Herb Plant Markers

Doesn't everyone dream of their own herb garden and the impact it will have on their cooking? I planted just a few herbs that I know I will use in pots that I will put on the deck outside the kitchen door. Before I forget what I planted and where, I wanted to label them. I'm not a big fan of the plastic markers you get at garden centres so I thought I'd make my own. Using the paper candy labels I had left over from the shower I threw for my cousin earlier this month, I wrote in the name of each herb. To protect them from the elements, I put each label inside small ziploc bags. The stakes are flat BBQ skewers which I hot glued to the back of each bag. I think they're practical and cute, the best type of combination.

Underachieving, and loving it

I love gardening but I have to admit that sometimes I put pressure on myself to outdo the previous years' flowers. As I mentioned in a previous post, we are painting our house this summer so I figured why plant flowers that will just be trampled when the house gets painted? So I kept it simple and just planted the 2 large planters on either side of the front door and my 3 hanging baskets. It was freeing to just go and pick a few flowers without feeling the need to pick something better than last year. I went to a very small nursery and got all the flowers I wanted for a mere $20.00!!!

The amount that I got would easily have been double at another nursery. Later that evening I planted the pots and do you know what? I like my pots better than the ones I did last year! Here's to underachieving and succeeding!

Fabulous Fabric

I have bought upholstery fabric from Hancocks of Paducah out of Kentucky. They have good prices and a great selection of quilting cotton and upholstery fabric. I received an email today announcing their new fabrics and checked them out. Isn't this print fabulous? I'm trying to find somewhere that I can use it.

Picking Paint

We are painting our house! We have been in it for about a year and a half and it's time for a facelift. It's a 20 year old home and just in need of some freshening. We're also restaining the deck and repainting the front porch, which is sure to result in an excellent before and after. The house is currently white but, being in the country, we have lots of dirt and dust blowing through and I think I'm going to choose something that won't look grungy quite so quickly.



Choosing a color for an interior room is intimidating enough where a mistake only costs 20 to 50 dollars to fix but choosing an exterior color is a whole other ball game. How will I choose? My indecisiveness is a problem at this point as my paint color selection is now the only thing keeping the painter from starting. Thankfully, I've been noticing exterior colors in anticipation of painting and I'm hoping for a moment of revelation. I think I might check out a few of the paint company websites to see if they have a virtual program so I can see before i commit. That reminds me, I also need to pick a color for the front door and the garage doors...oh my. Any suggestions?

April (and May) Showers bring June Flowers?

I'm not sure what the weather has been like where you live, but I'm beginning to feel like spring needs to hurry up and arrive. I have plans (landscaping, gardening, bonfires, outdoor painting projects, water sports) and the need for warm weather considering that we only have until the end of September (at the maximum) until Fall arrives. I needed a pick-me-up so I stopped by the grocery store after work for some flowers. To my delight, there were tubs of discounted flowers (who doesn't love a good deal?) so I picked out 3 bunches of yellow flowers. Yes, they are the lowly carnation, but I was inspired by flower arrangements on www.absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com using carnations. I found a tin can that was left over from a previous craft project, cut the flowers down, and placed them on my bedside table. It makes me so happy as I sit down to type this and share it with you.

I'm curious, what are your spring/summer plans and projects for this year?

Surprise on my Porch

There was a surprise waiting for me on my porch tonight at the end of my 12 hour day. Raspberry canes and rhubarb plants! I was so excited, as images of yummy pies and jams dance through my head. My wonderful mother, after hearing my desire for my own raspberry bushes and sadness over the death of my rhubarb plant, apparently found me what I was looking for. There is nothing like picking fresh, warm raspberries and eating them while weeding the garden, or taking a bite of the young rhubarb stalks that are the perfect tartness that they don't need any sugar yet. I remember my grandma letting me and my cousin pick her raspberries when we were kids, and that she didn't get mad at us when we stained her aprons after we used them to gather up all the berries. I love gardening for the result, but also all the good memories that I recall and the new memories that it creates. Now to get those plants in the ground...

Boiled New York Style Bagels

I was recently reminiscing about the trip that my husband and I took to New York City almost 2 years ago for our third anniversary. It was the first visit for both of us and we were able to take in the Staten Island Ferry and the statue of Liberty, the former World Trade Centre Site and a Broadway show (love, love, love Mary Poppins!) With all the amazing experiences, one of the most memorable was picking up fresh New York Bagels with homemade Cream Cheese. It was amazing standing outside the shop in the morning, watching the steam coming out of buildings and grates, looking at Broadway show signs across the street.

I vowed when I came home that I would never partake in another mediocre bagel again. Well, I did but I couldn't forget the chewiness of the bagels from New York. While perusing blogs I found someone (sorry, I can't remember who) talking about boiled bagels and that this step was what gave bagels their chewiness. They're right! I found the following recipe on allrecipes.com for boiled bagels, tried it and loved it! They are best the day they are made but are totally worth the effort, and would be good for sandwiches the next day.

New York Style Boiled Bagels
4.25 cups all-purpose flour
2 (0.25oz.) packages of dry active yeast (I used quick-rise)
1.5 cups warm water (approx. 45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine 1.5 cups flour and yeast. Mix water, 3 tbsp sugar, and salt together and add to dry ingredients. (I added the sugar to the warm water and then added the yeast and allowed it to develop. Then I added it to the flour and salt) Beat with a mixer for half a minute at low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat at a higher speed for 3 minutes. Then mix by hand, adding enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough. (It will be a bit hard to mix)

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover. let rest for 15 minutes.

3. Cut into 12 portions, form into smooth balls. Poke a small hole in the centre of each ball with your finger, enlarging gently while making a uniform ring shape. Cover, let rise 20-30 minutes (It won't seem like much but they will rise a bit)

4. Meanwhile, start a gallon of water boiling in a large pot. Put 1 tablespoon of sugar in it (I added 2 tbsp of molasses, which worked well) Mix in and reduce to simmering. (Prepare the baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and sprinkle with cornmeal.)

5. After letting them rise, add 4 or 5 bagels to the water and cook 7 minutes. (Boil 2-3 minutes per side, and this will cause the bagels to rise further) Drain them and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.

*Note: for a glossier top, broil the bagels on an ungreased baking sheet for 1-1.5 minutes on one or both sides before boiling. If you broil the bagels before boiling you will only need to bake them for 25 minutes. (I debated whether or not I would take the extra time to do this step. I did, and it was well worth it for the final result of a crispy outside and a soft chewy inside)

The recipe recommends heavily greasing the baking sheet but I used a Silpat and sprinkled cornmeal on top, and that worked very well. My hubby loves sesame seed bagels so I sprinkled sesame seeds on top before baking but they could definitely be converted to your flavor favorite. Enjoy!