Postcard Friendship Friday

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted by the lovely Beth over at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy.

Be sure you visit.

This is a postcard we received in the mail asking us to SAVE THE DATE.

I really liked how they combined the old with the new.

The old - the photo of the old Murdock's Bath House as it once stood on the beach on Galveston Island.
The image is one of those in the Rosenberg Library on the Island.
Murdock's was destroyed during hurricane Ike and is being rebuilt.
The grand-reopening scheduled at the same time as the fund raiser for the Ronald McDonald House.
Should be a lot of fun.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day April 2010

I've found a new to me meme thanks to a new blogging friend over at A Garden of Threads.

The meme is called Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and once a month, on the 15th, you blog what is in bloom in your garden. I can do that! And, I'm going to have fun seeing what's blooming in all the other gardens.

I love the pink roses blooming on our balcony.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what they are called.
They have been in a pot on the balcony for 10 years and supply us with these lovely blooms.

The lavender trumpet vine I can tell you a little about.
I found most of this information at HGTV!

Lavender trumpet vine may be one of the most exquisite vines for residential landscapes in warmer regions. Originating in Argentina, Clytostoma callistegioides is hardy to Zone 10 but will die back and re-grow in winters of Zone 9. The large trumpet flowers are four inches long, striped in lavender and purple. When blooming, the vine is engulfed in color for weeks in spring but may produce occasional flowers through the rest of the growing season, too.
What makes this vine so appealing is its modest size and lacy look. Foliage is sparser than the jessamines, which makes it a popular subject for spider web espalier with invisible anchors on colored stucco walls. Its heavy bloom production has made it a favorite for draping over the tops of walls and fences for a virtual waterfall of purple spilling down the front. Moderate growth makes this vine slower to become established, but once it feels at home there is virtually no pruning or special care required.

The hibiscus originally in these pots did not make it through our winter.
It was a lovely, dwarf Hawaiian hibiscus.
I replaced them with the Jane Cowel hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Jane Cowel') .
I'll have to keep them trimmed, but love the peachy color.

Joy to You!

Wordless Wednesday

Mosaic Monday

Winter was very hard on Musashi's Garden.

The lime trees did not survive along with the red and gold Ixora.

We weren't sure what Spring would bring us, but we aren't disappointed.

Here are a few of the Spring blooms in Musashi's Garden.

A little of everything: ranunculus, roses, wild flowers, dragon lady crossvine,

freesia, dianthus, Mexican lavender, hibiscus, camellia.

We will replant the Ixora -- eventually. We love that they bloom year round.

And there are more citrus trees in our future.

Happy Mosaic Monday. Be sure to visit Mary and the other participants.

Comfort Food

My buddy, Carole, had a post about her favorite comfort food -- macaroni and cheese -- complete with recipe. This girl can cook and you should go visit and get the recipe. I told her I had been thinking about a comfort food post myself and had just been lazy. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the horrible photo I took of the turkey tetrazzini I made and planned on sharing with you. I'll share the recipe ... it really is good!

What is your favorite comfort food? Macaroni and cheese, BLT sandwich, Granny's chicken soup, cheese enchiladas (we did live in New Mexico for many, many years), chocolate .. what else says comfort to you?

For us (besides the above), we really like turkey tetrazzini. I use the recipe out of one my favorite cookbooks: Campbell's Great American Cookbook: A culianary treasury of more than 500 best-loved recipes from Colonial times to the present. It was published in 1984 by the Campbell's Soup Company. It's a little worn around the edges, but still holding together. Not only are the recipes down home good, but there are little snippets (don't you just love that word?) of information included with many of the recipes.

Here's the recipe for Chicken/Turkey Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini

Although the name sounds Italian, Chicken Tetrazzini is a thoroughly American dish created in San Francisco early in this century (20th) in honor of the great coloratura Luisa Tetrazzini. This version has become popular as an elegant last-minute dish for company meals.

Begin: 1 Hour Ahead 6 Servings

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup light cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup chopped pimentos
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, in hot butter, cook mushrooms and onion until tender. Stir in flour and salt until blended. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Cook until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Stir in cream, sherry, chicken, pimentos and parsley; heat until just boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat.

2. In 12 by 8 inch baking dish, spread spaghetti. Pour chicken mixture over spaghetti. Top with cheese. Bake at 450 degrees F. 15 minutes or until cheese is golden.

Easy Tetrazzini: Use ingredients as above but use only 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and omit flour, salt, chicken broth and cream. In 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, heat only 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. In butter, cook mushrooms and onion until tender. Stir in 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, 1 cup water and sherry; heat through. Stir in chicken, pimentos and parsley; heat until just boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat. Proceed as in step 2.

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And because this is a food post, I found this while browsing through a catalog and couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Don't forget to smile today!