Poetry Saturday . . . Linnet

I heard a linnet through the trees,
jauntily, upon the breeze;
a joyous burst of gilded song
that pierced my heart, sweet and long,
and shivered on the air.



All fell still to hear the notes
that dipped and soared and seemed to float;
leaf and bough reached reverently,
grassed raised their heads to see
the psalm ascending there.



I know why angels leave their berth,
I know where Heaven kisses earth . . .
beyond the stand of low limed larch,
beneath the forest's fragrant arch,
to bless the linnet fair.
~Rachel Wallace-Oberle

Oh can there be any more beautiful sound on earth than that of a bird's song. I have not heard a linnet to my knowledge, but now I am on a quest to find out what one sounds like . . . having been inspired by these words to do so. I am sure it is quite heavenly. It boggles the mind to think of all the beautiful and wondrous things there are on this earth . . . right from the largest thing down to the smallest thing, all fitting together in perfect harmony . . . and yet there are still people who think it all an accident and who don't believe in a God.

We are going to go off on a little escape today. The sun is shining and it is supposed to be fair all day. It's supposed to rain quite heavily tomorrow (which is good, the garden's need it), so we thought to take advantage of the good weather and just go out. It's not warm enough for the seaside and there will be a north easterly wind blowing, so we will stay away from those areas, but somewhere in land and beautiful will do just fine!

Here's a tasty way to cook chicken breasts that will have them all oohing and ahhing. I love chicken breasts. They're so adaptable and you can put just about anything with them. They are the perfect canvas to paint a meal upon!



*Cheesy Tomato and Basil Chicken*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender and moist chicken topped with a scrumptious mixture of tasty tomato sauce, cheese and crumbs, and then baked!

6 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Sauce:
3 TBS butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium (2 cups) tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 TBS dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:
8 (3/4-ounce) slices Provolone Cheese
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 TBS butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 13x9-inch baking pan in the heated oven (4 to 6 minutes).

Combine all the remaining sauce ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside. Place the chicken into the baking pan, turning to coat with the butter. Spoon the sauce mixture over top of the chicken. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Stack the cheese slices. Cut into thin strips, and then coarsely chop. Set aside.

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley and butter in small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken with chopped cheese, and then sprinkle with the topping mixture. Continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender and the bread crumbs are lightly browned.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, some delicious Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!

Poetry Saturday . . . Are All The Children In?

I think of times as the night draws nigh
Of an old house on a hill,
Of a yard all wide and blossom-starred
Where the children play at will.



And when deep night at last came down,
Hushing the merry din,
Mother would look all around and ask,
"Are all of the children in?"



Tis many and many a year since then,
And the old house on the hill
No longer echoes childish feet
And the yard is still, so still.



But I see it all as the shadows creep,
And tho' many the years have been
Since then, I can hear my mother ask,
"Are all the children in?"



I wonder if, when those shadows fall
On the last short earthly day,
when we say good-bye to the world outside,
All tired of our childish play,



When we meet the Lover of boys and girls,
Who died to save them from sin,
Will we hear Him ask as Mother did,
"Are all the children in?"
~author unknown



I just love this poem, it reminds me of warm summer evenings when I was a child, as the sun lay low in the sky, being called in from play by my mother, and not wanting the day to end.

I hope that when I get that final call from my Heavenly Home that I hear it and know the way.

I think this is a long weekend both here in the UK and over in the US. It's called Victoria Day here, (I think) and in America, Memorial day. Traditionally over here the May bank holiday is the weekend for gardening work and barbeques. I think it is in the US as well. Here's a gorgeously tasty dessert for that barbeque, that is easy, quick and oh so scrummy!



*Strawberry Banana Smores*
Serves 9
Printable Recipe

These are the scrummiest smores ever!

9 graham crackers broken in half (18 squares), divided
(Or 18 digestive biscuits here in the UK)
2 milk chocolate bars (1.55 oz. each), coarsely chopped or broken into squares
(I like Green & Blacks milk chocolate)
9 Marshmallows, cut in half
5 large fresh strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat your grill to medium-low heat. Place 9 graham squares on bottom of 9-inch square disposable foil pan, and then top with chocolate, marshmallows, berries and bananas. Spread the remaining graham squares with jam and place them, jam-sides down, over the grahams in pan to make 9 s'mores.

Grill for 4 to 6 minutes, or until marshmallows are puffed and chocolate is melted. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Delicious!



Baking over in The English Kitchen today, some delicious Chocolate Chip and Cream Cookie Brownies! Decadently over the top for sure!

Poetry Saturday . . . A Song Of Living

Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have sent up my gladness on wings, to be lost in the blue of the sky.
I have run and leaped with the rain, I have taken the wind to my breast.
My cheek like a drowsy child to the face of the earth I have pressed.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.



