Good day, just a reminder Tasha Tudor day is a month from now. It does not have to be a big, complicated celebration but I know I do not want to day to sneak up on me without having some forethought on how I want to remember Tasha this year. Please help spread the word, (feel free to the use the image) so those who love Tasha can remember her too. Thank you!
One of the features that sold me on my home is this built in. Isn't it lovely? Mrs. Mathews owned this home 50 years and she loved pink too. The inside was painted peach but I wanted something that felt like mother of pearl. When we first moved in 13 years ago, I tried painting it but really did not get what I wanted.
Recently I was gifted a pot of Annie Sloan paint, the color Antoinette. I had never worked with chalk paint before but now I am a fan. I hate painting and find it frustrating but Annie's paint is so simple. It is really is wonderful to work with and if anyone local is looking for Annie paint check out Ole and Inga in Poulsbo. Molly is the sweetest, tell her your my friend!! Because I wanted the paint underneath to still show a bit, I would paint on some paint and then wipe it off. I kept repeating that pattern until I got the look I wanted. You can see brush strokes and some of the dark copper from before. After I was happy with the pink, I painted a light layer of pearl acrylic paint, Martha Stewart. I just used the little plastic bottle from Michaels.
I reorganized my cabinet. I had so much in there you could not see a thing. It was a hard choice but I thinned things out and put the rest of my tea cups and such below.
Besides my newly painted cabinet, I wanted to show my birthday gift from my mother. I saw these glasses at an antique store but did not have the money. I love them because each glass has a hand-etched saying, I Love You, My Beloved, Forever Yours, etc. I have never seen anything like them and they go so well with my pink lusterware. Thank you mom.
Lastly I have one more birthday gift to share. Dianntha made me this sweet flower fairy necklace. I love it, thank you for thinking of me! Well I am off to paint, I have more projects to share soon xox
I was grilling salmon burgers for dinner and wanted a new way to bling them up a bit. One of our favorite dishes is my prosciutto/avocado topping but I wanted something new. I was inspired by one of my families favorite breakfast dishes, bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers. Salmon burgers are not smoked but I thought it would be delicious just the same. I mean you cannot wrong with salmon, cream cheese and capers? You could serve the salmon burger on a bagel but used a brioche bun. I have to say this was a big hit with my family, an easy way to gussy up something and a dish we will be making again!
Salmon Burgers with Cream Cheese and Capers
Simple add to your grilled (or pan fried) salmon burger a large piece of cream cheese and any of the following;
Capers
Sliced red onion
Chives
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped hard boiled egg
Fresh dill
I buy uncooked, wild caught salmon burgers from Trader Joes but sometimes I like to make them from scratch!
Salmon Burgers
makes 4
burgers
1 ½
pound fresh, raw salmon, cut
into small cubes (skinless and bones removed)
⅟ᴣ
cup breadcrumbs, can use GF crumbs
1 TBL Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
½
tsp ground pepper and salt
In a food processor add ½ of the salmon pieces and pulse until it is chunky but not totally smooth. It should take 20 seconds or so. Remove and add to the rest of salmon to a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Gently mix with a spoon until just combined. Form 4 equally-sized burgers. You can grill or fry in a hot, greased pan (or greased grill) about 4-5 minutes on each side. Let the first side get really cooked before turning over the burger because they are fragile. Garnish and enjoy!
I have written about this before but I think it bares repeating. Not only is quinoa a SUPER food and one that should find ways into your meals but it is perfect for cold, grain salads. So many grains and rice’s, when chilled clump together in a goopy, lumpy mess but not quinoa. It cooks beautifully and chills beautifully too. It never clumps; just gently push with a fork and the quinoa easily breaks up.
I try to keep some cooked quinoa in the fridge to add to scrambled eggs in the morning, veggie wraps for lunch and side dishes at dinner. I love the nutty taste. When we first started eating quinoa, I would cook it in broth but now that we love it, I just cook it in water. I know it will be perfect for our dinner tonight, Sicilian Salad; lemon vinaigrette, quinoa, slow roasted tomatoes, garlic greens, fresh spinach, dried current and toasted pine nuts!
My property is so shady,
I do not have much in the way of flowers.
But my Thomas Hardy rose always seems happy!!
This year, he has taken over the pathway to my door.
He is so pretty, we will put up with it and walk around him!!
The trick with using an herb brush is to baste often. When the heat from
the meat hits the herbs, it causes the oils in the herbs to release and
flavor your meat.
We were having grilled lamb for dinner, which is such a treat for us. We love lamb and rarely get to enjoy it. So I wanted to really do something special. I decided to make an herb brush. I have not made one for a long time and was surprised just how much flavor it added to the lamb. I also remember just how quick and easy it is to make one. I chided myself for not making more of these. They are perfect for simple grilled meats and veggies like portabella mushrooms. It is also a clever way to use those overrun herbs in your garden.
I have a lot of herbs. This years I have; bay, rosemary, chives, basil, pineapple sage, thyme, chocolate mint, lemon balm, rose geranium and sage.The two herbs I miss the most and did not get planted is, lemon verbena and cinnamon basil. Herbs from the garden are such an effortless and cheap way to add flavor to a dish. Next time you are grilling, I encourage you to make an herb brush!
PS Thank you hubby for being supportive and modeling the herb brush I made for you :-)
Herb Brush
1 stick from your yard
A bunch of herbs, makes sure they have not been sprayed with any pesticides or chemicals.
String
Pick your herbs, in my case I used; sage, rosemary, basil and thyme. Clean them, bunch the herbs around a stick and wrap well with string, then tie off. You can use anything liquid for basting. I like a good olive oil with some minced garlic. You can use butter but since it tends to harden when not hot, add a bit of oil to it. The trick with using an herb brush is to baste often. When the heat from the meat hits the herbs, it causes the oils in the herbs to release and flavor your meat. Simple dip the herbs in the basting liquid and brush on meat/veggies as it grills.Repeating often!
Notes
1. Pick a stick long enough so your hand is not over the hot coals when you baste the meat.
2. Simply run your herbs under an outdoor faucet, to clean them, unless they are really dirty. Just give them a shake to get off exsess water.
3. 100% cotton string is preferable.
4. Sadly your herbs cannot be reused after grilling but you can save your stick for future use.
These steps are my favorite parts of my property. This is the back of our home but it use to be the front porch many years ago. There is a small road behind us but it was the main road and this was the front of the house. The minute I saw all that stone work, I feel in love. It is always shady and peaceful here.
The planters are white plastic but I painted them black a few years ago. The paint started peeling off, so I gave them a spray coat of bronze, without covering all the black. I can see some of the copper paint is peeling off but that is cool. Next year I will give them a coat of silver. Each year, a new coat! So do you have a spot when you can plant some sea shells and china?