Green Onion, Green Pea and Chicken Salad

Green Onion, Green Pea and Chicken Salad

I made this salad for Sunday Dinner.
It was very good.

Combine in bowl:
1 bunch chopped celery
1 c. chopped green onions
3 roasted chicken breasts, torn or chopped into bite-size pieces
2 lb. fresh green peas

For the dressing:
Combine in bowl of blender:
*1/3 c. lemon juice
*2/3 c. olive oil
*½ t. dried tarragon
*Salt and black pepper to taste

Pour dressing over chicken and vegetables and toss to serve.

Carrot+Grape+Apple+Celery Slaw

Carrot+Grape+Apple+Celery Slaw

I made this salad while my Grandparents were here to visit last month:

Combine in bowl:

6 grated carrots
1 bunch celery, chopped
4 c. red grapes
1 large apple, chopped
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/8 t. ground cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Mother's Day Dinner

A portrait of a plate.
On the menu:
* Paprika rubbed-steak (it was really good, now I want to make another steak dinner)
* Caraway-Dill rice
* Caramelized onions
* Roasted Asparagus
* A-little-bit-of-everything fruit salad

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

Toss together on a large rimmed sheet pan:

2 lb. fresh asparagus
1 ½ T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
Sea salt and black pepper

Roast in a 450 oven for 20 minutes, or till tender.

Caraway-Dill Rice

This is one of the recipes that I made for Mother's day dinner:

Caraway Dill Rice

Combine in large pan:

* 2 c. brown rice
* 4 c. water
* 1 T. olive oil
* 1 ½ t. salt
* ½ t. ground cayenne pepper
* 2 T. dill weed
* 4 T. dill seed
* 4 T. caraway seed
Bring to a boil; cover, simmer for 35 to 45 minutes.

Add:
* 2 c. frozen green peas
Let sit for 10 min. before serving.

The little magnolia

We have a tiny magnolia tree way in the back of the yard.

It has bloomed this year. I can't remember if it has done so before or not.

These flowers have such pretty faces.

I wonder how many years it takes to become a large tree? I love it just the same. It's cute.

The Lilac Hedge in Bloom

Here are some pics of the lilac hedge out in the garden.

I've been cutting large bouquets of these to bring into the house.

They smell heavenly. Wouldn't it be nice to smell like lilacs?

It was windy once more and I had some difficulty getting a clear close-up.

I wish the flowers lasted longer than they do.

Purple Flowers

Here are some asst. purple flowers from the garden and around the yard.
Bluebells? I love these flowers and I like this picture. It was windy (notice the leaves and other flowers/blurred) enough that I held the blooms for the picture.

One year whilst we were tilling up the soil to plant, we disturbed some grape hyacinth.

Well, a year later we had the happy surprise of having hyacinth volunteering up around the flower bed--in the lawn.

Woodland Phlox

Spicy, flowery, bee seducing living carpet.

The little Apple Tree

These pictures are of a dwarf apple tree in the middle of the garden.
This is the first year that it has bloomed.
I took these pics before it had bloomed completely, due to an impending forcast of rain.
I'm hoping for some apples... maybe. :)
I got a lot more local produce last year (vs. the grocery store) and there really is no substitute for fresh, local and above all, 'in season' produce. I'm hooked. I want to hit the farmers market this summer and see what I can find.
I wish that we had weekly markets as they do in France.

Yay! I was so pleased to see all of those pink buds. This tree has been a bit of a runt for a number of years and within the past year it has steadily begun to grow a lot.

The little Plum Tree

I believe this is the little plum tree.
It's so young that we haven't had any fruit from it just yet.
I'm hoping that it might make a few fruits this year.
The blooms have a very sweet, delicate and rose-like fragrance.
And I cannot look at them enough.
It seems as though the fruit trees blooms vanish overnight, I wish that they could last for a few months.

Pink, and so very pretty.

I love the flowers.

It was a windy night and I had a little difficulty getting perfectly clear pictures. These turned out better than I thought.

The Blooms of the Sand Cherries

We have 2 row of these cherries on two sides of the yard.
They've just bloomed fully and they smell heavenly.
In the summer they will produce lots of little tart cherries.
I'm looking forward to making cherry preserves and desserts, a tart or cheesecake would be really good. :)

They grow to be large bushes rather than trees.

So pretty.