HIDCOTE GARDEN

Tours of Hidcote and Sezincote were part of my Paradise in an English Garden class at Oxford. This was my second visit to Hidcote famous for its design of garden rooms.  Also famous for this gray-blue paint color seen on gates and benches.

   Hidcote should brand this paint color, don't you think? Buckets of "Hidcote Blue" would be sold.

                           Someday I'm going to post pics of fabulous weather vanes I've seen.

                                                                  Hydrangeas in abundance.

                       Archways and paths lead to various garden rooms throughout the property.

                                               A long, wide hallway between rooms.

                  Someday I will post pics of all the fabulous benches I've seen.  More Hidcote blue.

If you look closely at the sky portion of this pic you will see a swarm of bees.  I was the last visitor to see this area before it was closed off.  The buzzing was a little unnerving.

                                      The benches are more comfortable than they look.

                           Trellis patterns are always interesting.  Just the word "trellis" is pretty.

                                                        A gorgeous zinc planter.

       After touring Hidcote, I walked out the front gate, turned right, and walked down the lane to see what was nearby.

               "To Let" looked tempting.  Who wouldn't want to spend a bit of time here?

                                                  Pretty cottages just steps from the road.

                Admired the horses grazing behind a stone wall and then as I rounded the lane came to a screeching halt....                        

roosters, chickens, and ferocious looking swans roaming around as if they owned the place.  Farm animals freak me out. Well, farm animals on the loose freak me out. If I had a stick I would have kept walking but since I only had my bag and camera I retreated. Sad since I would have like to know what was around the bend....

But as I walked back up this pretty little lane I forgot all about what I didn't see and reveled in the view.

                            And looking at a thatched roof cottage makes for a nice ending.

SWEET POTATO, APPLE, and GINGER SOUP - Amy Traverso

Another perfect autumn recipe from The Apple Lover's Cookbook by Amy Traverso.  And that gorgeous pumpkin pot by Staub sits atop my stove from mid-September through November 30.

Makes 6 cups

1 pound sweet potatoes (445 g) peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 pound (227 g) baby-cut carrots
1 large apple (about 8 ounces) any apple, although sweet is ideal--unpeeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 tablespoons (75 ml) olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 to 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into medium chunks
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups (945 ml) reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh apple cider

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a medium bowl, toss the potato, carrots, and apple with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.  Arrange on a foil-lined sheet pan (I used a silpat) and roast until tender, about 30 minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and set over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the onions just begin to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add the roasted vegetables, broth, and cider, stir, and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot and use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup until smooth.  If using a regular blender, process the soup in three batches to avoid splattering hot liquid.  Return the pureed soup to the pot, taste for seasoning, and serve.

APPLE BROWNIES - Amy Traverso

How did I miss this cookbook? This was published a year ago and I love apples!  The Apple Lover's Cookbook  by Amy Traverso is a gem.  And this recipe is one of the best ever--if you like apples, cinnamon, and walnuts, and of course you do. Thanks to Sunday of Ciao Domenica for mentioning this gorgeous book.

 Ingredients
1 cup (145 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick; 113 g) salted butter, melted and coole, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup (210 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts
2 large firm-sweet apples (about 1 pound total) --I used Honey Crisp--peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
1. Preheat ove to 350 degrees and set a rack to the middle position.  Generously butter the baking dish (11 x 7) and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a standing mixer at high speed or using a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and egg until pale, about 2 minutes.  Add the walnuts and apples and stir by hand until evenly combined.  Add the flour mixture and stir until combined, another 30 seconds.

3.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and lightly firm to the touch, 40 to 50 minutes.  Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then cut into 12 bars and transfer to serving platter.

Note:  Instead of chopping apples into 1/2 cubes, I chopped them into 1 inch.  So, this turned out to be apple cake instead of apple brownies.  Next time, I will cut into the 1/2 inch pieces which should make it more brownie-like.

THE OXFORD EXPERIENCE - Again!

            Cannot believe I had the good fortune to attend The Oxford Experience for the fourth time.

                             It rained almost every day we were there--a treat for Arizona girls.

        We checked in, got the keys, threw our stuff in each of our rooms (my room pictured),

took a quick look around

                   
                                                                   snapped a few pics

        opened the windows and then took off for a long walk along the Isis River to find some lunch.

I had been reading Deborah Crombie's book, Water Like a Stone, which featured canal boats so it was fun to see a few home-sweet-homes docked along the path.

Leslie had remembered this place having the best fish and chips, sadly they no longer serve that treat.

                                Whatever we ate was good and we would definitely return.                                    

I know I've taken you on a tour of Oxford before (click here, here, or here) but let's have another go.  First, this little pizza truck was new and was parked right outside of Christ Church College.  Wood-fired pizza--excellent.

                                               
                       Look at those doors!  Some lucky students get to enter these every day.          

           
                                                     Another beautiful college.

                               Back to Tom Quad at Christ Church College--my alma mater!

PUMPKIN CAKE

From Taste of Home

Every weekend in the fall I want to make apple and pumpkin recipes.  This pumpkin cake won last week.  This weekend it is apple brownies so stay tuned.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ICING:
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

• In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well blended.
• Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt;
• gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into an
• ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for
• 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
• For icing, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, butter and
• vanilla in a small bowl. Add enough milk to achieve spreading
• consistency. Spread over bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2
• dozen.

PUMPKIN GINGER SOUP and TOMATILLO SALSA

My darling friend, Ashley, brought me a jar of her pumpkin ginger soup and tomatillo salsa. Both were excellent so I knew you would want the recipes.  The pumpkin soup had a nice burn from the ginger and although the twins next door (they are now nine years old!) didn't try the soup, they loved the salsa.

PUMPKIN GINGER SOUP 
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon peeled and diced fresh ginger
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup raw, hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

In a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat.  Add ginger, carrots, celery, onion, and saute until vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  Add pumpkin and stir well.  Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Add salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree the mixture until smooth.  Strain the soup back into the saucepan and add the cream.  Keep warm.

Put the raw pepitas in a medium non-stick skillet and toast over medium-high heat, stirring until the seeds are fragrant, light brown, and begin to pop, about 3 minutes.

To serve, ladle the warm soup into serving bowls and garnish with toasted pepitas.

TOMATILLO SALSA
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
8 tomatillos, husked and diced
1 cup diced red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To prepare the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.  Let stand at least 1 hour and not more than 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.  That's it!

Both recipes are from Seasonal Southwest Cooking by Barbara Pool Fenzl.

CAVENDISH HOTEL & CHATSWORTH FARM SHOP

Cavendish Hotel was our favorite hotel of the trip. Sitting on the property of Chatsworth made it even better.

My usual faves are everywhere--stone facade, white framed windows, climbing roses, with a bit of lilac thrown in.

Cavendish is the family name of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.

                                             That's Miss Leslie waving from our window.

                   And here is the view from our room.  Is there a bad view in the English countryside?

          Caramel, cream, and pinky-red is a favorite combination of mine.  Just right for the front room.

                                                  Public rooms for reading or chatting.

The hallway to our room - I'm always smitten by striped walls.

Almost didn't post--why can't I remember to take a picture before our stuff is strewn all over the place?

                                 Blues and silvers invited us right into this elegant dining room.

          Chatsworth Farm Shop was a must on our list.  We picked up breakfast for the next morning.

                                                     Look at all that smoked salmon.        

          Couldn't decide between gooseberry or bramble and apple yogurt.  So bought both. Yum.

                                                    A little happy hour at the end of the day.