june 30, 2009 | chive blossom goes to seed
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
wishlist | farmhouse wares
and i'll take that one and that one... I found a new favorite homeware haunt, Farmhouse Wares. I had seen their soap line before, but I had no idea of the home and garden delights that they carry as well. I was immediately smitten with the individual cupcake stands (above, $39 for a set of 6). I also rationalized the idea of why I need more than two mortar and pestles so I can get on of their Marmiton Rustic Yellowware set (above, $26).
I don't think any garden party would be complete without these containers above to hold fresh cut flowers (Galvanized Containers, $14 and Tin French Pots, $70 for a set of 3).
My bees could use a new haven, and a touch of romantic lighting via these rattan lanterns wouldn't be too shabby either (Bee Skep, $13 and Woodacre Lanterns $39).
Monday, June 29, 2009
recipe | biscotti bliss
biscotti bliss... It was another rainy, dreary Sunday, so my husband and I decided to take advantage of the humid weather and bake some bread. Tom spent the early morning baking some delicious everything bagels. Then, he decided to toss together two loaves of sandwich bread to help kick-off the week's peanut butter and jellies and grilled cheeses.
Inspired by the baking frenzy that was unfolding in my kitchen, I grab my King Arthur recipes and turned to biscotti. It was a biscotti kind of day. I choose to make the Barista Biscotti Bites recipe and I'm so happy I did. They are crisp and delicious with a hint of sweetness. To entice my young sons to try one, I called them cookie pretzels and they were sold.
Barista Biscotti Bites
—from King Arthur—
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
2/3 cup (5 ounces) brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hazelnut flavor or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (7 ounces) cappuccino chips*
*Hazelnut flavor and creamy, coffee-flavored cappuccino chips are key elements in the flavor of these biscotti. However, substitute vanilla extract, and white chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips if you like.
Chocolate ganache
1 cup (6 ounces) chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1/3 cup (2 5/8 ounces) half and half
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
1/8 teaspoon hazelnut flavor
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18" x 13") baking sheet.
In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, flavor or extract, espresso powder, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour and chips, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.
Divide the dough in half, plopping each half onto the prepared baking sheet. Using your wet fingers, shape each piece into a rough log about 12" long, 2" wide, and about ¾" thick. Straighten the log, and smooth its top and sides.
Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes; just work it into the schedule of whatever else you’re doing in the kitchen. Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, lightly but thoroughly spritz the logs, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti much easier.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Wait another 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into ½" to ¾" slices. As you’re slicing, be sure to cut straight up and down, perpendicular to the pan; if you cut unevenly, biscotti may be thicker at the top than the bottom, and they’ll topple over during their second bake.
Set the biscotti on edge on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, till they feel very dry. They’ll still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they’ll continue to dry out as they cool. Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.
To make the chocolate ganache: Combine the chocolate and half and half in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for about 45 seconds, or until the cream is very hot. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and creamy, reheating briefly if necessary. Stir in the espresso powder and hazelnut flavor.
Dip about 1/3 of each biscotti in the ganache. Lay dipped biscotti on a piece of parchment that you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray; a piece of waxed paper; or on a cooling rack. Allow biscotti to harden for several hours, or overnight, before wrapping for storage.
Yield: 3 dozen 3 ½" biscotti
Sunday, June 28, 2009
garden | gardening in may in maine
rather than blooming, my peony blossoms are rotting from the constant rain
rain rain, go away... So it was too good to be true. I could not believe that we had such an early spring this year. There is a gardening adage that you plant your peas on Tax Day, you'll feast on those peas on the Fourth of July. This always cracked me up because each year on Tax Day, my garden was still under over a foot of snow with no melting in sight. But then came April of this year and there it was staring at me for the first time in months... my garden soil. Oh, my God, I can actually plant my peas before May! I continued to be amazed by our luck of weather when May came and we were not greeted with the usual rain-soaked days. I was absolutely giddy with this incredible, unexpected, fortune of good weather. Then came June. Rain. More rain. Noah's-Ark-floating-down-my- brook rain.
The only things that are really thriving in all this rain is my mushroom population. Check out the fungi community that is cropping up around my radishes.
The focus of my garden this year are winter squash, pumpkins and gourds. All of these need a long growing season, and even with select varieties chosen for my short growing season, I need every sunny day I can get to grow these babies properly. All of the cloudy days and soaking rain have stunted my seedlings and has dramatically impacted my germination rate. The squash and pumpkin seedlings that I started inside had a 100% germination rate. Those same seeds had a 50% germination rate when planted directly into the soil.
Now, my worry is turning to the successful pollination of my crops. My peas and tomatoes has all set blossom, now it's the bees turn. But bees cannot get out to pollinate when it is always raining. My poor pepper plants are stunted and turning yellow. My lettuce patch has become a haven for slugs and snails have taken over my perennial beds.
Ironically, while most of my gardener friends have been lamenting the loss of their tomato plants to this weather, I have been celebrating the vibrant health of my crop. This same thing happened last year, most people had a bad tomato season when oddly, it was my best. The other crop that seems to be thriving are my onions. Last year, I had a very lackluster onion harvest.
Friday, June 26, 2009
photographic study | chives
captivated by chives... The chives that I cut for a bouquet last weekend are finally starting to sing goodbye in my yellow urn. But what a beautiful swan song they sing. Captured here is a brief photographic study of the chive blossom as its bloom begins to alter from its vibrant lilac bushiness to a breathtaking deep rose and a soft light lavender.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
wishlist | ravishing rugs
left: notneutral season rug ($468) | right: thomaspaul zinnia wool pile rug ($270-$1466)
woven works of art... I want these rugs. Honestly, it is as simple as that. 2 Modern's selection of rugs is positively perfect. Though my taste for a few of these once again reaches beyond my means. At least a girl can dream.
left: Thomaspaul Robin Wool Pile Rug ($270-$1466)
right: 2Modern & Emma Garder Knots & Grain Wool Rug ($1495-$2495)
left: notneutral transport rug ($468) | right: koko trees plastic floormat ($50)
Monday, June 22, 2009
daily photo | snail
june 22, 2009 | this snail is the only fan of our recent pattern of constant rain
Sunday, June 21, 2009
garden | garlic scapes
what's a garlic scape?... Yesterday I ventured out into my garden in the ever-continuing rain and much to my surprise, I saw that my garlic had formed these twisty, twirly entities about them. I snapped the shot below and set off to learn what exactly what is happening. Turns out, my garlic had bolted. I had no clue that garlic can bolt, but it is fairly common in hardneck varieties. When the garlic bolts, it creates a garlic scape. If you don't prune off these scapes, your garlic bulb will not only be smaller, but could become woody as well. The good news, pruning garlic scapes will turn out to be the tastiest pruning you have ever done. I just sauteed these little darlings in some extra virgin olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes with a sprinkling of kosher salt. Within minutes, they turned tender and absolutely delicious. The texture reminds me of asparagus and the taste is like a green bean with a beautiful kiss of mellow garlic flavor.
daily photo | white phlox
june 21, 2009 | the newly bloomed white phlox adds a bit of brightness to this rainy day
recipe | champagne sorbet with wild strawberries
a very sweet surprise... As I traipsed through my garden this rainy morning, I was greeted with the delightful surprise of red, ripe wild strawberries peaking out from all corners of our garden. I made a dedicated effort this year to resist the temptation to control the long-reaching shoots of these sometimes invasive fruits. Instead, I offer them more sunlight by weeding and trimming the areas surrounding their patches. It paid off this morning when I was able to harvest handfuls of these sweet, tiny treats. I immediately went inside and hunted down a recipe that would complement such a tasty adventure. Thanks to Big Oven for the great recipe!
Champagne Sorbet with Wild Strawberries
6 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 c Champagne
- 1 3/4 c Granulated sugar
- 2 c Water
- 1/4 c Lemon juice
- 1/4 c Orange juice
- 3/4 c Wild strawberries
Bring three-quarters of the champagne to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and let cool. Combine the sugar and water in a pan and stir to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, and let cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until syrup forms a thread when pulled between your thumb and forefinger. Remove from heat immediately. Stir champagne and fruit juices into the sugar syrup; cool. Freeze mixture in a plastic container until hard, several hours or overnight. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat sorbet until smooth. Return sorbet to freezer until firm. Serve scoops of sorbet on chilled plates or in glasses, garnished with wild strawberries or strawberry slices.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
daily photo | scarlet begonias
june 20, 2009 | scarlet begonias whose blooms fell to the ground after days of rain.
do-it-yourself | birthday banners
a banner birthday... We celebrated our son's sixth birthday today with a fun, simple party. I decided to make a DIY "happy birthday" banner.. It was incredibly easy and quick to create. All you need are some great patterns (some of my prints are from fabric swatches from Reprodepot Fabrics), a printer, xacto knife or scissor, ribbon and staples and voilá, you've got yourself a banner fit for any party.
In the early hours of this morning, I went down by the river and snipped a bouquet of daisies and buttercups. I also made a centerpiece out of my beautiful, pink peonies whom I found lying face down in the soil this morning, their stems snapped from the rain's constant deluge.
Friday, June 19, 2009
daily photo | chamomile
june 19, 2009 | still raining, so here is a shot from yesterday... chamomile
recycle | amy butler giftwrap
wrapped up in amy butler prints... I've been a collector of Amy Butler's prints and colors for years now. Needless to say, I was psyched to see that she's rolled out a new line of giftwrap called, giftwrap green by Amy Butler. The giftwrap is not only gorgeous, it is also printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
frugal fun | instant art
instant art... One of my favorite sites to visit is the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. Visit there and you'll find beautiful prints and photographs from our past. There is everything from vintage posters to botanical illustrations. My favorite find tonight are these two postcards from Maine. I especially am fond of the one with the correspondence and post mark on it. Such great snapshots of time.
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