Mud House Year

A Little Update

We are leaving for Nashville and Kentucky but before we go, I thought I would write a quick update on a couple of things I have been working on.  First, the roses.  They seem pretty happy.  However, not long after we arrived, I noticed my favorite rose had a problem.  On closer inspection I discovered hollow canes.  All of them. I cut the canes back until I found solid centers, but I was afraid the rose would not survive.  However, after just a few days it sprouted new growth.  This is what it looked like then: And, here is the same rose this morning, less than a month later: It is covered in new growth and buds.  I'm thrilled it is thriving and, as usual, I stand in complete awe of nature and its tenacity.And now for my second ongoing project.  It was a month ago today that we decided to follow an ancestral approach to eating for 30 days.  I am happy (and surprised) to announce that we actually stuck with it!  I tried some really wonderful new recipes and even eating Paleo Pumpkin Pie, I lost 5 pounds and Allen lost 12. Of course this is completely unfair, but typical.  Whenever I decide to improve my diet, he loses weight.   I do all the planning, shopping, cooking, and he loses twice as much as I do.  I suggest the walks, bike rides, push-ups - well you get the picture.  When I was younger, losing weight was a snap but not anymore. So, even though my skinny husband lost more, I am thrilled with my 5 pounds weight loss. We plan to continue our new "lifestyle" although it will be more of a challenge as we travel through some of our favorite foodie destinations over the next two weeks.  I will be posting from Nashville and Lexington, KY and will let you know how we manage (or don't manage) to stay on plan.  

I will leave you with a final rose.  
I just wish the fragrance could accompany the picture.  So lovely.

A Rose is a Rose

Ok, so apparently, the Bowl and Parade aside, Pasadena is not the official "Rose City."  The official title of "The City of Roses"  goes to Portland, Oregon where conditions are supposedly perfect for growing them.  However, Pasadena is unofficially known as Rose City and after a week of living here, I know why.  They are everywhere and appear to thrive in this climate.   I feel very fortunate that I was able to bring three of my old potted roses with me from the Mud House.  I wasn't sure I would be able to bring them, as California has very strict regulations regarding bringing plants and plant products across the border.  I contacted the California Department of Food and Agriculture and had several email exchanges with a plant quarantine inspector named Louis.  It seems that  you can bring roses to California from Arizona if they are grown in commercial potting soil, indoors, and if the inspector at the border determines they do not have root rot.   We packed the three old potted roses at the back of the U-Haul, sadly prepared to give them up if they did not pass inspection.  Armed with Louis' emails, we rolled to a stop at the border and unrolled the window. The only question the inspector asked was where we were coming from.  That's it.  No questions about plants, rotting or otherwise.  So we high-fived, on we went, and now my roses are at home on my second story tree house deck in the unofficial city of roses. I'll take pictures as they continue to recover from the intense dry heat of the Mud House summer and begin to thrive in their new home.

Goodbye Little Mud House

This was the last thing I wrote at the Mud House this past spring before the extreme heat set in.  I never posted it at the time but I've decided to share it as a goodbye, and to remember just how beautiful it was there...

 

What's Blooming Around the Mud House?You might have noticed I haven't been posting much lately.   It's tough trying to lose weight when the things you love most in the world are baking, eating, and blogging about it.  My sister hasn't requested anything yummy lately so my recent kitchen adventures could best be described as healthy and boring. Actually some of it isn't that boring but it just isn't as much fun to write about.  I'm trying to get excited about sharing some of my healthy recipes but until I do...the good news is...spring has sprung at the Mud House and I love gardening almost as much as baking.  Here's what's blooming: Sweet Peas!  There is nothing more delightful than the fragrance of sweet peas.  These fragile beauties do not like the heat so must be started by seed in October or November here in the desert.  They winter over then bloom in March and April. Snapdragons.

Roses!   Nasturtiums. Cats ClawHoneysuckle

Cilantro - no longer tasty but the blooms are so delicate and pretty.PenstemonThe pomegranate trees.

 

What a Wonderful Day!

The Mud House Thanksgiving was just so much fun!
It was, as usual, a beautiful, sunny day.  The table was set with wine bottles, each holding a single zinnia from the cutting garden.  A bright red bandanna was placed above each plate for guests to wear. Everyone pitched-in and the food was delicious...

and funny...

Of course, it was the little things that made it really special.

 There is simply no substitute for being surrounded by those you love.  Thank you to my dear family for spending this wonderful day with us at the Mud House.  I love you guys!

And now, on to Christmas.

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season!

 

 

What's Blooming at the Mud House?

Nope, not baseball caps.  Although they look pretty cheerful drying in the breeze.

Roses!  Yes roses.  When we moved to the Mud House, we re-potted nine neglected roses that were pot-bound and had been growing in the  same potting soil for about 10 years.  We weren't sure if they would survive, much less produce blooms, but this week we were rewarded with our first rose.   All of the rose bushes have new growth and buds so we are expecting even more!

