A Musing Florist

Some shots of the garden today

2008-08-21T17:28:00.006-05:00

The neighbor's watermelon is encroaching on my late season Arugula! No matter, that watermelon plant is sooooo pretty. In a few weeks I'll be planting garlic where the arugula is.

Have you ever grown tomatillos? This one plant is over 5 feet tall and just as wide - it's a new veggie for me to grow, and I only got about 6 fruit so I'll give it lots more room next year.

And here we have the tansy fading. It's been blooming since early July. I have moved this plant with me from Chicago, to Richmond Heights, to the Shaw neighborhood and now here to Affton. It is also huge, over 5 feet tall. I only this year found out it was Tansy - when Kent gave it to me he said it was a Yarrow. Well, it's Tansy impersonating Yarrow!

This stink lily (amorphallus) was given to me by a neighbor in Chicago. His father was a missionary in India and brought it back to the states in the 60s. Dies back in the fall and I bring them in (must have a couple dozen of them now) to winter over. They grow from potato looking things. Once, and only once, it shot up a bloom in February. One huge, calla lily shaped flower - maroon - and it had that crazy spotted stem. Was really exciting for a few days, but the dog kept peeing around the house, then the flower started stinking - like rotting flesh! I don't mind it hasn't bloomed again.

The California poppies are hanging on and always blooming, hope they come back next year.

Silly Judy lost her sunglasses somewhere.

And finally, one of the Swiss Chards - been eating them all summer and looks like I'll be eating it into the fall!

How’d They Do That?

2008-08-21T17:23:00.003-05:00

Now here’s something you have probably never seen before - Rainbow Roses! They’re alive!

They are so festive and no one walks by them without stopping and inspecting.

A really unusual bouquet in any quantity!

I think they’ll sell like gangbusters for Gay Pride week next year!

Question is, How'd They Do That?

Barb's Made-It-Herself Wedding Cake!

2008-07-20T13:36:00.011-05:00

My friend Barb Eastman, up in LaPort, IN made this beautiful wedding cake at home! It called for 72 eggs and 9 lbs of butter and it is filled with lemon curd and raspberries. You rock, Babs!

Here are Barb’s notes on the cake:
“The recipe came from Epicurous.com. It’s by Melissa Murphy of Sweet Melissa Patisseries in Brooklyn. It was published in Gourmet in April, 2007. There is a video you can watch on the website. (When you get to the Epicurious site they just put in wedding cake in the “search recipes” - it’s called Lemon Raspberry wedding cake. OR there is a link below at the end of this blog)

I used about 7 half pints of raspberries (at 4.99 each!), and juiced about 20 lemons. The cake serves 125 and it was delicious. The meringue buttercream was fabulous! Much softer than the icky, greasy Wilton-type frosting that they use in grocery stores and lots of bakery cakes. The butter cream was too soft to make flowers, so the roses are real.

It gave me a healthy respect for cake professionals who charge hundreds of dollars for cakes like these. In addition to the cost of the ingredients (as I mentioned, 72 eggs (mostly just the whites, except for the 18 that went into the lemon curd)), and just under 9 pounds of butter, this took days to make. I just have a standard Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I made the cake batter recipe 3 times (as suggested in the recipe), and the frosting had to be made in three batches, also.

The most daunting part was moving the cake. I live on a hill. It is about a 30-35 degree incline (or should I say DEcline, as we had to take it downhill! My brother, Chas, and I took the back seat out of the van and he sat in the back, on the floor, holding onto the cake for dear life.

I started the cake on Monday and froze the layers as I made them. They were almost completely thawed when we split the layers, but having them just under-thawed made them easier to split. We crumb-coated and filled the cakes the day before and did the final frosting and decorating on the day of the party.

It was a great achievement and many said it was the most delicious wedding cake any of them had ever had. Thank you Melissa Murphy!!”
click here to go to recipe

Got a Vampire Problem?

2008-07-09T07:11:00.008-05:00

I know of two types of garlic - soft neck and hard neck. Toward the end of summer last year and on a whim with an abundance of garlic bulbs I planted both soft and hard neck garlic. I separated the cloves from the bulbs and planted each "toe" root end down about two inches deep. I can't remember if we had a lotta rain or if I was just diligent about watering, but within a week or so they had sprouted leaves and by the time we had our first cold snap they were probably a foot tall.

They quickly died back only to pop out of the dirt in the spring along with the daffodils, arugula and chard.

By mid April the hard neck variety was already beginning to flower - not really a flower per se but "scapes" began to appear on the central stalk of the hard neck plants.

Well it turns out that the scapes when young and tender can be snapped off as far down the central stalk as is tender and then cooked up like asparagus. They had a wonderful mild garlic flavor with just a slight crunch to them when I used them in a stir fry.

As the scapes develop on the plant they make a couple loop-d-loops and then straighten back out - this process took about 2 weeks, once they straighted back out the stalks lose their tenderness and I read it is either time to cut them off or let them go to "seed". Each scape becomes a mini clove of garlic. I cut about half of mine off and put them in a vase where they continued to develop into mini cloves - after about a month they have formed cloves and are beginning to develop the characteristic purple skin.

I have now harvestest about a third of the plants - and this is done when about half of the leaves have turned brown - some of the bulbs are pretty small still and these are the hard necks that I did not remove the scapes from. My home grown garlic is very mildly flavored right now - I used an entire large fresh creamy white head in a batch of humus over the weekend and needed to add a store bought clove to bring it up to the garlicyness I like in humus! I imagine as they continue to dry they will develop a stronger garlic flavor.

The soft neck variety does not produce scapes. And I am finding it is more strongly flavored than the hard neck. This year I will plant even more garlic - and both kinds - the soft neck is what is used for the braided garlic you see around and I want to have enough to make a braid next year. This weekend on PBS's Diary of a Foodie, the Gourmet Magazine show, they featured garlic and I learned that the soft neck variety will store for 6 months and the hard neck for 4.

THE MOST DECADENT CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER!

2008-07-09T07:07:00.003-05:00

Got a friend who’s a choco-holic! This cake will send them over the edge!

The espresso powder adds a nice kick (if you know what I mean).

Cocoa Chiffon Cake

2/3 cup cocoa

1 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)

3/4 cup boiling water

7 eggs-separated

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups un-sifted cake flour

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Stir together cocoa and optional espresso and boiling water until smooth and set aside. Beat egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy, Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. In separate bowl combine flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar, baking soda and salt. Blend in oil, egg yolks, vanilla and reserved cocoa mixture until thoroughly blended. Gently fold in remaining egg whites. Pour batter into an un-greased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Invert until cool.

Place cake right side up on serving plate and spread with glaze while glaze is still warm.

Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

4 oz best quality bittersweet chocolate

4 tbl unsalted butter

2 tbl corn syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Melt chocolate with butter and whisk until smooth. Add corn syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth and shiny. Glaze cake with warm glaze, reheat if necessary to prolong fluidity.

If you like, you can double the glaze recipe and split the cake in 3 and add the chocolate glaze to the top of the bottom and middle layer and then glaze over the top after re-stacking.

I’M BAAAACK! With a recipe you’ll love!

2008-06-04T19:27:00.004-05:00

I’M BAAAACK! With a recipe you’ll love!Posted in May 14th, 2008 | Editby Di in Food, UncategorizedCrispy Deviled Eggs Salad

This is a variation on a recipe from NPR’s Splendid Table newsletter. Fresh young herbs and fresh arugula from my garden made a wonderful deviled egg. I had never fried a deviled egg before, but I sure will again! The eggs could be stuffed a day ahead and refrigerated until you are ready to saute them.

Eggs:

8 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled

1 tsps Dijon mustard

2 tsps finely minced chives

2 tsps finely minced arugula

2 tsps finely minced roasted red peppers

2 tsps finely minced capers

2 to 3 tbls milk

2-1/2 tsps mayonnaise

1-1/2 tsps caper brine

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

2 to 3 tbls olive oil

Dressing for Salad:

The leftover egg stuffing

3 tbl olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2-1/2 tbls milk

2-1/2 tsps white wine vinegar

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

3 to 4 cups of your favorite spring salad mix, the one with arugula in it was very good.

1. Cut the hard-cooked eggs in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks and place them in a medium bowl. Reserve the whites.

2. Add the mustard, chives, arugula, capers, roasted peppers, milk, mayonnaise, and carper brine to the yolks. With a fork, crush everything together into a thick paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pack the mixture back into the hollows of the egg whites, so the filling is even with the surface of the egg, not mounded. You will have leftover stuffing (this becomes the salad dressing).

4. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Gently place the eggs in the pan, stuffed side down. Cook until the eggs are browned and crisped, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper as they cook.

5. As the eggs saute, combine in a large bowl the leftover egg stuffing with all the dressing ingredients. Add the salad greens to the bowl, and toss. Heap them on a serving platter.

6. Gently lift the eggs from the pan, turn them filling side up, set them on the greens, and serve.

These were delicious deviled eggs before they were cooked, and fried without making them into a salad.

Rosemary, Garlic, Lemony Chicken on the Grill

2008-06-04T19:22:00.006-05:00

You should have been here last night!

I marinated 5 chicken breasts for a few hours with tons of fresh minced rosemary, 5 garlic cloves sliced thinly, the juice and zest of 2 lemons and some olive oil

I have soooo much rosemary in the garden it was no big deal to use some for smoking the chicken while it cooked. The whole neighborhood smelled great.

Does this look like great chicken, or what! It was delicious.

Served it with roasted cauliflower and poblano peppers tossed with bits of bacon and dates and crushed red pepper flakes and olive oil - 425F for about 30 minutes. Mixed chopped capers, a bit of caper brine and olive oil into mayonnaise to dip the veggies in. mmmmmmmm

Now are you tempted to start an herb garden of your own? The Walter Knoll Florist Garden Center at California and LaSalle can help you get started!

Comfort Food

2008-03-18T17:51:00.010-05:00

I know I should be giving you an Easter recipe, but Easter is so early, and I've been so cold and in the mood for comfort food.
So here's my meatloaf with tomato gravy!

Meatloaf
1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
1 medium jalepino, minced (leave the seeds if you like it hot!)
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 on the small side of medium sized white onion, diced
2 big toes garlic, minced
1 bag of Premium saltine crackers, crumbled fine
1-1/2 lb ground chuck
1-1/2 lb 90% lean ground beef
Salt and Pepper to taste

Gently combine above ingredients, shape into 5 or 6 loaves and bake
at 375 for approximately 45 minutes or until cooked thru. If you are
roasting potato chunks, they can be oiled up and put in at the same time.
The potatoes will need tossing a few times, at this temp they brown on
the bottom more than the top. While meat loaves bake, make tomato gravy - recipe below.

Tomato Gravy
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 toes garlic, smashed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbl olive oil
1 tbl butter
3 tbl tomato paste
1 small bay leaf
1 15-oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper

Cook onions, garlic and oregano in olive oil and butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat until browned - about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and bay leaf, stirring until the paste darkens about 3 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until slightly thickened about 5 more minutes.

Turn off heat, remove the bay leaf and set the gravy aside until ready to serve, at which time you will bring back up to a simmer, whisk in the parmesan, vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve hot over your meatloaf with a side of roasted potatoes and smashed minty lettuce and peas.

These small meat loaves are great to freeze, but you'll want to make fresh tomato gravy - it probably freezes well, but there won't be any left to freeze!

Send me an email if you would like this pecan sandies recipe!

And oh, yeah, getting back to Easter - have you seen our Easter Flower and Gift selections, there is still plenty of time to order for delivery, we are even open on Easter Sunday at our LaSalle location, so stop in, pick up a centerpiece or an easter arrangement or buy some wholesale bunches to arrange yourself! We have some gorgeous vase selections in lots of price ranges. And we have Easter Lilies. You know mom loves Easter Lilies. Don't show up at the Easter Egg hunt without flowers!

Homemade Baby Shower Buttermints

2008-03-01T15:52:00.008-06:00

Makes about 10 dozen mints
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into slices
2 pounds powdered sugar (about 8 cups)
2 or 3 tablespoons ice water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Red or blue food coloring

In a large bowl, cut butter into sugar with two knives or your fingers. Add salt and peppermint oil and 1 tablespoon at a time the ice water, tossing with a fork. If it seems crumbly, add more ice water – but it should be somewhat crumbly, it comes together and becomes more elastic as you knead it. Form the mixture into three balls. If it still seems too crumbly, add more ice water 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough presses together easily. Turn each dough ball out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and satiny, 3 to 4 minutes.

Leave one portion of the dough untinted, then tint the other two portions light blue or pink with food coloring (use sparingly - paler colors are prettier). Knead in the food coloring until it's evenly distributed.

Divide each of the three dough balls in half and roll into a long snake about one-half inch in diameter. (Keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap as you work so that it doesn't dry out.) Roll the white dough first to avoid adding color from your work surface – which by the way should be impeccably clean as the dough will pick up anything on the counter. Cut the snakes into half-inch slices and spread out on cookie sheets to dry.

Toss them around on the cookie sheet until set (2 to 3 hours), uncovered, at room temperature. Then transfer them to a covered container and set in a cool place. (To improve flavor and for easier handling, let mints ripen for 2 days before serving.) Mints will keep at room temperature for 2 weeks or in the refrigerator for a month.

