Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Summertime, Summertime



On summer mornings, the days stretch out luxuriously with hours of delightful possibilities. There are few things I really have to do and many things I'd like to do. By evening I find that the day has sped by and I have little to show for it. Instead I seem to drift through the days, puttering here and there, tidying a drawer or two, picking raspberries and making a bit of jam, sewing, or sitting and reading a book. And I'm not at all concerned with the lack of list ticking. 


Every morning and most evenings, I wander through the garden, admiring, pulling a weed or two, and wishing the tomatoes would hurry up and ripen. The hydrangeas are glorious this year, large bushes with heavy blossoms that are lasting a very long time due to our cooler summer.


For the past few days I've been occupied with company of the very best sort. There have been hours of holding a sleeping bundle against my chest, singing the songs I sang to my own children and my other grandchildren, and the delight of looking into her beautiful eyes. 

This morning, before I took them to the ferry, we had a little photo shoot. Iris is at her best in the morning, and this morning she was stellar.


Watching my children with their little ones brings me much joy. I see love and delight, mingled sometimes with frustration, as is the case with all parents. I see wisdom and respect and I am so pleased with the varying parenting styles they have chosen.

Isn't Little Miss I's hair a hoot? We call her Miss Tiggywinkle sometimes, as we did her cousin who had similar hair. 


I planted several new-to-me dahlias this year and one of them is Cafe au Lait, seen above. I had hoped to grow them in large pots, but this one wasn't very happy, so Tim transplanted it recently. I think the pot contributed to short stems because the next blossoms will have longer ones. This 10-inch bloom is floating in a bowl and is such a lovely creamy colour. It's also home to an ant, I see in the photo. 



Television here is something usually indulged in on the weekends. However, when I eat lunch alone, I sometimes tune in to one show or another. Last week I watched Lidia's Kitchen on PBS and she showed a great recipe for tomatoes. I adapted it considerably and will share below. The plum tomatoes were grown in a local greenhouse on a small piece of land near to our home. 

Crispy Baked Tomatoes

7 ripe plum tomatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
2/3 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, if desired
more olive oil for drizzling

Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and remove the core and seeds.

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and pour the olive oil over. Toss with your hands to thoroughly coat the tomatoes.

In another bowl combine the bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Pour over the tomatoes in the bowl and again with your hands, toss together.

Place each coated tomato half onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Fill with the crumbs remaining in the bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The tomatoes should be meltingly soft and the topping crunchy. Enjoy!

26 comments:

  1. Lovely Baby! Oh, so sweet!

    Your hydrangea are amazing, and that Cafe au Lait dahlia! That's a show stopper!

    The tomatoes sound delicious, too. We won't be doing anything in the oven for the rest of the week, though I'm going to quickly do some granola. The temperatures are going to be mid and upper 90's and Saturday with the heat indexes it will be over 100 degrees. With humidity.

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  2. Your grand is so adorable. Love Lidia and this recipe sounds great.

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  3. I enjoyed this post and found it to be encouraging...just being and enjoying. Your hydrangea is so very beautiful and nothing like a new grandbaby to love.

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  4. Lorrie, the summer does indeed seem to be flying by. I miss those six week holidays my hubby used to take. When he retired, he was jobless for a few months before he went back to work. He really likes his job but it does take up most of his time. I'm looking forward to two weeks when he will be off and we can enjoy some down time with our son. Meanwhile, I'm keeping busy baking treats for our company when they arrive. Your wee Miss Tiggywinkle is adorable. I love that stage and I miss it. Our youngest grandchild is seven now. Those hydrangeas are simply gorgeous and the creamy dahlia truly is a beauty! Lovely post! Enjoy your summer days and all the loveliness this season offers.

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  5. That little one sure has a full head of hair already. What sweet photos of her. And I loved your flower pics too, especially that Café au Lait. The tomato dish looks yummy!

    Wishing you a beautiful summer day.
    Brenda xox

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  6. In the summertime the living should be easy and relaxed …
    Beautiful photographs, Iris is just so sweet.
    Many thanks for sharing the tomato recipe :)

    All the best Jan

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  7. Sweet grand and such an adorable photo! What beautiful blooms...especially that dahlia! Summer looks lovely through your lens!

