Hide and Seek

zucchini plant

What is it about zucchinis? One day they are less than an inch long and in a blink of an eye, they are enormous! We have about 4 growing now, slow and steady, playing hide and seek with me!

ripening zucchini

day lily

heavenly blue morning glory bloom

The day lilies are blooming, and the morning glory vines have their very first heavenly blue flower. We have lots of green tomatoes and almost everyday, a cherry tomato is ready for picking. Looking forward to homemade salsa soon!

tomato plants

Introducing Swiss Chard!

washed Swiss Chard

Last evening I used the Swiss chard  I bought at the farmers market. Growing up, my mother always prepared healthy meals, including lots of fruits and vegetables. But, we never had greens. I have come to crave fresh greens and learned to cook collards from my husband and mother-in-law. There is nothing more satisfying and healthy than a bowl of fresh greens seasoned with olive oil, onions and garlic. Sometimes, I saute a little ham or bacon for added flavor and add a bit of chicken stock.

The delicious flavor of the Swiss chard surprised me. It was so good I am heading out this morning to the local farmer's market to buy more! Is it too late to plant this green in my vegetable garden???


This recipe and photo below are from the following website::http://tastyeatsathome.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/simple-sauteed-swiss-chard/

Sauteed Swiss Chard

1 T olive oil

1/4 c chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 large bunch of swiss chard, rinsed well and stems and leaves chopped

pinch crushed red pepper

2 T water

salt to taste

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add swiss chard and crushed red pepper and saute for another minute. Add water and cover pan, and allow to “steam” for another 2-3 minutes, or until swiss chard is wilted and the leaves are bright green. Remove the lid and season to taste with salt.

Serves 3-4

The Early Bird gets the EGGS!

It was a busy weekend with end of the school year activities, but I did manage a quick trip to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. I made it there about 9:30am and was disappointed to discover the eggs were already sold out! One of the farmers said that the "egg man" was not here this weekend.

cabbage, Swiss chard, cauliflower and red potatoes

So, I browsed for interesting vegetables and found a small head of cauliflower, tender cabbage, red potatoes and Swiss chard. Another customer at the stand commented on how delicious Swiss chard is and compared the taste to spinach. I can't wait to try it sauteed with olive oil and garlic.

I did use the potatoes and boiled them up whole, mashed them with butter, cream, fresh minced garlic, and salt and pepper. I leave the skins on them and hand mash them. Easy and they went well with the grilled ribs that are my husband's specialty. We also had roasted cauliflower, one of the my husband's favorite vegetables. It was Father's Day, after all.

Decadent Dessert Recipe

Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Bars

I saw this recipe on the internet and even though the bottom layer is gluten free, I thought it would appeal to the whole family. In my family, since I am the only one that has to eat gf, I usually bake the "regular" way. I am never tempted to "cheat", since the repercussions of eating even a teeny tiny bit of gluten is not pleasant. ( I will spare you the gory details).

But, let's face it...sometimes a gluten free girl just has to have her sweets.

It calls for a Betty Crocker gf cookie mix for the crust, but I am sure you can substitute either a graham cracker crust or a regular cookie mix instead. There are few steps to this recipe, but I promise you the end result is well worth it.( I did enjoy licking the beaters too!)

Peanut Butter Cookie Candy Bars

• 1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free chocolate chip cookie mix
• Butter, vanilla and egg called for on cookie mix box
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
• dash salt
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 bag (14oz) caramels, unwrapped
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 bag (11.5oz) milk chocolate chips * (I substituted semi-sweet because I forgot to buy the milk chocolate ones....I think the milk chocolate would be too sweet, if that's even possible)

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Make cookie dough as directed on box, using butter, vanilla, and egg. In ungreased 13x9 inch pan, press dough evenly. Bake 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool about 30 minutes.

2. In large bowl, beat all filling ingredients except powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until well blended( filling will be thick). Press filling over cookie base.

3.In medium microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and 2 tablespoons of water uncovered on High 2-4 minutes, stirring twice, until caramels are melted. Stir in peanuts. Spread evenly over filling. Refrigerate about 15 minutes or until caramel layer is firm.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips uncovered on High 1-2 minutes, stirring once, until melted. Spread evenly over caramel layer. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chocolate is set. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered at room temperature.

Enjoy!

1-2-3...Let's Compost!

Compost bin

Composting is really easy. Instead of dumping your garbage in the wastebasket in your kitchen, you dump it in the compost bin in your backyard! Put in all your fruit and vegetable scraps, used coffee grounds and eggshells, and before you know it, voila! Compost!

