Cauliflower Dreamin'

I have to admit, I am a cauliflower fan - there is something about it that I love - both the taste and the texture - so I frequently have a head of it in the crisper. I'm not alone in the adulation of these milky florets. Louis XIV was one of the first to serve it on the grander tables and I like to imagine that one of my favourite ways to serve it - as a gratin, was also one of his. A gratin is a great complement to just about anything and you can make one from any number or combination of vegetables. I like gratins as a main course. For this one, I usually combine the cauliflower with potatoes to make it a heartier dish and then serve it with a big salad and some steamed asparagus with lemon alongside. I make it with lots of cream and fresh chives and my secret is finishing it with freshly-grated nutmeg. Gruyere, swiss, and asiago are all good, although any cheese you have on hand will certainly do nicely. It is one of my favourites for Meatless Monday, a habit hubby and I have agreed to adopt as a way to do our bit to reduce our footprint on the planet.

I was inspired last summer while reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food to consider more carefully what I buy, cook and eat (well, inspired might not be quite the right word - those I told about the book would probably say I was more like 'fervently zealous'). I love all kinds of food and cookery and while I have embraced vegetarianism at different stages of my life, I've become a pretty committed omnivore. So, Meatless Mondays are a way of making a difference, eating a little lighter and getting to dream up new ways with cauliflower...and since I'm posting this on Sunday night, what might you dream up for Monday?

Meatless Mondays in Canada: http://meatlessmondays.ca/?page_id=2

Michael Pollan: http://www.michaelpollan.com/

Cauliflowers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower

A Home for Herbs

A home for herbs! Having been gifted some lovely scented herbs and being woefully short of available garden space, I decided to plant them in a box - which means I can move them into different locations as the mood strikes or space requires, and at the same time contain their growth - anything in the mint family can rapidly take over (although to be honest, I can't say I really mind). Mint is good for the tummy, a delicious addition to lamb dishes and iced teas and, I hear, discourages ants. I planted up the start of the scented herb collection in a cheapest-of-the-cheap wooden box that my hubby painted with a light stain - purposely leaving it rough. I added some touches in keeping with the bird motif using a combination of decoupage and stencilling. Catmint, spearmint and lemon balm are all happily crowding together in the new box and I plan to add scented geraniums and bee balm (bergamot). These herbs smell great, add colour and zing to cookery, soothe nerves and are a paradise for local bees. As we exclaimed in the 70's..."Mint!"

"What is Paradise? But a Garden, an Orchard of Trees and Herbs, full of pleasure, and nothing there but delights." ~ William Lawson, 1618.

Amy, Rusty & Herb

Ahhh - a long weekend! A great time to moodle about projects. A rainy weekend, too. Which means no pressure to do the projects and lots of time to dream them up. A perfect moodling matrix! A few daydreams on my list: a scented herb window box (partway there as a dear friend happened to bring some herbs by - catmint and lemon balm - and hubby painted up a rustic wooden box for me), drawstring utility bags (pretty ones, natch) inspired by my affection for Rusty the Rooster of Friendly Giant fame, and something FABULOUS with the Amy Butler fabric given to me by the same friend of the herbs (am I lucky, or what?). I'm thinking a reversible apron -- for special summer occasions like dinner in the garden and deck picnics. I need to scrounge up some complimentary fabric - a great excuse for a toddle through the thrift stores if the rain keeps up. And then to find a quiet Sunday afternoon to spend with scissors and pins....

The fabric has a really lovely William Morris feel, with a bright retro 'vibe' as my friend would say. I can't claim to be much of a fabric expert, but I do recommend a browse through the Amy Butler Designs site: http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/mainmenu.php.

There is something very cheery and sunshiny about it - and how perfect is that on a wet spring weekend?

