pleasure in simple things

open house at white flower farm 2018

July 20, 2018

Yes, the day my friend and I planned on visiting White Flower Farm for their annual open house was a rainy day! But, that did not stop us from attending!

We weren’t going to let the rain get in the way of our day off and the fabulous prospect of visiting one of our favorite garden centers in Connecticut!

The annual open house is a great time to pick up some discounted plants, tour the grounds, and enjoy some complementary refreshments!

I purchased one of these ‘Little Henry’s’ to plant in my own yard!

For today’s Friday field trip, enjoy a little glimpse of White’s during this year’s open house. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

top 3 summer seltzers

July 17, 2018

What is your beverage of choice for the summer if you aren’t drinking alcohol?

My fave is iced tea…but once in a while, a few bubbles are in order! When the urge for bubbles occurs, seltzer is the obvious, and refreshing, choice!

I am thinking seltzer must be a choice for many out there since there are SO many different ones available! Today, I thought I would give you the benefit of some extensive research in seltzer tasting and present my choice for the top 3 summer seltzers!

Overall, citrus flavors are the best summer seltzer flavors since they are the most refreshing in the hot weather. But, a non-citrus flavor did make it to the number 3 spot. That is La Croix’s coconut flavored seltzer.

At the number 2 spot for the best summer seltzers is Waterloo in either lime or grapefruit. The best place to find Waterloo is at Whole Foods. I haven’t seen it at any other store.

And, in the number 1 spot for the best summer seltzer is…drum roll, please!

Polar’s starfruit lemonade!

That is my quick list of top 3 summer seltzers. If you like seltzer, be sure to give them a try. Let me know how they stack up to your fave!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

milk house chocolates at thorncrest farm

July 13, 2018

Connecticut constantly amazes me. I have lived here my whole live and I am still able to discover some great, new places on a regular basis!

Milk House Chocolates at Thorncrest Farm was a recent discovery that blew me away. Artisanal chocolates are made in small batches one at a time with no preservatives using their own fresh milk, cream, and butter.

The phrase coined by the farm ‘the magic is in the milk” is an understatement!

The farm operates on a core focus of comfort and happiness of their cows. They recognize each cow’s individual flavor in the milk, and ensure that flavor isn’t compromised by never allowing the cows to be stressed out! Kimberly and Clint Thorn believe great flavor from milk comes from lack of stress – that any kind of stress shows up right away in the milk. Everything from which cow is sitting next to which, to the hay they eat (they are fed only the sweetest hay and natural feeds) and the comfort of their beds can directly affect the flavor of their milk, so every little detail related to the cow’s happiness is considered!

Each chocolate is connected to a very specific cow, with each cow’s milk making an unbelievable difference in the flavor of the chocolates. For instance, after meeting the cow Daydream, I discovered every single caramel at Milk House is made strictly from her milk since the sweetness and flavor of her milk, with its ivory, buttery tone, makes it the best choice for a great tasting caramel!

I was fascinated to find out that milk works much in the same way as wine – just like each wine has a specific type of grape from a specific region and is affected greatly by the climate, soil, and other factors – milk works much in the same way. So, the 122 unique chocolates in rotation throughout the year at Milk House Chocolates are determined by several factors – including which cows are milking at that time!

These chocolates are truly amazing – of course, the freshness is off the chart, but also, they melt different, taste different, and feel different than a typical chocolate. I tasted the root beer filled and the dark chocolate and peanut butter with sea salt and couldn’t believe the fresh, rich tastiness of each piece.

A fresh peanut butter sea salt chocolate.

I brought myself home a bag of caramels made from Daydream’s milk. I really wanted to bring home some fresh milk infused with vanilla bean (doesn’t that sound luscious?), but I hadn’t brought a cooler with me so I couldn’t safely transport it home.

What a find this place is! I can’t wait to make another visit!

Biting into a fresh root beer filled chocolate at Thorncrest Farm.

Note: In addition to visiting Thorncrest Farm in Goshen, Connecticut, you may enjoy making a day of exploring 10 farms in Goshen this summer. The tour is offered free of charge on August 4^th and 5^th through the Goshen Agricultural Council.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

deviled eggs, hold the mayo

July 10, 2018

People find it hard to believe I don’t like mayonnaise. It’s true.

