It's Wednesday and What's Outside My Kitchen Window?

How does that song go?

"What a difference a day makes
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain..."

Okay, it's been longer than 24 hours. In fact, it's been a week. And, although it is still raining off and on and has been since last Sunday, it's all good. My backyard loves it, as you are about to see.

Remember the pergola last week? A few flowers on the wisteria and little yellow-green leaves just starting to bud. Look at it now...




The wisteria is off and running and we will have to keep on top of it weekly to keep it in tow.

And, remember the yellow roses last week? Well...



They need a good trim so they can continue blooming. But my other roses are in full bloom.

The red ones...



...the orange ones...



...and the pink ones.



But no sign of flowers yet on my day lilies planted next to the patio, but it's early...



The trees around the bird and squirrel feeders are fully green...



Tom's Arapaho blackberries in the back corner of the yard are blooming profusely and we are going to have tons to eat come late June and July...



...and behind them is the wild honeysuckle growing up over the fence. It is in full bloom and will remain like that until almost the end of May. Their wonderful fragrance is my favorite of all the plants...



The lily pads in the pond are doing well, but no flowers yet...



...but last Friday afternoon I did a little gardening around the pond. I planted mandevilla in the pots at each side of the bench. One pot also has petunias, the other pot also has daisies...



In the pot on the opposite side of the pond where my now-defunked tarragon refused to emerge, I planted two kinds of sweet potato vines and, if you look really closely you can see little tiny green sprouts where I planted a flower mix which includes Ornamental Poppies!!! (Thank you for reminding me, Karen!!)...



I know what your thinking. How can all those plants grow in that little pot? Well, I am of the thought that plants love other plants. Look how plants grow in the wild. They grow all together, next to each other, through each other, around each other, over and under each other. And, what survives...well, survives.

Finally, the garden. It's doing well, except that I did have a basil casualty. One of the basil plants just shriveled up and died. I thought it was because of the incident with our 70 lb. golden retriever, but when I dug it up to replace it, the plant no longer had any roots...but there were two very fat grubs underneath, which...sadly...died immediately a gruesome death. Everyone say, Awwwww. But, so far so good with everything else...



However, I am not one to leave things to chance. So, just to be safe, I planted more basil in a pot on the patio, but, unable to reign in my OCD, I took it two more times around the dance floor and not only planted Italian basil, but Thai basil and spicy globe basil. And, Lord stop me before I get too carried away, I planted another pot, already growing a flowering thyme, with yet more herbs, a Texas tarragon and feather leaf dill...



And, last but not least, my beautiful chives. This is their third year and in mid-March they looked like this...



Now they look like this...



Go ahead. You can say it. You are coveting my chives. I know. It's okay.

Don't forget to visit Debbie @ The Friday Friends, who originated "What's Outside My Kitchen Window."

Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce & Deviled Egg Salad

It seems everyone has received free bottles of POM Pomegranate juice. Everyone, that is, except me. I had to buy mine. But, that's okay, I actually buy it regularly because I make a refreshing afternoon drink with it. I fill a tall glass with ice, pour pomegranate juice to fill the glass about a fourth full, then pour orange juice until the glass is half full, then fill to the top with diet ginger ale. It's sort of like an afternoon snack for me.

We were planning a cookout this past weekend and I wanted something different. I had been seeing a lot of POM recipes in the blogosphere lately and thought about making a Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce. I did some looking around the internet and every single recipe called for Pomegranate Molasses. Now, com'on folks, I live in Arkansas. There are times during the year when the grocery stores don't even carry regular molasses because it is considered "seasonal" (like nobody would use it any time other than the holidays ~ go figure). So, I KNEW there would be no way I would find pomegranate molasses. I had to use my creative genius. I decided to reduce the pomegranate juice down to a glaze. So what do you think? Looks delicious, huh?



Here's what I did. I had some sliced smoked beef brisket in the freezer that I had smoked back in November and vacuum sealed. I made the barbecue sauce and then warmed the brisket slices in the barbecue until we were ready to eat.

Last week, Debbie @ Friday Friends posted a recipe for Deviled Egg Salad...well, actually the recipe's specific title is Pan-crisped Deviled Eggs on French Lettuces, but as I said, I live in Arkansas. The only thing French you will find here are Fries. But, in defense of the state where I now live, I did find a really nice herb and spring mix at WalMart. They don't carry it often, but when it's there, I buy it because it is really tasty. I like biting into my salad and being surprised with a taste of fresh dill or basil.

So, anyway, we love deviled eggs at our house and this salad looked so darn good I just had to try it and I can tell you, I will make it again and again. It was delicious.



Okay, so technically, we didn't actually cook out, but we did eat outside. And we enjoyed every single bite.

Pomegranate Barbecue Sauce
by Terri Powers for Terri's Table

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons (about 2 cloves) garlic, finely minced
1-3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook about a minute. Pour in the pomegranate juice and bring to a boil. Boil the mixture for about 9 or 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced by a third.

Add the vinegar the remaining ingredients, stirring well, bring to a boil and reduce the sauce to a simmer. Simmer until slightly thickened. Use as a glaze or sauce.

Note: I initially did not add the white wine. I only added it later after the sauce has simmered for awhile and still had too much of a vinegar bite for me. The white wine cuts that bite very nicely.

Debbie's Deviled Egg Salad
adapted from Debbie's recipe @ The Friday Friends

For The Eggs:
8 large eggs, hard cooked and peeled
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 med. garlic cloves, minced
2-1/2 teaspoons minced onion
2-1/2 Tablespoons fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves, coarse chopped
2-3 Tablespoons milk
2-1/2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1-1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (I only had cider vinegar, so I used that)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chives, chopped - I had to add them. They are growing beautifully in my herb garden. I also used them for garnish on the finished salad.

For The Dressing:
the leftover egg stuffing
3 Tablespoons good tasting extra virgin olive-oil
1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 1/2 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar.(The original recipe called for 2 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

For The Salad Greens:
4 generous handfuls of mixed greens such as Bibb lettuce, mache`, and dandelion greens or frisee`, washed and dried. (I used a full plastic container of herb and spring mix

To Make The Hard Cooked Eggs:
Place 8 eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, cover the pot, turn off the heat and allow the eggs to sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drain the water from the pot and cover the eggs with ice and cold water to stop the cooking and cool the eggs so they can be easily handled.


1. Cut the hard cooked eggs in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolks with your fingers and place them in a medium sized bowl. Set the whites aside on a plate.

2. To the yolks, add the mustard, garlic, onion, parsley, milk, mayo, vinegar and chives. With a fork, crush everything together into a thick paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pack the egg yolk mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites. Fill so that the stuffing mix even with the surface of the egg white. DO NOT mound the stuffing. You will have leftover stuffing and this becomes the base for your salad dressing.

4. To the bowl with the leftover egg stuffing mix, add the salad dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

5. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Gently place the eggs in the pan, stuffed side down. Cook until the eggs are beautifully browned, 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they cook.

5. As the eggs saute`, put the salad greens into a large bowl. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the dressing to the greens and toss until well coated. Remove salad greens to a large platter.

6. Gently lift the eggs from the pan, turn them filling side up and set them on the greens. Be careful! They are really slippery little suckers. I had one casualty.

7. To serve, drizzle remaining dressing over eggs, sprinkle with chopped chives and serve.

It's Wednesday and What's Outside My Kitchen Window?

I am having such a good time with this, thanks to Debbie @ The Friday Friends. Every Wednesday we are going to post photos of What is Outside My Kitchen Window.

My backyard is what is outside my kitchen window. And what a difference just a few days makes. And a little rain over the weekend. And a lot of warm sunshine.

You know that pergola outside my kitchen window that I posted last week...



There are four wisterias planted next to and growing up and around the posts on the back side of that pergola. Last week they were barely blooming and leafing out. But look at them now...



Go ahead, click on the photo to enlarge it.

Then there are the roses I planted against the fence next to the shed to make it look like a little country cottage, except Tom hasn't done the "country cottage" thing on the outside yet so it still looks like a shed. But the roses are blooming!



I apologize for the shadow on photo. My camera is doing weird things lately.

The aquatic plants we put in the pond last year are coming up nicely. We also added six goldfish, which you cannot see in this picture, but they survived the winter and are fat and sassy! Those lily pads will have flowers later in the season. I can't wait to show them to you.



Then there is my garden, which, as of last Saturday, has a fence surrounding it because our lovely dog, Goldie, decided to lay on one of our newly planted basil plants. I planted three kinds of tomatoes: grape, roma and an heirloom. Two kinds of squash: zucchini and yellow. Along with basil, lavender, Italian parsley and dill.



When I saw Debbie's backyard, I just loved her Adirondack chairs. I have four of them, still in boxes from my birthday two years ago because I've been too lazy to paint them. But, look out! I'm feeling energetic and rarin' to go. I am going to paint each one of them a different color...



I can't wait to show you!

And, finally, my little clematis that I planted late in the summer last year. It had only one lonely bloom. Look at it now...

Hanger-On: n. A person who remains in a place or attaches himself or herself to a group, another person, etc.

Or is it Hanger-On-er? Either way, I can't believe I have done this. Me...the former executive director of student fiscal affairs for a private college...a presumptuous, unabashed follower. Nothing creative is happening for me, so I shamelessly latched on to someone else's idea.

No, I'm not part of the Friday Friends group. I don't know Debbie personally, but I have been to Winnemuca, Nevada, for a street fair, I think sometime in 2002 before we moved from the Lake Tahoe area back to Arkansas. Sadly, I don't think that counts. Anyway, I have somewhat attached myself and given myself permission to participate in the What's Outside My Kitchen Window postings.

And, I am about to also answer her questions about hamburgers... that simple summer food on a bun, with potato salad or macaroni salad or french fries or onion rings. Aren't they incredibly versatile?

So, Wednesday, I will once again post What's Outside My Kitchen Window. I'm actually excited to do that because my yard is changing daily. I just love this time of year! But, for today...

What do you put on your hamburger? Mayo, mustard, ketchup (it's a McDonald's secret sauce thing from the early 60's), always request cheddar cheese, sliced onion, tomato and sometimes dill pickle slices. Lettuce is completely optional. Although, I did really like the Carls Jr. low carb burger with no bun and wrapped in lettuce. So maybe it's the bun that's optional.

Do you even eat hamburgers? Yes, but not very often. Maybe three or four times a year. It's not that I don't like them very much. In fact, it is the opposite. I absolutely love them if they are flavorful, hot and juicy!

Is there a special place from your youth....that made great hamburgers. Your "hang out" joint, if you will. The place that made the burgers of your dreams? When I started high school in northern California, my mom got a job as a clerk at Los Gatos Pharmacy, a small town, family owned pharmacy that not only dispensed drugs and other sundries, but also had an old fashioned lunch counter. They made the very best hamburger I've ever eaten in my life. The ground beef was fresh and the patties were hand made, as was the "sauce" they used. You could have your burger with french fries or salad with a homemade roquefort cheese dressing, which I have tried repeatedly to duplicate with little success. I used to love when my mom had to work Saturday mornings and she would take us to the pharmacy where we would have lunch and then explore the sidewalks outside until it was time to go home. I've never tasted a better burger since, but I'll keep trying.

What's Outside My Kitchen Window?

I decided to do something fun today and play along with Debbie at The Friday Friends.

Like Debbie, I love looking out my kitchen window. Even though we live in a typical neighborhood now, we have frequent critter visitors...squirrels, rabbits and lots of birds. Of course, it helps that we hang corn cobs for the squirrels and rabbits and seeds for the birds. And I love all the wind chimes I've hung along the edge of the patio roof. Unfortunately, today it is raining. But, for Arkansas, that's just spring. So, here's what is outside my kitchen window in Conway, Arkansas...