Gateau di patate

Yes, I am going all Italian on you as of now.  I rarely, if ever, order Italian food when eating out, but this recipe for mashed potato pie that Giada De Laurentiis' grandfather wrangled out of a restauranteur after 3 years, took my eye as she prepared it on Food Network  Saturday morning. It is prepared in a springform pan and comes out looking a bit like cheesecake and you slice it as such. I hope I run into this wonderful concoction in my long stay in Italy.  But I am going to try it at home first.  It had me at potato; I can eat a potato in any form at any time and am pleased to do it. My favorite was in England at Bermondsey standing outside a flea market in the cold ordering a jacket potato as big as my shoe with several odd toppings that Americans do not usually apply to a baked potato.  Have you had baked beans on a baked potato or coleslaw or cottage cheese?

Yesterday it was 90 degrees and we had the pleasure of Matt and Madeleine's company for the afternoon.  We all were in the pool for most of the afternoon.  Even the dogs liked being cooled off by Madeleine's small buckets of water.  She watered the plants and the dogs in turn. I finally got out and made BLTs and they left the table in a hurry.  Our tomatoes are coming on and somebody help me...Every summer it is the same.  There is an outside table right now laden with tomatoes and bounty from the container gardens.  I felt guilty so I made a great gazpacho that can be turned into tomato soup with a splash of cream. It can be eaten hot or cold but so far three people have eaten it hot.  I also made strawberry shortcake today with glorious red through and through strawberries.

If you can't find the recipe for gateau di patate on Food network tv, I will print it out for you on this blog.  But, it is easy to find and I bet she has the same show on  right now on Monday or Tuesday.  They usually repeat the weekend shows during the early part of the week.  The show honors her grandfather's 100th birthday. He was a person who was a very creative and busy man who also loved food and ways to cook it.

 Well, I have also been reading.  I found a new author who has lured me into reading three of her seven novels so far. Shalinir Boland is her name.  I've read The Best Friend, Marriage Betrayal, and Millionaire's Wife so far. So I go to the kitchen and make a dish and then read for about a half an hour and clean a drawer or cupboard then read another half an hour.  It's like a treat...a child at heart I am. The cooking keeps Andy busy unloading the dishwashers and carrying out the trash--then he reads or treats himself to a show on his lap top or picking tomatoes; a sight I was looking forward to but now it is out of hand and we are just beginning.  Okay, no one leaves Many Branches without a load of produce, especially tomatoes!  That's the rule.

Sunny July

What a glorious summer. I don't want it to end.  Yet 'they' are selling Christmas already on TV. The Hallmark channel has all Christmas programming.  It's insane. Why do they have to rush everything?  After the 4th of July they start in about school supplies and clothes turn winterfied while the temperatures hit 90 degrees. It's like children who instead of enjoying the moment they start asking what's next. That's my soapbox for today.

Having written that I look back with a red face because I  just received my Italy itinerary today and it is something. Angela, and Johnna (my daughter-in-law) and I meet up in Rome and tour for a week then end up in Florence for Alyssa's wedding for four days then have a private tour of Tuscany. We are going to learn to make pasta by hand.  Yiiikes.  We are tasting wine seemingly all day every day.  They may find us laying by the side of a country road before it is over. We will be gone from October 3rd to the 17th. One thing we won't be doing is touring Tuscany by bike.  Beth and the Cincinnati kin did that and it nearly killed them, I hear it is very hilly.

Tonight's menu will include lobster and shrimp stuffed ravioli fresh but not made by me.  Sam's have lovely fresh ravioli and it is fast and easy. Andy is eager for BLTs to start because our tomatoes have begun and there are four or five now every morning greeting me on the outside table making me feel guilty if I can't use them fast enough.  Well, it's a good problem to have. I love summer.

Ham and belly buttons

That is a Saturday menu, ham (Rose ham) and belly buttons which are five cheese tortellini pasta made with ricotta, aged parmesan, mozzarella, mascarpone, and aged Romano cheese. Beth invited her two little boy (friends) for the afternoon and I made them rice Krispy treats and I thought to give them a jolt with belly buttons as well.  We will see if they ask for that again!

July is lovely here at Many Branches.  Slow-moving and stress free.  I refuse to think of anything unpleasant with such beauty and peace resting here.

Our Italy plans are to be firmed up this week, although they were pretty much firmed up with the payments; but, I need to know what I am doing for two weeks every day and every way.  I used to whisk off every other month to Paris for antiques, but that stopped in 2005.  My travels have been in America since then, so an international trip, alone, and at my age is something to really think about and one really has to want to go in order to actually do it. I am, however, meeting up with one of my daughters-in-law and her sister in Rome at the airport, so hopefully, I won't be left in luggage pick up riding the carousel for hours on end clutching my wedding attire.

Have a beautiful weekend, my friends. Oh, you might want to start watching Years and Years on HBO.  You can catch up on the first three episodes at on Demand, HBO series.  It will wake you up for sure.

Some good finds

I am always looking for new things to try and over the holiday I found several delicious things. I was afraid to open the refrigerator on the 5th of July since I did not do any clean up or package any of the left-overs.  When I did get up the nerve to take a peek the first thing I saw was a big bottle of Turkey Hill Blackberry sweet tea.  Who knew you could buy iced tea in a ready-made jug. I was thirsty and in the mood to try the tea and to get it out of the fridge to make room for current cooking items. I found it delicious.

For the party, I noticed in my pantry a jar of Amish Jake and Amos baby beets. Now I knew they were good so I put them in the fridge and planned to serve them with the cheese platter sprinkling blue cheese crumbled on the beets.  That turned out well--not for the men though who were busy beating their chests over Sams ribs and my chicken and noodles.

On the 6th, today, I am still afraid of the fridge so I started watching the Food Network in my night clothes and saw Trisha Yearwood making something scrumptious which I wish I had seen before the party.  She made a recipe of mac&cheese and a recipe of firm chili (not soupy) and mixed the two together and served it with a bag of Scoops.  Her guests went wild.

David, our son, was here for several days and had me get out the Instant Pot pressure cooker thing that I had been avoiding using because it is a pressure cooker thing.  We made the best beef stew in thirty minutes.  We cut the chuck roasts into chunks cooked that in about 20 minutes, let it cool down and added the carrots and potatoes and in a few minutes it was completely delicious.  I will be using that much more now that he explained the workings of this new machine.  I learned a lot this 4th of July holiday weekend, not all good, but mostly good, like life itself.

Oh well, another day, another party...but not for a while. We were so lucky to have a lovely sunny, hot day and that put the pool to good use. And now, it is time to get into the pool and cool off. I love to float around, pure joy.

salad days

It's 10:45 and I have finished four large salads for the party.  I have three more salads to make closer to the 4th.  So far there is a corn tex-mex style salad with a couscous base, a pasta salad with vegetables, a seven layer salad to be tossed at the very last moment, and a broccoli salad with sour cherries and pumpkin seeds. I still have a spinach and mandarin orange salad with slivered almonds, a chicken salad for sliders, and a platter of sliced tomatoes with basil and mozzarella. It's to be 90 degrees, what can I say.  Salads are in order.

David and his dog, Leo, are on the way from Florida for a week of fun.  He's already in Tennessee, so he is making good time.  There will be 20-25 people here to swim and visit.  We all need a break with fun included so drinks and cards and games and swimming will be on the agenda.

I need to get on the 25 pounds of peaches ripening on the porch.  Everything at once, you know how that goes.

Georgia peach

I really enjoy outdoor markets.  I got hooked on them in Paris and now in Columbus, we have two big ones that I know of on Saturdays. Before I had a Paris apartment I would stroll the markets there thinking of what I could do if I had a kitchen. Once I was in an apartment I could really get into the groove of cooking and inviting friends over for dinner...in between the antique shows, flea markets, and meetings with private providers. So, when Worthington market really got a move on and blossomed into an extravaganza every Saturday  with the main street closed to traffic until noon we got a move on too and started going every Saturday until it got so big one could hardly move. Then Andy discovered Clintonville's outdoor market which started very small and is expanding every week it seems.  And, that is where the Peach Man accepts our money for peaches galore. I am sure this market will get too big for us down the road, but for now we are enjoying it.

This picture is of 25 pounds of peaches that Beth, Andy and I stood in line for because the Georgia peach truck had come to town.  It took them one hour to sell out a tractor-trailer full of 25-pound boxes of peaches. The fast-moving but long line of people were very cheerful because it had been months since they had had a Georgia peach and after the winter we have had peaches were in order for all.  Now what to do with ripening peaches when I will be cooking for twenty or so people for the 4th. Safe to say peaches are on the menu in more than one or two forms. We will be licking our lips over these babies.

The Georgia peach truck was in town yesterday. Beth, Andy, and I stood in line to get 25 pounds of peaches. Here are the results. Count on peaches for the Fourth of July.

Comfort Me with Apples

Molly O' Neill, a local woman died last week.  She was a cookbook author and food critic for the New York Times. I know the O'Neill's from years ago when I taught some of the O'Neill children.  Her death made me think about authors who lived their lives in search of great food.  Molly could write even better than she could cook. She could put together a sentence almost as well as Ruth Reichl and Ruth has a new cookbook out right now that I look forward to buying.  Ruth's books and the complete series of Sex and the City got me through some long nights in London and Paris.  Tender at the Bone, Comfort me with Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, My Kitchen Years (which I liked least), Delicious (a novel) and now Save Me the Plums completes her list, however, Gourmet magazine was the love of her life. When she was released from the magazine she was at a loss and simply devastated and that is when she wrote My Kitchen Years. It was cathartic for her but depressing for me. Delicious, the novel, I don't remember too well, if at all.  But the others, oh my, they are a great read.

Garlic and Sapphires was written after she spent a year or more in disguise visiting New York restaurants and then writing about them.  That woman can write!

Today at Many Branches it was chicken balls on the menu for the 4th.  I bought four pounds of chicken ball mix from Carfagnas and added my twist to that base and ended up with great balls of fire and herbs.  I plan to use some in Alfrado, some in a sweet and sour sauce, and some in another plucky concoction.

I cleaned the refrigerator today.  I am making room for many more dishes and treats.  I am not going to do many more really big entertaining projects.  It is time to pass the baton. I will be hanging up the blog, too, after our trip to Italy in October.  (I expect I will do Thanksgiving this year, however.)

Brisket or corn beef?

It's three in the morning and I am finally back. I was treated to a double root canal on Wednesday and it is now Monday, so it has taken a few days to get back to staying on foot. Never heard of a double root canal let alone one on an 81-year-old woman yet I live on. So, if they want to treat you to one, RUN.

 I had better get a move on.  July 4th is around the corner and we are having a party. I have been working on things as I felt like it.  I also learned that what they told me at Fresh Tyme is not exactly true.  Beth Googled it and actually, brisket is not the exact same as corn beef.  Not that it will shake your world, but it surprised me when they told me at Fresh Thyme that it was.  I had fixed a great pot of vegetables and beans with seasonings and wanted a brisket to lay on top and roast low and slow for 8 hours.  It turned out so well that Nate ate half the 'brisket' which really was corned beef.  So, with the same base and brisket instructions, I sent Andy to the store and he came back with corn beef too. It was equally well received so I added beans, brown sugar, mustard, BQ sauce, and anything else I could get my hands on like soy, sriracha, and Worcestershire to the beans along with onions and peppers from Andy's garden containers.  The result is an enormous pot of baked beans for the fourth. (Bacon is involved as well.

I am planning a bevy of salads too.  Food Network is putting together the strangest ingredients for salads and they do look intriguing. I am still making the 7-layer anchor salad for sure and Heather's feathery green salad with 3 ingredients.

  Many Branches is looking great thanks to Eric and his crew.  Finding him was a Godsend relieving Andy of some really hard work. The pool this year took something out of him, but now it looks perfect.

Now I am off to work on the skirt steak--never touched the cut before, but what the heck.  Live it up I say. 

Winston

Winston, the coyotes' favorite target, fights me for baby cucumbers.  We discovered this yesterday as Andy had a pile of them beside him waiting for me to munch away with dabbles of salt.  Normally he places them on the counter, but this day they were on Winston's favorite swing and he got a taste for these delicate morsels. Since I am not a fan of big seedy cucumbers, Andy must be quick to pick this treat and get them, along with green onions, into the kitchen.  I lean against the counter gazing at our backyard dipping them in salt and marveling at our luck in getting this place in which to enjoy our lives. This is our 33rd year in this home and I am thankful every day.

Today is Andy's first day of summer classes at OSU and my less fun activity...the dentist.  I like Dr. Ward, but when I think of him, I think of pain or fear of it at least. I fear I am in for several visits.  I have a long list of to-dos this summer and the dentist is the first and the worst on the list.

I have started the menu for 4th of July.  The first thing I am trying is homemade baked beans baked with a brisket sitting atop in a slow oven for hours. I had the beans soaking overnight and they are now in a slow cooker.  Once they are soft I will add the good stuff to complete the taste of the beans and the brisket that has also been well seasoned.  Another long, slow cook and we will have something succulent to enjoy.  We have so much Swiss chard growing so I added several big leaves of that to the slow cooking beans.  Lined up like soldiers going to battle is catsup, yellow mustard,  onions, peppers, salt, pepper, some dried red pepper flakes, cumin, BQ sauce...you get the idea. If it is in front of me the beans get a dash of it. I haven't had a party in so long because of all the good and bad things that were and are still happening in the large family.  The death of Joe F. at age 60 is still a painful memory from a few weeks ago. But, we have a lot to look forward to as well, so we are positive.

Running around

Beth and I enjoy our jaunts out and about.  Today we had several errands and of course, lunch was one of the places we had to be.  I had several pieces of good luggage and bags that need zippers and a little loving care and the Russians (Mr. Shoe) are the very men to take on five pieces that needed care.  It is a slow ordeal, so we can't pick them up before July 20.  I like to take care of things and leave my personal items in good order, so I was delighted to get the luggage taken care of because I am going to be needing some of the pieces and purses in October. (Going to Italy.)

We then went to Fresh Thyme for babka and brisket.  I need a brisket to lay on top of the baked beans for a low and slow roast.  I saw it done on Food Network and then again the recipe showed up in a cookbook I am perusing.  If it turns out well it will have a place on the fourth of July menu. I am hoping for good weather on July 4th because I have been in sweaters for the last three days.  I thought I was done with sweaters and had them all cleaned to store for the summer, but noooo, out some of them came for the day.

We went to lunch at Easton.  There are restaurants everywhere you look over there.  We then went to Nordstrom for me to spend my Mother's Day gift card on Kiele products to keep my body going.

We went to Target but their computers were down nationwide so you could look but not buy. That is an unusual happening and kind of scary.

We stopped at Baskin Robbins for an ice cream cake for Father's Day tomorrow.  There were three young people running the place with no one in charge.  I don't know how businesses survive with that kind of 'help'.

I was worn out by the last stop and decided to find a lamp on another day.  Ribs are on the menu for the men tomorrow.  There are other things, but that is the main manly thing. (Grunt grunt...beating my chest.)

I am reading 13-Minute Murder by Patterson.  Yes, I am back with him.  Our break up did not last long.  I enjoy Gentleman Jack on HBO, it is a series, but it won't be to everyone's liking.  I figure I can take anything after watching the complete Game of Thrones series.  Life is good. I thank God every day for the pleasure of living and living here.

cabbage

Andy came home with a head of cabbage the size of a basketball.  Luckily I know what to do with it.  I started a fry up of pancetta and regular bacon, added a wealth of green onions which Andy grew, celery, which he grew, and started adding shards of cabbage along with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, Worcester sauce, fresh herbs and wow, we had a meal or three with a half a head left over.

Kathy and Chee came to pick up Joe and Glenda yesterday.  Glenda and I went with Beth and Alyssa to pick up her wedding dress and she got it to New Orleans without a hitch.  We were holding our breath.  On the way home I said I was so hungry.  No one else was hungry but I knew the minute they smelled KFC they would dive in.  I was right, I was lucky to go first or there would have been nothing left.  When we got back EVERYONE was hungry. There were no left overs, thankfully.  I love feeding the family and am now planning a feast for the 4th.  We are actually having it on THE 4th this year, so I am making a list.

Everything is so lush this year.  A tiny rain almost every day and the plants thrive onward and upward. I sent a big bouquet of swiss chard, basil, parsley, and dill fronds home with Chee.

Linda Mayo's 7-layer salad was the hit of the visit.  I made it twice and it is so wonderful to be able to make it a couple of days ahead and then toss on the way to the table. I've got to keep that in my mind for the 4th as well.  I am making lots of salads for the 4th.  Grilling will be in order and thank heavens I don't have to grill! That would be my man George! (He may not be able, they are moving into their beautiful new home and working like dogs to make it perfect.) I am sure it will be perfect by the 4th, but they may be worn out. lol