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Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas 2010

The tree is decorated.
Presents are loaded underneath.
We're at Peri's for Christmas Eve.


The table is set for dinner.
Menu:
Cream of Broccoli Cheddar Cheese soup.
5-Cheese Ravioli with vodka tomato sauce.
Lobster Ravioli with brown butter sage sauce.
Prime Rib with garlic grilled asparagus.

Peri does not eat potatoes, so dessert looked like foil wrapped baked potato.
It was actually vanilla ice cream with cocoa powder, topped with icing like butter.
Whipped cream and green sprinkles looked like sour cream and chives.


Christmas Morning finds us at Frankie's house.
The tree is loaded with lovely ornaments.
Under the tree is Frankie's new bike.
After presents, we enjoyed a wonderful brunch:

Menu:
Potato-Leek soup.
Cream Chipped Beef in Toast Cups
Assorted breads.
A variety of interesting cheeses and meats.


The ride back home was uneventful. The chickens had laid 18 eggs in our absence. Their water stayed fluid. The cat came in for a warm dinner. All's right with the world.


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Monday, November 15, 2010

Good Eats in Delaware


Dinner in Delaware

We spent a long weekend in Delaware. One of the treats was finding good food that is different from what we can get in our home area or fix ourselves. We were able to find some super meals at sensible prices. Always a winning combination.

Our first night, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant. It is located in a strip mall, with checkered plastic tablecloths. Their specialty is Pho'. We had no idea what to order and the young waiter advised us.
According to Wikipedia, "The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer."
We chose seafood versions. Both were excellent. The bottom one is spicy. The round things are little pillows of tofu. The dish of lime, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, and basil are to be added to taste by each person. The restaurant webpage is: www.phonhuvu.com.

The second night, we chose an Indian/Pakistani restaurant, The Tandoori Grill.
Once again, we had no idea what to order, so we took the advice of the counterman.
This picture shows a spinach and cheese dip and naan. We also ordered a goat curry. Both were excellent. The restaurant website is thetandoorigrill.com, but I have not found it to be working.

The next day was spent at the Hagley Museum, (http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/) learning about the DuPonts and gunpowder. It's a very interesting museum. There is a gunpowder demonstration - startled me! Also a machine shop demonstration. The Sunday School House had an interpreter and offered the opportunity to write with a quill. Workers labored six days a week, and the only day left for education was Sunday - it is not a religious school, but an opportunity for the workers to learn to read and write on Sunday.

The foreman's house also had an interpreter, but since the house is the same age as our own, there was not much interest on our part.

Lunch was a treat. We usually dread eating at a museum because of the cost and the quality. We usually pack a picnic. This day was different. We had checked out the menu, and it sounded good. http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/hagley-belin-house-menu.pdf We had grilled cheese and soup.

The soups (turkey chili or corn chowder) were homemade and delicious. The sandwiches were made on excellent bread.

But the real treat for this trip was the visit to Woody's. We had been there before and loved it.
This night was no exception. We did not make reservations, since, even though it was Saturday, we got there at 4:15. Oh, my, the place was packed! There were very few empty tables, and by the time we finished our dinner, the wait for tables was really long.
The tables are covered with butcher paper. There's a cup of crayons, in case you want to doodle. We ordered crabcakes with twice-baked potato and coleslaw. Also crab imperial with fries and coleslaw.
We really enjoyed this delicious meal.
The restaurant website is: http://www.woodyscrabhouse.com

We will be happy to take any suggestions you may have for where to go next!


Saturday, October 2, 2010

Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart

It's fall, and time to harvest the beans.

We grew fewer varieties than other years.
The best tasting are the Good Mother Stallard.
The weather has been fantastic,
so it's fun to sit in the sun and shell beans.
The Good Mother Stallard beans make an outstanding sausage bean soup.
Italian Sausage
Onion, celery, carrot, chard, kale, chicken stock, beans.

Another favorite is Tiger Eye.

This year we grew Scarlet Runner Beans,
just 'cause they're fun.
The bean-blossom is red,
hence the name.
Hummingbirds love the flowers.
Here's a little female.
She went from blossom to blossom.
~
The beans are an amazing purple color.
The beans are now finishing drying on cookie sheets.
The dining room table is covered!


Saturday, September 25, 2010


No idea why pictures did not come out,
so I reposted them.

I just love the mallows.
They just appear.
They bloom from the end of daffodils until frost.
We tend to have about 10:1 Pink:White.
They make a great cut flower, too.


Lets Try Again - Pictures not showing up.

September 25, 2010
Today was a glorious fall day.
The temperature was in the 70s, and it was clear and breezy.

The Michaelmas Daisies are spectacular.
This honeybee thinks so, too.


Milkweed has started to release the seeds.
That's always magical.


Amazingly, we still have not had frost!
Alas, the tomatoes succumbed to late blight.
We were able to get some to ripen,
so it's better than last year where we got zero tomatoes from 35 plants.

~
There seems to be a problem with uploading pics.
This is an attempt to solve the problem by re-saving the post

Chickens are Entertaining

I was shelling beans,
but the last time I sat on the wall, it was corn.
With corn, there are lots of bits for chickens to eat.
The chickens came over hoping for something good to eat.
Alas, no good food today.
~
The cucumbers wilted shortly after the kids were here.
D cleaned the area, and the chickens think he did it for them.
It's a great place for a dustbath.

And it makes it easy for Tommy to find them.


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Apple Pie from our apples.


Apple Pie
from our apples.

I used the Apple Pie by Grandma Ople recipe from allrecipes
with a few changes.

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
  2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
  3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.
I used a bought crust, added cinnamon and nutmeg.
It just came out of the oven, and we can hardly wait!
It smells good!!!