Cookin'!

You can sure tell when Summer has transitioned into Fall - I am in the kitchen and happy about it!  This past summer had me avoiding it like the plague.  Thank goodness, there were no two-legged dependents relying on three meals coming out of that particular space in my house.  The only thing I was capable of in 90+ degree days with 150% humidity, was slinging some kibble in a bowl with a splash of heavy cream.  Heavy cream, you say?  Don't ask.

But now -- I was cookin' up a storm this past weekend:  deviled eggs and plum crumble (GF) to go with  fried chicken and the delicious (quinoa) pasta salad my sister made for our mother's surprise birthday picnic; then peach crumble made from the same recipe - not quite as good, but I ran out of plums; my new favorite soup, recipe borrowed from Kim's stellar weekly menu - always a source of inspiration, then a turkey meatloaf stuffed with spinach, accompanied by garlic smashed potatoes for Kay and Nick (rather bland - I forgot the cheese in the stuffing! - but they were kind and et it anyway), and, finally, some of Marianne's amazing pork chops, marinated in soy (Bragg's) and lemon and garlic (see recipe here).  I also squeezed in a round of cheesemaking and have a nice, fresh pound of mozzarella in the fridge. 

My second planting of lettuce - although spotty on the germination front - has yielded enough leafy greens to get me through a couple of weeks.  I'm glad I have the cold frame, as Tuesday morning's temperature (at 4:30) was 32 degrees!  I am going to try to plant some spinach in the 'bald spots' to see if I can keep this up throughout most of the Fall and Winter. 

Speaking of the garden, it is a sorry sight, indeed.  I have prepped two beds for the spring - one will be planted in garlic this fall.  I have to pull out the tomato plants - which are still loaded with tomatoes, but I am so beyond caring - and I am still hopeful that I may get two whole pumpkins and four whole winter squash out of my half acre (not nearly, but still...) of plants that got zapped by powdery mildew.  I will give them a couple more weeks, and then out they go.  I've got my seed garlic ready and will put it in Columbus Day weekend.  I still have to harvest and dry herbs, and transplant my rosemary plant to a pot for safekeeping over winter, and cut down the strawberries to be ready for their nice straw blankie.  The leaves are turning and it's time to tuck things in for the year.

Winding down and winding uP.

I get all happy on Friday.  I AM TGIF!  I get in my little Ford Focus Wagon and say, encouragingly, "Sweetheart!  It's Friday!  Only one more round of commute for the week and then you get some time off!"  Of course we both know that we only get one day off.  Saturday is a commute of another nature, with just as many miles logged.  Then we drive up the mountain to deliver eggs to our weekly egg customer (this week they had to settle for a half-dozen chicken and a half-dozen duck).  I also get to visit their dog (sweet Georgia, who knows I keep treats in the car) and their two Nigerian wethers, Roger and Wilbur.  More often than not, I am slightly the worse for wear by the time I get back into my car to head to the office.  Good thing there's no wardrobe checker at the door.

Since this weekend is going to be a mixed bag, weather-wise, I will split my time equally between my outdoor lists and my indoor lists.  Some day I will have to go back and re-read these Friday posts.  I am sure they are good for a laugh.  I've tried to get some of my weekend errands done during the week so I can have more usable time on Saturday.  Besides cleaning the house (I swept up a groundhog-sized hair ball this morning! - everyone's shedding!), I want to complete some of my UFOs.  I mean, really, how long will it take to weave in some ends?  I seem to have a real problem with actually finishing these things.  But, the holidays are coming up, I am going to 'do' a craft fair with Sylvie in November, and I want/need to get more on my Etsy site.  So there.  I have such lofty aims, don't I? 

Last night I managed to make a Queso Blanco AND make dinner at the same time.  I guess those fish oil capsules are paying off!  I made the poached salmon with the carrot pilaf and it was great!  Of course, it took longer than 20 minutes because I used long grain brown rice.  And I didn't put toasted pine nuts in the pilaf, I used some chopped sultanas in their place.  Yum!  I am also going to try my hand at some gluten-free baking this weekend.  So far, I have had very mixed results in finding edible food replacements (read: bread/bread products) that are gluten-free.  Glutino's Pretzel Twists are wonderful, but pricey.  I wrote them a nice email telling them so and they sent me coupons!  Cool beans!  But, on the flip side, last weekend, out of sheer desperation, I dropped $6 on a King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Bread Mix.  Here is my description of the outcome:  ick.  I should have heeded the warning bells that were set off when I read the directions on the outside of the package - 3 eggs.  I find it almost impossible to describe the texture of this non-bread product.  Pudding?  Bread?  Pudding Bread?  Even though I hate-hate-hate waste, and especially hate wasting eggs that are few and far between of late, I could only choke down a third of the so-called loaf and gave the rest to the chickens.  THEY loved it.  So I am going to try my own gluten-free baking.  I believe, however, I first must have a stand-up-and-testify moment and acknowledge that there is NO such thing as gluten-free bread.  There.  I've said it.  But, hope springs eternal in this bread-lovin heart.