Last Saturday I bought a case of peaches with every intention of making peach butter. The recipe for peach butter requires that you bake the cooked peaches for about an hour and a half. It was so hot that the thought of turning on the oven made no sense at all. So I found another recipe, very simple, for peach jam which I had every intention of making. But then I started a new quilt and I'm still working on my jacket plus I have a huge stack of books to read. Mr.Cowboy volunteered to make the jam and not only did he make a batch but then the very next day he made another batch, which means that we now have 18 jars of sunshine in the cellar to enjoy in the depths of winter.
What better gift at this time of year then a box full of fresh veggies from the garden. For the special birthday girl, I boxed up some beans, peppers, eggplant,onions, and a cuke. After closing the box I realized that I had forgotten the birthday tomatoes from our garden. Well at least this will give me a chance to try the new recipe for Green Tomato cake. Tanti auguri!
What do you do when someone gives you a zucchini? This zucchini that a co-worker gave to me was so big that we were able to make two dinners and one dessert. The recipe that I have for chocolate zucchini cake is a winner - it won second place ($50.00) in the Art Knapp Zucchini contest in PG. 
I don't know why I had a hankering to have carbonara but after seeing the recipe in Jamie Oliver's Italy cookbook I could not resist. Instead of sausage and pancetta I just used pancetta but added onions just because I love onions. Jamie's recipe calls for the zest of a lemon; next time I will not add that. Lots of cheese and pepper plus a big green salad - perfect!
Yesterday I came across a new tea towel; pure linen, designed and hand printed in Australia (made in Hong Kong) advertising Southwark Bitter Beer, Adelaide, South Australia. When I first saw this towel I immediately thought of making it into a bag but have since changed my mind. It is a great addition to my collection just the way it is. Oh, right, and we had some figs. These little babies were so good tasting!
Yesterday was the worst day - smoke from forest fires burning hundreds of miles away enveloped the city. It didn't matter if you were inside or outside - smoke was everywhere. From our place up above it looked like a soft gray blanket had been thrown over the town. The sun, as reflected in the library windows, was a huge red ball. I kept wishing for rain all day.
I have been collecting pancake recipes for the past 30 years so please don't be surprised if I mention them at least once or twice on my blog. This past Sunday I bravely tested another recipe; this one from one of my very favourite blogs - A day in the country. The recipe is from Nigella ( I am not a fan of Nigella but Heather said they were great pancakes so I trusted her) well it's actually a recipe for a mix. Again not a fan of making mixes. But I went ahead and made them; this is a very simple recipe, good tasting,and a bit thin because I doubled the recipe. Is this a keeper? I will let you know next Sunday.
No coconut fountain, no concert, no fireworks, and no trip to the beach. But we did enjoy a rustic dinner - Roma beans from the Farmers Market and the last of the Rock Creek spuds all washed down with a smooth Pinot Noir from the Vigneti Delle Dolomiti. And this holiday would not be complete without a watermelon or two.
What do you do when the temperature drops and it rains a good soak for about twelve minutes? I turned on the oven and did some baking which hasn't happened around here for quite some time. Baked up a batch of our favourite blueberry muffins - a wonderful way to start the day.
I've never been inside this restaurant, it is the outside that gets my attention every time I walk by.
It is a veritable feast for the eyes; the window boxes along the second floor windows bursting with flowers and greenery. Baskets overflowing with petunias and sweet potato vine grace each corner and all the front windows. Someday I may step inside and sample the menu but for the moment this is all I need.
It's red and it has four wheels but other then that there is no comparison whatsoever to a Ferrari.
It will only go as fast as I can pull it depending on how much stuff I've loaded it down with. This is not the fun part of planning a trip - deciding what to pack.
A housecoat, a cover-up, or a kimono. This weekend I managed to finish my linen wrap and I am so happy with the way it turned out. The fabric is from my favourite shop in Naramata and the pattern is #5223 Burda supereasy. I made two of these last year for the girls which means I have just one more to make. As soon as he picks out the fabric I will get started on it.
These are called Country Inn Pancakes and they are from the Chef at Home cookbook by Michael Smith. Very simple, very basic recipe but good tasting. Another one to add to my collection.
You walk in the door and the aroma of baking bread greets you - everything that happened for the past seven hours is erased from your memory bank as the aroma of warm, yeasty bread transports you to another time and place where this was a weekly occurence. Finally, I have tried the no-knead method.
I did the easy part yesterday, mixing the dough for 30 seconds. Mr Cowboy actually made the Stecca loaves today using olives and the cherry and pear tomatoes from the garden. There was barely anything left after dinner, a dinner of homemade sausages, cheese, and lots of Ruffino.
