What The Hawthornes Have Been Eating This Week.

I've been busy working in the garden this week - composting, manuring, humusing, fertilizing, and tilling PLUS cleaning the house, HAH!, and preparing for our trip, MEH so I haven't exactly focused on cooking. In spite of this, the Hawthornes have still managed to eat. And eat well, at that.

A lunch this week: Grilled portabello mushroom with a marinade of Salamida Spiedie Sauce. and grilled Romaine lettuce with a bacon/Dijon Mustard/Balsamic vinegar/ olive oil vinaigrette sort of reduction with crumbled bleu cheese. The vinny-garette is divine.

A Dinner: We're trying to finish up the rest of our frozen soft shells since the soft shell season is coming upon us. When we have frozen soft shell crabs that have been in our deep freeze this long, Mr. H. pulls off the top shell and cleans out any mustard inside before battering and frying. I tell him the mustard shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Fried soft shell and fried asparagus from my jardin.

Another dinner: Pork spare ribs. Mr. Hawthorne boils these until the meat is falling off the bone. His only seasonings are salt and Mr. Stubbs Hickory Liquid Smoke.

Then he slathers them with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce and bakes them in a 300 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Heh. Junior's licking his chops. Time for Rosie's Moreovers:

Heat up some rice, black beans, onions, peppers, and chicken (all the leftovers in your fridge) in some extra light olive oil and buttah. Add in some cumin.

Fry a tortilla, one side at a time, holding with tongs, bending it until you get a proper taco. Drain on paper towels ...

... and stuff it with the bean/chicken/onion/pepper mixture. Add some shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese ...

... and some homemade salsa and extra jalapenos, canned by Mr. Hawthorne. Step back, ladies, he's ALL MINE. Just plain good eats. Tell me you don't want one of those. Right now.

Mother's Day Suggestion For You Gardeners And Photographers.

My dear friend and alert reader, Marion, just sent me an email with a suggestion for a Mother's Day Present for me: A Plant Cam. Actually, Marion, I can already do this with my Nikon CoolPic and have plans to video my moonflowers when they open up.

More Of Rosie's Flowers.

Enjoy my roses.

And my irises.

My ice plant that came from nowhere.

Hardy orchids.

Oxalis.

Rosie's Arrangement.

I always like to bring a little of the outside inside.

I'm not much of an arrangeur.

But I try. I should read some of Auntie Hawthorne's books on flower arranging. She used to make exquisite arrangements.

I'm turning this baby around so you can see all angles.

Notice the Japanese(-style {?}) shawl (?) with silk (?) embroidery hanging over the bench. I found that at Mama Hawthorne's and brought it home. I think it complements my table quite nicely.

Junior. Being Junior.

Junior likes to lie on his back and hold his bones or his toys like a bottle.

And he likes to wriggle a lot.

Dixie is trying to ignore Junior's cuteness.

Junior knows tricks!