Turing twenty-one years of age is a big deal. I’m excited that my daughter is doing well at a college in upstate New York; but disappointed that we can’t celebrate her 21st birthday with her. What to do? I decided to make a homemade cake and mail it to her along with a few presents. I made a Rice Krispie Cake. It has only three ingredients and no baking; it’s compact. Surely we can ship it. 
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Just a few miles off busy Interstate 81 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is stretch of quiet and peaceful rural farmland. Interstate 81 is the main highway and corridor that takes hundreds of travelers between the northern and southern states in the Eastern part of this country. We took a side trip off the interstate to a country store deep in the heart of Old Order Mennonite farmland near Dayton, Virginia. It is a different lifestyle. 
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Eat your vegetables! Sweet peas are one of the first vegetables to ripen in a summer garden and the flavor of fresh boiled sweet peas can’t be beat. Here’s a recipe for a Sweet Pea Salad that is just as tasty all year around when made with either fresh, frozen or canned sweet peas. It’s a great way to serve a vegetable at meals, buffet or picnic.
Let’s cook something new: Tomatillo Salsa Verde. I had never heard of a tomatillo until our local newspaper published a recipe for enchiladas with a green sauce made with tomatillos. l’m always ready for a challenge and not only made the recipe but attempted to grow tomatillos in my garden last summer.
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beyondgumbo 