Pasta and Pearls...and a tasty recipe from Monet's Palate Cookbook.

Greetings...from The Humble Bungalow Kitchen!

I'm cooking up a storm today...

These juicy Heirloom Tomatoes are just begging to be eaten.

The Farmer's Markets are teeming with them so how could I resist?

Now what to make with them?

A simple salad or sandwich?

Or?

Do you remember my post about the Lion heart tomatoes from the Market in the South of France near Auvillar ?

We made a simple yet delicious lunch of sliced tomatoes served with a fresh brioche....

a little butter and sea salt elevated their taste to...

(remember that scene in the deli of Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally?)

We served them with a chilled glass of Rose.

Food can transport us back in time when we 

remember the smells and the flavours.

Red luscious and delicious.

The recipe that inspired me to get cooking today was found in Monet's Palate Cookbook.

The book showcases Monet's Vegetable Garden at Giverny 

with

 recipes that use the food and ingredients grown in his French Potager.

With all the red images it's time for a bit of green...

Le Coq towel from France...reminds me everyday of my trip.

The pasta pot with a built in colander is heating up while the tomatoes are roasting.

Halved tomatoes tossed in olive oil, with minced garlic and salt and pepper.

Roast for an hour at 275 or until softened.

Top with oregano, anchovies, and capers, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Roast another 10 minutes...

enjoy the aroma that is filling the kitchen!

You'll need oregano, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, basil, pasta, olive oil, butter, capers, balsamic vinegar and anchovies.

And Pasta!

Once the tomatoes are done your pasta should be cooked al dente...

toss in 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, a small handful of torn basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste.

When the butter has melted add in the tomatoes and mix together...

the fragrance is out of this world.

Wear an apron and comfy shoes 

(or in my case ~ Lands' End slippers)

it took me awhile to go through the steps of this recipe and dinner was later than usual but it was so worth the effort!

Pour a glass of red wine

place the pasta in a bowl

grab a spoon and a fork and twirl away to your hearts content...

savour each delectable morsel of flavour.

serve with garlic bread to sop up the juices

Dinner's done.

"My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece."

~ Claude Monet ~

"Instead of going out to dinner, buy good food. 

Cooking at home shows such affection. 

In a bad economy, it's more important to make yourself feel good."

~ Ina Garten ~

Mid~week greetings....Hearts and Hands.

Have you ever observed cats at play?
Ours love it when we have a cardboard box in the house.
It's exponentially better when it's open on the floor!

Chester is inside the box and Pepper is about to jump on top of him.

They have been in and out of this box all day.

The box will stay out for awhile to allow them to enjoy themselves.

We purchased a small carpet cleaner...

it's good for pet stains and we plan to use it on our boat carpet.

It's a small machine but it seems to do a good job.

It removed a few spots on the rugs in no time flat.

I am not easily impressed ~ but this tool is a great one.

Never having owned a carpet cleaner before now I can appreciate why people buy them.

Henry's little hands are so adorable.

Soft ~ kissable.

What a sweet boy he is...

Isla gave me some glitter hearts...she loves to share.

Little girls love sparkles...

(big girls too!)

My hands are over 60 years old and have seen a lot of use.

(they need constant attention)

Hand lotion is essential.

Shea Butter seems to do a great job and is not greasy.

I am a fan of L'Occitane hand lotions.

I've heard that coconut oil is wonderful.

Have you tried it?

Hands are always busy doing things...

I do not think they are ever idle.

Except when we sleep...

They might rest a bit when they hold a cup of tea.

 Gardening, baking, cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, making beds, ironing, knitting, turning pages in books and magazines, hugging grand children, colouring, stacking blocks, painting.

Ah yes painting...

I continue to be in a dry spell.

I read Louise Penny's novel The Long Way Home and loved it!

I read it in two sittings.

The story focuses on a painter and Louise has many wise and insightful observations about what artists need to paint.

A Muse is important...

(mine are roses)

They also must feel intense emotion...one that spurs them on to create.

She refers to it as "a lump in the throat."

This lumps precedes most creative endeavours...

If you love a mystery and have not read Louise Penny's books you are in for a treat!

Start with her first and work your way up to her latest...

The Nature of the Beast 

which was released a couple of weeks ago.

I woke up the other morning to a cool and grey day.

It felt like rain.

 My apron beckoned...

Made some retro cheese scones.

 With cooler Fall weather in the offing I am looking forward to getting back into making soups.

I think these scones would pair really well with a hearty tomato soup.

Retro Cheese Scones

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4 Tbsp. butter

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2/3 c. milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1Tbsp. sugar

Combine all the dry ingredients.

Cut in the butter.

Add wet ingredients and stir until all flour is moistened.

Knead on floured board.

Pat into a 9 inch circle, cut into wedges.

Brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.

(Check after 12 minutes to make sure they do not brown up too much)

Yummy Soups.

They're like a warm hug.

A soup pot simmering on the stove makes me feel all cozy and warm.

They are a great offering for friends and family.

Nutritious and delicious...there's a tasty recipe out there for everyone.

Do you have a favourite soup recipe?

I made a killer pasta dish last night and will share it with you soon.

Stay tuned...

Fall is in the air....

The season is changing...from summer to Fall.
We can feel it in the air...and in the garden.
The limelight hydrangeas are turning from lime to pink which they do every year at this time.

The colchiums are blooming

Mr. HB and I have been busy in The Humble Bungalow Garden.
The grass in our backyard had never been very good and after trying for over 30 years to make it look decent we decided that we would splurge and have it professionally redone. The company we hired came in and dug out all the old grass and weeds and levelled out the area, top dressed it with soil and laid down some lush green sod.
Our job now is to keep it watered until the roots are established and then maintain it.

The area marked off with string is where our greenhouse is going to be located.

We are eager to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and a variety of vegetables.

Two raised beds were moved from this location

nearer to the asparagus bed.

I made an easy dinner ~ a hearty beef and vegetable stew.

This recipe is based on one of Mr. HB's Mother's recipes.

She called it "Little Stew."

Saute onions, diced carrots, green peppers in oil until soft.

Use any vegetables that you have on hand.

Add in ground beef and beef stock.

Season with salt, pepper, and a few dashes of worchestershire sauce.

Add in some chopped potatoes...I used yams and russets.

Simmer for at least an hour.

About 15 minutes before serving add in frozen green peas.

This is especially nice served with a soft loaf of bread.

Comfort food.

Sunday morning we had a lazy start to our day.

I savoured a bowl of coffee with foamed milk and leisurely browsed the pages of Country Living UK.

Chester kept me company...

he found a sunny spot

and promptly fell asleep.

He has taken to sleeping on "my" Morris chair so I sit in Mr. HB's chair while Mr. HB opts for the linen sofa in the family room.

We cut back some of the roses...

Jude the Obscure is quite vast and is very shapely so we left it alone.

Some of the roses were far too large and some needed deadheading.

It's almost time to put the garden to bed for the winter.

We planted broccoli, brussell sprouts, garlic chives and parsley in our raised bed.

Lots of time spent in the garden this weekend.

We didn't get much else done.

I couldn't resist bringing in a few rose hips inside as they are really quite pretty in their own right.

"Every season hath its pleasures:

Spring may boast her flowery prime,

Yet the vineyard's ruby treasures

Brighten Autumn's soberer time.

So life's year begins and closes;

Days, though shortening, still can shine;

What, though youth gave loves and roses,

Age still leaves us friends and wine."

~ Thomas Moore ~

(1779–1852)

"Spring and Autumn"

Playing with lipstick...a copy cat post.

Jennifer author of the blog "A Well Styled Life" wrote a post on lipstick.
"The Classic Red Lip: Not For Every Woman"
Her post made me think about lipstick shades...those that flatter and those that don't.

Luscious and Juicy Red Rose Hips 

The Humble Bungalow Bathroom has the best lighting so that's where this experiment takes place.

My nose got a wee bit burnt on the last few days of our holiday.

I wear an SPF of 30 but there is a double dose of rays when one is out on the ocean.

(rays from above and then reflected up again from the sea)

OOTD

Grey linen Tee from Monoprix

White Club Monaco jeans

bare feet

custom made gold and diamond necklace

On my lips I am wearing 

Fresh Sugar ~ Tulip

(my everyday shade that I wear in the bungalow while doing domestics or gardening)

It works better if I wear my glasses.

I can see what I am doing!

Chanel Rouge Coco Orchidee Lipstick

(a rosy red)

Jennifer mentions that a bold lip takes centre stage and the eyes almost disappear.

One must choose to focus on either the eyes or the lips when choosing make up.

Which one do you prefer to highlight?

Maybelline  #055 Pink~a~licious

Maybelline  #547  Pleasure Me Red

(purchased in Paris)

I wear this shade for evening or when I want to capture and remember a bit of Paris. 

I think red lips are quintessentially French!

Janet over at The Gardener's Cottage wears Poppy by Aveda.

She's written a post on beauty and I think you might like to pop over and read what she has to say.

I enjoy her blog so much.

(and I am in love with her gorgeous house)

Country Living magazine did a shoot at her cottage and are going to be featuring it soon.

I can hardly wait!

Do you have a favourite shade of lipstick?

Hope that you have some fun scheduled this weekend.

I'll be focusing on watering our newly sodded back lawn.

I'll share it with you sometime soon.

Cheerio

XO

Home Sweet Home and a quick recap of our Sea Ray Cruise.

We are back on dry land at home in The Humble Bungalow.
Our boating trip was mostly fun and we relaxed, read our books and ate simple meals...

The first port that we visited was Telegraph Harbour Marina on Thetis Island...probably our favourite spot.
The weather was lovely, sunny and warm during our 5 day stay and we got together with friends who live on the island.

I spent a delightful afternoon playing bridge at the Community Centre.

I wore the white scarf that I purchased in Paris at The Monoprix.

I feel particularly feminine wearing this scarf...it's got lots of volume but is light.

I wore it over top an Eileen Fisher linen tank top and some black capri length pants.

I popped on some simple pearl drop earrings and my diamond necklace.

After Thetis Island we cruised to Pender Island and our first port of call was Otter Bay.

It's a rather quaint Marina but is well protected from the straits.

Quite charming and very picturesque.

There are two pools and this one is exclusively for the adults.

(I don't know who those people are, I tried to shoot around those using the pool.)

 I didn't quite manage!

We moved to Poets Cove Resort on South Pender Island and spent 4 days tied up at the dock.

Then weather was positively beastly!
We had torrential rains, thunder, lightning and hail...more rain.

Then short patches of sunshine that teased us for the next few days.

I was very grateful to be tied up to a dock and not bobbing around on anchor or a buoy.

It was an interesting/challenging/experience as we had some leaks for the first time.
The carpet in our salon got wet and stayed wet.
I am not proud when I admit that I got exasperated and at times felt downright cranky!
(at least our bed was dry!)

Our next stop was Port Browning where we joined friends and family.
Some were on boats and other were camping in the orchard.
PIDGE  ~  Pender Island Disc Golf Extravaganza...
this year we played our 10th tournament...34 people played.
The littlest ones walked the course with their parents and grand parents.

Our trophy!

We had a crab feed!

The sun came out...

Overnight the fog rolled in...

and after it lifted we left for home port in Tsehum Harbour in Sidney.

The cats and house were well taken care of while we were away.

They do seem happy to see us...

I've got a mountain of laundry to attend to so I must close for now.

I hope to catch up on my blog reading too while the machines work their magic on grime.

Cheerio.