Morning Glorious

Back in the day I used to work in a restaurant called St. Michael's Alley. It was started in the late fifties and when I was a kid in high school it was a dark and delightfully daring place. The Grateful Dead hung out there and Ken Kesey and Neal Cassidy were apparently close personal friends of the owner. I worked at the restaurant in the 80's on and off for about 10 years. It was a great place - everyone who worked there was creative in one way or another. There was a restaurant that served wholesome, yet luscious fare and next door there was The Waiting Room that was a coffee bar in the morning and afternoon and a wine bar with live entertainment in the evening. One of the most popular items in the Waiting Room was the Morning Glory Muffins. They were made with whole wheat and bran, raisins and coconut, walnuts and whatever whipped cream was leftover from dinner in the restaurant the night before. These Morning Glories on our fence in the back yard are contentious because they grow up through the trees, in the cracks of the fence and into the herb garden below. But they are so lovely and they remind of the time I spent working and hanging out at St. Michael's Alley, being part of the history of this area really.





Queenie's Kitchen
This is how I spent my evening, making treats for a meeting today. The chocolate stuff is brownies. I used a very old recipe that has served me well for a long time and I had a couple of bananas that begged to jump in the mix so there they are - smushed in with the brownie batter, making the whole pan moist and rich. The bread is a Rosemary Bread recipe I got from a "Nigella" cookbook. It is full of butter (1/2 pound) and has apple and rosemary for flavor and body. Considering that there are only scraps left on the platter after the meeting. I'd say they were a success.
The other task I managed to get done last night - I got all my Pink and Brown Swap goodies packed up and ready for shipment to the other side of the map. I can't wait to see how she likes everything.


Opal Finds a Home
story will continue, I promise