Give me a break!

I need a rest. Taking a little hiatus.

However, please wish the star of this show a very happy 6th birthday on September 16th.

Happy Birthday my little monkey face!

Endless Summer

I grew up in Miami, Florida where it is always Summer. Funny thing is that people in Miami pretty much stop going to the beach and close down their pools when "winter" starts which is when the tourists come in to go to the beach and frolic in the pools. Every once in a while during the winter months there is a cold snap, usually in either January or February, which lasts a couple of days. That's when everybody pulls out all of their winter wear and wear it all at once since that's all you get. I pretty much hated this endless Summer weather, it was boring. I remember looking at fashion magazines as a teenager and envying all those fall back to school clothes, the hats, the scarves, the gloves, the tweeds. On Christmas day I would put on a sweater and scarf (yes, I had one) so it could feel like the ones in the movies where there was always beautiful snow on the ground, then I'd go outside and had to run back in and change lest I melt away. When Frank and I got married and moved up north I was ecstatic. We moved in December and two days later it snowed, not much but enough to cover the ground completely so I ran out to play in it and ignorant novice that I was I ruined my brand new tan high heeled boots and almost killed myself in the process. Live and learn. Having had spent all of my life in constantly summery climate I didn't want this to end, I didn't care if I never saw Summer again. Well after a couple of years that changed. First we bought a house which meant I had a garden to play with and that means I needed Summer. Also after schlepping back and forth to New York City everyday in freezing temperatures, snow, slush, and ice I started to look forward to a respite from the beloved winter. As the years have progressed I look forward to Summer more and more when Frank and I pretty much move outside. Except for this Summer. This has been the crappiest most uncomfortable and disgusting Summer that I can remember. I guess that after a very hot Spring we should have seen it coming. It started out well enough, for about a week, then came the heat and the humidity and the drought and the bugs, and the bugs, and did I say bugs? I can't step foot out in the back yard without getting bitten from head to toe, deep woods off on or not, they are relentless. So needless to say we have barely spent an evening outside, the garden is a mess, overrun by big giant weeds that I can't pull out because I'll come back a bleeding itchy mess, Max is miserable

because no matter how much he asks

begs

and pleads

we can't go out and play too often for fear of being eaten alive. So on this last, unofficial, day of Summer as I watch the rain come down and don't dare to go out and snip basil because the mosquitoes are patiently waiting in droves; I'll say goodbye and good riddance to this icky Summer with the world's easiest blueberry tart.

Blueberry tart
Serves 8 to 10

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 pint of blueberries
1/4 brown sugar, or Cinnamon sugar

In a food processor, mix butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well. Mix in flour. Pat dough into a buttered tart pan.

(this is a very cakey, soft dough, I use a spatula to spread it on, and depending on the size of the pan you may not need to use it all)

Arrange the blueberries over the dough, patting them in a little bit

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until the batter puffs and the edges are golden.

Sprinkle sugar on top and broil until sugar caramelizes and edges brown

Not so bad after all.

Late Summer flowers in the house

When we first saw this house it was in late April and the home inspection was sometime in May. While walking around the outside and looking at the landscape I noticed a tree at the front which being that time of year was all spindly bare branches. I asked our realtor if she knew what it was, and being a realtor who really only cares about the sale, she said "dead". We moved in on June 1st and slowly the tree started to fill up with leaves and tiny flower buds which much to my surprise and joy looked like a pegee hydrangea and what a pegee hydrangea it is. Truth is it is actually two and it fills up with flowers like nothing I've ever seen and then cascades all the way down to the floor.

It's like a giant umbrella of flowers. They start out a soft delicate white and then the tips get a little greenish, then they mature into green and pink

and some off white

with huge flower heads covering every inch of it.

At the end of that Summer a man stopped by said he was a wholesale florist and offered me $300.00 for the flowers. I said no, the joy of looking at this most stunning of displays was priceless. Every year Frank brings out a ladder and cuts, cuts, cuts. Sometimes he hangs out of the bedroom window to get at the real big guys at the top. There have been times when he's gone to the neighbor's with arms full of flowers; no wonder the ladies on the block all think he's the bomb. Once they reach the later stage they dry perfectly and we have flowers in the house throughout the winter months. So to Jane's flowers in the house party we go

with my most precious of flowers. And we'll add some herbs to the mix cause this hot humid icky Summer is just making everything grow like mad

It's pesto time!

...and Max could care less since he's too busy doing his favorite thing

A Dog Life

It's not easy being a dog...

sigh....

First of all you have to learn how to hold it.  You can only go outside and for some reason you have to wait until they are ready to take you because you are not trusted to go out alone and sometimes they can take forever to get ready which is something I don't understand. Why do they have to get ready? Why can't they just go out like I do without putting all that stuff on so I'm forced to patiently wait since I'm at their mercy

so I do. And speaking of putting all that stuff on; why on earth do they insist on putting stuff on me?

This is not comfortable, and frankly, completely unnecessary. And besides I don't even like football, not my game. I prefer the toss and run and catch game

which I try to play every chance I get but it requires dropping subtle hints

that they don't always get right away. And let me tell you this can be very tiring when you have no opposable thumbs. Then there's the furniture issue. What's the big deal? They're always on them and I weigh less. Persistence and patience does pay off though

eventually they give in to everything. Well, not really. Let's talk my favorite subject: Food.

Will somebody please explain to me why I get this

when they get all kinds of yummy smelling varieties of things. Am I not a member of this household, an integral part of this family...important enough? Yes, sometimes they call me over to the work area and give me a little something as if they were doing me a big favor or something but I've got a plan. I'll just innocently hang around the work area

and when they're not looking

pounce!!!!!

What??? What do you mean where's the cheese?

Heh, heh, every dog has his day.

Blooming August

By the time August rolls around I'm somewhat gardened out, meaning I don't really want to do anything in it and just lay about. Sort of like this.

Thankfully by this time the garden sort of takes care of itself and the late bloomers put on their show.

Morning glories

Crepe Myrtles

Pegee Hydrangea

Zinnias

...nap time.

Abbondanza

Well it seems as though I've bested that pesky groundhog

Now the problem (and a nice problem to have) is what to make with them before they rot. I know, I'll start with a lovely Summer Spanish soup, Salmorejo. Marina sent me the recipe and you can find it here

 and I'll make sure to add a nice Spanish vinegar so it can be as authentic as possible

Hmmm, what should we have with this yummy soup? Any ideas Maxy?

What was that?

stay in the Iberian peninsula you say? Good idea! Let's go to Portugal. I am lucky to live very close to Newark, NJ which has a large Portuguese population and hence a bunch of fabulous Portuguese markets where I can get traditional ingredients such as Piri-Piri peppers. I'm sure they can be found online.

Frango Piri-Piri (Piri-Piri Chicken)
4 servings

1 medium sized chicken, washed
salt, to taste
1 cup Molho de Piri-Piri (recipe follows)
Pinch of ground Piri-Piri chiles (can substitute piquin or Thai)
Pinch of oregano (fresh or dried)
for serving:
1/4 cup Molho Piri-Piri
1 lemon, sliced

Place the chicken on a cutting board and split it lengthwise at the breastbone so that it will lie flat. Flatten it as much as possible with a mallet. Place in a shallow pan sprinkle with salt and pour the Mohlo over it. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Remove the chicken and sprinkle it with some of the ground Piri-Piri and oregano. Grill until done. Alternately bake in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes and then broil for 10 to 15 additional minutes.

Mohlo de Piri-Piri
makes 1 1/4 cups

1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tbpn ground dried Piri-Piris (can substitute piquin or Thai)
1/2 tbpn Paprika
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Combine the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously. Store in the refrigerator. Will keep forever.

Dinner is served.

Marina's Salmorejo

Frango Piri-Piri served the traditional way with a salad of lettuce (OK Spinach cause that's what I had) tomatoes and red onion and french fries

5 tomatoes down, loads more to go. Yay!