Snowy morning breakfast strudel made easy

This fruit strudel recipe is about the easiest breakfast treat or dinner dessert with a scoop of ice cream there is. Not much sugar and plenty of fruit wrapped in puff pastry from Pepperidge Farm. It reminds me of years ago when our daughter lived in California, we'd get this wonderful fresh strudel from a German bakery in Encinitas.

We awoke this second day of spring to snow here in southern Rhode Island, so I decided to start baking.

A secret corned beef and cabbage recipe served with a little Irish-American history

As I write this, everyone is at the St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport, RI. I can picture this sunny day, the streets awash in green crepe paper and hats, Irish knit sweaters, babies and young girls with shamrock-painted faces, and guarded flasks of Jamieson in herringbone vest pockets. I hear, even from here on other side of the hill, police car sirens resonating over and over, leading the parade to its end at the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), where the celebration will be capped off with a traditional American - Irish boiled dinner, corned beef and cabbage, a little more Jamieson and lots of Guinness.

Healthy whole wheat berry muffins

Homemade healthy breakfast muffins are easier than you think and take no time at all. No electric mixer needed. Recipes for muffins are much like making pancakes. The wheat and oat muffins below are made from whole wheat flour, a little old fashioned oatmeal, fresh fruit, plain yogurt and not too much sugar. The perfect healthy strawberry and blueberry muffin to start your day.

Planting a rose garden in the Northeast

When planting a rose garden in Rhode Island, or even just a few roses in the Northeast, there are many choices to consider: color, variety, whether shrub, tea, or climbing, fragrance, and of course, you'll want pest-free roses, disease resistant, and winter hardiness.

St. Patrick's Day is fine time for gardening

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport, RI, is a fine time to celebrate your Irish heritage or pretend to be from the Old Sod even for the day. But from the looks of this morning's police report in the Newport Daily News, we're more than happy to have spent these early spring days in the back perennial garden at Linden Cottage.

This past weekend was exceptional, a few rare glorious days in March, warm and sunny and perfect for clearing last year's spent foliage, because its clear to walk and rake freely and not crush any fresh green shoots just before the spring bulbs poke through the cold spring ground.

Losing a dear friend and four-legged family member

Losing a much loved dog can break your heart, and this week, our family's collective heart was broken. Our daughter's family dog, Hazel, a Bernese Mountain dog, has visited so often, I felt like WE had lost her when she texted to say "Hazel just died," at 7:15 Sunday night. Even though life expectancy is relatively short for Bernese, we somehow thought Hazel would be super Bernese dog. She was a "super dog" just not in longevity. Our daughter wrote so poignant a message on Facebook, I cried once again and again and reading it now...again.

Making Christmas in southern Rhode Island

Christmas 2015

Finally getting the candles in the windows for Christmas in Newport,  I found myself opening five tiny doors at once today on the advent calendar; remembering when there was lively discussion every morning here, as to just whose turn it was and there never were enough doors and windows to go around.