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Ilona's Garden Journal




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Winding up the Month of June

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The GGW contest for rose photos has announced the winners, and they are truly beautiful shots of a flower that is so beloved that there are millions of photographs taken of it, in all its glory and variation. Sample a few.

No, I didn’t win anything… but I gained more than enough from the inspiration provided. Thanks to Debra Lee Baldwin for all her hard work.

As June ends so does the rose season. It is time for me to fertilize the hardworking plants. There were more disease problems, but less Japanese beetles (so far!).

Harvest time has started, and I cut the broccoli heads. The first thing I made was a chicken broccoli bake- I’ll include the recipe of sorts at the end of this post. I hoed the vegetable garden and we weeded both the back garden and the garage one- which was supposed to turn into a cutting garden, but I needed extra space for the tomato and pepper plants. Now I am ready to put in more plantings. I have a decorative squash and I believe there is time to plant, yet. Also, I think I will put in some beans, although it has been many a year since I grew them. This year just seems good for beans, since it is so hot and all.

The Shirley poppies have put on a lovely show, and the heat is now making them look a little ragged, they will soon be pulled out. The star of this years garden is the Annabelle hydrangea. The blooms are as obscenely large and voluptuous as they can possibly be. The Mae West of the garden.

I’ve been busy writing articles for my garden website, which is something that I’ve had on the back burner for some time. I hope I have structured the site right for all the individual plants I want to write about.

So that, and mowing, is the summary of the month. What is new in your garden? Or what do you have planned for July?

chicken broccoli bake

6-7 pieces cooked chicken breast (I used mesquite-flavor frozen ones)
one family size can Cream of chicken soup
a cup of sour cream
shredded Asiago cheese, about a 1/3 cup
Parmesan cheese
slices of cheddar
Panko bread crumbs
two heads of broccoli cut in stems and steamed

Line a roasting pan with the broccoli; make sauce of chicken soup, sour cream, and Asiago cheese. Spoon half over broccoli; layer slices of cheddar and then layer cut pieces of chicken breast, top with more sauce, sprinkle generously with Parmesan; Sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper Pour Panko over top and bake at 350 degrees til all is baked through.

If you want this to be heart healthy you need to make some substitutions. It tastes good, but salt and dairy create a very rich dish. For more flavor I would have added lemon juice, if I had it on hand at the time. Mix it into the sauce.

Tags: roses in June, chicken broccoli bake

Autumn Abundance Recipes

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Autumn provides an abundance of certain foods … and besides, the change of season just makes us hungry for those apple desserts and tomato-laced stews. The sweet peppers are becoming red and we all have our favorite culinary uses for those. I thought I’d share some of mine.

My favorite apple cakes are the Hungarian style, which either means the not-too-sweet European type of cake or the streusel-topped quick one pan types.

In the first, Apple, category is:

Szegedi Cake

  • 3/4 c. butter

  • 2 tsp. cinnamon

  • 1/2 c.brown sugar

  • 1/2 c.chopped walnuts

  • 3/4 c.sugar

  • 3 eggs -separated,beat whites stiff

  • pinch salt

  • 2 tsp.baking powder

  • 1 c. sour cream

  • 2 med. apples,chopped

  • confectioner sugar

Method

(1) Stir 2 tsp butter and brown sugar,cinnamon and walnuts til crumbly.

(2) Beat butter and white sugar til creamy.Add egg yolks.
Add flour, salt, and baking powder, alternating with sour cream.

(3) Fold in stiff egg whites. Turn 1/2 batter into greased tube pan
Sprinkle with the walnut mixture, then apples.
Top with remaining batter.

(4) Bake at 350 degrees
for 50-60 minutes

4) Cool, and sprinkle with Confectioners sugar

Excellent company cake, can be served with whipped cream or ice cream, or plain.

The Vegetable category:

Ratatouille

Method

You need eggplant, zucchini, ripe red tomatoes, sweet peppers ( any color), onions, and garlic, as well as some Provençal herbs, like thyme, rosemary, and bayleaf. Chop up vegetables into medium chunks, saute onion in some olive oil, then add in the other vegetables, cook with additional olive oil ( the flavored types are wonderful- rosemary or garlic flavored are my favorites for this). Add in herbs, salt and pepper, and cook until soft, but not mushy.

Quick, healthy, delicious. There are many recipes for this on the web with more careful prep. directions, but this is how I make it. Very good on the side of any meat, but fine on its own, it is a Mediterranean flavored dish and goes well with couscous or pasta and fresh salad of any type.

Lots of Sweet red peppers? Slice them up, sprinkle with olive oil, roast on low heat for a little while, and you have roasted red peppers to dress up your veggies, to flavor your grilled chicken, to add to your spagetti. A few other things on the plate and you have anti-pasto for any pasta-based meal.