It has truly been a fantastic weekend. We went up to our friends’ place near Montreal where we attended the monthly Sauna Gathering. Jim took a four layer chocolate cake, which was perfect because there were plenty of people there to share it. The sauna was hot and rejuvenating, it was great to connect with our friends and catch up on every thing that has been going on since the Fourth of July party.
Of course, it was gratifying to have my friends admiring the new me. I had a really slinky black outfit to wear, a nice light linen sweater over a skirt I bought three years ago which looks a lot better now than it did when I bought it, and it didn’t look that bad when I acquired it. People are great in this group, they know just how flattering to be without going overboard or sounding insincere.
The cake was great, but I have to say the pizza Jim created for dinner tonight was superb. Yes, I have food porn for all you foodies. Following is a shot of the second pizza.
Sorry, this picture in no way does justice to the amazing flavors that were running around my mouth when I bit into that.
Just look at the colors: the pesto was freshly made today. We went out and harvested the basil bushes for the second time today. When we finally had all the leaves removed from the stalks there were almost TWO pounds (that would be almost a whole KILO) of basil leaves. We did not have enough pine nuts in the house so a grocery store run had to be made to complete the task of putting the pesto together. It is in the freezer now.
While we were doing that, the tomato puree was cooking down (it still is, for that matter). I canned 22 pints of puree on Saturday morning, and this batch will make another 24 or so.
We also are roasting tomatoes every night, and freezing them each morning. This will make a particularly wonderful addition to the food repertoire during the winter.
Needless to say, our house is redolent of the mixed flavors of roasting and simmering tomatoes mixed with basil and roasted garlic with a splash of fresh bread thrown in. My senses are reeling. That could have something to do with the wine I have been sampling today. We took a bottle of our Marechal foch from last year out to share with Jay and Jeri, and one of our friends stopped by with some absolutely amazing pear wine, which we were compelled to sample as well. I haven’t been this drunk in quite some time. I think my calorie count for the day has been completely blown. Oh well. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, drink what there is to drink, and eat what there is to eat.
The first pizza had the freshly roasted tomatoes used as a sauce which was topped by salami from Columbo in San Francisco, plus fresh mushroom and olives. That was a great pizza, I have to say.
But this pizza was even better. Now, let’s just get it over with and let you know that the crust was home made with freshly ground wheat from the food room. So it was pretty special to begin with. Then it was topped with the fresh pesto, followed by fresh home made whole milk mozzarella, which Jim made a few days ago from milk that I get from one of my massage clients. She and her husband have a dairy, and I get fresh unpasteurized unhomogenized milk and she gets massage for a discount. It’s all good.
Okay, so then on top of that is a freshly sliced vine ripened organic tomato at the peak of its ripeness.
I have to take a break now for the flavor orgasm.
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The flower garden is pretty right now. This is an atmospheric view of the pergola over the Hosta Dell, which is decked in Sweet Autumn Clematis right now. In front of it is a selection of the grasses in the Petite Prairie.
The sauna garden is looking splendid too. The marigolds and sedums are prime.
The moon flowers FINALLY bloomed. This one is on the fence out by the pond. I am very proud of this crop, all the plants I started myself from seeds I collected from last year’s blooms. So my moon flowers have come full circle.
the havens 