Notes: DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT, use your standing mixer for this – it just makes a big ol’ mess! I like the flavor of the peppermint oil better than the extract, but the oil is hard to find. Do not substitute spearmint for peppermint extract, it’s just not right!

Obviously I'm heading to a "boy" baby shower, and I'll load white cupcake liners with the mints for each guest. If the baby gender is unknown you could do pink, white, yellow, green and blue. Keep the colors pastel, they're prettier.

So you're thinking making the mints is too much trouble? Well Walter Knoll Florist has lots of new baby gift ideas . Our New Baby Wreaths are especially popular and so appreciated.

Happy Couple

2008-02-24T13:02:00.003-06:00

If I could enter
The Sweetest Kiss photo contest I'd certainly have to enter this pic from Elephant Rock.

Order Flowers From DiGirl

WKF Your Florist with the King!

2008-02-06T18:50:00.000-06:00

Valentines Delivered By Singing Elvis
Don't Be Cruel! Send your Sweetheart a Valentine delivered by our singing Elvis!

We have four songs for you to choose from, "Love Me Tender", "Can't Help Falling in Love", All Shook Up" or a "Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel" combo. Our Elvis is a prize winner, she won't be disappointed.

So have Elvis deliver your flowers on Valentine's Day! That's right. Walter Knoll Florist can arrange for your flowers to be delivered to your loved one on Thursday, February 14th by none other than the King himself! Well, actually, he's a prize winning Elvis impersonator. Elvis will arrive to hand deliver your flowers and sing her a song. As we mentioned above, there are 4 song choices to choose from, but Elvis will of course entertain a special request, just ask, we'll see what he can do. Imagine the impact this will make! Hurry and order today as there will be a very limited number of deliveries that can be made. The cost for this service is $75.00. When you check out your order on the web, it will pop up as an option add on, or ask your sales representative about it. This service is available only in the Saint Louis Metro area. If ordered on the web we will call to confirm your order.
Walter Knoll Florist, Your Personal Florist Since 1883 - and now also your Florist with the "King"!
Elvis Delivers Valentines on 2/14

ROSES ARE RED

2008-02-03T07:11:00.000-06:00

Roses are red: Remember Jack Benny? Jack was married to Mary Livingstone for 48 years when he passed away in 1974. The day after Benny's death, his wife, Mary, received one long-stemmed rose from a florist. The next day she received another. When Mary called to ask about the deliveries, she learned that Benny had stipulated in his will, "one perfect red rose daily for the rest of Mary's life." I checked this out at Snopes.com and it’s true!

Now what could be more romantic? C’mon, you can think of something great, can’t you? No? Well, here's an idea –
Valentine’s Day is on a Thursday this year, so you have a great chance to show off for her office peeps. Why not start her work week by having Tender Tulips delivered to her office and on the card ASK her to be your Valentine!

Then on Tuesday, (assuming of course that she said “yes” to yesterday’s ASK) send over a box of our locally grown and produced Chocolate Covered Strawberries! Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

Perhaps two boxes if her office has a large staff.
Then on Weds the 13th her office peeps will be waiting for the WKF delivery man when he shows up with Dapper Dozen and Jewelry!

You’ll save money on delivery by having the big Vday gift delivered on the 13th and she’s gonna be expecting you in person on the 14th anyway! Use that saved money to stop in at one of the Walter Knoll Flower shops and pick up one of our giant Epic Roses then head over to her office to take her to lunch and invite her to your pad for that romantic dinner you are going to make! You don’t have to tell her you got these ideas from An Amusing Florist, I won’t tell either!

O U C H ! ! !

2008-01-12T14:11:00.001-06:00

NO, I didn't get mugged - I had a little (!) dental procedure - you see I have (had) a tooth I put some bad Karma on back in my terrible teens (another blog story perhaps). After a root canal in high school, electro-surgery and a crown in dental school (I was married to a Wash U dental student once), losing that tooth during a cleaning in my late 30's, 2 bridges and another root canal, it was time to get rid of a neighboring tooth. This meant dentures ( NO NO NO I'm way too young at any age!) or an implant (or 2). Unfortunately over the years I've had some bone loss in the area and needed donor bone grafting where two teeth once lived more or less happily side by side and also bone grafting in my lower sinus. This is where the OUCH comes in - my dearest friend and the greatest dentist in all the world, Dr Mary McClellan, (950 Francis Pl, 63117 314 726-6966 www.rmdentistry.com) referred me to an oral maxillofacial surgeon, Dr John Monterubio (1034 S Brentwood, 63117 314 721-1010 www.mhoms.com).

Implants are not an inexpensive procedure, but to me the alternative was unthinkable. I found Dr Monterubio very friendly at my consult with him, and one month later for the "procedure" found him to be exceptionally skilled and obviously respected by his staff. The surgery took a bit less than 2 hours (I was not sedated) and 5 days later I'm healing up nicely - still a bit swollen & bruised and beginning to be able to chew somewhat solid food again. (Goodbye sweet cool slippery jiggly Jello and pudding cups!)

My office mates had one of our floral designers (Louise) create this fantastic arrangement to be delivered to me - see the "teeth" in the carnations?

Well I can't tell you how amused I was to receive the flowers and scare off our driver, Don. (He wasn't expecting to see me wrapped in ice answering the door.)

You can have anything created at Walter Knoll Florist, from a wacky "International Year of the Potato" arrangement to memorial easel pieces, if you can describe it - our designers can make it!

Both of the above dentists are located near Brentwood and Clayton Rd - easy to get to even with the Highway 40 demolition - so if you need a dentist I hope you will call Dr McClellan and if you need more than a dentist Dr Monterubio is your man. Tell them A Musing Florist sent you.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

2007-12-26T15:49:00.001-06:00

Yes, I know, the Christmas holiday is now over, but you have just got to have my pie recipe - I've been making this pudding pie since 1979 when I bought a tin of Hershey's Cocoa with a tiny cookbook attached - over the years I have increased ingredients slightly and learned to cook this pudding just a bit "tighter" so that it doesn't run when the pie is sliced.

Here's the recipe:

Hershey’s Cocoa Pudding/Pie Filling

1 cup sugar
3/8 cup Hershey's Cocoa (I like the "Special Dark" now)
4 tbl cornstarch
½ tsp salt
3-3/8 cups milk
2 tbl butter
1 tsp vanilla
Baked and cooled 10" pie crust

Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in medium saucepan; gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture boils; boil and stir one minute. Remove from heat and blend in butter and vanilla. Pour into cooled pie crust.

