Grilled asaparagus

Grilled asparagus. Salt, pepper, sprinkle of olive oil...done. Don't go crazy and squeeze on some lemon, or sprinkle some fresh herbs on top. Ok, maybe you can do that.

Fresh eggs from the henhouse this morning.

Perfection is a poached fresh egg.

Mmm. Cinnamon rolls!

One morning, I just HAD to make these cinnamon rolls.

I used Paula Deen's recipe from Food Network. They were yummy, though the glaze was more thin and sugary than the thick gooey mess I was hoping for. I'd skip the glaze and make a thicker gooey one. The rolls themselves were amazing!

Here is Paula Deen's recipe from foodnetwork.com:

Ingredients

Dough:

• 1/4-ounce package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

• 1/2 cup melted butter, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cinnamon-rolls-recipe/index.html

Lettuce in the garden...
Super fresh carrots, pulled from the ground.
Snap peas on the way...
Broccoli...and then the long wait for delicious summer tomatoes...

I planted four vegetable gardens this year. They are filled with herbs, fruits and vegetables. Makes for some good eating.

Fresh picked sweet strawberries. Most of these ended up in a tart rhubarb strawberry crisp. See the posting under berry crisp for the recipe for the crumb top. Substitute the rhubarb and the strawberries for the berries and you'r egood to go.

Red Cabbage and Fennel Slaw

Red cabbage. Destined for a slaw with fresh shaved fennel. I used a recipe on foodnetwork.com by Melissa d'Arabian. Yum! Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, core removed, cut into quarters, and sliced very thinly, fronds reserved
• 1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 strips bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Toss the fennel, cabbage, scallions, and bacon together in a medium bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, fennel fronds, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the slaw and toss to coat.