It was a surprise party!

Last night Andy, Mike, Beth and I drove to Zanesville and celebrated my niece, Nancy, and her husband, Danny's 50th wedding anniversary.  It was a big reception with over sixty people there to please them.  They were married at 19 and as she says, they grew up together in marriage. They had never had a reception and she said that no one had ever done anything like this for them in their lives.  So they were gobsmacked.  Her daughter and her partner, Carol, planned and executed the entire event at a country club in Zanesville.

We had so much fun seeing relatives and even Sarah, my high school classmate.  Our jaws were tired from laughing and reminiscing. When I was in high school I had many parties and sleep overs and Sarah was part of many of them.

Today here at Many Branches, Brooks and his girlfriend, Carley will be the center of attention as the family gathers for a cookout.  We will send them on their way in the morning but will enjoy their company for the day. Summers are so exciting, there is always something going on.  However, next week is free and we are looking forward to a bit of by-the-pool relax time. I keep looking out the windows at how good everything is looking outside.  We have this new group of guys taking care of the place and it looks spiffy.

Life is good...and certainly better than the alternative!

Endless summer and endless plans

What a wonderful start to summer.  We have broken heat records all month and now it is June.

One thing about this family, they plan ahead big time.  So far there are two weddings next year, one a year and a half away and it is a destination wedding, so we will be going to Italy.

This week end we have Brooks and his girl coming today for a few days and an event Saturday. Summers are busy for everyone and this one is no different.

I have cooked ahead because Brooks always comes hungry.  When they arrive there will be a frittata, salad, and brownies. I have chicken pot pies with puff pastry spears for sometime during the day with two different salads.  Then Sunday we have some company coming and we will grill steaks. I also have a batch of so-called 'crack' ready for the company.  (That is my form of granola from Barefoot Contessa's recipe with a twist from me.)  After trying a recipe, I can rarely leave it as is.  I start fooling with it and sometimes it gets even better.) The family named it because once tried they can't leave it alone.

 Madeleine is coming Sunday and we have a new kiddie pool with a sprinkler attached for her to enjoy.  The big pool is a bit much for her at this stage. However, the water in the big pool is just right at the moment.  I think the cottonwood and oak spores are done for the season and they were bad this year!

I hope your summer is going well.
Cheese straws for the lunch.

-1:15


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Big Discovery

I was being lazy today since everyone else is running around here doing what needs to be done.  The house bath is done and now he is starting on the apartment and the conservatory.  John has a bit of ODC and he has been here for days and is determined to get things right.  So, fine, I stay out of his way and keep him in coffee and food and we are both happy.

While I lazed my eyes fell on the bookshelves laden with cookbooks from all over America and England.  Without looking I brought out one and nearly dropped it!  I had no idea I had a Cook's Corner cookbook with recipes from 2002 in print.  WOW.  Cook's Corner is (or was) a great Wednesday morning treat.  I would grab my coffee and everything else be-damned, Cook's Corner had me for about 20 minutes. (This is a weekly section in our newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch.)  There have been great editors for this section and Sue Dawson was one of them.  This is her work and I have my day under the sun, by the pool cut out for me.

It opens with Jezebel sauce which is tart and sweet.  It is served over cream cheese or with meatballs.
1 jar pineapple, apricot or peach preserves
1 jar apple jelly
6 ounces prepared horseradish
6 ounces yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until apple jelly is dissolved, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Cool and pour to keep in the refrigerator. Serve by pouring over softened cream cheese that has been spread on a serving place.  Serve with crackers for spreading.  Parsley garnish is nice.  Makes 5 1/2 cups.

I am off to read this cover to cover.

Many Branches gets a bath

We have TREES and when you have this many, every two or three years the house needs a bath.  The slate roof develops black streaks from the algae, I guess. Anyway to keep the place pretty I call Johnny Cantrell who has a son that is agile as a monkey and has no fear of height.  Remember when I wrote about Bubba on the roof?  A man came to put a cap on one of the chimneys bragging about how he had all of this experience...well he got on the roof, got the cap on the chimney and then refused to get down.  We had to call the fire department to get him off the roof.  You've heard of cats in a tree being rescued, well this was a man.  The firemen were not too happy about it because they were pretty sure he had pulled this once or twice before.  It is high, very high, and I don't want to do it, but then I do not profess to years of experience on a three-story house with a slate roof which gets slippery.

We have a couple more things to plan to do to this place before we can relax for the summer.  I have cut down on entertaining by not doing Memorial Day or July 4th.  We are going to take it down a notch or two and relax for the rest of the summer after all the work that has been done here so far this spring.

Today I have a large pot of green beans, potatoes and corn simmering away.  I am surprised they let me buy green bean after the tirade that I wrote about them being flaccid sides in restaurants.  For some reason that post got 150 hits in one day.  Speaking of food, we had Lucky's take out Chinese last night.  It was so good.  We had a guest and so we ate outside for the first time this season...ahhh spring.

There is John on the roof.

Gentle rain

Nothing drives me to the kitchen like the big wide open door,  the dogs alert but in a resting position while the gentle rain satisfies the new plants.  It makes me want to cook and I have not had that feeling for several days.  I made up a pasta recipe.  I am sure it has been done some place in the world, but it's my throw together Friday late lunch meal today.  I am hoping someone in this crowd has a take out idea for dinner. Andy is out in this gentle rain cleaning the newly opened pool.  It is not too bad this year but we hold our breath every spring when it opens. One never knows what has crawled under that cover and departed the world chuck full of chlorine. One year after the pool was opened and cleaned a baby deer went for a swim.  Now that was scary.  How would it get out?  Who would go in to get it? Only two people available that day; both old.  But the mother deer came back and the baby walked up the steps and out of the pool like Easter Williams. (Let's see who gets that last sentence.)

For the pasta: 
Fried pepper bacon and zesty Bob Evans sausage with lots of fresh herbs.  Drained the fat. Poured in Trader Joe's 3-cheese pasta sauce. Added more fresh herbs and put it all in the pot with thin, cooked, al dente pasta strands. Called in my hungry man and Bob's your uncle.

carlsbadcravings.com

I had forgotten how good this cooking blog was.  I ran onto it again today.
There are so many good recipes and cooking videos.  Give a look.

Looking pretty

Many Branches is looking pretty!  A contingency of workers descended on Cook Road yesterday working through a gentle rain into the bright sunlight and made the place beautiful and ready for summer.  This is to be a busy party-filled summer, but in places other than here. Nevertheless, if a venue is needed, we will be ready. We have the week-end to clean the pool which also opened yesterday.  It  is pretty ugly at the moment, but Andy will work his magic.

We used to have a big building project about every three or four years on this property.  We have not had such a project for several years but now I am eyeing the building with the cupola with some very interesting ideas. Once I get the project bug it is hard to resist.

I am totally neglecting the kitchen right now.  I am not in the mood to cook for some reason.  I will get over that probably.  I just haven't seen anything that inspires me.

Salmon with herbs and lemon

A busy day's dinner salmon with dill and lemon and simple but tasty tater tots. Fresh thyme sprinkled over the tots and baked with them gives off an extra special essence.  With a crazy week this pops from oven to table in minutes.  We've all done it.  Confess. 

What's with the green beans?

Perhaps you can tell me why green beans appear on nearly every restaurant plate as a side.  These flaccid vegetables simply take up space...oh but wait, sometimes they are so crisp  one wonders if they had even a brief nod to heat. There they are on $100.  plates and on Red Lobster plates.  Who eats these sad sides? The chefs get away with this pile of waste because everyone is focused on the meat. There may be an even sadder pile of potatoes to grace the other side of the meat.  Now that makes me even madder.  I do love potatoes in any form but the torture these spuds endure when they reach a professional kitchen is unacceptable, but, do we send them back?  No,  because we cannot wait to attack the meat. We also don't want to embarrass our table guests who at times are halfway through their entree before one can face the sides. Why can't some attention be given to the sides?  These stepchildren are even an extra expense when everything is ala carte on the menu.  I have not forgotten broccoli.  It takes the place of green beans sometimes and is equally pathetic. Don't they teach vegetables in culinary school? 

Does this look like a hundred dollar dish for two? I have to say this was my fault.  I wanted to try the steaks at Smith and Wollensky and the Chateaubriand was delicious and plentiful. Mike's fillet was just over $54. (just for the steak) Beth's mussels were beautifully done and delicious. So have at it if you want a very good expensive meal sans the vegetables.(Actually, the carrots were pretty good and not overly done.  The green beans, however...)

Ahhh, nature

Happy Mother's Day to you all.

Nature has taken over Many Branches and there are so many things going on that I have neglected the blog.  Only one person has asked about the blog, so maybe people are not interested in it anymore.  I will try it a few more times, but if the interest is gone I have posted over 500 times in the past so there will be plenty to read anyway.

