Pages

Friday, March 20, 2015

First Day of Spring 2015

“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” ― Percy Bysshe ShelleyOde to the West Wind
Today is the official First Day of Spring. And the United Nations declared this is official Happiness Day.

Humbug! We are expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow today. Drat. Happy Spring all the same. I am planning my garden. It must be Spring.

The cartoonist is Jeffery Koterba. You can see more of his work HERE.


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Junk Food Chicken

This is down and dirty you-make-dinner-365-days-a-year cooking.

Ingredients:

Leftover Pretzels, Chips, Cheese Curls, Crackers, etc.
4 slices toasted Bread
1 1/2 pounds boneless breast of Chicken
Mayonnaise

Crush Bread, Pretzels, Chips, etc. in a paper bag with your rolling pin. Or a food processor. Wash and dry the Chicken. Dip into mayonnaise and then crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees about 30 minutes or until fork tender. Has great flavor kids love. Thank you, Mary Jean Clift

The image of the Armada Stove comes from the Old Design Shop.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Chinese Fried Chicken Neither Chinese Nor Fried

I quote the author of Country Flavor Cookbook, Haydn Pearson, verbatim.

"Here is a delicious and different way to use Chicken. The recipe is from Miss Ruth McKinlay, of the Old Crombie Gift Shop, Francestown, New Hampshire. No one seems to know how it gathered the name Chinese Fried Chicken."

Chinese Fried Chicken (neither Chinese nor Fried)

1 broiler cut in pieces
2 cups of cream in which dissolve:
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce.
Roll pieces of chicken in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Pack chicken in a baking dish with straight sides. Fill cracks with pieces of bread and the liver. Pour over all the sauce. Let stand in the refrigerator for several hours. Cook one hour at 400 degrees in a covered dish. Remove top and let brown. Serves 4 to 6." 

I make this chicken regularly. My children love it. It is very rich and totally suitable for company. And it is easy on the Cook because the ingredients are simple and so is the preparation.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Debutante's Cake

This easy cake comes from French Family Cooking by Audrey Ellis. This cake stays moist for a week. Most young cooks in France learn to make  this cake before attempting to make pastry.

The illustration is from Marjorie Torre Bevans. 

Debutante's Cake 

4 cups all-purpose Flour sifted with 4 teaspoons Baking Powder
5 Eggs
1 and 1/3 cups Sugar
1 large Lemon
pinch Salt
3/4 cup Corn Oil
1 and 1/4 cups Milk

Sieve the Flour into a mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the center.

In an other bowl, beat the Eggs with the Sugar, grated zest of Lemon and the Salt. Beat in the Oil and the Milk, adding a little of each alternately.

Pour the mixture into the flour, drawing it in gradually, then beat until smooth. Pour into two greased and line 9x5 loaf tins and bake in a moderate 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. If necessary, cover the top of the cakes with greaseproof paper or foil after 25 minutes to prevent over browning. Test with a fine skewer, cool for a few minutes in the tin and turn out.



A friend of mine makes this moist cake in a fluted tube pan. When he serves the cake, he fills the center with Raspberries and surrounds the cake with Whipped Cream all around it on the plate. Perfect.

The cake is so moist it needs no frosting. Might be nice with a tart Lemon Glaze. But there is really no reason to gild the cake as it is lovely all by its lonesome.




Saturday, February 21, 2015

Ghetto Garden Fabulous #2


I have written about my scavenger's garden before. In keeping with the theme established, I have gathered some new tricks that you might find useful in your city garden.

One of the first things I did in my garden was create a path. A garden path gives definition to the garden, aids in forming garden beds and makes it possible to get at those herbs easily when you are cooking. My itty bitty kitchen garden adds a lot of good tastes to my life.

I had a source of old bricks. You may have a source of discarded pallets. One can create beauty out of nothing much.

Every time you pass up commercial pavers and other doodads for creativity with found materials, you save money to indulge in flowers, seedlings and herbs and shrubs that might be otherwise hard on your garden budget. I bought myself fig trees.

One of the persistent problems I have had gardening in the city is Cats, my own and those of my neighbors.They defecate in the exposed earth in the garden beds.

It is partly my own fault. I grow a stand of Catnip which they love to eat and roll in. I solved the problem by using twigs to make mini paths and so they are disinclined to dig.

 I am happy to share this neat tip which solves both the problem of cats and recycling plastic utensils. Go to listotic.com for 19 more frugal gardening tips.




The moral of this story is: Use what you have. Save money and save the planet. Make Art.

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."

(Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, deerit nihil.)
― Marcus Tullius CiceroLetters to His Friends, Vol 2: Books 7-12

Sunday, January 11, 2015

World Food Day Poster Contest 2014

Congratulations to the winners of World Food Day Poster Contest 2014 entitled ‘Family Farming’.

I present my favorite posters every year because the children's art is so amazing and energizing. 




Sunday, November 9, 2014

Ms. Mary Walker's Garlic Pate

Never enough Garlic.

GARLIC PATE

18 large Garlic cloves
3 slices fresh whole wheat Bread (crumbled)
6 ounces Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
1/4 tsp Salt
1 'pinch' ground Black Pepper
1 tbsp Olive Oil

Peel and quarter garlic cloves and put into food processor with half the breadcrumbs.
Chop/blend well.
Add rest of breadcrumbs and cheese and continue to blend.
Add salt and pepper and blend again.
Dribble the olive oil into the mix - and blend again.

Note - If you want to eliminate the 'bite' in the raw garlic - just begin the recipe by covering the raw garlic with water and microwave for (on high) for a couple of minutes, then drain and discard the water. Freezes well in small amounts! I like it made with 'raw' garlic!

Editor's Note - Ms. Walker started with a recipe from Bloomsbury Kitchen Library and then messed with it. I like a small amount of olive oil poured over and some chopped parsley for garnish. Good bread. Some crudites. Olives perhaps. Heaven for garlic lovers.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Lady Bird Johnson and Burning Love

One way to love a Texas garden is to burn it. Encourages the growth of wild AbutiIon. I learned that from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The Wild Flower Center at Texas State University seems a fitting memorial to a First Lady who was a committed environmentalist. I found my way to the Wildflower Center because I was doing some research at the National Archives. 

This is a photograph of the Texas Indian Mallow or Abutilon fruticosum

Lady Bird Johnson left us her recipe for Texas Style Chili. Now that is some burning love because her recipe was “almost as popular as the government pamphlet on the care and feeding of children.” I love the National Archives. Send them some burning love.







Sunday, August 24, 2014

Ms. Mary Walker's Green Tomato Chutney

I know that I am not the only gardener in Pennsylvania gazing at a bumper crop of tomatoes. Ms. Walker has been kind enough to share her recipe for Green Tomato Chutney with me.

You can learn more about Ms. Walker, British expatriate HERE. 
Unconditional surrender of Europe occurred on my 11th birthday and, in the evening my dad suggested that we ‘go for a walk’. My sister warned that we would be late for the curfew. My Dad simply answered – “It’s such a nice evening, I don’t think we’re going to worry about that tonight”. Cat’s Whisker receivers WORKED! 
Mi casa su casa. So I am sharing it with you, Cher Reader. I give it to you as she gave it to me. Stay tuned for her recipe for Garlic Jam. When Ms. Mary said Garlic Jam, I began to salivate immediately.

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

5 lbs chopped green tomatoes
1 lb chopped onions
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 lb sugar
1-1/2 cups vinegar (I use either white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sultanas

Mix tomatoes, onions and peppercorns in a large bowl and let sit overnight (covered)
Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil (until sugar is melted) 
Add sultanas and raisins and simmer for 5 minutes
Add tomatoes and onion mixture and simmer till thick (about 40 to 45 minutes).
Put into 8 oz jars - leaving about 1/4inch head-space - and can for 15 minutes.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Portagee Joe's Cafe Shrimp Bisque

Click Me for More Photographs

This recipe comes from Eggs I Have Known by Corinne Griffith. It was Miss Griffith's Coconut Bars that so delighted Clark Gable. I write about those elsewhere. Of course, this cookbook is out of print.

I have not yet made this bisque. I am going down to the Italian Market to get the shrimp today. I expect this dish to be delicious. I give it to you verbatim. Old cookbooks are low on directions. And I do not think this movie star actually ever cooked anything. We shall see. Nip and tuck.

