What constitutes a good day in your book?

[Maricel Evasco]

It's Easter for us Christians. The day is a blessed one for those of us who believe in hope.

So, what constitutes a good day for me besides one bursting with hope? My response would be one of spontaneity, outdoor explorations, and fun filled laughter. I love the days at the beach, picnics at the park, street fairs, and carnivals.

[Maricel Evasco]

Yeah, 3 out of 4 ain't bad especially if we could squeeze some brightness into our day.

[funesthememorious]

Getting a Friend Request on Facebook from Jesus.

[Maricel Evasco]

It's always nice to expand in the 'diversity' of friends.  Diversity sure beats adversity.

[Maricel Evasco]

A good day is when I don't have to pay attention to socially constructed time.

I could take time to smell the flowers and the sun's warmth on my face. One reason I love the beach so much is that the ebb and flow of the waves communicate a sense of timelessness to my soul.

[Aggie]

[darroll]

I hope that cute gal had to buy...................

[Aggie]

She was the designated driver.

[Maricel Evasco]

Thanks for sharing Aggie. That's a great photo.   What is a "Kolaches"?

[Aggie]

Kolaches (adapted from recipes found in Texas Monthly and the Houston Chronicle)
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 teaspoon of salt

Method:
In a large bowl, combine yeast, warm milk, sugar and one cup of flour. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
Beat together eggs, 1/2 cup of melted butter (reserve 1/4 cup for brushing on the pastry) and salt.
Add egg mixture to yeast mixture and blend.
Stir in about two more cups of flour, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough should be soft and moist.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes on floured surface. Don't worry, it’s a joy to knead as the dough is smooth and highly malleable.
Put dough in a greased bowl and let rise covered until doubled in size—about an hour.
After dough has risen, punch it down and pull off egg-sized pieces. In your hands, roll pieces into balls and then flatten to about three inches in diameter. Brush with melted butter.
Place flattened pieces on a greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise again for another half-hour.
After second rising, with your finger gently make an indention in the center of the dough (be careful not to flatten it too much) and fill with one tablespoon of fruit filling (recipe to follow) and sprinkle with posypka (recipe to follow).
Bake in oven at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when you take them out of the oven and serve warm.

Kolache filling
Ingredients:
1/2 pound of dried fruit such as apricots or prunes.
Sugar to taste
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Lemon zest

Method:
Soak the dried fruit in water for a few hours or overnight.
When fruit is re-hydrated, cook on low for 15 minutes, adding sugar to taste (I find the fruit sweet enough so I don’t add sugar, but you may prefer it sweeter), cinnamon and lemon zest. Mash with a potato masher until you have a puree.

Posypka
Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:
Mix all ingredients until crumbly.

This recipe makes about 18 kolaches, depending on how large you make them. And the variations are endless. For additional flavor you can soak the dried fruit in tea such as Earl Grey or you could sprinkle goat cheese on the apricot kolaches before baking.

[Baia]

Kolaches at breakfast were the cause of much weight gain in my dorm freshman year at WSU (Pullman, WA).

I never heard of them before and I've stayed away from them ever since.

Many of us ended up in PE for weight loss the second semester.

Ah, memories~~~

[Stir Young]

They're all pretty darn good, but I especially enjoy the days I don't go to work.  When I go to work, I sometimes feel like I'm bringing a knife to a gunfight.  I mostly work for the money.....I don't want to go anywhere with the company.

If I don't go to work, there's a good chance I'll mosey on down to the donut shop midmorning.  There I'll enjoy stimulating, yet not combative, conversation with some nice folks.  I'm old school, I still like the old face to face communication.

Everything beyond that isn't scripted very tightly...I'll do my best to seize the moment and enjoy myself.

[Aggie]

Do they have kolaches in the donut shop?