Tulips on Mosaic Monday

"Just living is not enough...

one must have sunshine, freedom

and a little flower."

~Hans Christian Anderson

"Bring the tulip and the rose,

While their brilliant beauty glows."

~Eliza Cook

"The tulip's petals shine in dew,

All beautiful, but none alike."

~James Montgomery, On Planting a Tulip-Root

"Life is the flower

for which love is the honey."

~Victor Hugo

"Flowers are love's truest language."

~Park Benjamin

"A flower touches everyone's heart."

~Georgia O'Keefe

"Clean as a lady

cool as glass

fresh without

fragrance

the tulip was."

~Humbert Wolfe, 1924

Thank you, Mary, for hosting

Mosaic Monday.

Please join Mary & others at the



Little Red House



My tulips have been especially beautiful this year.
Next to bloom will be the iris & the lily of the valley, along with the peonies.
I hope you saw or read something here today that lifted your spirits &
made you smile or somehow brightened your day.

fondly,

The Lost Hours - Food For Thought

I'm joining Jain in her creative meme,

Food For Thought

with a review of the book

The Lost Hours
***

While I enjoyed reading this because of the beautiful

descriptions of the plantation & the gardens, (I could easily

envision them before my eyes) I found the book to

be a bit predictable. I prefer that a story tantalize me & end on

an unexpected twist that surprises me & keeps me thinking.

This did not.


Perhaps it was because I've been reading so much lately?

I'm wading through Ahab's Wife

(pun intended)

as well as Sarah's Key,

both of which I have found to be much more interesting.



The beautiful garden in the book enthralled me!

I could easily picture the bench & the stone wall &

all of the plants they spoke of.

I cut these tulips & plunged them into icy cold water then set

them against my brick wall to emulate that feeling of the garden

scenes.

I adore flowers & would spend every waking moment

outside in my flower beds if I could.



The spring tulips have been especially beautiful this year

since the deer seem to have forgotten where we live.



I couldn't think of any specific foods mentioned in the book,

although the main character, Piper Mills is invited to frequent

dinners in the home on the plantation.

I went with Southern fried chicken & coleslaw since the book

takes place in Savannah, GA.

It brings the segregated South to life through the eyes of two

different young women.





In the interest of some semblance of a heart-healthy balance to

the meal, I served all veggies along with the chicken...corn,

tomatoes & I also made the coleslaw with low fat Marzetti's slaw

dressing.



If you are an equestrian this book will also be of interest to you,

as it is the story of an Olympic hopeful & her fall from that

quest...literally!

Thank you, Jain, for providing this venue to read & cook & talk

about the things we love!

Thank you, too, for visiting the Gazebo House.

I hope you have sunshine & flowers & healthy food

in your life today!

fondly,

Wire Baskets for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Look at the darling black wrought-iron
baskets I found at a local thrift shop!

They appear to be brand new.
This one was only $2 &
the larger one below was $3.

I snapped these photos prior to spray painting
them with oil rubbed bronze.

They are drying at the moment &
I will line them with cocoa mats & fresh dirt
prior to setting the plants back into place.

I'm linking up with Linda at

Coastal Charm

for

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Be sure to visit all the participants

for some great inspiration!

I picked up some herbs...
cilantro, lemon thyme & cherry tomato plant.

They'll join my chives & parsley in pots
on the deck near the gazebo so I can just step
out of the kitchen to snip a few while cooking.
I've really missed being able to do that all winter.

I was pleased to see how well the
^pointed^ arch design
matched the trellis that I have behind a rose bush
near the front porch.

Looks like I planned it that way all along,
but it was just pure luck.
I wasn't even thinking about it but
now they'll look great all together
at the entrance.



Thanks Linda for inspiring us to hunt for
Nifty Thrifty Treasures
&
Thanks for stopping by the Gazebo House!

fondly,

Mosaic Monday

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day He created Spring."
~Bern Williams

" Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."~ Maori Proverb

Inhale deeply...

"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary." ~Aaron Rose

Thank you, Mary

Dear Little Red House

for hosting Mosaic Monday &
allowing us to share our world!

fondly,

Cranberry-Tangerine Chutney for Sat. Blog Showcase

Its Saturday!

That means time for the

This weekly event is co-hosted by

Lori @ All That Splatters
&
Ann @ Thibault's Table

Its Ann's turn this week,
so be sure to stop by her blog
to see what others are cooking.




