3:45 AM (nothing good lasts forever) to a cold 34° morning with a slight breeze. The sun is shining now but it is still cold.
Sue always makes me remember I should look outside now and then during the winter months to see what is happening and I did that a couple of days ago. I was surprised at all the green and sprouting and budding going on. It worries me a little.....
The mums are coming up behind the dead tops...I always leave the tops on perennials during the winter both for protection and to remind me where they are.
I like the green stems of the kerria japonica almost as much as the tiny yellow blooms.
I didn't realize it was such a spreader.
This is a salvia whose name escapes me at the moment. It spreads a great deal from wind blown seeds and I like both the blue flower and the fuzzy big leaves.
The columbines have never gone dormant.
These two are in the cellar bed on the south end. They are a tall yellow variety, Chrysantha.
and this is lunaria (money plant) variegata. It sprouts from seeds tossed by the wind in the fall and stays green all winter. These are at the base of an old apple tree by the chicken yard and the old chicken house.
OK. That is enough for now....more later.
Food
Remember the lemon sponge cake I made and then froze. Well,like all desserts that I freeze, they don't stay frozen long! I pulled it out for Sunday dinner. The new thing was I made lemon curd for the topping. I have always loved the sound of 'lemon curd'. It is so English or Irish sounding. Well it is the simplest thing to make and is almost like lemon pie filling except you use the whole egg and it is slightly less sweet. I was wonderful on the sponge cake.
Lemon Curd from Joy of Cooking
about 1-2/3 cups (I didn't get much over 1 cup)
Whisk together in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan until light in color:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of l lemon
Add
1/2 cup of strained lemon juice
6 tablespoons of diced butter
Cook, whisking, over medium heat until the butter is melted. Then whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and simmers gently for a few seconds. Using a spatula scrape the filling into a medium mesh sieve set over a bowl and strain. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Note: I had to press the filling through the fine meshed sieve that I have, but it worked.
Let cool, cover and store in frig to thicken. Will last about a week.
Can be used over sponge cakes, or with Angel food cake. Also good swirled through a cheesecake. (doesn't that last sound good!).
There is also a recipe for orange curd....sounds very good.
I almost forgot I took a picture of Sunday dinner....the above was dessert for it.
Sue always makes me remember I should look outside now and then during the winter months to see what is happening and I did that a couple of days ago. I was surprised at all the green and sprouting and budding going on. It worries me a little.....
The mums are coming up behind the dead tops...I always leave the tops on perennials during the winter both for protection and to remind me where they are.
 |
| From winter greenery 2012 |
I like the green stems of the kerria japonica almost as much as the tiny yellow blooms.
I didn't realize it was such a spreader.This is a salvia whose name escapes me at the moment. It spreads a great deal from wind blown seeds and I like both the blue flower and the fuzzy big leaves.
The columbines have never gone dormant.
These two are in the cellar bed on the south end. They are a tall yellow variety, Chrysantha.
and this is lunaria (money plant) variegata. It sprouts from seeds tossed by the wind in the fall and stays green all winter. These are at the base of an old apple tree by the chicken yard and the old chicken house.
OK. That is enough for now....more later.
Food
Remember the lemon sponge cake I made and then froze. Well,like all desserts that I freeze, they don't stay frozen long! I pulled it out for Sunday dinner. The new thing was I made lemon curd for the topping. I have always loved the sound of 'lemon curd'. It is so English or Irish sounding. Well it is the simplest thing to make and is almost like lemon pie filling except you use the whole egg and it is slightly less sweet. I was wonderful on the sponge cake.
Lemon Curd from Joy of Cooking
about 1-2/3 cups (I didn't get much over 1 cup)
Whisk together in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan until light in color:
3 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of l lemon
Add
1/2 cup of strained lemon juice
6 tablespoons of diced butter
Cook, whisking, over medium heat until the butter is melted. Then whisk constantly until the mixture thickens and simmers gently for a few seconds. Using a spatula scrape the filling into a medium mesh sieve set over a bowl and strain. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Note: I had to press the filling through the fine meshed sieve that I have, but it worked.
Let cool, cover and store in frig to thicken. Will last about a week.
Can be used over sponge cakes, or with Angel food cake. Also good swirled through a cheesecake. (doesn't that last sound good!).
There is also a recipe for orange curd....sounds very good.
I almost forgot I took a picture of Sunday dinner....the above was dessert for it.
Pork chops! Oh, I want pork chops! Our hog hasn't been checked in to the butcher yet though. And peas....oh how I crave peas! DH hates peas for some reason. Weird.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was cleaning out the yard this weekend I found a LOT of sprouting or growing things....things that SHOULDN'T be growing. I hope this weather doesn't mess up my fruit trees this year!
Our fruit trees didn't even bloom last year...I am keeping my fingers crossed.
DeletePeas are DH's favorite veggie along with potatoes in any shape or form.
Some of my flowers are also sprouting way too soon for them,I am worried!
ReplyDeleteThe lemon curd looks delicious,and so did your dinner,my hubby dosen't like peas either,but I do. Blessings Jane
What a lovely sign of LIFE!!!!...:)JP
ReplyDeleteYes, I have been wondering about the greenery too; wonder when things will be sprouting. We have daffodils setting buds now.
ReplyDeleteEven with our rather snowless winter here in NE Minnesota, you'd be hard pressed to find anything green and growing out there!
ReplyDeleteYour dinner looks yummy. I've never made creamed peas. I just heat our frozen ones and serve with butter and maybe a little salt. I'm making carrot-raisin salad for our dinner tonight!
Mom used to make creamed peas and she also cooked chunky potatoes and made a cream sauce for them too. It is just milk and flour mixed well with added seasonings. I always add a touch of sugar to all cooked veggies. Usually we do just buttered peas too.
DeleteI've never had lemon curd. It certainly looks a lot like pudding. Sounds much richer, though. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty tart...I think it needs to be served with something sweeter rather than just eating it. My favorite pie is lemon so it is no surprise that I like this kurd.
DeleteI love lemon curd! This is another of those "someday I'm gonna make that!" recipes! :)
ReplyDeleteWe finished the cake off today and still have some left. I want to try the orange curd next.
DeleteI buy the little jars of lemon curd and they are pricey! It's a good thing too, that's the only thing that keeps me from eating a larger portion on my English muffin! This weather is crazy, they are mentioning possible snow later on this week but not much of a chance. Accuweather says 50 degree days so it would melt pretty fast!
ReplyDeleteOK, now you can make your own for just pennies....then practice self control! It was really simple to make.
DeleteWay to warm for January-60+ yesterday!! A friend who lives in Texas said her Knockout roses were blooming.
ReplyDeleteLove the dessert and dinner pics-sure does look good.