Happy St Patrick's Day!!

My morning started with green scrambled eggs and scones topped with green sugar! A fitting way to start the day, I think. I then prepared my corned beef brisket. I decided, after much deliberation, to make it in the Crock pot. In it went with a little water, 1/2 an onion, a few chopped carrots and topped with cabbage. I also added some freshly ground pepper. I alternated between low and high for about 8 hours. What emerged was absolutely scrumptious. My DH says it's delicious. I've never had corned beef before, so I don't know what it's supposed to taste like. However this was the perfect amount of salty and seasoning. Sooooo tender and just plain yummy. I served it with a traditional Colcannon(at least that's what I hear) and an Irish soda bread. All in all, a really good dinner. It needed a dessert, but I never found an Irish dessert recipe. Just green ones.

It's almost spring...sort of

Well, last week at this time, I was trapped at home by about 18 inches of snow. This week it's warmer, rainy and extremely soggy. So, of course, my thoughts turn towards my garden. You may recall, last fall DH built me a second raised bed. YEAH!! Today I plan on pouring through my seeds and starting a plan. We have already obtained 2 seed starting kits. I pray that I have better luck than last year. My Dh was given a huge selection of seeds from a few ladies at work. We are extremely excited to see how they do. One of the packets is OKRA. I'm not even sure it can be grown her in NE Ohio. We'll have to wait and see.
I have several changes to make since last year. I'm not a big fan of beets. I know this now. So, I will not plant as many. The only reason I'll plant some is because the bunny likes the greens and DH loves them. He doesn't eat very many though.
Definitely need more beans and peas. Also, I've decided I'm not a big fan of mesculin mix. I thought I was, but I was wrong. This years lettuce selection will be more along the lines of Romaine, and leaf lettuce.
Another lesson learned from last year, plant the cabbage family early!!! We didn't get nearly enough brussel sprouts and we all love those. Especially, Toby, our puppy. I can't remember if I mentioned her or not. I'll post pics though. My son also has a Guinea pig now, who loves the sprouts. I didn't think the cauliflower did well last year, but it cold just be because I planted too late.
In other news, I have converted my darling husband to a foodie. With the help of Jamie Oliver. DH has started cooking and now is very interested in what I plant. We have also obtained an Imperia pasta roller. He plans to make fresh pasta weekly. I'm all on board. The pasta that we purchased at the WSM changed our lives. I'm back to making our bread. I love my new pans. Chicago Metallic. They rock!!
Oh, and in honor of the 25%of me that is Irish, I'm making corned beef and cabbage for the first time this year. I'll post evidence on Monday. I'll also make my traditional, green scrambled eggs with scones. The kids would be crushed if I didn't.
So, stay tuned for actual news and regular posts again.

West Side Market

I know...it's been forever!! It's also been forever since I visited the WSM. This is a travesty of geography. Ya see, many years ago, I lived a mere 20 minutes away. Now, it's closer to an hour. Still, the time had come to make the trek.
My desire was stirred by a recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer regarding new vendors. The one I was most excited about was the crepe maker!!! So, when DH and I set foot in the building, I immediately started searching for any sign of the "crepe man". When, through the forest of meat guys I spied the sign I squealed and started dragging DH towards the other side of the building. As I neared the crepe man's stand (conveniently located next to the coffee vendor) my heart sunk. There was no man there. Tears formed in my eyes as I read the sign. "Closed on Monday". I whined for several minutes while ordering a mocha.
I perked up quickly when I spied an apple fritter the size of my head at a near by bakery stand.(I'll try and find out the name next time I visit) To say it was the best fritter of my life would not be an exaggeration. It was light and appley with the perfect amount of cinnamon. All others pale in comparison.
We made many trips around the many stands before deciding on some great looking stew meat and beautiful butterflied pork chops. The meat we purchased makes our local grocery store selection look like slop. I can't wait to make a lovely stew this week. DH will be making his newly famous, Jamie Oliver inspired chops. mmmmmmm
The highlight of our trip was the fresh pasta stand. I don't even remember which flavors we purchased but they are amazing!!! I have never experienced pasta like this before. We made it as directed with just a bit of garlic infused EVOO. The flavor was mild, but still stood out, if that makes any sense at all. I'd like to try a very light alfredo sauce next time, not that it needs it. The stand next to the pasta is Urban Herbs. Here we stocked up on all the whole herbs that we've been seeing in recipes and haven't had. I can't wait to try them.
Still...the highlight of my trip was when I happened to spy the dried fruit lady. She has a produce stand outside with the rest. However, she devotes a little section to dried fruit. What's the big deal? you ask. Kiwi, cantelope, peaches, strawberries for Pete's sake!!!! I don't even like dried fruit. Or at least I didn't. I can't say that anymore. I stopped in my tracks at the site of dried up kiwi. I couldn't even fathom the idea. I asked for a sample, as I took a bite, she handed me a straweberry and said "Try them together". Dried fruit perfection, I say!!! SO I bought a pound, and also included the afore mentioned cantelope and peaches. Delightful, I tell you. I must now go eat some...
I'm back. My fingers are sticky. MMMmmmmmmm
I told you all that, to tell you this. You must go to the West Side Market. No excuse is acceptable. Save your pennies. Dig under the couch cushions!! And for the love of Dorothy... try the dried kiwi!!
Oh, but if you want crepes, don't go on Monday.

