Patchouli for Saturday Pet Blog Hop

Patchouli trying to hide from the birdies (I don’t think it’s working).

This will be my entry for The Saturday Pet Blogger Hop! 

Edamame and Mint Salad

Every spring, I look forward to mint.  It’s one of my favorite herbs and necessary for the Vietnamese and Thai cooking that I love so much.   I have such a struggle keeping my mint bed growing (weird – I know!).  The bed is right next to the house and several years ago we had someone come pressure wash our siding.  They used gallons upon gallons of bleach.  It was horrible.  It created a virtual wasteland in about a 3 foot radius from our house.  The ground was left practically sterile.  My mint bed was left lifeless.  Slowly but surely it is picking up.

I’m always looking for ways to use my mint, so that I can keep it trimmed back and encourage spreading.  When I saw this salad in the April issue of Everyday Foods, it sounded so simple.  At first I thought the addition of butter was kind of weird, but it totally works.  The only thing is that, you really need to serve it at room temperature, because taken straight from the fridge, the butter solidifies a bit.   The flavors in this salad simply sing spring.  You can find it online Edamame and Mint Salad, and I’ve also included it below. 

Edamame and Mint Salad

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen edamame
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 cups (5 ounces) baby spinach
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

Cook edamame according to package instructions. Drain and toss with butter and spinach; season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly and add mint.

4 Servings

 

 

This will be my entry for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum!

 

 

This will be my entry for Souper Sundays (Soup, Salad, or Sammie) hosted by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Bushanan

I have seen Degas ballerina paintings before and never thought about the story surrounding them.  Who were these ballerinas?  Why did Degas find them so fascinating.   And just like Degas found the ballerinas fascinating, I found this book fascinating. 

I had no idea of how the ballet and opera worked in Paris in the 1870's.  How it was really the only chance some girls had to rise out of poverty, out of a life of servitude and drudgery.  This is a historical fiction account of three sister's the van Goethem sisters. 

The book truly captures the mood and times.  The girl's mother owns a bath house and without the ballet, they would be forced to follow in her footsteps.  

"My lot, the lots of those around me, were cast the moment we were born into the gutter to parents who never managed to step outside the gutter themselves."

At the ballet, they see glimpses of the life they could have, if only they were good enough.

"Tonight is the opening of Monsieur Merante's new ballet, La Korrigane, and in the first act I appear as Breton peasant, wearing a costume more fine - I am sure - than any worn in all the countryside of Brittany.  Two gold band mark the hem of my skirt and cuffs of my blouse, and the prettiest of laces edges my apron, collar, and cap, all of it far too white for any girl who ever tugged the teat of a cow or snatched an egg out from underneath a hen."

But just making it in that ballet is not enough, the girls frequently must find a man who will support them.  Help them with the costs of their costumes and help provide a living.

"I want to put my face in my hands, to howl, for me, for Antoinette, for all the women of Paris, for the burden of having what men desire, for the heaviness of knowing it is ours to give, that with our flesh we make our way in the world."

I truly could not put this book down.  Loved it.

Wordless Wednesday ~Iris at sunset~

 

P.S.  Happy Birthday to me!  Mr. Sidewalk Shoes (whose birthday was last Wednesday) and I are getting each other bicycles for our birthday.  I’ve already named mine, and you can expect to see photos of her shortly!

Garden Tuesday ~Berries and flowers~

 

Blueberries waiting for some warm sunshine!

Blackberries waiting for some busy bees!

Keys of heaven waiting for some hummingbirds!

Solomon’s seal waiting for it’s delicate white flowers to spring open.

What’s everything waiting for in your garden?

Please join me for Garden Tuesday.

Spatchcocked Chicken

 

Besides sunny days, butterflies, and cherry popsicles…I look forward to summer most of all for spatchcocked chicken.  That first plump chicken, split up the back, flattened and marinated in a rosemary/garlic rub, and then grilled to perfection.  That is summer.  That is what I wait for.  Well guess what??  Here it is almost halfway through May and it’s cool.  Sometimes even cold.  I was lured into summer by a few warm days, and then bam, they left on a cool wind from the north. 

Not be daunted, I chose instead to roast my lovingly spatchcocked chicken in the oven (why, yes, I do try to say spatchcocked as many times as I can – I am surrounded by 14 year olds all day long – I am entitled to a little immaturity).  Spatchcocking the chicken makes it roast much more quickly because of the more even surface so this 5+ pound chicken cooked in only about 50 minutes. 

I’ve already posted the details about spatchcocked chicken here. That is a post from 2009!  It should be noted that I have been using the same rub/marinade for 4 years.  It’s that good.  And, if you don’t happen to get your act together enough to start the chicken marinating the day before, it doesn’t matter.  I’ve done it for as little as 4 hours, and it is quite yummy!  One bite of that salty, garlicky, rosemary, crispy skin is enough to make you cry tears of joy. 

Weekend Wine Reviews #155 Once Upon a Vine Big Bad Red

Just for the record…this was another one of those wines that my husband rolled his eyes at when I placed it in the cart.  Really how could I resist…Once Upon a Vine…Big Bad Red…   AND once again I was right. 

Once Upon a Vine, The Big Bad Red Blend, Diageo Wines, 2010, $12, vine & barrel.
They say: velvety, rich and sumptuous on the palate. The ripe berry and chocolate flavors meld into an aroma so enticing you might eve say, what a big nose you have. We say: everything they say, totally yummy. Buy again: yes!

Happy Mother’s Day!!