Welcome to Hyacinths for the Soul

My heartfelt thanks for stopping by for a visit to my blog. HFTS is all about friendship, feathering one's nest, and sharing a creative spirit. Thank you to all of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit.

You can click on any photo to enlarge.
National Tartan Day

If you're mad about plaid or

have a tartan tale to share,

come join the parade to kick off the week

in honor of National Tartan Day

Four blogs for Four Days ~ April 1-4, 2012

Alison @ The Polohouse
Babs @ Upstairs Downstairs
Delores @ Vignette Design
Sarah @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Counting the days . . .

National Tartan Day countdown banner

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Custard, Cookies, & Irish Coffee


I hope everyone had a chance to take part in

Kathleen's Annual St. Patrick's Day

Blog Crawl

You'll find my party post here.

Joining

Designs by Gollum

Foodie Friday

to share the recipes from my party.



Baked Egg Custard

Beat 4 eggs in the blender until light. Add a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and blend well. Add 1 cup of whipping cream. Mix well. Pour into baking dish or individual cups. Place baking dishes in a pan of hot water. Bake @ 300 until shimmering, about 1 hour.

Top with whipped cream and fresh berries or other topping of your choice.


Crumiri Cornmeal Cookies

Crumiri Cornmeal Cookies are originally an Italian cookie, but they are a wonderful little treat to serve along with rich custard. These gems aren't very sweet and the added crunch with the cornmeal gives them a nice texture along side the smooth custard. I sprinkled green sugar on top of each little crumiri button to add to celebrate the green.

You can find a copy of the recipe I used here. I didn't have a good piping bag, so I opted to roll the dough into small balls and top with the green sugar.



Irish coffee is a favorite treat here.



Simply add a jigger of Irish whisky

to a cup of your favorite dark, rich coffee.

Then top it off with sweet whipped cream.



Wishing each of you a

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Click here to join

Michael Lee for Foodie Friday

Posted by Sarah at 3:41 PM 21 comments
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Monday, March 12, 2012

Erin Go Bragh


May your home be filled with laughter.

May your pockets be filled with gold.

May you have all the

happiness your heart can hold.



"Céad mile failte"

A hundred thousand welcomes!

It's time for Kathleen's

Annual St. Patrick's Day

Blog Crawl



I fixed a special tray to help us celebrate.



There are top hats and shamrocks a plenty.



Gold Coins for Luck



Green Checks and Stripes

in Honor of the Emerald Isle




Even a four leaf clover!



All special details to celebrate

St. Patrick's Day.



I hope you'll enjoy the treats!



There's Irish coffee made with

Bushmills' Irish Whiskey.



Topped with sweet whipped cream

and a little candy shamrock.



A plate of goodies made just for you.




Rich Egg Custard

with Berries and Cream

and



An Assortment of Cookies




May good luck be with you

wherever you go and your blessings

outnumber the shamrocks that grow.



Like the warmth of the sun

and the light of the day,

may the luck of the Irish

shine bright on your way.



Long live the Irish,

Long live our cheer,

Long live our friendship year after year.


Posted by Sarah at 7:54 AM 54 comments
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Thursday, March 8, 2012

THE MATCHMAKER OF PERIGORD


THE MATCHMAKER OF PERIGORD

by Julia Stuart

Available here on Amazon

A book review for Food for Thought,

a delicious blog for readers with

an appetite for the written word.



This light quirky novel is full

of both humor and culinary delights.



The cuisine of France is

certainly not lacking in this whimsical read.



Yes, there are many delectable treats

among the pages of MATCHMAKER OF PERIGORD.




Just as there is an abundance of

romantic mishaps in this village of Amour.




Guillaume Ladoucette, the successful village barber, suddenly finds that his clients have grown older and balder, and it becomes apparent to Guillaume Ladoucette that he must pursue a new profession. Set in the small French village of Amour-ser-Belle (population 33) "despite its name, love was something that Amour-Ser-Belle was sorely lacking." To alter this village status, Guillaume Ladoucette takes on the task of village matchmaker.




"Guillaume Ladoucette wiped his delicate fingers on his trouser leg before squeezing them into the glass jar. As he wiggled them around the cold, slippery fat he recognized what he felt was an ankle and his tongue moistened. He tugged it out and dropped the preserved duck leg into the cassoulet made by his mother thirty-one years ago and which had been on the go every since."

My first inclination for a FFT connection was to make a cassoulet. So I went straight to Julia's MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING. Clearly this recipe was a bit too adventuresome for moi. The ingredients alone made me feel as if I were taking inventory at la boucherie.



So instead I settled on a fishing trip picnic.

"For whilst the two men were fiercely competitive when it came to fishing, their unspoken rivalry was not over what one another caught, but the contents of their picnic baskets. And the barber, who had been labouring in the kitchen since five that morning, was convinced that victory would be his."



~ Baguette ~ bunch of tomatoes-on-the-vine ~

~ jar of cornichons ~ bunch of pink radish ~

~another baguette ~ duck paté ~ vichyssoise ~

~ potato salad w/ lobster tails ~

~goat's cheese tart ~ walnut and apple cake~



"No, thanks, otherwise I won't be able to manage this! ' the baker announced, lifting a walnut and apple cake out of his basket with a flourish. But they both knew it was useless: nothing could have beaten Guillaume Ladoucette's caprine masterstroke."



Guillaume Ladoucette's goat cheese tart couldn't be topped.

So Goat Cheese Tart it is for FFT!

I used an Ina Garten Food Network recipe found here.

Instead of using garlic-and-herb soft goat cheese, I opted for Montchevre fresh goat cheese and then added fresh chopped garlic in with the saute of chopped shallots.



"Mmm, really goaty! Fancy some?"

I might add, I even impressed "the chef" with this one.

This recipe is a keeper!

Click the links below to see more
Posted by Sarah at 10:00 PM 34 comments
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Getting Out the Green


Practice up on your Irish dancing

and start pulling out the green.


is hosting her Annual

St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl




Last year I served tasty

green shamrock sugar cookies.




Filled a vintage ironstone jardiniere

with delicate white hydrangeas




Scattered about some lucky

gold coins and glittery shamrocks



Then set a table to honor the Green



Shamrock Green Linens



Vintage Flatware



Layers of Green and White



Wedgwood Nantucket Basket

Alternated with Cabbage Leaf Plates



8" Salads by Olfaire, Portugal



Chargers by Sur La Table, Portugal



Ceramic Cup Cakes Offered Good Luck and . . .



Happy St. Patrick's Day Wishes



Heather Goldminc's artistic talents
are produced by Blue Sky Clayworks.


This year there will be something new.

So come back on Monday to join in the fun.

Fourth Annual

St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl

Monday, March 13th


Joining










Posted by Sarah at 6:49 PM 39 comments
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Thursday, March 1, 2012

I HEART Vignettes!


February

may be the month of hearts,

but @ HFTS

hearts are always in season.



Today is

Favorites on the First

@ The Polohouse



Alison invited us to share

vignettes around our home.



During February

heart shaped objects

often take center stage,



Even though some pieces

are typically out year round.



One can take pieces from

collections, gather them together

and mix in other elements..




It adds a bit of whimsey to toss a

heart into the mix of any vignette.




A mix of textures will add layers to a theme.




Creating little vignettes is much like

what an artist does when painting a still life.




Could be the unlikely pairing of two objects . . .





Simply tossing utilitarian

tools into a wooden bowl . . .



Or my personal favorite ~

a grouping of sentimental treasures.



What ever your heart desires,

gather up something fun to

create a heart pleasing vignette.


Posted by Sarah at 12:17 AM 73 comments
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