Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Peony Experiment

A few weeks ago I read about how 
you can pick Peony buds, wrap them in newspaper
and keep them in the fridge for up to two weeks!!!
This was mentioned on a comment from

We had an event coming up for which I wanted to use
some of these flowers, so I decided to 
give this a try.

June 16 - picked some buds.

Wrapped and refrigerated - so nice to have the garage fridge for this!

June 20 - unwrapped and put into water.

June 21

June 22 - beautiful and fragrant.

June 24 - fully opened!
This process totally amazed me.
It was so wonderful to see how even the leaves
came back to life after just a few hours
of being rehydrated!

I wonder ... could I have kept them this way for another week? 
Next time I'll have to try, but it will have to wait till next year
since all the Peonies have bloomed and are past their prime
as a result of our hot and humid weather these last few days!

That was fun ....


Till next time ..... enjoying the scents and beauty of these lovely flowers that have been growing here on this farm for more than 5 decades!!





Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Moon Flowers and Packages

It's Moon Flower time again!!!
We just had a stormy day here in SW Ontario
and the wind is still brisk
but, right on time - the moon flowers
opened their bright faces to shine through the night.
Here is the link of tonight's action:


Tonight was special in another way too....
some love came in a package from Grande Prairie, Alberta via Canada Post!










A sweet package containing
some lovely Stella and Dot
jewellery and a beautiful
cookbook "oh she glows" by
Angela Liddon
with favourite recipes tagged.
I can't wait to try these.






Then.... the best little charm of all!!
How sweet is this!?


Thanks Becky and Patrick
You're the best!!!




Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Toaster Oven Bread

Did you get a Toaster Oven (or two)
as a wedding gift?
We did - 40 some years ago!

Ye old GE self cleaning Toast-R-Oven
It even has that 1970's Chrysler Woodie
Station Wagon look to it!




I haven't used it for yearsdecades but got to thinking,
this might be a handy little appliance for the RV trailer 
when we are hooked up to hydro at our campsite???

What could you make in a toaster oven you ask,
especially one that old???

How about some skillet/toasted bread!!

I have my mom's well seasoned 6" teeny cast iron skillet
and it fits perfectly into the Toaster Oven.

I remember my Dad using this little skillet to fry his daily morning egg!


The recipe I used made a lovely little loaf of round bread
that was crunchy and delicious - just the right size for two.






The perfect little loaf
to go with a warm cup of soup!
The farmer really liked it and we gobbled it up while it was still warm (slathered with butter of course).







Toaster Oven Bread
1 Cup Flour plus another 1/2 Cup for kneading
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 Cup less a Tbsp. of hot water
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Warm the skillet on a hot burner for 30 seconds,
remove and add the Olive oil - set aside
Mix 1 Cup flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a small bowl.
Add the hot water and mix till flour is thick and sticky.
Turn out the dough onto a well floured surface, sprinkle
with flour and knead till no longer sticky.
Flatten dough ball to the size of the skillet and put it into the
oiled skillet - turn over so both sides are oiled, cover with Tea Towel and let stand for 20 minutes till slightly risen.
Preheat the Toaster Oven to 375F
Gently turn the dough over once again in the skillet and cook
over low to medium heat on the stove top for approx. 8 minutes or until the bottom has browned nicely (check by lifting gently with a fork or spatula).
Remove from stove top and pop it into the 
preheated Toaster Oven for another 5-10 minutes till the top
is nicely browned.
Remove and let cool - slice and enjoy!






Hmmmm - what else could I make in this vintage appliance?











Till next time ........perhaps a small Coffee Cake??  Do you have some favourite Toaster Oven recipes?

Seeding's Done

Seeds are in the ground,
both the fields
and the vegetable garden!
Better late than never....


June Flowers are blooming!







Bachelor Buttons always bloom
in time for the
Stratford Festival Opening Night!



Allium - always a favourite.











Parrot Tulips finally 
showing their beauty!













So the farmer came in from the field, 
dusted off his camping shoes
and off we went to try out our
little Escape for it's "maiden voyage"
to MacGregor Point
After all, it's Bird watching week there!







What a great time we had
with our friends
even though the farmer
had to return home for one of the
days to finishing "packing" 
the bean fields.
















We discovered that 
the Spring Woodland Flowers
were blooming too.
















And the birdwatchers were
everywhere!!!









Needless to say,
we had a wonderful first time out with our RV trailer 
and on the last evening, 
we set the sun whilst lounging on the solar heated rocks on the 
beautiful shore of Lake Huron!!!

I think I'm going to like camping glamping like never before.



Till next time ........... the rhubarb is growing like crazy and I can't wait to see the seeds popping their lovely heads in the garden....




Leaping into February!

  Just turned the calendar page for February and LOVE the caption for this LOVE month on the doorstep. ...  and, there were tulips at the gr...