A Few of My Favorite Things...

Today..let us look around our home...  and ask...what speaks to us?  Which of our things...so many things...really touches us..inspires us..or merely offers us a glimpse of "calm"... ?

Our homes are indeed our "safe harbor"... a place to restore our spirits...our nest..of gathered twigs...

But if we do not..on a regular basis...clear out what no longer has a purpose... we can have a "nest" filled with things which have no meaning..or purpose..

Thrift shops...consignment shops...will gladly take our cast-off items.

I enjoy gathering a few treasured items in a sort of "college"...as above.  In this vignette..which sits on an old oak table in my study... I gathered an old weathered globe...( yard sale find! ) a card from a friend.. a porcelain cat..with such lovely eyes... ( found at a thrift shop... he calms me as I work at my desk...) a glass paperweight of Tinkerbelle..atop a lighted base... ( a thoughtful gift from my dear friend....)   All things gathered together in one special place...

Create vignettes today to beautify your nest... They can change with your mood...with the season.... They can be of whimsy or of a special day..a vacation..a hobby...

As you do so, consider which items can be passed on to new homes?

Take a moment today to review your special space...your home...your comfy nest......

Baked Brie with Honey and Toasted Almonds

This recipe is one of my absolute favorites!! When served fresh from the oven..it oozes such flavor...the tang of the baked cheese...the subtle sweetness of the drizzled honey..and the sharp contrast of the toasted almonds..combine to offer a burst of both magnificent taste and healthy nutrition.

I prefer wildflower honey...preferably from a local beekeeper...

Brie is a French cheese made of cow's milk. You may find many brands of brie in your market...but to be considered a "pure" Brie...ie  French, it must be certified by the French government and will be labeled as such.. Having said that, you may find a Wisconsin brie or other brie which you consider suitable.

Honey...pure honey..is a very nutritious food..almonds are also loaded with vitamin E... and French cheese...well...that is a pure epicurean delight!!!

This recipe is SO simple to make.. 15 minutes start to finish and most of that is baking time..allowing you to slice an apple or a pear or to place some crackers or a sliced baguette on a serving plate.

Voila!!! the cheese is baked and ready to serve!!!!

The Recipe

8 oz French brie

6 oz toasted chopped almonds

a few tablespoons of honey to drizzle

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place brie ( in rind ) on baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until brie begins to ooze... Remove from oven. Cover the brie with the honey almond mixture ( described below ) and return to the oven for 5 additional minutes..the honey will sizzle.

While brie is baking , toast almonds  in a small skillet using  a small teaspoon of olive oil or canola oil. When almonds are a light brown, pour a tablespoon of honey over them...sizzle for a few seconds. This mixture is added to the brie for the last 5 minutes of the baking time.

Serve..and enjoy!!!

Delphiniums ...a simple summer's joy....

Delphiniums...the name itself speaks gloriously of summer...resplendent colorful flowering summer....

 The month of July...the mid-way point in this magnificent season...has it's very own birth flower....the delphinium... ( also known as larkspur )

The name delphinium is derived from the word "dolphin" because of it's long sleek tendrils...culminating in the most glorious and rich shades of purples and blues...

The delphinium is said to hold the essence of an open heart...warmth and kindness... and  is also representative of levity...fun...and a sense of joy....

I came across these magnificent blooms at a local farm stand..and thought of how well they fit my Blog... simplicity...touched with warmth and fun!

If you have a July birthday...these are your special flowers...but surely, kind hearted as they truly are...delphiniums are for all of us to share and enjoy....

 May you bask in the warmth of a fun-filled summer's day..... and engage in the fun and frivolity that can truly only come from nature.....

Happy summer!!

"If you have a garden and a library......"

Marcus Tullius Cicero...an early Roman orator and philosopher of great wisdom about life wrote   "If you have a garden and a library, you have all you need..."

Well...  I would like to add a wine cellar to that list....   ( oh...of course.. also a back yard clothes line.....a bird sanctuary.....and a claw foot bath tub sitting beneath a huge window overlooking a sumptuous and private landscape... )    ....I digress...back to the wine cellar...

Robert Mondavi , creator of one of the most beautiful and inspiring wineries in the world, in Napa Valley, California, brought wine as we know it to the United States..His foresight and vision spoke of a true dedication to the joys and blessings of wine... His book "Harvests of Joy" is a true testimony to wines....wine making..and the "good life"... the simplicity of wine and foods...and the joys of nature...

If one is most fortunate to have a true wine cellar in their "manor", cottage or humble abode..that is quite fine indeed...but a "wine cellar" can be nothing more than a shelf of wines..a special place in our home which honors the "gifts of the Gods"...wine... be they red or white...dry or sweet...wine is one of life's purest pleasures...

I have several "wine cellars" in my home....one of which is featured in this Post..I want to share it's simplicity...It holds twelve bottles of wine..and several wine glasses..it is in my dining room and is always a welcome sight..featuring some of my wine-related treasures...a crystal vase filled with corks...a carafe...a leaded crystal wine stopper...

Create your special "wine cellar" in your home...and bring the simple joys of wine into every season of your life...

What is "Weekends on the Veranda" ?

It is a Blog dedicated to "simple living"....and the words "weekends" and "veranda" have a special significance....

