Hello,

Poking around the attic looking for items I could donate to a yard sale to benefit an organization that I belong to, I stumbled across the long-forgotten croquet set and hand-crank ice cream maker from my childhood. Fifty years from now, the people living in my house may stumble over pickleball paddles and electric air fryers from their past and wonder if they should stay or go. Even back in my childhood, croquet was not exactly a trending activity, nor was churning your own ice cream when you could easily jump in the car and head to Stewart’s, a staple in upstate New York. I can only remember one game of croquet in the thirty years that we have lived here, and two or three sessions making ice cream when we were assured of having plenty of muscle available to do the churning.

If you watched this past season of All Creatures Great and Small, set just after WWII, you will remember Tristan practicing the game of croquet to impress the father of his sweetheart, Charlotte. Charlotte’s father is a general in the British army, upper-class, and rather intimidating. I associate the game with leisurely play amidst small talk and manicured lawns, but it was apparently competitive in Charlotte's circle. Croquet was possibly invented in Ireland. It became popular in England in the 1860s and 1870s, and in the United States in the 1920s through the 1940s. Men and women had found a physical game in which they could compete on an equal footing. Croquet appeared in the 1900 Paris Olympics for the first and last time. And the team was coed.

Nancy Johnson invented and patented the hand-crank ice cream maker in 1843, a remarkable achievement for a woman of that time period. Her design simplified the process compared to earlier methods, where ice cream was churned in a metal pot surrounded by ice. Johnson’s design features an exterior wooden bucket that holds a metal canister containing S-shaped paddles that incorporate air into the ice cream as the crank attached to the canister is turned. Ice and salt are placed in the space between the bucket and the canister. Making ice cream is a fun communal activity after a game of croquet. The more the merrier, as the cranking does become a bit tedious.

Making our own ice cream has been in the back of my head ever since Ruth Stroud wrote about her experiments last July in Screamin’ for Ice Cream! Ruth uses an electric Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker and skillfully outlines the process. Her photos of chocolate chip ice cream and a pink berry frozen yogurt are enticing. In June, our backyard is awash with the scent of honeysuckle. We decided to dust off the hand-crank ice cream machine and make honeysuckle ice cream.

Honeysuckle Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 c. loosely packed honeysuckle flowers

1 c. heavy cream

3/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1 T. honey

1 t. kosher salt

Directions

Wash flowers. Mix cream, milk, sugar, salt, and honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and turn off the heat just before it boils. Add the flowers to the milk mixture, stir, and steep for ten minutes. Drain and discard the flowers. Refrigerate overnight.

Fill the area in the ice cream maker between the bucket and canister with alternating layers of ice cubes and kosher salt. Pour your milk-cream mixture into the canister. Begin cranking. We cranked for about twenty minutes before peeking inside. The ice cream was a combination of soft-serve and something slightly harder. We quickly scooped it out and did a taste test before packing it up for the freezer.

Stay cool! Eat ice cream.

Vicki

Hello,

When my son sent me the link to the pink beach rental house with a classic barn star, a symbol of good luck, on the second floor, I was instantly on board. The Victorian houses sporting porches with tinkling chimes and gingerbread molding of Ocean Grove, NJ, seemed like a quaint retreat before the summer season was in full swing, and a fun place to watch our grandson dip his toes in the ocean for the first time. In a house, as opposed to a hotel, there is the advantage of communal spaces to congregate, a kitchen if you are in the mood to arrive with a meal or two prepared, and you don’t need to change out of your PJs for breakfast.

Ocean Grove was established in 1869 as an escape from hectic modern life ( every era faces challenges, I think) by a group of Methodist ministers seeking a place for their parishioners to worship and recreate. Since travel was difficult, it was not unusual for tents and campsites to be established around a temporary tabernacle for worship. Congregants would return to these sites year after year. An auditorium with a massive organ, built in just ninety days by shipbuilders, was erected in 1894. Church services are held there today. The area around the auditorium is still ringed by tent structures, 114 in all, many owned by descendants of the founders. Small wooden cottages house the kitchen, bath, and bedrooms. A white canvas tent functions as a living room in front of the cottage with a porch just large enough to hold two deck chairs. Ocean Grove has a lovely boardwalk for a scenic run with nary a commercial enterprise in sight, although you may get a whiff of onion rings wafting over from nearby Asbury Park. It is a dry town, although some restaurants have a BYOB policy. Methodists have a history of teetotalism, as evidenced in my parents’ wedding album, as my maternal grandmother set her champagne glass back on the table while the other guests were raising theirs in a toast. You can drink a beer out on your porch, but it had better be in a cup and not out of the bottle.

It’s hard to stock a kitchen with tools of everyone’s liking, but each day revealed a missing item that we could have used. We didn’t need four manual can openers, but we could have used a box grater. A salt and pepper shaker, napkins, and extra garbage bags would have been appreciated. The cocktail shaker wasn't useful to us. However, we would have liked our wine in a real glass rather than plastic. These were minor issues until we inspected the grill. The grill was dirty, and none of us was in the mood to tackle that project. The broiler in the gas oven was a bit of an oddity. We had an air fryer in our car that we were returning to our son and daughter-in-law, who quickly conspired to use it to cook venison burgers and venison hot dogs. We ate in shifts, but it worked out and didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the pink house.

If you are driving to your vacation destination with a cooler in tow, this Chicken Chili Pie with Cornmeal Pastry is easy to transport and bake on arrival. I frequently make it with leftovers from a roast chicken. If you are not in the mood to make the pastry topping, add shredded cheddar instead to the top during the last 10 minutes or so in the oven and omit the pastry.

Chicken Chili Pie with Cornmeal Pastry

Ingredients for Filling

2 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 medium red pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce

4 c. shredded cooked chicken

1 16 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 c. frozen corn

Directions

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and red pepper for about five minutes until the onions are translucent and the red pepper has begun to soften. During the last minute, add the garlic, chili pepper, and cumin. Add the tomato sauce, shredded cooked chicken, black beans, and corn to the pan. Stir. Cook for about 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Pour into a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate.

Cornmeal Pastry

Ingredients

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1/2 t. salt

5 T. butter

3 T. water

Directions

Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and slowly add water while tossing with a large fork or pastry cutter. (You can do this step in the food processor, but I tend to go overboard with the pulsing.) When a ball forms, turn it out onto a floured board. Roll to 1/8” thickness. Transfer the dough to the top of your pie.

You can cover and refrigerate the pie at this point and bake it when you reach your destination. Or you can bake immediately at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes until the chili bubbles.

4 generous servings

Do you have an easy one-dish recipe that you return to?

Thanks for reading. Click the heart and leave a comment if you are so inclined.

Vicki

Hello,

Genesis Farms in Blairstown, NJ, hosted an event last weekend with purveyors of healthy food, live music, a smattering of art, a sourdough starter demo, and birdhouse-building for the children. The highlight for me was watching a circle of teenage girls, no phones in sight, making dandelion crowns. Could there be anything more eye-catching than a crown of dandelions worn proudly by a child? In every direction, I saw small children atop their dads’ shoulders wearing crowns. When I approached the crown makers to ask about their technique, they showed me the remarkably tall dandelions they had picked and woven together using just the stems. They kindly gave me a crown. I was struck by how almost everyone in attendance at this event exuded a sense of peacefulness that I can only associate with being in the outdoors in spring.

Dandelions tout all sorts of health benefits, so numerous that they tempt credulity. I have used the greens in salads, but this was my first foray into using the petals. The petals can be steeped in boiling water to make tea or cooked with sugar to make a floral-flavored vegan honey. I love the idea of turning a lowly weed into dandelion or poor man’s honey. It’s delicious on toast or in a ramekin with a dipper on your cheese board to complement brie or camembert. The honey works well in a peanut butter cookie. And, of course, to sweeten your tea.

Dandelion Honey

Ingredients

2 c. water

1 c. dandelion petals picked in a pesticide-free area and washed

1 c. cane sugar

2 t. lemon juice

Directions

I picked about two cups of dandelion heads. Pluck out the yellow petals from the heads, leaving behind the green sepals around the outside.

Pour two cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove it from the heat. Add the cleaned dandelion petals and allow them to infuse for about 30 minutes.

Strain the dandelion petals and liquid, and discard the petals. The remaining liquid or dandelion tea will become your dandelion honey. Return the liquid to a saucepan on the stove and add sugar and lemon juice.

Bring the liquid to a hard boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool completely, and check the consistency. The dandelion honey thickens as it cools. If it’s too thin after cooling, bring it back to a boil again, then turn off the heat. A candy thermometer is incredibly helpful here, as it’s hard to estimate the thickness of the “honey” when it’s hot. The dandelion honey is ready when the temperature reads 230 to 235 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, it’s better to undercook it than overcook it. If you overcook it, it’ll turn into hard candy; if you undercook it, you can just heat it again.

Once the dandelion honey reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and pour it into jars for storage. The dandelion honey does not have the shelf life of traditional honey despite the sugar content, but the lemon helps.

Yield: about 3/4 cup

Tip: My first batch turned into hard candy. If that happens to you, watch out for your fillings! Also, with the hard candy scenario, your saucepan may appear impossible to clean. Don’t worry. Add some water to the pan and heat until the hard candy dissolves.

Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

(adapted from Betty Cocker’s Cooky Book)

Ingredients

5 T. butter, melted

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. honey

2/3 c. chunky peanut butter

1 egg

2 c. unbleached flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

Directions

Mix butter, sugar, honey, peanut butter, and egg thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients. Stir into the shortening mixture. Shape into a log about 12 inches long. Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for several hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the dough into 1/8” ( mine were a bit thicker) slices with a sharp knife. Place about 1” apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki

Hello,

When the flowering trees bloom in April, I always feel deprived that we don’t have any on our property to paint. Of course, many grace the front yards of homes in my town, but I am not likely to pull into someone’s driveway to ask if I could set up my easel. I found this one in a country cemetery across from yet-to-be-plowed farmland. A whole row of cherry trees added to a sense of privacy and peacefulness. I tried to capture the essence of one of the trees in the three images above. All that pink is a bit daunting and treacly, and it is hard not to imagine eating cotton candy. I will have to wait until next spring to try again. On my way home from visiting the tree, I had to stop for a parade of ducks to cross the road. As soon as I got out of the car to take a picture, they reversed direction and returned whence they had come.

