Flashback Friday ~Late Summer

Summer is fluttering away


The daylilies are nearly finished


And the raspberries are nearing their end


I did really enjoy them this year though. I had an abundance so of course I was looking for recipes. I came across this one for Raspberry Bread Pudding that is to die for. I think Kneaders is a restaurant. If I made it again I would skip the cream sauce although it was really good. I think the pudding was awesome on its own.

Kneaders Raspberry Bread Pudding

Cream Mix

1 1/2 loaves aged, white bread

1 quart heavy cream

3 cups sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

In large bowl combine cream, sugar, egg and vanilla. Cut bread into 1 1/2″ cubes and add to cream mixture, coating bread well. Let stand 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes to allow cream to absorb completely.

Fruit Filling
5 cups frozen or fresh raspberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

Combine raspberries, sugar and apple juice, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Layer a 9×13 dark baking dish 3/4 full with bread mixture, pour fruit filling over bread mixture, spreading evenly, top with remaining bread. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Serve warm. Top with vanilla sauce.

Vanilla Sauce (Totally optional - it was almost overkill)
1 1/3 cup butter

5 tablespoons flour

3 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

Over medium heat melt butter, and add flour stir 10 minutes until it has a nutty aroma, do not brown. Add cream and sugar and boil till mixture is thick, remove from heat adding vanilla. Serve this wonderful sauce cold.

My flashback today is a pic of my friend Allison and me being silly at the beach in Biloxi circa 1980 right before we started junior high. It's not the best picture and you can't really make out our faces but it makes me smile!


We met when we were both in 4th grade and have been close ever since. She is coming to visit me tomorrow for a week and I'm so excited. Kitchen Bouquet will be on vacation as well from now until after Labor Day. I may send some postcards in the interim, but will definitely have some fun things to share when Kitchen Bouquet is back in business.

If you have a Flashback you'd like to share add your link below.



Joining in for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and
Flaunt your Flowers at Tootsie Time

Flashback Friday ~Happy Birthday to my Sissy

Its my sister Cindy's birthday today! So I'm flashing back to her visit to see me a couple of years ago. She will be coming back in September! Yay!!! Here she is by the Tuttle River on our way up to Mt. St. Helen's


Here we are from the viewing area. That's our "adopted" sister Cathy.


Cindy and Cathy on the Space Needle!


Here she is at beach near Forks.



And with me, my Mom and Cathy on a giant Douglas Fir - the biggest!


And another giant tree! Western Cedar - also the biggest :-)


Coming down the path at Olympic National Forest


Here she is all smiles on our whale watching tour


It was a fun trip and I'd like to do it all over again. Looking forward to the September visit too! Happy Birthday Cindy! Love you! I know you love daisies - here is a neat African Daisy for you :-)



If you have a flashback you'd like to share please add your post below.

Fava Beans!

Do you know Fava Beans? If you are like my husband you may only know them from an infamous line in the Silence of the Lambs. But they are very nice beans! Really! And one of the oldest foods in cultivation. Its been around for several thousand years. You may have also heard them called broad beans. I decided to grow a few in garden this year. Couldn't have been easier - you should try some.


I'll have to plant more plants next year to get a bigger yield. As you can see they look fat, but inside is full of fluffy fiberfill.


But I grew enough for a nice little pasta dish. I made about a third of the recipe below.

Capri Lemon Pasta
Adapted from Maria Elia's "The Modern Vegetarian"

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into bite size pieces
1 pound fresh fava beans, shelled (or 5 1/2 ounces frozen fava beans or shelled edamame)
1 pound sugar snap peas
14-ounce pasta like fettucini
4 tablespoons mascarpone or fromage blanc
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low combine the cream and lemon zest. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Once the water has boiled, add the green beans, fava beans, pasta and peas. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and produce.

Pour the warmed cream and lemon zest into the pasta cooking pot. Add the lemon juice, mascarpone or fromage blanc and reserved pasta cooking water. Return to a boil, then add the pasta and vegetables.

Add the Parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss well.

Makes 4 servings.

This is the local cheese I used



The few favas I grew had me wanting more, so I got some in my weekly veggie box - 5 pound this time. Its a labor intensive food - peeling the pod, blanching, then peeling the waxy coating off,


Then you can finally cook! This weekend I tried another great recipe. Made a great lunch - kind of a warm salad.

