Morning Glory Muffin With Fruit

Evidently the Morning Glory Muffin recipe has been around for a while, but is new to me this fall. I saw this recipe recently from my saved October 2018 Victoria magazine.

Ina Garten has a similar Morning Glory Muffin recipe which she made famous at Barefoot Contessa. There are a few different ingredients such as using all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour and adding sweetened shredded coconut. Garten’s recipe was inspired by the muffins made at the Morning Glory Cafe on Nantucket. You can also find this recipe in her cookbook, Cook Like A Pro.

Regardless of which recipe you use, this comforting muffin is full of goodies with grated carrots, Granny Smith apples, crushed pineapple, raisins, pecans, and more. One could describe the Morning Glory Muffin as similar to eating a piece of carrot cake without the icing.

Morning Glory Muffins

Lovingly Adapted from Victoria 2018 Magazine

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups grated carrots

1 cup cored and grated Granny Smith apple

1 (8-ounce) crushed pineapple, drained

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 9 jumbo muffin cups with paper or foil liners. Recipe Note: I used the standard muffin tin with tulip papers, which made approximately 16 muffins total. Amazon has a nice assortment of tulip liners for baking.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together carrot, apple, pineapple, oil, and eggs. Add to the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Stir in pecans and raisins. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Recipe Note: I baked muffins for about 20 minutes because they were standard muffin size and not jumbo muffins. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and let cool slightly on wire racks. Remove paper or foil liners for serving if desired. Recipe Note: I like the tulip liners, so kept mine on. Enjoy!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend….Bonnie

Zesty Pumpkin Soup Using Libby’s Pure Pumpkin

Last year I helped put on a fall potpourri workshop for one of my garden clubs. Besides the workshop, my dear friend and I also created a lunch for everyone to enjoy afterwards and called it “Pumpkin Potpourri Picnic.” The menu was pumpkin-themed from the appetizer to dessert, and needless to say, it was a big hit!

Featured on our menu was Zesty Pumpkin Soup, originally a recipe from Libby’s Pure Pumpkin can many, many years ago. This subtle pumpkin soup is so tasty with the right mix of flavors, and ease in making. I love this recipe because it lets the wonderful flavor of the pumpkin shine through.

Two “must use” secret ingredients in this recipe, are the Libby’s Pure Pumpkin and Spice Islands Curry, both found on amazon and at most grocery stores.

Last fall I shared with you another recipe from this menu, Pumpkin Maple Cornbread, which is a perfect complement for this delicious soup. Enjoy!

Zesty Pumpkin Soup

Lovingly Adapted From Libby’s Pure Pumpkin Can

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp. curry powder (Spice Islands Curry—the best)

½ tsp. salt

1/8 to ¼ tsp. ground coriander

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

3 cups chicken broth

1-3/4 cup (16oz) Libby’s Pure Pumpkin

½ cup half and half cream

Sour Cream & Chives (optional)

 Directions:

In large saucepan, melt butter, sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add curry powder, salt, coriander, and red pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add broth. Boil gently uncovered 15-20 minutes.

Stir in pumpkin and half and half. Cook 5 minutes. Pour into blender and blend until creamy.

Serve warm. Garnish with dollop of sour cream and snipped chives.

 Related Past Post:

Pumpkin Maple Cornbread

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Stone Fruit Bowl at Winery in Nuit-Saint Georges, Burgundy, France

When I speak about Mediterranean gardens and elements of a Mediterranean garden, I always mention aged stone elements, and specifically, the beauty and timelessness of stone fruit bowls. If you happen to see them in garden centers, antique shops, consignment shops, garage sales, or elsewhere—pick them up. You can’t go wrong with what they add to your garden.

Such an easy way to add a special flair to your garden, with no upkeep. In fact, in the photo above in Burgundy, an aged stone fruit bowl with lichen patina adds garden depth. These fruit bowls can weather the seasons with grace.

Usually sold in pairs, I see them single too. I have five throughout my garden, a pair welcoming you at my front gate, a pair in my courtyard, and a single petite fruit bowl as a table centerpiece. Stone fruit bowls come in different sizes and artistry, all are so beautiful. Somewhat neutral to your eye, yet rich in detail and texture. Stone fruit bowls can be heavy, so make sure they are stable and secure in your placement.

Pair of Stone Fruit Bowls in Courtyard at Domaine de Manion

I like it that stone fruit bowls almost tell a story by themselves. You can almost imagine a story of how they were found and placed in a garden, or make one up. Either way, they are in a garden for the long haul.

Stone Fruit Bowl as a Centerpiece In My Berry Room

Bellini Imports is one resource in Encinitas where I found my petite single fruit bowl. Actually, all of the shops in Westlake Design District in Encinitas, might be worth wandering through if you are looking for fruit bowl statuary.

Single Stone Fruit Bowl Graces the Garden at Domaine Dalmeran, St. Etienne-du-Grès, Provence

Related Past Posts:

Haute Halloween Couture

Creating A Bocce Ball Court

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Adapted from Simple Pasta by Odette Williams

Chopped Salad Pasta is a wonderful recipe that is so versatile. It is virtually an antipasto pasta salad with complementary flavors of salami, chickpeas, fontina cheese, pepperoncini with a nice foundational vinaigrette dressing. I first saw this recipe in the Wall Street Journal, which was lovingly adapted from Simple Pasta by Odette Williams. The beauty of this recipe is you can easily substitute various ingredients to suit your taste and what might be in your pantry. For instance, you can swap out salami for tuna packed in oil, or add marinated quartered artichokes instead of pepperoncini, or substitute toasted pine nuts for the fontina cheese. Make it your salad for your taste!

Chopped Salad Pasta

Makes 4 servings

30 minutes Time

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 10 ounces dried ditalini or other small pasta, like macaroni or small conchiglie

• A splash of extra-virgin olive oil, plus ½ cup

• Two (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 4 ounces salami, cut into matchsticks

• ⅔ cup coarsely chopped pepperoncini

• 6 ounces fontina, cut into ¼-inch cubes

• 2 cups coarsely chopped radicchio or arugula

• ½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

• 8 sprigs thyme, stemmed

• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine onions, vinegar and lemon juice, and let marinate while you cook pasta.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain pasta in a colander, place in a large bowl and add a splash of olive oil to stop it from sticking together.

3. Add chickpeas, salami, pepperoncini, fontina, radicchio and parsley to pasta, and toss to combine.

4. Whisk ½ cup olive oil, honey, mustard, thyme and salt into onion-vinegar mixture and season with pepper. Pour over pasta and toss to combine.

5. Serve pasta on a platter and season with some cranks of pepper.

Recipe Note: This recipe states it makes 4 servings, but I found it made more. I think it helps to chill the recipe ahead a few hours to let all of the beautiful flavors meld, and then bring it up to room temperature before serving.

Related Past Posts:

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
Perfect Holiday Salad

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Yes, It is Me, Backpacking Through Europe, Circa 1976

The last couple of years with more time home due to the pandemic, for me it has been a time of organizing, sorting out, and simplifying. I organized by years and events all of my photos. More recently I scanned and digitized more than a thousand slides from my life, travels, and photography living and traveling in Europe in my twenties.

In a grand way it was an eye-opening perspective which actually surprised me. I looked at photos that I distinctly remember taking. People, places, and scenes that I vividly remember—that I hadn’t seen in decades. Wonderful memories, and kind of a gentle reminder of who I am today and why. One forgets, as life has hiccups and setbacks, and gets more complicated with responsibilities and everyday busyness.

I lived with my dear family in Europe outside of Brussels, Belgium and attended the International School of Brussels for my 10th, 11th, and 12th high school years. I also took a year off during college years, and traveled non-stop, funding my own way with babysitting and “au pair” jobs. An english-speaking responsible babysitter was “gold” in the day.

I traveled extensively with my family, school, friends, boyfriend, and even solo. I was an adventurer, savvy and smart about travel, yet somewhat fearless. Of course, Europe and the world, for that matter was quite different 40-50 years ago.

It was a very golden time for me, and it is still the very core of who I am, and what I write about in this blog and create on my website. I knew from high school days I was coming to California, because it was the closest to living in the Mediterranean and still be in the United States.

I have cultivated, with my beloved husband, a French country lifestyle here in Mediterranean North San Diego County, one day at a time. It is who I am, resonating from my passion, at my very core. My dream has materialized right in front of my very eyes, far bigger and brighter than I could have ever imagined. I am very grateful and thankful each and every day. I am very grateful when I hear from you.

Stopping Along the Rhine River During A German “Au Pair” Job

My hope, whether you are a long time follower or relatively new, is that you will enjoy and be enlightened by my writing, recipes, tips, musings, and information shared. That you will be encouraged to continue to follow your dreams. That you will reach back to your past to acknowledge what caught your passion and touched you to the core. Perhaps you know very well, but it is always nice to reflect wholeheartedly once again.

I hope that you will be inspired to embrace a “Taste of French Country Living,” which is really a philosophy you can live wherever you are of beauty, every day celebrating “little things,” living in the present, mindfulness, quality over quantity, seasonal living, simplicity and so much more! Merci!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Finished Bocce Ball Court at Domaine de Manion

My husband, John, had a great idea to create a bocce ball court in our garden near our vineyard. I loved the idea because it would be a beautiful open space. They call it negative space in landscape design, where your eyes can rest for a moment. I loved the idea because there is so much else going on in the garden, and it would be close to our vineyard and social area where people gather.

Bocce ball is a great fun game for all ages. It is played throughout the world, in the category of boules sports, where players or teams play their balls towards a target ball. I see the game played a lot in Europe in the village squares. The French have a similar game called Pétanque.

The hard part was planning how to build a bocce ball court, using material which would fit in with the existing garden and property, and finding the right craftsmen to build it. We had our challenges—such as a substantial sloping grade to our property, where to put all of the displaced dirt to make a level court, an existing mature garden, and barely enough room to maneuver a bobcat loaded with rock. With skill, talent, lots of measuring, and luck, it was accomplished.

I thought it might be interesting to share with you the stages of how our bocce ball court was created. We had the 55’ long x 12’ wide space mapped out. Regulation bocce ball courts are 91’ long and 13’ wide. For backyard courts it usually comes down to how much space you have in your yard or property to dedicate to a bocce ball court. Our court size is moderately sized.

Beginning Open Space

First the space had to be leveled, and in the beginning it looked like we were creating a swimming pool with the north side cut so deep. The perimeter was measured and staked allowing for walking paths on the north, west, and south side. Serendipitously, the east side was created higher and became a natural retaining wall for the existing garden, and for players to sit on if they wished. Used concrete chunks were used for the perimeter wall foundation, as they wouldn’t be seen.

Laying Bocce Court Perimeter with Concrete Chunks

I had in my mind a stone perimeter bocce ball court to repeat the low stone wall in our courtyard and near our barn. The good folks at RCP Block & Brick in Leucadia, thought we were nuts. For me, stone is simply stunning, timeless, very European, and low maintenance.

Our skilled craftsmen patiently built each wall as if it were a jigsaw puzzle, carefully placing each stone in the right spot and at the right level. A labor of love.

Stone Walls of Bocce Ball Court Taking Shape

Next came the many layers that make up a bocce ball court. Leveling the court. Putting down gopher resistant 1/2” wire mesh. Installing dimmable side lights for playing the court at night. Adding a layer of weed cloth.

Installing Gopher Resistant Wire Mesh in Bocce Court

Installing French drains that drain into our vineyard for our rainy season. Grouting the stone walls with finish concrete.

Installing French Drains in Bocce Ball Court

Placing several layers of tiny stone, layer upon layer, packing each layer down, as the bocce court level rose higher. Adding a top finish layer of Black Pearl oyster shell dust from Earth Stone Rock for smooth rolling of the ball.

This whole process took a couple of months, with a few delays here and there. Please share if you play bocce ball or have a court in your backyard. It has gotten very popular, because it is a fun game, very social, and also a large space that requires no water.

Finished Top Layer of Oyster Shell Dust

Finishing touches like lining the pathways with walking bark and a few potted bougainvillea “Thai Delight’ create the finished look. The bocce ball court looks like it has always been here.

Finished Bocce Ball Court Looking South at Domaine de Manion

Now it is time to play and enjoy a glass of wine. Salut!

The Hard Work is Over, Time to Relax and Play Bocce Ball

Dear friends, I will be taking a summer break writing, and will resume this September. Merci always for all of your kind words, interest, and sharing!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Harvested Cherry Tomatoes In Ironstone Bowl

Garden Tomatoes in a Baguette Basket

Garden Tomatoes in a Pedestal Fruit Bowl

Grow Lots of Tomato Varieties

Tomatoes in August are a real treat. Chances are you began your tomato plants from seed back in February, you planted tomato seedlings months ago, you had tomato volunteer plants appear in the spring, or you made a special trip to the farmers market to buy from your favorite tomato farmer recently. In other words, tomatoes can be an investment of time, but are the culinary gems of the summer potager. Earthy and ethereal, they shout and taste of Mother Earth perfection.

Tomatoes come in all different colors and shapes these days. The bold red tomatoes are show stoppers. When they are in season, one should display thine divine tomatoes.

Tomatoes displayed in vintage pieces, baskets, fruit bowls, etc. make beautiful table settings and summer color display in the kitchen. It is hard to improve on Mother Nature, and a great example of seasonal living. What a great way to showcase your tomatoes before you eat, cook, or preserve them.

A few things to remember when bringing your tomatoes into the kitchen.

Tomatoes should be washed before eating but not immediately after harvesting. Wipe off any dirt or dust, but when you are ready to eat your tomatoes clean and wash them well.

Tomatoes are best stored at room temperature, and not in your refrigerator. Sometimes tomatoes stored in the refrigerator develop a mealy texture and lose their flavor. An exception to refrigerate your tomato is if the skin is broken—cooling it will slow the potential for it to start molding.

Slightly unripe tomatoes will ripen further if placed near a sunny window, stem-side down. This will stop moisture escaping from your tomatoes.

Invest in a tomato knife. It will make your life easier, and a joy to further work with your tomatoes.

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A few things tomatoes can teach you about seasonal living, and loving that red color in August.

Wear a bright red lipstick and smile with your summer tan.

Kick up your heels in red sandals or flats paired with white pants or capris.

Bring out your summer tablecloths and napkins with a touch of red.

Brighten your summer dishes with red tomatoes, fresh, sauteed, roasted or grilled. Roasting tomatoes at 400 F. degrees for 30 minutes creates a wonderful caramelization flavor.

Tomatoes like companions. Grow lots of basil for all of your tomato dishes.

Simplicity. Perhaps the best way to eat a sun-ripened tomato fresh from your garden is with a generous sprinkling of your favorite finishing salt to unlock the flavor.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Julia Child’s Affectionate Top Two Floor Apartment, “Roo de Loo” at 81 Rue de L’Université

This Monday, August 15th, is Julia Child’s birthday. I have had it noted on my planner for some time. She means so much to me, as I am sure she means so much to all of you too. Her life and accomplishments are well documented and cemented in history, as well as her loving marriage to Paul Childs. What a duo!

Visiting Paris back in spring of 2015, I walked to the street, and sought out the apartment building, the two top floors where the Child’s resided in their post World War II days and Julia embarked on her culinary passion and adventures. It was really important for me to see their building in person, and my husband thankfully was very obliging in this walkabout. To my knowledge, there is no plaque mentioning Julia Child near the building for various reasons, the French bureaucracy, and Julia Child was much more revered in the United States, ironically than in France. Truthfully, I think Julia Child would have preferred it that way. One only has to use your imagination to scan your memory for all the book and movie details made on her glorious life. Knowing she was here, is enough for me.

Rue de L’Université in 7th Arrondissement in Paris, France

I love so many aspects of Julia Child, and her quotes on food and life always give me a chuckle. By the way, Julia Child who cooked everything, yet it is well known her favorite lunch at home was tuna fish salad on a toasted English muffin.

Wonderful Julia Child Quotes:

“People who love to eat are always the best people.”

“I believe in red meat. I’ve often said red meat and gin.”

“A cookbook is only as good as its poorest recipe.”

“It’s so beautifully arranged on the plate, you know someone’s fingers have been all over it.”

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

“I am not interested in dishes that take 3 minutes and have no cholesterol.”

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook—try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun.”

“With enough butter, anything is good.”

“Cooking well doesn’t mean cooking fancy.”

“Life itself is the proper binge.”

“You’ll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.”

“If you are afraid of butter, use cream.”

“A party without a cake is just a meeting.”

“I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food…”

“The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile.”

This Monday, please make a special culinary nod to Julia Child in celebration of her birthday, and touching us all with her passion.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

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