Lunch

Oh yum, I love lunch.  My favorite kind is a bunch of stuff on a plate with salad dressing.  Here's what I had today (I know, this is a cliche to write about my lunch):

Baby greens

Baguette slices

Hummus

Raspberries and Blackberries

Cheddar Cheese

and The Dressing--Australian Olive Oil (first time I've tried it, it is good!) Rice Vinegar, Water, Chopped garlic, Salt and Pepper.

...and an organic beverage.

I started this plate of random stuff habit many years ago at my sister's house, and she thought I was a loon.  I would get kippers, salad vegetables, cheese, french bread and oil and vinegar dressing.  Oh my gooness, it was good.

I went shopping today, that's why we have yummy food.  It should last about 4 days,  if we're lucky.  I think if people had yummy food all the time they'd be happier.  Eating should always be a pleasure, not a bore or a chore.  It is a chore when you're eating low quality, processed foods. Whenever I feel down, I go back to the garlic, olive oil and fresh fruits and vegies and it really helps.  I think fresh garlic may be nature's anti-depressent.  You won't win many friends or influence people, but you'll be happy about it.

Cooooooookiiiiieeeeees!

Dori posted a recipe for her favorite cookies and asked for others to join in.  So here's a recipe for wheat-free chocolate chip cookies that actually aren't half bad.  It's adapted from a recipe in Rebecca Reilly's book Gluten-Free Baking.  Bob's Red Mill makes the flours.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup potato starch

1/4 cup tapioca starch or oat flour or almond flour or whatever else is around

Rebecca also adds 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, but I haven't got any (it costs a fortune), and the cookies are a bit crumbly and fragile as a result, but still yummy.

2 (yes, two) sticks of butter at room temp

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg 

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup walnuts (if you like) chopped

Mix the dry ingredients.  Cream butter, add sugars and beat till fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in dry ingredients slowly, follow with the chocolate chips and nuts.  Form dough with two spoons into the size you desire and space 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Carefully transfer cookies to a rack and cool. Get a big glass of milk (or soy milk) and dig in!

Rebecca's book is full of treats, like Sour Cream Coffee Cake, which I made last week, and it was YUM.  Gluten-free does not mean deprivation anymore.  It's all pleasure, no bloat! 

Forecast: More rain

The rain will be good for the trees and plants. But it's getting a bit chilly and I'm starting to wonder what happened to summer. All week it's supposed to rain...more 'shrooms on the way. I did a report on mushrooms in 7th(?) grade with pictures I took up in Bonny Doon, shroomland. I wish I still had it, maybe then I could identify these. Or I could just pick up Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora again.

Here's a recipe I like with Shiitake mushrooms in it.

Spicy Lentils

1 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots or green onions
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup each diced carrots and celery
1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. (or to taste) canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
1 cup lentils
3 cups water or stock
salt and pepper to taste.

Saute oil and vegies slowly until soft but not brown. Add vinegar and chiles, raise heat and stir until liquid is reduced by half. Add lentils and water/stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 20 minutes till lentils are tender but not mushy, add more liquid if necessary. Season to taste and serve.
Recipe credit: John Ash, as presented at the April 2008 Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives Conference.

Partly cloudy, 52 degrees at 10:00.

Rainy days

A puddle. Summer was here for a few days, but now it is spring again, with rain and cooler temperatures. The plants are happy and so am I. Everything is green.On Monday we set up the wall-o-waters and I planted the rest of the potatoes under straw.
Carrots finally came up in the box. The other plants in the box are doing ok, but something is eating stuff and walking in it. I need to cover it up with a floating row cover or a plastic hoop thing. I'll have to order it because I haven't found any around here.

http://www.gardencityseeds.net/ and http://www.seedsofchange.com/ have row covers plus lots of other good stuff, like those wall-o-waters. The Co-op Country Store is advertising that they now sell Irish Eyes heirloom seeds. Maybe it's worth the trip up north to see what else they have. A row cover is the low-tech way of protecting the crops, but around here most people use the plastic hoop house. I might try setting one up if I can figure out how.

The bluebirds were out this morning, I think they may stay this year...I hope!
Crabapple blossoms and others are getting ready to open.


The tulips too, which means it is time for hot pepper spray. Deer beware, these tulips are hot.
Recipe
2-5 Tablespoons Tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper or any hot pepper substance you have.
1 gallon of water
1 Tablespoon oil
Mix it up, strain through cheesecloth, and spray on your tulips.
Note: It's hot! Not responsible for eye injury, property or other damage resulting from misuse of pepper spray. Spray on test area first before spraying the whole garden.

Speaking of pests, the cats left another remnant on the doormat this morning. The whole scene was perplexing. There were two bunches of grass and one mouse foot on the mat, placed just so. Then there were various entrails scattered about, surrounding the mat. What does it mean? Is it a cat luck charm? They're probably shaking their heads at me for cleaning it up and yelling at them. Poor human, doesn't understand, we're only trying to help.

One of my favorite wildflowers, Arrowleaf balsamroot, is blooming. Every year we are here, there are more of them.

I saw a very interesting book yesterday. It's called The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell. I'll have to read more, but it was clear from a brief look that it talks about the connection between consumption of animal protein and diseases like cancer. Plant proteins, according to the study, do not promote disease. You're way ahead of us, Slammy. Lentil stew for dinner.

A bit chilly

25 degrees this morning at 6 am, and frosty. Our last hard frost was in late June last year. Although I really want to start setting out my transplants, I know it's too early. How many times have I made that mistake?

Smells like feet.

Yesterday afternoon, these two walked by the window and Jr. said "Moose!" and I said "Camera, camera!" They're pretty shaggy right now, losing the winter coat. The little guy looked right at me, while waiting for his mom. They seem to have some fascination with the trampoline, they paused there last year to have a sniff too. Maybe they like the smell of kid's feet.

A recipe! Hey Slammy, give this a try.
Ingredients: Bok choi, green onion, cooked rice. Sauce: Soy sauce, rice vinegar, Adams crunchy peanut butter, and olive oil.
Stir fry the cut up bok choi and a sliced green onion over medium heat in olive oil for a short time. Add a little left over rice and cook till hot. The bok choi should not be limp and dead, but crunchy and bright green. Turn off heat, pour over the sauce. (The sauce is a mixture to taste of soysauce, rice vinegar, a spoonful of Adams crunchy peanut butter and olive oil, mixed in a cup with a fork). Let the sauce sizzle for a bit, then serve.

I got some onion sets to plant, and some "critter food" at the local hardware store. I remembered that when we had the quail visiting, I was putting out more than just black oil sunflower seeds. This food I got has corn and peanuts in addition to sunflower seeds, so maybe we'll get new customers. I saw a Ruffed Grouse by the side of the driveway the other day, it looked and acted just like a chicken, moving its head back and forth. I've been hearing their thump thump thumping sound off in the woods. This year I've noticed a bird that is new to me, at the school, and the neighbor's. It looks like a shore bird, with long legs and a stripe on the neck. I looked it up and the closest thing to it is a Killdeer, which nests in "athletic fields...lawns...or any area that has short sparse vegetation," (Stokes Field Guide to Birds), so that explains why they're at school. They're the birds that fake having a broken wing to lure predators away from their nests. I'd love to see that, but I guess they know better than to build a nest on our cat-patrolled fields. They wouldn't last a day.

There's a new poll in the works, I'd appreciate your insights and opinions on the matter. THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL.