Aunt Fausta's Pies

 

 

Fausta is an unusual name.  A Saint of mercy was named Fausta and that was one quality my aunt had among many.  She was one of my dad's sisters. My aunt never uttered a complaint as far as I know.  Everything was just fine with her and she saw no evil in anything or anyone. She was known for her pies, her easy going personality, and quilting.  She used to come to our house along with my mother and she would make pies. My mother would make pillow-soft  dinner rolls and also cinnamon (rolls). Mother  fixed chicken with her famous home made noodles, and then they would quilt. They chatted quietly and laughed loudly all day long and it was some how stabilizing to my household. She and my mother were closer than my mother was to her own sister.  That happens sometimes I have found.

 

My Aunt Fausta (we pronounced it Aunt Faustee) was the best pie baker ever!   Her lard crusts were so flaky and delicious one could eat them without the filling.    I had been to her house many times for lessons on pie making, but the lessons never seemed to work once I got home.  Never one to give up on pie, I decided one Sunday afternoon when the house was quiet I would make pies until I got it right.  I had flour from one end of the kitchen to the other.  I tried pounding the dough into submission, but to no avail. I also refused to chill the dough for 30 minutes because I wanted instant gratification...always in a rush. Hence, it never worked.

 

 My aunt died at 93 the year we moved into this current home but not before Andy got her to the Ohio State Fair; a place she had always longed to visit.  I was in London and she was staying for a long visit with Andy and the boys.  Andy got it in his head that she should indeed see the fair, so he and she drove to the fairgrounds on a hot and humid day.   He hustled her hither and yon to see the quilts display and the baked goods contest. It could have killed the poor woman but it didn't and see it she did and she talked about it until she died. I loved her and her qualities and I wish I had them.

                                                         

 

I saw this cute presentation on The English Kitchen.  I don't think these are available in America, but they should be.  This is a wonderful little addition to entertaining. Spoonettes, love this idea and could run with it if we had them.
Note: Oh, you can get them on Amazon, but two packages, coming from the UK cost $50. US.  No thanks. Scoops will suit me.

January at the beach~

Next~

Glenda and I have started packing for a month in Florida.  We have that great beach house with the many steps again.  We plan to look at the other offerings from the same owner this January in case he has another beach house we might enjoy better, though this one is really good...just steps to the sand with our large free standing deck at the beach and a balcony for morning coffee or drinks before dinner. There is something decadent about being in bed in January and being able to listen to the ocean just steps away.  We are hoping for good driving weather.  I know there will be a time down the road when driving that far late in December will be too risky and impossible, but while we can we enjoy the go. (We have already had three snows and it is only November.)  We are stopping for a few days with our son David and his family and then checking in to our January home.
                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

The dogs have begun to worry.  I called the vet today about Winston's anxiety separation issues--can we ever have a normal dog??? The rug cleaners were here and the three dogs had two nice rooms to wait in and yet Winston paced and yipped, paced and yipped.  When we go on vacation he won't eat for a week because I am not there to feed him. Well, he will have to cope because we are going! Andy has finished his classes at OSU and will sign up for more but not this next session because we will be gone. He really enjoyed the Political Science class as well as the horticulture sessions.

I must say Thanksgiving 2013 was really nice.  Pam and George came one day early with Beth, our daughter-in-law who, by the way, cut and broke her toe by dropping a can of Pledge on it, if you can imagine such damage with a simple can of furniture polish.  Any way, she's a plucky girl and went right on working. Joe F. brought a set of window boxes that he had made for us from Cincinnati AND there was a surprise birthday wishes session for me during the festivities.  Beth's family arrived fromNew Orleans without incident or killing each other from confinement in a car together for sixteen hours.

 

Set for thirty guests.

 

 

I hear we are having lots of company at the beach...so, I've figured it out. ta-daa. 

 

 

And then there were eleven...after Thanksgiving for dinner at Lindy's in German Village. 

 

Hot cider

• 12 cups water
• 4 tea bags
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups apple cider
• 4 cups orange juice
• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Simmer water and tea bags together with spices for 30 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups apple cider.
3. Add 4 cups orange juice from frozen concentrate
4. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice
5. Heat it up to a quick boil.
6. Take out tea bags, cinnamon sticks and spice container.
7. Simmer slowly for another half hour. 
8. Cool and pour back into glass jugs and store in cool place.

 

 

 

 

 

Not always about the turkey~

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always go a little crazy during Thanksgiving.  I cook as though the fleet just docked and they are all coming to brunch and dinner. This year is no different, except it is more.  So far George (Pam's husband) and I are doing two turkeys and a ham the night before--this is new and I'll let you know how that works out later AND as we have the last few years we have "the roast".  Tom likes my cooking.  He's married to my niece Mary Susan and he is particular about his food. I've gotten him over some of his food sillies such his aversion to bread pudding. He is however, on my mind when I think of rib roast for special occasions.  He loves the roast.  Today, just when I was ready to throw aside my TASTE OF HOME magazine (which can be awesome or really bad) I was scanning it and everything looked wonderful! Now Taste of Home has hooked up with Sam's Club and they have begun to do some exciting things.  It is funny because two weeks ago at Sam's I ordered a slab of rib roast cut into two eight pound roasts.  One for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas Day. I pick them up on Wednesday before the big day.  I'll put one in the freezer and then I go to work on the biggest roast.  I cut slits all over the poor thing.  I insert garlic, which I love, but it hates me, into each and every slit and there are many on an 8 pound rib roast. I make a slurry of olive oil and fresh herbs and rub the roast with this all over its surface. I then layer a bed of onions in a roasting pan with some other tasties like carrots and celery and kohlrabi sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper over the bed, lay the roast on top with a good helping of kosher salt and pepper and a good shake of a special honey red pepper seasoning.  Then I take (what ever is left over) red wine, pour it over the meat with a little more olive oil, cover it well with plastic wrap and leave it in a cool place until an hour before roasting on the day. I roast it to 130 degrees and let it rest (and me too) for 20 minutes--it cooks a little more and reclaims its juice back to where it belongs inside the roast and not on the cutting board. So, the plan is one platter of sliced white turkey meat covered in gravy, one platter of dark turkey meat with juice from the roasting, and one platter of ham covered with a special glaze.  That's just dinner however, which will be a candle light affair because of the late arrivals from New Orleans.

So far for the brunch I have ready these soups: ham and bean; barley and mushroom; chicken and vegetables; chili several ways; chicken and fat noodles; beef stew; pork/vegetables;  cheddar cheese with broccoli soup, and, a pasta ears soup. The pulled pork for sandwiches is ready as well.  I have four casseroles ready so far and several fruit breads.

One thing that caught my eye in Taste of Home, but I can't do for this crowd of thirty, is the shredded Parmesan cups filled with Cesar salad.  When I find the directions again, I will list how to do it here.  So far it has eluded me.

The other thoughts I have are for starters and sides. Sweet potato bacon wrapped bites appealed to me as a starter or a side. 
                                           

Yiiikes! Somebody stop me!

 

 Why do I do all of this? Read on:

 

Famous TV cooks make mistakes like the rest of us.  I have to laugh when Ina, the Barefoot Contessa, says she likes to surprise guests.  Just when they think they are coming to her house to eat something exotic, she serves them spaghetti and meatballs.  She says they find it delightful. (I doubted that very much.)  But, I tried it anyway on a frequent guest who did antique shows here in town and stayed and ate free, which is saying something if one has to pay four nights in a motel and the cost of eating for four days...and to say nothing of a friend that comes with him to stay as well. This went on for years, several times a year.  I always made food to please. I never felt used because normally one of the guys bought some of the things I had brought over from London and Paris. So, having heard Ina say her bosses were coming to dinner and she was serving meatloaf, in the Hamptons I might add, I thought that sounded catchy and fun.  Mashed potatoes, peas, and meatloaf were on the menu for a dinner AFTER the show closed, which was winter late to boot, after 9:00 pm.  As we sat down to the table the hand rubbing, the cutlery snatching, the gleam in the eyes appeared on cue.  I served, sat down and started asking about the show--who was there, how was the crowd, did you sell well?  Each question was answered in one syllable while the one guy was stirring the food around on his plate  actually snarling at it! Finally I asked,  don't you care for meatloaf?  No, he said, it was not what I was expecting. I get this at home. So after that, that is where he ate (and slept) as far as I was concerned. So, Ina, when you say this kind of thing on TV, simply because you don't want to exert yourself, you lead us astray and we don't like it.  It is not cute. And, by the way, I don't think your guests like it either. (I saw the startled reaction of the 'birthday boy' when you served his high end guest spaghetti and meatballs.)
 
That is why I go all out for my family and guests no matter the occasion. Can you imagine Tom's face if he showed up for brunch on Thanksgiving day and the only thing I had was one soup, one kind of cracker, and bread pudding for dessert?

