Wednesday, June 29, 2011

FAREWELL SWEET JUNE ~ 'SIMPLE PLEASURES' ON A QUIET SUMMER'S EVE' (GRILLED ROMAINE with BLUE CHEESE-BACON & BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE)

“God Almighty first planted a garden; and, indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures.”


~ Francis Bacon



Purple Coneflower
(Echinacea purpurea)



GRILLED ROMAINE with BLUE CHEESE-BACON & BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

~ Excellent summer salad slightly adapted from Guy Fieri (Food Network). Trust me, this will be a repeat!

_______________

4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Heads romaine lettuce, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • Cook bacon in sauté pan until crispy. Remove, blot grease, and crumble. Set aside.
  • Drain grease but do not clean pan. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil and sauté onion until soft and caramelized. Add balsamic vinegar hand heat to boiling, scraping brown bits from bottom. Remove from heat.
  • Brush romaine lettuce with remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, place on gill cut side down, and quickly sear.
  • Serve lettuce, cut side-up, and drizzle the balsamic dressing over the lettuce. Sprinkle with blue cheese, cracked pepper, and garnish with crumbled bacon. (6 servings)
Note: Original recipe called for sautéing bacon with the onion. I prefer the crumbled crisp bacon on top instead of in the dressing.


Rose (June Flower of the Month)
'Carefree Beauty' Shrub Rose

White Coneflower
(Echinacea 'Big Sky')

Monarda didyma
(bergamont, scarlet beebalm, scarlet monarda, Oswego tea, crimson beebalm)


JUNE GARDEN

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

HERE COMES SUMMER! (SUMMER SOLSTICE) ~ JUICY LUCY (Stuffed burger) / GRILLED ONION BLOSSOMS

"Then followed that beautiful season...
Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hubbard Lake Sunsets
_________

JUICY LUCY (STUFFED HAMBURGER)
~ A fun burger ... adapt to suit taste ... all are delicious

1 1/2 lb. choice ground beef
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
heavy sprinkling of dried thyme, dill, chives and favorite seasonings
dashes of Worcestershire Sauce to taste
dashes of Tabasco Sauce to taste

4 slices of American, Swiss (cut slices into 4 pieces) or crumbled blue cheese
4 split hamburger buns (lightly butter or olive oil each half)

  • Gently combine ground beef and seasonings. Form into 8 patties.
  • In 4 of the patties, create a hole and stuff with cheese. Top with remaining patty, pinch edges and tightly seal. (Williams-Sonoma has a fun hamburger press)
  • Grill on high about 3-4 minutes/side. Serve on grilled buns with favorite condiments and toppings. (serves 4)
______________

GRILLED ONION BLOSSOMS

4 medium large sweet Vidalia onions
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
freshly ground pepper to taste

  • Peel onions and cut almost through forming 8 wedges. Place onion on a square of foil.
  • Combine butter, mustard, and Tabasco. Drizzle over each onion. Top with brown sugar.
  • Bring up 2 opposite sides of foil and seal. Fold remaining ends to enclose.
  • Arrange on medium-high grill. Cover and grill for 25 minutes or until onions are nearly tender. Open slightly and grill 10 minutes more or until onions are lightly browned. Sprinkle with pepper.
  • Serve in packet or remove. (4 servings)

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

A 'BURSTING' DAY IN THE GARDEN' (EARLY JUNE JEWELS)

"In June, as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them."

~ Aldo Leopold



"How Could such sweet and wholesome hours
Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers?"

~ Andrew Marvell



ORIENTAL POPPY (Papaver)

BEARDED IRIS
(I. germanica)


SIBERIAN IRIS
(I. Sibirica)


PEONY (Paeonia)

'SCARLET O'HARA' PEONY


LADY'S SLIPPERS, WILD GERANIUMS, JACOB'S LADDER


FERNS, HOSTA, LIGULARIA, HEUCHERA, LADY'S MANTLE

AZALEAS

RHODODENDRON GARDEN

RHODODENDRON

EXBURY AZALEA

ALLIUM


"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. "

~ H. Fred Ale

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

WELCOME JUNE ~ 'THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE'

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."

~ Gertrude Jekyll, On Gardening



PEONY ( Paeonia)


GARDEN BLOGGER'S MUSE DAY