Golden Trumpet Tree & Early Amaryllis Flowers

 

 

 Today I'm sharing more photos of the Golden Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia). Close to my home are several golden trumpets but no pink ones. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The azaleas at the condo have finished blooming. Here is a shot from the balcony taken last week. 

 

 

 

Although most people think they normally bloom in the winter, the red amaryllis bulbs at Christmas are forced bulbs. Amaryllis are tropical plants that will flower in late winter or spring when planted in the ground. We plant them in Florida and they flower in April, May. 

 

For those of you who visited last year, you may remember I bought two amaryllis bulbs to pot and grow here at the condo. I had them by my front door until they had finished blooming last spring and went dormant.  I kept the two pots on my balcony until the beginning of March. I moved them back by the front door for part full sun exposure.  They like bright sunlight.  One pot has had glorious blooms for the last week.  The 2nd one is just waking up (so to speak), and I expect buds and flowers in another month. I hope you enjoy the mostly white flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Deviled Easter Chick Eggs

 

 It will be the first day of spring in a couple of weeks, and then Easter is April 5th this year. Today I’m trying another cute food presentation that I pinned years ago, Deviled Easter Chick Eggs.  Use your favorite deviled egg recipe or mine below and decorate the little eggs to look like chicks. It’s not hard to do, and it looks adorable for holiday get-togethers.

Start with week old eggs, as fresh eggs are hard to shell. To prevent cracking, remove eggs from refrigeration about 30 minutes prior to boiling. Place eggs in cold water, bring to boil, turn off burner, and cover.  Let sit for 15 minutes. Let cool, and refrigerate at least two hours before cutting for best results. Serve using an egg holder, a saucer, bowl, or a platter  To use on a flat platter, with a sharp knife, slice off a very thin layer from the base of the egg to make it flat. You have the option to make feet but it’s not necessary.  Then cut 1/3  of the egg off the top. I cut straight across but later you can make ragged edges if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

Deviled Easter Chick Eggs

Use organic when available, makes 12 Easter chicks

A cute food art for spring & Easter using deviled eggs decorated to look like little chicks.

Great as an Appetizer or Snack

Ingredients

• 12 hard-boiled eggs peeled
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard
• Optional make w/o mustard
• 1 dill pickle finely diced
• 1 tsp pickle juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 carrot cut into rounds
• 12 slices of pickle or black olives

Instructions

• Refrigerate hard-boiled eggs for at least two hours or overnight 
• With a sharp knife, slice off a very thin layer from the base of the egg to make it flat if you're using a platter
• Slice top 1/3 of eggs leaving a little yolk with the skin
• Use a spoon to remove bottom yolk to a bowl
• Mash yolks with a fork
• Add mayonnaise,  pickle, pickle juice, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well
• Fill a piping bag or plastic bag with a corner snipped with the egg yolk mixture
• Pipe yolk mixture into bottom of egg whites to create chick
• Cut small wedge from carrot rounds to make a beak for each chick
• Cut pickle or olive slices into small squares to use for eyes
• Add 2 olive eyes to each chick
• Add egg white top to each chick
• Adjust so it looks like chick peeking out of egg
• Serve on deviled egg tray as centerpiece or in egg holders or on platter
• Optional, add a dab of deviled egg filling as glue to stick them to the platter
• Optional, make 3 cuts in carrot round for a foot, 2 per chick
• Optional, decorate platter with herbs like parsley or dill
• Optional, serve on saucer or bowl with salad greens as first course of meal – you've made a free-range chick  Enjoy!  

 

 

This dish was shared on St. Pete’s Channel 10, Good to Know Segment:

How to Impress Your Easter Guests with Creative Snacks & Thrifty Tablescapes.

  

 

Please see my Link Parties page for the parties where this post was shared.

 

 

Fast & Filling Meals

 Everyone should have recipes for crazy nights when you need a meal in minutes not hours. Here are a few ideas to keep your family fed fast.

 

 

I. Pan Seared Tilapia 

 

This 15-minute recipe is great for a weeknight meal. My seasonings are simple: salt, pepper, basil, garlic, and lemon juice. If you like a little spice, try adding a pinch of paprika or crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with simple side dishes for your fast meal, like a simple green salad with frozen corn. 

 

Pan Seared Tilapia 

 

 

II.  LInguine With Red Clam Sauce

 

An Italian pasta classic, Linguine with Red Clam Sauce is a fast and filling meal. Delicious clams in a savory tomato sauce make an easy meal that is on the table in 30 minutes. I’m using canned clams, which can be a staple pantry item, for a quick meal.

 

 

 

 

Linguine With Red Clam Sauce

 

 

 III. The Easiest Vegetable Stir Fry

 

The Recipe Critic has a recipe for The Easiest Vegetable Stir Fry. Like always, modify as necessary. What makes this an amazing recipe? The great sauce you make. 

 

Recipe Critic

 

 IV. Spend With Pennies has an Easy Beef Stir Fry.

 

 

 Beef Stir Fry

 

 This easy beef stir-fry is a quick weeknight meal with the most delicious sauce.

 

 V.  Mac and Cheese

 

Mac and cheese is another fantastically simple delicious meal that the whole family can enjoy. It takes no time at all to prepare and it is one of those meals that can be prepared in the morning and then reheated in the evening. Take a look at an easy mac and cheese recipe at Sweet C’s Design if you are unsure how to make it. If you are wanting a low-fat healthier alternative then you can even accomplish this also. Switch out the pasta for whole wheat pasta and the cheese and milk for low fat versions. You will get the same end result and then pair it with some veggies for a filling meal. 

