Pies

Apple pies are so simple to put together; make a crust, cut up some apples, and bake.

A lemon pie takes a lot of work; make a crust and bake, make the filling with sugar and eggs and lemon juice and lemon zest and water, cook until thick, pour into baked pie shell, beat egg whites and sugar until you get stiff peaks (very hard to do by hand), spoon meringue onto pie, bake until golden. But the taste is so worth it!

LA LA Land-part four

On Sunday we explored Belmont Shore; lots of neat shops. Had lunch at KC Branaghan's Irish Pub. Then crossed the bridge to the island of Naples and walked along Mother's Beach; wrong place to beachcomb.

On Monday we did the cheesy tour of LA; the Coliseum was our first stop.

The Melrose Gate is where all the stars enter and exit Paramount Pictures Studios.

Found my truck in LA.

Finally saw some of our favourite stars.

We were late getting back to the bus because we had to get a picture of this star.

Tom Cruise's house; does it remind you of anything from World War Two ?

Leonardo Di Caprio's hotel-The Standard.

Had a great lunch at Mel's Diner; notice the hotel-ware platter. This is what I have been collecting all these years.

Santa Monica.

Our last stop was Venice; no comparison whatsoever to the real thing. But if you want a tattoo, medicinal marijuana, a T-shirt with Arnie's face on it, or a container full of sliced cukes or mangos, then this is the place for you.

LA LA Land-part three

Long Beach Convention Centre.

Had to check out the Walter Pyramid at the university.

Rancho Los Alamitos- a very interesting tour of a historical ranch. The ranch house is filled with all the furniture and memorabilia of the families that lived there. No photos allowed.

Antique food

There was a lot of great stuff at the Antiques and Collectibles Sale at Cottonwoods but these two beauties stood out for me. I did not bring them home with me but I did buy an old brace and bit.

After a good walk on Sunday morning we brunched on Cinnamon Buns; recipe from the Feb/Mar 2015 issue of Taste of Home. These are really good; the addition of instant vanilla pudding makes the difference.

For dinner we tried the recipe for Billionaire's Meatloaf from the November 2013 issue of House Beautiful. This is a huge recipe, very rich, and tasty. We will be eating leftovers for quite a while.

LA LA Land-part two

This reminded me of my hometown, except for the Queen Mary in the background.

We walked by the Hansel and Gretel house quite often on our way home from the coffee shop.

Had to remind myself that we were in California and not Italy until I saw the moose head.