Fab Finds For the Family Table

This week's fab finds -- spring coloured quilted cotton placemats. What makes these so fab? The colours are perfect for my living room/dining room combo space and the quilting will help protect the gorgeous teak table passed on to us by my mother-in-law. It is an absolute beauty that she shipped home from a trip to Denmark in the 60's. It has been the family table for more than 40 years and I am determined not to be the one that dents, burns or scrapes it! I also found these great cork-backed mats that we can use on the table under serving dishes. I do love setting a pretty table and while this table is a stunner on its own, the new accessories are both beautiful and practical. I must admit these aren't my usual thrift shop finds...you can find them at Wal-Mart for about $3 each. A small price to pay for preserving a family hierloom. If this teak could talk...

The Seeds of My Contentment: Perfect Spring Potato Salad

The Seeds of My Contentment: Perfect Spring Potato Salad

Perfect Spring Potato Salad

I am a fan of potato salad (it's my one weakness), and at this time of year - (new potato time of year)- the best-ever is also the easiest-ever. The recipe is super simple and something about potato salad is super satisfying as well. And this one is perfect for picnics - no eggs! Please serve it in a glass bowl - I don't know why, but it seems to me a must for potato salad. And one other detail...it simply must be Hellman's Real Mayonnaise. Not meaning to be a product-endorser, but it is just not the same with anything else (except the possible exception of home-made - I'll give the skeptics that!). To the humble pomme de terre, my loyalty and my admiration.

The recipe (generally):

New potatoes - washed with skin on, cut in half or quartered depending on size

Boil until just tender. Cool.

Chop up several green or spring onions

Chop an abundance of fresh dill.

Freshly ground pepper, sea salt

When potatoes are cold, mix with dill & onions. Season with salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise and mix. Keep adding until salad is moist but not too gooshy. Transfer to a glass bowl. Chill. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a sprig of fresh dill.

For an adventurous twist, add fresh, blanched green peas. (Frozen will work, too, but don't cook them - thaw them in a pyrex cup of hot water, drain and add). Pois to refresh!

The Darling Buds of May

Hubby is off to writing class in the city and I find myself on my own for dinner at the end of a rather long working day. In keeping with my theme of creative relaxation, I decided to make myself a bowl of yummy pasta - penne, garlic and olive oil, some parm and a nice big spoonful of some tomato & italian sausage sauce left generously in my freezer by my mom (thanks, Mom!) and parked myself in front of the TV. To my smug joy I landed on an episode of The Darling Buds of May. I am crazy for British TV and I love these old episodes if for no other reason than to see the early works of the likes of Hugh Laurie and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The series is based on books by H. E. Bates, and I'd love to get my hands on a set. To find out more about these delightful characters: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darling_Buds_of_May

In our neighbourhood, May brings out other darling buds. It's rhododendron season on the West Coast and we are lucky to have an amazing neighbour, a delightful character himself, who has transformed an unused public lot on our street into a glorious and showy rhodo garden. This is guerilla gardening at its finest. Nothing frees my mind and feeds my spirit like gazing at these subversive beauties. Darling buds, indeed.

Birds on the Brain

The bird picture is finished and on display in my shabby chic garden - it is a kind of an outdoor parlour where hubby and I can take view breaks - simply rest, watch the river and listen to the lettuce grow. I am feeling self-satisfied and absolutely floored by how I have fallen for the bird and bird-related motif. Inspired partly, I think, by the abundance of bird-feeders my neighbours have perched throughout our common garden. Sweet little birds come and go all day ... and we get to watch & listen. So it is a bird theme for our garden and who knows where next? I'm thinking the bedroom as I've also fallen hard for the Chinoiserie line designed by Dwell Studios, worth an online visit: http://www.dwellstudio.com/modern-home-decor/dwellstudio-collections/chinoiserie.html

And, with birds on the brain, here is something worth twittering about - a beautiful excerpt from the poem Mockingbird, by Mary Oliver

This morning

two mockingbirds

in the green field

were spinning and tossing

the white ribbons

of their songs

into the air.

I had nothing

better to do

than listen.

I mean this

seriously.

Yoga for the Birds

Today I am moodling about a bird picture I'd like to create for the garden. I am part-way there. I can feel the idea humming around in my head - partially formed pieces of inspiration coming together kind of the way a bird's nest does: some twigs, the odd thread plucked from the grass, a bit of mud or straw, something twinkly that is just irresistable...

