Easter dinner and more

Good evening Folks ~ I hope you are having a good week so far. Since a few of you mentioned our Easter menu, I thought I'd share pictures and recipes here and a couple of rose pictures taken yesterday.

For quite a few Easters now I've been roasting a boneless leg of lamb. We love it. This year, I also fixed mashed potatoes, LeSeur Peas, cooked carrots drained then served with butter and fresh tarragon, for dessert key lime pie with raspberry topping. To start we had a margarita and then merlot wine with dinner. We always drink out of these glasses for Easter. We picked them up at a local flea market many, many years ago for $1 each. One of the glasses is smoky where the rooster is because of air/moisture being able to get inside. I hand wash these for obvious reasons.

As I was taking the dinner plates away, I spied a piece of mashed potatoe left on the plate, and had to take a picture, as I am very partial to hearts of any kind. I thought it was very fitting considering the holiday. God loves us so much He gave himself for us.

Here are the four Don Juan blooms fully opened.
What rich, velvety, wonderfully scented blooms they are.

This is Dainty Bess.

Easter Lamb recipe.

Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup honey

* 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard

* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* 1 teaspoon lemon zest

* 3 cloves garlic, minced

* 5 pounds whole leg of lamb

* 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, rosemary, ground black pepper, lemon zest and garlic. Mix well and apply to the lamb.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

3. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt to taste.

4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and roast for 55 to 60 more minutes for medium rare. The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Key Lime Pie with Raspberry Topping

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/3 c. lemon juice, fresh or bottled (not lemon extract) (or key lime juice)
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat all together, pour into a graham cracker pie crust and chill for several hours.

I used a can of raspberries, cooked and thickened with arrowroot powder, for the topping.

Today I mowed and weed wacked, which always wears me out. For supper tonight I made home made pizza, always one of our favorites no matter what day of the week I fix it.

Enjoy the rest of the week whatever you do.
Laugh, love, enjoy life.
Count your blessings.

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Sunlight and blossoms

Good morning Friends ~ Here it is another day. It is a bit chilly out but it is invigorating. There are rain drops on everything from yesterday, and it feels great to be alive. I have much to be thankful for.

Walking outside first thing in the mornings gives me a sense of hope of good things. Being in my gardens brings me peace, and I am thankful to the Great Creator for my blessings big and small. Each day is new for learning, growing, and loving. The past is behind us and today is one for living fully in each moment we are blessed with.

The plant kingdom is not concerned with each day's happenings, they just grow, bloom, taking in all that comes their way. When their time is past, they have given joy, beauty, food, scents, and health and well being to all that partake.

Yesterday I went out as the sun was starting to come up over the trees. I just love the way the sunlight interacts with everything, shining on or through. Or with some things in shadow there is just a contrast of being in shade rather than sunlight.

Do click on the pictures for larger view.

Below is Golden Dewdrop, called this because of the golden colored seed pods that develop once the flowers have fallen.

These next few pictures are of Don Juan.
He is growing up and over the arbor into my main garden.

Next is Cocktail.
She is in a huge pot back by my clothesline
and her bright beauty and her sweet scent is a delight.

This is a bromeliad blossom.

May you have sunlight in your soul today,

whether you have it physically or not.

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL