“Moonlight Dinner Amongst the Ferns” Tablescape

” Only spread a fern-frond over a man’s head and wordly cares are cast out and freedom and beauty and peace come in.”  John Muir

Summer Cheese Appetizer Platter

Summertime and the entertaining is easy.  No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen when guests arrive, especially on a nice summer day.  Having a platter of simple finger foods ready for guests to help themselves to, gives the host a chance to mingle with all the guests.  When choosing what to serve before a meal, balance your selection with the meal:  lighter fare, heavier pre-meal platter and vice versa.  Offer savory and sweet options.

Tour de Fleurs

With the Tour de France in full force, I thought I would pay hommage to the sport with a bicycle built for flowers!  At  a Philadelphia Flower Show years ago, I had been taken by a display that featured this same bicycle planter.

BLT Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

When you serve guests a casually-thrown together salad from seasonal fresh ingredients and it’s still being raved about a year later, then maybe it’s time to try and recreate the salad and share the recipe!   This salad is a cross between a Caprese salad and a BLT sandwich.  Sooooooo delicious!   The homemade croutons are a must.   Hope I got it exactly right for you Millie!

Light-Up Flower Centerpiece

When I saw the whimsical dragonfly string lights at Target recently($12.99), I knew I had to find a way to use them this summer.  I imagined them more in flight, hovering above some flowers than strung up.  I knew they would look best at eye level than high above.

Blueberry Lemon Pie with Lemon Balm Crust

When it comes to fruit pies, to thicken or not to thicken, that is the question.  I’m talking about the filling, of course!  I like a fruit pie that still tastes and looks like the fruit it was made of, not too gelatinous like the filling came from a can.  I came up with the perfect compromise:  cook down about a third of the fruit, add a small amount of cornstarch to thicken and fold in the rest of the fruit.  You’ll end up with a pie that still lets the fruit shine.  With blueberries in season and lemon balm invading my garden like a weed, it seemed  like the perfect pie to bake.  With ginger, lemon zest, nutmeg and cinnamon, this pie says summer in every bite. 

Pretty in Pink Alfresco Lunch with Chilled Strawberry Borscht

“In summer, the song sings itself.”  William Carlos Williams

“Lone and erect, beneath light’s primal flood,
A lily! and pure as any one of you.”
– Mallarme

The inspiration for this luncheon table was this stunning oriental lily, ‘Corvara’, which had just opened in my garden.I anticipated its arrival for weeks and  postponed a vacation just so I could be home to enjoy it while it bloomed.  That is how magnificent this flower really is!  This hot pink lily with a mesmerizing fragrance is often called the Royal Lily.  It is religiously symbolic with godliness.  And it’s no wonder, it is a perfect creation!  Did I mention its heavenly fragrance?

Beet It! Roasted Beet Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

  In my childhood household, beets were boiled and served vinegared, sort of as a pickle.  I liked them fine but when I discovered roasting, I never went back!  Roasting beets preserves the nutrients, seals in the sugars, makes it super easy to peel them, with clean up, a cinch.  Just wash the beets, add a little olive oil and any herbs for flavoring, although not necessary, and cook at high temperatures.

Mint Chocolate: Straight From the Garden

Dark chocolate dipped mint leaves are the perfect after dinner treat to serve your guests.  Fast, easy and bursting with fresh mint taste,  they are a clever take on the traditional after dinner chocolate mint.

A Garden Symphony in Monet Blue

Blue Water Lilies, Claude Monet, 1919, Musée d’Orsay, Paris

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”
– Claude Monet

Falling in love with Monet’s paintings of blue water lilies is easy to do. The blue is shimmering, irridescent and tugs at the heartstrings.  I have long loved Monet’s paintings and been captivated by his use of blue.  Some years ago I was able to visit his gardens at Giverny in France.  They were as magical as the art work they inspired.  There was a lot of blue in the plantings of the garden and I returned home wanting to introduce more blue in my garden.