Dirt

Doesn't it seem silly to pay for some things? I understand an initial investment but after that I don't want to shell out good hard earned cash for stuff I can grow, create or generate. I'm not a fanatic in any sense; I don't have my toaster hooked up to my bicycle and we don't have solar panels on our roof (not that I'm opposed to that). We run our ceiling fans way more than our A/C, turn off lights, grow some of our food and refill our giant 5 gallon water jug at Smart and Final for .25 cents a gallon. So all that still cost us something. However nothing irks me more than paying $ for dirt. Gardens require dirt, lots of it and I hate buying it. So we don't.

Prince Charming made me a composter. I did some reading and some research and told him what I wanted with a little sketch. Off to The Home Depot where we plunked down about $75 for the parts. Not cheap but you gotta see this baby. It's a heavy duty trash can suspended in a frame that allows the whole thing to rotate top to bottom. We put yard clippings in it and vegetable/fruit scraps and egg shells and lots of other stuff. It gets rotated every couple days. Inside is deep dark rich soil (with some recognizable shells and newspaper strips today). I've noticed that my kitchen trash doesn't fill up nearly as fast. Typically I crack eggs on a napkin and instead of throwing the napkin and shells in the trash they go into the composter. Potato peels, carrot and strawberry tops, mushroom stems all morph into dirt for my garden. Now if I could figure out how to make gasoline for my car...

 

Roasted Beets

 

 

Beets, glorious beets. They're beautiful deep scarlet and succulently sweet. Pickled, savory, cold, or hot matters not because they are yummy AND good for you. My garden is beginning to spill over with beet greens which means the dirt beneath is teeming with deep red orbs. I love them pickled and roasted best. Served with goat cheese makes for a perfect salad.

 

Roasted Beets

1.00 serving (178.29 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

folate36.4%

manganese30.5%

vitamin K19.8%

fiber17%

vitamin C16.7%

omega-3 fats14.5%

potassium13.6%

Calories (157)8%

Scrub beets with a stiff brush to remove dirt. Cut off tops leaving about 1". Trim root end just a little. Pat dry with paper towel and lay on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap, sealing edges tightly. Put on a tray and roast at about 350-400 for an hour. Remove from oven and open foil and allow to cool enough to handle. (This is when I put a plastic glove on.) Gently slide skins off. Cut and serve however you desire. Now go eat your vitamins and minerials.

 

Lavender Lemonade

You should make this. Really and truly you should. You won't be sorry I promise.

 

Go snip some lavender flowers from your yard, your neighbors yard or some public spot where it grows. This is where you dig back into your memory bank and think back where you last saw fresh herbs growing. I've made mental notes that if I need rosemary it grows at my school, near Walgreens and across the street near the golf course. Interestingly lavender grows in those same places. If my small plants in the garden run low I know where to get more. If you find wild basil growing somewhere please call me and tell me where. I can't grow enough of that fragrant herb. Ok, back to the recipe.

I used a small handful. I cut the stems off and laid the flowers on a paper towel for about 4 days thinking I'd dry them out. They never really did get dry but I used them anyway.

In a small saucepan put 2 cups of water, 1 3/4 cups white sugar and your handful of flowers. Bring to a boil, stirring a couple times until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain into a jar. It is easy to keep the flowers separated but you could use a strainer or cheese cloth if you like. This simple syrup keeps in your fridge for 2 weeks.

Squeeze about 4-5 lemons to get 1 cup juice. Put juice into a pitcher and add 1 cup of your simple syrup. Mix. Now stir in 5 cups water and taste. Add more syrup if you prefer your lemonade sweeter.

Serve over ice garnished with a lemon slice. Enjoy this refreshing summer drink all summer long.

 

Time

At 50 I think about the fact I won't have any more kids. I'm cool with that. Chances of my family expanding with nieces and nephews comes to a close. I guess I'm ok with that. When my dad died it made me think about my family size and that rather than growing it was shrinking. At the time my favorite son had no girl on his arm. The daughter being only a high school senior wasn't anywhere near (and still isn't) making the family tree grow fuller. However the last year in a half has brought changes. Son has girl. Girl has son. Daughter has another BF in college. I'm not good at math but I can add and I'd say my family is beginning to swell. I'm diggin' it!

 

I've gained what many long for, dream of and work toward. I have time. Time like I haven't had in a long time. Do some days seems too short? Oh yea. Do I seem to runout of time? I do. Maybe it's cause I've learned to prioritize. Maybe it's because I have less to do? Maybe I've kicked guilt in the teeth. It is all of the above. I've learned that I handle Monday through Friday better when I do what I want every once in a while. I'm calmer, less stressed, happier and more satisfied. Could I have been like this at 26? 32? 45? I doubt it. I think it's one of those things you earn. You mature into it.

There. My two cents on time, satisfaction and the size of my family.

Can't have a food blog without...

Roasted tomato mayo. Refer back to previous post on roasting tomatoes with garlic. Now take a scoop of mayo and stir in the same amount of roasted tomato. You have a delicious spread for BLTs or any sandwich for that matter. Eat something that makes you feel good. It's worth your time.

 

 

I Can Make This at Home

I spent the last 144 hours in the great city of Chicago. There are many things that make the city great: food, drink, architecture, colleges, art, museums, good public transportation but the greatest thing is it's the city my daughter calls home. I don't call it her home yet but rather the place where she's a college freshman. There is an interesting dichotomy there. People walk, a lot. They walk to work, school, shopping and to the train. They carry groceries for blocks, in the cold. Some people run. Real running. Like exercise in the snow! All this exercise should make them healthy right? But no. They also smoke. While my lungs heave from climbing train station stairs and trying to keep up with my husbands faster than me pace in exceptionally cold air they inhale tar and nicotine. Gag. Why? Every time we do this kind of trip I think to myself, "I'm half way to being in better shape just because of all the walking we've been doing so just keep doing that at home." I'm a slacker and do not like exercise. If it weren't for walking and stairs at work I'd be considered pretty sedentary. I suppose standing for hours on end cooking fattening food doesn't count for much? Speaking of food I must tell you about my Chicago food adventures.

Guinness, espresso, beer, cookies w/ salted caramel, croque madam, espresso/latte, Creme brûlée, French food, dive bar, chocolate croissant, waffle sandwich w/ Burrata & prosciutto, ribs, pickles, chips, beef sandwiches, braised greens, mac 'n cheese, sweet potato fries, pork belly (no trip is complete without pork belly)

If I did the #thing I guess I'd have # in front of each of the items above. That is my "off the top of my head" list of what I consumed in 144 hours. Several of the items I did more than once and to be honest more than twice. Basically we were able to consume 2 meals a day. Prince Charming and I have little discipline when it comes to ordering small or sharing even when we know we should. I'm the lucky type that sleeps best on a full stomach. Not so much for him. I don't have to eat much to be satisfied. Let's just say I was more than satisfied this trip. (As a side note: I thought it was funny how all our leftovers made it into doggy bags and aforementioned daughter and friend ate very well for several days.) A few bites of something is enough as long as I get to talk about it with someone. I suppose this is where you come in. I'm a simple person. I really only think about a few things each day. I got to experience all those things to the highest level of satisfaction in the last 6 days. Who could ask for a better life?

I think the only thing on the list above that we don't or can't make is Guinness. Ok, I've never tried to make Burrata but its on my list of things to learn. I'm fine with that. Mostly I look at restaurant food as a challenge to be conqured. My montra is "I can make this at home." I'm not trying to be a snob. I really think its true. Because food is one of my passions I want others to share it. Think about something you're passionate about. You want to share it with others right? Because some of my closest friends (Barb, Lori, Debbie S.) think making some of the stuff I do is over their abilities (which it is not) I want to explore making something tasty, not too difficult and high and fluity sounding with you.

Croque Madam.

It's basically a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a sauce and fried egg. That doesn't sound too hard right? Like all good food it's about the ingredients. Thick sliced bread, good thin cut ham, Emmentaler cheese. The sauce is easy. Butter, flour, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. You can put simple things together and get fantastic results. You need to make this. Just think, when you do you get to announce to anyone who'll listen that you made Croque Madam. Say it with your best French accent and people will be even more impressed by you than they already are. Want to know a little secret? That dive bar mentioned above. It had something in it that I've never seen anywhere in any bar or pub in any country. It was a little shocking to be quite honest. Because you read this far you get to ask me about it when you see me next. Now go and cook something please then share the experience with me.

I'll perfect the recipe and add it soon so check back so you can make it too.

 

Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

OH BOY!

I'm not a huge fan of sweets. They don't tempt me and I don't crave them. I know plenty of people who have a sweet tooth. I have a cheese tooth. However in the interest of mixing things up I've had my eye on a tempting looking sticky pull apart with cream cheese that I repinned awhile back. This morning I made it. I think I feel my sweet tooth coming in.

This recipe was delayed by several days because I couldn't find my bundt pan anywhere. Not anywhere! FRUSTRATION! The husband looked. I looked. We looked using flashlights. He checked the garage. We discussed if perhaps the daughter snuck it back to college. (She denies it) Had to borrow the son's girlfriend's pan.

Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

2 cans big dinner biscuits, my cans had 8 biscuits each

3/4 cup butter, melted

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon cinnamon

8 oz cream cheese

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray bundt pan with non stick spray.