When the cherry trees are in bloom, and the wild violets have popped up in the yard, I know that spring greens will be available at Phillips Farm. With the days alternating between near-freezing temperatures and flip-flop weather, I was having trouble shaking a cold, and spring greens seemed like the perfect tonic, perhaps in a soup. The farm had lush bunches of common or stinging nettles, sorrel, and chives. The nettles were in plastic bags to prevent contact between the skin and the chemicals in the leaves and stems that can cause temporary burning. Nettles should always be handled while wearing gloves. Luckily, cooking neutralizes the chemical. They are said to relieve joint pain and seasonal allergies, and are rich in vitamins A, C, and K as well as minerals. Their taste is similar to spinach, but more intense. Common nettles grow wild in woods, marshes, and along roadways, although I’m not sure I could correctly identify them. Sorrel is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C and is said to aid in a myriad of ailments. I used some of the sorrel in a salad. They often pop up in lawns and prefer sandy soil. Chives require no introduction!

I found a soup recipe on Food52 that includes both nettles and sorrel. I made a couple of changes to the recipe, but basically, they were my inspiration. I enjoyed the soup over several days for lunch, and I like to think that it improved my symptoms.

Common Nettle and Sorrel Soup

Ingredients

2 T. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 c. carrots, minced

3 c. peeled and coarsely chopped potato

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 c. vegetable stock

3 c. nettle leaves, chopped

2 c. sorrel leaves, chopped

2 t. salt

1t. pepper

1/2 t. nutmeg

chives for garnish

Directions

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING NETTLES

Sauté the onions in the olive oil in a medium soup pot until they begin to wilt. Add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes, and cook until the edges brown slightly. Deglaze the pan with the broth. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. Add the nettles and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sorrel and seasoning. Stir and cook until the sorrel has wilted. Puree.

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki

Hello,

Once upon a time, Sunday dinner was a common tradition where families gathered at the dining room table for a hot midday meal. It was a chance for moms and maybe dads to get out of the kitchen early and relax in front of the TV. Today, dining room tables are rarer, and busy, conflicting schedules get in the way of this ritual. Gone too are the days of linen tablecloths, doilies on the backs of upholstered chairs, dresser scarves, and embroidered or tatted hand towels for guests in the bathroom. Tablecloths date back to the first century A.D. in the Roman Empire, and by the Middle Ages, they were depicted in artwork showing important banquets. Tableaus in which a tablecloth was spread over the laps of many diners, no table required, suggest it promoted a sense of community; it also served as a communal napkin. I grew up with specific tablecloths for special holidays, particularly Christmas, and my paternal grandmother owned many sets of luncheon cloths with matching napkins. Luncheon cloths are smaller square tablecloths without a deep overhang and often kitty-cornered on the table.

Textiles for the home that have been embroidered, crocheted, or sewn don’t always weather the test of time, as fabric may deteriorate and tastes change. The “Flower Basket” patchwork quilt was hand-sewn by my maternal great-grandmother, but my cousins and I are not absolutely positive of that origin. My mother believed that her mother had made it, and it was always stored at the bottom of the linen closet. I don’t think my mom was fond of the discordant greens, but I have put it to use as a throw in the family room, and it comes in handy on a chilly evening or for a nap. There is something cozy about it having been made by an ancestor, particularly when you examine all the tiny stitches that are proof of the effort and love taken.

At one point in time most households probably owned a sewing machine. My husband’s Aunty Jeanne sent us home on the plane from Minneapolis with her Singer Featherweight sewing machine and a Hudson Bay blanket a couple of decades ago. Both items that she gifted us are classic, American products. The Featherweights were manufactured between 1933 and 1969, and are apparently coveted by quilt makers. It is an elegant little machine decorated with scrollwork and, unlike modern versions, without any plastic parts. I can’t really say that I have put it to good use for too many projects around our home. Recently, I made placemats with floral fabric for the front and a solid color for the back, as well as a table runner. My sewing skills do rise far above sewing a simple, straight seam. The placemats are usable, but it took me as long to make one as the instructions said it would take to make all four. I’m more comfortable with paper and pastels.

This Moroccan Stew recipe is from The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook by Anna Pump. I have been making it for many years, and it is always a winner. It is perfect for a sit-down Sunday dinner or to reheat for those on the go. The most time-consuming, but important part, is browning all the meat.

Moroccan Stew

Ingredients

3 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

3½ pounds of lamb from the leg, cut into 1½-inch cubes

4 c.peeled and finely chopped onion

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 T. unbleached white flour

3 c.peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes or one 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 c. chicken stock

1 t. ground cumin

½ T. chopped fresh coriander or ½ teaspoon dried

3-inch stick of cinnamon

½ t. ground cardamom

½ t.cayenne pepper

2 t. salt

1 c. golden raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the oil and butter in a large sauté pan and brown the lamb on all sides over medium-high heat.

Do this in two batches. Transfer the lamb to an ovenproof casserole.

Place the onion and garlic in the same pan and sauté until light brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir it in, then add the tomatoes and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil. Scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to mix. Pour the sauce over the lamb. Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 2 hours.

Yields: 6 servings

Thanks for reading!

Vicki

Hello,

Little Miss Muffet sat on a Tuffet
Eating of Curds and Whey.
Along came a Spider, and sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

I’m quite certain that when this nursery rhyme was read to me as a child, I had no idea what curds and whey were or even a tuffet. Curds and whey are byproducts of heating milk and adding an acid to separate the liquid from the solids. The curds are used to make soft cheeses; the whey can be used in bread making. A tuffet is a stool with short legs that could be sat on to milk a cow before there were milking machines, or it could refer to a mound of grass. It is sometimes claimed without proof that the original Miss Muffet was the daughter of an English physician and entomologist.

