The Garden is Awakening

Although we can always use more rain, the late winter rains we have had are perfect for waking up your garden. I wanted to share with you a few photos of spring emerging at Domaine de Manion.

The all-white narcissus bulbs come up first in the barn lawn. White flowers and green grass make for a traditional classic color combination.

Jennifer Rebecca Iris At Her Best

A sweet friend of mine gave me a some Jennifer Rebecca Iris a few years ago. I have moved them around in the garden trying to find the best place for them. I finally decided they needed a more central focal sunny location in about the center of the garden. A great spot for them, I have never seen them so happy blooming as now.

i recommend planting iris in your garden. They require little care, are fairly drought tolerant, leaves look great even when not blooming, and when iris do bloom, they look fabulous in your garden or your flower arrangement.

Wisteria Over The Storage Shed

Wisteria are especially spectacular this year in our area. A few of my friends have shared their gorgeous blooming wisteria with me. My wisteria spruces up my storage shed in late winter with a showy splash of cascading purple blooms that are all too brief but memorable. Wisteria are great pollinators too, but be aware they need strong support and their roots can be invasive.

Across many cultures, wisteria symbolism varies, but generally they represent love, romance, longevity, resilience, good luck, and sometimes, humility and reflection.

Blossoming Peach Tree

My orchard was an orchestra of blooms this spring, and so I am hopeful it is an excellent year for fruit, and for the budding vineyard.

French Blue Flowers of Yankee Point Ceanothus

My Yankee Point Ceanothus is showing off this spring too. A great drought tolerant ground cover, I have it planted between my Crape Myrtle Natchez hedge for a little interest. When it blooms, it is a French blue bonus.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

A Tiny But Mighty Well-Engineered Nest

Out in the garden today, I noticed this beautiful tiny bird’s nest on the ground. I thought to myself what a symbolic nod to the spring equinox. It is not a hummingbird’s nest, yet very tiny, only 3” long x 2” wide. It is beautifully engineered, incorporating dried leaves in the mix, and deep to hold precious eggs.

I immediately saw this tiny nest also, as symbolic of a good omen ahead for this year. It spoke to me of new beginnings, prosperity, health, happiness, family and friendship time, and good luck.

Years ago, I had another bird’s nest omen, which was so strong symbolically and meaningful in my life, it was like it thumped me on the head. Funny thing, these bird’s nest omens don’t happen frequently, which makes them that much more special.

We must use our awareness to seize and appreciate these symbolic moments when they appear in our lives, as they give us simple joy and insight. It won’t necessarily be a bird’s nest, but something special to you, in your life.

Related Post:

Bird’s Nest Omen

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Last Scoop of Tomato Truffle Bisque

Tomato Truffle Bisque

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced small

3 carrots, diced small

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2-15 oz cans or 1-28 oz can, San Marzano tomatoes

2 tsp. Herbs de Provence (optional)

1 -1/4 cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

½ cup heavy cream

2-3 tbsp. black truffle oil

1-2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Grated Gruyère

 Directions:

-In a medium saucepan, sweat the onions, carrots, and garlic until translucent; add tomato paste and cook for two minutes.

-Add San Marzano tomatoes, Herbs de Provence, chicken stock and cream; simmer for 30 minutes.

-Add truffle oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

-Blend carefully in a blender until smooth.

-Return soup to saucepan and heat slowly before serving

-Finish the soup with a drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkle of Gruyère cheese

-Serves 4-6.

Last year I lovingly adapted Jeffrey Scott’s recipe from Tablas Creek Vineyard, Paso Robles, California, in a menu for one of my cooking classes. His recipe further inspired me to create my own version. In my area in South France, near Uzès, En Provence Occitane, the culinary treasure—black truffle is found, and is in season from November to March. This being March, and the end of the season, I thought to share this recipe with you.

Easy to make, with almost everything readily available in your pantry, with possibly the exception of black truffle oil. Trader Joes, around the holidays stocks a black truffle oil /white truffle oil in a two pack. Other places to find black truffle oil are online, and where specialty foods, vinegars, and oils are sold.

For these blustery March days, make this creamy dreamy bisque, and pair it with a yummy grilled cheese sandwich, a French Croque Monsieur, or even a Trader Joes warmed Garlic Naan.

Black Truffles for Sale at Local Village Truffle Festival

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Prepping Garlic Confit

I learned this recipe from Cat Bude, an American who married a Frenchman, started a family, and uprooted to Normandy, France about 15 years ago. Their dreams came true when they found a run down farm, they later came to lovingly name Rabbit Hill Farm. With a lot of hard work, trial and error, and pure grit, they transformed this property into a thriving, vibrant Normandy gem, and created a business along the way as well.