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  8. What a darling baby! The hair is fantastic!! Our babies are almost always bald...

    Your tomato recipe I will save. If I had some tomatoes in the house I think I'd make it this minute!!

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  9. I love Lidia's recipes...I make her meatballs and they are wonderful.
    Your darling grandbaby is very photogenic...such a sweet little bundle.
    Since returning from the cruise I have done very little in the garden except to deadhead the roses...I planned to get serious today but ir was raining so there is always tomorrow!! The joys of not working in the summer :-))

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  10. Love the gorgeous hydrangeas! Baby Iris is an explosion of cuteness.

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  11. Love Baby I's hair! So sweet to enjoy the cuddles. Glad your kids made the trip to come your way. Your hydrangeas are fabulous. We are not having the typical hot summer here in the northeast of Washington so far but we have a long way to go yet.

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  12. Gardens and tomatoes all look wonderful. Our first tomatoes have been picked this week. I just love the abundance of summer. What a sweet little granddaughter! Love her hair too. It does sounds like you are having a love, lazy summer days. Looking forward to that starting for me next week after I finish up a very busy week and weekend with tea festivities. Then my feet will go up.

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  13. Such a sweet baby! Her hair is a hoot and suits her so well.

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  14. I'm glad to hear that you've been enjoying leisurely Summer days. Cuddling your sweet little granddaughter is the best experience. The dahlia is gorgeous and that's a delicious way to serve tomatoes.

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  15. Oh my look how lovely she is!! What a treat for you. Those lazier days are the best! :) Kit

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  16. Iris is so beautiful - and that hair is so cute!
    Lovely photos and am jealous of the hydrangeas now that mine are drying brownish in this heatwave.
    I've just prepared a Caprese Salad using fresh picked Roma tomatoes from our neighbor's garden for part of our supper - love it and so easy.

    I know you are getting excited dear Lorrie!

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  17. Iris is so beautiful - and that hair is so cute!
    Lovely photos and am jealous of the hydrangeas now that mine are drying brownish in this heatwave.
    I've just prepared a Caprese Salad using fresh picked Roma tomatoes from our neighbor's garden for part of our supper - love it and so easy.

    I know you are getting excited dear Lorrie!

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  18. What wonderful summertime photos, Lorrie!! Little Iris is adorable, and I love the pic of Iris and her Mama...endearing to say the least. Those tomatoes sound fabulous, and different from my usual caprese salad with fresh tomatoes, or my tomato pie.

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  19. Sounds like you are accomplishing just the things you should on a nice summer's day. That cafe au lait bloom sure is a pretty color. And Iris is so precious. My firstborn had dark hair that stuck straight up for the first four months of his life. Everyone said the doctor must have pulled him out by the hair of his head. :) Yummy tomatoes!

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  20. The little grand baby is so adorable! If you saw my email, yes I was confused, but only about the gender! I love her hair, and that is such a sweet pic. Yes, enjoy the summer puttering. It's the best thing ever!

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  21. Oh that baby and momma shot is just so precious!!!!

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  22. How sweet, how utterly delightful, not just the funny adorable baby but the whole post. I often think that your calm and happiness shine through ever post you write.
    And thanks for the recipe, I plan to copy it except for the Parmesan. I have recently found some grated cheese which is lacto-free, so I will be trying it.

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  23. Your new granddaughter is simply adorable and the photo with her mama is everything...so special. Hope that it gets framed. The hydrangea is something else with all the gradation of color...gorgeous!

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  24. Lorrie - congratulations to you for enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer without obsessing over to-do lists! I admire that. What a blessing to get time with Miss Iris and your daughter - captured so well in the photo of the two of them. And that Café Au Lait dahlia - if you have more, you should enter one in the local fair!

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  25. Oh my goodness that precious face is just so sweet. So glad you had a wonderful visit.

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  26. I forgot to say that the Cafe au Lait dahlia makes me want to grow dahlias again. It is aptly named and is in its own way as delicious as its namesake.

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