Joan’s Country Kitchen

The summer travel season is upon us and it’s time to plan a memorable vacation once more. If you haven’t yet decided where you’d like to go, there are some great hotel deals out there right now. Would you like to visit New York City or Las Vegas? How about taking the kids to Disney World in Orlando?

If you decide on New York, New York Hotels offer a budget-friendly way to see the city. A New York vacation takes you to world-class shopping and restaurants, as well as Broadway theater, the Stature of Liberty and Wall Street.

A different sort of vacation might take you to Las Vegas. Las Vegas Hotels offer an all-inclusive experience. You can have a great dinner, watch a show with headliner entertainment and take a chance on the slot machines, all in one place.

If you’d like to take the kids to a place they will always remember, Orlando offers Disney World, Epcot Center and much more. Staying at Orlando Hotels offers you a great jumping off place to see the sights, then you can come back and relax and swim in the evening.

Whatever sort of vacation you are considering for the upcoming summer, it’s easy to find budget-friendly hotels where you can spend the night in comfort and style.

The heat of summer is the perfect time for soup - Melon Soup, that is. This cool melon soup recipe with mint and basic is perfect for your next summer get-together. The warm months make you think of watermelon and the fresh cool taste of watermelon and cantaloupe in this recipe will cool you off in now time. The added flavor of mint brings out the summer freshness of this delicious recipe.

Melon Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup water

1 TBS sugar

1 1/2 cups of fresh mint leaves

2 fresh basil leaves

1 1/2 cups cantaloupe, diced

4 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 cups seedless watermelon, cut into small pieces

Directions

In a small cooking pan, add water and sugar, blending until sugar is melted.

Bring to a boil and turn down heat to medium.

Add mint and basil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Liquid should be reduced by 2/3rds.

Take from heat, cover and allow mixture to stand for about 2 hours or until entirely cool.

Strain out basil and mint and set liquid aside.

Using a blender or food processor, blend cantaloupe until smooth.

Add 2 Tbs of the mint/basil syrup and 2 tsp lemon juice. Pour this into an airtight container and put it into the frig until cool.

Blend watermelon in your blender until smooth and add 2 tsp of mint syrup and 2 tsp of lemon juice, put into airtight container and refrigerate until cold.

Throw away any remaining mint/basil syrup.

To serve, pour from both containers simultaneously into 1/2 cup serving bowl so watermelon and cantaloupe soup are side by side. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is a good one to make ahead if you’re planning a summer party.

Enjoy this cool dish on a hot summer day.

This hot cross bun recipe was passed down to me from my grandmother. My mom has been making them for

years - and now it’s my turn. These delicious, fragrant rolls fresh from the oven compliment many of our family dinners.

In these modern days of prepackaged and store bought rolls, your family will appreciate the fact that you made your own. Your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked rolls, making it everyone’s favorite place to be!

Hot Cross Bun Recipe

Ingredients

1 package yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

3/4 cup scalded milk

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp cinnamon

3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour

Directions

Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water.

In a small sauce pan scald the milk, add butter and sugar to it.

Add enough flour milk mixture to make a thin batter and then, making sure the mixture has reached lukewarm temperature also, add the yeast and beat well. Yeast has to stay at warm, not hot, temperature.

Add salt and cinnamon and mix in.

Add enough flour to make a soft dough and knead.

Let dough rise for about 2 hours.

After rising, roll dough into 2 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet about one inch apart.

Brush them with egg yolk mixed with one tsp of water.

Cover lightly with a towel and let the rolls rise again until double.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy your hot cross buns!

Many wine merchants offer wine clubs as a way of acquainting people with their labels. They bring their wine directly to the customers, who, in return, receive perks for being in the club. There are many different types of wine club so it’s important to find just the right fit for your lifestyle. Here are some things to consider when purchasing a wine club membership:

What is your purpose for joining the wine club?

• Would you like to learn more about a particular region or a specific type of wine?

• Would you like to taste diverse wines or exotic wines?

• Would you like to order wines not available anywhere else?

• Would you like social wine tastings to be included?

These are just a few options available with different wine club memberships.

What is your budget?

There are wine club memberships to fit most budgets, from about $20 monthly to $100 a month, or more. Wine clubs may ship monthly, quarterly or twice a year.

Check out the perks of different wine clubs.

Perks may include:

• Information and education about wines

• Wine discounts to members

• Free member tastings or invitations to member only events

• Gift offers- get either memberships or wines as a gift for that wine lover on your list.

• A wine community to interact with where you can meet on line, talk about and review wine choices.

Additional things to consider about wine clubs:

• Can you cancel membership at any time or is there a minimum purchase or time commitment? Be sure to read about cancellation policies.

• Can you opt out of a shipment or change to another selection?

• Are shipments shipped automatically?

• What are shipping costs? Is it a flat fee or is shipping costs based on where you live?

Joining a wine club is a wonderful way to acquaint yourself with quality wines and receive many benefits offered by wine merchants who, in return, enjoy bringing their best to you.

The cranberry casserole makes a beautifully festive dish for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Cranberries

increase your immune system to help protect you from colds and flu in the winter. What more could you ask from this holiday cranberry dish?

Ingredients

2 20 oz cans of pie apples (not pie filling)
1 16 oz bag whole cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Topping Ingredients

1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes
2/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Spray 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and fill with apple/cranberry mixture.

For topping, melt butter in a saucepan. Add other topping ingredients and toss well to totally cover.

Spoon topping over apple/cranberry mixture in baking dish.

Bake for one hour.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6 people.

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Handbago articles also offers links where you can shop for any of the handbags you see pictured and talked about.

Membership to Handbago is entirely free and if you love designer handbags, this is the website for you!

Are you planning a wedding or baby shower? How about a birthday or graduation party? What you need is original and eye-catching party favors to help make your occasion special.

Partease is just what it says - it’s party planning with ease. Need theme ideas? With partease you can shop by theme, such as Asian, Eco-friendly, beach themed, romance, and more. You can have your party favors personalized as well. You can also shop by season, depending on when the event will be held or the chosen colors.

If you’re looking for any type of party favors, from candles, soaps, edible favors, place cards and coasters, you can find them at partease.

I’ll be planning a baby shower very soon and I loved the baby shower party favor section.. They were really cute and the prices were great too.

Remodeling the entertainment areas of your home is one of the smartest home improvement

investments you can make. Updating your home allows you to entertain in style with a beautiful dining and living room too. If you’re considering a home remodel, you should check out Modern Furniture which offers a terrific selection of furniture and accessories for the dining room, home office, living room, your child’s room and the rest of your home in just about any style you want.

Modern Furniture helps you make your living room a family gathering spot or create a peaceful bedroom sanctuary. Beautify every room in your home at reasonable prices, which in many cases, includes free shipping too.

This article was a paid review but I have looked at the beautiful furniture and accessories at Modern Furniture and I love their dining room sets! We are currently remodeling our bathroom and I loved the modern, clean lines of their bathroom accessories too.