About Janice

I love California, both in and out of my garden. My passions are gardening and photography. My goal is to make Plum Bird Corner a happy place to visit often.

Molasses Brown Bread

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Janice

This recipe for Molasses Brown Bread is an old one that I clipped from the London Free Press news paper in the 70s, when I was first married and living in Canada.

I discovered the clipping filed away in an old cook book, several weeks ago. I knew I wanted to post it on my blog sometime in the future, and when I got up this morning, I knew that today was the day.

It felt like fall. Baking and fall seem to go together. I know I may be rushing things, but the light coming through the windows was different. The angle and the intensity had changed. Yes, autumn was definitely on the way.

I love the word autumn, so just had to use it. While the bread baked, the entire house filled with the scent of cinnamon, and it was wonderful. The recipe says brown bread, but it really is more like a cake. Not as sweet, but perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour Mix these dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Beat one egg in a large mixing bowl until foamy. Mix in one cup of All Bran Cereal

Add 1/2 cup raisins, 2 Tbs. butter, and 1/3 cup molasses. Next add 3/4 cup hot water. Stir until butter is melted. Now add dry ingredients and mix only until combined. Do not over stir. Place batter in 9x5x3 well greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° F for 30-35 minutes, or until firm.

Serve warm or chilled. Slice thin. I hope you will enjoy.
Now that I have finished this post, I think I will go and have a slice of molasses brown bread, and a cup of tea.

A Scooter Trip Down Memory Lane

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Janice

backyard 2 Yesterday was a beautiful day and perfect for a ride on our motor scooters. We headed into the canyon past Cook’s Corner. A big favorite with local motorcyclists. There is always an enormous crowd on weekends and especially onSundays. We made our way along the curving tree lined road past O’Neil Park, eventually reaching the coast, where we turned south to San Clemente. As we passed Doheny State Beach, I could smell the smoke from smoldering beach fires and I was also aware of the smell of sea weed and salt water. All of these reminded me of high school summers spent at Huntington Beach.

We turned around in San Clemente and headed home through San Juan Capistrano, with all of its memories.

The first time I set foot in the beautiful gardens of the Mission San Juan Capistrano I was twelve years old and living in Toronto, Canada. We were visiting relatives who had moved to California. I remember how amazing the mission was to me. Two years later my family moved to Southern California. One thing about riding a scooter, it gives you lots of time to think, especially if traffic is lite. As an adult I worked for a dentist in Capistrano and stabled a horse there as well. So many happy memories of time spent there came back to me as we rode along.

Then it was time to eat and we stopped to grab a quick burger. You can probably guess where the quickest stop was. Yep, McDonald’s. I felt like I had spent the day in a time wharp, so when we stepped into the Ladera Ranch McDonald’s which happenes to be decorated with a 50s theme I just had to take a photo of the wall. We had chosen the perfect place to eat after a memory filled day.

Ceramic Owls in Slip Casting Class

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Janice

It was back to school for me this week, and these little guys are from my slip casting class. Continue reading →

A Black and White Baby Blanket

Posted on August 21, 2014 by Janice

While knitting a baby blanket using a lavender, pink, and blue variegated yarn, I suddenly remembered back to a year ago, when our neighbor was having her first baby. On her registry was a request for a black and white baby toy. That is when I learned that babies see black and white before they begin to see colors. I, like most knitters, have been creating baby blankets from pale pastel shades. The idea of a black and white baby blanket intrigued me. I quickly looked through my stash of yarn, but no black, and certainly not enough white. I could not get the black and white blanket out of my head, even though my current project was only half finished. Before I knew it, I was on my way to my favorite craft store to buy the needed yarn. I also purchased a new set of circular needles. I prefer to knit with circular needles, finding them more comfortable to work with and less likely to slide from the stitches.

Shortly after returning home with my purchase, I cast on 111 stitches using the black yarn. I liked the idea of a black border for the blanket.

Next it was time to change over to white and begin a new pattern. I liked the look of the black and white combination. I was not sure if I should have changed the pattern, but I wanted to keep going before I made my decision.

Our Senegal parrot, Cossette is inspecting my work. She wasn’t sure she liked black and white at first, but seemed ok with it as her curiosity got the better of her.

Several weeks have passed, and the blanket is finished. I tend to be a slow knitter and friends tell me I should learn to crochet, because it is faster. I will have to think about that.

I like the contrast of the black and white, but it does not seem quite right for a new born. I have a feeling that I’ll be going back to my pastel shades. In case you are wondering, Cossette was asleep for the night when I took this photo, so I had to find some stand ins.

Mom and Daughter Day

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Janice

Good afternoon! I planned to post this last evening, but was so tired from all of the fresh air and walking, it had to wait until today.

Early last week, my mom and I decided to make Monday a mom and daughter day, so I headed out early yesterday morning for Seal Beach, where Mom lives. It is about a forty minute drive from our house, if the freeway co-operates, and it did. The weather was gorgeous and a perfect day for a trip to the ocean. Above is the amazing view from the Seal Beach pier. You can see we were not the only ones enjoying the view.

Main Street, Seal Beach is delightfully lined with colorful little shops and restaurants. There are just so many interesting places to browse and shop. We were enticed by the constant aroma drifting from a cinnamon roll bakery, but didn’t give in to temptation. Today, I am thinking perhaps we should have.

One of my favorite stores, that is a must see, is the California Sea Shell Co. at 125 Main Street. It has every kind of shell you can imagine and many other wonderful items.

Our last stop was to a small nursery, also on Main Street. Walking around the many plants and flowers, I was reminded of a recent trip to Carmel,California. I loved exploring while Mom made her choice and purchased a few flowering plants to take home to her garden.

It really was amazing to see all that was available on that wonderful little street that is the heart of Seal Beach.

It was a perfect day, and we promised each other we would do it again, soon. Who knows, maybe the next time we will dip our toes in the Pacific.

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