[chocomouse]

We had skinless chicken thighs with Greek seasoning sauteed in a cast iron skillet, and then fresh broccoli and frozen carrots from last year's garden added to the skillet. We also had mashed potatoes and home-made gravy - something we have only once a year, with our Thanksgiving turkey! I'm changing the routine!

[chocomouse]

I put my vegetable garden to bed several weeks ago. It was the worst garden I've ever had, and I'm glad to be done with it. Now I'm cleaning up the flower beds. We are still picking raspberries, however. Temps have been in the low 50s at night, 60s during the days, although this week we had two 80* days. We're on the river, so our temps are a bit more moderate than areas just a half mile away. I don't see any frost forecasts for the near future.

[chocomouse]

Skeptic, New Englanders generally don't eat anything else with that meal (except maybe a pie), just the beans, hot dogs, and brown bread. Not what we today would call a healthy meal! During the winter years ago, their vegetables were those that stored well, such as potatoes, winter squash, turnips, rutabaga, kohlrabi, carrots, and then later on they canned lots of vegetables and fruits. Today, of course, many people in New England no longer eat that meal, but "mature" people often continue the tradition. Until about 10-15 years ago, the local VA hospital's Saturday night menu was beans and hot dogs, and the older veterans, who made up the majority of the hospital's patients, looked forward to that meal all week!

[chocomouse]

Yup, baked beans, hot dogs, and brown bread are a traditional Saturday night supper here in New England. Lots of protein, relatively cheap, and a very hearty meal.

[chocomouse]

I have 2 loaves of sandwich rye bread rising this morning. I used to make steamed brown bread years ago in a stainless steel utensil holder, but haven't made it for ages. Not sure what recipe I used, but I'm pretty sure it is in my old-fashioned, hard-copy, 3 x 5 card recipe box! 'Tis the season for it; I think it would be good with bean soup or chili.

[chocomouse]

I made pasta with a meat sauce, and a green salad for dinner tonight. I also prepared a batch of lemon ice cream, which is chilling now (I used eggs in the base, and chill it overnight) so I'll process it in the ice cream freezer tomorrow. And it's 50* here and I'm frozen! as I try not to turn on the furnace this early in the season.

[chocomouse]

Yesterday I made whole wheat bread. Today I had planned to make Mini Apple Pie Bites (using home-made dough instead of Pillsbury crescent roll pop-open dough) but I got involved cleaning out old paperwork in my file cabinet, so the baking will wait until tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

Last night we had chicken thighs on the smoker, with a potato and a broccoli salad. I have turkey soup in progress for dinner tonight, with stock from the freezer, with celery, carrots, onion, orzo; and wheat-oat-flax buns.

[chocomouse]

That is an interesting article. I have recently been thinking about the use of garlic and onion, and recognizing they are in almost all of my favorite dishes. And if a dish seems to be lacking in flavor, I reach for the garlic and onion. I do not use either when I cook Moroccan meals in my tagine, or when I have Korean foods (except in scallion pancakes!). I do use onions whenever I'm fixing a roast in the tagine. I grow and use garlic chives a lot in the summer, but they are pretty mild.

[chocomouse]

Today I made a chocolate zucchini cake. It is dense, and rich, and delicious. I made a ganache type frosting for it, which really isn't needed, but adds to the richness. I also used an extra cup or so of zucchini - the last one from the garden.
Yesterday I baked an herbed, cheesy zucchini bread, not yeasted. I used extra sharp cheddar, rosemary, thyme, and basil from my herb garden, and then at the last minute thought that didn't sound quite right, so added two minced cloves of garlic and some minced onion. A little garlic and onion is always good, right? It's OK but I would try different herbs next time. Somehow, the taste just isn't quite right.

[chocomouse]

We had ham steak cooked on the grill, potato salad, and broccoli. My microwave has a sensor cook option with "fresh vegetables" and it seems to cook every type of veggie perfectly - sort of al dente, cooked, but not mushy. I never steam any veggies any more. Last night I had some leftover pasta with sauce from the freezer, but there really wasn't enough sauce for the amount of pasta. So I slice and cooked up two Italian sausages, added a couple large spoonfuls of a medium-hot salsa, and some Velveeta cheese. It was delicious, and there is enough leftover for dinner tomorrow night.

[chocomouse]

I wondered where you were, Joan! You think those weevils must have come in to your house in the flour? I hope you get ride of them quickly.

[chocomouse]

Great that you didn't have to wait longer!!

[chocomouse]

I just froze the last batch of tomato sauce. And I now have a pork roast in the tagine, with sliced onions, boiled cider, honey, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, and cumin. I'll put apple slices, quartered potatoes, and carrots in soon. We'll get a couple of meals out of this. It's nice to be switching over to fall-winter type dishes, a complete change from veggies fresh from the garden cooked on the grill with a piece of meat/chicken/fish.

[chocomouse]

I made KAF's Sandwich Rye Bread today, with a few changes. It's a good, reliable rye that always comes out good.

[Author]

Posts