When I have guests visiting, I like to serve them two special house appetizers because they are so good and easy to make. Both appetizers can be partially made ahead of time, and then quickly assembled before serving.  Enjoy!

Goat Cheese with Marinated Olives

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Author: Chef Jenn

Prep time: 25 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4-6

A simple to make tapenade that is a crowd pleaser. I always double the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup assorted olives (such as Kalamata, Gaeta, and Picholine)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
• 1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 4 oz goat cheese

Instructions

1. Drain olives if in brine.
2. If olives still have pits; with the back of the knife, lightly crush the olives and remove pits.
3. Combine all ingredients for marinated olives and mix well.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 2 days, turning and shaking several times.
5. To serve place goat cheese onto a plate and pour marinated olives over the top.
6. Serve with warm pita bread cut into wedges or rustic crackers.
7. *Can be made 5 days ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Let olive mixture come to room temperature and pour over goat cheese.

3.2.2499

 

Six-Layer Bombay Cheese Spread

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian

Author: Janet Leutel

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/3 cup mango chutney
• 2 tbsp shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp scallions
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans
• 1 1/2 tbsp currants
• 2-3 apples, cut in thin wedges

Instructions

1. Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and curry powder in the bowl of an electric mixer. (A food processor works as well)
2. Mix until well blended.
3. Shape the mixture into a disk 5-1/2 inches in diameter and one inch high.
4. Refrigerate until firm, at least 45 minutes or overnight.
5. To assemble, place cheese on serving tray.
6. Spread mango chutney on top.
7. Sprinkle with coconut flakes, nuts, scallions, and currants over the chutney.
8. Arrange apple slices and crackers around the cheese to serve.

3.2.2499

A few years ago I planted a Moro Blood Orange tree, after making this gorgeous Blood Orange Upside Down Cake adapted from the March 2010 issue Bon Appetit. This recipe is simple to make, and calls for creating it in a skillet. Packed with flavor but not overly sweet, it is a perfect way to end a special meal this time of year.

From this recipe, I knew I needed to have fresh blood oranges from my garden every year. Besides the Moro Blood Orange there are two other blood orange varieties available, Sanguinelli and Tarocco.

For those of you in warm sunny climates that can grow citrus, citrus is ripe and readily available this time of year. Lush citrus, especially the blood orange, can awaken your senses and create instant festivity. Grapefruit, lemons, kumquats, and oranges to name a few citrus types can add surprise and zest appeal to many types of dishes and drinks.

Look how fabulous the Moro Blood Orange is as a juice, or perhaps a ruby garnish. What a great way to make winter vanish in a heartbeat. Blood oranges remind me too of this special time year--Mardi Gras Carnival with all of the hoopla and joyous celebration.

Recently, my husband John, and I had the opportunity to experience first hand the fun and excitement surrounding the celebration of the evening Carnival Parade in the streets of downtown Oranjestad, Aruba in the Dutch Carribean.

"China tea, the scent of hyacinths, wood fires and bowls of violets--that is my mental picture of an agreeable February afternoon." --Constance Spry I agree, Constance, and what about soup to take the chill out of you, such as one of my favorites, White Bean, Pasta, and Swiss Chard Soup. I saw this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma catalog years ago. It is adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup, by Diane Rossen Worthington.

It is a nice hearty soup laden with carrots, greens, and thick egg noodles. I use Swiss Chard or kale, interchangeably or combined for this recipe, straight out of my kitchen garden this time of year, carefully rinsed, and cut into julienne strips. So good for you, and tasty is this soup. Garnish it with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, and a thick slice of toasted whole grain bread. It is so easy to make, it is a perfect winter soup to keep you going and glowing.

Please share if you have a favorite winter soup. Please comment if you are a fan of Diane Rossen Worthington and her cookbooks.

I love burlap as a medium, see my post, Beauty in Burlap for more ideas. Burlap is easily found in art and craft stores as a finished garland. Over the holidays I made this rustic burlap wreath and finished it with a plaid holiday ribbon. Now that the holidays are tucked away for the year, this beautifully textured wreath can become a "wreath for all occasions" simply by changing out its ribbon style or embellishment.

The wreath is simple to make, requiring little other than a wire four-ringed wreath form of your preferred size, a spool of 6" wide burlap garland that is 10'long, scissors, and a favorite ribbon of your choice.

Begin by unraveling your entire 10' of burlap garland. Leaving a beginning tail which you will tuck in later, begin weaving your burlap garland through your wire form, first under, then over your wire. As you weave under and over your wire, pull out a loop of burlap each time you weave in and out. Create your loops the same size, which becomes your burlap form. Leave a tail at the end of your wreath, as in the beginning and tuck it into your wire wreath form to finish.

The burlap garland is cumbersome in the beginning with 10' to thread through the wires, but soon after the burlap wreath starts to take shape. Knobby loops begin defining the textural beauty of this wreath.

In celebration of my beautiful hens, I have my wreath currently adorned with a copper feather ribbon.

Around the holidays, you can easily change the look of this wreath to a more holiday festive look. The same goes for spring with a pastel ribbon, or the fall with a black and white checked ribbon. You have unlimited possibilities with this wreath for all occasions. Don't forget that wreaths can dress up a window, or a candle and hurricane on a table, besides a special door.

Please share if you adorn a wreath for a special occasion other than the holidays. Please share what your favorite wreath.

Last fall at harvest time, our gifted architect, Bill Bocken  brought his partner, Paul Adams, a talented San Diego landscape designer, and his amazing photographer, Shelley Metcalf to photograph our home for the first time since the completion of our home remodel.

San Diego Magazine took notice and features Metcalf's photos, article written by Kimberly Cunningham in their January 2014 San Diego Magazine feature "Design: Living" article Accidental Winemakers.

This article features many indoor and outdoor photos depicting our home, property, and lifestyle. Cunningham cleverly added the feature "Get The Look" for resources and details that brought our design and style together.

I wrote extensively on our remodel progress as it was literally unfolding in a quick ten months. For more reading on our remodel, please go to Remodel Project.

What a great way to start 2014!

Greetings to you all, and wishing you the very best in 2014! It is only natural this time of year to reflect on the fruits of the past year, as well as plan and dream for the year ahead. Consider gratitude as a foundation for your coming year.

One of the blogs I follow, Liz Denney Sanders of She Brand, had a wonderful gratitude post around Thanksgiving which included her top 10 gratitude quotes, More Gratitude Less Attitude. When I think about gratitude I attribute Oprah and Sarah Ban Breathnach as two people who brought gratitude awareness to the forefront and they are included in this top 10 gratitude quote list, too.

Dream big, and write your dreams down. It is said that the simple act of writing dreams down and looking at this list of dreams frequently--starts the momentum. What have you got to lose. Learn something new and exciting this year. The wonderment of learning engages us in life. List some adventures you have always wanted to do, and don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone.

There are many highlights for me in 2013, becoming an author is a big one, and having the opportunity to meet two of my favorite authors who have inspired me in my life, Alice Waters and Patricia Wells are two others. I embrace the small highlights, as well as the big highlights. Having a healthy "cooing" flock of hens makes my heart sing.

For those that live in San Diego County, it has been very sad to hear of Loren Nancarrow's passing, a well-known San Diego TV anchor, and a garden enthusiast and advocate. He touched our lives in so many ways. He will be greatly missed.

Wishing you a very happy and exciting 2014! I am excited to share with you more garden living through writings, tips, photography, recipes,  and styling. This is a quote that I just love, that I saw this year which has stayed with me. I am not sure of the author. "Make Everyday Your Masterpiece."

Patricia Wells has a new cookbook out, The French Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Lessons from Paris and Provence. Last weekend, Owner and Founder, Susan McBeth's Adventures by the Book hosted culinary legend Patricia Wells at Torrey Pines Lodge. Check out Adventures by the Book, you'll never go to another regular book signing again. McBeth features what I call value-added creative author interactive book events, such as author-guided travel, fund raising, intimate dinners, receptions, and more.

Wells is delightful in person, very warm and friendly. She spoke briefly to local fans on some of her guidelines, principles, and tips she showers her students with during her week-long cooking classes in her Paris kitchen studio or her 18th century Provencal farmhouse. Wells has had a very storied culinary career with many accolades, four James Beard Awards amongst her many cookbooks to start, but what I cherish about her is her willingness to share all that she knows about Paris, Provence, and her food world. Who her favorite cheese monger is, her favorite chefs, her favorite wines from all regions, her favorite markets--I could go on and on. The French Kitchen Cookbook is filled with delightful recipes that urge you to make them now. Wells also shares many of her personal styling tips and kitchen suggestions that are fabulous.

I have been extremely delighted with her suggestions through her articles and books over the years, and have used her recommendations for the backbone of my Provence itineraries. One such adventure was eating at Le Bistro du Paradou Provence, Karma or Coincidence, and having a chance encounter with Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Ironically, after being a long time devotee of Wells, she and I are both coincidentally in the magical book, Lunch in Provence that was published fall 2012, by coauthors Jean-Andre Charial and Rachael McKenna. Wells wrote the engaging introduction, and I am serendipitously quoted in the book on the radiating beauty of Provence. This I know for sure, "like attracts like" and we both share passion for Paris, Provence, and delicious food.

I'm a firm believer in backyard composting. I love the idea of recycling what you have from your own garden, property, and kitchen scrapes into your own personal compost recipe. It is especially important to compost when you have backyard chickens. In fact, I really delve into this subject of backyard composting and backyard chickens in my book, Gardening with Free-Range Chickens for Dummies. See also my previous post, How To Compost In Your Backyard.

I call backyard composting a personal compost recipe of your life, because it is the layering of greens and browns, essentially by-products of your cooking, gardening, and property which create this custom compost mixture. My husband, John, and I have a small backyard vineyard. We use the grape pomace in our compost each fall. Grape pomace is the skins, seeds, and stems of the vineyard grapes after the wine making process. Grapes are a form of green or the fire that heats up the compost mixture, where the browns such as our chicken bedding, or rice hulls is considered the browns and fuel for the compost. Grape pomace heats up our compost to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, an incredible temperature for a backyard compost mixture. Composting with our grape pomace creates a rich organic material called humus, which will go back into our garden soil, and flowerbeds.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to visit Annie's Annuals and Perennials with my fellow garden bloggers attending the three day San Francisco Fling. One of the highlights of this three day adventure was Richmond east bay nursery, Annie's Annuals and Perennials. If you are ever in the Bay Area, make a visit to Annie's Annuals. A truly incredible nursery. Plants can be purchased online and shipped, too. While visiting Annie's Annuals, I noticed a sign and display, that grape pomace is one of her favorite compost materials.

This was the middle of summer, and not Halloween, as this sassy and colorful mannequin greeted you at the nursery entrance. I can only imagine how she is costumed this week, two days before Halloween!

Annie and I know a good thing, composted grape pomace. Try contacting your local vineyards in the fall, for possible sources of grape pomace. It is a great way to enjoy the colorful autumn season, maybe have a quick wine tasting, and purchase wonderful grape pomace for your backyard composting.