Quick and Easy Summer Salad

I love fruit salads, especially on hot summer days.  If you need to put together a salad at the last minute for a BBQ, party or just for dinner with family...here is one of my favorite 'go to' recipes:

1 can (21 oz.) peach pie filling
3 firm bananas, sliced
2 cups fresh strawberries, halved
1 cup seedless grapes

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate until serving.
Makes 6-8 servings

"Might I,"...."might I have a bit of Earth?"

The Secret Garden - by Frances Hodgson Burnett

In my opinion (as an avid reader/gardener of course), the best summer read ever!  I picked up my treasured copy in 1979 at The Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts in the most quaint bookstore for miles around!

Old Sturbridge Village Bookstore

Little Robin Red-Breast...

The American Robin is perhaps the best-known songbird in America.  Their arrival is considered a sure sign that spring is on it's way, but most species overwinter in most of the lower 48 states.  They are very vocal during their nesting season, often greeting us with their songs a wee bit too early in the morning for our liking!  Robins are often seen on suburban lawns, cocking their heads as if they are listening for predators.  In actuality, they rely solely on sight to capture worms, their main diet.                 

I have personally nursed numerous Robins, many whom did not survive, due to them being poisoned.  Popular lawn and garden fertilizers that come in the small white pellet form contain ammonium sulfate, which these beauties mistake for seed and then eat.  It then disintegrates their digestive systems, a very sad process to witness.  May I please suggest organic fertilizers for your lawns and gardens at all times?  Then we can continue to enjoy the "Little Robin Red-Breast" for many more seasons to come.

Now THIS Hummer is fuel efficient...

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is one of the most common feeder hummingbirds, and if you are very still one of these little beauties will fly right up and look you in the face...a fascinating experience!  Their habitat is the Rocky Mountain meadows, forests and city feeder sites.  They are 4-4 1/2 ", green above and white below.  The male has a rose colored neck (gorget) and the female has pinkish flanks.

For your hummingbird feeder, do NOT use commercially produced syrup.  The red dye can be toxic to the birds.  I make my own syrup with 1 part fine sugar to 3 parts boiling water.  Let the water cool, poor it into your feeder (no need to add any coloring) and watch the frenzy!  If there is such a thing as reincarnation...yep, I'm coming back as a hummingbird...so watch out!

Try Something New in the Garden

May is considered the major planting season in the Rocky Mountain region.  Once Mother's Day has passed, the craziness will begin as you see the gardening retailers chomping at the bit to sell you their wares.  Choosing what you want in your garden can be a daunting task.  Most of us go with the basics;  corn, zucchini (too much of that), carrots, tomatoes and such.  But why not think outside the box this year and plant one of my favorites, Red Kuri Squash?  I discovered this delicious member of the winter squash family while working at a produce market in Sandy, UT.  It looks very much like a small pumpkin, about 12" long and 10" across with a darker orange skin and flesh that is sweet, not unlike a yam.  They grow very well here, in full sun and adequate water.  The seeds are not easy to find, however, and I have had to order mine online the past couple of seasons.  (Make sure you order USDA Organic seeds)  These squash are excellent to bake, steam or microwave.  I spread a little butter and sprinkle a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon on one when I need a healthy dessert.  They store well and are loaded with vitamins A, B and C.  Give them a try and let us know what you think!

Hot Cross Buns For Good Friday, Easter Menu, Historical Traditions of Easter Explained, and More Decorating Ideas

Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday: 

Easter weekend is here and at our house we are getting ready to celebrate and have family come into town from Utah! Today for Good Friday, we are going to make Hot Cross Buns this afternoon. They are easy to make, delicious, and a good thing to have the kids help with. It is also a nice activity to incorporate the story of the crucifixion for younger ears. Since I am posting before baking I will just put a link to the recipe we are using today and hopefully I will get around to posting a picture of our buns later. Here is the link: http://www.marthastewart.com/332287/hot-cross-buns

Easter Menu:

Here is the line up for Easter food for our family this weekend. If you needed any ideas as to what to make for various occasions I will also post some links to great Easter recipe ideas.:

 

 

 

The Historical Significance of Easter Symbols and Traditions:

Spring has been a season of celebration since ancient times. Winter often ravaged people with death and hunger and the turning of the seasons was welcomed with exuberance and joy as it meant food, warmth, and new opportunities for trade and barter. Feasts, dances, and music surrounded spring festivals -for nearly every place and people on earth. Many of the Easter symbols and customs today are not just commercial ideas put forth to make you spend money. Of course commercialism is a quick way to ruin the true meaning of any holiday, but most of these companies and stores play off the actual important symbols of the holiday and exploit them to an irreverent level. 

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Easter and spring is the egg. In ancient India and Egypt, people thought the world itself began as a giant egg. The world then became split in two -the upper half being the heavens and the lower terra. For countless years it was custom to give eggs as gifts for the turning of winter. Ancient Persians and Chinese also celebrated new life and the blossoming of vegetation with eggs and baskets of eggs being presented to family and friends. In Europe it became custom to decorate blown or hollowed eggs elaborately with paints, wax, and real flowers. Some of the traditional symbols used in Poland and Yugoslavia on Easter eggs are: Flowers: symbolic of love; Deer: symbolic of good health; The Sun: symbolic of good luck; and The Rooster: symbolic of wishes that will come true. In Russia eggs have been made of gold, crystals, and gems and then presented to the current royal family on Easter. Germany was the first country to make Easter Egg Trees. The custom for these trees is to hollow or blow various types and sizes of eggs, color them, and then string them from the tree branches. Sometimes they used trees and bushes outdoors, and sometimes they brought the tree inside and placed it on the table for Easter Dinner. Another popular and ancient custom involving eggs are the various Egg-Rolling Games that evolved into the modern day Easter Egg Hunts. 

The rabbit is another widely recognized symbol for Easter and spring. There is a lot of historical speculation concerning the origin of the bunny as a symbol for Easter, but in ancient times the rabbit was a symbol of fertility and new life (and if you have even owned a breeding rabbit you know why -they don't stop until the drop). The legend of the Easter Bunny most likely came from it being a symbol for the pagan goddess, Eostra -the goddess of spring and fertility in pre-Christian Germany. Here is an excerpt from an article on Easter symbols: 

"According to the University of Florida's Center for Children's Literature and Culture, the origin of the celebration — and the origin of the Easter Bunny — can be traced back to 13th-century, pre-Christian Germany, when people worshiped several gods and goddesses. The Teutonic deity Eostra was the goddess of spring and fertility, and feasts were held in her honor on the Vernal Equinox. Her symbol was the rabbit because of the animal’s high reproduction rate. The first Easter Bunny legend was documented in the 1500s. By 1680, the first story about a rabbit laying eggs and hiding them in a garden was published. These legends were brought to the United States in the 1700s, when German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania Dutch country, according to the Center for Children's Literature and Culture.
The tradition of making nests for the rabbit to lay its eggs in soon followed. Eventually, nests became decorated baskets and colorful eggs were swapped for candy, treats and other small gifts"

 Ian O'Neil, Library of Congress, Corbis.

Of course, all fauna and flora elements that emerge in the spring season became tied into Easter and spring celebrations. The new available produce in the spring garden also frame traditional  food and include ramps (a favorite of mine), rhubarb (YUM), spring onions, fiddlehead ferns, bok choy, spring varieties of peas and pea shoots, radishes, leeks, garlic scapes, artichokes, new potatoes, spring lettuces, micro-greens, morel mushrooms, and many others. The most common meat on the spring table is pork/ham and lamb. Ham is probably the most commonly used meat for Easter celebrations. In the early days, meat was slaughtered in the fall. There was no refrigeration, and the fresh pork that wasn't consumed during the winter months before Lent was cured for spring. The curing process took a long time, and the first hams were ready around the time Easter rolled around. Thus, ham was a natural choice for the celebratory Easter dinner. 

Whatever traditions and symbols you and your family chose to include in your Easter celebrations, I hope you find the meaning behind the motions and in doing so hopefully more fully enjoy the season. Sometimes it really helps to do research on the symbols and traditions of a particular holiday. Research can help you decide which of the many traditions resonate with you and your family -thus enabling you to pick and choose your traditions based on which mean most to you and you can weed out the rest. I hope you find something to celebrate this spring and Easter season and remember not to stress, but to savor. Happy Easter from my family!

Here are some links to spring menu ideas and spring produce:

http://www.saveur.com/seasonal-guides.jsp?season=2659

http://www.foodnetwork.com/spring-produce-guide/package/index.html

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/seasonal/43-easy-spring-produce-recipes-00000000009519/

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhistory/a/easterfoodhist.htm

http://www.marthastewart.com/969278/easter-main-dishes/@center/276968/easter

Some More Easter and Spring Decor Around the Our House:
(I didn't have time to make any new Easter or spring decorations this year, so my new ideas and preferences in style went unexplored this time -but the good thing about holidays is there is always another one. Until next year -here is the decor for this Easter.)

I like to embellish grapevine wreaths with whatever seasonal item the month calls for. These wreaths are inexpensive, easy to use, and take almost any decoration or embellishment well. 

The paper figures are from a set of vintage Easter paper cut outs that my mom gave me a few years ago. I didn't know how to best display them so I strung them into some lambs wool yarn and it makes a cheerful and festive garland. The little oval boxes were something I decoupaged a few years ago.

The fireplace mantle is sporting spring branches courtesy of real branches with buds and torn fake blossoms from the faux branches at the store. This decorating idea lasts longer than fresh blossoms -although I always have to get fresh ones to put in vases anyway.

I have already changed this twice since I took this picture, but here is the general idea for the non-effort table scape.

I like the more natural and simple tones for Easter, too. I used dried moss, more faux white blossoms, and of course -wood and grapevine wreaths.

I made little nests out of craft grasses and moss. I stick twigs, blossoms, and various odds and ends in them and then place them in different places around the house.

Still to come: Natural Egg dying (we are doing that tonight), Easter Egg Hunt Fun, and of course, Easter Sunday. Also, our family is going to celebrate sugaring off this week by visiting The Maple Tree Inn! I am so excited and I will do a post on maple sugaring and I have been using recipes that involve maple sugar which I will share on the blog soon (like the Maple Curried Sweet Potato and Spinach recipe pictured here). Until next time! 

Win a Custom Designed Easter Basket from Kevin Sharkey at Martha Stewart Living Omnimeda!

WIN A GIFT BASKET FROM MARTHA STEWART LIVING'S KEVIN SHARKEY!

 Hello everyone! Here is a quick blurb about a fun contest going on right now at my favorite place -Martha Stewart Living! Submit pictures of your spring decorating, baking, and traditions via Instagram or Twitter and you could win a custom designed basket from Kevin Sharkey (aka the decorating and floral arrangement king of the world)! To enter go here: http://www.marthastewart.com/970996/msleaster-submissions?xsc=eml_soe_easter_2013_03_26  Good luck to all of you! 

Today was my birthday and our yard obviously heard as it had several lovely surpriseS for me! Crocuses, the first spring onions, and a nice therapeutic barefoot walk in the muddy garden made the day even brighter. (I love dirt....no really, I do.)

First bits of spring decorating extravaganza 2013! More to come tomorrow when the lighting is better!