I was parked on Butler Street in Lawrenceville.
My phone in hand.
A truck pulled up to the red light alongside my car -and stopped. I felt a presence. Looked up and out the driver’s window.
Oh, hello there!
Light turned green. The chef appeared. The truck pulled away into the flow of traffic.
It’s good to go away. It’s good to come home.
Western Pennsylvania is noted for the wonderful wedding cookie tables. Some regions of the country have never heard of a wedding cookie table let alone experience and devour the cookies. Today my good friends and I drove in the teeming rain, alongside swollen and rising creeks, over hill and dale on winding roads, to get to this lovely event. We are so happy we did!
THE PITTSBURGH WEDDING COOKIE TABLE BOOK BENEFIT
Sunday, September 9
1—3 PM Connoquenessing Country Club
We went to taste the varieties of dozens of cookies to help in the “creation of a cookie table book in this benefit for VOICE (Butler’s Victim Outreach Intervention Center), Young Writers of the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project and Animal Friends.”
The three hosts were “cookbook author Suzanne Martinson, of “The Fallingwater Cookbook” and retired food editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette”( who graciously answered many questions and who has initiated many cookie tables in other states) “portrait photographer Linda Mitzel of Linda Mitzel Photography and journalist/WPWP teacher consultant Jane Miller of The RUFF Writers of New Sun Rising, a new family/school/ neighborhood writing project.”
We had a wonderful afternoon sampling cookies and sipping tea and coffee or lemonade. Someone baked adorable doggy cookies in the shapes of bones and doghouses, using pumpkin and peanut butter. Now dog cookies aren’t the usual offering at a wedding but appreciated as a welcome home treat for Fido. There were white bakery boxes to fill with cookies to take home. (Thanks Deb)
Thanks to Suzanne, Linda and Jane, for hosting a wedding cookie table afternoon.
I baked Esther Maiolo’s Pignoli Cookies and Mrs. Scarano’s Italian Strip Cookies
Two days ago it was ninety five degrees. Schools were dismissed early due to the temperatures.
Do you discuss the weather?
It’s definitely a topic of conversation in Pittsburgh.
Breakfast with the Queen on Monday morning. Out on the front porch again while summer is still here.
I went and got the solar powered waving figurine out of the dining room window to join me for breakfast. Why?
My friend Vincie went to London (and Paris) last month and brought me a lovely souvenir. A jar of Rhubarb Raspberry Vanilla Bean Jam from Selfridges Food Hall. She knows those three are my favorite flavors. What a combination.
Fancy. Nothing like jam and butter on toast. Very tasty.
Put my two balls of sock yarn in the little shopping bag, too!
BTW Selfridges was voted Best Department Store in the World.
Out in Left Field, after the game. PNC Park.
Pirates beat the CHICAGO Cubs.
You can avoid it by seeing this eye catching sign. South Dallas Avenue Thoughtful Neighbors Warn of BIG Pothole. You could ruin a tire. Pittsburgh is noted for its potholes. You can’t always see them until you’re on top of one. Or your tire is dipping into it, jarring your ride, ruining your alignment!
Maura had this idea from 5 minute crafts on YouTube so we experimented in the backyard this afternoon.
She knew how to run behind me for the next pose.
