Red Lips and Sticky Fingers

While on a fresh Summer fruits kick, thought I'd share another easy favorite baked treat from my kitchen yesterday. I'm always shocked at the high price of purchased muffins in grocery stores and bakeries. Often they have been frozen, contain yucky preservatives................and far too much sugar.

Fresh raspberries are my favorite soft fruit. Unfortunately their season is short and one has to grab them and use them quickly as their shelf life is brief. Growing up in England we grew our own in the back garden. Our neighbor had even more canes than us and she didn't like raspberries! For those few weeks in early Summer it was heaven, and my little fingers, and mouth, were stained with bright red juice which dripped down onto my cotton sundresses. I don't remember mum ever getting mad though - guess she knew the secret to getting out the stains and we always pegged the washing outdoors on the clothesline, the sun being our bleach!

Let's bake..................some good treats!

Old-Fashioned Raspberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon each salt and grated nutmeg

1-1/2 cups fresh raspberries (or blueberries)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sliced almonds and 1 tablespoon sugar for garnish, mixed together

In large bowl mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add raspberries, stir gently to coat evenly. In small bowl beat eggs with fork, beat in milk and cooled butter. Add to raspberry mixture, stir until just blended (berries will break apart but this is OK). Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle with almonds and sugar. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 15-20 mins. until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12 reg. size muffins. Can be baked in a 9" square pan 30-35 mins. for a coffee cake.

Illustrations from this gorgeous large format book, a gift from my son -

FRUIT ~ An Illustrated History published by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Cherry Ripe........

Cherry Ripe (1879)

John Everett Millais - 1829-1896

Cherry ripe, cherry ripe,
Ripe I cry,
Full and fair ones
Come and buy.
English Folk Song set to words by Robert Herrick ~ English Poet (1591-1674)

This past week Costco displayed these boxes of American grown cherries ~ firm, sweet and fresh. If you love cherries, the best way to eat them is of course right off the stalk, spitting the stone surreptitiously away from whom ever you may be sharing these treats with, or dropping them daintily into a bowl ~ as I did on Saturday while sharing with my new neighbor and trying to display good manners. We had afternoon tea in the gazebo, flowing lazily into an evening aperitif consisting of a lovely chilled dry Rose accompanied by these cherries.

The remaining cherries were pitted and turned into a Father's Day dessert, French cherry clafoutis.

This is my favorite clafoutis recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris cookbook. She tweaks it by using pears which are wonderful, but here I'm returning to the traditional cherry version.

Cherry Clafoutis

1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3 extra large eggs at room temperature

6 tablespoons all purpose flour

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons Brandy or Kirsch (Ina uses pear Brandy for the pear version)

1-1/2 lbs. fresh cherries, washed and dried

Confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10 x 1-1/2 round baking dish and sprinkle the bottom and sides with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar.

Beat the eggs and the 1/3 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed mix in the flour, cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, salt and Brandy. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pit the cherries (an inexpensive cherry pitter is a great help - OXO makes a nice one with a juice guard). Arrange in a single layer, packed together, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Bon Appetit!

Photo from FRENCH - Delicious classic cuisine made easy.

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Below, granddaughter Jasmin choosing cherries from a market stall during our visit to France - June 2006

"The best ones ever Grandma".

Roses for the guys

Not only were my roses drying and dying from the intense heat of the past two weeks, just about everything else was beginning to struggle ~ the gardens, the animals and we the people!

Last night we had some rain, thank goodness. This morning the shrubs have perked up ~ the squirrels look cool in their fur coats ~ the Robins are not fighting over who gets to dunk in the birdbaths ~ and the Chickadee doesn't need to perch on top of the fountain for his morning shower. The leaves dangle wet and shiny from the trees ~ the tiny figs on the small bush may have expanded ever so slightly ~ the basil has reached the top edge of the pots ~ the driveway is washed clean again making everything look brighter. Perhaps more showers later ~ fine with us, and our gardens.

Roses and wishes to all Fathers everywhere today.

Pink Saturday

We're definitely having Summer straw hat days around here - and this is such a pretty one for all those hip, pink loving gals, who are heading out and about town to do a little 'junk shopping' on a hot weekend.

It's important to always keep a cool head!

Display in Jeannie's booth at SuzAnna's Antiques ~ modern twist against a beautiful French tapestry back drop.

To join in the fun on Pink Saturdays - visit Beverly

at How Sweet The Sound for details.

WELCOME mat.....

This sweet young miss, a female American Robin fairly new to the world by the color of her plumage, crashed into my glass storm door this morning - such a loud thud I heard it upstairs. We came running and found her flat on the door mat - WELCOME did not seem the appropriate word at that moment. However, after a few minutes she stood up, and perhaps five minutes later, following some wobbling and heavy breathing, she fluttered under a hydrangea bush. Later I watched her fly into my neighbor's garden where her family was waiting - she seemed fine. Granddaughter, dh and I were relieved and happy.

"God finds a low branch for the bird that cannot fly." Turkish Proverb

"Be like the bird that, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings."

............Victor Hugo ~ 1802-1885...........

Tagged by a Brit!

Well I've been tagged to do the meme list thing........this time by M, my ex-pat Brit friend at Steamed Sponge. I never did get around to doing this before so have promised to forge ahead this time telling you things you probably don't even want to know!

What was I doing 10 years ago? Living here in Raleigh, probably moaning about the same hot Summer weather and biting mosquitoes. I had recently retired and was taking care of my new granddaughter much of the time.

Five snacks I enjoy ~

• English Digestive biscuits (plain or chocolate covered) with a cup of good tea


• Cracked pepper Triscuits with Trader Joe's Goat Cheese


• Handful of raw Almonds


• Greek Yogurt with fresh Raspberries


• Starbucks Classic Coffee ice cream - of course!

Five things on my TO DO list today ~

• Water the garden - still restricted but today's the day


• Make soup - chilled will be perfect


• Bake a fresh pear gateau


• Wash all the china in the dining room Welsh dresser


• Sit in the gazebo at tea time even if it is 100 degrees - luckily there's a ceiling fan

If I suddenly became a billionaire I would ~

• Help family members who need it ~ but only for housing, medical expenses and education


• Donate huge amounts to cancer, MS, and arthritis research, local elder care facilities, and local SPCA


• Start searching for a dream home here which would still be small and manageable for my 'golden years' ~ one level, easy to care for bathrooms, huge French family style kitchen, easy to get into storage areas, low maintenance garden, garage


• Buy a small, but exquisite old house in the French village where my brother and family live for my 'holiday home'


• Buy everything at SuzAnna's Antiques so they could have a break....and then go hunting to fill the shop up with treasures again!


• Travel first class to visit all the wonderful blog friends I've made around the world

Five places I've lived ~

• Torquay, England


• Washington, D.C.


• New Hampshire


• Massachusetts


• North Carolina

Five jobs I've had ~

• Insurance Secretary


• Medical Secretary


• Full Service Art Studio/Ad Agency Manager


• Admin. Asst. to Director (State Agency for Deaf/Hard of Hearing)


• Admin. Asst. Geropsychiatry (State Psychiatric Hospital)

Five Random Facts you may not know about me ~

• I came to the USA for one year and have been here almost forty six!
• I'm a cheese-aholic ~ but only good cheese, none of that dyed orange rubber stuff
• I have always wanted to be an artisan baker ~ I love good bread
• I used to sew almost all my own clothes ~ would only use Vogue patterns ~ my mum was my teacher as she actually made clothes for the Royals when she apprenticed in London

I wasn't going to pass this along as most of you have already done it, however there are a few new friends who may enjoy participating, so I'll tag ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vanessa at Vanilla Lavender ~ Pamela at The House of Edward ~ Ms. Daisy at One Daisy Chain

Coffee Break

Just returned from granddaughter Jasmin's fifth grade graduation ~ with the temp. close to 100, and the high humidity, it officially registered 103 degrees. Stepping out from the school gym to the picnic area the heat just knocked your socks off ~ if you were foolish enough to be wearing them on such a broiling hot day! Myself, crisp white linen and sandals......to start. Wrinkled, damp disheveled linen, bare feet in the grass.........the end!

So it's time for a coffee break....................forget the mug, this is what I'm planning and all that's required is a spoon, the only way to indulge in the best coffee ice cream ever. Right from the container.............of course.

Coffee ice cream lover's dream.