a memory. Who would have thought that a fantastic restaurant, like Ferrell's would fade away? Now I won't lie, there was a very unpleasant occurrence in the 1970's when a plane crashed into the restaurant in Sacramento, killing numerous people, but that didn't tarnish their reputation, Farrells endured for many years after that, in fact the last one just closed. Unfortunately it was way to far away from me to be able to visit one last time, Ferrell's joins the great culinary cemetery with other great diner restaurants like, Baker's Square, Lyons, and Carrows. 

 

So, all that remains are the memories, And the haunting sounds of laughter, memories, of those who have long since passed.

 Too many friends, in the blink of an eye.

Watch that really cool documentary. Farrell's was a very special place, you'll enjoy it's rich history!

Ellipsis Movie Of The Week... Girl Most Likely To...

 

Girl Most Likely To...

ABC Circle Films

Release date, November 6th, 1973

Tillson: Mr Meyers, can you tell us the basic theme of Oedipus?

Moose Meyers: Uh... yeah. That's the guy who had something wrong with his eyes. Yeah. He had eye problems.

Tillson: Miss Knight, perhaps you can help Mr. Meyers with the theme of the Oedipus legend.

Mirriam Knight: Easy. A guy can't kiss his mother and get away it.

~Mirriam Knight ( Stockard Channing)

 Once in a while I get lucky, and a truly fabulous film from my childhood becomes available, and this is one of those movies folks! I love to share movies that stood out for me as a kid, to share a bit more about myself, and let me tell you, this movie left an impression! The, Girl Most Likely Too...,,  was originally featured on the, ABC Movie Of The Week, in 1973, and it still holds up to all the elements that made it a great film, all the way back then! Stockard Channing and Ed Asner lead the cast, with a few familiar faces from back in the day like, Annette O'Toole, Larry Wilcox, Dennis Dugan and Fred Grandy!

 I had already loved Ed Answer for years, but this movie made me a Stockard Channing fan for life! It's a great movie if you've ever contemplated seeking revenge on someone, and while I know the whole revenge thing is getting pretty old right about now, this movie manages all the ironic humor it can find, while reminding us to not take it all too seriously! It delivers all the luscious guilty pleasure as good as any beach read! My inner psycho applauded this film when I was 11 years old, and I never forgot it. Today, I could live vicariously through it, and be quite happy!

Now click on through the link, and go have some fun!

Note: This is Stockard Channing's first credited screen role!

Have A Coke And A Smile

 

"You know, we might've fucked up the planet, sucking out all the oil, melting the ice caps, allowing ska music to flourish, but we made Coca-Cola, so goddamn it, people weren't all bad."

~Joe Hill

The Fireman

These fucking Republican sourpusses!

For fuck's sake people, shut up and enjoy an ice cold Coca-Cola!

You'll have to pry my Coke, out of my cold dead hands.

Swimming Lessons

 

"What greater gift, than the love of a cat."

~Charles Dickens

Time for another adventure for Orange Cat Scully, and his nephew, Edgar. This time Scully teaches Edgar to swim! Oh my, where was Scully when I needed to learn to swim? LOL.

Here are my fellas, Tyler and Joey. I wish Simon had been in the photo, but I can't seem to get them all corralled at the same time. Oh my goodness, the sure keep us running! Such spirt, just joy, such and love that fills you!

Have a little fun. Visit the Purrallel Universe on Youtube

89 Days And Barf To Go

 

NBC News

Cyclospora Outbreak 2026: Maps, Foods To Avoid, States Most Impacted, As States Hit 22,000 Cases

"I got food poisoning today, but I don't know when I am going to use it."

~Steven Wright

Summer fruit salad, partially from my own garden ( 2007 ) 

back when we could trust the CDC.

George W. Bush administration

👀

We are heading into the last stretch of summer, and I would love to say I feel good about having some wonderful dinner salads, or fill my daily breakfasts with luscious fruits, but with the way things seems to be going right now, I just even think I want to try, to try. I just can't bring myself to buy fruits and vegetables from anywhere. Although yesterday, I had a fit of rational thinking, and decided to try some tree fruits, like oranges and peaches. When I got one home, I scrubbed them really good, and cut opened a very nice, Cara-Cara orange, only to find it was dry and mealy on the inside.

