Enchanted April

It's actually May 2nd but I have things to catch up on that happened in April - and it WAS enchanting - I was able to plant, dig and weed, up to my elbows in spring earth, dirt on my knees and in my fingernails, start new yard projects, order plants online and buy locally, and my head is full of new plant combinations for existing and new borders.  All of the baby plants down in my cellar are thriving and huge and almost ready to go outside.  I get so excited about plants that I can hardly bear it!  It's like decorating anew every year; adding new patterns and pieces to existing ones.  We've already planted several new trees, one even came over from the Yellow House border, a sand cherry.  Also enchanting?  The movie, "Enchanted April".  I watched it yesterday after church, lying on the couch in the living room, on my iPad, with a cup of thick hot chocolate (super hot whole milk with Valrhona 72% Araguani Les Feves chocolate) .  I can't believe I've never watched it before now.  I bought the movie shortly after it was released on VCR (like 20 years ago) and when I brought it home, the movie was a lemon; it never would play.  I meant to return it and replace it and never did.  Then I forgot about it until someone referenced the movie on a blog post recently so I looked it up on Netflix and watched it, all the while both yearning to be there right then and rejoicing that I had in fact been there already, twice!!!  You see, it was filmed in Portofino, Italy, and Dan and I went there 3 years ago for my first time on our honeymoon and then we returned again last fall with my daughter Gabe and her hubby.  We hiked right up and past the house (twice) where it takes place.  It's the story of four British women, strangers to one another, who all answer an advertisement (say it the British way) to rent a castle in Italy during the month of April.  The ad asks if one wishes for wisteria and sunshine for April.  It's dismal, winter and raining day after day in England and these four women all have their own reasons along with the weather whereby they need to escape.  The scenery, the 1920's clothing and hair, the music, you are there as you watch and it's almost painful in its exquisiteness.  Truly enchanting and it has a splendid ending.  Watch it now!  After you read my post.

 The colored downtown harbor of Portofino Italy

 In the movie, look at the house and tree they show several times and then look at this picture with the house in the hill with tree.

 Portofino and over to Rapallo.

 Up near the filming area

Looking down at Portofino from the verdant and flowered hills!

 A friend asked and hired me to bake desserts for her daughter's bridal shower which took place April 22nd.  She gave me carte blanche to make whatever I wanted so long as one or more of her daughter's favorite flavors were somehow represented.  I decided to make four different desserts to cover as many favorites as possible.  I live to bake like this so the planning was a lot of fun.  Here are the results.  The picture above is one of the two flourless chocolate tortes smothered in heavy cream, fresh blackberries and edible violets.

 This black out cake was huge, a 12 inch cake with three layers of rich, dark chocolate devil's food cake filled and frosted with a homemade marshmallow type frosting.  A fourth cake layer was crumbled and pressed all over it.

 Blind baked crusts for the pies - these turned out perfectly.  Line your raw pie crusts with foil and fill with beans that are dedicated solely to pies.  The weight of the beans keeps the dough from puffing, shrinking and cracking.  I have used these same "pie beans" for years.

 This is my own creation, the much loved "Raspberry Goddess" Pie.  Blind baked all butter pie crusts filled with a pint of fresh raspberries, covered by some cooked, thickened and sweetened raspberries and topped with a mixture of heavy whipped cream and vanilla pastry cream.  Sublime!

 Two of these raspberry pies and two key lime pies in a vanilla graham cracker crust.  Trader Joes makes the best graham crackers ever and a bit of vanilla added with the melted butter is wonderful.

 A sprig of fresh rosemary for the stem of the raspberry flower :)

Now for more yard updates:  Our carpenter came and replaced the lattice on the golf porch with vertical boards and now I will paint it as soon as it dries out this week - we are in a rainy pattern at the moment.  I planted a Japanese Snowbell tree there "Pink Blush" and also a sand cherry tree I brought over from the Yellow House.  While digging those holes, I unearthed gigantic boulders.  A couple I could remove myself, and a couple I could only bring up to the surface with iron bars and a very strong shovel.  A good neighbor and friend, Richard, brought his backhoe over and carted them all away for me - they were too large to place on the informal rock wall that borders the back of our property.  I am sure that is how the wall was built over a couple centuries; I have added many rocks to it myself these last three years as I have harvested them from the yard while planting where lawn existed.

 In the back is the informal wall and in the picture below is the one that borders our front yard - this one is formal and flat topped.

 This newly planted Spirea is called "Big Bang".  Gold and bronze leaves and it will bear hundreds of fuschia colored flowers.

 The existing lattice on the golf porch and below, the new boards (still unpainted - they will be white) and cobblestones that I have laid for the new flower border that will explode with color very soon.

The little sand cherry from Yellow House.

 Speaking of the Yellow House, last week I was there to dig out the over grown roses that border the driveway.  It was so gorgeous every year and has been there since I planted it 17 years ago.  Sadly, like so much that was on the property, it is too much to keep up with since it is now rented. The roses were enormous and I had to trim them constantly so they wouldn't snag folks getting out of their cars.  Here is what it is looking like now - I have taken half out, about 15 roses and the low stone wall.  I have that much more to go.  The red rose around the lamp post will remain.

What I have removed so far, (if you look at the picture where they are in bloom), are all the pale pink ones on down.  So forlorn looking.  And sad.  It will be reverted to lawn.  Now for happy stuff - bread!!!

Last week, in Enchanted April, I made a new bread recipe that a friend gave me.  If you love super seeded bread, whole grain and easy to make, this is for you!  Here is the recipe.  We are in love with this bread.  No kneading at all and one rise only.
In a large bowl mix together 7 cups of whole grain flour.  No white flour.  I used 4 cups of whole wheat and 3 cups of spelt.
Add 1/4 cup gluten (Bob's Red Mill sells bags of this gluten flour)
2 tsp salt
3 tsp yeast
4 cups warm water (more if dough is too dry and heavy)
4 cups of seeds (or nuts).  I used flaxseed, sesame seeds, pepitas (pumpkin) and sunflower seeds.
Mix this all together very well - it should be thick and shaggy like muffin dough.  Cover the bowl with a large damp dish towel and place it in a cold oven (you can warm it up for one minute, no more) and let it rise for 3 hours.  After three hours, divide the dough in to two large greased bread pans and bake it at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes.  Mine took 40.  No kneading, no second rise.  It doesn't have a large dome on it so don't think you did anything wrong.  Below is the dough.

 Look at all those seeds!

 Going in to the oven.

 Done!

I made this bread late at night so we didn't eat any after it came out of the oven.  I was so so so excited to go to bed so I could wake up and eat this bread for breakfast with butter and honey.  And this is how I had it for lunch today below.  Toasted and slathered in another recipe I have to give you that was given to me by my friend Cheryl.  Take one ripe avocado, a large handful of fresh basil, a handful of walnuts, a good pinch of salt, and the juice of half a lime and cream it in the food processor.  Slather it on your bread.  Swoon!  Eat that while you're watching Enchanted April.  And then you will also want some spaghetti as soon as you see those four Brits eating some for their first lunch at the Italian castle.

 Also in April, may much beloved husband Dan, who has suffered severe knee pain in both knees for years (arthritis, years of running, skiing and rugby), so stoically bearing it while we traipsed all over the world and New England, finally got his first new knee.  And he gets the other replaced next week (just two weeks apart!).

On day three of recovery, he came outside on his walking sticks while I was digging holes.  Hooray for Dan!

 Now, it's rainy and dreary so I am going to go watch Enchanted April again!