Delightful surprise....

For me, it is always a delightful surprise

to walk out into the garden

and find this.

AND even more surprising was

when I was looking for a new asparagus recipe

I found this quote about asparagus.

“... asparagus, tinged with ultramarine and rosy pink which ran from their heads, finely stippled in mauve and azure, through a series of imperceptible changes to their white feet, still stained a little by the soil of their garden-bed: a rainbow-loveliness that was not of this world. I felt that these celestial hues indicated the presence of exquisite creatures who had been pleased to assume vegetable form, who, through the disguise which covered their firm and edible flesh, allowed me to discern in this radiance of earliest dawn, these hinted rainbows, these blue evening shades, that precious quality which I should recognise again when, all night long after a dinner at which I had partaken of them, they played (lyrical and coarse in their jesting as the fairies in Shakespeare’s Dream) at transforming my humble chamberpot into a bower of aromatic perfume.”
                                                                        ---Marcel Proust

I didn't realize one could say so much about asparagus!  :)

  

You can roast it, steam it, grill it, add it to pizza, put it in soups etc.

But today I will simply blanch it and add it to my salad.

Oh yes,

as for looking for a new recipe,

how do you like your asparagus?

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Easiest Sourdough Bread Recipe EVER!

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread,

 places to play in and pray in,

where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."

---John Muir

If you have a sourdough starter,

then here is an easy bread recipe for you.

This sourdough bread recipe is the easiest ever

because.....

you make it in your bread machine.

Easy...peasy!!!!

I found it at http://allrecipes.com/

My starter is going great!

Find out how I made it here...

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2012/05/crust-of-breadsourdough-starter.html#links

I used my starter in this recipe

making the results tangy, soft, and delicious.

This is a white bread,

using basic ingredients.

Basic Sourdough Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup sourdough starter

1/3 cup water

3 cups all purpose flour

1 Tablespoon white sugar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons yeast

Directions:

Allow starter to come to room temperature. 

 Place all ingredients in the bread machine.

Select Basic cycle, and medium crust setting. 

Start.

It's still hot, and boy is it good! :)

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Edible Flower recipe

 The spring weather draws me outside,

to dig in the dirt.

Last week I planted my vegetable garden,

some new plants in my flower beds,

and I'm ready for more.

My friend Karen has taken cuttings

and started some new plants for me.

WhooHoo!  I'm so excited!

Can't wait to add them to my garden.

Photos to come later.

In the meantime I wanted to share

some photos of spring flowers

followed by an edible flower recipe.

Wildflowers in Sarita, Texas.

The Texas thistle flower is pretty,

and butterflies love them.

Flowers are always pretty in mass.

Aren't these pretty?

Not sure what they are,

but it may the little wildflower called

Rosita.

One flower I love to grow is

 nasturtiums.

I'm putting it on my list of seeds to purchase.

Here is a recipe that I've made

 using the edible nasturtium flower.

I got it from

The Pleasure of Herbs

by Phyllis Shaudys

Nasturtium Salad

2 cucumbers

36 small nasturtium leaves

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

2 T. wine vinegar

6 T. salad oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. chopped fresh tarragon

6 nasturtium flowers with leaves

Peel and slice cucumbers thinly.

Wash nasturtiums leaves;

remove stems and drain. 

Mix well in blender the remaining ingredients,

 except for the flowers with leaves. 

 When ready to serve,

combine the cucumbers, small nasturtium leaves,

 and the dressing and toss gently. 

Garnich with nasturtium flowers with leaves. 

Serves 4

________________________

There are many ways to enjoy spring.

Go get your hands in the dirt and....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Dreaming of Winter recipe

I recently toured a Texas winery,

Dry Comal Creek,

and found it so interesting.

It was such a beautiful spring like day.

Along with the tour

they gave us a wine tasting,

shared some recipes with us,

and I came away with some goodies from the gift shop,

plus a couple of bottles of wine.

Here it is February 2nd and it seems like spring.

I'm loving it!

