Looking to make a quick batch of cup cakes loaded with good for you blueberries? This recipe makes the most light and fluffy blueberry cup cakes ever! I picked up this recipe from my friend Nishma who asked me to stop by for a quick cup of tea and a light breakfast after my morning gym workout one day. These delicious blueberry muffins were on her menu. Light and fluffy and sweetened to perfection, these muffins tasted so good with a cup of tea in the morning, that I must admit I did feel a little guilty having it after my workout. But Nishma informed me that it was light on the sugar and made with almond flour. Somehow hearing this made me enjoy the muffin even more. Continue reading Light and Fluffy Blueberry Muffins
Category Archives: Flower Power
Friday Flowers
Happy Friday!
My twins started school this week, which means my schedule has freed up and is more predictable now. The twins are seniors this year, I can’t believe it! One more year and then they are off to college. But I’m not going to delve on that right now as it does make me a little sad, but rather I’d like to share with you some happy pictures of a recent nursery trip I made to my favorite nursery Half Moon Bay Nursery in Half Moon Bay, California. Continue reading Friday Flowers
Akbar Mashti Ice Cream. Rose Saffron Pistachio Ice cream
Akbar Mashti ice cream is an extremely popular Persian ice cream flavor that I had for the first time last summer when we were on holiday in Vancouver, Canada. At popular local gelato parlor Bella Gelateria is where I had this delectable ice cream and absolutely loved it. Flavored with saffron, rose water and pistachios, seriously folks, this ice cream is creamy delicious! Continue reading Akbar Mashti Ice Cream. Rose Saffron Pistachio Ice cream
The Gardens of the Alhambra. Granada, Spain
The Alhambra Castle and Fortress in Granada has to be one of the most visited places in Spain with five to eight thousand visitors a day from all over the world. This giant castle and fortress compound spans over 35 acres and is covered in the most stunning gardens I have ever seen. This spectacular Palace, Fortress and Gardens takes over five hours to explore but truly the most amazing aspect of this visit are the gardens of the Alhambra. The flowers, the fountains, the reflecting pools, the kitchen gardens, the orchards, each and every part of the landscape at this thousand year old complex is awe-inspiring. It is now one of Spain’s major tourist attractions, and showcases the country’s most significant and well-known Islamic architecture, combined with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden designs. I was so in awe of the gardens here that most of my photos are of the palace gardens and a few pictures of the palace itself. Here is a look at the gardens of the Alhambra. Continue reading The Gardens of the Alhambra. Granada, Spain
June in the Garden
June has been a crazy roller coaster of weather for us here in the Bay Area. We had temperatures in the 90s and 100s and I think we even broke a few records with temps up to 105! Then the temperatures went back down to our pleasant 70s and 80s. Basically we were all over the place weather wise in June. Despite these fluctuations in temps the garden faired really well. Continue reading June in the Garden
Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries
Lemon tart. How hard is it to make this delicious dessert? Getting the egg yolks to cook with the cream without curdling, then add the lemon juice and hope that it all sets into a beautiful custard. It’s a lot of work and tricky to get it just right. That’s why when one of my twins wanted to make a lemon tart – all I could think of is how hard it is to make. But when Rani informed me that this recipe actually doesn’t require eggs, and for that matter you don’t even bake the tart, but instead you just make the lemon cream and cool it in the refrigerator, it really got me interested. Continue reading Lemon Tart with Fresh Berries
April and May in the Garden
Happy Saturday!
We are having glorious weather this week with warm sunny daytime temperatures in the 70s and morning temperatures in the cool 50s! Just perfect for our gardens to thrive. However it hasn’t been so predictably pleasant around here this spring. Back in April we had a strange heat wave with temperatures in the 90s! The garden didn’t know what was going on especially my roses, which had beautiful buds ready to open slowly and elegantly, but instead they all just burst into bloom almost overnight. Then a week later we had May showers, lots of it. What this meant for the roses is that the blooms got thrashed and soaked. Between the heat and the rain I had a very short spring rose season this year. Though the roses didn’t fair so well, other plants in the garden thrived and put on a spectacular bloom show. Here is a look at how my garden faired in April and May of this year. Continue reading April and May in the Garden
A Peek Inside the Garden Gate. A Mother’s Day Patio Mini Makeover
Last weekend I worked on a great project, it was a mini garden makeover as a Mother’s Day present for my dear friend Rose. I thought I would share a few pictures from this garden project and give you a peek inside the garden gate of Rose’s kitchen patio makeover. Continue reading A Peek Inside the Garden Gate. A Mother’s Day Patio Mini Makeover
Rose Drop Cocktail
A cocktail with the dreamy fragrance and color of roses? All made with roses from the garden? This is one gorgeous cocktail that looks as beautiful as it tastes. I found this rose infused cocktail recipe in one of last year’s Sunset Magazine’s western edition but couldn’t make the cocktail then as by the time I read the recipe my roses were winding down for the season, however I did save it to make this year when my roses are in full bloom again. Continue reading Rose Drop Cocktail
Pistachio Cake with Rose Petal Confetti
It’s rose season in our area, all I see are roses, roses everywhere in full bloom. Besides making rose bouquets I am also looking for creative ways to use rose petals in edibles. I especially favor my fragrant pink David Austin roses for cakes and ice creams. A pistachio cake maybe? I figured a beautiful backdrop of pale green would look lovely for these rose petals. And so began my hunt for a really good pistachio cake recipe; an all-natural kind, the type of recipe that uses actual pistachios as one of the cake ingredients. Continue reading Pistachio Cake with Rose Petal Confetti
