TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS ~ RICE NOODLES with SHRIMP & CILANTRO

"Between two worlds life hovers like a star, twist night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."

~  Lord Byron 

MAY GARDENS OF OVERHILL

(Bloomfield Village)

From morning to night, ever-changing perennial gardens

(Bearded Iris, Wildflowers, Hosta, Rhododendron, Azalea, Ferns)

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RICE NOODLES with SHRIMP AND CILANTRO

This yummy colorful Pad Thai variation skips bean sprouts, eggs, and peanuts in favor of fresh red pepper and cilantro ... a favorite 'simple supper' at both home & cottage (slightly adapted from Fine Cooking) 

8  oz.  1/4 in. wide dried rice noodles (pad thai)

2-3  limes (1 juiced and 1 sliced in wedges)

2  Tbsp. light brown sugar

2  tsp. soy sauce

1  tsp. fish sauce

1  lb. peeled and deveined large shrimp

3  generous Tbsp. peanut oil

1  tsp. ground coriander

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1  cored, seeded, and finely diced red pepper

1  cored, seeded, and finely diced orange or yellow pepper

1  seeded and finely diced large jalapeno

1-2  finely diced large shallots

1/4  heaping cup fresh cilantro

• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add noodles, lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until noodles are just tender, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.
• In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce; set aside. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with 1 generous Tbsp. of the oil, coriander, freshly ground pepper and pinch of coarse salt.
• Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add peppers and shallots, sprinkle with pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 
• Add shrimp and cook, stirring, until it turns pink and almost cooked though, about 2 minutes. Add lime juice mixture and cook, stirring, until shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more.
• Add noodles and half of the cilantro; toss until noodles heat through and pick up the sauce, 1-2 minutes. 
• Serve topped with remaining cilantro and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.  (3-4 servings)  

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WEEKEND 'ROCK GARDEN' PROJECT 

(Hubbard Lake)

Blessed to share time between 'Two Different Worlds' ... thankful for the beauty of each.

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

FAREWELL SWEET APRIL ~ 'AS THE GARDEN GROWS'

"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment."

~ Ellis Peters

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE