Category: Food and dining

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First tomato of the season

Today I went outside and there was a ripe tomato on one of my tomato plants. I didn’t think it was fully ripe, but when I touched it, it fell into my hand, so I figured it was ready to eat. To be honest, it was a great feeling seeing that tomato ripe on the vine! I got a slow start, but our growing season is long, and by the looks of the way my plants are growing and the tomatoes on the vines right now…I’ll have plenty of tomatoes to eat and give away.

When you live in Michigan, you have to start tomato plants indoors and figure out when is the best time to plant them in the ground without risk of a late snow or killing frost. Usually I try to get the plants in the ground in mid-April. But some years we are still having freaky snow storms in April, so I have to wait until May.

If we can get them in early enough, there are plenty of fresh, ripe tomatoes ready for picking by the 4th of July. I’ve already beat that goal this year!

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Market day and sky high prices

This morning I had to go grocery shopping and once again, the prices of food bummed me out. It’s getting harder and harder to feed my family and I know I’m going to have to once again tighten up the purse strings and go back to basics.

I can cook creatively, but now I’m going to dig out old recipes that my mom had used while raising us. She was a pro at cooking something great with the minimal of resources. I admire and respect her for this and a lot of other reasons.

Online there is a site that I go to, which tells what items, food and otherwise, is  found cheap during the month of June. It’s looking like meat prices are not in the cards, but berries and produce are. LOL.. there I go, I’ll fix my kids berry squash casseroles and see how that goes over. NOT!

 

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A spoon full of protein

Earlier my son came in and told me he was hungry for something, yet didn’t know what he was hungry for. I threw out a couple ideas for him, none of which he was interested in. He kept wandering around the kitchen, looking in cupboards and in both of the refrigerators and freezers.

There is plenty of healthy snacks, fruit and fixings to make sandwiches out of. At one point, I thought he just was on the lazy side today and wanted me to fix him something. Finally, I did what my mom used to do when as a kid and didn’t know what I wanted to eat. I got out the peanut butter and a large spoon, scooped out a spoonful of the peanut butter and handed it to him. I was tired of him hanging on the refrigerator door with it open, if truth be known.

He asked the silly question of course, “What is that?” (I knew that he would) And I just told him it was a new easy snack called peanut butter on a spoon. He shrugged and ate it. He even washed his spoon after he was finished. And it made him stop hanging out in the kitchen and hanging on my fridge doors, plus he got a bit of protein in his lanky body!

 

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Spice racks and spice collections

Adding to my summer spice collection, requires me to buy more spice racks. It seems I am now collecting them, like I do my various spices. From the domestic every day spices, to the more exotic spices I buy from specialty stores. I have plenty of room on my kitchen walls by the stove to have as many spices displayed and ready to use and visitors often ask if I am a collector. I must admit, I use these racks as also home decor.

Wall spice racks for me, are essential since I have limited cupboard space in my kitchen. My pantry is full of canned and dry goods, so except the wall, there really is no place for me to keep my spices, except the walls. I would love to have racks on the pantry door, but unfortunately the doors are sliders, and not the kind that open up the regular way. Hence making use of my wall space makes sense to me.

Over the years, folks have given me some really great kitchen spice racks as gifts, and I love to display them. That is when I got into the various exotic spices, and also learning how to cook various dishes that calls for them.

 

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Shepard’s pie

Shepard’s pie comes in so many variations that I couldn’t be able to count them. My daughters boy friend who is a guest here until Saturday, wanted to contribute to one of our evening meals. I told him to go for it, and my husband took him and our daughter on their first “grocery trip” together. When they got home, they had gotten the ingredients Keg (we will call him) needed to make his take on the Shepard’s pie.

I have to admit that I tried not to hover, but I absolutely hate to have someone messing around in my kitchen. I even have a problem with my kids and husband cooking something in my kitchen. I mean, it was nice the young man wanted to contribute and show off his cooking abilities, but it still felt odd for me. Instead of hovering, I gave him a bag of potatoes, which I had told him I already had, then left the room. One other truth be known, I was sort of hoping my daughter would learn a few tips on preparing and cooking a new dish. She can bake like hell wouldn’t have it, but to say she is handy in the kitchen, would be a lie.

