Thyme For Cooking, the Blog

Salmon with Tarragon Tomato Salsa; the cabinets

First: The fields of 'tournesol' or sunflowers.

The field in the background is all in bloom.  The field bordering our property is just starting...

There is one, lonely, sunflower blooming.

But, isn't it going to be spectacular when all the rest catch up?

On to the kitchen.

Cabinet doors require a lot of gluing and drying so the work is progressing slowly. 

Plus, we wanted to live with one for a bit to make certain we like it.  We do.  Do you?

That, and the fact that he conveniently forgot I wanted more glass doors....

And doesn't have the glass...

There will be built-in lights running the length of the cabinets, underneath, so there is a bit of overhang that looks a little strange with only one set of doors finished.

In the meantime, he's decided to tackle the bathroom window.  It's the only one we didn't have replaced.  I liked it better than the more modern alternatives.

This is the before:

Between the 90 million layers of paint and all the rotten wood it's taking him a bit longer than planned.

Maybe next week we'll have the after...

In the meantime, we have cardboard and green plastic.  Tres chic!

We have a proper, big round smoker.  We used to use it lots. 

Then mon mari figured out that he could just throw a few wood chips (soaked in water first) right on the coals in the Weber and get a very similar effect in much less time.  We are always in a hurry, you know....

Slightly Smoked Salmon with Tomato Tarragon Salsa

2 salmon filets, 12oz (350gr) total  or tuna
2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
wood chips for smoking
Weber-type kettle barbecue with charcoal
or Gas Grill

If you are using small, commercial wood chips, put them in water to soak for 30 minutes or longer.
Charcoal grill: Put some charcoal in the barbecue, off to one side and light it.
Sprinkle the dill weed and salt on the top (or one side) of the fish.
When the coals are glowing, add the fish - either in a basket or on a grill mat (foil works) of some sort, to the other side - in other words, not over the coals. Throw some wood chips on the coals and cover. Check it halfway through and add more wood chips if it has stopped smoking. It's done when if flakes easily with a fork. We left ours on for about 15 minutes.
To use a gas grill: Only light one side of the grill. Wrap the soaked wood chips loosely in foil. Poke a few holes in the foil and place on the grill. Keep the fish off of direct heat and the grill cover closed and vented or propped open an inch or so.

Did I ever mention that mon mari really doesn't like any fish other than salmon?  They had some gorgeous tuna... I had this - still slightly pink.

Tomato Tarragon Salsa

1 ripe tomato
1 1/2 tbs fresh tarragon, snipped
1 1/2 tbs fresh parsley, snipped
1 clove garlic
3 tbs mayonnaise

Chop tomato, mince garlic and snip herbs: hold leaves in one hand and snip with a scissors. Put into a small bowl and add mayonnaise. Mix well and serve.

About the wood chips - mon mari just keeps a small bucket of chips and water next to the grills so he always has some ready to use.

That's the news chez nous.

But there is something going on over at my other blog, Easy Gourmet Dinners.  I should have an announcement posted in about an hour.... 

Gardening, part 3: Compost; Fried Green Beans

Until I actually started my own compost pile I thought compost was a smelly pile of garbage one kept behind the garage.

Now I know better.

Compost, done correctly, doesn't smell.

It can be kept right on the kitchen counter if you like.

This will be a short post; composting is simple.

First: What goes in the compost pile?

From the kitchen: All of your fruit and vegetable scraps and peelings, coffee grounds, bread trimmings, and eggshells, plus the occasional bits of plain cardboard, black and white newspaper or plain, white paper towel. The worms like the wood pulp.
This includes scrapings from your dinner dishes except as below.

From the garden:  All of the trimmings and clippings from your vegetable and herb garden, all annual weeds that have not seeded, plus the occasional load of grass clippings from the lawn mower.

Second: What does NOT go in the compost pile?

From the kitchen: No meat, fish or dairy.  These will make it smell - which will irritate you and attract critters of the night.

From the garden: No perennial weeds, annuals with seeds or anything with a thick stem that will take a long time to decompose.

Third: Where should you put the compost pile?

