With a name like Venice Beach Canals, one could be forgiven for thinking that they are visiting Italy. However, the Venice Canal Historic district landmark tourist attraction is located in Los Angeles, California! This series of man made canals with adjacent walkways give visitors to the area a chance to peek “up close and personal” …

This Venice Canals Photo Gallery page gives many photos of the historic canal district of Venice Beach in California. We spent a day there, exploring the Venice Beach Canals and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I took so many photos and not all of them made it to the main post on the attraction. These photos will …

Brimming with the flavors of sherry, fresh leeks and sweet fresh butternut squash, this crockpot butternut squash soup has an elevated taste that is worthy of any special occasion. Fall and winter are the times of the year when I normally make soups, so I am always on the lookout for new crock pot recipes …

One of my favorite vegetables is fresh corn on the cob.  And one of my least favorite vegetables is corn on the cob with a lot of silk remnants sticking to it. Cooking corn in the microwave is the easy way to get silk-free corn every time! These easy tips show how easy it is …

Most ziti pasta recipes are baked and require a long preparation time. This skillet ziti noodles recipe is ready in less that 30 minutes and is super easy to prepare. Until this year, I had never tasted Swiss Chard. But I planted some on a whim in my vegetable garden this past summer and have …

This recipe for Southern cornbread is one that I have made many times and it never fails to please my guests.  It is moist and just delicious with a slight tang from the buttermilk that makes it a great accompaniment to any meal. Before we get started on this cornbread recipe, I have to tell you that my …

Food art is the act of preparing, cooking and presenting food in creative ways. It incorporates everything from elaborate plating that we see in fine dining establishments to both simple and intricate fruit and vegetable carvings that are meant to be decorative in nature. It is hard to say exactly when food art, vegetable carving, …

Are you aware that this summer treat is not really a fruit? Get a few growing tips and find out the answers to other questions with this list of fun watermelon facts. Watermelons are a popular summer fruit. They have a high water content and are hydrating.  I like to use them in drinks – …

Sicklepod (Cassia Senna obtusifolia) is an annual legume that appears in the spring with yellow flowers and long pods.  It is invasive and can cause havoc in cotton, corn and soybean fields. Read on to get some tips for controlling sicklepod. Sometimes plants appear in your garden by way of seeds in new mulch for …

This slug resistant hosta is called hosta wheee! As the name suggests, the look of this fun plant is whimsical with an extremely ruffled foliage habit. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a magnificent look at their collection of hostas. I have a large varieties of hostas in my shade …

Dracaena surculosa is a gorgeous plant. It has glossy green leaves and white and yellow splotches over the leaf surface.  One can easily see from this photo why it has the common name Dracaena Gold Dust. Botanical facts about Dracaena Surculosa Dracaena surculosa is native to the western tropical Africa rain forest region. Family: Asparagaceae …

This One Pot Roasted Chicken and Vegetables recipe comes together easily in a glass baking dish in my oven. This type of meal is even easier than a 30 minute one pot meal, since everything goes into the baking dish and the oven just does its thing. I love one pot easy recipes.  Normally, I …

A single coconut will give you 3 or 4 cups cups of fresh, flaked coconut.  But now you have the problem of storing fresh coconut. How do you keep that delightful, flaky bit of goodness in a state that will stay edible for as long as possible? This tutorial shows tips for storing fresh coconut …

Growing sunflower plants is one of the really fun parts of summer time gardening. These cheery sun-facing flowers are a delight to gardeners who wish to attract birds. These big annuals are very easy to grow, which makes them a very popular plant to get children interested in gardening. Kids will love seeing just how …

Caring for foxglove is easy – just give it part sun/part shade and evenly moist soil and you’ll be rewarded with these gorgeous flowers. Foxglove biennial plants are spectacular to view.  The term biennial means that the plant will grow for two years and then mainly die off. Foxgloves will re-seed themselves easily, so once …

Pruning hellebores will keep your Lenten rose looking its best all year long. Hellebores are a long-blooming perennial plant that needs very little in the way of maintenance but it does get a bit ragged looking at times of the year.   The flowers are so pretty and resemble wild roses that have opened up. It’s …

This miniature hosta is called Hosta Cat and Mouse. Its small size makes it the perfect choice for those who don’t have a lot of room to garden. A recent trip around the JR Raulston Arboretum provided me with a magnificent look at their collection of hostas. I have a large collection of hostas in …

This guide to shallots vs onions will answer not only this question but will also show how shallots are different from other onion types. There are many onion varieties so it’s easy to get confused about them. A common question that I get asked is “are shallots and onions the same?” Shallots are somewhat of a trendy vegetable …

These tips for sage plant care will help you get the most out of this popular garden herb plant. Garden sage is a culinary herb that is often used around the holidays to flavor your stuffing, but I use it all year round as a flavor component for chicken dishes. Sage is not just for …

Find out why you might have trouble with this pretty rose that took the internet by storm a few years ago with these Osiria Rose care tips. The two toned color of the rose is highly desirable, but the rose is finicky at best. Photos of this hybrid tea rose with a lovely white center …

A steamer basket is a great way to cook a single vegetable or several of them at once by cooking them over boiling water. But to do this correctly, you need to have a good idea of vegetable steaming times. One of the joys of summer is cooking fresh vegetables from my vegetable garden. The …

This quick growing hosta plant is called Hosta ‘Yellow Splash Rim’.  It is easy to see where the common name comes from by looking at the colorful leaf margins of the plant. I recently toured the JR Raulston Arboretum and had a great time looking at their shade garden which included many hosta plants. I …

Cotyledon tomentosa is tender succulent that is a lot of fun to grow. It is easy to see where the common name of bear’s paw succulent came from. Those chubby leaves look just like tiny bear’s paws! Each of the leaves are soft and fuzzy with a puffy look and have tiny “teeth” at the edges. …

A forsythia shrub is one of the first harbingers of spring. Who can resist those cheery yellow blooms that appear about the time that the daffodils poke their heads up? These shrubs can be used as a stand alone plant in the middle of your lawn and can also be used as a forsythia hedge to …

These tips show how to get rid of ticks in the yard as well as a few natural treatment options. Summer is a time for being in the outdoors. But ticks also love the warm temperatures and can be bothersome in your yard and garden.  Ticks are a nuisance and can be dangerous as well …

Hosta Kiyosumiensis is a dappled leaf hosta also known as the Mountain Hosta. It is native to Japan. About Hosta Kiyosumiensis The name of this hosta comes from our version of the name of Mount Kiyosumi-yama, a small mountain in Japan with views of Tokyo Bay. The plant grows on this Mountain. In the northern …