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Monday, September 10, 2012

Still Here. Writing.

The deer are here, too.

The garden grows and so does my book. I'm using up all my creative brain cells writing the words for a fiction novel. Writing eight to ten hours each day over the last eight weeks, I'm revising the novel that I wrote over the last year. I love writing fiction. The practice of weaving narration, action and dialog into each scene is rewarding.

My travel experience has provided me with locations for my novel. The first half of the book is based in Colorado. The second half is in France. It's fun to put my characters on the streets and inside the restaurants that I've visited.

My exercise is walking with running intervals. I come back inside and can't wait to fill novel pages with the scenes that I write in my head while I walk. I wake up in the morning and write before I read the news. I edit in the evenings.

Although revising sounds painful, it isn't. Each time I cut, I believe I'm improving my book. Today, I cut nearly two thousand words from the ninety-two thousand. Then, I wrote two thousand new words to drastically change three scenes in the book. I'm sure that I've written more than 300,000 words over the last year. Writing a novel isn't work to me, but blogging is—for now.

There are weeds in the garden. Perennials need trimming and spent annuals need to be pulled. Seeds should be collected. I'll get to it. Below are a few photos that I snapped with my cell phone.

I'll be back. I'll blog again.

Thanks for stopping by.
Freda

Castor bean is huge from the rain.

Moon vine bloom.

Buddleia from seed. A cross between? Like the color!

Marigolds from self-sown seeds in front of
lantana 'Miss Huff'.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Frilly Bloomers

Peony poppy

Frilly blossoms weren't intentional, but reading the May Dreams: Finished with the Frilly Flower Phase post prompted me to take a look around my own garden. Yes, there are some fru-fru flowers tucked here and there that are blooming right now.

I don't grow peonies, but I grow peony poppies and that was my criteria when selecting this poppy. The full flowers fit the frilly flower formula. Peony poppies self-sow if you allow the seeds to ripen. Just shake the pods around and wait until next year. I'm still hoping my pale pink and nearly black (purple) ones will bloom. We had an incredibly warm winter and the poppy germination rate has (so far) been disappointing. Unlike me, poppies like a bit of a cold winter.

A mix of dianthus.

I scattered seeds of "mixed" dianthus in the cottage garden, for the fragrance, not the frill. These sweet little pinks are so easy to grow and now that I take into account the frilly factor—I do find the form flattering on this flower. These frillers are great fillers. I like to use a mix of colors because I cannot make up my mind as to which color I prefer. I don't usually transplant the dianthus around, though I did pilfer a solid white to relocate with a blue salvia.

Spirea, stipa, spirea—with a dash of blue nigella.

There's a whole lot of frill going on with the spirea blooms. The frilly pink blooms on two varieties of spirea are filtered by the flowing stipa grass. There's a dash of blue nigella, another frilly fru-fru flower that was pulled after I took this photo—it just didn't belong there and I have hundreds of other nigella. A still photo doesn't do this spirea-stipa vignette justice. I should take a video. The stipa is especially lovely with a bit of glistening morning dew, backlit by the rising sun and swaying in the breeze.

Verbascum 'Southern Charm'

Verbascum 'Southern Charm' casts a frilly eye upon the garden. The stem even looks frilly with buds and blooms on the spike. This dainty flower is quite the trooper, returning every year and never asking for anything except to be cut back after the first bloom is finished—only to rebloom.

Amsonia hubrichtii frilly foliage and flowers.

Native plant, amsonia hubrichtii's wispy foliage and star-quality flowers qualify as frilly in my book. Not ruffle-skirt frilly, but delicate and feminine. Another tough plant, this amsonia blooms in spring, then the foliage looks great through rain and drought, cool or hot temperatures. In autumn, the foliage turns gold. This is a great plant for frill-seekers. If you want more amsonia, let the seeds ripen and drop to the ground. If you don't want more, then wear gloves to prevent the milky sap from getting on your skin when you deadhead.

Verbena 'Imagination'

I've already bragged about verbena 'Imagination' in a previous post. Again, this is a plant with frilly blooms and frilly foliage. Tough as nails, this verbena is a ground-sprawler that blooms non-stop from spring until hell freezes over. And, yes—it self-sows. It is easy to pull, so no worries.

Itea 'Little Henry'

If bottle-brushes are frilly, then itea 'Little Henry' is another fine candidate. This part-shade small version of a sweetspire shrub has a tendency to run about, so pull the sprouts to keep it from filling up the area. The white blooms go every which way, but are charming nonetheless.

While I never intentionally purchased frilly bloomers per se, each delivers a dose of delight in my garden.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Flipping Frittata! Have No Fear

Cooking is right up there with gardening and travel. The experience alone is rewarding and the result is usually satisfying. There are times when I love to spend hours in the kitchen purely for the creative outlet and enjoyment. I'd love to cook from scratch more often, but with only two in our empty nester household and a desire to remain healthy, I seldom make "big meals" anymore.

My pent up need to cook was released the other day when I decided to make a frittata for dinner, using an early birthday gift from my husband. I tend to use recipes as a loose guide to cooking unless baking a cake where ingredients and measurements must be precise. For most main courses, I add, subtract and substitute ingredients according to whim.

With that flexibility in mind, I embarked on making a frittata with the gift, a Calphalon Unison Slide Nonstick Fritta Pan Set from Williams-Sonoma®. In the past, I've used the stovetop to start a frittata and the oven to finish it. Nothing wrong with that method, but I was never sure if I was undercooking or overcooking the frittata. With the pan set, I can flip the frittata several times to finish the cooking.

A frittata is an egg-based Italian dish that I prefer to make instead of individual omelets and without the fuss of crust or calories of a quiche. Although we like our frittata served hot, it is often served at room temperature.

I have scanned through hundreds of frittata recipes published on the Web and buried in the pages of printed cookbooks in my kitchen for ideas. Once you master the cooking method, you can be creative and use the ingredients that you choose to combine.

Caramelized onions! Oh my, how I love the flavor, so reminiscent of onion tarts in France. With that ingredient on my short list, I started with the Wilted Greens and Gruyère Frittata as the basis for my experiment in mastering the art of flipping a frittata in the pan set without dashing the mixture all over the stovetop.

Thinly sliced yellow onions are required for proper caramelization. I tend to literally cry over this chore, rendering myself too blind to read the recipe while I recover. Using my mandoline makes quick work of onion slicing, producing only a teardrop or two from my eyes while delivering perfectly thin slices. This manual device is worth the investment for anyone who wants to turn out mounds of julienned, cubed or sliced veggies.

V-Blade mandoline produces thin slices of onion in a flash.

Cook onion slices slowly to caramelize.
You can make these a day ahead and
store in airtight jar in the fridge.

Almost caramelized, not burned.
I used the deep pan in the frittata set for prepping
the onions and sautéing mushrooms and wilting Swiss chard.

To caramelize onions takes an hour and patience. The slow cooking and light browning makes the onions quite sweet, a perfect compliment for the gruyère cheese. These onions are also wonderful for omelets, quiches, savory tarts and pizzas. The good news is that you can prepare the onions in advance. The onions must be cooled before adding to the whisked eggs in the recipe.

I altered the recipe with sautéed shiitake, oyster and baby bella mushrooms. I simply wiped out the pan to sauté the mushrooms once the onions were finished. The recipe also calls for wilted Swiss chard, and I used the same deep side of the frittata pan. If you want to use meat in this recipe, bacon is a good choice. Brown the bacon ahead of time, cool and crumble for delightful flavor.

The frittata cooking in the deep pan for 7-10 minutes.

After whisking eggs and adding all of the cooled ingredients, the mixture is poured into the deep pan. Using a spatula, you have to gently stir the raw eggs quickly at first before they firmly set. This ensures even cooking. Cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes.

The preheated and seasoned shallow pan is then placed on top, interlocking the rectangular handles. This is where the fun starts as you must swiftly flip the pans so that the deep pan is then on top and the shallow pan on the bottom. Cook for three minutes longer, then flip the frittata back into the deep side.

Pans are used in unison to flip the frittata.
1. Put shallow pan on top, then flip. Cook 3 minutes.
2. Flip to put deep side back on the bottom.

The frittata is ready!

With a rubber spatula, I gently
loosened the edges.
The frittata slipped right onto the plate
without sticking to the pan.

The frittata was so delicious for dinner! It also refrigerated well and we microwaved individual slices for breakfast and another dinner the follow day. We still didn't finish it! This easily serves six generous slices for a main course or eight slices as a side dish.

I plan to make a frittata for an upcoming brunch to save time and serve more people at one time. Of course, I have a few ideas for other ingredients to use in the next frittata.

As for the flipping—I spilled only a little bit of egg on my first flip of the pans! From now on, I'll have no fear of flipping.

Disclaimer: I assure you that this story is not a paid advertisement, but I am a satisfied customer of Williams-Sonoma® and linked to their site to reference the products that I used to make this recipe. Nothing mentioned has been provided for free.

Thankful in 2011

Hope you and yours have a wonderful, safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

My cousins and their husbands.
Blowing Rock, North Carolina. January 2011.

Family dinner at home. March 2011.

Me, Richard meet up with SlowTravel friends in Paris.
David, writer & wife Nancy, translator;
Shannon, GrapeHops.
April 2011.

Writer Kristin & husband Jean-Marc Espinasse
at their vineyard, Domaine Rouge-Bleu.
Saint-Cecile les Vignes, Provence, France. April 2011.

Happy in home & garden. May 2011.

Exploring Reynolda Gardens,
Winston-Salem, NC. June 2011.

Visiting the Duke Lemur Center. July 2011.
Richard & I now volunteer to help with the data.

Boys from Carolina (Richard on upright bass).
Roost, Fearrington Village, NC. July 2011

North Carolina Coast at
Fort Fisher. August 2011.

Wedding of Chris (son) & Nicole.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. October 16, 2011.

Thanks to all of the gardeners, travelers and other readers
who visit my blog.

My Life Beyond the Blog

Frost on the pumpkin? So it was...though I have no pumpkins. We've already had several frosts here and I'm way behind on my fall gardening. Life happens—wonderful things as well as the not so good.

I'm now on day twelve of a cold. It's behaved more like the flu, though I received my annual flu shot on October third. At any rate, I missed one glorious week of weather before the frost arrived.

Cabo San Lucas
View from our room.

Prior to my plague, we were in Cabo San Lucas for the wedding of son, Chris and his stunning bride, Nicole. I need to request permission to post their photos, but I have to share with you that the private beach ceremony, followed by a champagne brunch was marvelous! Richard and I spent a few extra days in Cabo and will definitely be going back. More about all of this in a future post.

Prior to the wedding, I was writing furiously. One day, I just began writing a fiction novel and couldn't stop! I wrote 60,000+ words in 30 days. Then, I decided the second half was so much better written than the first half of the book, that I spent another 30 days writing the novel again—changing the plot, too. Writing the novel has been so addictive that I now find it difficult to blog as my creative writing has been consumed.

Prior to the novel, I wrote a few pieces for www.visitnc.com, the North Carolina tourism website. I link to those here on my blog. It's free reading and might inspire you to visit our gorgeous state.

Just today, Richard and I finalized our plans for our annual spring vacation to France. We're going back for the third time to Antibes, followed by another visit to Paris. We have to book these trips in advance because we can only afford to go by using frequent flier miles for one or two free tickets.

I could write several stories on how to make travel to Europe affordable. Perhaps soon? Would you like to know that renting an apartment is far less expensive than hotels? You also get to immerse yourself in the culture by shopping for toilet paper in a grocery store or cough drops in a pharmacy—and attempting to do so by speaking the local language—not perfectly, but enough to be understood.

Food trucks! There's new world for foodies and I must tell you all about the amazing food available from food trucks in our area. In addition to the delicious restaurant choices around here, I love the options from the trucks.

Then, there are the lemurs! I went to the Duke Lemur Center, a non-invasive research, education and conservation center in Durham to write stories about the lemurs. I went back and took Richard over there. We have volunteered to help them take their 45 years of data and consolidate it from disparate systems into a SAS® analytical database. That project is just now starting up, but my cold has sidelined me. Richard is taking the lead. I shall confess that I've fallen in love with the endangered lemurs. If you're on my Facebook page, then you know that I'm always sharing photos and videos from the DLC.

I digress...you want to read about gardening...not my life, right? Okay, the next story will be about all the wonderful seeds that I've purchased for the 2012 flowers....I promise!

Rose Campion Chased by Celebrity Flower Stalkers

Rose Campion poses in front
of tall, dark and purple larkspur.

Why is Rose Campion so alluring? Rose is such a simple garden flower, but she's so enormously popular that readers overwhelm my blog in their search for candid photos and juicy details. Could it be her scandalous reputation has leaked to the media?

Rose Campion is not as virtuous as she seems. She reproduces prolifically throughout the garden. But, the offspring are so identical, adorable, lovable and deserving of support. That said, if she continues at this rate of reproduction, I may have to ask some of you to adopt seeds to raise the young in your gardens.

Rose Campion and her children attempt to blend in
with the garden crowd of cleome and larkspur.

With Rose's silver foliage, slender arms and perfect upright posture—she is indeed quite glamorous. No companion distracts from her eye candy beauty, though she generously makes everyone else in the photos look good, too.

Rose has no pesky enemies, loves the sun, but has a fear of too much water.

My blog is not a tabloid, but I suppose I can give Rose Campion a dedicated keyword to make your search easier. I know you want to see her in person, but all of you celebrity flower stalkers cannot trample my garden in your rush to take her photos, caress her blooms and stroke her luxurious, soft foliage.

Rose Campion takes center stage.

You Can't See the Village for the Market

A kaleidoscope of colors at the Aix-en-Provence
flower market. April 2011.

French markets overflow with colorful goods and good people. Visiting villages on market day is often high on the list of priorities for many travelers. You can easily build a "market-a-day" travel itinerary. I've been to many markets in Paris, Provence and the French Riviera. Indeed, it is great fun and the fresh foods, flowers and handmade crafts are especially appealing. The interaction with the vendors is both educational and entertaining.

After spending nine days in Paris in April, I looked forward to a week in the village of Aix-en-Provence. Aix is a convenient base for accessing the surrounding area—the Provence countryside and Luberon villages, the Mediterranean coast, the western French Riviera and the Camargue—no more than a two hour drive in any direction.

One of the most famous and popular markets in the region of Provence takes place in the lovely village of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. A river literally runs through the picturesque village.

My first full day in Provence was a Sunday and perfectly timed for the not-to-be-missed market day in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue! I saw the antique stalls, the spices, the fabrics, the flowers and everything else at the market.

Sunday market day in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in Provence, France.
Vendor stalls line both sides of the river. April 2011.

After spending the morning browsing the market and enjoying lunch of chilled wine, fresh veggies, cheese and strawberries, it was time to take to the winding country roads. Driving past vineyards and rolling hills there were many choices for the rest of the day, but I opted to visit the villages of Bonnieux and Goult.

These two Luberon villages were sleepy and practically empty on that Sunday afternoon. Wandering the cobblestoned streets, climbing rocky and precarious steps for vistas, it was a perfect day for getting lost in the maze of village houses. I could hear the laughter and attempt to eavesdrop on the French conversations among the locals as I passed the cafes.

Later in the week, I visited the bustling markets, in particular the flower market, in my "home village" of Aix-en-Provence. It was after the flower market that I learned a valuable lesson. I visited the flower market in the morning, then walked to a nearby cafe for a leisurely lunch indoors, out of the rain.

After lunch, the sun was out and as I walked through the Place de l'Hôtel de ville again, the flower vendors were gone and the square had taken on a whole new vibe. Cafes and conversations. Strolling couples, families and friends.

When the market packs up at the end of the day, the ambiance is entirely different. I've blindly traveled for years without stopping to appreciate this remarkable transformation.

Aix-en-Provence flower market on a rainy April morning.

A few hours later, the market is gone
and the same square is a cafe scene.
Aix-en-Provence. April 2011.

I sadly realized that I hadn't really experienced the true village of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue without festive adornment. The squares and streets that I saw were crowded with visitors and tourists. I didn't go inside the local shops. I can only guess that the streets were cobblestoned. I don't know anything about the historical buildings, monuments or beautiful architecture. For this trip, it was too late to return to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to really get to know her.

While the market was extraordinary, I am left with a feeling that perhaps I missed something even more extraordinary.

Hawaiian Fire and Water

Hot colors!
Dole® Plantation
Oahu, Hawaii

Blazing bromeliads!

Ruby pineapple in the garden at Dole®

Hanauma Bay
Oahu, Hawaii

Oahu, North Shore in a storm.
High winds. High waves.

Diamond Head in the background.
Standing on Wakiki Beach.
January 2011.

Make Espresso at Home

Need an extra jolt of caffeine to get you started in the morning? It is very easy and inexpensive to make good quality espresso at home in ten minutes.

Come along as The Musician demonstrates how he makes espresso coffee on the stovetop.

Espresso is used for making cappuccino and lattes. All you do is add steamed milk and foam to the espresso shots. If you have a way to steam your skim milk to 140°, then you can make all three coffee beverages.

An espresso cup (shot) is roughly 1/3 of a measuring cup and a regular size cappuccino cup holds two espresso shots, plus milk and foam. Therefore a 4 cup espresso maker will produce 4 espressos or 2 regular size cappuccinos.

What you need to make a simple espresso:

A stovetop espresso pot. We prefer stainless steel instead of aluminum and purchased the Primula® Stainless Steel Espresso Coffee Maker, 4 cup for around $30 USD at our local Macys®.
Good quality espresso coffee. Make sure you purchase espresso strength as regular ground coffee will not be good. We select beans at the local shop, A Southern Season®, and have them grind the beans for us. If you can't get fresh espresso coffee, the Illy® brand is very satisfying.
A tablespoon to measure the ground espresso coffee.
A stovetop burner.
Four Espresso cups—or two cappuccino cups if adding steamed milk/foam.

Assembling the pot and heating the espresso:

Fill the bottom of the pot with water per instructions

with the espresso maker.

Our pot is filled with water to the line just below the

screw shown on the front of this section.

Drop the espresso basket onto the bottom section

of the pot.

Fill basket with espresso.

Do not pack tight, loosely smooth.

This pot makes 4 espresso shots and uses

2 heaping tablespoons of espresso coffee.

Screw top of the pot together

over bottom/basket.

Place over medium low heat.

Listen for gurgling sound.

When gurgling stops, remove

immediately from heat.

Pour into 4 ESPRESSO size cups and enjoy!

Cappuccino variation:

Before espresso is ready—heat 1/2 cup of skim milk to 140° using a special steamer device with a stainless steel pitcher and thermometer. There should be ample foam on top of the milk.
Hold foam back with a spoon and pour hot milk into 2 cappuccino cups until 1/3 full.
Spoon foam on top of hot milk until cup is half full.
Immediately pour hot espresso (2 shots per cappuccino) through the foam in a steady stream.

If you prefer a latte, grab a mug and use all of the espresso, all of the milk and less foam! It's that simple!

Some cappuccino and latte recipes will instruct you to pour the espresso first, then add the milk and foam. We prefer to carefully pour the espresso through the foam and into the steamed milk to mix it without stirring.

As you experiment, you may want to adjust the ratio of espresso, milk and foam to suit your taste.

Carefully pour espresso through steamed foam and milk

to make a cappuccino.

Blogging Friends

Helen, Freda and Carolyn Gail

Carolyn Choi from Sweet Home and Garden Chicago, Helen Yoest from Gardening with Confidence™ and I had a wonderful lunch together. We met at a local restaurant and took our time visiting and chatting.

It was wonderful to meet Carolyn as well as see Helen again.

Speaking of Helen, if you are going to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, October 14-24, be sure to visit the garden exhibits. Take special note of the Raleigh Garden Club's exhibit where Helen, and other members of the garden club, have supposedly worked their magic with moss!

After lunch, Helen and her children had to head home, so I took Carolyn to Duke Gardens in Durham. A very pleasant day for our outing! She certainly impressed me with her knowledge of ornamental trees—and speaking Korean to a family that we encountered in the gardens!

So much fun!

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.