Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me, Anyone else but me, anyone else but me, NO NO NO! Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me Till I come marching home. (Andrews Sisters)

I am very glad the sun is finally coming out these days. Since we moved in our house last October and just before Winter, we really did not get a chance yet to fully enjoy it. We had to wait and see how the plants and trees would develop in Springtime. I must say, there's a lot of green in it and next month we will do some small adjustments : for instance, the bamboo must go ! I really don't like the sight of it. We asked for some help and professional gardener Dao gave us some great tips. The bamboo will be replaced by a domestic grape. They grow real fast so the result will be quickly visible. We'd like a bit more privacy after the "neighbour glued with hands and nose to the window checking me out in my bathroom"-incident.
So with some help of Dao and his wooden construction the domestic grape will be guided along and cover up our garden from some curious peeping Toms.

Yesterday we also bought 2 garden storage tables. We will construct them on Sunday and display our finest herbs, plants and flowers. I'm really getting into the green fingers thing. I find it quite relaxing and it's still amazes me what nature is all about. Seeing something grow makes me feel like a 5 year old again.
Silly but if it makes me happy and relax ... why not, right ?

So, once the garden is prepped for Summer, I'd like to send a picture  to a  garden magazine. They did an appeal to photograph your favorite place in your garden. Might as well do this, so I can share my little joy with other readers and garden lovers.

Take a bite It's alright There's some brandy and star margarine to make it bright Take a bite It's alright A little lovin' and some fruit to bake Life is a piece of cake (Fruitcake, Eraserheads)

It's been a while I shared a recipe over here. So here it is, my recipe for a Sunday delight fruitcake ;

for 8 pcs, you would need :

shortcrust pastry for a mould of 28 cm diametre (I bought it ready to use by Herta)
ceramic pie weight balls
5 dl of milk
3 eggs (1 complete + 2 egg yolks)
75 g of caster sugar
1/2 vanilla stick (fairtrade Madagascar)
65 g of flower
450 g of fresh red fruits

Preheat the oven at 200°C (T 7)
For 15 minutes, bake the shortcrust pastry in your mould with some bakingpaper on top, filled with the ceramic pie weights. (you could also use some dried white beans instead)
Let it rest and cool off.

Bring 5 dl of milk to a boil together with the vanilla seeds, scraped out of the 1/2 vanillastick.
Let it rest.

Beat 1 egg and 2 yolks together with the caster sugar. Add slowly  65 g of flower whilst still beating.
Add the milk to it, little by little. Warm this mixture up (in another clean pan), ow heat, until it boils. Remove your pan and let the vanillacreme cool off completely.
Stirr it occasionally.

Once it has cooled down, pour it into the baked shortcrust and garnish with the fresh red fruits.
Serve fresh !

ceramic pie weights

Kitchen Aid rules ! 

filling it up 

lush red fruits 

come dine with me