Spring Cherry Green Tea and My Favorite Mug

In honor of my friends at K&G Bookclub becoming the new host to Tea Time Tuesday, I'm sharing one of my favorite summertime Green Teas, served in one of my favorite summertime mugs.A few summers back, while in England, I spotted this sweet pink mug/bowl set with little roses, and just had to have them. This Gabriella Miller set was my prized possession from that trip. Too delicate (with a clumsy girl like me) for everyday use, they only come out for special mornings when I have time to relax with a nice cup of tea and muesli with yogurt and berries.
I am a huge fan of The Republic of Tea, and their Spring Cherry loose Green Tea is an absolute treat. It is also the perfect pairing for this delicate cup. The Spring Cherry Tea is a cherry flavored green tea with rose petals. This tea and cup were made for each other!

A Moment of Zen on Your Breakfast Plate: Buddha Belly Doughnuts

There is a new breakfast contender on Main Street: Buddha Belly Doughnuts. Located across the street from the Hollywood 20 cinema, Buddha Belly serves breakfast and lunch. The coffee is good and the Bavarian cream doughnut, even better.

Supporting Local and Independent Businesses is good karma.

Creamy Pesto Chicken With Roasted Tomatoes

This recipe is a good example of why I created this blog: to archive recipes that I like but will never again remember to make. I made this several weeks ago, took photos to remind myself what was in it, and then couldn't remember where the recipe came from. We really enjoyed the Creamy Pesto Chicken With Roasted Tomatoes and was so happy to stumbled upon the recipe today. I followed the recipe completely, only making for two instead of four. Also omitting the pine nuts - only because I didn't have any. Oh yeah, and also used Ricotta instead of Mascarpone. Other than that, I honestly followed to recipe - honest!

I suppose the photo below was sort of a note to self: NEVER cook raw beans EVER AGAIN!!! At the Farmer's Market a few weeks back, I was so excited to find fresh Cranberry Beans. Once home, I shelled, boiled, then sauteed in olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Once to what I thought was a good point, I added mushrooms and tomatoes, cooking until softened. Now, I think since MOST of my kitchen attempts come out very well (modestly speaking, naturally), I might - at times - get a little over confident. This was one of those occasions. Good idea, but the beans were not cooked. They were vile. If I do say so myself. Do you know how to cook fresh beans? If so, please do share. My ego is bruised and I am determined to master the art of cooking fresh beans.

It was a truly humbling experience and I have withdrawn my application from Hell's Kitchen. Kidding. Well, not really.

Garlic and Rosemary Haricot Verts

Haricot Verts have to be in my top 5 favorite vegetable list. These slim French green beans are truly popular in France too. Last October, I was on a mission to actually have Haricot Verts while in France. Well, apparently the French were too. Each morning, we'd go to the boulangerie to get pastries for breakfast then stop in to the épicerie, only to find that by the early time that we would get there, that they had sold out for the day. Lucky for me, these gems have been turning up at My Mother's Garden at my local Farmer's Market. Morton's Market prepare them in my all time favorite, with garlic, rosemary, and red new potatoes. This is my attempt to recreate their recipe. Tonight I made them to go with Mireille's Summer Potato Gratin from Patricia Well's The Provence Cookbook. More on that later, yum!First I boiled for 4 to 5 minutes, testing after 4 minutes as you don't want them too soft. Drain, then rinse with cold water to stop further cooking.
Once drained, I crushed one clove of garlic, chopped one sprig of rosemary, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, and a good sprinkling of fresh pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes to release the flavors of the rosemary and garlic.

You could add cooked new potatoes to this stage too. They had some gorgeous fingerling potatoes at the market too. If only i had been thinking ahead!
(Follow up a week later:) Well, it was a good excuse to get them the following weekend and make this lovely dish again!

Bon Appétit!

Easy Provençal Pork Ragoût

This is one of my favorite week night treats. Pork makes a lighter summer alternative to the heavier taste of beef. You could also make a vegetarian version by substituting the pork with lentils ~ very French, or meat substitute. You will see that I'm using a jarred Italian Sausage Sauce, but the flavoring of Herbes de Provence and the use of a Rosé wine give it a Provençal twist. Using a jarred sauce is what makes this dish so forgiving: you're adding other flavors, but since the base had a head start, if you don't have the time, you don't have to simmer the sauce all day.

• 1 pound ground pork


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 1 rib celery, chopped


• 1 medium carrot, chopped


• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped


• 1 jar of Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce


• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste


• 3 oz Rosé wine


• 1/2 tablespoon Herbes de Provence


• 1 spring rosemary


• 3 springs of thyme


• 1 bay leaf


• sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Start off by sautéing pork in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. As the pork slowly browns, chop vegetables and garlic, placing in a bowl.

Once pork is half cooked, add the garlic and vegetable mixture, stirring well.Next add the Herbes de Provence, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and a pinch of sea salt. Cook over medium heat until pork is cooked and vegetables have started to soften. Next add in the Sausage flavored sauce. I'm not loyal to any one brand, most likely choosing whatever is on sale, or better yet ~ buy one get one free!
Then add the can of tomato paste and wine. For this recipe, you'll need to use a proper dry Rosé, not White Zinfandel or the like which are way too sweet.Stir meat, vegetables, and sauce to mix well. Once mixed, cover and simmer. It really doesn't take long to make. If you're pressed for time, follow the instructions above for the sauce. Once the sauce is mixed, start to prepare your pasta. While the water is heating up and then the pasta is cooking, simmer the sauce on medium heat. Once your pasta is cooked, the sauce will be ready to eat. If you have a little longer, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer. While it simmers away, you can read a chapter or two of your book, look through a new magazine, call your mother, or do the laundry. Once you have relaxed or caught up on your chores, boil some pasta and you have a sauce that has slowly simmered, letting the flavors develop a little more.Taste before serving. I almost always have to add some more sea salt at this point. Season with freshly ground pepper.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Enjoy! x

Artichokes and Lemonade is Now on Facebook

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Creatures in My Garden: The Birds and the Bees... er Deer

On Sunday we decided to have our lunch out on the lanai. This isn't something we do very often this time a year as the temperatures are in the mid to high 90's, but the sun was shining and everything was so green outside - we just couldn't resist.

We don't use a lot of harsh chemicals in our garden, with the exception being fire ant dust, which tends to just relocate them. As a result of that, we've got a nice coexistence of lizards, bees, butterflies, dragon flies, squirrels, birds, rabbits, and various other creatures.
Recently, in the hibiscus on the west side of my lanai (just behind the parasol), right against the screen, I discovered a Mockingbird building a nest. I went to have a peak and discovered three blue eggs. I don't want to frighten off the mother bird, so am trying to stay away. It's been a harder time keeping Harry away, but for the most part he's actually been very well behaved.
Looking out over our roses, rosemary, and sea grape - we saw a first...
... a deer. It was lovely seeing it roam around. I've never seen a deer by our house and while it was sweet to see it, it was also sad as on the other side of those trees is a wall. The wood isn't very deep there, so is not the best place for a deer. Even more worrying is the fact that an alligator has been residing in the area by the water that the deer was walking. This was something I didn't care to witness. Fortunately the alligator was either sleeping, or had hopefully moved on to another lake.
We've had snakes, herons, egrets, pelicans, and roseate spoonbills, however the alligator is the only unwelcome creature we've had in our garden.

Rhubarb Conserves... A Work in Progress

Last October while we were in France, I spotted Bonne Maman's Confiture de Rhubarbe in a supermarket. Not being a huge fan of all things sweet first thing in the morning, this was perfect for my taste buds. It had a lovely balance of sweet and tart. We devoured the jar in the two weeks we were there. After making Rhubarb Ice Cream a few weeks back, I've been eager to recreate this French treat. Luckily I spotted some rhubarb yesterday, so bought a pound to try my luck.
I first started by slicing 1 pound of rhubarb, covering with 3/4 cups of sugar and cooked over low heat, covered, for 5 minutes, until the water began to release from the rhubarb.

Next, cook for 20 minutes over medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently.
As I hadn't really planned on making this, I didn't have jars on hand. Instead, once the mixture cooled, I stored in an enamel covered tin in the refrigerator over night.
As this was my first attempt, it didn't come out 100% right. While I was very pleased with the flavor, it was a little more watery than I had imagined. The consistency was perfect, so I wouldn't recommend cooking longer. As in the Bonne Maman version, I think I will use a little pectin next time to thicken. Do you have any advice or experience on using pectin? I'd love to hear your suggestions before trying!

My Favorite Sunny Day Wine: Loredona Viognier

Loredona's Viognier (vee-ohn-yay) is my favorite recent find. Back in April I was shopping at Whole Foods where I spotted a display of these slim, elegant bottles of Viognier for $6.99. While they didn't look like you're average bottle of mass produced plonk, I couldn't get over the low price tag. Luckily the very helpful wine guy saw the look on my face and came over to put my concerns to rest. He said that they get it in every spring at a good price. Still not convinced, he gave me a taste. I was sold. This wine was like Summer in a glass. It had a lovely citrus, peach, and tropical fruit flavor. Completely light on your tongue. It was so well balanced and flavorful without being heavy or oaky. Needless to say, at this price it was a staple in our house. Sadly, they ran out towards the beginning of June and most likely won't have any in stock again until next Spring. This is such a shame as it truly is the perfect summer wine, at an unbelievable price for the quality. We particularly enjoyed it with Thai, pasta, and chicken dishes. Calender marked, I will be frequenting the wine section of Whole Foods next Spring awaiting it's arrival and will have to get a case... or two.

Spinach, Tomato, and Orzo Salad

One of my favorite sides to get from the deli at Morton's Market is Spinach and Orzo Salad. Well, Morton's moved out of my neighborhood a year ago, and I've been Orzo free since. I had a strong craving for it the other weekend, and instead of driving to their other location, I decided to make my own. It was so easy and we loved the results, I felt silly that it had taken me so long to make myself. The guide for my salad was one I found by Rachael Ray. Hers was the closest to what I was looking for. Mine is pretty true to her recipe, with just a few slight changes. For Ms. Ray's unadulterated recipe, please click here. Below are my notes on what I changed on her recipe. Hers looked great, I was just missing the lemon and wanted to add feta so had to come up with something slightly different. Sorry you can't see the tomatoes. I used mini Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. By the time we were ready to eat I was so hungry that the photo was an afterthought.

Ingredients
* 1 bunch spinach, washed, dried, stems removed
* 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 box of orzo, cooked to al dente
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* bunch of basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
* Salt and pepper
* 2 tablespoons of prepared Greek Salad Dressing
* 4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

Directions
Thinly slice spinach and put into the bottom of a mixing bowl, followed by the halved tomatoes.

Once pasta is cooked and drained, add on top of tomatoes and spinach to slightly wilt.

Drizzle olive oil and salad dressing over orzo and veggies and mix well.

Add basil and salt and pepper and mix again.

Add feta, stirring again to mix.

Taste your orzo to adjust seasonings and serve.

Season to taste.

Serves 4