Well, the Summer ticks on, and the garden is beginning to show its maturity. I'm seeding in what will become the Winter Garden: lots of greens, turnips, and beets, mainly.

The Pole Beans are producing ten meals worth of beans every two days, and I'm close to having my winter needs met. The Romas are getting to the end of their Determinate production time, and are finally petering out. I have, between canned jars and freezer bags, forty quarts of tomatoes set up for winter. Plus another 15 pints of roasted tomatoes, and 18 pints of salsa (that salsa won't make it til Christmas).

Today, I am roasting what looks like the last ten pounds of Romas that I'll get en masse. I have been spending a LOT of time picking and drying Basil, Oregano, Sage, Rosemary and Parsley in the dehydrator. It'll be nice having that on hand without paying money at the store.

While the tomatoes roast, I went out and picked an assortment of Yellow and Green Bell Peppers, some Sweet Banana Peppers, and a mess of Jalapenos, and am going to roast, skin, can, and pack them away for Winter, too.

I found this recipe for easily-canned roasted peppers at CopyKat Chat Forum. I think it replicates the type you might buy at a grocery store, so I'm going to try it, today. Recipe follows after the break.

is this.

Seriously, I am very excited to see the idea of a fruit/veggie dominant diet gaining traction in American culture. Yeah, I know, I know, it's the New York Times. But still...

I just love pickled beets. It must be the 25% Skandinavian part of me! But the store-bought ones always strike me as too sugary and too salty. Beets (properly prepared) are sweet all on their own selves. And what could be more relaxing than spending an evening in the kitchen preparing these? Plus, you don't waste as much packaging.

Syltede rødbeder

Danish pickled beets

4 beets cooked (about 2 and 1/2- 3 cups sliced)

1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp pickling spice
cinnamon stick

[no commas were serialized in the making of this post]

I regret to report that I was unable to extract from my recalcitrant informants the recipe for the cheese grits I waxed poetic about on Friday night. They were excellent but alas! just exactly how excellent they were shall remain a state-guarded secret.

Cheese grits the way I learned to make them --

Last night, my friend Grace--political activist and owner of Hong Kong's great pub-cum-salon, Club 71, showed me how to make Cantonese-style steamed fish in a microwave oven.
"

Have you ever started out with what seemed like a good plan, what might even be thought of as a delicious plan, and then had it linger on a little too long without completion? So long, in fact, that you are forced to consider that maybe the plan wasn’t quite thought through properly in the first place, that maybe you hadn’t considered all the consequences? So very long past any hope of actually achieving what you set out to do that it starts to smell a little odd, to appear discolored, to get all soft and mushy but still, against all reason, you just can't bring yourself to let go?

Of course you have. It isn’t a secret; everyone knows, and you don’t have to be ashamed.

You aren’t alone, we’ve all had it happen at least once in our lives, and there is hope. You don’t have to cling, bitter and weeping, while little flies start to gather and circle the slowly corrupting remnants of your decomposing dream; come with me, let me show you how to get past the grief.

Please submit a grilling recipe with your grilling question.

If Obama's positions were why you like him, now that he has changed major positions on several life-impacting issues this week, are you now against him? If not, why not?

Are you writing to question, and protest, Mr. Obama? If not, why not?

The Famous Cornell Chicken

1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
8-10 pieces of chicken

It was a wet, cold day here, a good time fill the house with warmth and aromas from the kitchen. I had green salad on the menu for tonight's dinner and was out of croutons, so it was time to make another batch.

Good Morning, snowbunnies! Yes, I'm looking at an inch or two blanketing my lawns, mocking all the work in the gardens I did yesterday. Michigan! Don't like the weather? Wait a minute, it will change! The boxed daffodil and hyacinths seem fine this morning, I unboxed them so they could see the sun that's returned to us today. But I guess I'll be indoors this weekend, grumblemumble. So let's cook!

