Man's Best Friend

I had never lived with a dog before I moved here to live with Paul.   Oh, we always had dogs when I was growing up on the farm but those dogs lived outside and never came in the house.  They were farm dogs.  I was only really attached to one of them, Buddy.  Unfortunately, Buddy had a roving eye and a yen for the female dog across the highway.  Late one night, it became his undoing. He was hit by a car and killed.  It took me days of crying to get over it.  I think I was about 12 at the time.

However, part of the Paul package was Gracie, his border collie.  I was a bit apprehensive about living with a dog that came indoors.  Would she be in the way, leave dog hair everywhere, be a nuisance?  Well, she was all those things but she was also an amazingly well-trained and intelligent dog.  She grew on me.

Gracie was smart enough to know what certain words meant and so we had to either spell things or use alternative words when we didn't want her to get excited...like perambulate instead of walk, flying disc instead of frisbee, or European football instead of soccer.  But she still had ways of figuring things out that we couldn't understand.  She seemed to know before we did that we were planning a walk down the road.  She would start to get excited if she heard my noisy sock drawer upstairs (where she wasn't allowed to go) assuming I was putting on socks and shoes for a walk.  Even the times she was disappointed because I was only going out to work outside, her enthusiasm for my putting on my socks and shoes never waned.  She was always hopeful. 

As you may have guessed by my using the past tense, Gracie died about two months ago.  She was getting to be a bit of an old dog.  She had blown out her knee last year and limped a little now and then.  She didn't always move as fast as she once had.  However, she seemed to be doing okay for a dog of a certain age.  Until one day, after one of her beloved walks down the road, she just didn't seem to have too much energy.  As the day wore on, she seemed less like herself, not wanting to come inside from the rain, panting and just lying around.  We knew something was really wrong when she didn't even wag her tail when Paul talked to her and petted her in her "den" behind the couch that night.  We decided we would have to take her to the vet the next morning.  She died in her sleep that night.  Blessedly, it was fast and relatively painless.  She was home with her pack and in her den.  A good place to be.  

That was two months ago and we all still miss her.  It's often at funny times like driving in the driveway and not seeing her run down to meet us.  I notice it most when I come downstairs in the morning.  Gracie had decided some time ago that I was the person who would let her outside in the morning and she would greet me, excitedly, at the bottom of the stairs and do her little jumpy run ahead of me to the front door.  I still expect to see her there sometimes.  

Gracie is buried out in our prairie.  This spring we will plant a Ponderosa pine over her.  Gracie was a good dog. 

Turn, Turn, Turn

Time is turning into another season.  This weekend has been beautiful warm Fall weather, the kind that's perfect for getting a few things done outside.  

We've already had many nights of freezing weather so the garden has pretty much died as you can see from this picture of what used to be our tomatoes.  Sigh. 

 






So my job this weekend was to take out all the dead garden plants and get them into the compost bins.  It's not a difficult job but it takes a little time.  It always makes me a little sad, though.  It's the end of our fresh garden food.  Oh, there are still carrots, beets, and parsnips for Fall food but it's time to move on.  

 Of course, like every other task around here, it became complicated.  Paul has been talking for a couple of years about making new boards for the compost bins.  The old ones are breaking and have gaps that are too big and stuff falls out of.  He decided that this weekend would be the time to take them on.  

 
Now we have lovely new boards that resemble Lincoln logs.  They are made out of old cedar siding that Paul had stored in the barn.  They really do look much better and are sturdier. 

The other offshoot of redoing the compost boards is that we had to turn over the compost and found lots of lovely soil to spread on the newly bared garden beds.   It never ceases to amaze me that all those kitchen scraps and dead plant parts turn into such beautiful dirt!  It's the ultimate recycling!

Naan

Paul is a wonderful cook.  He likes to make ethnic food...Mexican, Thai, and especially, Indian food.  Some time ago, he showed me how to make naan, an Indian bread similar to pita bread.  Now I make the naan and he makes the rest of the meal.

Naan is really easy to put together.  The base is flour, salt, baking powder, and yogurt.  This is all kneaded together and sits to rise for a couple of hours.  Once the dough is ready, it is cut into pieces and rolled out into rounds.  One at a time, the rounds are slapped onto a hot cast iron skillet for a few minutes until they begin to puff up.

Then the whole pan is stuck under the broiler for a few more minutes until the top starts to color.  When you take it out, you have a big puffy pillow of naan.

It's the perfect foil for spicy Indian food and  the leftovers make great "pita" sandwiches.
As Paul always says, "It's a naan starter."

Tomato Inspiration

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth...but I haven't written anything in a couple of months.  I have no excuses, just temporary lack of inspiration.  Then the tomatoes started to ripen.  Ahhh, homegrown tomatoes.  I know I've sung their praises before but I just can't help doing it again. 

We love just about any fresh tomato pasta sauce around here but  we do have a couple of real favorites.

I made one of them just the other night.  It doesn't have a fancy name, just Fresh Tomatoes with Fettuccine or something like that.  It has a sort of Mediterranean feel to it.  It's easy to riff on but here are the basics.  Most every fresh tomato pasta sauce I know starts with 1 1/2 pounds of fresh tomatoes, diced.  This one adds 1/4 cup of finely diced red onion, 1 diced clove of garlic, 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese, about a cup each of chopped parsley and fresh basil, and a handful of kalamata olives.  Toss all these with 2 T. of balsamic vinegar, 3 T. of olive oil, and some salt and pepper.  You can do this in the afternoon and let it sit.  Just add one pound of cooked fettuccine when you're ready to eat.  This picture is of the sauce before the pasta was added.  

