I took the pictures below at sunset this evening from the alley behind our house. What a sky!
Author Archives: Laurie
Weekly Photo Challenge: Big
The Mr. Lincoln rose is cherished as long-stem cutting variety for its fragrant large single blooms born atop very long canes. The photo above is of a bloom on the Mr. Lincoln Rose in our front yard. The canes on this rose bush are standing at over just over 7-feet tall right now. I believe that is about the maximum height for a Mr. Lincoln. I had to extend my tripod to its fullest height to get this photo; and with a breeze blowing the canes around, I had my doubts about whether I would get a good shot at all. This particular bloom is about 4.5 inches across and 4 inches tall. It is highly fragrant and full of color. I’d call it a big rose. There are currently two such blooms on this bush with three more buds yet to open. I can never bring myself to cut my roses, though. I like having them in the garden for everyone to enjoy. After the remaining three buds open, I suspect that this Mr. Lincoln will be done blooming for the season. It takes a lot of energy to put on such a stunning show. On a side note, Mr. Lincoln roses are described in horticultural literature as being a uniformly dark red, but mine always have a little tinge of magenta.
Blood and Sand
In addition to this blog, I write a monthly e-newsletter for the bed & breakfast called The Morning Star Update. For the November issue, on which I am currently working, I am planning on featuring a cocktail that people could serve before Thanksgiving dinner – that is, if they eat their holiday supper late in the day. At this time, I am leaning toward using Blood and Sand, a cocktail named after the Rudolph Valentino silent film from 1922. ( In the film, Valentino played a Spanish matador undone by fame, a woman – Rita Hayworth – and booze.) A classic cocktail from the 1930’s and 40’s, Blood and Sand is nevertheless one of the rare cocktails made with Scotch. It is heavy and fruity, but not overly sweet, and is typically a medium caramel brown color, though it can lean toward orange or red. If you have a favorite cocktail that you would like to recommend for celebrating the holidays, I’d love to hear about it. In the meantime, if you try a Blood and Sand, enjoy, let me know what you think of it … and of course, unlike Valentino’s matador, drink responsibly.
Blood and Sand
3/4 oz. Scotch
3/4 oz. Heering Cherry Liqueur or Grand Marnier Cherry Liqueur
3/4 oz. Sweet Vermouth, preferably Vya
3/4 oz. Fresh-squeezed orange juice
Fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Add ingredients. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass.
Notes: Cheap cherry brandies and vermouth can make this drink taste like cough syrup. Use good quality alcohol. Fresh-squeezed orange juice tends to have more of a tart taste than does bottled orange juice and so helps cut the sweetness of the vermouth and cherry liqueur. Fresh-squeezed blood orange juice can be substituted.
Living Easy
I think that I have probably blogged about every drop of precipitation that we have had here in Manhattan, Kansas in the last six months. It has been a dry year. Last night and early this morning, though, we had a soaking rain – about one inch worth. We need the moisture, but I was a little concerned about how the garden might look this morning after the storm front passed. Though most of the flowers were a bit droopy, they were still quite lovely. There is something about the light after a rain that can make colors seem all the more vibrant.
Below is a photo that I took this morning of one of my roses. It is “Living Easy” – a floribunda rose that was introduced in 1992. “Living Easy” is an All American Rose selection noted for being disease resistant; and, indeed, it fared much better against black spot and mildew than did some of my other roses this past summer. Its petals are yellow at the base, turning peach-colored, and can be tinged with pink at the tip. It has a pleasing, medium citrusy-rose fragrance. I’ve enjoyed its blooms all summer, but Living Easy shows up especially well in the autumn garden. It really is gorgeous right now, even drenched with rain.
A Beautiful Wedding
It was a beautiful wedding. The weather couldn’t have been nicer – sunny and in the 70’s. The bride and groom were so happy and so in love. Family and friends in attendance were delighted for the couple. The ladies in their gowns, and with their bouquets, were radiant. The men – dashing in their suits with boutonnieres. Afterward wine and hors d’oeuvres … then a horse-drawn carriage to carry people to dinner. So romantic! How lovely to have been a part of this special occasion! Thank you to Janet and Mark for letting us share in their happiness!
The garden beforehand …
Mother, Bride, Daughter …
Just married …
The horses and carriage arrive …
Off to dinner …
… and they lived happily ever after!
Garden Update
For some time, I’ve been wanting to put an arbor over the bench that looks out on the garden. Since we have several garden weddings coming up at the Bed & Breakfast, I decided to go ahead and get that arbor. I don’t have time to get anything growing on it before Saturday’s wedding, so I am trying to figure out whether we need to decorate the arbor and if so … how. (The bench will be moved out of the way and we’ll have mums around the arbor’s base.)
The fountain looks great, but I worry that this might be its last season. Each year it gets more difficult to repair weather’s tolls. We really love having the fountain, though. It is beautiful and we enjoy the water sounds. So we’ll keep it running for as long as we can.
It rained on and off all day yesterday – a gentle, soaking rain of the type that is good for the garden. I managed to get some lovely photos of my roses after breakfast this morning. This is my favorite of the photos …
Have a wonderful day!
Special of the Day: Spinach Omelette with Leeks
Everyday we offer a set breakfast menu plus a daily special. Today’s special was Spinach Omelette with Leeks.
The omelettes were filled with organic baby spinach, sautéed leeks, and shredded Monterey Jack and mild Cheddar cheeses. They were seasoned with a homemade herb salt made with herbs from our garden. The fresh leeks were sautéed in extra virgin olive oil with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc and seasoned with the herb salt. They were finished with a twist of fresh ground green, black and pink peppercorns.
At the end of the meal, there were clean plates all around. Just what I like to see!
Just Out of the Oven: Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
Soft and sugary, but spicy too, Chai Spice Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. I just baked this batch for our guests.
Chai Spice Snickerdoodles*
2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. ground cardamom
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 granulated white sugar
2 lg. eggs
1 t. almond extract
3 T. spiced sugar (2 T. + 1 t. granulated white sugar blended with 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon, 1/4 t. ground ginger, 1/8 t. ground cardamom, and 1/8 t. ground nutmeg)
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time and then beat in extract. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients just until well combined. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls. Roll dough between palms to form balls and then roll the balls in the spiced sugar mixture. Place 3 inches apart on baking sheets.
6. Bake for approximately 12 to 14 minutes or until just set and slightly golden. Place baking sheets on wire racks and allow cookies to cool. Enjoy!
* Recipe from my second cookbook, Confectionately Yours: A Collection of Cookies, Candies & Yummy Confections.
Anne’s Bicycle
One of my helpers showed up at work on this wonderful old bicycle today. She bought it at a garage sale a few years ago for $12. As soon as I saw it, I had to run outside, pop some flowers in the basket, and take a few photos. The sun was already brighter than ideal, but I like these pictures anyway. They capture part of the mood of the bed and breakfast. Obviously the main appeal of staying at a B & B is spending time in a lovely home and feeling pampered. But, for many people, an important part of the experience is sitting back and letting life move at a slower pace. Thanks, Anne for riding this wonderful “vintage” bike to work.
Mmmm … Apple Pancakes
Our breakfast special today was Apple Pancakes. Mmm!
Recipe
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. granulated white sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. ground mace
2 – 4 T. melted butter (how much depends on how “sticky” or non-stick your cook surface)
1 – 1 1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk, divided
1 lg. egg
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (2 c.)
2 T. fresh lemon juice
Confectioner’s sugar, yogurt, warm maple syrup, and apple slices for serving
(1) In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, 1 c. of the buttermilk and egg. Gently stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until dry ingredients are absorbed. If needed, stir in more buttermilk. Batter will have small lumps.
(2) Toss apple chunks in lemon juice then fold into pancake batter.
(3) Meanwhile, preheat grill or griddle until a drop of water sizzles but does not skate across surface. Grease well with canola oil or vegetable shortening.
(4) Ladle pancake batter onto cook surface. (Makes 8 medium or 6 large pancakes.) Cook until bottom is light golden brown and bubbles appear on top of pancakes. Flip and cook on the second side until done in the middle and bottom is light golden brown. Garnish and serve immediately.
A Taste of Morning 
