Hulda Klager Lilac Garden

It's the beginning of the summer season so I thought this would be a perfect post to feature this national historic site.

I've always wanted to go to this place, so last Mother's Day, my daughter granted my wish, and drove me there as my present. 

Each year thousands of visitors step back in time to discover the 1880's Victorian farmhouse and country garden. The garden has been maintained by Hulda Klager Garden Society, a non-profit volunteer organization.

History

Hulda Klager came to this country from Germany. With her family in 1865, when she was two. Her family moved to Woodland, Washington in 1877 when Hulda was 13 years old. In 1903 she read a book about Luther Burbank, a renowned hybridizer at the time. 

In 1905 she began hybridizing lilacs and by 1910 she had created 14 new varieties. By 1920 she decided to hold an open house each spring when lilacs were in full bloom. The practice caused her to become known as "The Lilac Lady."

In 1922 her husband Frank Klager died. She wanted to abandon her work, but her son, Fred, insisted in continuing to nurture the plants. The spring of 1948 brought another adversity when the Columbia River swept the property and wiped out her lilac garden. Many people helped her, and it took two years to open the garden again. They continued until her death in 1960. 

After Hulda's death at the age of 96, Mr. and Mrs. Van Eaton cared for the estate but sold it eventually. When the Washington Federation Garden Club heard that it was going to be bulldozed to to make way for an industrial site, they decided to save it and declared as a national historic site.

The novel, "Where Lilacs Still Bloom," written by Jane Kirkpatrick, was inspired by Hulda's lilac garden.

I already read this book, and it's a true story of a nature loving wife and mother who devoted her life to breeding lilacs. I highly recommend this book for those who have a passion in gardening and for nature lovers. I'm planning to go there again next year, because we missed the blooming season of the lilacs which happened mid-April. I hope to witness the beauty of the lilacs when they are in full bloom.

Let's have a tour of Hulda's house and garden.

Parts of the house

The water tower

A big tree on the yard

An arbor with a wisteria plant

A fountain in the middle of the garden

A gate fee box

The entrance

Rhododendron plants 

Celebrating Mother's Day

A picture inside of the arbor

A walkway

Inside the garden

Souvenir shop

                                                                                                                               

Resurrection Rolls (Empty Tomb Bread)

"He is not here, He has risen."
--Mark 16:6

I was reading my news feed on Facebook, and I came across this recipe (Resurrection Biscuit). I thought this was perfect for an Easter post and for our dinner this Easter Sunday. A lot of people, especially kids, actually don't know the meaning of Easter or why we celebrate it. This bread will help them connect with the truth about the empty tomb. If you have little kids, this is a wonderful way to share the story of the miracle of Christ's resurrection. 

These rolls form a hollow in the middle after baking. The hollow represents the empty tomb when Christ arose on Easter. To teach the story of Easter, it can be found in Matthew 28:1-6. This is the little legend for how to relate the story to this recipe. 

The marshmallow in this recipe represents Jesus. The butter and cinnamon represents the linen that Jesus was wrapped in when he died on the cross. Jesus was put into a tomb, which is represented by the sweet bread dough. After the third day, Jesus rose and was no longer in the tomb. When you open the cooked roll, the marshmallow melted, and represents the empty tomb.

Have a happy Easter, everyone!

Ingredients: 

1 lb. sweet bread dough

1 bag large marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar (I used the coconut sugar)

2 tbs. cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease muffin tin.

2. Prepare a small bowl of the melted butter (for dipping) and another small bowl with the cinnamon and sugar mixed (for dipping).

3. Separate crescent dough* into triangles, and place a marshmallow on each one (see image 1). The marshmallow represents the pure body of Jesus. As a teaching tool, children can dip a marshmallow in the butter and the cinnamon-sugar mixture to represent the burial oil and spices that were used on Jesus’ body. However, the seams of the crescent rolls seem to stay sealed better with plain marshmallows, so maybe just dip a few.

4. Seal the edges of the dough around each marshmallow, and explain that it represents that tomb of Jesus that was securely sealed after he was buried inside.

5. Roll the dough in your hands to form a smooth circle.

6. Dip the dough in the melted butter.

7. Roll the dough in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

8. Place each roll in your greased muffin tin.

9. Bake for about 15 minutes.


10. Allow the “tombs” to cool slightly before children open them to see that they are empty (the marshmallow melts away and leaves an “empty tomb”)!

*Note: I used my homemade sweet bread dough.
**Note: If you're using homemade dough, let it rise again for 30 minutes before baking.

Source: http://www.godvine.com/read/This-Looks-Like-A-Normal-Recipe-Until-You-Bake-It-Then-The-TRUE-Miracle-Of-Easter-Is-Revealed--880.html

St. Patrick's Day

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."

--Irish Proverb

Are you planning to wear green tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day? If you don't want to be pinched, you have to wear some!

St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Ireland. It is a custom to wear a shamrock or green clothing and accessories. Shamrocks are clover-like plant with three-lobed leaves, used as the national emblem of Ireland.

In honor of this holiday, I prepared this menu for lunch. What food will you prepare?

St. Patrick's Day Menu

1. Pizza Shamrock

Topping: chicken and pepperoni with shamrock-shaped bell peppers

2. Pandan buko cheesecake

3. Vanilla cupcake with green frosting

4. Shamrock Drink

Ingredients: lemonade, sparkling grape juice, pineapple juice, and lime popsicles 

Chicken Nachos

 

Everything seems to be getting colorful right now; from plants, fashions, and surroundings. Even the cherry blossoms and tulips started blooming. Everyone also already started yard work. It already feels like springtime, and I feel energized and inspired to do some gardening, housework, and cooking in the kitchen.

It was a very beautiful and sunny Sunday yesterday. This day is special to us as a family because it is the only time that we can eat together. I prepared this dish for lunch: chicken nachos. I prepared the ingredients before we went to church, so all I did was to stick it in the oven. While I waited for it to be done, I watched my favorite show.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast cooked
3/4 cup Sweet BBQ sauce ( you can use the hot one if you like it spicy )
1 13 oz. bag tortilla chips ( restaurant style )
2 cups Mexican Style cheese
1 tomato diced
1/2 cup green onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper diced
1/4 cup chunky salsa

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Shred the chicken and put into a medium bowl.
3. Add BBQ sauce and coat chicken completely.
4. Place tortilla chips on prepared sheet and spreading to edges. Spread chicken evenly over tortilla chips.
5. Place diced tomato on top of chicken. Distribute cheese evenly over tortilla chips. Scatter green onions over cheese.
Bake for 7 minutes or until melted.

Inspiration: http://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/2011/08/day-187-chicken-nachos-and-in-the-kitchen-zone/

Note: If you want hot sauce on your nachos, I recommend Frank's RedHot Wings Buffalo Sauce.

Sotanghon Meatball Soup

It's transitioning to spring and its been cold in the morning lately, so I made this noodle soup for dinner. There are different kinds of noodles that you can buy, but I used the vermicilli or sotanghon kinds.

Almost every weekend I cooked the rice soup or "arroz caldo." We'd eat it before going to church on Sundays, during winter season.This is another Filipino favorite soup.

You can prepare the meatballs ahead of time and freeze them when you're ready to cook them. Afterwards you can just thaw them. This dish is perfect for a chilly evening.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. ground pork
1 lb.shrimp (coarsely chopped)
2 tbs low sodium soy sauce
1 small chopped onions
1 tbs minced garlic
2 tbs flour
1 egg
1 cup button mushroom
chicken stock (low sodium)
1 tbs chili oil or pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup spinach
green onions for garnish
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium size chopped carrot
1 cup sotanghon noodle

Procedure:

1. Combine ground pork, shrimp, flour, carrots, onions, eggs, and soy sauce. Shape into small balls.
2. Saute garlic in olive oil, add onions and broth.When it's boiling, drop the meatballs. I baked it first for about 15 minutes and 350°F in the oven.

3. Add the noodles and boil for another five minutes. Add the mushroom and spinach.
4. Pour the soup into a bowl and sprinkle some green onions. Adjust the salt and pepper according to your liking.

Happy eating!

Peaches and Cream Jello

Browsing on Pinterest is one of my favorite thing to do nowadays. I keep on hunting new recipes that I can try, which won't leave you disappointed. There are millions of them from main dishes up to desserts, with step by step how to's, and with matching boards like masterpieces.

A few weeks ago I came across with this old fashioned dessert, the jello mold. I was fascinated by the versatility of this gelatin. You can add it to a dessert or salad as a binder. It's fun to mold this into anything, easy to make, and it's inexpensive. The possibilities are endless.

Jello desserts bring back a lot of memories of my childhood. In every gathering or parties, it's always included in the menu, whether it's a fiesta, baptism, birthday, or even weddings. We always buy jello in the grocery store, and our favorite is "peaches and cream," so I decided to try this recipe.

My last attempt wasn't very successful but the taste was good. I won't give up and keep on trying. Since St Patrick Day is coming, I'll make a green jello for my next post. I guarantee that this will be a hit to your next party or buffet!

Ingredients:

2 (3 oz) packages of peach flavored gelatin
3 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 cups cold water
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1(15 oz) can sliced peaches
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin

Procedure:

1. In a medium bowl, stir 2 cups boiling water into both packages of peach gelatin for two minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup pineapple juice. and 3/4 cup cold water. Refrigerate until gelatin thickens to the consistency of raw eggs. Drain peaches well and arrange them in a formation in the bottom of the mold. Reserve the syrup from the can. Spoon the thickened peach gelatin into the mold over the arranged peach slices. Refrigerate until the gelatin is set but not firm (gelatin should stick the fingers
when touched).

 

2. Next in a medium bowl, sprinkle two packages of unflavored gelatin (Knox) over 1/2 cup of cold water and allow the gelatin to absorb the water. stir in 1 1/2 cup boiling water for two minutes until gelatin is fully dissolved. Stir in condensed milk and peach syrup until the mixture is smooth.. Refrigerate mixture until slightly thicken then gently spoon into the mold over peach gelatin layer. Refrigerate overnight or until firm.

3. To unmold the Jello, fill a basin with warm water. Dip the mold just to the rim in the warm water for 10 seconds. Lift from water, hold upright, and shake slightly to loosen the gelatin from mold. Place a cold, moistened plate over top of the mold and invert the plate and mold together. Carefully lift the mold, if gelatin does not release, lift the mold in warm water and try again.

Credit: http://www.thekitchn.com/retro-recipe-peaches-cream-jello-115375