What kind of business? An incredible online shop called, Rabbit Hill Lifestyle, which features their loving and expertly restored copperware, French kitchen items, flea market treasures, and much more. Cat has recently authored her first cookbook, French Kitchen Lessons, Recipes & Stories from Normandy’s Rabbit Hill Farm.

I have taken her “Cooking with Copper” workshop a couple of years ago, and last month her first online Rabbit Hill Cooking Class, featuring many of the recipes, skills, and techniques from her new cookbook.

I really like her new cookbook (and hope she is able to write more). She is a natural photographer and food stylist, as she shares with you the rich Normandy seasons and life at Rabbit Hill Farm. Her recipes are easy to make, imaginative, and delicious. She has a warmth and authenticity that shines through each recipe.

As Cat Bude explains in her cookbook, the French love to use confit in their cooking which is a method of cooking food in fat or oil at low temperature for a long time. An easy way to elevate your cooking, especially French cooking, is to have garlic confit on hand. It can be used in any recipe calling for garlic cloves, and or olive oil. Think salad dressings, soups, sauces, etc. Once removed from the oven, cooled, and put in an airtight container, it should be used within two weeks.

For this recipe, and many more, please check out French Kitchen Lessons, and Rabbit Hill Lifestyle, you will be glad you did.

Finished Garlic Confit Out of the Oven

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Jim Dodge Chocolate Pecan Cake

Jim Dodge’s Bourbon Chocolate-Pecan Cake is one of my very favorite chocolate desserts. I usually make it around the holidays or for Valentine’s Day. It is relatively easy to make, tastes divine, and is so beautiful to serve your family and friends.

I first posted this recipe back in 2010, and in honor of Valentine’s Day, my gift to you, I am sharing it with you once again. Enjoy!

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I'm a big fan of French author Mireille Guiliano who burst onto the publishing scene in 2005 with her book, French Women Don't Get Fat. She has gone on to write several more books, including French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, & Pleasure (Vintage) Mireille Guiliano (and as I also aspire to) lives her life by the seasons. In French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, & Pleasure (Vintage), she writes chocolate isn't strictly seasonal, so it can be certainly be enjoyed year-round, but she emphasizes that chocolate lends itself much better to the fall and winter seasons. I agree, and therefore must share with you one of my favorite winter desserts, Jim Dodge's Bourbon Chocolate-Pecan Cake.

Jim Dodge's Bourbon Chocolate-Pecan Cake

I was given this rich dessert recipe from my dear friend, Janet Leutel, nearly a decade ago. Janet annually compiles a short softcover cookbook of her favorite recipes over the past year, and gives it as a special gift around the holidays.

This is a very rich, dense flour-less cake. Use good chocolate and cocoa powder. The "bourbon" ingredient is optional in this recipe. I generally make it without. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups pecan halves

3/4 pound unsalted butter (divided)

12 oz. bitter or semi-sweet chocolate (divided)

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 eggs

1/3 cup bourbon (optional)

Method:

Spread pecan halves on a baking sheet and toast in 350 degree oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Set aside and cool. Separate out 1/2 cup for decorating top of cake layer. Grind until coarse, 1 and 1/2 cups pecans in food processor, which will be added to the cake mixture later.

Cut circle of parchment to fit bottom of 9" spring form pan. Butter pan well, and line with parchment circle.

Melt 1/2 pound butter and 8 oz. chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. Stir until very smooth and set aside to cool.

Mix sugar, cocoa, and eggs just until well combined. Add melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Add coarsely chopped 1 and 1/2 cups pecans, and stir in. Add bourbon if you are using it, as this point.

Pour batter into prepared spring form pan and place this pan into a larger pan with simmering water. Water level should come to 1/2 of spring form cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees in oven until cake is firm to the touch, about 50 minutes.

Cool cake on wire rack, and remove side of the pan. Leave parchment paper on and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (I like to refrigerate cake in spring form pan overnight).

Remove cake from refrigerator, and place upside down on wire rack, or serving dish. Peel off parchment paper and drizzle with glaze. Drizzle the sides, and then the top. Smooth with a spreader. Decorate the top of cake with remaining pecans.

Glaze Recipe:

4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 pound unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir until completely smooth. Cool about 5 minutes, before spreading on cake.

Please share if you have a traditional dessert you make for Valentine’s Day. Please share if you are known for a signature gift you make for others each holiday.

Our Sweet Little Anabelle Who We Rescued, and She Rescued Us Back

This Valentine’s Day especially, and every day, surround yourself with love, be it romantic love, family love, friendship love, pet love, things you are passionate about! Love is all around us. Be aware and grateful for all the love that surrounds you like a soothing, comforting hug.

Happy Valentine’s Day and Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Our Original Living Room, 25 Years Ago

Yes, it is hard to believe, but this was our living room when John and I first moved into our new home and property we now affectionately call Domaine de Manion. It looks quite different now, and many of you know the story and the transition over time of how our home and property evolved.

I want to call your attention to the clear stain glass windows above the windows in the photo above. There were a total of three in this room. I don’t know a thing about these stained glass windows. Who made them? The story behind them? How long they had been in the house?

With our home remodel in 2010, these stained glass windows didn’t fit with the house anymore. We carefully stored them away for 15 years down in our little basement. Last summer I advertised I was selling these stain glass windows for $75.00 each in my newsletter. There were in wonderful condition, and too good for the dump.

Two of the Three Stained Glass Windows Shown For Sale

There were no takers. Classic Consignment wouldn’t take them. We advertised on Craig’s List three separate times, and still no takers. We couldn’t believe someone couldn’t be creative with these three stain glass windows.

Finally, out of the blue, a gentleman called and said he wanted to buy the windows. He had seen the ad. He was going to make a greenhouse/potting shed for his lucky wife. We were surprised. He said he was pretty handy with tools and construction. He said he would send a photo when he was finished. He did, and look how amazingly he transformed these windows for a second life, beautiful, functional, and re-purposed!

A New Life Re-Purposed For These Stained Glass Windows, One Lucky Wife, One Lucky Gardener

We were so amazed when we saw his photo above. I confess, I was a little jealous I hadn’t thought of something like this. It pays to be very creative, and think outside of the box. What one person discards, it can become another person’s treasure. Before you throw away or discard something, take a moment to think how it might be re-purposed, or who might be able to use it in some other way.

Related Posts:

Remembering Miss Dior

Celebrating 25 Years

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Walking Towards Blue Skies and Blue Water on the Garden Path

I am always hopeful for the new year ahead, and what unknown opportunities, good fortune, and adventures are ahead. Sure, there may be bumps, hiccups, and wrong turns to cope with along the way, but we determine how we soldier through with our thoughts, experience, and intuition. And of course, with the help of those that are close to us.

As I am sure many of you do too, I write out my vision for the year, and what I hope to accomplish. It is a road map, sort of speak, to refer back to frequently to keep me on course. This helps me determine where best to spend my time, what makes me the happiest, and how to create my best everyday, as my every days unfold quickly into a year. I am planning to do this year.

1) Savor and appreciate even more the little and big things.

2) Celebrate little things, as well as big things.

3) Keep my awareness in the present.

4) Set the intention of resilience, for the long term outcome to manifest.

5) Think confidently, and outside of the box.

6) Plan to do different things.

7) Not sweat the small stuff.

8) Keep an open mind and a full heart.

9) Plan my work, and work my plan.

10) Be ready when the luck happens, borrowed from Ina Garten.

Wishing all of you the very best in this year ahead…Bonnie

From Our Home To Yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I might share with you a few things I have done to get ready for Thanksgiving this year. I started planning my decorations, table, and menu, and it occurred to me that I was using many of my guiding principles. Want what you have, and use what you have. Simplicity is elegant, and incorporating “less is often more.” Mother Nature is astonishing and enduring beauty. Gratitude often follows thinking outside the box in surprising ways.

Vintage European Copper Milk Cans Are A Nice Welcome At The Front Door

Pretty Vineyard Leaves

I can’t remember a time when our vineyard and vineyard leaves have been prettier than this. The vineyard is a soothing golden hue overall, with a few grapevines displaying this reddish garnet color with subtle green veins. They were begging for a place at our Thanksgiving table.

I immersed and soaked them in water. Dried them, and flattened them with books to press them flat.

I wanted the leaves to stand out, so I used an ivory tablecloth, ivory napkins, and our ivory wedding china.

Picking up the subtle green veins in the leaves I repeated the subtle green color in my candlesticks. I used my beautifully etched wine glasses with vines and grape clusters, that further emphasize the grapevine theme and color. These wine glasses have been waiting up in the cupboard for just this occasion. The jeweled napkin holder matches the garnet color of the leaves and gold trim repeats the gold in the silverware and gold rim on the china. Small ivory votives add a touch of light and sparkle to the table.

My antique table is long and narrow, and it is always challenging to place candles, votives, flowers, plate settings and glassware together comfortable spaced. The grapevine leaves add amazing color and contrast and maybe a bit of surprise. I might add a few more on each end of the table.

Yes, the vineyard table is ready for Thanksgiving, but don’t forget how the Thanksgiving menu is really the star, and will be deliciously enjoyed in this setting.

A Vineyard Table Ready For Thanksgiving

I know you all are so talented in your decorating, menus, and tablescapes. I would love to hear from you what you have done for your Thanksgiving day!

Wishing you all a Thanksgiving full of love, gratitude, and deliciousness…Bonnie