Iced coffee is a truly summertime treat – cold, delicious, and easy to make. Be sure to use good brewed coffee. Serve for dessert or as an afternoon treat. Enjoy! Have a wonderful weekend!
Start with coffee ice cubes.
Pour in cold coffee.
Top with whipped cream, flavored if you like. Then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. If you are in the mood to really indulge, stir in some of the cream, then add some more! (Top photo.)
While working in the garden early this morning, I noticed a patch of toad stools growing beneath my lamb’s ears and thought that it looked like something about which a storyteller could spin an amusing children’s yarn. (By the way, in case you were worried, I wouldn’t try eating these. I have no idea what they are; but they are fun to see.)
Of all of my roses, Cinco de Mayo seems to be the most variable, ranging in color from deep maroon to coral to hot pink. (I read one catalogue’s description of the flowers as being anywhere from smokey lavender to rusty red.) While a gardener working with a strict color scheme might find that frustrating, I find it fascinating. From one day to the next, this floribunda can be almost unrecognizable except for the ruffled form of its flowers. Aren’t those ruffles wonderful? These are pictures that I took early this morning. Just a few days ago, the roses appeared to be a deep red-orange. The bush is a pretty consistent bloomer – apart from color – producing lightly scented flowers all summer. My rose bushes had more than normal die-back this winter, so they are all a little small right now. This bush should get to be about three times the size that it is now in the bottom picture below.
Have a lovely day!
We had a beautiful garden wedding at The Morning Star this afternoon. The bride and groom chose butterflies for their theme and their family and friends did a wonderful carrying the theme throughout the decorations. Even mother nature cooperated and provided a few living butterflies. Congratulations and warmest wishes to the happy couple!
Just in the past few days, my roses have started to bloom. They are about a month late this year. Fortunately, they still overlapped with the irises a bit. I just love the combination of irises and roses – really what’s not to love there? Over the next week or so, the irises will finish off for the season, but the roses will keep blooming into next autumn. The sky has been overcast this afternoon, which always makes the colors in the garden seem all the more vibrant. So I stole a few minutes during check-in time to catch some quick photos.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
Iris season is relatively short, so one has to enjoy them while one can. For me, that means getting out and taking lots of pictures … which is wonderfully fun both because the flowers are so beautiful and because they are so fragrant!
Have a lovely day!
Salmon Avocado Crackers
Easy-to-make hors d’oeuvres for warm weather entertaining.
ripe avocado
fresh-squeezed lemon juice
fresh cilantro leaves, a few minced, the rest coarsely chopped for garnish
salt
rice or almond crackers
smoked salmon
lemon zest
fresh ground pepper
Coarsely mash avocado together with lemon juice, a few minced cilantro leaves, and salt to taste. Spoon onto crackers. Top with salmon, cilantro leaves, lemon zest and fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
My mid-season irises are in full bloom. With yesterday’s rain and this morning’s heavy fog, I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to get any photos today; but the flowers put on quite a show! I had a difficult time deciding which shots to share.
(FYI, the iris in front in the photo above really is that dark, making it a challenge to photograph.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Here in Manhattan, it is graduation weekend at KSU and at the local high school, so spirits are pretty high. Once again, congratulations to the new graduates. May your futures hold wonder!
In addition to our regular menu, we offered a special Mother’s Day Breakfast this morning. The rain even held off, so that we could serve breakfast on the porch.
Mother’s Day Breakfast
Tangerine Mimosas
Fresh-Baked Raspberry Muffins (recipe)
Bacon, Turkey, Spinach & Cheddar Cheese Omelettes made with local pork
Fresh Berries & Oranges
To all of our guests and all of the wonderful mothers out there – especially mine! – Happy Mother’s Day!
This is a photo of our Brown-Eyed Susans that I took last summer. Unfortunately – and to my great surprise – none of them came back this year. That’s the first time in fourteen years that I’ve lost our rudbeckia trilobas. Now, it is decision time. They were in a stretch of garden that is difficult to maintain because it is hard to reach with the hose and also difficult to weed. Do I replant or try to find some other way to landscape that area? There are still irises, yarrow, purple coneflowers and lambs ears in that bed. So that area still requires maintenance, but do I take the opportunity to start down-sizing that strip? Hmmm …
Have a wonderful day!
A Taste of Morning 