OK, first I want to say I was going to do a pineapple upside down cake … a recipe that Lori Bailey sent me. I’ve been down and out with influenza, most commonly called the flu. Wow, it has beat me up. I want to apologize to Lori. I’m not the best baker and have to be sharp and on my toes on any baking gig. Look forward to making it soon.

I was indebted to the wonderful staff at the Boothbay Region Health Center. They are amazing and I wanted to thank them for taking me in without an appointment. I had to go back for a visit and took them some goodies. Thank you all very much.

I really needed something fairly easy to make with my being down. I saw these puff things on Facebook and liked them and so did my very dear cousin Kelly almost 2,000 miles away. I made them on Sunday not knowing she was going to make them as well. What a surprise when I saw her posting a picture, so we went back and forth comparing what we had made. What fun it was. We both did little tweaks to the recipe just making it our own. Hers looked perfect because that woman can bake. I’m sure you’ll all be able to tell who’s who. Love you, cousin.

I want to say this could be done with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. I had some strawberries (16 ounces) so I went with them. You’ll need two 8-ounce containers of cream cheese, a half cup of sugar, one teaspoon each of vanilla, and almond extract, one and a half cups of plain Fluff, and two boxes of puff pastry sheets. They come with two in a box and you can use six pieces per sheet. I made extra ones.

First preheat your oven on 400 degrees. Slice your sheets into six rectangles. I used my pizza cutter – worked perfectly – and cook on parchment paper for around eight minutes until golden brown, then cool on racks. Clean and divide your strawberries – set aside half of them – slice the other half and place in a sauce pan with a quarter of a cup of water and a half cup of sugar. Cook on low heat until they are cooked down and like a syrup consistency. Set to the side to cool.

Now here’s the easy filling. It’s a lot like what some people use for Maine whoopie pies. Take your blocks of cream cheese in a deep bowl, add your one and a half cups of Fluff and your almond and vanilla extracts, and blend well with an electric blender.

Stuffing the puffs: Add fresh slices of strawberries on one side and add a spoonful of the cooked down strawberries. Add your top, then add a little dab of powdered sugar or chocolate syrup. I had some fresh cocoa brought from the Dominican Republic so I sprinkled that on the top of ours – absolutely magnificent (my husband ate two).

If I have any good advice, please get your flu shot. I found out the hard way this year. I’ll never forget again. I missed so many fun things while I was down and out.

We had to say good-bye to more people this weekend. Prayers go out to Kathy Heaton and family. We will miss Hilary terribly. Lots of prayers going out to the Barry family for the loss of Jack – what a wonderful family man. Prayers to all. Godspeed.