I went a little crazy this year with my crust, from my little tin of alphabet cutters I pulled out the letter J and grabbed a skewer too, 'cause it's hard as %$#^!* to get the pie dough out of that J! Anyway, before baking the crust, I carefully placed the J's to look like candy canes around the edge - here is a shot of the baked edge, beautiful isn't it!

But I wasn't happy with beautiful, I decided the candy canes needed to be colored like candy canes! (And oh, did I mention I did all this with a fever thanks to the flu / cold I was suffering?)

Well as you can see, the pie came out pretty darn cute and the family loved it. Chocolate Pudding Pie is their favorite.

Decoratively piped whipped cream made the candy canes pop and I was very happy with the look!

I'm sure by now you have learned that 2008 has been declared by the United Nations to be the International Year of the Potato - lets have some fun with potatoes and not lose sight of the reasoning of the United Nations of "the need to revive public awareness of the relationship that exists between poverty, food security, malnutrition and the potential contribution of the potato to defeating hunger." Here is a link to the official International Year of the Potato website.

2007-12-18T13:28:00.001-06:00

HOW TO BUILD A SNOWMAN

First it's probably a good idea to find some accessories for your snowman, this old guy won't miss his hat or scarf or nose!

And then the floral foam needs the basic shape!

Start adding flowers

And then those "borrowed" accessories!

Make me a smile please!

Angela's finished snowman.

So . . . who needs snow! You can get yourself a snowman from Walter Knoll Florist any time of year - check out our Flowerman. Every Flowerman will be different, just like snowflakes!

Pictures above are of Angela Collins idea of "Flowerman". We think he is even cuter than Matt up there in the first pic. Matt is one of several wonderful professional sales staffers you may get to talk to in our phone room and I feature him with Flowerman because he sold him.

Home Made Mini Pop Tarts!

2007-12-14T06:53:00.000-06:00

Pastry
4 cups Unbleached Flour
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon salt
4 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pats
2 large egg
4 tablespoons milk
1 large egg, to brush on dough

Filling
3/4 cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

Icing
1.5 cup confectioners' sugar
5 to 7 teaspoons water

Make dough: Combine flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Pulse in butter until mixture is crumbly but still has bean sized lumps of butter still visible. Mix egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything comes together - it should still be slightly crumbly, dump onto lightly floured surface and need into cohesive ball of dough. Divide into 4, shaping each portion into a rectangle, smoothing edges. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour, or for up to 2 days.

Make filling: In a small saucepan, mix jam with cornstarch/water. Bring mixture to boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Assemble tarts: Remove dough from the refrigerator, and if it's been chilling for longer than 1 hour, allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8" thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even rectangle. Set it aside. Roll second piece of dough just as you did the first. Beat egg, and brush it over entire surface of one rectangle of dough. Use a ravoli sized scallop edged cookie/biscuit cutter or whatever shape you want your pop tarts to be to cut shapes into the egg brushed rectangle of dough. Place a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of jam into center of each rectangle. Place second rectangle of dough atop first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides. Gently place tarts on a lightly greased or parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes. Roll out other 2 rectangles the same way. Make cute little slices with a very sharp knife into the top of each tart just before putting into a preheated 350 oven - do not cut into the filling tho or you'll get tarts that look like this:

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven, and allow them to cool on pan on racks.

Combine confectioners' sugar with 3 teaspoons of water, adding additional water if necessary to make a pourable glaze. Pour the glaze into a quart sized ziplock bag and snip the corner and squeeze decoratively onto the cooled tarts.

Makes about 60. This is a variation of a recipe I found at the King Arthur Flour website created by Joanne Chang of the Flour Bakery & Café in Boston, MA. Thank you Joanne, these are going to be a regular bake of mine!

Have you checked out our Holiday Fun photo contest submissions lately! Getting more photos every day Holiday Fun. We'd love to see your idea of holiday fun, and I'd personally like to see some "snowman" photos! But hurry, contest ends 12/22!

Grandma Hedden’s Sour Cream Cookies

2007-12-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

Grandma Hedden’s Sour Cream Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
3-1/2 cups sifted flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raisins (light or dark)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt

Cream butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and nutmeg until very fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add baking soda to sour cream and stir. Add baking powder to flower and mix well. Add flour and sour cream alternately to butter/egg mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet leaving room between cookies as they will spread. Bake at 350 until cookies are pale blonde with slightly darker edges. Cool on racks.

Submitted by Louise Chambers Krueger, designer Walter Knoll Florist, LaSalle location. Thanks Louise, we can't wait to try them!

Need a nice sleigh to display your holiday cookies? I think they'd look great in our Joy Ride Sleigh Bouquet, after the flowers and greens are gone of course! Best of all, this bouquet is on sale if you order it from our website this week!

And speaking of our web site - have you seen the photo contest? It's a Holiday Fun photo contest and we would love to see your pics! Just register and then upload a jpg format file of your favorite fun holiday photo...but hurry, contest ends December 22!

register here: Holiday Fun Photo Contest

Pie Crust Cookies

2007-12-02T08:31:00.000-06:00

I can’t make pies without making extra crust to make these cookies and on special occasions I even make pie crust just for these cookies.

Make your favorite pie crust recipe; (my favorite is half lard and half butter for the fat) roll out disks approximately 8 inches in diameter. Paint with softened butter and then sprinkle heavily with cinnamon and sugar.

Cut the disk into 8 or 10 wedges (pizza cutter works great here) and roll the wedges up starting with the wide end.

Bake at 425 to 450 for 8 to 10 minutes until just browned – removed from cookie sheet immediately and cool on cooling racks – Don’t worry about how long they keep, because they’ll be gone as soon as they are cool! But if you do have some to store, they keep well in waxed paper in an airtight tin.

Tulips will be here for the upcoming holiday season! "Hello Myrtle" our flower buyer tells me we will have red, pink and white this year!

Home Made Marshmallows

2007-11-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

Home Made Marshmallows

If you’ve got a stand mixer and a candy thermometer you can make the most delicious homemade marshmallows!

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp salt
1 tbl pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Combine the gelatin and one-half cup of cold water in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup mixture.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and one-half cup water - cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the mixture reaches soft ball stage – 240 degrees. Stir often, this takes about 10 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed slowly pour the sugar syrup mixture into the dissolved gelatin. Crank the speed to high and mix until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix it in thoroughly.

Generously dust a half sheet pan (or 8 x 12 baking dish) with powdered sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into the pan and smooth the top spreading the mixture to the sides with a dampened spatula. Dust with more powdered sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a board, cut them with cookie cutters that have been dusted with powdered sugar into fun thanksgiving turkey or feather or whatever shapes for topping your sweet potatoes! Or cut them into squares. Dust the cut shapes in more powdered sugar. Take the scraps to work for your co-workers to devour! The quantity of marshmallows will depend on the pan you set them up in. An 8 X 12-inch baking dish will give you anywhere from 20 to 30 depending on the size you cut them to. I like to use the baking sheet for thin half-inch thick marshmallows.

My Chicago buddy, Rob Rausch, comes through St Louis on his way to his family Thanksgiving in Kansas City every year. He's quick to put the apron on and run a sink full of soapy water to clean up as I cook, all he charges is his own little pan of W H A T E V E R we're cooking up! Write me, I'll get you his contact information.

NOTES:
Knox gelatin comes in boxes of 4 envelopes. One of these days I’m going to figure out this recipe using the 4 envelopes! Check the expiration date on the gelatin box!

Nielsen-Massen Vanillas, Inc make a Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste which I used this year – a full tablespoon – the marshmallows have all those wonderful dots of vanilla bean seeds!

Coconut marshmallows are great also – Toast coconut in the oven until light brown, enough to coat the bottom of your pan at least twice! Use coconut flavoring instead of vanilla– but double the amount – 2 tablespoons will do - then spread the marshmallow mixture onto about half the toasted coconut and then top with the rest – press it into the mixture – later when you cut them, some of the coconut will come off – you can roll the cut sides into that – a little powdered sugar can also be added to the toasted coconut.

There is still time to order your Thanksgiving centerpiece or send ahead a pretty flower arrangement from Walter Knoll Florist! Mom'll thank you for that! Have a great holiday! Check back soon, we're having an employee holiday cookie contest and I'll be posting the winning recipes!

Grilled Chicken in Lemon Wine Caper Sauce

2007-10-22T14:13:00.001-05:00

THIS IS A MIGHTY FINE SUNDAY SUPPER DISH
and it's great left over!

Grilled Chicken in Lemon Wine Caper Sauce
6 Half skinless boneless chicken breasts - butterflied and cut into
manageable pieces about 1/2 inch thick, marinate with below Marinade
for an hour or two, then grill briefly (til no pink meat) they continue
to cook in the sauce.

Marinade
3 TB freshly minced Rosemary
2 large cloves minced Garlic
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons,
Juice of 1 lemon
Mix up in a Ziploc, add the chicken pieces and massage occasionally so that every piece of chicken is flavored.

Be sure to get the marinade on each piece of chicken

Sauce
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3 TB capers rinsed and chopped
3 TB freshly chopped Parsley
1 cup dry white wine (I used Mad Housewife Chardonnay)
1/2 cup (or more) chicken stock
juice of 1 or 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
3 TB cornstarch mixed with about 1/4 cup water
Butter

Here is the sauce before chicken broth is added.

Melt 2 TB butter in large skillet, add mushrooms, spread into 1 layer and don't touch until they are browned, give them a stir and brown the other side. Remove mushrooms and set aside.

Set the mushrooms aside after browning with the capers until you are ready for them.

Into the same hot skillet melt another TB of butter, then add the white wine and 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, bring to a simmer stirring up any browned bits in the skillet. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and reduce to about 2/3. Taste it, it should be lemony, winey and chickeny. Add the grilled chicken, reserved mushrooms and capers. Stir up the cornstarch slurry and add it - the sauce will thicken.

I still have fresh parsley and rosemary in my herb garden

Remove from heat, add freshly chopped parsley and serve. Great with rice or noodles and of course some broccoli!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - V O I L A - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is a very "leaned" down Italian version of "French" style dish - usually served with veal cutlets or chicken cutlets pounded thin, lightly floured and fried in butter. You know the dish - sometimes called Francaise or more commonly Piccata. The rosemary and the garlic are unique to this grilled version - it can all be prepared ahead, reheat the sauce while you quickly grill the chicken -

GOODBYE SMOKEY JOE

2007-10-07T14:20:00.000-05:00

After so many years with your constant companionship, I’m sure going to miss you. I can remember the day we met, I didn’t like you at first, but all my friends did, so I kept hanging out with you and you grew on me until I couldn’t resist you anymore. I’ve caved in and allowed you back after so many breakups, at least once a year I say goodbye. I cannot imagine how I’ll get along without you, but this time it’s for good. I’m done with you. It’s always been all about you, buy me, light me, smoke me. I can’t have a cup of coffee, or a phone call or feel a meal is complete without you, but it’s over. I’m tired of living my life around you. I’m tired of spending money on you! Oh sure, we’ve had some good times, but the truth is, your no friend at all.

From now on whenever I think of you I’m going to fill my lungs with clear fresh air, no more blowing smoke for me. I’ll find something productive to do with my hands, like peeling an orange or knitting again! And while I’m knitting again I’ll think about how my project isn’t going to smell like burning tobacco! So goodbye old Smokey Joe!

Like orange? Check out our fall and halloween treats!

I'm not doing this Quit Smoking alone...if you are interested in saying Goodbye to Smokey Joe yourself, check out Chantix

Reckamp Farm and Blumenhof Vineyards

2007-09-23T07:45:00.000-05:00

Saturday Country Drive

Decided to take the long way to the “moon road” and visit a farm I know of called Reckamp. Located in the Wright City area on OO between M and N hence the Moon Road. That’s my bud Karen (our fabulous flower buyer at Walter Knoll Florist) she was a bit nervous about my pulling over to shoot the sign. “Hurry Up!”

Reckamp sells frozen pork cuts and fresh produce from their farm. We got lucky today and my favorite third generation son took us for a tour into the birthing stalls. The first room we came to has a giant tractor that runs a machine which grinds up the feed for the pigs. A mixture of corn grown right there on the farm and noodles and fortune cookies - yes, noodles and fortune cookies, there is a big bucket of fortunes there in case you don’t believe it!

Yesterday’s piglets were all about 1 month old and just beginning to wean. I think we saw 8 or 10 sows with their precious little piglets, each sow gives birth to as many as 14 little ones, but the Reckamps will foster to other sows any more than 10 or 11 to be sure each piglet gets his share of mama. This one year-old sow is approximately 400 pounds. The babies go from birth to table in about five months – going to slaughter at around 250 pounds.

Reckamp is a small family farm, originally a family farm in Florissant, Mo it’s been about 3 generations out on the Moon Road, close to Wentzville and Wright City is where the Reckamp children go to school. We took the long way, heading out Highway 44 to 100 and then through Washington, Mo where we picked up 47 to cross the Missouri River. 47 took us to T and then to TT to M and finally to OO where the farm is, just about halfway between M and N. This will be a fantastic leaf peeping drive in a few weeks.

Yesterday’s produce selection included sweet potatoes, squash, okra, butternut squash, white and purple eggplant, peppers, decorative corn and squash and a few pumpkins. All grown right there on the farm!

Always there are farm fresh eggs from a neighboring farm and Amish Honey and Jams. Come October they’ll have a huge selection of pumpkins, and bales of hay or straw for sale. We were lucky yesterday to get a tour, like I said it’s a small family farm and there’s plenty of work to do on 185 acres – the Reckamps have an amazingly clean place, you will not smell a pig farm or pigs unless you get to go see the birthing stalls. The stalls are cleaned and drained and the collection is put into the ground and fertilizes the produce. Best sweet potatoes you’ll ever taste! And sweet potatoes or butternut squash is a perfect accompaniment to the frozen pork cuts you can purchase right there in the family home’s garage

I recommend you take along a cooler for your pork and egg purchases, ‘cause on the way home you might want to go back the same way but just before crossing the Missouri River into Washington you can get on Highway 94 and go a quarter mile into Dutzow, MO to the Blumenhof Vineyards. They have a wine tasting room where you can taste all their wines, buy a nice cold bottle and go sit out in the garden patio and have a little lunch – live musical entertainment on weekend afternoons, we enjoyed guitarist/singer Erik Brooks the “human jukebox” on our visit, he even pulled an old Marty Robbins request of mine out of his bag of songs – Down in El Paso.

We enjoyed some real German potato salad and bratwurst.

Another thing to bring along on this road trip are some wine glasses, you can buy some at $3 each, or rent them at $3 each or drink from plastic cups!

In a few weeks I hope to do a pumpkin post, so check back! But if you can't get out for a fall drive, you can certainly enjoy the look of fall with an arrangement from our new fall lineup Autumn Flowers Reckamp doesn't have a web site I can link you to, but they can be reached at 636 673-2734.

2007-09-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

Wow, is this cooking-outside weather or what? Stopped at my local Schnucks Market on my way home from work yesterday and picked up a couple of beautiful steaks. (Way more money than this "florist" should spend for Friday night dinner, but it was an anniversary day!) These puppies were just over an inch thick! I'm a rib-eye girl and Denny's a t-bone man, so no sharing for us.

set them out to room temp up and dressed them with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper and olive oil. Really only had a couple potatoes to go with, but then spied that basket of onions and remembered how Denny loves carmelized onions – so I grabbed a huge one, I bet it weighed a pound, it was certainly bigger than a softball, anyway I sliced it and put it in my favorite Martha Stewart pan I got at K-Mart – added some salt and pepper and just a bit of sugar and began to cook them – here they are after about 10 minutes -

I then grabbed a handful of fresh thyme and bundled it up and added it to the onions and cooked them another 20 minutes or so

About this time I decided to try that Mad Housewife Cabernet Sauvignon that’s been sitting on the counter next to the olive oil all week – tempting me, tempting me

So I pour myself a glassful – and hmmm, I wonder if I couldn't make a nice cab sauce from the frond of the onions along with that thyme bundle - so I took the onions out of the pan and tossed about ½ cup of the Mad Housewife Cab into the pan along with the thyme bundle and reduced it to about half and then added about ¼ cup of chicken stock I had left over in the fridge along with a pat of butter and voila, delicious! yummy stuff! Great on the meat, great on the potatoes and great on the onions!

My grill chef cooked the steaks to perfect medium rare

Oh yeah, of course I know a nice green vegetable would have been a healthy addition, but I did use a nice sized bundle of thyme in the onions and Mad Housewife cab sauce!

Speaking of green, when checking on my bakers (which I rubbed with bacon grease and pretzel salt from the bottom of an empty bag of sticks) I burned my arm – actually think I left some skin on the upper rack in the oven,

but I grabbed and split a handy stem of an aloe vera plant and the burn looks pretty good today and it’s not sore at all – that’s good because today’s a good day to make some steak soup with the leftovers - if I can keep my hard workin' handsome grill chef out them that is! Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

Need an aloe vera plant?

How about a fancy meal delivered?

2007-09-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

Well our Autumn Flowers category is up, there goes summer!

It seemed like a longer summer to me, I think because of setting the clocks for daylight savings time earlier this year – which was lucky since I had new gardens to dig. Well, what is summer after all if not for ane herb garden and a few tomato and hot pepper plants?

When I moved to Affton last fall I brought from my city garden

the lavender, rosemary, marjoram and some thyme.

Also dug up those crazy Indian “stink” lilies and Kent’s Yarrow.

Dug some quick holes and plunked them all in the first week of October last year. When we had those warm days in March I started digging, just got the little 3 X 6 foot patch under the back porch windows done before the freeze came back – luckily my precious transplants made it through that snap!

First there was the clearing of the sod to create the herb garden – have you ever dug a bed in a zoysia lawn? Oh my that’s some back breaking work –

When the end of April brought warm weather again I started digging in earnest . . . probably cleared a 10 x 12 foot patch which somehow came out in the shape of Missouri. Thank goodness my digging spade had just been sharpened!

Picked up a few herb plants at the wkf greenhouse and then hit some local herb society sales for some unusual herbs and hit some estate sales for some (ahem) unusual "things".

The doll heads on the sticks keep me from poking my eyes out when I bend over to prune or sniff. The folks in the houses on either side of us wondered what kind of wackiness was going on until I explained.

A couple doses of Miracle Grow and before long you couldn't see the toys for the fullness of the plants. My lemon grass got to 6 feet tall!

Finally, as we close in on the fall season, I have everything pruned back
and under control - soon I'll be pulling the annuals out and giving everything
a good mulching and spend the next 4 or 5 months planning what shape I'll
make the bed next year as I intend to make it at least twice as big. Perhaps
I should do Texas.

The Best Linguini with Clam Sauce

2007-09-02T06:51:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
3/4 pound linguini
Salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tin flat anchovies, drained, dried and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 (15-oz) can whole baby clams, with their juice
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green olives
1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta water
1/4 to 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add lots of salt just before adding
the linguini - boil until not quite done (al dente) as it will cook more in
the sauce - put a cup next to your strainer in the sink and save about a half cup of the pasta water.

While water is coming to a boil, prepare all your ingredients. Drain the clams reserving the liquid in a glass. Rinse the clams well to remove any lingering sand. Drain, blot on paper towels and chop the anchovies pretty small. (There is no taste of anchovy by the way in the finished dish and they "melt" in the cooking so you won't see them either.) Pull the thyme leaves from their stems - give them a quick chop, mince the garlic, dice the green pepper and olives, chop the parsley.

