Garden Glory~A little long~

Another..dans notre jardin..

Everything is coming together nicely..I must say it frightens me how the perennials are a bit ahead of their time..All the rain we have had has made things very lush and as soon as the sun pops out buds bloom..
Do you know that in one hour things can look different?
I am sure my neighbors think me strange to walk them several times a day.
But things do change in my zone..rapidly.

This Iris looks in flight~

This one with it's rain drops:)

You cannot pick favorites out of these cancan dancers:)

Most of my mauves..blues..and rose ones live in a front bed with the Baptisia..Roses..Clematis.(tulips are done..) lillies,Lilac tree..Monkshood,Peonies..Russian Sage...
At this time of year it is my favorite bed..I see it out our bathroom window..looking towards  3 of Alphabet boys house..

Out back..later in the afternoon..this little guy was waiting for me..

I was quite far and he only stayed but one bit..:)

On the table..  those  delish 6 week muffins I have told you about many times..I have  a very   similar recipe in my book Suncoast Seasons..
Jacques has taken over making them..
They look 100 times better than mine..
And we have discovered a trick..
When you take out your mix..as you should have ap 6 750 gr containers..(we use empty yogurt ones)..add plumped raisins of dates..  FRESHLY..to the mix..  even better!

I love the fact that you mix up a big batch..and then simply bake as many as you need  every time..until you begin again:)
We also add flax seeds and cinnamon to the original recipe..

The Herb Boat is filling in nicely~

I added it to my journal..seemed easy enough to try..this time I used my Micron pen and then filled in w/ watercolors..
There are so many techniques..
It's fun to practice with different ones..
I found a very cute site you might enjoy..

They Draw And Cook~

It's really cute..recipes are submitted with art..enjoyable!

Gracious thanks for the Finnish carte Postale texture..J'oublie from where!

And remember..

They do...

PS..I know these garden posts are a tad tedious..but it's a way of my keeping a journal..I do this every year at this time..
Winter is devoid of blooms and color.And ours is long..
I jump on this bandwagon:)

From an Herb Lover's Garden~

With not much room for herbs..as the beds are full of flowers..

Years ago..In love with The Cape..and I still am... but have not been in a very long time..we bought this little boat to grow flowers..

I have put it to a different use the last 3 years..in lieu of flowers..herbs..

.. and edible flowers ...along with some clay pots..it has proven a good little planter..

Parsley,Sage ,Rosemary+Thyme(humming..),Borage,Pansies,Tarragon ,Oregano and Chervil ..

It will eventually get very full and lush~

In the pots ..I grow Lemon Geranium.. Basil..More Rosemary ,more Borage,more Pansies..

Lovage is at the back of our property..I am hoping it will expand as it did at our previous home...

I highly recommend Baptisia :)

If you love to watch Bees~

Bzzzzz

In the Kitchen..

Lighter Fare..Sushi..Asian Chicken Salad with Maple Syrup pecans..Sliders..

Salmon Trout with Asian Noodles..

Very good Canadian Living Butter Tarts that I burnt in the toaster oven..In this month's issue..and online..I was feeling Retro and took it out..It must be almost 40 yrs old..still clean:)  ,hadn't used it in ages..  I had forgotten how powerful those  little gadgets are!Jacques still loved them..I made half the recipe and it made 5 not 6 though~

Also tried a new spice..you see it to the left on the Wasabi mayo ..Nanami Togarashi~A type of Chili Pepper..  sparkled with black sesame seeds..It is so beautiful when you sprinkle it out from the tiny hole..I had never seen any here..They were a gift..I would recommend it to anyone..
Different and delicious~

P.S. I jumped the gun(an expression in English right?)..on this weekend's post..Bon Weekend!~

Because of Carol's post today..My post w/ Sara Midda was ready :)  I could not pass a Serendipitous moment of joining in with Carol~!

PPSS .. I ordered the book she mentioned today..I know it will be a favorite of mine..

