Confessions of a Grandma

Can you stand another 'recipe'? This salad was a throw-together for a vegetarian meal one night when Mike wanted a pork chop.  I cooked his meat, but it was just not what I was in the mood for.  The salad is some of the rice that I served to him and some of the corn.  I added about a cup of quinoa and a a half cup of garbanzo beans.  The dressing is just lemon juice and olive oil with salt and pepper.  There is some fresh basil thrown in.  If I had mint, I would have liked that in it.  I had it with roasted carrots. Tasty and lots of good protein to fuel my walks.  Or bike rides.  My new bike should be ready early this coming week. Quinoa is a seed with subtle flavor.  It mixes well with grains and I will throw leftovers of this concoction over a lettuce and tomato salad to add the protein.  Quinoa contains a very high quality protein, since it contains all eight essential amino acids. Mike just gives it his pi...

Our New Year's Eve celebration was an early and a quiet affair. Antipasto  means "before the meal,"  the first course of a big Italian dinner, meant to take the edge off for hungry diners.  In our case antipasto, was a large part of the entire meal, served with a bottle of white wine. There is an Italian market just a mile from the house that may prove to be our downfall.  And how easy is this?  Arrange food on a plate, then let it come to room temperature and enjoy.

Today was meant to be a somber day--although I don't really understand why the tenth anniversary is any more significant than the first or the seventh.  It was a tragic event, the bombing of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. We should remember it and especially those who rose as heroes to deal with the crisis and its aftermath.  We should also learn from it and bring the human race to a higher plain.  Since that does not appear to have come close to happening in the past ten years, I do consider it a very somber day indeed. I don't know if this was planned, but the VT air guard was flying overhead at 8:45 this morning.  Was it a tribute or was it an emergency?  I found it quite disconcerting but when I turned on the television we were all observing a moment of silence (except of course in my sky). I spent the day in  garden related pursuits.  I tidied up around all the garden beds.  I picked green beans and Italian peppers.  I canned thre...

This sunflower grew from a dropped seed from the bird feeder. Next summer, I may just plant a whole row along the deck. Cherry tomatoes are ripening.  Sweet. Cherry tomatoes, Italian peppers and herbs are from my garden. So fresh tasting.  I love summer food.

This article from Everyday Health lists five foods to avoid if one suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder: Caffeine Alcohol Sugar Salt Fat They are all likely to impact mood swings according to this report. Well, thank goodness I do not have that disorder.  If I had to give up those things, my mood would be pretty stable, though--dark, dreary and miserable, but stable that way. I can say that I am most grateful that I have few restriction on my daily diet. I am also grateful that I can afford  (at least for now) to eat a variety of foods.  According to an Associated Press article in our newspaper this morning: "People who spend the most on food get the closest meeting federal guidelines for potassium, dietary fiber, Vitamin D and calcium...Those who spend the least have the lowest intakes of the four recommended nutrients and the highest consumption of saturated fat and added sugar." The point being made was that too many people cannot afford to follow the new...

It was a dark and rainy kind of day here today.  I spent a lot of time sewing.  It is nice to be able to sit on the breezeway and work no matter what the weather.  I made this shirt and a new cover for my sewing machine. Good grief, I could have used a bit of make-up here. I spent so much time weeding last week, I thought I could coast for the rest of July.  Guess what...the weeds I missed were about two feet high yesterday.  And speaking of July, I cannot believe it is almost over.  I have been in a bit of a fog lately.                                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My sister-in-law introduced me to fennel last winter.  I used it in a spinach salad with dried cranberr...

I just handed over my debit card at the grocery store and did not even look at the total.  That only delayed the sticker shock.  I had to look at the receipt to enter it in the check book at home.  How do people with large families to feed afford to eat?? There are lots of sites with coupons and lots of sites with money-savings tips available on line.  I was moved to check a few out.  Being the daughter of depression-era parents, most of the tips were second nature to me. Don't shop while hungry--you'll spend more. Shop the periphery of the supermarket.  That's where the real food tends to be stocked. Avoid processed, pre-cooked, pre-washed, pre-chopped, and overly packaged items. Watch the specials, plan meals, and make lists. Buy only the amount of perishable that you can use before it goes bad or you just waste food and the money you spent on it. Use coupons only for something you would buy anyway. Watch the scanner.  Mistakes happen....

Oh, good!  Just in time for the strawberry season*--an article in the Huffington Post by Leo Galland, M.D. about the strawberry weight loss  research findings.  It seems that strawberries increase metabolism and may suppress appetite.  They have the effect of slowing digestion which in turn controls blood sugar.  They have anti-inflammatory properties.  All this and only about 50 calories for a cup, and these little beauties get in line with blueberries, pomegranate seeds, and cherries for their health benefits. I was disappointed that there were no recipes with the article, but it was by a doctor not a pastry chef.  I'm guessing that the weight loss benefits are overridden by things like shortcake, pie crust, and whipped cream. See, I think I am reading some really good news, but there is always a down side. *I wonder if there will in fact be  a Vermont strawberry season this year.  The fields are still flooded.  And I just f...

The sun came out yesterday and the temperature climbed all the way up to 80.  Such an unexpected gift.  Mike pulled a steak out of the freezer and got the grill ready.  I went out and dug up my vegetable patch.  Different priorities.  The pictures are from a last week supper.  Mike thought his burger with BLT was so beautiful it should be used for a TV commercial.  He thought my rice loaf with veggies should be scraped into the bin.  So judgemental--it was really delicious. Mike has gone to Pennsylvania for the next three days--to an antique motorcycle club swap meet.  He is taking some of his collection to sell. If he sells this poster, I will really kind of miss it.  On the other hand, the oil cans he wants to sell... We have another piece of land to sell--2.75 acres in Florida.  It doesn't look like we will  have the luck we had with the VT land.  Right now, you could buy some land and build a house in Florid...

The Florida experience would not be complete without a Key Lime Pie for dessert at least once in our winter stay. Actually, the first year we spent the winter here we sampled that confection more like once a week.  We felt compelled to try every bakery and determine the best available. Key limes are not something you generally see in the typical grocery store, although I have seen bottled Key lime juice.  They are very small and yellow when ripe.  A real Key Lime Pie is also a pale yellow.  It is horrible to add green food coloring to make it look like the typical green limes that we cut into wedges to drop into a gin and tonic. I have read recipes that call for the ingredients to be mixed and then just left to thicken, letting the acid in the limes "cook" the eggs.  I guess that is the original and most authentic way. I also guess that lemon juice "cooks" the egg in Caesar salad dressing, and fresh made is absolutely delicious. However, when you start to t...

Not to sound obnoxious to my snowbound friends and family, but I took a walk to the Farmer's Market and bought some fresh strawberries.  This is their season here.  I used them for a dessert that consisted of a puff pastry shell filled with vanilla pudding and topped with the sliced berries splashed with a touch of orange liqueur.  I used instant pudding mix but used lite coconut milk instead of dairy.  Yummy. The first time we came to Florida in the winter, I was mildly surprised to see fresh strawberries even though I'd expected to see fresh tomatoes and citrus fruits.  But, I was most surprised to see winter squashes and pumpkins freshly harvested in March.  I guess in my experience acorn squash and pumpkin season was even further away than strawberry season (June, in Vermont). There will be stacks of fresh corn at all the produce markets pretty soon.  That is one thing we never buy in Florida.  It just does not compare to the corn we bu...

Before the power went out the other day, I had undertaken a blast-from-the past culinary experiment.  My mother used to make pierogis--alot, but it was not something I had ever attempted.  I happened to see an old Martha Stewart Show that featured her mother and her mother's recipe for pierogi dough so I decided I'd give it a go.  (I just can't seem to allow Martha to get the better of me!!  I should give this competition up as I am quite sure Martha does not consider me a threat.)  I started this project at 10:30 on Wednesday morning and finished it just as the electricity cut out at 3:30 in the afternoon.  That's five hours of working in the kitchen.  Now I know why homemade pierogis are not on my "what's for dinner" rotation.  The pierogi dough.  King Arthur four flying everywhere.   My mother made triangles.   I found it much easier to make round pierogis and actually keep the potato filling inside.   ...

The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I went to the Cabot Factory sock sale, then out to lunch, with my sister.  On Sunday, I took the grand kids out to lunch.  Wednesday was an unexpected lunch because of trapping ourselves in the basement.  Thursday, of course, was a full day of feasting and nibbling.  On Friday, we made our annual pilgrimage to Giant Grinder and Modern Bakery on Franklin Street in downtown Hartford.  Then we went out for a soup and sandwich supper on Friday night.  In between all this eating was either work on sanding/finishing stair treads or driving.  Healthy food choices?  Exercise schedule?  This is how I can gain five pounds over the holiday season, and I just decided not to do that. So yesterday and today, it's out for brisk walks and pull out the vegetarian recipes and the exercise bands.  This morning, I made a big pot of oatmeal.  I used to eat a lot of oatmeal breakfasts but then I got out of the...

Mike has left home--at least for the day.  It is the onion that are putting the tears in my eyes, though. I started my morning by making a big pot of soup which in itself started with mincing and sauteing an onion, garlic, carrots and celery.  The onion smell did kind of take over the house there for a while, and Mike really hates onions.  I added chicken stock, potatoes, squash, pumpkin, and apple cider, blended it all together and finished it with thyme, sage and a little bit of half and half.  OMG, it is so, so delicious.  I feel better after the lackluster mole debacle. We don't get to eat it though, so Mike will come back when he is done playing.  The soup is going to the Artisans' Market at the local high school.  Our town library sells soup as a fund raiser as part of this event each year.  I will go to buy a calendar for the benefit of the community center and have a soup and bread lunch for the benefit of the library.  They have be...

Got tomatoes?  How about tomato sauce? The tomatoes I planted this year were called "Big Girls."  They were kind of late to ripen, but they certainly live up to the "big" in their name.  Four or five tomatoes filled up this whole pot and, since they are also meaty, I ended up with another lovely batch of sauce. The green beans are long ago done and I pulled up the pepper plant and the cucumbers a while ago, but those tomato plants just keep on going and going.  There are even new blossoms--although fat chance anything will come of those before the first frost. Mike likes the tomatoes on a sandwich, salad, or just sliced as a side dish, but he will not eat tomato sauce. Something abut a pissing contest he had with his father while he (Mike) was still in a high chair.                       "Yes, you will eat that spaghetti before you leave thi...

What says summer more than a supper of corn on the cob-- just picked fresh --and blueberry pie? Not major health food, but my taste buds are happy. The canoe is loaded except for the cooler, which will get packed up first thing in the morning. We'll make an early start hoping to avoid the predicted north winds--nothing worse than paddling a fully loaded canoe into the wind. I have not finished the story I am working on for my writing group meeting next week. I usually don't like missing these "deadlines" but I find myself not stressing about it. It will get done and people will have time to read it before the next get together. I finished the shawlette that I've been working on and I am quite pleased with the results. Perhaps I'll model it at some point in the near future. When we get back from camping, I think I will be about ready for another grandchildren fix. Gosh, the summer is going by so fast!

I thought I was free of the self destruct mode, but...Today I slammed my left foot in the front door, scraping my instep and making a bloody mess of my heel. However, I found it immensely amusing and I've been giggling about it all day. Now, I'm manic. Mike is threatening to outfit me with a hockey goalie's uniform--minus the skates. We are going camping on Monday so I spent the day preparing some meals for that. I remembered that we had a fan in the basement so I dragged that up to the kitchen and it really helped since I had the oven on and our air conditioner is only in the bedroom. Mike got out all the equipment and started some of the packing. It takes a certain amount of work to relax so completely for a couple of days. We sat out on the deck tonight for supper and watched the sun go down. Mike grilled tuna and I roasted potatoes in oil and herbs from my garden and made green beans in a lemon-butter sauce. The green beans were the first from my garden. It was...

A dentist visit yesterday, for the replacement of an old filling, no big deal. My fillings are all very old and starting to crack. We made a plan to replace them slowly over the next few years--with luck the job will be done before any major problems arise. I would so hate to have a career that involved having my hands in other peoples' mouths all day, but I'm glad that there are people willing to do it. Today I went into town again and picked my son up for a sushi lunch. I confess to being completely inept when it comes to chopsticks. I just cannot get the hang of them at all. I eat sushi with my fingers. Is that so wrong? It was a major bold step for me to ever try sushi in the first place, and as it is, I have only ever tried vegan sushi. I was reading the June O magazine (at the dentist's office) and there was an article about food aversions. The author was dismayed that her husband refused to ever try beef tongue and then she mentioned a woman who trained her...

I picked strawberries. Luscious. I have put a whole bunch in the freezer for smoothies and such, but it seems a shame not to eat them fresh as much as possible for the short season we have them available…so we are doing our best. I took some strawberries along with a container of chicken salad and a potato salad to my neighbor for her supper. Her husband is in the hospital awaiting five way by-pass surgery. It is not considered an emergency so he has had to wait five days for a surgery time, but they would not let him leave the hospital for those five days either. I just can’t imagine what an anxiety building exercise that must be. I don’t consider a hospital a fun place to pass the time. On the other hand, the things that modern medicine can fix now is quite amazing. Still, I hope to avoid any kind of close relationship with medical personnel as much as I possibly can… If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride. If turnips were watches, I’d wear one at my side. ...

Our company arrived Friday evening and we had a leisurely dinner and wine and conversation. They brought Lindt Dark Chocolate with a touch of Sea Salt. One word: HEAVEN! Saturday, "the boys" left for a BMW motorcycle swap meet. Jeannie and I went to poke around an architectural salvage store and the antique mall situated above it. Jeannie purchased a little soap dish and a large green glass blown vase to put by their newly refinished fireplace. We went to the Four Corners of the Earth Cafe where we had my favorite sandwich and iced tea. Then we went for a nice long walk along the Burlington waterfront. When we all got back, we played bocce in the backyard--great fun, but just for the record, the girls had a quite spectacular win. A rout, really. We got up late this morning. A steady rain and cool air blowing in the windows made sleeping in just about the perfect activity for starting a Sunday. I made a big breakfast which included bacon for a treat. We get McKensie bacon here...