Sleepy Cat and a Jester's Hat

Many of our spring flowers are going to seed. My columbines, which looked so graceful and healthy last week, are beginning to shed their petals and leave limp, naked stamens drooping in the breeze. The weather has been a real factor in this development. We've had torrential downpours in the last week and several plants have gone under a bit prematurely.

I do like their next stage of development in the seed-forming process. They form little hats that look increasingly...

...like court-jester hats. Minus the jingling bells, of course!

The lovely purple flowers on our sage plants are fast disappearing. Deep in their throats you find tiny, egg-like clusters that will swell and darken before dropping to the ground in hopes of finding a good place to germinate.

My violas are going to seed almost faster than I can deadhead them. I love the seeds, which look like small, creamy pearls.

Pull down a section of the seed pod and you'll see them neatly in a row, like the world's smallest pea pod.

As the spring flowers fade, the summer flowers gather force. This tight green hydrangea cluster will, in a few week's time, be lush, pink flowers.

Three or four months ago, after several nice blooms, I put my amaryllis plant in the basement. Plants like the amaryllis need a 6 - 8 week "dormant period" in a cool, dark place in order to bloom again. I meant to bring it up months ago, but forgot about it. What a surprise to find this ghostly, anemic shoot coming out of the dessicated bulb! I promptly brought it upstairs and repotted it. New life!

Last but certainly not least, the peonies are finally about to pop. Some are just barely unfurling...

...but others are just waiting for a good hot day to really open up. Lush, extravagant, decadent...I am mad about peonies and have had a hard time waiting this year for them to bloom!

Earlier this week, because the weather was so nice, I decided to sit out on the back steps. I haven't taken too many "wildlife" shots so far this year because I haven't really seen anything. But just a few minutes of sitting quietly, and things began to happen.

Directly in front of me, in the row of columbines along our back fence, I saw a small orb weaver spider making a meal of a gnat.

Taking a closer look, I realized that he'd strung tiny threads of web all around the plants. He snared this little gnat easily.

I saw a type of aphid, bustling down a flower stem, looking for the best place to plunge his long, narrow rostrum into the stalk to access the juices.

I was delighted to see a daring jumping spider peeking out from between two fence boards. These are probably my favorite spiders. Not only do they have a cool name, but several distinctive features, as well! They can see better than any other spider and have the ability to jump from ten to thirty times the length of their bodies. Daring jumping spiders also have iridescent green chelicerae, or mouth parts. You can see them faintly gleaming here.

Another tiny brown spider scurried by my shoe...

...and a leaf hopper dozed on a neighboring plant.

I was impressed by this mosquito that rested on a nearby lilac leaf. It had feathery antennae, which means that this mosquito is male. Male mosquitoes aren't blood suckers. They feed on nectar and plant juices. They use their antennae to attract females. If a female happens to be in the vicinity, to the right of the male mosquito, it will rapidly vibrate its right antennae. If on the left, the left antennae will vibrate. I was hoping to see a live performance, but no such luck.

While examining this mosquito, I heard a loud buzzing. I didn't see anything at first, but then noticed this small hole in a fence board by the back door. You guessed it - carpenter bees.

It wasn't too long before a bee approached the hole...

...and crawled right in. They dig straight back for a bit, and then make a sharp 90 degree turn and burrow to the side. This helps prevent predators from reaching their nest.

Male carpenter bees can't sting, but they are definitely curious of strangers around the nest. He buzzed by several times. So did a hummingbird!

All this activity, in a tiny 4 x 4 square of yard by the back steps! I love our 'wild' back yard. :)

Indoors, Todd has been working on his dissertation and recovering from a tumble on his bicycle...

...Bosewichte has been deciding where to nap...

...and Tabitha has already chosen her spot.

The 'cat' days of summer are almost here!

I've been knitting a bit on a small project, but have nothing to show this week. I haven't done very much cooking, either. Business has been brisk, plus I've had to plant and re-plant in the garden. I've been wanting to post this recipe for a while, though. It's not a light springtime dish, but don't let that stop you from making it. It is delicious!

Stuffed Focaccia with Sausage and Onions
Adapted from The Italian Dish
Serves 6 - 8

Sponge
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup flour

Dough
1 teaspoon yeast
1 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sponge (see above)
3 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt

Stuffing
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 cups sliced onions
salt, pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley or 1 - 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 cup grated cheese

Don't worry about the many steps here! It goes quickly and it's so worth it. First, you'll need to make your sponge. Just mix the yeast and warm water together and stir in the flour. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, humid place until it has doubled in size, which takes 45 - 60 minutes.

Next, you'll make your dough. To the risen sponge, add the yeast, water, and olive oil listed in the "dough" section of the ingredients. Give it a good mix, and then add 3 cups of flour and, using your dough hook, mix until incorporated. Slowly add the additional 1/4 cup of flour if needed. Your dough shouldn't be wet and sticky, but it shouldn't be dry, either. It should pull away from the sides of your mixture and be tacky but not sticky. Mix for about 5 minutes and then cover and place in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.

When your dough is just finishing its rise, make your stuffing. Add olive oil to a large skillet and cook onions (salted and peppered) until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook until done. Remove pan from heat and add parsley and cheese, mixing thoroughly.

Once your dough has risen, it needs a second rise. Punch it down and split into two even balls of dough. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and spread one dough ball into the bottom of it, making sure you've covered it evenly. Spread onion and sausage mixture on top and then cover with the second ball of dough, spread out into a disc. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 425 degrees!

After the rise, 'dimple' the top with your fingers and top with olive oil, salt, and parsley. Bake for about 3o minutes, until the top is golden.

It almost looks like a very large hamburger...

...but when you cut it open, oh my!

The bread is fabulous, the filling is fabulous, and you don't mind that it took a little while to put together. All it takes is a little planning. You could always assemble the focaccia and meat the night before and the refrigerate. The next day, let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour or so...this is the second rise...and then it will be ready for baking!

I hope you give it a try...it's so good.

Have a great week!

Mag-"nymph"-icent!

I'm anxiously awaiting the blooming of one of my very favorite flowers: the peony.

I'm anxious, but not nearly as anxious as this guy.

Ants and peonies have a lovely symbiotic relationship. The peonies produce a sweet nectar that ants love, and the ant traffic helps the buds to loosen and open easily. Win-win!

My patience was rewarded this week in another part of the garden. I know I've raved and raved about columbines in the past, and it's true that I just can't say enough about how wonderful they are. They have dense, well-shaped foliage that hugs the ground, with tall stalks rising above in late spring, topped with the nodding, colorful flowers. They love the shade and they take no work at all. They re-seed with ease. In short: Columbines. Garden. Must!

Two weeks ago, my columbines put up stalks.

First came the buds...

...and then the buds grew and expanded as the flower prepared to unfurl.

This flower waits patiently for just the right conditions. It's nearly ready...

Then we had a few warm days and they popped! This particular variety is Aquilegia brevistyla.

The flowers are sometimes white, sometimes pink, and sometimes purple. Beautiful.

I never get tired of seeing these graceful beauties. I'm going to collect bags of seeds this summer, so that we can enjoy them at our next house.

From magnificent buds to mag-"nymph"-icent bugs...the mantis nymphs hatched this week! Every morning for the past 2 months, I've given the ootheca a quick once-over as I walked by. Every morning, it's been exactly the same. But Sunday, as we were dashing through the rain, late for church, I saw a change. The ootheca had a dangling trail of what looked like clumped-up sawdust - that's where the mantis nymphs burrowed out. I can't help but think that it looks like the confetti and streamers that droop from a party favor after it's popped...and the mantises were likely in a celebratory mood!

There seemed to be thousands of them. They clung to the lilac branches...

...and clambered from leaf to leaf. It looked like a busy miniature city.

They're quite small...less than an inch long...but already, they have that distinctive mantis profile (shudder).

Already, too, they're watching me with one eye as I circle around with my camera.

I think the rain inhibited their movements a bit. Many of them were perfectly still on top of leaves...

...or underneath them.

They remind me of teeny, tiny shrimp. Our temperatures have dipped into the 30s again, since the hatching, and I found several black, withered carcasses. However, several have survived and are continuing to monitor the yard from their lilac bush vantage point.

I convinced Todd to bring the empty ootheca inside and cut it open.

Inside, you can see the papery layers that held the developing nymphs. I can't imagine how they all smashed into this small space, after seeing the swarm that came from it!

These busy days have left little time for knitting, but there's always time to squeeze in some baking. A friend was having a rough week recently and I decided to make her a dessert. I couldn't leave Todd empty-handed, though, so I made two miniature desserts for us to have later!

I got this recipe from Smitten Kitchen, which I love. It was my first foray into brown butter!

Cherry Brown Butter Pie
From Smitten Kitchen
Makes 8 servings

Crust
7 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 cup + 1 tablespoon flour

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, diced
1 12 ounce can sweet cherries, drained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the crust, mix butter, sugar, and vanilla together, and then add the flour and the salt. Mix well. Transfer mixture to greased pie pan and press firmly until the dough is spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.

Place cherries evenly on browned crust.

Now comes the fun part! I had a lot of anxiety about making brown butter. I'd read about how great brown butter is...about how it has a rich, nutty quality that enhances the flavor of your dish. Everything from asparagus to chocolate chip cookies is now being made with it. Could I do it?

First, slice your butter into a skillet. It's best not to use a teflon-treated one, because it's hard to see your butter turn brown against a black surface. Melt and cook over medium high heat, whisking continually. First you'll see a lot of foaming, but in just a minute or two the foam will cook away and the milk solids in your butter will start to brown. As soon as you see brown flecks, remove from heat and continue to whisk. You'll smell the nutty aroma, and your butter should be the color of apple juice. This takes around 5 minutes.

Make your filling by whisking together the sugar, eggs, and salt. Add the flour and vanilla and combine. When your brown butter has cooled a bit, whisk it in to the mixture. Pour over your cherries.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, until golden brown.

This was amazing! I could taste the nutty brown butter in every bite. I'm resisting the urge to add brown butter to my mashed potatoes today...it's that good.

I hope you give it a try.

Have a great week!