Chicken in Paris, Veggies at home~

Kohlrabi and carrots...the last of the garden in the sink.

Potatoes, carrots, and kohlrabi ready for a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese over the olive oil, salt and pepper.

The above would be great roasting under the rotisserie chickens...why not?

 In Paris this time of year the food aromas take on a new and different deliciousness.  The fresh rotisserie chickens twirling outside the stores on their spits with tiny elegantly cut potatoes nestled beneath the hens as they rotate to perfection serve to cook the main dish and the side in one economical and logical combination.  I have offered this advice to Sam's suggestion box because they have wonderful rotisserie chickens , big , succulent and priced lower than the tiny offerings of Giant Eagle..  (The thing about the French potatoes: they are cut and trimmed into shapes that we simply do not fool around with here in America making them a simple but elegant presentation.)  It is genius to cook them this way which allows them to crisply roast beneath the dripping poultry, The potatoes are sacked in a separate container so if you don't want the potatoes, or just the potatoes, they are there to be sold together or alone as you wish.  But here, oh no, let us waste the drippings, the heat ,and the goodness and just sell the chickens--don't give an extra hand to the house wife as she flies through the store with supper thoughts churning and kids screaming. Why is it that stores of any kind find it difficult to take suggestions that are not even critical, but simply sensible and helpful. I rarely roast a chicken any more.  I usually buy two rotisserie chickens and we have several meals from the meat and then I simmer the devil out of the bones with fresh herbs to make at least two different soups; one chicken and noodles and one chicken and vegetables.  You can't beat these duos. Actually, why stop with potatoes, roast carrots under the hens or any other sturdy vegetable.  That's what I have always done when roasting chickens or turkeys myself.  The bottom of the roaster is covered with vegetables and served along side the chicken and there you have a one roaster dinner. The French got this one right for sure. They are also very clean about their always fresh  food during the cleaning, serving  and next day readiness of equipment.  Those spit roasters which have at least two complete cycles a day are sparkling clean after the dinner hour in preparation for the next day, as are all of the shops' meat counters, fish shelves, and beef refrigerators. Yep. They do food right.

Limoncello

   Pinterest is one of the most wonderful sites on the Internet.  It has everything and everything is meant to be shared.  If you don't want to share, then don't put it on Pinterest. 

 

 I always keep a bottle of limoncello, a liqueur from Italy.  The one I am using now is Caravella, but I haven't had a bad one.  This limoncello is easy to make in itself, but why not buy it already to go?  It is not that expensive and keeps in the freezer or in the frig beautifully.  This cake caught my eye because I am in to Thanksgiving preparations as we speak.  The tables are set for thirty and covered lightly to keep the areas fresh.  I just can't do this at the last minute it takes a lot of time to set the tables the way I like them. So far I have six different stews and soups in the freezer for the mid-day meal.  I have two pans of lasagna in the oven right now, one for dinner, one for the freezer. Anyway, I was surfing Pinterest and found this luscious cake.  I want to try it, so here is the recipe.  Also I will write how to make your own limoncello if you like. Note: Today the Barefoot Contessa, Ina, put limoncello over fresh fruit to sit at room temperature while she made a topping of Greek yogurt, vanilla, and a fourth of a cup of store bought lemon curd...stir together and top each serving of fresh fruit with this luscious mix. A nice ending to a meal.

 

 

 

Ingredients for limoncello

• 10 lemons
• 1 (750-ml) bottle vodka
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith. Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.

Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the sugar syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight. Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month. Chill.

Limoncello cake:

Ingredients: (For the cake)

• Flour, sifted-2 cups
• Sugar- 3/4 cups
• Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp.
• Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp.
• Salt- 1/2 tsp.
• Greek yogurt, plain- 1 cup
• Milk-1/2 cup
• Vegetable oil- 1/4 cup
• Eggs- 2 large
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp.
• Limoncello- 1/4 cup
• Raspberries, fresh or frozen- 1 cup

 

Method: For the Bundt cake.

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Grease your bundt pan. I like to use a pastry brush dipped in oil to brush all the little crevices of the bundt pan to make sure nothing sticks and then lightly dust it with flour.

In large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl whisk yogurt, milk, oil, vanilla extract, limoncello and eggs.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and combine until blended, then gently fold in raspberries.