The word "weekend" has the most pleasant connotation for most people...it is defined as "the end of the work week"...and certainly, despite many of us who LOVE our jobs... having a break..a respite...a short escape from duties and responsibilities..is a healthy, restorative and enjoyable experience... In that light, I would like my Blog to reflect the thoughts and pleasures of such an escape...a rejuvenation...a time of pleasures and pampering.... If your life requires you to work on weekends, as many do, or if your life is so filled with things to do that you must grab your pleasures and pampering whenever possible....be it Mondays, Tuesdays etc... once a month etc...my hope is that you will redefine the thought and idea of "weekend"... adding it to your life when possible...hopefully much more often than you did before you discovered my Blog...perhaps, together, we can restructure our days to include such fun and frivolities...pleasures and pamperings...and just time for quiet contemplation...

And why a "veranda"?

My idea behind this word was to create a vision of a restful place...it can be a patio, wooden deck, terrace, a blanket beneath an old oak tree..a beach blanket by the sea...a chaise lounge aboard a sailing vessel... an old  forgotten vintage folding chair discovered in an abandoned attic.....a canoe drifting aimlessly among lily pads... 

Our "veranda" can be anywhere..at any time... ( See above...definition of "weekends" ) but it must be a "place" for us...a quiet place in which to indulge in time for ourselves... pleasures...pamperings...quiet reflections...a place of rejuvenation...for our bodies..our souls...our spirits.... the physical "place" is not as significant as our awareness of the fact that this moment...this hour...this day...this "weekend" is for us alone...

And so.... please pull up a chair...a chaise... a blanket by the sea....and come to my Blog...for a "weekend".... 

This time is for you ! La vie est belle.....life is beautiful.....

Cheese Frittata in Puff Pastry

This savory frittata is an excellent and nutritious dish which can be served for breakfast, brunch or a light dinner..I love to create recipes with flexibility...adding a little of this or that...using what is fresh to the season..and also what I may have have on hand.. At the end of this recipe will be listed several ingredients which you can add if desired..the photos are of the main recipe..which was prepared today..adding a fresh chopped tomato...two slices of crispy bacon..fresh cilantro and a chopped and sautéed potato, onion and red pepper...but you may add whatever you enjoy.

Puff Pastry is found in the freezer section of your local market. I prefer Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets..they bake consistently well. Follow directions on the box for thawing them before use. They must be semi-thawed..not fully thawed as they will be a bit more difficult to work with if they become too soft.

*** The recipe ***

* 2 sheets of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

*6 eggs

*1/2 to 3/4 cup light cream  ( you may substitute half and half or even whole milk ..I like the richness of the cream..)

*1 cooked and chopped potato

*1/4 cup chopped onion and red or green pepper

* 2 slices crisp cooked bacon

* 1/4 lb of chopped cheddar cheese

* 1 small tomato, chopped

1/4 tspn chopped pepper

several chopped springs of fresh cilantro or parsley


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees..Use a baking dish..any size...The one pictured is a good size for this frittata. I grease the bottom of the dish with a bit of olive oil..and place one sheet of the semi-thawed puff pastry sheet in the pan..place in the oven to begin puffing...perhaps 10 minutes...as I prepare the batter.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl...when completely whisked, add the cream...checking the consistency...you may add more or less as desired... Add the potato, onion and pepper mixture, bacon, tomato...

Here is where you can be creative: other additions may be mushrooms, zucchini, spinach... each adds a new flavor

Pour the batter into the baking dish on top of the sheet of puff pastry.

Place the second sheet of semi-thawed puff pastry on top of the filled baking dish..tapping it into place on the sides. 

Melt several tablespoons of butter and brush the melted butter on the top layer of the pastry..

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes..Check to see when it becomes a bit browned..the pastry will puff as it bakes...

Remove from oven..let it sit for a few minutes...your guests will love the richness and blending of flavors of this frittata..The puff pastry adds a luscious and satisfying touch to this classic recipe.

The wisdom of love...

My daughter, Carrie, gave me this little book back in 2007... "The Mastery of Love" by Don Miguel Ruiz...and it is one of my treasures..

It has so much wisdom within it's pages...  "be generous with your love" "see through the eyes of love" "you are what you believe"....and many more...

I would like to share a passage here on my Blog...for you to ponder and enjoy ..on this lovely summer morning...

"On one level or another, all of us are masters. We are masters because all of us have the power to create and to rule our own lives. You create yourself, whatever you believe you are. Your whole reality, everything you believe, is your creation....."

                  taken from "The Mastery of Love"   by Don Miguel Ruiz

Feel the beauty that lives within you...today..and everyday...

The blessing of friendship...

I recently read that a good friendship...one or more...contributes to a longer life and better health. I agree!!

While it is always wise to choose our friends carefully, I would also add that it is equally beneficial to have friends of all ages. I have several close friends who are much older than I...as well as friends who are much younger. I enjoy and benefit from both age groups. Common interests and a common view of life are a far better indicator of the depth and closeness of a friend than their age.

May you enjoy the blessings of friendship today!

Fireworks on the Fourth of July...

Fourth of July.. backyard cook outs and fireworks...  these have always heralded the beginning of summer.. As we watched local fireworks last evening.. parked among many others across the street from a large amusement park... I pondered what it is that draws so many Americans to fireworks displays in their respective towns. Of course, one could argue that it is pure patriotism which draws crowds on our patriotic holiday. But I surmise it is the act of the "ritual".... a time honored event which has been with us for generations.. As I stood with my family.. among so many others who sat on the hoods of their vehicles or gathered along the fence...the  yelps of delight from children as each blast of color and light soared into the clear night sky... I realized that it is the wonderment which holds us all...and brings us back....the wonderment that we can all just pause and enjoy magnificent displays of celebration... and then the finale...a grand burst of colors and sounds..... and know that across the nation..on this lovely summer's eve....we share this celebration....

Happy birthday to our nation! May freedom ring true.....

Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette