Category Archives: General Gardening

July 3, 2013 · 5:15 PM

A rainy day off- Zesty lemon drizzle cake.

So I am off work for a few days for the holiday. Its a little rainy outside so no yard work today. There is always tomorrow, the fourth, for yard work if it is not raining!

Gus went to the Vet School in the morning to donate blood. Since he is half pitt bull he has a universal blood type and his blood can be used for any dog.

When we returned home it was still raining so I look around to see what is in the fridge and what needs to be used before it could go bad…

I had saved an email from LeCreuset so I had something to do during the rain! :

Zesty Lemon Drizzle Cake

Cake Ingredients:

2.5 sticks of room temp butter

1.5 cups superfine sugar

5 large eggs

2 cups self-rising flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons lemon juice

zest of 2 lemons

4 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze:

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar

zest and juice of one lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350f. Grease the loaf pan with butter or line bottom with wax paper or parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing just until combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Stir to combine.

Add the lemon zest, juice, sour cream and vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top down. Bake 50-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the center springs back when lightly pressed.

Let cool 15 minutes before turning out of the pan.

To make the icing: stir together the powdered sugar, half the lemon zest and enough lemon juice to make a consistency that will just coat the back of a spoon. Drizzle the icing over the top and sides of the warm cake, and sprinkle over the remaining zest. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Adapted from lecresuset.com : Zesty Lemon Drizzle Cake.

TIPS:

Don’t forget to send all your scraps to the compost bin and not to the landfill!

And you can also save the butter wrappers in the refrigerator to use to grease pans in the future!

I love this combo juicer and measuring cup I found years ago:

xxxx

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Tagged as lemon, poundcake, Raleigh

June 27, 2013 · 1:00 PM

The summer so far…

The summer so far had been wet and with mild temperatures. When I say mild I mean our temperatures are usually in the 90s by now with 100% humidity. They have only been in the upper 80s so far this season.

The black-eye Susan which were blown down by the tropical storm last month are blooming and beautiful even though they are no longer standing upright. The goldfinches and other birds will appreciate the seeds in the fall.

The entire huge boarder of wildflowers which I have developed between the lawn and front walk has really come together the past few seasons.

Some of my favorite plants bloom this time of the year.

Hyperion daylily- the pale yellow flowers are fragrant and the leaves are semi-evergreen. It’s unusual for that in midsummer, after blooming, it dies back to the roots then comes back in the Fall once the weather cools and persist as a mound of leaves throughout the Winter.

Four-o-clock: this apricot colored plant came from a pack of mixed seeds. They open in the afternoon and stay open all night for the moths. Here in Raleigh they are perennial and will multiply by dropping seeds.

Lilies: I purchased a bag of mixed lilies years ago and there are some unusual colors. I have had problems with voles eating the bulbs over the years so most are gone. Lately, a black snake has taken up residence in the garden and is keeping the vole population under control so the lilies are blooming this year. I am eager for the tiger lilies to bloom later in the summer for the first time in years. They are my favorite. This Asiatic lily below is an unusual color.

And I take all the Easter lilies people want to give me when they are finished with them after the Easter holiday. When they come back the next season they bloom at a more typical lily season in June.

Monarda “Jacob Cline” has been a real trooper! It is suppose to stay a compact three feet or so but I have several patches around the garden and the one along the front walk reaches five feet tall!

There are a few patches of woodland phlox around the garden, too.

There are also several clumps of bananas around the garden. The most robust is the Basjoo near the patio.

One of my favorite flowering vines is the common passionflower. It can be aggressive if not trimmed regularly and will sucker. You just have to keep an eye on it like a mischievous child!