Pour the mixture into the bundt pan, it shouldn’t be more than 2/3 full and bake for 60-65 minutes until the cake tester comes out clean. Cool until safe to touch and remove from the pan. Cool completely and dust with some icing sugar.

 

 

 

Start Cooking...Thanksgiving is around the corner~

                                                                

 

 

 

Thanksgiving is around the corner and it's a big one here at Many Branches! Beth's family will be coming in from New Orleans and the Cincinnati Lechlers will be here as well.  Plus girl friends and boy friends...you know the drill. Thanksgiving Day will be the usual two meals with the dinner meal a candle light affair because of the late arrivals from New Orleans.  They are driving  and we hope for the best driving weather possible for them. (And, for us, when we go to Florida for the month of January.)

 

As you can see from the picture, I am not a ready mix snob.  I may adjust the things here and there, but I take the help no matter where it comes from.  For instance the wonderfully delicious spice swirl cake mix.  I made it for the OSU week end and could not get it out of the bunt pan (because of the brown sugar cinnamon swirl part), so it came out in pieces...so, I just put it in a pretty stemmed glass dish, made a custard pudding, poured it over the top and there we had a nice bread pudding style dessert. Lovely.  Today I made this cake again and this time I put it in a long baking dish and hoped for the best, and, the best it was.

 

The products shown here are from World Market and I have begun to really enjoy this store. If you buy a case of wine (they have wonderful selections) you get 10% off the case of wine.  The Ghirardelli brownie mix is stunningly good.  I use two boxes and it fills the longest baking dish really well.  Don't over bake. It's Ghirardelli chocolate, how could it not be good?

 

The pasta is from Italy and World Market has some nice selections that are not usually seen.  Lumaconi stands up well to the sauce which nestles in the little pockets, so when one bites in to a fork full, Carfagna's pasta sauce squirts from the shells and one gets double the pleasure. Carfagna's sauce is sold in many grocery stores in Columbus.  Their market is on route 161 in Columbus.  It is a very popular Italian center piece in the foodie world of Columbus, and, their products are fantastic.

 

So, the cooking begins and the freezer fills pretty rapidly.  I am planning on two or three turkeys this year.  Two of which will be roasted the day before.  Luckily Pam and George will be here the day before and George will wrestle the turkeys and slice them up.  I am making gallons of gravy, so two platters will be made the day before, covered with gravy on the day.... and Bob's your uncle. We will also do the ham the day before.  The rib roast, however, will be done on the day.  Too much food you say??? With every bedroom filled and four meals to do, there is never too much food.  We are expecting nearly thirty people. The 29th, the day after Thanksgiving we will gather again for a dinner as well. That's the plan.

                                                                                                                                                                                      

Falling for Florets

On the first day of snow in Columbus, how that happened I'll never know, Cook's Corner featured cauliflower recipes.  Love, love, love cauliflower. I am, however, beginning to re- hate the Columbus Dispatch. They have dreamed up yet another scheme to make money and to annoy (me.)  Now you can only view a section of the paper on line five times without paying for an on- line subscription. There is an over-lay on the recipe that one might want to see until one pays for a subscription.  This is foolish because there is probably not one recipe in this world that cannot be found FREE in the vast recipe offerings on line. So that's NOT going to work. I forgave them for cutting down the number of pages of Cook's Corner while hemming it with crossword puzzles and celebrity gossip, but I have reached my level of forgiveness, which is not large in the first place. Never mind, I found a way to give you some tasty recipes for this delectable vegetable.  I have a large head of florets at the moment and I am eager to try these recipes.  Week end company's coming, several soups are made, but I might add one more dish to the menu.  Oh, and I still have cakes to bake.  I am trying this peaches and cream cake shown here and I will let you know how it turns out. This is a perfect day for the kitchen because it is not nice outside.  The pool is still open and all the summer furniture is covered, briefly, in pure white snow with rain on the way to wash it away.

                                              Oh, yes, Happy Halloween too.

peaches and cream cake

 

For T.F., Hilliard
Makes 8 servings

Peaches and cream cake:
3/4 cup flour
  1 package (3.5 ounces) vanilla cooked  pudding mix
  1 teaspoon baking powder
  1 egg
  1/2 cup milk
  3 tablespoons butter,  melted
  1 can (16 ounces)  sliced peaches
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 package (8 ounces)  cream cheese
  1 tablespoon sugar
  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish.

Stir together flour, pudding mix and baking powder.

Combine egg, milk and melted butter. Add to dry mix and mix well. Pour into baking dish.

Drain peaches, reserving 1/3 cup of liquid. Chop peaches and sprinkle over batter. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and peach liquid. Pour over the peaches. Combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over all.

Bake for 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or cold, but it’s best warm.

S. Hill, Hilliard

Cauliflower, YUM.

Deb Lindsey | Washington Post photos

Roasted Cauliflower Gratin

This recipe was adapted from Washington-area chefs for  The Washington Post. 

Makes 6 servings

There is no need to whip up a bechamel sauce for this quick version of a gratin, made all the more alluring by first oven-roasting the cauliflower.

1 large head (2 pounds) cauliflower (outer leaves removed), broken into 11/2-inch florets 3 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 small clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; heat to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the florets, oil and salt in a mixing bowl to coat. Spread the florets on the baking sheet, flat edges down. (Wipe out the bowl; you’ll use it again.)

Bake on the lower rack for 20 minutes, then turn the oven on broil. When it’s heated, transfer the cauliflower to the top rack and broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned and tender. Keep the broiler on.

Transfer the florets to the same bowl you first used. Add the cream, garlic, Gruyere cheese, half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano and all the pepper and nutmeg. Stir to incorporate, then spoon the cauliflower into a large gratin dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano and return to the broiler for 5 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

 

 

 

Cauliflower “Risotto” Recipe

Vegan, grain and gluten-free

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 medium head of cauliflower, chopped in a food processor
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 can white beans, rinsed and drained, divided (I prefer Great Northern Beans)
• 1/2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tb sundried tomatoes
• 1 Tb capers
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
• toasted pinenuts, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium-sized pot, heat 1 Tb olive oil on medium heat until warmed. Place the shallots, garlic, and thyme inside and saute for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant and translucent.
2. Place 1/2 the can of beans and vegetable broth into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. With an immersion blender (or if you do not have one, use a regular blender), gently blend all of the contents together in the pot until creamy and smooth.
4. Add grated cauliflower, sun-dried tomatoes, remainder beans, and spinach. Cover with a lid and allow to heat through for a good 5 minutes.
5. Add the capers before you serve and garnish with toasted pinenuts.

 

The Excess of Stack Pies

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Pablo Alcala photo  

 This must be the lazy cook's version of stacked pies.

 

 

Just when I think I have seen or read or heard of nearly every way to use a recipe, I get fooled.  I am stunned with this one found in today's Cook's Corner from the Columbus Dispatch.  It's stack pie.  It seems in Kentucky where it is, or may be, the only state to have a pocket of this phenomena there dwells a tradition of going to a potluck with a pie, arriving, and then stacking your (usually fruit) pie on top of another series of pies and then pouring (at times) caramel over the top and some times in between the pies (I guess to make them stick together). To eat it one must have only a tiny sliver because the flavors are so intense and rich...well, ya think? I guess stack cakes are common, though I have never heard of them either, but stack pies are more rare. Washington and Mercer counties in Kentucky seem to be the hot bed of stack pies. Stack pies were also served in Country Kitchen restaurant in Lebanon, Ky. These pies were at times made for holidays in some households. I understand that so much food was brought in and spread out on the tables that there was no more room for so many pies, hence the pies were stacked and then it got to be a habit. One person who now buys them to serve says they are very rich and there are around 12 pie crusts in the stack with caramel buttery filling in between.  It makes my teeth hurt just to type this.  I personally have trouble making ONE pie, so I will pass on this recipe to those who are brave.  The one shown in Cook's Corner has pecan pie on the bottom and pumpkin pie on top--a lazy stacker, no doubt.

           

Visit pinerly.com

KENTUCKY STACK PIE
4 or 5 (9 inch) pie shells
10 egg yolks
3 c sugar
1 1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. whipping cream

Line 4 or 5 (9 inch) pie pans with pastry. The one that is to be the bottom one is made regular depth. The others are cut short (or can be). Have these ready.
Beat egg yolks well until light. Cream in sugar, beat again until light. Add shortening and cream. Pour in pie shells, a little extra in bottom pie. Bake two at a time in 350 degree oven until filling is firm. Let cool in pan. Stack one on top of the other. Ice with Caramel Icing. Serve by cutting wedges clear through. 4 or 5 stacks.


CARAMEL ICING:

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. whipping cream
Pinch salt

Cook together to soft boil stage. Remove from heat. Beat by hand until creamy. If frosting gets too hard before you get it all on, beat in a little cream

Soup's on~

Sorry, but I  laughed out loud at the irony of this: Three Americans Win Nobel Prize In Economics. HUH?

