This is not in my yard; they’re not quite ready yet at my place. But that same Wallingford garden a couple of shots down seems to be a bit earlier with what’s blooming. And I don’t see any black spot on the leaves, either.

All this rain has been tough on my roses, but the day or so of lovely sunshine coming up tomorrow may get them going. As soon as they look good, I promise some nice photos for you.

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday, Today’s Flowers,  Pink Saturday and Color Carnival after you browse here and there. Try a new tag today! And return to the main blog always by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

This chenille plant, or Acalypha hispida, was growing in Seattle’s Volunteer Park Conservatory recently. Isn’t it a fine and lovely thing, and don’t you just want to touch it?

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more rosy rubiness seen everywhere. And be sure to click on the Ruby Tuesday category and the Red tag at the left for more variations on the red theme right here. Sara’s Fave Photos on the header will bring you back to the full blog.

My mom used to grow all kinds of bromeliads in South Florida where she lived for many years. She said they like to be watered only from the top and collect water in their centers. You know that the center brilliance is not really a flower, but it sure looks like one, doesn’t it?  Here’s one from the Volunteer Park Conservatory that you might enjoy.

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more fascinating rubiness, Color Carnival for more bright colors, and SOOC for more straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos above for the complete blog.

The Conservatory at Volunteer Park in Seattle is full of fuchsias right now. And they are phenomenal. Worth a visit, even in the pouring rain like we’ve had recently. I just love the vitality of these dancing flowers.

Take a look around here and then visit Pink Saturday , Color Carnival, SOOC (straight-out-of-the-camera shots) and Macro Flowers Saturday. You can return to the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos, always.

Last week there were still some tulips blooming at Pike Place Market flower vendors’ North Arcade. I continue to love, love, love tulips.

Visit Flowers for Today, Pink Saturday (sorry, a bit late there) and Color Carnival after your stay here. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos above to return to today’s post and the full blog.

This top photo taken at the Pike Place Market flower vendors combined a display of two of my top fave flowers: tulips and lilacs. I am so happy that I planted some lilacs in our front yard and at least I had one bloom to smell as much as I wanted. Next year I’ll have more. But until they get going, I’m always happy to see them for sale, perfuming the air for all who pass by.

The photo under that one is buds of Dutch Iris. Sometimes I love the possibilities of the bud even more than I love the flower blooming.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Color Carnival and Macro Monday. For Blue Monday, there are some blue iris buds peeking through in the bottom photo. Hope that qualifies!

You can always return to the most current post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above. Have fun browsing around.

A recent visit to Pike Place Market flower vendors showed that tulips stll are showing strong. A few irises and peonies have arrived, but tulips still rule the roost. For awhile, anyway. I think they are ravishing and can’t get enough.

Visit Pink Saturday for more blissful pinkness. Color Carnival has more brilliant colors for you. And remember, you can always return to the main blog page by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos in the header.

Today I’m posting a fabulous recipe with notes. It’s long, but not that hard (I included all the details so it will come out right if you make it), so scroll down a bit to see the photos that go with it. My daughter and I made this on Saturday just for the heck of it and it was SO GOOD! To read the story about the history of this cake in my family, read the What Cake story.

By the way, the strawberries on top were HUGE and make the cake look small. It’s not.

You can always return to the most recent post here by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake (Sylvia Messer’s recipe), serves approx. 16

325 degrees preheated, (check at 40 min. if using 9″ pans, 45-50 min. for 8″ pans)

Use (2) 8″ or 9″ round spring-form cake pans, UNGREASED

7 large eggs, separated (room temp.)
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 c. sugar (can be half turbinado or raw, mixed with half regular white), divided
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. cake flour (substitute w.w. pastry flour OK)
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
2 oz. butter
6 oz. milk

3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
dash vanilla

4+ pints strawberries

Separate eggs. Essential that NO yolk specks end up in whites. Put yolks into small mixer bowl, whites into large mixer bowl. Recommend using small dish per egg separated before dumping whites in large bowl to check for egg yolk contamination!

Beat whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar, mix until almost stiff, then slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar. Mix until stiff peaks but do not overbeat. Set aside.

Sift flour onto waxed paper and measure 2 cups without packing flour in any way. Use large spoon to scoop carefully into measuring cup. Resift. Resift again adding baking pdr. and salt. Check measurement. If using whole wheat pastry flour, use scant 2 cups flour. Set aside.

In small pan, heat milk and butter, DO NOT BOIL, until butter melts. Keep warm.

Beat yolks for 2 minutes. Add remaining sugar and vanilla slowly; beat one more minute.

Add flour mix and hot milk mix alternately, very slowly, into egg yolk mix while beating slowly.

Fold yolk mix SUPER GENTLY by hand into stiff whites. Be patient but do not collapse whites.

Pour equally into two ungreased spring-form pans. Stagger pans in oven so they are not directly over each other. Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean or until surface springs back when pressed gently with finger. 325 degrees preheated oven, (check at 40 min. if using 9″ pans, 45-50 min. for 8″ pans)

While cake is baking and cooling, wash big mixer bowl and beaters. Place in refrigerator to chill for best whipped cream.

Cool cakes upside down on racks ONE HOUR only. Then use table knife to cut cake away from sides of spring-form pan. Remove sides. Use long knife to cut from bottom of pans. Carefully place one cake layer, top side down, on cake plate. (Note: if freezing cakes, freeze while still on bottoms of pans.)

Whipped cream: Beat cold cream in cold bowl with cold beaters at high speed. As cream starts to thicken, add 3 T powdered sugar (or to taste) and dash vanilla. Continue beating until cream begins to firm. Reduce speed and carefully mix cream until very firm, but not gloppy or too firm (i.e., butter)!

Prepare strawberries: Wash, hull, trim and dry strawberries, separating into 2 groups of large, perfect berries and the others. Save imperfect and/or small berries for center layer of whipped cream. You may cut these if still too large.

Assembling cake: Put layer of whipped cream on top of bottom layer, about 1/2 inch. Spread evenly with rubber spatula or frosting knife. Place imperfect, cut or small berries evenly. Cut berries no thicker than half an inch or so for this layer. Press gently into whipped cream. Add more whipped cream to even layer out; spread evenly with spatula. Leave cake sides alone for now.

Carefully place second layer on top of first, top side up. Spread top with whipped cream. Now use remaining whipped cream for sides. Make it pretty with spatula or frosting knife.

Place largest, most beautiful strawberry in the center of the top of the cake. Add remaining strawberries evenly around. Sing Happy Birthday! (optional)

Take a picture; it is so pretty! (required)

Refrigerate after serving. When serving, cut straight down with very sharp knife, using sawing motion.

My mom used to grow a big hedge of these croton plants in Southern Florida. I’ve tried to grow them as houseplants, without too much success. But this healthy specimen in the Volunteer Park Conservatory was just waiting to show off for the camera. Almost looks like a flower, doesn’t it?

Visit Macro Monday, Color Carnival and Mellow Yellow Monday after browsing around here. Click on a new tag or category! And you can always find the latest post by clicking on Sara’s Fave Photos above.

A recent visit to the Volunteer Park Conservatory yielded many, many photos of perfectly blooming flowers and plants. This cactus flower was a few inches across, almost as wide as my hand.

Visit Ruby Tuesday, Color Carnival and Window Wednesday after you browse around here. Hope you enjoy your stay! To return to the main blog, just click on Sara’s Fave Photos above.