In a large skillet (pic above has 2 servings taken out) over medium heat, add oil, anchovies, garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until anchovies melt into the oil and disintegrate completely. Stir in the wine (I used Mad Housewife California chardonnay this time) then the green peppers and olives. Then add the clams and their juice, being careful not to pour in the sand that has settled at the bottom of the glass. Turn the heat up briefly to bring to a boil, then turn it back down to medium and add the drained pasta. Toss well and cook for 3 to 5 minutes - the linqini with absorb much of the juice, if it looks too dry add some of the pasta water. Add parsley and serve with some freshly grated parmesan to taste and a bit of warm crusty artisan bread.

Serves 4 or 5

NOTE: Mad Housewife Chardonnay is great in and along side this dish. This makes a lot of pasta, if you decide to cut the recipe in half, only cut the amount of pasta in half - it'll be decadent and even yummier with half the noodles!

We Miss You Tim!

2007-08-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Tim Bippen, our co-worker, killed in a tragic accident on Saturday 8/25/07. Tim started here as holiday help a few Christmases ago and quickly signed on for full time. Always ready with a helping hand and sheepish grin - even answered to "Greg" - his brother's name, Greg works here on his holidays from school.

Tall, handsome, charming, funny, sly, precious to many, you'll be missed by all.

Get some good Angel shots for us, Tim!

Funeral service at KUTIS Affton Chapel, 10151 Gravois, Wed., Aug 29, 10 a.m. Visitation Tues., Aug 28, 3-9 p.m. Internment Sunset Cemetery.

Floating

2007-08-26T15:52:00.000-05:00

Used to in my "youth" be quite brave about going floating. Middle of the week, I'd cancel my appointments, grab my dog Stan, and head out Route 66 down to Blue Springs or Bob Bass canoe outfitters. I can handle a canoe by myself if the rivers aren't running too fast and furious and there aren't a lot of rapids. One summer Stan and I took my 12-year old nephews along for cruise down the river, we had a blast - I remember we stopped at the "Diamonds" and the boys bought indian beaded jewelry to wear and we all had Indian names. I was PokaDi (as in Pokahanus).

The guys had a blast but about 20 minutes from our departing site we ran into some very scary, pesty, snaggle-toothed roughians and I thought "what on earth was I thinking taking these two little kids and a dog down the river alone!" Anyway, haven't been on the river without a large group since!

One of my favorite "large group" floats was shortly before I moved back to St Louis from Chicago. Did a "canoe pub crawl". Since there are no beaches we had to throw the canoes off a dock and then lower ourselves in. Floated from near Ashland and Elston to Navy Pier. Must be a dozen bars and/or restaurants with docks along the river - who knew! Now that was some treacherous water and you sure didn't want to get any on you - plus there are all the big ships and cruise boats and sight seeing boats to dodge! Not to mention those crazy bridges going up and down!

This weekend I've been helping my friend Mary McClellan plan her 25 year Washington University dental school reunion float trip. With all this heat and lack of rain the rivers are low - Bob Bass Canoes out of Steelville isn't even putting in the Huzzah or the Courtois (pronounced code away - that'll be another blog!). Blue Springs outfitters down in Bourbon tell me the Meramec is low but it's running good, a 6 mile float can be done in 3 to 5 hours. It's not so low that folks are portaging, so it's down to Blue Springs in Bourbon, Mo for the dental reunion float. It's a lot to figure out - 12 to 14 canoes, most of the folks are from out of town, we're borrowing coolers, hiring a bus and driver, and gonna have to do a lot of shopping. How many beers and sodas and waters per person? I remember this group back in the late 70s could put away some beer. I am sure that marriage and children have curbed their beer appetites! Let's hope we get some more rain before that beautiful sunny day September 6 is gonna be! And that we don't run into any snaggle toothed ruffians! I figure I'll be safe floating with a couple dozen dentists after all!

Bass River Resort is in Steelville, MO (about 1-3/4 hour drive from downtown St Louis) and provides canoes and rafts for the Meramec, Courtois and Huzzah Rivers. Blue Springs Resort is in Bourbon, (about 1-1/4 hour drive from downtown) and they provide canoes and rafts for the Meramec River. Both outfitters have web sites, give 'em a google for more information.

Fountain of Youth

2007-08-24T16:19:00.000-05:00

Ponce De Leon never found the Fountain of Youth. Neither did anyone else. (Not yet anyway - I'm looking!)

If I recall my history correctly he was looking for the island of Bimini when he happened upon the "island" of Florida. I'm sure I'm correct in remembering that he thought Florida was an "island".

There is a wonderful spring in St Augustine, Florida named The Fountain of Youth which celebrates Ponce's "discovery" of America.

I wonder who this youthful goddess is

and if she is related to this lovely lady of the frogs (see previous blog)

Here's a little "desk-top" fountain celebrating youth!

Stop in at our greenhouse to see these and other fountains, all at a great price!

Frogs and Toads!

2007-08-21T16:36:00.000-05:00

Do you know the difference between frogs and toads?

Above, with dry, bumpy-warty skin, stubby body and short hind legs is a toad.

Below, with smooth, slimy-moist skin, long legs and webbed feet is a frog.

Personally, I'll stick with the flower arranging frogs - they're fun to collect and great to use for flower arranging and all sorts of things.

These pin type frogs are great to stack into architectural designs on the mantle - folks are always intrigued and wonder "what are those"!

My personal favorite frog is this next one, I love it can be "shaped" to fit any dish or vase.

I used to have a showcase at the Treasure Isles Antique Mall over on Big Bend, sold tons of frogs and water sprinklers and my dusty collection of McCoy pottery. Fun place to spend a rainy afternoon! Check it out sometime. Perhaps you'll find the frog you are looking for!

Of course the point of the flower frogs is to hold stems upright in either a low flat dish or vase. These photos (except for the amphibians) are of vintage and used flower frogs, but many varieties are still available new and can be purchased at most flower shops. Buy why arrange your own flowers when you can get such a great selection at Walter Knoll Florist! Here is an arrangement with rocks used like a flower frog to hold the stems upright Tropical Oasis.

Do you like moon flowers?

2007-08-19T12:48:00.001-05:00

Do you like moonflowers? I just love them. I've grown 2 kinds, one is like a bush, got some seedlings from Aunt Verna and Uncle Ed up in Tuscola, Illinois, years ago and have been messing with them ever since, I just love how the flowers open and close - they're kinda like pinwheels. And you can see how big they are by that bee!

And then there is the moonflower vine. I bought seeds one year thinking they were the moonflowers like I got from Uncle Ed and Aunt Verna, but they turned out to be a vine that grew all the way up to the second floor deck and beyond! I think they'd have covered the roof if I had let them have their way! Heart shaped leaves bigger than dinner plates! It's amazing what a little miracle grow will do.

And finally, here's a little moon flower arrangement I made using a flower frog, it didn't last long, but it was beautiful and did I mention how fragrant the moon flowers are at night?

