Rosie's February Garden.

Welcome to Rosie's February garden. We've only had a few days of freezing weather this year, but it was enough to kill my more delicate annuals. My castor bean plants, which were whipped during Hurricane Irene but managed to come back beautifully, didn't make it through the cold snap, nor did my tender amaranthuses, zinnias, and nasturtiums. Not to worry. They've all self-seeded and will be back next year. No matter the weather, I always have something blooming every month.

Doesn't this hyacinth know it's too early to bloom?

Patch of oxalis. Too bad I didn't give this perspective. This patch is about 2 feet wide.

I have stock plants everywhere and this lone plant is blooming. And this is the earliest I've seen my stock bloom.

Even some of my larkspur is starting to bloom. Sorry, but I blame Al Gore for these abnormalities in my garden. First he invents the internet, then he invents global warming. The man needs to be stopped.

This is my little river of recycled glass.

I like sparkly!

I threw out a bunch of wildflower seeds back in September and some are already starting to bloom. Orange calendula and white iberis, aka candy tuft.

Mar? ID, please. And that would be Mar, of Foodies Untie blogdom, my personal Master Gardener.

The leaves are kind of fuzzy and sort of look like petunia and the stems are fuzzy.

And the pretty pink flower has heart-shaped petals. ETA: Of course, Mar came through for me: Marilyn said...

I believe it might be blue phlox. Despite the name, the flowers can be anywhere from rosy-lavender to pink.

Here's the link.

Fatsia japonica.

Mr. Hawthorne Makes Lobster Moreovers - Lobster Salad.

I love most anything on a Ritz. But lobster salad on a Ritz? That's Puttin' on the Ritz!

This is our lobster in its third and last incarnation.

Mr. Hawthorne minced the lobster meat.

He minced a stalk of celery.

Finely minced lobster meat.

Add in the celery.

About 1 tablespoon red onion.

Looking pretty.

Little plop of mayonnaise to bind.

I suggested he add in some pimientos.

Hot Hungarian paprika.

Lobster on a Ritz. Gooooooood cracker!

Rosie Makes A Rice Salad.

Make that lobster and a rice salad.

People always ask me about where I get certain recipes. Some I make up on my own. Some I scrounge the internet for. Others I try to construct after something I might have had at a restaurant. I get wonderful recipes from the cooking classes Mr. Hawthorne and I attend at the North Carolina Aquarium. Others I get from friends. And still others, I shamelessly rip off from fellow bloggers. Such is the case here. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, they say, so I'm raising a toast to Marilyn, my friend and fellow blogger, of Foodies Untie blogdom. I thank you for the rice recipe, Mar, although I, of course, made a few changes.

First, I cooked a Basmati brown and wild rice blend, according to package directions. Right at the end, I added in frozen green peas and let them heat through.

Cook's gotta have a taste test.

While the rice was cooking, I prepared veggies to add to the salad. Red onion Carrot Celery Poblano pepper

If you don't have red onion, try another color, or use scallions or shallots, although if you don't have a red onion, I don't imagine you'd have scallions or shallots either. I happened to have poblanos on hand, so I used that, but a combination confetti of green, yellow, orange, and red peppers would be quite nice.

My dressing: 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 TB Dijon mustard 1 TB tamari sauce 3 TB rice vinegar 1/2 cup Bertolli extra light olive oil Mix first four ingredients, then slowly whisk in olive oil to make an emulsion.

Here's the garlic, the mustard, tamari sauce, and rice vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Notice I have an emulsion now. Add the veggies in.

Humor me the action shots.

Add in the rice and toss to mix completely. Season to taste with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Now that's some rice. Thanks, Mar.

We just happened to have some lobster body and claw left over from my birthday.

I melted clarified butter and heated up the lobster meat.

Num Yummy.

Lobster in a pool of clarified butter. Wild rice salad. Life is good.

The Hawthornes Visit Cafe Lachine.

At our last cooking class at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, we were impressed with the presentation by Chefs Johanna and Justine Lachine. We learned they would be opening Cafe Lachine the next week, so Mr. Hawthorne and I have been looking forward to trying it out. Cafe Lachine is a deli offering breakfast, lunch, bakery items, and full service catering. It's located in the Outer Banks Mall where Tropical Smoothies used to be. We tried it out last week and we will be back.

There are a few bar stools inside and a few tables outside, so this is mostly pick-up and take-out. There's a display case in front with different types of salads, side dishes, and desserts, and they all looked wonderful. I was having a hard time narrowing my selections down.

Mr. Hawthorne got the Cuban Press.

XKT, you need to try this. You will like it!

I got the box lunch. You get sandwich, soup, side, and dessert for $9.00. I picked a turkey/provolone wrap, carrot and ginger soup, tabbouleh, and a brownie. They have daily specials and their soup and salad and box lunches change daily, so check out their website , (which, by the way, is a very nicely designed site) to see what might float your boat.

This was a nice change of pace for soup. Carrot and ginger puree, with just the right amount of ginger. Very smooth.

I found the tabbouleh slightly on the dry side, so I whupped up a bit of lemon juice and olive oil and added that to the tabbouleh. And it just kept getting better and better. (I can usually make portions for one meal last me throughout several meals and snacks.)

Turkey wrap with plenty of turkey. I look forward to coming back.

Check out Cafe Lachine, folks. Stop in and grab something on the way home from work. Make your life easier. You'll be glad you did.