You need 2 compost piles and they should be located out of the way as they will be permanent fixtures.

They should be on bare ground and be enclosed with a wire mesh or cage.  You use the first one for 6 months, just dumping everything on the top. 

At the end of 6 months you start using the second one. 

If you're ambitious, take a pitchfork or stick and turn or stir up the first one about a month after you stop using it, and again in another 2 months... Or not. 

The first compost pile will be ready for your garden in 6 months, at which time you stop using the second one and start over at the first.

I keep a plastic bowel under the sink that I scrape everything into as I cook, taking it out to the pile every few days.

Told you it was simple...

So are these....

Everyone loves roasting vegetables.

As do I - in the winter.

I really don't like turning the oven on in hot, summer weather.

Plus, I'm usually in a hurry and roasting takes 10 or 15 minutes.

Pan frying only takes about 5...

Sautéed Green Beans

6oz (175gr) green beans
2 tsp olive oil
a bit of nice sea salt

Top and tail beans. Leave whole. Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add beans and sauté, turning and shaking, until light brown and blistering in spots.  Remove, sprinkle with salt and serve.

Summertime and the living is easy....

German Summer Salad; Trap Shooting with live pigeons; Weekly Menu

My last post, about walking in the mountains in Andorra, brought back a lot of memories about that small Principality.

Andorra has been an independent country since 917 (I think that's the right date), well over 1,000 years.

They are independent, not only in politics, but in mindset.

The Andorrans march to their own drummer.

They can, after all.... It's their country!

Our house in Andorra was 'on the hill', meaning built into the mountainside.  We were at 1300 meters elevation.  The back of our house was dug into the mountain; the front had spectacular views.

Directly above us, at about 2000 meters, was the Andorran Shooting Club.

It was in a glorious position, jutting out over the side of the mountain.  The targets were thrown up and out, arcing over the valley below.

A few years ago they hosted the World Trap Shooting Championships.

This was a 4-day event and shooters from all over the globe participated. 

As you may or may not know, Trap Shooting, along with Skeet and Clay Pigeon Shooting, is an event in which people with shotguns shoot clay targets, also known as clay pigeons.

Well......

Apparently the Andorrans thought this was a bit boring.

They decided to use real pigeons.

Real, live pigeons.

They brought in some 50,000 live pigeons for the event.

One can only assume that they (in turn) assumed that the world class competitors would actually hit and kill the pigeons.

They were wrong. 

There were dead, dieing, maimed, limping, broken pigeons gracing the mountainside for weeks after the event was over....

As well as a few that escaped unscathed to take up residence in the trees and rooftops.

Where, you might wonder, were the people who chastised President Obama for his inhumane murder of a fly?

First, they probably don't know where Andorra is.....

Second, when one has one's own country, one gets to make the rules.... Including who gets to come in....

But that story is for another day.

This recipe is based on one from the Time Life "Foods of the World" series that I have had for years. The first time I had a similar salad was in Germany, I had expected the typical Midwestern version of Hot German Potato Salad and was wonderfully surprised by this light salad, perfect for summer, and much lower in calories than other potato salads.

German Summer Salad

 4 - 5 medium potatoes, depending on size, 14oz (450gr) total
1 large onion
3/4 cup (6oz, 175ml) chicken stock
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs white wine tarragon vinegar
2 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1 tbs lemon juice

Potatoes: Put a large saucepan half full of water on medium heat and bring to boil. Cut potatoes - the long way, first in half, then in half again. Now slice (the short way) about 1/4 inch thick. We are aiming for bite size so if you have a huge potato, adjust accordingly. Add to water, cover partially and cook until done, about 15 minutes.
Drain, put into a serving bowl and immediately pour sauce over, turning to coat slices evenly. Set aside to cool.
Sauce: Finely chop onion and sauté in olive oil until transparent. Add stock, vinegar and mustard and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
To serve: Salad should be served just slightly warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.

In addition to the above, for the week of June 26 we have Grilled Swordfish, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Grilled Pork Chops, Grilled Chicken Breasts, Cucumber Salad....

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday.  First two weeks FREE.   (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

Hot and Sweet Grilled Pork Chops; What goes up....

