Spaghetti squash and a curious sparrow

Our guests invited to a savoury chilli today and, I pitched in with a baked spaghetti squash.
It was just the right size for 4 people and it's easy to do. The only difficult task is to cut it in halves.

I got into the shed and found a machete-kind-of-knife and a tent-pole hammer. With a few whacks I got the squash divided.

Next thing was to scrape out the seeds and strings.

Seasoned with pepper, salt, garlic and a piece of butter the squash halves were ready for cooking.

With a fork the soft flesh was scraped out into a pan and reheated with butter just before serving.

For additional seasoning I used fresh herbs out of the garden.

While picking the herbs I was watched by a curious sparrow. It always seems to be there when I am weeding. I have heard it singing many times, but never saw where it sat.

This time did and I took the camera, bend down over the lettuce, pretending to pick weeds, then came up slowly and directed the camera at the bird.

It even winked at me!

________________________
Ingredients:
I spaghetti squash
salt
pepper
garlic
butter
basil, thyme and parsley
Directions:
Split the squash in tow halves. With a spoon scrape out the seeds. Season and butter the inside. Cook at 350° F for about an hour until the flesh is soft. Scrape the flesh out, and mix with butter and fresh herbs. You can easily use the squash halves to serve it in. I didn't this time.

Red Currant Jam

I was just telling my hubby: "If I were supposed to live off my postings I would be starving".

There are too many prolonged times of writers block! Sigh.

Although there is always something to write about it seems to be so unimportant at times. And the fear of a "repetition" is there all along.
"Didn't I write about that already"?
On the other side: isn't life mostly a repetition of actions with a new thing interspersed now and then?
Well, before I get too philosophical I'll stop right here!

(This is taken on the black top of my ceramic tile stove, hence the black background.)

Today I was invited to pick some red currants at a friends house.

I rushed over because there was a threat of rain in the air and we picked about 2 pounds of the bright red berries before the downpour started. Whew!

Now, 3 hours later, the cleaning, cooking and filling of jars is done and I can look upon 5 jars of currant jam! A nice treat.
There are many flowers out in my garden. I love to take photos of them and I created another page just for the fun of it.

My Peonies that died on me in the spring because of blight. I was devastated. But after I cut the plant back it surprised me with new growth and seven new buds. 

Therefore they all bloom now in July. 

(Of course it has to be raining on them, isn't that the case every year, whenever day they start blooming -you can bet on, it starts raining.)

And now - it is pouring down!
Good thing that I cut the lawn yesterday and I don't have to water the garden today ... :)

Prince-Regent Torte

Long time, no see,eh? ;))
What shall I bring up for an excuse - bad weather, bad internet connection, garden work, writers block, plain laziness, you get the hang of it...

Yesterday I created a German type of cake, a Prince Regent Torte. At least I tried. Why?
It's my husbands birthday today!

The cake is elaborate to make and it surely is a calorie bomb.
Lots of butter, sugar and eggs. 8 layers of cake to be baked, a
cream for the filling to be made and a chocolate coating.
Never done before, so far so good.

We will see how it looks like inside and how it tastes later this afternoon.

PS. Afternoon:

OK. The cake has been cut and tasted like: " MMMMMMMHHHH."

Would you like a piece?

No apples this fall? Let's hope that's not true!

My apple tree has stopped its growth. For weeks already the buds shimmer through the green and nothing happens. Maybe the tree is wise. If it would open its flowers now - there would be no bees around to pollinate. It is just to cold. So, let's hope that the days warm up pretty soon and enable the bees to do their job.

Apple flower in buds

"Forget-me-not"

"Bleeding Hearts"

My choice the other day was not really a choice. I did all the cooking
simultaneously.
Friday we had meat-loaf,

Saturday it was beef stew

and Sunday baked chicken on rice.

Today will be a leftover day. Tomorrow I think I will cook a chicken soup with vegetables from the rest of the chicken.

Today I had the first ever sighting of an Oriole on our property. Yeeaah! 

He was busy checking the flower buds for insects. Attaboy!