Cheers to Doug and Lisa!!

by Annette McClellan | August 16, 2024 2:02 pm

We had a great week-end on the shores of Lake Michigan! I thought you would all enjoy the collection of photos. Send more if you find any.

The resort hotel room was clean and quiet. We had a full breakfast in the restaurant with a view of the beach. We enjoyed seeing our old birding buddies in the nature preserve area.

Waukegan beach was much nicer than we imagined it would be. The entrance was manned by several policemen rather than a lone teenager. The north parking lot only had a few cars and there were only about four other parties widely spaced along the beach. The porta-potties were freshly sanitized and the handwashing station had plenty of soap and water.

The beach itself was beautiful. You all know exactly what it looks like. There were no sharp rocks at the waters edge and it was shallow enough for wading. We had an officer drive by in a golf cart-a friend of Roger’s as it turned out.

In case you are wondering about the simple cookies I made, they are the Italian Ciambelline Campagnole or Country Ring Cakes. They are simple to make and easy to take along anywhere. They are not very showy however.

Heat the oven to 325ยบ. Mix equal parts sugar, red wine and olive oil. I used 3/4 cup each. Add flour until the dough comes together but is still very soft, but not too sticky. Here I used about 4 cups. Let the dough rest 20 minutes. Take a chunk of dough and roll it into a snake about 12″ long. Twist the snake around itself then form a ring and pinch the ends together. Arrange on a greased cookie sheet. I used a silicone pan liner. Bake until they are slightly browned on the bottom. Some people make this with white wine. There are other variations using cinnamon or anise or the addition of raisins or other dried fruit. I kept mine simple.

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