Baby Birds

A little chipping sparrow built a nest in one of our hibiscus trees beside the pool.

A perfect little nest with three blue eggs.

 

Here's the hibiscus tree. It's actually more of a potted plant than a tree.

 

 

The little ones have hatched and Mom spends most of the day flying to and fro to gather food for them. They all seem to be doing well and before we knew it, they will all have flown the nest!

 

 

Feeding Time!

Watch a short video clip of the koi in our new koi pond.

Be sure to turn on your speakers!

Happy Birthday, America!

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th of July!

Fresh Basil Pesto

This spring, we planted four big pots of basil to use in our restaurant, Randelli's Gourmet Pizza. It's so much easier to grow it ourselves rather than having to order it from the produce distributor. But it seems the more we harvest it, the more it grows! What to do? Make some fresh basil pesto!

Here is a simple and delicious recipe. I ususally use Parmesan cheese, but you might want to try it with Romano or Pecorino cheese which have a stronger flavor. Most basil pesto recipes call for pine nuts but it's also good with walnuts.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.


2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite pasta or spread over toasted baguette slices.
Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Weekend in the Garden

We are really enjoying the new koi pond and the water plants in it are thriving. The water lillies continue to bloom every day and the lotus are putting on quite a show!

 

The huge pink lotus buds and blossoms tower above the tall, round, upright leaves.

Each new bloom last for about three days before the petals fall off.

The gorgeous flowers are pink when they first open, then fade to a pale pink, almost white, when the petals are ready to fall.

Once the petals fall off, the center seed pod continues to grow!

I hope to be able to harvest and save the center seed pods, dry them and use them in dried flower arrangements.