The painter finally finished.  So many jobs are filled everyone is working six and seven days a week.  It took forever for him to finish the pergola, I actually changed the time of the pool opening 3 times and they were really getting feisty with me on the fourth call. So, Wednesday is the day and it is also the day for Eric's yard crew and the hauling away of the extra large brush pile in the back.  Also the tractor, mower pick up.  I threw a rod while mowing...how's that for  mechanic talk?  Monday, tomorrow, is the only quiet day this week.  Now I am missing the slow, silent winter days of hunkering down with a book.

There is bird do everyplace.  Every bird and bug wants to live here and some even prefer to live inside, so yes, the sugar ants people have been here already.  This is a zoo!  Winston has thrown up for two days straight.  I think he is okay now and luckily we missed having to take him to the vet.  I wonder if his stomach could not take the $20. a pill trifecta of flea, tick and heartworm medicine we have to give each of the dogs once a month.  Yes, $20 per pill!!! And you wonder why I have not posted?  That's not all. The floors have to be done on the 17th, not all of them but enough to make me want to get a gun.  Then the rug cleaners, after all, Winston tried to hit every area rug in the house. Did I mention that hundreds of dollars worth of plants that needed planting and arranging? I know boo-hoo, I am lucky we are able to take care of all of this, it just feels like a lot all at once and I am not as young as I used to be...yes, pull out the old card why don't I?

On the plus side, The guys are taking Beth and  me to a fancy lunch at Smith and Wollensky today.  We will see what fresh hell befalls us from that experience. Note: WOW if you go there you better have plenty of money! Andy and I shared Chateaubriand for $100. All the steaks, which were delicious, were near and well over $50. each for one steak. I just don't see it. It was nice one time, but that's it for Andy and me.

 A sly Robin planted a nest on the kitchen door wreath. One baby has already been born and there are two more eggs. So we are creeping around our own door trying to get in and out without disturbing her.

A sly Robin planted a nest on the kitchen door wreath. One baby has already been born and there are two more eggs. So we are creeping around our own door trying to get in and out without disturbing her.

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Sun and Sam's inspired me today

The sun is out today so I am in a better mood.  Also, Andy and I made an early trip to Sam's.  I made this salad, which is like the one you can buy at Carfagna's for several dollars a pound.  It is one of Beth's favorites because she likes peppers and pickled items and she likes them spicy.  This one is only slightly spicy.  Sam's had those tiny cucumbers that we adore.  I like them small and when they become cudgels they are not to my taste. The next things I added were those small colorful peppers in a bag. Then, onions diced as small as you can do it, blocks of cheese, and blocks of salami.  You can add anything that appeals to you.  I even added pickled okra.

We bought several fish items; I had a craving for fish, so that is on the menu for tonight. I will make chips from slices of potatoes baked at a high temperature. Any leftovers will be turned into a fish chowder tomorrow. I add potatoes to my fish stew after all, there are no rules in your kitchen or mine.  I might even add corn.  What??  I may add more pictures today because I am working with lovely fresh ingredients.

Doris Lechler

Just now · 

One of Beth's favorite salads. Andy an

Waaaaaa

I am soooo tired of April.  My favorite month has let us all down this year.  The plants are loving it, but I NEED sun.  The dark wet days have not stopped the line of proposals that have marched in all within one week.  Alex, a niece in Cincinnati, and a frequent visitor has become engaged.  Alyssa a granddaughter who is the daughter of Beth, our son's wife, became engaged over the weekend.  I am going to have to buy some dancing shoes.  I have this strange feeling that all the Columbus and Cincinnati grandchildren are heading for marriage in the near future.  I could be wrong and find I am often wrong as of late.

My nose is out of joint not only with the weather but with domestic help as well.  Everyone is busy and working which is great, but they also seem to have a sudden inflated sense of entitlement, now asking nearly $40. an hour.  It comes out to $37. an hour and change but as a teacher, I never made $40. an hour, not even close and even now, according to Google, an elementary teacher currently makes $28.37 an hour, and a secondary teacher makes $36.05 an hour. I am simply not having it.  I don't care if the dust is up to my knees I will never pay $40. (tax free I am sure about that) an hour to have my house cleaned.  A few years ago I paid $40. a day to have the same house cleaned and it was well done to boot, and, they were not out the door in four hours as they are now.  I know that was then, this is now but I am still not having it.

I have tried to stay out of the kitchen during these snits.  Things do not turn out well when I am slamming and stirring and shifting and swearing.  I need to get a grip before I pick up a knife. lol

I hope your April is pleasant.