the yummy recipe that i wanted to share yesterday!

it's no secret that i love cookbooks.

i recently edited and re-categorized my little collection.  

here are my favorite baking books at the present.

the thing about cookbooks is...

 if they are not out where you can touch them you rarely used them.

 i am  making a point to keep one on the farm table

for daily inspiration.  this cookbook always returns to the table.  there's a

 chance that it could live on the farm table all Summer. i would love to 

cook my way through it...a la Julie & Julia. 

the first Macrina Bakery & Cafe opened in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood in 1993.

there are now three bakery cafes.  the images and the stories between the recipes
 are beautiful, and reflect an amazing work ethic.  

the recipe that i share today is versatile. not only is it yummy on

a piece of Macrina's Sardinian Flatbread with Truffle Salt, 

it works with my simple Friday French bread, and is heavenly

atop a roasted or Summer grilled chicken breast.

there are numerous uses for this recipe...let your creativity fly!

roasted artichoke spread 

with

feta and oregano

i love to make it before work on Friday morning.

it's 3 cups of yumminess will carry you through the weekend!

the spread's lightness and texture is perfect for Summer cooking!

1 14 oz can whole artichoke hearts drained and halved.

(i have also used  frozen, quartered artichoke hearts)

2 tablespoons pure olive oil...i use the standard e.v.o.o.

salt and pepper

8 oz (1 cup) cream cheese,  at room temperature

6 oz (1 1/3 cups) crumbled feta cheese at room temperature

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano.

that's it! SIMPLE!  most of the ingredients can be found 

already packaged in the needed increments!

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment. 

in a medium bowl, toss the artichokes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

season with salt & pepper. ( i just do a quick sprinkle of salt when 

using the canned artichokes, as they are already salted.)

roast in the oven about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the artichokes are

golden brown on the edges. (seriously, i could eat the "chokes" in this

state, with a butter on French bread... in fact i have.) 

cool for 20 minutes!

combine the cream cheese, feta, and oregano in a food processor,

add or drizzle the 1/4 cup of e.v.o.o. in a slow stream as you

 process the mixture

then add the chokes, and pulse until they are blended nicely but

chunky!  at this stage, it's where i taste, to see if additional

salt and pepper is needed!

the spread will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.

i served it with Mr D's favorite shrimp pasta last night!

this morning, i toasted and topped French bread with it

and served it with scrambled eggs!  

More from MACRINA can be found here!

you will not be disappointed in this book!

have a wonderful weekend! 

withLove!

French bread on Friday...French "trésor" that resides in a little town in Washington State...

years ago we had a boat and enjoyed most of our vacations 

navigating Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Channel Islands of

British Columbia, Canada.

one Summer, our daughter Chrislyn, broke her leg, rollerblading, so we made 

decision to stay on land, and explore "Central Washington State". 

we visited Grand Coulee Dam and all of the well known spots.  

it was when we stopped in Goldendale, that true Serendipity took over! 

 our timing was perfect, the locals urged us head up to the observatory.

there was a meteor shower in the forecast!  

:: ici ::

it was a starry, starry night ! 

pure magic!

  the next morning, we headed towards the mighty Columbia River where we

 spied...this!

:: ici ::

Stonehenge?  in Washington?  WOW!

we then we drove a little further along the river and saw...

the Museum of Art at Maryhill.  

meet the greeters, the Peacock family!

 inside, we found the most amazing collections of art and artifacts. 

how could i not have known that this amazement was on display so close to home.

when i saw the Faberge' egg the belonged to the Queen of Romania, before the

Russian revolution, tears came to my eyes. i knew that we were about to

share something very special.  my comment to Mr D was..."there is not a 

permanent collection of art in Seattle that compares to this!"

now for the French bread trésor ...

a world class collection of sculpture and drawings made by the great 

French master Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917), considered the father of modern

sculpture, resides here!  the gallery holds 87 works by Rodin,

including bronzes, terracottas,  plaster studies and watercolor sketches.

remarkable!

the collection includes such well-known works as The Thinker,

 The Hand of God, The Age of Bronze and the life-size plaster of Eve

 from his master work The Gates of Hell.

the other exhibit that captured my "love of  fashion heart", was the...

