Moving house when you are a habitual renter means the dreaded clean up and final inspection. This weekend, I sent hubby off to the BX (or military wal-mart) for all of those potent cleaning chemicals that I never use somewhere I actually live. But it's gotta be inspection ready, and the acrid and sickly sweet scents of synthetic cleansers, degreasers, and sudsing agents--not vinegar and tea tree oil--are the smell of clean to most leasing agents.
Anyway, all of the magic all-purpose cleaners and super scrubbing powders scored us a surprisingly low move-0ut assessment, but they also added at least five years to my poor chaffed and burning hands! I can't wait to get back to my gentle down-to-earth Dr. Bronner's soap and homemade multi-purpose spray.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Makin' Hearts Ache
Every now and then I get a yearnin' for home deep in my gut. I find that nothing cures or quickens it faster than a good Southern meal. So last night's tour de force was fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and creamed corn that I took off the husk myself. Oh yeah! I can't wait to share these delights with the baby!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
An Offerring
There are so many things to do with fresh peaches. The problem is, this far from the lovely town of Gaffney SC, I rarely have enough peaches to do more than eat them one at a time over the sink with juice running down my forearm and dripping off my chin. In case anyone is wondering, the runaway juices are the telltale sign of a good peach.
I have a friend who is blessed with two mature peach trees. There are more peaches ripening each day than she, family, and friends can gather. As such, putting up a ladder to pluck from the high places involves dodging or destroying the many peaches that are in the process of becoming one with the earth.
My bare arms reached into the branches, gently pulled a peach, and hoped the removal of the one wouldn't precipitate the plummeting of the many. I didn't know peach leaves got inside your skin and caused prickly itching. We gathered more than four grocery bags full in no time flat. We divided them unevenly according to who thought they would use the most.
Not surprisingly, I took home two full grocery bags. Two pies, homemade ice cream, the vision of one cobbler, and much leaning over the sink later I am down to the last third of my stash. And I'm hoping that if I help my friend clean tomorrow, I can come away with another arm load full of the precious fruit loot.
I have a friend who is blessed with two mature peach trees. There are more peaches ripening each day than she, family, and friends can gather. As such, putting up a ladder to pluck from the high places involves dodging or destroying the many peaches that are in the process of becoming one with the earth.
My bare arms reached into the branches, gently pulled a peach, and hoped the removal of the one wouldn't precipitate the plummeting of the many. I didn't know peach leaves got inside your skin and caused prickly itching. We gathered more than four grocery bags full in no time flat. We divided them unevenly according to who thought they would use the most.
Not surprisingly, I took home two full grocery bags. Two pies, homemade ice cream, the vision of one cobbler, and much leaning over the sink later I am down to the last third of my stash. And I'm hoping that if I help my friend clean tomorrow, I can come away with another arm load full of the precious fruit loot.
PEACH PIE
Arms heavy laden, bent over with the weight they hold.
She drops each burden one at a time,
Surrendering her portion in its season.
At her feet they lie, bruised and wounded.
Distorted by their fall but lying in wait
For hands to gather, clean, and redeem.
With vision and tenderness the knife cuts
Seeking life among the ruined surfaces.
All things must die to live.
Re-formed and crafted, refined by fire, new life bursts forth.
Sweet and comely, dripping from the the fork:
A work of grace and priestly transformation.
She drops each burden one at a time,
Surrendering her portion in its season.
At her feet they lie, bruised and wounded.
Distorted by their fall but lying in wait
For hands to gather, clean, and redeem.
With vision and tenderness the knife cuts
Seeking life among the ruined surfaces.
All things must die to live.
Re-formed and crafted, refined by fire, new life bursts forth.
Sweet and comely, dripping from the the fork:
A work of grace and priestly transformation.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lentils - Rice - TVP
In a quest to feed my family, you know, other things besides the 4 things I usually make, I threw this together the other night.
Ingredients
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup brown rice
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium carrot chopped
1/2 cup texturized vegetable protein
3 cups (or so) chicken stock
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
Other than overdoing it on the lentils (maybe next time I'll use 1/2 cup) I think it turned out pretty good for a little different side dish. Plain Brown Rice gets pretty boring.