For lunch recently, we had turkey sandwiches with lettuce, cheese & this cranberry-tangerine chutney. Yummo!

I discovered this unusual recipe on Cathy's delicious blog,

Wives With Knives

where she is always cooking up something yummy!
Be sure to check out her photo of it over cream cheese.



It is her mother's recipe & no wonder it has been passed down through the generations.
I look forward to serving it along with a Cuban pork recipe,
called "Pernil" for company this weekend.

I was able to get all of the above jars from her recipe. I gave the two little ones to my sisters for them to try it & the middle size is for my brother, a real Foodie.
We're keeping the big one for us!

The aroma when this is cooking is simply heavenly.
Cinnamon & allspice plus the curry...outstanding!



We're loving the little sandwich thins by Arnold's bakery.
They are just the right size for a light lunch, especially
the diabetic DH, who limits his carb intake.
(and his wife, who SHOULD!)

Here is Cathy's recipe, straight from her blog.
I hope she doesn't mind me copying it.
I did not see a copyright notice but I never
feel comfortable doing that without permission.

Cranberry Tangerine Chutney

• 3 cup fresh cranberries
• 1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (don't skimp. Its an important ingredient)
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 cans mandarin orange slices, drained

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator and will easily form a seal if poured, very hot, into small decorative jelly jars.


Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House today.
I hope you found something you like.
I'll let you know how the Pernil turns out.

fondly,

Panera Knock-off...Asiago Cheese Bread

We ♥ ♥ ♥ Panera breads...especially their Asiago cheese!
It must be one of their most popular choices because they are
frequently out of it when I stop in to buy a loaf
for company that's coming to dinner.
Very Frustrating!

I decided to experiment & try to duplicate it on my own. This recipe tastes very similar to the one you can buy from Panera except for the addition of black pepper, which you could certainly leave out if you prefer.

Asiago Cheese Bread

• 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
  
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups Asiago cheese
• 1 egg

Instructions:

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the bread flour, yeast, salt and pepper.

In small saucepan, heat milk & butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted.

(The water temperature should be between 105° F. and 115° F. I Use an instant read thermometer…it should feel very warm but not hot)

Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth.

Stir in 1 cup of the cheese.

Gradually stir in about 2 cups of the flour to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.

Knead until smooth & elastic, about 10 mins, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Oil large bowl, add dough and turn to coat.

Cover with clean towel. Let rise in warm place 1 hour or until double in volume.

(I use my bread maker, set on 'manual' to do the mixing & the first rise up to this point. I used 3 C. flour)

Coat an 8"x 2" round cake pan (you could use a reg. loaf pan) with cooking spray.

Punch down dough. Form dough into a 6-inch round.

Place in pan. Cover with towel.

Let rise in a warm place away from drafts about 45 minutes or until doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 425º.

Brush top of dough with the lightly beaten egg.

Sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped with fingertips.

Transfer the bread to a wire rack. Let cool.

Ready to go into the oven.
I should have let it rise a bit longer but I
wanted to serve it with dinner, so I rushed it.
It really should be a taller loaf.

I buy my Asiago cheese from Sam's Club
in the big size & just grate my own as needed.
The secret to keeping it fresh & not moldy
is to wrap it in a NEW piece of plastic wrap
after each use.

Bacteria from the air land on the moist surface of the old
plastic wrap as soon as you open it & this will
grow mold on your cheese quickly.

I got this tip to use a fresh DRY piece of plastic
wrap each time its opened
from Brindley's Wine & Cheese Shop
in Venice, FL.
I asked the owner how they managed to keep
such HUGE blocks of cheese so fresh & this
was his advice. It works!

I love this little pepper grinder I found
at my grocery store, Giant Eagle.
I frequently reach for it when cooking meats or preparing soups.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it has some really HOT pepper bits
which became very apparent in the bread.
I won't use it for this recipe again but it is good in lots of other dishes.

I'm joining

& the very creative & inspiring Michael Lee
at
Designs by Gollum

Come see what others are cooking up!

Thank you, Michael, for gathering all
these wonderful recipes
&
thank YOU for visiting The Gazebo House.

Stop back on Saturday to learn about a delicious
Cranberry-Orange Chutney.


fondly,