Follow Your Bliss

Mojo Sauce - Lives Up To Its Name!

2012-01-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

My husband decided to try a new recipe last night. As he loves to cook this is not an unusual occurrence in our household. As I like to eat this works out well for me!

He made Salmon and Mojo sauce from the cookbook Tapas by Susanna Tee This has to be one of the tastiest sauces I've ever had. We liked it so well we were both dipping our bread and broccoli in it as well as using it for the salmon.

Mojo Sauce

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

5 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs white wine vinegar

The Most Comfortable Chair in the World

2012-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is a Leopold's chair. To say it is comfortable is an understatement. Think of a baseball nestled into the well worn pocket of a glove. That's about how it feels to sit in this chair, which was designed by Leopold Stickley around 1930. His goal was to create for himself the most comfortable chair imaginable. Now, more than 80 years later, his chair is still popular. I found mine by accident. A couple of years ago I was in a furniture store on December 28th. I was in the market for two upholstered chairs for my living room. The kind woman who was helping me suggested that I sit in various floor models until I found a chair that sat well. From there I could pick chairs that were visually pleasing and would work in my living room. Then, I could select fabric. Well. I wandered around trying out various chairs. I saw the Leopold's chair and wasn't too struck by how it looked. Frankly, it seemed a little lopsided because the back is at an odd angle. Then, I sat in it. Mama mia! I knew then that the chair was for me. Never, ever in my long life had I sat in a chair that enveloped me in so much comfort. Knowing that Stickley furniture can be pricey, I inquired about the cost. The owner of the store came over and said, "This is a floor model. If I still have it in the shop on January 1, I'll have to pay taxes on the inventory. If you buy it today, I can give it to you at a great price, less than half the retail cost." I sat down in the chair again and put my feet up on the ottoman. And I did not want to get back up. The chair was truly that wonderful. Even the color of the fabric was a good match for my needs. Needless to say, the chair and ottoman came home with me. Every single day I sit in my Leopold's chair to read, look out the window, surf the web, or talk to visitors. But my secret has gotten out, so now I offer the chair to my friends when they stop by, and I sit in my other chair. It, too, is comfortable, but nothing like my Leopold's chair. My daughters both love the chair. In fact, I haven't met anyone who doesn't.

-Lissie

Easy Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2012-01-05T09:09:00.001-08:00

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 T melted butter

1 egg

1 cup blueberries

Mix Bisquick and sugar together.
Beat egg; add milk and melted butter and mix well.
Combine with dry ingredients.
Add 1 cup blueberries.
Sprinkle streusel topping on the tops of the muffins until all streusel topping has been used.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake papers. Add batter to each until 2/3 full.

Streusel Topping

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Pinch salt

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons flour (3 1/2 ounces)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

Combine sugars, flour, and salt. Mix in melted butter.

Bake in 400° oven for 20-22 minutes.

Green Smoothies

2012-01-02T07:14:00.001-08:00

A couple years ago we bought a Vita Mix and it suits my lazy food standards perfectly. I toss a bunch of stuff in it, turn it on and voila - instant meal. I like to eat but I don't like to prepare food the way that so many do. I also feel uninspired about breakfast (and sometimes lunch) and a 2 p.m. hunger headache isn't a good thing.

I've been reading for years about the benefits of green smoothies, made popular by raw foodists. I have enjoyed green smoothies here and there but I've never made them consistently. My kids really like yogurt and fruit smoothies so that is typically the way we go in the morning.

I am using Tera Warner's 21 Day Detox as inspiration to kick off my new year. I thought about signing up for the program but I've lived long enough to know that I am never going to keep a written journal about my exercise and eating and I am not going to take the time to long into her inspirational chats. I'm happy with the treadmill, The Shred and green smoothies so that's what I'm doing!

Today starts my 21 days. This morning we had a smoothie of baby spinach, red grapes, 1 pear, 1 banana, half a lemon's juice, a bit of honey, ice and water. It was good, the kids liked it and G-Man (whose favorite color is green) thought it was great to be drinking something very green!

Orange Kissed Cookies

2011-12-28T07:17:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe while looking for something to take to a cookie exchange. I decided I wanted a lighter cookie that would complement the heavier chocolate and nut varieties that always seem to be prepared during the holidays. My husband did most of the preparation for these cookies and we ended up needing to use a cookie scoop to get them a uniform shape and size after baking.

Orange Kissed Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions

Cream white sugar and shortening; add eggs and stir. Add sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla; stir and set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add little by little to the creamed mixture and stir well. Add 3/4 cup orange juice concentrate, and 2 tablespoons orange zest. Drop onto greased cookie sheets by teaspoonfuls.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 10 minutes. Frost cookies when they are cool.
To Make Frosting: Mix together 1/2 teaspoon orange zest, 2 Tablespoons of the thawed orange juice concentrate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 4 Tablespoons of melted butter, 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar or enough to make frosting of spreading consistency.

Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-12-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

My kids are having a great time painting their salt dough ornaments today! Such an easy craft that brings lots of smiles and also cheers up a Christmas tree.

1 C. warm water

1 C. flour

1/2 C. salt

Mix together, roll out and cut shapes with cookie cutters

Poke a hole through the top of the ornament

Bake at 250 degrees for 4-6 hours

Paint!

-Jess

Lemon Icebox Pie

2011-11-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

This pie is incredible for a number of reasons. One, it's lemon. Hello, citrus fruit! Two, it's insanely easy to make. Three, it's utterly delicious!

Lissie was reading some article Wednesday night and this recipe was given. I decided then and there it would be a perfect addition to my birthday pie buffet, especially as I had all the necessary ingredients on hand! :o)

Ingredients:

1 8oz. block cream cheese, softened

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon (or more if you desire)

1 graham cracker pie crust (okay, so I had to go to the store for this one)

Directions:

Beat cream cheese with mixer until good and soft. Add condensed milk and mix until combined. Add lemon juice and zest (we added the zest to the recipe since we're big citrus hounds in this house) and again mix until combined. Pour into crust and refrigerate.

Yes, it really is that simple. And, goodness me, so tasty. :o)

Cheesy Potato Soup

2011-11-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Brien is not a big fan of soups. He doesn't like hot liquids in general, actually (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, you name it). But, he'll eat a creamy or thick stoup or stew.

I've been busy on a home improvement project and wanted something quick and easy for dinner that we could eat on for a couple of days. Enter this easy potato soup that I sort of made up.

Ingredients:
*about 3 pounds potatoes, cubed
*1 onion, diced
*3 cartons chicken broth
*6 T flour
*1 1/2 cups milk
*1 1/2 blocks cheddar cheese
*sour cream
*bacon
*chives, chopped

I have a large crock pot, so this fits my pot. You may have to modify accordingly. Put potatoes, onion and broth in crock pot set on low. Cook all day. I cranked mine to high about two hours before I was ready to eat.

Mix flour and milk and add to soup. It will be cloudy and thicken, about twenty minutes. Add cheese (more or less to taste) and allow to melt, stirring it to help it along.

Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream, bacon and chives. It's thick, hearty and tasty. :o)

--Rach

Chicken Chowder

2011-10-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a nice hearty soup for a cool fall day:

Chicken Chowder

Serves 4-6

6 slices bacon, chopped
8 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts sliced thin
3 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2 celery rib, sliced thin
Salt and pepper to taste
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (After I remove the chicken from the carcass, I divide the meat into thirds and put each third separately into the food processor and pulse a few times.)
1 cup half-and-half

1. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve in the pot 1 tablespoon of bacon fat, and remove the rest. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery, and salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Stir in chicken broth and potatoes and bring to boil; then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Add the chicken and the half & half. Cook on low until the chicken is heated all the way through. When serving, sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens.

Fall Garden

2011-09-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am not planting a fall garden this year because I haven't done it yet and I'm past the point for most everything to have time to mature before killing frosts. I may still do some various greens and lettuce, we'll see. I've never had a season in which I've been so "meh" about planting things. I'm typically in a constant state of planning, planting, seed starting, bulb obsession, designing new landscaping projects and so on. I think maybe I OD'd a bit this spring and summer since we completed so much landscaping and it was another long, dry summer. August was cooler but still mostly dry and then September has been so wet and rainy that I think fall will be here with cooler temps and we will have missed out on our last few weeks of summer. Even with the heat, summer is only second to spring in my favorite seasons of the year. I like to be warm and I like to see things growing and vigorous and colorful. I like being outside and swimming and picnics and watermelon. On the other hand my grass looks better than it has since April with all the rain we've had tickling those roots and making it glow a nice dense green.

I am also interested in pursuing a few other hobbies this fall and winter. I started a family herbalist course a year and a half ago and it fell by the wayside with the busy-ness of a new baby and a traveling husband. I'd like to complete it. My 6 year old daughter wants to learn how to sew. I am not the best seamstress myself but I've gotten better over time with my machine. We're starting with some hand sewing projects for kids for her and see if her interests continues. She's also become a little obsessed with treasure hunting so we are going to be ramping up geocaching and visiting historical sites that have active digs. I'm just starting research into this right now but we live in an area that is brimming with historical significance, I'm betting I can find a few things that would thrill her.

This blog has been too quiet. It has always been a quiet blog but I'm hoping to pick up the pace a bit as we have more things to share again. I'll be trying some new bread recipes as the temps cool off and I am also going to be trying my hand at freezer cooking for the first time. I'm a pretty lousy cook and I really have no interest in getting "better" - I like tasty and easy. With that said I am a huge fan of the crock pot and my husband isn't so much. I'm going to be on the hunt for some recipes that are actually really good in a crock pot and do not call for ingredients like Rotel and taco seasoning packets. There's been a little too much junk food in our lives in the last few months and it is time to clean up a bit before the cold seasonal blahs hit.

Fall Wish List

2011-08-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Serbian Spruce

Crape Myrtle Coral Sport x3

Wintergreen Boxwood x6

Daylily - Little Strawberry Shortcake x9

Peony - Sherbet x4

Agastache - Apricot Sprite

Dahlia - Showcase Decadent

Shabby

2011-07-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again.

I wait and wait and wait all fall, winter and early spring for things begin to grow and show life out in the garden. And the bulbs shoot up in March and keep going through early May. By then there are perennials peeking up and I know all will be well in my world. How anyone could stand to live in a perpetually cold or dry place, I do not know. My husband mentioned a job transfer to Minnesota once and I almost had a heart attack! I need a decent length growing season, at least zone 5, to make me content.

Anyway, August heralds in the shabby month of gardening. This is when I always wish I'd focused more on structure rather than on color and blooms. I like messy, rambling, big and busy gardens. I do like a bit of structure but only so that the whole garden doesn't look totally desolate in the winter months. But August also sees me rethinking what I've put where and what I can do to improve things. August is about the time it gets so hot that most things are getting leggy and dry, blooms are having trouble really looking their best. My roses look so promising as they bud and then quickly brown and dry out in the heat. My hydrangeas each have blooms that feature crispy petals. My geraniums last only about a day and I'm deadheading them before all the petals have bloomed because the rest of the flower ball looks so pathetic. Even the petunias are starting to look a little desperate.

I just gave most of my garden a major hair cut (er, stem cut). It was time. So now I have a lot less blooms to blot out the ratty foliage. I'm planning on rearranging the north side shade bed quite a lot. I can see better now that the astilbes really are getting too much sun where they are at. I can see that the hellebore I had such high hopes for is probably never going to reach the 36 inches promised on the plant tag and it needs to move forward. I can also see that I should have been more patient and bought fewer hostas because they are now crowding each other out.

I feel as if I am in a holding pattern. It has been in the 90s-100s for the past two weeks. We have a drip irrigation system installed that is keeping everything happy and well-watered which is good because I can hardly stand to be outside for more than a half hour at a go. My children cannot take the excessive heat either so we have been cooped up inside just the same as we are in January.

September will arrive soon and then I'll get my spirit back. I'll start haunting online plant nurseries and visiting my favorite local nurseries and cajole my husband into digging more holes for me in the ground. I can see where we need more structure and I'm starting to plan exactly what we'll need.

I'll keep you posted!

-Jess

The Glory of Morning Glories

2011-07-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

Oake's Daylily Festival

2011-07-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

Gardening is in our blood. By “our” I mean my entire family. I have vivid memories of helping my grandmother in her flowerbeds where she tried to grow beautiful things in sandy Florida soil. My other grandmother also loved flowering plants. Once, when I was a teenager, she sent via railway express a bunch of lilies of the valley, cut but in bloom, to my mother who loved them. (They will not grow in Florida.) Mother loved flowering plants, too, but Dad did most of the gardening in our family. He and Mom split the work—Dad took care of what was outside and Mother’s responsibility was our home’s interior.

I came to gardening slowly, though even as a young single woman I always planted things wherever I rented, leaving them behind when I moved. And as a young mother I did some gardening. One year the Impatiens got taller than Jessica who was eight at the time. After my children were grown I took up gardening with a vengeance. When I bought our townhouse in 1994 I immediately began to transform the property. I had an end unit on a corner lot and there was more to landscape than I originally thought. Slowly, over time, I created new beds. I began to dabble with daylilies and fell in love with them. A coworker gave me a catalog to Oake’s Daylilies near Knoxville, and I have been a daylily gardener ever since. I mostly buy from Oake’s because of the high quality of their plants. When I sold the townhouse in 2009, I left behind more than 50 varieties of daylilies.

When I moved into my present home, I knew I needed to live in the house for a year before I began to work on the gardens. I needed to get a feel for the property. The fifth owner of an older home in an established neighborhood, all previous owners had different ideas as to how to landscape. So, I inherited a hodgepodge of overgrown plants and shrubs taller than the house. The last owner had five children, and I can promise you their mother did not have time to garden!

The flowerbeds of single-family home on a large lot have proved to be a bit overwhelming. Trying to bring order to chaos is a daunting task. The first important decision I made was to leave the back half of the property as woods. Here and there I have found and moved perennials from this wooded area, which leads me to believe that at some point that jungle was also landscaped. But it is now overgrown and too much for me to keep up. I actually like the wild nature of it all. It is filled with goats’ beard, money plants, Virginia creeper, sedum, and wild daylilies.

When I left the townhouse I was in mourning for my daylilies but decided to move on from them. I also made the decision that my new home would be surrounded by perennials, but I would not add any daylilies to the ones already there. Feeling overwhelmed by all that needed to be done, I began to rework neglected beds adding various perennials here and there. I took out huge, overgrown shrubs and created beds. Then I began to plan, albeit slowly. Gardens are a work in progress always and an act of blind faith. Creating them is good for the soul.

The front of the house gets hot, hot, hot so much so that the front door in summer must be touched gingerly. The side beds get some sun and the back is in almost total shade. After working on things for two years I finally made some hard decisions. One of the most important is that I still love daylilies. It just made sense to put them where it is too hot for many other plants. So, early this morning found me outside adding a few daylilies to a bed we dug along the driveway. A couple of weeks ago, I added several to my front beds. Today I will place a little name tag next to each one so that I can always remember which daylily is which. While I do know many by name, I can still get confused when I have several of the same color.

As I stated above, I LOVE Oake’s Daylilies-- http://www.oakesdaylilies.com/. Every year Oake’s has a Daylily Festival and this year Rachael and I planned our trip to Tennessee around it. Each year we take Dad on an outing, and how convenient it is that Oake’s is only 45 minutes from his house and somewhat on our way home. We easily found the place and with two young children in tow, made our way to the fields. These beds are for show only; the beds from which they sell are located elsewhere. All in all, the breathtaking beauty of so many daylilies all in bloom at the same time made our heart sing. Needless to say, a pleasant time was had by all, and I can’t wait to go back next year. In the meantime, I will continue to work on my yard, a major work in progress.

More pictures from the Oake's Daylily Festival follow ...

--Lissie

Gorgeous in JULY!

2011-07-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

-Jess

Baby Bird

2011-06-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Late Spring 2011

2011-05-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Things have changed in my garden so much since my last post. Spring blooms have pretty much petered out at this point and I've cut back almost all the bulb foliage now. As things come up and get bigger I see where I need to move things around again this fall. I've also started thinking about how to completely revamp the front beds but that will have to wait until fall or spring for sure.

Plants and garden items that I've blogged about in previous months are now in the garden growing and supporting. I couldn't be more pleased with the trellis we put on the south side of our house. The roses that we planted as bare roots in early spring have all flushed out and are putting on vigorous new growth and we are starting to see the first round of blooms, which I think is remarkable considering they were sad, bare little things just 60 days ago.

I've gotten the summer veggie garden planted. Unfortunately I lost most every seedling I started myself to some bizarre disease/fungus and I had to buy my plants from a nursery but all look to be thriving well and I'm looking forward to some new things we've not grown before including cucumbers, eggplant and watermelon. We have 9 tomato plants this year despite my plan of growing 4 - I can't just seem to help myself. We've got beans, 5 types of peppers, chard and melons growing as well. I am also trying an EarthBox for the first time to trial it and so far the growth on the tomatoes in the box is beating those in the beds - they are lush, big, healthy and vigorous plants.

Christopher Marlowe Rose:

Westerland Rose:

Fancy Tulips

2011-04-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

These tulips have been worth every extra penny spent. More are blooming in the back bed that I have yet to take a photo of - they are hot pink with lime green stripes!

Excited

2011-04-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

I've planted a lot, lot, lot in the last year. A LOT.

However there are a few plants that I am really excited to see mature and come into their own. I am fine patiently waiting a few years for them to become remarkable (let's hope we don't move any time soon!) but I will be eyeing them year after year waiting to see them in their full glory.

Westerland Rose

South Seas Daylily

Pinky Winky Hydrangea

Vitex/Chasteberry Tree

Korean Feather Grass

What are you most excited about to see mature and bloom?

Spring Blooms

2011-04-11T11:05:00.001-07:00

What We've Planted In One Year

2011-04-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

The sad truth about gardening is that it takes loads of time and thousands of dollars to make your garden look like much of anything. The structural components alone are usually very expensive and difficult to get in place. We've had both the benefit and nightmare of only ever buying brand new houses which means every single time the landscaping (well, everything) is basic and needs fluffing up. In our first year in our newest home we have planted (listing perennial/trees/shrubs ONLY):

2 10 ft. cryptomeria
1 8 ft. Japanese maple
1 8 ft. crape myrtle (Natchez)
1 6 ft. skip laurel
1 10 ft. Nellie Stevens Holly
1 Nishiki willow
1 eleagnus
1 Endless Summer Hydrangea Original
5 Lo and Behold Blue Chip Buddleia
3 evergreen azaleas
12 double apricot hollyhocks
2 mini yellow roses
4 Oso Easy Honey Bun Roses
5 David Phlox
2 Rudbekia
2 Autumn Joy Sedums
1 Hyssop
1 dwarf fountain grass
10 catmint
2 lamb's ears
3 creeping phlox
4 nandina
1 Tamora rose
1 goldflame honeysuckle
5 heuchera
5 columbine
2 Christopher Marlowe roses
2 Westerland roses
3 spiderworts
3 lavenders
1 Janet rose
6 South Seas daylily
gladiolus bulbs
3 blueberry bushes
5 dwarf apple trees
1 Fairy rose
2 Cityline Rio hydrangeas
3 My Monet weigela
2 Anthony Waterer spirea
2 Pinky Winky hydrangeas
6 various varieties Echinacea Coneflowers
2 Vitex/Chaste trees
1 bloomerang lilac
1 Korean Spice Viburnum
2 Endless Summer Blushing Bride hydrangeas
1 Annabelle hydrangea
1 Chinese Fairy Bells
1 Hellebore
5 Astible
4 hostas
2 clematis
1 Carolina Jessamine
2 winter jasmine
strawberries
blue oat grass
korean feather grass
3 Fireworks fountain grass
600 spring blooming bulbs

We've also spread 15 cubic yards of compost, a lot of mulch, built 4 raised beds for veggies, ripped out a lot of sod to make new beds. No wonder my husband groaned when I told him even more plants were arriving and I need him to help me rip out just a bit more sod tomorrow. But I think we are just about done getting the "bones" in place! The last major project will happen this fall or next spring and will be putting in two large tree islands in our front yard. One island on our corner will have 1 large maple sided by 2 service berries and fronted with red twig dogwood. The other bed will have 2 Siren Crape Myrtles and one Serviceberry.

*Trying to figure out the time, money and energy I've spent on annuals in the last year, just to make things a little prettier while all the immature "bones" settle in would probably make me cry so I'm not going to go there. Let's just say there has been an awful lot of geraniums, petunia, begonias, coleus, zinnias, sunflowers, morning glories, verbena and who knows what else purchased and planted during last spring and summer and I'm sure come May I'll be heading out and loading up my car with more of the same. Oh, I should also mention the attention all those seeds I start every year require - I've a lot of pots under lights in the basement this year, the one flower I am most excited to try is Cerinthe, so lets hope it makes it through hardening off and puts on a good show!

Jess

Health Alternative to Buffalo Wings

2011-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

I love buffalo wings but they aren't the most healthful food. Here is an alternative:

1 avocado diced
1 Tbs. low fat sour cream
1 Tbs. Frank's Hot Sauce
1 tsp. blue cheese crumbles

Whisk the sour cream and hot sauce together and drizzle over the avocado. Sprinkle blue cheese on top. Yum!

Enjoying the Garden

2011-03-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

We've been working our tails off in our yard the last couple weeks and signs of life are sprouting up everywhere. Our daffodils, tulips and hyacinth are on the cusp of blooming which is exciting for Ella and me because we bought 600 bulbs last fall and I didn't label the bags well, just planted them in masse here and there so we'll see what we chose and where it ended up! I know we have some fancy, ruffled hot pink tulips with lime green stripes and some pink daffodils out there somewhere (both chosen by my five year old Ella!).

The loads of compost and mulch have begun being dumped on our driveway. We also bought a 10 foot Nellie Stevens Holly and moved the Skip Laurel to a new position in the tree island in the back yard to give us even more privacy. I have some new, inexpensive pots from Better Homes and Gardens via Wal Mart that will be full of annuals and ornamental grasses to fill in here and there back there as well. Five Lo and Behold Blue Chip buddleia will fill in in front of our new Nellie Stevens and some Korean Feather grass will either go in the ground or in a low, shallow and wide pot in fronts of the Japanese maple and skip laurel to fill in there. There is sort of a weird space in between the two cryptomeria and the holly due to necessary room for the trees to grow so in the meantime I found a great idea in a container gardening magazine to fill in the space with three pots in descending size, the largest holding a japanese maple (18-20 inch pot diameter), a Dwarf Alberta spruce (16-18 inch pot diameter) and Chinese Juniper (12 inch pot diameter). I'm going to try and find some nice brown pots so it looks natural and soft and fills the area in well. As the island trees get bigger I can move those small potted shrubs to somewhere else.

The south side bed was also completed. Last fall we planted a Janet rose, a Bloomerang lilac and a vitex/chasteberry there. This year we pulled out the sod to make an entire new bed, edged it with catmint, filled in around the three foundation shrubs with lavender, spiderwort and hollyhocks. I'm waiting on delivery of six South Seas daylilies which will finish the bed.

The north side bed got some new columine and some pachysandra to fill in under the hydrangeas. I've got some caladiums ready to go in once it warms up to also fluff that bed up a bit more and I'm thinking of putting another trellis on that side with some goldflame honeysuckle which is fairly tolerant to high shade conditions.

My garden pillars from Jackson and Perkins arrived as did the huge trellis which I mentioned in previous posts. I am thrilled with the purchases and believe they will really add to the beauty of the garden. We are also strongly considering have the stairs off our porch done in stone which is a higher up front cost but will last forever and look really lovely as well. We are also debating a patio this year but are also feeling like hanging on to our pennies so we'll see what we end up choosing!

My five roses that I ordered from Pickering were delivered on my wedding anniversary last Friday (Bob couldn't have planned that better if he'd tried!) and we got them in the ground. I know have four OSO Easy Honey Bun Roses, two Christopher Marlowe roses and a Tamora in my front bed. I have two climbing Westerlands in the south side bed. I debated putting some roses in the back but the children play there so much I thought it best to keep the thorns away. I also found the most interesting looking pennisetum/fountain grass that is called fireworks. I've got three coming for the front bed to intermingle in between the roses.

We dug the beds that hug the back porch and they look great! We still need to get some more compost in them and then mulch the beds but they are almost finished. I have Pinky Winky hydrangeas immediately in front of the porch on either side of where the stairs will be. Beyond those are a mixture of types of echinacea coneflowers and then I have Anthony Waterer spirea rounding the bed out. On the bed to the left (when you face the porch from the yard) it extends much further and around hugging the exterior basement stairwell and I have a Colonnade Crimson Spire Apple Tree and two blueberry bushes coming from Stark Brothers. I also planted a mini weigela, My Monet. Once everything is up and leafed out I'll see if I need to add any annuals. I know I will putting two hanging baskets on the stairwell railing for a nice pop of bright color, probably my usual choices of petunia, geraniums and coleus will go in them.

I am now obsessively planning my containers. In all previous years I've just gone to various garden nurseries and bought whatever caught my eye and tried to hobble it together when I got home. Not this year! I'm going with a plan and a list. I feel the need for things to look organized, planned and streamlined.

Last but not least, my mother gave me some patio furniture for our porch and Bob and I are thrilled to have an adult space to sit! I got the kids one of those turtle sandboxes and stuck it under their playset out in the yard and bought a large, weatherproof deck box to hold all their toys for their water table and the porch is finally looking a bit more adult and pretty. As the weather warms I'll get some more pots of herbs out there and we'll hang two outdoor ceiling fans and it will be such a great place to hang out!

She's Almost Here!

2011-03-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Spring, that is. I'm finding all sorts of evidence in my garden that things are about to get a lot prettier and warmer around here. Thank goodness, I am so ready. Spring is my favorite season. I think the warm, breezy days with a profusion of beautiful blooming bulbs, Easter and all the new baby animals being born seem like such a reward for surviving the cold, dark, bleak winter. I like things about all the seasons but I'm never so relieved for a season to arrive as I am for Spring.

Last spring and fall my husband and I spent a ton of money and time trying to get our yard in a livable condition. We planted trees and shrubs and perennials and bulbs on a massive scale considering we had a new baby, a toddler and a 5 year old. I'm so thrilled to see all that hard work creeping back up back through the mulch to share its beauty with us again this year. And the spring planting plans are well under way, Bob is taking off a week from work next week and we should get the remaining beds dug and ready for planting in April.

Crocus

Phlox

Rudbekia

Hollyhock (12 of them!)

Rose beginning to leaf out

4 raised beds full of cabbage, lettuce, brussels sprouts, broccoli and various asian greens

I planted 600 or so bulbs last fall, they are popping up everywhere

I like having a photographic record of what things look like from season to season so I can really see the changes!

-Jess

Final Garden Decisions Spring 2011

2011-02-07T18:30:00.003-08:00

I've ordered and made definite decisions!

South side of house, full sun. I'm planning a bed that will have bright purple and orange contrast. Below are a Bloomerang lilac, a vitex, a Janet rose, a Westerland rose, and South Seas daylilies. I will underplant with catmint and lavender. The lilac, vitex and Janet rose were planted in the fall so the rest of the bed will come together pretty easily. The mocha trellis matches my house and I really want it to blend into the background. It is a big trellis, 5 x 8 feet and will be the home of the climbing Westerland.

Our back island will be slightly reworked. I am moving the Nishiki Willow out and moving it to a wetter portion of my yard where it will thrive. We will be extending the back of the island behind the japanese maple and putting in some Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass back there. That will give a bit more privacy in the winter and add some visual interest year round. I will be putting in three garden pillars of varying height - 7, 6 and 5 feet in a trio and I will be growing goldflame honeysuckle and moonflower on them. In front of those will be two low growing Christopher Marlowe roses. The double apricot hollyhocks that I planted back there last year will shoot up and bloom this year so that will add visual interest as well.

This entire area in front of the island will become stone patio. The rail on the porch in the middle of the two support pillars will be taken down and stairs will come off the porch onto the patio. On other side of the stairs, which will be wide spanning the entire middle of the porch, will be two new raised beds. On the left where the hose spicket is will be a colonnade spire apple tree, a pinky winky hydrangea and snow storm spirea. I may try and squeeze in some dwarf weigela, though I am not certain yet if I will have room. This will all be underplanted with white creeping verbena and Lady Elizabeth daylilies. The other side will match with the exception of the apple tree and I'll probably put in some tall annual or biennial there, maybe hollyhocks or lupine.

The front of our house will also get one of the mocha trellis and a Westerland rose just like the side yard orange and purple bed. I'm happy to report that nothing planted in this photo below is still there because this garden is sad as can be! I had all the shrubs replaced by our builder and I rectified my mistake of putting those hostas in such a sunny spot (they have been moved to the north side bed) and in their place are 3 very tidy, low-growing azaelas that are a variety that can take more sun. That large garage wall will have the trellis and Westerland rose growing on it.

-Jess

Italian Pot Roast

2011-02-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Sunday dinners is pot roast. I love the flavorful meat and potatoes and carrots and onions and and and...Yeah. I love a good pot roast.

Unfortunately, I never mastered a good pot roast. Mine always came out dry and lifeless. Enter Cook's Country on PBS. I came in from grocery shopping two weeks ago and the show was on. Instead of unpacking groceries, I found myself salivating over the OMGoodness divine pot roast being prepared. At that moment we decided that going on the menu for the following week and I couldn't wait for Brien to prepare it. (Now that I'm home cooking all week, B finds he misses it and cooks on the weekends.)

We went to the Cook's Country website, found the recipe and promptly decided it would be our Sunday dinner from now on. Served with a green veggie and mashed potatoes, this is one heavenly dinner.

Enjoy!
--Rach

Italian Pot Roast
2/2007

Every piece of meat cooks differently, so start checking the roast after 2 hours. If there is a little resistance when prodded with a fork, it's done. Light, sweeter red wines, such as a Merlot or Beaujolais, work especially well with this recipe.

Serves 4 to 6

1	boneless beef chuck-eye roast (3 1/2-4 pounds), tied (see photo below)
2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	medium onion , chopped
1	rib celery , chopped
1	pound cremini or white mushrooms , quartered
2	tablespoons tomato paste
1	(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2	cup canned tomato sauce
2	teaspoons sugar
1/2	cup water
1	cup red wine (see note)
1	large head garlic , outer papery skins removed, then halved (photo 1, below)
1	sprig fresh thyme
1	sprig fresh rosemary

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, celery, mushrooms, and tomato paste until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, water, 1/2 cup wine, garlic, and thyme. Return roast and accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Place piece of foil over pot, cover with lid, and transfer pot to oven.

3. Cook until roast is just fork-tender, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, flipping roast after 1 hour. Uncover pot and let roast rest in juices for 30 minutes, skimming surface fat after 20 minutes. Transfer roast to carving board and tent with foil. Remove and reserve garlic head and skim remaining fat from pot. Add remaining 1/2 cup wine to pot, bring to boil over medium-high heat, and cook until sauce begins to thicken, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, carefully squeeze garlic from halves and mash into paste. Add rosemary to pot and simmer until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary and thyme sprigs, stir in mashed garlic, and season sauce with salt and pepper.

4. Remove twine from roast and cut meat against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices, or pull apart into large pieces. Transfer meat to serving platter and pour 3/4 cup sauce over meat. Serve with remaining sauce.

STEP BY STEP: Getting the Garlic Right

3. Stir the mashed garlic back into the sauce.	2. Once the roast is done, squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and mash the garlic with a fork.
1. Slice a whole head of garlic in half and add it to the pot.

Planning

2011-01-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

I'm obsessed right now with planning our veggie gardens and with our hardscape landscaping. My husband has no idea the amount of manual labor I've got planned for him or he'd be heading for a perpetual cold climate in which none of my plans would be possible.

I've got trellis picked out.

I've got four new beds to be put in, including digging out the sod and mixing in compost, planting and then mulching.

I've got 10 THOUSAND dollars worth of plans in place and no idea if our budget will allow for that. OK, if I am being serious I know our budget will not allow for that but I'm dreaming.

Who wouldn't want these beauties lighting up the winter landscape? I'm a little crazed for shrubbery that has the decency to have the woody portions turn a brilliant scarlet after the last leaves drop in defeat. I've got a Nashiki Willow planted already but I really want a row of Red Twig Dogwood.

I'm planning for spring for the floral beauty of the garden:

Lady Elizabeth Daylilies

Seven Seas Daylilies

Collonade Spire Apple

Pinky Winky Hydrangea

My Monet Weigela

Snow Storm Spirea

Show Off Forsythia

Lobelia

Easy Wave Red Improved Petunia

Fiesta Coral Bell Double Impatiens

Oso Easy Mango Salsa Roses

-Jess

My True Bliss

2011-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Some people can sleep through anything.

