An Early Morning Project ...

Lately, I have been suffering from a wicked bout of insomnia. My husband says it comes from having too much on my mind, my mother says it comes with the territory called  'empty house syndrome', my friends blame being a certain age. Platitudes, all. I am resigned, but resentful.

Rather than fight it, I have tended to get up and move around the house until I feel drowsy again. I usually pick a mindless task to do while I make some chamomile tea - folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, tidying up, reading or flipping through cook books. You get the idea. One morning last week, I found a recipe for Dorset scones and decided to make them for a warm something with my tea. It took the rough edge off a very early morning.

Spice Garden Poetry ... Gardener's Couplets

Today, the children from up the street came to play with our new little Corgi girl. We had fun dragging a stick around for Mimi and throwing a Frisbee for Pete the smart Corgi. While we were visiting, we started a rhyme game and it just took over when SB brought veggies up from the garden ...

Experimental Empanadas ...

Nowhere can I find an empanada dough that  I can get excited about! So... I'm taking the bull by the horns and playing with flours and tanginess. Vinegar? I don't think so ... lemon juice for me. Shortening? No, no, no! Olive oil. I shall combine the best from all the recipes I've researched and go for it!  Oh... and I may get messy. Get ready!

Gram Lindquist's Blueberry Cake with Vinegar Sugar Drizzle

Hurray for blueberries! As we speak, Silent Bob has gone off to Gap Mountain to pick wild blueberries! This week, there will be blueberries for jam, blueberries for muffins, blueberries for salads, blueberries for yogurt topping, and blueberries to munch like a handful of peanuts. Today, though, it is still quite warm, so I'll make us a quick and easy blueberry cake that SB's mother always made with the first of the berries. I'll save making jam for tomorrow morning ... early ... before the heat builds in the kitchen.

Saturday's Farmer's Market ...

SB and I made the round of the farmer's markets and roadside stands today ... a hot Saturday called for another ride with the windows down. By the time we came home, there were new potatoes and new corn to add to our Swiss chard bumper crop. I have been thinking that escalloped potatoes made with some garlic cheddar that I bought at the Grafton Village Cheese Company the other day (on another road trip) would be just the ticket to knosh while we watch the Red Sox game this lazy Saturday evening.

A Study In Light and Space - Hancock Shaker Village

It's not often that I jump up in the air and come down with my feet spinning off on a tangent, but today ... today! I just returned from a spontaneous day trip with my son, Eric. We are both history buffs and so I called him yesterday and asked if he'd like to drive down Massachusetts-way to Hancock Shaker Village. He's very interested in museum work and so he was happy to go with me.

The day was beautiful, I packed us a picnic, and off we went bright and early this morning. I have to say the day was perfect and I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves. At the end of the day, I happened into the museum shop and picked up a cook book of Shaker-inspired recipes and a bottle of rosewater ... what follows is one of the recipes that grabbed me.

Try it and see what you think. In the meantime, enjoy a virtual tour of the Village and the craftsmanship of the Shakers...

Summertime Bellini Cocktail

I fell in love with Italian cooking long ago. Along with a passion for pasta, I have discovered these lovely, refreshing summertime dessert, 'by the pool', or brunch cocktails. Take your pick where you'd serve them. I think they are so light and refreshing that they go well in varied situations.

When I sipped them by the pool, I would pour them over crushed ice to make the drink last longer ... do what you will with them! I also play fast and loose with the 'peach scnapps' ... I like apricot brandy instead, a smaller amount of lemon juice, and a bigger dash of peach nectar ... all combined just before pouring in the Prosecco. Mmmmmm! I get excited for this special treat just thinking about it!

Sprout Sara Sends A Post!

Hello Spice Garden readers! We have a new look – did you notice?! My mom, the gardener here at the Spice Garden, was once dubbed the Nettard because she couldn’t figure out a computer to save her life. Look how she’s grown! I think she deserves a big round of applause, don’t you?!

We’ve officially entered summer, and here in Boston, it’s been brutal. My second floor apartment, with no air conditioning to speak of, has become the African Sahara. Needless to say, the mere thought of turning on the stove to cook up some dinner makes me start sweating bullets!

I don’t know about you, but when it gets hot like this, my appetite likes to take a vacation. It becomes very difficult to stick to my breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner routine. The only things I can even muster the energy to enjoy are cold meals, and because of this, I’ve been on the hunt for new cook-less recipes! I’ve found and created a few that have become staples in my weekly rotation. The latest - which I whipped up last night - is what I’d like to share with you today. There’s nothing incredibly special to it; no tricks in preparing or secret ingredients. The only importance is that you use fresh ingredients. That’s it!