July was hot on the prairie. But it usually is. But July 2011 was a month of triple digits -- and not just 100 or 101 but 107 and 110!!! It was time to stay inside and stay inside we did. The garden got watered but we let the weeds grow -- it was far too hot to be outside even in the early morning.
But this week we got some relief. Who would have thought that 90 would seem "cool" -- but it does!
And so to the garden we went . . .armed with hoe and basket -- our garden hat and gloves. We were on a mission -- to rid the garden of weeds!
But really 90 is warm and we need sustenance when we garden and so when we went out to the garden we took . . .
A basket of tea things -- a pitcher of icy tea, two glasses (in case neighbor Sally happened to be out and wanted to stop and join us for a glass of tea) and a nosh -- pecan shortbread with a rum glaze.
Basket unpacked on the table under the pergola and after some weeding, it was time to stop -- take off hat and gloves -- and have a glass of icy tea
A corner of the table is perfect for a pitcher of tea, two glasses and a small plate of cookies. The wreath of begonias encircles my garden statuary.
Lots of lemon and lots of ice. And a real napkin, too!!!! It's my new favorite iced tea -- from my favorite coffee company -- Roasterie --Kansas City's own. They now do tea as well and their black iced is wonderful -- it has a slight lemon flavor. Just a hint. Which makes it a perfect summer time iced tea.
The cookies are pecan shortbread from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) with a glaze by Paula Dean (The Lady and Sons) -- perhaps I should call them The Barefoot Lady's Pecan Shortbread Cookies!!!
Whether you call them by their original name or by my new name for them, they are yummy. I made them Monday for a reason . . . .
To take small packages to my ortho doc's office as a thank you -- for I had my yearly check up -- my new knees are wonderful and I don't have to come back and see him again for 4 years!!! And I have the reminder card for August 2015 that they filled out for me -- to place on my fridge!
THE BAREFOOT LADY'S PECAN SHORTBREAD
3/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. small diced pecans
Preheat the oven to 350
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the pecans and mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into 2 1/2 inch squares with a plate or fluted cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 2o to 25 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve.
RUM GLAZE:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. butter
2 T. milk
1 T. rum
Mix butter and powdered sugar, add rum and add milk until the mixture is of glaze consistency. Spoon over warm cookies and allow to set. Place a pecan half on each cookie before the glaze sets.
It is Saturday -- and it is time to join Bernideen for Tea in the Garden on Saturday. It is really nice to be out in the garden again!!!!!
11 comments:
I really like your post. I like the display showing the gardening tools. And your iced tea looks so refreshing.
Hooray for your surgeon and the miracle of modern medicine! You've had such a wonderful year, and have been able to walk around England (after walking across the ocean!) and do whatever it is you wish - a miracle indeed.
Hello,
what a good news to hear that your knees are working o.k. Hope this will stay that way. Your table is really nice with the refreshing Ice tea and the delicious pecan cookies. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Best greetings, Johanna
Oh Martha, you even add elegance to weeding!
Dan
-x-
Martha, I agree completely with Dan! Your cookies look like an inspired variation of Ina and Paula! Making mental note of these!
Francie
I am printing out the cookie recipe for sure - this looks so cute with all the garden items. Imagine 90 degrees seeming cooler - I totally understand after my visit to Missouri. Thank you so much for linking to Tea in the Garden on Saturday!
Okay, Miss Martha, now this is getting spooky -- I have those same drinking glasses!
Do you live in my house, or just in my brain?
and by the way -- 110 degrees? Seriously? HOLY SMOKES. When it hits a hundred here, it's front page news. Wow, 110. That is impressive.
Right now it is 78 here, going to a high of about 82 this afternoon.
Move east!
Cass
I am happy you survived the heat...we had a few weeks in the 90's and that seemed unbearable. The weeds seem to like it though!
Beautiful pictures and a lovely recipe. I am so happy to hear that you are getting around so well with your "new" knees! Yay!
XO,
Jane
It's a lovely idea to have refreshment on hand when gardening! The shortbread looks delicious and I'm adding it to my shortbread file. I can see it on the front porch with iced tea and a friend.
Best,
Bonnie
We thought temperatures in the 90s was hot here, can't imagine triple digits. Your tea break from weeding looks delightful and the shortbread a recipe worth trying.
Great news about your knees; I know a number of people having replacements and success stories are nice to hear.
Judith
Martha,
Lovely post! And, yes, the temperatures have cooled to the 90's on our side of the Prairie as well. "Mr. Ed" tackled the out~of~doors while I tackled the indoors and what a transformation! This coolness has us talking of tackling some BIG out~of~door projects...time will tell. Love your "Tea Time" vignette in the garden!
Fondly,
Pat
Post a Comment