The title of this blog is "Follow Your Bliss" and for me, my true bliss is family. Last weekend we were all there in Williamsburg for Lily and Ellie's baptisms. I was able to shoot a few photos.

When I look at sweet Ellie, I see her mama who looked just like this at eight months.

Gracie and her mama, Jess

Miss Grace at almost one year.

BFFs Lily and Ella

Somebody looks tired.

I LOVE this photo. What's better than a mommy smooching her baby?

What a sweet face! How could you not love this precious angel?

Soft flannel kitty cat PJs make Miss Lil smile.

I well understand these dynamics. At times I felt the same way about my little sister.

Another shot of "Rachael Junior"

Gabriel was proud to wear his "Daddy" shirt.

Somebody feels like a princess. Can you tell?

My Reading Pile

2011-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

Like Jess, I have a pile of books ready for the new year. I'll probably read a couple of them simultaneously, as is often my wont. I'm a big fan of history, biography, and nonfiction, but do like a novel now and then. Here are the books I will read early in 2011 in no particular order:

I'm a fan of Barbara Kingsolver, so I'm eager to read this one. I bought this autographed copy at Kingsolver's restaurant in Meadowview, Virginia.

I've read another book by this author and hold out great hopes for this one. I received this book at a Christmas gift.

I love Bill Bryson! He is one of my all-time favorite authors. I once wrote him a letter, and surprisingly, he wrote me back! His books are so funny while also most informative. I've already begun reading this one.

I'm working on a huge family project, archiving all of the photographs, letters, ephemera, and objects handed down through the generations. This book will guide my work. I know the project will take at least a year. I've ordered all of the archiving supplies I'll need. Now I must begin to sort through the boxes and boxes of artifacts.

This book holds particular interest for me as I grew up in a sundown town. It shocking how we oppressed African-Americans in this country. Shame on us.

To Be Read Pile

2010-12-14T08:35:00.001-08:00

I have a big pile of books that I am looking forward to reading over the next few weeks and I thought it would be fun to see what my two co-bloggers have on their reading lists.

I would like to reread The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

and

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt

(Can you tell I feel particularly mercenary after Christmas shopping for my kids?!)

Winter's Tale by Mark Helrpin (started but got sidetracked)

Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen

and

Our Lady of Kibeho by Immacule Ilibagiza

Grandma's Ginger Cookies

2010-12-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

You asked so you shall receive. :o) Grandma used to make at least one batch of these cookies a week for her boys. Wow!

Ingredients:
1 cup coffee
3 t baking soda
1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
3 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
3 t ginger
2 t vanilla
1 t salt
flour to texture (anywhere from 9-11 cups usually--it took 9.5 cups for me yesterday)

Directions:
Dissolve baking soda in coffee and cool. Mix all ingredients with mixer except flour. Add flour slowly and mix in. Roll to 3/8" and cut. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Do no overbake! Store in tin can.

Rach's tips/tricks:
*Go ahead and give adding the flour by mixer a go. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, it should be up to the challenge.
*I mixed in the last 2.5 cups of flour by hand, kneading the flour into the dough. You want the dough to be rather like a soft Play Doh that doesn't stick to your hands.
*Flour the work surface before rolling. It doesn't matter how many times you rework the dough, or how much flour gets worked in, these cookies will still be tender. Like I have said, this is the most forgiving cookie dough EVER.
*Begin timing the cookies for 8 minutes and then test. To test, lightly touch a cookie. Continue to bake for additional time, one minute at a time as needed. To test, lightly touch a cookie, if it leaves an indentation, they're not ready. The trick is to NOT overbake them as they will then be dry. This was the hardest part.

I think that's it. If you have any questions, I'd love to help if I can. My email is rachael(dot)davis(at)cox(dot)net.

--Rach

Chocolate-Raspberry Torte

2010-11-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

I just adore the recipes in Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. They are vigorously tested and there are always so many helpful hints and tips included. I anxiously anticipate the arrival of each magazine and then eagerly peruse them, making plans for which recipe will be made when.

When I saw the chocolate-raspberry torte in the latest Cook's Illustrated, I immediately KNEW I had to try it. After a bit of a disaster, I met with more success yesterday. :o)

For those who requested it, here's the recipe, courtesy of Cook's Illustrated:

Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12 to 16. Published November 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

We recommend using either Callebaut Intense Dark L-60-40NV or Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, but any high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate will work. If you’re refrigerating the cake for more than 1 hour in step 6, let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

Cake and Filling
8	ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note)
12	tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4	teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 3/4	cups (about 7 ounces) sliced almonds , lightly toasted
1/4	cup unbleached all-purpose flour (1 1/4 ounces)
1/2	teaspoon table salt
5	large eggs
3/4	cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/2	cup fresh raspberries , plus 16 individual berries for garnishing cake
1/4	cup seedless raspberry jam
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
5	ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine (see note)
1/2	cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom of two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans with parchment paper. Melt chocolate and butter in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Stir in vanilla and espresso powder.
Process 3/4 cup almonds in food processor until coarsely chopped, six to eight 1-second pulses; set aside to garnish cake. Process remaining cup almonds until very finely ground, about 45 seconds. Add flour and salt and continue to process until combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer almond-flour mixture to medium bowl. Process eggs in now-empty food processor until lightened in color and almost doubled in volume, about 3 minutes. With processor running, slowly add sugar until thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Using whisk, gently fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture until some streaks of egg remain. Sprinkle half almond-flour mixture over chocolate-egg mixture and gently whisk until just combined. Sprinkle in remaining almond-flour mixture and gently whisk until just combined.
Divide batter between cake pans and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake until center is firm and toothpick inserted into center comes out with few moist crumbs attached, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire rack and cool completely in pan, about 30 minutes. Run paring knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto cardboard rounds cut same size as diameter of cake and remove parchment paper. Using wire rack, reinvert 1 cake so top side faces up; slide back onto cardboard round.
TO ASSEMBLE TORTE: Place ½ cup raspberries in medium bowl and coarsely mash with fork. Stir in raspberry jam until just combined. Spread raspberry mixture onto cake layer that is top side up. Top with second cake layer, leaving it bottom side up. Transfer assembled cake, still on cardboard round, to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.
FOR THE GLAZE: Melt chocolate and cream in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and gently whisk until very smooth. Pour glaze onto center of assembled cake. Use offset spatula to spread glaze evenly over top of cake, letting it flow down sides. Spread glaze along sides of cake to coat evenly.
Using fine-mesh strainer, sift reserved almonds to remove any fine bits. Holding bottom of cake on cardboard round with 1 hand, gently press sifted almonds onto cake sides with other hand. Arrange raspberries around circumference. Refrigerate cake, still on rack, until glaze is set, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Transfer cake to serving platter, slice, and serve.

This is indeed a torte that is delicious as it looks.
Enjoy!
--Rach

Coming Out Of The Closet

2010-11-08T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Goodwill closet, that is. I don't know why but it seems like there is a hierarchy of thrifting, funky thrift stores are on top, followed by yard sales and ebay and then Goodwill and the Salvation Army are on the bottom. Goodwill has an undeserved bad reputation, the prices are amazing and there are really great finds to be had there. I really love Goodwill - both to donate and to shop. In the last 10 years I've found some of my very favorite clothing pieces there - a fleece vest that I wear all the time in the fall and winter springs to mind and I paid $.75 for it a decade or so ago. I never know what I'm going to find (if anything) and it is sort of like searching for a needle in a haystack. Add my soon to be 3 year old son into the excursion and you've got quite an experience on your hands. We probably pop in every 6 months or so when I take a couple bags of things to donate and today was our day.

I like to layer in the cooler months. Undershirt/tank, then long sleeved shirt, then a pullover/sweater on top of those. I found four great sweaters today for me. All in really great shape and all were $4. The lambswool cardigan from Old Navy is so soft and looks brand new and the gray collared pull over from Banana Republic also looks brand new. I'm excited! I'm still in transition back down from my last pregnancy - I've got about 10 lbs. to go - so I need a couple pairs of pants to see me through the next month or so as the weight finally finishes coming off. I found two paris of jeans that are comfy and flattering for $5 a pair. And last I found Bob a Pendleton 100% wool cable knit pull over sweater that I think will be great for weekend wear this winter. A trip to the dry cleaner for it will put its price around $9.

If you haven't shopped at your local Good Will, I urge you to try it out. Lots of great gently used kids books, novels, and clothing can be found.

Grocery Budgeting

2010-11-03T19:25:00.001-07:00

I am terrible at it. I go to the store, throw whatever looks good into the cart and pay. I rarely use coupons, I rarely shop sales. I can be brand loyal even when it is silly. So, I'm giving this a whirl. We eat a lot of fresh food, we generally eat organic so we'll see what I can do. Just starting to meal plan with the sale ads in hand should make at least a small difference. We'll see.

-Jess

19 Cities ... Here I come!

2010-10-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

The publisher I work for has given me a new assignment. I am to travel to 19 US cities (over the next year or so), visit historical sites, take photographs, and then blog about my experiences. The blog will be directed at 6th and 7th graders. The cities are ones that middle school students who take the required class, United States History 1865 to the Present, study over the course of the yearlong class. For someone whose bliss truly is to travel and experience new things, this is an incredibly exciting prospect. My head is spinning as I think of all the places I will go and everything that I will experience. Just last night I was watching Food Network and one program highlighted three different food sellers in NYC. One was a restaurant that sells only homemade pies. What could be better than that? Who doesn't swoon over homemade pie? Heck, I'd even like to work in that kind of place. So, yes, food is a consideration along with historic sites. After all, I have to eat while I am away, and I only want to eat the best of the best food available. Today I briefly watched a program on National Geographic about New York Harbor. Holy cow! Do I ever want to set off on this adventure.

I need help figuring out what to see in each location. I've already come up with two criteria. First, I must visit at least one place that is well known. As an example, when I go to Philadelphia, I surely must visit Constitution Hall. Second, I want to visit little known places that are historically significant, ones that can easily be overlooked. I have been told that art museums can be included. I think it would be fun to visit places that the students will enjoy reading about, perhaps a toy museum or something of that ilk. So, below are my cities. If you have any suggestions about historic places I should visit OR restaurants with to-die-for food, please post a comment.

--Lissie

1. New York City
2. Boston
3. Philadelphia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Atlanta
6. New Orleans
7. Miami
8. Chicago
9. St. Louis
10. Detroit
11. San Antonio
12. Santa Fe
13. Denver
14. Salt Lake City
15. Los Angeles
16. San Francisco
17. Seattle
18. Juneau
19. Honolulu

Landscape Plans

2010-10-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ah, the ever expensive, time consuming obsession that has overtaken my life. I thought I liked gardening but I'm finding that I really love it. Right now I have to fit it in between naps and on the weekend. The more I read the more I realize how very little I know about it. I do think I have a reasonable eye for planning landscapes, tooting my own horn for sure, but I know what I like and maybe someday I can become trained well enough that other people will hire me to help them plan and grow their own lovely gardens. Someday.

Right now my own yard is a constant work in progress. As I've mentioned before our lot has a lot of challenges. We are on the corner and we back up to a cul de sac - both are huge positives. And prior to moving in I didn't realize that because our street side yard is north, it is the perfect place to set up some chairs in the shade and watch the kids play with their friends in the cul de sac. Lots of other families seem to agree and we have all sat in the grass, on blankets, on chairs and even stood in my north side yard over the last several months while children played because it is the perfect spot. It is also a great place for children to play as it is visible from all other yards on the cul de sac, so we had a lot of sprinkler/wading pool play in this side yard lots of afternoons this summer. Our yard may not be ideal for privacy or for appearance but for practicalities sake, there have been so many good advantages that I am really beginning to love it.

With that said, it needs to look a whole lot prettier than it already does. I've been planning obsessively and my husband has been working like a dog to get it whipped into shape. So far we have a gorgeous island with trees anchoring our tiny back yard and giving us a hard break between our property and our neighbor's drive way. Eventually the cryptomeria will grow large enough to afford us great visual privacy and the crape myrtle and japanese maple on either side of the cryptomeria will soften the privacy screening effect. It is really pretty right now as the seasons change. We have been (with the help of our neighbor who owns a pick up truck) getting loads and loads and loads of compost to amend the beds that we already have and to create new beds with. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to grow plants in subsoil that has been dredged up during the building process and then compacted into dense, unrelenting clay with sod laid over. The pH of our "soil" is 5.1 - yes, I heard your gasps through the computer monitor. SIX lime applications are going to be needed over the next several months to correct the extreme acidity of our "soil".

Over the last few weekends Bob has helped me create a very long, narrow bed that pops out into a much larger semi-circle beyond our house that runs along that shady north side of our house. I really wanted to grow some climbing roses up the side of the house to soften it but they were just never going to work well because of the intense shade. We've put in three hydrangeas, two Annabelles and an Endless Summer Blushing Bride to anchor the narrow part of the bed, along with some hostas and huecheras and at the end of the bed where it pops out and widens considerably and gets loads more sun we put in a Korean Spice viburnum and a Chasteberry/Vitex tree (shrub). I am going to be working in 200 spring blooming bulbs into this bed sometime in November when the weather decides to finally cool off. I am going to be growing a variety of climbers in this bed to cover the wall about 6 feet up, possibilities include climbing hydrangea, honeysuckle (yes, I know it can be invasive) and spring blooming sweet peas or maybe even... GULP... ivy. We'll see what I can figure out. I would rather in look like it is naturally climbing rather than trellised so that is posing some problems as I sort out what to choose. I will probably end up with a combo of a few plants and it is really fun trying to find the perfect ones. With the hostas and heucheras near the driveway I will work in some columbine to give it some pretty blooms in the late spring/early summer. I also plan to put in skip laurels all around the heating/cooling units in the spring to hide their ugliness from view.

In the back of our house we will be putting in stairs off of the covered back porch. The stairs will come right off the middle of the porch and on either side will be garden beds. I am hoping for a naturally shaped patio that follows the shapes of the garden beds and bumps into the large tree island, we'll see what happens budget-wise in spring. In the beds on either side of the stairs will immediately be Pinky Winky hydrangeas. They can take full sun, are repeat bloomers and are gorgeous. To the left of the stairs just beyond the hydrangea will be a Bloomerang lilac which will get to be about 5-6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. In front of the lilac will be spirea and some other blooming perennials that I will not have to stress over on an annual basis. We'll see what I come up with before March/April. To the right of the stairs just beyond the anchoring hydrangea will be two shrub roses, not yet sure which varieties, I could absolutely see any number of possibilities there. I am almost sure they will be a soft pink or white to complement the hydrangeas. I am creating a sea of yellow and apricot roses in other parts of the yard so I have some room for some soft pinks in the back. On the porch rails above each bed will be rail flower baskets and I will be putting in jasmine, my very favorite floral scent which performs beautifully on my back porch.

On the south side of the house running along towards the veggie garden beds and attaching to the main front island bed I will be planting 4 types of roses. Hopefully they will be gorgeous as this is the sunniest and hottest part of my yard. I will most likely put some leafy perennials in front of the roses to soften the effect in case the roses defoliate due to heat, disease or something else. Roses are reputed to be finicky, you know, and I am counting on a lot of trial and error before getting it right and having them do well in my garden.

I am still trying to plan the front beds. Our builder is replacing 17 shrubs in the next week that I think are shockingly awful in both hardiness and appearance - the japanese holly inkberries have got to go. Once I know what I'm getting (hopefully it will be better) I can plan to either use those in the future landscape plan or know I am going to have to pull them and try and budget for something else to go in their place. I'm working on some plans now but all could change in two weeks. I'll keep you posted. I definitely want something climbing on the side wall in the photo above and I also want the beds to look full, dense and interesting. Quite a challenge considering how pitiful they are right now. I put a lot of red and white annuals in to give some pop in the front this spring/summer and I tried to cover up with coleus this summer the ratty shrubs that are going to be replaced. Let's hope next summer it looks a lot better from the street than it did this year.

-Jess

Roses - Final Decision

2010-10-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

I've decided on which roses I am ordering. I've read and thought about and reconsidered and now I've settled and I am moving on until next spring, which I'm sure I'll have decided on a few more. Let me tell you, diving headfirst into the world of rose growing is quite an adventure. There are something like 100,000 varieties, there are hot debates about spraying for disease vs. not within the rose growing community along with differences in opinion on original root or grafted root and if grafted then with what - multiflora, Dr. Huey, fortuniana and so on. There are some roses that are gorgeous but have fallen out of popularity and are now almost impossible to find (which sort of makes them even more desirable for some reason!) and others that are not so great, in my opinion, and can still be found in late October at the local big box home improvement store. It seems most people want pink and easy and going a little farther than that makes the experience all the more interesting for me as a gardener.

