Author: Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons

In My Garden – June 2023
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In My Garden – June 2023

The big news in the garden is that the deck is finished. We moved the furniture and a few select plants back this past weekend and had our first dinner party on Sunday evening. It was the first time for guests in over three months, they started construction immediately after we returned from New Zealand.

Deck to the front door

Deck to the front door

The new deck wraps around three sides of the house.

Deck facing the meadow

Deck facing the meadow

There is a connecting walkway to the large deck in the back, off the kitchen.

Connecting walkway to the back deck

Connecting the walkway to the back deck with Quinn

There is a gap next to the house where I have planted a hydrangea and a couple of ferns. They should quickly fill in and discourage anyone from falling in.

New plantings - hydrangea and ferns

New plantings – hydrangea and ferns

The new deck in the back is both wider and longer than the old one. We eventually plan to put a hot tub in the back.

Back deck off the kitchen

Back deck off the kitchen

The contractor thoughtfully built a small table next to the grill, and a power plug under the deck for the Traeger grill when we use it for smoking.

All this has dramatically increased our living space.

Ready for entertaining

Ready for entertaining – Shanna and Quinn

Both dogs love company, especially when they bring along their own dog.

So, what else is new in the garden? My handy husband has been raising the vegetable beds off the ground. If you are a regular reader you know about my battles with the roots of our surrounding redwood trees. They are very invasive and come in through the bottom of the beds, through two layers of extra strong weed cloth. I have had to dig out the beds a couple of times a year to remove the roots. Plus the roots acidify the soil. Most vegetables prefer soil that is a bit more alkaline or neutral.

It takes a couple of days to dig out the beds and raise them off the soil. So far we have three completed ones.

New raised-raised beds

New raised-raised beds

I have long wanted to put in asparagus, but that wouldn’t work if the bed had to be dug out. I had this problem with artichokes and it didn’t work very well. The closest bed now has asparagus. I checked this morning and it is starting to come up. Unfortunately, I will have to wait a year or so before we can harvest any for eating.

First asparagus

First asparagus

The next bed has zucchini, a summer favorite. I planted several colors and types.

Zucchini

Zucchini

The last bed, closest to the house, has mixed lettuces, arugula, and some bronze kale.

Lettuce and arugula

Kale, lettuce, and arugula

There are still six beds to complete. The next one built will get more lettuce or green beans.

What about the rest of the garden? Well, it’s spring and the flowers are blooming like crazy.

There is still a lot of work to do over the next few months. A Meyer lemon tree lived in a half-wine barrel for several years on the back deck. It’s time to plant it in the ground and it is looking very sad right now. I dug part of the hole last weekend and hope to get it into the ground this one. Fingers crossed that some good dirt, fertilizer, and room to spread its roots will save it. I miss fresh lemons from the garden.

Meyer lemon

Meyer lemon

The strawberries at its base are thriving although the dogs and birds get most of them.

Thank you so much for visiting and taking a walk around the garden.

 

May 2023 – Goodnight Sweet Casey
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May 2023 – Goodnight Sweet Casey

Casey

Casey – toss the ball again Mom

Our beloved Casey passed away last week, she was almost 14. The above is one of my favorite pictures of her, she loved the beach and was so joyous there.

I can’t write too much because I will start sobbing. She was the best dog ever…smart, patient, loving, and calm. She was a couch potato of an Aussie in many ways. When my husband and I were still working, we took the dogs to a doggie-day-care business in Oakland. They would say that if the dogs were human, Casey would be the captain of the chess team and Quinn (her sister from a later litter) would be captain of the volleyball team. It was a good description of their personalities.

Casey and teenage Quinn
Quinn and Casey
Quinn and Casey, waiting on the stairs for us to pack the car to visit our home in Fort Bragg
Casey and her ‘blankee’, Quinn
Casey and Quinn
Casey and Quinn

 

Here are a few of my favorite photos from past years.

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They would both wait patiently at the door until we came home.

She adored belly rubs.

There have been many visiting doggie friends over the years, she got along with them all.

Quinn, Heather, Casey and Oreo
Milo, Cassey, Casey, Quinn, Nellie
Casey, Quinn and Olllie…ready for a walk

 

She was joined at the hip by her sister, Quinn.

She loved playing ball at Seaside Beach.

Her coat was so thick and heavy that we had her clipped in the warmer weather. She immediately looks half her size.

And then there were three…Shanna joined the pack.

Casey, Quinn and Shanna

Casey, Quinn, and Shanna
What have you done Mom?

Puppy Shanna adored Casey but certainly tried her patience.

Quinn is not alone. Shanna joins her on the porch to watch for squirrels and the UPS delivery van.

Quinn and Shanna

Quinn and Shanna

We buried Casey among the trees so that she could become part of the surrounding forest. She loved the freedom of Fort Bragg, being outside with me while I gardened.

Quinn resting on Casey's gravesite

Quinn resting on Casey’s gravesite

 

paper collage

paper collage – Casey

In My Garden – Mid May 2023
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In My Garden – Mid May 2023

Our 14-year-old Australian Shepherd, Casey, is not doing well. We suspect she has cancer, and it has settled in her lungs. She wakes at dawn, coughing. We think there must be fluid accumulation overnight. Once she moves around a little and empties her bladder she quietens and can go back to sleep. I get up and stroke her, sit with her outside a bit while she wanders around, and have my first cup of tea.

Once I am up, however, I can’t go back to sleep. I like the early morning. Mornings are quiet as far as people noise. But very noisy in other ways. The ocean is roaring this morning. The tide must be high with larger than usual waves. We are at least half a mile away but can hear the surf most days.

I also hear the morning chorus of the birds. Do you know the Merlin App? It can identify birds by their song. I let it run this morning while I sipped my tea, and it identified the following birds:

  • Swainson’s Thrush
  • Chestnut-backed Chickadee
  • Violet-green Swallow – they are also called tree swallows and have nested in at least one of our birdhouses
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Spotted Towhee
  • Wilson’s Warbler
  • Anna’s Hummingbird
  • Common Raven
  • Stellar’s Jay
  • Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Pacific-slope Flycatcher
  • and a Great Blue Heron (it must have been flying overhead)

That is quite a list and they make quite the orchestral sound.

The platform of the back deck (the one off the kitchen) is completed. We were able to set up two chairs and enjoy a glass of wine on Friday night. It’s also where I sat with my tea this morning to record the birds.

Back Deck Platform

Back Deck Platform

Yesterday I dug out two large plants (one was a huge grass) from one of the flower beds. They weren’t that attractive and were shading other plants. I’ve put in a few dahlias and other plants that weren’t doing well in their current locations. This is a sunny bed. My early morning excursion brought attention to a lone banana slug making its way towards the dahlias (they love dahlias) and I was able to intercede before any damage was done. 

I haven’t quite decided what I will put in the middle. I have a few more dahlias in pots that are just starting to emerge, I think they are fairly large and could go in the middle. Sunflowers??? I want a focal plant, something red or yellow or blue. Suggestions of things that work well with dahlias? Something tolerant of low water, redwood roots, acidic soil, and sandy loam soil.

The same bed, just around the corner, is rampant with Geum Tangerine Dream and Columbines. The Geums do very well and can tolerate crowding by other plants.

 

More pictures of that same garden island bed…

A lot is going on in this section of the bed…ravens wing, cuphea, geum, grasses, lavender, Verbascum, and more.

The one completed raised – raised-bed has lettuce and radishes. With our recent sun and warmer weather, they are doing well. We hope to complete one more today, I have asparagus starts I want to put in.

Spring is finally here.

The sweet peas are going to be in bloom any day.

That’s my mid-month report.

I will keep you all informed about Casey.

Casey

I hate to think about having to put her down. She’s been ‘the one’ for me. You know what I mean if you are a dog owner. There will be one special one. Casey came to us as a puppy just a week after Chris left for college on the East Coast. They have teasingly called her my ‘child-replacement-dog’. I’m her person and she is my dog.

 

May – Balsamic Skirt Steak and Chili Cherry Tomatoes
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May – Balsamic Skirt Steak and Chili Cherry Tomatoes

A butcher here on the coast told me recently that skirt steak was only of interest in the summer when folks used their BBQs, so they didn’t stock it right now. I mean really…we don’t live in the middle of Montana where temperatures are in the negative double digits in the winter! Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? Unless it’s pouring rain outside, BBQ weather on the California coast is 12 months of the year.

Consequently, the skirt steak didn’t come from our local market here on the coast. I purchased a couple from my favorite butcher in Oakland and froze them on my return to Fort Bragg.

Now tomatoes are a different matter. Nothing compares with summer sun-ripened tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes have to stand in during the cooler months and they could use some doctoring. I would serve this tomato salad with any grilled or roasted meat. In the summer it would be fun to use cherry tomatoes of different colors.

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

Skirt steak cooks very quickly, it took longer to heat the BBQ grill. It also has different thicknesses, so everyone can have their favorite degree of doneness. Make the cherry tomato salad ahead, it will only improve from sitting at room temperature for a few hours. You can add the arugula (or basil if you are lucky enough to have it) at the last minute.

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • For the marinade –
    • 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
    • 1/4 cup of olive oil
    • 2 cloves of garlic, grated
    • 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, such as a combination of rosemary, basil, and sage – finely chopped
  • For the steak –
    • 3 pounds of a skirt or hanger steak
    • 1 basket of cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 since one person is sensitive to heat)
    • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
    • 1 garlic clove grated
    • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
    • 1 bunch of basil or arugula

Method:

  1. Whisk the marinade ingredients in a 1-gallon plastic bag or a bowl.
  2. Cut the steak into manageable pieces.
  3. Season the steak with salt and pepper and pour the marinade over it. Marinate overnight.
  4. Make the tomato salad by tossing the tomatoes with the salt and the chili pepper. Stir in the vinegar, garlic, and olive oil. Set aside until the steak is grilled.
  5. Grill the steak over high heat for a few minutes on each side, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Toss the tomatoes with the basil or arugula.
  7. Cut the steak into manageable pieces, and scatter the tomato salad on top.
Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak with Spicy Cherry Tomato Salad

Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak with Spicy Cherry Tomato Salad

 

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

Balsamic Skirt Steak with Chili Cherry Tomatoes

This recipe came from Malibu Farm Cookbook, Recipes from the California Coast by Helene Henderson.

Malibu Farm Cookbook

Malibu Farm Cookbook

In My Kitchen – May 2023
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In My Kitchen – May 2023

After a month out of my kitchen, I seem to be making up for lost time. And I have missed all of you.

So, what’s been cooking in my kitchen? Here are a few highlights from the month.

 

Thai influenced chopped cabbage and kale salad

Thai-influenced chopped cabbage and kale salad with Korean BBQ chicken (air-fryer)

 

 

 

This recipe for skirt steak and the cherry tomato salad came from a cookbook I received at Christmas from our daughter. She knows what I like and this one is filled with beautiful pictures and recipes for entertaining on the California coast. I will be posting this simple recipe, perfect for summer. It would be even more delicious with mixed color summer tomatoes. It was an appropriate dinner for our daughter’s visit this week, skirt steak is her favorite.

Malibu Farm Cookbook

Malibu Farm Cookbook

 

Grilled Spring Asparagus

Grilled Spring Asparagus

Because of the work on our decks, the BBQ grill has been rolled to the edge of the vegetable garden. But we still managed to set it up for our first grilled dinner of the season. Simply grilled fresh asparagus is my idea of spring. It only needs a slick of olive oil and salt, yum.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know of my passion for cookbooks. Our bookcases are stuffed to overflowing and you will find cookbooks piled on most surfaces. I read them like others would read memoirs. They are, after all, stories of a particular person’s relationship with food and eating. How do they approach textures, flavors, and scents? If there are pictures, what is their approach visually? How do they relate to their unique geographical place on the earth, to the environment, and sustainability? It’s all there between the lines. Sometimes it’s even right out there in front. The most fun is when there are personal elements. Some cookbooks, I’m thinking of M.F.K. Fisher, are essays with recipes. A more modern writer who does the same would be Ella Risbridger.

So, while I am on the subject of cookbooks…what are the new ones on my shelves (actually piled beside the bed)?

The Chicken Bible

The Chicken Bible

This one is from the folks at America’s Test Kitchen. We eat a LOT of chicken, I didn’t think there could be any new ways to fix it. I would be wrong about that. This is a true compendium of chicken recipes cooked in every way imaginable, including the slow cooker and air fryer. I do not have the best relationship with slow cookers, although I love the concept. For me, they are okay for soups, but not so much for other things. So, I tried one of the book’s slow cooker recipes which sounded very flavorful from the ingredients. I just have to say that I won’t be posting it and it did nothing to change my opinion of the slow cooker. However, I will be posting others that are more successful, so stay tuned…too many recipes and too little time.

Chi Spacca Cookbook by Nancy Silverton

Chi Spacca Cookbook by Nancy Silverton

I am an avid follower of Nancy Silverton and this is her newest. This is not a cookbook for novices. The recipes have many steps and are fairly complicated. I’m waiting for a day when I have nothing on the agenda (read no weeding), so it might have to be the first rainy day of fall. The book is also very meat-centric, certainly not one for vegetarians. You will have to make friends with your butcher.

Donna Hay the new classics

Donna Hay the new classics

Although the recipes in this book are simple, they are classics after all, the presentations are beautiful. I’m not one for drops of various sauces around the edge of the plate, I think that’s pretentious. But this is how my mother would present her food (she was cordon bleu trained and taught cooking classes for years). It’s also not one for beginners as there isn’t an excess of explanations, but they are not overly complicated either.

Six California Kitchens

Six California Kitchens

My friend, Sharon, recommended this one, knowing I would enjoy it. The line on the cover that included ‘stories’ got me into the bookstore to purchase it. The book follows Sally Kelsoe through six of her kitchens. Included are her mother’s, The Vintage Cafe in Yountville, The Chutney Kitchen in Yountville, The French Laundry also in Yountville, The Apple Farm in Philo, and finally The Elk Cottage in Elk where she retired.

New in my kitchen is this electric kettle. I think this is number 5 in the lineup. If you have not had experience with one, you are in for a wonderful surprise. They heat water very quickly. This kettle is number 5 because they are in constant use for tea or coffee in our household, therefore they poop out eventually. The manufacturer is a new one for us.

While we were in New Zealand I judged the comfort of our hotels by only a few criteria…clean, comfortable beds, electric towel warmer, and electric kettle. With one exception (no towel warmer), they all passed. The electric kettle allowed me to make a cup of tea while I was dressing and packing up for the day. The kettle is the first thing I reach for at home after I let the dogs out. It’s amazing to me that electric towel warmers haven’t caught on in the U.S. while they are fairly common in many parts of the world.

Mueller Electric Kettle

Mueller Electric Kettle

Several years ago, when I purchased an electric kettle number 4 and posted it on IMK, this brand was recommended in a comment. Your comments are remembered and important. So please pipe up and write in. I love comments, read them, and respond. I love being connected to my readers.

This month’s curve ball came off a coaster in a shop in New Zealand.

This post is part of the monthly blogging collection detailing what’s new in kitchens around the world. Come over to Sherry’s Pickings to read the blogs.