Spring is still arriving!
Top 2 photos: Crabapple tree blossoms
3rd photo: Yoshino cherry tree blossoms
Bottom photo: Redbud tree blossoms
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Showing posts with label Nature on La Bella Vita. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature on La Bella Vita. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
In The Pink of Spring!
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And below is a shot of this young cherry tree blooming quite a bit earlier than the bare hardwoods behind it.
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It's time to begin taking a walk around the acreage!
As I mentioned in previous posts, the daffodils are happily in bloom, and now it's time for the cherry and pear trees. There is no better way to welcome spring than with flowering cherry trees! Whether planted in rows to create never-ending clouds of gorgeous blossoms, or planted alone and solitary for a stunning showpiece, flowering cherries are beloved everywhere and a sure sign of the spring season. And among spring's earliest blooms is the delicate pink Japanese "Okame" cherry tree. We planted this young tree last year and it's doing very well in it's new home. We planted it in a spot where we can see it from the kitchen windows. It adds such a delightful element to the acreage! Cherry trees are fast-growers and the deer leave them alone fairly well (that's always a big plus). The Kwanzan and Yoshino cherry trees are still in the budding stage.
The photo below is so special because it invites us in to see nature busy at work right in front of our noses! The bees are doing their bee-thing of pollinating our world to keep things growing wherever they land. Cool stuff, huh?
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Below is a close-up of more delicate pink cherry blossoms.
And below is a shot of this young cherry tree blooming quite a bit earlier than the bare hardwoods behind it.
Another close-up, which you can tell that I can't seem to get enough of these sweet little blossoms.
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A Lemon Layer Cake, Daffodils, and Limoncello!
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There is just something so cheerful about the color yellow! So many of us need this bright and sunny hue at this time of year when we are so winter-weary! Those who live in the most northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere have had a most challenging winter season this year and I sympathize with them completely, having lived the majority of my life in Iowa where winters can be very severe!
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So please don't hate me as I sat on my deck in the soothing warm March sun in South Carolina while my lemon cake baked in the oven. The daffodils and pansies were nodding their pretty little heads as the scent of of citrus perfumed my house. It was truly a moment of spring-is-near bliss!
This month the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's theme is appropriately, timely, and seasonally named "Notes of Citrus". So very perfect for this time of year when citrus is at the peak of freshness! Try to get on over to Val's blog (More Than Burnt Toast) for the Linky to share a post if you have one; click on this { link } to join in the foodie fun! For my contribution to the get-together, I selected a dessert. I could not resist this recipe that was named "Nathan's Lemon Cake" in the 2008 archives of Cooking Light magazine, that was originally prepared for a young man's birthday and which earned an 'outstanding' rating from the Cooking Light food journalists. Well, they were right! And it's just so pretty too!
The only changes that I made were for the purpose of increasing the level of moistness of the cake: I reduced the baking time from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and it made all the difference! Don't overcook this at all! I also added 2 Tablespoons of Limoncello to the icing in order to make it less thick; it was quite thick without it. Both of these changes made this cake simply incredible. So much so, that my husband had two slices and my father who has a very small appetite also ate an entire slice! Wonderful to enjoy another light recipe that is bursting with flavor!
Lemon Cake
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup non-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Limoncello (my only addition)
Lemon slices, cut in half, or strips of lemon rind for garnish.
Fresh sprig of mint for garnish.
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Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a hand-held blender/mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.
Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.
With a hand-held electric blender, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake.
Top with remaining cake layer.
Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake.
Garnish with lemon wedges or strips, if desired.
I also added a sprig of fresh mint from my garden.
Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Calories: 317 per slice (if cake is cut into 16 total slices).
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There is just something so cheerful about the color yellow! So many of us need this bright and sunny hue at this time of year when we are so winter-weary! Those who live in the most northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere have had a most challenging winter season this year and I sympathize with them completely, having lived the majority of my life in Iowa where winters can be very severe!
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So please don't hate me as I sat on my deck in the soothing warm March sun in South Carolina while my lemon cake baked in the oven. The daffodils and pansies were nodding their pretty little heads as the scent of of citrus perfumed my house. It was truly a moment of spring-is-near bliss!
This month the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's theme is appropriately, timely, and seasonally named "Notes of Citrus". So very perfect for this time of year when citrus is at the peak of freshness! Try to get on over to Val's blog (More Than Burnt Toast) for the Linky to share a post if you have one; click on this { link } to join in the foodie fun! For my contribution to the get-together, I selected a dessert. I could not resist this recipe that was named "Nathan's Lemon Cake" in the 2008 archives of Cooking Light magazine, that was originally prepared for a young man's birthday and which earned an 'outstanding' rating from the Cooking Light food journalists. Well, they were right! And it's just so pretty too!
The only changes that I made were for the purpose of increasing the level of moistness of the cake: I reduced the baking time from 30 minutes to 20 minutes and it made all the difference! Don't overcook this at all! I also added 2 Tablespoons of Limoncello to the icing in order to make it less thick; it was quite thick without it. Both of these changes made this cake simply incredible. So much so, that my husband had two slices and my father who has a very small appetite also ate an entire slice! Wonderful to enjoy another light recipe that is bursting with flavor!
Lemon Cake
Cooking spray
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup non-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Limoncello (my only addition)
Lemon slices, cut in half, or strips of lemon rind for garnish.
Fresh sprig of mint for garnish.
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Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms of pans with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
Dust pans with 2 tablespoons flour, and set aside.
Lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife.
Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
Place sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a hand-held blender/mixer at medium speed until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Beat in 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans.
Cool completely on wire rack; remove wax paper from cake layers.
With a hand-held electric blender, combine powdered sugar and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread half of icing on top of cake.
Top with remaining cake layer.
Spread remaining half of icing over top of cake.
Garnish with lemon wedges or strips, if desired.
I also added a sprig of fresh mint from my garden.
Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Calories: 317 per slice (if cake is cut into 16 total slices).
The daffodils have been opening up that were just breaking ground a few weeks ago!
Such a welcome sight!
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I love this green cut-glass pedestal cake stand. It's just perfect for spring and even summer! The silver cake server adds a touch of shine and elegance too.
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Simply lusciously lemon!
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Beauty in simplicity . . . my way of looking at the world around me that never fails.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Somewhat Wordless Wednesday ~ ~ A Southern Spring Is Near!!
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Yes it's true, this is the first sign of spring here in the South. My daffodils are about 4 inches high! Oh I know that I'm going to need to do some separating of these daffodil bulbs, but that's OK! I'm almost dancing a jig of happiness right now, just knowing that spring and my favorite season (for the beginning of gardening) is just around the corner! I just could NOT be completely wordless about this moment in my gardens on the acreage! .
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Yes it's true, this is the first sign of spring here in the South. My daffodils are about 4 inches high! Oh I know that I'm going to need to do some separating of these daffodil bulbs, but that's OK! I'm almost dancing a jig of happiness right now, just knowing that spring and my favorite season (for the beginning of gardening) is just around the corner! I just could NOT be completely wordless about this moment in my gardens on the acreage! .
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sun~Dried Tomato Pesto Turkey Burgers With Basil Aioli and A Major Southern Snow Storm!
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You know it really is true: if we plan ahead and go to the market/store with a list of all the ingredients that we'll need for our planned menus, we'll stick to a healthier food plan overall! Plus, if it snows like it has been doing right here in the South (and subsequently icing up ~ which is even worse!), we don't have to venture out onto uncleared snow-covered roads.
So I followed this healthy rule last week and had all of the necessary ingredients on hand for a week's full of good stuff. Who would have 'thunk' that this would have been the week that no one was able to drive on ice-covered roads in a state with only 20 snow plow and ice clearing trucks . . . even the National Guard was summoned in this week to help us out! I don't know about you, but that's a big "Wow" in my book, especially being from the Midwest where roads are cleared in the middle of the night and schools are NEVER closed!
Even our Internet connection has not operated in two days; so this is truly a late recipe for "y'all". I do apologize, but this recipe is certainly worth the wait! It is completely outstanding! No lie, friends! You've got to add this to your healthy recipes file! It is truly the best of the last three healthy recipes that I've posted BY FAR! Once again it is from Cooking Light's "Fresh Food Fast" cookbook, with my own adaptations and additions (that made a big difference!); a resource that is shocking my family and me for the tasty, yet good-for-us recipes that are provided. I'm just amazed! You'll never know that this recipe is actually good for you! And isn't that one of the goals that eating more healthfully is all about: Enjoyment!?
Sun-Dried Turkey Burgers with Basil Aioli
1 1/4 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 oz.) crumbled goat or feta cheese (I substituted Parmesan, cuz hubby hates feta cheese)
1/4 cup chopped and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (I substituded sun-dried tomato pesto instead)
1 Tbsp. freshly minced garlic (this was my own addition)
Cooking spray
Green leaf lettuce
White-wheat hamburger buns (such as Nature's Own)
4 tomato slices (or more)
Basil Aioli
Prepare grill.
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees.
