Lazy snowy sunday...in the bed

We had a bit of a blizzard over the last 2 days, so what better way to spend the afternoon than in the bed with the worlds best cat & dog. Cody almost never gets to come in the bed, but I was cold, and wanted him there. I finally finished A Prayer for Owen Meany, maybe one of the best books I've ever read. And I'm 2 days into my 14 days off work!

my week in food.

On the menu...
Thai beef salad

Pork & Vegetable stir fry with Garlic Sauce

My favorite weekend breakfast:
poached eggs & roasted garlic bread


Last week, I learned how to bake bread, from journey the master bread baker.

And, I got an autoharp off Craigslist for $25!
now I just have to learn how to play it.

I'm officially the BIGGEST DORK EVER.

I am a reality TV junkie.
yes, I know it's awful, J gives me endless crap for my tragic addiction.
I am not proud.
I am a loser.
I just spent a good half hour crying, in my kitchen, watching a rich dude give his money away.
yep. yes. uhuh.
I am completely enthralled with secret millionaire.
Let the crap-giving begin.

Thanksgiving Splendor...at the Crapshack.

Thanksgiving was wonderful...nothing like good food, family, and pie. Wonderful pie.



The Menu:
Turkey, of course (1 - 22 lb. whole turkey, and 1 - 5 lb. breast)
Sage and Thyme stuffing
Green beans with garlic/mustard and toasted almonds
white trash casserole (frozen veggies w/ velveeta & fried onions)
chickpea/potato stew
garlic mashed potatoes
garlic roasted squash
fresh cranberry sauce
rolls
and
pie.
apple & pumpkin (thanks rebecca)
and pomegranate sorbet (thanks emily)


oh, and here's the latest round of hats I made...

scrimp scrampi

This weekend on public tv, Lydia Bastinsomething cooked Bucatini with toasted breadcrumbs and garlic. I tried it, but added shrimp; it turned out pretty good...a little dry, but still mostly yummy. On the side was swiss chard from the garden, and a summit bohemian pilsner, delicious.

Menu; something old, something new

unbelievably, the tomatoes just keep coming from the garden! Yes, they are mostly green...but right now I have 2, no 3 bowls full and 2 paper bags.
Also, my mom told me a story last night about how her mom used to bring her bowls of brown butter sauteed greens with a creamy bechamel sauce, after she married my dad and moved out. So sweet, so I tried googling the name my grandma called it (ein braune) ? to no avail. I found the recipe below...who knows if it's the same, but hopefully it will still honor the memory.
This week:
- fried green tomatoes
- creamed brown butter greens (with the rest of the chard)
- coq au vin (had frozen chicken and half a box of wine)
- stuffed squash (I have 4!)

Herbs for the Winter

Today I harvested the herb garden, and spent the evening washing, bundling, and hanging them for drying. They taste so good in the middle of winter, a little bit of summer's fresh flavor in my recipes. Sage, tarragon, thyme, lavender, rosemary, chives, thai basil, mint, and lemongrass (although I have no idea what to do with lemongrass.)

To the Woods...

Here's the pork shoulder...one of my favorite recipes. Even more delicious with apples from the farmers market, and homemade bread.

Menu: week of October 6

A picture of Sara toasting me with her pint, totally unrelated to this post.

This week's menu:
- green chile chicken tamales
- black bean soup
- no knead bread
- fried green tomatoes
-garlic pork shoulder

I also need to finish an order of 20 hats for sale at Corazon, (my very very favorite gift shop by the way) and get the garden put to bed tomorrow. Hopefully I'll also have time to fix the front door, and clean up the front porch a little.

J and I took a quick trip to the Global Market to grab a delicious dinner from Holyland of Rotisserie chicken, hummus, feta and olives; and to Uncle Hugo's Mystery Bookstore for a new Sci Fi book for him.
Going to bed early to get everything done tomorrow!

Summer's End; the last of the garden

Green, red and cherry tomatoes, squash, chard, basil, this crazy sunflower that we have no idea what it is. Seriously, does anybody know what this is?



It's perennial, grows about 6-12 feet high each season, gets thick stalks, and blooms these beautiful yellow flowers the last week of summer. I'd love to know. Let's see...been another very busy week. Made the soup from last week this week...I don't think it's that great. But the pork recipe is amazing, that's a repeat.
On a much more amazing note, my brother and his wife just had a new baby! Julia Mary, born on Tuesday, 6 pounds 15 oz. She's perfect. Ben and Henry are so proud, and they'll be such wonderful big brothers.

Menu . Week of Sep 22

This week's menu includes the following:
- Roast Chicken Breasts with Garbanzo Beans, Tomatoes, and Paprika
served with rice pilaf and fresh green salad
- Spice-rubbed Pork Skewers with Tomatoes
- Beef Daube Provencal
and
- North Woods Bean Soup

Tonight we had the chicken, and DAMN...that's good chicken. I'm not even hungry right now, and just writing about it makes me want to go have a little more. 118 reviews on epicurious, and still at 4 forks. This recipe makes the most of ordinary chicken; the smoked paprika is the key...make sure you use it even if you already have regular paprika, and you don't want to go to the store...DO IT. It's amazing, and worth the trip--J agreed.

Muraly McMuralson

12 hours of painting, and 2 days later...it's finished. With the help of 3 chipper volunteers, the lobby of the Family Tree Clinic will be a slightly happier place Monday morning. Here are pictures of the project from sketch to finish.
My idea was to mimic their logo without recreating it exactly, and keep the color palette consistent with their beautiful new Web Site designed by Triangle Park.
Hope they all love it.









Plus, I made them a map for touch-up.

Patty Melts and Oven Baked Fries

I came home today to dinner (almost ready) ... and man oh man was it delicious. I've never had a patty melt, but I think I may be addicted after today. Here's the recipe: mmm...pattymelt

Fall=Cooking

For some reason beyond the oppressive heat, it's not as fun for me to cook in the summer. The recipes seam lighter, less engaging than seared meat and hearty stews. So...I'm happy for the fall for the reinvigoration of my kitchen. Every weekend I try to plan a few meals for the upcoming week, and go grocery shopping with a list for the those recipes. This weeks menu:
- Whole Grain & Italian Sausage stuffed Cabbage Leaves
- Patty Melts with Grilled Vidalia Onions
- Zucchini Eggplant lasagna
and
- Potato Leek Soup
I'll try to post pictures as I go...
also, I'm starting a new mural next weekend, and getting close to a finalized plan for the dining room redo. good times.
Here's a pictures of last week's White Bean & Tomato dish.

The mural in the Community Garden is finished. Everyone seems to be happy with it, so I'm glad. Even though I painted a large part of it, there was very much a community effort behind it. So thank you to everyone involved, it makes our little community a little brighter. I'm glad you talked me into it!

Birds & Bugs

We're painting a mural in the community garden. Birds & bugs, plus a few trees and flowers and small mammals. It's not done yet, but I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished product.

It's FAIR TIME!

It's the first day of the Minnesota State Fair!
Corn dogs, cheese curds, baby animals, crop art, and giant vegetables...what more could you want in a day?

TA DA!

Well, it's certainly not perfect...it is in fact still relatively awful...but it's less awful then it was before. And it matches a little bit. So here it is, in all it's glory, the finished kitchen cabinet. (queue the hallelujah song.)

Happy National Night OUT!

Apparently there's a mini-drama going on around here concerning national night out. LAME!

http://www.startribune.com/local/26226844.html?page=2&c=y

Here's what I say: WHO CARES how much the founder makes. Good for him. He probably ate beans and rice for 20 years trying to get it off the ground. Neighborhoods like mine need events like this to keep up our anti-crime moral.

Today's project: Kitchen sink cabinet

Today I decided to paint the kitchen sink cabinet to match the lovely new Ikea cabinets I installed 2 weeks ag0 (on wall). First coat is on, and it needs to dry overnight for the second coat. Before, during, and after will come tomorrow!