The Frostman cometh

After a week of record breaking 90 degree weather, it's now getting cold here in Ohio. I'll be bringing in the last of the green tomatoes today. I'll keep the beets in for a little while longer. The brussel sprouts are still a little tiny, so I'm going to keep them out too. I tried the cauliflower this week. It was kind of bitter. I think I left it out too long. Even Cappuccino wouldn't eat it.
I have been so busy in other areas of my life, (see "Life with Grandma") that I've done nothing else with the gardens. Hopefully, I'll get my act together over the winter. All in all, I think this was a successful year. Tomatoes didn't do great, but we still had a good supply. I wasn't very fond of the weird purple beans I planted, but we ate them. I definitely should have planted my cabbage family sooner. Same goes for the beets. I learned a lot this year though.
I think that's what I like the most about gardening. It's a constant learning experience. It's one of the few areas of my life that I don't expect perfection. I've come to expect that so much of the experience is out of my hands, I do my best and wait for the outcome. I also like that no matter how many years I garden, I learn something new each season.
So, for now I'll focus on raking leaves and closing down the garden for the season. Soon the seed catalogs will arrive and I'll start dreaming of next years bounty.

It's September!!!

I know it has been for a few days now, but it's just now sinking in. Fall is almost here!! (as is my birthday which happens to fall in my favorite season)(pun intended) I still haven't gotten anything else planted. As frequently happens, the garden is getting away from me. Nothing ever happened with the cabbage or brussel sprouts. The beets are barely there and probably won't be worth picking before the ground freezes. I do have a few more surprise squash. I still haven't eaten any of the ones I already picked!! I think my tomatoes are done. I still have some green ones, which I will bring in and try to ripen. I don't usually have much success with this method, but it's worth it if even one tomato can be saved!!!
I have got to post the pics of my crazy purple beans!! They are gigantic!
I got a good supply of peppers this year. I think it's actually been one of my best.
I will be getting dirt for the beds soon. I'm going to attempt to plant garlic and onions.
I made a big batch of bruscetta for dinner last night!! It was awesome. I used some ciabatta bread and grilled it. Then topped it with this mixture. Nothing fancy~
Bruscetta tomato mixture
diced, deseeded tomatoes
chopped fresh basil, picked and washed right before
a few tablespoons of finely chopped red onion
a splash of olive oil
a few cloves of garlic plus a few more for rubbing on the grilled bread
I think that's it. I may have put in a splash of red wine vinegar, but I don't remember. I also topped some wheat spaghetti with this and then tossed it with fresh parmigiana regiano. Oh My gosh was it good!! We wiped out the entire loaf of bread in one meal! I really could have made a meal of just that and I don't think I'd have had any complaints!! To steal from Alton it was "Good Eats"
So coming soon: APPLES!! which means apple festivals. I try to get to at least 3! And Pumpkins!! I love all things pumpkin.

Planting time, again

Well, I think it's time to start second plantings. My goal this week is to do another planting of broccoli, lettuce and peas. Hopefully I can get one more crop of these before the snow. I also need to get dirt for the second bed so I can plant onions and garlic.
I picked squash today. I have no idea if there were ripe. I'm not even sure how to tell. But, they'd been sitting there awhile without changing, so I figured they were done. Unfortunately, it looks as if these are the only two I'm going to get. I think the soil they were in just wasn't adequate for their needs. Hopefully, next year, when they are in the raised bed they'll do better.
I didn't make it to any farmers markets this week. I still want to get to the one at Stan Hywet. I'm hoping this is the week. I know they will start closing down soon. It seems like the farmers market season goes by quicker than anything else. I really miss them when they're gone.
In sadder news, the worms are gone. And by that I mean, dead. This last week we had some major storms here in Northeastern Ohio. Even though their container was covered and had drainage holes, they were still flooded.(along with the back yard and part of our basement) As far as I can tell, there weren't any survivors. May they rest in peace.

Slacking!!

Wow, I haven't posted here in a long time!! It has not been because I haven't been doing anything. Just today I froze peach pie filling and made peach sauce. It is yummy. I bought a peck of peaches from Rittman's on Wednesday. I don't really have a recipe for the sauce, but here's the gist of it.
Peach Sauce
Peel and cut or slice some peaches
Sprinkle some brown sugar on top
Add some cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla
Stir in and then add a handful of cinnamon chips.
Heat on low until peaches are soft and liquid is syrupy, stirring often.
I had some of this on my pancakes this morning and it was yummy!!
The garden is doing OK. I'm getting a couple tomatoes every few days. Lots of cherry tomatoes. I've also had a few peppers and cucs. Cappuccino has enjoyed little bits of broccoli. We also picked the beans. They were really weird looking. Over a foot long and purple!! I was kind of afraid to eat them, but they were good. I have one squash on each of the surviving plants.
I made my first and so far only batch of salsa last week. It was really good. I used one jalapeno and one habanero pepper. It was pretty hot. Just the way I like it.
Unlike the weather which has been cool these last few days. Today the high was supposed to be 70, but I don't think it made it. It has rained the entire day. I haven't made it to the back yard, but it looks like a swamp out there!!