Parrot tulips ...

bloom from mid-spring onwards

the subtle accents of colour on the outer petals enhance the character of these blooms.
What's your favourite colourway?

Salted Caramel Sauce

Salted caramel sauce

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp gray sea salt or kosher salt (I used abit more)

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over a medium/low heat until the sugar dissolves.

Increase heat and boil, without stirring.

If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the crystals on the side of the pan.

Boil until the syrup is a nice amber colour (about 5-6 minutes) 

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream (mixture will bubble and spit)

Stir in the unsalted butter and salt.

Transfer to a container to cool

Enjoy!

Todd's favourite cookies

So I was craving chocolate biscuits this afternoon and having been given Todd English's "Cooking in Everyday English" book and thought I'd try Todd's favourite cookies and they're good! 

Not being a lover of peanuts I omitted these, used a variety of chocolate morsels and almonds instead of walnuts.

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour (I used spelt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup white chocolate morsels
1/2 cup coursely chopped walnuts
1/4 peanut butter morsels (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat butter and sugars in an electric mixer
Add eggs, 1 at a time,beating until blended 

Combine the flour and next 3 ingredients and slowly add to the butter mixture, beat until well blended
Stir in the chocolate and nuts
Drop a large teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheets

Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (I found 8-10 was sufficient) until edges are browned
Cool on the baking sheets for acouple  of minutes
Remove from the baking sheets to a wire rack
Makes 4 dozen 

The Tennis Partner

Just finished reading this book and loved it!

An unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive, from the acclaimedNew York Times bestselling author of Cutting for Stone

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unraveling, relocates to El Paso, Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at the county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security in the sport they love and with each other. This friendship between doctor and intern grows increasingly rich and complex, more intimate than two men usually allow. Just when it seems nothing can go wrong, the dark beast from David’s past emerges once again—and almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened as David spirals out of control.

Colours

Love the use of colour here, I'm partial to the second panel and I'm not really a "yellow" person.

What's your favourite panel?

Would you?

I'd love to take a soak in this bath! What a fabulous idea, imagine the fun a child would have at bath time! hahahaha

Good morning sunshine!

Wishing you a wonderful day ....

Spicy pistachio nuts

Mummm ...

This recipe is from the Matakana  School cook book.

It called for raw cashew nuts but I subbed with pistachio nuts!

You can really use any raw nut and alter the spice mix to your own taste.

200 ml vegetable oil for frying

250 gm raw cashew nuts

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

Quickly fry the nuts in the oil for afew minutes, tossing the whole time.

Drain the nuts on absorbent paper.

Dry fry the spices and salt over a medium heat and then return the nuts.

Stir for afew minutes until the nuts are well coated.

Cool and serve or serve warm.

               

Garlic lemon fish

Mmm mm mm ...

From the Edmonds Cookery Book, that most kiwi gal's have, here's a great recipe!

Did modify it by using tilapia instead of chicken.
8 chicken drumsticks
1 tbsp grated lemon juice
5 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce (I used teriyaki sauce) 
1 tsp paprika
salt
pepper

Combine the lemon rind, juice, garlic, soy sauce and paprika.
Brush each drumstick well with this mixture.
Place on a large sheet of foil.
Wrap foil tightly to enclose the chicken.
Place flat in a shallow dish.
Cook at 180 C (350 F) for 30 minutes or until juices run clear when tested.
(Fish~ 25 minutes perfect for the tilapia)
Season with salt and pepper

Delish! Enjoy

Margaret From Maine

Recently read this book and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Brought together by war, separated by duty, a love story for the ages

Margaret Kennedy lives on a dairy farm in rural Maine. Her husband Thomas—injured in a war overseas—will never be the man he was. When the President signs a bill in support of wounded veterans, Margaret is invited to the nation’s capital. Charlie King, a handsome Foreign Service officer, volunteers to escort her. As the rhododendron blossoms along the Blue Ridge Highway, the unlikely pair fall in love—but Margaret cannot ignore the tug of her marriage vows.

Joseph Monninger’s Margaret from Maine is a page-turning romance that poignantly explores the dilemmas faced by those who serve our country—and the men and women who love them.

Sandy on Grape Bay Beach

Sandy's mama is back! While she was away we went to Grape Bay Beach.
He'd not been here for awhile, he found a new tennis ball and he was off... loving all these new aromas.

Full body plunge, this was almost a daily experience for him, he just loves our beautiful Bermuda waters and would happily lead the way.

We spent several hours looking into lovely little pools, he chased his shadow and just had a great afternoon.

We even saw jelly fish and he knew to stay clear of these!

Sandy's sunning and I'm ....

... making lemon curd!

