Garden 2011

Our weather took a turn for the better today. I planted peas, spinach, and romaine lettuce. All of which I have grown many times. As for the spinach though, this year I plan to harvest and freeze it. We usually just pile the  tender spinach leaves into our salads or I make soup with it. Ditto for the peas. Romaine lettuce leaves me blank on how one could go about preserving it for later use.

On the subject of nice weather. I know it's too soon to put away the overflowing basket of scarves, gloves, and wool caps. I know better! We have had measureable snowfall far into the month of April before.

We did take the last remaining Christmas lights down today! Mister and I agreed that there was just something disturbing about the shed being decorated like a gingerbread house while we were tilling the garden. Yeah, I know. This is your neighborhoods worst nightmare. We are those people. It's not like we turned them on at night or anything.

It was a -Getting things done with Delores- type of day! Aside from the above mentioned projects, I also managed a little light spring cleaning. Plus, Mister and I played hookie this afternoon and went to our favorite flea market/open air marketplace.

 I hurried home from the flea market today in time to cook a nice St. Patty's Day dinner. It's our version of Irish food anyhow.

Corned Beef Hash  (homemade with the loot I scored at the market)
Carrots
Rueben Sandwiches

The flea had:
 3 bags of carrots for $1.00
2 huge onions for $1.00
 Corned Beef on sale for $3.99 a lb.

It's a great open air marketplace.

I am considering taking some of my own produce there this summer. Last year a vendor was selling Zinnia's for one dollar a stem! I could make a fortune, well maybe not that much. I could certainly support my habit of shopping for the treasures there.

Sure sign of spring! Hitting the flea markets.

One final mention of the garden. We are growing Sesame this year. I purchased seeds at Monticello while we were on holiday there. I guess Thomas Jefferson was a huge sesame fan. This is a new crop for me, so I'm excited. I suppose any old seeds would have worked. I like the nostalgia of knowing these seeds were harvested from Jefferson's garden, right there at Monticello. I want to go back there in a powerful way.

Happy St. Patty's Day




The future of farming.

There are 201 posts on this blog to date. I rarely make mention of my children. Perhaps, well for sure, this has been based on my philosphy of not mixing my worlds. Today is different.
Today was one of those days where the planets aligned perfectly and coincidences could not be overlooked. I am a firm believer in collective thinking.
I have 4 children. I mean really when you're oldest kid is almost 26 years old it seems weird to still refer to him as my child. What is the correct terminology for that? My adult son/daughter sounds so cliche`.
My day was divided among all three of my daughters today. Not collectively, which is rare. As children age and move away from home, it's more likely to gather as a family.
Really, it was a treat to spend time one- on -one with each of them.

The future of farming starts at home with our children. I'm not talking about a large scale farm with tractors and silos (although that would be swell too). It's teaching young people how to grow food.

I've had the good fortune to have healthy children. I fed them plenty of junk food over the years. We ordered pizza more times than I am willing to confess. Yet, each of them have experienced the thrill of harvesting dinner from our backyard.

I'm proud to have taught my children an appreciation for farming. Some of the years we grew our garden in pots on the patio. My youngest child is fortunate enough to help me plant a garden large enough to feed a multitude.

I know a young family.They have started a garden this year. With a young son and daughter, this family is making their contribution to keeping farming alive! Yeah! I wonder what memories those children will have of their gardening experience.

For the sake of stirring up some positive collective thinking on the subject of teaching children gardening, I will mix my worlds...just this one time.

Josh is my oldest child and only son. He is a bit of a purist and certainly the philosophical type. He has the ability to enjoy a simple cup of tea and a nice bowl of rice.  Gardening teaches us to make good use of our food and not to be wasteful. He has mastered that concept. He's a hiker and knows his food nutrition well.

Libby is my oldest daughter. I stopped by her apartment today and was thrilled to hear her make mention of planting a few things outside her door. She has the tiniest plot of soil, yet she is thinking of what she will grow there. I hope she still comes home to help pull weeds this summer.

Anna is my self confessed tree hugger. She not only has the knowledge of gardening but, also the skills to cook with fresh actual food products. Not every young person knows how to turn a whole food into a meal without the use of boxes and cans. When I get old, I hope she is in charge of my meals on wheels!

