in their glory

i do not know the name of this peony. it was given to me by ginny watson many years ago. it is a garden favorite, one of many...i love it's feathery leaves and it it blooms early along with the apple blossoms. the heavy rains damage the delicate petals.

another beauty this year, my white bleeding heart (dicentra). it is related to the wildflower called dutchman's breeches. i like the reflection in the window of the door. with some adjustments, it might make a nice painting.

a very old variety of lilac that was planted the year after we bought the house in 1965. every picture of our daughter in her costumes for dance recitals are in front of this shrub. it is unusual in that some of the blossoms are 2-3 feet long before there is any foliage. it has been cut back at least 3 times over the years. it is so wonderfully fragrant and it wafts my way every year as i am doing my pots for the summer.
                      

                                                                   ENJOY!

.

asparagus pizza

YAHOO! the asparagus season is here. our 43 year old, very weedy bed is still giving us an ample amount of asparagus every few days and will do so till july. one of our favorite recipes is asparagus pizza. it is very easy as i make it on a sheet of puff pastry.

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 1/2-2 lbs asparagus
1 large vidalia or sweet onion,sliced thin
5 or 6 dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 ounces of butter, i use the lesser amount
salt and pepper
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, shredded

preheat oven to 425 degrees
snap off ends of asparagus and cut off tips. cut the stalks into diagonal pieces.
melt butter in a frying pan and add onion. saute until soft over medium heat.

meanwhile:

on a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a rectangle. place it on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick it with a fork every inch or so. bake it for about 10 minutes.
while the pastry is baking, add the asparagus and dried tomatoes to the softened onions and saute till tender.

top pastry with the asparagus, onion mix and sprinkle with the cheese

return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes  or until the cheese is melted

slice and serve

ENJOY!

this and that

back from a a family vacation. it was wonderful but i could not plant my tomato seeds till i got back. so after the plants got watered and we got a few groceries in the house, it was planting time. maybe i will be lucky and we will not have a frost until october this year. today they are just poking their little heads out of the soil. i planted black krim, cherokee, jubilee, pink brandywine, yellow pear and black cherry, all heirloom. i will buy a few early bearing plants and a half dozen plum tomatoes.

they have a month to grow before they get planted outside in our growing area. tender plants such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers do better if planted in the beginning of june. they don't like their little roots to get cold and it takes the soil that long to warm up around here.

i am itching to plant the snap peas, arugula and a few other greens. it needs to dry out before we can work the soil. i don't have a big garden anymore...a square foot garden along the pool fence and the tomatoes, some squash and a little corn go out back.



do you think i will ever get a tomato?

next on the list was getting the paperwork done for displaying some paintings on mother's day. sounds simple but it was not. i needed to scan the art work , matt and frame it. actually i pick out the mat board and my dear husband cuts the mats and frames the picture. i think that choosing the paintings is the most difficult part and then deciding how to mat and frame comes next. so here they are....by the way, the paintings will be displayed and for sale on mother's day at sycamore hills garden. http://www.sycamorehillgardens.com/  they open their garden on mother's day  from 11-4 pm to benefit baltimore woods nature center www.baltimorewoods.org/   go and enjoy!

 


stargazing



mike's roses




crocus




tulips



rolled fillet of sole with sweet potato oven fries

 i would like to take credit for creating this stuffed fish  recipe but i got the idea from a blog called 'beyond salmon' and made a few changes. it is a keeper and it its easy.  it would work equally as well with flounder but the grocery store had this beautiful wild pacific sole.

Ingredients for the stuffing
1 bag of baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup crab meat, picked
4 ounces light cream cheese, whipped  is easier

remaining ingredients
1-1 1/2 pound sole or flounder
1/3 cup white wine, i used prosecco
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8th's lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Filling preparation
heat a large frying pan, i use my cast iron skillet , and add oil. dump rinsed and very well drained spinach and stir until just wilted. remove from the pan and cool. remove any liquid from the spinach and combine with cream cheese and crab meat.

rinse and dry fish with paper towels. lay the fillets out on a surface with the smooth side down.( i sprinkled  the fish with my favorite cajun seasoning ). place about 2 tablespoons of filling  onto the thick part of the fillet. roll it. place the rolled fillets in a greased dish with the seam side down. pour the  wine and water into pan with the fillets

 cut sweet potatoes into lengthwise pieces and toss with the olive oil. place on a foil lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.

