Home Again

I love to go places, but it sure is nice to come home, too. The garden was well cared for by friends, and so the tomatoes are looking much bigger and I even have the first summer squash! The lillies grew really high and the cilantro is enormous in the planter on the deck, so that's where I put the red dragonfly...my Mothers Day gift from Phil's Kate. It looks just right there. Thanks Kate!

The grass also grew like crazy so Sweetie is out on the tractor mowing the 'back forty' after a stint yesterday (with my help) of mowing around the house with the walk-behind brute mower. Merlin is beginning to forgive us for leaving and eating like a champ to make up for his poor appetite when we were gone. He had Sweetie deprivation sickness I guess. They are quite the pair!

One of the fun things I did at my Mom's was to do some planting one morning with her help. We were able to get a rosemary plant and two basil plants into the ground before a nice soaking rain, then potted up some flower plants for the side yard shady area, too. She told me last night that she finished up potting a hanging Mission Bells plant yesterday, so now she has some colorful flowers to enjoy from the family room.

Grandma L brought us dinner last night. I made some Irish Soda Bread with seeds instead of raisins to go with the meal because I know that she loves freshly made bread. It is based on the recipe from my Aunt May who seemed to be able to throw one together in a jiffy when someone came to visit. The recipe below is a variation of the one in the Comfort Food book that I gave Mom for Mothers Day. Try this recipe yourself! It goes very well with soup or salad and is really excellent toasted and served with a cup of tea. You can see how seedy it is.

Seedy Irish Soda Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup graham flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup mixed seeds (I used King Arthur 'birdseed' mixture called Harvest Grains Blend)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup water

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the seeds; mix well. Mix together the buttermilk and water. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix just until moist - don’t over-handle. Some dry stuff is OK but the dough should be sticky. Pat into a round or oval on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cut a cross on top. Bake 45 minutes at 3500 F. Cool slightly before slicing.

Note: Harvest Grains Blend could be mixed together using your own ingredients. Here is what is in it:
Whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes and wheat flakes plus flax, poppy, sesame, and sunflower seeds