'SPRING HAS RETURNED...' ~ CHICKEN SATAY & ASIAN ASPARAGUS

"Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems."

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

Cymbidium Orchid

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CHICKEN SATAY & ASIAN ASPARAGUS

~ Simple supper with fresh asparagus ... a hint of 'spring'

(adapted from Foodie Froggy)

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6 chicken breasts, cut in strips

1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil (more if needed)

bamboo skewers

Marinade:

6 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. Mirin (sweet rice wine), sherry or Marsala

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Satay Sauce:

4 Tbsp. peanut butter

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 tsp. chili oil

3 Tbsp. white rice vinegar

4 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

• Combine soy sauce, Mirin (sherry or Marsala), salt & pepper. Add chicken strips, toss, and marinate for 20 minutes.
• Combine ingredients for Satay Sauce in blender. Set aside.
• Heat wok with 1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil until it smokes a little. Add chicken and sauté about 5 minutes (don't overcrowd ... sauté in batches).
• Lower heat and add Satay sauce and all the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes or until heated through.
• Thread chicken on skewers. Serve in bowls with sauce and Asian asparagus. (6 servings)

Note: Chicken can also be threaded on water soaked skewers and grilled 5-7 minutes. Serve Satay sauce on side for dipping.

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ASIAN ASPARAGUS

1 lb. fresh asparagus

3 Tbsp. chopped shallots

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. chili oil

toasted sesame seeds

• Wipe wok clean with paper towel. Heat sesame and chili oil.
• Sauté asparagus and shallots until 'al dente'. Add soy sauce and heat through.
• Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

New Best Friend

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CYMBIDIUM SOCIETY of AMERICA, INC

(An International Orchid Society)

'SMALL MIRACLES' (BLOOMING FRIDAY) ~ JARLSBERG TARTS

"Miracles never cease to amaze me.

I expect them, but their consistent arrival is always delightful to experience."

~ Mark Victor Hansen

~ Small miracle

(Reblooming cymbidium)

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JARLSBERG TARTS

~ Rich custardy appetizer or delightful compliment to fresh green/fruit luncheon salad

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2 packages Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

1 lb. crisp & crumbled bacon

1 lb. shredded Jarlsberg cheese

1 cup whipping cream

3 eggs

1 bunch chopped fine green onions

Lawry's Seasoned Pepper

• Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
• Butter small muffin tins. Cut each crescent into 3 pieces and press each 1/3 into bottom and sides of muffin cup. Sprinkle each with bacon & shredded cheese.
• Beat eggs & whipping cream. Add seasoned pepper and divide filling over each muffin cup. Sprinkle with chopped onion.
• Bake until puffy and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. (24 small tarts)

"ALL SEASONS SHALL BE SWEET TO THEE ... " ~ BLOOM DAY BLESSINGS

~ Cacto de Navidad

(Christmas Cactus)

~ Cyclamen, Cymbidium orchid, Ivy, Christmas Cactus



" ... All seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether the summer clothes the general earth
With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the night thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw ..."

~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge

" FLOWERS ARE MY MUSIC ... " ~ ORCHID SERENADE

"Flowers are my music."

~ Sir Thomas Arnold

~ Black & white phalaenopsis (Moth Orchid)

* Absolutely the #1 best orchid houseplant

Phaius Dan Rosenberg "Tropical Ice" (Terrestrial Orchid)

* Easy to grow


~ Paphipedilum (Lady's slipper orchid)

* Grows well under home conditions (African violet conditions), giving long-lasting blooms

~ Phalaenopsis orchid throat

~ Cymbidium Orchid

~ Cymbidium Orchid

* Cymbidium orchid hybrids are among the most beautiful orchids, continuously growing, merely showing their growth during the winter.

~ Phalaenopsis collage

~ Phalaenopsis (Moth orchid)

~ Phalaenopsis (Moth orchid)

~ Cymbidium orchid

Click here for a list of useful Web links for orchid enthusiasts

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"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment."

~ Georgia O'Keefe, New York Post (1946)

FEBRUARY INDOOR 'CHARMERS'

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March."

~ Dr. J. R. Stockton

~ Phalaenopsis Orchid

~ Cyclamen

~ Variegated English Ivy

~ 'Just another pretty face'

(Phalaenopsis orchid)

ROMANTIC WINTER BLOOMERS ~ 'CYMBIDIUMS on PARADE'

Cymbidiums

In their natural habitats, cymbidiums grow at the higher altitudes in the temperate zone of mid-Asia (China, Japan) down through southeast Asia and extending south of the equator with a number of species in Australia. The climatic conditions found there are also found at sea level in the coastal regions of California (USA), along the coast in the Mediterranean and in part of New Zealand and Australia as well as South Africa.

CLASSIC 'OLD WORLD' COOKIE ~ SPRITZGEBACKEN

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

~ Hamilton Wright Mabie (1845-1916)

American author, essayist and critic

~ Christmas cymbidium orchid

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SPRITZGEBACKEN
(Judy O's)

1/2 pound (room temperature) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
2 - 2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix all ingredients together. Be sure the butter is soft. You must mix everything by hand all at once. Fill spritz gun right immediately.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until cookies turn light golden brown.