I’m still hoping the staff at the water management district will use a picture or two of mine in their new brochure on Florida-friendly landscaping. So this weekend I spent a good deal of time crawling around with my camera, trying to document a few …
The water management district is putting together a brochure on Florida-friendly landscaping (environmentally friendly landscaping). They were looking for pictures, so I sent in a bunch, including the ones below. I really hope I’m included. I would be so, so jazzed.
I thought Sophie would like to see what her cats, Tuxie and Feltie, looked like as tiny kittens:
Here’s how the house looks right now, through the needle palm in the bed along North Adams Street. Rob just repainted the front steps, and we’ve decorated the front porch with four big pots of fancy multi-colored caladiums. There’s a nest on top of one …
Despite the drought, the yard is still producing a bounty of flowers. Here’s a little peek at what’s blooming right now:
Purple coneflowers–so reliable and easy
The chestnut rose. This heirloom is pretty even when it isn’t blooming. It’s so dense and shrubby, a great place for birds to hide their nests.
Lizardtail in the pond
Petunias by the Vine House. Rob picked out the colors; I thought he did such a good job.
The coreopsis is blooming. So are the irises. Here are a few things I did this weekend: Ate cherry jelly beans for breakfast Planted five Dixie wood ferns Planted 12 Clemson Spineless okra Transplanted a bunch of purple coneflowers to the bed by the barn …
On Saturday Chip had a tea party under the Chinese chestnut. He enjoyed some fine refreshments–invisible lemon coolers and Victoria sponge cake. The tea was air. His guests included hummingbirds and butterflies, and an inchworm stopped by.
For lunch last Sunday, we made our favorites, Thai Tofu Burritos, but this time we improved them by adding some homegrown sweet potatoes to the filling. I’ve included the revised recipe below, along with our recipe for purple cabbage slaw, which is what we always serve as a side with our burritos.
Sunday’s meal was particularly delicious because we ate it at the picnic table by the pond in the most perfect weather. There were ruffly white oak leaves overhead and ferns all around our feet. Babs was strolling about the yard, and she came and stretched out on the stone path that runs next to the picnic table.
“She just likes to be nearby,” Rob said.
Then she went and climbed into the compost bin.
“I think she’s hunting a lizard,” Rob commented. But thankfully it got away.
Maggie is so tough; she catches squirrels and rabbits. But Babs is a small and gentle creature; she only catches butterflies.
Thai Tofu Burritos with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
Thai Peanut Sauce:
1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
3 fresh habanero peppers, minced
3 Tbls water
3 Tbls fresh lime juice
4 Tbls soy sauce
1 Tbls hot sauce
1 Tbls minced fresh ginger root
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Filling:
2 packages pre-fried tofu triangles, available at Asian markets
Olive oil
1 Tbls minced fresh ginger root
3 fresh cayenne peppers, minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 Tbls soy sauce
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, chopped
Tortillas, extra chopped fresh cilantro for garnish, 2 cups cooked brown rice, reserved Thai peanut sauce for drizzling over the top
Directions:
Prepare the peanut sauce and set aside. Here’s how to do it: In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk, hot peppers, water, lime juice, soy sauce, hot sauce, ginger, and garlic. Make sure the sauce is smooth and that there are no peanut butter lumps. Mix in the cilantro just before serving.
Cut the tofu triangles in half, or in thirds if you prefer. Set aside. Sauté the ginger, cayenne peppers, garlic, and soy sauce in a little oil. Add the sweet potatoes, cover, and sweat until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the red bell pepper and onions and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent. Be careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the tofu and the peanut sauce and cook until heated through. Before you add the sauce to the pot, be sure to reserve enough to drizzle over the top of your burrito.
Heat your tortillas. Fill each tortilla with a little rice and plenty of tofu-bell pepper-peanut sauce mixture. Roll up the tortilla. Drizzle Thai peanut sauce over the top and then sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top of the sauce.
Purple Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients:
1 cup red wine vinegar
8 Tbls sugar
8 Tbls vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1 large purple cabbage, shredded
Directions:
Make the dressing by whisking together vinegar, sugar, oil, and salt. Shred the cabbage and put it in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss well to mix. Chill before serving.