I love Hydrangea ~

Here in the Northeast, we can have long winters.  Some, so stark that for nearly ten months out of a year, we have very little greenery.  Only when spring arrives, do buds begin and then we bloom again.

And boy, do we bloom!  Summer is such a gorgeous time of the year, with the green trees and all the flowers glowing with beauty.

And my favorite?  Hydrangea.  Especially the mopheads.  I think it's because they are so huge and expansive.

Here on my walk today, I find myself engulfed in some real beauties.


These are purple ones, kind of rare here I think.  Some are very deep purple too.

They were quiet stunning ~

 

 

 

I have a friend who has this large blue mophead in her yard.  It's lovely too.



 

 

 

 

 

And this pink one, so gorgeous.  Sometimes, there are no words.....

 

 

 

A handmade Quilt for my bedroom ~

 

 

 

I love quilts.  I love anything handmade, but I don't have much talent in the sewing department.  I can stitch a straight line, but that's pretty much it. 

But I have a very talented friend, who loves to sew and makes many quilts..  She even embroiders them and makes some as gifts for friends or family.  I asked her to help me with a quilt I wanted to make for my bedroom.  Which, by the way, said would be a cinch.  However, it was not a cinch for me.  As a matter of fact, it was tedious and yes I am going to say it, boring.  However, I had already bought all of the material and forged ahead with my friend's generous help.  In trade, I made her nice home cooked meals and desserts.

I love the quilt, it turned out beautifully.  But, I will never attempt to make another quilt, or sew anything else for that matter.  :)

Here is my one and only handmade quilt!  Thank you Laura for
your tireless efforts.


Each of the squares began as 3 foot long strips.  All need to be sewn together (this I did), and then cut into exact 10 x 10 squares (which I did not do).

 

After we laid them out, we decided they needed to be framed in an off white material, or it would not come together.  Needless to say, I was just the apprentice in all of this process.



When it was nearing the finish, Laura decided to add prairie points.  They added the perfect touch of uniqueness and a contemporary flair, which I loved. 

 

More visits to the Sea. Duxbury, Ma. ~

 

 

 

Duxbury ~

 

We are in our third week of a heat wave in Boston.  It's been in the 90's and there is no air to be found.  We call this weather, hazy, hot and humid.

 

 

So, instead of visiting my kitchen, I've been visiting the ocean, hoping for a cool breeze.  Alas, there are still no cool breezes to be found, but the places are truly beautiful and quaint.  Even in the fog.

 

 

 

Shops in these little New England towns are really neat and unique.



Some even have back porches with access to their boats.

 

And with a few short steps you can be at the ocean's edge and smell the wonderful salt air.  Even if there is no breeze, it's still gorgeous!

Visiting a friend who lives nearby is an added bonus.

 



 

 

And of course we ate lunch on the ocean, my friend and I.

 

 

She had these broiled scallops, which were divine.

 

 

 



 I had fish and chips, also scrumptious.

 

Harbors all around ~

The picture above is a shot that I took a couple of years ago from Scituate Harbor.  It's such a gorgeous place any time of the year.  But as you can see, it's certainly at it's best in the summer.


This is a picture of a the dock in Portsmouth Harbor.  Portsmouth is a working dock, not many luxury boats seen here.  I took this shot on picture perfect day. 

This is a picture I took last summer in Biddeford, Me.  It's at the pier in such a quaint New England town that I was lucky enough to visit.

I love living in Boston, so close to the ocean in the summer.  Most of my coastal visits are a short drive away.  But there are times when our weather is dismal, gray and cold.  And yes, even in the summer.  This is a picture that I took on Memorial Day and it sure looks foreboding.

This is a shot of the Boston skyline, as I was leaving Boston in May.  Sure made me want to leave, even if it was for a short time.  Do you blame me?

I love the waterfronts all around me.... 

 

 

Quick, fresh, healthy.... Summer spaghetti sauce ~

I love spaghetti and meatballs.  It's just about the most comforting food I can ever think of.  And I make it during the winter and always have a batch in my freezer for those nights when I really crave some comfort food.

Now comes the summer, when the weather is hot and I don't want to stand over the stove and cook.  Nope, too hot.  So this is my version of quick, and by quick, I mean less than 30 minutes from fresh tomatoes to dinner!  It's easy and so, so delicious.  Just give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

4 medium to large tomatoes, roughly chopped (ripe).  If using romas, you will need 6 or 7 tomatoes.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons good olive oil

1 tsp. salt & black pepper

6 basil leaves, chopped

1 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese

4 meatballs (I use frozen turkey meatballs from Trader Joes), optional.

Heat a skillet on medium, add olive oil.  Add garlic cloves and let cook without burning, about 1 minute.  You'll smell the garlic fragrance.  Add chopped tomatoes and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Add salt and pepper.  With the back of a wooden spoon, break up tomatoes a bit.  I don't worry about this, I like chunky sauce.  But, it helps to break down the tomatoes, if they aren't quite so ripe
.
Add water and let simmer on medium low for about 15-20 minutes.  Add frozen meatballs here if using them.  Cover pan for 3 minutes to cook meatballs.

Cook spaghetti as directed on package, drain.  Add to skillet with the tomatoes and toss.  Pour onto a platter, top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

An assortment of cookies ~

I decided to make cookies to take to a friend's house for dinner.  I'm not usually stumped on what to bring, but this time I was told that I shouldn't bring anything because dinner was all set.   Well I don't know how to react really when someone says that to me, even good friends.  I like to bring something, but what?   So I decided to make cookies, but what kind.... I love chocolate, but not everyone really likes it, or can eat it.  So I decided to make a few different ones, however I like easy baking. Martha Stewart's Oatmeal Raisin cookies fit the bill and so do Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.   Plus the Chocolate cookies had a variation of rolling them in either powdered sugar or cocoa, which made for a nice little assortment.

First I made the Oatmeal Raisin.  One reviewer said to cook the raisins in water for 2 minutes and then let them steep for about 5 minutes.  This worked out really well, but make sure you drain them before adding them.  The raisins were very plump and juicy.  And the finished cookie was very tasty.  Thanks Martha....

Then when I made the chocolate cookies, I rolled half in powdered sugar and the other half in cocoa. 

The result of bringing cookies to dinner worked out perfectly.  They are easily added to anyone's planned dessert, or frozen for a future dessert for my friends.  Either way, I didn't go empty handed and felt glad that I was able to provide something to our dinner.


DL's Chocolate Crinkle cookies:

Yield:  3 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 cups of white flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
white powdered sugar and cocoa powder for rolling the cookie
Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray or grease 3 cookie sheets

Stir melted butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla and baking powder in a large bowl with a spatula by hand.  Mix well.

Fold in flour, until blended.

Roll into 1 inch balls and roll gently into the powdered sugar or cocoa powder.  Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Let cool. 

They were very well received and eaten that night.  :)  A win-win situation!

 

Portsmouth, N.H.... a favorite place ~

I live about an hour south of Portsmouth, N.H.  My youngest son went to college in the area and stayed there after he graduated.   Who could blame him for wanting to stay, it's gorgeous place to be.

Speaking of gorgeous, Saturday was one of those days.  I was driving up to visit him and we decided to go for the day.  The parking garage is very accessible to walking around and there are plenty of little, quaint shops, excellent restaurants and lovely sights to see.

A favorite spot to have lunch in the summer is The Oar House.
They have an outdoor deck and it's a lovely spot to have a bite to eat.  I got their lobster roll and it was perfect.  Wouldn't you agree?

If you are in the area of Southern N.H., make sure you visit the coast.  It's only 12 miles long, but each town is nicer and the other.  However, I am partial to Portsmouth.  It's such a lovely old New England town, with tons of charm. 

Here's Market Square.

This is a picture on their website that I didn't take.  It shows the tugboats at sunset on the water.

Truly gorgeous, don't you think?