                                                      

 

 

 

 

Is there anything prettier to eat than a bowl of soup?  I don't believe I have every followed a recipe for soup.  It is so freeing to make these hearty dishes because the are so forgiving. I feel creative and free of paper cards instructing me to do this, add that, season to taste.  I am sure that when people ask for these recipe that they think I don't want to share.  The point being,  not one of my soups can be duplicated.  They are all different.  Beth asked for the barley mushroom soup recipe today and it is easier for me to make it than write it down.  Some of my Otterbein sisters want that recipe too, but I did not have a chance to explain that I don't have a soup recipe of any kind.  The request was easily forgotten because we were all talking at once, stirring this and plating that, so I hope they did not think I had become stingy. I have found my niche with soups and stews and roasts.  I don't bake as much as I used too because it is so exacting.  I lose interest pretty quickly in that arena while a pot of soup or stew can have things added and taken away with no harm done to the end result.  Too much salt?  Add potatoes...that kind of thing.

 

Sunday. I'm in a soup and stew making mood.

 

 

 

Long noodles !

 

An autumnal apple and ginger tart.

Le Palais des Poulets

                                                          

Not too many years ago we had chickens.  Their palace was an elegant place where many people said they could easily live.  My good neighbor across the road and I were excited each spring when the babies arrived by US postal service, usually on Sunday.  We would get a call from the main post office in Columbus to PLEASE COME GET THESE BLASTED CHICKENS, they are driving us nuts. (If they had just pecked their way out of an egg, were thrown in a box with 25 other chickens with no food or water, one would guess they might be a tad noisy as well.) Pauline and I loved our chickens and for a few years named them, fussed over them and mourned them when they died. We had green eggs, blue eggs, brown and white eggs, all delicious and lovely to see. However, chickens are needy.  They are not like cats that take care of themselves if left with food and water, these girls needed attention ,and, heat lamps in the winter. So after a several years, we stopped ordering chickens and then we had none.  We didn't eat chicken for quite some time and never one of our own. I suppose we could do with two or three chickens, but now I think the dogs might be too interested in chasing them into the bad neighbors yard and then all hell breaks loose...again.

                                                    The chicken palace for many years.

Below is dinner tonight, plus, I just made the recipe for ginger syrup that is listed and shown on the Otterbein sisters section of the blog.  It can rest in the frig and I am already dreaming of ways to use it in cocktails and other drinks and dishes.

Andy bought a  packet of those darn tiny, tasteless carrots, so I am using them  with this pork and potatoes roast, hoping to get some flavor out of them. Oven ready.

Ginger syrup for drinks and dishes...let your imagination go wild.

Under the pergola~

                  “Ah! There’s nothing like staying home for real comfort.” ~Jane Austen                                           

While several family members are getting ready to journey to the Citadel to see Brooks during Parents' Weekend, I am planning on nesting. There is so much going on here on a daily basis that I cannot see how anyone with a brain can get bored. So I am deciding how to spend this valuable time. It won't be cooking, I can reveal that right now! Nate jokes that after a week of entertaining the Lechler kitchen is closed for several days and I am in my woman cave with the dogs, my books, and as in the last retreat,  the Breaking Bad marathon. I am considering going to Sam's to get the Game of Thrones series...am I too lazy to hold the fat book(s) or should I buy the dvd(s)?

 

The time will not be spent putting the property to bed for the winter either.  The days are glorious, so the dogs and I will putter around the yard in the golf cart, sit in the sun watching the plethora of butterflies that have found our yard once more, and maybe a snooze or two which is a very different scenario for me. I have discovered I can actually nap in day light, something I have never been able to do. How did that happen?

 

I might start planning Thanksgiving which is turning out to be another big event.  George and Pam are coming the day before to help.  George is now the official turkey(s) wrestler.  There may have to be three turkeys this year, or maybe two and a ham.  Tom will be disappointed if there is no rib roast, that's for sure, so maybe I'll work that in.  Hopefully there will be Beth's family from New Orleans coming too this year.  Many things to consider after a short, refreshing nap under the pergola.

 

I am going to have to get some books for sure.  I've been plowing my way through David Baldacci's Simple Genius.  After the latest Lee Child's book, however, no author has caught my interest. Child's is back!

 

So much time, so little to do...life is good. 

 Nate's moon flowers this evening.