hortus conclusus

I know this isn’t perfume-related, but Bloody Frida expressed interest in my recipe for zaatar croutons (mentioned in my post on L’air du Desert Marocain ) so I figured I’d just put the whole recipe up. This is very nice for hot evenings like tonight, and costs almost nothing in both time and supplies to make. Cold cream of celery soup: cut the washed hearts of three celery bunches (leaves and all of any stalks that are not coarse and darker green) cut up two onions and peel ten garlic cloves melt 1/5 c. butter in a large pot Add celery, onions, and garlic. Cover and cook on lowish heat, stirring occasionally, until celery and onions have softened completely. (approx 30-40 min.) Add a little stock if necessary to allow the soup to blend blend soup ‘til creamy, adding half and half or evaporated milk to taste.  Chill, and serve with: Za’atar croutons: put some extra virgin olive oil in a bowl, cover, and put in the fridge a few hours ahead. When the oil has so