Portagee Joe's Cafe was one of the small cafes which could be found along Fisherman's Wharf in 1950's Monterey California.

Portagee Joe's Shrimp Bisque

1 tablespoon Celery (chopped fine)
3 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Milk
1 cup cooked Shrimp (mashed fine)
1 wineglass Sherry
1 tablespoon Onion (chopped fine)
3 tablespoons Flour
3 cups Cream
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Paprika

Cook Celery and Onion in Butter over a slow fire for 5 minutes. Place in a double boiler and cook over hot water. Add flour. Add Milk, 2 cups Cream and put remaining 1 cup of Cream aside. Cook mixture until thickened. Add Shrimp, Salt and one drop of Tabasco Sauce (approximately) and reheat. Now whip remaining cup of Cream, add Sherry to Cream and Paprika. Remove soup from stove. Add whipped Cream and stir. Serves Six.


Monday, July 14, 2014

Ms. Mary Walker's Cucumber Soup

This is cucumber season. We are inundated with them. What to do? Make this delicious Cucumber Soup. I give it to you verbatim - straight from Ms. Walker's keyboard.
A note from Ms. Walker:
It's not my recipe. It comes from a 'Marks and Spencer' (British Dept. Store) cookbook called 'St. Michael's Cookery Book' - published in 1980, which I picked up at a flea market when I was visiting relatives a few years ago.

I don't need credit - but it you want to publish it and allot credit, it should be the original 'St. Michael's Cookery Book' by Jeni Wright..
Chilled Cucumber Soup
(VERY British)

2 tblsp butter for frying
1 onion (about 2inch) finely chopped
1 European cucumber diced (WITH skin and seeds - which is why it should be a European)
1-1/2 tblsp flour
20 oz hot milk
10 oz chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
And to finish - 1/2 pint heavy cream
chopped fresh mint
green food coloring - if desired

In 3 or 4 quart saucepan - saute onion and cucumber in butter - then cover and cook gently for about 5 minutes

Stir in flour and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes - stirring constantly

Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in hot milk - stir thoroughly. Stir in the stock and return to heat. Bring to gentle simmer - stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper and nutmeg

Lower heat - 'half cover' so steam can escape - and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes - stirring occasionally. Be sure it doesn't stick or burn.

Puree with an electric 'stick' blender or in a food processor. Should be consistency of heavy cream!

Allow to cool before refrigerating. Serve chilled with cream and mint - if desired. OR - in the winter I serve it hot with croutons. YUMMMMM!

Let me know what you think. I usually make a double batch so I can share with neighbors.
When cucumbers are in season and available I usually make the onion/cucumber sauté 'base' and freeze it until I'm ready to make soup - which is what I used this morning.

NOTE: If European cucumbers aren't available - you can use regular cukes BUT you would need to peel and seed them - so you would need 2 or 3 to equal one European.
Good Luck.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Ghetto Garden Fabulous

My New Fig among the Daffodils
My house is an HUD house I bought as a veritable shell a decade ago. I have had to dedicate any money I had to serious repairs like putting in a heating system and erecting a front door.

I love to garden. However, my garden gets the least investment in terms of capital available. Nevertheless, I have turned it from hard packed clay with a scraggly lawn I had to mow to its present state.

I scavenged antique bricks from old house and we made a walk. Who wants a lawn to mow? Not me. I use fallen tree branches to make garden beds. I use chunks of cement. I scavenge fallen leaves that others bag up for compost.

I write a lot about garden design here. Even so, I did not realize quite what I was doing until my Daughter suggested I get some nicer paving stones on a trip to the garden store. I recoiled. And I was not sure why. I mean, I just spent $50.00 on new fig trees.

And then the light dawned. I like the scavenging. Saves money so I can indulge in fig trees. It is a challenge. I just did not know it was a design theme. I scavenged every single one of those Iris and in another few weeks they will be glorious. I have the Herbs in and my Blueberries are doing fine.

My garden theme is Ghetto Fabulous. Example is the old ladder. It is a bean tower. I think it will be beautiful. We shall see. God bless my Daughter. Eventually she will whip me into shape. One way or another. Kind of like my garden.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Adopt a Penguin

Click Me!
Calling all Knitters. Sick Penguins need sweaters. Knit and purl, Darlings. 

For those wishing to donate a jumper, the island’s Penguin Foundation has created a handy knitting pattern guide. "Jumper" is Australian for sweater. 

If you cannot knit, send a bit of money. They probably need the gelt more than they need the jumpers. "Gelt" is Yiddish for money or treasure. Just my opinion. Money is always in good taste. 


If you love Penguins as much as I do, consider making a trip to see the Penquin Parade. Failing that, knitting a Penguin Sweater is a great way to pass knitting knowledge to a new generation and teach love of nature and geography. Get busy. Be Happy!

Click Me!

Friday, February 14, 2014

1932 Rice Muffins

We have been making all sorts of muffins when snowed in and out of loaf bread. Recipe experimentation is dangerous. We added Cranberries to homemade Corn Muffins in a fit of foody fancy. The muffins were really good. And we have gone sort of muffin mad.

This recipe comes from Things You Have Always Wanted to Know About Cooking by Margaret Mitchell. The cookbook was published and printed in silver ink by The Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company in 1932. My particular copy was given away as a courtesy by Lit Brothers in Philadelphia.

I type the recipe verbatim. It makes a lovely muffin with an interesting crumb. Graphic Artists may find the illustrations and typefaces a pleasure to look at and utilize.

"Rice Muffins are among the best of their kind and are made thus: Sift together two and one half cups of flour, 5 teaspoons of baking powder, 3 tablespoons sugar, one half teaspoon of salt. Beat one egg and add one half cup of milk and three tablespoon of melted shortening, or oil, and stir into dry ingredients. Into one half cup of milk put one half cup of cold boiled rice, and stir well. Add to mixture, mix well and bake in an oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes."

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Keep the Heating Bill Down


I repeat this article because it is COLD today in Philadelphia. These are a few simple steps to conserve heat and energy. I have a small house. If you have a large house, your savings could be substantial.

  1. On a chilly day, walk around your home and check doors and windows for drafts. The easiest way to do this is to run a damp hand slowly around the openings and frame, hovering two or three inches away. When you feel cold air hitting your hand, you've found a draft! Apply weatherstripping to both sides of the opening, or caulk around the frame. Both steps might be necessary to stop all drafts.
     
  2. Reconsider your window coverings. Up to 50% of your home's heat can go right out the window… literally! Of course, triple-pane storm windows do a better job of keeping heat indoors, but remember that all windows transfer heat. You can save energy by installing shades or shutters to lock that chill outside.
     
  3. Your computer and peripherals consume a lot of energy, so turn them off when not in use. Even when turned off, like most appliances, computers and peripherals still sip away at your power. To turn them entirely off, connect the devices to a power strip so that after shut down, you can flip a switch to ensure they are truly off.
     
  4. Upgrade your light bulbs. If you're still using standard incandescents, you're paying too much to the electric company. Start with the lights you use the most. Try a few different types to see what type works best for you. LEDs offer the most energy savings, but also cost the most. CFLs are fairly economical, but might not do well in dimmer fixtures and can take a few minutes to warm up. Halogens are an advanced type of incandescent that emit pretty white light and turn on immediately, but they are the least energy efficient of three. See the pros and cons.
     
  5. Give your furnace a bit of TLC. Start by replacing the filters and replace them every four to six weeks during the winter. If you have exposed ducts, wrapping them in insulation will help, too. If it's been a few years since a service call, you might want to schedule an inspection to make sure your furnace is operating at peak efficiency.
     
  6. Close off rarely used rooms. Close off any heater vents in the room and use a draft-blocker or even weatherstripping to seal out drafts.
     
  7. Treat everybody in the house to new, cozy "evening" attire. A fresh set of warm slippers, cozy bathrobes and warm pajamas will help you and your family stay warm and toasty without adding a dime to your energy bill. With everyone warmed by their own body heat, you may even be able to drop the thermostat a degree or few!
     
