Big Beet Night @ the Bondes

You can tell a great cook by the way she stocks her pantry.

I'm feeling very lucky today, having just returned from a visit to Hot Springs, South Dakota. Huh???

Oh, it's the cutest little place, even if it is in the middle of nowhere. Home to a remote Wild Mustang Sanctuary ~ a bucket list item, a place I'd always wanted to visit..

Bustling about her cozy kitchen.

AND - it's also home to my good blogging friend, Gloria, of Dakota Garden. Who dropped everything she was doing and cooked us up a fantastic dinner when she heard we were cruising through town.

October garden, alive with bright color

I've been feeling a bit guilty over this, ever since I got home. We showed up late, empty handed and filthy from a long afternoon of stalking Spanish mustangs on the South Dakota prairie.

That's not like me. Oh, stalking horses, yeah, for sure. But showing up empty handed? At the very least, I'll be sporting a bouquet of flowers. (Gloria ~ if you're reading this, they are on their way. Making amends albeit a day late, and a buck short. :)

She's still got roses blooming!

Gloria has been very influential to me and that's half the fun of being a longtime blogger. So many wonderful, kindred spirits we meet along the way.

Last year, was my 'sick year' in that I came down with two bouts of illness that really knocked me for a loop. Both times Gloria provided some wise advice that put me on the road to recovery.

Fishies in this pond are freezin' their little fins off!

For years, I've drooled over her garden, through pictures on her blog. (She did all the stone work herself.) The pretty arbors her hubs, Ted, built are enough to make any gardener green with envy.

So, it was quite a treat to get a real world tour of her backyard.

She kept apologizing that the garden was 'done blooming.' I couldn't get over how much color she had this late in October!

When the sun set, and the autumn air grew chilly, we headed into her charming kitchen for a home-cooked meal.

Where we noshed on heirloom tomatoes and the BIG BEET, which took center stage. It's as big as a dinner plate! Or, it was... rest assured, we made short work of that homegrown beauty.

The BIG Beet was as large as a melon.

Thanks, Gloria! For inviting us into your cozy home. And, for wowing us with your amazing gardens. I'm looking forward to your visit next year.

* Click here to visit Gloria's spectacular Dakota Garden.