Rosemary

Rosemary for Remembrance

Zydeco

\ZYE-duh-koh\ noun : popular music of southern Louisiana that combines tunes of French origin with elements of Caribbean music and the blues and that features guitar, washboard, and accordion.

Magnolia grandiflora

noun: commonly known as the Southern Magnolia or Bull Bay, is native to the southeastern United States, and is the official state flower of both Mississippi and Louisiana. A medium to large tree, 20-30 feet tall with a striking appearance, both in leaf and in bloom. The leaves are evergreen, 8 inches long and 5 inches broad, with smooth margins. Leaves are dark green, stiff and leathery, and often scurfy underneath with yellow-brown pubescence. Like most broadleaf evergreens, the leaves are replaced by new foliage in the spring. The large, showy, citronella-scented flowers are white, up to 13 inches across and fragrant, with 6-12 petals with a waxy texture, emerging from the tips of twigs on mature trees in late spring. The seed pods are often dried and used in floral arrangements. The leaves are are used in many Southern Christmas decorations often mixed with pine boughs to create garlands and wreaths.

Bay

Bay for Glory

Praline

noun: a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup. In Louisiana, pecans are used, and cream is often incorporated into the mixture. Praline candy patties are one of the foods most often associated with New Orleans.

Salute to the Big Easy

St Louis Cathedral, the heart of the French Quarter

Distinctive wrought iron balconies of the French Quarter

Shotgun style house

Bee Balm/Monarda

This is a new series that I am calling The Language of Herbs. I will spotlight common herbs and their symbolic meanings. Keep these meanings in mind when creating arrangements for family and friends. Our first entry in Bee Balm/Monarda for Sympathy.

Faux Bois

adjective:"false wood" in French. The look of wood or wood grain- in textiles, paper products, furniture, and accessories- has been popular throughout the history of interior design. The style has a resurgence in popularity in part due to the green movement. It is a way to bring the feel and the look of nature to any interior.

Sofrito

noun: in Caribbean and Latin American cuisine, a well cooked and fragrant sauce of tomatoes, roasted peppers, garlic, onions and herbs; that is used as the base for many dishes

Peachy Keen Muffins

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup diced peaches
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and buttermilk. With a fork, mix in vegetable oil, molasses, vanilla, and egg. Add remaining ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are dampened.
Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.Makes 12 medium muffins.

Weigela

noun: a rounded; spreading shrub that is ideal in groupings and makes a fine border plant with its green leaves and rosy pink flowers, which are especially attractive to hummingbirds. Flowering lasts from late spring into fall. Requires only a minimum of care to yield years of beauty. Hardy in zones 4-9, pest and disease resistant, can easily be pruned to control size.

Anaglypta

noun: uniquely textured wall covering from the Victorian era made from paper pulp. Because it is paintable and comes in many styles, it is perfect for faux finishes. It is frequently used to imitate stone, intricately carved moldings, or wainscoting.

It can also be used to create a decorative finish on furniture and accessories.

Semolina

noun: coarse pale-yellow flour ground from hard durum wheat used to make traditional pasta. Semolina can also be used to make pizza, bread and gnocchi and is added to biscuits to give a hardy texture. The term also refers to a British milk pudding of the same name. The semolina is cooked slowly in milk and sweetened with sugar. It can be served like porridge with a spoonful of honey or jam stirred through or topped with fresh or dried fruit.

Tuscan Inspired Garden

"Sweet Autumn"clematis in all it's glory invites you to explore beneath the bower.
The tranquil sounds of the stone fountain create a relaxing retreat.

Ornamental Kale

noun: a form of cabbage, green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms. Many varieties of kale are referred to as flowering or ornamental kales and are grown mainly for their ornamental leaves, which are brilliant white, red, pink, lavender, or violet in the interior or the rosette. Ornamental kale is every bit as edible as any other variety.

Moiré

noun: fabric with irregular, wavy, watered silk effect create by pressure from heated cylinders on folded and dampened cloth

Gardens of Spyglass Summit

Profusion zinnias add dramatic color

Sculptural shrubs meet free form Knockout Roses

Althea standard creates a vertical focal feature

Sit and enjoy the overflowing containers featuring yellow lantana

Tarte tatin

noun: a classic French apple tart in which the fruit is cooked under a lid of pastry, but served upside down - with the pastry underneath and the fruit on top. It combines the taste of caramel with the flavour of apples cooked in butter and was made famous by the Tatin sisters who ran a hotel-restaurant in France in the early 1900s.
Many variations of the original apple 'upside-down' tart have since been developed, including savoury versions using shallots or onions

Dentil

adjective: rectangular or square elements equally spaced along a piece of molding creating a "tooth" pattern.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

2 cups instant couscous, prepared as per box instructions
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1 ¼ cups tomatoes, stemmed, seeded and diced
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh mint, plus whole sprigs for garnish
2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano, plus whole sprigs for garnish
For dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. grated lemon zest

3 Tbs. white balsalmic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare couscous as per box instructions. Transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl. Using a fork, fluff the couscous grains to separate them. Add the pine nuts, kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, chopped mint and oregano and toss.
In a separate bowl whisk lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and the vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until well blended. Mix into couscous mixture gently but well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend. Garnish with the mint and oregano sprigs and serve the salad chilled or at room temperature. Serves 6.