What goes up must come down - or so the proverb would have us believe.

But not always easily.

My brother and a friend, both recently and separately (different continents) have started walking in the mountains.

That thought brings back wonderful memories of all of the Mondays, for 7 years, that I spent walking the mountains in Andorra.

The winter walks were all relatively easy, being in the lower elevations to avoid the snow and cold.

The summer walks, in the high passes, were my favorite.  Those walks were to places only ever seen by other walkers or the shepherds, goatherds, and.... What do you call the guy that tends a herd of food horses?  (As in horses raised for slaughter.)

For the first 5 years we followed our 'Fearless Leader' on whatever route he chose for us that week.  Some, but not all, of the walks were marked.  Even fewer had anything vaguely resembling a trail.  If they were marked it would be a yellow or red dot on a boulder or tree trunk, every 100 to 500 meters... or so.

Our Fearless Leader always scoped out the walks a day or two ahead of time so he knew where to go, if we could do a circle or would have to retrace our steps, where the best spot for lunch was, and so on.

BTW: in Andorra, one walked in the mountains unless one was equipped with, and used, ropes, crampons, and harnesses, in which case one was hiking.

He left Andorra and our walking group was without an official leader. 

Another woman, A, and I took over as co-leaders.  She, because she had been walking in Andorra for years longer than the rest of us; I, because I had kept trail notes of all the walks I had been on.

We never checked out the walks ahead of time.

Most of the time, when I led the walks using my notes, we didn't get lost, although we often spent lots of time looking for little yellow dots.

Most of the time, when A led the walks we did get lost - mainly because she always wanted to try something new: a new route, a different peak, a valley she'd heard of but never found...

Her walks were always an adventure.

The most memorable was a gorgeous, and well-marked walk up to a peak we had never walked to before.

We had lunch at the top, as usual.

We discussed how to go down, not as usual.

Part of the group wanted to go back down the way we had come up.  Part of the group didn't.

We had scrambled over a section of loose scree, which, while challenging going up can be very scary going down.

The group split: 4 women and my trusty brown dog, Sedi, decided to find a new way down; the rest of the group, including mon mari, went back down the trail, such as it was.

Many people think going down is easy.

They would be wrong.

I climbed the highest peak in Andorra, once.  I would have done it again, often and happily, if I could have been picked up on top by a helicopter.  Going down was terrifying.... And there was a trail.

We thought we had a trail, going down the other side of mountain we were on.  We could see it perfectly clearly from where we had lunch.

We set off, confidently.

After about 20 minutes, the path we are on, which had been going down, started going back up, over the next hill.

We didn't want to go up; we wanted to go down.

We spotted another path.

This one just ended after about 15 minutes, in a bit of flat meadow.

We spotted another path.

This one ended shortly... and steeply, in a small cliff.

We were following sheep trails - or goat trails.

That's when I learned that dogs are not as agile and sure-footed as a goat....

And that, sometimes, having 4 legs is less advantageous than having 2 legs.

There were places we humans could climb over or around that poor Sedi had to be carried or slid.

We persevered.

We hoped, eventually, one of the trails would lead us off the mountain.

In the meantime, the rest of the group was sitting at a bar at the bottom of the mountain, having a coffee and watching our little dots going back and forth.  We won't guess as to their unkind comments.

Eventually, we worked our way down the mountain.

I will not comment on some of the conversations held by 4 strong, competent women in discussing various path options.  I will say that we remained friends.

Fortunately, it was a nice summer day; no unexpected thunderstorms or drops in temperature.  We had adequate water and we had people who knew where we were.

We four intrepid, confident, mountain walkers learned there are marked trails for a reason, and one needs to be very careful and prepared before attempting to find one's own way in the mountains.

It's a little scary to be standing on a mountainside, tired after walking for hours, having no idea how to get down and thinking the only choice is to go back up to the top and down the other side.

Damn, I miss those walks!!!!!