Keg’s mean tuned out wonderful. Yes, I was surprised. My two son’s and grandson loved it, V loved it, and I liked it. V did learn how to mash potatoes, somewhat. And bless Keg’s heart…he doesn’t measure, and cooks similar to the way I do. I don’t measure and it’s all basically taste test. I’m going to send the recipe to my blogging buddy Lindsay. She is starting to collect recipes for her blog. Her blog  is comprised of a little of everything. She knows my family, as she has kids the same age as I do, which is why we hit it off so well, so it’s going to be a sort of  ” Family and extended Family Cookbook ,”  which will fit right into her blog, since she has many hobbies and life stuff happening… but that is all I’m going to tell you about her surprises. 😉

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Hungry for cheese cake

Cheese cake is my all time, favorite dessert. I love any kind of this delectable food and for me, it’s not just eaten as a desert. It is a comfort food, a give a “lift up mood” food, and basically a food that I can honestly say I will eat at any time. I even sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and will wander into the kitchen and dig out the cheese cake and sit, read my book and eat a small piece. Okay, truth outs…maybe a big piece depending on what my mood is.

I love the television show the Golden Girls. In my opinion, those ladies made cheese cake go viral on the television, if there is actually a way for things to go viral on TV. I loved how Blanch, Dorthy and Rose would sit around the table and reminisce or solve problems all the time sharing a cheese cake. Or how one of them would haul the cheesecake out of the fridge as a celebration or if comfort was needed. I don’t think I ever saw an episode that the best dessert that isn’t just for desert food, didn’t come out for one reason or another.

When I was really young, I hung out with my Grandpa a great deal of time. He was a quiet, wise man who also knew his way around the kitchen. He taught me how to make a great cheese cake. It was an easy recipe for someone young to remember, and our secret. Just his and mine. To this day, I’ll make “our” cheese cake and everyone will ask for the recipe.  I just say that is is something between Papa and I and since Papa passed some years ago, I’d rather not give it out. I’m pretty blunt like that. I am however going to give the recipe to my oldest son, who adores cheese cake like I do.

 

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Ordering my seeds

I’ve been pouring over the seed catalogs that are now coming in the mail, trying to find exactly the seeds I want to plant in the front herb and flower gardens. Such a hard decision for me. I want the all, it seems. I found though, if I buy bulk from a few of the catalogs, I’ll save a lot of money.

In the back yard is where my son and I have decided to get serious about bale gardening and also a plot for veggies that I can take to farmers market and sell, plus have enough for the family to eat.

I’m a vegetable freak. I love just about any kind. I do plan on having some different kinds of squash that a lot of people haven’t even heard of. My mom is making me a list of the ones she has tried and loved. Right now, I just can’t remember the names of them. I’m really looking forward to spring. Plus, I didn’t know it, but my gardens are considered home improvement projects. (The insurance guy told us this). Guess you learn something new every day!

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The dreaded grocery store

Having to make another trip to the grocery store is something I have to do today that I really dread. Everything has gotten so expensive, that I find myself looking in all my cookbooks for ideas of meals to make that are great, nutritious but the ingredients are inexpensive.

My mom did give me a big envelope of coupons that I’m going to go through. They may help. The problem with using the coupons, is that most of them are for things I don’t normally use. Or, I forget the ones I can, which is a major flaw of mine. I also tend to forget my lists unless someone in the family reminds me.

Today I’ve decided to go in armed though. I think when I went to the market on Sunday, I got flustered because the store was super crowded, a lot of the items that were on sale had not been restocked and I didn’t want to try and find a person to help me go in to where ever they go and get what I wanted. That is, IF I could have found someone to help. In that store it’s nearly impossible. I just wanted to get the heck out of there.

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Fish sticks of all things

When my daughter and I went to the grocery store today, she asked if we could have fish sticks for supper tonight. I must have looked at her in horror or something similar, since I am a fresh seafood person,  and the kids are nearly all grown and haven’t had fish sticks since they were young. My main diet is seafood, veggies and rice, but my daughter really wanted the little fish sticks I used to give the kids when they were young, so I bought a big box (UGH) of frozen fish sticks. I did however pick an expensive brand and made sure the sticks were made out of filets, not minced fish.

My kids and even my husband loved the dinner. I did make a side dish of veggies and rice that they like. It sometimes amazes me that the family can be totally happy with simple things.

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Grocery Shopping Hassle

Something tells me that I wish I could hire someone to do my grocery shopping for me. I’m the kind of person who loves to cook, but hates going shopping for something to cook. No matter how many coupons I clip, or lists I make, I end up forgetting them at home and then winging it once I get to the market. Since I’m going to be away this weekend, “my guys” informed me that, there is nothing to eat in the house. This of course is not true. There is. But that would mean they would have to (horrors) defrost something to cook. I think I just might grab a few pizzas for their supper tonight and get some items to make tacos for tomorrow. I’ll tell them to free for all it on Sunday. I really hate to grocery shop.