Sourdough Cranberry-Orange Bread is a Delightful Holiday (or anytime) Treat

Among all the super-sweet and overly rich holiday treats, here's one that's not. In fact it packs a bit of a tang amid the moist, cornmeal laced bread. 

Sourdough Butterflake Refrigerator Rolls

I suppose I wouldn't have to serve Sourdough Butterflake Rolls every Thanksgiving, but I always do. Light and buttery, they are baked in muffin tins after the turkey comes out of the oven so they are fresh and warm when the feasting begins. Nothing tastes as good a fresh rolls right out of the oven! They have become a beloved tradition in our home and some might say that they enjoy them even more than the turkey!

Never Eat a Cold Cookie: Big Batch Mixing for Warm Cookies Anytime

The roar of the school bus was followed by distinct screech of brakes and the squeak of the opening bus door. Someone was home from school! Soon the back door was flung open and then slammed shut. On the table sat plate of homemade cookies welcoming the hungry student. He saw them immediately and sauntered over and grabbed one. 

"Hey, these cookies are cold!" 

Guilty. I plead guilty to spoiling that young man. (Although he did grow up to become a rather nice guy.)

 But admit it. You prefer your homemade cookies warm as well.  

Spicy Valentine Cookies say "I Love You"

Cookies = Love. 

Doesn't it? 

And these cookies happen to say "I love you very much". 

At least when I make them.

Skillet Cookies are a Yummy Gluten-free and Dairy-free Choice

It's okay to love these cookies because they are both gluten-free and dairy-free. Sometimes you have to choose your food by what isn't in it and these cookies are a fine choice. Their true value, however, is that they are just an excellent cookie regardless of diet preferences. Very tasty! 

A Companion is a Fine Thing

Stella D'Oro daylily and Walker's Low Catmint make fine companions.

A companion is a fine thing. Everyone needs a good companion. Even your garden plants!

Solomon's Song and the June Garden

This David Austin Rose has a scent as lovely as its flower.

A love poem found in The Song of Solomon (in the Bible) along with some photos from the June garden:

Larkspur is a favorite reseeding annual. 

"Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away, 

Tanacetum parthenium has multitudes of tiny daisies.

The Garden is Not Silent

Clematis ‘Comtesse de Bouchard' has never been lovelier. 

Silver lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) on the arbor's left 
and clematis and honeysuckle on the right. 

Before dawn, just as a first glimmer of light emerges, a song begins. A solo becomes a duet, then a quartet and the chorus erupts. The birds are welcoming another day. 

Summer Borscht: We Called it Beet Leaf Soup

Usually eaten only in the spring or early summer, Summer Borscht is a beloved soup.

Imagine a world without year-round access to fresh and frozen produce. What would you eat in the winter? Well, you would eat canned fruits and vegetables, perhaps some that you preserved yourself from your large summer vegetable garden. And you would eat potatoes (also grown in that garden) because potatoes can be stored for long periods of time. Some cured or canned meat might round out the menu along with some bread.  

Hope Springs

Crocus might begin blooming in February.

Spring is a great reminder to never give up hope. All is bleak and brown, stiff and silent, but then we begin to see glimmers of green. It's not much, but it is something. 

A Wonderful Holiday

I am still basking in the warmth of a wonderful holiday season. For many the season will seem in the distant past and attention is now drawn to organizing, dieting and a more peaceful simplicity. I'm headed that way, too, but before I get too far down that path, I need to take a little time to reflect on this cherished holiday.  

Raise Your Hand If You Love Cornbread

 

Do you love cornbread?

Out there among those raised hands may very well be a couple of young men who once upon a time lived in our home. They loved cornbread then and still do, selecting restaurants based on cornbread and happy to eat it at any time.