Hot and Sweet Glazed Pork Chops

2 - 4 pork chops, 12oz total (350gr)

Marinade

1 tbs Dijon-style mustard
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs sherry
2 tsp fresh, minced ginger 
2 cloves minced garlic powder

In small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the marinade - you need to use the whisk to break up the marmalade. Pour over chops and let marinate for 10 minutes (or longer...).
Remove from marinade and cook on barbecue 10 - 15 minutes turning once or under broiler for 12 - 15 minutes turning once - or sauté in large skillet 10 - 15 minutes (you get the picture). Baste with any remaining marinade 1 minute before removing to give better glaze.

I do love summer cooking!

Grilled, Marinated Chicken Breasts; the update.... sort of

Work IS being done.

In the week and a half that mon mari has been home he's designed and started work on the frames and doors.

The day he was discharged we stopped and bought the hinges.

The doors are lined up, in various stages of completion, in his shop in the barn.

But, not photo-worthy.

He took a spin on the lawnmower today.  With any luck I can turn over that job!

He also ordered a new glass table top for our outdoor table; checked out some staircases for the next stage and installed my oven.

That's the big news.  Finally, after 9 months I have a working oven!  I even used it last night... And it didn't start on fire or blow up or anything!

Now, that's progress!

All of the above is a lot more than I expected; he really can't stand to be idle!

For the record: he does take frequent breaks and the occasional nap.

And I try to feed him well....

Grilled, Marinated Chicken Breasts

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs red wine vinegar
3 tbs ketchup
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano

In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, oil, garlic and oregano. Put chicken breasts in a glass baking dish and pour marinade over. Let marinate for 15 - 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Cook on barbecue grill for 8 - 12 minutes per side or until done, basting with any leftover marinade.  Remove chicken, slice at an angle in 1/4" (.6cm) slices and serve.

Next week - photos!  (God willing!)

Tomato Garlic Salad; Gardening, part 2: Weeds

Tomato Garlic Salad

There are two kinds of gardens.

1. A fresh, clean, new garden.  A spot is chosen, the top bit of ground, with all the growing stuff, is removed, a load of fresh, rich black topsoil is brought in, distributed, raked and: Voila! It's a garden.

The soil is easy to work with and there are no old weeds to contend with.

Our allotment (community garden) in Andorra was like that.  Of course, knowing the Andorrans, it could have been sprayed with every commercial weed killer known to get it that way.... I choose not to go there.

2. The 'make do with what you have' garden.  A spot is chosen, the ground is turned over, either by hand (with a spade) or using a roto-tiller, with the top bit of ground being buried in place.  This exposes the roots of all the growing stuff to the air, which, hopefully, will kill them, and lets the tops decompose in the soil, adding nutrients.  Ideally, the ground should be turned 2 or 3 times at 2 or 3 week intervals to insure that all of the weeds are gone.  They never are.

There are two kinds of weeds.

1. The annual weed; the seeds blown in on the wind to take root in your fresh new garden. 

Annual weeds are easy to control but impossible to prevent.

2. The perennial weed.  It's been in your garden for centuries, getting bigger and stronger every year.  You can't pull it out because the roots go to the center of the earth.  When you cut it, with the spade or roto-tiller, it produces 2 new plants for every one cut. 

Perennial weeds are difficult to control but can be killed.  Once killed they're unlikely to be back.

The absolutely very best, guaranteed to work every time, foolproof, simplest way to control both types of weeds is....

Hoe.

Once a week, get out your trusty hoe and.... Hoe.

This accomplishes several things.  If your garden has visible weeds:

1. Hoeing disturbs or cuts the annual weeds.  No need to remove them.  If they happen to take root  you'll get them again next week.  Leave them in the ground to decompose.  Yes, your garden will look a little messy at first, but it will pass.  Why make extra, unnecessary work?

2. Hoeing cuts the perennial weeds.  As noted above, not only does this not kill them, but can cause 2 to sprout where one was.  Next week, when you hoe, you'll cut them again.  Keep this up and, eventually, you'll weaken the plant (it won't get to the sunlight) and it will die.

After 2 weeks of hoeing you should not see any weeds, dead or alive. 

This is the critical part: Keep hoeing!

By now, the ground is easy to work and the weeds are gone.  Wielding the hoe is less work but you may be tempted to quit because it all looks so nice, so pristine, so (as the French say) 'propre'.

Don't!

1. The seeds of the annual weeds blow in every day.  In one week they may take root, but if you hoe they don't have a chance to grow.  In 2 weeks they do.

2. The perennial weeds may almost reach the surface in one week, but if you hoe you'll cut them off before they emerge.  In 2 weeks, it's too late.

Once you get the ground loose it takes very little time to hoe.  And the loose dirt forms a mulch around your plants keeping moisture in - an added bonus in dry weather.

Two more points to keep the weekly hoeing easy:

1. Try not to walk where you have hoed.  I always leave a central path free of planting so I have a hard place to walk to tend the garden, do the watering, etc.  Have more than one if your garden is very large.  Tend the garden, trimming, thinning, etc. before you hoe.

2. There is a lot more to hoe when the garden is young.  If you have done a good job, by the time you are harvesting you are also done hoeing.  The plants are big, shading the ground and preventing new weeds from starting.  If I spend 2 hours per week hoeing in June, it's down to an hour in July as the plants grow, and 15 minutes if at all in August.  And I have a big garden.

Look at the early hoeing as an investment in easy, weedless harvesting.

As to harvesting.... What to do with the millions of little tomatoes produced by the 3 plants you have?

 

Tomato Garlic Salad

I prefer to make this with cherry or grape tomatoes (from my garden) but any, fresh, vine-ripened tomato will work. I make it on Sunday, we have some every night and I just add more tomatoes to it all week as they ripen, - starting fresh whenever we finish it all...

1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) red cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) yellow cherry tomatoes
1 tbs fresh basil, snipped
1 tbs fresh chives, snipped
3 cloves garlic
2 tbs olive oil - good stuff
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt - sea salt if you have it.

Finely mince garlic. Put garlic and oil in a small serving bowl and let rest while you deal with the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half (that was tough). Snip herbs. Add both to garlic oil and sprinkle with salt. Stir gently. This is good today, better tomorrow.

Next week: Compost

Adult Cheeseburgers; mouse in the house; Weekly Menu

Adult Cheeseburgers

 Our neighbors told us that we needn't worry about mice because our barn had been inhabited by feral cats for several years.

It would seem the cats have moved on and the mice have moved in. 

I'm not certain who was more startled the other night:  me, seeing the big, fat gray mouse come racing around the corner right to my feet or the mouse, faced with a large, heretofore unseen, impediment to his journey.

We both squeaked.

I think I was the louder, though.

Prior to our living here, this house was uninhabited for three years; the grounds untended.

I now understand why an entire town can disappear over the space of a hundred years or so.

We have far more and bigger weeds, brambles, etc. here than we did at our last house.

We also have far more slugs, snails, rabbits, lizards, snakes and creepy crawlies.

What I don't understand is why they have all chosen to live in harmony here.

Shouldn't the snakes have eradicated the mice and the lizards wiped out the slugs and snails?

We appear to be living in a minor, natural Utopia, in which the only intruders are we two humans.

I should be humble in the face of all this marvelous proof of Mother Nature?

Makes me want to cross the line from being green to being the wielder of mighty killer pesticides and herbicides is what it does.....

Deer calmly nibbling in a field are a source of wonder and beauty.

Mice in the kitchen are a source of turds....

Mon mari is in the barn.... Searching for the mouse traps....

Maybe we should start searching for those feral cats as well.

In the meantime....

Yesterday mon mari installed some outdoor lights.

Now he can get serious about the barbecue.

CheeseBurgers with Glazed Mushrooms

Simple grilled burgers topped with a thick wedge of runny Brie or goat cheese and sautéed mushrooms: adult cheeseburgers. We normally eat burgers with a fork and a glass of red. Feel free to have them on a bun with a Mountain Dew.

12oz ground beef (mince - 350 gr)
3oz (90gr) Brie or Chevre (aged goat cheese), sliced
1 tbs bread crumbs
1 tbs ketchup
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
5oz (150gr) mushrooms
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce more
1 tsp soy sauce

For the burgers: Put bread crumbs, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and thyme in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the beef. Mix well - hands work best, and form into 3 or 4 patties. Cook on barbecue grill over direct heat for 3 - 5 minutes per side, using a grill pad or pan if you have one, it's easier. Or sauté in a nonstick skillet for the same amount of time. When burgers are almost done, move off heat and top with the cheese. Cover for a minute if possible. Remove as soon as cheese starts to melt, spoon some mushrooms over and serve.
For the mushrooms: Trim and thickly slice mushrooms. Heat 2 tsp oil, 2 tsp Worcestershire and soy sauce in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until nicely glazed, stirring and turning frequently, about 7 minutes.

In addition to the above, for the week of June 19 we have Stuffed, Barbecued Pork Loin, Grilled Potatoes, Chicken Breasts with an Orange Mustard Glaze, Tuna Cannellini Pasta and Turkey and Potato Salad....

Become a Thyme for Cooking Subscriber and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction, and shopping list each Thursday.  First two weeks FREE.   (Reverse seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).

For more recipes visit my internet cook book:  Easy Gourmet Dinners

Garlic Lover's Pasta; Vocabulary-Free?

Warm Turkey and Garlic Pasta

 I saw a product description on Amazon this morning. 

It was:

"caffeine-free, sugar-free, fat-free, carb-free, dairy-free and peanut-free".

Wouldn't it be simpler and quicker to say:

'no caffeine, sugar, fat, carbs, dairy or peanuts'?

I realize it's all marketing.

I realize that the phrase 'Sugar-free coke' has more zing than, the more correct, 'Coke, free of sugar'.

But what used to be a clever marketing catch-phrase now appears as a descriptor everywhere.

And repeated everywhere.

Shakespeare had a vocabulary of 35,000 words.

In the 1950's, teenagers had a vocabulary of 25,000 words.

Studies have shown that teenagers, today, have a vocabulary of less than 10,000 words.

And use about 800 in normal conversation.

(Some would go on to say that 750 of those words are variations on 'really' and 'cool'.)

I use teenagers as an example because, theoretically, they are in school, learning and increasing their knowledge, and, thus, their vocabulary every day.  (As opposed to the rest of us who are slowly losing it.)

The sad thing is, not the statistic of losing the ability to use some 15,000 words, but the fact that, with the loss of the words, we lose the concepts.

If you study another language you know this first-hand.

I've had people ask me 'what's the French word for...'  And are astounded when I tell them there is no French word for that - because the French don't do that/act that way/think that way.

Likewise, there are French words that don't translate into English, for the same reason.

German has the two most famous words that don't have equivalent words in other languages:

Schadenfreude: unanticipated delight in the suffering or misfortune of others

Gemütlichkeit:  a warm, welcoming place or group where one belongs, is socially acceptable; cheerfulness, the absence of anything hectic, cozy

These are only close definitions.  The words describe a feeling, an emotion. If you don't have the word you can't express the feeling. 

Some would argue that without the word you can't have the feeling.

Words are important.

We need them to express ourselves - to ourselves as well as to others.

I, for one, mourn their loss.

I understand, and use, 'clever, zingy, grammar-free phrases'.

Sometimes, I just wish I didn't have to.

Garlic, on the other hand, I'm happy to use all of the time.

Once again I have found something new (to me) to play with. 

This is fresh garlic... As in: just pulled, not dried, still moist, new this summer.

The cloves are very white, firm and moist with just a hint of a green center.  Not the green center of a sprouting garlic clove but the green center of a clove not quite finished maturing.  They are milder than typical, dried garlic.  Like fresh onions, they don't have a long pantry life.

Not one to waste a good thing, I have been using them with abandon.

Warm Turkey and Garlic Pasta 

12oz (350gr) turkey cutlets
8 garlic cloves
3/4 cup (6oz, 175ml) chicken stock
2 tbs snipped fresh chives
2 tbs snipped fresh parsley
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbs Balsamic vinegar
2 tbs olive oil - the good stuff
1 tsp whole grain  mustard
1 1/4 cups bite-size pasta

Cook pasta according to package instructions. When done, drain, and toss with 1 tbs of the good olive oil.
Peel garlic but leave whole. Heat 2 tsp oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add turkey and garlic and sauté6 - 7 minutes, turning turkey once.  Remove turkey, leaving garlic in the skillet. Garlic should be lightly browned. Add chicken stock to skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until garlic is very tender and there is 2 - 3 tbs of stock left in skillet, about 15 minutes.
Snip herbs and add to pasta. Slice turkey into strips and add to pasta. When the garlic is done add it to the pasta.
Pour remaining stock into a small bowl. Add vinegar, mustard and remaining 1 tbs olive oil and whisk well to combine. Pour over pasta, stir to combine and serve.

This is my submission to this week's Presto Pasta Nights, founded by Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast and hosted this week by Daphne, of More than Words. 

Visit Daphne's blog on Friday for all of the wonderful pasta dishes from here and yon.

For the curious among you: yes, I tried a clove of this garlic raw....
And it was good....

Zen and the art of lawnmower maintenance; Black Quinoa

When we lived in the Vendée we had over 100 rose bushes - only 1 planted by me and that because it was a gift.

Here we have 5 rose bushes.  I appreciate them so much more.

Each one is unique, pretty and has a scent that makes me want to bury my nose every time I walk by.

With 5 rose bushes I can pay attention.

You know the lawnmower adverts one sees, of an attractive, well-dressed person, riding smoothly around a perfectly cut green lawn, cutting it in record time with barely a crook of the finger?

It almost makes one feel guilty for mowing the lawn; it's such an easy, pleasurable task.

Not here.

The three acres I've been mowing are so full of mole hills, rabbit holes and everything in between it's like a Midwest road right after the spring thaw and before the road crews are out (full of potholes).

I hang on with all my strength and still almost get bounced right off the damn tractor.

Fortunately, I get ample breaks from the jouncing.... to do the repairing.

I wanted to make mon mari feel properly needed so I broke the tractor three times on Friday.

First, the chute thing that sprays out the cut grass gets clogged up from the brambles and thick weeds.

It always happens when I make a fresh cut in a new section.  (I divide the property up in, um, creative sections to keep my mind from permanently going dormant.)

So I have to stop, take my trusty pole and clean it out.

It doesn't always want to start back up again.

The mower part; I haven't broken the actual tractor....yet....

Friday I learned how to take the plastic covers off and play with the belts; how to take the back deflector thing off and look at things I'm clueless about to report their status to mon mari (who was supervising - you didn't think I did any of this on my own, did you?)

I'd tell you about the other, technical stuff, I learned but it would be meaningless - it is to me, anyway.

The most important thing I learned is that if it takes 12 hours to mow the lawn (it did), only 7 of them actually involved cutting green stuff, the rest of the time is fixing the mower.

The second most important thing I learned is that if I would listen to mon mari, and not try to cut the  thick brambles, I could cut that 5 hours of tinkering down to, maybe, 30 minutes.

I just have this devil in me that, when I start a task, I want to do it all, even if doing it all is neither expected or possible.

Mon mari says we're going to Round-Up the brambles.

He also says I have to quit breaking his toys.

On a different topic: I found black quinoa at the store the other day.

Naturally I had to try it.

For those of you have aren't familiar with it it comes in tan and red varieties, as well; all similar in taste and preparation.

Quinoa is very high in protein and "contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food" according to Wikipedia. It's also easy to cook and tasty - what more could we want?

1/2 cup quinoa (100gr, 3.5oz)
1 cup chicken stock (or the amount of liquid your package recommends)

Combine quinoa and stock in small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until done, about 15 minutes (or whatever your package says). Serve.

This serves 2 generously - per each serving it has app.

Calories (kcal): 170
Carbohydrages (glucides) 35gr
Fiber: 5gr

I think I like the red best - prettiest.

To the basic recipe you can add sautéed  mushrooms and/or shallots and/or fresh herbs or use it in a pilaf or stir-fry.... Use it any way you would use rice (Except risotto)

Vegetable Gardens, part 1: The Easy Plan; Radish, Fennel and Lettuce Garden Salad

Radish, Fennel and Lettuce Salad

 Vegetables gardens.

They are always such a wonderful idea.

They are always so much fun to plan.

Then....

Reality happens....  Along with the weeds, the pests, the watering and the summer holiday when the whole thing turns into an unkempt jungle.

Over the next few Sundays I will share my vast amounts of knowledge about the potager, or vegetable garden.... All from practical experience; none from actual education or training.

My first vegetable garden had to be hacked through with a machete after being neglected for a mere 4 days.

My last vegetable garden was 11 meters (36 feet) by 8 meters (26feet).

It took me a total of 3 hours per week to maintain it in pristine condition: no weeds, well-watered, no pests and an entire freezer full of food at the end of the summer.... plus 32 quarts of dill pickles.

I left it alone for 5 days at the height of summer.... You couldn't tell I'd been gone.

I'll talk about weed control, pest control, watering, general maintenance and preserving the harvest.

To start I'll talk about garden design.

"It's too late!" you say.

It may be too late for the planting, but, reassessing your current garden with these tips in mind, may make next year's garden a lot easier.

My first garden, here in France, was 50% bigger than my last (the above size), but with exactly the same amount of food produced.

I used to look at the directions on seed packets, read that the rows were supposed to be 24 inches apart and make them 18 inches apart.  Less room for weeds, less garden to maintain was my thought.

Now I make them 36 inches apart.

And I plant something else in the middle.

Example #1:  If you have 2 rows of tomatoes, spaced 24 inches apart, you have lots of room when the plants are young, but it gets pretty crowded when they are all producing tomatoes.
Space them 36 inches apart and you have lots of lovely room to pick your wonderful tomatoes.... And for those wonderful tomatoes to get lots of sun.
At the same time as you plant the tomatoes, plant an early crop, spinach, radishes or lettuce, down the middle - 18 inches from either row of tomatoes.  You'll have lots of room in early summer, and, by the time the tomato plants are big, the early crop will be done.

Example #2: Sweet corn should be planted in blocks with each row spaced 3 feet apart and the plants 12 inches apart.  That's a lot of wasted space. 
Plant trailing vines like butternut or acorn squash.  They'll find they're way in and out of the corn stalks, providing shade to keep the weeds down and the ground moist for the corn.
Or plant the corn 4 feet apart and put one or two (that's all you need, anyway) bush-type zucchini or summer squash (courgette) in the middle.

Example #3:  Plant pole beans rather than bush beans.  They're much easier to harvest, you can space the rows 3 feet apart and plant melons or cucumbers in the middle.

Example #4: If you want small gherkins for making pickles, let them climb, too,like the beans, easier to harvest.... And you can plant a row of dill down the middle.  

I should point out that my 'rows' are not the length or width of my garden.  I always have 1 or 2 paths in the garden (I'll explain why later).  I'll have three rows of white sweet corn, each row 5 feet long.  I'll have three 6 foot sections of pole beans; three 12 foot rows of tomatoes (1 slicing, 1 freezing, 1 cherry, heirloom, fun).

Smaller rows/sections give more variety, more fun and seem less overwhelming when working.

A well planned garden should have you eating well year.

 

Garden Salad: Radish, Fennel and Lettuce

2/3 cup (2.5oz, 75gr) julienned carrot,  app. 2 medium
2/3 cup, (2.5oz, 75gr sliced radishes
1 cup fennel, (3oz, 90gr, sliced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cubed (2oz, 60gr)
8oz (2580gr)  ham, cubed
red, green leaf lettuce
Yogurt Dressing

Slice, cut and cube all the ingredients.  Prepare the lettuce. Put the lettuce in a large bowl.  Add 2 tbs of dressing and toss well to coat.  Add the remaining ingredients to the salad, toss lightly and serve, additional dressing on the side.

Yogurt Dressing 
1/2 cup (4.5oz, 130gr) Greek yogurt
2 tbs ketchup
1 tbs white  balsamic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs fresh, snipped chives

Mix all ingredients well.  Will keep for 4 - 5 days.  Also good as veggie dip.

Next week: Part 2. the Weeds, control with minimum effort and no herbicides.