Our very favorite fresh sauce is called Penne all'Insalata.  This is another one to put together in the afternoon and let it sit until you're ready to have dinner.  I think this type of dish is great for hot summer weather.  This one also starts with 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, diced. Put them in a bowl with about a cup of chopped basil, 3 T. olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt.  Let it sit at room temperature...the longer the better!

In the bowl you will serve the pasta in, mash together 4 ounces of goat cheese, 2 T. olive oil, and 1/2 t. red pepper flakes.  Let it sit at room temperature, too.  When you're ready to eat, cook 1 pound of penne.  Drain it and dump it into the goat cheese mixture and toss well.  Once the pasta is coated with the goat cheese, add the tomato mixture and quickly toss.  Voila!  Dinner!

Fresh tomato pasta is the perfect summer meal...no cooking to speak of and deliciousness fresh from the garden! 

Shortcake

It's strawberry time again!  I went out yesterday to check the berry patch and, lo and behold, there were ripe berries...LOTS of ripe berries!  What a lovely surprise.  As I've said before, a red ripe warm strawberry just picked from the patch is one of the best taste treats ever.

Yesterday's strawberry surprise prompted the baking of some shortcakes.  I have a wonderful shortcake recipe.  I don't remember where I found it but it became an immediate favorite.  It tastes great with any kind of fruit...berries, peaches...you name it and it will taste delicious on these shortcakes.  I'm including the recipe because it's that good and you should try it!

                                       

                                      Shortcakes with Lemon and Thyme

These slightly savory biscuits are a perfect match for fresh berries or peaches. The secret to great shortcakes is very moist dough so don't be tempted to add more flour.

Makes 6-8 

3/4 cup chilled buttermilk

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme  (or lemon thyme)

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter

1 tablespoon raw sugar*

Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream

* Also called turbinado or demerara sugar; available at most supermarkets and at natural foods stores.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Mix buttermilk, lemon peel, and thyme in small bowl. Whisk next 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend, breaking up any large clumps of brown sugar with fingertips. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk mixture and stir with fork just until blended (dough will be sticky). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead gently just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 turns (do not overwork dough or shortcakes will be tough). Pat dough out to 3/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gently gather dough scraps and pat out to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out additional rounds, for 6 rounds total (I got 8). Transfer dough rounds to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Sprinkle dough rounds with raw sugar. (This is optional)

Bake biscuits until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool slightly.

Using serrated knife, carefully cut biscuits in half horizontally.  Spoon on fruit.  Cover with biscuit tops. Place scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream on each and serve.

Ravioli

I love making ravioli.  It's so easy.  No, really, it is.  First of all, I use wonton wrappers for the "pasta" part.  They totally work and make it a cinch to make homemade goodness.  I have quite a few I like to make but my favorite fillings are sweet potato, butternut squash, or goat cheese with herbs.  I made the goat cheese with herbs one tonight.  It really is a stunning dish.  First of all, I mixed the goat cheese with six chopped herbs from the garden (mint, basil, parsley, tarragon, thyme, and chives.)  Then I added some grated Parmesan cheese and a little cream to loosen up the goat cheese a little.  

Next I put about a teaspoon's worth on the wonton wrapper, wet two edges, and press it together.  

 The raviolis cook in three to four minutes.  

Next they get tossed with some browned butter and laid on a bed of sautéed roasted red peppers, onion, and tomatoes.  I topped them with toasted pine nuts and some chopped parsley for color.  YUM!!

Hopeful

I think planting a garden is a very hopeful endeavor.  One puts seeds in the ground, covers them up, and hopes something will grow.  How amazing that they do!  This past week I couldn't stand it any longer.  I planted part of the vegetable garden.  Even though the sage gardeners will say I should wait a little longer, I couldn't.  I put in a hills of pumpkins, summer squash, and lemon cucumber.  I planted three rows of bush green beans.  There is a new row of parsley next to the old row that wintered over. 

Under this cardboard are two rows each of carrots and parsnips.  A friend of mine told me how to get carrots and parsnips started in this climate.  She was told by an old gentleman farmer and that has to be a great source.  After planting the seeds, I water them down well and then cover them with the cardboard (or grain sacks or something like that.)  I have to put the pieces of wood on top to keep the cardboard from blowing away.  It keeps the soil moist so the seeds will germinate.  Apparently carrots need that moisture in order to make happy little sprouts.  Once the sprouts have come up, the cardboard goes away and yummy carrots and parsnips grow.  I love stuff like this!

I planted greens a few weeks ago and some lettuces, spinach, and arugula are poking up their little leaves already.  Sadly, the little slimy slugs ate off the snap peas that were coming up.  I have taken measures to assure that doesn't happen again.  I actually bought snap pea plants to replace them but I haven't put them out yet.  We are supposed to get a rather hard freeze tonight so I'm waiting.  


I really enjoy getting out and planting the garden every year.  It gives me great satisfaction to know that those little seeds I'm putting in the soil are going to produce lots of luscious food for us this summer and fall.  And it makes me smile.