Hummingbird instagram by Phil.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Gratin

Green Beans with Tart Cherry Balsamic Glaze

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese and Sour Cream

We had kitchen cabinets installed at the new house today, but there wasn’t much I could do except stand around and get in the way of the installers.  Instead, I grabbed my camera and wandered around the backyard.  It was raining, but just barely. Continue reading →

Here’s a favorite scone recipe that I’m pulling forward from the first year of my blog.  This one features dried apricots in place of the more traditional currants.  The slightly tart bursts of apricot are a wonderful addition to the rich, tender cream scone.  I hope you enjoy this blast from the past, which was originally published on December 13, 2006. Continue reading →

I woke up this morning thinking about making pumpkin pie bars.  I’ve never made anything quite like this before, but Phil has been asking for pumpkin pie for a month now and I’m one of those people who only bakes pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  To me it just seems wrong to eat it any other day of the year.  But these are slightly different than pumpkin pie and they satisfied his craving without me having to break tradition.  Continue reading →

Once again I was at the new house today – working a little and supervising a lot.  I needed to meet the window guy fairly early and was running late so I put my oatmeal into a plastic container, grabbed my travel mug of coffee, and ran out the door.  While the windows were being measured, I sat on the patio under the pineapple guava trees and ate my oatmeal.  I noticed that the meyer lemons are really ripening fast and took this photo to share on instagram.  The tree is right outside the master bedroom window and it’s my favorite thing in the yard at the moment. Continue reading →

Here’s some information about Feijoas, also known as Pineapple Guavas or Guavasteens.