And, I think the reason I have never been crazy about deviled eggs is because of the mayonnaise in the filling. I’ve always eaten the outside, white of the egg and left the filling!

I decided if the mayo could be eliminated from the filling of the egg, I could enjoy the entire deviled egg!

So, for this year’s 4^th of July celebration, I made deviled eggs…minus the mayo!

My idea was to substitute yogurt – which I do like – for the mayo. I always have plain nonfat Greek yogurt in my fridge. I added that, as well as some fresh herbs from my garden, to the yolks of eggs for my deviled egg filling.

I boiled up a dozen organic eggs and got to work!

Here is what I ended up adding to a dozen egg yolks:

1/3 cup plus 2 Tablespoons organic, plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (you can adjust to desired consistency)
3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
3 teaspoons fresh chopped mint (plus more for garnish)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon sea salt

I cut the 12 eggs in half lengthwise. The 12 egg yolks went into a bowl and were mixed with the ingredients above. I mixed well with a fork. (Maybe a mixer could be used here for more of a whipped consistency filling, but I didn’t have one available.) After the filling was mixed well, I piped it (not very neatly, as you can see!) back into the egg white halves and finished with salt and pepper to taste and some chopped fresh mint from my garden to finish!

My deviled egg creations came out really tasty! Now that I have tried a nontraditional filling, I think next time I experiment with deviled eggs, I may just remove the yolks altogether! Alter the spices to suit your taste. (Try the Trader Joe’s everything bagel spice!)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a really fabulous and safe holiday!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

flowers inspired by paintings

July 6, 2018

Art and the New England Farm is a currently on display at The Florence Griswold Museum, showcasing works by artists from the 19^th to 21^st century. I choose to visit the exhibit on a special weekend – one that also included Blooms with a View.

I was so very intrigued by the display of flower arrangements created from inspiration garnered from the Art and the New England Farm collection, I needed to share some of the works on today’s Friday field trip.

Each floral designer creating an arrangement, chose a painting from the collection to serve as an inspiration for their creation. What a cool art form! Maybe suggest it as an interesting activity for your garden club or even as a fundraising project!

I hope you are inspired as much as I was by this interesting exhibit that utilized flowers in a special way.

Note: The Florence Griswold Museum is an art museum which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony, centered on the home of Florence Griswold and the main center of development of American Impressionism. Easily accessible by I95, the museum is situated along the picturesque Lieutenant River in Old Lyme, Connecticut. The current exhibit Art and the New England Farm is on display through September 16^th.

Have a fabulous weekend. Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

the party flamingo

July 3, 2018

Since today’s post is right during the holiday week, I’d like to introduce you to our new addition for the holiday. Here, my friends, is Floyd! He really has a way of getting people together and making them smile!

Standing over 15 feet tall, he has an imposing presence. He can keep a very large group entertained and is very accommodating – providing his own cooler and plenty of seating with multiple cup holders!

Floyd or no Floyd, I hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as we are! Thanks to my son for including Floyd in our holiday festivities!

Have a fabulous and safe 4^th of July!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Click here for the link if you want to order your own Floyd – have him delivered close to where you will use him since he is pretty heavy. He comes with an electric pump, so you will need to be near an outlet or have an extension cord to get him inflated.

no comments

july book giveaway!

June 29, 2018

July is almost upon us. It is time to announce the July giveaway. This month, as a homage to the designer, I am giving away a Kate Spade notebook. To enter to win, simply leave a comment here, on Instagram or in an email.

Congratulations to Emily from Arizona, winner of the organizer and pencils from last month’s giveaway. (Click here to read more about it.) And, thanks for your sweet note Emily! I am sure you will put the organizer to good use. Enjoy!

Instagram users, please read on for this month’s challenge!

Since the tragic passing of Kate Spade, I find many of my friends have taken out Kate Spade pieces from their closets that they may not have used in a while – almost as a way to honor Kate after her passing. With this in mind, July’s Instagram Challenge is to share photos of your favorite Kate Spade piece(s).