  8. Use your ceiling fan. In the chilly months of winter, a ceiling fan set to draw air up will help circulate heat that gathers on your ceiling. For most fans, you'll find the direction control on the base, and clockwise is usually the correct direction to draw air up from the floor.
     
  9. Use a portable heater. You could set your furnace to a lower temperature to prevent your home from feeling like an icebox, and use portable heaters to make up the difference in whatever room you're currently using. Try to find a heater with enough power to warm the largest room in your home.
     
  10. Let the sunshine in. Even though it might not feel like it through the chilly air, the sun's rays beaming through your windows will help warm your home for free. Plus, it'll help to keep the winter blues away and brighten your home! Once the sun goes away, cover your windows with energy-efficient shades, drapes or shutters to retain the heat.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Pie for Breakfast!


"I like Pie." - President Barack Obama

Every culture has both savory and sweet dishes wrapped in pastry. In my opinion, Pie reached its apotheosis in America.

Although apple pies have been eaten since long before the European colonisation of the Americas, "as American as apple pie" is a saying in the United States, meaning "typically American." In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, apple pie became a symbol of American prosperity and national pride. A newspaper article published in 1902 declared that "No pie-eating people can be permanently vanquished." There are claims that the Apple Marketing Board of New York State used such slogans as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Pie Town, New Mexico is named in honour of the apple pie. - wikipedia

I recommend the best Pie cookbook I know: Jame's McNair's Pie Cookbook.

The recipes are precise. The illustrations of pastry technique take the mystery out of Pastry. You can buy a copy (new or used, paperback or hardcover). The hardcover edition is out of print and can be pricey. I read cookbooks like novels. James McNair is the best of food writers and he does some mean book design. McNair's Cherry Cream Pie will knock your socks off. Yummy.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

The FLU - do not get it.

All operations hereby suspended. 
I cannot think I feel so bad. 
Back soon.

Cartoon 1918

The poster above was created by one of the nation’s most famous cartoonists, Clifford K. Berryman. Find more government health posters and cartoons and learn about the Influenza Pandemic of 1918  HERE.


Saturday, December 21, 2013

Pipe Dreams in the Garden

Author: Vinay Magadi

"I am a resident of Bangalore. I graduated from Christ College, Bangalore (now Christ University) in 1989 with botany and zoology as my subjects.

In my childhood, we had a huge garden and all that we wanted, we grew in the garden. I had to shift to terrace gardening due to lack of space in our current residence.

I have grown a wide variety of vegetables like Maize, Kidney beans, ChowChow, Bush beans, Purple beans, Tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes, brinjals of different varieties, various greens, amorphophallus, Okra etc. in the terrace successfully."

Today I can say that with my pipe garden I can grow 14-22 vegetable plants in a footprint of 1 square foot.

You can read more and see more photographs at the links. I am going to try this for Strawberries. 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Edible Cities

Edible Cities is a new book about gardening in unusual urban spaces. New to me that is. It is out in a paperback edition.

You can have fresh Herbs, Fruits and Vegetables without pesticides and with fabulous flavor. You can have them if the only space you have to garden is a sunny window, a wall, a balcony or an abandoned building next door.

Trust me, your own homegrown Oregano will have a flavor that is intoxicating. Fresh or dried, your Oregano will surpass any dusty commercial pulverized Oregano you can buy in the supermarkets. I thought I did not like Oregano.

Did you know that it is easy to grow Mushrooms at home? Oh the possibilities are many and fascinating.

Inside the book you will find:
• Principles of permaculture
• Worldwide examples of urban gardening projects
• Ideas for flats and balconies
• Green roofs
• Vertical gardening and urban beekeeping
• Guerrilla gardening and successful community projects
• Illustrated practical techniques with clear instructions
Scorzonera
A few plants that will grow in a sunny window:

Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Mustard cress (Lepidium sativum)
Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris)
New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia tetragonoides)
Parsley (Petroselinium crispum)
Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Lettuce (Lactuca sative)
Scorzonera (Scorzonera hispanica)

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Art from Broken Things

I collect vintage China, Serving Pieces and Kitchen Tools. I have chipped plates that have lovely 1935 borders. I have been historically unable to part with them. Now I see my hoarding and the condition of my basement is not entirely insane. A link to the artist's website can be found below: