FRIDGE EXPOSED

I stole, er, I mean, borrowed this idea from another blog, and thought it would be a good excuse to clean out my fridge. So the photos you are about to see have been somewhat staged. Well, put in some kind of decent order, anyway. It is real food. And it is food we eat on a regular basis. Just a bit cleaned up.
I am NOT afraid of leftovers, as you will plainly see! I usually make enough of a dish that there will be something left the next day for lunches or even another supper.


Top shelf: spinach soup, barley chicken soup, yogurt, jar of minced garlic( for those times when fresh isn't all that important, or there is a time element), light sour cream, and leftover pancake batter. (Bisquick, Mimi!)

2nd shelf: leftover ground beef from tacos the other night, leftover re-fried beans, corn tortilla shells, small bit of homemade "South of the Border" salsa (so good!),light english muffins (big mistake..tasteless, unless you count the cardboard aftertaste),
leftover avocado slices from taco night, and 2 doz fresh from the henhouse, FarmgirlCyn's eggs. (you know what I mean)

Bottom shelf: milk and organic mixed greens.Veggie drawer: mushrooms, organic romaine hearts, avocado, and bag of mixed veggies.
















Third shelf: bag of guacamole from Costco, whole chicken, cut up for supper tonite.
Bottom drawer: lemons & limes, an indispensable part of my cooking. Margueritas anyone?
Not pictured, (but not because of lack of trying, I just can't seem to get these photos in any kind of order) is the fridge door, filled with the usual condiments, plus coffee creamer, home canned pickles, pestos, and jams, and homemade white wine vinaigrette.

So, what's in your fridge?

And can anyone give me any ideas on what to do with a whole, cut up chicken? Farmboy brought it home from the grocers yesterday, and I can't remember the last time I had a whole chicken, with skin and bones, to work with!

Scenes from the hen house

They've been "cooped" up long enough!
With a bit of bare ground right outside their hen house door, I let them out for a time of scratching. Albie Darn I'm a Rooster, (above) sticks around so's he can keep an eye out for any intruders that might harm his precious harem!

The temps were in the low 30's, but they didn't seem to care. It has to be better than being stuck in an 8x8 with nothing to do. (except for Albie, he has plenty to keep him busy!)

Little patches of bare ground, the swelling of buds on the trees, the smell of dirt and grass, mud puddles....
I feel like spring is coming to Narnia!
Can you feel it, too?

This is NOT a food blog!

I was so excited to show you my .50 cent find from a tag sale this summer...finally put to use!
I have been craving some homemade re-fried beans, so last night at the market I purchased a 1# bag of dry black beans, and a 1# bag of dry pinto beans. I like the combination, tho, when simmered together, it is some of the most un-appetizing mess of food you've ever seen. (unless we're talking liver pate, but that's a whole other post....and may I once again remind you...THIS IS NOT A FOOD BLOG!)
So....back to the mortar & pestle...
I inadvertently bought cumin seeds rather than ground, so I put a TBL of seeds in the mortar? pestle?...which part is which???? and began to grind.

VOILA!
After just seconds, I had semi-finely ground cumin for my re-fried ugly beans!

Which I then shmeared onto a "lightly browned on the gas stove-top", "Carb-Balance" flour tortilla, sprinkled judiciously with a bit of grated 2% Cheddar from Kraft, some fresh avocado, and chopped tomatoes. On the side, just for the photo, of course, is a glass of "Big House Red", a California table wine that I find more than adequate for an every day red.
Lunch.
Does it get any better than this?

Well, yes, as a matter of fact it does, but we will have to wait several months till there are organic, heirloom tomatoes fresh from the garden on my lunch plate to discuss that!

SOUPS ON!

QUICK CHICKEN-LEMON SOUP
with a teeny, tiny glass of Pinot Grigio, just for the photo, of course
(You don't really think I would try to pour that bitty amount back into the bottle, now, do you???)

We have yet another winner from "PATRICIA WELLS AT HOME IN PROVENCE".
So far we're "two for two", and it just keeps getting better! Today I wanted something light and refreshing for lunch...something to match the fabulous weather we have had the past two days. (mid 40's, and lots of sunshine...YAY!!)
This was so delicious, I can hardly talk about it.
So simple, a child could do it.
Basic ingredients nearly everyone would have on hand, and done in less than 30 minutes!!
It should have served 4.
It did not.
I shared the pot with farmboy, and kept out a measly cup so the rest of the family could have a taste.
Hands down...it's a keeper.
As a matter of fact,I think I'm gonna scrounge around the pantry for some more chicken stock, and have a go at it again later this week!

As a side note, I don't know about copyrights and all that stuff, so I haven't posted recipes that I haven't tweaked in some way or another. Does anybody know if that's a "no-no"? (the posting it part, not the tweaking it part!)
Cause really, I would LOVE for you all to try this!

IMPROV DINING

OK...here's the thing...I already own TOO MANY COOKBOOKS!
SO...how do I justify $$$$ on another?
That's what I've been asking myself since this little gem came into my home via the library.
My line of thinking is...if it has this many flags for recipes I must try, then perhaps I should just bite the proverbial bullet, and buy the cookbook!

FETTUCINE WITH ROQUEFORT, LEMON ZEST & FRESH ROSEMARY
(improv-ed by Cyn...linguine with danish bleu cheese, lemon zest, and dried rosemary)

From pg 147 of said cookbook comes this pasta dish, served alongside perfectly grilled, medium/rare, NY Strips, stir fried shrimp with a touch of cayenne and garlic, and baby portabellas, cooked to perfection with onions, olive oil, a bit of butter, and garlic added at the last minute, just long enough to infuse the shrooms, but not get overly done, cause who likes bitter garlic?
This was fabulous as a side to the steaks! I was going to toss a salad and use the danish bleu in the dressing, but my insatiable cravings for pasta got in the way. This dish seemed like the perfect compromise. Not SO much pasta as it became the whole focus of the meal, but a delicious way to incorporate the enormous amount of the bleu cheese I had bought from Costco 2 weeks before, and still give the steaks the glory they deserved!

(I must say, tho, I went easy on the beef, and heavy on the pasta...what can I say?...it's the nature of the beast)

The GRAND FINALE was a cake mix, yes you heard me right, a cake mix bought for me by my oldest daughter and her boyfriend, as part of a food basket I received for Christmas. (Plus...who could resist the name....CIN-FUL chocolate cake!!!) Now, I don't usually partake in much of anything sweet, as I try to limit those sugar carbs, but I have been waiting for a special occasion to make this. Valentines Day seemed perfect! Made with "all natural" ingredients, some even on the healthy side, it was a snap to put together. This mix also had a bit of "improv" added, as it called for 1 cup of milk, and all I had on hand was buttermilk. So, buttermilk it was!

I would buy this again, in a heartbeat! It was moist, densely rich, and ultra chocolatey.
The perfect ending to a less than perfect day.
(as I have said before, you, my friends, have NO IDEA what is going on here...I could write a book, or at least the 1st season of a new soap opera!!!)
Thank God for prayer!

I'M MY BELOVEDS AND HE IS MINE

THEN...
SEPTEMBER 18, 1971

AND NOW....
After nearly 36 years of marriage, I can honestly say I'd do it again.
It ain't been easy....
but it's been worth the ride!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

KITCHEN SERVANTS

I have many "servants" in my house....
washer/dryer
vacuum cleaner
bread machine
Cuisinart
microwave
etc, etc, etc
One of my new favorites is an immersion blender.
This little guy can puree a pot of soup in seconds!
When the job is too small for my blender, I reach for this.
It would be perfect for homemade baby food, and it is the tool I reach for any time I want my homemade cream of tomato, or spinach soup to have that creamy, velvety texture.
I think I spent around $20 for it a couple years ago at Target, and have seen them at tag sales for far less.
What's the one tool you wouldn't be without?

ANGELS WATCHIN' OVER ME AND MINE

LONG STORY SHORT

My 31 yod and her girlfriend were on their way to the gym Wednesday morning and hit a patch of the dreaded "black ice" on the expressway going 50 mph. For those of you in the warmer climates, black ice doesn't really look like ice, it looks like the road. Her friend totally lost control of the car and rolled her 2 year old SUV twice, before landing in a ditch. Vehicle totalled.
Her friend was just shook up, no injuries. Gina had deep lacerations on her right hand, which required stitches and a visit to a hand surgeon yesterday. Her husband is a pilot and has been out of town, so I have been staying with her and helping around her house. She will be out of work for several weeks (she is a hair stylist, and has to use that right hand for scissors, etc), but insurance will cover some loss of wages and all medical bills.
Daily I pray for protecting angels over each one in my family. That is not to say bad things don't happen, as we have an enemy, the devil, whose sole goal is to "kill, steal, and destroy". BUT...."greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world".

"He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11
And we are not talking those sweet, little, bare-bottomed cherubic angels on the harps either.
We are talking WARRIOR ANGELS!

Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word." Psalm 103:20
The above verse means the angels obey "the voice of His word"....
and fellow believers....

WE ARE THE VOICE OF HIS WORD!
HALLELUIAH!!!

APPLE GRUNT

STORY BEHIND APPLE GRUNT


Once upon a time, Cyn lived a few doors down from a good Catholic family, with, shall we say, MANY children! Mrs. Thayer was a stay-at-home mom, while my mom was a single parent, working in a factory. One of the advantages of living near a good Catholic family was the many children they had. Mr. & Mrs. T had, I think, 12 of them. So...no matter what your age, you could always find someone to play with at the T's! I had Joanie, my sis had Jean Ann...and unbeknownest to me...
Farmboy had Dave, 2nd oldest of the T's.
Mrs. Thayer baked. My mom did not.
One of Mrs. T's favorites was Apple Grunt.
And whenever Mrs. T baked Apple Grunt, Cyn was there, begging from Joanie. So...Joanie would sneak me a piece of the familys dessert, and Cyn would be happy.
Meanwhile...
Dave T. was sneakin' Farmboy a piece of the dessert.
Keep in mind...
Cyn did not even know Farmboy existed at this point in time.
He was 3 years older, and lived 6 blocks away, but our paths had never crossed. (tho he says he remembers me as the cute 6th grader from St. James Parochial School...but I kind of doubt it!!)
After we were married, I got the coveted recipe from Mrs. Thayer, and have been making it at least once every winter since then.

Apple Grunt

6-8 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 TBL cinnamon
1 cup sugar
3 TBL flour
2 teas. nutmeg
Mix above and place in well buttered 8x8 pan.

In separate bowl:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
dash salt
1 TBL melted butter
1/2 cup milk
dash vanilla
Mix and pour over apples.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Memories are made of this.

BLIZZARD COOKING

Blizzard warning here in Western Michigan till 10pm tonite.
The pond in winter...our 13 ducks, plus any number of insurgents.
We go thru 50# of cracked corn every 2 days when the weather is this cold.
Fly-by ducks just seem to sense there is food and fellowship here, so they swing by on their way to who knows where, to shoot the breeze with friends!

The view off the back deck today.
Dark and dreary, with more of the same forecast for the next few days.
This kind of weather calls for...TA! DA!

SOUP AND BREAD!

On the left we have homemade cream of tomato with smokey chipotle peppers in adobe sauce.
The chipotle was my twist on an old favorite...gives it a bite without being too overpoweringly hot. Not too much, perhaps 1 pepper in just a bit of the adobe sauce. Pureed to perfection.
On the right is one I tried this summer...Spinach Soup.
I cannot begin to tell you how delicious this is.
And good for you, to boot!
I wasn't going to post the recipe, but as I was typing this, I thought, "No, they must own this !"

Blizzard Spinach Soup

1/4 cup, or less, olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 TBL chopped garlic
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white rice
1# fresh, baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
Cook onions in olive oil till clear, and browning ever so slightly, perhaps 7 min.
add garlic and cook 1 minute more
Add stock, bring to boil, add rice, and simmer 15 minutes, stir once or twice
Stir in spinach and s&p, and simmer another 5-7 minutes.
Puree using immersion blender or standard blender(if using standard blender, make sure you only puree a bit at a time...BIG mess, otherwise!!)

I would serve this with any wine you might have on hand. The tomato would be good with a nice Pinot Noir, with an oakey Chardonnay pairing well with the spinach. I had Chardonnay in the house, so...Chardonnay it was!

The bread is called "Rustic Italian Bread", which I found yesterday over at Dine and Dish .
Awesome recipe using the manual setting on a bread machine, with your standard kitchen oven doing the final baking. Crunchy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. Perfect accompaniment for the soup duo!
STAY WARM!