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!

TWEET, TWEET........BIRDHOUSES!

I remember every Spring when I was little building Birdhouses with my grandfather. We did the same with our son when he was little and many of them are still around. Do kids do that anymore?

I have always found Birdhouses quite beautiful. Not only do they function as a home for birds but they add so much loveliness to your yard. It is nice to look up into a tree and see these darling little homes, many so painstakingly made to resemble real houses.

My grandmother had an old Victorian Birdhouse that sat on a lovely old staircase post in the yard for years. I have it now and it needs some work, when I am finished I think I will keep it in the house, it holds some lovely memories.

I really like the old Victorian Birdhouses. Many times they were built to resemble the big houses. The details were incredible. I have found new one online especially on Etsy. It is nice to see that people still care enough to create functional yet beautiful homes for birds.

If you don't have a birdhouse you should get one. It is so nice to sit and watch the birds building their homes every Spring. They seem so proud when the find a house to live in. Whether you buy one or make one or just redo an old neglected one, they will give you hours of pleasure and the satisfaction that you have done a little bit for nature.

Images from PINTEREST. Stop by WICKED FAERIE QUEEN today and see some really amazing tents.

ANTIQUE ROSES & EDIBLE BLOOMS!

There is nothing like a Rose. I do not mean the Roses you get from a florist or even your garden variety Roses but the old, fragrant, full Antique Roses. Our farm is 230 years old and we are fortunate to have Wild Roses growing all over the property.

They look like these. Tight and compact almost like a Peoni. The aroma is almost overpowering first thing in the morning.

They do not last that long but the small window that they bloom is just breathtaking.

I have tried to dig some up and move them closer to the house but I don't know how old they are and their root system is endless. I just enjoy them as they are, wild and rambling. If you ever get the opportunity to smell a Wild Rose, do so because there is nothing like it.

These may not be real Wild Roses but I think that these gorgeous cakes capture them perfectly. The first one is from PEGGY PORSCHEN ACADEMY and the second is from THE PINK CAKE BOX.

Images from PINTEREST.

FOR THE LOVE OF THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO!

I love tomatoes. I am sure most of us do. I have grown my own over the years but have found that mine, and others I have bought just do not taste like the tomatoes I had on my grandparents farm.

We have a small farm right in the middle of an agricultural belt. Fresh vegetables are aplenty all around me all summer so I do not have to grow them but I really like to go out to the garden and watch the progression of my plants and reap the bounty of my work.

These are some of my tomatoes from last summer. I planted them early and did use a Yellow Early Girl. Although it was not an Heirloom variety it was quite good and sweet.

We have 2 acres. A lot of it is trees so the best place I have found for growing tomatoes is at the east side of our house along the porch. I have planted in pots and last year in the flower garden at the end of the porch. The tomatoes grew fantastically. This year we are building a raised bed right along the whole length of the porch, I have a really long porch. Now, staking is another problem I have had. They always fall over. I like this idea and I may do this.

Our neighbour has a green thumb. He has grown heirloom tomatoes for a while and they are delicious.

I have decided to try just Heirloom Tomatoes and some vegetables this year. I have ordered Black Krim and Tula of Russia Tomato Seeds from HEIRLOOMS RUS SEEDS on Etsy. I also ordered some Easter Egg Radish Seeds because they looked so cute.

I am looking forward to this new venture. I have never planted tomatoes from seeds before. I am hoping they come to full abundance so I can eat them fresh off of the vine and use them in recipes such as this Heirloom Tomato Sauce from KATY ELLIOT-HOME-ART-FOOD BLOG it looks just delicious like all of her recipes.

I will be doing a step by step progression of my new garden and my heirloom plantings. If you have a great garden and some lovely Heirloom Veggies or some hints of growing them I would really appreciate the advice. E-mail me any pictures you have from now or other plantings and I will put them on my blog. I look forward to this new adventure and sharing it with you.

My tomato pictures are from me other images are from PINTEREST and the HEIRLOOMS RUS SEEDS veggie pictures are from their Etsy page.