I have many – from office supplies to handbags, but one of my very favorites is a pencil case designed with a book motif. I often use it as a wallet. What’s your favorite? Use hashtag #pleasuregram to share during the month of July.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

peanut butter chocolate cereal bites

June 26, 2018

I recently wanted to make a dessert as a gift for a person celebrating a new job. I know he likes peanut butter and chocolate candies and I know he likes cereal treats, so I decided to combine the two and come up with a special treat! Making a bar like a cereal treat didn’t seem ‘fancy’ enough for the occasion though, so I made the sweet as individual little cups!

I simply varied the recipe I use for a basic cereal treat to come up with a yummy peanut butter/chocolate version. They required a little more work than a bar, but I think you will agree the results were great! If you’d like to try, I am sharing the recipe. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Bites

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1, 10 oz. package of marshmallows
½ cup peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal
1, 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
peanuts and sea salt flakes for garnish

Coat a mini muffin(s) pan with cooking spray. (I used a pan for 24 and had extra ingredients that I used to make bars in a coated 8” x 8” baking pan.)

In a large saucepan, melt butter on the stove over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Add cereal and stir until well coated and all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Press about a Tablespoon of the cereal mixture into the bottom of each well. There will be a little bit of room left to add some chocolate.

Melt the chocolate over low heat in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Remove from heat when just melted. Spoon about a teaspoon of chocolate into each well, smoothing the top with the spoon.

Finish with peanuts and flakes of sea salt. Set in the fridge. Store in an air tight container. These are best fresh, but there shouldn’t be any problem with them hanging around too long!

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

miss florence’s garden

June 22, 2018

One of Connecticut’s historical treasures is the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, home of Florence Griswold which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony – the main center of development of American Impressionism.

In addition to the museum’s collections, the grounds are something to admire. For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing some photographs of the June garden at the historic site.

Florence Griswold, or “Miss Florence” as her friends knew her, was an avid gardener.

An archaeological dig in 1998 identified the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways of Florence Griswold’s garden before her death in 1937. With this information, as well as paintings and historic photographs of the site, Miss Florence’s garden was recreated to its appearance circa 1910.

Of course, every garden of that time period showed off some peonies!

I hope you enjoy a little glimpse of Miss Florence’s restored ‘old-fashioned’ garden from the 1930’s.

Have a fabulous weekend! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

creating honey pairings

June 19, 2018

Connecticut is lucky to be the home of Red Bee Honey. And, lucky for me, I was able to have the opportunity to visit!

Carla Marina Marchese is the beekeeper behind this iconic brand and I couldn’t ask for a better source to learn about honey!

How did she become involved with beekeeping and honey?

In 2000, Marina was unexpectedly invited to visit a neighbor’s apiary where her first taste of fresh honey from the beehive would change the course of her life. This moving experience inspired her to take a risk and quit her job, build a beehive, and acquire a colony of Italian honeybees to become a full-time beekeeper. It was on a visit to Montalcino, Italy, “The City of Honey”, that Marina became passionate about the diverse flavor profiles of varietal honey determined by the type of nectar gathered by the honeybees.

Today, I want to share the five honey pairings I tasted during my visit. They were all so yummy! I think this will help expand your imagination on how to serve different varieties of honey:

1. orange blossom honey paired with goat cheese and rosemary

2. goldenrod honey paired with strawberries

3. tulip poplar honey paired with brie, walnut and arugula (pictured in opening photo)

4. raspberry honey paired with dark chocolate

5. clover honey paired with coconut and flower blossom

Sounds yummy, right? Honey is the perfect addition to a summer cheese tray!

I hope I have inspired you to look for interesting honey varieties at farmer’s markets and specialty stores (True, quality honey is not sold at grocery or big box stores!) and to think about interesting pairings!

Note: Marina is a member of the Italian Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey and founder of The American Honey Tasting Society. Her best-selling book Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper chronicles her entrepreneurial journey into beekeeping. Marina also wrote the chapter on honey in the international best-selling book Beekeeping for Dummies.

Herbal tea ice pops molded in glass test tubes.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

↑ Back to top

search

categories

recent posts

archives

my friends & favs

open house at white flower farm 2018

top 3 summer seltzers

milk house chocolates at thorncrest farm

deviled eggs, hold the mayo

flowers inspired by paintings

the party flamingo

july book giveaway!

peanut butter chocolate cereal bites

miss florence’s garden

creating honey pairings