...Théâtre de la Mode

Théâtre de la Mode (Theatre of Fashion) was a 1945–1946 touring exhibit of fashion mannequins, approximately 1/3 the size of human scale, crafted by top Paris fashion designers. It was created to raise funds for war survivors and to help revive the French fashion industry in the aftermath of World War II. The original Théâtre de la Mode exhibit toured Europe and then the United States, and is now part of the permanent collections of the Maryhill Museum of Art in Washington State in the United States.

(source Wikipedia here)

there is a board at Pinterest devoted to the Theatre...here!

i recommend a visit if you should ever travel to Washington or if you 

live in our state!

if you wish to know more about this amazing museum

visit here!  this post is dedicated to Anita, Karena and Dore...

...purveyors of visual and theatre arts in our blog world!

i  have to apologize for the appearance of this post.

Google has been giving me grief from the beginning. the font sizes are

a bit wacky...but i was able to pull it off without having to start over.

i had planned to include a recipe. 

if Google is cooperative, there will be an extra helping of

French bread on the blog tomorrow!

enjoy the week's end!

withLove!

June's pink post... Pink Dogwood serendipity!

oh, how i wish that i would have clipped  more blooms!

Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; specifically, the 

accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.

the process was effortless...

...i just let the clippings dry in the trug after the anniversary photos.

 preserved!

a perpetual, pretty, pink reminder!

withLove!


for the past two years, i have been doing my pink post on or around the

 twenty fifth of the month. i have decided to change it to the first week 

of the month with a link on my sidebar.  don't forget to check!

more pink ribbon here!

thank you for your nice comments and inquiries beneath yesterday's post!

linking with Beverly's Pink Saturday!

this morning, on the farm table...starting a blend of "spring into summer potpourri" !

hello Wednesday!

i hope this day finds everyone well!

we have the most amazing weather happening here in the 

Pacific Northwest.  it could hit 80 degrees today!

i thought that i would share what's happening on the farm table before i 

leave for work!  i dried the 40 pink dogwood blooms from our 40th

anniversary! they dried beautifully, and look so pretty in the vintage trug!

so far, i have planned to add some bay leaf, and lavender to the blooms!

...hmmm...just thinking...this mix could use a touch of lemon!

 gotta go! 

see ya Friday with something yummy!

withLove!

Meet me for coffee Monday...what's working for "me" right now...nail color, body lotion, and a new brew, Summer Shandy!

nail color!

the week before last i was pinning and saw a color from OPI 

that i wanted to try. i checked the usual places, but had no success!

so i thought...

maybe i'll poke my head inside Walgreens!

they didn't carry OPI at Walgreens.

it's a good thing that they didn't, because a friendly sales

associate greeted me and said, "you should try the Sally Hansen

Complete Salon Manicure"!   "my customers LOVE IT!"

"i even have a coupon for you, it would be a good time to try it!"

by this time, i was thinking...

this isn't Macy's or my beloved Nordstrom. this is a darling

girl at the corner drugstore that loves her job and cares about

her customers!  sure i'll try it!

(...and you ROCK, little lady!)

i always choose nude or clear because i am lucky if a self applied

manicure lasts a day. this product lasted six days without needing a touch up! 

 i am so jazzed! 

with the coupon? 

only 4.49! 

awesome!

body lotion!

i blogged about trying this product last month! 

the BLUE label, the RESTORING body lotion is my favorite! 

 my skin feels like when i was a kid!  there is a subtle not so

pleasant smell upon application, (it's the mix of alpha hydroxy and the ceramides), 

but it goes away. i mix it with my scented body lotion.

this may be TMI, but i brake out in a occasional rash due to a food

allergies. this product has suppressed the rash for me.

before purchasing...read up on the product here to see if it would be

a good choice for you!

a new brew!

a  little shout out to my Midwest girlfriends!

this weekend,  Mr D and i went out for lunch after the farmer's 

market. the waitress suggested that we try the "Summer Shandy"!

hmmm...beer mixed with lemonade... a lower alcohol content...very nice!

"Summer Shandy, is a wheat beer brewed with natural lemonade flavor, it has 
filled a craft beer niche and has taken beer drinkers by storm. its sales soared by 
90 percent in 2012, quickly becoming Leinie’s top-selling beer." 
you can read a little more about it here.

...and if you want to make your own brew concoction...

see Betty Crocker here!

 for my dear friend Alice...

peek at the basket behind the brew on the farm table...

...i found at Home Goods yesterday,

it has your name on it!

welcome June!  

please be nice, especially to Oklahoma!

what's working for you?  

do share!

withLove!