The shape or outline is vaguely there and I feel a quiet confidence and a quickening of pulse as I know it will all come together - soon. I am eager to hunt up a frame, begin experimenting with backgrounds and at the same time I know more idleness is needed - slow down, Vicki! I was inspired today by reading a commencement speech given by writer, Anne Lamott. Here is an excerpt:

"But slow down if you can. Better yet, lie down. In my 20s I devised a school of relaxation that has unfortunately fallen out of favor in the ensuing years -- it was called Prone Yoga. You just lie around as much as possible. You could read, listen to music, you could space out, or sleep. But you had to be lying down. Maintaining the prone."

Maintaining the prone. At last someone has named my yoga practice!

To read the full (funny & inspiring) speech:

http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/col/lamott/2003/06/06/commencement/index1.html

Sewing in the Garden

Sitting in the garden today - sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy - sewing. Or, at least my version of sewing which involved hand-basting pillow covers for my new-old chairs. I found these toile de jouy covers in my fabric bin - no idea why they were sitting there ready-made by me. I think I made them for a redecorating project for my niece and she rejected them (sigh) and we replaced them with denim. Anyway, happily for me, no more effort required than to baste them closed and plop them, and then myself, on the chairs. A good excuse to sit in the sun and admire the river and the rhododendrons. While I was at it I performed an arm surgery on my little stuffed bear (named, creatively, 'Baby Bear'). He lost his tail and part of his wee arm to an enthusiatic doggie visitor. Looks pretty good, too!

For Sue...

Best Ever Banana-Rhubarb Muffins

from: Muffin Mania

(adapted by Vicki)

3 large bananas

2/3 c chopped rhubarb (if fresh, blanch first to soften)

3/4 c sugar

1 egg

1/3 c melted butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 c all-purpose flour

Mash bananas & rhubarb. Add sugar & slightly beaten egg. Mix. Add the melted butter. Mix. Sift dry ingredients together. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir together until moistened.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Delicious warm (or cold- ha!).

Makes 8-10 muffins depending on the size you like.

Picnic for Two

One of the great luxuries of happy idleness is the sit-down lunch at home. We spent much of last week having our deck substantially rebuilt. While it is not completely complete (I am also advocating not having to finish everything we start...) it is close enough to done that we set up our table in the remarkable May sunshine and ate outdoors. What a pleasure to bask in the finally-warm sun, look out over the river and enjoy a simple lunch. Next week, my husband embarks full-time on the writerly life - our picnic for two is a foretaste of a shift in lifestyle - one with space to breathe and eat and write. Egg salad al fresco.

Frangipane for Friends

Yesterday I completed a good day's work - that is, a good day of happy puttering combined with a brainstorming session focused on collaborating with a favourite friend and colleague. To prepare myself for the session and to get myself in the 'moodle', I put together a beautiful Peach and Almond Cream Tart - Tarte aux peche frangipane. While my hands were busy with the intricacies of pastry, my mind and heart were flirting and skirting around the edges of possibilities for this new collaboration. Our session was very satisfying - exciting, new ideas for co-leadership and a deep recognition of our inner knowing about where the collaboration can take us. We celebrated our 'good day's work' with a simple dinner of beet & feta salad, cauliflower & potatoe soup (what is it about cauliflower? I simply love it) and olive & walnut breads. Too full for the tart, I sent pieces home for her - along with some fresh banana-rhubarb muffins. The first rhubarb from my funny garden this year.

Today's Fabulous Finds

Simple lime-green edged white plates to intermix with my everyday Mikasa: Five dinner plates, two side plates - all for a whopping $1.75 at the local Economy Cottage (all proceeds to RM Hospital). For a further $1.25 I picked up a tulip pitcher - perfect for watering houseplants or for holding my wooden spoons. Then a trip to Value Village where I found a lovely little solo plate to use as a cake or tart plate and some just-perfectly-worn copper cannisters. They fit in beautifully with my imaginary french country kitchen. Bon Appetit!