I'M BACK!!

I’m back! I glad to be blogging for the first time in along time. If Robert Irvine can come back then so can I. I’m going to try to write a beautifully as he cooks. He uses local fresh ingredients, food, and I’ll use my family and friends to create… something. Here goes..
For Mother’ Day, I got pictures of Chris and Livi and I actually cried!! I can’t believe how they’ve grown so much and I feel like I missed too much of that time. They’re not local. Although North Carolina is 650 miles away I feel sometimes as though it’s another continent. Every summer since Chris was a baby, I’ve taught Vacation Bible School there at their church and had some vacations away with the kids and family, Christmases and Thanksgivings, their birthdays, but, wow, Chris is now 13 and he’s maturing quickly. I could not comprehend that picture. Chris is a handsome young man and that’s not just his grandmother speaking. He’s got a really handsome face and a smile like “an angel.” Now that’s the grandmother speaking! And Princess Olivia is a beauty. She looks exactly like her mother and father. It’s truly amazing. The local boy, no longer our baby, is growing like a weed. Miles is using the toilet and wearing underwear! You should hear him call "MEL.” It’s a riot.
That’s it. Well that’s boring. That’s me!! Maybe next time.
Now I’m going to the kitchen to assemble my brand of sundae. It’s vanilla ice cream, walnuts and caramel sauce that I make myself. It’s delicious.
Here’s the recipe.
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water - use filtered or spring water, not tap (if you’re in Philly)
Pinch of table salt
1 ½ cup heavy cream, very warm - don’t use whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla - the best you can get - I make my own!!
Melt the sugar and water over medium high heat stirring and swirling until it’s boiling and clear. Lower the heat and cover for 3 minutes undisturbed. Don’t lift the lid: you need the moisture for the syrup. After 3 minutes remove the lid and let the syrup take on color. Don’t stir. Just watch it for a deep brown color. (Let it get a little darker than you think: you’ll be adding cream.) At the right color, take the pan from the heat and add the hot cream. Stir with a wooden spoon after the sputtering has slowed. Add the vanilla. Cook gently for 2 or so minutes and cool and enjoy. I love this stuff. It’s my basic sauce starter that I add chopped chocolate to and add toffee bits and pecans and walnuts and …..