In honor of the Return of the Goddess of Spring, and all those other religious holidays that happen this week, I'm making a nice dinner for family tomorrow. and guess who isn't coming! yeah! I'm going to make: spiral glazed ham, deviled eggs, a toasted bread with grated cheese and herbs, some stuffing/dressing and a gravy, candied sweet potatoes, a spring herb salad, and a very naughty "skookie" that someone in the family says is just perfect under ice cream. Haven't made one of those before. I'm also going to try doing crab-stuffed deviled eggs, for the first time. I'm even going to make the mayo from scratch. Here's the recipie I think I'm going to try:   Read more…

Does he deserve a pass, Sarah? No, he broke the law. He pled guilty. I accept that. But damn, http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/07/2... "> castrate, kill, slaughter – Michael Vick (see comments, I also know these slogans were posted on placards outside the court house)? That is what I disagree with.

Texas is home to some wonderful food.

I am partial to breakfast.

Old-fashioned, filling, tasty food.

Cold mashed potatoes -- about 3 cups
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup butter, melted
Salt
Pepper

I'm swamped with work today, but I just took a quick lunch break and made some soup. I know it's wintertime, but even though it's cold, for me, this recipe is like a quick trip to tropical climes. And it's fast! All you need is a blender.

One or two avocados
Buttermilk
Chicken or mushroom broth, the strongly flavored kind
Chopped cilantro
Diced ginger
Cumin
Chilies (pick your favorite)
Lemon juice

Blend at the highest speed. Enjoy! If you're serving it to guests, you can strain it for effect. I like it slightly chunky, myself.

I can't believe I just drank the whole blenderful, but then again, I never met a glass of buttermilk or avocado I didn't love. Hat tip to the incomparable Ms. Jaffrey.

You will need:

A six-to-nine pound untrimmed beef brisket
Two bottles of Claude's Brisket Marinade OR

2 lb good honey
4 oz liquid mesquite smoke
6 oz soy sauce
4 oz roasted minced garlic
12 oz fresh lime juice

Here's to the old pagan tradition of wassailing the apple trees. From the Sulgrave Manor website we read:

" Apple trees were sprinkled with wassail to ensure a good crop. Villagers would gather around the apple trees with shotguns or pots and pans and made a tremendous racket to raise the Sleeping Tree Spirit and to scare off demons. A toast was then drunk from the Wassail Cup. Wassailing was meant to keep the tree safe from evil spirits until the next year's apples appeared.

Oh apple tree, we'll wassail thee
And hoping thou wilt bear
For the Lord does know where we may go
To be merry another year
To grow well and to bear well
And so merrily let us be
Let every man drink up his glass
And a health to the old apple tree
Brave boys, and a health to the old apple tree"

[Prompted by Why do Republicans have disgusting eating habits?, alert reader The Other Sarah posted the following recipes in comments. And surprise! They don't involve eating corporate swill. I've turned it into a blog post, so we can add it to our growing recipe book.]

Pumpkin pie spice is not hard to make. If you have ever made Russian spice tea or chai tea you know how to make pumpkin pie spice. It's essentially 3 parts cinnamon and 2 parts ginger to 1 part each of allspice and clove and nutmeg. You need about two tablespoons for a really nice gallon of spiced cider; a teaspoon and a half will cover the average custard (pumpkin, sweet potato, or butternut/acorn squash puree) pie; it will also fulfill the need for seasoning in a 9-inch loaf of zucchini or pumpkin bread.

And since it's flu season, here are two receipts for homemade remedies that actually don't taste awful and help the scratchy throat, etc.

A couple years back I got invited to cook for some very nice, but very ‘normal’ American friends of my mom. They relied on the traditional media for their information, and the war was just getting going. Of course I can’t keep my mouth shut ever, so I was looking for a way to get the conversation turned to the war and what was really happening, in the hopes of educating some folks who’d otherwise not hear a strong and well informed anti-war perspective.