A Half Fast Life

Texas Gardening-Expect the Unexpected!

2012-02-10T11:58:00.003-06:00

For all my years of gardening in Texas, I've maintained that the garden looks picture perfect for about 15 minutes sometime in early April. Well, this year it looks like it may be early February or maybe the 15 minutes will stretch into a few months! After last years weather -blistering hot temps day after day for months and no rain at all- this year has been a gift. Over 5 inches of rain in December, 2.5 in January and here we are the first week in February and I've already registered just under 2 inches. Amazing and nothing short of magnificent as far as the garden is concerned! I can't keep up with all the greens: 5 kinds of lettuce, mustard spinach, regular spinach, 2 kinds of kale, chard, broccoli raab, beet greens, cilantro and arugula. The cauliflower and broccoli are putting out nice fat heads along with scrumptious leaves. The sugar snap peas that just pushed out of the ground a week and a half ago are growing at record speed. Flowers that haven't been in the garden for years -poppies, larkspur, native hollyhocks- have shown up and are growing like they're on steroids. It's all incredibly encouraging. And a good life lesson for me...sometimes things just need to sit in the soil and wait for the perfect opportunity to burst forth. As good as our intentions may be, if the conditions aren't right, our seeds (and dreams) will not come to fruition. Patience, patience, patience. Not my strong point.

A native hollyhock flanked by cilantro and oregano.

Poppies are everywhere...in the beds, in the paths and between cracks in boards. What a riot of color the garden will be in another month!

A bed of mixed greens: broccoli raab, arugula, romaine

Sugar snap peas ready to climb the lampshade frames. I've used this technique the last two years and it worked great. No sense reinventing the wheel...

I have a few of these old Mexican sugar molds (ever seen piloncillo -Mexican cone sugar-at the grocery store? It used to be formed in molds like these-maybe still is...). I used them to hold up the ends of a bed. This year, I filled them with soil and seeded them with just a few seeds of various kinds of lettuce. I've thinned them down to one or two seedlings per hole. Since lettuce have a fairly small root system, I think each hole will hold one head of lettuce. These pics were taken a week ago. The lettuce is doing real well so far. I'm hoping the storm due this evening doesn't bring hail!

This is a cardoon. It is an interesting Mediterranean vegetable. You pick the leaves -they get very large- and strip off the leafy part so all that remains is the stalk. You then cook and eat the stalk. Very tasty. However, it looks VERY much like an artichoke (below)...they are related, but different.

You can see small differences in the two...slightly more rounded ends on the leaves of the artichoke and the area surrounding the stalk is also wider. But I put them far apart in the garden so I wouldn't get them mixed up. Artichokes are perennials and you'll have them in the garden for many years if you (and the weather) treat them right. My last batch of artichoke plants bit the dust last year when I struggled to keep ANYTHING alive in the garden. I planted 3 new plants this year.

A bed of mixed lettuces, although mostly Romaine. My aversion to neat rows -or maybe just orderliness in general- is apparent here, but it works for me. I scatter seed and as they come up I pick whole plants for salads to create more room. As they get bigger, I leave the plant in the soil and just snip off outer leaves to eat.

And of course, cauliflower and broccoli. The weather has been warmer than they like, so some worm is nibbling the cauliflower. But their appetites (or stomachs) are small, so they leave pretty good sized heads for us. The leaves are great shredded and sauteed in olive oil with lots of garlic or added to soups.
I am ever hopeful that this wet winter we've been experiencing will result in some morel mushrooms. It would help if it was a bit colder, but I can't help but think the moisture will result in a crop this year.
Happy Gardening in 2012!

Wine Poached Mussels

2011-12-16T19:20:00.001-06:00

Scott left this morning to run errands in the city and Lily and Dawn took off to do some Christmas shopping, so I was blissfully alone to bake, bake, bake. Farmers Market is in the morning and bread was on my agenda. Scott came in around 5 and I knew he'd be hungry, so I made these Wine Poached Mussels. In 15 minutes, we were seated at the table with three big bowls in front of us...two empty ones for us to fill and another for the mussel shells. Farmed Mussels are a sustainable seafood and considered eco friendly. They are also incredibly cheap-our local grocery has them for $1.83 for a one pound frozen package. This is how I make them (I wish I had pictures but these are so easy, there is no need...besides I forgot to take any). Set a fairly deep skillet (I use a French skillet) on the stove and set heat to medium. Pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups white wine into the skillet. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and about 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces. Crush up about 3/4 teaspoon saffron into the mixture and let it come to a simmer. Open the bag of frozen mussels (you always cook these from their frozen state-don't thaw them) and pour into the skillet. I used 2 pounds (2 bags) because we ~~are gluttons~~ really like mussels. Cover the pan and nudge the heat a bit higher-medium high-and let the mussels cook for about 15 minutes. After about 8 minutes, take the lid off the pan and scoop the mussels so the ones on top go to the bottom. Cover the pan and continue to cook. They are done when you take off the lid and most all the mussels are open. While they are cooking, slice some good bread (usually in abundance at our house) REALLY thin and place on a cookie sheet. Pop in the oven at about 400 degrees. When the mussels are done, the bread should be crisp. I cut the bread diagonally and we put a slice or two in our bowls, scoop a bunch of mussels out of their shells onto the bread and then ladle lots of the cooking liquid over the bread and mussels. Heavenly. I will admit that after dinner I poured the remaining "broth" into a cup and drank it. It took us longer to eat this dinner than it took to make it. When I am busy, this is my kind of cooking.

HAPPY HOLIDAZE!

RAIN! And Browned Butter Snickerdoodles...

2011-12-03T10:39:00.001-06:00

Mild weather in the Texas Hill Country...at least for the time being. Misty, moisty mornings and breezy, wet afternoons. Received almost an inch of precipitation overnight...a slow, soaking, drizzly rain. Temps have remained very comfortable with the days in the 60's, but that is coming to a screeching halt starting tomorrow night with a cold front moving in. It's about time! Monday and Tuesday may reach the 40's in the daytime, but will plummet to the 20's at night. Winter weather!!!

Rain keeps me inside and that, combined with the Holiday Season, means lots of baking. Indeed, I sometimes wake at 4 a.m. thinking about things to bake. I know...obsessed...what can I say?

And my major obsession lately has been Browned Butter or rather, baking with it. It is a delight from beginning to end. Yeah, it's an extra step, but you can brown lots ahead of time and then use it as you need it. I browned 1 1/2 pounds of butter yesterday and used every last bit of it this morning in one recipe. Granted, I am making LOTS of cookie dough, but I just as easily could have weighed out the 8 ounces I needed and put the rest in the fridge. It smells heavenly as it is browning (and to me this is the ultimate way to know when it is adequately browned) and elevates everything it comes in contact with. And not just baked goods...try it on fresh steamed green beans, brussels sprouts, asparagus or delicate fish-think tilapia!

But for now I have cookies on my brain, so the entire batch of browned butter went into a jumbo recipe of Snickerdoodles. Laurice Heath is responsible for the original Snickerdoodle recipe I've used for years. I used to make them for every rug hooking retreat I catered for her...and the retreats numbered well over a hundred. Over the years I have changed it ever so slightly to include toffee bits and now to make them with browned butter. A really good Holiday recipe, because the dough can be made in advance, rolled in balls and refrigerated or frozen. When you are ready to make cookies, simply bring the balls to room temp, roll in cinnamon-sugar and bake!

My last post included a description of how to brown butter, but I thought pictures may help. Remember to go low and slow and use your eyes and nose as a guide when you are reaching the end.

Start with melting unsalted butter in a heavy, light colored skillet (the light color allows you to see the progress of the browning).

The butter will foam and bubble.

You'll begin to notice brown bits on the bottom of the pan (under the foamy stuff), but the butter will be golden, not yet brown. Keep the heat low and swirl the pan a bit if you are bored.

You may start detecting a nutty smell. You'll want the solids (the browned bits on the bottom of the pan) pretty dark and the liquid on top to be amber colored. When it is ready the nutty smell is strong and the solids need to be scraped off the bottom of the pan. Don't neglect the solids...I think they carry lots of the flavor and a nice color to the finished product. Although I've seen recipes where the butter is strained so it is nice and clear, to me this is the white bread of browned butter...all the good stuff left behind.

It might be easier to distinguish the colors in this pic where the butter is poured into a white bowl.

At this point just let the butter cool and then store in the fridge or freezer.When it cools it solidifys to the texture of shortening. Try the browned butter in a recipe you already make and see what a subtle, but delicious change it makes.

Here is the Snickerdoodle recipe for you. You can make it with regular unsalted butter-not browned-and you won't be dissappointed. You can also make it with or without toffee bits...good each way. It is really just a great recipe however you decide to dress it up or down. Thanks, Laurice!!

Laurice's Snickerdoodles

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, room temp (brown it or not-your choice)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 2/3 cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

cinnamon-sugar

Cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix again. Add flour, soda, cream of tartar, salt and toffee bits, if using and mix to blend. Roll into balls and then roll in cinnamon-sugar. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cookies will be soft to touch. Cool on rack. About 3 dozen cookies. You can roll these into balls and then freeze or refrigerate them. When you need cookies (and sometimes we just NEED cookies, don't we?), bring however many cookie balls you need to room temp, roll in cinnamon-sugar and bake. If the dough is still cold, flatten them a bit before baking.

We finished our huge Thanksgiving gig last Sunday and this year, I took some pics. Not of the meals, or the techniques of creating the meals, but-strangely enough-of the table settings. I've always marveled how my life has turned out, that my profession is a cook, because I've joked that the only thing domestic about me is that I was born in this country. But still, my true joy happens in the kitchen. When I began the job of feeding the masses at Thanksgiving, I found cabinet after cabinet filled with different patterns of dishes, glasses, napkins and placemats. It was, truth be told, a bit overwhelming for me. Now, after 8 years, it is a really fun part of my job. Weird, huh? So I thought I would share some of the tables I set during the week. I'm not sure what this says about me, but here it is.

Thank Goodness It's November and a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Cake with Browned Butter Icing

2011-11-06T18:42:00.000-06:00

It has been a very busy Autumn...October went by in a blur. As soon as I returned from my week in Germany on the last day of September, it was a marathon that ended on November's doorstep. I am thrilled to have survived.

My sister, Dawn, moved down to Texas from Connecticut the same day Scott left on a week long motorcycle trip with his brother. The day after Scott returned from his trip, he did a 2 day stint at Garrison's Bros. -of Bourbon fame- in Hye, Texas. His brother volunteered with him the first day and I went the second. The very next day we left on a L-O-N-G train trip to New Orleans for Marta's wedding. That was a weekend for the memory book...fabulous food (I didn't expect any less), a very cool hotel, an amazing wedding and reception (I danced in very high heels for 3 hours) and then back home on the train...all six of us-Scott and I, Dawn, Skip (my ex), Lily and sweet Natalie. Nat loved the train of course-it was all a huge adventure for her. I taught her to do Sudoku and she went on to teach Dawn and GooGoo (Skip). She completely amazes me on a regular basis.

After returning from New Orleans, we didn't even stop to catch our breath before Dawn and I baked almost 900 cookies for the Harvest Classic. It was another successful benefit and an altogether fun weekend.
A selection of miscellaneous photos follow the recipe.

Having my sister here has been great. We spent the first two days talking about our childhood. After getting THAT out of the way, we could start moving forward. She is a happy gal and it is fun hanging out with her.

So now I am preparing for our huge Thanksgiving gig in Camp Verde. Did my first day of shopping today and tomorrow I will start working in earnest.

I wanted to post a recipe I developed last year that went over real well. It goes together pretty quickly and is more than the sum of its parts. Not much more than a simple snack cake, it is elevated by the addition of oatmeal to the cake batter and browning the butter in the icing.

BANANA OATMEAL CAKE WITH BROWNED BUTTER ICING

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 Tablespoons buttermilk

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 over ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats-not quick oats

1 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

ICING:

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 degrees if using a glass baking dish). Grease a 9x9 square baking pan. In a mixer, cream together brown sugar, yogurt, buttermilk, eggs and butter until smooth. Add mashed bananas and vanilla and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake has pulled ever so slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool on a rack.

To make the icing, place the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Do not use a cast iron skillet as you want to be able to gauge the color of the butter and a dark skillet will prevent you from doing this. Let the butter melt and then foam a bit. The top will show bubbles and then a thin layer of "foam". The butter will begin to color a bit and dark specks will form on the bottom of the pan. You want the butter to be darker than golden, but not dark brown. I usually wait for it to get golden then take it off the heat and let it finish on the counter. The residual heat from the pan keeps it cooking...one reason a heavy bottomed pan is essential. The butter will have a delicious, nutty smell. Mix the browned butter with the sifted confectioners sugar. It will be lumpy. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. You can add a teaspoon or two more of heavy cream if needed to make a smooth icing. Spread over the cooled cake.

A few pics from last month:

Bottles filling with some very fine Bourbon at Garrison Bros.

The view from above of some very happy (and busy) volunteers

Scott doing some quality control

I wish I could say I took the excellent photos above, but they were all taken by the very talented photographer, Gregg Burger. He has so many more of the bottling process at Garrisons on his website: http://www.burgersphoto.com/ Check them out!

Lily, me and Dawn at the Harvest Classic.

Natalie

Natalie and I

Scott and I with Marta

GooGoo with his girls

Just Married!!

Congratulations Marta and James!

True Love Foods at Bilgola Beach, Australia

2011-11-05T21:52:00.002-05:00

True Love Foods Chipotle Sauce can be found on fine tables far and wide!

This pic is at Bumbalino’s on Bilgola Beach, Australia.

What better way to wake up your taste buds than some sweet, hot and smoky Chipotle Sauce on your eggs for breakfast!

Yes, I am guilty of shameless self promotion!

Thanks for the photo, Andrew!!

Greetings from K-Town, Germany

2011-09-25T08:42:00.000-05:00

I am at Ramstein Air Base outside Kaiserslautern, Germany for a week of training for military doctors in which I am participating. The overnight flight to Frankfurt was uneventful but long and after arriving at the base around 10 a.m., I was determined I would stay awake all day to try to "reset" my clock. After a brief stop at the gate to get my papers in order so I could come and go freely, my colleague and I headed into the big town of Kaiserslautern to walk and shop. The weather was beautiful-sunny and mild, about 75 degrees-and the streets were packed. I must admit to feeling like a bit of a zombie from lack of sleep, but I enjoyed the afternoon nonetheless. Although I had my camera with me, I completely forgot about it until we were heading back to base. The view from my room:

From another view there are wind turbines dotting the horizon. In fact, on the drive from Frankfurt to the base (about 1 1/2 hours), we passed many turbines along with quite a few houses with large solar arrays on their roofs. Alternative energy is more prevalent here than in the states, it seems.

I slept fitfully last night which surprised me considering I almost drowned by falling asleep in the bathtub-I woke up as my nose slipped under the water. After going to bed around 10, I woke up at 2:15 and just couldn't get back to sleep. I read, I did sudoku (which generally puts me right out), but everytime I turned off the light I tossed and turned. Finally, around 4:30 I fell back asleep and slept until 9. I made coffee and watched a National Geographic show on volcanos before dragging myself out of bed to dress and start the day. There was a map of the base on my desk and I had noticed a 7 mile walking/jogging trail. Since work starts in earnest tomorrow-long days beginning at 6:30-I figured I'd walk today. I'm not sure there will be enough time to do the whole 7 miles after work this week, but I wanted to scope it out to see what shorter walks would work. It was about 65 degrees when I left the hotel-sunny and clear-and the walk was magnificent. I didn't bring my camera because it was too bulky to fit in my pants pocket. I won't make that mistake again. Although the path followed roads, a few times it cut through the woods under tall pines and oaks the likes of which we don't find in Texas. But I was surprised how many plants grow here that I recognized from home. Dock and yarrow, smartweed and dewberries. On a long, straight stretch of road, I saw a man standing under a row of trees. He had a small basket at his feet and, as I watched from down the road, I saw him repeatedly pick something up from the ground and toss it in his basket. I was intrigued and when I got closer, I stopped. He was a robust middle aged gentleman and when I asked him what he was harvesting, he lifted his basket to show me. Chestnuts! The trees were not large, but quite full of the spiny seedpods. Most of the pods on the ground were cracked open enough to peek inside and see the edges of the shiny brown nuts. Some pods held two nuts, but many held four. I asked him if he roasted them. He proceeded to tell me how to cook them-if roasting, make a cut through the tough outer covering first-but the best way to eat them, he told me in his halting English, was to melt sugar and a bit of butter in a pan and, after roasting, put them in the mixture. "To glaze them?" I inquired. "Exactly!" he told me and clapped his hands. I thanked him for the recipe and wished him luck. A few trees down the road, I picked up a few and stuck them in my pocket.

I feel fortunate to have a small "kitchen" in my room-a microwave, small fridge and coffeemaker-but the chestnut man made me wish I had a stovetop, too!

Frog Rain

2011-07-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

The post I wrote on July 6th, CRUNCHY!, prompted my friend Dick Prosapio (who is married to my dear old friend Elizabeth) to send me an email that I have to admit I have read over and over. For some reason, even in the midst of this terrible drought, it made me feel better. I asked his permission to post it here. As a side note, on July 19th, the day after I wrote the Summertime Dinner post which ended with, "Maybe tomorrow it will pour...", it did, indeed. We had a wonderful downpour that lasted over an hour and blessed us with one and a half inches of rain. Scott and I played in it joyously for the first 20 minutes. Most all our rain barrels are full and the garden partied so raucously it kept me awake all night.

The Frog Rain

When a big rain shows up around here it’s not something that takes place over days, it’s an all-at-once downpour that dumps inches in minutes. This last one just a few days ago, the first rain of any consequence we’ve had in months, did the job, it produced the gift of frogs.

South of our place is an old cattle “tank” a piece of land dug out by dozer decades ago to catch rain run off for cattle and wildlife. These ad hoc would be ponds dot the New Mexico, Texas, Arizona landscape and now and then, rarely for sure, provide a serendipitous opportunity for moisture in monsoon season….which is supposed to be right now, late June through early September. We haven’t had enough moisture in the past three years to feed any of these little basins….until this last “blessing” when in the space of forty five minutes to an hour we got an inch plus along with pea to marble sized hail all followed by the beautiful and mysterious sound of the frogs having their once-in-a-lifetime party opportunity down in our neighborhood tank. A really big rain season, one where we get a dumper like this every day or every other day, we can hear frogs every night for a week or two. This one only lasted for two nights, but there is a forecast for more to come this week or next so both we, and the frogs, may take heart.

The little piece I wrote about “Starving Spiders”, as you can see, was set down in the midst of despair, not a place I go to often if at all. I am a desert rat so I know about the feast and famine cycle of drought and rain in the southwest. I know it and can accommodate. But I am in relationship with a person who is not so “forgiving” of this reality and when things get really tough, as they will in this part of the country, as she begins to spiral down into hopelessness and I try to reassure her, I can find her desperation to be catching. Usually my bottom is a lot higher than hers but this year has set dry records and, along with two gigantic forest fires, one of them the largest in New Mexico history and relentless winds blowing out of the west far longer then they ever have in all my time living here, both of us became bottom dwellers for a time and I was hard pressed to maintain a demeanor of reassurance…until the “frog rain” came…and then we BOTH came fully alive to hope again. That’s all it takes you see. A bit of water falling from the sky and we can be moved into celebration. We can do Gene Kelly and splash in gutters in full song.

We Southwestern people are easily pleased. We just need frogs now and then.

~Dick Prosapio

New Mexico

Summertime Dinner

2011-07-18T22:30:00.003-05:00

We've been eating light lately. When it is 100 degrees at 6:30 in the evening, one is not inspired to heat up the house cooking an elaborate meal, nor to try to digest something heavy. But when I arrived home from the Bandera Farmers Market this afternoon I was hot, tired and hungry. I was real glad I'd brined a few pork chops last night-yes, Kevin made an appearance at our dinner table tonight.

I receive an e-newsletter from Fine Cooking with a daily recipe. Some are terrific and I file them away, some I just know I'll never make and I delete them. But others I leave in my IN box to keep reminding me that I want to play around with the concept a bit. The brined pork chops were one such recipe. As soon as I read the title, "Bourbon-and-Vanilla-Brined Pork Chops", I was drawn in. We've been very stringent with our Garrisons Bros. Texas Bourbon , enjoying a bit every now and then. But we've still not found a use for our half empty bottle of Knob Creek...until now.

I have an inability to follow a recipe. I most always look at a recipe and think, "That would be great if I added this or swapped this out for that...". I've been cooking so long that tinkering with a recipe just doesn't result in a disaster. Or at least I can't recall the last time one didn't work. Such was the case with the Bourbon and Vanilla Brined Pork Chops. After reading over the recipe, I found it incredibly fussy-first a brine and then a rub (with 11 ingredients no less!). Summer in Texas is no time for fussy, at least not at our house. So I pared the brine down a little bit and Scott and I both agreed they were the best pork chops we've ever eaten. Here's what I did:

I had 2 boneless loin chops...bone in would be great also, I'm sure. In a jar, I mixed about 1 1/2 cups of water, 1 Tablespoon kosher salt, 2 Tablespoons Knob Creek Bourbon, 2 teaspoons vanilla and about 2 teaspoons molasses. I put a lid on this and shook until it was all mixed well and the salt had dissolved. Then I poured it over the chops, covered the bowl and refrigerated it overnight. When I got home tonight, I heated up my grill pan (we are under a serious burn ban, so no outside grilling here), doused it with a bit of olive oil and put the chops on the grill pan. They were pretty thick, so I grilled them for about 6 minutes on the first side then turned them and grilled another 5 on the other. Then I turned the heat off under the pan and let them sit while I prepared the remainder of the meal. I've been trading bread for the most wonderful baby Japanese eggplant at the Comfort Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. Thin skinned with tiny seeds, these sweeties don't need to be peeled and are never bitter. We love them halved lengthwise, brushed with olive oil and grilled. Since the grill pan was on anyway, I filled up the other side with eggplant (the grill pan fits over 2 burners, so I could cook lots of eggplant). I'd picked up some beautiful tomatoes at the Bandera Market and I sliced these up. Went out to the garden and picked some basil and got some fresh mozzarella out of the fridge. The last batch of mozzarella I made a few days ago turned out particularly "toothsome"...quite chewy...and I LOVE it! I heated the milk too high in the initial heating (it was supposed to be no more than 95 degrees and I let it jump up to 110!) and it changed the texture pretty dramatically. But it melts terrific and gets real stringy...perfect for a broiled veggie concoction. I layered the now slightly charred and soft eggplant with the sliced tomatoes, lots of torn basil leaves, a drizzle of balsamic syrup and topped it all with some mozzarella. I popped this in the toaster oven/broiler while I made the salad. We've been on a Caesar Salad kick for over a month now. Probably three nights a week, we'll have a huge Caesar salad for dinner. Sometimes I'll add kalamata olives and Feta or Parmesan cheese and avocado, but always crunchy cucumbers because the garden is full of them-indeed the ONLY thing the garden is full of. Not traditional, I know, but I make this great dressing that pulls it all together. I could eat this dressing like soup-no kidding! Here's the recipe:

In a blender, place 3 peeled hard boiled eggs, 1/2 cup oil (NOT olive oil-I'll explain why later), 1/2 can of anchovies, 1/3 cup champagne, rice or apple cider vinegar, 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard, about 4 or 5 garlic cloves and a generous grind or 2 of pepper. Put the lid on the blender and whirl away. If it seems too thick add a bit more vinegar. It should be pale yellow, thick and creamy. Taste for salt and add if needed. That's it! Store it in a jar in the fridge. This makes a pint, which lasts us a week or about 4 heads worth of Romaine lettuce! You don't want to use olive oil because it solidifies under refrigeration. Your dressing will be the consistency of custard when you take it from the fridge. I've used sunflower and grapeseed and both worked great. I know it seems rather arbitrary when I say, 1/2 can of anchovies, but the only anchovies I find in the grocery store are these:

If you think you don't like anchovies, don't let that keep you from making this dressing. I think Anchovies are umami...you know-the 5th taste after sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Used in sauces, (try them in a short rib braise...elusive!), dressings, sautes...they add an incredible flavor-not fishy!!!- and my pantry is always stocked with lots of cans of them.

I didn't take a picture of dinner tonight although my brain kept nagging me to do so. I was hungry and tired and my toe hurt (I broke my pinkie toe this morning). I am sorry now because it looked almost as good as it tasted.

While I was writing this post, I heard a noise on the skylight above my head. I walked outside and stood in the dark and let the raindrops fall on my shoulders. It lasted maybe 3 minutes. I wanted to cry. Maybe tomorrow it will pour...

CRUNCHY!

2011-07-06T10:59:00.001-05:00

Crunchy. That's the word that keeps popping up in my mind when I am outside. I walk around the yard and -sob!- the garden and it is crunchy. The first day of summer was a mere 2 weeks ago yet it feels like we've been in summer for months already. I saw a post my friend Fred wrote the other morning that said, "Good Morning! We are one day closer to rain...". I thought on those words ALL DAY. I find it really difficult to stay positive when it is...well...crunchy outside. I have let most of the garden go. I keep 2 beds watered. Every 2 or 3 days I saturate those beds and catch all the runoff to water the few plantings left alive in other beds. But even then, I question the effort I am putting into it. The tomato plants look big and bushy, but can't even muster the energy to set blooms. The squash plants are sprawling everywhere, but only one-an heirloom Italian squash-puts off any fruit to speak of. ONE slender, but oh so tasty, squash a week.

The only thing that seems to be thriving in this day after day 100 degree heat is the cucumbers. They are happy indeed, full of blooms and fruit and subsequently, bees.

We are eating lots of cucumbers!

We have been adding some new fowl to the farm. Picked up 4 minorcas from my farm and garden mentor, Bernadette. Small chickens, not as frenetic as bantys (thank goodness!), but not a whole bunch bigger. And last weekend a white leghorn and 2 Araucanas from my inspiring friends April and Hal. I used to have lots of white leghorns. They are a small bodied chicken that lay HUGE white eggs. Oh! And also these guys...well, one guy, one gal and an as of yet undetermined:

The two white ducks are Pekin and the black is a Black Swedish. I am quite taken with them. Really calm and entertaining and their quack is quite endearing. They get their own swimming pool today.

So many projects going on around here. We are living in a construction zone, but for the first time since all this change started, I am seeing glimmers of what it will all become and that cheers me. Progress moves slowly, but at least it moves, marching to its own beat as much as I would like to speed it along. The heat seems to stall things out and we find ourselves most afternoons from about 4-6 sitting on the bed in front of the fan reading or writing. I go back and forth about air conditioning. Sometimes I wish central air was a reality for us. But most times, I can't imagine being that cut off from the sounds of the outside-especially now with the quacking that has been added to the cacophony.

I hope, in the next month, to transfer all the recipes on this blog to my neglected website, http://www.theteachingkitchen.com./ They will still be here with the nifty link list on the left hand side of the page, but they will also be on the website, which I hope to make easier to navigate. Stay tuned!

And, of course, stay cool!

Garden Love and Rosemary Flatbread Revisited

2011-04-22T17:44:00.004-05:00

Had a great Spring Garden Show at Comfort Feed & Garden last Saturday. Malcolm Beck was our featured speaker and he was as entertaining as he was informative.

Gordon Wybo, of Wybo's Wigglers , gave a talk about vermiculture-the practice of worm "farming".

Bruce Deuley also showed up and gave an impromptu presentation. I found it interesting how well all three talks meshed. So much good information was passed on, but the main point I took away from the day is that it isn't the health of your plants you should be concerned with, but the health of your soil! If your soil is in good shape, the plants will have a strong foundation and grow as they should. All sorts of tips were given for soil supplementation...but molasses kept coming up. One to two Tablespoon molasses diluted in 1 gallon water makes a great foliar spray. It feeds beneficial microbes in the soil as well as repelling ants! Cheap, non toxic and easily available- this seems like a great addition to the garden.

My garden has been a dream lately. I always maintain that the garden looks perfect for about 15 minutes in early April. Looks like this year it will be early May! The Big Freeze of February really did my garden in, but with lots of hard work, it is now coming back into its own.

The bed of mixed greens is giving us a salad most every night. I am thinning it now-pulling up the small plants to make salads. This gives the remaining plants more room to grow and they fill in the empty places.

The peas have climbed up the lamp shade frames and are putting on LOTS of sugar snap peas.

Yard long beans should begin to climb the trellis I made earlier in the year.

The potato mound is becoming a mountain! I cover the plants up with compost and they grow up in a day. So I cover it again. I am almost out of compost! This pic is from 2 weeks ago.

Both rose bushes are blooming. This pale pink one was a gift from my mother-in-law years ago. It is so very fragrant!

I was taking pics of the chickens and got this one of the rooster. I am thinking of painting it...what movement!

Our wood fired oven is coming along. This has been on our "Project Wish List" for years and is finally becoming a reality. Our friend Genya is chief of the project and we are hoping to do the first firing in early June. Temps in these ovens get upwards of 900 degrees. I hope by the end of the summer I can be turning out fabulous breads. And a pizza party is definitely in the works. The first pic is with the arch form still in place. In the second pic, the form is gone. It is so beautiful!

Back in January, I posted a recipe for Rosemary Flatbread. I loved them, even though I felt like I was getting a years worth of olive oil every time I made them. Marta complained about the recipe, saying they were nothing like the rosemary flatbread she buys all the time -and absolutely loves- at HEB. "So what?", I thought, "I am not trying to replicate HEB!" Then, at my birthday dinner at her house, she served the HEB flatbread and, man were they good! I took the label off the package and worked to create something similar. Significantly less olive oil and a mixture of flours really helped in addition to eliminating the baking powder. Here's what I've come up with. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you don't have a pizza stone, invert a cookie sheet on a rack to preheat. Measure out all the dry ingredients and dump them in the mixing bowl. This can be done in a mixer or by hand...I have done it both ways and see no difference.

Add the water and olive oil and mix until a soft dough forms.

Form into a ball and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The cool thing is you can cover the bowl and put it in the fridge until you have time to roll out and bake the flatbread. It can stay for days. I bet you could even freeze the dough since it has no leavening.

When you are ready to make the flatbread, pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut.

Roll out the pieces in any shape you want...circle, oblong, whatever you need.

The ones Marta bought at HEB were quite thick. I like them thinner. I made them both ways this time. The thicker ones here.

And the thinner ones here.

After rolling them out, place them on a piece of parchment which is on a peel. If you don't have a peel, just put the parchment on an inverted cookie sheet. Brush the flabreads very lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

Bake in the 450 degree preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes for the thicker ones or 6-8 minutes for thin ones. Obviously, ovens vary as will the thickness you roll the flatbread, so just keep an eye on them. I like mine brown on the edges. Thick ones:

And the thin ones:

They store in a tightly sealed container for a few days and don't seem to suffer. They stay crisp and tasty. If it is humid and they lose some of their crunch, reheat on a cookie sheet at about 300 degrees for a few minutes.

Here's the *new and improved* recipe:

Rosemary Flatbread Revisited

1 cup semolina flour

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup unbleached flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt (add less if using table salt)

2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup water

additional olive oil and kosher salt for brushing on flatbreads before baking

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you don't have a pizza stone, invert a cookie sheet on a rack to preheat. Measure out all the dry ingredients and dump them in the mixing bowl. This can be done in a mixer or by hand. Add the water and olive oil and mix to make a soft dough. Roll into a ball and let sit for at least 30 minutes. If you will not be rolling them out that day, cover and refrigerate dough. When you are ready to make the flatbread, pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a walnut. Roll them out into whatever shape and whatever thickness you want. In the old recipe, I rolled them in circles. These I rolled into oblong shapes. Place them on a piece of parchment on a peel. If you don't have a peel, just put the parchment on an inverted cookie sheet. Brush the flatbreads very lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Bake in the 450 degree preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes for thick ones or about 6-8 minutes for thin ones. Obviously, ovens vary as will the thickness you roll the flatbread, so just keep an eye on them. Cool and store in a tightly sealed container.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen + flatbreads. The recipe can be doubled. In fact, I encourage it...keep the dough in the fridge or the freezer so you can have a platter of these ready in no time flat! I bet they'd bake in 15 seconds in the wood fired oven! Great with cheese or hummous. I think they'd be terrific topped with fresh tomatoes still warm from the garden. Go for it!

Celebrations!

2011-03-29T17:20:00.004-05:00

What a week! Our friends Cal & Leslie arrived for a visit last Tuesday...they drop in a couple times a year and it's always such a pleasure to spend time with them. We never really know how long they are going to stay and that's fine. Now you know what kind of folks they are because I can think of MANY acquaintances with whom that WOULD NOT be fine.

They spirited Scott away to North Texas to the races where they all worked for the weekend. I was supposed to go with them, but stayed home to tend to animals and the garden. They had a great time with Friday and Saturday being sunny and warm and terrific race weather. Then the wind changed late Saturday afternoon and Sunday was a different story. Cold and windy and just this side of miserable. They were supposed to stay Sunday night also, but decided to head home to sleep in a warm bed. Scott on Sunday at the races. Brrrr

They left on Scott's birthday, so we postponed his celebration until last night. I roasted up a pork loin (as I put it on the table I said, "Here is Kevin for dinner!") and Skip brought some incredibly good fish fillets with roasted peppers/onions/garlic and an equally incredible yogurt sauce (plain yogurt, horseradish, lime juice and chopped cilantro).

I roasted some broccoli, baked up some sweet potatoes and made Parmesan Gougeres (savory cream puffs). For dessert we had a 3 layer Carrot Cake that my grand daughter Natalie (Chef Andre) helped me make over the weekend.
Oh! The weekend! With an empty house on Thursday I got busy. Had a load of compost delivered (not long after Scott, Cal and Leslie drove away) and I shoveled compost all afternoon and into the evening until I couldn't see anymore. Stayed up really late that night finishing up my taxes (hello 3 a.m.) and then worked in the garden again most of the day Friday. Got a huge bed all seeded with a variety of greens and watered the orchard.
Scott and I potted up 12 cherry trees and 7 peach trees a few weeks ago which will go into the orchard next Spring. Friends Hal and April in Comfort told me about these cherry trees (which are really cherry shrubs) and gave me a jar of jam April had made from the cherries. These are not sweet, pick and eat cherries, but really sour cooking cherries. So tasty and prolific and they grow really well in our area.
I had a watercolor painting class with Jeannette MacDougall Saturday in Boerne and then picked up my dear sweet Natalie for an overnight visit. We had lots of fun Saturday afternoon running around outside-she found a rope and tied my hands together and then tied the other end of the rope to various things. I was a "cattle wrestler" (that's her interpretation of "cattle rustler") and she was the sheriff and, with her trusty sidekick, Depity (deputy) Sophie, they were trying to keep me in line. While I was tied to the front door (would I kid about something like this? really?) I could hear thunder in the distance and admit to being a bit puzzled...there was no rain in the forecast. When I finally convinced her to untie me (not an easy task, vigilant sheriff that she was), I went inside and checked the weather and there was a weather warning-severe thunderstorms with up to 1/2" hail. What?! I headed outside and with Nat's help covered up the cars with special attention to windshields and sunroofs. The thunder got louder and then it started raining. We sat on the porch and watched...all 4 1/2 minutes of it. Okay...

At this point I decided I would uncover the cars in the morning and, after putting up chickens we went inside to watch a movie. As we sat eating popcorn and watching the movie I started to observe lightening all around. Then the rain started again-heavy this time-and the electricity went out. Within seconds the hail started-what a cacophony! It scared Natalie and she started to cry. We grabbed a flashlight and went to the front door and I showed her the hail. She said, "Gramma, ice balls falling from the sky?" I had to go outside and retrieve some before she would believe me. She was amazed. I told her she'd have to tell her class about the "ice balls" Monday at school. She said, "I can't tell them because they won't believe me..." It is moments like this that make being a grandparent (or a parent for that matter) so very cool. We lit candles and sat talking until the lights came back on and we could finish watching the movie. The hail piled up outside. Sophie came in and hid in the closet, curled up in a tight, little ball (which Natalie found hilarious). I kept thinking about my garden and the dozen cherry trees in pots outside. The hail finally stopped and Nat fell asleep. I turned everything off and went to bed and the hail started up again. It rained all night. 1 3/4" total in precipitation. Most rain we've had so far this year. Everything survived with very little damage. Just short of a miracle in my opinion. The next morning Nat woke up and told me, "That was quite a night..." Yes, dear Natalie, it certainly was.

Today is our anniversary. Eight years and it has been (and continues to be) a wonderful adventure. I know it is not easy being married to me. Last year I read of an exercise a marriage counselor uses. It consisted of imagining being your spouse and describing what it is like being married to you. I CANNOT do this exercise. I have tried a few times and I break out in a sweat. Understand, I am not doing this with Scott, just by myself, for myself. It is unnerving-still, every few months I try again. So I am grateful that we have as much fun as we have and as few disagreements as we do.

For a special anniversary lunch this afternoon I made Laurel's Asparagus Benedict: http://unamericanaincucina.com/

I made a few changes..I roasted the asparagus, my preferred way of eating it. I roast it on a grill pan.

I used my homemade whole wheat bread because it was what I had (she uses rye which sounds really good for this recipe). I also used white wine instead of water in the Hollandaise. Nice...

This Hollandaise recipe is quick and foolproof. Just watch out when you are whisking the egg yolks over the double boiler to keep the heat low-or you will end up with scrambled eggs as she warns in the recipe!

The finished dish...it went over REALLY well...smile...

We are going out for dinner with Leslie & Cal this evening at Navajo Grill. This is one of our favorite places to eat in Fredericksburg. We split their Artisan Cheese Plate and order a House Salad each and we are comfortably full and very satisfied. Everything fresh and elegant and it makes for an inexpensive treat in beautiful (but not stuffy) surroundings. A good place for a celebratory meal or to take clients. Mike (the owner) is a gem and his son is the chef!

Life is good-my husband is a year older (and my milestone is right around the corner), we have another year of marriage under our belts and good energy going for the next one. I am in constant surprise at our good fortune.

On another note-I've been asked by a few folks when I was going to post about butchering our pig, Kevin. I just don't think I am. It was a bittersweet experience...a days worth (and beyond) of really hard physical work and now, a freezer full of high quality pork. Scott sent out this email after the main butchering was completed and we had moved the process into the kitchen to start on the secondary processes:

diane and i spent 6 hours today butchering our pig, kevin

having killed and butchered plenty of wild game the mechanics were

pretty straightforward

killing an animal we came to know, one that came when you called

was a bit harder.

i didn't think there would be an emotional attachment

but there was some sadness

the death was quick and painless

with wild game there is no emotional attachment

killing is done at a distance

this was quite different

while we have joked about kevin bacon and naming future pigs hamlet, etc

i don't think we will name any more

we gave kevin thanks for providing our sustenance

and look forward to sharing our bounty with family and friends

we have peace of mind knowing the diet and raising conditions

have been healthy for kevin

it has been a couple years or more since we bought meat at a store

not knowing how it was raised or processed

kevin dressed out at roughly 180# and is currently on ice

much work still to do to trim the meat, wrap and freeze portions

sort scraps for a variety of sausage, render the lard, make bacon, etc

and begin the long dry curing process to make the hams into prosciutto

Texas Bourbon? You bet!

2011-03-07T20:53:00.004-06:00

Scott and I had the pleasure of volunteering for two days last week at Garrison Brothers in Hye, Texas. I still feel a bit guilty calling it volunteering, cuz it was more fun than any volunteering I usually do (hey Juanita-I LOVE volunteering for the food bank, but I don't get a signed bottle of bourbon for it...just sayin'...)!

For two days we helped bottle the Spring 2011 release of Garrison Brothers extraordinary Texas Bourbon.

Four or five years ago, Scott and I took a road trip to Ohio for a weekend at the races. We left a few days early, so we could meander through a part of the country we hadn't seen before. Part of our vacation was visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We toured 4 or 5 distilleries and we were struck by how often we heard that Kentucky Bourbon was so good because of the clean, limestone water. Scott kept saying, "Our Hill Country water is limestone water and real tasty. Why isn't someone making Texas Hill Country Bourbon?" Well, someone else was thinking the same way and Garrison Brothers was born. If you get a chance to tour the distillery, do it. It is an incredible set up on a beautiful rolling hilled ranch just off Hwy. 290 about halfway between Stonewall and Johnson City. There is lots of expansion going on about now, so pardon their dust-just realize it will make more of this phenomenal product available. Here's the scoop: Dan Garrison uses #1 food grade organic grain. The corn is grown in Hereford County in Texas, the barley is from the Pacific Northwest and the winter wheat is grown on site. They use rainwater they harvest off the roof of the distillery and they filter it several times until it is incredibly pure. Garrison Brothers is the first new Bourbon distillery opened in America since before Prohibition AND the first legal (I guess LEGAL is the operative word here) whiskey distillery in Texas history AND the first Bourbon anywhere made entirely from organic grain. That's a lot of firsts! We weren't sure what to expect when we volunteered. We dressed in work clothes and comfortable shoes. As we drove onto the ranch, we were met just inside the gate by a man with a broad smile driving a pick-up truck. He rolled down his window and said, "You two look like professional Bourbon bottlers..." He gave us directions to the bottling facility and drove on to meet the other volunteer coming through the gate behind us. We walked into the distillery and were met by a room full of smiling employees. These folks LOVE their work. They understand the importance of what they are accomplishing and the superior quality of their product. The pride is palpable. Up to this point, they have been using a 100 gallon still (named "Cowgirl"). She's a beauty.

Now Cowgirl shares the room with 2-500 gallon stills. Just as beautiful, but really big! She looks positively petite compared to the big fellas.

See the sombrero in the foreground of the pic above? As a celebration of Texas Independence Day, Dan gave that hat as a prize to the best bottler of the day. Guess who won?

Scott and I didn't actually bottle the bourbon. The machine that dispenses the bourbon into the bottles was run by an employee. Then each bottle was corked and Scott and I (and Tyler, the other volunteer) sealed each bottle by hand. Bottles waiting for our handiwork.

Here was the process: first the pigtail-deer hide cut in strips, dipped in hot wax and applied where the cork meets the bottle. It was wrapped around until it forms a seal of sorts. A small piece is left hanging to open the bottle after it is waxed.

Now the waxing. It wasn't until the second day that I felt I had the knack. And boy, the pride at this place was contageous! The second day I wanted to crow about my waxing (or maybe I wanted to wax poetic about my waxing!). I think I had the best teacher in the place, Laurel Hoekstra. She gave me a few tips that made all the difference in the quality of my work. I wasn't as proficient at doing the pigtails...so I had Scott do the pigtails and I waxed. His pigtails were perfect. Since I wax my balsamic syrup bottles, I thought I'd have waxing down, but this was way different. All the pigtailed bottles waiting to be waxed:

Letting the excess wax drip off.

And the finishing touch...the Texas star on top!

The bottle in the foreground is ready for the star stamp.

That's one beautiful waxing job!

Laurel Hoekstra and the famous Dan Garrison cleaning and packing finished bottles of the best bourbon you'll ever taste. Honest! Dan personally signs EVERY SINGLE BOTTLE! He is ~~crazy~~ Amazing!! We were involved in the tail end of the bottling-finishing up the 2011 release on March 3rd. They had been bottling for weeks. I am glad we were the last volunteer group...just seemed significant somehow.

Yeah, I know the quality of this picture isn't good...sorry!
We worked for two days and driving home each afternoon, Scott and I talked about how fortunate we felt that they let us be a part of their endeavor. (Kinda' rings of Huck Finn, huh?) These folks are so earnest and sincere, you can't help but admire them.

The bottling we did will be released to stores in Central Texas around March 16th. They are distributed by Republic National Distributing Co. You can call your local liquor store and see if they will be carrying it. Or call Republic to reserve a bottle-210-224-7531 (San Antonio) or 512-834-9742 (Austin).

Their website: http://www.garrisonbros.com/

If you like Bourbon-or even if you don't like it, but want to-try Texas made Garrison Brothers Bourbon.

Taste the magnificence!

I'm going to have a sip right now...

Orange Date Cake

2011-03-01T12:55:00.002-06:00

I made this cake for a small party at Marta's house about a month ago. It is so incredibly fragrant of oranges that Marta told me she could not walk past it without taking a bite. She's been after me to post the recipe ever since. The interesting thing is that it uses whole clementines...no peeling necessary! I remember a cake I made years ago from the Horn of the Moon Cookbook that used whole seedless navel oranges and was made entirely in a blender. This one is made in the food processor and is just as easy. I found the original recipe in the Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light but have changed it considerably in the many times I have made it. I've made my share of fussy cakes (and some of my most requested recipes are multi step concoctions), but I prefer cakes I can put together in a flash whenever we have a craving for something sweet. Another reason I really like this recipe is that it doesn't suffer from using whole wheat flour instead of all purpose, which the original recipe called for. The rustic nature of the ground walnuts, dates and oranges really benefits from the equally rustic quality of whole wheat pastry flour. This is a cake you can eat sans glaze, but the confectioners sugar glaze perfumed with freshly grated clementine zest takes it over the top. The same batter also makes great muffins! One recipe makes one dozen muffins-see below.

Start with preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" cake pan with pan spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment cut to fit. Grab 2 clementines and quarter them. Although these are thought to be seedless, I have found a seed from time to time. So pick out any seeds. Measure out 1/2 cup walnuts. Pit 3 dates and 4 prunes-you can use 6 dates if you want, but the first time I made this cake I only had 3 dates so I replaced the remainder with prunes and I really liked it. Use what you have.

Place all this in a food processor.

And grind away! You'll probably have to scrape down the sides a time or two to get it all ground finely.

Measure out 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 5 Tablespoons soft butter. Grab one large egg. Love the speckled egg! We have doubled our flock size in the last 2 months and are swimming in eggs!

Throw all that in the food processor and process until well mixed.

Measure out 9 ounces (about 2 cups) whole wheat pastry flour. Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Measure out 1/2 cup buttermilk. I generally weigh out any whole grain flours instead of measuring them because I feel I get better results that way.

Add this to the mixture in the food processor and pulse until blended.

You will have to scrape down the sides once or twice to get it all mixed in.

The batter is quite thick. Spoon it into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Now make the glaze. Mix 1 cup confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) with the zest of one clementine. I have to say that my microplane is indispensable! I find myself using it almost daily.

Add 1 Tablespoon water and mix to make a runny glaze.

Now pour that glaze over the middle of the cake and spread it out to the edges. I like how it looks when it partially runs over the sides. Here are a half dozen muffins and a 6" cake I made this morning.

A perfect treat with a cup of coffee or tea. Not too sweet and really moist.

Here's the recipe for you to copy and print out.

Orange Date Cake

1/2 cup walnuts

6 dates, pitted OR 3 dates and 4 prunes

2 clementines, quartered -NOT PEELED!

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

5 Tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

9 ounces (about 2 cups) whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

GLAZE:

1 cup powdered sugar

zest of one clementine

1 Tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" cake pan with pan spray and line the bottom with a piece of parchment cut to fit. Put clementines, walnuts and dates (or dates and prunes) in the food processor. Process until finely ground. You may have to scrape down the sides a time or two. Add brown sugar, butter, egg and vanilla and process until smooth. Add flour, soda, salt and buttermilk and pulse until mixed. You may have to scrape down the sides. Spoon into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack. In a small bowl, mix all glaze ingredients and pour over the middle of the still warm cake. Spread the glaze out to the edges. Garnish with whole walnuts if desired.

For one dozen muffins, reduce baking time to 25-30 minutes. Dip tops of muffins in glaze while still warm.

A Hopeful Garden

2011-02-22T17:24:00.002-06:00

A day off after a few weeks of working in the city. I have to go back to the city tomorrow and the day after, but wanted to grab this day and get some gardening done before the rain. I am EVER hopeful concerning rain...although the rain chance is only 30%, I feel certain we'll get something in the way of precipitation. There has been no sunshine today. Dark clouds and cooler temps all day. I would love a full fledged rainstorm, I will settle for a day of drizzle.

I measured my garden yesterday, curious about it's actual size in square feet. It is small (and feeling smaller all the time) at 45 feet by 45 feet. I decided that, in order to get all I want to grow in that small space, that I needed to think vertically. GO UP. Or Grow Up. Which is probably appropriate in many areas of my life. I built a new raised bed last year that, until the Great Freeze of 2011, held my plantings of kale. Most all the kale froze, in fact I lost most everything in the garden except a bed of spinach that had just come up (maybe 1" high and mulched very heavily). So now there was an empty bed waiting for new plantings. I knew I wanted to grow my beans up poles and my cukes up fencing, so I combined the two and this is what the kale bed has become.

It is hard to tell, but the cross pole that goes from teepee to teepee (I am taking liberty calling that bunch of poles a teepee, but you get the idea, right?) has fencing attached to it that reaches the ground. The beans will be planted around the base of each pole to grow up. The cucumbers will be planted at the bottom of the wire to climb up. I had great luck last year growing cukes up wire fencing. So for now, since it is not anywhere near time to plant beans and cukes, I planted sugar snap peas along the bottom of the fencing. They will climb up the same as cukes and be easy to pick. I soaked way too many pea seeds. I do this EVERY year and at planting time complain about having too many seeds and nowhere to plant them. But you know, I NEVER complain when it's time to pick and eat them. Indeed, last year Nisa had a great blog post on The Cooks We Are on eating pea shoots (she made a gorgeous omelet with pea shoots) and I promised myself I would plant extra just for the shoots. So after planting seeds on both sides of the wire fencing, I still had a full bowl of fat soaked pea seeds. Now, necessity is the mother of invention, or so I am told, so I went back to last years "invention" for something for peas to climb on. This ranch of ours has piles all around. Building materials, gardening materials, car and motorcycle parts. We are somewhat organized, but a pile is a pile and it still really gets to me sometime. But there are times when I am so grateful for a pile. Indeed, the entire bean/cuke set up above was built from materials salvaged from "piles" (except for 4 of the bamboo poles I snagged from my friend Stuart's farm during a visit last weekend). Last year, when planting my pea bed, I found a bunch of lampshade "frames" (I know there is another name for them, but I can't think what it is). They were rusted, but there were about a dozen nested together and with very little effort they all pulled apart. Stacked offset on top of one another they made great cages for the pea vines to climb. After using them last year, I simply nested them again and put them by the tool shed. So out they came this afternoon and now they are in another bed with peas planted all around them. As the peas grow I will add more lampshades on top.

So at this point; spinach, onions, beets, broccoli raab and radishes are up. Peas are planted and I have lots of seeds ready to go into the ground. I once read a quote about planting a garden being the supreme sign of hopefulness. I believe that is true. These days the garden pulls me out most every morning to see how my tiny plants are coming along. I get a thrill to see the first true leaves on the spinach and the radishes beginning to swell at their base. Just outside my bedroom door, the garden overflows with hopefulness.

just a quick recipe...

2011-02-13T09:31:00.001-06:00

I woke up yesterday morning very excited about a special visitor we were expecting. I hesitate to say Alex is my favorite client of Scott's lest I offend any others, but he is definitely in the top 3...(is that covering my butt or what?). Alex is upbeat, intellectual and just plain FUN. He always initiates lively conversation and when he leaves, I always feel the visit was not long enough.

I had most of our lunch planned out in my head, but realized I had forgotten about dessert. I looked in the fridge and saw I had a hunk of pie pastry left over from a quiche I'd made earlier in the week, a carton of mascarpone cheese and some beautiful raspberries. It all came together in my head in an instant (see what being obsessed with food will do to you?) when I remembered all the lemon curd I'd made a month ago and stashed in the freezer. In 15 minutes, dessert was finished and I concentrated on getting lunch ready.
Here's how it came together.
There was not enough pastry to make a full sized tart, so I cut rounds and popped them into a muffin tin. I baked them at 500 degrees for 8 minutes because that's what the oven was set at to roast some asparagus. I would generally never bake pastry at that temp but under a watchful eye, it worked. I dumped the pastry rounds out on a rack to cool. I then mixed some mascarpone cheese with a few large dollops of lemon curd until it was light and billowy-really just a few turns with a spoon. This stuff was good! I piped it on the now cooled pastry rounds and topped each with a fresh raspberry.
Maybe it didn't even take 15 minutes...they were the perfect ending to a great lunch.

Apple Chestnut Heart Tarts!

2011-02-11T15:36:00.003-06:00

I want to start this post trying to help you get over your fear of working with pie pastry. I mean really, if a simple mixture of flour, fat and water is keeping you from the wonderful art of pie making, then NOW is the time to learn. It IS easy, and better than that, even if you do mess it up a bit, it will still be edible. It is incredibly forgiving! My original recipe for pie crust is in words and pictures on my website The Teaching Kitchen. I walk you through it step by step and it WORKS! The new pie crust I developed (and I use the word develop loosely) eliminates the butter and uses all coconut oil. This crust can be considered vegan for its lack of dairy. I like both crusts, but the coconut oil one is a bit different to put together. Follow the directions for the original single crust, but use 4 ounces coconut oil instead of the 8 Tablespoon mixture of shortening and butter (8 tablespoons = 4 ounces). Coconut oil is solid at room temp and is not near as creamy as shortening.

Weigh out 4 ounces of coconut oil, which is also the same as 1/2 cup.

Place 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour in the bowl of a food processor. This can also be made in a large bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if you use regular salt, cut back a bit) and pulse or stir to mix. Add the coconut oil.

This step is where it differs from the original pie pastry. You process this (or cut the coconut oil in with a pastry blender or two knives if you are not using a food processor) until the coconut oil is completely mixed in. With the original recipe you pulse the food processor until the butter/shortening is about the size of small peas, meaning if you grab a handful of the flour/fat mixture you would feel large particles of butter and shortening in the flour. Not so with the coconut oil pastry. Pulse until you cannot feel any large particles. Add the 5 Tablespoons ice water a Tablespoon at a time just until the dough begins to hold together. Dump the entire mass out onto a lightly floured counter and knead just a bit until it all holds together in a big ball. Flatten into a disc.

At this point, you can wrap the pastry disc in plastic wrap and set it aside. If your kitchen is really warm, you can place it in the fridge, but coconut oil firms up quite hard, so the dough takes a long while to become workable when cold.
For the filling, grab a few apples and cut in quarters. Core and peel and cut in small chunks. Place 2 teaspoons or so coconut oil in a medium skillet and heat on low to melt. Add apple chunks and stir. Add 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, honey or dark brown sugar and stir to mix. Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg. Mix well and increase heat to medium. Stir every few minutes to keep apples from sticking to the pan. If they seem dry, you can add a Tablespoon of apple juice if you have it or even brandy. Water will work also.

Cook the apples for about 15 minutes. You want then quite soft. When they are soft, set them aside to cool. Now back to the pastry! Unwrap pastry disc, dust with flour and roll out to about 1/8" thick. With a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many hearts as you can get. Place half the hearts on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Scott and I both love chestnuts and years ago we used to buy French "Chestnut Spread" at World Market. I'd use it to spread between homemade sandwich cookies (think Oreos, but made with homemade crisp brown sugar cookies sandwiched with chestnut spread...VERY good). World Market stopped carrying it and then this Christmas, Lily presented Scott with a jar of the stuff! She said she got it at Williams-Sonoma, but I know it is also available online here or here. It is remarkable stuff! These tarts can be made without it...simply using the cooked apples, but the chestnut spread makes them truly special! It IS Valentines' Day after all...

Spread a teaspoonful or so on each pastry heart.

Press a small amount of cooked apples on top of the chestnut spread and top with another pastry heart. Press lightly around edges to seal. Then take a fork and press the tines around the edge to crimp and seal.

Prick a knife tip a couple times into the top of the sealed hearts. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes until golden. Let cool a bit before eating as the filling is hot when they come out of the oven!

Of course, you can fill these tarts with whatever you'd like: a smear of Nutella and some sauteed bananas, sauteed pears and candied ginger (or even ginger jam!), dried cherries or dates and sweetened mascarpone cheese...the possibilites are endless! Sometimes I cut large rounds and fill and then fold over and seal so you have half moons. Easier than these two piece tarts, but this holiday calls for hearts!

Happy, Happy Valentines' Day to all.

Tofu Cutlets

2011-02-09T18:51:00.000-06:00

It's cold again in the Hill Country. Not as bad as last week, but still unreasonably cold. This is Texas for goodness sake! Woke up to snow flurries and when that stopped, the wind picked up. The day only got colder. When the weather gets cold, I get cooking. It keeps me from going crazy and warms up the house at the same time. Last week it was onion tart, roasted beets and baked sweet potatoes. Today it was roasted turnips, tofu cutlets and apple chestnut heart tarts. The apple chestnut heart tarts I will post on Friday so maybe they can be made for Valentines' Day. They are luscious and-surprise!-vegan, made with a coconut oil pastry.

I have been roasting all our veggies lately...talk about quick and easy! Cut up the vegetables, douse with some extra virgin olive oil and a bit of kosher salt and spread out on a cookie sheet. Bake 8-15 minutes (depending on the veggie) in a 550 degree oven until browned a bit and ever so slightly tender. Cauliflower is our favorite, but broccoli is also good (I lower the heat to 500 for broccoli), beets are amazing, as are sweet potatoes. My sweet and remarkable neighbor Warren (someday I will do a post on him...in September he will be 87 and he can do ANYTHING!) dropped off 3 beautiful big turnips he grew at the house the other day. I roasted them today and they were the best! With some tofu cutlets, they made a great lunch for Scott and I. I've been making tofu cutlets for 30 years (gee, I feel too young to have been doing ANYTHING for 30 years!) and my technique has changed a bit over the years. I use to pan "fry" them, but now I bake them. Way less oil and I can bake them all at once. Same crispy outsides and tender insides.

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet. I cover mine with foil because it makes clean up easier. Then start with a pound of firm or extra firm tofu.

Slice into 1/3-1/2" slices.

Now make the Tofu Breading Mix! Back in the early 1980's when I had my funky, little health food store in Boerne, I used to package this mix and sell it. Some customers told me it made the best breading for fried catfish. Never tried it...

Mix 2 cups stone ground cornmeal (organic is oh! so good) with 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes, 3-4 Tablespoons whole sesame seeds, 1 Tablespoon garlic granules and 1 Tablespoon kosher salt. Mix this up real good. This makes much more than you'll need for a pound of tofu. I store the extra in my freezer...who knows? maybe I'll want to fry up some catfish sometime...

Now dredge the ~~catfish~~ tofu in the cornmeal mixture covering both sides. The tofu is wet so the mixture should stick just fine. Remember to get the sides covered also.

Place the cutlets on a well greased cookie sheet.

Pop these in the oven for 15-20 minutes (they'll be light golden brown), then take the cookie sheet out of the oven and turn them over. If you have teflon hands like me, you can do it with your fingers. If not, use a spatula. Place the sheet back in the oven for 10 more minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven and let the cutlets sit on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes as they firm up a bit while sitting. When my girls were little we ate these most every week. They loved them with catsup. I'm still partial to them that way.

See the roasted turnips? We ate an entire tray of turnips and a whole pound of tofu for lunch. Burp!

If you have leftovers, they heat up in a skillet just fine. Maybe someday I'll post how to make tofu at home. The process is pretty much the same as making the mozzarella I wrote about last weekend, but instead of using cows milk you make soymilk and use that! I even wrote a booklet called "60 Minutes To Tofu" many years ago. I think I have a copy in a desk drawer somewhere. Here's to "doing it yourself"!

Have a great week and stay warm!!

Making Mozzarella

2011-02-05T21:05:00.005-06:00

Had my sweet grand daughter Natalie here since Thursday. She's taken to calling herself Chef Andre whenever she is on the step stool in the kitchen helping me...don't ask me where she came up with that. Today she rode with me to pick up my raw milk and fell asleep a few miles into the ride. When I was pulling back into the driveway an hour later, she woke up and said, "Grandma! What about all the things we were supposed to do?" "You slept through it all!" I told her and she laughed. What a happy kid! She was supposed to help me make cheese, so the stool came out so she could reach the counter. After 2 minutes of nothing happening (milk heating on the stove is not very exciting), she went outside to pretend a stick was a sword. I watched her from the kitchen window, the kid who could have a good time in a paper bag, swinging the stick around and jumping through the air, a smile of pure joy on her sweet face. Boy, she makes my heart sing!

It was a bit different making cheese this week. First of all, putting tools down to photograph the process held things up a bit. But, once again the whole thing was quick and easy with a fabulous finished product. I am amazed all over again. So let's make mozzarella!

Start with a gallon of good milk. Define "good". Well, nothing ultra pasteurized...and did you know most all organic milk is ultra pasteurized? Sad, but true. Have you looked at the expiration date on a gallon of regular homogenized milk and a gallon of organic? The organic date is a week or more beyond the regular milk date, sometimes two! Kinda' seems to negate the purpose of buying organic milk if everything good in it is heated out of it. So don't use commercial organic milk. If you can find raw milk, I really think it is the best. If not, you may be able to find a local dairy that pasteurizes the milk, but not to the degree of ultra pasteurization. Or use regular homogenized milk...whole, 2%, even 1% will work, but try whole milk to start as the cheese will be more moist and flavorful. The other ingredients needed are citric acid, rennet and salt. That's it! Citric acid can be found at some health food stores or you can order it online. I got mine from Frontier Herbs (they sell to many health food stores) and it was pretty cheap-$4.95 for a pound. Since you only use 1 1/2 teaspoons per batch, it will make a lot of cheese! Rennet can be ordered online at http://www.cheesemaking.com/cheeserennets. (Don't use the Junket Rennet you find at the grocery store in the ice cream section. I have wasted milk trying to get this rennet to work. It is cut with other ingredients and is fine-I suppose-for a custard based ice cream, but not for cheese) Once again, rennet is pretty inexpensive- $6.50 for a box of about 10 tablets. You use only 1/4-1/2 tablet per batch.

Your first step is to pour your cold milk into a heavy bottomed 6-8 quart stainless pot.

Next, mix 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid with 1 cup of cool water. Stir it until it dissolves...maybe 30 seconds.

Add this to the milk and stir to distribute. Heat the milk over low heat until it reaches 90-95 degrees.

While the milk is heating, cut one rennet tablet in half.

Drop it in a 1/4 cup of cool water and stir until it dissolves, about 1 minute.

When the milk reaches 90 degrees, take the pot off the stove and, while gently stirring, add the rennet liquid. Stir for about 30 seconds and then cover the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. When you lift the cover off, the pot will look like a pot of milk until you touch it. Wow! It is kinda' solid! You can see in the second picture where my hand left an imprint! The curd will be "floating" in some yellowish liquid which is the whey. Yeah, curds and whey, just like in Miss Muffet.

If it is not this solid, just let it sit a few more minutes. Now, take a stainless steel knife that reaches to the bottom of the pan and cut through the curd in lines one way and then the other to make about 1 inch squares.

Place the pot back on the stove over low heat and, with a slotted spoon, stir the curds slowly and gently, bringing the curds together over and over. They will start to get somewhat cohesive after a few minutes. You want to heat the curds to 105-110 degrees.

When it reaches 105-110 degrees, take the pan off the heat and stir all the curds towards one side of the pan over and over to form a mass. Then scoop the curds into a glass bowl.

Put on a pair of food service gloves (you can buy a box of these at Costco or Sam's for $4 or so-they are handy for all sorts of jobs) and start kneading the cheese like you would bread. The whey will separate, so pour the whey back in the big pot.

Place the bowl of cheese in the microwave for 1 minute. When you take it out it will be shiny and HOT. Knead it until more whey comes off. The whey that comes off after microwaving is milkier looking. More white than yellow and not clear.

Knead for a minute more and then microwave again for about 30 seconds. When it comes out of the microwave, add the salt and knead it in and then fold it in half and under a few times. The top will be smooth and shiny and it will be quite firm and stretchy. You can pull it into a long rope!

At this point, I usually pinch off some small pieces and fold them into balls for bocconcini, which I then marinate in some good extra virgin olive oil, fresh rosemary sprigs, diced sun dried tomatoes and fresh ground black pepper. These are great over rosemary flatbread or a good crusty french bread. Or pop one on a crostini and broil for a minute until melted and creamy. Top with a sun dried tomato piece and YUM!

The remaining mozzarella can be placed in a tub of water and refrigerated. Eat within a few days. It's great sliced over a home made pizza or diced into tiny pieces and tossed with hot pasta along with some olive oil and fresh ground black pepper. It melts ever so slightly and makes a cheesy, gooey "sauce".

Experiment with the time you spend kneading and draining the whey as you can make the cheese silkier and more moist by kneading off less whey. I might have kneaded off too much this time as it is quite firm, but still delicious. I think I would like it softer like my batch last week.

Here's the recipe:

Fresh Mozzarella

1 gallon milk-fresh raw or homogenized-NOT ultra pasteurized

1 1/2 teaspoon citric acid

1/2 rennet tablet

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Pour your cold milk into a heavy bottomed 6-8 quart stainless pot. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid with 1 cup of cool water. Stir until it dissolves. Add this to the milk and stir to distribute. Heat the milk over low heat until it reaches 90-95 degrees. While the milk is heating, place the 1/2 rennet tablet in a 1/4 cup of cool water and stir until it dissolves, about 1 minute. When the milk reaches 90-95 degrees, take the pot off the stove and, while gently stirring, add the rennet liquid. Stir for about 30 seconds and then cover the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. When you remove the lid, check to see how "set" the curd is. If it is not very solid, let it sit a few more minutes. Take a stainless steel knife that reaches to the bottom of the pan and cut through the curd in lines one way and then the other to make about 1 inch squares. Place the pot back on the stove over low heat and, with a slotted spoon, stir the curds slowly and gently, bringing the curds together over and over. They will start to get somewhat cohesive after a few minutes. You want to heat the curds to 105-110 degrees. Take the pan off the heat and stir all the curds towards one side of the pan over and over to form a mass. Then scoop the curds into a glass bowl. Knead the cheese like you would bread. The whey will separate, so pour it off back in the big pot. Place the bowl of cheese in the microwave for 1 minute. When you take it out it will be shiny and HOT. Knead it until more whey comes off. The whey that comes off after microwaving is more white than yellow and not clear. Knead for a minute more and then microwave again for about 30 seconds. When it comes out of the microwave, add the salt and knead it in and then fold it in half and under a few times. The top will be smooth and shiny and it will be quite firm and stretchy. Tear off small pieces to make bocconcini or dunk the whole cheese in some ice water to cool quickly and then store in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap. Eat it within a few days for best quality.

I hope you will try this recipe as it is so easy and fun...something you can really get your hands into-and later your teeth! It shouldn't take longer than an hour start to finish. Last week was 45 minutes-this week, with taking pictures and kneading too much-took an hour. Let me know how it works for you! Good luck!

Easy Rosemary Flatbread

2011-01-30T19:43:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a most perfect day. Forget that it was sunny and almost 75 degrees...the best part was that it was so full of socializing with many wonderful folks! It started with one of Scott's clients, James, showing up in the morning to see his bike. The infamous bike on which Scott broke his collarbone after hitting a deer over a year ago on the way home from a show where said bike won first place in its' class! He had finished the restoration that very week and it was sweet. Not so much after the intimate encounter with the deer. James was in Dallas for work this week and rented a car to make the 5 hour drive to the ranch to have a visit (and a test drive) with his bike. We'd never met James although Scott had many phone conversations with him and we were pleasantly surprised at what a great guy he was. If anything, we were sad his visit was so short! We look forward to seeing him again sometime soon. Mid day, I headed to Comfort to pick up my milk and visit a new thrift store in nearby Center Point named "Little Shop of Hoarders". Great name, huh? It's owned by a friend of mine, Holly. I hadn't seen Holly in quite a long time until we sat together at a funeral a few weeks ago. She told me about her store and I couldn't wait to check it out. It is jam packed full of all kinds of stuff-my favorite kind of store- and it felt like a treasure hunt! I came away with a really heavy flannel shirt for Scott, a great stained glass window for the new kitchen and a killer pair of earrings! I returned home and decided I wanted to make a batch of mozzarella. I had an extra gallon of raw milk and have been wanting to try my hand at cheese. Since we were expecting another of Scott's clients in the late afternoon I thought it would be a nice snack for all of us. I printed out the recipe and from the time I pulled the milk out of the fridge to Scott tasting the finished cheese was 45 minutes!! Phenomenally easy and way better than store bought! The better than store bought didn't surprise me, but the easy part really did! Why haven't I been doing this for years?? I plan on making more next week and will photograph the process and write a post on it, so start hunting down some good milk NOW! So I had this beautiful glob (elegant word, yes?) of still warm mozzarella and I told Scott, "I wish we had some crackers to go with it..." when I remembered some rosemary crackers I'd made a month ago for a client dinner. I threw all the ingredients in my mixer and 5 minutes later the dough was done and resting. I saw Mario's car drive up the driveway with another car following. When the two cars parked, all these people started tumbling out. Who ARE all those people? I walked out to the driveway and Mario introduced me to his mother and father, his brother and his girlfriend, and his sister along with his wife Eva, whom I had met last year. Mario's family had surprised him for his birthday by traveling all the way from Uruguay for a big celebration. What an amazing family! While they visited with Scott, I went back to the kitchen, preheated the oven to 475 degrees and rolled out ping pong sized balls of the dough. So easy, quick and incredibly delicious. And with a couple bottles of red wine and some fresh mozzarella, it made a special treat. An impressive snack for an impromptu soiree!

The recipe halves beautifully, but I wouldn't do that if I were you as you'll regret it!

Here's the step by step in pictures with the recipe following.
Mix flour, salt, baking powder, pepper and fresh rosemary in the bowl of a mixer-you can also mix this in a bowl by hand.

Add olive oil and water and mix until a soft dough forms.

Form dough into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. I have a pizza stone that stays in my oven all the time for bread baking. If you don't own a pizza stone, place a rimless cookie sheet in the oven or turn a rimmed one upside down. Let it heat up with the oven.

Cut dough into 8-10 pieces.

Roll each piece out on a lightly floured board until it is very thin.

Place the flatbreads two at a time on a parchment lined upside down cookie sheet or a pizza peel.

When the oven reaches 475 degrees, slide the parchment onto the pizza stone or cookie sheet in the oven. Bake for 5-8 minutes until the flatbread is golden brown and crisp.

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Stack them up as you pull them out of the oven.

You can place them on a platter whole or break them into cracker sized pieces.

I may never buy crackers again!!!

Here is the recipe:

Easy Flatbread with Fresh Rosemary

3 3/4 cup unbleached flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt + more for sprinkling on top

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

2-3 Tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

1 cup water

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for brushing on top

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a pizza stone or a rimless cookie sheet or a rimmed cookie sheet turned upside down in the oven. Place flour, kosher salt, baking powder, black pepper and rosemary in the bowl of a mixer. Mix for 10 seconds to distribute ingredients. Add water and olive oil and mix until a soft dough forms. Form dough into a ball and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut dough into 8-10 pieces and roll each piece out very thin. Place two flatbreads at a time on a parchment topped cookie sheet and slide them into the oven. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat with remaining flatbreads.

Pearls of Wisdom

2011-01-15T13:16:00.002-06:00

I have been attempting to clean all the "memorabilia" off the fridge...you know, all the pics of friends' kids (and our own kids), magnets from the recycling center, wedding invitations that were too cute to throw away. It is a cluttered mess. As I was removing it all, I came across a small piece of paper. I was rather surprised to realize it had been on the fridge almost 10 years! It came off Scott's fridge in his house in Kerrville. I met Scott 11 years ago (in fact it was 11 years on 1/11/11!). He had a cute little house in Kerrville where he lived with 2 of his 3 children. When he moved out to the ranch, this small scrap of paper came with him. I am going to tuck it away in a memory box, but I wanted to post it here.

Stay loose. Learn to watch snails. Plant impossible gardens.

Invite someone dangerous to tea. Make little signs that say

YES! and post them all over your house. Make friends with

freedom and uncertainty. Look forward to dreams.

Cry during movies. Swing as high as you can on a swingset,

by moonlight. Refuse to "be responsible". Do it for love.

Take lots of naps. Give money away. Do it now. The money

will follow. Believe in magic. Laugh a lot. Celebrate every

gorgeous moment. Take moonbaths. Have wild imaginings,

transformative dreams and perfect calm. Draw on walls.

Read everyday. Imagine yourself magic. Giggle with children.

Listen to old people. Open up. Dive in. Be free. Bless

yourself. Drive away fear. Play with everything. You are

innocent. Build a fortress with blankets. Get wet. Hug trees.

Write love letters. Pay attention to pearls of wisdom.

In so many ways, these words are Scott. As I removed it from the fridge and re-read it, it made me smile.

I know it is this type of thing that made me fall in love with my husband. He is fun and young at heart.

And he makes my life really fun. I couldn't ask for much more.

Making Borscht with Anastasia

2011-01-10T16:40:00.002-06:00

Scott and I recently became acquainted with a wonderful young Russian couple, Evgeny and Anastasia. Evgeny, being a civil engineer back in Russia, has been advising us on our plans for a wood burning oven. Last Saturday morning, Anastasia came over to teach me how to make borscht. When she gave me the grocery list earlier in the week, I was confused. Being Lithuanian, I ate my share of borscht as a child. My grandmother made it fairly regularly along with pirogues and potato kugele (yes, I come by these hips naturally). Beef, potatoes and tomato paste were on her list along with other things I didn't remember in my childhood borscht. When I questioned her, Anastasia told me that there is ANOTHER soup in Russia simply known as Beet Soup that is what I was describing. Maybe that will be a different cooking lesson!

This soup is the perfect vehicle for all the wonderful vegetables available in the winter...beets, carrots, cabbage, onions, potatoes. On the grocery list it simply said Beef, so I thawed some of our grass fed ground beef. When Anastasia saw it she asked if I had a chunk of beef..."maybe with a bone?". The closest I had thawed was a chunk of buffalo without a bone. She said that would do. A week earlier when waxing poetic about Anastasia's terrific borscht, Evgeny said that it could be made with any meat, but beef was the best. Anastasia seconded this opinion and said that in "cheap" restaurants in Russia they make it with chicken, but that they might as well leave the meat out, it was so terrible. So buffalo it was. We started off by browning the buffalo meat in a bit of olive oil in a large soup pot. We then added a gallon of water and simmered the buffalo while we prepped the veggies. The beets were peeled and cut in large matchsticks, the carrots sliced in rounds and the onions diced. These were all sauteed in olive oil in a skillet. Look at those beautiful beet greens! Anastasia said they sometimes add the greens to the soup, but these went back in the fridge to be sauteed with garlic and added to white beans later in the week.

Anastasia added a few Tablespoons apple cider vinegar to the beets, carrots and onions. The kitchen filled with an incredible smell. I almost abandoned the idea of soup at this point just so I could have a bowl of these veggies! Garlic cloves were diced and added to the beet/carrot/onion mixture and it was kept over medium heat until just tender. Anastasia then diced the cabbage and added it to the beef pot.

I fished the beef chunks out of the pot and cut them in smaller, more manageable pieces then sent them back to the soup pot. At this point we realized the soup pot was a bit too small! We made ALOT of soup! After mixing in a can of tomato paste to the soup pot, the beet mixture was added.

We cut the potatoes in large chunks, added them to the soup and upped the heat a bit until it was barely simmering. Anastasia sent me to the garden to gather some fresh oregano while she seasoned the soup liberally with salt, pepper, paprika and chipotle, which I'm sure isn't what they use in Russia, but I didn't have cayenne. As we talked and cleaned up the kitchen, the soup bubbled away on the stove. It wasn't long before the potatoes were tender.

I sliced some green onions and got some homemade yogurt out of the fridge. Sour cream is the traditional topping, but I always sub yogurt for it in recipes and it always works great. It was perfect for this soup.

Scott and I finished off the leftovers for lunch today and it was just as tasty as Saturday. I think I will be making this soup often this winter and into the spring. Here is the recipe:

Anastasia's Borscht

2 pounds beef (short ribs would be excellent here)

3 Tablespoons olive oil

4 large beets, peeled and diced

5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced in rounds

1 large or 2 medium onions, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic

1/2 pound of cabbage, diced (more if desired)

1 pound potatoes (about 4 small), peeled and cut in large dice

1-12 ounce can tomato paste

2-3 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1-5 inch sprig fresh oregano, leaves chopped (or 2 teaspoon dried)

2-3 Tablespoons kosher salt (if using regular salt, use less)

2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or ground cayenne

2 teaspoon good paprika

Plain yogurt or sour cream (for topping)

2 green onions, green part sliced (for topping)

In large soup pot, brown beef in 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat until browned on all sides. Add 1 gallon water and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and saute beets, carrots and onions until barely tender. Add vinegar and garlic and saute 5 minutes more. Add tomato paste and cabbage to beef and stir well to mix. Add beet/carrot/onion mixture to beef and cabbage and stir to mix. Add potatoes and let soup simmer for 15 minutes. Add oregano, salt, pepper, basil, paprika and chipotle or cayenne and stir to mix. Let soup simmer an additional 10 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Taste a piece of potato to check for doneness. Top with plain yogurt or sour cream and chopped green onions.

Apple Dumplings for Dinner

2010-12-10T21:28:00.002-06:00

I finished my last day of work yesterday until after Christmas. It was a good day-lunch with Marta and Lily, a quick visit with Natalie and then home, sweet home to Scott. Just us. Alone. It's been a LONG time since we've had an evening alone, what with Honor and Lily living with us for the last few months. Honor started school in San Marcos Monday (I delivered her there myself) and Lily went to a Christmas party with her dad last night. To celebrate our kidless evening, we decided to have a decadent dinner of warm apple dumplings with caramel sauce. When my girls were little, on cold winter days, I would sometimes welcome them home from school with warm apple dumplings. It's comfort food for us.

I thought I would post a short tutorial on making apple dumplings here. They are SO easy and really, really tasty. On my website, The Teaching Kitchen there is a tutorial on making pie dough. It's a great recipe and I make it in the food processor. I use coconut oil and butter instead of Crisco and it adds a wonderful flavor. So start with some pie crust. I usually make 3 apple dumplings out of one crust recipe. Double the recipe and you can make 6! The dumplings freeze well if all you want to bake off is 2 or 3. To process the apples I use a apple corer/peeler. You can buy them at department stores and online. I got mine at Dooley's in Fredericksburg years ago. I have 2 of them and they are great for making apple pies, but especially for apple dumplings! Easy and quick! If you don't have a corer/peeler, just peel and core the apples by hand.

Pretty straightforward kitchen gadget...simply pull back the bar with the 3 prongs on the end, push the apple onto the prongs and turn the handle to simultaneously core and peel the apple!

It cuts the apple in a spiral that holds together. For pies, I simply cut the apple in thirds and it falls into beautiful slices. For dumplings, I leave them intact.

Using a piece of pie dough a bit larger than a golf ball, roll it out and place an apple in the middle.

Fill the center with a cinnamon-brown sugar mixture-you can use white sugar and cinnamon, but I like the caramel flavor from brown sugar.

Dot the cinnamon sugar with a bit of butter and then fold up the dough around the apple to seal.

I like to add a leaf and stem to the top-just for fun.

Place the dumplings in a greased baking pan and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the pan has a bit of juice in the bottom.

I've come to love Goat's Milk Caramel Spread, also called Cajeta. Our local grocery, HEB, has their own brand and the stuff is dangerous. The ingredients are: Goat Milk, Sugar and Glucose. It is great warmed and poured over pie or as a caramel sauce on these dumplings.

You can freeze the unbaked dumplings-indeed, I made 4 and froze 2 of them-and then bake them straight out of the freezer. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, but start to check at an hour. There are so many possibilities here...think about the fillings...chestnut paste, almond paste (I've rolled out almond paste and wrapped the apples in it first and THEN the pastry-amazing!), currants and ground walnuts mixed with cinnamon sugar...I could go on and on.

There is a new restaurant open downtown on Houston Street. John Besh, of Lüke New Orleans fame has opened a Lüke in San Antonio. Marta lives a half block down the street from the restaurant and has eaten there a number of times. She says it is amazing. The other night she went to a party there and met John Besh. She will kill me for posting this, but I like the picture so much. It makes me smile.

Other news on the homefront:

LILY IS MOVING TO AUSTRALIA!!!

She is leaving the states December 27th to fly to Australia to be an au pair for a year. She is seriously stoked about this new adventure and I am really excited for her. She will have 2 sweet girls to take care of, Ella and Amber, ages 2 and 4. Scott has many friends in Australia so we are sending her with a long contact list so she can travel a bit and have some fun on her time off.

We finally got our bee hive. I kept putting it off because so much was going on around here, but last weekend we loaded it in our neighbors truck and got it to our house. Today, I placed our Meyer lemon tree near it. The tree has been in the house (it's in a pot) for about 2 weeks to keep it from freezing. During that time it has begun blooming like mad and the whole house was filled with its perfume! I thought the bees would like it and within a minute of setting it a few feet from the hive it was buzzing with activity!

And of course, no news from the ranch is complete without an update on our pig, Kevin.

After a weeks worth of compost from our Thanksgiving extravaganza (sometimes TWO 5 gallon buckets a night!!) he almost doubled in size. He still thinks he's a pet and wants to play, but he can almost knock me down and I watch my feet when I am in his pen lest he step on one. Today, while I was in his pen, I threw a stick out of the way and he chased after it and brought it back to me in his mouth. I couldn't belive it. He carried it around for a few minutes until he lost interest.

He is almost as tall as Sophie and weighs considerably more.

That's all for now. Hope your Holiday plans are going well. I am seriously unprepared, but hope to pull it all together in the next week. We are taking a short trip to Albuquerque with a stop at our friend Richie's hot springs hotel in Truth or Consequences, FireWater Lodge. Ahhh, to sit in the huge thermal tub in our room and melt for a few days! It will fix all our aches and pains! G'night!

So Much To Be Thankful For...

2010-11-20T21:37:00.000-06:00

Well, tomorrow begins my annual Thanksgiving Cooking Week and I am really excited. It has been a busy November, with our pig Kevin (actually his name is Kevin Bacon) growing like...well, like a pig! I decided this week that we had to stop treating him like a pet. Whenever we went into his pen to feed him, we would let him out for a bit...sometimes to go for a walk with me...no kidding, he'd trot behind me about 1/4 mile before he tuckered out. The other day I went to change his water and he wanted out. I didn't want him out. When I locked the gate behind me, he squealed and squealed like I was beating him. Spoiled baby he is. Sophie and Kevin are great friends. Sophie thinks Kevin is a dog.

This week will be intense. One hundred hours is not unusual as we leave the house before the sun rises and get home well after dark. But it is like a festival, a family reunion and a church revival all rolled into one! This year, I've published a cookbook to give as a gift for all the folks attending. It contains many of the recipes I've made over the seven years of cooking at the Ranch. Its title is "Celebrating Cypress Springs" and I am quite intrigued with the process of creating a cookbook. I see more in my future...I have plans for 2011 already! Here's to cooking and writing and being thankful for a good life! Happy Thanksgiving!

Cologne and Heidelberg and HOME!

2010-10-22T15:24:00.002-05:00

Cologne is a big city; but from Bergisch Gladbach, where Lothar and Renate live, it looks like it is growing out of a thick forest. Lots of green space.

Lothar took us on a "tour" of Bergisch Gladbach...an old paper mill (a town with lots of trees and water is perfect for the paper industry) where we saw paper actually being made-and brought some home, a castle built to resemble Versailles-but on a smaller scale (and it is now a SPA!), and a hotel which was once a private home that LOOKS like a small castle.

An original paper machine from the early 1900's.

The mini Versailles

Schlosshotel Lerbach

The town is like a movie set-so much green and some very cool architecture. Houses are tall and narrow, small footprints with lots of square footage, much like in Rotterdam. Here in the States it seems we like SPRAWL, especially here in Texas, but then we have lots of space (or the illusion of). Lothar and Renate's house was so comfortable. They incorporated many interesting touches when they had it built. They have two sons; Lukas,12 and Sebastian, 14 who kept us laughing!

The door to Lukas' bedroom. "Danger! Teenager in Puberty!"

One afternoon Renate and I were sitting outside on the patio having coffee. Sebastian came out and was visiting with us when Renate realized she had to pick up Lukas. She told Sebastian, "Learn some English from Diane..." When she left Sebastian looked at me and said, "I'll teach you German!" and for the next 30 minutes we walked around the yard and he taught me the German words for things and I taught him English. It was a blast and we were both surprised how many words were similar.

Renate and Lothar Esser

We had such a great visit with Renate and Lothar. Renate walked me to her parents' home, just a few doors down and I got to "tour" their house. The backyard was like an arboretum, with so many different varieties of flowers, shrubs and trees in addition to a pond and a sweet, tiny "garden house" where they sometimes spent evenings visiting with friends. It was very interesting to note that Lothar and Renate both grew up in this town-in Renate's case just a few doors away-and how common this is. They still, on a regular basis, see friends with whom they went to elementary school. You just don't find that much in the States.

The train ride from Cologne to Heidelberg was sweet. We traveled for a great distance along the Rhine river and it was fascinating to see how many castles were built on the hills overlooking the river. There were many fields of cropland going straight up hills and I was surprised to see some of the plantings were vertical, not horizontal! Excuse this pic as it was taken from the train window.

It also surprised me how close these houses were to the Rhine!

We got to the Heidelberg train station and had to catch a bus to our hotel. I was in Heidelberg to work, so the hotel was not of my choosing. We were booked at the Heidelberg Holiday Inn and it was a way out of town. After checking in, we asked about a place to eat and the guy at the front desk told us, "There is one place-a Croatian reaturant about 3 blocks away." and he pointed out the door across the street to the woods. Oh, really? We took off, strolling down a sidewalk that wound through the trees and sure enough, there it was, Restaurant Makedonia. Not Croatian, but Macedonian food and it was incredible! We ate dinner there three nights in a row and every night marveled at how everything was perfectly cooked and how large the portions were. By the third evening, when we walked in the door, the waiters laughed. I was working with Army doctors and the first day was brutal...we met at 6:30 for breakfast, and after a short drive to the base we were working by 7:15. It was after 6 when we finished and I was exhausted when I got back to our room. Scott had been at the track all day with Lothar, who had driven down with Lukas from Cologne. We ate dinner at Makedonia and turned in early, as I expected the next day to be a copy of the first. Thankfully, we finished up around 1 in the afternoon, so when I returned to the hotel Scott and I took off to see "Old Heidelberg". What an afternoon. Strangely, Old Heidelberg felt so familiar. I kept thinking (and feeling) I had been there before. It was a dreary, drizzly day and we walked the cobblestone streets arm in arm, sometimes with our hoods pulled up, enjoying our time alone immensely. Our trip was coming to an end and we were trying to draw our time out.

The University Library

a cobblestone alleyway

We went to a mini Renaissance Faire and kept thinking of our daughter Molly who, along with her husband Keith, is a Rennie devotee. We ate a snack of spit roasted pork on a bed of saurkraut (we were in Germany after all), but the cool thing was it was served in an edible bowl which tasted like an ice cream cone.

Then we got coffee and cake from another booth. I thought this set-up was ingenious! A shelf with Melitta type coffee pour-throughs sitting over holes in the shelf and coffee cups placed beneath. You've got to see it to understand:

The hand made pottery cups sat in recesses on the bottom shelf. It was an entertaining faire and great for people watching. An intriguing wood fired oven:

Obviously VERY portable with those heavy duty casters!

We walked the 300+ steps up to the castle and I was struck once again by an eerie familiarity.

The castle from below.

Taken from the steps up to the castle...a bit more than halfway there!

A cool house on the way to the castle

The castle was huge. This is only a small part of it.

I thought it was cool how, because this part of the tower broke off, you could glimpse inside.

The view from the castle looking down on Heidelberg and the bridge over the Neckers River.

It was lovely-even though partially in ruin-and the rainy weather seemed somehow appropriate.

We went back to the hotel and packed our bags to head to Paris to spend one night before flying home.

Our night in Paris was uneventful. A bland hotel near the airport and an average dinner. We got to the airport and while checking in our bags were told that the tickets we were holding were invalid and we did not, in fact, have a flight! Excuse me? After more than an hour in line, and already too late to catch our original flight, we were booked on a direct flight home. We could spend our time leisurely, going through security and drinking coffee. Our rebooked flight was only partially full, so they gave us a seat in an emergency aisle (these seats usually cost 70 Euros more!) so Scott could stretch out. It was a pretty comfortable flight and we were glad it worked out as it did, even if we did have a moment of initial panic!

Now, home three weeks, it has been non-stop. Not only playing catch-up, but with all sorts of new developments.

Cal and Leslie, our "vagabond" friends, who stopped by for a visit a few days after we returned from vacation.

We have had guests at the house 2 1/2 weeks out of the last three and now have a full house for what looks like the next 4-6 weeks. We have a sweet 23 year old, Honor Holly, living with us until she starts school in November. Honor was born in this house and moved away when she was about 2 years old. It has been fun having her around and she keeps us laughing with her sunny outlook on life. Lily has also moved back home after two weeks in Dallas. Lily and Honor are crazy funny together and it is working out well to have them here at the same time. They occupy the entire second floor of the house-each with their own bedrooms-and I try not to even venture up there. They help us out around the ranch-they have been baking cookies most all day today for the Harvest Classic and will be washing dishes there all day tomorrow!

We got a baby pig this morning. We have named him Bacon and he will eventually feed us. At this point he is as cute as can be! Love the curly tail! He's pretty friendly and snorts if you scratch his nose.

Next week, we will set up a bee hive.Yeah, life moves on here at the ranch and at this point it sure doesn't feel like a "Half Fast Life"...it feels like full speed ahead! But man, is it fun. Can't imagine it any other way!

Bassano del Grappa, Italy

2010-09-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

The train trip from Latina to Rome, Rome to Padua and Padua to Bassano was uneventful except for Scott being sick as a dog. He was not much of a conversationalist-he slept most of the day. So I wrote and read and watched the scenery pass by.

Bassano del Grappa is a picturesque town on the banks of the Brenta River. It sits at the base of the Dolomites, a majestic mountain range that themselves sit at the base of the Alps. I love this town. We traveled through Bassano on a motorcycle trip last year and vowed to return.

We checked in to Hotel Brennero, probably the most comfortable hotel we’ve had this whole trip with a spacious room and a shower AND bathtub.

At 75 Euros a night (about $100) it was also one of the most reasonable-in comparison we paid 79 Euros a night in Milan for a cramped-albeit clean-hostel/hotel room in a part of town packed with sex shops and massage parlours! There was a big celebration going on in Bassano the Sunday afternoon we arrived. Actually, it was just winding down, but some folks were determined to party the night away…right under our 3rd floor window. Scott immersed himself in the bathtub while I unpacked a bit and then, amidst singing and hollering, we went to sleep. The next morning Scott was feeling much better and we set out to explore the town. Bassano is set up very logically with most of the concentration of shops and city offices in one area. It is very easy to get around on foot…indeed most of the locals seem to walk or ride bicycles around town.

The town is known for its grappa-a spirit made from the skin of grapes. You’d think we’d had enough with all the alcohol in Latina, but we had already planned on touring the Poli Grappa Museum. It was fascinating, showing some types of very early distillers (stills) and, after tasting several varieties, we bought a few bottles to bring home. There were great food shops with porcini mushrooms-dried and fresh, several types of honey and burlap sacks full of beans, peas, lentils and rice. There were a few cartography shops-Bassano having one of the earliest printing companies in the area. The papers and cards were beautifully printed with centuries old designs. And the gelatarias were some of the best we’ve encountered. We had a pine nut gelato that rivaled any gelato we’ve ever eaten.

Bassano’s houses a UNESCO site with one of the Italian Military War Memorials atop Mt. Grappa (about 30 km away). We rode up Mt. Grappa last year (a gripping ride up the side of a very steep mountain which, to Scott’s chagrin, pretty much made me swear off motorcycles) and saw the Memorial from afar. The site entombs about 30,000 soldiers, with over 12,000 being unknown soldiers. The town itself has shrines and some will break your heart. Scott and I were walking down a beautiful tree lined boulevard overlooking the river when he pointed out flower pots planted with cyclamins at eye level on every tree. I looked closer and saw they were mini memorials. The flower pots were attached to ceramic plaques that encircled the tree trunks. On each plaque was the name of a fallen soldier. What was striking however, was a noose painted under each soldiers’ name. The men named were hung on this street 60 odd years ago. It was a sad reminder of the cost of war.

We spent 2 days and three nights in Bassano and it was not near enough. We walked all over town and shopped and ate some great meals. Scott felt better every day and by our last day in Italy we realized it was not a hangover, but he was battling an upper respiratory infection. We stopped in a farmacia in the center of town and I told them my husband had a sore throat. They brought out some propolis spray and a homeopathic remedy for sore throat/chest congestion. Although I felt we were a few days late for using these, I bought both and he took them on the spot. These shops are actual pharmacies and you can have a prescription filled here, but it's nice their first line of defense is homeopathic. We had to get up real early our last morning in Bassano to catch a 5:30 train to Cologne, Germany. We were on trains for 12 hours that day. It gave me time to read a bit, relax, catch up on writing. I know I've said it a hundred times, but I do so love the trains.

An empty train station at 5:30 a.m.

The ride from Bassano to Cologne was magnificent-first through the Dolomite Mountains and then through the Alps. It was chilly outside and the train was cozy. We passed thickly forested mountain tops and big lakes. Sweet alpine towns and industrial areas. We took lots of pictures out the train window.

At 5:30 that evening we entered the Cologne Central Station.

We were here to spend 2 days with Lothar Esser and his family: his wife Renate and his two sons; Sebastian, 14 and Lukas, 12.

Latina Part Two

2010-09-27T10:54:00.002-05:00

After leaving the beach, Nuncio drove to a house close by where a number of his friends were having a get together. We met his girlfriend Rita and many other folks and we were immediately drawn in and given seats at the large table. There was much talk and attempts to communicate. They were friendly and happy and brought us out plates with chocolate ice cream on them. Scott took a bite and told me, “Chocolate but something else…” I tried it and grinned, “Chocolate and chilis!” Everyone smiled and nodded their heads. We were soon back in the car heading towards Stella’s home. As we sped along, I kept seeing fennel growing by the side of the road-not the bulbous vegetable, but the herb. When we got back to the family compound, I walked down the street hoping to pick some. I had walked about a block when I saw Ramona behind me. I turned around to join her and we walked about a block the other way. She told me that during a 3 week vacation to see Claudio’s parents when Daniela was in kindergarten, the school in Houston was threatening a truancy charge, so Ramona enrolled Daniela in kindergarten in Latina for 3 weeks. School was from 8-12 and then 2-4 and Daniela would attend for only the morning hours. It was kindergarten so the language barrier was not much of a problem-play is play in any language. Daniela loved it. The Latina school signed a paper showing attendance and Houston was satisfied.

By the time we made it back to the house, it was time to head next door for dinner. It was dark by now and as we walked down the steps to the driveway separating the two houses, I could see the glow of the fire on the grill. An ingenious design, the grill was simply a masonry platform built up along the front edge only one brick high. The back was much higher and the fire was built along one side of the tall back wall and the hot coals were shoveled under the cooking surface-a metal grate that stood on legs about 6” high. The entire thing was waist high and from the other side just looked like a brick wall. As we arrived the chicken pieces and sausage were just being removed from the fire and mountains of steaks were ready to be grilled. We stood around the grill drinking red wine out of plastic cups.

Even though this pic is out of focus, I like it!

I had brought along a jar of my chipotle bar-b-que sauce to share and I carried it to the kitchen. Stella, Mariuccia and a beautiful, young pregnant woman were all standing in the kitchen talking. I was introduced to Sara, Umberto’s wife. Umberto is one of Claudio’s nephews. Soon the food from the grill entered the dining room on huge platters and crusty bread, bowls of green salad and marinated roasted peppers with capers were placed on the table. Wine bottles were set out and everyone claimed a seat. The meal was uproarious with many conversations going on at the same time and wine bottles being emptied and replaced.

Much laughter and teasing and I found it all achingly sweet to see this large, loving family together. I leaned over and whispered to Scott, “Isn’t this like dinner when all the kids are home?” “No,” he laughed, “the kids argue more!” The table was cleared and bowls of large grapes, plums and melon slices were set out. The Sardinian cookie tin from lunch was once again opened.

Two bottles were brought to the table-one was labeled Passtino and the other Prungna. “Try?” Pietro asked, and of course I nodded yes. The amber colored passtino was a perfect after dinner drink; sweet, rich and syrupy. The flavor was familiar, reminding me of the Torcolato we bring home from Italy each year. I was told it was made from the grapes that are “passed over”, therefore a bit dried when finally picked and processed into wine. This accounts for a sweeter and I think more complex flavor. Really delicious! Next the Prungna, a prune alcohol that tasted quite a bit stronger and not near as sweet. They laughed when my eyes opened wide and I made motions as if breathing fire! I remember other bottles, a clear liquid that made my eyes water and then some limoncello, but by this time, I had lost count of what or how much we were drinking. And Scott was way beyond me.

When my head hit my pillow that night, the room spun a bit before I fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning was rushed, with showers and getting our bags together to make an 8:00 train to Rome. I could tell Scott was hurting-he hunched over his espresso like his whole body ached although I suspected it was mostly his head. It was a bittersweet good-bye. I was so glad we got to meet this extraordinary family, yet I wished we could have stayed longer. Stella handed me a bag of plums off her tree to eat on the train and as I hugged her good-bye, she looked up at me and said, “Me lika you.” With tears in my eyes I told her, “Me lika you, too!”

Our New Family in Latina Part One

2010-09-19T12:48:00.004-05:00

18 Sept 2010 19:44

We left Milan at 8:15 a.m. on a fast train for Rome. The plan had been to tour Rome for a few hours before catching the train for Latina and connecting with Claudio, our friend from Houston and his Italian family. But once in Rome, we were laden with luggage (and we have relatively little) and felt assaulted by a portly old woman outside the train station who kept lifting her skirt up to reveal her naked genitals. She would stand there with her skirt around her waist and yell and swish her buttocks back and forth. Not a pretty picture. We were sitting outside the station trying to eat lunch and finally put it all away and headed inside to catch a train an hour earlier than our original plan. We found a train leaving in about 15 minutes and headed to the platform. It was a regional train, meaning it was old and cramped and very full. We kept passing car after car looking in the window for a car that had some empty seats. We finally found one and stepped up into the train when we heard a very loud voice yell, "Hey!" We spun around and, lo and behold! there was Claudio! He and his wife Ramona had been on a Mediterranean cruise and were going to spend a week in Latina where Claudio's family lives. Like us, they also took a train other than the one they had planned on taking! We were supposed to meet up in Latina, but by some stroke of luck we found each other in the Rome Terminal! We followed Claudio down to their train car and settled in with him and Ramona, thrilled that we were together. Once in Latina we were met by Claudio's neice Francesca and nephew Davida in 2 separate cars to hold 4 passengers and LOTS of luggage. After 5 minutes at Claudio's family's home, I think I now know the real way to see Italy-spend time in the home of an Italian family. When we stayed with the Piero and Luisa Laverda two years ago for a few days, we were guests. Here, in Claudio’s family home, surrounded by siblings, nieces, nephews and his wonderful mother we are family and living and breathing the Italian lifestyle. Claudio is home. He talks 90 miles a minute and I catch every 5th word, so I smile wide and nod my head a lot. His mother Stella is lovely, 81 years old, sharp and active. She has smiling eyes and a gentle smile. When I showed her the picture I took of her and Claudio, she dropped her chin to her chest and muttered, “Old, old…”

I want to gather her up in my arms and hug her. I told her I was going to move in and that I would cook for her. I received a big smile in response. The homestead is really a compound. Claudio’s sister, Mariuccia and her husband, Pietro and two sons live next door. There is a large empty lot on the other side of Stella's house and, as we stood in the back yard I watched some gypsies wring the necks of about 8 chickens. Stella said something had been killing them so they must have decided to finish them off themselves.

Gypsies with their now dead chickens piled on the table!

Stella's sweet dog, Yogi. (I am probably spelling this wrong)

We were soon herded next door for lunch. Walking through the yard, there were plum and pomegranate trees, an olive tree full of olives, fruiting cactus, an apricot tree and a lemon tree with lemons as big as my fist.

We were welcomed into the dining room and soon a robust red wine was served. Massive plates of spaghetti were set before us and crusty bread was put out. I watched as Mariuccia diced a small red pepper onto Claudio’s pile of spaghetti. She looked at me and I held my plate out. “Picante” she said tentatively and I smiled wide and nodded my head, “Yes, I’m from Texas…picante is good…” She diced the pepper over my pasta. I scarfed down my entire plate…it was so phenomenally good and reinforced my thinking about food in Italy-Simple is Best. Claudio’s wife Ramona was sitting next to me and related a story about their last visit to Latina. Claudio’s father asked Ramona and her daughter, Daniela if they’d like to accompany him to town because he was out of cheese. They ended up at a local goat farm where they picked up their cheese and Daniela was allowed to pet the goats. “That is the reason,” Ramona told me, “all the food here tastes so good! Everything is unbelievably fresh!” Pietro had risen from the table and was puttering in the kitchen. He returned carrying a tray of sausage, wafer thin slices of prosciutto and chunks of braeseola. On a cutting board was a wedge of pale yellow cheese. The tray and board were passed around and we all filled our plates again. More bread was torn from the loaves and we commenced to eat. As we emptied wine bottles, more were brought to the table. Our glasses were never empty. There was lots of conversation and a particular point would be made by waving a finger, a chunk of bread or a fork in the air. The laughter was infectious and although most of the time I couldn’t understand what was being said, I laughed along. Pietro once again left the table and returned with a plate filled with huge slices of yellow melon. It had a sweet, creamy flavor and after much discussion it was decided it would have been better in a day or two. I thought it was delicious…I couldn’t imagine what transformation it would go through had we waited to cut it. Pietro wouldn’t sit still and jumped from his chair again to grab some small cut glass cups and a large tin which he set in the middle of the table. He then went to the freezer and took out a bottle frosted from the cold. The liquid inside was syrupy and brilliant yellow…ahhh, limoncello! I have been so enthralled with this delicious liqueur from past visits to Italy, I actually made a batch last year as gifts. Pietro filled the tiny glasses and took the lid off the tin. “From Sardinia.” He told us. Two kinds of cookies filled the tin. He pointed to the puffy golden rounds -“Amaretti” and then to the heavily iced irregularly shaped wafers, “Especial from Sardinia!” The amaretti were sweet and almond flavored. They were delicious between sips of the icy Limoncello. The other cookies were biscuit like. I didn’t know which I liked better. Espresso finished the meal. I was stuffed. Ramona cocked her head in my direction and whispered, “It’s hard to believe we’ll eat again in six hours!” When we returned to Stella’s home, Claudio’s brother Nuncio was there. He and Claudio demonstrated how to pick the cactus fruit and then Nuncio proceeded to peel some for us to taste.

It was decided we would pay a visit to the beach for the afternoon. Latina sits south of Rome and consists of three small towns. Latina Scalo is the farthest East and is where the train station is located. Latina (Latina proper) is the main town and where Claudio’s family live. Latina Lido is the beach town. As we drove through the streets, it began to rain. Nuncio drove with one hand on the wheel and the other gesturing to Claudio in the back seat. It made for an exciting ride. We drove along the beach road with the rolling waves of the Mediterranean on one side and small shops and restaurants on the other. The rainstorm had already moved through here and it was mostly deserted. We stopped at a small café that had a sign outside reading Gelato Artigianale. Really? After the meal we just had? Scott believes the major food groups in Italy are gelato, espresso, pasta and wine and he makes sure he indulges himself as often as is humanly possible. We ordered our scoops and Nuncio and Scott also ordered espresso. I had nocciola (hazelnut) gelato, my fall back flavor when yogurt or ginger or some other fairly exotic taste isn’t on the menu. We wandered to a table close to the street and ate and talked. I was itching to get to the water. Soon we crossed the street and walked down the sidewalk until we found a place to enter the beach. The sand was damp from the rain and I took off my shoes and walked to the waters edge. I stepped into the water and walked down the beach. Everyone else held back on the sand. The waves soaked the bottom of my pants and sand clung to the hem. I was in heaven. The waves rolled onto the beach. Claudio called after me, “You are such a hippie!” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was okay with me.

Nuncio, Claudio, Ramona and Scott

Photos

2010-09-17T13:48:00.001-05:00

Not a lot of time to write (and I know that's a good thing, 'cuz I've been wordy) so here's a bunch of pictures.

A typical train. I think this was from Holland to Southern Germany. They are very comfy.

Scott at the Muiderslot Castle in The Netherlands.

A falcon at the castle.

This big owl had deep yellow eyes. The young man who ran the falconry told us that if an owl has black eyes, he can see (and therefore hunts) at night. With yellow eyes, they see and hunt during the day. If they have orange eyes, they can see night AND day. This guy was really beautiful!

The Neuschwanstein Castle built by King Ludwig II-often called the Cinderella Castle because this is what the castle in Cinderella is based upon. It was pretty magnificent and quite a hike to get to it!

A building partway up the mountain on the way to the Cinderella Castle.

This castle occupied an adjacent hill and was built by King Ludwig II for his mother-in-law. It was called the Swan Castle.

Scott and I on a bridge by the Castle.

Some cool hinges on a garage down the hill from the Cinderella Castle. I never found out what purpose all the rocks on the roof served.

A gift from Cynthia-hand knitted socks! Was I ever glad for these, because the castle viewing day trip was a chilly one!

The Schloss Linderhof Castle also built by Ludwig II. He built many, many castles in a short period of time and then he died. There are different opinions on how he died...legend has it that he was murdered because all his castle building was bankrupting Bavaria! The inside of this one was totally bizarre...so much gold leaf that it made our eyes cross. Photographs were not allowed.

One of the beautiful flower beds at Schloss Linderhof.

The gazebo behind the castle. It is actually a waterfall.

The walkway up to the gazebo. We are going to build one of these walkways as soon as we get home. Yup, we're gonna' get right on it...

Dinner with Cynthia and Tom our last night at their house.

The "famous" Massimo Novelli, the man behind Motocicli Veloce in Milan. I am crazy about this guy! He is so sweet and reminds me so much of my son-in-law Justin, who I am ALSO crazy about!! We had a great visit with Massimo and Scott got lots of parts from him.

The little garden outside Massimo's shop. We want to recreate this at home also. It might be more reasonable to do than the covered walkway at the castle!

Massimo treated us to lunch at one of his hang outs, a restaurant named Aldo's. We called it the Che Cafe because of a wall of pictures of Che Guevara. This pasta dish was our first course, Pasta Arrabbiata. Spicy tomato and pepper sauce. Very tasty!

As a second course, Scott had the Coniglio Morto...which literally means Dead Rabbit. And it was.

A not very great photo of Emilio, Laurel's husband. All the pics from our visit came out foggy/faded-don't know why. We had a sweet visit with them both. Laurel whipped up a great snack tray while they put Scott to making martinis. Yum!

In the little blue bowl in the back of the tray Laurel had some tuna stuffed peppers...oh my...we bought more than half a kilo today to eat tomorrow on the train. Somehow, and I swear I don't know HOW this happened, the package got opened this evening and we found ourselves snacking on them...HELP! we can't stop!

Laurel with her martini...gee, how many olives are in that glass? Thanks guys for the lively conversation!

Tomorrow we head for a quick trip (just overnight) to Latina, a town just southwest of Rome to visit our friends Claudio and Ramona. They live in Houston, but are on a Med cruise and tomorrow they will go to Latina to spend a few weeks with Claudio's parents in Latina. Claudio asked us to come down and meet his family. We are really looking forward to it! Ciao!

Last Day in Holland

2010-09-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

15 Sept 2010 13:07
In the train station in Zurich heading to Milan. We are settled in our seats and the train leaves in 2 minutes. For first class, the seats seem a little tight. Our seat mates across from us are two young men, they speak German and English. Our knees are almost touching. I had hoped for more space. I am going to try to catch up with our trip here as we have 3 hours before we arrive in Milan.

Our visit with Marnix and Renee was enlightening. We got such an education about Holland in general and Rotterdam in particular. While with Cor we were in a village and although it was busy, there was no comparison to the bustle of the big city. Rotterdam was exceptionally clean. After visiting the old part of the city and the museum downtown, Renee drove to the “bad” part of town. Not exactly what we would call the ghetto, but, according to her, pretty close. Lots of shops for African and Moroccan and Turkish foodstuffs, women with headscarves pushing baby strollers, men hanging out on street corners. Although the buildings were plain-no fancy ornamentation as in other parts of Rotterdam-and the curtains fluttering in the breeze from the open windows weren’t lace trimmed, the area was immaculate. I wouldn’t call it charming, but I could sense a pride of place, a community.

Renee and I and Marnix and Scott all met back at their house and prepared to go out to dinner. The restaurant was a sweet place with wooden floors and sturdy tables. Renee and Marnix were regulars. The menus were huge chalk inscribed slate boards. Renee patiently read off all the offerings. The Dutch language is difficult, although I can struggle through the menus-I don’t know why. I found I couldn’t understand a word of the spoken language, but reading it seemed easier…much of it how one would spell English words if done phonetically. All the Dutch meals we ate out-one with Cor and Angeline and now with Marnix and Renee-included French fries and a small bowl of mayonnaise. It seemed as ubiquitous as having salt and pepper shakers on the table. They brought a small ramekin of ketchup for us even though we didn’t ask. Yes, as Americans, our reputation precedes us-not always a positive thing. We had a nice dinner with easy conversation and then back to the house for a good nights sleep.

We were awakened the next morning by rain on the tile roof. It reminded me of rain on the tin roof at home. After showers and breakfast, our friend Will de Haan came by to pick us up. We met Will and his wife Astrid in April of this year when they visited Texas on vacation. The flew into Houston and traveled to Big Bend for a camping trip. They stopped in Fredericksburg on their way back to Houston. A mutual Dutch friend, Gido, had told Will to contact us while in the area. They met us in Fredericksburg and we had dinner together at the Brewery on Main Street. The next morning they joined us for breakfast at the ranch. Will and Astrid are an attractive couple, both tall and athletic. Astrid runs semi-competitively but more, I think, for the pure joy of it-she even ran the New York Marathon! They have backpacked all over the world and their home is decorated simply but beautifully with inspiring photographs and art. Their cat Patso:

After a quick lunch of a home made, still warm loaf of raisin bread and various cheeses, meats and spreads (even some peanut butter!), we headed out for a trip to see a castle. The Muiderslot was originally built in the 13th century by Floris V. It was almost completely destroyed and rebuilt in the 14th century. A large moat surrounds the castle and the grounds are beautifully landscaped. The property the castle sits on is more or less an island with a narrow strip of land which allows access to the castle. Large and small boats fill the harbour.

We walked through the castle leisurely, there were many interactive exhibits (some were even games!) to make it interesting for the kids. You could try on chain mail or heft a sword, dress up as a lord or lady in waiting or try your hand at jousting. Lily always tells us how dorky we are! This is proof!

It was an interesting and thought provoking look at life in an earlier age. Although the castle had been greatly rebuilt/renovated in the mid 1800’s, particular walls were original to the 14th century. You could run your hand over them and feel the history. It made me shiver.

Back at Will and Astrid’s in Zeist, we prepared to go out for dinner. We went to one of their favorite restaurants which served Indonesian food. It was spectacular with perhaps a dozen different dishes, each one more tasty than the one before. Served family style, we all picked small bits out of the bowls and sampled everything…our favorites we went back to time and time again, although I have to say it was hard to pick a favorite as everything was so good!

After dinner, they dropped us off at the hostel where we had reservations for the night. What a place! The grounds had a large stream running through them and swans slowly glided on the still water. It was pretty quiet (Scott and I have stayed in hostels in Italy before and they could get pretty raucous!) and our room was in an old mansion. We settled in our room-a private room with 2 sets of bunkbeds…we both chose bottom bunks-and were soon asleep. We had a hike in the morning to get to the bus that would take us to the train station and onward to Germany to see Tom and Cynthia.

More Holland

2010-09-14T16:20:00.001-05:00

11 Sept 2010

Marnix van der Schalk picked us up at our hotel the next morning. Scott and Marnix have communicated over the internet for almost 15 years, but have never met! A handsome man just about as tall as Scott, he lives in Rotterdam with his beautiful wife Renee. Rotterdam is a fascinating city and one of the busiest ports in the world. Yet the city maintains its Old World charm. Lots of green space and tall trees, the part of Rotterdam where Marnix lives is 6.5 meters (about 20 feet!) BELOW sea level! Their home was beautiful and full of framed maps of Rotterdam from centuries past.

We all had lunch in their small but tastefully landscaped garden and then Scott and Marnix headed out on bikes and Renee took me on a grand tour of Rotterdam. What a city! It is busy and bustling, but still feels laid back. Part of the city was heavily damaged in World War II and so there is a "modern" part of the city with few buildings left from before the 40's and then an "old" part of the city, which has magnificent buildings dating back to the 1700's. Those old buildings combined with canals that wind through town and the cobblestone streets transport you to a different time. It was Monument Day, which I think is a holiday celebrating Rotterdam's history, so Museums were free. Other historic buildings were also open and we visited a windmill that is an actual grain mill! I would loved to have brought home a 50# bag of fresh milled flour, but settled for a bag of pumpkin seeds!

Renee is a historian of sorts, at least when it comes to Rotterdam, so the tour around the city was incredibly informative. I walked around enthralled. We toured an exhibit in the Museum of Rotterdam that really had an impact on me...it displayed pictures of different places around Rotterdam before the bombing and subsequent fires which destroyed so much of the port area side by side with pictures after the devastation. It was heartbreaking. Outside the museum was a polished stone of marble? granite? I don't know, but it was engraved with a quote from one of the most famous Dutch writers and philosophers, Desiderius Erasmus which said, "War is sweet to those who have not experienced it."

Museum of Rotterdam

Statue of Erasmus

Renee and I drove down by the river and looked at various buildings. We saw this bus which goes from the street to the river:

Well, time for bed. I will write more on Holland and then our wonderful visit with Tom and Cynthia in Germany. We saw some wonderful castles and took lots of pics!

Holland

2010-09-14T14:40:00.002-05:00

09 Sept 2010 13:10
When the wake up call came in at 4:30 this morning I thought it was the smoke alarm. Loud and sharp, it made us all jump. Lily was out of bed first. She was ready to leave Paris. I was ready for more sleep. In 45 minutes we were all out the door on our way to the Metro station 4 blocks away. The streets were deserted as were the trains. Three station changes later we were at the airport. We got Lily’s ticket printed, kissed her good bye and got her in the security line. Scott and I went on to the ticket counter to change our ticket home to a day later than originally scheduled. I work in Heidelberg until 6 pm on the 26th and there are no night trains to Paris. I am not complaining about an extra day of vacation! Before heading back to the hotel we stopped for coffee, a breakfast quiche and one more macaron. When we returned to the hotel I shot off an e-mail to our Netherlands connection to let him know when we would be arriving at the train station and we packed our backpacks. We exited the hotel for the second trip of the day to the Metro. We arrived at the train station at noon and our train was scheduled to leave at 12:25. The line to get our ticket validated was a half mile long and after I stood there for 10 minutes without it moving, I blew it off and went to a machine in front of the boarding platform to validate it there. It wouldn’t work. It validated other passenger’s tickets, but mine refused to work. The RailEurope website stressed over and over how important it was to get your EuRail Pass and your tickets validated. Dire consequences were predicted if you failed to perform this task. Tough…we’ll just get on the train anyway, I mean, what are they going to do? Throw us off? I stopped a conductor as we boarded and showed him my ticket, “It wouldn’t validate in the machine…”I told him. “No problem, just get on the train.” Okay…I was certain that since I hadn’t validated our ticket to Amsterdam OR our EuRail Pass we were in big trouble. The train was crowded…it seemed every twenty something in Europe was traveling to Amsterdam on this particular day. We finally found our seats, stashed our backpacks and other bags, took off our coats and settled in when an announcement came over the intercom. Everyone had to evacuate the train. Get your bags and exit. I figured they were probably waiting for us outside the train with hand cuffs, ready to take us away for trying to sneak on the train with invalidated tickets. But no, it was a technical problem and they had another train ready for us to board. So after 20 minutes we were on a new train and it was heading out of Paris to Holland. And you know what? The conductor came by to check our tickets and simply punched the hole in them without a word…no questions and certainly no handcuffs.

The train trip to Rotterdam was uneventful except for some really bad sandwiches from the dining car because we had neglected to pack a lunch beforehand. An announcement came over the intercom as we approached Brussels. “We are arriving in the Brussels station. Please watch for pickpockets on the station platform and on the train. Keep track of your belongings.” Interesting…

When we reached Rotterdam I was determined to get our EuRail pass validated, so I left Scott below by the platform and headed upstairs to the ticket office. When I asked to have my ticket validated, the clerk hesitated and I was sure he was going to question how I got to Rotterdam. But he took my ticket and told me he had to show it to another clerk. After a short discussion he came back to his desk, stamped my Pass and that was that. We were legal and on our way.

We arrived in Leiden an hour late due to our train evacuation in Paris. At Rotterdam station we tried to call Cor to let him know of our delay, but we couldn’t reach him on his cell. After a few tries, Scott called his home and spoke to his son, Aris. Cor was at the Lieden station, but if we hadn’t arrived on that train he would have gone home. Thank goodness we caught the correct train out of Rotterdam. We first met Cor Dees three years ago at Mid-Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days. He had come to the States with Piero Laverda for the Laverda Rally at Mid-Ohio. That had been a great trip for Scott and I with stops on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky on the way up to Ohio. We spent time with Cor again last year Laverda’s 60th Anniversary Celebration in Breganze, Italy where we also got to meet his two sons, Mels and Aris and his wife, Angeline. I have always enjoyed spending time with Cor as he is a very energetic and enthusiastic man. He also has a vast knowledge of Laverda’s and was one of the main reasons we were heading to Holland as he has the Laverda Museum in Lisse. Holland is incredibly lovely-green and fresh and clean. The air smells wonderful and while we visited it was moist (not humid though because of the mild temps) with canals running through the Eastern part we were visiting. Cor’s home sits on the banks of a small lake and I mean this literally. The water line is a few feet from the edge of his driveway. But one side of the lake is only inches deep. I saw a flock of water birds land on the lake...and then walk around on the surface. It was funny to see. His property is, if I remember correctly, about 2 meters below sea level (about 6 feet). This concept concerned me and I questioned Cor about it. He explained that much of Holland is below sea level and an intricate system of canals and pumps keep the water level low and constantly pump water out into the North Sea. The canals are all fresh water, which seems amazing to me considering that they are lower than the salt water North Sea. Engineers (and city fathers) from New Orleans have traveled to The Netherlands to study how the system works. The part of Holland where Cor & his family live is a prime flower growing area. We did not arrive in the midst of the growing season, but there were still fields of flowers everywhere.

Gladiolas were just finishing, larkspur fields were in full flower, dahlias were just beginning. Walking around his neighborhood was like being in a Disney movie.

Neatly mowed green fields, long rows of flowers, bard rock chickens milling around a chicken yard, people on bicycles everywhere. And crisscrossing it all were canals and tall trees. It seemed idyllic. Cor and Angeline’s home is lovely. Spacious with beautiful views, it was warm and inviting. We had a great dinner with Cor, Angeline and their son Aris, who is 17 and very handsome with a head of curly blonde hair and smiling eyes. Angeline had prepared a shepherds pie of sorts with a delicious base of meat, vegetables and apples topped with mashed potatoes. Along with this was served a fresh salad loaded with chopped vegetables. It was a wonderful meal. After dinner I tagged along on a long walk with Angeline and her friend. Both spoke almost perfect English and we chatted the entire way. Once back to the house Cor, Scott and I headed out to the Museum behind Cor’s home for the first view of the collection we’d heard about for years. From the outside the building looks fairly unassuming, but once inside it was huge and full of motorcycles, photos and memorabilia. The Laverda name was first associated with agricultural equipment. They manufactured threshing machines and combines. They made wine presses. Motorcycles came into the picture in 1949 and the rest, as they say, is history and Cor’s museum was full of it. He had an early threshing machine and 2 wine presses, but from there, Laverda’s full motorbike history was represented. I walked around the museum, but was so tired that I finally sat on a stool and put my head down on the bar and dozed. I don’t know how long it was before Scott and Cor made it to my side of the room, but soon after we were in the van and heading to our room at the Hotel de Duif. We settled into our beds (yes, plural beds as Europeans seem to think twin beds are the norm for couples-I am always very grateful when we discover a hotel room with a double bed) very ready for some rest as our day had started at 4:30 putting Lily on a plane to the States. At 6:30 the next morning we were started out of bed by the fire alarm. Scott jumped about 3 feet, I just rolled over and pulled the quilt further over my shoulders. We could hear movement in the hallway-peoples voices and doors opening and closing-and at one point Scott parted the curtains and told me there was a fire truck beside the hotel. I stayed in bed. Scott walked down to reception and was told a man had been smoking in his room (strictly forbidden) and there was no danger. By the time he made it back to the room, I had reluctantly gotten out of bed and was getting dressed for breakfast. The lobby and breakfast room of the hotel was sumptuous and elegant. Plush couches faced the fireplace and dark wood paneling covered the walls. The dining room had comfortable upholstered chairs and an extensive buffet of breakfast foods that ranged from meats and cheeses to assorted breads and jams; yogurts and cereals to puddings and trays of fresh fruit. We headed to the coffee bar and made 2 café au laits and found a table. A number of coffees and some breakfast later, we returned to our room to gather clothes and head to the laundry before Cor came to pick us up so we could start our day. On the schedule: a trip to the Louwman Automobile Museum. I have to say here that by this time I was sick of cars and bikes(!). Our last afternoon in Paris I had chastised Scott rather bluntly about his constant ~~obsession~~ preoccupation with all things vehicular-or at least his need to involve me in his “ramblings”. I’m afraid I wasn’t as nice as I probably should have been and I will explain it away here as not enough sleep and being in Paris (perhaps I was becoming annoyed by osmosis). But in truth I will confess that sometimes (but, in my defense, infrequently) I am not as nice and tolerant of my husband as I should be. He is a wonderful man and treats me very sweetly and I should be a better wife. Okay, that’s over with (whew), now back to the Louwman Automobile Museum. It is a new museum, just opened in July and Cor had been once already and was duly impressed. As someone who mere days before complained about the proliferation of cars in our life, I was blown away. We spent almost 3 hours at the museum and I could have spent twice that. It was magnificent. Not only significant cars due to ownership (and really because they were cool cars overall)-cars that belonged to everyone from Winston Churchill to Elvis, Steve McQueen to Kaiser Wilhelm; but also unusual cars, motorized vehicles that I had never seen before. Humor me here...these are really cool...

A Fiat from the mid 70's with the interior done entirely in wicker!!

The very first motorized bus. I thought it was interesting that, after we were told to watch for pickpockets on the train outside Brussels, we saw this sign inside this bus from 1910:

I guess some things never change!

Winston Churchill's car. The ashtray in the back seat was huge to accomodate his fat cigars!

The ceiling of the ground floor entrance! Stunning!

Cor Dees of Lisse, Holland.

I am so sorry I didn't get a picture of the whole family!

Paris

2010-09-08T13:36:00.001-05:00

7 Sept 2010 15:02 Enroute to Paris on EuroStar
Our plans this morning to pack, deposit our belongings at the train station and take an open top bus to Abbey Road fell apart rather quickly after arriving at the train station. No sooner had we walked inside than the heavens opened up. There went the idea of an open top bus…but still…After discovering that it cost 8 Pounds PER BAG to check our bags early, we totally abandon our plan. In reality, it was finally abandoned when Lily said, “I will see Abbey Road NEXT TIME I am in London…” Oh yes, I was glad to hear that she was making plans to return. So we sat at a café and ate lunch, sandwiches and crisps, and wandered around the station. Bought some postcards and stamps at a bookstore and sat at another café drinking coffee while writing them out. I discovered I had free internet at the station, so posted to the blog and checked mail. Now, the train is hurtling through the French countryside toward Paris. My seatmate is a lovely lady on her way to Paris for a holiday to see her daughter and grandchildren (and new puppy!).

We are already through the “Chunnel”-the Channel Tunnel- and should be in Paris in a bit over an hour twenty. I think we are all a bit worn out…we’ve been keeping late hours and, Scott and I at least, wake early. The meal last night at The Alcocks was probably the healthiest we’ve eaten thus far and I am not expecting Paris to be healthier…I am looking forward to crepes and macarones, good cheese and wine. I explain this food away with all the walking we are doing. It feels good.

Paris Tuesday 22:48
There is a metro strike going on in London. Luckily, most lines heading north were in operation as we headed for the main train station this morning. When we arrived in Paris we were told that not only were the Metro workers on strike, but also bus and rail workers. We stood in the train station wondering how we would get to the hotel on the other side of Paris. We took turns staying with the bags and going downstairs to the bathroom. The metro lines were downstairs also and Scott noticed that there was quite a bit of activity going on even though some parts were blocked. The Metro was indeed operating at a lesser capacity, but enough for us to get where we needed to be. What we didn’t expect was that the lines that were open were so packed as to be almost unusable. After taking one train to a station a few stops down, we waited to get on another. The platform grew busier and more crowded as the time for the train drew nearer and when it came time to board, the train doors opened and the crowd surged forward. The passengers trying to get OFF the train had to push through the crowd to exit and by the time we got to the doors there was no where to go…we watched the doors close in front of our faces and the train pull away. No bother as there was another train in 8 minutes. We settled in, this time right in front. When the next train arrived, the platform was once again a pulsing mass of people. We were glad to be in the front of the crowd. The train arrived, the doors opened and the crowd surged. I pushed in as passengers departed. Lily barely squeezed in behind me and then the crowd pushed again and Scott, with his large backpack tried to get on, but his backpack wouldn’t clear the doors. As the doors began to close, I saw him at the edge of the platform looking in at us. He stepped over to the open train window and called in, “I’ll meet you at our stop…and I have the wine!”
The subway train was so tight we couldn't move-and it was that way through most of the next 10 stops. Lily and I finally got off at our stop and sat on a bench waiting for Scott's train. It came along shortly and we were glad to all be together again. Just one more train to get on which would take us close to our hotel. After checking in we headed out for dinner across the street. Lily and I had duck and Scott had veal. For dessert we shared a creme brulee and a tarte tatin. Huge servings of dessert and luscious. Lily was wiped out and wanted to stay in for the evening (it was already after 9), so Scott and I headed out. Our hotel has a lovely view of the Eiffel Tower so we headed in that direction. It was a lovely walk, the streets were mostly empty and the evening cool and overcast. The Eiffel Tower is across the Seine River from our hotel and we just walked to the bridge and I took a pic of Scott with the Tower in the background.

As we were walking back it began to rain and it just seemed appropriate somehow. We strolled hand in hand through the dim streets happy to be here.
Wednesday
For some reason we slept late this morning. The first time that has happened. So by the time we showered and got out of the hotel it was almost 10. First order-COFFEE! We went to a cafe a few steps from our hotel and had coffee (Lily, tea) and then sat and sat. We would have had breakfast had the waiter showed back up or at least another latte, but we never saw him again. Scott walked into the cafe to pay somebody-ANYBODY- for our coffee while Lily and I went back to the hotel to grab jackets as it was chilly. We caught back up to Scott and found another shop to grab breakfast and headed back to the Eiffel Tower so Lily could get pics. The sky was getting darker and darker and just as we were getting a photo of us with the Tower behind, it began to pour.

We walked across the Seine and stood beneath the tower. Pretty impressive feat of engineering.

We headed east to the Champs Elysees. A picturesque walk with so much greenspace (and lots of traffic!). Passed this interesting building that was covered entirely with living plants of an amazing variety.

We dropped Lily back at the hotel to tend her blisters and begin her packing as she heads home in the morning. Scott and I ventured back out to see more of the city. The difference between London and Paris is striking...London was surprisingly clean, Paris seems tattered. The people here do not smile or engage really in any way. In London everyone wants to tell you a story. Scott and I finally encountered a sweet, happy woman in a bakery when we bought lunch/dinner to bring back to the hotel. She was helpful and she seemed thrilled that we were so enthralled with the goods on the shelves. Our time last year in the south of France was wonderful, the people warm and content. I can't help but think it must be Paris that makes these folks so annoyed with everyone and everything. A terrible blanket statement, I know and there are probably many wonderful people living in Paris, but all 3 of us noticed how few smiles we've seen. So many thanks to the lady in the bakery with the sweet smile. The quiche was wonderful, and the desserts really shined! But your smile warmed us on this wet, chilly day in Paris.

London Images: A Pub Crawl, The Tube and Rugby

2010-09-07T07:16:00.006-05:00

3 Sept 2010 London, UK 14:51

As is always the case when we first tumble into Europe on less than 2 hours sleep, we feel insane. The feeling is compounded this time by the frenetic energy that is London and the fact that there are THREE of us this time instead of simply Scott and I trying to keep each other together. Lily wants to go to bed. It is 3 in the afternoon here but her body is telling her that it is 8 a.m. and she has had little to no sleep in the last 24 hours. Clem picked us up at Heathrow and drove us through the streets of London to our hotel. It was a wild 40 minute ride with Lily and I in the back seat, wide eyed and breaking out in nervous laughter from time to time. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out the traffic rules here. Sometimes all the cars would go through the intersection when the light was clearly red and other times they’d stop. The lanes are impossibly narrow and cars merge randomly, almost like they are magnets repelling each other. They come within inches until someone pulls ahead or falls behind and life goes on. When we finally got to the hotel and squeezed ourselves out of the (very tiny) car, Scott and Clem stayed outside to talk and Lily and I went to check in. When Scott and Clem finally joined us, I asked Clem what the deal was with red lights-do you stop at them or what? He looked at me and smiled his sweet smile and said, “Oh that…well you can tell what everyone else is doing…” and he stopped his explanation when I began laughing hysterically.

Lily and I went up to the room to drop our bags and clean up. Clem of the sweet smile is lending us one of his cars for 4 days while we are in London. I told Scott I thought we should decline the offer. I honestly can not see us going anywhere in this traffic, but Scott pshawd me and took Clem to the nearest train station so he could catch a train home. I thought I would never see Scott again and I kept the cell phone beside me in case he called. He took the GPS with him and not 10 minutes later knocked at the hotel room door. The train station was up by Buckingham Palace, maybe 10 blocks away and he made it there and back with the car and his body intact. A miracle.

London is very eco conscious. There is an egg timer in the shower…one of those small hourglass types (although it attaches to the shower wall!) that you turn when you take a shower so you limit yourself to 5 minute showers. Lights turn on and off as you walk through the hallway and lights are halogen or CFL types.

We went to an amazing Farmers Market yesterday in Hackney (East London) called Broadway Market. Ever since I found out we’d be in London, this is the only thing I knew I wanted to do. For almost two years I have been following a blog-http://www.cocoandme.com/ of a young Japanese mom who sells lovely tarts, cakes and other luscious baked goods at Broadway Market and I really wanted to meet her. Tamami's booth was beautiful and the two tarts we ate-one lemon and one raspberry-were so good! The raspberry tart was topped with fresh berries and powdered sugar and was not overly sweet. The pure flavor of the fresh fruit was what came through and as soon as the last bite was consumed, I wished for another. Her cheesecakes were beautiful and the recipe for them is on her website.

She was so sweet and kind and seemed surprised that I keep up with her blog and that I sought her out while in London! The remainder of the market was a sight to see! I was happy to see the prices were so reasonable and we shopped with lunch in mind for we knew Jill and Gabe would be waiting for us when we returned to the hotel. We bought a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread and I had a great talk with the baker. We bought long skinny links of hazelnut sausages and spicy sausages, 3-200 gram wedges of cheese-an impossibly creamy Roquefort, a Spanish manchego and one more that I can’t recall the name of; a small container of anchovy stuffed green olives (I wish we’d bought a LARGE container, because these went fast); some marinated artichoke hearts; some beautifully fragrant apples and a vast assortment of baklava. Scott stepped into a shop and picked out a lovely Chilean Malbec wine. I also bought a burlap Broadway Market bag to haul it all in. We were about to leave the Market when someone shouted out that the school next door was holding a market also, so we walked the 20 yards to the gate and wandered through. A band was playing just inside the gate and a woman was cooking an enormous pan of paella just opposite.

It bubbled and sent off the most amazing smell! We strolled the Market and spoke with folks and stopped at the booth of tee shirts that had really unusual designs. The company, Organik Rocka,(organikrocka.com) made soft bamboo tees and Scott and Lily both bought one. The guys running the booth were enthusiastic and fun and we visited for quite awhile.

As we headed back to the Tube to catch a ride back to the hotel, I thanked Scott and Lily for indulging me. It had been a long, convoluted ride getting to the market and, as the guy who sold us our Tube tickets asked, “Why do you want to go all the way to Hackney to a Market? There are Markets right up the street…” but I wanted to meet a fellow blogger and baker although I didn’t explain that to him- I just thought he wouldn’t understand. But Lily and Scott were quite happy I had dragged them through countless underground and aboveground train changes and walking many city blocks. The people watching was wonderful and we were all amazed by how…individualistic…everyone was/is. This place makes Austin look like a retirement home.

Back at the hotel, we woke up Jill and Gabe and spread out the feast we had accumulated at the Market. It wasn’t long before it was all gone. We decided to go out in search of a pub and, after a few funny delays, made it to the Tube and got off at Angel Station. On the way home from Market earlier in the day, as we stepped off a train, a line of cops funneled us out the door instead of onto another platform. There was a “fire emergency” at that station and they were temporarily shutting it down. As we stood outside looking at the map trying to figure out where to find a new station, a local came up beside us and said, “Follow me…Angel Station is a short 20 minute walk right down that road…”. So Lily and I tagged behind Scott and this gentleman as we speed walked down this really cool part of town. Lily and I both felt that we would have liked to stop and window shop, but this man was on a mission and was dragging us along with him. We got to Angel Station in record time and thanked him, bid him good bye and made our way home. And now we were back on this street with time to walk it leisurely. Jill and Gabe have been in London for over a week and had the local customs down, so we took a side street into a…well, more “interesting” row of shops and, when Jill spied a pub that had a rugby game on the big screen TV, that was where we settled in. A sign in the window said “Under New Management” and it did seem like a work in progress. Old wooden tables with mismatched chairs filled the room. Most were empty as the few (maybe 8) customers were at the bar. Music blared and as we sat down Jill went up to the bar to order for us.

A young boy, maybe 6 or 7 was holding court in the center of the room dancing to the loud techno/disco music and he was really good. Jill came back to the table with 5 ciders. Now the beer here is pretty low alcohol (maybe 3%?), but cider (which is exactly what you would think-fermented apple cider) is 6-8%. It is VERY tasty, much more so than the beer to me and when you order the proverbial pint, that is what you get-a PINT-meaning half a quart. That’s a lot of cider and it goes down remarkably easy. After 2 pints we were all getting loud and laughing and telling stories. The young boy had left the bar and I was beginning to think WE had become the entertainment for the patrons. When we finally decided to head back to the station, we were a wobbly bunch indeed. We stopped at a street side fruit stand and when Gabe remarked she’d never had a fig, Scott went inside and bought us each one. We continued our walk munching on the huge figs almost as big as our fists.

We made it back to the hotel at about 10:30 and after a snack decided to go a block down the road to another small club. It was closed as we walked by so we went a block further and there were 2 restaurant/bars side by side. One was packed and the other had only a few folks in it so we chose the quieter one. We sat, had a beer and talked for about 45 minutes, visiting with the other patrons. We got directions to a place that made authentic fish and chips and then headed home. We were all less than perky this morning, even after breakfast and multiple cups of coffee at the Portuguese Market on the corner, so it’s been a rather sedate day. Got laundry done, Scott fixed our cell which has not worked since we arrived and, as Jill and Gabe are at a rugby match and we’re supposed to meet later (maybe for fish and chips?), I decided to catch up on the blog while Lily and Scott nap. As I lay in bed this morning listening to the assorted snores around the room, I found it hard to believe we are only 2 days into this vacation. I feel like we’ve been gone weeks!
Caught up with Jill and Gabe at the World Cup Final Rugby Match in Twickingham. There were about 14,000 people in attendance and it was wild! People with their faces painted with the British Flag, folks in costume and even a STREAKER during half time!! I actually thought the streaker was a woman until he did a somersault mid field. New Zealand won the World Cup 10-13, but to me, the most amazing thing was the attitude of the English fans. Nothing ugly, no disparaging remarks and when the New Zealand team took to the field after the match, the Brits stood up and clapped. It was an amazing show of exceptionally good sportsmanship and made the game that much more fun.

7 Sept 2010 St. Pankras Station Bound for Paris
We toured Oxford yesterday with a dear man, Nick Alcock. Beautiful buildings, gardens and shops. We climbed 2 sets of spiral staircases to the top of a tower in Oxford. What an incredible view we had of the entire town! Wonderful tile roofs, tall spires and cobbled streets.

Nick then took us to his home and we had dinner with his beautiful red haired wife, Lorraine and 2 of his 3 daughters-Elizabeth, 15 years and Jenny, 19. The entire family is vegan (the children since birth) and they all are so beautiful with amazing skin (I don't tknow why I was struck by this, but I couldn't stop looking at how beautiful their skin was!). The meal was the best we've had in London and we've eaten well here. We stuffed ourselves (ESPECIALLY SCOTT!) and laughed all through dinner and dessert. Nick the Dear Hearted, as I have "knighted" him, drove all the way into London with Lily, talking politics and playing Beatles on the CD player, while Scott and I followed in our car (Clem's car) nervously. It was dark and rainy and driving on the other side of the road was completely unnerving. I didn't stop clenching my teeth until I was back in bed.
Lily is bugging me to check her mail, so I will end now until later today. Lots more pics to post...our London hotel had no WiFi so I was kinda' stuck...

A Funny Remembrance

2010-08-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

As I was driving home from the Farmers Market today I began thinking about Martin Luther King. Today is the anniversary of his, "I Have a Dream" speech, which he gave in 1963. I remembered driving through Austin with Marta, back in...ohh, maybe 1990 or so, meaning she was about 3 or 4 years old. It was Martin Luther King Day-which is celebrated the third Monday of January-and there was a big march in Austin. Traffic was held up for awhile as the "parade" crossed the thoroughfare and Marta asked me why. I told her about MLK, who he was and what he did, and she was actually pretty interested. In fact, she was real quiet the remainder of the trip...I could see her thinking. About an hour later, she piped up, "Hey Mom, I want to change my name." "Really?" I replied. "To what?" She cocked her head to one side, took a deep breath and proclaimed, "Marta Luther King". What a kid!

Marta at about 3 years old.

Almost Vacation Time

2010-08-15T13:43:00.002-05:00

Lots of time lately has been devoted to our upcoming vacation. Either making money to afford it, doing research online to figure out how to make it all work or tying up all the loose ends around here so we can actually leave the ranch for a month. I didn't plant a Fall garden because no one will be here to tend it. The most I can ask of our neighbor who will come daily to tend animals is to push the button on the automatic waterer every two days if it doesn't rain. This will keep the cukes, squash and cantaloupes alive and maybe, just maybe, when we come home there will still be SOMETHING producing.
Scott and I had cardiac screenings last week. We had an appointment to get our lab results in the afternoon and that morning I spent hours trying to work out the particulars of our Eurail Pass. You buy the pass for however many days and countries you think you need -in our case 8 days of train travel between 5 countries. However, and this is a big however, you still have to buy tickets on some trains. You pay a reduced rate, but there is a fee none-the-less and these tickets need to be reserved in advance. For example, a trip from Paris to Amsterdam might cost $318 for the 2 of us, but with the pass and a reservation it was only $104. Even better, many trips require no reservations-you simply show your Eurail Pass and board the train. So logically, that means planning the entire trip beforehand, not a quick or easy feat. So I was deep into the trip, maps and train routes swirling around my head, when we left for town and our appointment. First order of business was taking our blood pressure. I have chronically low blood pressure, which I try to keep under control by drinking lots of espresso every morning. When I expressed surprise that my blood pressure was higher than usual (although still well within normal range), the nurse asked me if I was stressed about anything. At this point all those maps and train routes filled my head and I knew I had to relax a bit about this particular aspect of the trip. Scott's pressure on the other hand, really alarmed me and I nudged him a few times to make sure he hadn't expired after we sat down. I am well aware that Scott is really laid back, but this was extreme. The nurse wasn't concerned, but I kept pinching him just to keep him breathing. All in all, the results were great with both of us at a really low risk for heart disease. The next evening I sat down and in just a few hours mapped out our entire trip, reserved the pertinent tickets and paid for it all. A big hurdle taken care of and I am certain my blood pressure is back to normal. As usual, I will post musings on our travels here complete with pics. Lily is accompanying us for the first 6 days and we will see Jill in London. It will be great to have 2 of the kids with us. Although Jill will not be playing in the World Cup (she was co-captain of the team), she will attend. Three weeks ago we weren't so sure. She is recovering miraculously well from her injury and subsequent neck/back surgery. A true testament to being in top shape. It will be fun to hang out with Jill and catch the last rugby match of the Cup. I'm looking forward to her play by play commentary so we can understand what the hell is going on!

Summer Pastimes

2010-07-18T15:25:00.002-05:00

It is hot and sticky here in Central Texas. Mid 90's with about 90% humidity makes for early morning activity and mid day lethargy. We survive without air conditioning and therefore, around 2 in the afternoon (after lunch) we retire to the cooler bedroom (what a difference rock floors make!) and turn on the fan to nap or read or write. Our dear grand daughter, Natalie has been with us since yesterday, so today the TV is on and she is watching a cartoon while Scott naps beside her. This hot spell is supposed to break tomorrow with temps the next week in the upper 80's. Nice!

After working away from home the majority of the last 6 weeks, it is nice to be back and catch up a bit. The garden is so overgrown that parts of it are unaccessible unless I want to be chigger bait, but I am still picking tomatoes, green beans, spaghetti squash and a pepper here and there. The arugula is up- having reseeded in the late spring -and I should be able to start picking it in a week or so...especially if we get some rain. Cucumbers are just now coming on and the cantaloupe aren't far behind as well as some Italian squash. Thank goodness for the Farmer's Market every week as it has kept me in cukes until mine come in! We ate the first peaches from our trees this week and they are so very good. I pick whatever is ripe every day and we eat them immediately, sometimes 2 or 3 a piece. I am saving all the pits from the peaches we eat as the tree was a volunteer, so I don't know the variety. All I know is they are some of the best peaches I've ever eaten and we want the orchard filled with these trees.

We butchered our chickens this week. Scott was worried they'd be the size of turkeys if we didn't get on it. It took us 3 hours to butcher 10 chickens and by the last 2 I was ready for it to be over. It was much more fun last year (although fun is a relative term here) with Bernadette's help (see http://a-half-fast-life.blogspot.com/2009/06/butchering.html for the complete post on last years ~~massacre~~ butchering), but maybe it was also the novelty of it being our first time. Anyway, I am glad it is over and the freezer is stocked with chicken for the next year. We are planning to raise a hog this fall after we return from vacation the end of September. We've never raised a hog before, but it has to be more fun (there's that word again...) than the chickens and we can bring it into town to be butchered.

After Market yesterday, I picked up Natalie and we drove out to the ranch where I work frequently. They have some new animals so we drove the entire ranch, taking time to wade in the creeks and take pictures of animals. The camel came right over and let us pet it.

The zebras are Nat's favorites and they let us get pretty close.

It took us over an hour and a half to drive the entire ranch and by the time we got to the main road heading home Nat was snoring in the back seat. Seeing things through her eyes is such a joy! Everything is a marvel to her and she says the funniest things. She told me yesterday that "This was the absolutely most funnest trip to the ranch ever!"

Eating this time of year is a bit of a challenge. Not because of a lack of variety that's for sure, but because of the heat I don't feel like cooking or eating hot meals. We generally have sandwiches or salads for lunch and smoothies for dinner. I pressure cooked some garbanzo beans this week and made a big batch of hummous. It doesn't last long around here and is SO easy to make. You can make it with canned garbanzo beans, just don't add any salt until you've tasted it as canned beans usually have plenty.

I don't really have an established recipe, I just eyeball things in the food processor. Hommous consists of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), tahini (sesame seed butter), garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Sometimes I add cilantro or chipotle, but plain is really good. So I would guess my proportions for this last batch were as follows:

4-5 cups cooked chickpeas

2 Tablespoons tahini

8-10 medium peeled garlic cloves

1/4-1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Just dump everything into the food processor and turn it on. Let it run until it gets smooth. If it seems too thick I thin it with the liquid from cooking the chickpeas (or the liquid from the can) instead of adding more olive oil. It adds nutrients and no additional fat. I taste it and add whatever I feel it needs-usually more lemon juice. I tend to use LOTS of raw garlic, as that flavor seems to fade the most with refrigeration. We eat it on crackers, but more often with veggies-celery, sliced peppers, cucumbers. Since I am not a mayonnaise lover, I use it as a sandwiche spread. This was my lunch this afternoon:

I get these terrific wheat pita breads from Ali Baba on Wurzbach (1 block west of I10) in San Antonio. They make them fresh daily and they are really inexpensive, so I buy 4 or 5 packages and freeze them.

You can cut them in half and stuff them or cut around the edges and use them like a wrap. I like them better than wraps as they are not as thick. The sandwich above is smeared with hommous, then a bit of tapenade (olive paste), then some feta. I top it with whatever veggies I have at the time, but most always tomatoes, cukes and red onion. I had gone out to the garden right before lunch and picked a few handfuls of green beans and cooked them briefly. They were a great addition to the sandwich! I also picked some banana peppers, but forgot to include them-good thing as I could hardly get the wrap around this sandwich as it was!

It was a perfect lunch for a hot summer afternoon!

A Birthday and a Few New Recipes

2010-07-07T12:50:00.001-05:00

Lily celebrated her 22nd birthday on July 1st. Wow, hard to believe the baby is 22! We had a family dinner here with her favorite meal, my Special Spaghetti also known as Spaghetti with Anchovy-Caper Sauce (recipe at http://www.theteachingkitchen.com/) and an amazing Hazelnut Tiramisu I've been making for special occasions. It's not difficult and can be made ahead, which makes it high on my list for party desserts! Five days later, Scott finished off the last of it and really, it was as good as the day it was made. The last serving:

Don't be intimidated by the 3 sections of instructions. The Espresso Syrup can be made days in advance and refrigerated. The Hazelnut Filling can be made a day in advance and then it can be put together the day (or the day before) you plan to serve it. Toast the hazelnuts on a pan in a 300 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes and then place them on a kitchen towel and rub the skins off the nuts with the towel. Some bits of skin may stay on the nuts and that's fine, just try to get the majority off. Warning: this is a RICH and CALORIC dessert.

Hazelnut Tiramisu
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
1/4 cup all purpose flour
5 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
1 recipe Espresso Syrup
1 recipe Hazelnut Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Garnish: unsweetened cocoa
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 11 3/4 x 16 3/4 x 1 inch rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray parchment paper with nonstick spray also. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine hazelnuts and flour. Process until hazelnuts are finely ground. In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks at medium speed with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add ground hazelnut mixture, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites at medium high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture. Spread batter onto prepared sheet pan. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes of until cake springs back when lightly touched in center. Immediately loosen from sides of pan and turn out onto parchment paper. Remove parchment paper from bottom of cake. Cool cake completely. To assemble, cut 1 9x9 piece of cake. Place cake in the bottom of a 9 inch square pan. With a pastry brush, brush cake with half of Espresso Syrup. Spread half of Hazelnut Filling on top of cake. Cut remaining cake to fit pan. Place cake on top of Hazelnut Filling, brush with remaining Espresso Syrup and spread remaining Hazelnut Filling on top of cake. In a medium bowl, beat cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream on top of Hazelnut Filling. Cover. Refrigerate for 4 hours to overnight. Garnish with cocoa dusted over top.

Espresso Syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur (Kahlua)

In a small saucepan over medium high heat, bring sugar, water and espresso powder to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur. Cool completely

Hazelnut Filling
16 oz. (2 8oz containers) mascarpone cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, confectioner's sugar, chocolate hazelnut spread, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add cream, beat until smooth.

So, after THAT dessert, I needed something light, tasty and summery to get me back on track. This is my favorite new salad. I've made it for clients and frequently for us and it is always a hit. I love Summer Rolls and make them a few times every summer, but they are a bit of a hassle. This salad is all the best ingredients of a Summer Roll and the Dipping Sauce for the Rolls is the dressing for the salad. I could eat this salad 3 times a week and be a happy girl. It comes together pretty quick and the ingredients for the salad can vary according to what you have that's abundant.

Summer Roll Salad
adapted from a recipe in Fine Cooking
For the dressing:
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. fish sauce
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
2 tsp. minced fresh jalapeño or serrano
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger
In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients. Taste and add more of any of the ingredients to get a tasty balance of flavors.
For the salad:
6 oz. medium-width rice noodles
3 cup shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup roughly chopped or small whole fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumbers
1/3 cup coarse grated carrots (1 large)
1 cup coarse chopped sugar snap or snow peas
3 Tbs. chopped peanuts
Make the salad:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the rice noodles and stir to disperse them. Cook until strands are opaque white and fully tender, but still resilient, 3 to 6 minutes (check the noodles often as different brands cook at different rates). Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them under cold water until noodles are cool. Let the noodles drain in the colander for 10 minutes, fluffing every now and then to make sure they stay loose.
When ready to serve, put the rice noodles in a large bowl with the lettuce, cilantro, cucumbers, peas and carrots. Add the dressing to taste and toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts before serving.

I didn't even think to get a picture until I was halfway through eating it, but here it is. I look at this picture and think it doesn't look half as good as it tastes!

And now a few of my favorite pics of Dear Lily. Hope your 22nd year is full of adventures and LOVE!

This was at about 2 years old:

This is one of my favorite pics of her. She was about 10 years old. We call it the Harry Potter picture, 'cuz she looks like she's right out of that series!

And this last one is pretty much present day. A lovely picture even though she looks so pensive.

Love you Lils!!!

Tired but Happy

2010-06-21T22:38:00.000-05:00

I have been working out of town real often lately and am now on a cooking job about an hour from home. Truth be told, I am having a blast feeding 9 incredible folks who REALLY love to eat! Because the hours are so long -12 to 13 hours a day- and the drive is so far, I have been spending every other night on site. It allows me to actually get some sleep! I roll out of bed in the morning, jump in the shower and then walk across the driveway (and more often than not encountering a camel or an elk on the way), put on the coffee and start breakfast. It is creative and exhilarating work and I am so grateful to be able to work at this ranch.
I do miss home though and my everyday stuff: the garden, the chickens (it's almost chicken butchering time again!) and MY HUSBAND! On the nights I drive home, it is a quick, "Hi! How was your day? Gotta' get some sleep...see you in the morning..."
But I stayed up tonite to check my mail and catch up on a few things. I read this article online and thought it was a brilliant idea...maybe it will become the new trend in wedding food (or really ANY party). Enjoy and GOOD NIGHT!
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996593,00.html?xid=newsletter-weekly

50 Healthy Foods...

2010-06-07T12:00:00.001-05:00

Found this article the other day and was duly impressed with the info it contained:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/cheap-healthy-food-460610#comments

Jeff Yeager is a very funny and pragmatic man that writes the column The Green Cheapskate for The Daily Green, an e-zine also called, The Consumer's Guide to the Green Revolution. The article linked here is called 50 Healthy Foods for Under $1 a Pound. There are so many great recommendations in Jeff's article such as buying produce when it is on sale, blanching it and freezing it. Food in season tends to be cheaper (think of this when you buy green beans in January at $2.89 a pound!) and sometimes, when you buy an entire case, you can get a REALLY good deal. Every Autumn a local farmer sells his crop of sweet potatoes out of his garage. It is the only product he grows to sell and we wait every year for his sign to go up saying that his potatoes are available. He sells the exceptionally large ones or exceptionally small ones or the gnarly ones for 50 cents a pound and we buy about 85-100 pounds. They keep all year with no special effort (we keep them in a bus tub in the bottom of the pantry) and we usually finish the last ones a month or so before they are available again. And you can read my previous post on picking strawberries at Marburger's Orchard to see how we do pretty much the same thing with fruit. We are picking peaches this week at Marburger's and will freeze most of them after we eat our fill of fresh ones.
Yogurt made his list at 2/$1 for the individual cups, but I think making your own is a BETTER, CHEAPER and GREENER alternative. You can go to my website, http://www.theteachingkitchen.com/ for complete instructions, plus step by step pics. I have a batch of milk heating on the stove this very minute which will be yogurt by this evening. I mean, it's taking care of itself while I am in the office blogging. Easy and CHEAP!
The point of all this being that eating well-and healthy-doesn't have to be expensive. Yeah, the learning curve may be steep at first and you may have to adopt new habits, but after the initial work it becomes second nature.
Some of Jeff's recent articles on The Green Cheapskate were:
How to Compost Almost Anything
8 Great Perennial Vegetables Almost Anyone Can Grow
10 Things I Learned While Living Without Running Water
Having lived for many years without running water, I especially appreciated this one!
Check out his blog for lots of great ideas on how to save money and live a better life while doing your part to help our planet.

Strawberries, Blackberries and Peaches, Oh My...

2010-05-05T14:12:00.006-05:00

Last week, Lily and I took a morning trip to Marburger Orchard just outside Fredericksburg to pick strawberries. I had planned on picking weeks before (the season usually starts in March) but before I knew it, the end of April was here and I still hadn't made it out there. A frantic evening call to Lily and the plans were made. The next morning, the car packed with baskets and empty beer flats, I picked her up and off we went. The crop this year is prolific and the picking was really easy. In less than 2 1/2 hours we picked almost 65 pounds of beautiful strawberries!!! Marburger Orchard is a lovely, flower laden 41 acre ranch with 25 acres of that in fruit production. The peach trees are neatly arranged in rows according to variety-and they have 13 varieties planted. As one variety plays out another steps up, so they have continuous production from mid-May through August. And right in the middle of the peach trees are the strawberry fields-long, lush rows of plants full of jewel like fruit. It's a sight to see!

Armed with our baskets and cardboard flats, we settled in a back row and began picking. We kneeled on the sandy soil between the rows and after about 20 minutes, Lily enviously pointed out a man in a row in front of us wearing kneepads. What a great idea!

But we kneeled and picked and talked about all kinds of things. It was a pleasantly cool morning with a slight breeze and before we knew it, our first baskets were full to overflowing. Right about that time a small tractor came down the row to pick up our full baskets and transport them back to the front table at the top of the hill. In no time our second baskets were full and, after the tractor picked up this load, we walked back with our last empty flat, filling it as we walked back to the top of the hill. Lily commented how addicting the picking was-the berries are so beautiful that you keep thinking, "just one more..."

I usually pick about 30 pounds, but with Lily's help I unknowingly upped it this year. I have to admit I was quite surprised (and really pleased!) when Gary Marburger added it all up and said, "Just over 64 pounds..."

Wow!

Strawberries are almost done for this year. There will probably only be pickable fruit for another week or two. Weather's getting quite warm now with days in the upper 80's, so there are no new blooms. If you would like to pick, plan it soon and check their website for fruit availability. Gary Marburger updates the site every few days and there are some great pics of the ranch.

Next fruit coming in will be blackberries. Mr. Marburger has built trellis type uprights for the blackberry canes that keep them off the ground and make picking quite easy. You can just walk down the row with your basket over your arm and pick to your heart's content (and, ultimately, your belly's content, too!).

He has a few different varieties of blackberries, but be aware that most are NOT thornless, so wear long sleeves. They are large berries and VERY tasty. Perfect for pies and cobblers and they freeze like a dream. Blackberry season should start in 2 weeks or so, but it will take 7-10 days after that before production is at its peak. The blackberries finish toward the end of June. If you time it right you can pick blackberries and peaches in the same morning! The first variety of peaches ready to pick are called Regal and they should be ready mid May or so. From that point on, there will be two to three different varieties available at any one time until August. I find peach picking to be the easiest of them all. You place your box on the ground and walk around picking. The trees are not tall so everything is within reach. You might notice small cement "cups" hanging in the peach trees. These are hung off certain branches to keep them growing laterally instead of upright so picking is easier. I've always thought it was an ingenious idea and when you are picking you will see that it obviously works! The peaches are phenomenal! Sweet and juicy and they also freeze well. It's best to get to the Orchard in the morning-they open at 9-because it is hot later in the day. Wear a hat and bring cash or a check as they don't take plastic.
I'll take this opportunity to post my VERY FAVORITE fruit dessert recipe. It is equally good with strawberries, blackberries and peaches.

Fruit Crisp

3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

1 cup all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

½ t. nutmeg or cinnamon

2 sticks cold butter (1/2#), cut in small pieces

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon or nutmeg and pecans if using, in a bowl. Mix in cut up butter. Mix well and store in a ziplock or a freezer container. This makes LOTS! You can use this over any fresh or frozen fruit.
For fresh fruit: toss the fruit with about 1 tablespoon of flour and about 1/4-1/3 cup of sweetener of your choice (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup) per 3 cups of fruit. You can use less sweetener for peaches and strawberries and more for blackberries which tend to be more tart. Place the fruit in a greased casserole dish and cover the fruit completely with the crisp mix. Bake about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. If the fruit is frozen, you will have to bake it longer-about 45-50 minutes. Great topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's nice to have the oat mixture in the freezer for a quick, fairly healthy dessert!

We are lucky to have resources for fresh fruit like this in our area. In addition to it being a great educational environment for kids, it's a wonderful opportunity to pick enough fruit to can or freeze so you have quality fruit year round. A big "Thanks" to Gary Marburger and his staff for making the Orchard such a welcoming place and for working so hard to grow quality fruit. And thanks to Lily for some great pictures! I had a terrific time with you kiddo and look forward to mornings spent picking blackberries and peaches! Yum!

Spring Garden 2010

2010-04-21T21:41:00.005-05:00

I can't remember a Spring as beautiful as the one we are now experiencing. My memory may have been shortened however by the crippling drought of the last few years. The weather is so mild right now and we've fallen into a nice cycle of cool and clear weather, then clouds and rain, then clouds and no rain and then back to cool and clear. I know this cannot go on forever, so I am spending lots of time outside. We have little fuzzy, green peaches on our tree and, in speaking with the local growers, it looks like it will be a great crop this year.

My artichoke has 2 tiny artichokes almost ready to pick. If you pick them small-about the size of a golf ball-you can eat them whole without removing the choke since it isn't fully developed. They are tasty and tender boiled for a few minutes and then brushed with olive oil and grilled.

My sugar snap pea plants are almost up to my shoulder.

And at this point, I don't know if I'll get any peas since I read Nisa's post on The Cooks We Are about pea shoots. The French omelet she makes is beautiful! Now I snatch the shoots off the plants every time I enter the garden and munch on them as I am planting or weeding. In the Autumn, I am going to try to remember to plant TWO full beds of peas, so I can have some for pea shoots and some for peas! The shoots are beautiful and graceful with tendrils that wrap around anything within reach.

The poppies began blooming yesterday. A rich, intense burst of color in the garden. I love the buds before they bloom. Day by day you can watch them poke out of the foliage, bend over toward the ground and then slowly start reaching for the sky until the green outer layers of the bud fall off and the crepe paper like petals unfold. All these years I've had poppies in the garden and they fascinate me still.

Roses began blooming this week also. This rose bush was in the garden when I bought the ranch and I've never moved it. It takes up an enormous space now, but I use the roses as the base for the lotion I make, so I let it go wild.

The horseradish is quite happy. This Autumn I will dig up the root, cut off some bits to replant and process the remainder for the fridge. Yum!

We've been eating green onions for awhile. I love it when they flower.

The Meyer Lemon tree has been blooming for a month. The entire garden smells of its perfume. It has four small lemons on it, and too many flowers to count. It's a new addition to the garden but won't actually be planted there. We'll move it into the greenhouse before the first frost.

Pulled up the last of the beets for dinner tonite. They are a bit gnarly looking, but after boiling them for a bit, I peeled and sliced them and poured some apple cider vinegar over for them for a quick pickling. Then I made a big salad with all the beautiful lettuces in the garden, some toasted walnuts, sliced apples and bleu cheese. It was a great dinner and I made a vinaigrette for later in the week with the vinegar leftover from pickling the beets. It's a wild purple color and unusual tasting vinaigrette!

We lost a chicken last week. I don't mean that we had an attack by a predator, I mean we LOST a chicken. One of the laying hens just never came back to the coop in the evening. I am pretty certain that she is setting somewhere in the yard. The mild weather and frequent rains have made the vinca almost knee high in places and so thick you can't walk through it. This same thing happened four years ago. We assumed some critter had snatched a chicken until I heard a noise one afternoon in the middle of a big patch of vinca and when I investigated further-moving aside the plants with my hands-the mama hen jumped up at me and the babies scattered. As far as the recent chicken disappearance goes, since there was no sign of an attack-no feathers anywhere (or other body parts...eech!)-I am pretty sure she is hiding in the thick foliage on a pile of eggs. At least I hope so. I'll wait to see if she shows up with a trail of babies behind her instead of trying to hunt through the twining vines.

The Joys of Spring

2010-03-24T11:15:00.002-05:00

Beautiful weather here in the Texas Hill Country. I can say that even though today dawned grey and drizzly. From here at my desk I can hear my garden cheering. I walked around the yard yesterday taking pictures of the new growth and reveling in the joys of Spring. Peach trees in bloom, the hope of juicy peaches in July makes my mouth water now!

The fig has lots of new growth even though I neglected to prune it last Autumn.

The lettuces that were covered in snow exactly a month ago are now lush and ready to pick. Salads are on the menu most every day.

Sugar snap peas are up and beginning to climb the supports. So few of these make it to the table as I can't resist picking handfuls while I am gardening and eating them on site. Crisp and oh, so sweet!

The horseradish root is sprouting. Have you ever had fresh horseradish? It would make you swear off the grocery store stuff!

The poppies, which I planted years ago in honor of my mom (whose nickname is Poppy) re-seed every year in different places around the garden. It's a sign to me that Spring has arrived.

And the arugula, which we've been eating for months, is now going to seed. I let the seed scatter all over the garden and then replant it in the beds...or let it grow right where it is-usually in the paths! Come September it will sprout and start the cycle all over again.

Lest you think my ~~obsession~~ fascination with morels has waned, I will leave you with pics of the fruits of my 4 mile walk yesterday. I was impressed with the size of the mushrooms and am wondering how much longer they will be around. We are still eating morels daily...most recently grilling them with onions and piling them on sandwiches. My goodness...

I saw the first snake of the year yesterday. So very sweet! And so very glad it wasn't a rattler as I almost stepped on it...

On another note, the Comfort Area Farmers Market begins its 2010 season on Saturday, April 3rd

from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. so come on over if you are in the area. It is held in the Comfort Park right on Hwy 27. It looks like it will be a great year with lots of new vendors and exciting programs planned.

We will be open every Saturday morning through Autumn.

There is also a great new Open Air Market starting in Comfort the first Saturday of every month beginning in April, which coincides with the Farmers Market Opening Day. It is being held behind the new thrift store in town, called General & Thrift at 606 High Street, from 8-4. All sorts of vendors will be setting up and BBQ will be available for sale.

Do come visit us at these markets and support the local economy and pick up some terrific products.

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear husband, Scott. He tolerates, no...encourages me in all my varied endeavors and is my biggest champion. I can't imagine life without him.

Happy Day Sweetheart!

The Biggest Haul Yet!

2010-03-19T20:54:00.000-05:00

My friend Debbie and I went out this afternoon and within an hour had picked over a pound of mushrooms! I had been telling her about them and even showed up at her house yesterday with some for her to try, but as much as we looked at her place, there were none to be found. I was afraid that she thought I was making all this up (complete with pictures!). But today she was thrilled to search under cedars and tromp through the woods after she found her first mushroom. I'm telling you, it's addicting! Some of the morels today were so big!

Last night we ate quinoa with asparagus and morels...an amazingly lush and rich dish. It is supposed to rain tonite and tomorrow, so Sunday or Monday we'll be out again. And next week, I'll start drying some of the bounty. What a gift!

A 3 Hour Walk

2010-03-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Couldn't get out of the house fast enough today, the hope of more morels pulling me. But I had a few things to take care of around here, so it was after 11:00 before I headed out armed with a backpack full of supplies: camera, scissors, bags, water bottle and snacks. And what a good walk it was!

Just a bit over 5 ounces. I crawled on my hands and knees under lots of cedars, but it was worth it. Here are some pics of the morels as I found them:

Cute, huh? This next one was growing out of the bottom of a tree.

At one point I had been walking about 40 minutes without finding any at all. I figured that I had gone out of the area where they would grow. As I was ducking under a branch, my glasses (which were perched on top of my head) got knocked onto the ground. "Stop here and look!" I thought to myself and crouched down where my glasses were. I found a morel about 4" from where my glasses lay. Up to that point, if I found one morel, I would find more in the same area. So I sat down where I was and began to look around. Just to my left I found what would be the biggest grouping of the day.

I think I will wait a few more days before going again. I left quite a few tiny ones in the ground. I am hoping to find enough more to dry some for later. As for now, I can't help but get home and saute some up for lunch. Adding a bit of chopped garlic and brown rice, they made a tasty lunch! With enough left over for another meal!

Be Still, My Beating Heart

2010-03-16T17:52:00.002-05:00

I don't know where to start, so I will simply post this picture and go from there:

For about 2 weeks now, I have been walking the woods with my trusty sidekick, Sophie, scouting out areas where morels might grow. I knew the season was coming up and that the conditions were so right for them this year...wet, cold and with some periods of snow on the ground (see previous posts!). I have never found a morel, but have eaten them (and swooned with every bite) and have been told that they can be found in Texas. Indeed a neighbor has found them on their property and a ranch where I sometimes work has had bumper crop years. I know they've been found in Gillespie County and lots in the country outside Austin but, as I said, conditions have to right.

I just knew this was my year. I felt it in my bones.

I've been working out of town for the last 6 days on the ranch where the bumper crops of morels have been found, so "dry land fishing" (as I've heard mushroom hunting called) was a big topic of conversation. When I finished work today, my friend Steve told me,

"If you find some, call me and if I find some, I'll call you! We need to know the season has started!"

It has been cold and dreary all day and has rained about an inch in the last 12 hours, but once I got home I couldn't help myself. I put on a sweater and my new rainboots and headed out with Sophie at my heels. I half heartedly looked in a few places, but thought that tomorrow would be the day to REALLY start looking. It is supposed to be warm-in the low 70's- and sunny. But the walk was going along so nice and although I was a bit cold, I thought I'd go check a few of the places I had scouted out. I walked probably a half mile through the woods and came to a rocky slope with small trees. I just stood there. I am completely serious when I say I FELT them. I knew they were there. I just stood there looking around. My eyes locked on a spot about 2 feet in front of me. There it was- a small morel not much more than an inch tall, poking out of the ground. My heart stopped. I crouched down and saw it was 2 morels, one much smaller. I picked the larger one and stepped back to a flat rock and sat down. My heart was beating as I sat and looked over the leaf covered ground. About 4 feet in front of me and to my right, I saw a large one. I said out loud, "Oh my, oh my..." which brought Sophie running. I stepped carefully over to the one and saw it was FOUR morels. I picked the two largest and went back to my rock, turning them over and over in my hands. I must've sat there for 10 full minutes, just amazed that I REALLY had found some morel mushrooms. I was getting cold, so I decided to head back home. One last time I walked to where I had found the first one and stepped just beyond it. There, at my feet, were 2 more. I picked the larger and, after marking the spot, headed back through the woods towards home.

Tomorrow will be quite a day!

One of those days...

2010-02-25T21:40:00.002-06:00

I just felt funny when I woke up this morning. I didn't sleep all that well and even after drinking my coffee in bed (Scott indulges me most every morning with this treat) I had a hard time getting moving. Finally got out of bed, did a little work via e-mail, checked the weather and exercised for 30 minutes before taking a shower. By this time I realized I was running a bit late. I had to be at work at 2:00 in San Antonio and had planned on leaving by noon so I could stop by the bank and run a few other errands. I rushed to get dressed and ran out the door. I left the house at 12:03. Yes! Made it to the city and my first errand at 1:03. Perfect. Made a few more stops and then drove to work. As I parked my car I realized I had forgotten to go to the bank and I would have to pay for parking. I had 2 bucks and change and parking was usually $2.50...whew! Went into work and chatted a bit with the gals before starting work. Had a real good session and as I was leaving my room I looked down and noticed this:

I was wearing two different shoes.

How in the world could I have worn two different shoes all day and not noticed?

I think I'll go to bed now.

...and more snow...

2010-02-23T15:37:00.000-06:00

Geez, you'd think we live in the south or something the way we are reacting to this snow! But it is so much fun! Scott and I just came in from a walk around the ranch with Sophie. The snow is perfect for snowballs...it compacts into perfect spheres...but it seemed every one I threw, Scott caught! As soon as we came in, the snow started falling again.

Chicken tracks in the snow.

The entrance to the garden.

Bundled up!

Scott throwing a snowball...it missed!

Some of the chickens in the snow.

After I had come back in the house, taken off my wet shoes and coat, Scott poked his head in the door and said, "You've got to come out and see this..." I grabbed my camera and followed him back out. He stood by my car and said, "Notice anything?" My sunroof was open a bit...oh no...

It was 72 on Sunday and yesterday when I was in San Antonio, it was 66 degrees. I was dressed for work and it was warm...of course I opened the sunroof. Problem was, I forgot to close it...

Ahhh, life is good...

SNOW!

2010-02-23T10:48:00.001-06:00

Woke up to sleet tapping on the office skylight this morning and it soon turned to snow. It has been snowing for almost 2 hours now and, looking at the weather forecast, we are in for hours more. I finally traded my slippers for real shoes and ventured out. The snow is wet...perfect for making snowballs and Scott and I may don coats, scarves and gloves and make it out soon to have a snowball fight. Then again, maybe not! Being out for 10 minutes to take pictures left me with frozen hands (although I was bare handed...not real smart) that have yet to thaw. The flakes were huge-more like clumps of snowflakes. By the time I got inside and downloaded my pictures the snow was coming down harder, but no more clumps. Now, a half hour later, the clumps are back. I have to admit, I am enthralled. I grew up in Connecticut and I recall massive snowstorms where I would play in snow up to my thighs-of course I was considerably shorter than I am now! I am glad my work schedule allows me to be home today and whereas I have to be in the city tomorrow by 1 p.m., the forecast predicts sunny skies and temps in the mid 50's. So today will be a day of bread baking and soup making. I may even make a batch of jam...anything to keep the stove fired up!

Pics from my foray out into the frozen wilds:

This was an hour ago and it has been snowing hard ever since.

The bench outside the garden. The woods look lovely. It makes me want to bundle up and take a walk cross country. Or grab a large piece of cardboard and slide down the hill!

The artichoke plant in the garden. This is the most resilient plant! It has survived through last years heat and drought (we were gone for a month and it never once got watered!) and freezes to 6 degrees earlier in the winter and now 3 snows-although none as heavy as this one. And it puts off 3-5 artichokes year after year. What a joy!

Sorrel in the foreground and arugula behind it. We have been eating arugula, grapefruit and goat cheese salads every few days for months now. The arugula reseeded from one plant two years ago and it is everywhere in the garden. It is great on homemade pizza, too!

I transplanted these tiny lettuces last week and then went away for 5 days. It froze twice while I was gone-upper 20's-and they only had a smattering of hay to cover them. When I got home I was amazed to discover they'd survived. I have heard that snow acts as an insulating blanket for plants. It is in the 30's today and is supposed to be in the 30's tonight. Hopefully they will make it.

I spent a few hours in the garden Sunday-it was beautiful- 72 degrees and I was in a tee shirt and flip flops. I planted more beets, some peas and radishes and just puttered around weeding and digging up a new bed. I had no idea this is what was coming just a few days later!

Plants that are "fussy" don't make it in my garden. I am thrilled when I get an entire day to work in the garden, but those days are seldom. It has to tend to itself much of the time. This has been one of the best winter gardens I've had in recent memory, thanks to lots of rain. My soil is pretty good right now and the chicken coop is ready to be raked out and added to the garden, so it will only get better. I am looking forward to a great spring garden and maybe a bit more time to spend there.

Looking out from the garden into the woods.

The gate from the driveway to the front yard.

My footprints leaving the garden.

A Trip to Dooley's for Heat Diffusers

2010-01-28T14:58:00.002-06:00

A wonderful thing about living near small towns is the mom and pop stores that are there.

Dooley's 5, 10 & 25 in nearby Fredericksburg is one such store. I have been shopping there

for 20+ years and it is still a treat to walk through their doors.

On my new website, http://www.theteachingkitchen.com/ I have a tutorial on making yogurt at home. In the pictures accompanying the recipe, you can see I use a heat diffuser to keep the milk from burning onto the bottom of the pot. I've had a few inquires about where to get one as apparently they aren't a

common item. I have three of them...they look terrible, but work wonderfully. The one on the left is small in diameter, but taller then the rest-very good to simmer delicate sauces in small saucepans. I bought it at a garage sale about 5 years ago and it didn't look much better than it does now!

The middle one is the one I use most often and it looks it.

Believe it or not, I bought this heat diffuser 20 years ago at Dooley's!!

The one on the right I bought at Dooley's about a decade ago. These diffusers get almost daily use

and I'm not sure how I would cook without them. So I decided to stop by Dooley's to see if they still carried these nifty kitchen tools.

It's pouring rain here today and although I parked right out front (a miracle!), I had to walk through a bit of water to reach the front door. As I walked across the store to get to the kitchen section, my wet shoes squeeked on the old wooden floor. The store carries everything from socks and underwear for the whole family

To an incredible kitchen section complete with spatterware.

And most every kitchen gadget imaginable!

On the far aisle are boxes of all kinds of little kitchen gadgets...some mini versions of graters and spatulas and some items that are hard to find anywhere else. The nutmeg grater in the blue box on the front left (the graters are wrapped in little plastic bags) is one tool I always have and have given many as gifts. There is a HUGE difference between freshly grated nutmeg and ground nutmeg in a jar.

Whole nutmeg are easy to find and after you grate a bit, the partially used nutmeg stores under a little lid in the top.

Then there's the Plastic Yard Goods where you can buy fleece backed oilcloth by the yard in lots of different prints. I just love the lemons on the bottom right!

They also had a new John Deere display that caught my eye. I thought the lunchbox

in the middle of the display was great!

I rounded a corner and lo and behold...heat diffusers!

I bought 4 of them so I could have them on hand to mail away in case someone asks.

Ain't life grand?

2009-12-09T21:12:00.000-06:00

This short video soothes me and puts everything into perspective. As James Taylor sang, "The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time..."

One year in two minutes from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

Isn't This Fun?

2009-12-07T15:24:00.000-06:00

Isn't this cool? Our son-in-law Keith made it for Ren Faire this year! He said his pic was up on the internet before he even made it in the gate. He and Molly are incredibly creative! Here is a necklace Molly made me:

In the bottom capsule are pink peppercorns, on the right are whole buckwheat (kasha) and black sesame seeds and on the left are flaxseed and saffron. She makes these with all sorts of herbs and spices. She makes earrings, too!

I don't think Molly and Keith are ever bored!!