Ingredients
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup brown rice
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium carrot chopped
1/2 cup texturized vegetable protein
3 cups (or so) chicken stock
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
Other than overdoing it on the lentils (maybe next time I'll use 1/2 cup) I think it turned out pretty good for a little different side dish. Plain Brown Rice gets pretty boring.
Cucumber Cookies
So yesterday I harvested 27 lemon cucumbers. TWENTY SEVEN. That's quite a bumload of cucumber, you may be thinking, and I would agree. What to do?!
I called a neighbor to see if she wanted some and she came right over. I was glad about that, because seriously, you can only eat cucumber salad so many times in a row...47. But I digress. Anyway, when she showed up, I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a baggie of homemade oatmeal/raisin/chocolate chip cookies!
For a brief second there, I had a glimpse of what real community is supposed to be like. Sharing what we have with those around us...whether its food, expertise, or a helping hand.
The cookies were yums!
I called a neighbor to see if she wanted some and she came right over. I was glad about that, because seriously, you can only eat cucumber salad so many times in a row...47. But I digress. Anyway, when she showed up, I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a baggie of homemade oatmeal/raisin/chocolate chip cookies!
For a brief second there, I had a glimpse of what real community is supposed to be like. Sharing what we have with those around us...whether its food, expertise, or a helping hand.
The cookies were yums!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We can't all, and some of us don't
I love Winnie the Pooh. In spite of the fact that most of the world, and for certain just about every American, only knows the silly old bear Disneyfied and overmarketed as a decorating motif for baby nurseries, Milne's hundred acre wood still charms me like no other children's literature. (By the way, if you've never read A. A. Milne's genuine article, please pick up Winnie the Pooh.)
I love how all of my shortcomings and neuroses are simplified into the innocent blunderings of a mostly happy pack of stuffed animals. It is a childish joy to let Piglet bear my fears, Rabbit have my worries, and Pooh can make my ignorance and ineptitude seem sweet and humorous. If Owl is a bit of a know-it-all, I appreciate his ability to sort out and sum up the entire world, and when Kanga cares for Roo, I too am nurtured and comforted while I am reassured that mothering is a simple task easily accomplished by kindergarten playmates.
But most of all I love Eeyore, and as I go through my daily struggles--getting up out of bed, finding lunch for my husband, choosing between 20 minutes on the computer and a quick shower while the baby naps--I think of that dear donkey plodding along, munching on cursed thorny thistles while a perpetual drizzle hangs over his head. It is the humdrum nature of his gloom that has me quoting Eeyore throughout the day when I feel inadequate and forgotten. His daily surrender to melancholy makes a pleasant receptacle for my little sorrows.
So my baby is still up at least three times a night and I can't seem to find anything decent to wear, even to the grocery store. In general, when it comes to having it all together, I just think of poor tailless Eeyore reminding Pooh, "We can't all and some of us don't."
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Vegetarian on the Grill
The farmers market tables are overflowing with late summer veggies that I can't resist even if I do have ripe tomatoes and squash on the vine at home and a CSA box coming on a couple of days. So if you get invited to our house anytime soon, get ready to eat your vegetables. I served this grilled salad to friends after a long evening of packing and painting in preparation for our upcoming move.
Grilled Panzanella
Ingredients
for garlic oil
1/2 cup olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on the size and your personal appreciation for garlic)
a pinch or two of salt
for the grill
1/2 to 1 pound tomatoes
1 medium zucchini
1 small eggplant
1 sweet onion
2 ears corn
1 bell pepper
1/2 of a 1 pound loaf of whole grain bread
for the dressing
leftover garlic oil, plus enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
a handful of fresh herbs (fennel fronds, basil, parsley, mint, tarragon, chives... if you happen to be the friends who ate this the other night and want to do just what I did, use about 2 parts each bronze and green fennel, 1 part basil, and 1 part flat Italian parsley)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Make garlic oil by mincing and mashing garlic to a paste with a pinch or two of salt then whisking it into the olive oil. Use the flat side of a wide heavy knife, and I recommend a non porous cutting board so that you lose less of the juice.
