304: Weird, Wacky, and Fun

One of the things that’s nice about being away, is that it gives you a new view of where you are.
After being delighted in a Dublin bookstore over the “before the movie there was a book” sign, I happened upon this sign in our local Borders.
weirdwackyfunbookstore5

Posted in Musings | Leave a comment

305: Sunrise through the Clouds

Well, dang. The sun was just here.
I’m blaming Farmerteen, who woke up on the wrong side of the bed (apparently the side that’s against the WALL), and whose Gloomy Gus, pouty puss went outside, and chased the sun away.
Thanks a lot, Farmerteen.
This is what it looked like before she left:
sunrisethroughclouds
Farmerteen blames me, for waking her up a full four minutes before her alarm was going to go off. She says she’d otherwise have a perfectly lovely attitude.
She’s a teenager.
You be the judge.
Farmerteen says she never says “perfectly” or “lovely” when it comes to attitude.
So again, you be the judge.
Here’s another picture of the pre-grumpy-teen sun:
sunrisethroughclouds2

Posted in Musings | Leave a comment

306: Root Soup

I don’t remember exactly what went into this soup.
I think it was onion, turnip, rutabaga, carrot, and celery.
rootvegetablesoupsalsa
There’s probably kale that I added in after I blenderized the root vegetables.
The original recipe suggested adding salsa on top before serving.
We also tried it with Furikake, which really enlivened it:
rootsoupfurikake

Posted in Food | Leave a comment

307: Casulties of the Snow

We (not personally, the region) lost a lot of buildings this winter during the snows that fell from December right into January.
snowcasualty
This is our neighbor’s barn, which was NOT one we expected to fall.
There were a surprising number of peaked roof buildings we lost this year.

Posted in Musings | Leave a comment

308: Opa’s Birthday Dinner

My dad never wants anything for his birthday (or Christmas, or anniversary . . .). He’s also no good at saving up what he wants as a list, and then requesting that. So I decided to cook a dinner he really likes for his birthday.
It started with Netherlands Baked Kale, an adapted recipe from Burt Greene’s Greene on Greens.
opabirthdaybakedkale
One of my adaptations has been the addition of a little bacon or bit and ends. I forgot to stir them into this one, so I sprinkled them on top after I pulled it from the oven.
opabirthdayeuphemisticsauce
This is the euphemistic sauce. It involves a stick of butter, a bunch of chopped shallots, some tarragon, and then is finished with tarragon vinegar. You know, pretty much anything that involves a stick of butter and onions/garlic/shallots is going to be quite good.
opabirthdayapplepie
I also made him an apple pie. I confess I cheated and used Pillsbury crusts (they’re in the fridge section). I macerated the apples with lemon and sugar, drained them, and boiled down the juices before I popped it in the oven. It turned out really well.
opabirthday

Posted in Food | Leave a comment

309: Clubhouse

This little house in in the woods off Bigelow Gulch between Theirman and Florida.
clubhouse
You can’t see from this shot, but it’s two or three stories tall.
clubhouse2
It’s got a lot of windows, and is like a Mad Hatter cottage.
When Farmerteen and I build a clubhouse, this is going to be our template.

Posted in Musings | Leave a comment

310: Withdraw symptoms

As per the six week Fuhrman diet, I have stopped drinking coffee, and am now suffering the effects of withdraw. I think part of my headache is due to the vicious head cold that Michael seems intent on giving us (but we’re battling, valiantly), but I’m pretty sure part of it is due to caffeine withdraw.

Poor Michael . . . his respiratory gunk may be working on becoming pneumonia . . . poor fellow.

I am going to go nurse my headache with seltzer water and a nap.

Posted in Rants | Leave a comment

311: Saving the personal letter

I haven’t got a personal letter in ages.
To be fair, I haven’t sent one, either.

I’ve decided to leave Facebook, and to write an actual, paper, snail mail letter to anyone who sends me their addy.

A few summers ago, a friend of mine was in a residential treatment program, far from home. We corresponded via the USPS, since they did not have internet access during the (about 6 weeks) program. Because everything else in her life was so serious (they confiscated the copy of 1984 I sent her when she mentioned it in a letter — worried that she might think the televisions were watching her — she didn’t, we were office mates in graduate school for LITERATURE), I tried to keep mine light. I must have met that goal, as she told me later that my letters were a hit with the entire cadre of women in the program, to whom she read them aloud.

I think I talked about our adventures of entering life on the mountain (from suburbia), getting our first dog, getting goats and alpacas and having a dozen cats . . . I don’t remember exactly. But I do rather miss letters.

Anyway, no promises of what you’ll get, but send me your addy, and I’ll write you.

Posted in Musings | 1 Comment

312: Botticelli’s Spaghetti Ice

Botticelli’s is a little icecream place down in Temple Bar, in Dublin.
icecreamshop
It was a chilly night out, and Michael was already cold (probably the beginning of the nasty chest cold he’s now hacking up), so he ordered chocolate cake.
chocolatecake
Chocolate cake is a tease . . . they’re all beautiful, but only some deliver.
Farmerteen noticed the menu while I was staring at the case of flavours.
icecream
“What’s spaghetti icecream?” she asked.
“What?!? Oh! We have to get that!” I haven’t had spaghetti ice since I was last in Germany. I didn’t even know anyone else did it.
spaghettiice
It’s not cold spaghetti. It’s gelato that’s been passed through a press, and has a raspberry sauce, and white chocolate shavings. We used to get it for the “new kids” when we were in Germany, ordered, in German, “ohne sahne” (no whipped cream), and then giggle as they tentatively tried it. The Germans use a hazelnut gelato for theirs. This one had two gelatos, a vanilla, and what Farmerteen identified as “cakey dough”, but what was labeled “flor-something-or-another.” It did taste like cakey dough.
spaghettiice21

Posted in Food | 2 Comments

313: Piperade

We watched a bit of television when we were in Ireland. It’s interesting to see what kinds of things entertain audiences in other parts of the globe. While I was showering one morning, Farmergirl watched a morning show that was a series of really random things, including a game show where the players don’t realize they’re on the game show. The one fellow who did know, was riding a bus, and singing “The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round” and the object was to get others to join him in the song. Another game featured children wearing helmets and cardboard racing cars around their middles, who ran from room to room in a race, while a platoon of adults hurled custard at them. The whole set was quickly a slippery yellow mess. The whole show was full of vignettes like this.

Anyway, a more cogent show, later in the evening, was on the RTE, called Trish’s Paris Kitchen. Trish moved from Belfast to Paris 20 years ago, and fell love with French cuisine. She’s since written nine cookery books on the topic, and has the show. On this particular episode, she made, amongst other things, Piperade, which, at four this morning, when I couldn’t sleep any more, I made for an early breakfast.

Piperade

Piperade


Jen’s version of Piperade:

4 Red peppers, sliced thin
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tin of whole tomatoes 28 oz.
2 dried chili peppers

Saute the red peppers and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, their juice, and the chilis. Coarsely chop the tomatoes with the end of your wooden spoon, in the pan. Bring to a boil. Drop to a simmer, and cook about 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve with scrambled eggs.

Piperade.  Michael thinks it could use some dark leafy greens on the side.

Piperade. Michael thinks it could use some dark leafy greens on the side.

He might be right . . . but then it’ll look like an African flag on the dish.

Posted in Food | Leave a comment