Needful Things!

I was at my mothers house for four days straight.  One thing about seniors is they have all these different catalogs.  I love them.  Who knew that there is a gadget to jack up your mattress or pull your toes backwards (which is in more then one catalog).  I looked up the ones I liked to see if they had web sites.  Here is my list for you early Christmas shoppers.  They are in order by my personal favorite's (not my affordability).  Happy shopping or just  browsing.

 


http://www.magnoliahall.comThese are all I can afford from this one

http://www.victoriantradingco.com (cute)

http://www.gaelsong.com 

http://www.designtoscano.com

http://www.artandartifact.com (I have no place for these but I like them)

http://www.sourcecollection.com

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com (I want to buy lots and lots of candy from here but my weight and husband stop me)

https://www.olddurhamroad.com (for the white garden)

http://www.seventhavenue.com (there use to be an outlet near my house where I could snag a great deal)

http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com


http://www.solutions.com (in the catalog there was something I wanted but I could not find it on line)

http://www.touchofclass.com (I am the first to admit that some of their things are a bit over the top and maybe even tacky but I love a romantic bedroom)

Goth Garden

I am just in the planning stage of my Goth Garden.  I really want a grotto.  I find them romantic and mystical.  I have been searching on line for ideas.  Mostly they are so grand that I would need a lifetime to make one.  Fortunately many Catholics make these Mary shrines in their yards.  They seem doable.  I found these photos.

This would look pretty in the white garden but one grotto seems hard enough but you never know.

 This one looks so pagan which I think my garden might end up looking like.  We will see.

 This looks like a project I could rope the husband into doing I mean help me to do.

Darn I don't have a tree stump

  I don't really like the shrine but the statue is cool

       I like this one a lot.  A moss covered cross would look awesome!

 Okay this is kinda of tacky but kind of cute at the same time.  I better stop now!

Renaissance Fair and how it led to the making of Pidpenky (Mushrooms)

A few weeks back we went to a Renaissance Fair.  They have this tasty dish of mushrooms and garlic.  They also give you a bread stick to soak up the broth.    So when I was on this  website http://www.learnpysanky.com/  (because I have always  wanted to make Make Ukrainian Easter eggs) they had Urainian recipes and this was one of them.  It sounds just like what they served at the Ren Fair.  My picture is not as good as hers.  I also made sourdough bread sticks to dunk in the broth. 

Pidpenky

INGREDIENTS
approx. 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms 1 large onion, finely chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup beef consommé (I use Campbell's Broth Consommé)		extra couple packets of dried beef broth, or more canned broth 1/4 cup red wine 3 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp melted butter 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Clean mushrooms well, trim and chop.
2. Put mushrooms, onions, garlic and wine in consommé in large pot. Bring to a boil, simmer for about an hour. You may need more liquid, if so, just add some more liquid broth, or water and powdered broth.
3. Add lemon juice, stir.
4. Melt butter in microwave - stir flour in till smooth, then stir slowly into mushrooms and bring to a boil, stirring.
5. And that's it! If keeping warm, keep on low heat and be sure to stir regularly so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a touch more liquid if necessary.

 

Sourdough Bread Sticks

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups sourdough starter 2 12 tbsps water (needed) 2 12 tbsps olive oil 1 tsp salt Blend together the dry ingredients in mixing bowl; make a well in the center. Pour in sourdough starter and olive oil and mix on low; adding additional water and flour as needed. Knead for approximately 6-8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Remove from bowl and form into a ball and place in a bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours (depending on your starter and the temperature of your kitchen). Turn dough onto floured work surface and gently pull (do not roll) into a rectangle approximately 16 x 8 x 1/2 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 10-12 pieces. Place sticks 2 inches apart on pizza peel (or back of pizza pan) covered with parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes(this will vary depending on your sourdough starter and kitchen temperature). Place baking stone in oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Brush tops of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with preferred topping. Bake for 12-15 minutes until bottoms are light brown. Serve warm So this is my version of mushrooms from the Ren Fair

 

I Really like the Pysanky website.  She has other Ukrainian recipes that I want to try and put on this blog.  Sadly I have no one in the area to teach how to make the Easter eggs.  I guess I will just have to splurge and by some already made. 

 

I did bad, bad thing!

