Elle's Kitchen: Shepherd's Salad

My Take on a Turkish Classic

I had this salad on my recent trip to

Istanbul and I have to admit it was just

okay.  For me, it was a bit bland, so I have

jazzed it up a bit and now we love to include

this in our weekly menus.

Ingredients:

Cucumber - cut into quarters and sliced

Tomatoes, diced

Red onion, sliced thin

Feta cheese. about a 2" cube, crumbled

Mix together and add a viniagrette, I make

mine with some rice vinegar, salt & pepper

and a good olive oil, mix together and shake,

then I add a few drops of an excellent balsamic

vinegar and mix.

About the tomatoes ~ I have been using the

Compari toms, they have a great flavor, they

remind me of the tomatoes I had in Greece

which were the best toms I have ever eaten.

And that is a bold statement coming from

a Jersey Girl...

Enjoy!



Chocolates and Pinks

For Regina

My friend Regina lives in Germany and

loves to work in chocolate and pink American

Civil War reproduction fabrics.  When I saw

this display at my "home" shop ~ The Quilt

Shoppe in Anderson, Indiana, I immediately

thought of how much she would like it.

So Regina, here are a few little

ideas for inspiration.

This display looks like it was made just for you!

Imagine having all of these in your stash!



Elle's Kitchen: Yogurt Parfait

Healthy & Delicious

In the heat of summer I prefer this

parfait to ice cream.

Ingredients:

Vanilla yogurt

Maple pecan granola

Fresh raspberries and blackberries

Mint sprig

In a parfait glass, layer yogurt and

granola, top with berries and mint.

Enjoy!





Garden Tour

Early June 2012

This rose is new to our garden this year, it

is one of the roses I planted our first summer

here in 1995.  It is in the back of a large perennial

bed and I thought it had died off but this year it

has come back as a nicer, prettier rose.  I guess it

reverted to its original rootstock, which is what

happened with another one of our roses, sadly this

one is not fragrant...

The border in our butterfly garden is wild

with yellow blooms.

We have tomatoes on the Early Girls.

Using the frost jackets was a big help.

These toms are quite high for early June.

This bed has mini pumpkins and gourds.

Here are the zucchini, peppers, eggplant

and cucumbers ~ we are desperate for rain

around here.

Hurry up zucchini!  We have big plans

for you in our Vegetarian Summer.



Me Time ~ June 5, 2012

It's June already!  But that means more

people are back at Me Time for the summer.

I have been stitching until my fingers are numb.

I have framed my feltwork designs and I love them.

The patterns are available at:

www.americanhomesteaddesign.com

Someone is putting the binding on this

beautiful quilt that just came back

from the longarm quilter.

Someone is making baby blocks

as a gift for a new baby.

Someone is working on a stack of

civil war blocks.

Someone is trying out some of the notions

including the fabric flowers makers and the

fabric covered button maker.

And I had a little retail therapy, gathering

30's fabrics for a new project.

The Last Hurrah Tour ~ 1st Anniversary

One year ago today, a group of adventurers

set off to circumnavigate the globe.  It was

two pair of siblings, one pair under 20 years

old, the other pair, umm, over 20 years old.

We explored the world, used all sorts of

transportation, talked to people, ate the

local food and relished the experience.

From the land of the midnight sun in
Reykjavik, Iceland...

to the European elegance of Amsterdam...

to that magical time in Cairo between the

Revolution and the first uprising...

to the splendor of Bangkok,

to the peace and beauty of Chaing Mai, Thailand...

to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...

to the majesty of Angkor Wat in Cambodia...

to relaxing in Pattaya, Thailand...

to the wonders of Hong Kong.

Where did the year go? 

 And where are we going next?

Ouch!

Sorry I haven't been around for awhile.

See that shoulder in the photo?  It has

decided it is not going to work, so typing

is a challenge ~ along with working,

cooking, driving and sleeping...

Maybe it needs the warmth of the Mexican

sun and the soothing waters of the Caribbean?

Yeah, well that's not going to happen any

time soon.  So, if you don't hear from me for

awhile, you know why ~ nothing major, just a

little reminder of the aging process...