Springtime

Springtime means flowers in the yard.

Springtime means pots of flowers on the deck.

Springtime means hostas and flowering ground cover.





Springtime means May and May means my birthday.

I love Springtime in May.

Treacle Tart

So what is Treacle Tart? It’s a very popular and traditional dessert in the UK. I only had it once when there, which, I guess, is surprising because it is so popular. Maybe because the times I’ve been there I usually make the desserts, like pies, cakes, cookies and bars. But I really liked this dessert. Very different.
An interesting fact is that Treacle Tart has become somewhat of a curiosity in other countries because of its frequent mention in the Harry Potter books. Actually, it is Harry’s favorite dessert.
Treacle Tart is made predominately of shortcrust pastry and golden syrup. It has a consistency similar to pecan pie, though it usually does not contain eggs in the filling. The Tart is normally served hot with a dollop clotted cream. (Yes, we first heard about clotted cream in the blog about scones.) It can also be served with ordinary cream, custard, or yoghurt. Treacle tart is good served cold, too.
Many think treacle is like molasses and it is often called that in the UK. Actually it is a by-product of sugar-making the same as molasses, but more similar in taste and texture to honey. However, it has a taste of its own. We brought back a bottle of Golden Syrup and I made my first Treacle Tart. The pastry base of the English recipe didn’t turn out very well for me, so next time I will use a shortcrust recipe I have which would have more shortening in it. The Golden Syrup is combined with fresh breadcrumbs, lemon juice and zest with a small amount of ginger to form the filling of the Tart. It bakes at a high temperature for about 45 minutes. In lieu of clotted cream, we used Cool Whip!
You may find Golden Syrup in the US in international food stores, and it can be purchased on the Internet so you can make the perfect Treacle Tart.

English Recipe for Treacle Tart
For the pastry:

225g/8oz plain flour

110g/4oz butter, chilled and diced

1 medium egg

For the filling:

450g/1lb golden syrup

85g/3oz fresh breadcrumbs

generous pinch ground ginger

1 lemon, zest, finely grated

and 2 tbsp of the juice
Method

1. Rub the fat into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Mix in the egg with a knife,then knead to a smooth dough..

3. Use the dough to line a 23 cm/9in loose bottomed tart tin, prick with a fork and leave to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas

5. Bake the pastry blind for 10-15 minutes until light golden brown.

6. Mix together the filling ingredients and pour into the pastry case. Bake for about 30 minutes. Serve hot or cold.
Enjoy!!

Lilac Time

A special time of year when trees are dressed in pink, white and lavender with touches of purple and maroon. This little verse says it all!
My lilac trees are old and tall:

I cannot reach their bloom at all.

They send their perfume over trees

And roofs and streets, to find the bees.
–Louise Driscoll (1875–1957)

Treasury West

I had a new experience today. There are a lot of Treasuries on Etsy, and most of the time they are filled to capacity. On one of the Forum Threads I was on, mention was made that there were some openings on Treasury West. I went to the site and happened to click on it at the right time and just like that, I got a Treasury to fill. Going to the Forum that I was on at that time, I found twelve different items that had the color scheme I wanted and filled all the spaces. Now it's available to all to see!

It's not easy to explain just what it is, but you can get an idea if you go to the listing. I hope you will go to it, read the comments and maybe leave a comment. That would be very nice. It will be open until next Monday, May 19.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=10205

Pink Spires Tree

Every spring this Pink Spires tree brings a short time of enjoyment with its beautiful pink blossoms. They don't seem to last very long, especially if they get rained on, but have given much pleasure anyway.

About 25 or so years ago I decided I wanted a flowering tree planted out by the deck so that I could see it from the dining table. Just a few feet from the deck was the spot decided upon. I purchased it from a Nursery and with help in digging the hole the mission was accomplished.

This is the way it looks today with my Mother's Day gift Hydrangea right in front.

Two More Etsy Friends

These two friends have Etsy Shops as well as blogs.