I've discovered that I have very little interest in pink and red roses, I much, much, much prefer yellows and apricots and some showy whites. The one exception is the Christopher Marlowe which is supposed to be an incredibly watermelon/salmon/orangey-pink that sounds very interesting and has certainly caught my eye. I've decided to order all my roses bare root from a Canadian seller, Pickering Nurseries, who graft onto muliflora root stock. This rose seller is really highly reputed in the online community so I am ready to give them a go.

For now the front beds will receive Christopher Marlowe by David Austin and OSO Easy's HoneyBun by Proven Winners. Both are low, small growers which will give a nice pop to the front of my house. I am going with the HoneyBun because I am new to growing roses and I want to see if a rose bred particularly to be disease resistant really is compared to the showier, more finicky roses I seem to prefer (from images).

Next, we will be creating another bed along the south side of our house which will extend the existing front bed island down the side towards our garden boxes. What is most exciting about this bed is that my husband has no idea it is going to be created! He really thought we were done with landscaping this fall aside from mulching and I know he is going to be just thrilled to discover yet more sod needs to be removed and more holes need to be dug and more compost needs to be liberally dumped into the area - creating these kinds of garden beds are really his favorite way to spend the weekend . In this bed I will stagger from largest to smallest four rose varieties. First and biggest is Tamora, followed by Charlotte, followed by Crocus Rose and finishing up the bed is the short, creeping Pillow Fight. I really, really want to try Bouquet Parfait but it is darned hard to find and it has a blush of pink instead of yellow. Pillow Fight will no longer be available for purchase after 2010 as Weeks is pulling it from the market so that fact along with it's yellow centers pushed it into the cart rather than me taking the time to chase down Bouquet Parfait.

We removed a medium sized pine tree last weekend that was going to eventually get too big for where it was planted near our neighbor's much larger cryptomeria (the landscapers just put it in based on the plan for the house right before we closed rather than realizing that longterm it would never work out, ridiculous) and now there is a nice bare spot begging for a medium sized shrub. I will be putting in Crown Princess Margereta there, another David Austin variety because she packs a lot of punch with her color and she is almost thornless, which is a plus since she will be close to where children are playing. It was really hard choosing her, the lack of thorns being the most important feature. I was loving Grace, and Sweet Juliet as well.

Moving back to the front of my house, there is a wall on the right side of my front bed that is begging for a climber, and I am going to give Maigold by Korbes a try. It is a gorgeous peachy/yellow rose that is supposed to be a prolific bloomer and I think I can train it to climb. 5-6 feet or so feet to give a nice splash of color.

If we decide to move forward with a patio in spring then I will probably order Grace and Lady Emma Hamilton to go in huge pots to add some color to the space. Or maybe not. We'll see what has caught my fancy by then.

A couple pics to show where roses will be planted.

This long stretch behind the laurel and in front of the veggie beds will be a dedicated rose bed, it gets full sun all day until around 4 p.m.

This interior wall will be where Maigold is planted. Let's hope she likes it here! It also gets full sun from sunrise until about 3 p.m. so she should be fine.

-Jess

Roses

2010-09-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am one of those people who gets really intensely interested in a subject and I read and research, devouring books and websites as I gather information about whatever topic that has caught my interest until I know enough to feel satisfied and I move on to something else. I've researched everything from yurt living to raw foods during these crazed periods of interest.

Gardening as a whole topic is something that I doubt I will ever exhaust because there are so many sub-categories under the gardening umbrella - veggie gardening, gardening for sustainability, urban gardening, off-grid gardening, succulents, roses, shrubs, trees and so on. Just scan the lengthy list of forum categories over at Garden Web and you'll see what I mean.

My current obsession is roses. I have no idea why, there are many plants that are far less finicky that also have great fragrance and put on one hell of a show for the entire length of the growing season. Roses can be incredibly picky plants, they are prone to fungal diseases, are particular about their soil conditions, how much light they get and so on. They can be scrawny sticky plants with gobs of thorns with just a few blooms to pay you for your trouble. And to top it off, my mother has never grown roses that I can remember and so I don't even have any prior experience to whet my appetite. So why roses and why now?

I'm concurrently obsessed with cottage style gardening. I love big showy blooms - mophead hydrangeas being my favorite flower ever - and I love a loose and comfortable landscaping style. I like the idea of towering hollyhocks, big fat pink peonies, lilac and dogwood trees and... roses. Roses are a must in a cottage garden.

I've been planning and drawing up landscaping plans for the rest of my yard. The north side of our house is the garage side and it faces the street. We have the unsightly AC/Heating units there along with the driveway and it isn't very attractive. We are going to put in a long bed that stretches the length of the house with skip laurels to block out the units, and other shrubs and perennials to fill in. The north side of our house gets very little sun, so this will be where I get to play with shade loving plants - hostas and columbine, bleeding hearts and so on. The bed is anchored by a larger island that juts out with a Korean Spice Viburnum and a Vitex/Chasteberry tree (which were just planted this weekend). There is a 12 foot length of space between the island and the heating and cooling units that would be a perfect place for some medium sized shrub roses that have a bold color and are repeat bloomers... except that roses don't like shade. But the initial planning of this long bed is what got me thinking of roses and now that I've started thinking about them I can't stop.

Roses must find a home somewhere in my yard. I am determined to make this happen. I found the Rose forums at GardenWeb and wow, those folks are knowledgeable. Tea roses, hybrid teas, Old English roses, and so on. There are thousands and thousands of varieties in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors and petals volume. Tall climbing roses, short ground covering roses, and everything in between. I, of course, love the showiest, most opulent roses, no plain tea roses for this lady. David Austin Roses provide just the style of rose that I love. I almost think I would love to specialize in rose hybridization when I go back to finish my B.A. in Horticulture (a million years from now when I have all my children in school) because the work that rose hybrid specialists do is just fascinating. As a lady who loves open pollenated, heirloom veggies it is sort of a shock to realize how much I appreciate the tinkering that hybridization accomplishes with roses.

I've stumbled across many roses that I would love to grow, unfortunately I lack the space and the right growing conditions to really give many varieties a shot (there is also the always annoying budget to consider). I am not a pink person - much to my 5 year old daughter's dismay - so I have very little interest in traditional pink roses though some of the really spicy dark pink roses are interesting to me. I am absolutely going to be ordering Christopher Marlowe from David Austin to plant this autumn in my front bed and I am considering a couple other varieties for spring delivery to be grown in containers. I may try and convince my husband to give a climbing rose a shot on the south side of our house right near where our veggie garden boxes are. I've got my eye on a few yellow climbing varieties but I've got all winter to continue my research.

Varieties that I think are gorgeous:

Bouquet Parfait

Moser House Shed Rose

Golden Fairy Tale

Crocus Rose

Charlotte

Graham Thomas

Grace (for a container, wouldn't this be lovely on a patio?)

Other online rose sellers with great reputations:

Pickering Nurseries

Palatine Roses

-Jess

Peach Salsa

2010-09-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a blog called Love Made the Radish Grow via the Frugal Green Co-Op site about a month ago. We had just picked a ton of peaches at a local farm and I was trying to figure out way to process them. Imagine my delight when I read an interesting recipe for peach salsa and direction on how to can it. I figured 8 pints of peach salsa weren't too huge of a commitment and Bob and I got the rest of the ingredients together and put up several pints.

Peach Salsa
6 c pitted peaches, diced
1 1/4 c diced onion
4 jalapeno peppers, diced (seed these if you don't want it too spicy. I personally like only a little edge)
1 bell pepper, preferably red, diced and seeded (though an color will suffice)
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro or 1/4 c dried
3/4 c white vinegar
2 T honey

Oh.My.Goodness! We pulled out a jar of it to use to dress up fish tacos the other night and let me tell you, I think I heard the choirs of angels singing in heaven as I chewed. It is delicious, it is easy to can, it is delicious, it requires very easy to find ingredients, it is delicious, it takes very little time to process at 20 minutes, it is delicious, and it can be used in many ways in many various recipes. I think we are going to try it over pork roast next.

Absolutely a pantry staple for the rest of my life. I will brave all kinds of buzzing and stinging insects in the orchard to get loads of peaches each summer so I can make a lot more of this. Yummy.

-Jess

Paul Robeson Tomatoes

2010-09-20T08:24:00.001-07:00

And the winner from the tomato garden this year is... PAUL ROBESON. Clap, clap, clap.

This tomato is everything it is reputed to be. The flavor is unbelievably rich, slightly smokey and not too tart or sweet. The vines produced an average crop and while it wasn't my most prolific tomato it certainly produced enough to make it worthwhile because of the gorgeous, delicious taste.

I grew out two plants and gave one of them to my neighbor. She agrees, that it is hands down the best of the summer.

Yum!

-Jess

Bloom

2010-09-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Finally, my morning glories bloomed this week.

-Jess

Fall Gardening

2010-09-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Almost everything I planted for the spring and summer is showing signs of wear and tear. My containers look tired and shabby and my garden boxes are full of plants that are succumbing to end of season weather and laziness. Oh, and I believe all the remaining 10 tomato plants have blight. Exciting times in the Gaulden garden!

I am planning for Fall. I've got cucumbers, radishes, carrots and turnips (for the greens) started. I will be planting spinach, broccoli rabinni and various lettuces over the course of the next week. The shabby, crumbling tomato plants will be pulled out and trashed after thanks has been given for their production of the summer, so prolific at times that I felt a little crazy trying to deal with the produce. I'll keep the beans going for a few more weeks and then they will bid goodbye as well.

Summer of 2010 - you were hot as hell and just about as dry and I'm not sorry to see you go.

I'm planning some great fall container gardens. After perusing my latest issue of Southern Living (a magazine which I simply swoon over and I know this declaration will firmly pin my age in the age 30+ category) I found a great recommendation for Plentiful Pansies, a new hybrid which is rated for zero degrees F and apparently spreads prolifically like the Wave Petunias (I should add here that I am only snobby about heirlooms when it comes to veggies, flowers are welcomed as hybrids being easy and with prolific blooms). Alas, every garden center I've contacted said that they are so new that most growers did not get them started and they will most likely not be available until next year.

I've got big plan for my yard in the next 12 months, lets hope I can hobble the budget together to see the projects through. I am dreaming of a patio, a fire pit, a couple adirondack chairs, three new long beds, some shading and view shielding in the forms of 8 footish lilacs and hydrangea trees, coupled with nandina, spirea, bush hydrangeas and maybe even some peonies if I can find a sunny enough spot.

Oh, and my 5 year old daughter Ella and I are also planning on several dramatic displays of bulb flowers this spring. Off to the garden center to let her choose tomorrow. If her tastes hold true we will have the pinkest, fluffiest, fanciest tulips and daffodils in the neighborhood. (And yes, I saw !pink! daffodil bulbs today).

-Jess

Giada

2010-08-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, I don't like Giada De Laurentiis. I am not sure why aside from the fact that she is incredibly perky and far too thin to be any kind of a cook, especially one who specializes in Italian. Bob likes her a lot. He defends her perkiness and waistline by saying both are genetic and I should cut her some slack. Hmmm. Our debate about old Giada has been going on for years now. He would sneak and watch an episode of her show and I would enter the room and start grumbling. I am not a Food Network fan anyway, so Giada in all her glory was just too much for me.

Giada De Laurentiis has recently started a line of products for Target. I have been canning lately and let me tell you, canning tomatoes is not for sissies. It is a long, hot process that takes all day. So ready to eat, jarred sauce from the store is not an uncommon sight in my pantry. I stumbled by an end rack of pasta sauces, knew I needed some and put some jars in the cart without really thinking about it, thanking the shelving folks for allowing me to skip one trip down an aisle with glass jars and my three children in tow.

Imagine my surprise when I got home and opened the Creamy Tomato sauce by Giada. Oh my gosh, this stuff is like heaven in a jar. Great for immediately dipping bread in, pouring cold over hot noodles for kids when you are in a hurry, etc. It is delicious. Seriously delicious. So, I suppose I'll have to stop all the Giada hate now because I will be buying this sauce again.

-Jess

Harvest

2010-08-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

The cool wet weather has really helped our tomatoes, believe it or not. They were struggling just to hold steady during the weeks and weeks of massive heat and this past week of cooler temperatures and some rain has helped ripen up so much fruit that we are going to be canning tomato sauce today. Neither Bob nor I have ever canned so it should be a real adventure for us.

Yesterday we picked peaches at a local farm, so those will be made into jam and peach butter in a few days. Today Ella pulled the rest of our carrots, I believe the ones pictures are the variety Cosmic Purple. She also picked some chard, we have tons more but I am running out of ways to serve it at this point. A neighbor mentioned chard soup yesterday so I suppose I'll be looking for a recipe. Our green beans are starting to prolifically produce as well, but the kids are really enjoying them by eating them immediately after picking.

Ella loves to garden and help with veggie prep. She pulled the carrots and raced inside to wash them, using the only sink she can reach without a step stool. Who knew our half bath would get so much action this season!

-Jess

Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains

2010-08-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of visiting this bucolic and gorgeous place this past weekend. It is so breathtakingly beautiful, I will never forget it. There are cabins for rental in the cove along with several hiking trails. I hope our family can vacation here some day.

-Jess

Spotlight On

2010-08-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

I kept seeing this book discussed in various places that I visit online so I ordered it and have really enjoyed it. Frankly, I am in awe of families that can really be self-sufficient. I do my best with vermicomposting, growing some of our own veggies in the spring/summer/fall and buying organic when I can. I try and make my own bread and get local meat. But I have yet to try my hand at making homemade yogurt or sewing all my kids clothes. The ladies who seem to have the time for this also seem to have a slightly different household workload than my own with their spouse also around the vast majority of the time. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that sometimes practicality wins in my life and that means occasionally pulling into Chik Fil' A or using plastic ziploc bags and ditching them or throwing out leftovers instead of using them up.

But if I am really getting down to nitty gritty honesty, my biggest problem is lack of discipline. This is an overarching problem throughout many areas of my life from how I choose to spend my free time to not planning ahead to pack nutritious food prior to heading out with the kids knowing I am going to be tired and hungry and susceptible to pulling into Chik Fil' A. I definitely have a sense of entitlement that I should have fun and free time to waste on Facebook and video games instead of choosing to spend that time doing something more productive. Speaking just about this very thing on her blog, Sharon Astyk wrote a really great piece in response to an article written in Salon about the book. It was a really thought-provoking blog post and I encourage you to follow this link and read it. It made me think and since I read the post I am more aware of the things I take for granted that I can buy easily and cheaply.

Here is an excerpt from her post:

There's a kind of willful incompetence that is endemic in our society, and it is the territory of privileged folks who characterize basic, functional human work as something you need a special gift for. And this serves them well. As long as you don't know how to do something, and can naturalize your "flaws" as just "how you are made" you don't have to apologize for the fact that you are sticking someone less privileged with your work. In fact, you can totally sympathize with them, and totally care about justice for people just like them - at the same time that they get paid badly or treated badly for doing work you could do too.

-Jess

Granny's Gumbo Recipe

2010-08-03T15:23:00.001-07:00

Brien's Granny was born and raised in south Luzianna and grew up cooking Cajun goodness. She brought these recipes to Brien and his family when she would come to visit. Her style of cooking involved LOTS of garlic, "pepper" (cayenne!), and sea food. Mm.

She had moved to Williamsburg prior to her death, and even though she could no longer see, I can remember her standing in the kitchen with Brien, imparting her knowledge and wisdom of cooking all things yummy. I'm not sure what triggered it, but recently, B has had a hankering for seafood gumbo. He took himself into the kitchen and went about replicating Granny's recipes--for of course, nothing was written down, it was all in her head.

Well, we think this recipe is now ready to share:

Granny's Gumbo

Ingredients:
1 cup bell pepper
1 cup celery
1 cup onion
1 cup carrots
6-8 cloves garlic
1/2 cup flour
1 stick butter
chicken stock
2 pounds meat of your choice
1/8-1/2 t ground red pepper (depends on how spicy you like it!)
salt to taste

Prep:
1 cup onion
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots
1 cup bell pepper
(I typically chop it fairly fine so it will cook quickly)
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press

In a large Dutch oven over medium-low to medium heat, melt a stick of butter (please, NO margarine!!). When the butter has melted, gradually add in a 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. You MUST stir this constantly. It will become hot hot hot and quite sticky and has been referred to as Cajun Napalm, so be sure you don't splash any on yourself.

