White and Red in the Garden

Tuesday Garden Link Party is back at An Oregon Cottage, and I am gladly joining it today!

These are white and red flowers that are now blooming in my yard. There are not many of them but enough to please the eye nevertheless – calla lilies, red geranium, candytuft, and cyclamens.











I took all these pictures with my new camera. I can’t say I’m too happy about it, but perhaps I need to learn more about its settings.

Black Forest Cake

My family loved this cake! I made it for my husband’s birthday. The original recipe is from allrecipes.com. I couldn’t find sour cherries, so I used two cans of store bought cherry pie filling instead of making my own cherry topping.





2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 (20 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.

In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.

Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool before using.

Combine whipping cream and confectioner's sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.

With long serrated knife, split each cake layer horizontally in half. Tear one split layer into crumbs; set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups frosting for decorating cake; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and side of each cake layer with pastry brush or hands. To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer. Frost side of cake. Pat reserved crumbs onto frosting on side of cake. Spoon reserved frosting into pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip. Pipe around top and bottom edges of cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping onto top of the cake.


It's been a while since I participated in Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, so I'm happy to join in today.

And I'm also happy to join Potpourri Friday @ 2805 and Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

International Women’s Day

Dear ladies,

Today is International Women’s Day and I hope you all got a bit of extra attention because of it!

In the USA, this day is hardly celebrated. It’s Mother’s Day when most women get appreciation. But not all women are mothers!
Besides, while motherhood is one of the biggest accomplishments for many of us, women do have great achievements beyond that. Let’s celebrate them today! Happy Women’s Day!

Grape Hyacinths

Last year, a single grape hyacinth volunteered in my yard. I think it sneaked in under the fence from the neighbors. I carefully replanted it, and this year I have a planter full of these lovely blue flowers!

It seems that this plant is very undemanding. It spread quickly and didn’t require any special care at all. Since I don’t have much time for gardening now anyway, such low-maintenance flowers are always welcome in my garden.





I´m linking to the following blog parties:
Fertilizer Friday @ Tootsie Time,
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Unknown Blue Flower

This picture is from my last year’s post Ukraine Independence Day Celebration. I used blue and yellow flowers for my napkin rings. The other day, someone e-mailed me telling me that she liked my table setting and would like to know the name of the blue flower.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t help her as I don’t know the name myself. I remember that the flower came from a garden bunch that I bought at a grocery store.

Could any gardeners or botanists give me a hand here? Does anyone know what this flower is called?

Thank you!