October Daily 13:

 

This morning I wished for gloves on my hands when I walked. I tucked them up as far as I could into my coat sleeves. When I got home a mug of hot chocolate seemed like just the thing. Roses continue to bloom, although these Secret roses are paler than earlier in the season, and looking a little tattered around the edges. They still smell heavenly. 

I'm keeping a close watch on the weather reports, to ensure that I bring in all the tomatoes before it freezes. We've been down to 5 or 6 thus far (Celsius), so there is a bit of time yet. The little grape and cherry tomatoes get eaten up quickly. For my solitary lunches I like to cut a handful in half, along with cucumber and red bell pepper chunks and eat them with cottage cheese, all drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar. 

This afternoon I picked a few apples and made an Apple Cake. It's a favourite recipe around here, given to me many years ago by a friend in Ecuador. It's equally good with whipped cream, ice cream, or caramel sauce, but I prefer my cakes plain. 

Our apples have quite a few worms in them this year, in spite of spraying them early on, before the apples formed. But there is plenty of good flesh on them, too. I hope to make more applesauce soon. 

On Friday: Summer on the Wane

 

Reddening apples are a sure sign that summer days are numbered. That, along with much cooler temperatures and cloudy skies. The bright greens of early summer mellow and soften into duller shades. I'm not nearly ready to let go of summer yet, and we have at least another six weeks of reasonably good weather. 

I've been preserving the harvest lately. Applesauce is a hit with all the grandchildren and I make it to share. Our apple trees are loaded this year. I also made 6 apple crisps, and partially baked them before tucking them into the freezer. Fig jam joined the apricot and raspberry jars made earlier. 

The garden is producing steadily - green beans, zucchini, lettuce, and tomatoes. I harvested onions a couple of weeks ago and yesterday put in some winter kale, broccoli, and leeks. We are fortunate to have such a mild climate. Ratatouille was on the menu last night and I spent several hours chopping eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, tomato and garlic, along with thyme, rosemary, and parsley, then sauteeing each vegetable separately before adding a squeeze of lemon and some basil. I made enough to put three more meals into the freezer. 

My sweet mother celebrated her 85th birthday this week. My sister held a party on Sunday. We didn't attend, but on the morning of her birthday I called Mom before she went to her regular day of quilting at MCC to wish her a happy day. I had sent a package over earlier. Then, I drove to the ferry and crossed to the mainland. My dad met me outside the quilt room (he was in on the surprise) and together we walked into the room. I'll always remember the look of surprise on my mom's face - priceless! I took them out for lunch and we visited for a bit at their home, then I drove back to the ferry and was home again shortly after 7. It was a long day, but so worth it!

I have no idea what this dahlia's name is, but she's a showy creature, producing bloom after bloom of coral-coloured flowers. 

Cosmos are growing taller than I am, with cheerful pink blooms. Zinnias, roses, hydrangeas - the garden is awash is colour as the flowers put out their best effort knowing that the season is short. 

Sunset arrives earlier each day. We took a walk along the water around 8 pm and watch the sun slip in and out of the clouds on its way down behind the islands. 

I'll be tackling the job of cleaning out the deep freezer tomorrow. It would have been easier to do it before starting to fill it up, but that didn't get done. I want to organize it better as it's in a bit of a shambles just now. Do you keep a written inventory of what's in your freezer, or is it all in your head? Mine is the latter, but my daughter is inspiring me to consider the former. 

Happy Weekend, dear readers. Take time to enjoy the beauty of each day.  

Apples, Dahlias, and other good things

It was a lovely afternoon - such an afternoon as only September can produce when summer has
stolen back for one more day of dream and glamour. (L.M. Montgomery)

Lucy Maud Montgomery's writings remain as popular now as they have been for many years. Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon remain close friends of mine and I occasionally dip into the books even at my very adult age. 

Recently, a local sculptor, Nathan Scott, collaborated with an east coast artist to create a new statue of LMM. Grace Curtis did the sketches and Nathan sculpted the bronze piece that now resides at Cavendish, PEI. I love the way LMM is captured holding her face to the sky and soaking in whatever loveliness she felt. 

"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you." (L.M. Montgomery)

This morning I went out to cut a bouquet of dahlias. I think I love dahlias more and more each year. I'm already thinking of what colours and shapes I want to add to my small collection. I think I need some dark burgundy blooms, and pale yellow. I have a yellow dahlia, but it's in a pot and because of that the stems are quite short and unsuitable for cutting. Next year I'll know better. 

"If I wasn't a human girl, I think I'd like to be a bee and live among the flowers." Anne Shirley (L.M. Montgomery)

Just before my clippers snipped this blossom I noticed two bees, curled up fast asleep among the petals. At first I wondered if they were alive, but one stretched his legs out and rolled over to let me know they were okay. I tiptoed away, not wanting to disturb their slumber. 

"I believe that the nicest and sweetest of days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.
Anne Shirley (L. M. Montgomery)

The tawny shades of hydrangeas fit so well with autumn. Where the light shines directly on them, they are burgundy, pink, and green. Underneath, paler blue. 

I have noticed a LOT of spiders coming in this year. I know they like to hide out in flowers, so as soon as I brought the hydrangeas into the house I plunged them into a sink filled with water mixed with some white vinegar. The crawlies soon came to the surface. 

I've been using peppermint oil as a deterrent for the last day or two and I think that's working, too. I diluted it and put it into a spray bottle to squirt around windows and door frames. 

"Everything we had was small except our love and our happiness." Emily of New Moon (L.M. Montgomery)

We have a bumper crop of apples this year. If you lived nearby, I'd be happy to share them with you. I've made apple cake, apple crisp (5 of them for the freezer), several apple tartes, and included them in salads and savoury dishes, too. They are wonderful! 

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."
Anne Shirley (L.M. Montgomery)

This morning (I don't teach until the afternoon today), I made a Bavarian Apple Tarte, first tasted at my cousin Caroline's house and made many, many times since. It's quick and easy to make, and a great go-to recipe for a gathering. It's still in the pan here because I made it to share with friends and it needs to travel. 

What is September like for you just now?

Five Favourites: A Taste of Summer

It happens each year. Each green shoot poking upwards is oohed and aahed over. When the first flower appears, perhaps a yellow crocus, my heart sings. Little by little more flowers show up and each one is admired. 

Then the first warm days arrive and the blooms rush one upon the other so that it's impossible to keep track of them all. I liken it to when my children were very young and I knew each word they could say. Then, from one day to the next, they began speaking words I hadn't taught them and couldn't possibly count. 

This morning, while putting my bags in the car, this flower-laden rhododendron smacked me with its showy beauty. Last year, it bloomed not at all. This year, it's making up for it by being covered with perfect blooms.  

I took a few pictures with my phone this morning, and went out again this evening for more with my camera. Pink rhodos are first on this post of five favourites. 

Second is cauliflower rice. I'd read about it and thought that it couldn't be very good. When we were in the Cotswolds two summers ago (can it be that long?) I picked up a BBC Easy Cook magazine with a recipe for Cauliflower Pilaf. I tried it last week and was very pleasantly surprised. Have you ever tried cauliflower rice? 

Third are the bleeding hearts. I think they need to be moved elsewhere in the garden because they aren't flourishing. There are just a couple of stems with blooms, but they dangle like charms.

We've had a delightful taste of summer this week, with above average temperatures. I've enjoyed every minute of it. The apple trees obviously like it, too, with pale pink blossoms opening to the sun.  

The stars of the garden just now, for me, are the bluebells. I pick them by fistfuls and plunk them into short vases in the house. I love their faint sweet fragrance, and of course, their colour. So pretty. 

Our little bit of summer is set to disappear over the weekend. I know it will return and I've enjoyed this appetizer of the season to come. It wasn't difficult to find five favourites to share with you today. I hope spring has arrived in your corner (or fall if you're below the equator), bringing with it all the delights of the changing seasons. 

Improving Upon a Good Thing

Back in 2010, I first posted this recipe for Apple Cake on my recipe blog. (I like keeping all my recipes together in one spot, hence the separate blog. Makes it easy to search.)

Anyways, I make this cake every year. It's a recipe I first tasted in the jungles of Ecuador, made by a good friend. It's delicious, as is, served with softly whipped cream. 

I've mentioned previously how I love watching The Great British Bake Off, and how inspiring I find it. I know there's a new series going now, not on the BBC, and I haven't watched any of it, yet. I have to find out where to view it.

Back to the cake. Inspiration struck when I thought about apples and apple crisp. For me, the best part is the crispy topping. I make a triple or quadruple batch of the topping to keep in the freezer for quick crisps. 

"What if," I thought, "I put some of the apple crisp topping on the apple cake?" 

I did. It's delicious. An improvement upon an already very good cake. Especially after drizzling an icing sugar, butter and cream glaze over top. 

Apple Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar
4 cups apples, cored, not peeled, diced
1/2 cup oil 
1 cup nuts (I omit, due a husband not fond of the crunchy bits)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda (reduced from the original recipe)

About 1 1/2 cups of apple crisp topping (I use one with oatmeal)

1. Stir together sugar, apples, oil, and nuts, if using, in a medium large bowl. 
2. Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir well.
3. In another bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Stir.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the apple mixture. Stir just to combine. It will be thick.
5. Spread in oiled 9 x 13 baking pan (I use glass).
6. Sprinkle the apple crisp topping over the batter.  
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
8. While still hot, drizzle a mixture of melted butter (1-2 Tablespoons, 1-2 Tablespoons cream or milk, enough icing sugar to make a spoon-able glaze.)

Enjoy for dessert with a cup of milky chai tea.

Before dessert, this is what we ate for dinner. 

I've been making a few of these sheet pan dinners lately. So easy. Cube vegetables, or cut into bite-sized pieces - here it's sweet potato, red onion, broccoli, and sweet red pepper. Spread on baking sheet. 
Add chunks of chicken breasts (as above), or sausage pieces, or pork chops. 
Season to taste - today it was salt, a pepper medley, and fresh rosemary.
Roast at 420 degrees for 30 minutes. Dinner is served!

April in the Garden

My camera arrived home this week. I am so tickled to have it in my possession once again. And it's just in time for the apple blossoms! Most buds are still tightly closed and such a delicate and fresh pink. 

A few buds unfurl towards the sun, revealing pale blush pink petals surrounding creamy stamens. How beautiful the light is in the late afternoon. 

A few violets have emerged spontaneously from a mossy bed. 

In the vegetable beds, lettuce is flourishing and we'll have a salad for two within the next week or so. Peas are up, and radishes. Teensy green apricots dangle from hair-thin stems on the apricot tree. Herbs are flourishing and add fresh flavour to our meals these days. 

Strawberries are blooming and I've seen a few bees buzzing around which bodes well for fruit. 

The fig tree can't wait to bear fruit as it's forming even as the leaves emerge. I never noticed this concurrence before. 

Our local grocery store celebrated an anniversary this past weekend, and while trundling through the aisles on Saturday I was offered a pretty long-stemmed rose and a piece of cake. I brought both home and am enjoying the bit of colour on the mantel. Tim and I managed to make short work of the cake.

How is your garden doing? I hope that warmth and sunshine are coming to your corner of the world, or cooler and rainy if you're in the southern hemisphere. We've had a LOT of rain this spring which makes things grow beautifully - especially the lawns. 

Five on Friday: Apples

Apples come into their own in autumn. Some varieties ripen early, others later. They are so versatile; suitable for desserts, but also add a bit of sweetness to savory dishes as well. I like many varieties of apples, but they have to be crunchy, not mealy. And I'm not very fond of Red or Golden Delicious apples, are you? Here are five (plus a half) things I like to do with apples.

1. Photograph them. Red apples in a green tree against a bright blue sky are the prettiest things. 

1.5 Eat them raw. I like them cut into wedges when I'm at home where a knife is handy, but while out and about, if an apple tree (not on private property) makes itself known, I'll happily pick one, rub it on my shirt, and take bites all around the core. 

2. Bavarian Apple Torte - Cream cheese, almonds, a buttery crust, and apples make a wonderful dessert. I've found that Granny Smith or Transparent apples work best in this recipe; others tend to stay a bit crunchy, and for this dessert, fully softened is best. My cousin first served this recipe to me, and it's now in one of our family compilations. Always a winner. 

3. Apple Crisp with Creme Anglaise - Apple crisp is a classic autumn dessert. I used to serve it with ice cream, and it's certainly yummy, but once I served it with creme anglaise (aka custard sauce), I never looked back. 

I like to keep a mixture of the crisp topping in the freezer so that I can bake up a crisp on a whim. It's also good if I want to make a dessert for just two of us - sliced enough apples for two small dishes, sprinkle sufficient topping over, and bake. I confess to liking a high proportion of topping to apple.

4. Apple Pastry Squares - Easier than making apple turnovers is this version of apples and pastry. The pastry has milk and an egg in it and is easily patched. It's rough looking and made even more delicious with the icing sugar glaze. 

5. Peanut Caramel Dip - For a snack, or if you are bringing something to a party, this dip is always a hit. What's not to like about caramel and peanut butter? Rather than unwrap dozens of those little caramels, I came up with a "from scratch" sauce that takes no more time. 

Clicking on the links will take you to the recipes.

What's your favourite way to eat apples in the fall? 

Linking with Five on Friday, hosted by Amy at Love Made My Home.   

Birthdays, Apples and Caramel

Dinner on Sunday evening was at Il Terrazo, tucked into a pedestrian alley downtown. Such a lovely place. Brick fireplaces, lamps, plants and pottery, and a corner where the music was not playing made for a great ambiente as Tim said later. The food was wonderful, in fact, I brought part of my dish home and enjoyed it for lunch. 

Home then for cupcakes made by the youngest daughter (not in the photo). Chocolate cakes with Earl Grey icing and a caramel drizzle. Mmm good! Thanks, Ashley! The three  (yours truly, eldest daughter and daughter-in-law) birthday girls blew out the candles together.

I'm very fond of table linens. In August, while helping our youngest and her husband move, Ashley and I visited On the Table, a new-ish linen and decor store near their home. Oh. my. So many beautiful things.

I guess I oohed and aaahed sufficiently that the children went together and purchased this Italian linen table runner for me. It's thick, with a bit of lace on each end.  

One of my favorite fall recipes is a caramel and peanut butter dip for fruit, usually apples, but pears and grapes work well, too. It comes together quickly; the most tedious part is unwrapping 30 of those individual caramels. Doing it with someone else makes it seem less tedious. Tim helped me.

Caramel Peanut Butter Dip

30 caramels (unwrapped, one by one)
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter (I use the no sugar variety)

Place the caramels and water into a glass bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds or a minute until the mixture is melted. It may take some stirring to incorporate the water. Add the peanut butter and still until everything is a smooth unctuous mixture perfect for dipping those crisp fall apples! 

How are you enjoying the fall apples? 

Tea Cup in the Mail

Stephanie of The Enchanting Rose hosts a teacup (or mug) exchange twice a year. I've read about it but never got my act together enough to participate. This year I said I would. 

Several weeks ago I received a lovely parcel in the mail. Tearing off the mailing wrapper, I discovered a French-themed gift box with an Eiffel Tower. Loved it! Inside the box was an elegant tea cup, a hand knit dishcloth, teabags, a package of silvery napkins to match the cup, a trio of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (yum), and a note from Sandra of Ravenhill Cottage.

Here's a close up of the teacup. Isn't it pretty? I'm looking forward to trying the Blackberry and Elderflower tea. I've not done so yet, because tomorrow is the big link up at Stephanie's blog for all the participants to show their tea items.

My parcel was sent to England and I didn't take a photo of it before mailing it. I don't think it's arrived quite yet. 

A big thank you to Sandra for the parcel, and another big thank you to Stephanie for organizing the exchange.  

While chocolate and tea make a perfect pairing, sometimes a savory treat goes equally well with tea. This past weekend (Thanksgiving), I tried out a new recipe for an Apple Cheddar Tart appetizer. It was different, and quite yummy, although my husband said the apple was unexpected. Guess I'll have to warn him next time! 

Apple Season

  
Orchards used to grow where there are subdivisions today. The odd tree survives, mute witness to a once productive landscape, abandoned now among blackberries, ivy and natural growth. We see them along our walks and collect apples from time to time. Our little trees don't yet produce enough. 

With a few scavenged apples (pale green, crisp and moderately sweet) I made a Norwegian Apple Cake. The recipe comes from Mia's blog "Mias Landliv. It's a delightful place to visit, full of the beauty of Mia's garden, her charming home and her sewing and knitting projects. If you aren't a regular visitor, I'd encourage you to pop over there.

Mia served her cake with ice cream, but I had some caramel sauce left over from the pumpkin cheesecake we enjoyed over the weekend. Delicious!

Apples go so well in so many recipes. What's your favourite way to use them?