place fish and potatoes in the 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

                                                                             enjoy!!

cheesey pasta with roasted broccoli and turkey breast

this dish is basically a casserole that can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. at room temperature you only need to bake it for 20 minutes @ 400. if it has been refrigerated, i would lower the oven to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes

ingredients
12 ounces - 1 pound of pasta, cut or amount not critical
1 pound turkey cutlets, sliced into bite size pieces(chicken could be used)
2 quarts broccoli, washed and cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick of butter, could substitute olive oil
6 ounces of shredded cheddar
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper( if you have followed this blog, you know that i added some cajun seasoning ;)
4 ounces shredded parmesan, romano combo or cheese of your choice for the topping

preheat oven to 400 degrees. meanwhile place broccoli into a bowl with the minced garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil. stir till the broccoli is coated with the oil. dump out on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil.
bake the broccoli for 20 minutes. remove from the oven, wrap in the foil and set aside. (roasted vegetables have a more intense flavor)

in a large skillet, place the butter and onion. saute until the onion is soft and throw in the turkey. DO NOT OVERCOOK. just saute till it is barely done and then pour in the white wine. bring it to a simmer and remove from the heat.

 cook the pasta until it is just underdone. drain and rinse with cold water, drain and place in a container large enough to hold all ingredients. the pasta will still be warm . add the cheddar cheese. mix, then add the chicken and the broccoli. stir it and adjust the seasonings.

 place it in a lightly greased baking pan. spinkle the remaining cheese on the top and place it in the oven.

                                                                              enjoy!

thai meatballs and peanut sauce

                               this recipe is easy and makes a good appetizer with a bit of 'zing'.

ingredients for the meatballs
1 pound of ground pork
2 tablespoons dried cilantro (sub fresh if you have it on hand)
1 tablespoon lime rind,grated
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400 degrees. line a jellyroll pan with foil and lightly spray.
mix all the ingredients and shape into balls about 1 1/2 inches and place on baking sheet.
bake for 20 minutes.

the peanut sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for several days. it can be served warm or at room temperature.

 ingredients for peanut sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic,minced
1/2 teaspoon chili paste...more if you like heat
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
pinch or 2 of sugar
3/4 cup of water

in a saucepan, saute garlic and chili paste for a minute and add remaining ingredients . Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.

                                                all that is missing is the toothpicks...enjoy!

hummers and vines

i do not know when it  started but as long as i can remember, i have had a thing for hummingbirds. i have had feeders for years and years and have always planted flowers to attract them. we even had one little guy return for 4 years in a row. he perched in the high bush cranberry by the pool and ferociously chased away any competition.

the last few years, we have placed a feeder right next to our outdoor table on the deck. we have been fortunate to get at least 4 a year that visit regularly. i can identify the different ones and after a while end up giving them names.

we have flowers everywhere that are in bloom from may till the frost but there are 2 vines that i like to grow that really attract the hummers. the first one is in the morning glory family. and yes, it acts just like a morning glory in that the blossoms open in the morning and close late afternoon. in between, the hummingbirds and hummingbird moths go crazy. the plant's common name is 'cardinal climber' but it is known as ipomoea x multifida.

 the plant takes a while to get going in our zone but it grows rapidly when the weather turns warm. it has this light and feathery foliage so i let it grow up the arborvitae hedge facing south. the lacy leaves and brilliant red flowers make it a stunning addition to any garden. the seeds can be ordered from most garden catalogs. i let some of the pods  grow and save the seeds from year to year. they claim that the seeds self sow but i have never had that happen.

the other vine that i grow is ' red runner beans'. this is a very old plant and can be traced back to the 1700's .it grows very vigorously. my fence is too short so i just keep guiding it to a different spot. the vines produce flaming red-orange flowers through out the season. The hummers love them.

they produce a green bean that can be eaten when they are very young.  we eat a helping or 3 and then let them mature for the dried beans. the pods are quite large and they produce dried beans that are both beautful and very large.

 if you love hummingbirds and have a place for these vines, get out the seed catalogs or find them on line.

                                                                order up and enjoy!