I remember when I lived in the high desert of California,

I actually experienced snow in the wintertime.

Here, not so much.

It seems many across the country this year are

dreaming of winter,

and actually missing the snow and extreme cold.

Some people love snow

and cold weather.

Me,  not so much. LOL

But anyway,

I thought I would share with you

a winter recipe I got at the winery.

We used to make this

when I did live in the snow.

I think it was also called Grog by some.

If you are not having your 'normal' snowy winter,

 then dreaming of winter is the next best thing.

Mulled Wine or Gluhwein

1 bottle of red wine

1/2 cup sugar

3 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. mace

1 orange sliced

1 lemon sliced

Pour wine into large pot and begin heating over low heat.

As it begins to warm, add sugar and spices.

Stir unti sugar is dissolved. 

 Heat thoroughly but do not allow to boil. 

 Add orange and lemon.  Steep for one hour over low heat. 

You may add more sugar during this time if desired,

stirring until it dissolves.  Strain mixture and serve. 

Here is another recipe of Gluhwein that you may enjoy.

http://dreamingofwinter.blogspot.com/2009/08/gluhwein-recipe.html

And notice the name of the blog....

Dreaming of Winter.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea Chai Ice Cream...yummmm!

Tea Chai Ice Cream!

Doesn't that sound delicious...

especially in this triple digit weather

we are having this summer.

I haven't made it yet,

but I will...

as soon as I get back from my trip.

I've got all the spices already!

Yummmmm!

http://cultureandstuff.com/2010/01/21/foodstuff-recipe-for-chai-ice-cream/

Here is the recipe for all you

Tea on Tuesday people out there.

If you make it,

let me know how it turns out.

Visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

for more Tea on Tuesday posts.

You never know what you will find!

Have a good week!

And don't forget to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Five Spice Chai

I heard about this Middle Eastern market in the city,

and when I visited it the other day

I found the black and green cardamom pods

along with other ingredients

 I needed to make this

five spice chai.

Visit My Creative Flavors for the recipe,

along with many other recipes from India.

http://www.mycreativeflavors.com/search/label/Drinks

Pictured are just a few of the ingredients you use

for this chai recipe.

There is also a chai latte recipe

that I just have to try.

The Brooke Bond Red Label orange Pekoe tea is perfect for chai,

I've learned.

So, get yourself some spices,

grind them up, add your tea leaves

and enjoy!

Next week I will tell you about the

gunpowder tea I bought at the market.

Visit Kimmie and all the other Tea Tuesday bloggers at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Happy tea day everyone,

and hope you try something new to you.

It will help you to....

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Sights, sounds and tastes of Summer

It's Tea Tuesday

and I have missed many blogging tea posts lately,

but that doesn't mean I've missed my tea.

Cook's Country on PBS recently voted Tazo black tea

as the favorite in their taste test for iced tea.

I will have to agree.

I also love Tazo teas for hot tea in the mornings.

Today is the longest day of the year,

and to celebrate

why not try this recipe of mine ...

iced or hot!

Summer Solstice sun tea.

1oz. Red Raspberry leaf

2oz. Rosehips

2oz. Hibiscus

2oz. Orange Peel

2oz. Lemongrass

3oz. Peppermint

Visit Kimmie for some more tea posts today.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

***

Turtles Hatching...

Yesterday, I was watering my flower bed,

early in the morning,

and to my surprise

out comes some baby turtles.

I counted seven,

but there may have been more,

as some were already quite a distance away

from the nesting hole they made

to make their exit.

They were not much bigger than a quarter.



I left them alone

 and each one went out in a different direction,

to points unknown.

Good luck little guys!

I hear the summer cicadas already,

so enjoy the tastes, sounds and sights of summer.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Elizabeth Barton plus my musings

'Art and Quilts, cogitations thereon' 

is the name of the blog written by Elizabeth Barton.
http://elizabethbarton.blogspot.com/

She says in one of her posts....

"We need some repetition in our lives, rhythms like the rhythm of the seasons, the daily routines and rhythms of our lives…and we do need to be able to predict what will happen…But again, a little variety and syncopation keeps us interested and alert. “They” used to think that human beings required perfect balance – stasis – to function best, but now it’s realised that being a little off kilter is actually much better for you! Don’t always stand 4 square on 2 feet – try balancing on one leg for a while!"

Being a artist and instructor,

her posts touch on subjects

that are all very interesting.

To check it out
click on the link above and

just go to her archives in her sidebar

to find what interests you.

***

MUSINGS

It has been a wonderful week.

Most of my most recent posts are ones

I wrote beforehand

and then scheduled to be published

on a certain day.

This makes it much easier,

and I don't spend as much time every day

on the computer.

Who wants to be inside

when the weather is so gorgeous,

and the birds are calling.

I have noticed that many out there

have stopped their blogs,

and some don't post very often.

Doing your posts ahead of time

really helps, in my opinion.

But it is most important to enjoy

and experience your everyday

however you can.

***

I spent 6 days with my sister Lanette,

and yes, she did laugh when she saw

her picture on my 'sing' inchie art.  LOL

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/04/sing.html

I hardly ever got on the computer those 6 days.

Went to Corpus with my friend Karen,

and my sister,

and had such a fun time.

Ate lunch at the veggie Tango Tea Room

where they say

"It takes tea to tango."

Will get photos next time!
Learned about the first Friday art walk downtown,
and will be going next month.
I'm excited!

***

I finally got time to try out the

caraway tea bread recipe and

it turned out wonderful!

Here it is cooling on the counter...

I couldn't wait to try it!

It was great just by itself!

The castor sugar makes a big difference.

To try it,

go to my post...
http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2011/03/caraway-tea-and-bread-recipe.html

***

I'm working on another watercolor
for my merit show in August.
I will show my progress tomorrow for
Paint Party Friday.
You can see lots of wonderful art
at Paint Party Friday.
If you are an artist,
why don't you join us.
Just click on the logo in my sidebar.
***
It's that time of year for...
art walks,
Botanical Garden events,
the Sand Fest,
Farmer's Markets!
All great fun!
Hope you visit again for photos of all!

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

A Little of This and That

This is my friend Marilyn.

She raises goats with her husband,

and they have 17 new spring babies,

plus three that were born yesterday.

This little one happens to be the tiniest one of the bunch.

She is not more than one hour old here.

Marilyn just got finished cleaning her up,

and letting her suckle on her mama.

Now Marilyn will take care of her,

and keep an eye on her

until she gets stronger and can be put back

with the others.

I get goats milk for my soap from Marilyn.

We meet at her house on Wednesday mornings

for a little 'stitch and rip' group also.

***

Remember this piece that I painted?

I didn't like the way I did the mountains.

Now, don't be shocked!

I took it to class,

and Dolores told me to cut the top off,

so I did!

Then I turned that piece

upside down.

So, now it looks like this!
The photo came out glary,
but it really looks great!

I love my new abstract piece!

It measures 16 by 20 inches.

What do you think?

Things I've learned in class

1. don't be afraid to crop your pieces

2. turn your piece upside down, it may surprise you

3. you can fix anything

***

This is what I use for my castor sugar.

It is from the 1930's I believe.

It is actually part of a S/P set,

but I don't use them for that anymore.

Some of you have ask me about castor sugar,

which is used in the

caraway tea bread recipe

in my previous post here..

Castor sugar is just superfine granulated sugar.

You can make your own

by putting regular sugar into a food processor
(it can scratch your food processor container)

or coffee mill and processing it until

it is fine...not as fine as powdered sugar.
Powdered sugar is processed differently,
it's pressed or something like that.

That's all there is to it.

***
Also, someone ask if my previous post was my last
Tea on Tuesday post
because of the way I phrased it.
I should have said
"previous"
not "last" in that post.
Sorry about the confusion.
I LOVE Tea day!
I will be continuing for awhile.
So, if you don't know about
Tea on Tuesday go see
 Kimmie.

