Aunt's sundial.

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer to God's heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on Earth." ~ Dorothy Frances Gurney

Today's Joy: A List of Good Things.

It was an ordinary Saturday, Reader. But as the hours passed, I made a mental list of all the good things I found on this 12th day of June in the year of our Lord, 2010. I present it to you in hopes that it will inspire you to make your own mental list of the good stuff in your life. Cheers!

Today's Good Stuff:

• Dark Chocolate cappuccino


• a brand new issue of Victoria Magazine


• sherbet-colored pj's


• sleepy-eyed orange tiger cats


• wearing my galoshes to work


• lush country commutes


• cornfields that are already almost knee-high


• being of use & making a customer's day


• receiving a genuine smile & a handshake


• singing along with K-Love on the way home


• spending some quality time with God


• fussing over new plants in the garden


• getting the DVD player to work for the first time


• watching the BBC version of The Chronicles of Narnia


• taking a nap


• sitting down to blog and have my daily conversation with you, Reader!

Aunt's incomparable Aurora Blue delphiniums.

Today's Joy: Those Things God Provides.
Uh-oh, Reader. Woke up this morning with all the classic symptoms of a UTI. I began to panic a tad when I thought about the bills coming due this week and now an added health expenditure. Opened my mouth to complain, but then remembered my week-long No Grumbling, No Complaining Challenge and held my tongue.

Aunt said,"Maybe it's a test." I suspected she was right, so instead of being afraid & whining about bad timing, I told God I knew he had this covered and I would wait for the solution to present itself. Then I called Mom, who works in the healthcare industry, for some advice. Long story short, that call led to an inexpensive physician-approved solution. Hurray! Thanks to Mom & God for taking good care of me.

This got me thinking about all the ways God provides for us each day that we take for granted. When I get in my truck each morning to go to work, I turn the key in the ignition and expect my vehicle to work. An hour before that, I turn on the faucet and get in the shower, expecting hot, running water. 20 minutes before that, I put a mug of cold water in the microwave and expect I will get hot water for my coffee. And every night, I go to bed taking for granted that I'll wake up the next morning. I have hundreds of expectations like this throughout the day. And if just one of them doesn't happen, it can throw the whole day out of whack. How utterly my daily life depends on God! Without Him, nothing would work or even exist at all.

Sometimes it's good just to keep that in mind, when the day runs smoothly and I'm still peeved about some little insignificant problem. After all, if it's important, He's gonna fix it. And if He doesn't, it's probably not that big a deal, anyway.


Delphiniums are huge this year!



Blossom Detail.

Stepping out into Aunt's garden reminds me of something else He provides: all the beauty in our daily lives. All those deep sighs of contentment--whether they happen when you get home from a long day at work, or when you take time out of your day to stop and have lunch by a pond, or when you step out of your house and feel blessed to be surrounded by so many gorgeous living things. Of course, there's also those 2 and four-legged beings moving around your life. They may not always be pretty, but they are beautiful.

Go forth this weekend, Reader, and take a moment to look around your life at all we take for granted. Say a little thank you for all those blessings. I'll be right there with you.


Stalks are over 4 feet tall!

Cozy coral roses.

Yellow Lilies at Sundown.

Oregano Roasted Potatoes

Oregano Roasted Potatoes
8-10 medium-sized russet potatoes, cut into bite-size wedges
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
4-5 stems fresh oregano, rough-chopped
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbl. butter
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small saute pan, melt butter over low heat.
Add onion & garlic and saute until translucent.
In large roasting pan, spread potatoes and drizzle with olive oil.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Spoon onion & garlic mixture evenly over potatoes.
Then scatter fresh oregano on top.
Using hands, mix all ingredients, thoroughly coating potatoes with oil, spices & herbs.
Turning potatoes occasionally, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top layer begins to brown.
Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8.

A simple but surprisingly flavorful accompaniment for summer entrees. Have any left over? Add mayo and you have a great potato salad.

Peach-stuffed Pork Loin

Peach-stuffed Pork Loin ready to go in the oven.

Today's Joy: Culinary Success!
Reader, as you can see from the photos, my peach-inspired summer dinner was a raging success! A lot of work went into it, but oh, it was fun! And I learned several new skills. I butterflied a piece of meat and stuffed, rolled & tied it for roasting--all for the first time ever! Thanks to the easy instructions in my July, 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living, I was very pleased with the results.


Right out of the oven.

As promised yesterday, here is the Peach-stuffed Pork recipe I used. While pretty labor-intensive, it was totally delicious and well worth the effort. I found it much more manageable to break the prep up over a couple days. Please note: I did alter the recipe a tad from the original posted in MSL. I added ground ginger to the seasoning mix and increased some of the ingredient quantities to accommodate a more generously-sized pork loin.

Peach-stuffed Pork (courtesy of Martha Stewart Living: July, 2010)
For instructions on how to dry fresh peaches or make your own quick & easy peach glaze, click here.

1 cup water
9 peaches, dried, or 6 ounces store-bought dried peaches
1 boneless pork loin (2 1/2 lbs.), trimmed
coarse salt & freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbl. all-purpose flour (for dusting)

#1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring water to a boil in small saucepan.
Coarsely chop dried peaches and add to water.
Return to a boil.
Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes.
Remove peaches using a slotted spoon and squeeze; reserve liquid (can be added to your pre-made glaze).

#2 Butterfly pork loin: starting 3/4 inch from top of loin, make a horizontal cut into side, slicing through meat in short strokes and leaving about 1 inch intact at outer edge.
Unfold meat as if opening a book.
Cut a vertical slit 3/4-inch deep at seam, and repeat to make a horizontal cut in the opposite direction.
Pound to an even thickness with meat mallet.

#3 Stir together a seasoning mix of salt, pepper, ginger & clove and sprinkle over pork loin.
Spread drained peaches over pork, leaving a 1-inch border on one short end.
Roll up pork from short end to enclose filling.
Tie together with kitchen twine to shape and hold in filling.
Sprinkle with seasoning mixture; dust with flour.
Place in a roasting pan, seam side down.

#4 Roast pork for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 138 degrees, about 25 minutes more.
Brush with glaze and roast for 5 more minutes.
Transfer pork to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
Brush with glaze again.
Untie pork; cut into 1-inch-thick slices.
Serve with extra glaze on side.

This dish appeals to a wide range of palettes, from the meat & potatoes crowd to our fastidious foodies. It also gave me some ideas for how to adapt summer fruits like peaches, mangoes & papayas to dishes involving chicken or fish. Will keep you posted on those results too.


A lovely summer meal: peach-stuffed pork loin, oregano roasted potatoes & fresh steamed asparagus.

For Oregano Roasted Potatoes recipe, click here.

First patio dinner of the season.

Thank you, my dear family, for being such a joy to cook for!

Peach Glaze & Drying Fresh Peaches

Drying Peaches for Peach-stuffed Pork Tenderloin


Today's Joy: Actively Producing.
Off again today, Reader. What a gorgeous June day! Blue sky, tons of sunshine and a good breeze is blowing, keeping it from being too hot while sending the scent of newly-opened lilies through the house. Aunt too, is home and has spent the afternoon scrubbing her lovely sun room top to bottom. While she is busy being industrious outdoors, I've been laundering linens and cleaning a bit. But mostly, I've been cooking.

Got the July issue of Martha Stewart Living yesterday and inside are the most delish looking peach recipes! Just looking at the Peach-stuffed Pork Tenderloin made my tummy grumble. Just so happens, we have some pork loin hanging out in the freezer, just waiting for a fabulous occasion. While the family is already booked this evening, I figured if I do all the meal prep today, I can simply pop it in the oven tomorrow. So, I invited the clan over on Thursday night for a gourmet dinner. In addition to the succulent pork, we'll be having fresh asparagus, oregano roasted potatoes and for dessert, grilled mango with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

For the pork, I need dried peaches. Of course, you can buy them at the store. But if you're feeling adventurous, you can also dry your own. MSL instructs us to slice pitted peaches into 1/8 inch thick slices and arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake at 150 degrees for 3 hours. Or, you can shave an hour off that by baking them at 200 degrees for 2 hours. That's what I did with mine and they came out perfect (see above). These also make tasty and healthy homemade snacks. Mix 'em up with granola and you're all set! Stay tuned tomorrow for specifics on making the sauce & stuffing the pork.

Peach Glaze Simmering

In addition to stuffing the pork, we need to glaze it while it's roasting. MSL suggests a labor-intensive peach jam recipe (see July, 2010 issue) but I have a simple glaze recipe in mind instead.

Peach Glaze:
3/4 cup sugar

1 peach, pitted & rough chopped

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp coarse salt

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of black pepper

splash of lemon juice

Simmer all ingredients uncovered in a small sauce pan on low until peaches are soft and mixture is reduced to a syrup.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Refrigerate overnight.
Roast pork loin per recipe instructions.

Apply glaze during last 5 minutes of roasting.

Once pork loin is removed from oven and has rested 10 minutes, apply glaze again.

Love these cooking binges, Reader! It's so much fun to surprise everybody with delicious, homemade seasonal dishes. Can't wait to show you what I have in mind for other summer favorites later in the season...BBQ Grilled Sweet Corn, Cranberry Pistachio Chicken Salad and other deliciousness involving fresh blueberries and cherries...

Today's Joy: Getting Stuff Done.

Had the day off today, Reader. Sometimes there's nothing nicer than taking your time and getting things done as you please, with no one telling you to hurry up or that you have to be somewhere in 15 minutes. Ahhhh.

Aunt and I did a little shopping in the afternoon. When we got home, I realized there was no room for all the new goodies we bought. So, I decided to do a little impromptu pantry re-organization. Next thing you knew, everything was clean and neat and there was tons of space! I even labeled it all so next time Aunt Chef is over and rummaging for something savory, she can find it toot-sweet. Ta-da!

Funny, how cleaning leads to a warm & fuzzy feeling. Add to that the day-off warm & fuzzies and it's practically impossible to walk around without a big, dumb grin on your face. Well, that's my excuse at least. ;-) Have a wonderful day, Reader.

Today's Joy: Setting Myself A Challenge.
Reader, if you listen to K-Love, you know today is Make A Difference Monday. You also know it is Day 15 of Sterling's month-long challenge to America. Simply put, she's challenging us not to grumble or complain for 30 days. Yup, no mumbling under your breath. No crabbing. And no spewing negativity. No complaining of any kind for 30 whole days. Could you do it?

What would the month be like if we weren't wasting time and energy putting negativity out there? How would your life be transformed if, instead, you were directing that intent into positive things? Imagine the difference you could make if instead of detrimental statements, each thing you said throughout the day lifted someone up.....powerful stuff.

I've noticed over the last few weeks how much time I spend complaining. Have caught myself dozens of times each day throwing out a comment or observation that doesn't enhance the conversation or make anyone feel good. In commiserating with friends, family or co-workers, I'm actually just spreading moments of mini-misery. A rude awakening for someone who prides herself on being positive.

So, I've decided to accept Sterling's challenge. But I'm such a complaint-offender, I better start with smaller chunks. As of 10:46 am today, I will not complain, grumble or say anything disparaging, sarcastic or derogatory for 1 week. The challenge became apparent almost immediately, but I'm proud to say, I am making huge strides! Made one slip this afternoon--I complained about building a hard-to-assemble shelving unit when, for the 3rd time this month, a floor model was sold even though we had several unassembled units in stock. As soon as the comment left my lips, I winced. I immediately apologized to the recipient of my complaint and then cheerfully built that shelf! Hurray, progress!

I can't wait to see how this challenge will change the way I live. What about you, Reader? Are you ready to make a change?

Grilled Steak & Portabellas with Gorgonzola

Today's Joy: A Great Day, Start to Finish.

Reader, I love Sundays. There's something about the seventh day--not only is there a heightened sense of faith, purpose and renewal, but everything also takes on that playful, relaxed, last-chance-for-weekend-fun feel. Church service this morning was phenomenal. We heard a message from Dave Ramsey, that funniest of financial gurus.

Then I met friends at K's house for our monthly dinner & a movie night. SO much fun! As my dish of choice, I brought some of my family's beef and made Grilled Steak, Portabella Mushrooms & Gorgonzola on French bread. YUM! Here's the recipe:

Grilled Steak & Portabellas with Gorgonzola

1 loaf french bread, sliced

2 thick-cut steaks (ribeye or New York strip)

2 large portabella mushroom caps, thinly sliced

1 container Gorgonzola (blue cheese) crumbles

2-3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 & 1/2 sticks butter, softened & 2 tbl. set aside

salt, pepper & Penzeys Spices English Prime Rib Rub to taste

Preheat grill to 400 degrees and oven to 350 degrees.

Season steaks with Penzeys English Prime Rib Rub and salt & pepper.

Grill steaks for 2 minutes on each side, then remove from heat and allow to rest briefly.

Slice steaks thinly on the diagonal and set aside.

In small saute pan, melt 1 tbl. butter.

Add portabella slices and saute until tender.

Spread french bread slices with Homemade Garlic Butter* (see below) and arrange on cookie sheet.

Layer steak slices and portabella mushrooms on french bread.

Top with Gorgonzola and bake for 5-10 minutes or until Gorgonzola begins to brown.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Homemade Garlic Butter*

In small saute pan, melt 1 tbl. butter.

Add garlic & saute until tender.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

In food processor, add remaining butter and then add sauted garlic.

Pulse until thoroughly combined. Season with additional salt to taste.

Pulse until creamy. Refrigerate until needed.

Garlic Butter can be made a day ahead.