The first time we had these we were staying with Jeff’s brother Mike and Mike’s wife Robin for a couple’s weekend. We were all newlyweds! Such great memories. Robin made these little lemon blueberry biscuits for part of our breakfast and ever since, I haven’t been able to go more than a few months without…
What a gorgeous day! We colored eggs… had a wonderful dinner with the princesses… went for a walk in the sun and saw all sorts of things budding and blooming barn bluff finally free of snow and a windmill that made the coolest sound as we passed by… Happy Easter! ~Melissa
~Seeing~ My friend Sara’s gorgeous recipe for Noah’s Soup from her beautiful book, In and Out of the Garden ~Hearing~ Royal Wood… Do You Recall Juliet ~Tasting~ Robin’s Lemon Blueberry Biscuits ~Feeling~ Sentimental about THIS PLACE ~Smelling~ lemons and garlic ~Knowing~ This is going to be a beautiful day. ~Melissa
Yesterday Jeff had a short business meeting in the cities and asked if Gracie and I would like to hang out somewhere while he was working. I had been wanting to visit the Avalon Tearoom & Pastry Shoppe (formerly the Buckingham Bee Tearoom where I worked while we lived in White Bear.) It had been…
photograph by Jeffrey Placzek This is rich, moist, molassasy cake with a spicy kick. ~Plum Street Gingerbread~ for the cake: 3/4 cup dark molasses 1 cup packed, dark brown sugar 1 stick butter 1/2 cup gingerale 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger root 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspon baking soda 1 teaspoon…
I discovered these books while perusing the shelves of a local book store. I’ve been an enthusiastic bread baker for a few years and thought the idea of making a huge batch of bread that you keep in your refrigerator so you can have fresh bread “on demand” seemed too good to be true. And…
“God gave all men all earth to love but since our hearts are small, Ordained for each one spot should prove beloved over all.” ~Rudyard Kipling This past weekend it was so gorgeous I decided to plant my herb garden… and yesterday I had to bring it back into the house. I’m glad I did…
photograph by Melissa Placzek I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off. I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul. I love you as the plant that never blooms but carries…
:: Tea of the Week :: Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong Oolong tea leaves are semi-oxidized and are mainly cultivated in China and Taiwan. They are first exposed to warm air which causes them to wilt and then tossed in big bamboo baskets so the edges become bruised. The end result is this unique, richly…
This week for date night we lit some candles… and cooked together. One of my favorite ways to spend date night! Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn provided great background music. Jeff made his crawfish bisque. mmmmmm! It’s the best soup I have ever tasted! recipe coming soon… While he was busy perfecting this… I made…