I almost did a bad thing.  My husband is the least reckless person in the world except for (marrying me).  He called JULIE that is the utility company.  Not sure what it stands for.  They came out and painted in bright orange where I should not dig and I kinda of sorta maybe went in that area.  I am digging (and not very deep) and come across a white wire.  I panicked and threw the clumps of dirt back in.  Then I thought, okay I know where the wire is so I took the clumps back out very carefully with my hands and put a daisy in the hole and stuck this sunshine lawn decoration thing in it to remind me to leave that spot alone.  Like somebody else who shall remain nameless is also crossing her finger's that responsible husband does not read this blog! 

                                                                               Bad Daisey and (good sweet mint)

                                               Good Daisey, Rose of Sharron and peppermint (not the sweet mint)

Okay I also did  good thing.  One of my new plants is sweet mint.  Its just like the mint my great-grandma use to grow and make tea out of.  I trimmed it and had a few leaves.  I was going to dry the leaves out but a Vodka Mojito was calling my name.  Here is the recipe.  Not sure GG would approve but why start now!

                             Its a beautiful thing!  I want another one but I don't know if I will kill my new plant! 

Vodka Mojito

• 2 1/2 oz vodka
• 3 fresh mint springs (or 5 little ones)
• 2 tbsp sugar (or 1 tried both ways might split the difference next time)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• ginger ale (or sprite or tonic water)

directions

• 1
  Muddle Mint, sugar, lime & lemon
• 2
  Fill shaker with ice. Add muddled ingredients (or muddle in shaker), ice, vodka & top with ginger ale. Shake.
• 3
  Makes 1 drink.

 recipe with slight changes from http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1285747-Vodka-Mojito?full_recipe=true

More means More!

I am now to the point in the White Garden that no matter what I do, I keep saying I think I need just one or two more of these.  I really want some more daisies and white lavender.  I found these daises at Walmart.  I can't believe they are still in bloom.  I forget the name of them.  It begins with a m.  My Shasta's in another part of the yard have been done for awhile.  I will really like these if they bloom later and are less invasive than the Shasta's.

Perfect white flowers

I planted 3 new flowers this weekend.  A mum, day lilly and white lavender.  I am excited about all three.  I had never seen a white day lilly before.  Every office building always has those yellow ones.  It makes me feel like yellow day lilly's are generic.  I was surprised to see mums already.  It seems to early.  My favorite is the white lavender.  I thought that was going to be hard to find and I would have to mail order it but I found it at Lowes and its beautiful and smells amazing.

Hostess with the mostess

I am almost always a week behind reading the Chicago Tribune Sunday paper.  Last week there was a recipe for Hostess cupcakes.  They filed for bankruptcy.  So it made me crave them.  Mine did not turn out as nice as Leah Eskins did.  Here is the recipe.  I did not have any cognac except Grand Marnier which might be okay but wasn't sure so i didn't use it.  Marshmallow Fluff is a bitch to work with.  So after about a half dozen jokes of what lousy fluffer I would make, I did not make the cute squiggles on the tops.  Guess which ones are mine?  Here is the recipe called
Curlicue cupcakes

Makes 24

Ingredients:
2 dozen chocolate cupcakes
2 cups marshmallow fluff
Chocolate glaze (recipe follows)

Fill:
Fit a pastry bag with a wide, plain tip. Fill bag with fluff. Turn a cupcake over, poke with the tip of the pastry bag, and squeeze to fill. Stop when the cupcake bulges ever so slightly. Return cupcake to its upright position. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Glaze:
Grasp a filled cupcake gently by its sides. Dip head-first into warm glaze. Flip right side up onto a rack and let set. Don't fret over glaze drips. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

Decorate:
When glaze has set, switch to a narrow, plain pastry tip (or simply roll parchment paper into a narrow cone and fill with fluff). Draw linked loops across the cupcake. Let set. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Enjoy.

Chocolate glaze:
Chop 4 ounces semisweet chocolate and tumble into a medium bowl. Heat 1/2 cup heavy cream to boiling. Pour hot cream over chocolate. Cover with a plate and let stand 5 minutes. Gently whisk smooth. Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter (cut into small bits) and 1 teaspoon cognac (optional).

Took these to work today.  They are a big hit.  They are much more adult then Hostess Cupcakes.