Sweet C’s Design

VI.  Broccoli Pasta Shells

 

If you’re looking for a healthy meal that’s fast and easy to prepare, then you might want to try broccoli pasta shells. Broccoli is a great addition to your diet and will certainly offer fantastic health benefits. There are several recipes online, but I like the one by RecipeTinEats. The recipe uses olive oil which I love to use and a little lemon juice, one of my favorite flavors. One of the best emergency quick dinner ideas with broccoli, pasta and not much else; it’s a little bit lemony, a little bit cheesy and a whole lot of yum. 

RecipeTinEats

VI. Noodle Recipes

If you’re a fan of your noodles in a packet that you can throw in the microwave, then it’s time for the real thing. I promise you, the ones that you prepare yourself taste even better, and they won’t take up that much of your time at all. One point to consider with noodles is what you’re going to put with them. Similar to stir fry, you have countless options that are worth considering here. For instance, you can create some chicken noodles in about twenty minutes. Or, if you want a great vegetarian dish, just add some peppers and herbs for a delicious meal that you can easily get ready when you come in from work. Insanely Good has 27 Easy Noodle Recipes to consider.

Paula Dean’s Goulash

VII. Fried Rice 

If you are looking for a healthy meal choice, then you can try mixing some ingredients with egg fried rice. This can be as healthy as most meals in this list, if you avoid MSG and packets of ingredients with lots sodium or chemicals. The main consideration will be choosing and preparing the right protein. Fish can be a great choice here as well as chicken. They pair quite well together. Gimme Some Oven has a great basic recipe that takes 5 minute preparation and 10 minutes to cook it. Check it out at Fried Rice.

Gimme Some Oven

I hope this inspires you to create some fantastic meals that are easy to prepare when you only have a little time to spare. Keep a few ingredients in the pantry for an unexpected busy work day and you won’t be spending an age in the  kitchen preparing the family meal. 

 

 

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It's Spring in Central Florida With Trumpet Trees & Azaleas in Bloom

 

 

Tabebuia, commonly known as trumpet trees, are spectacular tropical flowering trees known for their explosive, often leafless, spring blooms in shades of pink, yellow, or white. Primarily native to Central/South America, these trees reach 20–50 feet tall and thrive in full sun and well-drained soil.

 It's spring in central Florida with pink and yellow tabebuia or trumpet trees in blooms.  For a brief time, the blossoms appear like magic. I can never get enough of blossoming trees. I just want to drive and hunt for them.  

 

 

 

 Here at the condo, the garden in the center of our wrapped condo building has azaleas in bloom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 I hope you are enjoying spring in all its new life wherever you are.

 

  

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Easter Bean & Ham Bone Soup

 

When I was growing up, Easter usually meant a ham dinner. Of course, I love the memories of my mother's cooking and being with my family. I must admit most of the time when I was older and cooked Easter dinner for family, I bought a spiral sliced ham. If you are having ham on Easter or any other occasion, don't just throw away the bone from your ham. It's great for soup and ham broth. It's also wonderful to add to a pot of collard greens or cabbage. You can keep the ham bone in the fridge for 5 days or freeze it for at least a few months.

 

 

 

Today's recipe is classic white bean and ham soup. Very often family members get tired of a holiday menu when having it warmed up several times. Besides adding the ham bone for great flavor, the soup is the perfect way to use left over ham and vegetables. The next time you have a ham dinner for the family, plan to make bean and ham soup and use the ham bone and any leftovers in the soup. I'm using navy beans, but you could add other beans or peas too. Add onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and herbs for a comforting bowl that's inexpensive and filling. If you don't have a ham bone, you can use a ham hock. It's similar. I was raised in the south so I grew up with homemade corn bread to accompany the meal, but it's great with rolls, biscuits, or crusty bread.

Bean & Ham Bone Soup

Use organic when available. 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 16 oz dried navy beans (or great northern beans)
• 8 cups water
• 1 ham bone or smoked ham hock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chopped ham

Instructions

• Sort and rinse beans
• Soak beans overnight in large pot or bowl covered with at least 4 inches of water
• Drain and discard the liquid
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 4-quart soup pot over medium high heat
• Add onion and celery & cook for 2 minutes
• Add garlic and cook for another minute
• Add 8 cups of water to soup pot with lemon juice, beans, bone, thyme, parsley, mustard, salt, pepper, and bay leaves
• Bring the mixture to a boil
• Reduce heat to low and simmer covered
• Cook for 2 to 3 hours
• Stir occasionally and add more water if needed
• Add chopped ham and carrots the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking
• When beans are tender, remove bone and cut off any meat
• Discard bone, gristle and bay leaves
• Add ham back to pot
• If soup seems too thin, use potato masher to mash some of the beans in the soup
• Optional sprinkle fresh chopped herbs or green onion on bowl of soup
• Serve with crusty bread, corn bread, rolls or biscuits

Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Welcome Home Printable for Spring & Summer

 

  

 

 

I was playing with pretty watercolor flowers and made a colorful frame I love. It’s perfect really anytime of year, but I feel we all need bright cheerful flowers this April, May, and beyond. I saw a sign that said ‘welcome home’, and it reminded me of my mother, long gone.  Many of us live at a distance from family and old friends.  This sign re-affirms our need to welcome each other home.

 

This printable is sized 10″ x 8″.

 

Download

Thanks for dropping by. Stay happy and healthy!

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End of the Camellias Season

 

 

Camellias are popular, long-lived, evergreen shrubs (or small trees) renowned for their glossy foliage and stunning, rose-like blooms that appear from fall to spring. As staples of Southern gardens, they bloom in white, pink, and red, thriving in acidic, well-draining soil and partial shade in zones 6-10. Here at the condo, the bush in the center garden finished blooming last week. The bush by the walkway from parking to the condo building has been blooming steadily. It is slowing down, and I believe the end of the camellia season is almost here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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