You will keep stirring the flour/butter mixture until it is about the color of peanut butter. Then, add the onion and garlic. After about a minute, add the remaining veggies. Cook these until they are well softened and the onion is clear, about 10 minutes or so.

Add a carton of chicken broth/stock (or, make your own), and stir until slightly thickened. Add your meat (in this case, 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined, 1 pound scallops with the small muscle removed from the side--although, this evening we made it with chicken and smoked sausage), and cook until meat is heated through or thoroughly cooked.

Add the seasonings and serve over rice.

Enjoy!

--Rach

Tomato Taste Testing Has Begun

2010-07-21T14:05:00.001-07:00

ETA on 7/28/10:

Our Paul Robeson tomatoes have begun coming in and oh.my.goodness - this is the best tomato I've ever eaten! They completely live up to their reputation and will be grown again every summer for the rest of my life. Delicious!

The White Tomesols are producing now as well and they are a really interesting mid-sized tomato. The flesh is mainly cream and near the top of the tomato gets slightly more pale yellow. The taste is very light and slightly citrus. I am pleasantly surprised as I mainly grew them for the kids - they like to see veggies growing in "funny" colors.

*******

I'm going to keep a running tally as various varieties ripen. It is so interesting to me how the area of the country they are grown in and the weather conditions present during the growing season can change a particular variety's flavor so much.

So far we've had four varieties produce ripe fruit:

Mystery Variety (I thought I was growing Black Cherry but Baker Creek has had a well documented mix up and they have no idea what seeds were put into one lot of Black Cherry seed packs, the lot I happened to get a packet from). It appears to be a paste variety and it is thick skinned and a bit mealy but still better than anything you can get at the grocery store. I will not be growing the seeds from that Black Cherry pack again. I like Amish Paste for a paste variety and unless this plant ends up being a prolific, steady producer I don't see any reason to grow it again.

Golden Sunray - Can in no way compare to Dad's Sunsets. They are fine, but the flesh is not very juicy and the flavor is milder than I like. I won't be growing it again.

Stupice - Early variety, the point isn't the flavor it is eating ripe tomatoes by late June/early July!

Sioux - Unbelievable flavor and juiciness. This variety has lived up to its reputation. The fruits are quite big, juicy and have a great tang. It will be on the maybe list for next year. Yum!

I have White Tomesol, Green Zebra, Dad's Sunsets, Paul Robeson, Brandywine, Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge and Amish Paste setting fruit and getting ripe. I'll report back when we've had a chance to eat some of them.

*I prefer juicy, tangy, more acidic tomatoes to sweet varieties.

Bread & Butter Pickles

2010-07-20T07:07:00.001-07:00

See this jar of pickles? There are 41 more just like it sitting on my kitchen counter. It took two days of effort, but in the end it will be worth it. Besides, I love to can. When my girls were little, I canned every summer--lots of different things. Since they have been gone from my home, I haven't done much canning because it's hard to eat a lot of canned food all by yourself. As a result, it's been years since I have made bread & butter pickles. I decided to make them this summer mostly because I use them in various dishes I make, and the ones from the store just don't taste as good. Plus, they have a lot of additives I do not want to consume, so the decision to make my own pickles was fairly easy to make. I'm growing my own cucumbers, but I only put in six plants meaning my harvest won't be a big one. To date I've harvested three, not enough for even one jar of pickles. Saturday, when I was at the Farmer's Market, I found a good deal; a lady sold me an entire box (about 35 pounds) of cucumbers for $15. I felt a little guilty because it seemed the farmer wasn't getting much return for her hard work. Fresh cucumbers have a short shelf life so Sunday and Monday quickly became pickling days.

I've used the same recipe since 1978. It is one generously shared with me by my cousin, Lynn. I've never looked for another one because these pickles are so good. You can find the recipe at the bottom of this post. I suggest, though, that before you attempt to make pickles, you read about home canning. There are little steps you have to take to ensure that you won't end up with botulism or some other dread disease.

So, what am I going to do with 42 jars of pickles? Family members have all said they'll take a few jars, and I'll give some to friends. And I'll use some myself. Best of all, it will be great to once again have a shelf full of pickles that are ready for use at any time. There nothing quite like a shelf full of beautiful home-canned foods as a reminder that your labor to produce them was well worth the effort.

Cousin Lynn's Bread & Butter Pickles Recipe:

30 cucumbers 1” in diameter

10 medium onions

½ cup salt to 2 cups water--Morton's makes a nice pickling salt that comes in a 4-lb. box.

ice cubes

Slice cucumbers and onions very thin. (That’s in the original recipe. I now slice mine fairly thick.) Place in large container and pour salt water over them and enough ice cubes to make the water cold. Mix. Let stand for three hours. Drain and rinse in cold water baths twice. Drain again to remove all excess water.

Bring to boil in a large pot:

· 5 cups white vinegar

· 2 tsp. Celery seed

· 1 tsp. Ground ginger

· 1 tsp. Curry powder

· 4 cups sugar

· 1 tsp. Turmeric

· 2 tsp. White or regular mustard seeds

Add cukes and onions and bring to boiling point. Simmer ten minutes. (This, also is in the original recipe, but I don’t cook the cukes; I leave them raw.) Put into hot sterilized pint or quart jars, and add the pickling brine. Add canning lids--flats and rings--and only tighten the lids with your fingertips. Process ten minutes in a canning pot with a canning rack after water begins to boil.

--Lissie

Green Hornworms

2010-07-19T09:25:00.001-07:00

Green hornworms are a huge annoyance to tomato gardeners. The larvae feed on the tomato plant and leave damage in their wake. If you see them you just have to suck it up and pluck them off and either squish them or drown them (I like to use a pail of soapy water). When I first started getting serious about gardening I would spot the hornworms with white looking eggs all over their backs because they were easy to see. I thought these were especially bad because the eggs would hatch and out would come scads more of the green hornworms. I was mistaken!

Just this weekend my husband plucked a cocoon riddled hornworm off our tomato plants and headed for the trash can with it. I told him that he had just gotten rid of some very good friends for us! Wasps lay tiny eggs on the hornworm and then the eggs hatch and then the hornworm is eaten as a first food for the wasp larvae and then the larger white egg looking things are the wasp cocoons. It is a parasitic relationship that benefits the organic gardener.

So if you see this in your garden, leave the green hornworm alone!

-Jess

Papa's Potato Salad

2010-07-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Jerry Noonkester made the best potato salad on the planet. It was wonderful to eat while still warm, and still wonderful to eat while cold. For years I tried to make potato salad like he did, but never quite got it right. Lately, however, I seem to have done a better job of recreating his masterpiece. (Sadly, Jerry is no longer with us, so I can't ask for his help.) Here's my version:

Ingredients: Quantities vary depending on how much you want to make.

Boiled Potatoes
Chopped Onion
Chopped Hard Boiled Eggs
Chopped Bread & Butter Pickles
Mustard (Raye’s Sweet & Spicy works best. You can order it from the factory in Eastport, Maine or buy it at Harris Teeter or Fresh Market. I'm not sure if Trader Joe's sells it.)
Hellman’s Mayonaise
Salt
Pepper

My process is simple. I boil whole red potatoes, drain them, and when somewhat cool, peel off the skins. (They slip right off.) Next, I cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and dump them in a bowl. I chop eggs next and add them to the potatoes. [Note: For three pounds of potatoes, I use four to six eggs.) Then I add a chopped onion and chopped bread & butter pickles. (I like my own pickles best, but ones from the store will work in a pinch.) I mix all of this together and add enough mayonnaise to coat things well. Then I put in a tablespoon or two of Raye's Sweet & Spicy mustard. I've tried other mustards, but this one works best. Avoid spicy brown mustard or Dijon. Salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Lissie

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2010-07-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Jessie needed cookies for Ella's party and asked if I would make them. I wasn't interested in making plain old chocolate chip cookies so I searched Cook's Illustrated for something a little different. What I found was Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies and boy were they delicious!

I made another batch today they were so yummy. ;o) I did modify the recipe just a smidge by adding about a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I love the flavor combination of cinnamon and chocolate. :o)

Makes 16 to 20 large cookies. Published January 1, 1997.

If you prefer a less sweet cookie, you can reduce the white sugar by one-quarter cup, but you will lose some crispness. Do not overbake these cookies. The edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should still be very light in color. Parchment makes for easy cookie removal and cleanup, but it’s not a necessity. If you don’t use parchment, let the cookies cool directly on the baking sheet for two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Ingredients

2	sticks unsalted butter (1/2 pound), softened but still firm
1	cup light brown sugar
1	cup granulated sugar
2	eggs
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2	teaspoon table salt
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1/4	teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3	cups rolled oats
1 1/2	cups semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions; heat oven to 350 degrees. In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg together, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
Form dough into sixteen to twenty 2-inch balls, placing each dough round onto one of two parchment paper–covered, large cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. (Halfway during baking, turn cookie sheets from front to back and also switch them from top to bottom.) Slide cookies on parchment onto cooling rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with a tall glass of milk and enjoy. :o)

--Rach

Dreams Do Come True

2010-07-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

I've oft dreamed of having an herb garden, one easily accessible from my kitchen. All winter long when I'd pay exorbitant prices for small packets of dried out or wilted herbs sold in the produce section, my resolve grew. I love to cook and most of the recipes I use call for fresh herbs; dried ones just won't do. I suppose that last winter I spent about $8 per week on herbs. I'd get them home and they would be wilted or dried or worse. Picking through the slim selection available at the grocery store usually resulted in frustration. If I didn't use the herbs the same day, it was most always a mistake. Often, there was more than my recipe called for and too many went to waste. So, in late winter when seed catalogs began to arrive in the mail, I eagerly looked for a good solution. One company I've dealt with for many years is Gardner's Supply in Vermont. When their catalog arrived, I sat down to peruse what they had for sale. I quickly spied what I hoped would be a good idea--a standing herb garden. It claimed to be easy to assemble, and one option was to add wheels. Too many times in my life what has looked great in a catalog has resulted in disappointment. But I always have faith in whatever I set out to do, so I placed my order in March and filled with anticipation eagerly awaited it arrival. The catalog was right. The thing was easy to assemble. One nice feature is the self-watering system which makes it easy to keep things fresh.

Other times I've grown herbs--mostly basil--I have not been successful. What you see in the picture above is dramatic success! Yes, every herb I planted has grown and is now lush. The scorching heat has things looking a bit tired, but trust me, all is healthy in my little standing garden. Needless to say, I LOVE it. It is portable and on wheels so in the winter I can bring it inside where it can reside next to the sliding glass door. Now, every evening as I'm cooking, I slip out onto the deck, scissors in hand. I cut a bit of whatever strikes my fancy knowing that it will quickly grow back. Tonight I put chives and a bit of chopped dill in my potato salad and it was divine. Then, in a large tossed salad I put fresh basil and tangerine sage and the rest of the chives. Again, it was delicious. If you are interested in such a garden, check out Gardner's Supply. They have a website, and best of all the standing garden is currently on sale, reduced 10%.

Lissie

Tomato Growth

2010-07-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Transplant Day

Week Three

Week Five

These plants are going crazy. We used a simple mix of compost and peat and that seems to be giving us the best results we've had in raised beds thus far. We've really pruned a few of them back pretty severely of suckers and let others go - we are testing whether pulling the suckers really makes a big difference in tomato production. I've found a few tomatoes with blossom end rot that had to be yanked and chucked but overall things are going well. Our one plant, Stupice, has already produced a few tasty tomatoes and another should be ready tomorrow. The herbs are also doing well and our chard and beans have really taken off. We harvested our radishes and they were too spicy for the kids so I will be looking for milder varieties.

Because of the insane heat and lack of rain we are watering daily and deeply. The tomatoes especially are beginning to show leaf curl from the intense heat - they like it hot but they are trying to not get burned to a crisp! Hopefully things will cool back down into the 80s this weekend and we'll get a little rain.

-Jess

Ella's Birthday Cake

2010-07-05T19:27:00.001-07:00

A week ago I still had no idea what to make for Ella's 5th birthday cake. She had asked for strawberry shortcake for her birthday party that is coming up this weekend but I still wanted a cake for her for her actual birthday - 5 is a big milestone year after all!

I randomly decided to check in on a blog I visit infrequently, Posy Gets Cozy, and lucky enough a really tempting looking cake and frosting recipe was up. It looked so good I decided to try it out. We decided that the cake was really as good as anticipated and the frosting was a nice complement, though I am pretty sure I will use 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract next time instead of a tsp. of almond extract - it was fine, but I really tasted the flavoring and I think something less bold would be better. This really makes a big cake, after we had each eaten a piece, I split the rest of the cake up and delivered it to three of my neighbors!

Here is the recipe:

Hershey's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa or HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

(***I used 1/2 cup of hot coffee and 1/2 cup of boiling water***)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

*The Cloudburst frosting recipe is on Posy's blog, I didn't ask for permission to repost it so I am not going to, so I added a direct link to the recipe above.

-Jess

Simple Pleasures

2010-07-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

My father is an artist (he attended three years of art school), as was his brother, his uncle, and his nephew. For some reason the ability to draw realistically seems to pass from uncle to nephew in my family. I've always felt left out in the creativity department, though, when I was a child, my dear grandmother spent hours teaching me needle crafts. I did okay with embroidery but flunked knitting and crocheting. It was not for her lack of trying. My hands just never seemed to have the fine motor skills required for keeping stitches consistent. Thankfully, both of my daughters have not been afflicted with this problem; they are whizzes at both knitting and crocheting. So, it was that fate stepped in and allowed me an opportunity to find a way to express myself artistically in my older years. And it's great because I now have lots of time to pursue my new-found hobby.

A couple of years ago I arrived at my sister's house for a visit, and she apologized that she already had a card class scheduled. Her daughter had put together a class and my sister was hosting. "If anyone doesn't show, you are free to participate," she told me. I did, and a whole new world was opened up to me. I did not need to be able to draw or have much fine motor skill to make cards. I fell in love that day, and have been making cards ever since. I can spend hours in my studio playing with color and embellishments. I send cards all the time, but they still stack up. I must have about one hundred, but I know eventually they will all go to good use. In a small way I now understand how an artist might not want to let go of a painting. These cards are my babies, and I'm loathe to send my favorites because I enjoy looking at them. (I'm sure that sounds extremely silly.) It seems odd that I, a woman with no true artistic ability, can sit and create things using my imagination. Rachael is also an eager card maker, and her ability far outstrips mine. She has much more innate artistic talent than I. Recently she told me that she is entering cards in a weekly challenge. I decided I would do the same. The card above is one I'm entering in this week's "Oh, Baby!" challenge. It's taking a lot of guts for me to put my work out there. But, as my grandmother used to advise, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Lissie

Vicarious Thrills For My Two Co-bloggers

2010-07-04T13:39:00.001-07:00

Is there anything better than a small town parade? Look at that color guard. Doesn't it make you beam with pride to be an American? I'm posting this for my daughters--my co-bloggers--who did not get to attend their hometown parade.

The community band did not march, instead opting for a ride on a truck. I guess this is in deference to the older members who may not have been able to march in the hot sun. And yes, the sun was scorching hot.

The folks in this jeep passed out small American flags to the children who ran out to get them. With a small town parade it is easy to stop the flow long enough for the audience to become participants.

The only horses in this year's parade were kind enough to not mess the road with their droppings.

These VT students yelled out the original, historic cheer:

Hokie, Hokie, Hokie Hi
Tech, Tech, VPI
Sol a rex, sol a rah
Poly tech Virginia
Ray, rah, VPI
Team, Team Team!

(At least I think those are the words.)

Both political parties made their presence known.

Lots of red, white and blue were in evidence.

Only in a small town like Blacksburg would a rusted out old truck make it into a parade. I loved it!

I think anyone who wants to can join the parade, even the local Imaging Center.

Yes, I agree. Kids should play outdoors. And this area is so beautiful and safe, I'd like to see more kids doing just that.

The political opposition was represented, too.

Lots of trucks were in the parade, most for local businesses.

These old cars--this picture and the next two--seem to show up every year. I think kids watch for them.

