State of Delaware

Gov. Markell declares state of emergency

Coastal evacuation of visitors ordered; decision on mandatory evacuation of residents will come Friday. "We're looking at wind damage throughout the state. We're looking at roads becoming impassable, rivers and streams flooding and power outages."

Traditional Hurricane Recipe: 2 oz light rum 2 oz dark rum 2 oz passion fruit juice 1 oz orange juice ½ oz fresh lime juice 1 Tablespoon simple syrup 1 Tablespoon grenadine Garnish: orange slice and cherry Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.

Ye Olde Tavern's Cheese Tray

I don't worry about "rules." There is only one as far as I am concerned: "try ...try ...try." It is primarily a matter of personal tastes. Keep it simple. Remember, the goal of tasting with wine is to find a balance between the two and not "allow" one to overpower the other.

Serve full-flavored selections, such as creamy washed rinds with medium to full-bodied wines, such as Merlot, Zinfandel, or Syrahs.

Pair lighter ones with light wines such as Rieslings, Pinot Gris ,or Pinot Noirs.

Blues go well with dessert wines such as late harvest Viogniers and Rieslings and Muscat wines. Creamy ones pair well with sparkling wines and Champagne.

Taste selections based on their sources of milk. Fresh goat cheeses are mild and lemony in flavor and creamy in texture. They go well with white wines, such as a Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rieslings. Aged sheep milk cheeses pair well with Gewürztraminers and fruity Zinfandels.

You can even pair these two products according to the area of origin, even local areas.

Remember that wines aren't the only beverages that go well with cheese! There is a growing number of artisan and craft beers, as well as craft ciders available that provide interesting and fresh flavor combinations.

Drink in a universe of stars today...

Happy, Glorious,

Summer Weekend!

How beautiful a day can be

When kindness touches it!

My Garden - like the Beach

by Emily Dickinson

My Garden -- like the Beach --

Denotes there be -- a Sea -- That's Summer --

Such as These -- the Pearls She fetches -- such as Me

Mushroom Corn Patties

3 ears of corn (1 cup frozen corns)

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 large mushrooms, stems discarded and caps cut into 1/2-inch dice

1/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt/ As per taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

2 tbsp bread crumbs

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Thaw the corn, if using frozen. Place half of it in a blender and puree it along with milk and egg.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, till lightly browned. Add rest of the corns and stir for 1-2 mins. Remove the mixture on a plate and let it cool for 5-10 mins. You can also cool it in fridge.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt & pepper in a bowl. Add the corn puree, then the mushroom, onion, corn mixture. Now add the red chilly powder, bread crumbs and parsley and mix it well.
4. Lightly oil your plams, and make balls of this mixture. Flatten the balls. Complete making balls of all the mixture. Set aside
5. Heat a non stick pan on high heat. Spray with cooking oil. When the skillet is really hot, then place 3-4 patties on the centre (depending on size of your skillet). Let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium high and let it cook well. Flip and let the other side also turn golden in color. Alternately you can deep fry the patties to make it crunchier. But that wouldn't be that healthy.
6. Place on paper tissues and serve hot with dip of your choice.

PEACH 'CELLO LIQUEUR

12 to 18 (depending on their size) fresh, very ripe peaches, peeled and pit removed

1 750-ml bottle grain alcohol (Everclear or Graves brands)

4 cups water

About 2 1/2 cups sugar

Peel and pit the fruit. Cut into large chunks and toss the fruit into an airtight container, Tupperware or something similar, with a lid. Use a potato masher or your hands and squish up the fruit. Pour in the alcohol so it completely covers the fruit. Put on the lid. Let it sit in a cool, dark place for 12 to 18 days, checking and stirring every few days. Put the lid back on.

When the fruit has finished macerating, put the water and sugar into a 5-quart pot on the stove and bring to boil, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat to a counter. Place a colander lined with two or three layers of cheesecloth over the pot. (Candace says she has even used one leg of a pair of pantyhose!) Strain the alcohol into the pot, leaving behind the fruit. Press on the fruit and squeeze the cheesecloth in a ball to remove all the liquid. Throw away cheesecloth and fruit. Stir the liquid in the pot. Using a funnel, pour the liquid into decorative bottles. Store in the freezer or in a cool, dark place. Serve icy cold.

Thank you JT!

"In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful."

