Happy Easter

Happy Easter

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Easter. 

Gina 

You can be an artist too.

No painting experience necessary.

These are goose eggs.  
Chicken and duck eggs work well. 

Ostrich eggs are even better.

 Goose eggs are rolled in a batch of water that has been spiked with 3 different colors of nail polish. 

The secret is to use sparkling nail polish.

I used sparkly red, gold and silver.  

 Line a dish with aluminum foil.  Add about 3" of water.  Spike with a few drops of nail color.
With a stick or needle lightly swirl colors.

Quickly roll egg over surface.  
Let dry on a stick. 

Refresh water mixture when nail polish is almost used up. 

Our Lola is laying eggs right now. 
I will share.  

Try different color combinations. 
Purple, grey and brown look like marble. 

Happy Easter dear friends, 

Gina 

It's time to let Sweet Pea seeds germinate

Sweet Peas should be planted by late March in most areas.



Sweet Pea "Mollie Rilstone" is still my favorite.

Sweet Peas thrive where summer evenings are cool.

At least 2 to 3 weeks before planting, start germinating seeds in a plastic bag.

 Place moistened paper towel and seeds into plastic sandwich bag.  Keep top open and place by window.

Rinse seeds in cold water every 3 to 4 days, each time place back into plastic bag.

  After  about 2 weeks your seeds will have sprouted and they are ready to be planted.  Sprouts are very sturdy and can be handled easily.

If your nights still register below freezing temperatures, plant each sprouted seed in pots. 

Plant them out after all frost is gone. 

Sweet Pea "Wiltshire Ripple"

Sweet Pea "Mollie Rilstone" is now available from most seed companies.

And so is Wiltshire Ripples.

 Blue and lavender sweet peas have the most intense perfume.  

Dill stalks keep the water fresh.

Sweet Peas are happy when arranged with other flowers. 

Do you have a favorite Sweet Pea?

Gina 

Is it too early to talk about Easter?

It's never too early to get out the Easter Egg Paints  

And paint a few Easter Eggs. 

I paint Duck eggs, they drop them willy nilly all around our pond.  We also supplement our chicken feed with Abalone shells.  Eggs are not as fragile.

Maybe throw in a few golden eggs, antiqued to make them more interesting.

Place them into a bowl, hang them into a few forced blossoms branches or hide them under a cloche, on a bed of fresh moss.

 And if you have a little extra time why not gild a few eggs.  I will show you how

here and my goose that laid the golden egg here

Paint with a lot of different colors and don't forget the important white.

They don't have to be Faberge eggs, just begin and have a lot of fun.

And with hand made chocolate leaves.

Gina

Had to share this charming book one more time.

"Stories from a time when food, love and music were the essential parts of life ..." (Foreword Keith Floyd)

A few more copies available from Amazon Books

A rich collection of scandalous stories of love and passion

by

Carol Payne

"Doreen dreamt she lay in the Brassicas with her Gypsy Lover..."

"But today she was excited for she was meeting Bertie Floyd and they were going for a walk down by the Tidefork river.  He was going to show her how to tickle a trout..."

"Shortly after this event Betty was packed off to London to stay with her aunt..."

"Queenie grew up to be a smashing looking girl, a bit wild like her mother, a lover of life and men..."

"She came from a poor Cornish family, so poor that Amy was made to wear underwear made out of flour sacks, which were printed with red, bold letters 'THE FINEST FLOUR'..."

"She was a proud plump woman, well respected in the village..."

Happy Valentine's Day

Gina

https://betweennapsontheporch.net

You say you don't know how to cook

Yes you do!

Almost all soups begin the same way.

 You need only 5 items.

Onions, carrots, celery and a good soup stock (I don't expect you to make your own stock).

To 6 cups of vegetable stock add 2 cups of lentils or split peas and 2 to 3 smoked ham hocks.  Cook over low heat for about an hour or until peas become slightly tender. (Don't forget to stir the pot once in a while).

Cut up a handful each of  carrots, onions and celery into bite size pieces and add to the simmering soup.  Continue cooking for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare a salad of Romaine lettuce,  hearts of palm, whole small peppers and sprinkle salad with blue cheese and a little olive oil.

Serve with warm crusty bread and fresh, unsalted butter.

Next week follow same instructions but omit legumes and smoked meat.

ADD a cut up chicken instead and at the end add a few of your favorite noodles.  Cook until noodles are al dente (done).

That's called home made chicken noodle soup. 

Serve a ripened pear with aged cheese for dessert.

This is only the beginning of your culinary adventures. 

Soon you will be preparing Lobster Thermidor. 

Think of all the accolades you will receive.  

Gina