When I was in the neighborhood of ten or eleven years old one day Great-Aunt Lottie and Great-Uncle Leonard came to visit. I loved them dearly. Aunt Lottie had the most wonderful tinkly laugh and glorious sparkling eyes. Uncle Leonard was such a kind pleasant man.
It was a ravishingly lovely summer day so my brothers, sister, and I hopped into our Jeep station wagon with Mother, Aunt Lottie and Uncle Leonard. There was not room for everyone inside so E, J, and I sat on the tailgate, with the lift gate in lifted position and off we left for a trip to Raspberry Hill, a little less than a mile from our home.
The road was narrow but pleasant with a wonderful canopy of hardwood trees overhead and a little brook running beside the road, though it was almost reduced to just a wet swath beside the road because it was summer. As we were riding along, swinging our legs back and forth a few inches above the dirt road, all of a sudden Mother went over a bump. With that bump, the accident happened!
The lift gate decided it had had enough in that up position and it smashed down on our heads. Being the oldest, and tallest, but only barely, I felt it first but my brother and sister also were injured. If you don't know head injuries, I can tell you that head wounds bleed a LOT!
Mother stopped the Jeep to check on us. For some reason she thought it would be a good idea for us to get off the tailgate and walk back home to the house, at this point, only about a quarter mile away. Being obedient children, we headed up the pike for home. There was nowhere that she could turn the Jeep around so she and Aunt Lottie, Uncle Leonard, L, and B, the baby, continued on to Raspberry Hill where she was able make the turn and head back home.
As the three of us kids walked toward home, we found that Daddy was in the barnyard, scraping out the barn with the little Farmall Cub tractor. I often wondered what his first thoughts were when he saw his three middle children walking towards the barnyard with blood streaming down our faces and onto our clothes. I do know that he immediately got of the tractor and ran toward us.
It turned out that when we were washed off and put into clean clothing that we really were fine. My scalp lost a little bit of hair and there is a tiny bald spot there to this day. My sister has a little bump to this day. I do not remember what happened to E's head.
Moral of the story: be careful always.
Other morals: you could choose many that would work!
Friday, February 20, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Good Vegetarian Chili
Recently I received an email from America's Test Kitchen. They had two vegetarian recipes that they insisted were really good. Because we like chili in our house, I decided to try the recipe.
First thing this morning, before I was even dressed, I went to the cellar for some dry pinto beans to put soaking. After picking them over and rinsing them well, I put them in a heavy 6-quart pot. Maybe it is 8 quarts, good sized anyway. From then on, the recipe changed due to what I had in the kitchen. This post is what I actually did.
Put one and one half pounds picked over, rinsed and drained pinto beans in a large pot. Add 3 Tablespoons Kosher salt and 4 quarts water and bring to a boil. When boiling, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. After one hour of sitting, place pot in oven at 300 degrees F. and let cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain through a large colander. Wash and dry pot.
In food processor finely chop onions, to make at least 3 cups chopped onions. I only had small onions so I removed skins from about 12 onions then chopped them in processor on pulse for 30-45 seconds. Add one-quarter cup vegetable oil to the large pot and bring to a shimmer over medium heat. Add the onions and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown.
In the meantime, in a small food processor or spice grinder place 1 cup of home-dried mushrooms (or 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms if you have access to them) and 3-4 Tablespoons of italian seasoning (or just oregano if you want to be a little more "normal"), and process until very fine. Add 3 Tablespoons ancho chili powder and 3 Tablespoons regular chili powder and pulse to combine again. Add 1 Tablespoon cumin and pulseonce again. Set aside.
When onions are lightly browned, add the seasoning mixture to the pot and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the seasonings smell nice, OR stop before that because you are nervous about burning them. This is over medium heat...but still, there are always burning concerns...
In food processor pour in one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 6-8 garlic cloves, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce (yes, soy sauce) and 2 Tablespoons pickled jalapenos. Process for about 1 minute, until everything makes a lovely mush.
By this time the onions spice mixture is ready to be removed from the heat. Add the tomato mixture and stir well. Add in the well-drained cooked beans, and 7 cups water. Stir very well until everything is combined. Stirring pretty often, bring to a boil. When boiling add 3/4 cups bulgar wheat and stir again. Cover and put in oven at 300 degrees F. for two hours.
Remove from oven. Remove lid and stir well. Let sit 20-30 minutes.
Garnish with fun stuff like chopped avocados, sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges, diced fresh tomatoes, or whatever else appeals to you. Or just dish it up and eat! Plain is fine.
Yummy! Makes PLENTY so invite your family and friends to join you for a nice winter's supper.
First thing this morning, before I was even dressed, I went to the cellar for some dry pinto beans to put soaking. After picking them over and rinsing them well, I put them in a heavy 6-quart pot. Maybe it is 8 quarts, good sized anyway. From then on, the recipe changed due to what I had in the kitchen. This post is what I actually did.
Put one and one half pounds picked over, rinsed and drained pinto beans in a large pot. Add 3 Tablespoons Kosher salt and 4 quarts water and bring to a boil. When boiling, turn off heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. After one hour of sitting, place pot in oven at 300 degrees F. and let cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drain through a large colander. Wash and dry pot.
In food processor finely chop onions, to make at least 3 cups chopped onions. I only had small onions so I removed skins from about 12 onions then chopped them in processor on pulse for 30-45 seconds. Add one-quarter cup vegetable oil to the large pot and bring to a shimmer over medium heat. Add the onions and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown.
In the meantime, in a small food processor or spice grinder place 1 cup of home-dried mushrooms (or 3-4 dried shiitake mushrooms if you have access to them) and 3-4 Tablespoons of italian seasoning (or just oregano if you want to be a little more "normal"), and process until very fine. Add 3 Tablespoons ancho chili powder and 3 Tablespoons regular chili powder and pulse to combine again. Add 1 Tablespoon cumin and pulseonce again. Set aside.
When onions are lightly browned, add the seasoning mixture to the pot and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the seasonings smell nice, OR stop before that because you are nervous about burning them. This is over medium heat...but still, there are always burning concerns...
In food processor pour in one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, 6-8 garlic cloves, 3 Tablespoons soy sauce (yes, soy sauce) and 2 Tablespoons pickled jalapenos. Process for about 1 minute, until everything makes a lovely mush.
By this time the onions spice mixture is ready to be removed from the heat. Add the tomato mixture and stir well. Add in the well-drained cooked beans, and 7 cups water. Stir very well until everything is combined. Stirring pretty often, bring to a boil. When boiling add 3/4 cups bulgar wheat and stir again. Cover and put in oven at 300 degrees F. for two hours.
Remove from oven. Remove lid and stir well. Let sit 20-30 minutes.
Garnish with fun stuff like chopped avocados, sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges, diced fresh tomatoes, or whatever else appeals to you. Or just dish it up and eat! Plain is fine.
Yummy! Makes PLENTY so invite your family and friends to join you for a nice winter's supper.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Spicy Vegetable Bulgur
The original recipe from which I started is in The Book of Children's Food by Lorna Rhodes.
2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
2 carrots, grated
2-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 cups (relatively finely depending on the broccoli tolerance of the other projected consumers of the dish) chopped broccoli, including stems
2 cans (14.5-15 ounce) vegetable broth
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 Tablespoons chutney (but I used corn relish since I had that and DIDN'T have chutney of any kind)
In a large pan, heat half the coconut oil. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring off and on. Add remaining coconut oil to melt, then stir in the bulgur and curry powder and cook over low heat, stirring, for one minute. (Low heat is key here. You do not want to burn ANY of this good stuff.)
Add the chopped vegetables and the broth and stir well. Bring to a boil, then stir one last time, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes at a simmer on low heat. Remove cover and taste to see if the bulgur has reached a pleasing texture of doneness. If not, re-cover and let cook another 2-5 minutes. Stir in the raisins and chutney or relish. Serve immediately if you like hot food. It is equally good as a room temperature dish.
This recipe is said to feed four people. Those would be good-sized servings. I ate some for breakfast (three 1 1/2 Tablespoon-scoops worth) and found it was not necessary to have a huge serving.
By the way, the "spicy" is a bit of a misnomer. At least it is not spicy as you might judge a pot of chili...
