On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish…
There’s an old saying that on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish. I really am. Or at a least my heritage is Scotch-Irish, heavy on the Irish. When I was in Dublin with my sister and mother on a gardening tour, I blended in so well that people would stop me on the street and ask directions. As far as I was concerned, that trip explained a lot. On other trips, I had seen magnificent gardens in England. Some had grand vistas, some wide borders within different floral “rooms”, one leading to the next, some were “landscape gardens”,...
read moreFebruary – Strawberry Yogurt Pie
This pie has many virtues. It is light, delicious, has very little sweeteners in it and is actually nutritious. This is the rationalization I use as I serve myself a big slice for breakfast. Strawberry – Yogurt Pie is a beautiful dessert for Valentine’s Day. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 1 ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt 1 cup small curd cottage cheese (not fat free) 1 pint strawberries ¼ cup mild honey ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Line a medium bowl with an 18” square of clean, white Indian gauze or with several layers of cheese cloth. ...
read moreBoy have I been busy
You’d think I would have learned by now… I seem to have the persistent delusion that once Christmas is over, once the decorations are put away and all of the pine needles have been swept up, I will be in for a nice quiet time. I dreamed I will hunker down in front of the fire and catch up on reading the pile of books I have been stocking up. In my fantasy, the cat will be in my lap, and Sophie Dog will be curled up on her bed at my feet. Maybe I’ll finish knitting that sweater I started a couple of years ago. ...
read moreShare the Love
Mine is a very small town. There’s the “village” part, and then there are all of the houses scattered in the surrounding area. There really aren’t neighborhoods as there are in cities. A few years back, I decided that so spread out, many of the town’s elderly probably needed a little stimulation off and on. They needed a little contact, a little something out of the ordinary to perk their minds, a little love. Valentine’s Day would provide a real opportunity. With the collusion of our post-mistress, I gathered the...
read moreNew for 2012 – Meadow Flowers Shortbread Pan
We have a new shortbread pan over on our Shortbread Pan Website. It is a pretty shortbread pan that bakes up 8 heart-shaped cookies. Each cookie decorated with a different Meadow Flower. Your shortbread pan will bake shortbreads that are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Weddings, Mother’s Day, or any time you want to let someone know that they are dear to you. Check it out: Shortbread Pan...
read moreJanuary – Crumb Top Apple Pie
Warm and comforting – the perfect dessert for a cold winter night. ½ recipe Basic Pie Crust 7 or 8 large, tart apples. Cortlands, Northern Spy, MacIntosh, Jonathans, Granny Smith are all good. Juice of ½ lemon ½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut in small pieces ½ cup packed light brown sugar ½ cup all purpose flour ½ cup rolled oats ½ teaspoon cinnamon Pinch of salt Roll out the pie crust in a 13” circle and line the bottom of a 10” pie plate with it. Fold up the edges and crimp them decoratively. Peel and core the apples. Slice...
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