Ho-hum, back to work...

So it's back to work I go, my vacation has come and gone. But I really can't complain; I just spent the last 10 days doing only what I wanted, when I wanted!

I:
* spent time at the Lake
* made a baby quilt
* hung out with my sister and her family and friends at Lake Pemaquid Campground
* puttered in the garden
* rearranged my bedroom
* went to a farmer's market (found fingerling potatoes, squash, homemade donuts and splurged on some Maine maple syrup - won't eat anything but the real stuff now!)
* read
* walked
* relaxed
aaaaaaaand....I went strawberry picking, on the perfect day, where the berries were so big and bountiful that it only took Mum & I a half hour to pick over 20lbs!

These beauties went right into strawberry rhubarb tarts last night (with fresh cut rhubarb from my garden!) - I used this recipe that I shared last year just before strawberry pickin' time. If you click on the pictures, they should open up to a larger picture where you can actually read the recipe - oh, if you do use it, in the plain pastry recipe where it says to cut the butter and the lard together (I use butter flavored crisco and I add two pinches of sugar to make the dough less floury), melt the butter ever so slightly to soften it and you really won't need the ice water (AND the crust comes out super flaky)!

Okay, there's my baking tip for the week...er...year? Hmmm, I almost never add baking tips here, do I? I may just have to start! I'm thinking of making some of SouleMama's strawberry rhubarb jam soon and who knows what else!

Enjoy your day all, it's back to work I go, hi ho hi ho! :^)