because you deserve it all

When we entertain you must take into account how the food will taste, but don’t forget to present it beautifully.  Sometimes the right serving dish can dress up even the simplest of things.  A cheese platter can be stunning with the right serving plate or cheese board.  Whether it be appetizers or the main course, invest in serving platters and serving bowls.  Your guests will undoubtedly be impressed. 

Click below to shop for serving options.

This particular vinca is an annual flower that fills in a sunny area beautifully.  They can take full sun and a somewhat dry soil as long as they are watered frequently.  You should try growing vinca in a sunny area of your garden. 

I am thrilled to report that I only found 5 Japanese beetles on my roses last night.  This is a huge improvement over the rest of the nights this week.  This shows that a pan of water with dish soap can get rid of them without harming the environment.  They were so bad this year that I was not sure this method would still work.  Now I can spend my time pruning and dead-heading my flowers instead of worrying about the damage from japanese beetles. 

Visit Nursery Hills for some great online plants, shrubs, trees, and garden accessories.  They have a wide selection of plants that are shipped right to your home.  Check them out. 

I love to make cous cous as a side dish for a quick week night dinner.  You can either make it flavored with chicken or vegetable stock or cheat and use a mix.  Either way I always add a Bay Leaf to the liquid while I am bringing it to a boil.  Make sure you take out the bay leaf before you serve it though.  I also like to add some fresh parsley or basil right before I serve it for a little added flavor and freshness. 

You can add so many vegetables to make the cous cous healthier and tastier. 

• Zucchini and summer squash are great in it.  Slice them thinly and saute them in a pan with olive oil.  Make sure you season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
• Add chopped tomatoes. 
• Add cooked mushrooms, saute in a similar way as the zucchini.
• Add fresh or cooked red onions.  If you saute them first the flavor will be more mild.
• Add fresh chopped scallions at the end. 

KitchenAid 4.75-qt. Gourmet Distinctions Saute Pan KitchenAid’s Gourmet Distinctions line is packed with high quality durable cookware that is guaranteed to last you through time. The cookware base is made up of a layer of aluminum, then copper, followed by more aluminum and finally a layer of 18/10 stainless steel to deliver exceptional cooking performance with reduced hot sopts. Unique tapered shapes makes stirring and whisking easy, while the larger space at the top speeds reduction for rich, flavorful sauces. The riveted handles are made of polished 18/10 stainless steel and provide a confident grip and are oven safe to 500F. Those items with a tempered glass lid allows you to monitor foods while locking in flavors and nutrients for tender and moist cooking. All Gourmet Distinctions cookware is suitable for induction cooking. Please handwash with mild dish soap.

1. The best kind of tomatoes for sauce are a variety called San Marzano.  They work well for cooking because they hold up to heat and don’t become soft and mushy.  We pulse them in the food processor and then cook them down for a wonderful tomato sauce that we either freeze or put in jars.  You can also chop them and cook them for a more chunky sauce that takes little time to prepare, it is a great quick week night supper. 
2. Another trick is to use a sauce pot that is non-reactive.  We wouldn’t store our tomato sauce in a metal container because we know that it would impact the flavor of the sauce.  Therefore we shouldn’t cook our sauce in a pan that does the same thing.  Invest in a non-reactive pot. 
3. Use fresh herbs – about a half a cup of basil and a teaspoon of fresh thyme.
4. Add 1/2 cup of high quality Chianti and skip the sugar.  If you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t pour it in your sauce. 

Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus Food Processor, Brushed Stainless A seamless blend of style and function. The brushed stainless finish adds an upscale touch to all kitchens – from contemporary to classic. The large capacity, powerful blades and discs, and simple touchpad controls make the Cuisinart 11-cup Food Processor the ideal prep tool for any task. Making an entire meal from scratch has never been easier…and has never looked better. Features Include: 11-cup Lexan Work Bowl One-piece Cuisinart Supreme feed tube Touchpad dough control with PowerPrep metal dough blade Stainless Steel shredding disc Stainless Steel medium slicing disc (4mm) Chopping/mixing blade Detachable disc stem Spatula Recipe/Instruction book How-to-DVD All removable parts are dishwasher-safe Limited 10-year motor warranty Limited 3-year warranty”

I have seen little hummingbirds on my butterfly bush for the past two evenings. Tonight there were two of them out there. They are almost as interested in me as I am in them. One flew about a foot and a half from my face and actually stayed still for a few seconds. I snapped a few pictures but they move quickly so it was hard to get a clear shot.