Halloween

Life has sent a very unexpected and challenging event which has left us quite speechless.  On this All Hallows' Eve, I decided to focus on my favorite things about this time of the year.

  I took a beautiful walk with my good friend today; we walked down our usual path first, then went across the newly-harvested fields to the forest, where we walked in the dappled sunshine with the colorful leaves underfoot and the pigeons flying out from the brush at every turn in the path.  Entering the forest, there is always a hushed, beautiful peace that is at the same time buzzing with activity--nature is always a wonder and a comfort to me.

 

Some lovely fall artwork by my dear friend and 

personal designer...

Some favorite past costumes and jack-o-lanterns...

mouse & cat

John Lennon

Aladdin's monkey

Some Halloween mystery...OOOOOOO......

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"It's not the length of life, but the depth of life."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

In loving memory of a truly beautiful man
known for his great hugs and heartfelt smiles.  He touched many, many lives in his very full 73 years of living.

There are no words to express how much we will miss his 

presence here on the farm.

The Last Rose of...Fall?

I love this time of year!  Truthfully, I love most times of the year, but there really is something special about the crisp air and misty mornings, and of course, the colorful leaves!  We have had some marvelous weather which I've been enjoying every chance I get!

A good friend of mine went on a little trip and just returned home yesterday, so I was suddenly inspired to 
make a nice little cake for her.  

Our chickens have been laying lots of eggs, so I decided on an angel food cake.  Of course I had to collect the eggs first!  

I do love making angel food cakes, but usually save them for special occasions.  I found the few roses left in the garden a great inspiration, so I let my creativity run wild (creativity needs exercise too!), and this is what I came up with: an angel food cake with a center layer of rosewater whipped cream, and topped with a raspberry rosewater glaze, fresh raspberries and rose petals.  Below I will share with you the way to give your angel food cake a rosy glow! 

  - - -  Raspberry Rosewater Angel Food Cake  - - - 

*  For the cake use your favorite angel food cake recipe.

  Glaze 

*  2 tablespoons milk

*  rosewater 

*  powdered sugar  

*  2 raspberries

  Whipped Cream

*  1 cup heavy whipping cream

*  1/2 powdered sugar

*  rose water

*  in addition you will need raspberries and rose petals 

I must confess I wasn't especially exact with measurements when I was making this (I was with the cake of course, but the other parts were more "make it up as you go").

For the glaze, start with 2 tablespoons milk and whisk in the powdered sugar until it is the desired consistency (mine wasn't especially thick), then add the rosewater to taste.  To color it a pleasant pink, mash the 2 raspberries through a sieve into the glaze discarding the seeds.   

For the whipped cream, beat the cream and sugar until it is the desired consistency (I made mine thicker than usual because it would be in the center of the cake), add rosewater to taste.  

To assemble your cake, carefully cut it in half, set the base of your cake on the plate and spread evenly with the whipped cream. Now place the top of your cake evenly on the whipped cream surface.  Drizzle the glaze across the top and decorate with raspberries and rose petals (if you intend to eat the rose petals be sure to cut off the white base of each petal). You now have a finished cake!! 

- - - - - 

I really must thank our lovely flock of feathered friends for the eggs!  They were quite excited for their blog debut; they excite rather easily though, so it's no surprise!  

Penelope & Velma

Eugenia, Stella, Penelope, Aibileen & Velma

Pas de Chien

I've told you of my enthusiasm for tutus, so it should come as no surprise that I have an appreciation for ballet as well.  Though I love many types of dance, there is something alluring about the combination of classical music, tutus and the graceful movements of ballet.  What a wonderful way to tell a story!  It's so moving--literally!

As a puppy, I had a dream of becoming a ballerina and performing wonderful solos in tutus, perhaps being the next Anna Pavlova--with more hair.  I never really had the body type to begin with, lacking willowy, graceful legs you know; so it quickly became clear that I was meant for other things, but I have retained a love for ballet and still dance around in my tutu when inspired.

Edgar Degas painted some of the most beautiful iconic ballerinas; they have a wonderful timelessness to them.  I have chosen some of my favorites to share with you.

Degas

I love the brilliant colors in this painting!  It's as if the colors are doing a dance all of their own!

Renoir

This painting is actually a Renoir, but it was begging to be included!  I love her almost wistful expression and the way her pale pink shoes and pink cheeks warm the painting.
  

Degas

Of course, there is a lot of work that goes into mastering the art of ballet, and I think this piece captures that perfectly.  Can you see the little dog that has snuck into this painting?  

Degas

I love the way the flowers on her costume spill down her skirt. She has a wonderful air that is both girlishly free and artistic-ally focused!  I like that you can see the other dancers and Dance Master waiting in the wings.

Degas

I don't know what it is about this painting exactly,  
but I love it!!!

Degas

This pastel is interesting; it has such a different feeling than the others! The color palette is so intriguing, it draws you in.

The source of this photo is unknown to me, but it's nice to know I'm not the only dog who has dreamed of being a ballerina!

"There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them."

- Vicki Baum

See You Soon!

Seizing September

Don't you love this time of year?!  Warm days and cool nights, nights when you can hear the crickets through the open window while you stay warm under your patchwork quilt.  With a hint of crispness in the air, it is the beginning of harvest season when everything in the garden seems to ripen all at once!  Now, we are so glad our work in the garden has paid off, but at the same time, are getting a little tired of eating tomatoes at every meal!  
And the mere sight of fennel...

I can hardly believe the brilliance of the nasturtiums!  They are growing in great mounds in the garden and have even started to blend with the sweet potatoes!  I believe that Monet grew nasturtiums, and it's no wonder, they are so vivid and whimsical!

 Tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes, onions, leeks, celeriac, zucchini, squash, fennel, chard, beets, beans, kale, 

garlic and herbs!  

OH MY!  

I love it when a plant just starts growing in the brush-pile!  It's like a little present, and this pumpkin plant is definitely a present!  We have two radiant pumpkins growing on our volunteer vine!

There are also some lovely morning glories covering the brush pile!  I have always been taken with their velvety petals.

This has been a wonderful year for peaches!  We always get some from local growers to freeze (and of course eat fresh!).  A friend of ours also gave us some peaches, so the only sane thing to do was make a peach cobbler!

I find the best music to encourage culinary inspiration is French chanson réaliste!  I almost always listen to it in the kitchen!  My current favorite album is Chansons by Jill Barber. 

Here is a piece of the lovely cobbler!  It tastes like 

"summer on a plate!"

We have some delightful dill growing in our garden, as well as an overabundance of green beans, so let me share with you a secret formula for one of our all time favorites:

Dill + Green Beans = Dilly Beans

So, already feeling industrious after making cobbler, I decided to make a small batch of Dilly Beans from the recipe in the Ball Blue Book.  They turned out delightfully dilly.

"By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather

And autumn's best of cheer."

-Helen Hunt Jackson

Renoir

This time of year is always busy, especially since the family I live with homeschools; there is always the curriculum to plan and the schedule to organize.  Even with all of the activity, we had time to go see the wonderful French film, Renoir, which of course, inspired me to "stroll" through some of my favorite Renoir paintings, because even when things are busy, it is très  importante to take time for art!

I have always loved the way Renoir portrays children; he captures the innocence and wonder of childhood with his soft brush strokes and warm colors. 

I love this painting because of my love of gardens, and also because of the amazing contrasts between sun and shadow.

This is such a sweet painting!  How lovely to be invited to such a delightful party!  How daring of her to wear red with pink!  Without a doubt, she pulls it off quite charmingly.  

This painting is so simple, yet so very beautiful!  I love the contrast between her gleaming, red hair and the pale blue in her dress and bow.  

Feeling inspired by the movie, Renoir, I came home ready to awaken the artist's model that I have always known lived within me!!  However, being a plein air model is more distracting than one would think!  

"I like a painting which makes me want to stroll in it."

-Pierre Auguste Renoir    

On a Bicycle Built for Two

While on my brief vacation from blogging we took a day trip to a  historic small town in a picturesque river valley.  Our intent was to go biking on the canal towpath, so it was a happy accident that it was the same day as their local food fest!  I rode upfront in my lovely wool-lined basket.

I absolutely love to ride in the bike basket!  There is so much to see, and lots of new people to greet!!

First, we had to choose our route.
  

We rode for a bit and then went into town for some lunch; their local food market (a part of their local food fest) was a perfect place to stop for lunch!  After getting some sustenance, we surveyed the local vendors.  Of course, there were two that caught my attention, one stand selling dog biscuits and another selling tea!  Tea and Biscuits!!    

Here I am at the "t by Sarah" stand.  Sarah makes the most lovely teas and they are all natural or organic and hand blended!  We tried the Elderberry White, it is very good!  You can learn more about her teas here.

Here I am at the "Baked Earth" stand.  All of her products use local ingredients whenever possible!  I purchased Pumpkin Peanut Butter biscuits; peanut butter is one of my favorites, and they are delightful!  You can learn more about her products here.

After exploring the town a bit we hopped back on the bike trail, it really was fun (especially since I was a passenger)!

We stopped to explore an abandoned canal lock along the towpath!  It was quite exciting and a bit scary since I almost slipped over the edge!

I enjoyed reading about the canal and lock; it was very interesting!  I enjoyed seeing the old pictures of the working canal too!

My new tea and biscuits were the perfect, relaxing end to a long, fun and adventurous day!!