 Zinnias! Since I took the picture of our first zinnia a few weeks ago, the little cutting garden has become a riot of color.

Purple basil.  Some of the herbs are flowering.  I'm pinching them back and planting more seeds. 

The peppers are blooming and producing peppers.  This is a variegated fish pepper plant.

The okra continues to bloom.

This is one of the many succulents blooming around the Mud House.

The nasturtium seeds I've planted are doing well. 

The honeysuckle and the bougainvillea continue to thrive along with our collection of scruffy dogs.This is Rex.  He is our foster dog.  He is a 14 pound chihuahua.  He is sitting in one of the large pots that we have prepared to plant sweet pea seeds, which we will be doing very soon.

Oh, and about those baseball caps.... Allen decided to help with the laundry so he washed all of his caps in the washing  machine and hung them out to dry.   I seriously laughed-out-loud when I walked into the garden and saw them hanging there.

 
 

Pinterest Wednesday

For the second week of Pinterest Wednesday, I was debating between Masters Augusta egg salad and fried okra.  I surprised even myself by choosing the okra.  I don't like okra.  At all.  However, I do like growing okra.  It is a beautiful garden plant and it just so happens I had some ripe okra in the garden.  

In fact, it was over-ripe because I don't like to actually eat okra.  I just leave it alone and let it grow and grow  and grow.  This isn't a good thing for okra because the  larger pods become tough and woody. Frying seemed to help it, though.  Frying seems to make everything taste better. 

Anyway, this week's recipe comes to us from Syrup & Biscuits, via Pinterest.  I also found a good recipe from Southern Living.  I've tweaked the recipes a bit by adding crumbled bacon and Tabasco sauce. 

Fried Okra

1/2 lb. fresh okra
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 strips crispy bacon, crumbled, reserve bacon drippings
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper 
2-3 drops Tabasco sauce (or more, if you like it spicy)
Vegetable oil
1/8 cup bacon drippings
1. Cut off and discard tip and stem ends from okra; cut okra into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices. Stir into buttermilk; cover and chill 45 minutes.

 

2. Combine cornmeal and next 5 ingredients in a bowl.  

 

3.  After 45 minutes, drain okra and discard buttermilk.

4.  Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a dutch oven or cast-iron skillet; add bacon drippings, and heat to 375°.

 

5. While oil is heating, toss okra with cornmeal mixture.

6. When oil reaches a temperature of 375°, fry okra in batches for four minutes or until golden brown.

7. Drain on paper towels.

5.  Serve immediately.  We enjoyed ours with a bottle of white wine from Belle Meade Plantation, located near Nashville, TN, which seemed completely appropriate for this quintessential southern dish.

This is an easy and delicious recipe.  In my opinion, any recipe that makes okra taste good gets 5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!  Enjoy! 

    

 

 

 

What's Blooming Around the Mud House?

                                  
                                   Bougainvillea                                 Honeysuckle                                       Cosmos

 

This morning I was greeted by this lovely prickly pear bloom on our back patio.  This is unusual because prickly pears usually bloom in the early spring.  I wanted to share this with you because this is where our prickly pear syrup begins.  Those wonderful prickly/purply/pinky pears begin as waxy yellow blooms on top of the paddles of the cactus.   The blooms only last one day so I snapped this photo quickly to share with you.

In our little secret cutting garden we have our first bloom.  I planted zinnia, cosmos, snapdragon and sunflower seeds about six weeks ago and, this morning, I found our first zinnia.  
So cheerful!

I also planted  a few cosmos seedlings.  They are doing well and look so charming in our rustic little garden.

We've also repotted or transplanted nine rose bushes.  They are currently resting under sun-shade cloth while they become accustomed to their new homes.  I will post pictures soon!

 

Mud House Fall

When we lived in New England, autumn was my favorite time of year.  Real or imagined, the atmosphere changed on September 1st.  Things are different here in the desert southwest.  It is almost October, and the temperatures remain firmly in the 90s. Granted, this is a relief from the 110s of midsummer, but the seasons pass here with almost imperceptible change.  No changing of green to gold, russet and red.  Here the changes are as subtle as slight shifts in the light as the sun's path moves slowly to the south.   At first, you notice cooler mornings and evenings and find yourself outside more and more during these hours.  In colder climates, gardeners are settling inside for the long winter. Here at the Mud House we are outside creating container gardens of peppers, herbs and annuals and planting a small cutting garden.  We are tackling the big job of transplanting and repotting rose bushes into the "rose garden."    We eagerly anticipate the first ripe pomegranate and we may even attempt to harvest those beautiful prickly pears.   Please stay tuned.  I will be posting pictures over the next few months which will hopefully reflect an abundance of roses, vases of colorful flowers, and herbs, peppers, and pomegranates flavoring delicious regional dishes.