spring fruits and veggies

Every spring asparagus and strawberries are cheap and plentiful. Take advantage of this tiny window of opportunity and buy all you can! Make strawberry shortcake. Bake your own shortcakes or put the strawberries over slices of pound cake, sponge cake-whatever.

Get brave and buy a flat of strawberries, mason jars and pectin. You'll enjoy the taste of spring every time you eat your own home-made strawberry jam. If the jam doesn't set, it will still make fabulous ice cream topping. Don't you just love a win-win situation?

And then there is asparagus. Don't get me started, I could wax philosophical about asparagus for hours. Steam it and eat it plain. Better yet, go Italian and simply broil it for a few minutes after coating it in a fruity extra-virgin olive oil. Or, my favorite, dip it into the velvety yolk of coddled eggs for breakfast. sigh.....

Tomorrow I'll post a few recipes.

'Night all
-E

Lights out!

Go ahead and do it. Light some candles, play soft music, pull out a board game-Whatever. Whether or not you believe in global warming, it's a great way to 'fun-up' your Saturday night.

The Treasury of White Trash Cooking

It's been awhile since I posted about the culinary arts. Naturally this cookbook by Ernest Matthew Mickler and Tricia Mickler came to mind. With recipes for Roast Christmas Possum, Rump Dump Cake and Squirrels a La King , it's a cornucopia of gustatory heaven.

Okay, snarky non-p.c. remarks aside, this is a really fun little cookbook. Looking up recipes for animals most of us would consider road-kill is only half the fun. Between chapters are short stories from the folks who supplied the recipes. Reading them, I honestly laughed until my shoulders were shaking.

To quote the book cover, "Interspersed with fantastic photographs , town gossip, and true yarns detailing the everyday, life and times of the folks in Mickler country , this truly is a treasury of all things white trash."

The Treasury of White Trash cooking reads a bit like the Foxfire books which chronicle the life and wisdom of folks from Applachia and similar places.

Not surprisingly , there are some truly delicious edibles in this collection. Listen, country folks may eat some things that make us shudder, but they have cornered the market on pies, cakes, and other baked goods.

There is also a practical and frugal element to many of the main dish offerings. Foods like hotdogs, spam and Velveeta are cleverly fashioned into tasty entrees. If my family gets so poor we are forced into a regular diet of bologna and ballpark franks, I for one will be glad for this book.
-E

It's that time once again

The community garden is open, and our plot is planted. Oh yeah, I told myself to not be in a hurry. Be cool, take my time. Wait in case the weather changes. Let's face it, I'm not a waiting kind of girl.

So our little plot is full of seeds. Peas, onions, lima beans, pole beans, radishes, potatoes- as many as I could get in and not be too over-the-top. Waiting is no longer optional, but mandatory. How long 'til seedlings come up? Will it freeze again?

While waiting for those answers I will be content digging up and planting the garden in the front yard. Tiny packets of lettuces, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and spinach await their turn for planting. Herbs will occupy the space just outside the front door and make a lovely tea garden.

In mid-April Leona will open her raised garden beds for planting. Her generosity allows a space for squashes and root vegetables. Turnips , carrots, zucchini and more will be planted there.

Our goats grow fatter by the day. Their bellies are near to bursting. Will they make it until May or surprise us and kid in April? There will be sweet new babies and mommas full of milk.

I love spring and the promise of things to come.
-E

Quote of The Day

"Today's headlines and history's judgments are rarely the same."


- Condoleeza Rice

St. Patrick's Day

We tend to be traditionalist around here when it comes to holidays. So of course our St. Paddy's meal was corned beef and cabbage. But it doesn't feel complete without Irish Soda Bread.

Problem is, it was only 15 minutes til dinner time. There was no time to bake an entire loaf. I thought , "Why not make it in muffin tins?" It worked, and it was great.

A Nearly Perfect Day

The sweet promise of Spring is the best cure for flagging spirits. We spent most of the day outdoors.

Making playdough

A basic recipe:

2 C flour
1 C salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp oil
2 C water
food coloring

Mix all the ingredients except the food coloring into a saucepan and and stir over medium heat until it gathers together and forms a dough. This takes about 5-6 minutes. Cool it and then knead it until it's easy to work with. Separate into balls and add food coloring of your choice.

* I've made this recipe for my kids in the States of Kansas, Virginia, and Oregon. Oregon is the only place it doesn't work so well in. The dough is great for about 1 day and then it gets gooey, even in an airtight container. If you live in an extra-humid environment like ours , you might want to try something else.

Any suggestions?

What do roast chicken and crabbing having in common?

Well, they have Christie. You see years ago, my friend Christie wanted to go crabbing. Someone had advised her to use chicken. Now most people would take the cheapest raw chicken legs , put them in the crab net, and chuck it into the water. Problem is, Christie didn't know that at the time.

So , having been told to use chicken, Christie went home and got busy in the kitchen. She took an entire whole chicken, lovingly glazed it with honey, and slow roasted it for a couple of hours. When it came out the oven , she jumped into the car, and headed for the docks.

Imagine the looks from the fishermen and seasoned crabbers as Christie proudly walked past carrying a steaming hot bird. It must have smelled so good. Heads turned as she went by , catching the aromas of that glazed chicken.

Then, she took the whole thing, used it to bait the crab net, and tossed it over. The collective gasp of the onlookers must have caught her attention.

Eventually another crabber informed her of the 'raw chicken' method. Embarrassed, she pressed on.

And who had the last laugh that day? Yup, Christie. Lord knows why but she took home a bucket load of crab that day.

So the legend of the chicken lives on. We can hardly go crabbing without bringing it up every time. Like any good story, it never gets old.

Quote of The Day

"I want instant gratification and I want it Now!"

-Phil Jeffery 3/6/09

It's about time

It's been a long time since I posted. Mainly I've just been caught up in life's busyness. Lack of inspiration and disgruntlement with my camera have also played a role. But I'm back and ready to let loose with a spate of posts and pictures.

Last week Dante', Max and I went crabbing. We didn't catch anything but a few kelp crabs.(No meat on 'em) Still, we had a great time and took some nice pics.