Sunday, March 17, 2024

Sunday Randomness #113 : Mrs. Backers Bakery in Utah







Mrs. Backers Bakery has been around since before I was born. (Which is a number of decades now!)

We bought their mini eclairs for Mica and FryGuy (Sven?)'s reception.  They are one of the last if not the only bakery left in Utah to make everything from scratch for their eclairs from the choux pastry to the custard to the ganache and buttercream flower on top.  We received so many compliments on the eclairs-we had done taste tests with over a 1/2 a dozen other bakeries and definitely preferred the ones from Mrs Backers.  The above cookie and other treat pictures were taken this year (2024)-so glad they are still making their delicious bakery goods! My personal favorite?  Their white cupcake with the pink poof frosting on top.  I remember getting one after obstetrician appointments (when I was expecting Hedgehog and Daisy) which happened to be at a medical office building conveniently across the street from Mrs. Backer's. 

See their website for more pictures of their treats and desserts: https://www.mrsbackers.com/desserts/  They are also on some social media platforms.

Mego found these pages from a 1958 Mrs. Backer's Pastry Shop calendar that his mom had saved-I'm sharing the vintage nostalgia:





 

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Sunday Randomness #187 : Dogs and Rodents don't always mix...

B cornered the rat, barking ferociously in the early morning hours when they went outside for a bathroom break.  The rat was trying to escape through the gap on the top right between the cement and the wood.  But it was B-B that snatched up the rat, and in one swift chomp, it was dead.  Mego saw most of this happening and got the rat away from B-B with a bribe of cheese and was able to scoop up the rat's body with a shovel and tossed it outside the fenced area.
 
We didn't know that B-B was a rat killer-constantly learning new things from our animals.

In a lighter moment-the pups after going out in the falling snow.

B-B looks a bit thin in this picture but it's an illusion.  He was a healthy 75.5 pounds at his recent vet visit.



Sunday, January 21, 2024

Sunday Randomness #356: A Decluttering Question

 When deciding on whether or not to keep something:

-Would you show it off to Family?, Friends?, Co-workers?

We've been slowly going through papers, clothes, small appliances, and kitchenware that we don't use anymore or we don't use it much.  Plus there's always the continual process of use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  I'd add recycle it to the list too.  The above question helps me to decide if something is really worth keeping.

A caveat is to also follow the adage of work smarter, not harder.  Storing too much may not save you time and money in the long run if it no longer works, is expired, unsafe to use now days, or just plain takes up too much time to try to locate the item in question to use it.

Friday, December 22, 2023

Thursday Throw Back #7 : Ocean Spray Cranberry Punch for cookbook club

We recently went to a library cookbook club and took lasagna and this Festive Cranberry Punch from Ocean Spray thanks to a recipe cut out many years ago.  It was a beautiful red color and tasted wonderful.  As you can see from the gallon jug there was very little left at the end of the evening.

Just three ingredients: cranberry juice, orange juice, and lemon-lime soda.
 

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Sunday Randomness #413 : B-B update and uncovering the wood floor

Top picture taken Dec. 4, 2023



Bottom picture taken Dec. 16, 2023


B-B's incision site is nicely healed with fur starting to grow in again.  
 

And we started tearing out the carpet:
It was rather funny the first day because B-B was scared of the new wood flooring and didn't want to walk on it to get to his nighttime spot under the bed.  We had to coax him with treats to get him to go on the wood floor.  Once he realized it was solid he was okay.  On the other hand, B wanted to help with taking up the carpet tack strips-she didn't mind the wood floor at all. We had to keep shooing her away so she wouldn't accidentally get hurt on a tack or staple from the carpet pad before we had a chance to pull them all out and shop vac up the residue of wood splinters and lots of dust. 

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Sunday Randomness #417 : A Month of Medical Pt. 4

Mego escorting B-B back inside so that B can be in the backyard for a bit because...

---if we don't keep them separated to a certain extent they want to play.


But they do have their moments where they will be peaceful.  B-B gets up on the couch very slowly and very carefully.  We're at the stage of weighing his actions with his recovery.  Will letting him on the couch help speed his recovery?  Yes. Can he get on and off without injury?  At this point we believe the answer is yes.  We've monitored him closely and inspected his wound for any signs of complications like swelling, puss, stretching, excessive heat, etc...

All looks good and he's healing nicely after a week at home.  
So much so that we separated these two  who attempted some mild play in the house.  Silly puppies.  They're definitely going to be excited when they can play together again.  But not yet!