Dans Notre Jardin~ et dans Notre Cuisine~

Above taken with Nexus 7Android..never knew..

Or..:)

Des omelettes..des quiches..(Pre baked ..and then baked again to crisp u the part that was in the quiche pan:)..I LOVE quiches..I really do.. du pain..des mauves:..Miss Kim korean lilacs..Alliums...Columbines.. Solomon's Seals.and butterflies ..thanks to the lilacs.. and Rose Cottage..aka La  Maison Des Jardins..in it's very early stages..when the gardens fill in around her..she is more photogenic:)


Rose Cottage is at the end of our property on the left hand side..The hedge..our hedge that our children helped us plant..11 yrs ago is to the left..It needs a yearly cut..it took beautifully..
Rose Cottage sits on the limits:)
There's an apple tree..  it's what I see out our side bedroom window..and birdhouse planter..  Geraniums and roses and a new flowering almond...the front end is a potting area the back end houses the tractor..and garden tools..
The flagstone path leads to the pond/fairy garden..that leads to the round cutting garden..then side garden..Everything looks a little busy before the clematis hide the structures..:(But once the leaves and blooms grow..it all kind of disappears..:)

And only nature shows..like my camouflage expert up above:)


My Alliums..  their growth spurt..reminds me of one of my all time favorite Rod McKuen poems~

Number 8 From Caught In the Quiet~


Love,
being the right hand of God,
should be dealt with courteously.
And fireworks that fizzle in July
should not be held accountable in August.
I will not scold you
just because you changed your mind,
though I'll admit a jealousy of curtains
that just now separate your face from mine.

His poetry  still moves me no end~Caught In The Quiet..still maybe my best?  Ok Maybe not..all of them!

Alliums are like FIREWORKS~

Plant some if you can..they return every yr..small ..medium..or Gigantic:)

To Follow:)

I know..this is supposed to be a food blog:)
But when new blooms are involved..
Or wee boys..I tend to sway~I still bake and cook...but the gardens call me more than food to photo..you would think I raised chickens with all the eggs:-)
Wish..

Plus bleu..que le bleu de tes yeux~

Ahh..Charles Aznavour♥
Accompagné d'Edith Piaf..Quoi de mieux?
Such a pretty pretty song..

Here in QC..  not mieux..but blue blessings for sure~

 Saved and pressed pansies..violas..and Forget~ Me ~Nots..
Even at the beginning of the season ..there are enough blooms to press to make a tray..don't forget some greenery..

These are the trays I mentioned..
You try and find vintage trays..remove the images they have..and replace with your own words and blooms~
Simply cut white paper.. to the size of the glass.. make an arragement of flowers.. white glue them on..and add verse..
They are great for toiletries..jewelry.. and they make very personal sweet gifts.
You just have to get lucky and find the old trays that have glass tops~

Just thought I would tell you so that you can start gathering your blooms:)
And appreciating your bluems.♥

For the edible part ..I made little almond cakes in my Cannelés molds~
I was reminded of them..  very recently..but instead of cannelés..picked Almond cakes..
Recipe found on Pinterest but it did not lead to a blog..nor to a method of anything..Just the recipe~

La Recette~

1 1/4 cups sugar
1 free range egg..mine was not..
 1 1/2 tsps almond extract
2/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp cinnmon
8 tbsps melted butter..
That was it..

So..Preheat oven to 350 degrees F..
I used my silicone (8  spots..)cannelés mold
and one small rectangular loaf..maybe 5 inches by 3 inches..

Prep them

 I added the sugar to the melted butter then the egg..milk ..flavoring..I mixed my dry ings and added to the wet and mixed until well combined..
The cannelés molds took ap 35 mins..the rect loaf just a couple of minutes more~

Very Good..easy peasy~

 Take care..Bon Weekend~

It was 90 degrees F today..here in QC~

Wonder what the weekend will be like?