Sunday, May 30, 2010

'HONORING MEMORIAL DAY' ~ SALUTE TO THE GARDEN ... MAY'S RED, WHITE & BLUE

"The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree."

~ Thomas Campbell



RED, WHITE, AND BLUE MAY GARDEN

Friday, May 28, 2010

'JUST ANOTHER PRETTY FACE' ~ ORIENTAL POPPY (Papaver orientale)

"Beauty is not the face; beauty is a light in the heart."

Khalil Gibran


ORIENTAL POPPY
(Papaver orientale)

'Light of the heart'


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ PAEONIA 'SCARLET O'HARA'

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made,
and forgot to put a soul into."
~ Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts, 1858

Paeonia 'Scarlett O'Hara'


Monday, May 24, 2010

MONDAY MUSING ~ MAY MINI- GARDEN TOUR

"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow."
~ Author Unknown


EXBURY AZALEA

DOUBLE HIBISCUS

ROCK GARDEN

BEARDED IRIS



ROCK GARDEN

HOSTA ~ LADY'S MANTLE

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis 'Gold Heart')
HOSTA

FADING TRILLIUM

WILDFLOWER GARDEN



RHODODENDRON


HEUCHERA ~ LIGULARIA

EXBURY AZALEA

ALLIUM

BACK GARDEN
(Allium, Ostrich ferns, exbury azalea, hosta, Lady's Mantle, Daylilies)


Thursday, May 20, 2010

'MAY YOUR LIFE BE LIKE A WILDFLOWER ... ' ~ CHEVRE and MOREL CHEESECAKE

"May your life be like a wildflower growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day"

~ Native American proverb

Yellow Lady's Slipper
(Cypripedium Calceolus L.)
Orchid Family

______________

CHEVRE and MOREL CHEESECAKE
(Goat Cheesecake with Mushrooms)

~ Savory Cheesecake from France ... Routas Culinary Director Frances Wilson
___________

Base:

1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
5 Tbsp. melted butter
course salt & freshly ground pepper

Topping:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 washed and finely chopped leek
4 oz. washed fresh morel mushrooms
(or favorite wild mushrooms)
12 oz. fresh chevre
(or favorite goat cheese)
12 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup creme fraiche
1 lightly beaten large egg
1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs like tarragon, parsley or thyme
3 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 egg whites

  • Preheat oven to 350ยบ.
  • Combine Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and butter in a bowl. Season with salt & freshly ground pepper. Press into base of a 9-inch springform pan.
  • Heat butter in a pan and add leeks. Cook over low heat to soften the leeks. Add morels. Cook for a couple of minutes. Allow to cool.
  • Place chevre, softened cream cheese and creme fraiche. Mix in the egg, chopped herbs, flour and salt. Add leeks and morels and combine.
  • Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into the mixture. Pour mixture over the base.
  • Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour our until almost set. Cool in oven for a further hour. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve as appetizer or lunch dish with green salad.






NOTE: Found in swamps, bogs, wet woods. Flower is yellow, inflated pouch, single or sometimes 2 per stem. Petals are long, narrow, twisted, and mottled with brown or purple. Stem is leafy with 3-6 broad, parallel veined leaves that somewhat sheath the stem.
(Michigan Wildflowers in Color)


Protected Michigan Wildflower ~ DO NOT DISTURB

Monday, May 17, 2010

MONDAY MUSING ~ 'THE LILAC'

"Here comes the time when, vibrating on its stem, every flower fumes like a censer; and noises perfumes circle in the evening air."

Charles Baudelaire



LILAC
(Syringa vulgaris)

Saturday, May 15, 2010

'BEHOLD THE GARDEN FAIR' ~ MID-MAY MARVELS

"How fair is a garden amid the toils and passions of existence."

~ Benjamin Disra

Centaurea montana
Allium


Chives


Allium


Azelea (Karen)










Rhododendron & Azalea


Heuchera, Japanese Painted Ferns, columbine, bergenia


Centaurea montana, heuchera, oriental poppy, tulip, Lady's Mantle


Blooming Buddies


Blue




Exbury Azaleas

The Garden





The Wildflower Garden