Place lettuce leaves on the bottom halves of each bun; top each with a turkey burger, and one tomato slice.
Spread 1 Tbsp. Basil Aioli on one side of each bun top.
Place one bun top on top of the other bun half and turkey burger.
Basil Aioli
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (I used more, but that's just me)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced (I doubled this amount!)
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
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Stay healthy, everyone! And more importantly, stay happy and positive!
You know it really is true: if we plan ahead and go to the market/store with a list of all the ingredients that we'll need for our planned menus, we'll stick to a healthier food plan overall! Plus, if it snows like it has been doing right here in the South (and subsequently icing up ~ which is even worse!), we don't have to venture out onto uncleared snow-covered roads.
So I followed this healthy rule last week and had all of the necessary ingredients on hand for a week's full of good stuff. Who would have 'thunk' that this would have been the week that no one was able to drive on ice-covered roads in a state with only 20 snow plow and ice clearing trucks . . . even the National Guard was summoned in this week to help us out! I don't know about you, but that's a big "Wow" in my book, especially being from the Midwest where roads are cleared in the middle of the night and schools are NEVER closed!
Even our Internet connection has not operated in two days; so this is truly a late recipe for "y'all". I do apologize, but this recipe is certainly worth the wait! It is completely outstanding! No lie, friends! You've got to add this to your healthy recipes file! It is truly the best of the last three healthy recipes that I've posted BY FAR! Once again it is from Cooking Light's "Fresh Food Fast" cookbook, with my own adaptations and additions (that made a big difference!); a resource that is shocking my family and me for the tasty, yet good-for-us recipes that are provided. I'm just amazed! You'll never know that this recipe is actually good for you! And isn't that one of the goals that eating more healthfully is all about: Enjoyment!?
Sun-Dried Turkey Burgers with Basil Aioli
1 1/4 lb. ground turkey breast
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 oz.) crumbled goat or feta cheese (I substituted Parmesan, cuz hubby hates feta cheese)
1/4 cup chopped and drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves (I substituded sun-dried tomato pesto instead)
1 Tbsp. freshly minced garlic (this was my own addition)
Cooking spray
Green leaf lettuce
White-wheat hamburger buns (such as Nature's Own)
4 tomato slices (or more)
Basil Aioli
Prepare grill.
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Divide turkey mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2" thick patty.
Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side, or until a thermometer registers 165 degrees.
Place lettuce leaves on the bottom halves of each bun; top each with a turkey burger, and one tomato slice.
Spread 1 Tbsp. Basil Aioli on one side of each bun top.
Place one bun top on top of the other bun half and turkey burger.
Basil Aioli
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (I used more, but that's just me)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced (I doubled this amount!)
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.
Stay healthy, everyone! And more importantly, stay happy and positive!
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010
SC Snowfall, Christmas 2010 ~ ~ Wordless Wednesday (well, not completely wordless)
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The front pasture covered with a perfect white snow under a clear blue winter sky.
Mr. Cardinal entertaining us outside my kitchen window (through a window screen, so a bit blurry).
Snowfall at night brings a completely different photo theme, the white dots are snowflakes.
An old, abandoned, but beautiful cabin just down the road from us. I just love it!
Front step arrangements dusted with snow (red dogwood branches, berries, and assortment of greenery).
One of the gardens under the blanket of soft, white snow.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Baby, It's COLD Outside: Wordless Wednesday
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Jack Frost nipping at your nose (and the windows) under a perfect Carolina blue sky!
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Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
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A thanksgiving in chilly Iowa, plus a surprise 90th birthday celebration for my father!
.90 candles to blow out . . .
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.90 balloons to pop . . .
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.to surprise my father, Bud, the birthday boy!
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.and then to gather around my sister Kelly's gorgeous table
for thanksgiving for all of our blessings!
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I couldn't be totally 'wordless' this week! :-)
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Blazing Fiery Colored Maple Leaves
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There is some serious color showing in our little "Autumn Blaze" maple tree. Really intense hues!
We planted this little beauty four years ago, and when all other trees fail to show off their stuff,
this little tree never fails to impress us! If I'm fortunate enough to live another 10 years,
I cannot even imagine what a show it will provide every autumn!
We planted this little beauty four years ago, and when all other trees fail to show off their stuff,
this little tree never fails to impress us! If I'm fortunate enough to live another 10 years,
I cannot even imagine what a show it will provide every autumn!
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Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
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Felix cuddling up and hugging some doll friends.
R.I.P. dear, young friend (2002 - 2006).
We miss you.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
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.Our 4-year old grandchild, Evie, with "Carolina Luck" (Lucky), our 10-year old American Saddlebred, who is a 1,300 pound gentle giant!
