Sunday, January 15, 2005
Postings Wednesdays and weekends
Building Community Through Shared Memories...
"So," a friend asked me after reading last Sunday's posting, "since you're talking about "shared memories" as a working definition for "community," what's the difference between a shared experience and shared memories?" What a great question!
To me, a shared experience means people and a commonality: perhaps in the same place, perhaps at the same time, perhaps doing the same thing, perhaps even interacting. But, I think a shared memory goes a step further and includes the concept of connecting.
Beyond a purely personal sense, think about the explosion of the shuttle Challenger. What takes that from shared experience to shared memory is the ways in which we connected at the time, and how we continue to connect through memories of the event whenever it comes up. The same is true of other "cohort" experiences that cross all socioeconomic considerations, events that we as a people have lived through together - for an older generation Pearl Harbor, for baby boomers the assassination of JFK, and most recently for all of us, 911. For many, these shared memories provide a powerful sense of community.
But how about our daily lives, often rushed, filled with unending demands on our time and energy, demands that make maintaining familyships and friendships a challenge. We need to make memories, share memories, treasure memories, and of course reinforce them. But, HOW?
Making memories would seem easy, but keeping-in-touch has come increasingly to depend on email, the telephone and other, well... not-really-shared togetherness. So, first off, we need to re-commit to actually seeing people, getting together. And, that's never as easy as it sounds, is it? I cannot believe what it took a few weeks ago to "negotiate" a date for dinner with two other couples!!
So, think about it... with whom would you like to strenghten your connection, your sense of community?? Someone in the family, a group you've lost track of, a few old friends you realize you miss? Now that the "who" is firmly in mind, how about the "what?" Something as simple as a walk, a few games of cards, working together on a small project? Okay, got an idea? Good! Now... the biggie... WHEN?
Let's check in next week and see what we've both come up with. Then we can look at wonderful ways to build on this, or to use it to re-connect... Community is so very valuable and so well worth a little time and thought. Don't you think??
See you Wednesday! Mary
January 15, 2006
January 11, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Postings Wednesday and weekends
Where Do Recipes Come From...
No, no, this won't be that kind of a posting, but rather a look at recipes do get around!
Several years ago my friend Paula shared a recipe for broccoli salad, a tasty dish filled with chopped raw broccoli, onions, bacon, raisins, and sunflower seeds all in a mayo-vinegar dressing. This is a recipe I've served often since, a dish that has never failed to get rave reviews, a recipe much requested. Now Paula had gotten the recipe from another friend of hers, and I thought that person had "invented" it. Hmmmm....
Reading last Sunday's paper, I happened on an article about the chef to the first President Bush, and how/what this chef cooks for the former first family. The article made mention of Mr. Bush's well-known aversion to broccoli and Mrs. Bush's subtle attempt to slip it onto his plate via... you guessed it... a broccoli salad, one which certainly sounded about like the above. Hmmmmm
Have you ever had this happen? A recipe often comes to you handwritten, maybe on an old 3x5" card. You've never seen anything quite like it, and it's really good. Months later, you A) see it in a magazine; B.) find it featured on a tv cooking show; C.) discover it in an old cookbook; or most interesting of all, D.) get a copy in the mail from a good friend half a county away who just "knows you'd like this."
There's a website where you can keep track of the circulation of a dollar bill... wouldn't it be fun to see how a recipe makes the rounds! Of course considering today's recipes, concoctions that combine unlikely ingredients in truly unusual ways, I think it's the old standbys that are most like to be passed on.
Let me give you that recipe for broccoli salad, in case you missed it. I've included some of the modifications I make, and I do hope you'll experiment with some of the ingredients. This is NOT just a summer salad, but a great addition to the winter table too.
Broccoli Salad
Dressing - Mix and let set at least two hours
1 c mayo (I use 1/2 to 2/3 c)
1/2 c sugar (I use 1/4 c)
2 TBSP vinegar (try different kinds)
1 medium onion, chopped (try vidalia, red, etc.)
Add dressing to the following, tossing well to moisten all ingredients
2 large heads raw broccoli, chopped (great way to use stalks that you might otherwise discard)
1 c sunflower seeds
12 pieces bacon, fried crisp, well-drained, and crumbled
Now as a vegetarian, I really don't want the meat, so I mix everything except the bacon, then add that to 3/4 of the salad, using a few fake bacon pieces for the rest if I want that smoky flavor. Delicious, nutritious, and pretty inexpensive!
Mary
Postings Wednesday and weekends
Where Do Recipes Come From...
No, no, this won't be that kind of a posting, but rather a look at recipes do get around!
Several years ago my friend Paula shared a recipe for broccoli salad, a tasty dish filled with chopped raw broccoli, onions, bacon, raisins, and sunflower seeds all in a mayo-vinegar dressing. This is a recipe I've served often since, a dish that has never failed to get rave reviews, a recipe much requested. Now Paula had gotten the recipe from another friend of hers, and I thought that person had "invented" it. Hmmmm....
Reading last Sunday's paper, I happened on an article about the chef to the first President Bush, and how/what this chef cooks for the former first family. The article made mention of Mr. Bush's well-known aversion to broccoli and Mrs. Bush's subtle attempt to slip it onto his plate via... you guessed it... a broccoli salad, one which certainly sounded about like the above. Hmmmmm
Have you ever had this happen? A recipe often comes to you handwritten, maybe on an old 3x5" card. You've never seen anything quite like it, and it's really good. Months later, you A) see it in a magazine; B.) find it featured on a tv cooking show; C.) discover it in an old cookbook; or most interesting of all, D.) get a copy in the mail from a good friend half a county away who just "knows you'd like this."
There's a website where you can keep track of the circulation of a dollar bill... wouldn't it be fun to see how a recipe makes the rounds! Of course considering today's recipes, concoctions that combine unlikely ingredients in truly unusual ways, I think it's the old standbys that are most like to be passed on.
Let me give you that recipe for broccoli salad, in case you missed it. I've included some of the modifications I make, and I do hope you'll experiment with some of the ingredients. This is NOT just a summer salad, but a great addition to the winter table too.
Broccoli Salad
Dressing - Mix and let set at least two hours
1 c mayo (I use 1/2 to 2/3 c)
1/2 c sugar (I use 1/4 c)
2 TBSP vinegar (try different kinds)
1 medium onion, chopped (try vidalia, red, etc.)
Add dressing to the following, tossing well to moisten all ingredients
2 large heads raw broccoli, chopped (great way to use stalks that you might otherwise discard)
1 c sunflower seeds
12 pieces bacon, fried crisp, well-drained, and crumbled
Now as a vegetarian, I really don't want the meat, so I mix everything except the bacon, then add that to 3/4 of the salad, using a few fake bacon pieces for the rest if I want that smoky flavor. Delicious, nutritious, and pretty inexpensive!
Mary
January 8, 2006
Sunday, January 8, 2005
Postings on Wednesdays and weekends
Longing for "Community"...
Some time ago I took an American literature course during which the professor asked us to define "community." Our answers were probably similar to what you'd say... "physical area with its own government" ... people who live near each other and have similar values"... "a sense of place and people where you belong"... How would you define "community?"
It turned out that that professor's definition of community was a concept none of us had remotely considered: "Community," he said, "is shared memories." Shared memories. Yes, that fits.
A town becomes a community when it faces a common crisis nd those memories tie that town's people together forever. Or it may be a more fleeting shared experience, a small child's antics that bring a uniting glance and smile to the surrouding adults. Or it may be the myriad small memories that bond a family instead of just tieing it together.
Shared memories, in a larger sense, are also a basic thread of our communications, our efforts to build a sense of community with others. (It is no coincidence that the two words share a common root.) Isn't it shared memories, common ground, we seek when we meet someone new? We all have our own repertoire, but it usually goes something like this:
"You new around here? "
"Yes, we've just moved up from Massachusetts."
"Oh, whereabouts in Massachusetts?"
"Great Barrington, out by Worcester. It's a small town, you probably never heard of it."
"Wow, you're kidding! I had a friend in college whose roomate was from there. Did you know a family by the name of Derosiers? Lived near the high school, I think."
And so on though those six degrees of separation, those commonalities that connect us, each and all. We seek a commonality of time, of place, of background, some reference point, some shared memory so that we can connect to another, feel a sense of community.
(And in a more universal sense, Christian churches throughout the world and the ages have celebrated Communion (same root word!), and isn't that a sacremental shared memory?)
We all need to belong and we need to offer that sense of belonging to others as well. How? How can we find, and offer, that sense of community? Make meories, share memories, treasure memories, and reinforce memories, in our personal lives and in the greater world. And just how to do that?
Well, I hope you'll let me know what you think about this, and next week we'll look at some how-to's. By the way, to leave comments on this blog, just click on the comments at the bottom and write away. You do NOT have to be a blogger, you do NOT have to register, you do NOT have to leave your name, but I'd love to hear from you!
Mary
Postings on Wednesdays and weekends
Longing for "Community"...
Some time ago I took an American literature course during which the professor asked us to define "community." Our answers were probably similar to what you'd say... "physical area with its own government" ... people who live near each other and have similar values"... "a sense of place and people where you belong"... How would you define "community?"
It turned out that that professor's definition of community was a concept none of us had remotely considered: "Community," he said, "is shared memories." Shared memories. Yes, that fits.
A town becomes a community when it faces a common crisis nd those memories tie that town's people together forever. Or it may be a more fleeting shared experience, a small child's antics that bring a uniting glance and smile to the surrouding adults. Or it may be the myriad small memories that bond a family instead of just tieing it together.
Shared memories, in a larger sense, are also a basic thread of our communications, our efforts to build a sense of community with others. (It is no coincidence that the two words share a common root.) Isn't it shared memories, common ground, we seek when we meet someone new? We all have our own repertoire, but it usually goes something like this:
"You new around here? "
"Yes, we've just moved up from Massachusetts."
"Oh, whereabouts in Massachusetts?"
"Great Barrington, out by Worcester. It's a small town, you probably never heard of it."
"Wow, you're kidding! I had a friend in college whose roomate was from there. Did you know a family by the name of Derosiers? Lived near the high school, I think."
And so on though those six degrees of separation, those commonalities that connect us, each and all. We seek a commonality of time, of place, of background, some reference point, some shared memory so that we can connect to another, feel a sense of community.
(And in a more universal sense, Christian churches throughout the world and the ages have celebrated Communion (same root word!), and isn't that a sacremental shared memory?)
We all need to belong and we need to offer that sense of belonging to others as well. How? How can we find, and offer, that sense of community? Make meories, share memories, treasure memories, and reinforce memories, in our personal lives and in the greater world. And just how to do that?
Well, I hope you'll let me know what you think about this, and next week we'll look at some how-to's. By the way, to leave comments on this blog, just click on the comments at the bottom and write away. You do NOT have to be a blogger, you do NOT have to register, you do NOT have to leave your name, but I'd love to hear from you!
Mary
January 4, 2006
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
(Postings on Wednesdays and weekends)
WHAT are you buying at the grocery store??
Soooo... how are you doing on those resolutions? Did you put losing weight, eating better, or saving money on your list? I hope so, because doing each will help you do all !
You KNOW what losing weight is all about. No matter what miracle this, or gimmicky that you're considering, you KNOW what it'll take. Yup, eating less and moving more! Okay, so how about that "eating better" thing? That will add buying lean and cooking light to your eating less and moving more. AND those four things can add up to serious savings at the grocery store.
Before we get more specific, let's look at just what you are spending your grocery dollars on, and I don't mean just meat, milk and munchies. Are you buying time with pre-pared, pre-cooked foods? Are you buying convenience with mixes and ready-to-eats? Is there an emotional slant to your spending? Are you buying candy for lonely nights and ice cream for empty hours? Are you winning over your kids with the latest snack foods or wooing your husband with a thick steak? Or serving "homemade" not quite made in your own kitchen? You need to think about these things, really, really, REALLY!!
Why? Because to lose weight, eat better and save money, you need to be buying good health, balanced nutrition, and colorful, flavorful foods. No, no! You can't make drastic changes, not all at once! This is where we all seem to fall apart on the resolution keeping: we see our goal out there somewhere and try to make it one mega-leap. One change in one area. Period! A reasonable goal.
So, decide... will you cut back on meats - buying leaner (usually less expensive) cuts, cooking lighter by stewing or simmering, eating less by watching those portions, AND saving money by doing all of these things? OR, maybe you'll buy one bag of apples to substitute for one snack food you usually buy? OR, perhaps you'll get real orange juice instead of an orange "drink" or soda?
Think about it... just one change... Mary
(Postings on Wednesdays and weekends)
WHAT are you buying at the grocery store??
Soooo... how are you doing on those resolutions? Did you put losing weight, eating better, or saving money on your list? I hope so, because doing each will help you do all !
You KNOW what losing weight is all about. No matter what miracle this, or gimmicky that you're considering, you KNOW what it'll take. Yup, eating less and moving more! Okay, so how about that "eating better" thing? That will add buying lean and cooking light to your eating less and moving more. AND those four things can add up to serious savings at the grocery store.
Before we get more specific, let's look at just what you are spending your grocery dollars on, and I don't mean just meat, milk and munchies. Are you buying time with pre-pared, pre-cooked foods? Are you buying convenience with mixes and ready-to-eats? Is there an emotional slant to your spending? Are you buying candy for lonely nights and ice cream for empty hours? Are you winning over your kids with the latest snack foods or wooing your husband with a thick steak? Or serving "homemade" not quite made in your own kitchen? You need to think about these things, really, really, REALLY!!
Why? Because to lose weight, eat better and save money, you need to be buying good health, balanced nutrition, and colorful, flavorful foods. No, no! You can't make drastic changes, not all at once! This is where we all seem to fall apart on the resolution keeping: we see our goal out there somewhere and try to make it one mega-leap. One change in one area. Period! A reasonable goal.
So, decide... will you cut back on meats - buying leaner (usually less expensive) cuts, cooking lighter by stewing or simmering, eating less by watching those portions, AND saving money by doing all of these things? OR, maybe you'll buy one bag of apples to substitute for one snack food you usually buy? OR, perhaps you'll get real orange juice instead of an orange "drink" or soda?
Think about it... just one change... Mary
January 1, 2006
Thank you
for ordering The Frugal Family Kitchen Book by Mary Webber.
Check back to the Blog for new information or to leave comments or ask questions.
Thanks again!
Mary Webber
Check back to the Blog for new information or to leave comments or ask questions.
Thanks again!
Mary Webber
December 31, 2005
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Why Go Through Life Waiting For "Someday"
A few years ago a furniture store near us ran an ad campaign, the slogan for which was, "Why go through life waiting for "someday?" Well, I didn't dash right out and buy a whole houseful of new furniture that I may want "someday," but that phrase really did stick in my mind. Good question there! Why go through life waiting for "someday?"
All of us have some hidden fears we're going to conquer... someday. Or some whimsical wish we're going to make come true. Or some derry-doing Walter Mitty-ish deed we're going to accomplish... someday.
And yes, we all have many practical, prosaic tasks to get to someday too. Poring through the
family photos and labeling them! Rebuilding the old stone wall out back. Sorting those boxes of stuff you've saved since the kids were little,or the boxes of Auntie Alice's stuff you haven't touched since she died.
But, some "somedays" are intrinsically more important than others because they touch the life of another. And because they often are the very things for which there comes a time when "someday" is no longer possible.
"One of these days, I want to stop in at the nursing home and just say 'hello' to Kate."
"I'd really like to take a day off sometime and just take the boys on a long, leisurely hike.
"I know it's wrong to be feuding with family and someday I really do hope we can straighten this out.
"Honey, someday, we'll have a weekend to ourselves. No kids. No phones. No hassles. Just us."
But in too many instances, saying "someday" to yourself is a good way to feel virtuous because you really do plan to get to it, but for now, you may bury a nettlesome "should do" in the bottom drawer!
So what is it we need to keep in mind when we're trying to decide if "someday" might not just be this day. Simply put, while perspective is certainly looking back and knowing that "this, too, shall pass," perspective is much more importantly the long look ahead with an open heart toward those attitudes and actions with enduring value.
But then we can be so easily overwhelmed by very neediness of this world: our family, our friends, our community and of course, the wider world. What can we, ourselves, personally, do about war and poverty and hunger, the countless tragedies, natural and of man's own making? It's easy to despair and wonder just what one person can do. How can any two hands hold back the surge of a tsunami? Can anything, any little thing I'm able to do actually make a difference?
So, I ask you: What can possibly be is sadder than the person who does nothing because they can only do a little. As Mother Teresa said, "There are no great deeds, only small deeds done with great love."
So, as we look to a new year, I'm not making resolutions about losing weight, saving more money, organizing the family photos, rebuilding the stone wall out back or sorting through the kids' stuff. Nope, I'm going to make this a year of "somedays," by not by any heroics, but through small, very small, intentions, attentions and actions that will matter ten years from now!
I will not be too busy to visit with a friend, play a game with a child, or share my garden's bounty of flowers and veggies with someone who'd enjoy them. Every single day this coming year offers opportunites for small kindnesses, those small deeds done with great love. I hope I can meet the challenge of those opportunities...
My very best wishes for your new year. Mary
Why Go Through Life Waiting For "Someday"
A few years ago a furniture store near us ran an ad campaign, the slogan for which was, "Why go through life waiting for "someday?" Well, I didn't dash right out and buy a whole houseful of new furniture that I may want "someday," but that phrase really did stick in my mind. Good question there! Why go through life waiting for "someday?"
All of us have some hidden fears we're going to conquer... someday. Or some whimsical wish we're going to make come true. Or some derry-doing Walter Mitty-ish deed we're going to accomplish... someday.
And yes, we all have many practical, prosaic tasks to get to someday too. Poring through the
family photos and labeling them! Rebuilding the old stone wall out back. Sorting those boxes of stuff you've saved since the kids were little,or the boxes of Auntie Alice's stuff you haven't touched since she died.
But, some "somedays" are intrinsically more important than others because they touch the life of another. And because they often are the very things for which there comes a time when "someday" is no longer possible.
"One of these days, I want to stop in at the nursing home and just say 'hello' to Kate."
"I'd really like to take a day off sometime and just take the boys on a long, leisurely hike.
"I know it's wrong to be feuding with family and someday I really do hope we can straighten this out.
"Honey, someday, we'll have a weekend to ourselves. No kids. No phones. No hassles. Just us."
But in too many instances, saying "someday" to yourself is a good way to feel virtuous because you really do plan to get to it, but for now, you may bury a nettlesome "should do" in the bottom drawer!
So what is it we need to keep in mind when we're trying to decide if "someday" might not just be this day. Simply put, while perspective is certainly looking back and knowing that "this, too, shall pass," perspective is much more importantly the long look ahead with an open heart toward those attitudes and actions with enduring value.
But then we can be so easily overwhelmed by very neediness of this world: our family, our friends, our community and of course, the wider world. What can we, ourselves, personally, do about war and poverty and hunger, the countless tragedies, natural and of man's own making? It's easy to despair and wonder just what one person can do. How can any two hands hold back the surge of a tsunami? Can anything, any little thing I'm able to do actually make a difference?
So, I ask you: What can possibly be is sadder than the person who does nothing because they can only do a little. As Mother Teresa said, "There are no great deeds, only small deeds done with great love."
So, as we look to a new year, I'm not making resolutions about losing weight, saving more money, organizing the family photos, rebuilding the stone wall out back or sorting through the kids' stuff. Nope, I'm going to make this a year of "somedays," by not by any heroics, but through small, very small, intentions, attentions and actions that will matter ten years from now!
I will not be too busy to visit with a friend, play a game with a child, or share my garden's bounty of flowers and veggies with someone who'd enjoy them. Every single day this coming year offers opportunites for small kindnesses, those small deeds done with great love. I hope I can meet the challenge of those opportunities...
My very best wishes for your new year. Mary
December 22, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Nuts! Last, Last, Very Last Minute Goodies...
Yes, yes, it really is the 22nd and Christmas is only a very few days away, as is the beginning of Hanukkah (the 25th) , and Kwanzaa (the 26th). And there are still a few people you want to remember. Oh, maybe not with a big store-bought gift, but with... something. This is when we head for the kitchen as people must eat, and most generally folks appreciate something homemade.
Nuts have gained new cachet as a health food over the past few years, they're very quick and easy to fancy up, and of course, eating them is often addictive!
Let's start with the nuts themselves. Most commonly available, and used in confections and mixed nut treats, are peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds and cashews. You'll find them throughout the grocery store... peanuts with the snacks, walnuts, pecans and almonds with the baking supplies, and cashews in the produce department. I'v found that the bags of (shelled) nuts in the produce department tend to be more expensive per pound than the ones in the baking aisle; but even more important I think, those in produce tend to be pretty heavily salted, the others not at all.
You can take any nuts and make clusters by just mixing them with melted chocolate (white,milk or dark) , butterscotch or mocha chips, and dropping by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets to set. That's about as simple as it gets!
But the nut mixes are fun too, and if you're headed to a party, they make a wonderful take-along. The mixes seem to fall into two categories, sweet or snappy. I'll give you a recipe for each with a note at the end about the endless varieties you can try. As usual, these recipes don't require a candy thermometer as many glazed nut recipes do.
Sugar and Spice Nuts
1 large egg white
3 c nuts
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
Whip egg white lightly, add remaining ingredients except nuts, then stir in nuts, mixing well to coat evenly. Bake at 300 for about 30 minutes stirring two or three times. Cool, separate into pieces and air dry throughly to crisp coating.
Mexican Spicy Nuts
1 large egg white
4 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp salt, kosher if you have it
2 cups nuts
Whip egg white lightly, add sugar, spices and salt, then stir in nuts mixing well to coat evenly. Bake at 250 for about 45 minutes, stirring two or three times. Cool, break into pieces, and air dry throughly to crisp coating. Especially good made with cashews.
I have many other recipes for coated nuts such as teriyaki almonds, curried cashews, and minted walnuts. You can take any kind of nuts, use the one egg white, then experiment with seasonings as you wish. Very yummy!
And now... my kitchen callls... Mary
Nuts! Last, Last, Very Last Minute Goodies...
Yes, yes, it really is the 22nd and Christmas is only a very few days away, as is the beginning of Hanukkah (the 25th) , and Kwanzaa (the 26th). And there are still a few people you want to remember. Oh, maybe not with a big store-bought gift, but with... something. This is when we head for the kitchen as people must eat, and most generally folks appreciate something homemade.
Nuts have gained new cachet as a health food over the past few years, they're very quick and easy to fancy up, and of course, eating them is often addictive!
Let's start with the nuts themselves. Most commonly available, and used in confections and mixed nut treats, are peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds and cashews. You'll find them throughout the grocery store... peanuts with the snacks, walnuts, pecans and almonds with the baking supplies, and cashews in the produce department. I'v found that the bags of (shelled) nuts in the produce department tend to be more expensive per pound than the ones in the baking aisle; but even more important I think, those in produce tend to be pretty heavily salted, the others not at all.
You can take any nuts and make clusters by just mixing them with melted chocolate (white,milk or dark) , butterscotch or mocha chips, and dropping by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets to set. That's about as simple as it gets!
But the nut mixes are fun too, and if you're headed to a party, they make a wonderful take-along. The mixes seem to fall into two categories, sweet or snappy. I'll give you a recipe for each with a note at the end about the endless varieties you can try. As usual, these recipes don't require a candy thermometer as many glazed nut recipes do.
Sugar and Spice Nuts
1 large egg white
3 c nuts
1 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cloves
Whip egg white lightly, add remaining ingredients except nuts, then stir in nuts, mixing well to coat evenly. Bake at 300 for about 30 minutes stirring two or three times. Cool, separate into pieces and air dry throughly to crisp coating.
Mexican Spicy Nuts
1 large egg white
4 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tsp salt, kosher if you have it
2 cups nuts
Whip egg white lightly, add sugar, spices and salt, then stir in nuts mixing well to coat evenly. Bake at 250 for about 45 minutes, stirring two or three times. Cool, break into pieces, and air dry throughly to crisp coating. Especially good made with cashews.