Donna wrote that she was featuring me on her Tuesday, May 6th blog. So if you go to her blog address and scroll down to Tuesday, you will see what a nice she way she handled it.
This talented gal is from Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
http://dzfantasy.blogspot.com/

Her Etsy Shop is found here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5619441


Today Gina sent me the message that I was the artist featured on her blog today. She had asked for a favorite recipe and that was put on there, too.
Gina is from BC, Canada.
http://anything.typepad.com/

Speaking of someone busy, she has THREE different shops and is very talented.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=110331
http://icraft.ca/mosaico
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5150112

Kentucky Derby

What does the Kentucky Derby have to do with me? with my shop? with my town? with my state? Well, actually it does have something to do with my blog.

One day I got this messsage --

Hi, greetings from the bluegrass state. All your recipes look wonderful! I am a fellow etsyian. I have only been to Iowa once. I saw it from the window of a train, but it was so green and full of darling farms. They looked almost like toy farms, to me. (from sweetb)

In response I told her that I was proud of our state and liked her description of it. So I decided there is a connection between our two states. Maybe we can make connection with some others, too? I think I can and will make that another blog topic.

So I invited sweetb to submit a recipe for our Recipe Section. A few days ago I got this answer--

Here is my recipe from Ky, just in time to honor the Kentucky Derby. It is from a wonderful cook book, Out of Kentucky by Marion Flexner. The forward is by Duncan Hines 1949. He is an ole boy from Bowling Green who also has lots of cake mixes named after him! The recipe is a Louisville specialty still is served at the Famous Brown Hotel.

Hot Brown
4 slices of toast
1/4 C American cheese grated
4 slices of baked chicken or turkey
cut from the breast about 1/4 thick
8 strips bacon,fried crisp
4 T grated Parmesan Cheese
1 C cream sauce *
thin sliced garden tomato (optional)
Blend yellow cheese with cream sauce until cheese has melted. Place a piece of chicken on each piece of toast and cover with 1/4 cup of sauce. Place 2 strips of bacon (previously cooked) on each sandwhich,and sprinkle with 1 T of Parmesan. Place sandwhich under broiler until golden.

*Cream Sauce
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup milk (or cream)
Melt butter, mix in flour. Slowly add milk and cook until mixture thickens.

So you can watch the Kentucky Derby and think of Iowa. That is, if you think I made my case!

Our Seed Cannas

Two years ago we started our project of growing cannas from seed. EG has always grown cannas, so our deck looked beautiful the summer before with some tall beauties we had purchased. In the fall, he collected seed from those that produced seed. Not all cannas will, but we ended up with quite a few seeds. The next spring I learned a lot about growing them. First of all, you need to scarify each seed (which means to make small cuts); then soak them for two days in warm water before planting. Soon you will see little leaves poking out of the soil. It was exciting to see what the bloom would look like, because in most cases it would not be like the parent plant. Pictures are of the small growing plants--the first one to open was Ours (red without label). The other red one is Stick Red (named because it was very tall); a beautiful pink, my favorite, Ours Romance. Two yellows are Best Yellow and Yellow Speckles.

Larky Lady and Etsy

ETSY
The recent trend toward "old" things" allows for the success of the Etsy endeavor. So picking up on that trend, Etsy was created. The originators will not divulge their reason for choosing that name. Actually, Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade. In this fast-paced world of mass-produced products, many people have lost sight of the real value of goods. We think back to the day when we bought our bread from the baker, food from the grocer, and shoes from the cobbler. Bringing back that same concept Etsy has provided producers (those making a product) with an avenue to the consumer (those using a product) by giving them a marketplace which is a thriving and growing community with a vision of presenting a better choice.
Launched on June 18, 2005 Etsy became an instant success, and has now grown to tens of thousands of sellers and five times that many in buyer accounts, with more being added every day. Etsy provides the general public with a way to buy and sell handmade items.
Those wishing to sell their handmade items register for an Etsy account which allows them to open a shop where their items can be listed. Etsy makes money by charging a listing fee of 20 cents for each item and getting 3.5 percent of every sale.
Buyers are also required to register and open an account, choosing a password with an email address. They will then receive an email from Etsy, asking for a response so they can activate the account, which is free.
After that, be prepared to visit these many thousands of shops where anything can be found from the realm of ordinary items to wildly extreme. It’s a great place to find unique gifts for friends, family–– and yourself for that matter!

