tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55033381947665687812024-02-20T22:53:59.311-05:00Yumminess EnsuesWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-51086304573297677352009-11-05T14:19:00.009-05:002009-11-09T22:19:15.495-05:00Pumpkin Penne with SageLast week, my friend called me to ask if I wanted two large pumpkins she had purchased to can. She had run into a snag, and the pumpkins were languishing on her porch, admonishing her every time she walked past them.It seems that when she decided to buy the pumpkins and can them, she had a clear picture in her head of lovely jars of pumpkin puree on the shelves. However, since the last time sheWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-91202180249220055372009-10-09T22:02:00.005-04:002009-11-09T22:24:11.148-05:00End of the Season SlawIt's been a long, difficult summer, and all 3 of my blogs have paid the price. I thought unemployment would mean lots of time to do a variety of things, but that has not been the case. First it was garden work, then a family tragedy, then the harvest season. It's not that I wasn't cooking, or gardening, or taking care of the dogs- I was doing all of those things. There were just too many Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-75357284686667351682009-06-09T11:03:00.007-04:002009-06-09T13:47:37.940-04:00Green chile chicken tamales and tacosBefore we started eating locally and seasonally, I was vaguely aware that meat had seasons. I knew people butchered hogs and steer in the fall, and I knew that chickens didn't lay eggs reliably in the winter, but beyond that I didn't think about it.As it happens, chicken is a summer meat. We buy our chicken, pastured and antibiotic free, from the same Amish farm family who sells us our lamb, Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-65667757689072992882009-05-28T17:46:00.002-04:002009-05-28T19:11:54.675-04:00Rhubarb JamI love my rhubarb plants. They require very little of me, but provide so much! I like that rhubarb is one of the first things up in the spring garden, and that it grows so quickly. Marian Owen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul loves rhubarb as well, and writes about it here. And if you would like to read what I wrote about rhubarb two years ago, click here.My husband and sonsWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-49226887753155778832009-04-13T19:00:00.006-04:002009-04-13T20:00:03.596-04:00Pork-Barley-RiceThe other day I made THE BEST dinner for myself. It involved some cooked rice and barley, and some left-over taco meat, both of which needed to be used up. It also involved garlic, onion, olive oil, part of a red bell pepper and 2 eggs and a little cheese. It was so incredibly tasty I was in paroxysms of delight, probably wiggling like Juniper * with her rawhide. I wanted to reproduce this Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-3094059314131949102009-04-02T20:16:00.009-04:002009-04-04T17:15:52.445-04:00Bacon Explosion Meatloaf- yet another post unsuitable for vegetarians!Sometime around Superbowl Sunday, I saw news coverage of a culinary delight called the Bacon Explosion. This smoked sausage "fatty" was developed by a couple of Kansas City BBQ competitors, and as it's name suggests, consists of bacon, pork sausage and more bacon. I was intrigued, and sort of grossed out. I did some research and emailed the information to my husband, sons and one of my Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-58844227321038249042009-03-24T10:31:00.005-04:002009-03-24T12:05:49.634-04:00Home Made Sausages- vegetarians beware*I like to know how to do things. It doesn't matter too much if I actually DO the things I know how to do, in fact, it's sort of a family joke that my sisters will say about me "Oh, she doesn't have to do that, she read a book about it." I particularly like knowing how to do things that other people don't know how to do, or don't know how to do anymore.I'm not sure where making my own sausage Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-70884927700785338092009-03-16T17:24:00.011-04:002009-03-16T19:59:26.593-04:002008 Devil DogA few weeks ago, my friend Julia said that she wanted to know more about the Devil Dog Wine. Here you go, Julia- way more detail than you probably wanted. I remember from our college days that you liked wine, but not with food.When we moved into this house in 1997, there was a 20 year old Concord grape vine in the side yard. Chuck decided he wanted to make wine. We knew nothing about making Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-65561735416232748692009-03-12T11:36:00.004-04:002009-03-12T12:07:38.398-04:00Apple Upside Down CakeEver since posting about the cast iron skillet last weekend, I've had upside down cake on my mind. Since I don't live in Hawaii, though, I can't claim pineapple as local. However, a quick look through The Joy Of Cooking by Erma Rombauer, found a recipe called French Apple or Peach Cake. We still have stored apples, a little soft by now, but still excellent for applesauce or baking. I adapted Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-30361633882060064522009-03-09T19:25:00.011-04:002009-03-24T09:54:37.248-04:00Another cool toolRecently a friend gave me a 10.5 inch cast iron chicken fryer. When she told me about it, I was expecting a frying pan, maybe one that was higher in the center of the pan, like an old teflon chicken fryer I used to have. What she gave me was a really cool frying pan with another frying pan for a lid.The lid is hinged on the back with a little hinge that unhooks. I've never seen anything like itWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-9092792059210478682009-03-05T16:38:00.006-05:002009-03-05T18:57:36.647-05:00Making Milk Myself...For those of you who arrived here expecting a post on breastfeeding, sorry. Been there, done that and the moment has passed. This is actually about making a vegan milk out of grains and nuts.I have never liked milk. One of my worst childhood memories is of being served milk in anodized aluminum glasses much like these. It was awful- the metal of the glass had a scent that didn't go well with Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-41099827476727531162009-03-01T20:45:00.009-05:002009-03-02T16:34:50.573-05:00I'm not Balkan at this Egg Sandwich!There is an international grocery in a nearby town, run by Mersida, a woman from Bosnia. I don't get up there very often, but when I do go, I try to time it so I can get there to buy loaves of lepinja. Lepinja is a wonderful Balkan bread- sort of like pita, but without a pocket and not as flat.While looking for a recipe for lepinja, I ran across a description of a dish, lepinja komplet, that Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-41819954299982217292009-02-23T15:26:00.009-05:002009-02-23T16:45:48.023-05:00Name that toolWhen Chuck and I decided to make our own sausages, I thought we had some of the major equipment we would need. I was positive there was a grinder that my Grandmother Helen had used in a box in the closet, along with an antique shoe last and her cast iron apple peeler. When I went to the box however, to my great surprise, it wasn't a grinder. It was instead this mysterious tool. Can you guess Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-60685352449219447522009-02-13T20:55:00.005-05:002009-02-16T18:38:36.242-05:00Miracle Foods: BuckwheatI love the idea of miracle foods. It warms my heart to think that there are foods out there that will cure my ills, make me slimmer and put money in my pocket. Well, ok, I don't know of any that have claimed to make me richer, but the other two claims are pretty standard in the miracle foods arena.Right now, whole grains are getting a lot of PR for healthy eating. Everyone is eating oatmeal, Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-34496782048460401652009-01-25T14:08:00.007-05:002009-01-26T14:42:51.070-05:00Smoked salmon with farfelleSome meals, everything just comes together. This smoked salmon with farfalle is one of those dinners that just fell into place with little or no effort. Not only was the salmon tasty and easy, but it helped me save money twice! How could a dinner be better? Even the bread turned out well. I am excited, too, because it will be my first entry into Ruth at Once Upon a Feast's Presto Pasta Night Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-2912349429324870512009-01-22T11:52:00.009-05:002009-01-24T23:18:13.158-05:00The best Black-eyed Peas ever.Years ago, we used to end the old year and start the new one with our friends Julia, Robert and Zeke. It was always a pleasant, mellow time; a good way to ring out the old and bring in the new. A little more southern than the rest of us, on New Year's Day Julia would make black-eyed peas for luck. It wasn't something I had grown up doing, but we adopted the tradition wholeheartedly.Time passed Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-84660349422153344872009-01-19T15:48:00.013-05:002009-01-19T20:36:28.325-05:00Apple ButterIf you have been reading this blog, you know this has been the Year of the Apple for me. I talk about how delicious the apples were this year every chance I get, with everyone who will listen. Apples have also formed a thread connecting me to many of my friends. Tuesday night we had dinner with old friends; the dessert was apple crisp, made from their own Arkansas Blacks. While eating it, we Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-13786765964797965612009-01-15T14:28:00.004-05:002009-01-15T15:12:21.911-05:00What will you do on Martin Luther King Day?Martin Luther King Day has been one of my favorite holidays since it was first observed in 1986. At first, beyond the strong feelings I had for the man, I liked that there was no commercialism attached to his holiday- no exhortations to go buy furniture or new clothes in the "MLK Day Sales".In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the legislation making the day a Day of Service. This year the Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-68050315662408200582008-12-27T10:05:00.008-05:002008-12-28T13:07:07.282-05:00Happy Holidays- Have a Rumball.We never had a lot of holiday traditions, and of those, many have slipped away as our children grew older. I don't remember when we started making rum balls, but even when we don't put up a tree or decorate the house, we still make rum balls. This is Chuck's project from start to finish, and he gives them as gifts to neighbors, family, friends and co-workers, all of whom start asking about themWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-32639299514275653572008-12-20T20:02:00.000-05:002008-12-20T21:14:45.113-05:00Winter Comfort FoodHappy Winter Solstice! Starting tomorrow, the days will get a little longer as we start the long climb back out of the depths of winter into spring. Regardless of that, most of us probably see winter stretching out before us long and dark and very cold.While I am not overly fond of the cold and dark, I like the foods of winter- I like one-pot meals and dishes with lots of complex carbohydrates.Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-49935718916681485842008-12-16T18:51:00.000-05:002008-12-16T20:24:36.067-05:00Latkes with Applesauce My friend Dorothy makes the best latkes. I had them once, more than 12 years ago at a homeschool Channukah celebration, and I still remember how wonderful they were- warm, crispy, with applesauce and sour cream. She generously shared her recipe with me, which was sadly and irrevocably lost in the Great Hard Drive Crash of 2008. But I think she must have had some latke magic that she didn't shareWillahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-64907948156310445532008-12-15T17:01:00.000-05:002008-12-16T20:26:03.468-05:00Joy of ApplesBraeburn and GoldRushI am very fortunate to live in the midst of Pennsylvania's "Fruit Belt". In fact, on my daily drive to and from work for the past year I have watched the beautiful progress of apples, peaches and cherries from the first blush of color in the spring, when the buds begin to swell, through the all-out extravagance of the blossoms into the heavy abundance of the ripening fruit. Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-68027315752064325422008-12-11T17:48:00.000-05:002008-12-11T18:46:42.933-05:0018 months later....Well, 18 months ago I wrote that I was blanching asparagus and getting ready for a trip to visit my children. What I didn't write was that I was also waiting for a job change: the organization for which I was working at the time was re-structuring. It was painful and stressful and blogging was the way I handled the stress of not know how my job situation was going to resolve. To my great relief, Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-78340232289343862992007-05-16T19:35:00.000-04:002007-05-16T22:11:24.538-04:00Asparagus now, asparagus laterThe statistics of our life: Chuck and I are leaving on Friday, to drive the 1006 miles to visit our children. Before that, he will drive 500 miles roundtrip to pick up the college student who will be house sitting while we are gone. There is a lot to do, the packing, cleaning the house, shopping for road food as well as making sure there is some food here for the house sitter. Which might lead Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5503338194766568781.post-71995865882410754652007-05-09T21:26:00.000-04:002007-05-14T00:23:16.635-04:00Rhubarb Rhubarb is one of those things that you either love or hate. At least one, perhaps more, of my sisters loathes it. Understandable- back in the early 70's my mother was always on the look out for diabetic friendly foods. Rhubarb, sweetened with the nasty artificial sweeteners of the day, was one of those foods, and she served a lot of it. It was, in fact, pretty loathsome. Slimy and Willahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10115110657993404611noreply@blogger.com2