Deep Dark Mahogany Glazed Wings

They ARE shockingly DARK, but they are not burned. :)

The dark color is due to the baking sauce ~



Soy Sauce, Dry Cocktail Sherry, Garlic, Ginger and Sugar.The flavor is very similar to teriyaki, but more intense.



Fine party fare for a casual gathering (because they are a little messy to eat), and delicious hot from the oven or at room temperature.



If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, it can be found on my other blog;
Once Upon a Plate ~ The Recipes.

Gaufrettes ~ French-style Waffle Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

Not quite authentic, but close enough for me...

Tender-crisp vanilla waffle cookies with cinnamon caramel filling and a kiss of coarse sea salt ~ they are very easy to make if you have a stovetop or electric pizelle iron.Simply mix up the thick dough, allow it to rest, then roll into balls and bake in the hot pizelle maker.

The filling is simply brown sugar, a little corn syup, butter, cinnamon and coarse sea salt, cooked to the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer.

The thin, rich caramel filling stays soft ~ these cookies are superb with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

If you would like the recipe, there is a printable version my alternate blog Once Upon a Plate, The Recipes.

Thank you for stopping by!

Succulent Greek-style Baby Back Ribs (with Lemon, Oregano & Garlic)

If you eat pork ribs, you probably have your favorite way of  preparing/enjoying them.

I have two favorites; James Beard's method, and this recipe for Greek-style baby back pork ribs from my friend Ann, at Thibeault's Table .

They are delicious! You can find the recipe by clicking on Thibeault's Table, above.
I urge you to stop by Ann's blog; you're in for a treat. Ann has always been such an inspiration to me since we first met up on the internet a couple of years ago.

Besides inspiring me to begin dabbling in food photography, I've learned so many things from her ~ including how to make the most delicious homemade bagels.

Click HERE to see her current post on bagels; within that post you will find a link to her most EXCELLENT and helpful, step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own fabulous bagels.

With Ann's guidance, you will find them easier to make than you think.


With the ribs last night I served oven-baked potato wedges (just slice russet potatoes, toss in olive oil, and sprinkle with plenty of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper and bake in a hot ~400* F) oven until as brown and crisp as you like.)
I turn them once, half-way through roasting time. This time I also sprinkled them with lemon-pepper seasoning.
In a separate shallow baking pan, I used the same method for fresh broccoli spears ~ except I only roast them for 10 to 14 minutes (loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil the entire time.)

Italian Wedding Soup ~ The Barefoot Contessa

We like this soup very much, very satisfying ~ but not heavy. Little (baked) meatballs dropped into a flavorful chicken stock with celery, carrot, tiny pasta, fresh spinach stirred in at the last moment, and garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

I substituted ground turkey, and turkey sausage ~ it was marvelous!

It received a solid "thumbs-up" at my house.

I served it with warm, toasty garlic bread, which complemented it very nicely.

It really hit the spot after a long day in the garden as the temperatures cooled a bit.

If you make it, I hope you like it as as much as we did.

Click here if you would like the recipe:

The link will take you my secondary blog, with printable recipes.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a good week.

White Gazpacho ~ Friday Favorites!

It's FRIDAY ~ another "Friday Favorites!" on

Once Upon A Plate ~ time to revisit a previous blog entry.

This week we're revisiting last August's Garden Party Buffet.

To begin, we served a White Gazpacho which was very popular ~

the green grapes, and almonds add excellent flavor and textural interest.

I think you'll like this one, it's slightly sweet and mildly tangy, PLUS it is Vegetarian Friendly.

If you would like a printable version of the recipe, it is available on my alternate blog ~

Once Upon a Plate ~ The Recipes (Click here.)

Fairy Cakes ~ Revisited & Foodie Friday

I suppose by now, judging by the number of times I've posted about Fairy Cakes, you may have guessed that I'm quite fond of them.

First time for this combination Vanilla Fairy Cakes and Extra Creamy-Vanilla Buttercream ~

Especially for FOODIE FRIDAY!

This time I used Nigella Lawson's simple vanilla recipe, mixed up in the food processor. I appreciate this recipe as it makes a perfect dozen, just the right size for a small family ~ enough to enjoy and some to share with friends.

Instead of Nigella's usual icing, I made an extra-creamy vanilla buttercream, not too sweet ~

just the way we like it.

I piped the frosting on, and decorated with tiny violas from the garden.

Much to my dismay, when I began to edit the images...

Instead of the beautiful deep reddish-purple color that the violas truly are, in person ~

They appeared this MUCK brownish hue instead, nothing that my simple photo editor could remedy...

so I switched gears.

And plunked miniature pink rosebuds on, instead...

Of course the fairy cakes taste just the same ~

I just like the looks of them better in photos with the rose.

What do you think?

Please click HERE to go to Once Upon a Plate ~ The Recipes

for the Fairy Cake and Icing and Frosting recipes.

With many THANKS to our gracious host at DESIGNS BY GOLLUM!

For inspiring us with another Foodie Friday.

Please click the link to see a list of links so you can visit all of the participants' blogs!

Postcard ~ From the Garden

Hello, thank you for stopping by!

All kinds of activities have been happening, it's been terribly busy around here, hence ~ I haven't had much time for blogging.

I hope those who celebrate had Joyous Easter and Passover observances.

Ours was very relaxed and enjoyable~ though I didn't have a chance to capture much of it in photos so I thought I would share some bunny sitings from around the house and property instead; some from Easters past, and some from this year.

I've loved rabbits since I was a little girl, perhaps because I was born in the year of the Rabbit (Hare), according to the Chinese calendar.

We've had several kinds of rabbits as pets through the years (their waste is excellent fertilizer for the flower garden) and I've also collected things with a rabbit theme for a very long time.

Deb Canham is a former UK police officer, turned soft sculpture artist, specializing in handmade mohair, fully articulated (jointed) miniatures ~

I began collecting her orginal works in the 1980's. Beginning with her earliest teddy bears, then other animals and creatures as she expanded the line. Here I've posed the little rabbit with a dime so you can get an idea of the scale of her little works of art.

There are all kinds of knock-offs since she introduced her line,

but her works, especially her early pieces remain my all-time favorites.

The next rabbit is a modern day replica of a NETSUKE ~

I have a couple of authentic, ancient netsukes which were my mothers'; I would be happy to share in an upcoming post.

Although this one is not centuries old as my mothers are,

I fell in love with the look of him...

... and the charming detail when you turn him over!

A tiny handmade mohair pull-toy.

The artist who made the following decoration uses reproductions of old images, laminates the images to wood, then laser cuts around the image. He then mounts the sturdy cut-outs on wood bases so they can stand independently. Finally he accents the pieces with German glass glitter for a reflective, sparkling effect.

I adore the vintage look of them.

Here's one example ~ there are more further down...

I also like to collect vintage Beatrice Potter figurines;

most of mine are old Beswick, from a fine UK ebay vendor.

I've shared some in the past, and will save the remainder of the collection for another time.

Another Deb Canham handmade mohair bunny ~

This one is Peter Rabbit, he is about 3-inches tall.

If you look carefully you can see the tiny metal Peter Rabbit charm on his neck ribbon. He likes to stay in this old apothocary jar on the shelf in the Garden room ~

I bring him out to sit on a table near fresh cut flowers throughout the year.

(This time on a vintage hankie.)

And good old (glazed terra cotta) Mr. Rabbit, whom you've probably met before, if you've been reading my blog for a while.

He's been with me for years, and shows up all around the house and sometimes in the garden.

Antique doorstop, and vintage painted metal rabbit with basket~

Peeking bunnies...

Probably planning their escape!

Yet another metal bunny with his basket...

This one is hiding in the grape hyacinth, beneath a young fig tree:

A Mother's Day gift from some years ago ~

cement Rabbit Planter, the cabbage holds small annuals.

From the Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit children's garden:

They hide all over the place ~ as you can see.

And a few more of the vintage-look decorations~

This Easter card from my son was enclosed with his gift. The rose is a dried Cecil Brunner, from the old climber which still grows at our family home in California.

This rose has very special meaning to me, because it has intertwined in my family's history. My grandfather brought slips from his garden in Oregon, when he moved back to San Francisco in the 1920's and planted in his garden.

When my parent bought their home in the 1940's he brought slips from his plant, and planted two in my parents garden. He did the same for all of my aunts and uncles in the SF Bay Area ~ so you can probably see why I consider it our FAMILY ROSE. :) It's been around lots longer than me!

I love that my son "gets" the meaning of this rose. It speaks love to me!

More wood bunnies with Camellias from the Camellia garden (the same area where we had brunch last week for Tablescape Thursday!)

I hope you've enjoyed this little tour of the bunnies ~

I MISS visiting your marvelous blogs and hope to be back within a day or two.

Have a lovely week everyone!