Mandarin Oranges

Taking a moment to share some warm sunshine, sweet mandarin oranges, and the best part of my day with you!

 

 

Bright green twigs with leaves still attached are signs of careful picking and freshness.

Thank you Trader Joe’s!

 

 

 

Tonight a few will be squeezed over grilled chicken & tossed in a green salad.

 

 

 

So long for now ~

I’m headed back outside to enjoy the sun & another mandarin or two.

If you love oranges as much as I do, you might also enjoy

To Make A Day ~

and

Sarabeth’s Kitchen ~

 

I hope you’re having a great day & looking forward to a blessed weekend!

Lunch in the garden.

Today a cool crisp breeze fills the air & the house with the smell of sweet Clematis!

The rain has renewed our landscape & the arbor – she’s being a bit of a show-off!

This year Miss Clematis put her best dress on. The roses are envious & climbing higher than usual!

 Peeking over the fence and feeling grateful for the new stone path & Bluegrass that my son helped lay. 

Miss Clematis is lazy & full & with arms opened wide she welcomes guests at the back gate.

This old bronze bell has been at the entrance to all of our patios, courtyards, porches since I was a child.  My mother sent it with us when we moved to Kentucky.  Thanks, Mom.

 Today I’m preparing lunch alfresco for friends.

Life seems so much easier & relaxed when we eat outside.

  Meanwhile, my helper is still guarding last Sunday’s paper!

On the menu, Warm Beet Salad with Wilted Greens from a favorite cookbook, Fresh & Fast by Marie Simmons. 

Baskets are handy for bringing everything outdoors.

I’m using some beautiful china that I recently purchased from Decoratifs’. If you’ve been here from the start, you might recall that the Lexington landmark was the subject of my very first post!

  I was able to grab the last 6 dinner plates in three different patterns, from their “pink house!”

Time to pull things together and enjoy a lazy afternoon.

 Help arrived just in time for a long walk!

Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend too!

 

It saddens me to no end to tell you that after 27 years John & Wes decided to close Decoratifs’.

They are already missed!

Photos| Lisa Porter

Dorie Greenspan's Meyer Lemon Curd

April showers created the perfect afternoon for catching up with you all & sharing some goodies that I recently discovered. Grab a pencil!

You know I love lemons, and in my previous post, I showed you why Yellow is currently my favorite color!  But for now, I want to tell you all about Dorie Greenspan's Meyer Lemon Curd!  It is out of this world! 

I discovered Dorie Greenspan while writing a story about Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth's Kitchen.   I was baking my way through Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours & was looking forward to Dorie's latest book, Around My French Table. 

The evening that I brought it home, I didn't drop it off in the kitchen where I would dive into it the next morning. Instead, I brought it up to my bedside table and by midnight....well, let's just say that Dorie & I had become best foodie friends.  You can be foodie friends with me & Dorie too.  She will hold your hand & tell you great stories & you will learn how to confidently prepare her superb renditions of the great French classics, but home-style!

Last night I was listening to a podcast with Dorie Greenspan at Authors' Answers Series from Leite's Culinaria hosted by award-winning food writer David Leite. They both had me smiling from the start. I love her wonderfully encouraging voice that comes through in the interview & in each and every one of her incredible books! 

Dorie Greenspan has written 10 award-winning books & she also writes the lively blog,  In the Kitchen And On The Road With Dorie! 

I love this quote, “Sarabeth wants to see you. I think you’ve got the job.” from a wonderful story that Dorie shares of how she first met Sarabeth Levine.  

My Francophile friends will enjoy Paris By Mouth, a beautiful collaborative website, edited by Dorie Greenspan & other established food writers, that is changing the way people find and appreciate delicious things in Paris.

I'm getting to the Meyer Lemon Curd.  Good things come to those who read on...I promise!

Many of you know I'm a foodie but I'm no food writer.

Eat Boutique to the rescue!

Maggie Battista founded Eat Boutique in 2007 in order to celebrate handmade food experiences.  She thinks nothing of driving long distances for one amazing night with a great chef, farmer or host.

"We’re a tiny business that shares handmade food stories, curates handmade food gift boxes, and offers handmade food experiences...We believe each bite should be worth it...We believe a great meal is worth driving an extra mile (or ten), especially if the cooks pop out to say hello and thank you...We think indie chefs and restaurateurs are amazing, but so are home cooks and farmers."

Have a look at this wonderful Spring Handmade Food Gift Box from Eat Boutique! 

What a nice Easter gift to give...and to receive!

Now, I'm happy to tell you that Maggie Battista and her team at Eat Boutique are as crazy about lemons as I am!  How about some Meyer Lemon Liquor... 

Or maybe you would prefer Meyer Lemon Liquor with Lavender, Cardamom or Thyme... 

Orrrr Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Booze ;)

 You must try my absolute favorite...Meyer Lemon Curd!

Shelby Larsson is a great food writer and member of the team at Eat Boutique.  Certain that her hubby had forgotten all about Valentines Day, she purchased Around My French Table for herself and fell in love with Dorie Greenspan's Meyer Lemon Curd.  Read more about this melt-in-your-mouth goodness right here!

Shelby also loves cheese and pop culture. I've been reading about her eating adventures over on her blog, Lady Gouda. You'll love her blog & ya gotta love that name!

I hope you enjoy all the goodies!

Dorie Greenspan lives in New York City; Westbrook, Connecticut; and Paris. Be sure to read all about her food adventures in these and other places at www.doriegreenspan.com. 

To make a day.

To make a day takes a morning and an evening.

During the holidays it takes much more than that.

There's card writing, gift wrapping, tree trimming, cookie baking, party giving and much, much more.

Perhaps these are the ingredients for your day too.

This is about the time when I begin to droop as my list of holiday "should do's" becomes longer, not shorter

You bet it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas because we are busy doing it! Yes, we are, performing miracles, and making dreams come true, all in a day!

Wouldn't the real miracle of Christmas be if we slowed down so that our holiday traditions & celebrations became authentic, meaningful, and memorable for all the right reasons?

Mother Nature has a way of taking care of that!

Look at your list. Choose to let only what you love best about the holidays remain. Cross out a couple of "should do's" and realize that you can't do everything.  Not all at once. Not in a day.

Now there's time for play and making snowballs with the first snow.

Now there's time for more comfort & joy!

I do hope your lists get shorter and you have time to enjoy these days among all the rush & pitter-patter!
A few of you have inquired about what cookbook I was looking through that morning. It's
  Delicious Flavors by Victoria Amory and it's a go-to cookbook for recipes that please both guests and family every time.

If you love snow days as much as I do and would like my Orange Glazed Cinnamon Rolls recipe, head over to Nest where author Tamara Stephenson (who loves snow days too) shared my recipe!
Also, join me and other hosts & hostesses at Tablescape Thursday @
 Between Naps On The Porch!
All photos: Lisa Porter