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.Our 4-year old grandchild, Evie, with "Carolina Luck" (Lucky), our 10-year old American Saddlebred, who is a 1,300 pound gentle giant!
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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Wordless and "Wow" Wednesday
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Tigger, our 15-year old grey tabby, is a very happy old boy . . . he lays on his back daily to sleep & relax! He was a stray that wandered into our lives and never fails to make us laugh!
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Tigger, our 15-year old grey tabby, is a very happy old boy . . . he lays on his back daily to sleep & relax! He was a stray that wandered into our lives and never fails to make us laugh!
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Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Wordless and "Wow" Wednesday
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The 'desert' side of the island of Lanai overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the island of Maui.
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Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wordless and "Wow" Wednesday
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I've never posted a simple photo for a "Wordless Wednesday", so here's my first - - Sunset on West Oahu, Hawaii, August, 2010. Look, you can even see some actual sun 'rays' on the left of the setting sun!
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I've never posted a simple photo for a "Wordless Wednesday", so here's my first - - Sunset on West Oahu, Hawaii, August, 2010. Look, you can even see some actual sun 'rays' on the left of the setting sun!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A Beautiful and Delicious Week on Hilton Head Island, SC
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I just spent a glorious week with my hubbie on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina for some simple and hard-to-find rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation for the mind, body and soul. This was just the restoration that both of us needed after nine months of teaching college students. We love staying at destinations before the Kindergarten through 12th graders get out of school so we have even MORE peace and quiet! Not that we don't love kids, of course we do, having four of our own and five grandchildren. It's just that when we want blissful serenity, we really seek it out!
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Here are just a few shots of what we experienced on this nature-preserve island of Hilton Head:
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The lighthouse above actually does work to warn both boaters and sailors. Restaurants are on top and bottom as well as surrounding it. Below is another view of it from the pier. To the right is the final hole of the PGA Verizon Heritage Professional Golf Tournament that takes place the week after the Master's Tournament.
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Hilton Head Island is only one of three islands in the U.S. that was purposefully developed to preserve nature at all times. Below are a few photos of the wildlife on and surrounding the isle: an egret and a bottle nose dolphin.
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An incredible array of dining options awaited us. We always refer to travel web-sites for reviews prior to making any reservations. We've been lucky enough to select some really outstanding eateries to break bread and drink wine and this week was no exception. Below is a sample of one of the local waters fish entrees that we sampled: Carolina "redfish", a robust flavored, firm salt water fish sauteed in brown butter and garlic, and topped with a Mediterranean medley of peppers, tomatoes, slivered garlic, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Perfectly steamed broccoli rabe and velvety mashed potatoes finished it off. Just divine! Other fresh caught fish that we devoured were grouper, striped bass (in season now), and lobster and crab for my husband (I have the horrible shellfish allergy, so I just get to watch him enjoy those last two). But all of the fish were straight out of the Carolina coastal waters, so everything was super fresh!
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Here was the most interesting appetizer that I've simply got to put on my chef's hat and do my best to try and recreate: Sushi nachos! They were just out of this world incredible! A huge, crisp, spicy nacho chip with a sliced avocado topped with very rare ahi tuna slices, ginger, a spicy tomato topping with wasabi and sour cream drizzled on top. It's the spices that I will have to figure out! But, oh yum!
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.Crabbin' South Carolina style! Blue stone crabs at that!
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After a superb dinner, we went out along the Marina to simply rock the evening away in Harbour Town where a soft breeze blew in from the ocean. What a life!
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The next day we boarded an excursion boat for a sunset dolphin and crabbing nature cruise. It just doesn't get any better than that!
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.Crabbin' South Carolina style! Blue stone crabs at that!
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Here is how you can tell whether or not the blue stone crab is female: by the orange markings on her claws.
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A graceful and quiet pod of dolphins swam swiftly by us for our utter enjoyment!
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Our captain drove the boat through the protected eco-system marshlands of the Lowcountry of the Carolina's and gave us detailed explanations of how Mother Nature makes it all work in harmony!
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And finally before the night enveloped us in darkness, we were able to sail during a delightfully, peaceful sunset with nothing but the wind to listen to and the waves lapping softly against our boat. Just bliss and pure beauty.
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May all of your travels this spring and summer be blessed with God's beauty and splendor! Please leave only small carbon footprints to keep this great country the gem that it is. And of course fellow foodies, don't forget to do your best to eat well too and experience the fresh, local cuisine specialties that you'll not be able to find when you return home!
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Happy travels (buona viaggio) . . .
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