More pictures of the nesting bluebirds....

This is one of my favorite pictures that I've taken of the bluebirds.  

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownie

Just got done cutting these up.  I'm looking forward to serving them to my guests today.     

Checking in on the blue birds......

What a joy it has been to have these little guys around again this year.  I enjoy watching them work as a pair.  I am not sure where they are at at the moment, but my guess is the eggs have been laid.  They have been chasing the squirrels away as they come by on the ground underneath them, but the squirrels don't seem to have any interest in the house and that's a good thing.   

Herb Garden Project...

Working on some garden stakes for my herbs.  I have purchased some old spoons from the antique store, flattened them out with a hammer, and then punched the letters onto them with my metal letter puncher.  I then take a permanent black marker and color over the letters and quickly wipe it off with a paper towel.  The black gets into the groves of the letters and makes them stand out more.  These are just too cool and adds a special touch to my garden.   

Enjoying the sweet little Bluebirds in my back yard....

These little guys are so cute; I can't seem to get enough pictures of them....   

What's happening in the herb garden.....

My Lemon Balm, Chives and Oregano are coming up beautifully.  

My garlic is coming in great, but I did plant it a little later then recommended, so we'll have to wait and see when harvest time comes.  May not have any to store this year, but will enjoy using fresh garlic in my recipes. 

More of the Blue Bird.....

These little guys have been really busy the last few days bringing in material for their nest.   Got a shot of  one of them in flight leaving the nest to get more material.  

The Mockingbird

As I was jogging this morning, I heard a Mockingbird singing.   Its beautiful song consisted of all the wonderful bird calls that it had stolen.  This reminded me of a Mockingbird that I heard last year while I was out jogging.   I'm not sure where this one had stolen all its bird calls.  It must have spent some time near a train station because the bird calls were very loud and squeaky.  I didn't recognize any of the bird calls but maybe two.  Just the same, it went on singing its song proudly.  It brought a smile to my face.  I then chuckled because it was very early in the morning and it was sitting right outside of someone's window in a tree.  It seems like I had jogged on about a mile, and I could still hear it singing.  I would love to be in their world for a day and watch as they pick up a new call....  how exciting it must be to keep adding on new ones.        

Blue Birds

These little guys are so sweet and adorable; I can't help but take more pictures of them.  

Tomato Corn Salad

Although this salad was probably intended as a summer dish it just sounded so wonderful that I had to make it.  I'm looking forward to making it again with my fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden this summer.   

Add the first eight ingredients...  I did not have a red onion on hand, so I just used a sweet onion. 

 Corn cut from their cobs and sauteing in olive oil until tender.... 

                                       

       Add the mustard and garlic and saute for one minute... then add it to the the    

        first mixture and stir it all together.    

Garnish with some basil or cilantro and it's ready to eat.... 

Tomato Corn Salad 

Ingredients

• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups fresh corn (about 9 ears of corn)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. In a large skillet, saute corn in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in mustard. Add to vegetable mixture; toss to coat. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 7 servings.

Blue Birds

Gathering their material for the nest.... 

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This is one of my favorite pound cakes.  It forms at tasty crust on the outside that takes on a rich flavor of lemon.  Although it taste good toped with strawberries and whip cream, it taste fantastic just by itself.  

Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake  

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 package(8 oz) cream cheese, softened

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon extract 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Confectioners sugar, sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream, optional

In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in extracts.  Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; beat into creamed mixture until blended.

Pour into a greased and floured 10 in. fluted tube pan.  Bake at 325 for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  Garnish with confectioners sugar, strawberries and whipped cream if desired.  

Blue Birds

The blue birds are back and I'm so excited.  I can see this birdhouse right from my kitchen window.