Cauliflower Like You Want, Like You Really Really Want! Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Move over, brocolli.  Cauliflower is having its moment.  Rich in vitamin C, potassium and manganese, cauliflower provides a huge dose of cancer preventing antioxidants, has anti inflammatory properties and is a great source of fiber.  All at a very low calorie count, so what’s not to love?  

Frozen Praline Coffee Ice Cream Cake

 

When my friend Carol was entertaining her husband’s French relatives last year she knew exactly what dessert she would make for these sophisticated guests:  a praline mocha ice cream cake I had served to her years before.   The cake offers a masterful blending of everybody-loves-ice cream with the we’re all grown up coffee flavor and it is always a crowd pleaser.  Carol asked me, the worst recipe keeper,  for a copy of the recipe she had lost.  So began a frenzied search well into the wee hours of the morning for my copy.  You will want to add this cake to your summer entertaining repertoire.   It’s a chill-in-the-freezer easy peasy recipe that emerges as a sophiticated java-ice cream layered cake.  The best part?  It can be made ONE MONTH AHEAD of time!  That is NOT a typo!  This post is for you Carol!

Growing Trees in Pots: The Art of Maintenance-Free Gardening

One of my best gardening tips is that many trees, shrubs and perennial plants can be grown in pots.  This is a trick I learned as a novice gardener from the great doyenne of gardening, Martha Stewart herself. I love this technique since, come spring, the patio planters do not need to be replanted.  They burst into bloom along with the rest of the garden.  They overwinter in their pots, right on the terrace, if in a weather resistant pot

Luscious Lemon-Mascarpone Mini Bundt Cakes

Lemon desserts are a popular choice in summer and a personal favorite.  When I discovered a recipe for a lemon cake incorporating mascarpone cheese on the lovely Mademoiselle Gourmande blog, I wanted to try this intriguing variation.  I decided to make it in individual Bundt sizes and deliver a couple to a lemon-loving friend celebrating a birthday.  The cake was super moist, and delicious.  If you like lemon, you will love this cake!

Spring Training: Folding Screen as a Garden Trellis

 

A beautiful antique Spanish wrought iron screen which had once been used as a headboard has found new life in the garden.  The iron work on this screen is gorgeous and it now shines as a garden accent with purpose.

Mosaïc Birdbath Project

In my garden I have several birdbaths to attract feathery friends.  One is a concrete classic pedestal birdbath.  Another is a low-to-the ground copper birdbath I was told robbins would enjoy.  Yet another is a glass vessel intended for small birds.  None, however, attracts birds quite like the mosaïc birdbath I made myself from broken shards of china set onto a terra cotta saucer.

This birdbath is several years old. The grout has not eroded from being immersed continuously in water. The birdbath is emptied and stored in a garden shed for the winter months to prevent the terra cotta and grout from cracking in freezing temperatures.  Note how I placed the smooth outer edge of the broken plates along the top of the birdbath to avoid sharp edges.  Even filled to the brim with water, the mosaïc pattern is still fully visible.

Meyer Lemon- Cranberry Orange Marmalade

I looooove marmalade and I love having breakfast outside all summer long. Until I read the fabulous blog on homemade marmalade by Teresa at Food on Fifth, I had not realized how easy it could be to make marmalade.  Good oranges and Meyer lemons can still be found so  I made a batch and have been enjoying it as my guilty pleasure (I’m the only marmalade lover in this family ) every morning, reading the papers and drinking my tea in the garden.  Marmalade on oatmeal? Yum!  Marmalade on warm-from-the-oven scones? Yes, please.  Marmalade on toast or buttery croissants?  Perfect conveyors for this delectable confection!  Marmalade eaten rigtht off the spoon from the jar…true confession!   This was so good, it’s just about time to make another batch!

Bowling in the Garden

 

In his youth Prince Charming was quite the bowler.  Well at least according to him.  There must be some truth to this legendary tale since when I married him, he moved in with his own bowling ball and its impressive leather carrying case.  Growing up in a small Canadian town I did my fair share of bowling but did I own my own bowling ball?  No sir.  I didn’t even know anyone who owned their own bowling ball!

Smoky-Sweet BBQ Rub for Father’s Day or Anyday

 

Spice rubs really enhance the taste of grilled foods.  They are a staple in our kitchen and enjoyed year round.  This particular blend has been a favorite and we make it in big batches to give away as gifts throughout the summer.  It is the perfect marriage of smoky and sweet.  The sweetness comes from brown and granulated sugars.   Smoked paprika, dry mustard, garlic powder, ginger, black pepper and cumin bring in elements of  smokiness and a punch of bold flavor while salt makes it all sing in perfect harmony.

Cedar-Planked Grilled Salmon with Pineapple-Lime Salsa

Cooking perfect salmon on the grill on a cedar plank is easy and a surefire way to get moist, succulent fish.  Cedar planks are readily available in most supermarkets, specialty cooking stores or online.  The plank not only imparts a rich, smoky flavoring to the fish, it keeps the delicate flesh from sticking to the grill.  Clean up is a cinch-throw out the plank!  And the best part:  no fishy smell in the house and fork tender salmon everytime.  We have been cooking salmon on planks so long we’d hardly know how else to cook it now!