Common Sense Container Gardening

With Spring and really nice weather arriving, I get in the mood for blogging about gardening. After all, for me gardening is right on up there with pie baking and dancing for my favorite pastimes! I enjoy most gardening activities, including planting seeds, admiring my flower beds, and tending to my various shrubs and  perennials. But I have a particular love for creating container gardens. I have taught classes in the past about container gardening, and enjoy sharing the notes and ideas I have learned about containers through the years. With so many beautiful containers and gorgeous plants to choose from at garden centers, it can sometimes be confusing to know how to put together those "wow" combinations that we admire. I have come up with a couple of ideas to help, for myself as well as you who are reading this blog post!

1. Stay with what works - Each year, I feel that I need to come up with different and new container designs. This year it dawned on me that perhaps I should use many of my favorite designs from past years. This seems like such a simple notion, and many of you probably already do this. Although I take pictures of my favorite designs over the years, I have rarely used the same designs in future years, even though some of these past creations were pretty good. One of my containers was even featured in a garden magazine, but I have never re-created that design, for some unknown reason! But this year, I have noted my favorite creations from past years, and will use these in my container collection this year. How easy is that?

2. Consider sketching designs for your containers- Although I have sketched garden plans for my landscape, I have never done this for container gardens! I had a thought that making a rough sketch of the containers and the plants I plan to use in them and taking them with me to the garden center would be helpful. That way, I won't be trying to remember what plants I am supposed to be buying for the different containers. Photos would work as well, but the sketches are a handy tool to carry with me. I have labeled each sketched container, adding the color of the container as well.

3. Take photos of container gardens that you admire, wherever you see them- I am over the

idea that I have to have an original idea for all of my garden projects, including my containers. There is nothing wrong with being "inspired" by others (okay, or stealing those ideas) for my own garden.

4. Place plants together that have the same cultural needs- Just as you are told to do this in your landscape, you should also do this with your container gardens. A shade loving plant, like an impatiens, will be happy being paired with a fern, a coleus or a creeping Jenny. But put that impatiens with a sun loving sedum, and either the sedum or impatiens will be unhappy! This also makes watering easier, as the containers and plants that need the most water are grouped together. Along those same lines, I appreciate shade loving container gardens, as they can tolerate less watering than those in full sun. And for those containers I do have in full sun, I look for drought tolerant plants like succulents and ornamental grasses. I have found also that geraniums, petunias, and million bells are colorful additions that are surprisingly drought tolerant.

5.Finally, even though I am tempted, I will not put together my containers until May 1.- I know this is hard for most of us container lovers, but for those of us in Zone 6 Asheville, it really is good advice. We will still get a couple of chilly nights between now and May, and those tender annuals can be adversely affected. If you are tempted to have some colorful containers now, stick with pansies or other annuals that can take the cooler nights. And instead of obsessing about our summer containers, why not take this time to enjoy our spring blooming ornamentals that are so pretty now? Take in the beauty of the dogwoods, azaleas, phlox, candytufts, and columbines, and admire your efforts. You have the rest of the season to love your containers! Now let's just hope I can follow my own advice!

Pie Party

Sometimes when I make pies, I decide that I want to share them with others. Truthfully, this does not occur as often as it should, because I usually eat most of the pie myself! Recently, I wanted  to host a gathering where pie and conversation could be shared. So I invited several ladies that I knew to be as enthusiastic as I was about pie eating!

It was tough deciding which of the many pies in my favorite pie recipe books I should bake.The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book, by the Elsen sisters was the book that initiated my world of pie baking. There are so many choices, but I especially like the fruit pies in this book. So I chose one that I have made many times: "The Bourbon Pear Crumble Pie". Fresh pears, bourbon, brown sugar, allspice and ginger make this a sinful, delicious combination. As many times as I have made this treat, I have never been disappointed, particularly when it is topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

My other favorite cook book for pies is A Year of Pies, by Ashley English. I I have made several delicious pies from this book, my favorite being "Lemon-Lime Chess Pie". Chess pies are a southern tradition, and this one has a unique lemon and lime combination that is hard to resist.  In addition to the lemon and lime juices and zests, this pie has eggs, butter, sugar, and the special ingredient common to chess pies, cornmeal. The sweet and tart combination is a pleasure to the taste buds! This treat is very refreshing in the spring and summer months.

As a third pie for my friends to indulge in, I chose a creamy pumpkin pie recipe that I had discovered online. This pie had been a hit at a dinner party and I wanted to try it again. The usual cooked pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger were primary ingredients, but this recipe also calls for sweetened condensed milk. I had never used condensed milk in my pumpkin pies, and realized that this adds a nice creaminess and texture. Whipped cream tops this pumpkin pie off perfectly!

