SOME DECADENCE FOR MOTHER'S DAY!

Mother's Day is this Sunday and I am having all of the women in my life for lunch. As a mother I can tell you right now that if my son surprised me with one of these scrumpcious delicacies instead of flowers I would be thrilled.

First look at these RED VELVET CREPES from DUHLICIOUS. Oh, just give me a fork! I love Red Velvet and I know that these would not last long. The recipe is very simple give them a try.

Now this takes a little more effort but your mom would share I am sure. This Chocolate Layer after Layer Cake from THE LITTLE RED HOUSE is just gorgeous. Beautiful blog even if you don't bake this cake you should have a look.

How about a blast from the past. Did your mom ever make you these little FLOWER POT DESSERTS. Nothing is easier all you do is use ready made ingredients and assemble a really yummy dessert. Personally I would leave out the Gummy Worms, yuck! Stop by THE PIONEER WOMAN for the step by step directions, a great thing to make with your kids dad!

If you don't want to get too fancy just serve a pretty cupcake on a lovely plate. I always think cupcakes are a great dessert.

Okay everyone, all together, AHHHHHHHHHHH! Now this ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP 'N OREO FUDGE BROWNIE BAR from KEVIN & AMANDA should be illegal. How can you get so much deliciousness into one bar? This is not an everyday occurance so if you want to really treat mom make this.

Whatever you do for your Mom on Sunday I am sure she will love it. But instead of flowers which are easy and get a smile why not bake or cook something if you get time and get a massive, toothy grin!

Images from PINTEREST.

MY GERANIUM DILEMMA.

As you know from earlier posts I like red Geraniums.

Now, I do plant them in the garden and this year I am doing some pots but I like to have the hung against my house because it is a nice light coffee colour and the red looks so good against it.

The problem is there is no sun on the porches so the Geraniums won't flower. A couple of years ago, against all I believe, I bought some silk geraniums arrangements for my porches.

I really do not silk flowers but when I saw them at HomeSense they looked so real I had to touch them. They are quite nice, arranged in white wicker baskets with ivy.

I put them out when I put out everything else so I don't know if passerbys think I am just really good with geraniums or that they are artificial.

Every time I hang them I feel a little guilty. I have driven past homes that actually put artificial flowers in their garden! Eeek! They do not even look real. If I could make them flower on the porches I would use real ones.

Mind you it is kind of nice having colour so early and they still look good.

What do you think? Here are some geraniums. Four are real and four are silk. I would like your opinion. Am I cheating as a gardener to put these imposters out or is it okay as long as you can't tell.

SUNNY SKIES AND A DELICIOUS LEMONY LUNCH

Finally, we had a lovely sunny day.

The skies were blue and the gardens are green.

I got some gardening done, my heirloom tomato seeds planted in their little starter pots and did a little cooking.

My husband had to go to work late today so I thought we could have an early dinner and I made his favourite, my Lemon Pasta.

This is such a refreshingly delicious and pretty easy dish to make. I use to just make it in the summer because it is a lovely summer meal but it has become such a favourite in our family that I make it all year.

Here is what you will need, now I suggest you prepare everything first, there is some cutting to do, put the ingredients in bowls because when you cook this it goes quite quickly. This will serve around 4 people.

2 containers of grape tomatoes or any small tomatoes cut in half
3 bunches of green onions chopped including the green
3 clove of garlic chopped
6 lemons first grate the rind for the zest then juice them
4 cups of grated Romano Cheese the good imported Italian stuff
Olive Oil
salt & pepper
1 package of good Italian imported thin pasta like Vermicelli or Capellini

Use a large skillet & put enough olive oil to cover the bottom generously. On medium heat sautee the garlic until soft, add the onions. Cook until softened, now put on the water for your pasta. Add the tomatoes and add some more olive oil you want there to be about 1/4 of an inch of oil in the pan, this may seem like a lot of oil but it is olive oil and the pasta absorbs it. The oil, lemon and cheese come together to form the sauce. Put you pasta in the water to cook. Now to finish add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Turn the heat to high but continue to watch and stir. Drain your pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste if you don't think there is enough sauce to generously coat the pasta you can add some Real Lemon. Now while the sauce is gently boiling add a cup of cheese at a time. This should look kind of creamy but still oily. Add enough cheese so that it has some body to the sauce but not too thick. Now lower the heat to low/medium and add the pasta a bit at a time coating as you go. You may not need all of the pasta I tend to make too much so I just add a little tomato sauce to the left overs and keep it in the fridge for lunches. Plate up you pasta add salt and pepper to taste and a little grated cheese on the top. Now this is my own recipe and I don't really measure I just add enough until it looks good. You can also add shrimp or chicken too, we like it just like this.

Here is a little tip. Buy good pasta! Find a store that carries imported pasta from Italy, many grocery stores do too. There really is a difference in flavour. The wheat has been grown in the mediterranean sun and the flavour is amazing. It does not cost any more either. I also only buy canned tomatoes from Italy. They have wonderful flavour and are not watery. I feel the same about my Romano Cheese. I don't really like Parmeson I find Romano has a more mellow taste, very earthy.

