brunosdream

I’m excited to report that my new garden enclosure has been completed!! Now I can have peace of mind that my garden bounty will be shared w/ the squirrels and other garden critters only when I want them to taste the garden goodness! The enclosure is wrapped from top to bottom in a sturdy metal mesh and is tall enough for me to stand up in it completely while I work. Here are a few photos:

All the plants for this year are being grown from seeds and are currently being hardened off. They should be ready for planting in their new home by next week.

Hoping for a great gardening season!

Bruno

In a previous post dated Feb. 5th, 2012, I lamented about having a problem w/ my bread bursting at the slash point. Well, the problem has been solved!

The bread in the photos above was made when the ambient temperature in my kitchen was 72 degrees F.

I think it may have been that during the colder months I didn’t proof the bread long enough before popping it in the oven. I did some research and it points to underproofing because in the warmer months I don’t have this problem. Someone suggested it was possibly due to the way I was shaping my loaves, however I shape the bread the same in both cold and warm months so I think not letting the dough proof long enough during the colder months is the culprit. It makes sense because dough takes longer to ferment and proof in lower temperatures and my kitchen was around 64 degrees F when I was baking during the winter.

Celebrating beautiful (and crack free) bread!!

Bruno

I had a few friends over for a pizza party not long ago. The following photographs of the evening were taken by my friend Bob of Moth Studios (w/ my new camera which does a better job w/ photos in low light than my other camera).

Pizza #1 – mozzarella, sliced tomato, mushrooms, oregano, garlic and parmesan

Pizza #1 ready to eat

Chris’ cucumber salad w/ red bud blossoms

Salad #2 – baby kale, spinach and Swiss chard

Rolling out the dough

Pizza #2 – mozzarella, sliced potato, sage, butternut squash, garlic, parmesan and capocolla

Enjoying the evening

Pizza #2 fresh from the oven

Capocolla

Dessert was Mary’s berry cobbler a la mode that was so delicious we forgot to snap a photo!

Happy Cooking…

Bruno

This year’s asparagus crop is a reflection of the damaging heat and drought we experienced in St. Louis last summer. Out of the 15 plants I started w/ last year, only 7 have survived. The rest died from an insect infestation last season. The surviving plants are producing stalks that are much smaller than those from previous years. I plan to dig up the remaining plants after they have finished producing for the season and start from scratch w/ a new batch of asparagus crowns.

Fingers crossed for the rest of this growing season!

Happy Gardening…

Bruno

The tulips and grape hyacinth are blooming nicely, but unfortunately so are the weeds! Due to the unseasonably warm weather we’ve been experiencing here in St. Louis, everything has started growing 2 to 4 weeks ahead of schedule. I was hoping not to have to start the yard work so soon but if I don’t conquer the weeds, they will conquer my yard! Oh well… at least the spring flowers are beautiful and I’ve been able to bike ride ahead of schedule too!!

Cheers…

Bruno

That’s the feeling I get from my furry friends and good food… not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year!

Cheers…

Bruno

I need help solving this problem. Does anyone know what could possibly be causing my bread to burst open at the place where I slash my loaves? I didn’t have this problem during the warmer months here in St. Louis. Now it’s winter here and the last few times  I’ve baked bread, the loaves have cracked open as you can see in the photos below.

Thanks for your assistance!

Bruno

Greetings! I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. I was invited to a friend’s house for a delicious feast! The menu was tomato/dill soup; beef tenderloin w/ a dijon/balsamic crust; potatoes w/ artichokes and leeks; sauteed corn;  Swiss chard and leek gratin (my contribution); and field greens w/ roasted beets and goat cheese. Dessert was a pecan pie. Here are a few photos of this delicious meal:

May 2012 be filled w/ great food, great friends and happiness!!

Bruno

I was very fortunate to have spent a few days working on Maui during the week before Thanksgiving. Here are a some of the many photos I snapped on this beautiful island.

Welcome to Maui!

View from my hotel room.

Fruit stand and smoothie truck on the way from Kahului airport to Kaanapali beach.

They sold passion fruit, guavas, papayas, mangoes, bananas, sugar cane, pineapples, star fruit, lemons, limes and coconuts among other things.

The old banyan tree in Lahaina.

Wood fired pizza from a street vendor – we selected the spinach special and lilikoi pork pizzas.

Our pies baking in the oven.

Time to eat!

Next stop the Maui Grown Company Store to sample some locally grown coffee. Sampled five types of beans and decided I enjoyed the Lahaina Beach the best so I bought a pound to bring home.

We then drove to the Kaanapali Coffee Farms to see where the beans are grown.

The next morning we drove to Hana on the windward side of the island. Sugar cane fields in the foreground w/ the sun rising over Haleakala volcano.

Along the Hana highway.

Surf’s up in Hana!

Breakfast at Uncle Bill’s in Hana. A quirky stationary food truck w/ an eccentric proprietor named Phyllis.

The funky decor at Uncle Bill’s.

Across from the ball fields in Hana is a great food stand called Thai Food by Pranee where I purchased the special of the day, Panang Mahi Mahi, to have for lunch before our hike in Haleakala National Park. No photo, just delicious memories and a link for more information : click here 

Baby pig crossing, but none were crossing as we drove by…

Entering Haleakala National Park.

Map of the park.

A banyan tree along the trail up to Waimoku Falls.

One of the many waterfalls along the trail to Waimoku Falls.

The bamboo forest.

Spectacular Waimoku Falls which drops 400 feet!

The base of Waimoku Falls.

Charles Lindbergh’s final resting place.

Continuing along the Hana highway there are many beautiful vistas.

The changing scenery as we get closer to the base of Haleakala volcano which you can see in the background.

One of the many hairpin turns along the highway. Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road!!

That’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed the tour…

Bruno

I hope everyone had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving w/ family and friends. I know I did thanks to my friends Michelle and Byron! Michelle cooked up a feast of turkey, roasted root veggies, green bean casserole, stuffing and gravy. For dessert we had pumpkin pie and my gelato. Michelle made the turkey using a new technique of cooking the turkey the day before, carving it, then placing it back in the roasting pan w/ the cooking juices to be reheated the next day. Not only was it tender and juicy, it saves a ton of time on the day of Thanksgiving!

I snapped a few pics of the feast in between bites…

Byron, Mackenzie, Michelle  and Dave

My plate of goodies

Kaiko waiting for stuff to fall off the table

After the goodness

Thanks again for your hospitality Byron and Michelle!!

Bruno