2-3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
2 carrots, grated
2-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 cups (relatively finely depending on the broccoli tolerance of the other projected consumers of the dish) chopped broccoli, including stems
2 cans (14.5-15 ounce) vegetable broth
1/2 cup dark raisins
2 Tablespoons chutney (but I used corn relish since I had that and DIDN'T have chutney of any kind)
In a large pan, heat half the coconut oil. Add onions and cook until translucent, stirring off and on. Add remaining coconut oil to melt, then stir in the bulgur and curry powder and cook over low heat, stirring, for one minute. (Low heat is key here. You do not want to burn ANY of this good stuff.)
Add the chopped vegetables and the broth and stir well. Bring to a boil, then stir one last time, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes at a simmer on low heat. Remove cover and taste to see if the bulgur has reached a pleasing texture of doneness. If not, re-cover and let cook another 2-5 minutes. Stir in the raisins and chutney or relish. Serve immediately if you like hot food. It is equally good as a room temperature dish.
This recipe is said to feed four people. Those would be good-sized servings. I ate some for breakfast (three 1 1/2 Tablespoon-scoops worth) and found it was not necessary to have a huge serving.
 |
| Spicy Vegetable Bulgar |
By the way, the "spicy" is a bit of a misnomer. At least it is not spicy as you might judge a pot of chili...
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Mashed Potato Salad...sort of like Masako's, but only sort of!
At a recent ladies' get-together vegetarian night, Masako brought some wonderful Japanese potato salad. I loved it and wanted to make it some time. Finally I did it!
Mashed Potato Salad the way I made it:
Start by scrubbing three or four Russet potatoes then microwave them in their skins for 6-10 minutes on high until they are mostly tender. If there are a few little chunks that are more "tooth-resistant", that is ok, unless you have really picky eaters.
Let the potatoes cool enough to handle, then chop them up into the size you want and place in a large bowl. Leave the skins on unless they annoy you...remembering that you DID scrub them really well first, right?! As you chop them, they may more or less disintegrate...which is why I call this mashed potato salad. Masako's salad was more or less mashed potatoes.
Finely dice 1/2 to 1 whole red onion and toss on top of potatoes, depending on your love of onions.
Harvest a big handful of chives from your herb bed. Wash them, discarding any stems with blossoms on them, then snip them into the bowl with kitchen shears.
Finely dice one or two scrubbed celery stalks into the bowl.
If you want to add color, grate one large carrot into the bowl.
If you are really really lucky and have hardneck garlic growing in your garden, if it is the right season, harvest one or two garlic scapes. Wash them and chop them finely and put in bowl. Don't use the blossom part.
Dress with mayonnaise. If you want to be fancy, you can add a little vinegar and sugar to the mayonnaise before putting it on the salad. Use the equal amounts of vinegar and sugar, i.e. 1 Tablespoon vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Be sure to stir the vinegar and sugar well to dissolve the sugar.
Toss all the vegetables with the mayonnaise. Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed. Depending on how spicy the garlic scapes are, you may not need much salt OR pepper!
Mashed Potato Salad the way I made it:
Start by scrubbing three or four Russet potatoes then microwave them in their skins for 6-10 minutes on high until they are mostly tender. If there are a few little chunks that are more "tooth-resistant", that is ok, unless you have really picky eaters.
Let the potatoes cool enough to handle, then chop them up into the size you want and place in a large bowl. Leave the skins on unless they annoy you...remembering that you DID scrub them really well first, right?! As you chop them, they may more or less disintegrate...which is why I call this mashed potato salad. Masako's salad was more or less mashed potatoes.
Finely dice 1/2 to 1 whole red onion and toss on top of potatoes, depending on your love of onions.
Harvest a big handful of chives from your herb bed. Wash them, discarding any stems with blossoms on them, then snip them into the bowl with kitchen shears.
Finely dice one or two scrubbed celery stalks into the bowl.
If you want to add color, grate one large carrot into the bowl.
If you are really really lucky and have hardneck garlic growing in your garden, if it is the right season, harvest one or two garlic scapes. Wash them and chop them finely and put in bowl. Don't use the blossom part.
Dress with mayonnaise. If you want to be fancy, you can add a little vinegar and sugar to the mayonnaise before putting it on the salad. Use the equal amounts of vinegar and sugar, i.e. 1 Tablespoon vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Be sure to stir the vinegar and sugar well to dissolve the sugar.
Toss all the vegetables with the mayonnaise. Taste. Add salt and pepper as needed. Depending on how spicy the garlic scapes are, you may not need much salt OR pepper!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Chex Mix
Chex Mix is a treat we reserve for holidays, and not all holidays, at that! This recipe is filled with salt and other taste delights.
Chex Mix
3 cups corn chex
3 cups wheat chex
3 cups rice chex
1 cup peanuts OR mixed nuts
1 cup tiny cheese crackers
1 cup small pretzels or thin pretzel stitcks
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
In a very large bowl combine chex, nuts, and pretzels. In a small bowl combine melted butter, salt, garlic, and onion. Be sure to stir VERY WELL. Pour butter mixture over the chex mixture then stir and stir and stir, but gently as you don't want to break up the cereal.
Now it is time to cook it. Traditionally you place in a large baking pan and bake at 275 degrees F. for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour into a large bowl that has been lined with paper towels and let cool. If you can,
The newer way to cook the chex mix is to put the prepared mixture into a large microwave-safe bowl and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. This does seem to work pretty well.
Things I did: for the mixture, I ran out of wheat chex so I put in some plain original cheerios. When I ran out of other chex I added more cheese crackers. For the microwave-safe bowl, I used our Crock Pot insert.
This makes a nice treat. Sometime I am going to make this again but will sift on some dried ranch dressing mix over the top after cooking the chex mix.
Chex Mix
3 cups corn chex
3 cups wheat chex
3 cups rice chex
1 cup peanuts OR mixed nuts
1 cup tiny cheese crackers
1 cup small pretzels or thin pretzel stitcks
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
In a very large bowl combine chex, nuts, and pretzels. In a small bowl combine melted butter, salt, garlic, and onion. Be sure to stir VERY WELL. Pour butter mixture over the chex mixture then stir and stir and stir, but gently as you don't want to break up the cereal.
Now it is time to cook it. Traditionally you place in a large baking pan and bake at 275 degrees F. for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour into a large bowl that has been lined with paper towels and let cool. If you can,
The newer way to cook the chex mix is to put the prepared mixture into a large microwave-safe bowl and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. This does seem to work pretty well.
Things I did: for the mixture, I ran out of wheat chex so I put in some plain original cheerios. When I ran out of other chex I added more cheese crackers. For the microwave-safe bowl, I used our Crock Pot insert.
This makes a nice treat. Sometime I am going to make this again but will sift on some dried ranch dressing mix over the top after cooking the chex mix.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Vegan Broccoli Soup/Dutch Potato Stew with additions
Dutch Potato Stew (vegan)
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 cup finely diced onion
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water, divided
4 cups diced potatoes
3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked and rinsed well
1 good-sized broccoli "tree", chopped finely and lightly steamed. Can steam first and then chop.
Place raw cashews in a 2-cup measure and fill with cool water. Let sit for 30 minutes, or as long as you can wait.
In frying pan heat olive oil over medium heat then add onions and smashed garlic and salt. Stir with wooden spoon until onions are clear. Remove from heat and let sit.
Place 3 cups water in heavy-bottomed three- or four-quart saucepan and bring to boil. Add diced potatoes and bring back to boil then simmer about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft.
Drain raw cashews and rinse well. Place 1 cup water in a blender along with the 3/4 cup of raw cashews. Let blend until the cashew "cream" is completely smooth. If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec, it will be fairly quickly. If you have a less robust blender, it will take as much as five minutes. (Some ear muffs are kind of handy at this time!)
When cashew cream is ready, put steam broccoli in pot with potatoes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape onions, garlic, salt, and oil into the potato pot. Add cashew cream and stir well. If necessary, reheat on low heat, stirring constantly. Add some ground black pepper if you like it.
This is really delicious...a real challenge to only eat one serving per meal.
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 cup finely diced onion
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups water, divided
4 cups diced potatoes
3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked and rinsed well
1 good-sized broccoli "tree", chopped finely and lightly steamed. Can steam first and then chop.
Place raw cashews in a 2-cup measure and fill with cool water. Let sit for 30 minutes, or as long as you can wait.