I have kissed young love on the lips, I have heard his song to the end.
I have struck my hand like a seal in the loyal hand of a friend.
I have known the peace of heaven, the comfort of work done well.
I have longed for death in the darkness and risen alive out of hell.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.



I give a share of my soul to the world where my course is run.
I know that another shall finish the task I must leave undone.
I know that no flower, nor flint was in vain on the path I trod.
As one looks on a face through a window, through life I have looked on God.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
~Amelia Josephine Burr



I love this poem . . . it speaks to me of how I live my life, living each day that I can to the fullest. When Angie passed away in January, I realized how very fleeting life is . . . how we are not here forever and how each one of us knows not when we will leave this life. That the end can come very suddenly and very unexpectedly. Each day is so very precious and will never come again. We need to squeeze all the joy out of each one that we can. Each day is a gift to be unwrapped and enjoyed to the fullest!

Here's a recipe that Todd really enjoys. He loves chicken drumsticks and these are a real favourite! I always remove the skin from my chicken before I cook it. That way I get rid of all the extra calories and fat that I can. Enjoy!



*Honey and Soy Glazed Chicken Drumsticks*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender drumsticks with a yummy sticky glaze. Quick and easy to do as well! Make sure you line the baking dish with foil for an easy cleanup!

1/2 cup of honey
2 TBS dark soy sauce
1/3 cup of water
8 chicken drumsticks, skin removed (3 pounds)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 230*C/455*F/ gas mark 7. LIne a shallow 9 by 13 baking dish with aluminium foil.

Mix together the honey, soy sauce and water in a large bowl. Add the chicken drumsticks, tossing to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then tip the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Place into the oven and bake, basting the chicken with the pan juices, scooping from around the edges, every 10 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. This will take approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Serve the chicken hot and drizzled with the pan juices.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, English Lavender Buttermilk Scones! Deliciously Different!

Poetry Saturday, Spring Carol . . .

When loud by landside streamlets gush,
And clear in the greenwood quires the thrush,
With sun on the meadows
And songs in the shadows
Comes again to me
The gift of the tongues of the lea,
The gift of the tongues of meadows.



Straightway my olden heart returns
And dances with the dancing burns;
It sings with the sparrows;
To the rain and the (grimy) barrows
Sings my heart aloud -
To the silver-bellied cloud,
To the silver rainy arrows.



It bears the song of the skylark down,
And it hears the singing of the town;
And youth on the highways
And lovers in byways
Follows and sees:
And hearkens the song of the leas
And sings the songs of the highways.



So when the earth is alive with gods,
And the lusty ploughman breaks the sod,
And the grass sings in the meadows,
And the flowers smile in the shadows,
Sits my heart at ease,
Hearing the song of the leas,
Singing the songs of the meadows.
~Robert Louis Stevenson



Oh, I do love Spring over here in the UK. It's like all of a sudden . . . all the browns and greys of winter are replaced with a flush of green . . . like a tender haze that coats the branch and trunk of every tree . . . the grass becomes a deeper green and the air is filled with the song of nesting birds . . . the landscape dotted with the yellow of daffodils and purple crocus . . . hyacinths. The tender pinks of early blossom and the deep yellow blooms of forsythia. It is a lovely time and the heart cannot help but dance to nature's tune!

Did anyone watch red nose day last night? We watched the first couple of hours. My heart broke a million times as I watched the suffering of children in this world. Although we are what might be considered living at the poverty line here in the UK, we have things a million times better than those poor souls, and you cannot help but to dig into your pocket and give what you can. What is amazing is that during a time that the people here in the UK are going through what has been the worst financial times in recent history, with record job losses, bankruptcies and government cutbacks, increasing petrol costs and dastardly increases in the costs of food and other essentials, we still managed to dig deeply into our pockets to the tune of £74.3 million, which is the highest figure ever reached in the history of the show!! Makes me proud to be British! You can read more about it here.

Here's a tasty chicken salad that makes good use of leftovers! I could eat this every day and never get tired of it. It's quite healthy as well, chock full of lovely raw veg, with a delicious peanutty dressing that I quite enjoy!



*Shredded Thai Chicken Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Chicken salad that's actually quite healthy and good for you, containing plenty of raw veg and a fairly healthy dressing!


For the salad:
2 cups of shredded cooked chicken
1 cup of julienne raw carrot
1 cup of julienne raw broccoli (Use the stems, and leafy tops)
1/4 cup of julienne raw red cabbage
1 large spring onion, chopped

For the dressing:
2 TBS creamy peanut butter
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS liquid honey
4 tsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp of red pepper sauce

Coriander leaves to garnish if desired (cilantro)

Toss together all the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over top. Toss together to coat. Garnish with a few coriander leaves, if using, and serve.



Over in The English Kitchen today, some delicious Hot Cross Muffins!

Poetry Saturday, Of all the things . . .

Of all the meals you can buy for money,
Give me a meal of bread and honey!
A table of grass in the open air,
A green bank for an easy-chair.



The table cloth inwrought with flowers,
And a grasshopper clock to tick the hours.
Between the courses birds to sing
To many a hidden shining string.



And neither man nor maid be seen,
But a great company of green.
Upon a hundred thousand stalks,
Talk to us it's great green talks.



And when the merry meal is done,
To loiter westward with the sun,
Dipping fingers ere we go
In the stream that runs below.



Of all the meals you can buy for money,
Give me a meal of bread and honey.
~Richard le Gallienne


Not long now before picnic season will be upon us. There is nothing I like more than for Todd and I to take ourselves off for the day with a picnic hamper and a few drinks . . . and our much loved dog of course! Some of our finest meals have been picnics laid out on the grass under a warm sun! You can picnic anywhere though . . . I've had some pretty special ones laid out on a blanket in the lounge while the rain pelts against the window glass too!

This is the perfect picnic sandwich. It is one of those sandwiches which tastes even better upon standing! I had a very enjoyable experience munching down on these with a bunch of girlfriends up on Beachy Head in Eastbourne on one warm spring day. We all munched and chatted and had a wonderful time together!



*Muffaletta*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The perfect picnic sandwich. Layers of meat and cheese and a delicious olive relish! You do need to plan ahead with this one though as the olive relish must be made a day ahead so the flavours marinate.

1 large Loaf Italian Bread
1/3 pound Hard salami, very thinly sliced
1/3 pound Ham, very thinly sliced
1/3 pound Provolone, thinly sliced
thinly sliced ripe tomatoes
shredded lettuce

For the Olive relish:
2/3 cup of Green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup of Black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Pimiento, chopped
1/4 cup drained, chopped cocktail onions
3 Cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Fillet anchovy, mashed
1 tablespoon Capers
1/3 cup Finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Make the olive relish by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

The next day, cut your bread loaf in half horizontally. Scoop out some of the insides and use to make breadcrumbs with. (You can store these in a zip lock baggie in the freezer for future use.) Layer onto the bottom slice of bread, the meats and cheese and at least half an inch of the olive relish. Layer the tomatoes and lettuce on last. Place the top piece of bread over top and press down lightly. Wrap tightly in clling film and allow to sit for several hours before cutting into wedges to serve.



Over in The English Kitchen today there is a delicious Lime Drizzle Berry Cake!

Poetry Saturday

The Visitor

God dwells here
Within this quiet room;
His touch is on my posies
Of violets and broom.




And as the evening sunshine
Sheds around it's golden store,
God lingers in the gentle beams
That slant across the floor.



I come here tired and weary,
When day is nearly done;
God comes here in the evening,
As I watch the dying sun.



He stays with me a little while
And soothes my troubled heart;
He smells my sprigs of jasmine,
The silently departs.



And yet He always stays here,
Within my quiet room;
They told me so themselves, you see,
My violets and broom . . .

~Margaret Mills


A little poem to enjoy on this late winter Saturday . . . food for the soul . . .

I made this delicious toffee sauce to have on ice cream for after our supper last night . . . too good not to share with you all! Todd really enjoyed it!



*Golden Toffee Sauce*
Makes 2 cups
Printable Recipe

This is wonderful. Full of rich toffee flavour, it’s delicious drizzled over ice cream. It keeps for months in the fridge so while it makes rather a lot you will have no problems using it all up.

6 TBS butter
6 ounces light soft brown sugar (about 3/4 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (about 1/2 cup)
1 ¼ cup golden syrup (10 ounces) (you can use corn syrup if that’s all you have)
1 cup single cream (8 ounces)
½ tsp vanilla essence

Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to warm before spooning over ice cream. Add some sliced banana for a real taste treat!

Store, covered in the refrigerator.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, Buttermilk Cupcakes with a Framboise Glaze.

Saturday thoughts . . .

The Heart of The Tree

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants a friend of sun and sky;
He plants the flag of breezes free;
The shaft of beauty, towering high;
He plants a home to heaven high;
For song and mother-croon of bird
In hushed and happy twilight heard . . .
The treble of heaven's harmony . . .
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants cool shade and tender rain,
And seed and bud of days to be,
And years that fade and flush again;
He plants the forest's heritage;
The harvest of a coming age;
The joy that unborn eyes shall see . . .
These things he plants who plants a tree.