ENJOY!

DANCE AROUND THE MAYPOLE.........MAY IS HERE!

Merry Mayday and Blessed Beltane everyone. I have been working in the studio all day to start my May off right. I must say it is still quite cool but I am determined to be outside as much as possible.

I am looking forward to eating outside all spring and summer as soon as it get warmer.

I envy all of you who are doing this already. I can't wait for some picnics and delicious warm weather meals.

I like to keep the food simple in the Spring & Summer months. Living in farm country I am fortunate to get the seasonal vegetables within a few minutes from our farm. One of my favourite lunchs is fresh aspargus, grilled with soft eggs and parmesan cheese slices. Mmmmmmmmmmm.... I can taste it now.

I love finding new things to make for outdoor meals. Like these Spring Herb Quino Patties from TWO TARTS. If you have not ever had Quino you should, not only is it the best source of protien but it is nutty and delicious. Can't wait to try these and you should stop by TWO TARTS for the recipe and it is a lovely blog.

So I hope you are all having a lovely first day of May and I envy you lucky people who are dining outside tonight, it is already getting chilly here and it is only after 4 o'clock. Time for some soup!

Images from PINTEREST.

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

Lucys Garden is a Gardening and Foodie Blog but today it is just FOODIE!

Marie Antionette apparently never did say "Let Them Eat Cake" so I will. I adore cakes. Sometimes making them more than eating them. I love the old fashioned recipes, the tried and true, the cakes that don't look neat and perfect but look homemade.

I found some fabulous recipes through PINTEREST. If you have not been on Pinterest you really must have a look. I find it the most interesting and informative site on the Web. You can literally find anything there that people have pinned and is usually linked back to the source. It is a great way to find some amazing Blogs and Websites. Now back to Cake!

Let's start with Carrot Cake. I just love a good piece of Carrot Cake although I do tend to tone down the Cream Cheese Frosting because I find it a bit sweet. Here is the best recipe ever from Michelle on CANDY JAMAMAS blog. Oh, you must stop by here. This girl has some incredible cake recipes and much, much more.

If you have never had Tomato Soup Cake you must make it. My Great-Grandmother made it all the time. It is a rich, moist spice cake, now my recipe , which is a traditional one from the Campbell Soup Company, has raisins. This one from THROUGH THE MAGIC DOOR does not but I would add some or even some Walnuts. You won't be sorry if you make this.

I saw this and my mouth started to water. This yummy Vanilla Cake With Strawberry Cream Frosting is from PERRY'S PLATE.
I cannot think of a nicer way to welcome Spring than with a slice of this delicious cake.

Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake, the title says it all. What a lovely, fresh cake for the summertime. This is one of the simplest recipes I have ever seen. Go to FOODISTA blog for the delicious recipe.

Now, this is my all time favourite cake. Coconut Cake..... yummy! I love the creaminess of Coconut Cake. The icing must be light and fluffy so when you put your fork into those luscious layers it just glides down and that scrumpcious morsel melts in your mouth. This is a great recipe from SMITH BITES.

I do have one last "Cake" for you today. This is a SWEDISH SANDWICH CAKE or a SMORGASTARTA. It is layers of tuna, smoked salmon and shrimp. Delicious! The recipe is at SAVEUR but for some good pictures for assembly go to PANINI HAPPY which is where I found it. Now this does take a little work and you know you could buy a round loaf of bread instead of making one from scratch, but if you love seafood like I do this is a worth while recipe and it serves a lot of people.

I will be putting my own recipes on my blog too as I make them but I like to link you to these recipes because the blogs and websites I find through my searching are so wonderful I like to share them with you. I love to find new sites, people put such a lot of work into them it is nice to have a look.

Images from PINTEREST. Stop by my blog WICKED FAERIE QUEEN today for some fabulous Porch Swings.

GERANIUMS...NOT JUST YOUR GRAMMA'S FLOWER.

Growing up my grandparents always had Red Geraniums in pots around the farm. My grandmother just loved them but I always thought they seemed a little dated, a Gramma's flower.

And then a few years ago I got a summer job at our local Greenhouse. The grew a large variety of Geraniums.

Not only did they grow White, Pink and the popular Red...

...they also grew varieties like this Lemon Yellow and Blood Blue.

I now have a new appreciation for the Geranium. I love their old fashioned country appeal. Sitting on an old farm table in a glass house or in a single pot.

I find them very homey. I plant them now in my garden and in pots. Even with the variety of colours I found myself attracted to the same Lipstick Red Geranium my Grandmother planted.

And did you know that Geraniums are edible? Try this delicious Lemon Geranium Cake from Kellie ate FOOD TO GLOW I think it looks so summery and light I am definately going to try it.

Images from PINTEREST. And stop by my blog WICKED FAERIE QUEEN today for some lovely Porches.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is our beautiful daughter-in-law, Natasha's (CLOSET OF AN ECLECTIC GYPSY) Birthday.

We want to wish to a very Happy Birthday sweetheart, lovely cakes.

Bunches of flowers.

And something from your favourite store. Have a great day!