Friday, June 27, 2014

Deliciousness..es..











Raindrops kept falling on our heads Tuesday and Wednesday.
Regardless.. if you step out in between showers..downpours..
with your camera..
you find a different kind of beauty.
Melancholic.
Refreshed.
Crisp.
Clean.
Wet:).
And the birdbaths get filled on their own! Bonus!

In the kitchen..it's always dry..so you can busy yourself..





I made a cake I found on Pinterest a while ago..
It is dense..moist and delicious.
If you like the taste of orange..
This is a keeper..

Sicilian Orange cake~

The mold is from Ikea..silicone..and works like a charm~
I don't know if I mentioned ..but a while ago..and we cannot wait to go back..we went to Vermont to the new Trader Joe's..
Everything we have tried is just great there..Ok except the miso broth..I don't know why but I may not be a fan of Miso after all..
Back to TJ's..love everything..
And the packaging?
So cute..look at the butter..
Need I say more?♥
Wish wish wish we had a TJ's here.
Bravo TJ!

We have had several new additions to our family..


Chickens..bunnies..  not here..In the family.
I am taking great pleasure in all these lovely animals..


She thinks she is something else..  and she is:) her feathers..the colors  love them..
And seeing children with them.. is so cute..

Lucky kidlets...
I know I am all over the place in summer..when the weather changes..I'll be back to just edibles and things..
Bon weekend!

38 comments:

  1. Love your photos and those chickens. Oh, and I LOVE Trader Joe's. There are lots of them around here.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  2. Looks like heaven there to me. And, I love the turquoise kitchenalia.

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  3. Hello dear Monique!!! I am so happy for you, you have a chickens now!!!! So jealous-))) My husband never will go for it-)) Only if we have a farm house! Miss you very much. My kitchen is almost done, took mush longer then I expected.

    Hugs to you my dear and have a lovely weekend!!

    Yelena

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    Replies
    1. Helloo!!

      Chickens are not here.. at my daughters!:) My husband says no also:( My son in law offered to build us a coop:)
      But no..

      I would say yes..but in winter..I would have to do it..so I am agreeing with the no..
      Bet the kitchen looks great!!

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  4. Love the heart cake....look so yammie !!!.....love from me Ria...x !

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  5. Gorgeous photos and look at those pretty chickens. Wow. How nice that they are at your daughters house and you can go visit. Have a lovely weekend Monique
    Sam

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  6. No matter the place, you experience the beauty, n'est-ce pas? I love the color coordinated scheme in your baking preparations! And of course, the cake, the refreshing flowers, the chickens...I used to sketch/paint chickens...Their colors are sooooo delightful! How your family must enjoy the critters! Trader Joe's, Maine has one as well. I'm more familiar with Whole Foods which is now 2 hours away...Some people criticize them for being "big box" but I adore Whole Foods. Thanks, as always, Rita

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    1. We visit Whole Foods in Florida and like it very much Rita!
      I am trying to paint chickens:-)

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  7. Je ne savais pas que vous aviez des poules !
    Des oeufs frais et naturel (bio) c'est vraiment le top !
    Il est certain que des produits de premier choix et d'excellente qualité ne font que des préparations délicieuses ~

    Bon weekend !

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    Replies
    1. Mes filles ont les poules:-)
      Je suis la mamie des poules!

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  8. Your photos are gorgeous! We are hoping to get a Trader Joe's in our town, I think they are waiting for the wine in grocery stores to pass her first :(

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  9. We now have 2 TJ locations. They have great fresh flowers and special treats. Love their greeting cards too! The chickens are so photogenic! Just look at those poses. You always share the best photos. And thank you for the added info on your cameras. I need to decide this summer.
    The cake looks delicious. Will go take a look at the recipe now. Thank you. Happy Weekend!

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    1. I saw all the flowers..we're both looking forward to going back:-)
      So hard to pick a camera Sarah!
      And yes I find chickens so photogenic too..and the bunnies!
      The cake..we kept it in the fridge as It was just J eating it..we sent Noah home with some too...kept so well!
      It's really good Sarah..for one of your get togethers..ideal!

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  10. The cake is lovely! The chickens and eggs...perfection!
    I love the raindrops through your eyes...
    Have a lovely weekend!
    L xo

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  11. Fantastic photos as always. the raindrops on the roses look so lovely. ( What do you use to get such detail for posting ) I use Picasa, but they never look like yours. Our grandsons had a selection of rare breed chickens for awhile, as they have a lot of land they let them to wander around, but unfortunately a stray dog came and disaster happened. I was always trying to capture them on camera, but just when I was ready to click, they would run off. Enjoy painting them.

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    1. Any photo editing program can work wonders barbara..a few great ones IMHO..Photoscape..it is great for just about anything..PXLR too..
      PicMonkey..is nice but not freefor many of the cool effects..
      Both PhotoScape and PXlR are free..Give them a try..they are fun.
      I love the Bloon effect on PHotoscape..
      Sometimes I use Phooshop.

      I must say that the chicken photos are straight out of the camera(Olympus E510)..simply resized.
      That camera ..sometimes..I just love what comes out of it:)
      I hope no tragedies happen :(
      That must have been heartwrenching.

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  12. Monique, your garden is so beautiful! I love your photos of the flowers. Absolutely gorgeous! Those hens too, how very beautiful they are! You are the best photographer! You should do a book of your photographs. I would buy it! That cake is also beautiful. Love the pan! You always have the nicest presentations. No Trader Joe's here. I make do. Love you! Hope you have a great weekend! I am sure you will. xxoo

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    Replies
    1. Todd would love having hens I think..and just think of what you could make:)
      I thank you Marie for every fanastic recipe you share..and I always recognize your photos!
      There's always a bit of romance in them..and hominess.

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  13. What a lovely blog and beautiful photos! Definitely good for Pinterest!!

    Ciao
    Alessandra

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  14. I love the mold! Why does ikea not ship the small stuff! Do I need one, I have two heart shaped baking pans from my mother's home. The roses look beautiful touched with rain. Monique I have found a linzer cookie cutter that you may want to add to your collection. Instead of the traditional center cut outs, it has Halloween ones- pumpkin, witches hat, cat, etc. it is from R&M International. I can't wait to make them, the little cut outs will make great cookies for my granddaughter and grandson. I am with Jacques on the chickens, I can not image winter time care for them.

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    Replies
    1. I had no idea Ikea did not ship small items:) Our Ikea is ap 1/2 hr away..I don't go often but we needed chairs..and I spotted this collection..under $10.00 and such a charm.I have no turquoise in my kitchen decor..but in my drawers a few items..I love it..
      I will check ouy that Halloween cutter ..Thanks for the tip Terry!

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    2. How lucky you are, they have so many cute things. Maybe it is best they don't ship... You will enjoy the website, and the Halloween linzer cookie cutter. I am glad to have enabled you for once, lord knows I have more baking tools since reading your blog. Jerry has enjoyed many a cookie since I have retired.

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    3. They have cute things..great Linzer variety!
      Thanks again.

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  15. beautiful post as always! I have never been to Trader Joe's but it sounds wonderful.
    sweet chickens & lovely fresh eggs for your delicious looking orange cake.
    have a wonderful long weekend Monique ♥

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  16. So many days here exactly like your Tuesday and Wednesday. If feels more like May than June! Now with fog rolling in off of Lake Michigan many nights spoiling the fireworks for our big summer event, Summerfest. So far Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga sang in the misty fog. Special effects at no cost! I do love raindrops on roses :)

    The cake sounds wonderful! Lemon, orange, love those flavors in summer. Such a pretty mold. We have two Trader Joes - both not close but one near where I get my hair cut so I usually stop every 6-8 weeks. No Ikea though - would have to travel south to Illinois. I've never been there! Love the heart ♥

    I would wear those beautiful chicken colors I love them so much. You have the best arrangement - free eggs and no care plus photo ops. I'm sure the kiddos love watching them. I would be a No also.

    Off to find la recette!

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  17. Me too..I would wear those colors!
    She is a sight isn't she?♥
    The weather was idyllic yesterday ..today a bit muggier..I've been to the brocante here..and found a vintage egg carton for one of my son-in-laws:)

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  18. I love your mold look amazing and your photos...and yours flowers all is beautiful here Monique:)

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  19. What a fun post Monique. Your garden is magnificent. It makes the long winter worthwhile and this was definitely worth the wait. I love your new little friends, they have to be the prettiest chickens I've ever seen. I so want some chickens!

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  20. Oh my, that turquoise set from Ikea is fun! The cake is a perfect shape :-) I love seeing the pretty chickens when I go pick up my weekly veggie box from the CSA farm. So nice that you can enjoy the eggs and chickens, and then leave. LOL

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  21. Oh, that cake! And those chickens:) I had many, many chickens a long time ago, and their comings and goings and personalities kept me fascinated for years. They are very dear animals to have around. And you have sold me on the silicone molds, if I can find them in the wilds of back country NH! Happy summer, Madame!

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    1. I can watch them and watch them and watch them!
      You are right!
      I bet you loved having them..
      Herb cheese..this week!

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  22. Love the variety here -- the yum cake, the chickens, the beautiful rain-dropp-sparkled-flowers. . . xx

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    1. Looking so forward to seeing your bookbinding works:)

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  23. J'ai vu ce moule chez Ikea, la semaine dernière. je ne l'ai pas pris mais quand je vois tes photos aujourd'hui, j'ai quelques regrets ! ;o)) Bienvenue à ces jolies poules ! Nul doute que tu sauras bien quoi faire de leurs oeufs !
    Bisous
    Hélène

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  24. Beautiful cake, hen, eggs and flowers!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  25. Que bueno y que bonito. Fotos preciosas.
    Besos

    lagalletarota.blogspot.com

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