Summer Recap Part 1 - Churning Butter

Summer will end as all summers do. Too soon.  Before it is gone in the haste of living, take time to remember what made this one special for you. 

Breville  Sous Chef TM food processor 

Am I the only girl who uses her husband as an excuse to shop? 

Summer began with a  morning date demonstration on grilling at Sur la Table. 
Nothing dangerous. Except we packed credit cards. 

Background. My husband's first love was butter. It was his first instruction to me as a new bride- ONLY real butter is served in our home. 

A surprise addition to the lesson plan at the demonstration was how to make our own butter at home. All you need is cream- and this 1200 watt wonder-machine.

I would never have brought back this handsome Australian machine  if I hadn't had my husband to blame the extravagance on. The chef showed my love how the powerful Breville  Sous Chef TM food processor  can pulsate cream into silky butter in 2 1/2 minutes. 

You can hear it when the butter is ready to scoop from the machine. It makes this little thunk-ity thunk noise. As the solids magically spin lightly yellow-  the most luscious buttermilk separates from it. 

Now his wife not only writes delicious copy;  she churns world class butter.  

Tip:  If you have a Smart and Final  store nearby- while any heavy cream will do - they carry Alta Dena Manufacturing Cream- which is worth seeking out. 

As is a good gym membership. Any day I'm not lifting plants in the garden, I am on the treadmill or lifting weights at Fitness Advantage in Diamond Bar. 




Top image from Sur la Table website.

Under the same Moon ~ Nature ~ Travel

A life well-lived requires looking up.
~Me

Moon as seen from Alta Loma California. Image by Gene Sasse

Let me count the states: Arizona, Colorado,  Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Add in my home state of California- eight states in eight months- that is more travel than the last eight years combined. 

What all the people in all our states have in common is captured in this evocative photo by Gene Sasse. We all sleep and dream under the same moon.

What all the trips on my writer's journey have in common is the elemental pull to seek out the beauty of God's creation. Let nature fill me up before I am drained. 

Even in the big city of Portland, Oregon, coaching a young couple as they planned their first garden of their own, they knew what a favor it would be to take me a short ride out of the city, to Multnomah Falls for beauty and brunch.

Life is by definition, full of conflict. God doesn't make mistakes. Yet, from time to time, we all feel that events are uncontrollably falling as fast as water over the falls. It is human to wonder if He truly made us in His image considering the trouble we land in ):-

 The answer to the quandary is in the water soaked log lying at the edge of the pool where the water thundered boulders into pebbles. There is great beauty in letting go, in trusting Him.

Thus, the  grandeur of nature put this week's technical difficulties caused by system incompatibilities  in to the perspective they belong, which is pretty puny. It is true, what is written in Ecclesiastics

There is a time for everything.

 A time to feast. 

A time to shop. Or at least to look.  Note to self-  Sell 2 more stories and these beautiful glass salmon in the gift shop could migrate home to Diamond Bar...

 And lastly, for all our different climates, religions and politics, it is nice to know that we , the people of the United States, can be united in laughter. 

   

How to Throw a Baby Shower ~ The French Estate ~ Morris Girl's Style ~ Part III

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide to forever have your heart go walking around outside your body. 

~Elizabeth Stone 

Refreshments 

Arriving guests were encouraged to help ourselves to trays  laden with cheeses, crackers and sweetest grapes.  Thirst could be quenched by  a full assortment of beverages- champagne, white wine and juice chilled n an ice bucket of a side room. Coffee, tea and ice water rounded out the offerings. 

The luncheon line was served by table by Mary, one of the waitstaff. 

Our Luncheon  Menu

French Estate House Pasta

A hearty pasta tossed in a blush vodka sauce enriched with grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. The finishing touch- a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts under a light snowfall of Parmesan cheese

A Premium Side Salad 

Artisan Breads on which to slather butter

Chocolate Cake 

The French Estate  is prepared to serve any guests with Celiac disease.  The gluten intolerant guests where cheerfully offered large bowls of fresh fruit in lieu of dishes made with wheat. 

Let The Games Begin

Ladies, I am not alone in my fear of making a fool of myself during shower games, am I? These games were fun and without any embarrassment attached. 

 "Wotcha talkin' about Momma" game is an invention of Shannon's sister, Kelly Morris. It's a family joke that memorizing proverbial phrases isn't my daughter-in-laws strongest asset. 

The game consists of phrases started- then we fill in the correct answer. Or whatever comes to mind. There were some answers more giddy than correct, such as 

" A nod is as good at a wink"  finished with ....at a bar to get a date.

Then came Kelly's version of The Price is Right. "I've done it for baby and bridal showers." Always customizing the "prizes" to the guest of honor. Kelly spent weeks perusing the Internet for ideas  related to the interests of the parent's- to- be, Kenny and Shannon. Kenny's passion is fishing. Shannon's is fashion. 

Shannon is a Beverly Hills Stylist with the very upscale Jose Eber Salon, so some good natured fun was poked at  the world where she works.  We had to guess the prices of items such as a baby BMW and Swarovski- encrusted pacifiers and bathtubs 

like the bejeweled model  Beyonce's baby girl received from Kelly Rowland.

The official prize winners received nail paraphernalia and presented in a box that was - what else- an as cute as a button gift box. 

Today's quote is courtesy of the  The Quote Garden. 

Brunch with the Birds- Glass Gem Corn

" Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, 

life is  a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." 

~ Langston Hughes 

American Poet, 1902- 1967

The Westin La Paloma hostess graciously accommodated my desire  to share the magic of brunch without my lens intruding on the privacy of the other diners by opening the quiet side of the dining patio. 

The little birdies birds hover over left over crumbs on the tray drive staff batty - but really, don't you find their bold innocence charming?  

My waistline never missed the little bit of egg soaked English muffin set on the water feature's ledge.  

There is magic created whenever we commune with nature. Near our patio is a fountain. I feel inspired to set near it a platform where we might literally break bread with our feathered neighbors. 

Un-retouched Glass Gem Corn image courtesy of Native Seeds SEARCH

It is my prayer to make it to the top of the waiting list at Native Seeds SEARCH  for the beautiful Glass Gm corn. The un-retouched photo, borrowed from their web site  has created quite a waiting list ahead of me. 

Last week was my 37th Anniversary. I would like you to know something of him, for my life would not be all that is has been without Gerry's love, fidelity, sacrifice and companionship. But I don't want this story of a uniquely American man lost among other details. So if God and the computer are willing, I will post my homage to a very good man tomorrow. And if there is only one post of mine you ever read- let it be this next story. 

God bless you all for coming by.  


Words and Images, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by Lydia Plunk. All rights reserved.  

Leaving The Virginia Robinson Gardens for The Ivy Restaurant

"The human soul needs actual beauty more than bread." 

~David Herbert Lawrence

1885-1930

A sculpted dog stands guard over potted succulents  at the corner 

A voracious reader, certainly Virginia Robinson read D. Lawrence, the English poet and author. So much of Lady Chatterley's Lover celebrated not just the erotic nature of love, but the intrinsic lure of nature. Whether left wild as God created or cultivated by man, a garden, by nature, is seductive 

There is soothing beauty in repetition. The pyracantha in the top image is clipped to a diamond pattern. The Madagascar is threaded and allowed to hang through with Spanish moss on a trellis. 

The diamond pattern repeats on outdoor furniture and other iron work. 

A bas relief panel is characteristic of Beaux-Arts style.  Together with overhanging
greenery , it relieves a wall of stark dreariness.

The mixed ivies peaking out from under heavy balustrades. This adds all the charm as if the garden were a cake and giants came through and super-sized the swagging. 

Virginia Robinson's plans were to have a cohesive Mediterranean garden. However her property had other plans.  

When the Mediterranean plants repeatedly insisted on converting into layers of compost, a guest suggested Virginia try King Palms. 

The palms leaning in for a kiss are named Harry and Virginia, in honor of the Robinsons. 

 Not being the timid sort, Virginia grew the largest grove of King Palms in North America.  
In later years, she insisted on going on her own to read. Unbeknownst to her, a very thin maid followed from a discrete distance. If the doyenne fell- assistance would be timely.  

As the tour winds to an end, the interest keeps on coming. A wall fountain feeds a pond filled with water lilies.

The soul needs beauty- but the body needs nourishment. This was my excuse to join a special friend for lunch at The Ivy Restaurant on Robertson Blvd.  I specifically did not ask the photo policy because I so wanted to share  how absolutely romantic a tiny little cottage plopped on a major Los Angeles city street can be. Learn some lessons on how to create the ambiance in our own homes.

First- Being swept away is romantic. The imagination needs to be queued. Farm animals and implements, such as baskets and enamelware, may be even more romantic when they are in as unexpected place as in Los Angeles on the border of Beverly Hills.

Chivalry is romantic. As is good service. By courteous men. Lots of them wearing rose fabric ties with nothing on their minds but bringing you pleasure. 

 A life well-lived is romantic. It is full of roses and collections brought together not for how they match visually, but for emotional impact.

I particularly love the use of flags in restaurants. There is an authenticity to how they tie in the history of the proprietors to place. 

There are very few rules in true romance. But if I were to advise young lovers, I would say to be concerned with practicalities is decidedly un-romantic. There is nothing practical about a patio open for business to be stuffed with umbrellas. They squeeze out a table or two of potential customers. There is everything romantic about vases stuffed with a rainbow of roses with mint for greenery.   

To demonstrate the importance of color and pattern I want you to look at this salad and imagine it on a white plate-  because the imagination would be quieted, the appeal would be, too.  

 A simple salad. Sparkling water. Romance is best uncomplicated. 

More info on The Ivy Restaurants here 

Independence Day ~ Wildlife ~ Brush Fire ~ What is Important ~ An American Girl

"To everything there is a season, and time to every purpose under heaven..." 

~ Ecclesiastics 3:18

The height of summer - bunnies on the grass... Sipping nectar from once was a tiny sapling my mother grew from seed of her own tree...

                           

Hummingbirds on high...

What could possibly disturb our paradise?

Even when the hawks (see one camouflaged in  a tree across our ridge)  careen through our backyard trees like jet fighters on a mission, they are mostly Coopers- not powerful enough to pick up our puppies in their talons. 

However, Mr. coyote showed up before lunch.

He hung around for a good hour, leaving us to believe his den is nearby. Thinking about the downside of cohabitation with this particular indigenous species.  Sometimes it is hard to appreciate his attributes- coyotes suppress populations of rodents, skunks- and yes, the rabbits that are so used to my husband they think he is one of them- some days gathering around where he enjoys his coffee on our patio. 

Last year one of his compatriots followed a medium sized dog through a doggy door - into the house.


Over the years in Diamond Bar, we've listened to neighbor's pets become part of the food chain (and when this happens it doesn't matter how long the pet suffers, the police do not respond). A babysitter reported being followed up the street while she fearfully hurried the baby stroller. There was the teenager who had to wait for mom to call to say the coast was clear- a pack was circling the yard when the girl first tried to come home. Our former veterinary doctor  shared a doberman being killed in a coyote attack.

Handsome creatures, coyotes are opportunistic terrorists hiding in the tall chaparral. Be advised if you live in the foothills- all it takes is a moment's inattention. Our Tahoe got away with going nose to nose with a young male once. She was alone in the backyard less than a minute. What probably saved her life was "the barking bunny" confused the predator long enough for Gerry and I to come running from different directions. The coyote sailed over the back fence like Superman: in a single bound it cleared the fence and the ravine. 

As if this wasn't enough excitement for our July 4th celebration

It wasn't just our barbecue smoking up the skies. Our first hint was the LA County Fire helicopter.

There was a small uphill brush fire not far past "our ridge"

Even with winds strong enough to pull the palm fronds like windsocks, emergency services did not sound concerned. With a high temperature of the day a beach-like  76 degrees, everything was speedily under control. I doubt most of the town even knows there was a fire. 

There is a time and place for everything. Tonight it would be dinner for two. At home. I cut off writing before noon. We took a needed break from studying our downloaded copy of the Supreme Court Decision on the Affordable Care Act. Our personal  anxiety over its ramifications for our family could use the day off. The Act helped other people and somehow the brilliance of this nation's framework to work things out over time will prevail. 


The Fourth of July is a holiday. Time to get in the mood with proper preparations. While Gerry solved the woodworking issue of what to do when a board of black walnut does not want to stabilize, I cooked to a moviethon of favorites.  Glory . The Patriot.   The board where the food waited to be heaped onto our plates groaned under the weight of 

Cherries

Twice baked potatoes 

Barbecued corn on the cob

Fried Okra 

Barbecued short ribs -

We ate to the new classic movie The Help. We chatted away at ALL the GREAT changes in life we have lived to see.  We are eager for the day when Emma Stone wins her first Oscar.  

We will share the barbecue rib technique soon. Absolutely the BEST ever. Only topped by 

                                                      Homemade Ice Cream. 

Custard based- so good I think I could go shopping and my husband wouldn't care what I bought, just so I make him more):- 

Now, I can't leave you with that substandard picture of dinner as the last personal impression of what you saw on this blog. So I leave you with this image of my model- niece Abby Plunk, so pretty in pink. Abby - if you see this- know we pray for God's blessing on your journey.  To us- You are as quissentential an American Beauty as any rose.