I tried that pasta recipe you sent me last week and it turned out better than I expected. The key was letting the dough rest for a full thirty minutes before rolling it out, otherwise it kept snapping back on me. I used a mix of semolina and regular flour, about three to one ratio, which gave it a nice texture without being too heavy. The sauce I paired with it was a simple tomato basil with garlic, just a few fresh ingredients nothing too complicated. I also added a pinch of nutmeg to the dough which gave it a subtle warmth. Next time I'd probably roll it a bit thinner though, it was slightly thicker than I wanted for that dish. Let me know if you want me to send you the adjustments I made to the original recipe, I wrote them down as I went along.

I found that resting the dough longer made it much easier to work with and the texture was noticeably better. The semolina gave it a nice bite while the regular flour kept it tender. I think the ratio could be adjusted depending on what sauce you are pairing it with.

We finally got around to redoing the small garden bed in the backyard last weekend. I went with a mix of lavender along the edge and some taller ornamental grasses in the back. The soil needed quite a bit of amendment, it was mostly clay so I added compost and sand to improve drainage. I spaced everything a bit tighter than the tags recommended because I wanted it to look full by mid summer. I also put in a small stepping stone path through the middle so we can actually walk through it to prune things more easily. Still waiting to see how the lavender settles in, it can be finicky with our humidity levels. I will send you some photos once everything greens up a bit more and fills in.

The grasses should add good height and movement when the wind picks up. I am hoping the lavender attracts more bees and butterflies this year compared to last season when we had mostly foliage.