A flower for Mom

I spent Mother's Day weekend working in the garden which is usually the case since it falls on the date that officially marks "no danger of frost" and we can plant without worries. So that means I weeded and weeded and weeded the beds for the herbs and for the tomatoes and peppers and then proceeded to weed and weed and weed everything else so we could plant and then put the mulch down

and luckily the weather really cooperated the entire weekend therefore I was able to get it all done. Unfortunately this wasn't as enjoyable as it usually is. This is the second Mother's Day since my Mom passed away so I can't share any of this with her because even though we lived in different states I would call her and give her the detailed blow by blow of how the garden was shaping up, just as she would call me and give me the details of every single flower and filler that was in the arrangement we had sent her. For some reason this year was harder than last year, I'm not sure why. Maybe the longer it is the more final it is. Who knows, this is a long hard road that I naively thought I would never travel. Wishful thinking I suppose. I wanted to pick this poppy

and put it next to this picture

or this picture

so she could have her flowers but Frank took the high road and said no since it belongs to my neighbor. I guess that's appropriate because she would have said the same thing. I'll have to wait until one of the ones that has sauntered over to my side blooms. She wouldn't of minded getting her flowers late. I was very disappointed when I looked yesterday morning and the new bloom was still not on my side. I looked over at the peonies and they're not ready yet either so I'll have to emulate her infinite calm and patience and let nature take it's course, not an easy task for me.

But lo and behold on this cool and rainy Tuesday morning

My Mother's favorite recipe

Cuban-Chinese Fried rice adapted from Cocina Criolla
8 servings

3 cups of rice
4 1/2 cups of water

3 tbsp of olive oil
3 garlic loves
1/4 tsp of ginger
1 lb. of smoked pork
6 eggs
3 or 4 tbsp of soy sauce
2 small bunches, green onions
1/2 lb. steamed shrimp (I used small canned, like my Mom did)
1/2 lb. ham

In a large saucepan bring the water to a boil, add the rice. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 18 minutes. Let the rice cool completely.

Slice the pork in thin strips, about 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long. Slice the ham in the same manner. Cook the eggs into very thin omelets, almost like crepes, and slice the same way. Chop the green onions in small pieces, both white and green part.

In a large frying pan or wok heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves, cook until they are a golden brown. Remove the garlic cloves and add the cold rice. Cook it stirring constantly so that it doesn't stick until heated through. Add the pork, ham, shrimp, ginger and sliced omelet

stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and heated through. Add the soy sauce slowly and stirring until incorporated

Add green onions and serve.