Isn't he clever?

Isn't my husband clever?  In the space of 2 weekends he whipped up my new handy herb garden and 3 huge vegetable beds!  What a treat.  We're all planted and ready to go.  Here's to a bountiful summer garden.  Tomatoes, snow peas, cucumbers, courgettes, strawberries, basil, butternut squash, and carrots.

New herb garden right outside the kitchen.



New raised vegetable beds in the perfect sunny spot.

Don't forget the stain!

Great helpers too!

Oops...I almost forgot: leeks!

Back to iron chef with Elleinad Spir and this week's secret ingredient of leeks.  I relied on the jalousie once again to highlight this delicious vegetable.  Puff pastry filled with sauteed spinach and leeks and topped with goats cheese.  It was perfect for an impromptu lunch with the in-laws.

Succcess....well, sort of

Just what the doctor ordered; a dark beer from The Sawmill and an oozy very ripe Camembert.

Local Bordeaux blend wine from The Vintry to accompany the meal

The stuffed mushrooms.  When I opened the package of "chevre" it was actually mozzarella!  They put on the wrong label, dammit.  It still tasted good but was totally different than the goats cheese version I was trying to make. 

Jalousie.  Best dish of the night, says Pete.

And after 3 attempts the panna cotta set with agar agar actually came out with a nice smooth soft texture.  The first two attempts were like hockey pucks.  Note to everyone: only use a tiny amount of agar as a setting agent, like 1/4 of what is recommended in recipes.

Anniversary Day

6 years ago today we had an amazing wedding in San Remo, Italy with 35 close friends and family.  One of the highlights of the day was our lunch at Ca' Mea, a restaurant in the village of Badalucco in the Ligurian hills specializing in mushrooms.  10 courses were served, each with mushrooms as the main component.  It was beyond memorable; it was absolutely amazing. In honor of that day.....

Am I being too ambitious trying to cook this menu today while looking after the two littlies?  Time will tell........the results to be posted tomorrow!