Heading East

Tomorrow night (on the red-eye flyer) two friends and I are heading out on an adventure to the East Coast for 3 weeks. I have created a blog for the 3 of us to share while on our trip. If you care to follow our journey, we will be posting photos and who knows what else from our adventures to this site:

http://gardenpeeps.blogspot.com/

Bon Voyáge!

Cooking Terms

This summer my daughter-in-law Bethany L, taught me a new method to chop basil.

First, you stack several leaves together.....

.....then roll them up.....

.....cut the roll into thin slices.....

.....and you have thin strips of fresh basil ready to go!

So fast and easy! She told me that it is called Chiffonading!

chiffonade [shihf-uh-NAHD, shihf-uh-NAYD]

Literally translated, this French phrase means "made of rags." Culinarily, it refers to thin strips or shreds of vegetables (classically, sorrel and lettuce), either lightly sautéed or used raw to garnish soups.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst

Ratatouille!

Ratatouille

Since I saw the movie Ratatouille, I have been curious as to just what Ratatouille is. It never dawned on me that I could possibly make it for myself, until my cook friend mentioned she was going to make Ratatouille from several summer squashes I gave her from my garden. I thought, "Well, why couldn't I?" Now, I know that the recipe I used from the Internet is most likely nothing like the one she will make it from. In keeping with the way French cook, I suspect all of the vegetables in her recipe are sliced ultra-thin, and the dish is layered, making a much more attractive end product. My recipe simply had me chop everything (though I did slice the zucchini anyway). I think it looks pretty unsavory; however, it tasted really good! So want to know what Ratatouille is? Eggplant, zucchini, onion, lots and lots of garlic, tomatoes, peppers and herbs & spices. Pretty much a bunch of vegetables cooked together. I liked it :-)

A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat. ~Old New York Proverb

All God's Creatures

Sometimes you just gotta love those little spiders!

French Cuisine !

We have now experienced the ultimate of French dining! My wonderful and generous friend (and gourmet chef) spent 12 hours preparing a virtual French feast for us yesterday. We were joined by another couple whose company was delightful! I honestly have never eaten true French food, and had been eagerly anticipating this evening. We were not permitted to ask how the dishes were created, but instructed to "just enjoy". So what were we served? Let us begin with the appetizers:

Zucchini Rolatini with Mozzarella

(Buffalo Mozzarella, that is!)

This delectable hor d'oeuvre was dainty and pretty as well!

Tomato Pesto Crostini

Absolutely wonderful! The pesto was full-bodied and rich; the french goat cheese has a tangyness to it; the crostini with a crunch and, of course, what can beat fresh basil to top it off with?

Fall Apple Aspic

A pleasant surprise!!! After seeing the unappetizing, failed bullion aspic in Julia and Julie, I was a bit skeptical about aspics, but this! This was delightful! With thinly sliced, fresh-from-the-orchard crisp apples.......... what a treat!

Such a heavenly way to commence the meal!

Whiskey Sour

Whiskey mixed with lemonade and 7-Up, this was a first for me! This apéritif was quite enjoyable, I must say so myself :-)

We then proceeded into the Dining Room...........

.....where there was candlelight......


.....and a beautiful freshly-picked bouquet from the gardens!

Butter Green Harvest Salad

with Roquefort Cheese & Pear & Walnuts

For a starter, we were served this ambrosial salad that teased all of the taste buds at once! Very flavorful!

By now, we were beginning to feel somewhat satiated! But the best was yet to come! The main entrées! My, oh my! Were we in for a culinary amazement!

Clockwise from top left:

Savory Cheese Cake

Pacific Northwest King Crab

Carrot Terrine

Surf and Turf Beef with Medeira Sauce

Enough for four dinners!!! Each and every one of these exquisite dishes were incredible! If only you could have been there to taste! Imagine a non-dessert cheese cake that is rich yet airy, surrounded by some sort of a crumb layer! Or moist crab mixed with a delectable assortment of ingredients! How about thinly sliced carrots layered with spinach and a soft, smooth delicious sauce! Then there is my most favorite of them all....... wrap those taste buds around tender, tender filet mignon, wrapped in an exquisite pastry, with a marvelous surprise inside .....something called duxelle..... a burst of delight on the palate!

Please take note of the hearts the chef topped the pastry with, in honor of our anniversary! How thoughtful is that?!?!

Finally, the presentation of the desserts!

Nectarine Tart

Look at the deep, luscious color of those sweet nectarines!

And the pastry? Astoundingly soft and flaky! The 'melt in your mouth' sort! I wish I could have a big platter of it to just snitch from the entire day long.........

There was a learning curve for this new kind of whipped cream contraption! You pour the cream into the container, then when you press the handle, it automatically whips it for you and tops your dessert with a decorative dollop! If you look closely here, you will see that the position of the upside down bottle is critical to where the whipped cream finds its resting place. The first try found it splattered all over the wine bottles instead of the tart! A bit of humor to the night :-)

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

Okay. Yes! This is my over-the-top favorite of everything! I LOVE chocolate mousse! No, I'd die for chocolate mousse! And THIS chocolate mousse... best-ever that I have had!!! Strikingly light and smooth! A solace to my soul! No words can fully describe..... YUM!!!!!

Thank you, dear friend, for all of your intense labor and time that went into creating this spectacular French meal for our total enjoyment! A night to remember!

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti

My friend says I am a "Foodie". Websters Dictionary gives the definition as "a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads". Hmmmm.........

Fair Days

Even though our smallish town hosts the State Fair, it has been many years since my husband and I have frequented it. This year we are looking at purchasing a pellet stove to replace our wood stove, so we decided to check out the sales display at the fair. So Tuesday Darrell took off of work early and we went to once again experience the sense of nostalgia that only a fair can bring.......

I think the produce displays are the prettiest all. If anything puts a longing in my guts, it is this. I would have thrived living on a farm...........

Then there is Charlotte's Web, Wilbur. Piglets are one of the cutest things alive! I want another one.............

Although goats are fun and playful, I do remember their orneriness too well to wish for another one too soon.


Ambitious kids put a ton of work into their 4-H animal projects, and it is awesome to see the culmination and rewards of their efforts in the animal barns.

Can you believe this chicken?!?!

The old farmers in town bring in their well-loved tractors!

Harvest Displays

Uh oh......... I feel another hobby coming on........

Actually, I am considering having a hive or two next year, just so I can be stung in a more controlled manner! The several stings I received on my hand 2 weeks ago while working in the yard gave me a startling discovery! The pain of arthritis in that hand was almost non-existent for 2-3 days afterward! No swelling, no pain. It was wonderful. I shared that with Chereé on our hike to Lake Serene last week, and she says that it is well known that bee stings can help with arthritis! She keeps 2 hives, so maybe I can have her teach me the how-to's and get me going on my own next year?

At the Evergreen State Fair we have chainsaw wood carvers on site. It is fascinating to watch them at work! Here is one of the more complicated art pieces I have seen. Pretty cool, no?

Ahhh! Yes, the fair food. No pictures can create what the nose can smell! What a feast to the olfactory nerves! This is what the fair is all about! Can't you just smell the hot curly fries, the giant grilled onion burgers, the scones?

Bratwurst for Darrell........ (Blech!)

Gyro for me!

This one's for Scott....... ENJOY!!!

And oh, yes! The shoot a hoop, ring a bottle, pop a gun stuff! Giant stuffed animals and other silly prizes to be won!

I have always wondered how fairgoers cart around their winnings for the rest of their fair stay. The prizes are so HUGE!

Can you hear the shouts and screams in this section of the fair? Feel the wind rushing by your ears as your stomach does a little flip-fop?

.......and visualize the brights colors and sharp sounds?

What is YOUR favorite fair memory?

The Fair is a Living Thing
~By Leslie Ball

Just past six a.m.
Light starting to leak into the sky.
They predict rain.
We don't care.
Today is day one of our beloved State Fair.
People already streaming onto the grounds.
Three teenage boys cross in front of us, each wearing a feed cap, Each leading a newly shorn lamb.
We hike past the old Machinery Hill
To our favorite breakfast counter
We talk about what we need to do first.
Cattle Barn, space tower, or spin art?
We talk about why we love the fair. The fair is a living thing.
For these few days, we stop being isolated from each other.
We stop being frantic little gerbils in our own daily wheels.
Car. Cubicle. Car. Computer.
The fair is a living thing,
Feet of flesh, hooves, claws, fins, feathers, Bristles and fur, tap dancers and fiddlers, Hank Williams and Joey Ramone.
The fair is a living thing
That breaths and crows and squeals,
Waiting all year long for us to return,
Waiting to take us in,
To feed our bellies and our souls,
To welcome us home.

Taken from:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/08/28/fairpoem1/

Bounty

I am frantically trying to harvest and put up the garden before I run away to the East Coast for 3 weeks. Weather-Wise, it was a magnificent summer, and in turn the garden is producing beautiful vegetables!


You need to be from the Pacific Northwest to fully appreciate these tomato pictures. I cannot even remember the last time I actually harvested a red big tomato! But this is the year! Doesn't take much to make a gardener happy up here........ just give her a few red tomatoes!

I have, though, managed to eek out a few cherry tomatoes over the summers, but this year they are coming like bees to honey! These are Sweet Millions.

A Bowl Full of Cherries!

My friend, Erika, shared this really simple meal with me many summers ago. Mix a bit of olive oil, a goodly amount of minced fresh garlic, a bunch of cherry tomatoes cut into halves or quarters, a ton of fresh basil and a tad of sugar. Cook up some angel hair pasta, and scoop the tomato mixture on top. Generously sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and you have one tantalizingly delicious supper! We have eaten this for the last 3 nights now. It is that good! Plus we have tons of tomatoes to use up :-)

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato. ~ Lewis Grizzard