Aimee is my youngest child. When she was three years old we were scratching in the dirt of the garden together. I saw her look into her pocket and talk to something. She had put worms in her pocket to keep them safe. I guess my little lesson on how worms are our friends and they make our garden grow had an impact on her.

I see, in each of my children, such drastic differences. Yet, the one common ground is their love for the earth and gardening. I think they will all be valuable members of society. Despite all of those long nights locked up in that garden shed....ah ha gotcha! It was getting a little sappy so I had to slip a zinger in there.

For pete's sake people take less time driving your kids across the county for crazy extracurricular activties, instead teach them valuable things.

I will never regret having taking the time to teach these small principles to my children.

History

Every evening, I read before falling asleep. This time of year, sleep is an elusive thing. The topics of what I read vary. Obviously there's the food related stuff, then there's a blog about how to style one's hair with a 1940's look.

My favorite readings are blogs maintained by writers who do not overtly earn money from the blogger world. Like me, I don't advertise on this blog. I never plan to. One blog actually has a Paypal button installed so that her readers can give her money to "buy ingredients" to cook with, and make posts. Whatever makes the world go around, I guess. Ha, I offer free entertainment if nothing else.
Reading is a luxury for me. Writing this blog is my anti-social way of offering my input on what is near and dear to me. So, this is where I am heading with this. Posting this link.

http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/


When I was of school age, I didn't approach the subject of history with gratitude. I'm a history junky now. Yeah, please do not confuse that statement with the notion that I am a historian. It does make me wish that I had an interest in the subject sooner in life. There are not enough evening hours available to take in all of the wonderful writings out there.

Click on the link above. The best of both worlds. History and Food!

Garden 2011

"If we don't learn from the mistakes of our past we are sure to repeat them." Someone important said something like that once. Sorry, you research that if you want, my eyes are too tired for researching, just for the sake of a perfect writing.

It was March 11th 2010 when I wrote a post about the upcoming garden. Feel free to head down memory lane and read about it. Me, I'm choosing to learn from what I have written in the past.

Blueberries- the perfect fruit to support the notion of slowing down. This is how it looked last year.



I walked out into the marshy soup a few days ago and took this photo of the year old blueberry bushes.

2011 Blueberry Bushes

I am inexperienced at growing this item. I have read some information on growing blueberries and learned a few tips from other people's gardens. I suppose the best teacher will be time. Wish me luck. I really hope to pick a few blueberries this year!

*a few notes on what past garden adventures have shown me*



Corn- Mister likes to grow it. I like to freeze it. The raccoon loved eating it right off the stalk last year before it was totally ripe. If we skipped it this year I wouldn't shed a tear.

Tomatoes- Summer would not be the same if I couldn't wander out barefoot to the garden, and pick a ripe beauty, for a BLT sandwich. Last year, we cut back on the amount of plants. A few Roma, and a nice slicing variety will be planted this year. Tomatoes can be high maintenance.

Peppers- If you have never planted Anaheim's then I highly recommend that you give it a try. Of course, we will plant tons of sweet bells because we like them stuffed.

 Onions- Yes, Please. I would guess that our 2010 planting was doubled from the year before. I plan to squeeze onions in every nook and granny of the garden this year. I ran out of my winter onion stash long before winter was over.

Squash- Ugh, I love to eat them. If I can talk Mister into letting me grow them along the edge of the yard, then maybe I will plant them again. They just take over and disrupt the order of things.

Cucumbers- Viney, viney, viney! I need a whole garden just for the viney stuff. The jury is out on this crop still.

Celery- I had marginal success with the celery. I only planted 4 plants. Damn it,  I can't believe I threw out the bottom of a store bought celery the other day. I wanted to try growing celery from this. I hear it's possible. Definately planting more of this staple.

Lettuce- I have packets of seeds on my kitchen counter. I hope the muck dries up enough this weekend to plant them.

Cauliflower- Really, I need to master this crop already! We love 'callyflower' around here. I only tried planting purple cauliflower last year and the result was pitiful. I am going for the non exotic variety this year.

Carrots- Rows and rows of carrots this year. The purple variety of 2010 were a unique addition.

Cabbage- My cabbage grew well last year. I'm thinking of making kraut this year, so tons of cabbage will be planted.

Peas- We ate the peas as quickly as they grew last year. More is needed if I plan to freeze any, which is in the plan.