What does he plant who plants a tree?
He plants, in sap and leaf and wood,
In love of home and loyalty
And far-cast thought of civic good . . .
His blessings on the neighborhood
Who in the hollow of His hand
Holds all the growth of all our land . . .
A nation's growth from sea to sea
Stirs in his heart who plants a tree.

by Henry Cuyler Bunner
1855-1896

I just love this poem, but then again . . . I love trees. We were watching an episode of Leave It To Beaver on dvd the other night and Beaver's teacher Miss Landers read this poem out to the children in it. They had been tasked with memorizing it and had been reciting it going through the lines quickly and with no expression . . . so Miss Landers recited it to them properly with expression . . . It was so beautiful. I just had to find the poem so that I could read it through completely, as she had only recited a few lines.



I can remember having to memorize poetry when I was at school. Sometimes it was only a small verse and a funny one at that, like Eletelephony. Other times it was a poem that seemed to be pages long and very difficult like The Wreck of the Hesperus. I can remember that one as being very challenging, but I did do it . . . we all did, as easy or as difficult as it may have been. I remember being particularly nervous about this stanza:

Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax,
Her cheeks like the dawn of day,
And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds,
That ope in the month of May.

I was nine years old and I had no idea of what hawthorn buds were, but I knew what bosom's were and every time I got to that part I felt like giggling and that made me very nervous about reciting it. Oh the innocence of childhood . . .



Who has not been touched by the words of Wordsworth in The Daffodils . . . or sighed to the words of Keats' Bright Star . . . and then . . . there is Emily Dickenson . . . and Elizabeth Barret Browning . . . how do I love thee . . .

That is what having to memorize poetry in school did for me . . . it was far more than just learning about different poets and stretching my brain by making me exercise it . . . it was about developing a love and true fondness for poetry. I have loved poetry ever since . . . I collect volumes of it and I read through it often.

It is amazing to me how these melodic lines of prose can brush against my heart and fill my mind with vivid pictures . . . did they know, these poets of old, that as they penned these words . . . that their words would have the power to touch hearts and souls down through generations of people? How could they know . . . they were probably just telling the tales of their own hearts and souls . . . and because their words came from deep inside the channels of their own feelings and souls, this is what gives them the power to touch our own . . .



I fancy myself somewhat of a poet sometimes. I have various lines of verse scribbled upon scraps of paper scattered throughout my house . . . sometimes I even think in verse. Life is like a huge piece of prose to me . . . that I add to every day . . . the words, a gentle twist here and a sudden thump there. I believe at the end of the day . . . when I finally get called home for that last time . . . I will have written a piece of magic. It may be for my eyes only, and the eyes of the One who cares most of all, but it will be my poem, in my words . . . I hope that He finds it pleasing . . . oh I do so hope that He finds it pleasing . . .

I am off to Wrexham this morning for the World Wide Leadership Broadcast of our church. Anyone who is in a position of Leadership is invited to attend and feast on whatever it is the Leaders of our church want us to take in. Todd has to go too, as he is also in a Leadership position so it will be nice, the two of us sitting there together drinking it in. I hope I remember my notebook! We went to the Panto last night and it was brilliant! Very entertaining! I thought they did a fabulous job and to think . . . it was written and performed by amateurs! Just goes to show how much hidden talent there is out there!

Something simple this morning. I read somewhere once where a celebrity chef measured how good a cook was by the way they cooked an egg, and ever since then I have been in pursuit of the perfect scrambled egg . . . and by jove, I think I've cracked it! (Every pun intended!)



*Perfect Scrambled Eggs*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

There is nothing more beautiful or enticing than a plate of perfectly scrambled eggs… fluffy, feather light, moist and not dry, full of farm fresh goodness…accompanied with crisp slices of perfectly buttered toast, this is the food of the Gods . . .

4 large free range eggs
2 TBS cream
Butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Have a skillet heating over medium heat on the stove. Crack your eggs into a bowl and beat them with a fork until they are all beaten together and light. Beat in the cream.

Melt a large knob of butter in the heated skillet . When it just starts to foam, tip in the eggs. Let sit for about 30 seconds and then with a wooden spatula start to scrape the cooked egg from the outside into the centre of the pan, folding and stirring as you go. Don’t rush it. You don’t want to over cook it, neither do you want to undercook it. You just want to cook them until they all pull together into soft creamy lumps, not dry curds. This should take several minutes.

You may want to turn the heat off under the pan for the last minute or so. I often do. Once you have them to the consistency you want, stir in yet another lump of butter spreading it’s delicious melting goodness through the egg. Remove completely from the heat and serve, seasoned with a sprinkling of sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Crisp buttered toast is the must have accompaniment, either along side, or underneath!



In The English Kitchen today . . . a delicious Cranberry Eve's Pudding!