It's a Short Season

The rain comes, the wind blows, and the flowering trees lose their blossoms.

I wanted to capture some Springtime beauty before it's on to another season.

Mother's Day Nature Hike

When Geo heard there would be a nature hike in one of our favorite local parks, he signed us up. Turned out to be a sunny Spring day - no rain.

We gathered at the lower wetlands area.

Everyone was eager to hit the trail.

It's so refreshing to see signs of Spring after our long winter.

We hiked along the Browns River. This is a great spot for Brook Trout.

Along the trail we looked for wildflowers. Most are not yet in bloom, but we did find a few, including a deep burgundy trillium.

There must have been a robin's nest nearby.

We checked out a beaver dam. (The beavers were not at home.)

These looked like the fiddlehead fern, very popular on Vermont Spring menus.

We had a great time. When we come again, we'll plan to bring a picnic lunch.

                                                                        

.On the way home, we spotted this!

A tasty finish to our hike. Yum!

It's Vermont Restaurant Week

Vermont Restaurant Week is April 25 - May 4. It's a time to celebrate the food culture of Vermont and our wonderful dining places, especially those that feature food and beverages that are locally produced.

We like to go to some familiar and favorite restaurants and also venture out to try new places we may not have been before. Each participating restaurant has a special menu for the week.

Tonight we went to Shanty on the Shore in Burlington. It's a favorite place because of the great views of Lake Champlain. This restaurant features fish.

For one price, we chose from a menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. When I heard "lobster," there was no doubt what I would choose!

We started with cole slaw and rolls. The came the P.E.I. mussels (that's Prince Edward Island). I expected just a few, but we each received a huge bowl of mussels in broth with lemons, tomato, and spinach.

Then came the entree!

Cracking the shell is always a challenge for me. Oh, but the lobster was so sweet and good, dipped in melted butter. What a treat! It was served with a baked potato and sour cream.

To top it off came dessert - banana cream pie for Geo, and key lime pie for me. Melt-in-your-mouth creamy and good.

I asked Geo what he thought about our meal, and he said, "Excellent." I agree. Definitely, a "10."

Supercool Glass

With the construction of the Pizzagalli Center, the Shelburne Museum in Vermont is now open year-round. On exhibit in the new building, besides New Blooms nail art, is Supercool Glass. It's a fascinating display of glass objects and artwork from the 19th Century through contemporary times. What I really enjoyed seeing is the beauty of the glass enhanced by reflections of light.

These everyday objects are completely encrusted with chips of glass.

  Here's a closeup look:

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall..."

In the center of the room is a huge glass chess set.


Contrasting with the colored glass is an arrangement of clear glassware with their very prominent shadows.

It was rather unusual seeing a skull on display. The colors are striking.

I loved the windows, and kept going back to look through them. It was fun seeing the distortion of images on the other side.

This amazing exhibit will continue until June 8, 2014.

Nail Art

Nail art - not as in "manicure," but as in 12 inch spikes - bent, welded, hammered, and displayed as an exhibit in a museum.

John Bisbee's artwork is on display at the Shelburne Museum in Vermont until May 26, 2014. We've had the opportunity to see this exhibit - New Blooms - three times. Fascinating!

The hardness of nails is fashioned into the delicacy of flowers.

Walking along near the panels, with the lighting directed on the art, one gets the sense of the art being in motion.

Here are some museum-goers getting a closer look.

 
There are also some

free standing exhibits.

J Bisbee, the artist, entertained at the opening reception.

At the reception, everyone enjoyed tasty treats provided by Shelburne Museum.

We enjoy the many changing exhibits at the Shelburne Museum year-round.

(If you found me here, please check out my newest blog RESOLUTIONS. Thank you!) 

Meat Pie

My attempt at making a pie a few days ago went well enough that I was eager to try it again. This time I'd make Shepherd's Pie. The recipe is from an online pie baking class.

I started by boiling the potatoes. Then I mixed a basic pie dough using unsalted butter for shortening. While that was chilling I sauteed the meat with celery, onion and minced garlic. (I used ground beef rather than lamb.) Then I added veggies, seasoning, and broth.

While the meat mixture was simmering, I rolled out the pie crust, then placed it in the pie plate. By then the potatoes were just about done.

Here's the unusual part: besides milk, the recipe called for two beaten egg yolks to be added to the potatoes before mashing. 

Next I spooned the meat mixture into the pie plate, topped it with the mashed potatoes, then added a little grated cheese.

I popped that into a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes. The potatoes and the crust were lightly browned.

The pie turned out quite well. There are lots of variations to try, like chicken, turkey, and even salmon.

The next lesson is about making quiche and other vegetarian pies. Perfect timing for meatless Lenten days.

Pie Class

In the back of my kitchen cabinet is a rolling pin, hardly ever used. Making pies are just not included among my culinary skills. So when I saw an online pie making class, I said to myself, "It's now or never," and I signed up.

Lesson 1: Making a crust

Revelation: I can actually use the paddle attachment of my Kitchen Aid mixer. Who knew? I thought to make pie dough, one needed a pastry cutter. This may be easier than I thought.

Recipe: 2 Cups flour, 3/4 Cup shortening, dash of salt, 4 Tablespoons ice water.

Form the dough into two flattened balls. Place in the refrigerator for thirty minutes. So far, so good.

Time to roll! This was the fun part.

Then I folded the rolled out dough into quarters, centered it in the pie plate, unfolded it, and spooned in the pie filling. (That part came from a Williams Sonoma jar. Lesson 1 did not include making your own pie fill.) It looked a little skimpy, so I added some cherry pie filling.

Ready for the oven!

Yum!

Well, it looked pretty good. When I sliced into it, however, I'll admit it was a little soupy. Next time I'll add some cornstarch to thicken the filling.

Now it's on to Lesson 2: Meat Pies

WINTER

It's been a rough winter so far.

We greeted the New Year following an ice storm. Then came the snow and the deep freeze temperatures. 

Although there had been a few days when it felt like we were thawing out, along came more snow. The forecast again shows temperatures hovering around 0 degrees F.

All this would be pretty depressing for people like me who don't take to winter very well. But there is definitely beauty in the changes of the seasons. Looking for the beauty in winter helps me appreciate this season. 

Here are a few of my favorite winter photos.

 December 24, 2013

December 26, 2013

December 25, 2013

January 2, 2014

The Cedar Waxwings were loving the frozen fruit on this tree.

Now that February is here, the sun seems to be a little brighter and the days are getting longer. Surviving winter, and looking for spring...