Pesto Yes or No ?

Pine nuts, garlic, freshly grated Parmesan, olive oil and a couple of cups of basil leaves whirled in the food processor. To me it tasted like summer.

The Harvie farm box arrived on the front porch today. When I unpacked it, it was the fragrant basil that motivated me to think of pesto.

Pesto- yes or no?

Pesto tossed on spaghetti.
Bottom right corner. Fresh basil

Danish Dough Whisk Put to Use

Early in the Pandemic my friend Debbie shipped scone mix and an unusual kitchen tool. A “brodpisker”in Danish or a Dough Whisk.

Here’s an Epicurious article all about this wonderful tool.

(Of course, you don’t want to overwork you’re scone dough!)

Thanks, Deb.

Those are bits of dried raspberries
Breakfast on the front porch with sock knitting on the side.

Cranberries Cooked Sauce or Raw Relish?

This post is from Nov 2011

I’m getting the ingredients tomorrow

Do you like cooked fresh cranberry sauce or raw relish? Or neither? Or both? Or the slices of  Cranberry Jelly from a can?

Here’s the 2011 post

ONCE A YEAR RECIPE/RITUAL

The annual making of the cranberry-orange relish. I don’t make this any other time of year.I’ve heard lots of different renditions of cranberries and everyone has their favorite.  My mother used to use a metal meat grinder and screw it onto a table or chair with a woven potholder to keep the wood from being marred. Her recipe was strictly cranberries and navel orange.  I add a Granny Smith and today a HoneyCrisp as well. I used to have one of those grinders and ground relish with Mark when he was a boy in the same manner as my mother.  My friend J from Omaha gave me her MagiMix French Processor when she got a Cuisinart.  That was more than 25 years ago and it still works. It has a European plug so I have to keep a little extra piece to plug it in.  So two bags of cranberries, washed and drained, two oranges, two apples(peel on) 1 3/4 C sugar.

That is all there is to it. Refreshing and tart and sweet simultaneously.  And thanks to Susan K for the Turkey towels.  Very festive.

Happy Thanksgiving.  I will put the bowl in a cardboard box so it doesn’t spill and drive to dinner at the other Grandma’s.

 

 


My Brother’s Organic Garlic From Okanogan

I was excited to receive the annual organic garlic package my brother sends. Inspirational. I think my sister helped get it out to me this year as she’s visiting now.  Thanks David and Mary.  Can’t  wait to cook with it.

IMG_3077(The glass flag plate from my friend J in Florida. She always remembers my Fourth of July Birthday with a red,white and blue gift!)

Do You Have a Sentimental Toy from Childhood?

Laura asked me if I could find Ned.  That wasn’t his name when he was purchased in 1987.

She received this Cabbage Patch Premie for her fourth birthday.

I dug around in a closet and found him, a little soiled on his feet and hands.  I washed him and then his little outfit.

When I was soaking the doll hands in the suds, it looked as if he was washing his own clothes and diaper.

I’ll take him out to Laura when I visit.

Cabbage Patch PRemie

Before getting a bathCabbage Patch Doll

A Variety of Reds in my Kitchen, Photographed with a New Mirrorless

reds in the kitchen

Red Still Life in the Kitchen Photographed with Mirrorless Camera

Portable, lightweignt. Able to fit in a small bag instead of a huge one.  Not so bulky.

Interchangeable lenses. A postive review all around.

You don’t always want to lug heavy DSLRs and weighty (but wonderful) glass around your neck.

A phone camera isn’t sufficient as an alternative.

AND there was the bonus of a hefty instant rebate at time of purchase.

I’d been looking and thinking about mirrorless cameras for awhile.

Reading reviews, I thought it would be a Fuji but the SONY a5000 had an affordable 20.1 Megapixel price that seemed fortuitous.

I’m satisfied with the results so far.   Will keep experimenting.