Look Who's Back !

out here in california this is one of the FIRST SIGNS OF FALL.... when these spiders start to come out...they are all over my garden right now.... my friend julie calls them PUMPKIN SEED spiders...and i can see why.... click to see him close up...it's worth a look...i just love him....

all of my sweet peas have gone to seed now...

that's the amish broom corn that i planted this year...i have never planted if before and it was really easy to grow... it is as tall as the roof of the cottage next door...i am planning on tying this to my lampost real soon....

i picked this up at my local Farm Supply the other day and have it hanging here by my kitchen door...if you LOVE flowers..click for a close-up. these flowers are so pretty...

this hangs by my kitchen door too...it was a gift from my dear friend joyce of http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com/ along with a BIG BOX of all things Fall !!! thanks joyce !!!

there is little teddy...he just loves laying on the gravel paths...those rocks are so nice and warm...

the morning glory on the fence by my kitchen window...

i love that blue flower...

the little chair in the garden where i sit with teddy... the vines growing up the fence are my zinfandel grapes..we just let them run wild this year...the grapes are ready to be picked..we picked them last night...

we got this fountain in June and have enjoyed it all summer...and the mockingbirds LOVE IT !!! they visit every day...

what's going on in here ? are you calling me, mom? you see...right under the fence is a duck next door named pete...and teddy and pete have become BEST FRIENDS this summer...

and i just can't help myself...i have been hitting michaels daily...and i got ANOTHER scarecrow...it's kind of embarrassing pushing these around in a cart in the parking lot in 90 degree heat in mid august...i go as fast as i can...get him in the trunk...slam it shut and head for home. and he just makes me HAPPY !!!!

It's Time

i can't wait any longer...i have to put out my SQUIRREL and OWL hooked rug...don't ya think ?
( click for a closer look )

Hey...Any Ideas Out There In The Blogiverse ?

i went to our Sunday Farmers Market today on the off chance there MIGHT be a pumpkin...no luck just yet...but i asked the farmer and he said 2 weeks...then i glanced around the table and what do i see ? these baby artichokes. these are REALLY small...like the size of a shallot.... i couldn't pass them up even though i have NO IDEA what i am going to do with them....besides frying them like eggplant in breadcrumbs or putting them is pasta...i am not sure what to do with them...hey you guys out there....what can i do with them ? all ideas are WELCOME...

i have also noticed alot of you are making pickles...refridgerator pickles..pickles in a pickle pot...canning pickles...so i got some cucumbers...got to give it a try...what would the middle of august be without some pickling and preserving going on in the kitchen ?

the days are really getting shorter...i have noticed i have to turn on my lights in the kitchen now when i am making supper....so i got out my Halloween Haunted House Nightlight... click for a close-up of him !

o.k. here is the REALLY BIG TREASURE of the day...joyce at http://octoberfarm.blogspot.com/ told me about this...she said get over to Michaels a.s.a.p. !!!! they have a really cute Halloween light... i got in the car with my pajamas still on and headed over...only 3 left. i got there just in the nick of time.... i can't wait till it gets dark tonight !

my kitchen window this afternoon...with red warren pears...an old variety local to our area...that were at the farmers market today...

Apple Pie

this is my scarecrow in my dried out corn patch... all my corn and sunflowers are about gone...but i can't let them go...i love to hear them rustling in the late afternoon wind...i have had the scarecrow for years and just can't bear to part with him even though he is looking kind of worn out...

we took a ride out to an old FARMSTAND with Teddy yesterday...

our apples are already starting to come in...

so i knew i had to make an APPLE PIE....

i made a quick crust...

i love my old pasrty wheel...

if i have time i always like making a lattice crust for the top...

weave it together...

and bake...tonight is the first PRESEASON football game..we're all set over here at FARMHOUSE KITCHEN.... are you ?

I Love You To Pieces...Literally

i went to get out my SILVER PALATE Cookbooks last night... they are literally in pieces...the cover is worn right off on this one...

that is just the cover itself...

it is so WELL LOVED it is in pieces... just broken apart...

this one is pretty broken up too...when these SILVER PALATE cookbooks first came out..i fell head over heels IN LUV !!!

i was looking for something to make with my basil and tomatoes and fresh mozarella...

this one is in pieces too...

the pages are completely loose and tattered...

most of the pages have just worn right off...

i made the SUMMER PASTA with just pasta, tomatoes, fresh mozarella, basil and olive oil...
simple and summery...

and you KNOW why i bought this yesterday at the market...well...who could pass up THAT BOX !!!!

Pizza Night And There's A Bat In My Kitchen !

pizza is my FAVORITE FOOD...and i have been making it for 30 years here in my kitchen..it all started as a tradition for Monday Night Football... plus we always have it EVERY Halloween Night... this one is olive and canadian bacon...

i have made it so many times i think i could make it in my sleep...

sometimes i wonder is this my one millionth bowl of dough and i don't even know it....

on a warm day i walk into my kitchen and can smell that yeasty dough rising...

i know those pans look scary...i have gotten some strange looks when i whip them out...they are REALLY old..but they make the crispy kind of crust that we like...i either sprinkle them with cornmeal or line them with parchment...i go back and forth as to which method i like best...

i use a mixture of cheese...mozzarella, gruyere, provolone...this and that...whatever is around...

there is my breakfast for this morning..nothing could be better...

i couldn't help myself..i had to hang this little guy up the other night... whiskey and dande love it !

Lemon Curd Recipe, Flowers and Best Friends

source: the english kitchen
some of you have asked for the lemon curd recipe so i will add it below.

Lemon Curd

adapted from martha stewart

makes 1 1/2 cups

4 large egg yolks

2 large whole eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pieces

grated zest of 2 lemons

1. whisk together the egg yolks and the whole eggs in a medium bowl. combine with the sugar and the lemon juice in a small heavy-bottom saucepan. cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. remove the pan from the heat, and stir to cool slightly. if the mixture is at all lumpy strain it through a fine sieve into a medium bowl, and add the butter, a piece at a time, stirring until smooth. stir in the zest. cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. let cool completely before using. curd may be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

i fill prebaked tart shells with the curd and top with fresh blueberries. can be sprinkled with powdered sugar if desired.

the bouquet on my wood burning stove this august day. click for a closer look...

and 2 BEST FRIENDS getting some morning sun together...teddy and whiskey...my sweet loves... dande was watching the whole thing from the drainboard ! click for a closer look here too...whiskey was having a bad hair day and teddy just got in from playing in the sprinkler....
teddy sure is having FUN in that sprinkler this summer...