Back to School

2007-08-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Aw, there the little ones go, climbing onto the buses, heading off to start another school year. If they aren't starting this week, they surely are next. Ah, the back yard will be peaceful again, I can have the swing to myself, maybe even read! No running to see what the latest "scream" was about.

If you are of the same frame of mind as I am, you are thinking perhaps one or more of those teachers deserve a gift, how about some Pink Lemonade Roses, or even a festive Daisy Bowl, either idea should rid you of the guilt you feel!

Yup, It's Another Melon Shot!

2007-08-10T10:04:00.000-05:00

Don't these girls look like they are having some "proper" fun!

I'll bet they're not "spitting" those watermelon seeds!

Watermelon Time

2007-08-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

Dog days of summer bring thoughts of refreshing watermelon to me. Great to eat as these fellows are enjoying theirs - outside - easy clean up with a garden hose, and if seeds escape, just maybe you'll end up with something like this on your fence next year! Is this the cutest watermelon you have ever seen? It's the size of a baseball today, but only as big as a marble one week ago.

Like Sunflowers and cucumbers, watermelons are great fun for the kids to watch grow, especially once the fruits start setting - Like I said, the size of a marble to as big as a baseball in one week - how magic is that!

Another fun kid thing is Look What I Made. Every Saturday afternoon at 2pm all of our retail locations offer this free program to children under 12. Kids come in and make a flower arrangement for a parent or teacher or even for themselves. Turnout and feedback from parents and children and WKF staff has been great. Everyone has a good time.

The "Cool" Pink Greenhouse!

2007-08-05T09:29:00.000-05:00

Anyone driving within a few blocks and within site of the corner of California and LaSalle has certainly seen the pink roof of our greenhouse. Not only does the pink shade cloth look great, it lowers the temperature by approximately 15 degrees. Our pink roof is just one of the many reasons our perennials, annuals, herbs, succulents, grasses, flowering plants, green plants and orchid plants are better than what you can get from the discount outlets - and it's hard to beat our price - wholesale to the public. Stop in and see our different types of grass seed by the pound, mulches, landscape plants and more! Tammy and Gail purchased some great decorative items at the Dallas Gift Show this summer and new product is coming in weekly.

How about a Cookie Recipe!

2007-08-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

BUTTER BALLS

Whether you call them Cuernitos (Mexican), Kourabiedes (Greek), or Butter Balls these cookies are everyone’s favorite! The following recipe uses granulated OR powdered sugar—the granulated sugar cookies have a more “sandy” texture and the powdered sugar version is a creamier cookie. If you use almonds, add 1/2 tsp almond extract along with the vanilla extract.

3 sticks unsalted room temp butter
3/8 cup granulated sugar
OR 3/4 cup powdered(confectioner’s) sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1.5 cups finely chopped nuts, either pecans, walnuts, almonds or pistachios (chop with a knife—don’t use a grinder or food processor, the nuts will be too fine)
1.5 to 2 cups powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 325F.
Cream together softened butter and sugar until well combined, mix in the extract(s) then gradually add salt and flour and finally the chopped nuts. Roll into 1 tsp size balls and lay out on un-greased cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. They’ll just barely brown on the edges and bottoms. Remove to cooling racks and dust liberally with powdered sugar. (I put tea-towels under the racks to collect the excess powdered sugar which can be collected and used for the second dusting.) When cool, again sift more powdered sugar over them. These keep really well in a cookie tin.

These cookies are often called
"Wedding Cookies" and we just happen to have lots of wedding information.

And, finally, if you just don't have the time or urge to bake, you can buy freshly baked cookies for delivery anywhere across the USA!

Walter Knoll Florist commitment to continuing education

2007-08-02T10:10:00.000-05:00

Wednesday August 1st. All of the Walter Knoll Florist employees that assist with weddings took part in a very special educational seminar put on by Frank Viviano from Viviano Flower Shops in St Clare Shores. Viviano Flower Shop is well known in the industry as being a premier event florist. Walter Knoll Florist opened attendance to other florists who traveled to attend from as far away as Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is the most recent in a series of seminars with the goal of constant improvement on our customer experience. Next week Chuck Knoll will be traveling to Viviano’s and be putting on his seminar "Floral Industry Customer Service".

Can I come along on your cruise next time?

2007-07-31T11:08:00.000-05:00

Walter the III's family had a wonderful opportunity to go on a Mediterranean cruise this summer aboard the Emerald Princess for twelve wonderful days. At the following link you'll see photos from Barcelona (where the cruise began), Marseilles, Livorno, Pisa, Rome, Naples, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, and Athens finally ending in Venice. Can you find a picture of the Fenice Opera House? (The Fenice was aptly named after the mythical bird the phoenix, which is reborn from its own ashes - aptly named, as the Fenice was burned down by arsonists in 1996 and has been completely rebuilt - burned down for the third time in in just over 200 years.) I have not found a picture of the Fenice yet, but I keep looking!

Cruise Pictures

A Phoenix-Style Floral Arrangement

I promise, this is the last tomato musing!

2007-07-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

I couldn't wait another day - and why take a chance on that nutty squirrel getting to my first red tomato before I did!

Is this a beauty or what! So pretty cradled in our skillful designer Tonia's hands!

2007-07-26T13:29:00.000-05:00

We got a wonderful compliment lately from Pete in Hazelwood, MO: "I recently sent someone special to me the Delightful Sunset Bouquet based solely on the picture I saw on your site. She said the flowers were just gorgeous. I try getting her flowers as often as possible and only once before have I used an online delivery service - I was very disappointed in them. The flowers looked like &*^%$)^%, nothing like the picture. I just wanted to say that as long as you guys keep delivering the same quality of flowers as I see online, I will only use wkf.com. Thanks for making her day that much better!"

Thank you, Pete! What a wonderful compliment!

Here's a link to the arrangement he purchased. Walter Knoll Florist Delightful Sunset Bouquet

Turning At Last!

2007-07-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

Well I suppose the cool nights just can't keep this tom from turning! I planted late in the season, I think late May if not the first week of June, I am lucky to have any tomatoes. I purchased seedlings at the WKF Lasalle Greenhouse where you can get expert gardening advise from the experienced staff there! Come and see the large selection of plants - we're located across the street from our main headquarters on St Louis' famous Flower Row at the corner of LaSalle and California.

How About this Saint Louis weather!

2007-07-24T14:12:00.000-05:00

Never in my over 50 years do I recall temperatures in the 50s for Saint Louis during the month of July! I know we need the hot nights to see our home grown tomatoes turn red, but I'll forgo a red ripe tomato for these cool dusks and dawns...for a little while anyway... How about some "COOL" summer specials?

...Walter Knoll Florist