Warm Fresh Fava Bean Salad



adapted from this recipe at Tasty Trix blog - great photo tutorial showing how to shell favas

3-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3-4 plum tomatoes, quartered
6-8 ounces Greek feta, cubed
5 lbs fava beans, prepared in the manner described above
2 Tablespoons chopped black olives or olive salad
Shaved Parmesan to top
Salt & pepper, to taste

Combine the garlic and olive oil on very low heat in a deep skillet and allow the garlic to infuse the oil. Once fragrant, toss in the tomatoes and fava beans increase heat to medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat, season and add feta & olives. Very filling!

Sharing a few summer images taken on 4th of July at Browns Point in Tacoma. Better late than never!


Joining in for Mosaic Monday at Little Red House this week.

Flashback Friday ~Sloppy Joes

This week for Flashback Friday I'm featuring a recipe that I've never posted before, but have been making for several years. Sloppy Joes! If you're looking for a fine gourmet recipe..this may not be the post for you. I would venture to say many of you already have a recipe in your head for this or at least have a store bought shortcut product that helps you put this on the table.

I always used one of those handy dandy mix packets but when I had a request for Sloppy Joes on night and found myself without my trusty packet I turned to a Ground Beef Cookbook put out by Taste of Home a few years back and tried their recipe. Over the years I've tweaked it slightly to our taste, but I can say this - I've never seen the need for the packet again!

My Sloppy Joes



Ingredients

• 1 pound groud beef
• 2-3 celebery ribs, sliced (optional or use celery salt)
  
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's Seasoning or other cajun spice mix (or salt/pepper to taste)
  
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 6 to 8 hamburger buns

In a large saucepan, cook the beef, celery, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the next 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Spoon onto buns.

In my last post I showed some flowers that I had lost this past winter. How about a few shots of whats left :-)

Daylilies are taking over at the moment. I just adore this one. No idea what it's name is.



This is pretty sweet too


Even the old fashioned orange is pretty right about now
]

This red one is a very nice color


And a few here in the border


A cute little potentilla poking up above the blue hardy geranium.


This lychnis is out of control this year.




Etoile Violette clematis is one that blooms like crazy too.


The tall phlox is just starting to bloom.


I've got a lily or two


This veronica was tiny last year and I thought it was a low growing variety but it grew up!


One of my pots on the driveway. Love the geranium leaves!


Last year I had barely 10 tiny apples on my tree. This year *BANGO*. I'm sure I'm supposed to thin these or something but I don't have the heart for that.


Its Raspberry time!



Things are filling in around the pineapple fountain


My angel corner is getting really over grown. Who knew these plants would get so giant???


This is kind of cheating - I just bought it this past weekend, but lets just call it a fill in for some that I lost. Couldn't resist this pretty frilly coneflower.


Nasturtiums that live in my veggie garden


Red Bee Balm standing tall



This hydrangea is particularly blue! I love this stage...the yellow reminds me of the color of butter.


Hope you enjoyed the midsummer tour!



If you have a flashback of any kind that you'd like to add put your link below.


Joining in this week for:
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Flaunt Your Flowers at Tootsie Time

Flashback Friday ~Missing In Action!

For this week's Flashback Friday I am showing a few things from my flower gardens that have decided to go A.W.O.L this year! We had a strange winter - late spring frosts that I think did a few things in. At least I have pictures to remember them by! I keep hoping some of these are hiding somewhere and will resurface later than normal..still have my fingers crossed. More than a couple roses bit the dust including this beautiful pink one whose name has been lost to me.



My cute little shaggy daisy is missing as well. Sniff Sniff


Bee balm borders on being a weed but I lost two different varieties. A pink and this purple


Another near weed but one I love - rose campion. I have a lighter pink but the neon pink one is gone.


To be honest I have no clue what got this clematis but I had to replant something else in its place.


Cone flowers are a tough one for me to begin with because I just don't have enough sunny prairie like spots in my yard!


And finally - the one that makes me the most sad. My little Hot Lips Salvia that I bragged on for several years as being hardy enough for my zone 7-8ish garden. This is definitely one I will try again! I had actually tempted fate and moved it to a less protected spot so I will be seeking out a tad more cozy spot next time around.




All is not lost though! I have plenty of beautiful plants blooming at the moment. Next post I'll take you on a tour of what IS still around :-)

If you have had a chance to check out the recipes shared at the Ice Cream Social last weekend take a few minutes to check some of the links out. There were some wonderful things blogged about! Click on the cones below to bring you to the Ice Cream Social post. Its actually not to late to add your link - the Social is open til the end of the month!


If you have a Flashback of any kind you'd like to share please add your link below.



I'm joining in for
Flaunt your Flowers Friday at Tootsie Time
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum