~rose geranium butter cake~ This recipe was inspired by my friend Bonnie’s chocolate rose geranium cake. We use to make them at the tearoom and I remember a day when we were hosting a special tea and every available surface was covered with them! We still laugh about that. I walked into the kitchen and…
The roses are in full bloom at our house, and they are so gorgeous this year. The rose wall is sixteen feet and continuing to climb up the pine tree like mad! The front arbor is as tall and full as I’ve ever seen it. Neighbors pass by when I’m our watering the hanging baskets…
~toasted feta with thyme & clover honey~ This is unbelievably good and very easy to make. A perfect appetizer to serve with baguette and your favorite white wine. 8 oz. chunk of feta, blotted 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 Tablespoons clover honey fresh thyme sprigs sea salt and fresh ground pepper Preheat oven…
~twisted herb bread~ This bread recipe produces a large loaf of fluffy white bread with a fine crumb. If you prefer a chewier, crustier bread just substitute your favorite recipe for the ingredients listed here. The main attraction of this bread is the different herbs added to each rope of the braid. I used fresh…
photographs by Melissa Placzek “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a movable feast.”~Ernest Hemingway ~Paris Garden Sandwich~ This is a gorgeous sandwich inspired by a Paris garden. I made these…
~scented geranium lemonade~ When I worked at the Tale of Two Sisters Tearoom I was introduced to a beautiful herb called Rose Geranium. Bonnie used this herb in her cakes and as a garnish for sandwich trays. SO pretty. Just recently I had a yen to recreate her chocolate rose geranium cake and ordered rose…
~sel de rose caramels~ Well, it’s not quite time for the roses to bloom yet and I am a tiny bit impatient to make my rose miel (honey) for scones. In the mean time, I decided to cook up a little something with this beautiful rose salt, sel de rose, that my friend Jana gave…
~honey lavender chicken provence~ “Throughout the hillsides of Provence, especially in the departement called called the Drome, lavender grows in purple swatches, popping into vision between green valleys to emulate a patchwork quilt. Mostly used in beauty products and cleaning aids–washing the floor with lavender water keeps the scorpions away–it also appears as a seasoning.…
“The mere chink of cups and saucers tunes the mind to happy repose. ” ~George Gissing, The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft ~Tearoom Rose Geranium Cake~ My friend Bonnie grows rose geraniums in her kitchen garden and made this cake when she was running the Tale of Two Sister’s Tearoom here in Red Wing Minnesota.…
“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…