There are the old stand by herbs!

Cilantro

Basil

Mint

Oregano

Dill

Chives

I'm probably forgetting a few.

Pinto Beans- My uncle grows them. I know very little about growing them but, I cook with them plenty. Aside from green beans, I am on the look out for new exciting bean crops.

Potatoes- Oh baby, will we have potatoes. We kept a nice storage of spuds in the cool basement all winter long. The spuds have sprouted! I am the proud owner of several crates of ready to go in the ground taters. Red, Yukon Gold, and Russet.

Sweet Potatoes- were a smash hit last year. Round 2 coming up this year.

Strawberries- we have 2nd year plants growing. Last year the plants yielded a few quarts. I kept picking the flowers throughout the summer because, I read this makes the next year harvest larger. Mmm smoothies!

Spinach- This crop needs to go in the ground soon. I haven't planted spinach for awhile. During the winter it seems like so many recipes use frozen spinach. I would rather head to the freezer in the garage than the frozen food aisle.

Well, there it is, all laid out in black and white.

Oversights will be adjusted as need be.

Good luck with your planting this year. A small little terrace garden can be just as rewarding. Just plant something, nurture it, and respectfully treat it as a valuable ingredient in your favorite recipe!



Sugar Rush

 I mean, if you are going to cook/bake with carbonated beverages and pre-packaged stuff, why not make it Mountain Dew and Crescent Rolls.

 Right?

I might be irritated, or surprised, by how good this is. Everything in me is telling me this recipe is wrong but, oh it tastes so good.

My youngest child brought this recipe home from Grandma's house. Grandparents are really good at sugaring a kid up and sending them home. So, hey... why not toss a little caffeine in for good measure. Sure, the caffeine bakes off, just like alcohol??

These are extremly delicious despite the less than posh ingredients.
I have no idea where this recipe originated from. It came to my house via the 9- year old and her adoring grandparents. The recipe came to me without an official title, so I will take credit for that.

Mind you, I made alterations to cut down on the sugar but, these are still pretty sugary.

Sugar 'em Up Apple Snacks (with my alterations)

1or 2 Granny Smith apples ( if you use 2 the dough will need some stretching)
1 10 oz. canister of Crescent Rolls
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 oz. Mountain Dew or similar type carbonated beverage

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
•  Cut 4 squares of  parchment paper approx. 4x4" each.
•  Core and cut apples in 1/8's. I didn't peel mine.
• Divide crescent dough into 4 equal sections.
• Use the parchment as a mat to assemble each bundle of apples/crescents.
• Roll the apples up in the dough and seal well.
• Place the apple bundles along with the parchment paper mats into a 7x11 bake dish.( I sprayed mind lightly with non-stick.)
• Melt the butter and mix with the sugar/cinnamon.
• Sprinkle cinnamon mixture over the apple bundles.
• Gently pour the Dew evenly over the bundles.
• Bake for 45 minutes.
• Cool slightly and then pull the parchment mat with bundles onto a serving platter.
• You might as well drizzle the leftover sugary goodness on top of the bundles.



the four small bundles prior to baking
the pan will fill up nicely after baking

Cocoanut Cake

Cocoanut Cake, as written in The Institute Cook Book by Helen Cramp.

This cake was not complex at all. I liked that. There was something familiar about it. It's just pretty cool to know that this recipe was in print almost 100 years ago. I will have to eat another piece (for the sake of research, of course) to see if I can put my finger on what the familiarity is.

I whipped up a simple frosting because, Mister likes frosting. I think next time I will just spread some good jelly over it. It's really that kind of cake.

First off, the recipe specified a moderate oven. To me, that would mean 350 degrees. I used a dark non-stick pan so, I baked mine at 325 degrees.

The recipe did not specify a pan size. I gambled and used a 9" cake pan. It seemed to work pretty well.

Flavor to taste...okay this instruction is pretty vague.

I added a teaspoon of vanilla at this point.

I wished I would have had coconut extract, if so, I would have used that instead.

On the note of flavor, a little salt maybe??

I prepared the cake as the recipe was written and found it acceptable.

If you decide to make this cake, my advice is to generously grease the pan.

Below, check out a few snap shots of the recipe and an interesting certificate that the book contains.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup shredded cocoanut

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

flavoring

Whip the butter and sugar to a cream. Add the cocoanut and the eggs. Then add the milk and sifted flour and baking powder. Flavor to taste. Turn into a greased pan and bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes.

Department Of Domestic Science
I think my skills at domestic science is pretty well tuned. I wonder what Helen Cramp would think?

$2.00 had to be an expensive due back in 1913.

I have several recipes flagged in this book. The Cocoanut Cake isn't nearly as fabulous as Alton Brown's recipe, I'm sure. Also, not nearly as expensive to make.

The beauty here is in the simplicity of this cake.

Banana Bread

This is my one and only recipe for Banana Bread. I have made this for almost 30 years. Okay, 28 to be exact. Several times a year I haul the recipe card (pretty smudged and worn) from the recipe box, and crank out a quick treat. Most likely I could  mix this up from memory and do without the card.
One thing is for sure, the smell as the bread bakes is unforgettable.

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups flour       
1 tsp. baking soda       
1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 

2 eggs
1 cup over ripe mashed banana's (2 or 3)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift together flour, salt, and soda and set aside. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add bananas and eggs to the sugar mixture and mix well. Alternate flour and milk, adding to the mixture slowly. Beat well after each addition. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, start checking at the 55 minute mark.

Valentine Boxes

Valentine's parties (elementary school style) were the best!

After raising 4 kids, it's nice to see some teachers going back to the 'old school' way, of having kids make boxes to hold their treats and cards.

This will be my 20th year of having a child in school. Less than a 1/2 dozen times have my kids been required to make a box.

Aimee and I had fun with hers this year. We recycled a gift box from Christmas.

Yes, the romantic french spelling of her name is how we rolled.

Drives people crazy...they always spell it wrong!

Never can find anything personalized spelled this way either!

Wishing you an old fashioned Valentine's Day wish.

Tiramisu

Mister and I had our Valentine night-out on Saturday. Not a typical date night for most but, perfect for us. We went to an auction. This particular auction house serves fresh cooked food. The carrot cake was scrumptious. Mister had a real pan fried hamburger patty. He said it was delicious.

 I'm an auction and flea market junky.

 Oh, the deals we found!!

I hope you are able to find a few minutes to celebrate the art of love this

V-Day 2011. Even if it means, finding something about yourself that you really love.

Happy Valentines Day

Tiramisu


24 Lady Fingers
4 large eggs yolks
6 Tablespoons of sugar
3/4 lb. mascarpone cheese
2 egg whites, beaten in a medium size bowl
                       until stiff peaks form
1 cup cold strong coffee cooled
2 Tablespoons of vanilla
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Beat the egg yolks with sugar until thick and pale in color. Fold the mascarpone cheese into eggs until smooth, then fold the beaten stiff egg whites thoroughly into the mascarpone mixture.

In a medium size bowl combine the coffee and vanilla. Dip the lady fingers quickly into this mixture, one at a time. Place a layer of dipped fingers into a 6x6 dish. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture evenly over the lady fingers and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Dip remaining lady fingers into coffee and continue with another layer of cheese mixture.Top with remaining cocoa powder.

Chill for at least 4 hours.

I like this best when frozen!!

Lady Fingers $1.50
Mascarpone Cheese $3.89+1.94= 5.83
Eggs 1.29 a dozen only used 4 so .32
cocoa roughly .50
coffee/hey had it leftover .25
vanilla let's just say .75 worth
sugar .25 for the sake of counting
Total cost to make $9.40

A popular Italian restaurant sells one serving of Tiramisu for $5.75. That's for one slice.
This recipe makes 6 generous servings. So, for approximately a buck sixty, the home cook can easily recreate this indulgent dish in their own kitchen for a fraction of the cost.

Next time I want to use another layer of lady fingers. I'll like the cheese layer squished a little tighter with the lady fingers.

Tips

• Make sure the eggs and sugar are beat very thick and pale.
• Refrigerate well.

You will notice in one of my photos, I tried to slice a piece too soon and the cheese layer was oozing. This did not effect the taste, just the plating.

I don't mind posting recipes which have been tweaked and recreated as my own.

Chocolate and Bacon

It's delicious!


Memories from Valentine's Day 2010

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
and
Chocolate Covered Bacon
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania