Beauty and The Bloom

“Whenever you experience awesome beauty, absorb it inside yourself. It does affect your soul. Once there, it lifts your spirits & is alive in you now and as a memory forever”  ~Marcia

I’m thinking that I might have already mentioned this about how I was surprised to find out that in 110 years of weather history on the Oregon coast this past winter ranked number 8 in rainfall who knows perhaps 4 by now Okay…actually…. I’m not really that surprised because  seriously it has rained a lot!

That being said there’s just no excuse for me not making the most of the Spring even with the continuing April showers

I am delirious with just the thought of it.

With spring cleaning behind me woohoo!!!! I’m out and about every chance I get. walking, gardening, or riding my bike. and of course jeep hopping

The most precious heralds of spring for me are the flowers. My heart smiles when I see the crocuses popping up their little heads and cherry blossoms appearing seemingly overnight.

Their petals scattering like snowfall. My hydrangeas are getting ready to blossom, I love my hydrangeas and a few of my roses are blooming I love my roses.

 

 One of my all time favorite flowers are putting on a show right this minute at Shore Acres located on the Oregon coast.

I have posted on this fabulous place before.read more or even more I love the Tulips because in many ways they are similar to us.

They smile, talk, and let you know when they need water, have too much light; and I read somewhere that before they die, they are actually at their most serenely beautiful, stems flagging as if reaching out for that final embrace.

Just look at them! The shapes are fascinating: the small, round petals and the pointed ones.

Also similar to roses (and people) they come in an astonishing variety. so much beauty

I can’t think of any better spirit lifter than being able to see these beauties rising from the earth in Spring.

Wishing you and your family a lovely Easter.

This week I tried out a new recipe I found on Delish. I enjoyed preparing it. It was like working in the garden…only in the kitchen. What I liked about it was it’s very easy to make & even though it has cream cheese & Parmesan it feels healthy. Next time I think I’ll add more carrots!   I’m thinking it would make for a lovely side dish.

BLOOMIN’ VEGETABLE TART

INGREDIENTS

1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan

1 tsp. lemon juice

tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow squash

1 large carrot, peeled

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat over to 350. Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles. Arrange triangles in an 8″  pie pan in a circular pattern around the pan, with the narrow pointing toward the center. Pinch the edges together slightly. Bake until slightly golden, about 10 minutes, then let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine cream cheese, Parmesan, lemon juice, thyme and parsley.

Season with salt and pepper and beat until mixture is very smooth.

Cut the zucchini, yellow squash and carrot in half lengthwise. Lay each vegetable on a cutting board, cut-side down, and thinly slice each vegetable lengthwise into long thick strips, about 1/8″ (You should be able to bend them)

You may need to peel carrots into long thick strips, as cutting them thinly can be difficult.

Spread cream cheese mixture on baked crescent crust. Roll one of the vegetable strips into a tight coil and place it in the center of the tart.

Arrange vegetable slices  in tight concentric circles around the middle, alternating colors, until the tart is filled. Drizzle the top with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the vegetables are tender and the crust is a deep golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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I also wanted to share the progress of a Memory Garden I started for Lady Teah & Lord Earl Grey. I hope you enjoy it. Like everything here it too is a process.