Slice the zucchini, eggplant and onion into 1/4 inch rounds. Lay them out on a tray, platter, baking sheet, cutting board or whatever is flat and big and you can carry out to your grill. Brush the top side with garlic oil. Core the bell pepper and cut it into about 4 pieces so that they will mostly lie flat on the grill. Pull the husks and silks off of the corn. Leave the tomatoes whole. Brush the bell pepper, corn and tomatoes with garlic oil. Slice the crusts off the sides of the loaf of bread and slice the bread into half inch slices lengthwise. Brush one side with garlic oil. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper over everything. Shake some crushed red pepper flakes over your veggies, too, if you want it spicy.
Grill everything. If you have to do it in batches, start with the corn, then zucchini, eggplant, onion, bell pepper, bread and tomatoes. Put the veggies on the grill oiled side down and brush the other sides with oil while they're on the grill.
Once everything has gone on the grill, make the dressing. Whisk enough olive oil into the leftover garlic oil to make 1/4 cup, then whisk in vinegar and lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chop the fresh herbs and stir them into the dressing.
As things come off the grill start chopping. Cut corn off the cob, cut the zucchini and eggplant rounds into fourths, and cut the onion and bell pepper into bite sized pieces and cut or tear the bread into 1 inch pieces. Finally core and chop the tomatoes over the salad bowl to catch the juices.
Add a little more than half the dressing to the tomatoes and juices in bowl, then toss in all of the veggies and bread and toss to coat. Add more dressing as needed.
Let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The bread should be a little soggy but not turning to mush!
Eat it up, chickie-doo, Mama made it just for you!
Wow, that looks way to complicated. Just brush some vegetables and bread with garlic oil, grill them, cut them into bite sized pieces and toss with a basic vinaigrette and fresh herbs. Come to think of it, I also threw in steamed green beans the other night. And you could use whatever you have on hand--chickpeas or red or white kidney beans are a good addition for extra protein, or sprinkle some toasted nuts or seeds over the top just before serving. You don't have to grill either, I think the traditional Umbrian way is just to use fresh tomatoes, onion and day-old bread.
Grilled Panzanella
Ingredients
for garlic oil
1/2 cup olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on the size and your personal appreciation for garlic)
a pinch or two of salt
for the grill
1/2 to 1 pound tomatoes
1 medium zucchini
1 small eggplant
1 sweet onion
2 ears corn
1 bell pepper
1/2 of a 1 pound loaf of whole grain bread
for the dressing
leftover garlic oil, plus enough olive oil to make 1/4 cup
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
a handful of fresh herbs (fennel fronds, basil, parsley, mint, tarragon, chives... if you happen to be the friends who ate this the other night and want to do just what I did, use about 2 parts each bronze and green fennel, 1 part basil, and 1 part flat Italian parsley)
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Make garlic oil by mincing and mashing garlic to a paste with a pinch or two of salt then whisking it into the olive oil. Use the flat side of a wide heavy knife, and I recommend a non porous cutting board so that you lose less of the juice.
Slice the zucchini, eggplant and onion into 1/4 inch rounds. Lay them out on a tray, platter, baking sheet, cutting board or whatever is flat and big and you can carry out to your grill. Brush the top side with garlic oil. Core the bell pepper and cut it into about 4 pieces so that they will mostly lie flat on the grill. Pull the husks and silks off of the corn. Leave the tomatoes whole. Brush the bell pepper, corn and tomatoes with garlic oil. Slice the crusts off the sides of the loaf of bread and slice the bread into half inch slices lengthwise. Brush one side with garlic oil. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper over everything. Shake some crushed red pepper flakes over your veggies, too, if you want it spicy.
Grill everything. If you have to do it in batches, start with the corn, then zucchini, eggplant, onion, bell pepper, bread and tomatoes. Put the veggies on the grill oiled side down and brush the other sides with oil while they're on the grill.
Once everything has gone on the grill, make the dressing. Whisk enough olive oil into the leftover garlic oil to make 1/4 cup, then whisk in vinegar and lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Chop the fresh herbs and stir them into the dressing.
