Sunny and 47

It was sunny and 47 today, so I decided to take a walk around the yard.  Of course, Thatcher came, too, and terrorized all of the squirrels he saw.  But those sneaky little creatures fly up trees, and Thatcher says that's not fair!  So while he never catches any, he continues to believe in his abilities.  And I enjoy my fall color.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Another Birthday

Mark was home for fall break a couple of weeks ago, and when I wanted to bake a birthday cake for him, he turned me down cold.  He was not having a birthday this year.  Of course, you do not say things like that to this mom!

Mark's in college in Philadelphia, about 125 miles south of here.  And it just so happens that Jeff has a house about 5 miles from Mark's school.  You see where this is going, right?

Yes, I took over Jeff's house.  I brought stuff to serve dinner; oh, don't get excited.  It was frozen lasagna that I dressed up by adding sauce and cheese, then heated per the directions, along with a salad.  And Jeff asked Mark to come over about 6PM to help him move a new bathtub he had bought into the house. 
 

So...Mark was particularly surprised to see me and Ryan in Philadelphia on a Monday night (he claimed that he thought the sisters might be there).

Cake was involved, of course.  The giant flame atop the cake was an Incredible Candle, which, when first lit, looks like a blowtorch on top of your cake.  It's great fun.

Uncle Jeff let little Nora walk on his dining room table, a stunt she thought was great fun.

Then Tank wanted to know why he wasn't sitting at the table.

All in all, it was a successful birthday surprise.

And now it's November.  Time to start thinking about Thanksgiving...

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Visitors

So, my birthday was Wednesday.  And Jeff decided that he needed to take the day off to spend with me!

Of course, he brought Tank.  No visit would be complete without that big goof.

Thatcher hates other dogs.  Seriously, he tried to attack Tank the last time Jeff was here.  What are you thinking, dude?  You weigh 49 pounds, and that doofus is around 120.  Chill!  But there were other dogs here then, and with only one other dog to contend with, Thatcher eventually decided to be a reasonable citizen.  Jeff handing out treats to both of them simultaneously may have helped....

But I'm going with Thatcher decided not to be a jerk!  Win for all!

Happy Friday, everyone!

A Little Color

I've been blue today, so I went outside to freeze myself out of it.  Hey, 40 degrees with no coat feels enough like freezing to me.  And I saw the first real color of the season.

This tree was brighter in real life.  But pictures aren't perfect, no matter what we do.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Roasted Roots and Delicata Squash

Last night, to Patrick's horror, I cooked the blue potatoes.  Oh, they're purple, not blue, and I think that might have made it worse.  To his credit, he did try them, and upon discovering that they taste just like "normal" potatoes, he ate them.  Didn't even share any with his dog.

Roasted Roots: Chop up potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and (if you have it, which I didn't) celery.  Spread out in a pan, salt lightly, add some vegetable oil and toss well, then respread them out and roast with you meat at whatever temperature you're using for an hour or so.

Delicata squash: As Gemma commented, it was wonderful!  Cut in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, brush the top with butter and add a couple of small pats to the center, salt very lightly, and roast until fork tender.  It cooks faster than acorn or butternut squash (likely because the side walls are thinner), it's softer and less stringy, and it's absolutely delicious.

Of course, Patrick didn't even try it, while Ryan and I both greatly enjoyed it. "Mom, it's squash and you know I don't do that kind of thing."  At least that's much more polite than he was as a kid.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Drive-by Posting

You all probably thought I disappeared off the planet, right?  Nope.  Just trying to get my outside work wrapped up as the weather turns abruptly cold.  I can't tell you how much fun it is to go out in the rain at 47 degrees every 30 minutes or so to make sure I like what the garden guys are replanting in the front of my house.

But, I did make a trip to a little farm stand down at the bottom of my hill.

Blue potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh carrots and some kind of squash I've never seen before.  Ryan was pretty pleased, but I'm betting Patrick will be less than impressed.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

September 11, 2001

My loss this year has been profound.  But through my sorrow this date still holds great significance and the memory of horror.

We will never forget.

Cottage Cheese Bread

This one is for Pam in Oregon.

I mentioned that I made Cottage Cheese Bread to go with my Cream of Chicken Soup.  The hardest part of this was getting the cottage cheese up to room temperature so the bread would rise!  (In case you wonder, the microwave works, but be very, very careful, or it will just puff up over the rim of your measuring cup and create another lovely mess for you.  Learn from me.)

COTTAGE CHEESE BREAD

1/2 cup warm water
1-1/3 cup cottage cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tbsp yeast (1 for slow rising bread)
 4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt


Add the ingredients in the order given to your bread machine bowl (or follow my directions over there-----> to use a mixer).  Using the regular cycle, let it go through its first mixing and rise, and let it start its second mixing for just a minute.  Remove from the bowl and split in 2; place in well greased or sprayed 4x8 baking pans and let rise until doubled in size.  While it's rising, start your oven to preheat: 350F.  When the dough has doubled in size (about the time it takes my oven to preheat), put it in the oven and bake at 350F for 22 to 25 minutes, depending upon how dark you like your crust.

This bread was really rich and delicious.  The boys - and there are only 2 of them home presently - finished it the next day.  With my soup, of course.  Note that I didn't say this is low calorie bread.  But what's the fun in that, anyway?

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Cream of Chicken Soup

So. I got up Tuesday morning and my tongue hurt.  Trying to eat my oatmeal, I discovered why: an ancient filling was falling apart.  Off to visit Kevin, my dentist, and you know how this goes:

Kevin: "You need a root canal.  What are you doing this afternoon:
Me: "Evidently, getting a root canal, but only if you'll do it."
Kevin: "How does 2 o'clock sound?"

I wasn't in the mood for either cooking or eating that night, obviously, and then Ryan suggested soup as tasty and easy to eat. Sometimes I swear the kid's a genius!

CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken, cut up
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, shredded
3 celery stalks diced
1 tsp vegetable base
2 tsp chicken base
1/2 cup rice
4 cups water
2 to 3 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups milk
1/2 cup whipping cream, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper in copious amounts

In your soup pot, melt the butter, then cook the chicken and onion at medium-high heat.  Add the celery when the onion is soft, and cook until the chicken is lightly browned on both sides.  Add the carrot, vegetable and chicken base, rice and water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes; add the cauliflower, and simmer another 15 to 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft..  Add the milk, reheat to just below the boil, stir in the cream and add pepper to taste (I used 30 turns).

I ran a hand blender through mine to bring it closer to a puree, but the boys ate theirs straight.  And they loved it.  There was just enough for each of them to have some for breakfast the next day, and poor Thatcher wondered why he didn't get his share.  I served it with a cottage cheese bread, which the boys also loved.

And later that night, Ryan proved why everyone thinks he's a great guy.  He was out playing chess with friends, and a friend of a friend was showing off his car which had a flashing check engine light.  That made Ryan nervous, so when they were all going home at 2AM, he followed Mr. Check Engine, and, sure enough, his car started smoking from the hood. Ryan called AAA and had the guy's car towed, then gave him a ride home.  Yes, that's one great guy we raised.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Peach Pie!

A few days ago, my daughter's best friend phoned me; she was in town on break from medical school, and would I like to come to her parents' house for a little dinner party?  Of course I would, and could I bring anything?  "Oh, no; my father is cooking Persian food so we're all set."  My translation: Mediterranean food likes fruit for dessert, so how about a pie? 

Now, the original recipe calls for you to peel, pit and slice fresh peaches.  That's so much fun that I decided to leave that task for some other person, and just used frozen.  I also changed the spices a little to suit my tastes.  Oh, and I also doubled the recipe, so we would have a pie at home.  No sense disappointing the boys, now is there?

PEACH PIE

1 batch of the Best Pie Crust Ever, for 2 crusts (see sidebar for link)

About 2 pounds of peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (or frozen, if you're like me)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Stir together the peaches, sugars, salt, cinnamon and almond extract.  Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in well.  Scoop the mixture into a pie crust, and spread it out evenly.  Gently lay the second crust over the top of the fruit, trim the excess crust off the edges and crimp the crusts together.  Cut 5 or 6 long slits in the crust for ventilation; then brush whipping cream lightly over the top of the crust and sprinkle turbinado (sanding) sugar over the top.  Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375F (don't open the oven door), and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes.

Note: Don't be a dope like me!  Put your pie on a baking sheet so the filling doesn't boil over onto the bottom of your oven, set off your fire alarms, and have the alarm company calling to ask you if everything is OK, or if you need the fire department.  It makes the whole baking experience less than fun.

This pie was a great hit at the dinner party; the honoree's brother in law is a chef, and teaches at a culinary institute, and he quizzed me about my pie crust because it was so good. Everyone else raved about the filling.  So I guess this recipe is a keeper. (And of course I forgot to take a picture of the cut pie.  It happens.)

Happy Monday, everyone!

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

I had chopped an entire head of cauliflower for dinner last night, and my boys didn't finish it.  Foolish young men!  So, despite the fact that they laughed at me, I wrapped the very considerable leftovers, and saved them for lunch today.  Hello, fresh soup!

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWER SOUP

1 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable base
1/4 cup sherry
1 cup milk
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup cauliflower
fresh ground pepper to taste

Bring the water to a boil, stir in the vegetable base, then add the cauliflower.  If it's been precooked, just heat it through; otherwise, cook until tender-crisp.  Add the sherry and milk, and return to a simmer.  Using a hand blender or a blender or food processor, blend the soup until the broccoli is in very small bits; the soup will thicken up magnificently.  Add the cream, stir for a minute, then season with fresh pepper to taste.  Serves 2.

I didn't take a picture of this soup, because, frankly, it looked like white glop.  It surely did taste great, however.  I shared with Ryan (Mark stated that if he wanted white glop, he would eat oatmeal), and he agreed that this was excellent soup.  So, instead, how about a picture of Thatcher sitting beside me on my newly refinished breakfast room floor, waiting for me to share my soup?

Silly dog; it's not possible to drop soup on the floor without making a terrible mess!

Happy Weekending, everyone!

A Little Getaway

My daughter was taking her family to Cape May, a lovely beach in New Jersey, for a couple of days, and invited me along.  Well, what else did I have to do for those couple of days?  So I drove to her house, hopped into her car, and adventuring we went.

I had never been to any of the Jersey Shore beaches before.  Honestly, as a teenager in Connecticut, I knew that all metro-New York teens went "down the shore" as they say, and truly wanted no part of it.  But Cape May is just far enough south that only families venture there; the rowdies stay a few miles north, where there is more entertainment.

Without further ado, pictures of my family and me (including 2 of my 3 daughters and my daughter's mother in law) enjoying, or hiding from, the sun:

I'm going to try to return more often; I'm trying to get my life on schedule, but it's really turning out to be very difficult re-centering my life, when I've lost the man who was my sun, moon and stars.  But look how happy that baby was playing in the sand!  Days like that help immensely.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!