'Escargot' was aptly named for it's lush silver and green fuzzy foliage spiraling inwards like a snail's shell. Interesting to look at and very easy to care for, it likes to be kept evenly moist in well drained soil, requires part shade or bright indirect light, and a warm environment. It resists diseases and even handles a little neglect. Pale pink flowers appear but the leaves sprouting from the rich red stems are the real focal point of this quite perfect houseplant.
What?! You know you love crispy bacon with your pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, so why not crumble that bacon up and cook it right in the pancake and then top it off with whipped butter and hot syrup? Genius! Sweet, savory, and very filling, these pancakes came from the original Original Pancake House right here in Portland. After reading about it in this month's issue of Portland Magazine, we decided to go check it out.
My name is Cristine and I'm an addict.
Okay, maybe its not that serious, but one of my favorite things about this time of the year is when I finally see that shiny purple bag of of delight glowing like a beacon amidst the rest of the easter candy. I love the crispy shell and the sweet, creamy cadbury chocolate inside. I find that if I have a bowl of them on the counter I start as soon as I wake up, not reaching for my organic cereal and fresh fruit...but an egg...a yummy chocolately egg. Sure, I may step away for a moment, have my cereal, but I'll be back to that bowl for dessert to my breakfast. This pattern continues throughout the day, until the bowl is empty and my stomach isn't happy. This is not normal behavior for me. I'm not a candy, sweet freak. Something about these mini eggs...
I have to hide them in a drawer and make them harder to get to. Use them as a reward for myself for a job well done. Empty the dishwasher, one mini egg. Walk the dog, one mini egg, well maybe two since I'm exercising. Get the mail, one mini egg...
It's probably a good thing they are only available for a limited time. Well, unless I stock up and put them in the freezer!
At our 9am ultrasound appointment yesterday we had the doctor put the sex of our baby in a sealed envelope that we would open later that night over dinner. It seemed like a romantic idea until I had eight hours to wait to see what was inside. I kept myself very busy. We knew better than to let me be the keeper of the envelope because we both knew I would steam it open. After ordering dinner, we opened it up to find...
It's a girl!
A Girl. Woo Hoo! The Chinese Lunar Calendar was right! My husband held back his tears and started panicking about the teenage years and mumbled something about having to get a shotgun.
So, we have a few name ideas but we would love to hear yours! Leave suggestions in the comment box!
Back when I had a flower shop I would get these in just for conversation pieces. The students really seemed to like them. I always thought they were a little cheesy. They are bright and quirky, so I decided to give them a chance.
I did a little research and found out that they were created in nurseries in Japan. They start as mutant seedlings lacking chlorophyll, which is why they are bright red, pink, or orange instead of green. They can't survive on their own without the chlorophyll for photosynthesis so they are grafted onto green stocks,many times the hylocereus trigonus.
You can find them at florists or even Home Depot or Lowes. You just have to overlook the foil and shiny packaging and see that they can be made into something better.
Click on the pictures below to see how to give your moon cacti a makeover!
Remember, the moon cacti prefer light shade. Bright sunshine will fade their color. Water sparingly.
This is it. The best blueberry muffin I've made to date and I've made many! A good blueberry muffin should be part of your recipe repertoire, ready to whip up on a Sunday morning or to bring a basket to your new neighbor. Ha! Does anyone still do that? I hope so. We should. This particular recipe came from The Modern Baker. Have you bought this book yet? I've only tried three things from it but I've enjoyed them all!
These Blueberry Crumb Muffins are sweet, but not too sweet, moist and packed with blueberries!
Here's the recipe. If you make them and you think you have a better recipe please send it to me!
Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Get one 12-cavity muffin pan ready with paper liners.
Crumb Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar.
Combine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Melt the butter in a small pan. Remove from heat, then add the brown sugar to the pan of melted butter and use a small heatproof spatula to stir them together. Scrape the butter and sugar mixture into the flour mixture, stirring it in until the flour is evenly moistened. Set aside while preparing the muffin mixture.
Muffin Batter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg, 8 tbsp. (1 stick) softened unsalted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 pint of blueberries that have been rinsed, drained, and picked over.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir well to mix.
Combine the butter and sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until well mixed and a little lightened in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating smooth after each.
Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in 1/2 the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and beater.
On low speed, beat in the milk. After the batter has absorbed the milk, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater again.
Add the blueberries to the bowl and beat them into the batter on the lowest speed for no more than 2-3 seconds, to crush some of the berries slightly.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to give a final mixing to the batter.
Divide batter equally among the cavities in the muffin pan. Break the crumb topping into small crumbs with your fingertips and scatter over the top of each muffin. (At this point, I personally mounded the crumb topping on because there was so much of it! If you don't like a sweet topping, stick to the scatter) Bake the muffins until they are well risen, feel firm to the touch, and the topping is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack.