When I was growing up in upstate NY, we always composted. I didn't know anything about it, other than it was another chore my parents would assign one of us 4 kids. "Take the compost out!". We had a tupperware container on our counter and after dinner, we had to dump the fruit/veggie scraps into the big concrete block compost bin my father had constructed in the far corner of our yard. ( my father is German, so does not skimp on anything...but a compost can be as simple as a pile in a corner of your yard). In the spring, all of that valuable compost would be mixed into my parent's vegetable garden. My mother's garden was always amazing, producing so many  tomatoes and cucumbers that we used to sell them door to door.

If you research composting 101, you will find all kinds of information on the best location for your compost bin, what types to consider using, how much moisture the compost needs, sunlight requirements and lots of technical stuff on nitrogen, bacteria, fungi etc.

I am not going to tell you about all of that. 

What I will tell you is that composting is easy and anyone can do it. It decreases the amount of trash that goes into your garbage can and ultimately the local landfill. Those banana peels, eggshells and watermelon rinds break down over time and results in a nutrient-rich material that is a natural fertilizer for your flower and vegetable garden and/or container plants.

inside compost container

We have a small plastic container with a lid that sits on our kitchen counter. When it is filled to capacity, it is dumped into our compost bin outside. Sounds simple? Pretty much, that is it. I do use an aeration tool to mix it up when I think about it, but mostly it does it's thing on it's own...a self-service magic dirt making machine!

Do not put meat or bones in your compost. You may end up with a few uninvited visitors (rats) and your neighbors will not be happy!

compost

                                                                 Happy Composting!

Cindie's Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts and Poppy Seed dressing

ehappyhome.wordpress.com

My neighbor and friend, Cindie, shared this recipe with me a few weeks ago when we had an abundance of strawberries from the garden. She told me the dressing that goes with it was so delicious she could even drink it!

I made it for dinner on one of those hot and humid days. The kids could not get enough of this. My son and vegetables do not get along, but he loved this salad. 

I am thinking grilled chicken breast would be delicious with it too!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Walnuts 

1-2 packaged baby spinach, washed and torn up

1 container fresh strawberries, sliced

chopped walnuts, to taste

1/2 cup chopped green onions 

1 lb chicken breast, grilled and cut into strips

(Optional)

Assemble salad and serve with poppy seed salad dressing

Poppy Seed Salad Dressing

2 T sugar

2 T milk

1 T white wine vinegar

3 T mayo

1 T poppy seeds

Whisk dressing ingredients together and serve.

Purple Coneflower

purple coneflower

It seems early in the season, but my purple coneflowers are blooming. The bumblebees, butterflies and hummingbirds are attracted to them and today the bees were the more frequent visitor. I planted one or two plants a few years ago, and now they have taken over the area outside our front door. They are stately plants and do well in a vase in the house.

As with most of my perennials, I deadhead the flowers after they have bloomed and in the fall, trim the dying plant about an inch from the ground. They return with more blooms every year. Purple Coneflower, also known as Echinacea  is thought to have mild antibiotic properties.

 Echinacea purpurea

  "The flowers of Echinacea species are used to make an extremely popular herbal tea, purported to help strengthen the immune system; an extract is also available in tablet or liquid form in pharmacies and health food stores."

Farmer's Market Saturday!

zucchini, Bermuda onions, eggs, kale and beets

 I just returned from the Farmer's market. I wanted to buy eggs and was fortunate to get the last 2 dozen! ( I have a teenage son so we go through a lot of eggs!) I didn't get there until 11am and the eggs usually are sold fast.

I also browsed the various stands for veggies. I found a big bag of kale as well as 4 small zucchini. (I try to buy from different farmers and feel guilty when I walk past without purchasing something.) The woman who sells baked goods doesn't bake anything gluten free, "yet", so we just smile at each other as I walk by. It smells wonderful...sniff, sniff.

beets

The man who sold me the eggs had bunches of large green onions that he said were Bermuda onions. "They are incredibly sweet, but they do not keep long due to the high sugar content", he warned me. The beets were on the table right next to those onions, so I thought I would give them a try. I don't know about you, but the only beets I ever ate were the the kind  my mother took out of the can. They had an unnatural deep red color and I hated them. I am not sure I have eaten them since I lived at home.

Linus and Snoopy trying out some beet greens

Guinea pigs love kale and as it turns out, beet greens are recommended! They were a big hit with our piggies, Linus and Snoopy, so I am looking forward to cooking with them tomorrow. ( the beets, not the pigs!)

I am thinking of making some type of ham, bean and veggie stew using the produce I bought today, plus I may buy a mini HoneyBaked Ham to add flavor. I will post the recipe if it turns out good!

