BC wildflowers

After fruitless searches online I finally identified this flower that`s blooming so lushly in the frontyard. It's catchfly! Scientific name: Silene armeria.

The nasturtiums

I planted them around the potatoes and rows of corn to discourage pests but they're beautiful too. I didn't expect them to look so cheerful and pretty. I've been too lazy to try eat them in a salad, and H and I are not big salad eaters anyway. But I admire them, from afar, sitting out on the deck or looking out the window (and speaking of windows, while I'm a summer girl at heart I also appreciate the soothing coolness of being indoors in a darkened house, drapes drawn, as the noon sun blazes outside), and up close, as you can see in this shot, which I took crouching very, very close to the nasturtiums.

Gardeners love nasturtiums. They're low-maintenance, easy to grow, edible with a sweet, peppery taste, and lovely to look at.

Cassava cake II

I made this for hubby to bring to work. He works with a few Filipinos and thought that a touch of homecooked Pinoy food would be a nice treat.




Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
4 oz melted butter or margarine
3 packs frozen cassava
Around 1.5 kg frozen cassava (I used Buenas brand frozen 454g packs, available from TNT)
3 eggs
2 cans coconut milk
2 cans condensed milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tsp grated lemongrass

This recipe makes a fair amount of cake and will fill up a 9-inch pie plate, an 8x4 pan, and an 8x8 pan.

Preheat oven to 350 F and either grease the baking pans or line them with banana leaves or aluminium foil.

In a large bowl, combine all the sugar, the yolk of 1 egg, melted butter, 2 tsp of the lemongrass and 1 can of coconut milk until smooth. Add the cassava.

Using an electric mixer, beat all 3 egg whites with a pinch of salt (this will help to firm up the proteins) until soft peaks form. Immediately fold this into the cassava mixture.

Pour mixture into greased glass baking pans up to ¾ inch high. Bake in the centre rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until top is firm. Do not overbake as they will go back in the oven a second time.

Meanwhile, on a pan over low heat, combine the remaining lemongrass and can of coconut milk with all the condensed milk, stirring and cooking until thickened. Take it off heat, and add the beaten yolk of two eggs.

Pour topping on top of the cassava cake and continue baking for 15 minutes or until the top is a dark golden brown. (If you’re in a hurry, a pale gold colour is nice too. Like this.)

Add your grated cheese halfway through the bake.

The tenderest

From Green cheese & cherries

These are among the tenderest muffins I have ever made. I made them last night and this morning they were still tender, soft and moist.

Buttermilk makes lots of things better!

Buttermilk banana coconut muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (3/4 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or coconut flavouring
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin cups with liners.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla or coconut flavouring, buttermilk, and 1/2 cup flaked coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened.

Divide batter among lined muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake until muffins are puffed and golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer muffins to a rack and cool slightly.

Makes 12 large muffins, or do as I did, I made six large and a dozen mini muffins. They were, one and all, pillowy mouthfuls of tropical goodness.

* Can substitute whole milk with a spoonful of lemon juice.

Midnight ruminations

I think one of the challenges of growing older (not that it's my birthday or anything, not even close) is that you start realising how time is limited. You don't have as much time as you thought you had to write your first book (and I think many people do have a book in them just waiting to be born). To journey to Morocco. To once again eat mussels on the Champs Elysee. To write for lovely magazines, to create lovely magazines. To truly understand the complex connections between what we eat and our health. To make a difference in our communities. To learn so many things: drive a car, sew a seam, swim, snorkel, take great pictures, travel. To finally organise thousands of pictures and the pre-2000 film negatives languishing, almost stuck together and semi-dusty, in a corner of the room. To spend time with family. To listen to the birds. To write. To talk. To breathe the wind.

Heat wave

The mercury is soaring, hemlines are high and the whole population seems to be shod in flipflops and sandals. Helloooooooooo summer! Sunny skies are forecast for a whole week with temps hitting 30 in the Vancouver region.

To celebrate the coming of true summer heat after a wet and protracted spring, I bought myself a new olive green summer hat. I've cleaned out my wardrobe of all traces of winter wear and it's now light and breezy in there with summer colours and fabrics, with dresses and shorts and skirts.

Flax and apple breakfast muffins

These are good and so good for ya.



1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flaxseeds meal
½ up wheat germ
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups peeled and shredded apples
½ cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in apples, cranberries, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients.

Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Yield: 15 medium muffins

Adapted from Bob's Red Mill flaxseed meal muffins.

The mischief maker

Maggie is a MinPin which means a miniature doberman pinscher. She's playful and never seems to have moods, unlike Patsy. She's always hungry and always up for a walk or a mock-scrap. Patsy tries to be the boss of the household and tries to grab all the attention and the cuddles for herself, and most times Maggie will concede the point, but this MinPin will fight for her food, make no mistake about it! She's also a great escape artist and always has to be watched or she'll run off when she's let outside to do her #1 or #2. If Patsy is the duchess, Maggie is the court jester.

Strong, brave and open-hearted - that's Maggie in a nutshell. Doesn't she have the nicest, liveliest eyes?

Happy birthday, Canada!

A quiet Canada day. It was wet and damp out, so we stayed in. It's my third Canada Day here, although only the first since I became a permanent resident.

We fed the chickens (or rather H did while I snapped away).



Admired the flowers...





and gave the dogs an airing...



Happy 143rd, Canada!

More pictures here
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One year ago

Golden razzies

Picked fresh from the back garden today by H. They were perfection - some still slightly tart, the way I like them.