Abelia

noun: popular garden shrub. The most widely grown is the hybrid Glossy Leaf Abelia. This is a rounded, spreading, multi-stemmed shrub with gracefully arching branches 2-3 feet tall, with ovate, glossy, dark green semi-evergreen leaves about 1 inch long, and clusters of white-tinged-pink, bell-shaped flowers about ½ inch long. The trumpet shaped blooms attract butterflies and humming birds. Hardy in zones 6 thru 9. Does best when planted in sun to partial shade; prefers moist, well-drained site but tolerates clay, damp, or dry soil. Drought tolerant; hardy; flowers on new growth; easy to grow; can be severely pruned

Kumquat

noun: small citrus fruit originating in central China but now cultivated in the Far East, Australia and America. Sometimes called Chinese oranges - can be eaten whole, including the skin, or used for pickling and preserves. They are tart in taste, like lemons. Choose small, shiny fruits. Wash and eat them whole, poach them in sugar syrup and serve with ice cream, or use in a fruit salad.

Spyglass Summit

Bonhomme Gardeners recognized for the annual floral design for the entrance of Spyglass Summit by the Beautifcation Commitee of the city of Chesterfield.

Tuscan Dinner

This dinner was inspired by the colors and textures of the Tuscan countryside. Warm, earthy terracotta and ocher are offset by cool, fresh green.

Mixing flowers, vegetables and fruit to create the tablescape.

Real artichokes become beautiful candle holders.

Batik

noun: refers to a generic wax-resist dyeing technique used on textile. Melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. Where the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps. After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between sheets of paper to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.

Potager

noun: a French style of ornamental vegetable or kitchen gardens. Flowers and herbs are planted with vegetables to enhance the beauty. The goal is to make the function of providing food aesthetically pleasing. Plants are chosen as much for their functionality as for their color and form. Many are trained to grow upward. A well designed potager can provide food, cut flowers and herbs for the home with very little maintenance.

The Cakery

My favorite bakery, featured in the St Louis Post today. Check out their website under my Favorite Things.

Granita

noun: icy frozen mixture made of sugar, water, and flavorings that originated in Southern Italy. The mixture is placed in a shallow glass baking dish and put in the freezer. The concoction is stirred every half hour during freezing by using the tines of a fork to scrape the mixture to achieve a coarse, crystalline texture. It needs to be served as soon as it’s ready and is traditionally served either between courses or as refreshment, but it also makes a light and zingy dessert.

2 cups Water
1 cup Sugar

1 1/2 cups

Freshly squeezed lime juice

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally todissolve sugar. Cool the syrup. Stir in the lime juice through a fine strainer to eliminate any seeds or pulp. Pour into a shallow glass pan and put in freezer. When the mixture starts to freeze, stir every 30 minutes or so, scraping the frozen mixture from the bottom and sides of the pan and mixing it with the as-yet-unfrozen mixture. When there is no longer any unfrozen liquid in the pan press plastic wrap against the surface. Serve within a few hours for best texture. Substituteany citrus juice for distinctly different flavors.

Makes 1 Quart

Gerbera Daisy Pop Party

Icon artwork and table decor

Buffet of delicious nibblies

Delightful desserts

"Sweet Remembrances"

Secret Ingedient:Gorgonzola Cheese

Our first winner in the Secret Ingredient Recipe Poll is Gorgonzola Cheese.

Gorgonzola is an Italian cows' milk cheese named after a village outside of Milan. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. The cheese dates back to the 9th century, with the blue/green mold developing accidentally sometime around the 11th century. As with most blue-veined cheeses, Gorgonzola was originally aged in caves and the blue veins of mold developed from spores naturally present in the caves. Today, the mold spores are mixed right in with the curds in the cheese making process to maintain consistent standards.

Fettuccine with Gorgonzola and Mushroom sauce

1 1/2 c. dry white wine

2 1/4 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. butter5 shallots, finely chopped
1 pint button mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp. Fresh thyme, chopped or 1 1/2 tsp. dried, crumbled

3/4 lb. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled additional for garnish

3/4 lb. fettuccine

Fresh ground pepper
Italian parsley for garnish

Bring white wine to boil in heavy saucepan, reduce by one half. Add cream, bring to boil and lower heat to simmer. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes, liquid will reduce by approximately 1/8.

In separate medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms, sauté until shallots turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme.

Add Gorgonzola to cream mixture and stir until cheese melts and sauce thickens slightly.
Cook pasta in boiling water until tender. Drain and return to hot pot.
Remove cream sauce from heat. Fold in shallots and mushrooms. Season with ground pepper to taste. Pour over pasta, stirring constantly.
Divide pasta onto plates and sprinkle with remaining Gorgonzola cheese and Italian parsley garnish. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Armillary

noun: an early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens, including in the most elaborate instruments the horizon, meridian, Equator, tropics, polar circles, and an ecliptic hoop. The sphere is a skeleton celestial globe, with circles divided into degrees for angular measurement.

Mondrian

Despite being well-known, often-parodied and even trivialized, Piet Mondrian's paintings exhibit a complexity that belies their apparent simplicity.

Typical of his art are compositions employing only vertical and horizontal lines at 90° angles and using only the primary colors and sometimes grays or black against a white background. Sensuality, three-dimensionality, and representation are utterly eliminated from his works, as is the curved line. Within these restrictions, his paintings are executed with consummate perfection of design and craft.

Mondrian inspired dress

Mondrian inspired building in Austin, Texas

Outdoor Decor for Fall

Soon it will be time to decorate porches, decks and patios with the seasonal bounty of plump pumpkins mixed with leaves, berries, vines and fruits. Fall is the time when people move indoors and welcome guests to warm visits over cider. Greet your guests with a beautifully decorated entrance. Using materials you may have in your yard or can pick up at the market, the outside of your home will look as warm and welcoming as it is inside.