There were muscle cars, of course. I liked this one because it was so patriotic. As they passed, each one would rev its engine ... just because it could.

What's not to love about an old truck?

Of course, the BT was decked out for the parade. I think buses and firetrucks and rescue squad vehicles are in parades to show us that our tax dollars buy important things.

It may be hard to tell in this picture but this entire family was decked out in red, white, and blue. The next several photos below illustrate that we are well taken care of in the safety department. I'm not sure why they do it, but if they didn't make the siren blow or beep their super-loud horns, the firetrucks would just be a bit ho-hum.

Blacksburg's mayor was in the cat bird's seat. Of course, he waved to all his constituents as he passed.

I couldn't resist including a picture of our local road sweeping machine. Like I said, only in a small town would this be in a parade.

I LOVE the American flag and it was everywhere. Happy birthday, USA! Long live small town parades!

One thing I have always loved about Blacksburg is the beauty of the Virginia Tech campus. Great pride is taken in the landscaping across the huge expanse of land on which Tech sits. Tech is a big part of what makes Blacksburg Blacksburg, a high tech community in a rural environment. So, I'm wondering why the Highty Tighties or the Marching Virginians or the football team or President Steger were not in the parade. And for that matter, where the heck was the Blacksburg High School band or the Blacksburg Middle School band?

--Lissie

Two Happy Surprises

2010-06-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Lowe's to buy something and in the middle of the main aisle was a bright green display for Ball canning supplies. Knowing that I was hoping to make pickles and spaghetti sauce later in the summer, I bought some rings and flats for my canning jars. Then, I spied the "Ball book" something I have not seen for sale in 25 years. It is a soft cover, magazine-sized book of canning recipes. My old trusty one from the late 1970s is at Rachael's house, and because I wondered how much recipes have changed in 30 years, I bought a copy. On my way home, I decided to run out to Crow's Nest in Price's Fork to see what fresh produce they have for sale. Mama mia! I almost fainted when I saw the huge bunches of just-dug beets. For the past many months I have been hankering to make beet pickles so with this happy find I bought six bunches of the biggest beets I have ever seen. The cost? $1.50 per bunch. Amazing. I got home and called Rachael telling her that I needed the beet pickle recipe from the old Ball book. She sent it to me. On a hunch, I checked the new Ball book to see if it contained a beet pickle recipe. It did and I wondered how much it had changed over the years, thinking how sad it was that everything seems to end up "new and improved". Imagine my shock and delight when I read Rachael's email with the recipe. It is the exact same one as in the new Ball book! I guess some people think like I do: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As I type this the pungent odor of vinegar and spices are overwhelming my house and my nose. Oh, those jars of beet pickles all lined up on the counter sure look inviting.

Here's the recipe:

Beet Pickles

3 quarts peeled, cooked small beets

2 cups sugar

2 sticks cinnamon

1 T whole allspice

1.5 t salt

3.5 cups vinegar

1.5 cups water

To cook beets:

· Wash and drain beets.

· Leave 2" of stems and the tap roots.

· Cover with boiling water and cook until tender.

· Combine all ingredients except beets.

· Simmer 15 mintues.

· Pack beets into hot jars, leaving 0.25" head space. (Cut larger beets in half, if necessary.)

· Remove cinnamon.

· Bring liquid to boiling.

· Pour, boiling hot, over beets leaving 0.25" head space.

· Adjust caps.

· Process pints and quarts 30 minutes in boiling water bath.

Yield: about 6 pints.

Lissie

Dressing for Salad or for Chicken

2010-06-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last night I cooked a dinner good for a hot day. I grilled chicken breasts and made a large green salad. For both the chicken and the salad I created the following dressing. I brushed it on the chicken while it cooked, used some to dress the salad, and when the chicken was done, I poured the remainder over the chicken when I served it.

Whisk together until fully emulsified:

3-4 T. Lemon Juice
1-2 t. Dijon Mustard
1 T. Minced Fresh Rosemary (Here's where it pays to have an herb garden.)
1/2 t. Sugar
1/4 t. Salt
1.4 t. Pepper
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1 Minced Garlic Clove

Lissie

A New Project

2010-06-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am beginning a new project, one that is perfect for a newly retired person who needs to learn how to use all of the bonus time she has been given. (What a gift!) Over the years I have inherited a ton of family papers and artifacts. I've used many of them in teaching teachers how to teach history so that children will learn it while falling in love with a fascinating subject. Needless to say, everything is in a bit of a mess because I've never organized things before. There is so much now that I must get a handle on it before I inherit anything else. My goal is to create a family archive, and to this end I have contacted an archivist in the Special Collections Department at Virginia Tech. (I hope to hear back from him tomorrow.) I want to tackle this project in a methodical manner so that the end result will serve two purposes. First, one hundred years from now, no family member will remember my Uncle Richard, so I want to ensure that his artifacts and papers make sense to someone in the future. I want whoever reads Uncle Richard's World War II letters to realize what a treasure they are. Hopefully, future family members will come to know Uncle Richard through what he has left behind. Second, I want to create finding aids that will serve as a model for those who inherit the collection so that they can add to it and create new finding aids for whatever has been added. Perhaps this is a waste of time. I hope not. It seems that every generation in our family has a history buff or two. My daydream is that some day, one of my great-great grandchildren will peruse Uncle Richard's picture album from the front lines of World War II and will want to know about the man who took the pictures. The same is true for the gloves Dad wore when chauffeuring Generals Eishenhower, Bradley, Clark, Groves, and others, or for his Tootsie Toy collection. Imagine someone in 2080 holding toys a boy played with in the 1920s and then learning about his great-great-great grandfather. Won't that make these people real? Won't they come to life? My greatest fear is that no one beyond me will be interested in any of this and will donate the mess to Good Will. I truly don't think that will happen if for no other reason than my descendants will realize I put a ton of work into this project and will want to preserve it.

Lissie

Spaghetti Sauce Alternative

2010-06-23T21:22:00.001-07:00

Ella doesn't like spaghetti (or white potatoes or macaroni and cheese or any other typical kid fare). She likes the noodles with butter, the typical red sauce does not impress her. Bob figured out that if he kicked it up a notch with garlic, capers and kalamata olives then she got on board with red sauce. Cooked tomatoes are super good for you and processed and dried pasta is not really, so trying to get her to eat the healthier part of a spaghetti meal was a good challenge.

I am trying to save money. This means I am trying to eat out of our well stocked pantry for a couple weeks. I am not planning recipes to buy items for, I am figuring out how to use things up. Tonight I was tired and I desperately wanted to order in but I resisted and pulled out the VitaMix and VM recipe book instead. In a pinch I can usually throw enough common items in it and get something edible and tasty back out very quickly. Quick was in order tonight.

I began with the Tomato Basil recipe and adjusted it quite a bit. I did not have sun dried tomatoes as the recipe called for but I did have two fresh tomatoes and some canned tomatoes. The recipe only called for one clove of garlic and that just wouldn't do. I added more basil, a can of artichoke hearts, 2 tsps. of capers and lightly blended for 25 seconds on a medium speed (6). I then put it over spaghetti noodles with some fresh chopped parsley and parmesean cheese on top.

1/4 balsamic vingear

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

2 whole fresh tomatoes

1 12 oz. canned diced tomatoes

4 cloves of garlic

8 fresh basil leaves

2 tsps. capers

1 can artichoke hearts

1/4 c. olive oil

The kids LOVED this! I may play with the vinegar and reduce it a bit the next time as there was a noticeable tang but it certainly was not a bad tang, as we all gobbled it up. The artichokes blended up in the sauce give it a "meatier" texture while keeping the sauce deliciously vegetarian.

The ingredients in the measurements above are definitely good for 2 meals for a smaller family or 1 meal for a large family. You need far less sauce on the pasta since it has such a punch than you do with typical marinara recipes.

If you try this let me know what you think. I used a VitaMix but any old blender will do since you want a coursely chopped and blended consistency and not a smooth consistency. Enjoy!

-Jess

Detox

2010-06-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Do you ever eat really poorly when you travel? I do. I eat at fast food restaurants and eat junk food that can be bought at convenience stores and gas stations. It is almost part of the travel ritual, I buy and eat foods and let my kids eat foods that we usually wouldn't eat. Sometimes a McDonald's french fry and a real Coke really hit the spot. My grandmother always packed a cooler full of nutritious and cost-conscious foods for traveling. I should be more organized and do the same but to be honest, it is hard enough just getting myself and the kids packed up and loaded up and to our destination without losing my sanity.

Last week I was away from home. I helped my aunt prepare healthy meals but I snuck quite a few real Cokes in, ate cookies and fast food and all sorts of bad things while on the road. And when I got home I just really felt blah. I do think days of eating crap affect your mood and your energy levels. So now I am trying to even back out again and get myself on track.

Our menu has included most fresh, raw fruits and veggies, big salads and some light grilled chicken, turkey burgers and simple green smoothies. I'm hoping that it only takes a week to get rid of the lingering headache and the two pounds I gained while gone. I'm happy to be back into my regular eating routine but, boy...

That real Coke sure tasted delicious!

-Jess

Lemon & Blueberry Ice Cream

2010-06-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

Rachael and I arrived back in Blacksburg after a week on the road. Her kids are troupers, but we all are a bit road weary. Before we left, we promised Dottie that she could see baby Ellie and sweet little Lily upon our return, so I figured that inviting her to dinner would be a good idea. Rachael tackled the Tikka Masala, while I made a large green salad. We planned to serve the Tikka Masala over rice, and all we needed to round out the meal was a refreshing dessert. Mind you, we arrived at my house at 3:00 and dinner was to be at 6:00, so it had to be something simple and quick. I rooted around the fridge to see what was there and still in usable condition after a week's neglect. I found two large lemons, and I had just purchased a couple of pints of blueberries for breakfast. From past experience I knew that lemons and blueberries are a good combination so I decided to make lemon-blueberry ice cream. I hunted high and low for a good recipe, but found none, so I made up my own. It turned out so well, I decided to post my simple solution here:

½ cup fresh lemon juice

Grated zest from one large lemon

1 cup whole milk

1.5 cups sugar

3 cups heavy cream

1 pint blueberries

1. Put sugar and milk in mixer bowl and mix on low speed until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add other ingredients and stir.

3. Pour into ice cream freezer.

4. Process for 20 minutes.

5. Put into freezer-safe bowl. Cover with foil and freeze for 1-2 hours prior to eating.

Dottie said it was her favorite dessert I've ever served her. That is saying a lot!

Lissie

Gardening Hopes

2010-06-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

My mom, Lissie, posted on facebook yesterday that gardening is an act of faith. And oh boy, that is such a true statement. You work like a dog, spend countless hours and a good bit of money and in the end you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. The whims of nature with the weather and critters really change the game yearly and the assaults are unbelievably sneaky. It takes a rabbit only a day to ravage your lettuce or an especially wet and cool summer to ruin your tomatoes that you started from seed way back in March. The fact that so many of us do it again and again and again and that there is an enormous online gardening community devoted to gardening as well as countless books on the subject demonstrate that we collectively do want to figure it out . For this very reason I can see why commercial agriculture with its use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and wasteful irrigation practices became popular. Farmers just want a guarantee that their crop is going to survive and be marketable. Obviously things have seriously gone off the rails but I really do understand the original impulse and how wondrous chemical fertilizers seemed, and why modern irrigation and pesticides were embraced.

My blog confession of the week is this: I use Miracle Gro. I know, I know. I don't use it on everything, especially not on anything we will eat. But for my flower pots and front beds? Ahem, yes. What can I say? I want them to be big and beautiful and especially the front beds need a lot of help. We have compacted clay and rock up there. The last two weeks as I've been working at planting things I've literally dug out 2 trash can loads of compacted clay and added soil amendments in its place. It will be years before those beds have workable soil and I don't have that kind of time. The shrubs that the builder put in are all horrible and spindly but we have decided to wait for end of season sales for new ones for the front. So in the meantime I have put in perennials like coralbells and false spirea, salvia and hyssop to fill in the sparse areas and then in the front I've gone with an eye-popping red and white combo to draw the eye forward. Nothing like some petunias, impatiens and verbena to look good in a hurry. I have some double hollyhocks on the way that will fill in the very back behind our crappy japanese hollies. Those and a small vitex tree are the last things I am planting this summer.

In the back, we (Bob) put in a large island with 4 big trees including two cryptomeria, a japanese maple and a crape myrtle and a skip laurel in front. We have a small nishiki willow, one elagnus and one beautiful hydrangea to round things out. I've put in some lavender, some columbine and sprinkled zinnia, four o'clocks, nigella and bishops lace all around the bare areas to try and fill them in a bit this summer and I planted some small Teddy Bear sunflowers along the front. More hollyhocks will go in the back to once again fill in while we wait and wait and wait for the trees to grow to give us more privacy. Hollyhocks are really lovely, I'm just hoping to avoid rust with them here because I had such a problem with it in Kansas.

All along our double stairwell in the back we have some big pots to block little ones from falling. Along the outside rail I've planted three varieties of morning glories. We have several other pots of mixed flowers here and there on our porch and outside the garage.

As for our raised beds, we originally bought prefab cedar boxes but we couldn't find any labeling on what they were coated with so Bob decided to take them back and build with raw wood, which we are sure will only last a few seasons but that is OK. What is nice about building our own is that we got a greater depth than we could get from prefabricated boxes and we will easily be able to modify two of them into cold frames this fall. We mixed a combo of compost and peat moss and put all the seedlings in and so far everything seems to be doing well.

We are growing several varieties of tomatoes, pole beans, a few varieties of peppers, some herbs, radishes, carrots and two varieties of chard and my most anticipated new trial of summer 2010 - charentais melons which we will grow up a trellis.

Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Golden Sunray, White Tomesol, White Currant, Black Cherry, Stupice, Souix, Paul Robeson, Brandywine, Green Zebras, and Dad's Sunsets

Peppers: Baby Belles, Jupiter, Thai Hot, Red Marconi

Beans: Kentucky Blue Wonder

Herbs: Dill, thyme, 3 mints (chocolate, apple, peppermint), parsley, chives, 3 basils (lime, thai and genovese), lemon verbena, lemon balm.

Chard: Pink Flamingo and Rainbow

Radishes: French Breakfast and Plum Purple

Carrots: Atomic Red and Cosmic Purple (both Ella choices)

*In the photo below of the raised beds, the perspective is off, there is 15 feet between the end of the slide and the raised boxes!

-Jess

Improving Ready-to-Eat Foods Via The Microwave

2010-06-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

One guilty pleasure that I discovered many years ago was to microwave ready-to-eat foods made of chocolate. First it was Golden Almond candy bars. I’d break the bar into pieces and zap the pieces for about 20-30 seconds. Then, I’d sit with a long iced tea spoon and eat the melted mess. About this time a friend told me that M & Ms could be greatly improved by a session in the microwave. The trick, I was told, is to only zap them long enough so that the candy shell cracks slightly leaving a warm melted center. Overdoing it results in scorched chocolate, so it is better to do a batch for 15 seconds, test one, and add more time if needed. Mama mia! What a wonderful way to improve on an already “perfect” food. Today, Rachael told me that the only way she eats Moon Pies is after they have spent 15 seconds in the microwave. “The marshmallow greatly expands so that the Moon Pie doubles in thickness," says she. I’m not a fan of Moon Pies, but this is tantalizing enough to make me want to try it.

So, what ready-to-eat foods do you like to microwave? Let us know in the comments so that we can try them out.

Lissie

Vintage Remedies

2010-05-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Jessie Hawkins for a couple years now. I have a few of her books including Vintage Remedies, Lavender, and Herbal Crafts on my bookshelf. I've been planning on taking her online Family Herbalist course through Vintage Remedies for awhile but have been waiting for the right time. Ella and Gabriel are in a good routine and Gracie is starting to find a schedule of her own which brings more calm and stability to my life. I can expect that our daily routine will stay fairly consistent at this point. So, I've ordered my materials and begun the process of starting the course. And I'm happy that this will be a project that I will be able to fit around my home life. I had to suspend my sewing lessons for now because my husband and I agreed that it was cutting too much into our family life on the weekends because I was away for 4 hours each Sunday.

Today I received Ms. Hawkins newest book in the mail, The Vintage Remedies Guide to Real Food. I think we already do a pretty good job of eating whole, natural foods but it will be nice to thumb through and to add to my bookshelf. My packet of workbooks and materials should arrive in June and then I'll be underway. It is a self-paced course so we'll see how quickly I can move through the coursework.

-Jess

Safety

2010-05-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Do "food safety" standards set by state and federal governments not seem like a total joke to anyone else?

I read an article today about the sale of raw milk being vetoed by the governor Wisconsin due safety issues and I just had to snort and snicker a little. Lobbying can really work if there is enough money to be made by an industry which has a huge incentive to protect their market share. Do I think that raw milk can pose some potential health risks if the farm(er) is unclean and negligent? Sure. I also know that there is feces sold in factory farmed meat all available for purchase at your local grocery store every single day. More and more people are becoming infected with e.coli from "safe" foods also available for purchase at your local grocery store.

Let's not forget that we allow, support and tax the sale of guns, explosives, alcohol and cigarettes in this country. No one ever dies from using any of those items, nope, nope, nope. I think if we can allow mentally ill people to purchase weapons that we should allow rational people the choice of purchasing a typically safe food product. I think if we allow people to purchase a product that has no health benefit whatsoever and is known to cause debilitating cancer that we could allow people a bit more autonomy in their dairy purchases.

If you aren't personally interested in raw milk, great! I just don't see how any state or local government can honestly say that they are forbidding the sale of it for safety reasons when our food supply in general is so seriously compromised yet subsidized by our federal government. Do I think raw milk is a product that is 100% safe for human consumption? No! Which is why I choose to home pasteurize our milk. But the public safety shtick is really ridiculous when you make comparisons of products which are deemed unsafe and are illegal and those that are truly unsafe that are legally sold.

Hypocrisy is what it is.

-Jess

Card Making

2010-05-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Right after Hannah died, Rachael and I began making cards. It seemed to help us both as we grieved over the loss of one of the most precious children I have ever had the privilege of knowing. We often got together at her house or mine to make cards together. While Rachael has a fabulous studio, I've never had a good place to make cards, and hauling everything out to do so was quite a commitment. Recently, I decided to make my downstairs (basement level) into a multi-use room. My grandchildren's toys are there, and it's where they like to play. I keep a bed there in case I have an extra amount of company. All the CDs are there and also a small television set. Best of all, there are a plethora of built-ins and it finally dawned on me that part of them could be used to store my supplies making them easily accessible. So, I now have a studio of sorts. This past week I've enjoyed spending time there making cards. I've played with all sorts of things--my embosser, embellishments, odd color combinations, interesting ribbons, and so on. The results of most of my week's work can be seen in the photos below. Some of the cards I like, and some of them I'm not too happy with. But, I had an enjoyable time making them, so even the ones I think aren't so great were fun to create. I made others, but didn't take pictures of them. Perhaps, I'll post them another time.

You can't see the embossing on the two bottom cards. They look better in person. I like the card at the top for two reasons: First, I like the stamp set, and second, I like the colors in the designer paper.

These cards are all okay. I like the one on the bottom right best. The top two ovals were made using nestabilties and my Big Shot machine. I liked how the ovals turned out so much that I ordered a couple more sets of nestabilities in different shapes.

I like all of these cards, but I'm gaga about the one at top left. I'll use that layout again for other cards. It's time consuming and a bit tricky, but the results make it worth the effort. Perhaps if you click on the photos you can see more detail.

Lissie

Just Guess

2010-05-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

My husband snapped this on his cell about a year ago. I hadn't seen it until tonight and the laughs have been indescribable! Classic, that's all I can say.

The Element

2010-05-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

I first saw Ken Robinson's TED talk about a year ago and I have watched it a few times since because I love his ideas, I do believe that we need to begin to value intelligence outside of the mainstream respected areas of maths, sciences and languages and begin to allow students to have more freedom in directing their own curriculum based on their strengths and interests (within reason, of course!). Tailoring education for each human being from early childhood makes sense and technology is at a point in which this could really begin to happen if we can collectively let go of our need for measuring all human intelligence and knowledge by such narrow standards.

I suspect that I feel strongly about this because while I managed to successfully navigate my way through the K-12 public school system I had zero desire to continue my formal education further than what was required of me by society and my parents. I did complete an AA degree in my early 20s because I felt the pressure to continue once I got married but frankly, it hasn't done anything to improve my life aside from introducing me to one of my best friends and also allow me to tell people at dinner parties that I do indeed have a little college education and I am not just a hairstylist. I've found that my formal education level matters a lot more to other people than it does to me. (Believe it or not I once had a client at my salon ask me what I wanted to do for a real career someday.)

I purchased Sir Robinson's new book, The Element, on audio recently and I am not quite finished listening to it yet, but so far I've found it to be really enjoyable and a "quick" listen (read: not boring). In the book he talks extensively about human capability, valuing all types of human intelligence, and encouraging people to find what they are not only innately good at but also passionate about to become their life's work. I know as a parent I would be nervous if one of my children fell in love with fencing, for instance. It seems like a hobby more than an avenue to financial stability and success as we currently measure it. A couple years ago my brother in law and his wife quit their jobs and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail over a 6 month period. I admired their bravery at stepping off the traditional path for awhile and trying to complete their goal which they were so passionate and excited about. What I love about K. Robinson's book is that he makes you realize how much happier we would collectively be and how much more quickly we could advance in all areas of life if we were each inspired to contribute our best because we were doing what we love.

I've made no secret in the last several years that I am a huge Lord of the Rings fans, both book and movies and I watch the movies and reread the trilogy almost yearly. To think that Tolkien took his interest in medieval poetry, lore, and an obscure Scandanavian language and created such a deeply layered and intricate history and story with multiple created languages is really remarkable. What drove him to do that? He had no dream of being published when he began, he simply started on the project because he was interested and thought it was a fun thing to pursue. I have been recently watching the Appendices that were sold with the extended versions of the movies again and I am struck by how closely the documentaries on the making of the LOTR and the points made in The Element coincide. For instance, the two main creative artists for the LOTR movie project were Alan Lee and John Howe. Both are very gifted artists who had previously drawn extensively images from the books as they imagined them. They produced artwork for calendars and other obscure LOTR gear and were contacted by Peter Jackson when he began working to develop the films to help him design sets and other conceptual art. These two artists, in their niche area of LOTR artwork were able to provide expert and pivotal material to bring the books to life. The movies required the expertise of all manner of people who had chosen work in specialized crafts areas - weapon-smiths, historical reproduction tailors, set designers, artists like sculptors, pencil artists, painters, hair design, make up, etc. were all required to pull of the project.

For another example, K. Robinson mentions a brilliant billiards player in his book. This woman was supported by her parents from an incredibly young age to devote herself to perfecting her game play and she is now a world champion. I can see myself talking my child out of a talent like that - will it be marketable, provide an adequate living for her lifespan, etc.? But then again I tell myself daily that we are losing collectively social arts that were once integral to the livelihood of humans everywhere - how many people do you know that can card and spin wool, or grow grain and mill it into flour that can be use for baking, or find food in the wild, or even know how to care for a basic vegetable garden, mend a sock, sew garments or make food from scratch? Not too many, at this point. I dare you to try and go completely processed food free for one month. Frankly, I'm not sure I could do it. My point here is that we do not place value on knowledge in a lot of areas that maybe we should.

I look at Ella and I realize that she is just beginning her formal years of learning. And I do not want her to lose her joy and wonder and excitement at learning new things. If I canvas the adults I know in my life for the most part we are all too busy to be actively learning new things and we are too tired to do much more than flip on the TV after the kids have been bathed and put to bed. Most people I know work at jobs they don't particularly like, run around all weekend doing chores and getting kids to sports events and lessons, tutoring and whatnot and never take the time to really continue to grow intellectually themselves. We are too busy, too stressed and really disinterested because our memories of formal schooling really suck. This includes me.

Imagine our world if more people were able to find work that was inspiring and invigorating for them instead of a grind? Imagine if we could choose work for the joy of it rather than the economics of it. I see my husband so tired and stressed most of the time because of the demands of his job. I hope my children become passionate life-long learners, are readers and artists and search constantly to experience life instead of just surviving it. I think I model adult self-motivated learning at times, though my excuse is that I am really in the trenches with little ones right now so that makes it harder. The first 7 years of parenting another human being is a bit like indentured servitude - you don't do anything without considering that little person first and there is a lot of hands on manual labor that takes an enormous amount of time that doesn't leave a lot left over for pursuing ones interests. It really is a great design by God to help adult humans gain some humility, to be honest.

With that said, my job right now is to cultivate an environment in which my children retain their excitement and natural born capacity to learn. Babies come right out of the womb all ready to master new skills like breathing, latching on for breastfeeding and they just keep going from there at a rapid and wondrous rate over the first 3 years of their life. And the interest in learning new things seems to hang on for awhile but begins to taper off around middle school. It is almost like years of school begin to erode their self-directed interest in learning and I suspect this is because children are given very little freedom in traditional school settings.

A couple places that I find interesting as a parent of young children:

Waldorf

Charlotte Mason

-Jess

Strawberry Picking

2010-05-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

Trees

2010-05-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

I love plants, I've grown to love gardening as an adult. It is an endeavor full of possibility and rewards for some basic effort put forth. I tend to a tomato plant a few times a week and I get loads of tomatoes for a few months to enjoy and eat. The pay off is worth the effort.

We bought a brand new house in December and the house is in a brand new neighborhood which means that the landscaping is all immature. And it is builder grade stock for the most part - builders are so cheap they won't even spring for boring old boxwoods any longer, you're lucky if you get a few spindly azaleas, japanese hollies and some monkey grass to spruce up the front of your house. We did get an "upgraded package" so we got a laurel and a crape myrtle thrown in as well. Nothing to brag about, for sure.

Our backyard is really pretty awful to be honest. It is shallow and bumps into our neighbors driveway. We are on a corner and the people behind us face a different direction so their side load garage is our view from our back porch. They are nice people to be sure, but our view is not so nice at all. There is zero vegetation in the backyard aside from grass so clearly it was going to be up to us to spruce it up a bit and to block our lousy view as well as create a pretty significant barrier between the backyard and the driveway to keep little feet from running over to it.

I've researched my heart out because buying a tree is a much different proposition from buying a six pack of petunias or a tomato plant. Those are $5 decisions and easy to let go of if they don't work out. Trees, especially mature trees, cost a lot of money. We don't want to over-plant the space in our zeal to block out our lousy view and yet we don't want to wait 20 years for the view to be improved. And we do have a pesky little consideration in the form of a budget!

We've planned a long, mulched bed that will run the length of our porch and will include several trees and some shrubs. We've elected to do the planting ourselves to save about a thousand dollars - in my world that is a lot of money to fork over! We decided on two cryptomeria, 1 japanese maple and 1 crape myrtle. We will have elaegnus and nishiki willow to fill in along with a 6 foot tall skip laurel to be placed in between and forward of the two cryptomeria to help fill in the space a bit while we wait (years) for the trees to grow and mature.

I'll try and post a few pics over the weekend as the bed takes shape and things get planted. As Bob has reminded me a few times, "Happy Mother's Day!".

-Jess

Rewards

2010-05-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

My 28 month old son is trying to potty train (he just needs his mama to get consistent and on board with it, but that is another post) and this morning while I was getting him breakfast he took himself to the bathroom, took off his diaper and completed his business with no help needed from me. After he was finished he did ask that I help him get cleaned up and I did. And then I was so excited that I squealed:

"You earned a treat from Target! After breakfast we will go out and you can choose a new toy!"

And so we did. And that, my friends, is the problem. My first instinctual response was to buy him something to reward him. Aside from knowing that material rewards are not necessarily the greatest motivator for kids, aside from knowing that I could have offered him another type of reward or bonus for his success to show him how proud I am of his ability and independence, still my first gut response was a material reward. And once it was said I had to follow through.

Likewise, Ella has been working on memorizing some prayers and we have especially been working on the Hail Mary. At the beginning I promised her material rewards for memorizing the prayer, which is completely counter-intuitive to what I really want her to learn from the process. If I always have to dangle a carrot to get my children to cooperate in learning/performing in a way that I feel is productive then how will they ever learn that sometimes doing or learning something is worth it in and of itself. How will Ella ever learn that prayer is a gift and a privilege if I make it seem like something that needs rewarding to get through it?

I cannot believe how hard this is to beat. I am really a consumer, one who is capable of justifying just about any purchase I make that is unnecessary. And I am teaching my children that not only is being a consumer is OK, it is a way to reward yourself. This is definitely not the message I want to be sending to them and yet I choose to do it all the time. I'm not writing this as a confessional post, I am simply saying that I recognize that I have a problem and I am genuinely unable to stop myself. Which is really the description of an addict, is it not?

-Jess

Caramel Dip with Apples

2010-04-30T18:49:00.001-07:00

I'm continuously counting my blessings, giving thanks that I'm surrounded by such loving and caring people. From my family to my friends and coworkers, I have an amazing support group. My lovely friend, Scottie, set up a food delivery schedule for me for the first two weeks after Ellie's birth. We've had some wonderful dishes come in--eggplant parmigiana, pork tenderloin, flank steak with fried rice, the most amazing salads and more. Oh I've eaten well. Most of the folks who brought dinner also brought desserts with them including my friend Patti, who brought a delightful, low-fat caramel apple dip. The recipe is amazingly simple and utterly delicious.

Caramel Dip with Apples

1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, softened (you may use low-fat or regular)
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. (or more) chopped walnuts

Combine first 3 ingredients with a hand mixer until well-blended and creamy. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Serve with sliced Granny Smith apples... only Granny Smiths will do... it's important to have the tartness of the apple to complement the sweetness of the dip.

This recipe can easily be doubled (or tripled!) and stores well in the fridge.

My mouth is watering in anticipation of having more of this. YUM! :o) And, since I have to actually prepare food (for the first time in weeks) next week, I may just have to make some more of this.

Enjoy!
--Rach

Country Pound Cake

2010-04-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

This recipe was given to me by an old country woman sometime around 1980. Her one caution was, "Now, honey, don't you be tempted to put no baking powder in this cake 'cause it will ruin it." The cake is simple to make but the baking time is iffy. Over the years I've used various Bundt pans, and I've had good luck with all of them, so I don't think the type of Bundt pan you use is that important.

1. Cream together 3 sticks of unsalted butter with 3 cups of white sugar. Do not use margarine or any type of butter substitute. Beat in five eggs, one at a time.

2. Add 1 tsp. of pure lemon extract and 1 tsp. of pure vanilla extract. Do not use imitation flavorings.

3. Sift in a separate bowl 3 cups of plain white flour or plain unbleached four. Do not use self-rising flour.

4. Measure one cup of milk. I've used both whole and 2% with success.

5. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix well followed by 1/3 cup of milk, again mixing well. Repeat until all of the flour and the milk have been added.

6. This next part seems a bit odd, but I've always done it. Beat the batter for 15 minutes. I guess I'm too superstitious to skip this step.

7. Pour into a greased and floured Bundt pan.

8. This is a big heavy cake so it will take a long time to cook. Cook at 350 for an hour. Check to see if the cake is done by inserting a toothpick or thin knife blade into the thickest part of the cake. It is likely you will need to cook it longer. I cook for an addition fifteen minutes and then check again. If the cake still is not cooked, I keep checking after every five additional minutes.

9. When the cake is done, turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Alternate Step 1:

I grew up in Florida and ate citrus fruit almost every day. To this date, lemons and limes are my favorite flavors. You can't make anything too lemony for me. If you are as fond of lemon as I am, you might want to try this additional step.

In a bowl use a whisk mix 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with 1/2 cup of lemon juice.

When the cake is finished cooking, do not take it out of the pan. Instead carefully pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake. I use a knife to pull the cake away from the pan a bit and drizzle the mixture down the side, repeating until the entire bowl of mixture is used. Let the cake sit until cool, allowing the lemon-sugar mixture to soak in.

Carefully turn the cake onto a large plate.

Alternate Step 2:

Before putting the batter into the cake pan, add 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen. Mix well, but not too vigorously; you don't want to break up the berries.

Posted by Lissie

Chicken Thighs + Crock Pot = Success!

2010-04-28T18:04:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipe today and it is awesome and E.A.S.Y.

Ingredients

3-4 lbs chicken thighs (boneless)
3/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, peeled and minced (approximately 8-10 cloves)
1 large sweet onion (Walla Walla)
3-4 peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Put chicken thighs in the Crock-pot.
2. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or until chicken falls apart. Serve over rice with broccoli as a side dish.