 It's seems no one else is keen on purchasing the fresh stuff, even if it had never been anywhere near a, Taylor Farms, or Walmart, so I suppose I am not alone in my hesitancy. I will be returning the oranges to Costco, continue to read the updated recall lists, and I will keep myself updated on things in general, but with what all Trump has done to my trust of the FDA, CDC, and medical advice we are currently subjected to, my trust has eroded to the point I might never eat the way I used for at least Trump's last two years in office.

Interesting Reading...

San Francisco gate

Taylor farms says ex-president committed $32 million fraud, including U.C. Berkeley gift. 

NYT

Scared of Cyclospora, Americans turn to Local Lettuce

Update to my original post

New York Times

Two deaths linked to Cyclospora outbreak in Michigan 

Ellipsis Weekend Cooking... Zucchini And Tomato Tartlets

 

Zucchini and Tomato Tartlets With A Cheddar Crust - NYT - Recipe

"A tomato may be a fruit, but it is a singular fruit.

 A savory fruit.

 A fruit that has ambitions far beyond the ambitions of other fruits."

~ E. Lockhart

Oh my. Have you checked the latest food recall lists? The last thing I read about was. Reds All Natural Breakfast Burrito with Steak Cilantro and Lime. Sigh. Again, so far, my state of California hasn't been affected much regarding recalls, but I am pretty concerned about when that shoe will fall, and we will be right in the center of a doozy of a recall. But, for now, I am doing my best to not become too hypervigilant about this whole situation, but things are fairly spooky. 

Mr. Stripey

Anyway, how about a nice little tomato and zucchini tart, or two, to enjoy on a lovely summer afternoon? I love tomatoes in summer and fall, Heirloom tomatoes like Mr. Stripey in particular. They're all good! In fact our love for fresh tomatoes took on some added enjoyment, when we began our own tomato garden several years ago!  As far as I know tomatoes are not under recall, at least not as of the writing of this post, so why not enjoy some yumminess?

 Just wash, and cook, thoroughly!

The Spruce Eats has a really great guide to different tomato varieties.

95 Days, Knucklehead

 

95 more days until the midterm election and we

 flip the House of Representatives, and the Senate.

95 Days.

Then it's all about those three little words...

Impeach

Convict

 Remove

95 More Days.

Update: The Knucklehead said this today, isn't it treason to give aid and comfort to our enemies. I'd say publicly letting Iran off the hook for the recent cyberattack on the utilities in Minnesota, and the likely attack on 7 other states! And impeachable offense I believe!

95 days to go, pass the popcorn please.

Yes, I've lost my stressed out mind!

A Never Ending Stream Of L's And P's

"A different language is a different vision of life."

~Federico Fellini

The cats ran across my computer keyboard again! You see, it was all about the nom noms that were sitting on my desk. This is a fairly long story, but I will try to shorten it a bit. Temptations Cat Treats, are a big hit in our house. They have been for many years. Dylan, in particular, loved them. Joey loved them too, but it wasn't until we tried the dairy flavored yummies that he became a true believer. Temptations seems like a great product, and it makes the boys happy, but with the price of things, well, it's getting way too expensive to keep buying them treats. That fact saddened me. Joey asks for so little. Those treats perk him right up, and he seems to get a little extra pep in his step when he has some in the afternoon. Joey misses his best friend, Hendrix, he just never got over him, so any little thing to make him happy, I'll do. Who else am I going to spoil?

Oh right, Simon and Tyler. I am currently spoiling them too. So back to the point, I had to figure something out. And I did. Back in the 80's, on an episode of Roseanne, Roseanne's kids were sure that they'd hate having to eat an off brand cereal. Yuck, who would want to eat cereal from those big bulk bags, after all, Kellogg's Corn Flakes are clearly much more tasty then any other brand, especially the knock-off variety. Then came the big shock, Roseanne had been buying the bulk cereal, and pouring it into the original empty cereal boxes! WOW! What a crappy, yet economical idea! So, while I hate the deception, and the lying to of one's own children, folks had to stretch a dollar in the 80's too any way possible. So, instead of buying their nom noms at $8 a container, I tried purchasing a 3lb bag of the regular, dry cat food, and pouring the tidbits into empty cat treat containers! And... as you might expect... they had no idea that it wasn't their favorite expensive noms.

Now I know what you're thinking, they're cats, of course they didn't know the difference, well, you don't own my cats! They are not easy to fool, but for some reason it worked this time. In fact it worked a little too well! I had two full containers sitting on my desk, for nom nom time before bed, but one of my little goons waited until I went to bed, and lifted the lid on the container, with I assume, their nose, and helped himself to a little extra midnight snack. And as they enjoyed their ill gotten gains, they decided to spend a little time, driving my AI Copilot a little wacky and a bit sarcastic! One thing I will give my boys, they didn't make a mess, they didn't knock anything over, they just did a little keyboard surfing. I suspect that Simon was the ring leader. He's scary smart sometimes, but it's all good. I love the moments my kids give me. We just made a new memory... what could be wrong about that?

The Full Buck Moon

 

"I will never be a morning person, for the moon and I are too much in love."

~Christopher Poindexter

Full Buck Moon

Tuesday, July 29th, 2026

Today's Mental Health Day... Orange Cat Scully, Firefighter

 

"It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, 

and to make your happiness a priority.

 It's necessary."

~Mandy Hale

Yes, I took a day off yesterday from the stupid. There has been so much stupidity that I really can't believe what I am seeing, hearing and generally living through. But here I am, back with a visit to the Purrallel Universe, to take a break from every single thing grown up  and remind myself that life actually can make sense, if done right. I did the same thing earlier in the week, when Alan and I chose the original, Minions Movie, as my choice for that evening's movie! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! But for now, let's see how things go for, Orange Cat Scully, as he learns to be a volunteer firefighter! Be sure to subscribe to them and if you can, drop them a tip, to support all the good folks behind this wonderful account!

And now a little music.

Jackson Browne and Clarence Clemons

"You're A Friend Of Mine"

I miss you, my brother-in-law.

The Bigfoot Of Washington D.C.

 

"Life is what happens to you, when you are busy making other plans."

~Allen Saunders

( often attributed to John Lennon )

I suppose that death is also what happens to you when you are busy making other plans. Case in point, I have no idea if Mitch McConnell is alive or dead. I have my suspicions, but no way to prove it. Nobody can really prove anything about his health either way. Republicans, for the most part are assholes, so it might all be a giant distraction, a "PSYIC" at the democratic party, but it's really dark thing to do, and it's dumb. But it also might be that republicans are shitting themselves because the loss of McConnell will leave them even more vulnerable in the upcoming midterms especially with the recent death of Lindsey Graham. For right now, all we have is a few possible sightings to go on.

Here is his proof of life photo...

Here is a clue...

And here is yet another possibility...

Too bad Kash Patel recently fired the only two,

FBI Special Agents, who could solve the mystery!

I want to believe. The truth is out there.

Redecorating A Little At A Time

 

"Have no fear of perfection, you'll never achieve it."

~Salvador Dali

I am hoping to do some painting, and redecorating, in the coming months. I just want to change some basic aspects of my home. A lamp here, and vase there. A new quilt set can change the whole feel of a bedroom, as can a lamp or throw pillow. Money, as you might expect, is an issue now that Trump has caused prices to raise. It's truly a shock to the system. DO I buy a lamp right now, or do I put the money away in case some unforeseen emergency arises? I need towels, do I start there? While home furnishings have only raised about 2% since 2024, it still seems like a big spending luxury, when you're paying so much for other goods and energy costs. I can't change my whole domestic surroundings at once, which is a shame because for me it's easier to imagine the look, but there is something to be said for allowing my condo to speak to me as I add a piece at a time.

Let's start here.

I love my current quilts, but it creeps me out that they were seen by everyone and their brother when we listed our house for sale, several years ago, and again when were considering selling in 2023. People I don't know, knew my style and what the bed I slept in looked like. Ugh. So, and new quilt set wouldn't be out of line. 10 years is long enough for a quilt set. Full stop! And it's also not out of line to dismiss an icky feeling that's followed me for years! Let's consider quilts.

I like this one from Wayfair. I love Wayfair

But this one is pretty nice too.

I can add a vase with some artificial orchids or maybe peonies to create a soft, inviting room. Colors easy on the eyes, so sleep is only a snore away. Funny, I used to watch CNN and MSNBC to fall asleep, now the news terrifies me so much, it's anything but rest inducing. Now to fall asleep, I use restful noises from my Alexa or if my sleeplessness it really bad, I use little bottles of essential oils I keep by my bedside. Lavender and cedarwood, and are all great for you if you seek rest. I also enjoy cinnamon and clove, as those are my favorite scents. Below is a great article from the Cleveland Clinic about the uses of 11 specific scents and how they work to benefit you. I love farmhouse style, Mid-century and eclectic with a sense of humor. I want to do each room eventually, but mixing too many styles can come off insane. It's a process. So, sometime soon I will share about where I have landed with things. I might even repurpose old items I have packed away. A new lampshade on an old lamp can make all the difference! I just wish I understood why lampshades are so expensive!

Cleveland Clinic 

11 Essential Oils: Their Benefits And How To Use them.

It's going to take a little time. 

Could It Be, Satan? Nah, It's Just AI Tyler

 

AI should be judged not by what it replaces, but by the new human capabilities it enables."

~Tom Golway

Amplifying Human Experience Enabling Gain-Of-Function via AI

As I have mentioned before, my new phone is a lot of fun, and it is actually inspiring me to do more with my photographs, even if it's with some of my older photos! Yesterday, I was pretty much in bed all day with a migraine, and photography was not an option, but by the evening I was feeling better, so I did a few new photos of Tyler, and played around with converting some July 4th photos into AI beauties. AI photoshopping will never replace taking and editing my own digital photos, but it's kinda nice to see my photos in a new light. And that cute image above is definitely an accurate depiction of my beautiful pink eared cat, my gorgeous sweet Tyler! I am not sure how I feel about AI in general, I mean I know it will do some damage, and these data centers certainly border on evil. I just know that those centers were born of a musing of Satan, but playing with AI for fun, or to find information quickly is a good thing, I think. I love my cats, and imagining them in a new light is one way I try to help myself out of this depression I have been feeling. And it was fun to ask Alexa the other day, if Simon can have Brussels sprouts. He loves them so much. So, in that respect, thank you AI, now behave yourself!

And The Mighty Simon

Weird, Right?

 

"Don't think of it as dying, said Death.

 Just think of it as leaving early to avoid the rush."

~Terry Pratchett

Weird, right? It wasn't on my bingo card, but okay. I guess more details will come to light in the next few days, but for right now, 1:51 am PST, weird, right?

Close Encounters Of The Other Kind

 

"Fireworks are skyflowers... dandelions of light.

 They are a visual display of the celebration of life."

~Jarod Kintz

Whenever You're here, I'm Here For You

Last night, the 4th of July, was a lot of fun. The whole day was fun, for that matter. We watched Jaws and Jaws 2. We cooked and baked, and we made Chinese food, ate it from restaurant style boxes we bought for the occasion, and then watched fireworks from the comfort of our bedroom window! Yes, that, bedroom window! I love the pic above, it reminds me of the mothership from, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. It didn't hurt that I could see Venus, while the fireworks were going off, and I spotted more than one Stockton police drone having a look see, to see if anyone was setting off illegal fireworks, which of course, they were, or couldn't have got the photos, or made a new memory with Alan. But when 7 police cars showed up, yep under our window, I am fairly sure it wasn't for illegal fireworks. 

Okay. yes, yes, I know... don't condone bad illegal behavior under any circumstance, but doggone it, I enjoy it once a year. I can watch the skyflowers from the safety of my own home, eat in, and have the occasional glass of wine, without risking anything. The fireworks being put off last night, were far fewer than in other years, but lovely all the same, and for the most part the noise was cut right at midnight. So, at least they were respectful, in their illegal behavior! Now, as for the shitshow, no, not THAT shitshow, the one I speak off is the fact that there was again, police, fire trucks, and an ambulance right under our window! The ambulance wasn't there long, firetruck and the firetruck left too, all that remained was 5 police cars, and officers walking about with flashlights, apparently looking for evidence of... shrug... something. I heard lots of gunfire in the neighborhood last night, which is nothing new at this point, but somehow, I didn't feel anything about it. I guess I am getting used to it!

Anyhoo, lets just enjoy the illegal fireworks, shall we?

Just another Saturday night in Stockton...