I think that my guests enjoyed the pies. Asking which was the favorite of the day, the winner appears to be the lemon/lime chess. As I have said many times, I love to bake and then eat the pies that I make. But it is even better when friends can eat a "pie meal" together. Friends and pie are a happy combination!

Valentine's Day Treat: Coconut Cream Pie with Vanilla Bean Whipped Topping

This week, I wanted to try another new pie from one of my pie books. I have gotten complacent over the past few months, and have continued to just keep baking the same pies that I have done before. It is easier to go with a pie that you have made before, and know that you are going to like. But for the sake of this blog, I knew I needed to keep exploring the pie world.

My choice was one that I had been wanting to try. It is the "Coconut Cream Pie with Vanilla Bean Whipped Topping", from A Year of Pies, by Ashley English. I have never made a coconut pie, and this one sounded tasty. This is a cream filled pie that has sugar, cornstarch, salt, whole milk, egg yolks, flaked coconut, vanilla and coconut extracts, and butter. After cooking, the filling is cooled, and then put in a prebaked butter crust. One thing that I have learned recently about cream pies is that the cooked filling must be cooled to room temperature before being poured into the crust to chill. I actually learned this from my sister (who has always been smarter than me). Unfortunately, this step is not always stressed in cream pie recipes, and can lead to the cream filling not setting up properly.

The whipped topping is unusual in that the heavy cream is infused with vanilla bean and chilled. After this mixture is chilled, it is whipped with powdered sugar and then spread over the coconut filling. Finally, unsweetened toasted, flaked coconut is sprinkled on top.

I must say that I was skeptical about the pie for one reason. When I was cooking the filling, it cooked too quickly, and turned a little dark. I was afraid that the filling would have a "burnt" flavor. But when I tasted it, I did not notice, and thought it was really very satisfying. It was so satisfying, in fact, that I ate two large pieces. I kept justifying this with the fact that it was Valentine's Day, and everyone eats either chocolate or dessert on this special day. But I also ate two pieces today, so that rationalization does not work anymore! I think that the whipped topping is unique, but the toasted flaked coconut is what really made this pie special. On my recent trip to Asia, I ate quite a few coconut desserts, and this brought back memories of those.

So the verdict on this new pie is that I will definitely make it again. By the way, I think that my filling cooked too quickly because of my 40 plus year old sauce pan. I have tossed it, and will be getting a new one. Sometimes one just has to invest in new cookware, particularly when it is over 4 decades old!

Planes, Buses, and Motorcycles

When you are traveling four Asian countries in 16 days on a group tour. you realize you are going to be doing some heavy duty traveling. The first thought that enters my mind are the long flights! On my recent excursion to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, I rode on many different vehicles My long journey included modes of transportation that I had never imagined I would travel on.

Starting with planes, we took 10 different plane flights on this adventure. I had never taken this many within a three week period! As expected, this was exhausting at times, although there was generally enough food on the international flights, and I managed to get a few hours of sleep at a time. It seemed that as soon as I would pack and get ready for the next flight, I would be re-packing to jump on another one! I must say that the Asian airlines generally have pleasant service and flight attendants, which I found superior to most domestic flights.

Other than planes, the majority of our traveling was on buses. These were primarily large buses that would hold the twenty plus members of our group. But at those times when large buses couldn't handle small country roads, were were divided into vans. While buses are the best way go get large groups of people around in large cities, they can be very uncomfortable, and produce cramped muscles. But this was the way our guides communicated with us about the history, culture, people, and food of the places that we were visiting. Surprisingly, the  buses were beautifully decorated! And the bus drivers were amazing, weaving between cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians to get where we wanted to go.

Our boat trips were scenic and usually included meals. A favorite trip was one near Siem Reap, Cambodia, in which we viewed "floating" fishing villages. The local people lived in the floating houses, and children grew up completely surrounded by water! There was even a floating school! We enjoyed outings on boats, including a beautiful view of Halong Bay in Vietnam.

Asia includes many forms of alternative transportation for getting around locally. The "tuk tuk", a three wheel motorized vehicle, is a great way to "taxi" around the city. Although used very widely in Bangkok, we experienced riding them in Siem Reap, Cambodia. What a different way to see the city! On a similar note, we had the opportunity to jump on a rickshaw and ride to our local destination in Hanoi, Vietnam! The impressive point about the rickshaw is that it is pushed by a lone bicyclist! In our case, the poor man was pushing both Rich and myself!

The most prevalent form of transportation that we viewed in Asia was the motorcycle. Motorcycles abound everywhere, particularly in Cambodia and Hanoi. Whether one is on a bus, watching the cyclists from above, riding in a taxi, or walking and dodging motorcycles from every direction, you understand that motorcycles prevail in Asia. Being a pedestrian walking among all of these motorcycles can be overwhelming! In my personal opinion, I am glad that I was not forced to ride a motorcycle.. (Rich probably disagrees with me on this).

Speaking of walking, one of my most memorable experiences had to be a walk that our group took through the wet market of Hanoi. I really experienced first hand what is is like for locals everyday to be focused on getting to their destination with motorcycles surrounding them! It is hard to stay focused on buying food when you are trying not to get run over! And on the same subject of walking in Asian cities, crossing the streets in Bangkok and Hanoi is one of the more dangerous pursuits that I have tried in recent years! But to my amazement, I did eventually get the hang of it. And the traffic rules seem to work in these cities, for the most part!

We did taxis and Uber for nighttime transportation. Uber actually worked quite well, and was cheap  in Hanoi! The key to taking a taxi in Asia it to always have a card with the name of your hotel to give to the driver. And if possible, have the native language name of the address on the card as well.

We have tradtionally ridden trains in other Asian cities in which we have traveled, such as Hong Kong and Singapore. We did ride the sky train in Bangkok, and were glad that we did. What a great way to get around in this energetic city, and the sky train was efficient and clean as well.

 
 There were the truly unique excursions that involved traveling with animals. I had been prepared for the oxcart ride in Cambodia, and it did not disappoint! It was perfectly rickety and I really had to exercise my core muscles to sit upright. I think I was the only one in our group who actually liked this unusual ride. It helped that it was a relatively short ride.

Perhaps my favorite transportation memory will be the elephant ride that we took in Laos. The reason for this may be that I had emphatically stated prior to the trip that I would not do the elephant walk. I had visions on being alone on top of this huge animal, and managing to fall off on my head. As it turns out, we rode in pairs, with a bench atop the animal. It was very exciting to be on top of this majestic creature, and I was not afraid of falling, even when our elephant stepped off of the path to eat some alluring plants. It was definitely the chance of a lifetime to ride an elephant, and I am glad that I changed my mind!

Having experienced all of these methods of transport, I would offer a few tips for anyone who will be traveling to Asia, or anywhere else where you will not be simply hopping in the car on the highway.

1. Plane travel can be very exhausting, particularly when there are long flights involved. Through the years, I have learned that it helps to limit your consumption of  food, and to drink very little, if any, alcohol. You are going to get dehydrated on a flight, and alcohol will ultimately make you feel worse. And eating too much will, again, not make you feel that great. I find that getting some sleep is more important on a long flight, so I bring a good book or too, and dose off easier.

2. I had not endured a lot of bus travel prior to this trip. Bus travel can make your back and hips tired - you are sitting for long periods of time. Taking the time to stretch in your hotel room sometime during the day does help. I noticed that I did this more at the beginning of the trip, and it made a difference. I became somewhat lazy during the end of the trip, and had more pain.

3. Taxis are cheap in Asia, and are a particularly good option for going out at night. Always carry a card with your hotel name. Also, make sure the meter is running. If not, then get out of the cab, because you are being scammed. We found that Uber was a particularly good option in Hanoi, and was cheaper than a taxi!

4. I am prone to extreme seasickness, and was nervous about the boat trips. I took Bonine the night before each trip, and experienced no sickness at all. This is an over the counter medication.

5. When walking in a large Asian city, it is important to pay attention to how the locals cross a busy street. I found that it is generally a good idea to cross when locals were crossing. Fortunately, even though there are hundreds of cars and motorcycles, they don't travel that fast, so crossing isn't as intimidating as it initially seems. But do cross only when the light changes, and always look before you cross, as a motorcycle can be coming around the corner!

5. If a city has a good train system, take it! It really is the best way to get around a huge city, particularly during the day.

6. Try something different in terms of local transport - ride the tuk tuk or rickshaw - this may be your only chance in your life to do so! Have fun!!

Asia Adventure

Several months ago, Rich and I decided that we wanted to take another trip to Asia. Two years ago, we took a trip to Hong Kong, which we thoroughly enjoyed. (Some of you may remember my blog from that trip). I am doing a shortened version of this Asia trip,which I will expand on later, after our return.

Today starts with day 1 of the trip, which actually took us to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The travel time was admittedly grueling (27 hours from LA, which made us wonder if we are getting too old for Asian travel. This is, by the way, the first time we have done a trip with a tour group.

These are my general thoughts about the trip so far:

1. You meet nice people in tour groups, and it can be fun to do things with them. Downside of tour is that you are constantly scheduled!! It is meeting at 7:00 am for a bus or plane trip and constantly re-packing your suitcase.

2. Phnom Penh has the worst traffic in the world.! You can sit on a bus for 30 minutes and it doesn't move!! Our guide says that there are no traffic rules in this city except for "common sense" driving

And I must say it doesn't work.

3.The  city has very  nice people. But this is a poor country, with thousands of people either walking, riding a motorcycle, or sitting in traffic.

4. The Royal Palace is lovely! And Cambodian food is tasty, with lots of rice, veggies,beef, and chicken. Oh, the fresh papaya is delicious.

5. The"killing fields" that thousands of Cambodian people either suffered through or were killed was a horrible experience. I greatly admire the Cambodian people's spirit.

6. If you leave your hairbrush in Santa Monica, you will  some bad hair days until you get your flat iron working.

7. Great news: I have experienced no squat toilets in Phnom Penh. This city is fabulous!!

Pies for the New Year

My number one New Year's Resolution for 2017 is to do more writing. Of course, this includes sharing more blog posts, so this is my first of hopefully many more for the upcoming year. My first post involves more adventures in pie making. I made two new pies for the holidays and am anxious to talk about both!

The first was called Perfect Pumpkin Pie, and I found this one online. The ingredients are typical of most pumpkin pies: canned pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. But one ingredient that I had never personally used in a pumpkin pie was sweetened condensed milk. I made the butter pie crust recipe from Ashley English's book  A Year of Pies. The ingredients were whisked together until smooth, then poured into the chilled pie crust. I baked the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, and then another 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

The result was a very creamy, delectable pumpkin pie with just the right balance of spices. With the typical Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, I often find the taste of nutmeg or cloves to be overwhelming. With this recipe, the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger were of equal proportions (1/2 teaspoon each), and cloves were omitted. I made this for friends, and they thought it was one of the better pumpkin pies they had eaten (so they said, anyway!). I will definitely make this one again, and would add that another plus to this pie was how easy it was to prepare!

The second new pie was from Ms. English's above mentioned book A Year of Pies. This pie was called "Lemon- Lime Chess Pie". This recipe includes eggs, sugar, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and cornmeal. Cornmeal is an unusual ingredient, but is used in chess pie recipes, which are often made in the southern US. I have made the traditional lemon chess, but had never seen one with lime included. So lime juice and lime juice were combined with the above ingredients. The crust was the butter crust recipe from the book. The ingredients were simply whisked together, and then poured into the chilled crust. I baked it for about 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

This pie had a nice combination of tartness and sweetness. I believe that the lime added a little more of a delicate flavor to the usual strong lemon taste. Also, this pie has a lightness about it which makes for the perfect dessert after any meal. Since I made this pie only  two days ago, and it is almost gone, I think that shows how much we have enjoyed it!

So, here are two new pies to enjoy in the future, but so many more are waiting to be made!  I will be describing more pies in the months to come, as friends who read my blog say that they love to read about the pies. But I will continue to write about travel, gardening, and oh yes, exercise! I hope to inspire all of us to keep our exercise resolutions so that we can eat as much pie as possible. Stay tuned! 

Holiday Appetizer: Mushroom and Chevre Galette

It has been quite a while since I blogged about pies. If you think I have stopped making and eating them, you are mistaken! The truth is, I have prepared so many of my favorite pies in the past few months that I haven't had time to blog about them. But now that the holiday season is well under way, I think that this is the perfect chance to write about pie possibilities for you and your guests. What better time to try new recipes?

I am always looking for different party appetizers, but tend to stick to my old standbys, so I was fascinated when I saw a recipe in my new pie book for a "Mushroom and Chevre Galette". This is another recipe from Ashley English's pie book  A Year of Pies.  This recipe called for mushrooms, goat cheese, garlic, chicken stock, red wine, and an herb mixture called "herbs de Provence", which can be found in the spice section of the grocery store.  The crust is a basic butter pie crust, which is made ahead, rolled out, and then chilled on a baking sheet.

The  garlic, mushrooms, wine, stock, and herbs are sauteed together until the liquid is almost evaporated. This mixture is placed in the center of the chilled crust, and the edges of the round crust are rolled inward. Goat cheese (chevre) is crumbled on top of this, and the edge of the crust is brushed with beaten egg yolk. The galette is baked for 30 minutes, and is then cooled for 30 minutes before eating.

I ate this as an entree, and liked the taste, although I thought it seemed a little salty, This is also a very rich dish. The next day, I re-heated some slices of the galette from the previous night. Much to my surprise, the galette had a much better flavor, and seemed less salty! I also realized that because of the richness of this dish, it makes a better appetizer than an entree. It can be thin sliced, and one slice would be a delicious appetizer. Of course, I was reading the recipe again, and the author had suggested that the galette is the perfect appetizer, so I had not discovered this on my own!

I would definitely make the mushroom and chevre galette for my next party, or as an appetizer for my holiday meal. It is tasty, healthy and a different kind of pie. I am beginning to understand that all pies do not need to be dessert! Pies are versatile, and a great way to experience something different for the taste buds, whether eaten before or after dinner!