Butter And Chives

I think I've mentioned before that I have herbs out the wazoo....they sure do grow fast. I think I grew too many at once. So now I've been working on keeping them to use in future cooking. I really don't want to go to the trouble of drying them. So I've seen on a couple of websites and from talking to my gardner friend an easy way to preserve them.

You can chop them up and put them in ice cube trays along with some olive oil, water or broth and freeze them that way. When frozen, just pop them out and put in freezer bags. This makes it easy to drop into some soup, pasta or any other dish that you want to add some fresh herbs into, especially during the winter.

I've got lots of chives, so I decided to make some chive butter. I used a small ice cream scoop to make individual portions to pop onto some potatoes or pasta, etc.

This can be done with store-bought butter, just soften and add herbs then freeze,  but I decided to make butter from some local cream.

Got out the handy dandy food processor, emptied cream into it and turned it on til I had butter. That's the easy part, although none of it is particularly hard, just a little messy, for me anyway.

You process past the whipped cream stage til it "breaks", that's a technical cooking term I hear on TV. I believe it just means it goes from being whipped cream, then starts to solidify then turns to butter. That's my definition anyway.

Then you have to strain it and push out all the buttermilk. Save this milk, it can be used in cooking or baking.

Buttermilk

Put the butter in a kitchen towel and wring out any leftover moisture, there shouldn't be much.

Freezing equipment.......

I chopped up a bunch of chive from the garden.

I  mixed the chives into the soft butter and used the ice cream scooper to portion it out and freeze. I can't wait til the next time I fix a baked potato....yummy.

I still had some chopped chives left so I put them in an ice cube tray, added broth and froze them also. Next weekend I'm going to work on parsley and basil, using this same process. Maybe I'll use some olive oil next time.

Okay, who's going to clean this mess up for me.......anyone?...hello...hello....anyone?.....dang it!!


Kathy

 

 

 

Pie Goddess

That's what my neighbor called me after I gave her a slice of the peanut butter pie that I made on Sunday. I think she liked it! I thought it was really good also, but maybe I'm a little biased.

When you see the ingredients you might think....WHAT!!...all that processed food! Yes, yes it is. I know I'm all about local ingredients and natural foods, but I'm not militant about it. And it's dessert for gosh sakes, a treat, something not eaten everyday (although I eat a dessert everyday, it not always pie). It's all about balance.

Besides, I've been thinking of how I can make this pie a little less processed. I think I can change around a couple of the ingredients, I will explain as I show you how I made it.

Peanut Butter Pie (a recipe from The Pioneer Woman)

Here are the shocking ingredients.....well, maybe not so shocking.

Oops...I almost forgot this.

I was excited that I could get my food processor out and use it. I don't use it as often as I should and only because I'm too lazy to clean it out when I done. I crushed up 25 oreo cookies, then added 4 tbl. of melted butter and mixed to make the crust.

Instead of using a pie pan I used a tart pan. I've had this pan for over a year now and never have used it so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 7-10 minutes, then let cool.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of smooth peanut butter but I substituted crunchy instead. I like the texture. Blend this with 8 oz. of softened cream cheese. Then mix in the powdered sugar. It calls for 1 1/2 cups but I only used 1 cup because when I tasted it, it was sweet enough. Then you fold in an 8 oz. container of thawed Cool Whip. Add this mixture to the crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

This is an easy dessert and quick to fix. My neighbor said it was rich but light.

I've been thinking of ways to use some less processed ingredients to make this next time. The powdered sugar and cream cheese has to stay. I think the peanut butter will have to stay also, because I've tried substituting all-natural peanut butter to recipes and it just doesn't set right.

So that leaves the crust and the whip cream. I thought maybe next time I make some chocolate/white chocolate chip cookies I could save some of them to use for the crust. Now for the whip cream. Some people have said that they have used real whip cream instead of the Cool Whip, but others say it doesn't set up right. I may try that, but if I don't I won't beat myself up over using the Cool Whip.

Another good way to serve this dessert would be, after the crust comes out of the oven, spoon alternating layers of crust and filling into parfait glasses.

On a really exciting note, my tomatoes are popping out like crazy. I've got 9, in different stages of growth, on one plant and 7 on the other. I'm so anxious to eat some homegrown tomatoes. Hopefully soon, if the squirrels don't steal them first. They have a habit of pulling a tomato off the stem, taking one bite and leaving it. What a waste!!

There are some "baby" ones on there that you can't see.

Kathy

Good Ol' Summertime

I love it, the heat and humidity, bring it on. I have to soak up as much heat as I can before next winter. And the heat is finally here, 90's all this coming week. YAY!

Lola, not so much. She hogs the air conditioning vent in the kitchen when I'm working in there. Sometimes a little......

Sometimes a lot...Lola is no fan of the heat.

It's the weekend so I'm doing some cooking....or at least throwing some stuff together. Yesterday I made limeade, love that stuff.

I'm using honey to make the simple syrup instead of sugar. It's local honey and makes the drink a little more nutritious. One cup of water, bring to a boil, turn down heat, add 1/2 cup honey then stir to dissolve and let cool.

Then add 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice and 4 cups of water. So very refreshing.

The limeade will have a honey-color for obvious reasons. My son won't drink it because of that but of course he would rather cut off a limb than to eat anything that might be good for him.

My lettuce is growing like crazy, I keep cutting some off to use and it just keeps growing, I love it!

I made a wrap for lunch today. The lettuce is from my garden, the green onion is from my Mom's garden and the carrots are from the store.

I spread some sour cream on a tortilla added a couple of slices of ham then loaded on the veggies. The big question was going to be whether I was going to be able to actually wrap all this up.

I did it and without anything squirting out of either end. Even if I have to say so myself, it was tasty along with some limeade.

On another note, I've been growing herbs but I wasn't aware that oregano was a perennial. My gardener friend at work informed me that I could plant it into the ground and it would grow into a nice size bush. I would have never guessed it.

So there it is. I'm so glad to know that I will be able to have oregano all year around. Such a nice surprise. I just hope I can keep the dog from running over it when she runs along the fence barking at people. I put the rocks there hopefully it will give her a clue to keep off.

Tomorrow I am going to make a peanut butter pie, a recipe from one of my favorite cooks, The Pioneer Woman. I will definitely let you know how it turns out.

I'm going out for margaritas now........

Kathy

Information Overload

My brain is starting to hurt from all the information that I've been reading, blogs I've been checking out and websites with ideas from everything from food issues to making your own cleaning products and other articles concerning who you can and cannot trust concerning all these issues. Can you trust this company, this food provider or this government agency? I am on brain overload.....I had to sit down and eat a totally processed, possibly GMO laden, excess packaged Little Debbie snack cake to calm myself. And it was good and I'm not ashamed.

I find all the information I read and check out is good information, but harder to put into action. Everyday living doesn't always live up to ideals. I wish I could eat totally organic, local, homegrown, homemade and with less packaging. But it is time consuming and more expensive. And I'm sorry, I will probably never be able to cut every speck of junk food out of my diet, never again eat a convenience food or fast food again.

Then there is the whole GMO debacle and without labeling it's almost impossible to tell what products are GMO. We know that more than 90% of corn is genetically modified along with soybeans and canola. That means that even if you make something homemade, if you have to use  corn, vegetable or canola oil, you are consuming GMO's. If you buy packaged foods, which will usually have some of one of these oils in them, you're consuming GMO's, that includes soy sauce and the myriad of other products that have soy in them.

A lot of other products are GMO's or made with GMO products and/or additives. It's hard to keep it all straight. Buying or growing heritage fruits and vegetables usually ensures that they have not been genetically modified. The lettuce, bok choy and tomato plants that I planted this year are from heritage seeds. I guess the only way to know for sure that all the fruits and vegetables that you eat are not GMO's would be to grow them yourself or buy all certified organic.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Once you start paying more attention to everything that you buy and eat, you wonder about every ingredient. Then there is the whole question of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Sometimes, for me anyway, it starts to become overwhelming and makes me want to break out the bag of Cheetos.

I've decided not to be so hard on myself, plus the fact that I cannot afford to always buy the things I want to buy, especially since I am feeding a 19 yr. old son  who can eat continuously, 24 hrs. a day. What I can do is to make slow and steady changes and buy what I can afford and grow what I can in my small yard.

For now I will continue to buy my eggs from a local farmer along with local honey. Honey in the stores have lots of additives. Most weeks I buy local, hormone free milk that comes in glass bottles, but not every week. I will only buy sausage from the farmers' market, it has no nitrates in it only all natural spices. I cook a lot and like to make things from scratch. I usually make cookies and cakes from scratch, but every now and then I might buy a cake mix. Almost all the soup I eat is made from scratch (except the emergency can of tomato soup in the cupboard). When I can I try to also buy meat from the farmers' market that is local, raised humanely and on pasture. Otherwise, it's from the grocery store. I make biscuits, cornbread, pizza dough and pudding from scratch.

The journey continues, I will do my best and make an effort to eat sustainably, but when I can't, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. And those days when I come home from work, tired and don't feel like cooking and I throw a frozen pizza in the oven or eat boxed macaroni and cheese, I will be fine with it. As Scarlett O'Hara said in Gone With The Wind......"after all, tomorrow IS another day".


Kathy

In The Moment

Almost two weeks ago a friend of my son's was killed in a car accident. She was a 19 yr.old young lady that he went to school with and they ran around in the same social circle. The car she was riding in was clipped by another car, they lost control and she was  thrown from the car and died instantly. She wasn't wearing a seatbelt. A tragedy that someone so young and full of life is gone in an instant. She was a daughter, sister and friend. A whole life's worth of plans....gone in an instant. A family left to grieve and to wonder...what if?

Last Saturday one of my oldest and dearest friends lost her husband. On Wednesday he was having some back pain, by Friday he was in the hospital in renal failure and had a systemic infection. On Saturday morning he passed. He was a husband, father, son and brother. He loved spending time with his twin boys and planning all sorts of activities with them. He was funny, smart and just a really good guy. His boys will not get to grow up with his guidance and he wife will miss having him to lean on when times are difficult.

When things like this happen people talk about how we should live in the moment, tell your loved ones how you feel about them everyday and not to take anything for granted.

While all that is true, these events are a somber reminder how fragile the world we live in can be. One minute you can be a laughing teenager and then you're gone. You can be a doting father and dependable husband and an illness takes hold and you're gone. It's all so sad and so unfair, but like they say, "no one ever said life is fair". It makes me terribly sad and thoughtful. I don't like to think that life can be that fragile and unpredictable. It's a scary thought.

I don't know if it's my Swiss/German/English heritage or what, but I like order and planning and everything in it's place. I don't just go off "willy nilly" and do unpredictable things. I can be spur of the moment, but I'll need a few hours notice. But when events like this happen it does make me want to be more "in the moment", to find my passion in life and go for it and to let everyone know how I feel about them.

I don't know if I can change, I hope I can, a little at least. You never know what the future holds. But in the meantime, I can't help but feel melancholy over the young girl's death and devastated over my friend's husband's passing. Hopefully the families will find peace.

Kathy

I've Been Wondering......

You know I've been wondering what happened to my bok choy plants. I've been told by my friend Sue, a dietitian/part-time farmer, that they have gone to seed. Why have they gone to seed, possibly they have been stressed. Now I have to wonder what stressed them and the only thing I can come up with is the abnormally cool, rainy spring. So tomorrow I'm pulling them up and planting some more seeds and see what happens.

Dumb bok choy....

I've been wondering a lot about GMO foods lately. It is so difficult to avoid most of them. Corn for example. Apparently over 90% of the corn grown in the US is genetically modified and it seems corn is in a whole lot of stuff. And we're not only talking corn, there is a multitude of food products that are genetically modified and the real kicker is that they are not required to label them. A lot of people are calling for change and they/we want our GMO foods labeled so we know what we are eating. I try to avoid the ones that I know for certain, but the others.....I don't always know.

I've been wondering why the shift in the way I see myself and what I'd like to do. There was a time that I would have been happy to be plopped down in the middle of New York City and I would have been in heaven with all the action and people and hustle and bustle. But now I don't see myself wanting that kind of life at all. Oh, I would still like to see it, but as a way of life, not so much. I want to be closer to nature and to have a larger garden, maybe some chickens....who knows if that will happen but you never can tell.

I've been wondering why it took me this long to watch Downton Abbey and now I'm hooked and I have to try to catch up on all the seasons before the new season starts.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Kathy

What Is This?

Okay, as you know, I've been growing baby bok choy from non-GMO seeds. Since I have never grown anything like this before, I'm not sure how it is supposed to look, so I'm very confused about what it is looking like.

From everything I've looked up on Google, nothing looks like this, with the growing stalk and the flowers that are blooming.  I hope that they are growing  the way they are supposed to, but I don't have a good feeling about it. Does anyone have any ideas what this all means? Any ideas? Suggestions?

I'm happy to announce that I have a small, small, small tomato starting to grow. I love it, I can't wait to eat some homegrown tomatoes and some fried green tomatoes....yummy.

I did some more cooking this weekend while watching a NCIS marathon on TV. I always do my best cooking while watching reruns of NCIS. Maybe it's because I need to find a man like Gibbs. Hmmm.
But anyway, I digress.

I used one of my favorite cookbooks, The Pioneer Woman..Food From My Frontier. I have both her cookbooks and I love them and regularly cook from them. This weekend I made sloppy joes, from scratch. My usual method was to just buy a can of Manwich Sandwich and add beef, but I really wanted to make some from scratch and they were delicious, even if I say so myself.

Adding some ingredients to the browned hamburger.

Adding more.....

A few more.....

Here I went all crazy and added something that wasn't in the recipe....some tomato paste, for just a little more "tomatoie" flavor and more color.

Shhhh.....my "illegal" addition.

Don't tell the others......

And here we have the finished product and it was very, very good, if I say so myself. Also, there is enough left over to freeze for future use. YAY!

I also made cinnamon kuchen from a recipe a friend gave me. I have a recipe for kuchen from my grandmother and I need to look it up and try that one also.

Anything that starts off with butter and sugar can't be all bad!

Making the cinnamon topping, more butter and sugar, I'm lovin' it!!!

Topping on and ready to go in the oven. I find that putting parchment paper in the pan first keeps it from sticking and I can just pull the whole thing out when it's done and cut it.

Cooled and cut. While there may be a lot of butter and sugar in the kuchen, I only eat a piece every so often.....usually on Sunday mornings...everything in moderation.

Today, I made these chocolate, chocolate chip, white chocolate chip cookies, an online recipe. Very, very good. 

Now that I've made everybody hungry, it's time to go to bed!!

And remember, if anyone can solve my bok choy dilemma, please let me know.


Kathy