Musings

Turns out we got another wave of precip/storm overnight (after yesterday’s post) and through midday. This was at 7:20am. We received enough rain to cause local flooding and general super-moistness. Then, by 2pm, sunshine and gorgeousness.

So, we headed to our favorite international food shopping emporium to peruse a large assortment of plant varieties (while well masked). I found these Win Beans. That’s a typo for winged beans, and winged beans are Psophocarpus tetragonolobus. The whole plant is edible (including roots), and the pods have frilly edges, as you can see. Did not buy (call me chicken?).

Posted at 8:15 PM | Comments Off on Did buy cauliflower

As I recall the traditional southern New Year’s Day good luck/health/wealth menu includes rice, field peas/beans, and greens, often collards. We had spinach for the greens and mixed beans (mostly garbanzos and black) for the beans. We skipped the grain, but had wheat crackers. We topped with white cheddar, green onions, and fresh cilantro.

Posted at 9:16 PM | Comments Off on Close enough

Went to what passes for a fancy bakery around here. It’s more than a bakery with wine and sandwiches and a deli mmmmm. I always find the colors of the macarons interesting. I usually think of them as including brighter colors. I didn’t ask what the flavors are. Use your imagination.

These are the fancy bakery items we did bring home. A raspberry cheesecake swirl. Love cheesecake. Love raspberry. And a crème brûlée. MMmmmm.

Posted at 7:27 PM | Comments Off on On the up and up

The term is spatchcocking. I think of it as turkey gymnastics.

I’ve never spatchcocked a bird before. Today was the day. Indeed, the dark and white meat areas roasted at about the same rate. Huge victory.

However…however, next time I’ll probably roast a turkey in parts. It’s an easier prep, I think.

Posted at 6:52 PM | Comments Off on Gymnastics experiment

I always forget how saturated and red-red cranberry sauce is, until I get it finished. If I were to pick a color I’d call “cranberry red,” I don’t think it would be quite this. Maybe a bit less yellow?

This is the old-fashioned basic recipe—just berries, white sugar, and water; however, it’s far less sugar and less water, so that it’s tart and dense. Mmmmm.

Posted at 7:56 PM | Comments Off on Hue and cry?

Blew me away. Organic? Certainly an oxymoron. And a great distraction immediately after getting our New & Improved™ Covid shot/booster (not sure which; it’s the most recent release).

Also, nope, we didn’t buy and try New & Improved™ Reeeseees.

Posted at 9:01 PM | Comments Off on And dark chocolate, too

This was the height of my gardening success this year…this blooming basil (in front of the taxus or whatever that evergreen is).

I guess we were on the move at the wrong times, and the weather wasn’t wet/dry at the right times.

Posted at 8:25 PM | 1 Comment »

I looked out the window just after I arose this morning and saw we had browsing visitors…I usually don’t spot them this close to the house. [I admit; I got up later than normal. But….]

Later, at a potluck dinner with attendees representing five households, I heard unanimous agreement that all were spotting deer grazing closer to the house the last several days. Not sure if the raininess is a factor in this; mostly I think it’s the looming arrival of winter snow. [Meat and veggie enchiladas made with whole wheat tortillas, plus kale salad. All yum yum yum. We contributed appetizer, not shown.]

Posted at 8:38 PM | Comments Off on Potluck

The weather predictions had me worried that precip might drift in as we attended a potluck at the next lake south of us. It was windy, yes, enough to blow the smoke of the fire here and there, but no rain. I’m guessing these came from a tree at the contributor’s place, but I neglected to ask. Took my back to my childhood. We put up quarts of these and also froze halves by the pound from our tree. These had that golden almost crystalline tender sweetness. Best plums, consistently, and yet rarely in the store.

Posted at 9:16 PM | Comments Off on Italian prune plums

Kinda felt like today would be too…muggy for much outdoor work, or really much activity at all. So, we opted for an air-conditioned ride to Serious Grocery Shopping, or a UP approximation thereof. Eventually the overcast burned off and the sky became stunningly clear, with very white poufy clouds.

Because we rarely shop at this emporium, we did some aisle-wandering to find all items on our list. Somehow (as in: Someone Else wanted Oreos), we wandered past the Pepperidge Farm cookie section, and I discovered my recollection of the varieties offered is way, way out of date. [That’s a good thing?] I note the geographic distance between the locations referred to by these two names. Not being a particular fan of either coconut or milk chocolate, I easily gravitate to the Mackinac version. Also, at 8.6 oz vs 7.2 oz, whatta bargain.

Posted at 4:53 PM | 1 Comment »