-Jess

Pasteurize

2010-04-27T18:52:00.001-07:00

So, we drink raw milk. Yes, that's right. I've even given it to my children and we all agree the taste is fantastic. My mother worried when my sister and I drank raw milk as children when we were with my father. It's true - there are risks to consuming raw, whole milk. The cleanliness standards of the farmer have to be super high and followed religiously. I am comfortable with the source of our milk, but there is always still that "what if" lingering question in the back of my mind. What if my kids got sick? How would I deal with that knowing I chose to give them something that created the problem?

In Kansas I was able to find local, non-homogenized, pasteurized milk. Perfect. I cannot find that here in Northern VA, it just isn't available. So, after the suggestion of a friend from a book group I belong to (I know, right?!) who mentioned that her own mother pasteurized their milk at home, I figured I'd look for some info on how to do it. And just like making butter, it looks to be very straightforward.

Mother Earth News, always my first choice for "how to" information:

It’s actually very easy to pasteurize your own milk on the stovetop. An added bonus is that your milk won’t need to stand up to long distance shipping and prolonged storage, so you can pasteurize it safely using lower heat and less time than many industrial milk producers use. All you need is a stainless steel pot and a simple kitchen thermometer. Just follow these simple steps for home pasteurization:

Pour the raw milk into the stainless steel pot. If you have a double boiler, that will work even better to keep the milk from scalding. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can put one stainless steel pot inside a larger pot with a few inches of water at the bottom. If you can’t achieve this setup, then you’ll just need to be careful to heat the milk gently.

Slowly heat the milk to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. If you are not using a double boiler, stir frequently to avoid scalding the milk.

Hold the temperature at 145 F for exactly 30 minutes. You may need to increase and decrease the heat to keep the temperature constant.

Remove the pot of milk from the heat and place it in a sink or large bowl filled with ice water. Stir constantly until the temperature drops to 40 F.

Store pasteurized milk in the refrigerator.

So tomorrow I'll give it a whirl. We'll see how it goes trying to keep the milk at a constant temp for such a long period of time!

UPDATE:

This was super easy to do and I'm glad I tried it. I will continue to home pasteurize our milk each week. Sadly, the taste does change once the milk is heated but it is still far better than what you can buy at the store. I don't have a double boiler, so I just put a smaller pot in a bigger pot that had water in it and slowly heated the milk. I couldn't keep it exactly at 145 degrees, but I kept it between 145 and 150 for a half hour. Cooling it took way longer than I was expected. I kept it in the sink bath until it was around 60 degrees, poured it back into the glass jar and put it in the fridge. This was the quickest way to get it back below 40 degrees. I now understand all that stirring is to keep the milk cooling at the same rate throughout the pot.

-Jess

The Good Life

2010-04-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

From My Livingroom Window

2010-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

Legendary

2010-04-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

I often wonder how so many people in the periphery of my life can be so unhappy. Now, that isn't to say that I don't have genuine sympathy for those who suffer from true clinical depression as a result of a chemical imbalance in their brain, clearly that has nothing to do with being simply dissatisfied with life in general. The chance of just being born is far less than hitting the lotto. All the millions of eggs in a woman, and all the billions (trillions?) of sperm that a man makes and only two match up to make the one and only, very unique - YOU. To be frank, your parents had to have liked each other enough to want to have sex and well, when you think of there now being 6 billion people on the planet, just getting a match of two specific people and their choice to combo their DNA into a new human being to make YOU boggles the mind. If Bob had chosen to go to another college then Ella, Gabriel and Grace would never have had a chance to exist. If he had been on a business trip during ovulation during the times we conceived each of the children they wouldn't be here - maybe another child(ren) named Ella, Gabriel and Grace would be here, but it would be THEM. Back to the basic biology, your mother's body had to have been primed and ready to accept the fertilized egg and managed to make it through 40 or so odd weeks of tumult and physical stress to provide physical support and sustenance for the baby growing inside her body. And then the survival of birth, a process which prior to 30 or so years ago didn't always go all that smoothly. And then the survival of disease, especially prior to vaccines. And then there is that really amazing and odd defying jackpot hit of not only being born but being born in a place and time like no other in the history of civilization. We bitch and moan about how hard life is, but really, none of us is ever truly without what we need. In no other time in the history of the world, we have what no one else has ever had access to: in the USA we have access to sanitation, food, medicine, education and socially supported safety nets - which still isn't true in the other 3/4 of the world.

So, the first paragraph is basically saying - Be thankful that you even got here, and when you did arrive, that you got to be born in one of the most progressive places on the planet with the greatest medical and technical advances known to man. Even if you aren't living "high" at least you aren't a child retreating to the sewers in Bogata, Columbia or aren't a young girl being sold as a sex slave in Thailand or aren't a young child being raped, beaten and forced to live as a child solider in Uganda. No matter what your story is, it really isn't all that bad compared to some of the hands you could have been dealt.

I do appreciate being gifted with the life I was blessed with, the family I was born into and the country and time in which I was born. I appreciate it A LOT. With all that said, I think it is easy for me to romanticize the past. Obviously I am not alone or there wouldn't be productions of PBS series that showcase modern people retreating to live in the recreated past for 3 months. Of these series, 1940s House is probably my favorite. Why? Because it is the closest to me in historical terms, I have had the privilege of having two living relatives (my grandfathers) survive WWII and be able to offer some personal anecdotes about their time spent in the service. My one grandfather was fortunate to have been stationed in Washington D.C. with a job of driving top military officials and generals around. My other grandfather was stationed in the South Pacific and saw combat, most of which he would never talk about.

I have always been more interested in the social history of events rather than the political or military history that is so often studied in traditional school settings. How did the common person survive the events as they were happening around them? How did they react, what changes to their lives did they have to make? I read the book The Bronze Horseman several years ago and the author did such an excellent job of making me aware of how the heroine of the tale was so blase about the coming dire circumstances in Leningrad, Russia right before the start of WWII. Tatiana is eating an ice cream in the first scenes of the story and later on her cousin dies of starvation while licking wallpaper glue off of torn shreds of wallpaper, eager to consume anything because she is so hungry. Likewise, the women and families of England had to face fairly stringent rationing as the military demanded most produced goods to support the troops. And as I am writing this I am watching the History Channel's America: The Story of Us, also a good example of people living and remaining hopeful despite very long odds and hardships strewn along their life's way. Can you imagine living in a home literally carved out of a hill? Dirt walls, dirt floors and worms, bugs and wet, dripping mud on everything in your life every time it rained? Or how about surviving the Dust Bowl years? Watching your babies die from an inability to breathe due to all the dust that they inhaled into their immature lungs? Or watching your 6 year old daughter go off to work in a factory, risking her limbs - literally- because you needed her help in providing income so you could feed your family.

How would I survive if faced with sudden and extreme situations? I can easily avoid lying, cheating and stealing right now because I am not desperate, but if I were and it was a choice between stealing and my daughter losing all the fingers on her hands, I would steal. Wrong or not, I would do it. I am fortunate to live in the top percents, financially speaking, of everyone being ranked worldwide. This isn't bragging, it is fact. I can drive the the store in my very comfortable minivan and buy just about any food item that strikes my fancy any time I want. I don't have to worry about using too much toilet paper during the week and running out or only having 3 eggs to stretch for our entire family for a week. I don't have to rely on canned food and I don't have to restrict my driving due to gasoline shortages. I don't have to stringently meal plan because if I run out of something I can just go and buy more. I take this for granted most of the time. I think it would be an interesting experiment for a modern family to choose to follow the rationing during a Lenten season that the British had to live with for years - what an interesting way to examine want vs. need and self-control.

I think a lot of the interest I have in simple living, the actual impetus for this blog, is the very realization that I have a very comfortable life and I suspect that I wouldn't fare so well if I had to really make a go of being more self-contained and self-sufficient. My comfort in relying on others to provide for me is so ingrained that the idea of not relying on anyone at all is very alluring. I like to view the possibility of simple living through the comfort of just doing and performing a few of the easier acts of those who managed in the past to do it all, to survive through sheer will and hard work. I mean, how hard is it really to make fresh bread when I have a Kitchen Aid mixer to knead it and a self-regulating oven to bake it in?!

What event in history makes you appreciate your own life? Why? What do you think will define our time and place? What will people 200 years from now want to relive about our life experience as early 21st century Americans?

-Jess

A Special Moment

2010-04-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

If there is anything that smells better than a newborn baby, I do not know what it could be. What a joy it is to cradle a wee one while she buries her nose in your neck. I've had the extreme pleasure of enjoying these moments with two new granddaughters this year. I am truly blessed.

-Lissie

Conquer

2010-04-20T07:29:00.001-07:00

I have been actively trying to stop buying things that I do not need and when I do buy something I try and buy handmade (Etsy) or used (Craigslist). It is hard. It is very, very, very, very hard to walk into Target and not be swept into impulse buying. As silly as it sounds I have been thinking of that movie The Matrix before I walk into a brick and mortar store - will I succumbed to the design, advertising and consumerism that our culture has programmed into me or will I stay strong and conquer it?! I lose a lot of the time, to be honest. Any slip up that isn't on my list means I've succumbed including cute hair bows for Ella, more baby socks for Grace (where do all the baby socks go in a house, that is what I would like to know), new sippy cups for Gabriel, a book for me, etc. are all easy things to slide into the cart and justify because they are only a few dollars.

I know so many people who are enamored with Dave Ramsey and to be honest I like him a lot too. I like that he tells people what they need to hear to get out of debt. But he ultimately misses the big picture because he makes it seem like those who are on debt diets which require a serious restriction in their extraneous spending are sacrificing and missing out. We all feel like that, at least I do. We don't have any real debt to speak of aside from our mortgage and the minivan, BUT, I do think that when we scale back and keep the house a little cooler in the winter or warmer in the summer or do not stop and get ice cream cones for the kids after going to the park or we choose to buy the cheap band aids instead of the cartoony tattoo style, etc. that we feel like we are missing out and that we are suffering in some way. At least I do. And I've come to the conclusion that the true path to having good mental health and a happy life is genuinely getting past the suffering/lack mentality and realizing that happiness is not tied to money related experiences. Why is this so hard?

I've been reading Your Money Or Your Life, which is possibly the best financial book that I've ever read and it isn't about budgeting or longterm financial retirement planning, getting rich or living frugally. It is about changing your brain patterns to having a genuine reduction in WANTS. The first step in the book is to calculate honestly how much money has come into your life via earned income, gifts, real estate gains, etc. - every single thing from the moment you entered the financial economy, figure out the taxes you paid and then see the amount that you have netted. And then you assess all the liquidity in possessions and financial accounts to see where you stand. You have to assign a dollar amount to everything you currently own. Then you assess your debt load with mortgages, car, credit cards, student loans. It is startling to see how money has come into your life and then see where it has gone and if you are even solvent. Of course there are unavoidable expenses like food, shelter and transportation but this helps you to assess how much money you've assigned to those necessities over the years. The entire process is startling and frankly pretty sad. I've wasted a lot of money in my short life. I'm not sorry for every purchase but you can bet I've literally thrown away thousands and thousands of dollars on things that I cannot recall. Not every meal out or book/DVD purchase or ice cream treat is a bad thing - life should be enjoyed and money can provide opportunities - but the culmination in a monetary amount of years of unchecked spending for things of that nature is stunning to me.

I had my first recognizable conquering moment this week. I was gifted last year for my birthday with a set of dishes that I have wanted for years and years and I really love them and get a huge amount of pleasure from eating on them. I certainly do not think all material things are bad and shallow by any means, just that I really want to focus on keeping and buying things that really are functional and make me happy. Anyway, these dishes are lovely and finely made and I will hopefully be using them in our family for the rest of my life. My sister called to tell me the company that manufactures my dish pattern was closing their local outlet store in her town and would I like for her to pick up some pieces that I did not have. These dishes are not inexpensive and it will take me years to flesh out the pattern with serving pieces and what not but I managed to restrain myself and had her only buy pieces that I thought I would actually use often that I do not already have - the rimmed soup bowls. Are the tea cups lovely? Yes! Do I love them? Yes! Do I already have tea cups in another pattern that I enjoy using? Yes! So, no tea cups for me. It is funny that not having her get the tea cups feels like such a milestone. 6 months ago without thought I would have had her buy every single piece of my pattern that was on sale just because I would have felt like I was getting a good deal. So, the progress in the reduction of my wants is slow but I am truly trying. And I did make it to Target last night and not one thing that I didn't enter the store for landed in my cart. Slow and steady takes the win, right? I've just got to keep trying to be mindful when I go into stores and only go when I really need something.

As for Craigslist, I just became acquainted with it in the past two months and I've been so pleased. I had a few things on my list for our household and I've found most of them for a fraction of the price that they would be new and they are all in great shape. The list includes a dresser for my baby's room, a desk for Bob's office ($30!), and tile for a backsplash in our kitchen. I'm on the hunt for a gently used wagon now for the kids for this summer.

Conquer, conquer, conquer my impulsive consumerism.

ETA: I drafted this post last night, quickly edited it this morning and posted it. Then this evening we ran out to Best Buy for a new external hard drive (need) and ended up with the new Tiana movie (want). And we hit Chick Fil'A for dinner. Sigh. One step forward, two steps back.

-Jess

More With Less

2010-04-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

I bought More With Less after seeing it mentioned over and over again at places online that discuss frugal meal planning and conscientious eating. I decided to go ahead and order it (along with its much later written counterpart Extending The Table) even though I have a lousy track record of actually using cookbooks and trying new recipes.

Here's a big confession: I love to read about food, I love to flip through cookbooks and consider different types of food and I love to eat food and I have a very diverse palate - however, I am very lazy about food. Unless I am pregnant I am generally not very interested in the preparation of food if it is very involved (read: using an oven or stove) and I would most likely live on carrot sticks, grapes, apples, slices of cheese, raw almonds and Kashi cereal if I didn't have a husband and children because they are easy and quick. I have had so many people over the years attribute my small body frame on many things including "lucky" genetics, an interest in physical activity (ha ha ha!), and a desire to look a specific way which provides a motivation for self control with caloric intake. None are really true. The bottom line is that I am a lazy ass when it comes to food and I just don't care enough about it to bother with it. When my husband travels out of town during the week for business I always provide the children with balanced meals that are pretty "clean" (meaning non-processed) but it is usually a matter of dicing up some fruit, steaming some veggies or making a quick salad, and figuring out some sort of protein like plain yogurt, cheese, beans that we can eat from one prepared pot for a few days, etc. Let me tell you, the Vita Mix is salvation for lazy food people and mine gets lots of use daily, but I digress.

OK, so back to the point of this post. Excuse my wandering thoughts and the typing that followed...

More With Less is a great cookbook for someone like me. The recipes are straight forward, require no exotic ingredients that I would be unlikely to have on hand and most dishes are really inexpensive and can be stretched into two days worth of meals. Most recipes require much less meat than standard cookbooks or none at all and the few I've tried seem to be pretty flavorful even without it and I haven't missed it much. Not that I am ready to slide into vegetarianism, I don't and won't ever, I really believe that Traditional Foods are where it is at, though veggie heavy dishes are really great for the body too. Most of us do not get the amount of raw and cooked veggies in a day that we need. Just saying!

More With Less has a greater motivation than just helping folks pinch pennies and that is to be aware of global resources and food supplies. Americans (ME!) are notorious for hogging more than our fair share of resources with our big houses, big appetites, and big cars.

The website, WorldCommunityCookbook, a Mennonite site which is carrying on the tradition of More With Less writes of the book:

..."Still today, most of the meals at MCC headquarters come from More-with-Less, says Shaar.

A global food crisis in the early 1970s with food reserves at a “precarious low” created the impetus for More-with-Less. In the first chapter of her cookbook, Longacre writes that the “average North American uses five times as much grain per person yearly as does one of the two billion persons living in poor countries.”

Former MCC worker Ted Koontz remembers the mid-1970s as a time when many North Americans were trying to find “ways to put practical handles [on] lifestyle issues.”

Still, the process of writing More-with-Less was neither simple nor strife-free.

Longacre wrote to MCC friends around the world asking for economical low-meat recipes that would help North Americans reduce consumption by eating less animal protein and fewer highly processed foods. Thousands of recipes and ideas flooded in. Brazilian Rice and Beans from Recifé. Zucchini Omelet from New Holland (Pa.). Quick Chop Suey from Winkler (Man.). Tuna Turnovers from Charlottesville (Va.). Longacre also included many of her own favorite recipes."...

So, I give this book a hearty thumbs up.

-Jess