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Is there anyone that doesn't like Mexican food? Don't we fall back on the old standby ground beef taco meal way too often? This is an easy recipe using fish that is both and healthy and colorful! Top it with mango salsa and coleslaw for a unique and tasty twist!

brush cut up fish pieces with melted butter, cumin and garlic powder mixture

Use any white fish that you prefer and cut it in bite-size chunks. I have been buying the frozen bags of catfish from the grocery store.They are convenient since each piece is individually packaged. I do not thaw it out all the way, making slicing it easier.

peaches and red sweet pepper

 I substituted peaches for the mango in the mango salsa recipe. Last night I used leftover coleslaw from our dinner the other night. I love when I can use up leftovers in a new way for another meal. ( I wish it would work out that way more often!)

coleslaw

I used white corn taco shells and warmed them up in the oven while the fish was cooking. Old El Paso shells are gluten-free if someone in your family is following a gluten-free diet.

taco shells

Fish Tacos

1 lb white fish, cut up in bite-sized chunks
2 T butter, melted
1/4 teas. ground cumin
1/8 teas. garlic powder
3 T mayo
1 teas. lime juice
1 1/2 cups packaged shredded cabbage with carrot( cole slaw mix) or shredded cabbage
8 corn taco shells, warmed according to package directions
1 recipe mango salsa

Mango salsa


In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled, mangoes or peaches, 1 medium sweet red pepper, seeded and finely chopped, 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped, 1 T olive oil, 1/2 teas. finely shredded lime peel, 1 T lime juice, 1 T vinegar, 1/4 teas. salt, and 1/4 teas. pepper. Makes 2 cups.

Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.Cut fish into bite-sized pieces. Place fish in single layer in greased shallow baking pan. Combine butter, cumin, and garlic powder. Brush over fish. Bake in 450 degree oven for 4-6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together mayo and lime juice. Add cabbage, toss to coat. Spoon some of the coleslaw mixture into each taco shell; add fish slices. Top with mango salsa.

My kids and husband love this and it is pretty easy to prepare. Make the salsa ahead of time and chill.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with drinking a frozen margarita or glass of white wine with it, is there?

Enjoy!

Say Cheese!

Our vegetable garden

Our garden is coming along nicely. We have green tomatoes, leaf lettuce, snow peas, strawberries, basil, parsley, cilantro, oregano, and thyme. We have more than enough yield of strawberries and I made a delicious spinach salad using the berries, walnuts and spinach. Thanks, Cindie! ( I will post the recipe later)

green tomatoes

We also have a teeny, tiny zucchini growing and I can already smell the zucchini bread baking in the oven!

Zucchini

I have seen many hummingbirds and they are getting used to me photographing them! Those little birds are very territorial and will sometimes hover near me as if to ask, what am I doing on their turf?

Hummingbird

I have 2 hummingbird feeders and have them located in different areas of my yard. They will chase other hummers away, and I have yet to see more than one bird feeding at the same feeder.

It is amazing how long their beak is!

Female hummer sipping 

   When they are nearby, you can hear their wings and it sounds like a very large bumblebee!

Bumblebee on salvia

Speaking of bumblebees, they are busy creatures, for sure. Yesterday, I was practicing with my camera and was watching a few of them go from flower to flower. Very hard to capture a shot!

Bumblebee on marigold

              I have a very nice camera with a lot of bells and whistles that I am trying to learn to use.

Robin bathing

                                          How is your garden and what are you growing? 

                                          Please feel free to post photos and ideas!

           

More Than One Wife?

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 I watch Sister Wives. It is a reality TV show on TLC featuring the Brown family from Utah. Kody Brown and his four wives practice polygamy. They have 17 children and announced that another baby is on the way on the season finale Sunday evening.

When I first started tuning in to the show, I was curious about the family and to be honest, wanted to know more about the family dynamics.  Was there jealousy? How did Kody manage to please all the women and most of all, did the wives get along? How did they all live together? What was their house like?

The show was a bit boring and I found myself reading, checking email etc., while occasionally glancing up at the screen. I mean, yes they were polygamists, but other than that, they were normal. The wives cooked, did laundry, checked homework, and went grocery shopping. Kody went to work, came home, played with the kids, fixed things around the house, and spent private time with each wife. They loved their kids, celebrated birthdays and ate Thanksgiving dinner together. They just did everything in a big way. So maybe their lifestyle, except for the fact that Kody "married" more than one woman, was not that different from mine?

Don't get me wrong, polygamy is not for me. I have one husband and do not want to share him or my kitchen with any other wife. I grew up with 2 loving parents and siblings and wanted the same. But let's face it, there are times when having another wife to help with the cooking, laundry, cleaning and car- pooling sure sounds appealing!

All but one of Kody's wives grew up in polygamist families. They hid their lifestyle from classmates. As adults, they were tired of the secrets and decided to reveal their lifestyle publicly. They did not want to raise their children in an environment of lies.

This 'coming out", drew attention and the Utah officials began to investigate. The Brown family felt increasing pressure from the local officials as well as media interest, so decided to move to the more religious tolerant state of Nevada. From what I have read, there are many families in Utah, as well as the surrounding states, that practice polygamy, and as long as there is no abuse reported, the authorities look the other way.

So what do you think? Should polygamy be illegal? Why do we consider that lifestyle choice to be taboo? As one of Kody's daughters points out, at least Kody is married to and supporting his wives/family financially and emotionally. What about the men who cheat on their wives with mistresses, father illegitimate children and then refuse to take responsibility for them?

I mean, don't we all want the same thing?

There are all types of families. Some have a single parent, some have 2 parents, a husband and a wife. Some have 2 same-sex parents. And some have more than one wife. A traditonal family is not the only way.

Leave the Brown family alone and let them live their lives.

Gluten-free Quiz

 A friend of mine recently asked me to write about how I knew I had Celiac Disease. This blog entry is for you, Connie!

Did you know that 1 out of 133 people are gluten intolerant? Most do not know it.  They may have headaches, gastrointestinal problems or joint pain. Many people take medications for their symptoms. Some people have no symptoms at all.

On and off all my life, I have had intestinal and skin problems. It wasn't until 2007, when both my nieces were diagnosed with  Celiac Disease  disease that I agreed to be tested. At first, I resisted, scoffing at the suggestion by my family. I had never been a sickly child and lived an active life. How could I have a problem with gluten? When I was in nursing school, we learned about and saw photographs of children with Celiac disease. Of course, those kids were the most severe cases who were not able to absorb nutrients and were in the hospital. I did not look or feel like that!  It is a hereditary disease so family members of people with Celiac Disease need to be tested. My blood tests came back positive for Celiac Disease and since then, I have been on a gluten free diet. It  was an adjustment and I poured over books to learn all I needed to about my new way of eating. After a few days, my itchy unsightly eczema disappeared. Within months, my intestinal symptoms resolved, and I felt pretty normal.

Looking back, I realize that those childhood stomach aches and bloating were not normal, the anemia I had in nursing school was not from poor eating habits , and the eczema I had all my life was my body's way of telling me something.

Absorption of nutrients is affected by the flattened intestinal villi when you have Celiac Disease as shown in the diagram below:


Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects your entire body. The symptoms can vary from bloating and constipation to infertility, depression and problems with concentration. It is not like being allergic to peanuts or shellfish with an immediate life-threatening reaction. It usually takes a few hours to feel the affects of being inadvertently "glutened" making it hard to pinpoint the cause. It can sometimes take several days for my body to feel normal again and that is different from person to person.

Eating gluten free means avoiding wheat, barley, rye, malt and oats. This means saying goodbye to bread, cookies, cakes and pies and even food that you would least expect to have gluten for example, soy sauce and Twizzlers! Luckily, more and more people are being tested and the availability of gluten-free foods in the grocery store has increased. Many restaurants now offer a gluten free menu or are at least aware of the diet. At this point, there is no medicine you can take to block the absorption of gluten, like a lactose allergy, and it means a life-long committment to eating gluten free.

It is not an easy diagnosis to accept and there is a lot to learn. I am  more comfortable ordering at restaurants, educating the servers to my dietary needs, but do occasionally get contaminated. Ordering a salad and having it come with croutons doesn't mean simply removing them. It means sending the salad back and having the salad re-made. The tiniest bit of gluten will make me sick. I have to be careful baking with flour at home. It also means using a separate toaster for toasting my gluten free bread.

Hey, but chocolate is still gluten-free!

Click on the link below to take a quiz to see if you may have Celiac disease.

http://www.celiaccentral.org/disease-symptoms-checklist/

Finally planted the annuals!

Marigolds, Periwinkle planted among the spring Pansies

 It has been humid and in the 90's the past few days. I did not venture outside during the day, but waited for evening to check on my garden, water, weed and harvest. I thought I was thoroughly watering the annuals that were confined in the garden store containers. I bought them a week ago and they were patiently waiting for their spot in the garden.

I decided to plant marigolds and periwinkle in my deck planters among the spring pansies. The pansies prefer cooler weather, and will not do well in the  heat. I usually trim them down when they get leggy and they will return in the fall.

Marigolds

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                                       I also planted a few marigolds in the vegetable garden.

Morning Glory Vine

The morning glory seeds I planted a few weeks ago have sprouted and started climbing the wooden posts of our vegetable garden. The flowers will be blue and very showy. (Morning glories propagate easily, so I will have lots of them next year!) They also attract hummingbirds!


 My mother has a big vegetable garden and always plants zinnia seeds along the perimeter. When they grow and flower, it is truly spectacular!

My parent's garden in upstate NY

                                     

Every year I plant less annuals since my perennials have grown and filled in nicely. So, I try and incorporate annuals among the perennials in the containers too. I like the contrast of the foliage between eager mums and tough summer flowers ready to take on our brutal summers.

Delicious Pasta recipe by Rachel Ray!

Rachel Ray calls this dish Lazy Bolognese Style Lasagna. I call it delicious, even when using gluten free pasta. My family can usually tell when I have substituted gluten free pasta for the traditional pasta made with wheat flour. I heard no complaints last evening during dinner and even got the comment, " Mom, this is really good!" I think Rachel used lasagna noodles in her recipe, but I made it with gf spaghetti. I like the Tinkyada brand. It is made from brown rice and tastes closest to the 'real" thing than any other gluten free brands I have tried.

Try this recipe. You will love it.

I made some changes based on what I had on hand. I substituted  red wine for white wine. (We drank the rest of the white wine over Memorial Day weekend.) I had a few mushrooms in the crisper that needed to be used, so in they went. We have a lot of parsley in the garden, so I chopped it up and sprinkled it over the top after it came out of the oven.

I used my big, heavy cast iron stew pot. I like the uniform heat it provides. Everything cooks evenly and browns nicely. But, it is HEAVY!

We had corn on the cob last night, but a tossed salad would be perfect with this dish.

Lazy Bolognese Style Lasagna by Rachel Ray


Salt and Pepper
1 pound wavy lasagna noodles, broken in irregular pieces ( I used Tinkyada's gluten free spaghetti)
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2-3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped
A sprinkle of ground cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 cups beef stock ( Kitchen Basics is gluten free)
2 rounded T flour ( I used Bob's all purpose gluten free flour)
2 cups whole milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it, add pasta and cook until al dente. ( Rinse with cold water in colander if using gluten free.

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium- high heat.
Add the beef and brown well.
Add the onion, garlic,carrot, rosemary, cloves, and lots of salt and pepper and cook until tender, 7-8 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the wine for 1 minute.
Stir in the stock and simmer for a few minutes longer.

Preheat the broiler and position a rack in the center of the oven.
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour, then the milk and let it thicken enough to coat a spoon, season with salt and pepper and nutmeg.

Toss the pasta and arrange in a casserole.
Pour the bechamel sauce over the top in an even layer.Top with a layer of parmigiano-reggiano and broil in the oven to brown the top.

I also topped it with some shredded mozzarella...the kids will eat anything with mozzarella on top.

Facebook, "More or Less"

When deciding to write this blog, I did title it  Gardening, Cooking, Birds and More.....well, today I would like to talk about "More".

I like to listen to NPR during the day while cooking, folding laundry and putting the groceries away. Today on Michel Martin's show, Tell Me More, the topic was about Facebook and whether or not kids should be allowed to use  Facebook .Recently, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg was talking about children under 13 yrs of age being allowed to use Facebook. Michel Martin, the show host, had on a few guests who talked about the pros and cons of Facebook.

The discussion was interesting. Michel Martin's guests came from two different perspectives. One who was against her children using Facebook, and one who readily allows her children to use Facebook.

They both seemed to agree that supervision, monitoring and time limits were important.

 Michelle Obama  told Matt Lauer on the Today show that she does not allow Sasha or Malia to have a Facebook account...and not just because of who they are.

I am of the "pro" camp and have allowed both my 16yr old and 13yr old to have Facebook accounts. I have a Facebook account myself and one of the rules with my kids is that we have to be Facebook "friends".

I do acknowledge that there are "bad" people out there. I know pedophiles are stalking children on the internet as well as in our neighborhood, most probably. Am I afraid? Sometimes.

Statistically, a child has a greater chance of being molested by someone they know, not a stranger.  I also feel that this generation of parenting includes teaching your children how to use the internet and helping them learn how to  protect their privacy.

It is a whole new world out there.

What do think? If you have children, do you allow them to have a Facebook account? What kind of rules do you set regarding it?

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