Caraway tea and bread recipe

Last Tea on Tuesday post

I talked about trying something new,

making a new tea,

to add another thing to my

"Do 58 new things in my 58th year" list.

I am trying Caraway Tea.

I bought some caraway seed,

filled my tea infuser with them,

and added hot water.

I let it steep for about 8 minutes,

until it had a good 'tea' color.

Then I added a bit of agave nectar.

I think it has a very nice flavor!

I could probably press and bruise the seeds

with my mortar and pestle to make the tea stronger.

Caraway is an herb that can be used in many foods.

I found a recipe for

Caraway Tea Bread

that I wanted to share with you,

even though I have not tried it yet

 as I'm out of eggs at the moment.

I will make it this week

and will let you know how it turns out

next tea post.

It sounds easy and good.

I just love homemade bread!

From Tea-Time and some Cakes, Kitchen Essays,

 Agnes Jekyll. (Persephone Books, reprinted 2008)

Caraway Tea Bread

3 teacups flour

1 teacup castor sugar

1 cup boiling milk

3 oz butter

2 tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 large dessertspoonful ground caraway seeds

Mix flour, baking powder and sugar, rub in butter, mix the milk warmed with the egg beaten and the ground caraway seeds. Knead into a flattish brick-shaped loaf or cake, and bake 20 minutes in a quick oven.

To be eaten fresh with a little butter.

Note about using herbs...

Know your herbs and info about them. 

When using fresh herbs,

be sure it is what you think it is.

Visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

to read other bloggers tea posts,

or better yet,

why don't you join us for

Tea on Tuesday.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Peppermint Pie Recipe

This is another copyright free photo I wanted to share,

so go ahead and right click on it to save it to your computer. Use it in your creations!

Peppermint Pie

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1/4 cup plus 2 T. melted butter

3 Tablespoons crushed peppermint candy

1 pint peppermint ice cream

8 ounces whipped topping- partially thawed

Mix crumbs and melted butter, press into a 9 inch pan. Combine ice cream and whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with candy and freeze until firm.

Mesquite Bean Jelly

The mesquite bean jelly turned out great! It has such a pretty natural color to it. I made 4 pints plus a bit more for my first batch and still have lots of juice to make more tomorrow. The little bit I had extra, over the 4 pints, my DH and I ate with biscuits and butter. It was soooo good!

I went outside after lunch today and picked up about a sack full of choice mesquite beans. I will boil them up tomorrow to make more juice. The juice will keep for awhile and I can make more jelly later on.

Fried Squash Blossoms

Well, I've been out in the garden early this morning, while it is still a cool 81 degrees. Believe me it WILL get hotter today. But the heat doesn't seem to affect my squash, as we are still getting plenty for us to eat fresh. In addition to eating the squash we like to eat the blossoms. I picked the blossoms this morning, and the bees were flying everywhere. Bees are a good thing.

Here is the recipe I use.

Fried Squash Blossoms

Pick your blossoms in the morning

Wash and pull out the green stamens from the center

Soak in water and check for little critters hiding anywhere (today I found a ladybug and took her back outside)

Shake dry but leave the blossoms a bit moist

2 shrimp, minced, per blossom

1 clove ,minced

dash salt, dash sugar

Stuff blossom with mixture.

Heat oil to medium and after dusting lightly with flour add blossoms to oil

(They will close up in the heated oil)

When shrimp is pink they are done, about 3 minutes

Drain and serve right away.

You can also saute them in olive oil with some minced garlic. Pick them with the tiny squash still attached... and serve with rice and a fish sauce.

Recently I found another good way to fix them...Stuff them with ricotta and basil (1 T cheese and 1-2 chopped basil leaves per blossom) and dust with flour and fry up. Serve on angel hair pasta with a good tomato based sauce.

Oh yes...they are also great in omelets...just leave them whole and put them insde your egg omelet.

Ummmmmm Good !