Succulents can bloom!

I had no idea the succulents I recently planted (and a few not so recently) could flower! Apparently they are quite content in their new surroundings. I am seeing a plethora of new growth, flowers and (I swear) smiling plants. Alright, maybe it's just me smiling because I finally have low maintenance, happy growing plants.

Check out the happy new growth!

Space Rocks is one of two plants that survived last year's foray into the world of gardening. It limped through last year, then found itself in a new pot, in a new spot and voila.... it gets flowers! It is still one of the strangest looking plants I have ever seen... I don't think the new flowers do anything to change this opinion.

Look at this plant... how can you NOT think it's smiling??? I love happy plants!

More flowers.

Thanks and happy gardening!!

Being Lucky (in memoriam)

You were surrounded by love,
buoyed by friendship,
cared for and about.

So many people came to visit,
to sit and hold your hand,
to eat with you and watch you sleep.

They poured their love into and around you,
and you survived,
beyond all of the odds.

You lived longer
then anyone predicted,
but not as long as you wanted.

Life is rarely as long as we want.

At the very, very end,
you said you were Lucky.
You knew you were so very loved.

And with that,
you finally, quietly, inconspicuosly,
let go.

The Garden went native.

The seeds were planted in mid spring. The seedlings came up. They grew. I watered them everyday (sometimes twice on really hot days). We were gone for 4 days and I had to find a friend to come to the apartment to water the plants. The seedlings grew into flowers and herbs and edible things. They flourished and lived. And now they have died.

Instead of replanting seeds and running "the race" again, I have decided to go native. That means succulents, drought-resistant plants, species that only need watering once or twice a week, and things that LOVE the sun. I spent a little time at Armstrong Gardening in Santa Monica this week. The staff were friendly, helpful and provided me with more information then I have received in every visit combined that I made to Home Depot or Osh over the last 4 years. (Armstrong did not pay me for this or give me any sort of kickback and does not even know I am writing about them... I just wanted to share that they were GREAT!)

That being said, I would like to introduce you to some of the new additions. I am excited to see how they take to their new environment. As usual, it will be a fun experiment to see what thrives and what dives. I am going to have to return to Armstrong soon; I have already forgotten the names of some of our new plant pals.

Hens and Chicks is also called Sempervivum arachnoideum. Apparently, under the optimal conditions, it has very rare, bright red blooms. Maybe I will get lucky!

SharkSkin Agave is a bit dangerous, but cool looking. There are sharp little spines along the edges of the leaves. I do not think I will be getting too close and personal with this little guy.

Wilted Greens

It seems like the only way I ever eat greens is in a salad.... not anymore! This is a great, easy recipe for preparing greens that is NOT a salad, and would be a fine accompaniment to many main courses! I found this in "Easy British Cooking", edited by Celine Hughes.

This recipe will work with any fresh, small-leaf green. I used aragula (which I just found out is also called rocket), but you could easily substitute baby greens or baby spinach. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

• 1 or 2 large bunches of fresh small-leaf greens 
• 1-2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 lemon 
• 1 garlic clove, peeled 
• freshly ground sea salt & black pepper, to taste 

Directions 

1. Crush the garlic clove while keeping it whole, and spear it on the end of a fork. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat. 
3. Add a large handful of greens to the pan - stir them around with the garlic-fork spear until just wilted (approx. 30-45 seconds). 
4. Transfer the greens from the pan to a plate with tongs. 
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until you have all the greens you want wilted. 
6. Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on each pile to season, add a little salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Eat while warm! 

Serves: as many as you want, it depends on how many greens you have

Time: 10 minutes (to gather ingredients, cook and serve)

Cottage Pie

For me, this recipe is absolute comfort food. Potatoes, ground meat, bacon... mmmm. Sorry vegetarians, this one is not for you (but if you wanted to make the jump back to carnivore-land, this might be a good recipe to try!).  Even though it is summer right now, I can already visualize making this on a cold, rainy day, then curling up on the couch with a nice glass of red wine and a big bowl of hot-from-the-oven cottage pie. Have I mentioned "mmmm" yet?

The original recipe comes from a great cookbook a friend brought back from London, called "Easy British Cooking", edited by Celine Hughes. I made quite a few adaptations, while trying to keep the nature of cottage pie intact. I will list those changes at the bottom of this for you to peruse and perhaps try.

All I really have to say about this recipe is: Happy Cooking! Happy Baking! Happy Eating!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs olive oil 
• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1.5#  ground turkey 
• 3 pieces of bacon, chopped into pieces 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1 heaping tsp dry parsley 
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme 
• 2 Tbs tomato paste 
• coarsely ground sea salt & black pepper (to taste)

• 2 large potatoes, peeled & chopped 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/4 cup milk (I used rice milk, any low fat milk should work) 
• 3 Tbs butter (I used butter substitute) 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. 
2. Start by making the mashed potatoes - bring water, bay leaf and chopped potatoes to a boil in a sauce pan. Cook until tender, then drain and remove the bay leaf. 
3. Place the cooked potatoes in a large bowl, coarsely mash by hand. Add in the butter, then milk; mix until your desired consistency is reached. (For creamier mashed potatoes use an electric hand blender/whisk.)
4. While the potatoes are boiling - heat the olive oil over medium heat in a frying pain. Add the onions and cook until browned (3-5 minutes). 
5. Add the garlic, ground turkey and bacon - cook until the meat is almost completely browned. 
6. Add the wine to the frying pan - cook until evaporated (adjust the heat as needed). 
7. Stir in the parsley, thyme, tomato paste, salt & pepper.
8. In a medium-sized casserole dish spread the meat mixture over the bottom and level with a spoon. Cover the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes. 
9. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown on top, about 25-30 minutes. 

Serves: 4 large portions

Cook time: About 1 hour and 30 minutes (includes all the prep time, boiling potatoes, and baking the casserole in the oven) 

Adaptations 

• Olive oil - original recipe called for 2 Tbs butter to brown the onions and meat 
• Ground turkey - original recipe called for ground beef 
• Bacon - original recipe called for 5-6 pieces of bacon 
• Cheddar cheese - original recipe called for 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese to be sprinkled over the casserole before it went into the oven - I omitted this altogether 
• Milk - original recipe called for whole milk in the mashed potatoes 

Garden Harvest

Just in case the picture does not speak for itself.... here is the carrot harvest from the garden!

Fig & Prosciutto Salad

Fig & Prosciutto Salad

Figs are in season right now; I am finding them everywhere from the Farmer's Markets to grocery stores to hanging on trees along the streets. I think they are a food that people either love or hate and I think a lot of it has to do with texture. I am not a huge fan of the fig, all on it's own; however, I LOVE them in this salad. The mix of sweet figs with salty prosciutto and tangy vinegar dressing on fresh, earthy field greens is divine.

The recipe is adopted from Alfred Portale's "Simple Pleasures" cookbook. It is one of the easiest summer meals I have thrown together and stands on it's own for a light dinner, especially if you pair it with a nice piece of bread and a fine glass of white wine.

Ingredients

 Dressing

• 2 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp of balsamic vinegar 
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 Tbs honey

Salad

• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 
• 4 oz prosciutto - thinly sliced strips 
• 8-10 figs, stems removed, sliced into halves or quarters (depending on size of the figs) 
• 2 oz feta crumbled (I used sheep's milk) 
• 4 cups arugula, rinsed and tossed (or other rich field greens) 

Directions

1. Mix the dressing - place the vinegar in a small bowl, add the salt and pepper, stir. Then mix in the honey. Set the dressing aside. 
2. Place the arugula (or other field greens) in a large prep bowl - drizzle with olive oil and mix well. 
3. Divide the greens evenly into serving bowls. Add the figs and prosciutto. Drizzle the dressing on each salad. Sprinkle with the cheese. 

Servings - These portions made 2 large salads or could be divided into 4 smaller plates. Enjoy!!