Miss Lily (and her parents) gave me a lovely Bermuda cook book for Christmas and with a surplus of lemons I decided to tackle this recipe.

Mind you don't grate your finger as I did!

Lemon curd (I actually halved this)
1 cup margarine (I used butter)
10 eggs
4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Grated rind of lemons
1 1/2 cups lemon juice

Combine the first 5 ingredients in the top of a double boiler and cook over hot water, stirring constantly until the margarine has melted.
Add the lemon juice and cook until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly, about 20 minutes.
Do not boil.
Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal

I then repeated the process using limes

Both are absolutely delish!

Sandy's shadow

Today's outing and Sandy's sooooooo patient as I experiment with my camera!

Sandy at Spittal Pond...

Hummm.....

Sunday was an over cast day, so we went with cameras exploring.

We met a friend at Spittal Pond and away we went.

Lots of salt spray, scampering crabs, crashing waves, wet rocks and pools, which we spent time looking into searching for shells and sea life.

Also lots of cactus and fruit, lush foliage and paths wish Sandy just loved checking out.

We sure had an adventure, he's exhausted and asleep at my feet!

Sandy's abit wind swept!

Sandy and I had a lovely walk around Shaw Park and Spanish Point this morning! 
The wind was whipping and he so loved all the different smells and people he met!

Daisies ...

Oh there's something special about the little faces of white daisies on a winter's morning!
Take a peak at the blooms Sandy and I saw this morning.

Apple pie

Came across one of Jamie Oliver's recipes for apple pie and decided to try this.
Must admit I didn't make my pastry, used a pre-made sweet pastry.

Mmmmmm.... it's my new favourite apple pie now! Love the inclusion of lemon.

Pre-made sweet pastry, cut in half and rolled out for the base and the top of the pie.

Filling:

• ~ 1 large Bramley cooking apple 
• ~ 4 eating apples (try Cox’s or Braeburn)
• ~ 3 tablespoons Demerara or muscovado sugar
• ~ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ~ a handful of sultanas or raisins
• ~ ½ a lemon (zest and juice)
• I used a combination of apples and plain sugar.

 Peel and slice your apples, add grated zest of half a lemon, then squeeze in a little juice, add the sugar, ginger and sultanas
Toss to mix in a pan on a medium low heat
Simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the apples are just tender
Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Put into your pie dish, then top with your second piece of rolled pastry.

Brush the top of the pie with egg or milk wash, then using a small sharp knife, make a couple of small incisions in the centre of the pie to let steam escape as it cooks.

Cook at 180 (350) for 45-60 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.

Absolutely delish, especially with vanilla ice cream!

Happy Monday!

Cream of spinach soup

Mmm ... mmm what a great idea on this winter day. 

Thought I'd try a new recipe today and really pleased with the end result!

1 1/2 cups water

3 cubes chicken bouillon

10 oz fresh spinach

3 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

1 chopped onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the onion, spinach, water and bouillon, bring to the boil and cook until the spinach is tender, cool slightly then process a blender.

Melt the butter, stir in the flour then gradually whisk in the milk. Season with salt and pepper, stirring constantly until it thickens then add the blended spinach mixture.

Yum!

Surprises ...

Humm...... wonder what I have around the corner for me! 

Sandy's botanical garden walk this morning

I'm looking after magnificent "Sandy" at the moment. He's the coolest golden lab I know.

Waiting for "Miss Lily" at 6.50 am to arrive before we head to the Bermuda botanical gardens for our morning adventure.

With his buddies, "Miss Lily" (black dog) and "Solace" (mini poodle), Sandy loves meeting them.

We enjoyed a lovely sunrise, lots of interesting aromas and of course treats from Solace's and Miss Lily's mummies.

I'll keep you posted on our adventures!

Pea and ham soup

Having just finished the last of our Christmas ham, I decided to prepare pea and ham soup.
I'm one for trying recipes off the back of packets, let's face it, if it's on the back of a product it must have been tried and tested, so it's worthy of a try!

Here's Jack Rabbits, green split pea recipe; it's looking good!
1 lb green split peas
3 quarts water
1 small ham shank
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I prefer fresh garlic, so I finely chopped 3 gloves)
1/2 tsp oregano
ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup celery, chopped (I omitted as I didn't have any)

In a deep pot, combine the peas, water, ham shank, onion, chicken bouillon and seasonings.
Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours

Remove ham shank; trim the meat off the bone and return to the pot.
Stir in the carrots (and celery)
Simmer uncovered again for 2 1/2 hours

Finished result! Wow, it's tasty, this recipe is a keeper!

Mmm mmm...

Nothing starts my day like coffee...

Have a wonderful day!

Oh yes, this is great to live by ...