Recipe(tried): Here I Am Claudette, Busy As A Bee! Fettucini Primavera, Garlic Bread with Feta, Southern Crunch Apple Pie, Florida Hibiscus Tea Punch

Hello Claudette & Friends,So sorry I have not posted since Wednesday...I have been very busy in my garden and around the house! Since I have not been cooking, I saw no need to post sandwiches that we have been enjoying. DH, of course is in Heaven, he loves eating sandwiches much more than any of my dinners! He claims my dinners add weight!! Ha-Ha-Ha!!!

It rained buckets yesterday and boy was I happy! We needed rain so badly, all the lawns have begun to look parched except those under the shade of oaks...so the water was badly needed! I trimmed bushes and cut the grass on Thursday then one thing led to another.

As I trimmed a Yellow Jesamine bush, the more I trimmed the uglier it became, the bottom was all dried out and it looked awful! I decided to pull it up. Then I went to Lowe's and purchased some red Bouganvillia and planted it in the middle. Now I was left with the new plants in a huge round sea of red mulch.

You see, as the old bush grew rounder and bigger so did the bed it was in...what to do? I went around my garden searching for things...I found an old wood chair full of blooming plants, a straw hat to hang on it, some baskets of red geraniums, an old rustic frog planter with some orange nasturiums blooming and in they all went to fill up the space. Neighbors stopped by to admire the scene and wanted to know where they could find old wooden chairs and such. Neccessity is truly the mother of invention!

This morning I am off to visit an old friend in her new home. I am bringing her a housewarming gift; a rustic basket filled with all sorts of kitchen goodies...a Marinade bottle, a tin of BBQ Rub, a jar of Honey-Mustard Pretzel Dip, a container of Blue Popcorn kernels, a beautiful bottle of Chili Vinegar, a wonderful bottle of Citrus-Pepper Vinegar, Belgium Crackers, a pretty jar filled with Italian Seasoning, a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar and a wonderful new Williams-Sonoma Outdoor Living Cookbook. I am sure her husband who is a fantastic cook will make great use of all these goodies and the basket will come in handy to hold magazines or something else. I hunted all weekend for the perfect gift; I came across a garden fairy, a retro clock, a photo album all perfectly nice gifts but none really hit home with me. Finally, I saw the uniquely rustic basket and off I went filling it up! It was loads of fun arranging it with pretty tissue paper!

Ok, here's tonight's dinner...we have not had pasta in a loooong while so this will certainly satisfy us all! I will serve the Fettucine Primavera with Garlic Bread, a Florida style Iced-Tea a simple salad and for dessert, a yummy scrumptious Southern Crunch Apple Pie!

Have a great day y'all!! Gina

Fettucini Primavera
serves 6

4 eggs
1/4 c. heavy cream
8 slices bacon, cooked well and crumbled
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. sliced carrots
1/2 c. sliced cauliflower
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
1/2 c. sliced zucchini
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch strips
1/4 c. sliced scallions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. fettuccini
4 T. butter
1 c. parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Beat the eggs with the cream in a small bowl and set aside. Cook the bacon in a large skillet, drain on ppaper towels and set aside. Add the next 8 ingredients and saute til crisp tender about 8 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the fettucini accorinf to package directions, drain well and transfer to alarge pasta bowl. Add the butter and toss, add the egg-cream mixture and continue tossing. Add the veggies and cheese and toss well. Top with the crumbled bacon bits and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Garlic Bread with Feta

1 loaf Italian bread, split open
1 stick of butter, softened
3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil

Mix the butter with the garlic and blend well. Blend in feta and seasonings and spread on bread. Bake in oven at 350 for about 15 minutes till bubbly.

Southern Crunch Apple Pie
makes 2 pies, eat one, freeze the other!

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
3 c. sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 t. vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 lb. Granny Smith apples, finely chopped
2 9-inch pie shells, unbaked

Topping:
8 oz. brown sugar
3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 stick butter

For the pie, mix the sugar and flour, add sour cream, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir in the chopped apples. Divide evenly over the two pie shells. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Make the topping: Mix ingredients together til they resemble crumbs. Sprinkle over the two pies and return to oven and bake 10 more minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Florida Hibiscus Tea Punch

8 hibiscus or Red Zinger tea bags
4 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 tsp. orange water
1 bottle sparkling cider, chilled
lemon wedges
ice cubes

Place tea bags in a large gallon container. Add boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags add honey and stir. Chill until ready to serve. Add the cider and float the lemon wedges in each glass with ice.