LARKY LADY
I have used "milarks" (the first letter of each one of my family with only "i" additional) for my identification for many years–since I first began emailing and doing any online activity. So when I registered with Etsy, I also used "milarks." A lot can be learned by visiting the Forums and Chat Rooms and I go to some of them every chance I get. One day on a Forum in a general discussion, another Etsian addressed me as "Larky Lady." I liked it and when I decided to have a Blog that seemed the right thing to call it.

Friends

Friends are made in many different ways. These new friends are through contact with their Etsy shops. Aromafields and I have been emailing for several weeks. This mother of three lives in California and her shop is filled with the candles and soaps that she makes.

Minicoops has returned to the states after going to school for three years in Malasia. She deals mostly with Vintage now.

GwynnsGifts is featuring my shop on her blog. I recently won a contest she sponsored. She has just finished a children's book, The Brave Brothers, which was inspired by her two sons. She makes these beautiful cards.

Last, but not least for now, is reesascreations where I was again the winner of a random drawing. Here is a picture of her product.

Roses

After mentioning Carol's roses in the last blog, I got a set of pictures from her, and.........yes, they were pictures of her roses. So for your enjoyment, here they are.

Orchids Two

These breathtaking orchids were sent by my friend, Carol. Her orchid collection is wonderful, and she grows roses, too. Hope you enjoy seeing these beauties.

And The Winner Is --

milarks.
Yes, I was the winner in a blog contest sponsored by another blogger. Actually, it was a random drawing, but there were some nice things said.

"The winner of my blog promotion contest is milarks!
Congratulations!
Milarks will be receiving a FREE item of her choice from reesascreations.
Thanks to all of you who participated---all 18 of you! Look here in the blog soon to read one in which I will feature each and every one of you! I have enjoyed meeting each one of you through this promotion. Best wishes to all!
Visit milarks at her etsy store. She also has a wonderful entertaining and informative blog at http://milarks.blogspot.com/. "

"milarks, I enjoyed reading your blog very much! It is entertaining and interesting. Loved hearing about your travels and seeing the pictures. I am planning on visiting your blog again to see what you are up to next! "

This page will tell a little about it.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=365905254&blogID=382470040

Then today she had this.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=365905254&blogID=382827603

My Aunt Laura

What a lady she was! When she passed away, she was about six weeks away from her 100th birthday which would have been February 14th. The amazing thing was that just before that, on December 10th she had a Christmas Coffee for ten ladies where she served coffee cake and rolls on a lovely decorated holiday table.
Aunt Laura always had a good memory and was a good cook, noted for her baking of pies and cakes. She loved flowers, grew huge dahlias, had a beautiful rose garden, and summertime found her yard filled with pots and hanging baskets of geraniums.
Here is one of her pie recipes:
Aunt Laura’s Pecan Pie
This recipe was found in a hand written cookbook that belonged to her sister-in-law.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup salad oil
1 cup light corn syrup (Karo)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans
Directions:
Cook together all ingredients but pecans until sugar melts. Pour into unbacked crust. Put pecans on top. Bake 50 - 60 minutes at 325 - 350 degrees.

My Genealogy Friend

I have been making several friends through Etsy connections. More about them another time. Today I will introduce you to Carol, my Genealogy friend.

For many years I was quite involved in researching family history. Carol was also involved in researching one line of the family that I was doing, too. In fact, she has plans to publish her findings in book form. However, another special interest of hers is growing orchids. She has sent some pictures of some absolutely gorgeous ones that I thought you might enjoy.

Please Check GwynnsGifts

I made the acquaintance of a great gal while writing on one of Etsy's Forums the other day. We decided to list links to each other's blog. She put my link on hers today; however, not just a link but something very special. I hope you will go to hers and check it out. So nice of her.

http://gwynnsgifts.blogspot.com

She is a very talented person and has just written a children's book. You can read all about it on her blog. I hope you visit her Etsy site, too which is:

http://gwynnsgifts.etsy.com

Warwick Castle

On this dark, rainy day, I thought we would visit Warwick Castle. On a Spring day, sunny and warm, unlike this one today in Iowa, it was a special experience spending most of the day going through the different parts of the castle. The famous Madame Tussaud's mannequins occupy several rooms depicting scenes from that era. The grounds were beautiful, too, with Peacock strutting atop the trimmed hedges. By clicking on the picture you should be able to enlarge it. Then you can see in the back of the picture that the some of the hedge is trimmed to look like the peacocks.

What a Windy Day!

A very windy day here. And what do you suppose we did? We put up the greenhouse. Two reasons which seemed logical. Rain is predicted at times during the next several days, so we wouldn't be able to do it then. Main reason--the little plants started in the house need to get more light. They can be moved out to the greenhouse at least during the day. Not sure about night time temperatures yet. So if the temps get too cold we will move them into the house at night.

Here's a picture to show you what we will do with one of the tomato plants.


EG has planted one in this planter the past two years and has had very good yields. It's called "The Upsidedown Tomato."

Cream Tea

On our way home from a tour of Warwick Castle on my first trip to England, we stopped at a little dessert shop in Henley. It was just warm enough so we could sit at an outdoor table right outside the shop. And there is where I had my first Cream Tea! We were served a plate with a scone split in half horizontally and from there I had a lesson in how to create the Cream Tea. First, you cover the cut surface with butter; then slather on the Clotted Cream, followed by a liberal amount of strawberry jam. Without hesitation, you pick up your fork and enjoy! Especially good with a cup of hot tea.
So what is Clotted Cream? Clotted cream is a thick yellow cream made by heating unpasteurized cow's milk and then leaving it in shallow pans for several hours. During this time, the cream content rises to the surface and forms clots.
I found this quote -- "Sadly all this clotted cream is not good for the waistline, however a little now and then is good for the soul."
A scone may be described as half way between cake and biscuit - harder than a cake but softer than a biscuit.
I found this English recipe for scones –
Scones
2 cups [8 oz] of self-raising flour [If you don’t have self-raising then use plain flour but add 2 teaspoons of baking powder]
2 ounces of margarine or lard
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda [If you use baking powder leave out the bi-carb]
½ cup [¼ pint] of milk [if the milk is just turning sour it works better but fresh is OK too]
Pinch of salt
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and rub together to a sort of breadcrumb mix.
Add all the milk at once and mix lightly to a spongy dough.
Knead lightly to make the dough smooth and roll it out to about ½ to ¾ inch thick.
Cut out with a 2" round cutter. Brush lightly with milk and bake in a hot oven (220 - 230 degrees C, 425 - 450 degrees F or gas mark 7 - 8] for about 10 minutes.
Cool the scones on a wire rack so that the outside stays crispy.
This quantity makes about 12 - 15 scones.
The most important things to remember are to add all the liquid at once and cook them quickly.

Yorkshire Pudding

The first time I saw Yorkshire Pudding, I said, "That’s pudding?" It didn’t look like pudding to me.
Actually, Yorkshire pudding is a dish made from batter, and it is cooked by pouring the batter into a preheated greased baking pan containing very hot oil and baking at very high heat until it has risen. My impression was that it made me think of Popovers.
One description reads, "When fresh from oven, good Yorkshire pudding is a puffy irregular shaped golden mass, unlike any other baked dish. On standing a few minutes, the surface settles more or less evenly, and when cut the outer crust is tender crisp and the center soft and custardy." Traditionally, it is served with roast beef which is where I first had it at a Carvery. Carvery is like
a Buffet where the meat is carved as you walk past, and there was the Yorkshire Pudding beside the roast beef.
So here for your enjoyment and a taste of England is a Yorkshire Pudding recipe.

Picture is a typical Sunday dinner.

Yorkshire Pudding
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. milk
4 tbsp. oil
Beat flour, salt, eggs, milk together until very smooth, scraping bowl occasionally. Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Measure oil into 8 x 8 x 2 inch square Pyrex pan. Heat for 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-30 minutes. Do not open door. Serve immediately.
This may be baked in muffin tins, using 2+ T. batter per muffin, with 1-2 tsp oil in each tin before preheating pan to very hot. Wrapped tightly, Yorkshire Puddings freeze and reconstitute very well.