In frying pan heat olive oil over medium heat then add onions and smashed garlic and salt. Stir with wooden spoon until onions are clear. Remove from heat and let sit.
Place 3 cups water in heavy-bottomed three- or four-quart saucepan and bring to boil. Add diced potatoes and bring back to boil then simmer about 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft.
Drain raw cashews and rinse well. Place 1 cup water in a blender along with the 3/4 cup of raw cashews. Let blend until the cashew "cream" is completely smooth. If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec, it will be fairly quickly. If you have a less robust blender, it will take as much as five minutes. (Some ear muffs are kind of handy at this time!)
When cashew cream is ready, put steam broccoli in pot with potatoes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape onions, garlic, salt, and oil into the potato pot. Add cashew cream and stir well. If necessary, reheat on low heat, stirring constantly. Add some ground black pepper if you like it.
This is really delicious...a real challenge to only eat one serving per meal.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Broccoli Quiche with No-Roll Pie Crust
The other day I was given a good batch of beautiful broccoli. Immediately I steamed up a big pot of it and started eating it. I ate it as a snack all day. And the next day. And the next! The broccoli smell sort of permeated my pores so there was one downside. The upsides included NORMAL blood sugar, no hunger at all, and slightly reduced weight. All in all a good thing.
Since Dear One likes quiche, I decided to make a quick one to include this steamed broccoli. Since I did not want to make a "real" pie crust...more work than I had time...I just made a no-roll crust. It is not the ideal pie crust, but it works quite well and was delicious for this. I think next time I will add some herbs to the crust...
No-Roll Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup water
Mix the water and oil together then pour into a bowl where you have previously whisked the flour and salt together. When all the flour has been absorbed into the liquid measure, press into the bottom and up the sides of a deep-dish pie plate. I have a Pyrex glass pie dish that I particularly like.
Broccoli Quiche
4 slices swiss cheese
1 cup steamed chopped broccoli
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or multi-cheese mixture)
1 cup whipping cream
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the four slices of Swiss cheese in the bottom of the pastry crust, more or less covering the bottom evenly. (This is not an exact science so don't worry if there are some empty spots.)
Spread the finely chopped broccoli over the Swiss cheese then sprinkle the chopped onions over the top. (These should also be very finely chopped.)
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top of the vegetables.
In a bowl gently whisk together the cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and garlic granules. Carefully pour over the mixture in the pie plate. With a fork, gently mix things together so there is cream/egg mixture throughout.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until beautifully golden brown on top and there is not jiggle. If there is a TINY bit of jiggle, you can still bring it out of the oven as it will continue to cook a bit as it cools but if there is a LOT of jiggle, give it another 2-5 minutes in the oven.
Serve warm or completely cooled. Or hot if you cannot wait...
Since Dear One likes quiche, I decided to make a quick one to include this steamed broccoli. Since I did not want to make a "real" pie crust...more work than I had time...I just made a no-roll crust. It is not the ideal pie crust, but it works quite well and was delicious for this. I think next time I will add some herbs to the crust...
No-Roll Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup water
Mix the water and oil together then pour into a bowl where you have previously whisked the flour and salt together. When all the flour has been absorbed into the liquid measure, press into the bottom and up the sides of a deep-dish pie plate. I have a Pyrex glass pie dish that I particularly like.
Broccoli Quiche
4 slices swiss cheese
1 cup steamed chopped broccoli
1/3 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or multi-cheese mixture)
1 cup whipping cream
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated garlic
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the four slices of Swiss cheese in the bottom of the pastry crust, more or less covering the bottom evenly. (This is not an exact science so don't worry if there are some empty spots.)
Spread the finely chopped broccoli over the Swiss cheese then sprinkle the chopped onions over the top. (These should also be very finely chopped.)
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top of the vegetables.
In a bowl gently whisk together the cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and garlic granules. Carefully pour over the mixture in the pie plate. With a fork, gently mix things together so there is cream/egg mixture throughout.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until beautifully golden brown on top and there is not jiggle. If there is a TINY bit of jiggle, you can still bring it out of the oven as it will continue to cook a bit as it cools but if there is a LOT of jiggle, give it another 2-5 minutes in the oven.
Serve warm or completely cooled. Or hot if you cannot wait...
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