Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Another Wonderful Day...






Well, it's been a great day, again. My bread takes two days to bake, but it just came out of the oven and I thought I'd share it and the pot of homemade vegetable soup that I've made for dinner with the kids. The bread recipe made two loaves. The soup took a new spin. My family recipe calls for white potatoes, but my husband (always the health nut) wanted me to try sweet potatoes. I did and the result is a soup that has a natural sweet taste to it. Since I was photographing the bread, Bill thought I should also take a picture of one of the hand painted tiles I do. You are all invited to our simple dinner, please join us.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

A Fall Day in the Northwest...

Yesterday we awoke to cooler temps here in Spokane. It had rained during the night and everything was beautiful. Greens are so much greener following a rain.

Fall weather always makes me want to cook and it didn't take long to get into action. I pulled out my Grandmothers donut and cinnamon roll recipe and mixed it up. I used it to create a cinnamon raisen bread. Once the dough was set to raise I couldn't contain myself. I had picked up some horseradish root the day before so I grated it (had to turn on all the fans and open all the windows!). Once all the sinuses in the neighborhood had been cleared, I mixed the grated horseradish with vinegar, salt and sugar and sealed it. It's so beautiful. Homemade horseradish is much whiter than the brands you can buy in the store. Whenever I need a smoother horseradish to serve I simply mix my homemade with a bit of real mayo and it's done. It's also great in cocktail sauce served with shrimp.

My husband went back to Greenbluff (our little family farming area) and picked up three flats of raspberries, a flat of blackberries, ten pounds of cherries and various veggies. He helped me bag and freeze most of the berries, saving out some for our enjoyment. I will be able to make jams, smoothies, pies, whatever from the frozen as we move into winter. As for what we didn't freeze, I have been requested to make up Cherry/Almond Scones and Raspberry Crumble today.

Once I had the bread baking I painted a background for the second floral painting I am doing. Then we took on our grandkids so their parents could celebrate their wedding anniversary. All in all, it was a wonderful day. I slept a bit late today, but then that's the reward for being productive.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

My Heritage...



Being born and raised in the Midwestern United States, I was blessed with a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who started my cooking lessons at a very young age. The grandmothers never used written recipes and while my Mom once in a while pulled out a bit of paper she had made notes on, her normal routine came from within her wonderful mind. Whenever I feel a bit down, I revert to my upbringing and cook something. I thought I might share one of the results...a fresh lemon pie. The lemons came from the tree of a friend and the recipe is from my past. The secret of our merange is to add a bit of flour (this stops the eggs from separating). My husband says it tasted even better than it looks! Wish you were here to share a cup of green tea and a bite of pie.