I have many other recipes for coated nuts such as teriyaki almonds, curried cashews, and minted walnuts. You can take any kind of nuts, use the one egg white, then experiment with seasonings as you wish. Very yummy!
And now... my kitchen callls... Mary
December 20, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Red-Tailed Hawks and Homemade Fudge...
I was driving out from Portland yesterday, and watching as usual for red-tailed hawks sunning themselves in the trees along the way. On this stretch of road there's an estuary, prime hunting ground for the red-tailed, the rough-legged, and the marsh hawks that live nearby.
Checking the trees on the sunny side of the road, especially in the late-morning and mid-day warmth, it's easy to spot the buff-colored chests of the red-tails basking on a high branch. One day last week, I counted five hawks, a rare treat, and I wondered, as usual, how many people just zoom past and never notice them.
The following peanut butter fudge recipe will look strange at first glance, with flour as one of the ingredients. This is a foolproof recipe, yielding a big batch of richly flavored, smoothly textured candy. It is kid-doing easy, with supervision of course, and the light-colored pieces make a wonderful checkerboard pattern in a box with your usual chocolate fudge. If you're feeling downright extravagant, add a white fudge with cherries and almonds.
Peanut Butter Fudge
4 cups white sugar
2 sticks butter/margarine
1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (I use extra chunky)
1/2 large jar marshmallow
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
Mix the sugar, butter and milk and boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pb and marshmallow, then stir in the vanilla and flour. Pour into a 9" x 13" pan and let set.
The next time we get together let's look at nut mixes since nuts are enjoying new popularity as a health food. And don't you just love all the research on the health benefits of dark chocolate!
Mary
Red-Tailed Hawks and Homemade Fudge...
I was driving out from Portland yesterday, and watching as usual for red-tailed hawks sunning themselves in the trees along the way. On this stretch of road there's an estuary, prime hunting ground for the red-tailed, the rough-legged, and the marsh hawks that live nearby.
Checking the trees on the sunny side of the road, especially in the late-morning and mid-day warmth, it's easy to spot the buff-colored chests of the red-tails basking on a high branch. One day last week, I counted five hawks, a rare treat, and I wondered, as usual, how many people just zoom past and never notice them.
******
And now, on to homemade fudge. Those last minute gifts from your kitchen may well include some fudge, a perennial favorite. Fudge has an interesting history, something we'll look at another day, but I'm sure most of us have tasted that grainy, spoon-soft, first attempt at fudge-making. For me, it's the candy-thermometer thing! So, of course, I only make fudge recipes that don't require a thermometer, such as cream cheese fudge.The following peanut butter fudge recipe will look strange at first glance, with flour as one of the ingredients. This is a foolproof recipe, yielding a big batch of richly flavored, smoothly textured candy. It is kid-doing easy, with supervision of course, and the light-colored pieces make a wonderful checkerboard pattern in a box with your usual chocolate fudge. If you're feeling downright extravagant, add a white fudge with cherries and almonds.
Peanut Butter Fudge
4 cups white sugar
2 sticks butter/margarine
1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter (I use extra chunky)
1/2 large jar marshmallow
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
Mix the sugar, butter and milk and boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pb and marshmallow, then stir in the vanilla and flour. Pour into a 9" x 13" pan and let set.
The next time we get together let's look at nut mixes since nuts are enjoying new popularity as a health food. And don't you just love all the research on the health benefits of dark chocolate!
Mary
December 17, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Ahhh, Those Ice-Encrusted Winterberries...
How they are sparkling this morning! We ended up with that wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, plain rain and general YUK yesterday. Lost power for three hours around suppertime, and again sometime during the night. But, this morning, it's just glorious out there! Especially beautiful are the clumps of vibrant red winterberrries, just glistening, so, so beautiful!
Lots of errands to run today as tomorrow looks like the first ice-fishing outing of this season. Although the ice is definitely only spotty-safe in places, we know it's plenty thick where we often fish, in the Belgrade Lakes area. Now to find some bait...
On Monday, we'll look at several more money-saving, gifts-from-your kitchen ideas. It's hard because we know America's overweight, we know that just about everyone says they're trying to lose weight, and yet we still give - and get - so many tempting treats at this time of year. And we do NOT resist them, do we? Now don't laugh, but one of my holiday favorites is the dreaded fruitcake... I've seldom met one I didn't like!
Have a wonderful weekend. Mary
Ahhh, Those Ice-Encrusted Winterberries...
How they are sparkling this morning! We ended up with that wintry mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, plain rain and general YUK yesterday. Lost power for three hours around suppertime, and again sometime during the night. But, this morning, it's just glorious out there! Especially beautiful are the clumps of vibrant red winterberrries, just glistening, so, so beautiful!
Lots of errands to run today as tomorrow looks like the first ice-fishing outing of this season. Although the ice is definitely only spotty-safe in places, we know it's plenty thick where we often fish, in the Belgrade Lakes area. Now to find some bait...
On Monday, we'll look at several more money-saving, gifts-from-your kitchen ideas. It's hard because we know America's overweight, we know that just about everyone says they're trying to lose weight, and yet we still give - and get - so many tempting treats at this time of year. And we do NOT resist them, do we? Now don't laugh, but one of my holiday favorites is the dreaded fruitcake... I've seldom met one I didn't like!
Have a wonderful weekend. Mary
December 16, 2005
Friday, December 16, 2005
A Soup and Snow Day!
The predicted storm has arrived, and with the snow driving out of the northeast, this storm just may live up to its advance billing. It's definitely a day to stay inside, which for me means cooking and baking.
When my kids were growing up, I loved snow days. All the kids in the neighborhood ended up at our house where, fortified with fried dough, popcorn, and hot chocolate, we played board and card games until the weather settled enough for sleds and snowballs. One thing we always did that still somewhat puzzles me - we always had spelling bees (of all things!), and they were always hilarious.
Later on, after I became a middle school teacher, I loved snow days. Bert and I had this deal... If I had a no-school day, he'd bring me home coffee and a chocolate croissant from the coffee shop where he meets his buds every morning. As a teacher, snow days were soooo treasured... serendipitous!
Now I work as a residential real estate appraiser, our office just steps from the back door. AND, I still love snow days! I may snuggle down and read of course, but I'll also cook. Earlier this morning I set a crockpot of vegetable soup to simmer. Starting with a quart of tomatoes, I added a small amount of leftover cooked wild rice, leftover cooked carrots, chopped, a can of black beans, some spinach and some three-cheese tortellini I'd been wanting to use up. Lots of oregano and basil, too. I'll add 3-P Dumplings later, little mounds of soft dough flavored with parmesan, parsley, and paprika, all added to my regular dumpling recipe. Colorful and delicious!
I think I'll go brew a fresh pot of tea and finish decorating the tree. I hope that you, too, have a cozy and peaceful day! Mary
A Soup and Snow Day!
The predicted storm has arrived, and with the snow driving out of the northeast, this storm just may live up to its advance billing. It's definitely a day to stay inside, which for me means cooking and baking.
When my kids were growing up, I loved snow days. All the kids in the neighborhood ended up at our house where, fortified with fried dough, popcorn, and hot chocolate, we played board and card games until the weather settled enough for sleds and snowballs. One thing we always did that still somewhat puzzles me - we always had spelling bees (of all things!), and they were always hilarious.
Later on, after I became a middle school teacher, I loved snow days. Bert and I had this deal... If I had a no-school day, he'd bring me home coffee and a chocolate croissant from the coffee shop where he meets his buds every morning. As a teacher, snow days were soooo treasured... serendipitous!
Now I work as a residential real estate appraiser, our office just steps from the back door. AND, I still love snow days! I may snuggle down and read of course, but I'll also cook. Earlier this morning I set a crockpot of vegetable soup to simmer. Starting with a quart of tomatoes, I added a small amount of leftover cooked wild rice, leftover cooked carrots, chopped, a can of black beans, some spinach and some three-cheese tortellini I'd been wanting to use up. Lots of oregano and basil, too. I'll add 3-P Dumplings later, little mounds of soft dough flavored with parmesan, parsley, and paprika, all added to my regular dumpling recipe. Colorful and delicious!
I think I'll go brew a fresh pot of tea and finish decorating the tree. I hope that you, too, have a cozy and peaceful day! Mary
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