Combine sugars and pecans. Sprinkle a small handful into prepared pan.

Cut cream cheese into as many cubes as biscuits. Flatten biscuits in your hand and put cream cheese cube inside. Pull dough up around cube. Put 1/2 of the biscuits, opening side up, evenly placed around pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 the sugar mixture over biscuits. Pour 1/2 the melted butter over. Repeat with remaining biscuits, sugar and butter.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully invert onto serving plate. Enjoy!

Now, if you know where my bundt cake pan is can you let me know please?

 

The Easiest Dinner Ever

I don't miss work often because I'm sick but today was one of those days. Whatever my sickness is it hasn't curbed my appetite so while lounging around today I knew I'd want dinner and so would Prince Charming. I surfed the World Wide Web for recipes for easy dinner stuff. There is a lot of yucky sounding junk out there. My immediate thought when it comes to food in cans is ick. But, I read reviews on this soup before I read the ingredient list and was so impressed on what people had to say I had it in my mind that we were having it this very night. You can make this your own in so many ways. All who passed through our kitchen tonight liked this. I liked this. You'll like this.

 

8 Can Mexican Soup

1 can of each of the following. They should all be similar in size. I used beans with green chilies or jalapeños added and spicy taco seasoning so ours was what I would call medium spicy. If you want mild just don't use spicy stuff. The cream of soup gives it the creaminess.

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Diced tomatoes, drained

Corn, drained

Green enchilada sauce

Chicken broth

Cream of chicken soup

Taco seasoning package

Chicken, leftover cooked or a can will do

Garnish with chopped cilantro, cheese and sour cream if you like.

Stir everything in a large pan. Heat until bubbly. Eat. Told you it was easy.

 

Roasted Tomatoes

I love tomatoes. I love them raw, stewed, fried and one of my favorite ways is roasted. So simple to do and endless ways to use them. It's a great way to use tomatoes that are beginning to get a little too soft for slicing on a sandwich or cutting for a salad. Their flavor is intensified after roasting somewhat like a sun dried tomato. Roasting however doesn't give you a "dried" tomato it gives you a smooth luscious flavorful almost spread like consistency.

How do you use roasted tomatoes? Great question. The way I use them most often is spread on some kind of bread. I like the way it mingles with mayo on a sandwich. On an English muffin topped with a poached egg makes my mouth water. Mix it into cooked pasta. Mash it into a smooth paste and use it as the best dipping sauce for fries you've ever had. Stir it into a vegetable dip to take it to a higher level. Be creative and brave and try it with just about anything except chocolate. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't taste good with chocolate.

Here's what you'll need:

• Tomatoes, how many is up to you
• Olive oil, amount will vary depending on how many tomatoes
• Salt, I like kosher but any will do
• Garlic cloves, if you have them
• Rosemary sprig, if you have it but you know it grows everywhere right? Steal it from the neighbors yard. A sprig in my mind is about 4 inches long.
• Dish to roast in. Big enough to hold tomatoes in single layer without too much extra space. Could be glass could be ceramic.
• Oven set at 325.

This is as easy or complicated as you like. Turn oven on. Cut tomatoes in half across their middles, so there is a top and bottom half. Squeeze or scrape out seeds if you like. I DON'T. You can cut out that stem part if you like. I DON'T. Take skin off garlic cloves if you are using them. (Let's just say you were using 10 tomatoes. I would probably use 4 garlic cloves but you don't have to use any) Put the tomatoes and garlic in your dish cut side up. Sprinkle with salt. Not too much but it does need some. Now drizzle olive oil over. How much? Maybe 1/2 teaspoon for each tomato half? You can't get too much. With your hands toss the tomatoes around until the whole thing is well oiled. Now turn all the tomatoes cut side down. Work in the rosemary turning it a couple times to coat with oil. Slide the whole thing into your oven and come back in 1 hour. My oven cooks unevenly so I have to rotate the pan at the one hour mark. In another hour turn the oven off. If your tomatoes look dark remove the pan and allow to cool. I leave mine in the oven with it off for a while. If you do this try not to forget about them like I have. When cool enough to handle but still warm I remove the skins that easily come off and forget the others. Throw the rosemary away. This is when I remove the stem part if it's big enough to get my attention or if it bugs you. I just eat them.

 

Now try not to just eat all this goodness without a purpose. I store them in a glass jar and add a little more olive oil on top and put in the fridge. The oil will solidify some but it quickly melts back to liquid at room temp. If for some reason you haven't eaten all this yumminess in a week I'd check to make sure there is no mold. No mold eat. Mold, find a home schooler who needs a science experiment.

 

I'd love to know if you make these and then how you ate them. Now go to Costco and buy tomatoes to roast like I am today.