As things come off the grill start chopping. Cut corn off the cob, cut the zucchini and eggplant rounds into fourths, and cut the onion and bell pepper into bite sized pieces and cut or tear the bread into 1 inch pieces. Finally core and chop the tomatoes over the salad bowl to catch the juices.
Add a little more than half the dressing to the tomatoes and juices in bowl, then toss in all of the veggies and bread and toss to coat. Add more dressing as needed.
Let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The bread should be a little soggy but not turning to mush!
Eat it up, chickie-doo, Mama made it just for you!
Wow, that looks way to complicated. Just brush some vegetables and bread with garlic oil, grill them, cut them into bite sized pieces and toss with a basic vinaigrette and fresh herbs. Come to think of it, I also threw in steamed green beans the other night. And you could use whatever you have on hand--chickpeas or red or white kidney beans are a good addition for extra protein, or sprinkle some toasted nuts or seeds over the top just before serving. You don't have to grill either, I think the traditional Umbrian way is just to use fresh tomatoes, onion and day-old bread.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Laundry Detergent
2 oz. pure castile soap
1/2 c. borax powder
1/2 c. washing soda
heat castile soap in 6 cups hot water until soap is dissolved
add borax and washing soda until dissolved
remove from heat
pour mixture plus an additional 4 c. hot water into 2 gallon bucket; stir
add 22 c. water (=1 gallon and 6 cups)
cover and let it sit about 24 hours
mixture will be liquid at first. with time it will gel in a gloppy sort of way.
use 1/2 c. per load
if you need a booster (like for dirty diapers or auto mechanic clothes) add up to 1/4 c. borax per load. you can also add vinegar as a brightener. but if you have hard water, watch out for an acidic smell that can result from more than 1/4-1/2 c. vinegar per load.
1/2 c. borax powder
1/2 c. washing soda
heat castile soap in 6 cups hot water until soap is dissolved
add borax and washing soda until dissolved
remove from heat
pour mixture plus an additional 4 c. hot water into 2 gallon bucket; stir
add 22 c. water (=1 gallon and 6 cups)
cover and let it sit about 24 hours
mixture will be liquid at first. with time it will gel in a gloppy sort of way.
use 1/2 c. per load
if you need a booster (like for dirty diapers or auto mechanic clothes) add up to 1/4 c. borax per load. you can also add vinegar as a brightener. but if you have hard water, watch out for an acidic smell that can result from more than 1/4-1/2 c. vinegar per load.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Goat Redemption
I would like to own a goat some day so that I can have free goat milk, make goat cheese, and never have to cut the grass again. Patrick is skeptical but in preparation for that day I set out to make goat yogurt for baby. I had a goat yogurt starter that I added to a half gallon of home pasturized goat milk in the usual yogurt making way. It never thickened. Not to be disheartened, I am attempting to transform the failure of yogurt into chevre. So far so good. But making cheese is a long process and I'm getting impatient to taste the end result. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Dispelling Acedia
I have found that the days can groan especially long when I try to take care of home and baby all by myself. I kiss honey goodbye through the half opened eye of 6am and sometime after that I roll out of bed when baby begins to cry. This morning I put whole beans in the french press and cracked my morning eggs into the sink. Thats when I knew I was glad that I didn't have to do the whole day alone.
So I've been learning a lot about making my own laundry and dishwasher detergents, making yogurt, hummus, and sourdough bread from scratch and I have found that these activities are actually enjoyable when I can trade a tub of hummus for some fresh zucchini or when I can bring home a handful of vine-ripened tomatoes after helping a friend pack a couple moving boxes. I think ordinary activities actually restore dignity to weary souls and that they gird up our hearts for eternity when we do them with friends.
So I've been learning a lot about making my own laundry and dishwasher detergents, making yogurt, hummus, and sourdough bread from scratch and I have found that these activities are actually enjoyable when I can trade a tub of hummus for some fresh zucchini or when I can bring home a handful of vine-ripened tomatoes after helping a friend pack a couple moving boxes. I think ordinary activities actually restore dignity to weary souls and that they gird up our hearts for eternity when we do them with friends.
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