Mother's Day ...

This was my weekend ... a strawberry rhubarb compote that tasted wonderful, but sat atop a poor show of an egg custard. No crying over curdled milk (and eggs), though. We salvaged the compote to drizzle on toast on Sunday morning. Yum - a sweet accompaniment to our scrambled eggs with herbs and cheese, Kate's Mother's Day breakfast treat. Visiting my girl in Brooklyn was such a fun junket! We packed quite a bit into the three day visit!

Before our 'farewell brunch', though, there was Saturday!

Brooklyn Botanical Garden is definitely the place to be at this time of year! Score! Admission was free on Saturday. We just strolled in - no lines, no waiting, no crush of people and baby strollers. What luck!

Strolling by the pink and red azaleas at Brooklyn's Botanical Gardens was the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.

The peonies in The Peony Collection were spectacular!

There were so many people visiting the gardens that it was tough to get photos without other people gawking the posies too!

We headed for The Japanese Hill and Pond Garden and on toward the tulips!

These were the finest displays we've seen since visiting Keukenhof in the Netherlands. So pretty!

There were so many artists trying to capture it all, but it was impossible. Even the photos can't do justice to the scale, color, and scent of these beds of flowers.

Back to the apartment to grab Pete and Mimi for a nice dog walk and an afternoon in Prospect Park, Scrabble with SB, Kate, and Seth, rough housing with the dogs, and people watching. Exhausting!

What an utterly relaxing and fun weekend in the city.

Dinners out were relaxed, too. The beauty of living in the city: you can make martinis for a before dinner treat and then stroll down the street to the restaurant of your choice. Friday night, we walked over to Franny's and Saturday night, we made our way out to Flatbush Farm and Bar(n) ... good places, both. Of the two, though,  I loved The Barn! We had the best grass-fed beef steaks, paté, and mussels!

But about that compote ...

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. rhubarb stalks, washed and sliced
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced into like chunks
¼ c. sugar
½ c. water
1 tsp. cornstarch

Making the Compote:

1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the rhubarb until it is soft, but still holds its shape.

2. Add the strawberries and the cornstarch and stir until the sauce thickens a bit.

3. Remove the compote from the heat, place in a heat proof container and chill in the fridge.

4. Serve the chilled compote over pancakes, waffles, French toast, ice cream, or custard.