White Sangria

1 orange, thinly sliced 1 green apple, thinly sliced 1 red apple, thinly sliced 1 bottle sparkling white wine 450ml apple juice 330ml orange-flavoured liqueur 250ml soda water ice cubes mint leaves Place the fruit in a large jug or bowl, top with sparkling wine, apple juice and orange liqueur. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the fruit to soak. Top with soda water, ice and garnish with mint leaves. Serve in simple glass tumblers. Recipe from Donna Hay

Happy lazy Sunday.

Lavender Tea Cake

1 cup granulated sugar

5 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh lavender leaves, or 1 Tbsp. finely chopped dried lavender
cooking spray

Glaze:
1/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside.

For the cake: Beat sugar, butter and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until well-blended, about five minutes. Add the egg and egg white, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir well. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in lavender. Pour into 8-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Glaze: Combine ingredients, spread over hot cake. Cool in pan for 20 minutes on wire rack. Remove from the pan and cool completely.

Summer Squash with Lemon and Mint

Recipe adapted from Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater

1 to 2 small zucchini or summer squash (about 14 ounces)
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup fresh mint leaves
½ cup flat leaf parsley leaves
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt to taste

Cut the squash in half lengthwise, then slice those halves into segments approximately ½-inch thick.

Peel the garlic and chop it coarsely. Warm olive oil in a shallow pan, then add the garlic, letting it fry for a minute over medium heat.

Add the squash to the pan and cook, turning the segments occasionally, until they are lightly golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Then, sprinkle the mint and parsley leaves over the squash, increase the heat, pour in the lemon juice and let the mixture bubble briefly. To serve, dress with a simple crumbling of sea salt.

Yield: 2 servings as a side dish

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer's lease hath all too short a date.

—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) Sonnet 18

(before 1598)

The Delaware Shakespeare Festival

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Sea Fever by John Masefield

RHUBARB STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

Makes 1 quarts

Serve ice cream with ginger snaps or crumbled graham crackers.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound diced rhubarb
• 1/4 pound diced strawberries
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1-3/4 cups heavy cream, divided
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• Pinch of salt 5 egg yolks

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rhubarb, strawberries, ginger, 2 tablespoons sugar, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Transfer rhubarb mixture to a blender and carefully puree, in batches if necessary, holding a towel over the lid of the blender while blending. Remove lid and allow to cool. Refrigerate until chilled.
3. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup heavy cream, milk, remaining sugar and salt. Heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is dissolved and temperature reaches 175 to 185 degrees F.
4. Place eggs yolks in a 2-quart mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Place mixing bowl in a larger bowl and add ice to the larger bowl. Slowly pour half of the cream mixture into eggs, whisking vigorously to avoid curdling the eggs. Whisk egg mixture back into sauce pan and return to heat.
5. Cook custard mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil. Add remaining heavy cream and rhubarb mixture, stirring to combine. Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon.
6. Transfer strained custard back to the mixing bowl. Add water to large outer bowl and place mixing bowl in the cold water and allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator to chill. 7. Transfer custard to your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze until your are ready to eat.

"I've been trying for some time

to develop a lifestyle that

doesn't require my presence."

~ Garry Trudeau

Francis Cadell, Still Life (Tomatoes), c.1920

oil on board, 37 x 45 cm, Private collection

Roasted Tomatoes

6 medium tomatoes

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

and lightly crushed

5 sprigs fresh thyme

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper, to taste

1. Heat oven to 425°. Place tomatoes, garlic, and thyme on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake, brushing tomatoes occasionally with the oil, until tomatoes soften and their skins split, about 25 minutes.

2.Transfer tomatoes, along with juices, to a serving dish and serve warm with crusty bread. Recipe from Saveur

Summer Afternoon

Pineapple Coconut Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

Frosting:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Create a well in the center of the ingredients and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple. Pour batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Allow to cool completely when finished baking.

To make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until creamy.

Basil grapefruit cooler

1. Using a vegetable peeler remove the zest from 3 of the grapefruit and put the zest in a jar. Pour over the vodka and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours.
2. Cut all the grapefruit in half and juice - if making ahead of time, freeze the juice until it's needed.
3. Pick the leaves from the basil and add the stalks to a small saucepan with the sugar and 200ml of water. Gently heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then cool, strain and chill until needed.
4. Put half the basil leaves in a jug, pour over the vodka, 300ml of basil stock syrup and the pink grapefruit juice and stir.
5. Fill 6 glasses with ice, the remaining basil and a little pink grapefruit zest (use the stuff from the vodka), and fill with cocktail mix.