Our New Jersey county is still home to many farms that raise beef cattle, dairy cows, and even water buffalo. Occasionally, we’ll be driving when we encounter an escaped cow in the middle of the road due to a faulty fence. The local police will show up, or someone will knock on the farmer’s door.

I don’t suppose that when zoning laws were enacted, anyone anticipated the encroachment of the hideous, sprawling warehouses that have invaded our area and taken over farm land. There are currently three proposals before the local Land Use Board for a pristine stretch of land that has the unfortunate distinction of being close to a major highway. These corporations have very deep pockets, and when one proposal is rejected, they return with a slightly smaller, modified version. One company, Sarafieh, makes furniture and already owns four warehouses in the area. The Department of Environmental Protection acknowledged the presence of streams on the property, which originally derailed the project. However, Sarafieh hopes to “move” the streams to be granted permission to proceed with the project. Local environmental groups are fighting the warehouse projects by raising money and awareness. Fingers crossed as residents put up yard signs, attend local board meetings, and write letters in protest.

Bumper stickers on pickup trucks that read, “No Farmers/No Food” sum up the situation in our area. Even though our milk is purchased at the supermarket and the source is unknown to me, I like to think about the local farms when making ricotta. The process is quite simple, and The Kitchn has excellent instructions. I have used my ricotta to make a simple four-ingredient cheesecake, eggplant rollatini, and a dip. It is generally recommended to strain the curds through cheesecloth, but by my third go-round, I found that a fine-mesh sieve without cheesecloth works just as well. I have used the whey to make a crusty bread and froze some to use in making pizza dough.

Homemade Ricotta

Ingredients

8 c. whole milk

1/3 c. fresh lemon juice

2 t. kosher salt

Directions

1. Heat 8 cups of whole milk in a 4-quart pot slowly over medium heat until 200°F. The milk will become foamy. Remove it from the heat if it starts to boil.

2. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.

3. Let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. After this time, the milk should have separated into clumps of white curds and thin, watery, yellowish whey. Dip a slotted spoon into the mix to check. If you still see a lot of un-separated milk, stir in 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice and wait for a few minutes.

4. Fit a strainer over a large bowl, then line it with a double layer of cheesecloth. Scoop the large curds from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the strainer. Pour the remaining curds and the whey through the strainer.

5. Let the ricotta drain at room temperature for 10 to 60 minutes, depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta. If the ricotta becomes too dry, you can also stir some of the whey that drips out back in before using or storing it.

   Yield: 1 1/2 cups

To make the dip, I mixed the ricotta with honey to taste, lemon zest, and topped it with roasted pistachios. You could run it through the blender first, but I preferred having some texture. The bread recipe that I used with the whey is at Fermenting for Foodies. I didn’t achieve the nice air pockets shown in her photo. Perhaps because I did not faithfully follow the instructions for folding the dough during the rising. The bread was still delicious, and I will make it again.

Thanks for reading, clicking the little heart, and/or leaving a comment!

Vicki

Raking out my flower beds this past week to let the sunshine in, I discovered the pointy leaves of the irises poking through, along with the red shoots of the peonies. My lily of the valley has not put in an appearance; this painting was done several years ago, but as it is a harbinger of spring and an old-fashioned flower, it felt appropriate to honor a female pioneer during Women’s History Month from the nineteenth century.

I wrote briefly here about my father’s collection of paper ephemera. He gathered a large collection of letters dating from the 1840s through the end of the century, small diaries that mainly focus on the weather and social visits, calling cards, a few photos, deeds, receipts, and wills. Many are stored in a leather document box, pictured below, that was typical of that time period. Some letters that mention political events of the day are encased in archival sleeves with his notes. The script in many of the letters is beautiful to look at, but rather difficult to read. I have occasionally used AI for translation; my dad seems to have been more successful than I.

There is no expectation on my part that an Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee signature will pop up, but reading through the letters has allowed me to play amateur sleuth and historian. I keep feeling like I am reading about some forgotten tidbit of history. One letter written to Emma from Portsmouth, Virginia, on May 13, 1897, describes the plight of a child named Alice. Her play is compared to that of other children, including her inability to dress a doll. A doctor recommends that the family consider placing Alice in a school in Haddonfield, New Jersey. A visit to the facility reveals it to be spacious with “beautifully maintained grounds”. The founder of the school, Miss Margaret Bancroft, gave a tour and answered questions. The students were referred to as “scholars,” ranging in age from nine to twenty-three. Each student was taught individually and “not pushed any faster than she could comprehend.” Miss Bancroft felt that Alice could be “improved.” Sadly, it seems that the $800 yearly fee was too extravagant for the family. All in all, the letter describes a facility that seems progressive for its time, and belies the negative stereotypes that I might have had about treating a student with special needs in 1897.

According to New Jersey Women’s History, Margaret Bancroft “believed that every student held the ability to learn, and that specialized care should be given to each student based on their individual needs and academic level.” She valued good nutrition, exercise, spiritual well-being, and the arts. Bancroft’s school included field trips to local theaters, museums, circuses, and concerts. What a pleasant surprise to discover that the Bancroft School is still in operation today! I contacted the school, and they are now in possession of the letter.

My original plan, in keeping with the start of the spring season and soups popular in the late 1800s, was to make an asparagus soup. After my cousin Angie shared a soup with fresh dill, and my friend Madeline mentioned making a potato-leek soup, I decided to combine the two.

Potato, Leek, and Dill Soup

Ingredients

1 T. olive oil

1 T. butter

2 leeks, white tops only, cut into disks

3/4 c. carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 c. chicken stock

3 c. yellow potatoes, cut into cubes

16 oz. cooked cannellini beans (optional)

2 c. fresh spinach

1/2 c. fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, sauté the leeks and carrots in the oil and butter for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds of sautéing. Add the stock and potatoes to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Add the beans. Heat through. Stir in the spinach and dill, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Thanks for reading!

Vicki

Hello,

Winter is the peak season for enjoying citrus at its prime, and since it is also the season of the common cold, its vitamin C is beneficial. I tend to reach for a bag of clementines and stock up on lemons and limes rather than purchasing grapefruit at the grocery store. Although not entirely necessary for its consumption, grapefruit has its own special spoon with a pointed end and serrated edges, making it easier to scoop sections from a grapefruit half. There are even designated bowls to keep the grapefruit from slipping and sliding. A half grapefruit with a maraschino cherry in the center for decoration was once the quintessential diner breakfast food.

In the same way that clever marketing trains us to associate a color with a brand, red with Netflix, for instance, I associate grapefruit and that shade of yellow, perhaps with a tinge of peach, with the 1960s. It was the era of the grapefruit as the perfect diet food to be eaten with every meal, with the claim of burning calories, exercise not required. It was also the era of the split-level home, whose designs were inspired by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Their open floor plans with different levels separated by short staircases also provided a sense of privacy. I grew up in a split-level that my parents built, and it evoked the 1960s in the same way that my Barbie Dream house with its yellow interior walls did. The fixtures in one of the bathrooms were a grapefruit yellow, the double front doors were an inviting pale turquoise, and window benches ran the length of the two picture windows. In contrast to the ubiquitous stainless appliances of today, the refrigerator and dishwasher had wood veneer doors. The lower level housed a playroom with a TV and a piano, far enough from the kitchen that my mother did not have to be disturbed by noise from either when making dinner.

No famous paintings of split-level homes come to mind in the way of Edward Hopper’s desolate, lonely Victorian houses or Andrew Wyeth’s rustic, weathered, and equally lonely structures. Perhaps this is because by the 1960s, representational art was passé, or because aesthetically, they have not withstood the test of time. At least in my own kitchen, I can bring the grapefruit into the modern era.

Baby Greens, Grapefruit, and Blackberry Salad

Ingredients

4 c. mixed baby greens, washed

1/2 pink grapefruit, cut into bite-sized sections

1/2 c. fresh blackberries

1/4 c. pistachio nuts

1/4 c. dried cranberries

2 T. olive oil

2 servings

Directions

Place the baby greens in a salad bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil. Squeeze the juice from one or two sections of the grapefruit onto the greens. Mix well with salad tongs. Plate your salad and top with the additional ingredients. Enjoy. I can still smell the grapefruit.

Thanks for reading!

Vicki

Hello,

What is it about ordinary objects scaled down to dollhouse size that we find so appealing? Miniature tea sets, matchbox cars, plastic action figures, and tiny barnyard animals entertain children, but even when we have outgrown them as toys, they still beckon to some of us. Mary Norton, the author of The Borrowers series, was nearsighted as a child and focused her gaze on low-lying vegetation rather than open vistas, and liked to imagine the lives of small creatures living in the bushes and puddles. The main characters in her children’s fantasy novels are the Clock family: Pod, Homily, and their somewhat feisty pre-teen daughter, Arriety. The Clocks are diminutive versions of people and live in a large house in the British countryside, under the kitchen floorboards. They “borrow” discarded matchboxes, buttons, thimbles, safety pins, and stamps from the household to repurpose and furnish their quarters. The tension centers on their fear of being discovered, particularly by the evil cook Mrs. Driver or the human boy whom Arriety eventually befriends.

My fourth-grade teacher was new to the profession, and like all children, I could easily recognize when a teacher had difficulty filling the day with meaningful activity. Being a male teacher, a novelty in grade school, and tall, there wasn’t a problem with discipline. His weakness was his reliance on filmstrips (the PowerPoint of an earlier age) and crafty projects that were judged, with winners rewarded with candy bars. One project involved turning a shoe box into a diorama to illustrate a favorite book. Of course, I picked The Borrowers, and the assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to gather bits and bobs from around the house and my mom’s sewing basket. I copied the cover illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush, cut them out, and taped them atop empty spools of thread. I won first place, and I heard my classmate Eric say, “I don’t see why she won. She just filled the box with junk.” Eric had picked Mary Poppins. He had drawn Mary Poppins and attached a string to her hat that was threaded through a hole in the top of the vertically designed box. Pull the thread, and Mary flies. Eric probably does not even remember his Mary Poppins diorama, but I thought it was rather clever. And still do.

In keeping with the theme, I’ve included a recipe for mini banana muffins and some ideas for finger sandwiches. Bakery muffins and restaurant sandwiches seem to grow bigger each year, but sometimes a dainty treat is in order. Teatime, anyone?

No Added Sugar Banana Muffins

Ingredients

2 eggs

1/4 c. neutral oil

5-6 ripe bananas, mashed

1 t. vanilla

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the oil, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Mix. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the wet mixture. Mix. Place mini cupcake liners in a mini cupcake tin. (yields about 18 muffins) Fill each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the top springs back up when pressed.

Finger Sandwiches or Tea Sandwiches

Finger sandwiches and tea sandwiches are apparently not interchangeable, as I learned here. I did my research after experimenting with fillings. A must for both types of sandwich is to remove the crusts from a lightly textured bread. I tried egg salad, an olive tapenade, softened brie with fig preserves, and cream cheese with raspberry jam. The egg salad was a bit messy, but the others worked well.

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I decided to pair a handmade card with my gift of homemade brownies. Puzzle purses involve folding and embellishing both sides of a square of paper so that it can be opened to reveal hidden messages. They became popular in the Victorian era, when women commonly engaged in paper crafts. Interest in floriography (the language of flowers) soared in England during this time period. Gifts of plants and floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings of romance and courtship that could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society. The origin of the puzzle purse can be traced to Japan, where intricately folded paper was formed to carry small items such as stamps or thread. In the early 1700s in England and Colonial America, they were also popular as love tokens. When I tried my hand at making them, I saw how crucial the intricate designs are for refolding the “purse.” Amazingly, some antique ones have been preserved despite being made of a material as delicate as paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an example made in 1826. If you decide to try your hand, many good tutorials are available online, and even better if you can watch the magic unfold on a video.

Fittingly, I discovered a Valentine's poem, dated February 14, 1852, in my dad’s collection of paper ephemera. It is addressed to John and signed Valentine. The poem is also from the Victorian era, written in a very delicate script (pictured below), and quite touching. I hope the poet would not mind me sharing it here.

Further evidence of skillful paper folding can be found in this letter, quaintly addressed “Dear Cousin”, from 1843. The letter folds upon itself to create its own envelope and was sent in the days before postage stamps. I had a bit of trouble refolding it down to the envelope enclosure that measures only 3 x 5 1/2”.

Brownies with Medjool Dates

Ingredients

3/4 c. chopped Medjool dates

1/3 c. warm water

1 T. milled, ground flax seeds

5 T. cocoa powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 c. natural peanut butter

1 t. vanilla

1 t. balsamic vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Spray the inside of mini muffin tins with cooking oil. The recipe yields 16 muffins.

Blend the dates and warm water in a food processor until a paste is formed. In a medium bowl, sift the ground flax seeds, cocoa, and baking soda. Mix the processed dates into this mixture. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, and balsamic vinegar. Fold together and mix well.

Place one tablespoon of the mixture into each cavity of the muffin tin. Flatten the mixture with a teaspoon or your finger.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they appear set. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes before removing. Run a butter knife around the edges first.

The brownies are moist and chocolatey!

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day!!

Hello,

The once ubiquitous set of canisters on the kitchen counter, holding white flour, sugar, coffee, and tea bags, now seems somewhat superfluous or at least dated. Many of us spend very little time in the kitchen, opting instead for prepared foods from our super-sized grocery stores and DoorDash restaurant delivery. For those of us who enjoy cooking, the variety of flours, sweeteners, and loose teas can not be limited to four canisters. I do still have a canister for flour, one for sugar, and the third for coffee. The fourth one I broke some time ago, and the one with coffee definitely gets the most use. It’s certainly handy to have the flour within easy reach, particularly when baking bread, as a sticky dough or kneading surface may require a touch more.

“Friction-maxxing” is apparently a new movement that encourages people to make their lives more fulfilling by jettisoning some modern conveniences and being more hands-on in taking care of their daily needs. I first heard it referenced on Studio Two, a program on my NPR station out of Philadelphia. Some of the focus is aimed at children to teach coping skills in day-to-day life. The radio program emphasized doing things the hard way or embracing the “struggle”. Part of the concept seeks to limit our smartphone use and encourage us to be more open and comfortable interacting with people; shop for our own groceries, pay with cash, or look up a word in an actual dictionary. I’m not sure how well it will catch on, especially with the name “friction-maxxing”, but it made me decide to bake bread.

Better Homes and Gardens published the Bread Cook Book in 1970, which was part of a set of books covering everything from appetizers to desserts. My mom made an amazing cinnamon swirl bread from that book and would always bring us a loaf when visiting. It’s delicious toasted. She eventually went more “upscale” with James Beard’s Beard on Bread, but I found her recipe for biscuits clipped from another Better Homes and Gardens book tucked inside the James Beard. That original Bread Cook Book covers everything from donuts to croissants and from sweet to savory. The only change I made to the recipe was using butter instead of shortening. Based on the time period, I am assuming that shortening refers to Crisco.

Recipe Cinnamon Swirl Bread (2 large loaves)

Ingredients

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 c. water

2 c. milk, scalded

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter

2 t. salt

7 1/2 to 8 cups unbleached flour

2 slightly-beaten eggs

1/4 c. sugar

1 1/2 T. cinnamon

soft butter

Directions

Soften active dry yeast in warm water in a small bowl. Combine the next four ingredients in a large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Add 3 cups of flour to the large bowl and mix well. Stir in softened yeast and eggs. Beat well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turning once to coat all surfaces. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. ( 1 1/2 to 2 hours)

Punch down the dough and divide it in half. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into a 15 x 7” rectangle. Mix 3/4 c. sugar and the cinnamon. Reserve 2 T. of the mixture, and sprinkle the remainder over the dough. Sprinkle 1 t. of water over each, smooth with a spatula.

Roll each as for a jelly roll, beginning with the narrow side. Pinch the long edge to seal. Place sealed edges down in two buttered loaf pans. Let rise until almost double (45 to 60 minutes). Just before baking, brush with soft butter, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. If loaves begin to brown, reduce the heat to 350. Turn from pans and cool on a rack.

In addition to two loaves of delicious bread, your kitchen will smell scrumptious, and kneading the dough is rather soothing.

Thanks for reading!!

Vicki

\

Hello,

Black-eyed peas (beans, really) first came to my attention as the New Year was approaching, and I read that they are considered lucky in the South when prepared at the beginning of the year. After all the rich foods of the holiday season, black-eyed peas seemed like a simple and nutritious change of pace for lunch or a light dinner with greens and cornbread. Being a life-long Northerner, I associate baked beans with Boston, molasses, and picnics in the summer. The Puritans of Massachusetts adapted the English bean and bacon pottage, a dish dating back to the Middle Ages, to their new homeland. The dish could be cooked on Saturday and eaten on Sunday, a day of rest. I decided I needed a bean pot. Ceramic bean pots have a narrow opening to minimize evaporation and heat loss, a deep body that facilitates long, slow cooking times, and a cute, little lid. They would be fun to draw, as well.

As the holidays represent an excess of shopping in addition to all the feasting, I decided to try my luck finding a previously owned, classic bean pot at Habitat for Humanity or Get a Grip. Both places are local and keep thousands of items from ending up in the trash. I’ve refinished wood picture frames, picked up art supplies for kids’ art classes, and purchased a sturdy clothes drying rack at Habitat, as well as donated furniture and books over the years. It’s the perfect stop for anyone furnishing their first apartment, but ironically, the customers are generally grey-haired. Their parking lot is virtually always full at our location, which previously housed a grocery store. Get a Grip specializes in tools, but has grown over the years to include dishes, records, antiques, toys, and Christmas decorations. When you enter from the street, you initially assume that the store encompasses the front room only, but then you discover a series of doors that lead to back rooms and carefully curated collections. I found my bean pot.

I ultimately found a recipe for black-eyed peas in the cookbook Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Claiborne. Her recipe is vegan, although traditional Southern black-eyed peas would have a meat component. Claiborne’s directions are for using a Dutch oven on the stovetop, and I opted to adhere to her method and serve the dish in my newly acquired bean pot. Next time, I will try an oven, slow-cook method. This recipe is somewhere between a side dish and a soup, so if you are looking for a side dish, simply cut back on the amount of broth. I added a cup of carrots.

Vegan Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, covered with cold water for 6 to 10 hours

3 T. olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced

1 large red pepper, diced

1 c. celery, chopped

1 c. carrots, chopped

1 t. salt

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 c. vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1 t. thyme

2 t. smoked paprika

1 T. liquid smoke (I used more of a splash)

1 T. soy sauce

1 t. black pepper

1/2 t. cayenne

Directions

Sauté the onion, red pepper, celery, carrots, and salt in olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot for 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the broth, black-eyed peas, bay leaf, and thyme to the pot. Simmer for 40 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Stir in the paprika, liquid smoke, soy sauce, black pepper, and cayenne.

Do you have a favorite bean dish?

Thank you for clicking the little heart, sharing, and leaving a comment.

Vicki

Hello,

The first section of this piece describes the history of mincemeat during the Christmas season, how to make your own, and how to use it in puff pastry tarts. It was first sent out in December of 2024. The new section includes a recipe for a spicy Hermit cookie that is made with mincemeat.

A fresh evergreen wreath on the door and holiday lights along the roof lines welcome visitors during the holiday season with the expectation of sweet treats inside. Cookies should naturally be available for children, but mincemeat pie with brandy offers a little more sophistication for adults. My cousin Angie and I were texting the day before Thanksgiving, lamenting the fact that making pie crust was not second nature to either of us, the way it was for our mothers. I mentioned that I missed having my mom’s mincemeat pie on Christmas with a cup of black coffee, and learned that one of our aunts made her own mincemeat. This was news to me, as my mother bought the mincemeat in a small box, and it was always delicious. After looking up several recipes and realizing how simple it is to make, as well as easy to customize and useful in cookie and cake recipes, in addition to pie, I was on board.

Mincemeat pie is a traditional Christmas dessert in England and is mentioned in the works of both Shakespeare and Dickens. Originally, however, mincemeat pies were a savory rather than a sweet dish that included different types of meat and suet, the fat found near an animal’s kidney. In the 14th-century cookbook The Forme of Cury, a mincemeat pie recipe included boiled pork, stewed bird, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sugar, and saffron. During the Tudor period (1485-1603), mincemeat pies were large, rectangular creations with thirteen ingredients to represent Jesus and his apostles. They were flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, spices brought back to Europe from the Holy Land during the Crusades. Superstitions were part of the baking process, with good luck bestowed on the baker who only stirred in a clockwise motion and ill luck on anyone who sliced into the pie with a knife. Angie and I would not have had to worry about our crust, as the pastry of the time was made of just flour and water, called a casket, and meant only as a vessel for the filling.

Mincemeat Recipe

Ingredients

1 Granny Smith (or other tart apple), peeled and grated

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. golden raisins

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. dried apricots, finely minced

1/2 c. figs, finely chopped

zest and juice of one navel orange

1/4 c. brown sugar

4 T. butter, cut into small pieces

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. ginger

3 T. brandy

Directions

Place all ingredients, other than the brandy, in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, then lower the temperature and heat on low, stirring frequently for 15 minutes. Cool. Add brandy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Yield: about 2 1/2 cups or enough for one pie.

I used about 1/2 cup of the mincemeat to make little puff pastry pies. The puff pastry was the frozen variety from the grocery store. I allowed one sheet to come to room temperature, rolled it out on a floured board, and cut out small rectangles (unevenly, as you can see). I placed one tablespoon of mincemeat in the middle of a pastry rectangle. Using a pastry brush, I added water to the perimeter of the rectangle and placed another rectangle of pastry on top, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork. These were baked at 400 degrees for about 18 minutes or until lightly golden.

Yield: 6 little pies

Note: The puff pastry pies should be consumed soon after leaving the oven. The pastry on the leftovers that we reheated was no longer tender.

Now for the new…..

Rustic-looking hermit cookies are made from molasses (or brown sugar, which contains molasses), spices, and dried fruit, often raisins. This recipe replaces raisins with mincemeat. Some historians trace the cookie back to the Colonial period in America, when trade with the Indies made spices available. Hermit cookies improve in flavor when stored in an airtight container, making them ideal for New England fishermen to store away in their ships when going out to sea. Additionally, the spices help to keep the cookies fresh. The name of the cookie may relate to hermits living in isolation and needing food with a long shelf life.

Hermit Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, softened to room temperature

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. cold coffee

1 3/4 c. unbleached flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

1 c. mincemeat (drained of excess liquid, if necessary)

3/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

Mix butter, sugar, and egg thoroughly. Stir in coffee. Sift dry ingredients together. Blend into the butter mixture. Mix in mincemeat and nuts. Chill the dough for one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Drop rounded spoonfuls of dough two inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 11 minutes, or until almost no impression remains when lightly touched in the center.

Makes 3 dozen small cookies.

Merry Christmas!

Vicki

Hello,

The exotic amaryllis, too tall to use as a centerpiece, and so fast-growing that it may bloom while you step out to check the mailbox, keeps me company on a bench in the kitchen. Its top-heavy, fiery red-orange blooms are in sharp contrast to the snow and sleet that have closed down all the local schools for the day. It’s a perfect morning for baking, and I have gingerbread men on my mind. I find the list of ingredients for gingerbread cookies on a recipe card in my mom’s handwriting, minus any directions, but I have baked enough cookies that I don’t see this as a problem. The first “men” out of the oven have spread a bit, but they have kept their shape by the second batch. In contrast to the amaryllis, they are homespun and sturdy.

Traditions of gingerbread come from Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the British Isles. As these countries are cold during the holiday season, gingerbread spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, conjure a feeling of warmth. The court of Queen Elizabeth I employed a royal maker of gingerbread who created gingerbread men to represent foreign dignitaries visiting her court. Practitioners of folk medicine provided them to young women seeking to woo a particular young man. The hope was that if the gentleman ate the young lady’s gingerbread man, he would fall in love with her. Honey was the original sweetener, followed by English cooks’ adaptation of cane sugar by the end of the 16th century, and finally molasses by the mid-17th century.

I had not made these cookies in several years. They are easy to roll out after chilling and are well worth the effort. The spice is fairly mild, so if you enjoy more zip, increase the quantity of spice. My cookie cutters were small, and since cookies were being eaten right out of the oven, I couldn’t provide an accurate count. I used a knitting needle to push a small hole in the top of some of the cookies before baking, in case I wanted to string some and hang them on the tree. I crafted a pastry bag from a Ziploc bag and made an icing with softened butter, confectionery sugar, vanilla, and milk. As you can see from the photo, I probably wouldn’t be hired as the gingerbread maker at the royal court.

Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. butter, melted (my mom used margarine)

1 c. sugar

1 c. molasses

1/2 c. evaporated milk

3/4 t. vanilla extract

1 t. nutmeg

2 t. ginger

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking soda

4 c. unbleached flour

Directions

Cream together the melted butter, sugar, and molasses in a large mixing bowl. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla, mix well. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda. Stir to mix. Add one cup of flour at a time, mixing well after each addition. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Allow the dough to warm up slightly, for about ten minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a baking sheet. Roll the dough 1/8” thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with 3” cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to minutes until set.

Thank you to all the posts on IG that showed me how easy it is to poke holes in a potato and insert them with Christmas greenery to make my own door arrangement!

Do you bake a special cookie for Christmas or Hanukkah?

Thanks for reading,

Vicki

Hello,

A wooden horse mounted on curved rockers, similar to the principle of a rocking chair, dates back to the 17th century. Growing up, my brother and I had a red, wooden horse mounted safely on a stationary stand that moved thanks to giant springs. The rocking horse was passed down to our family from friends, and although I remember that fact, I don’t remember riding it. As it was the era of Westerns on TV and in the movie theater, I envisage my brother going for a ride as a cowboy. A vest and chaps were in his wardrobe, and he may have enquired of our Dad as to the diet of cowboys, but I don’t remember that either. My parents saved the rocking horse, and it was passed on to my son when he was about three. He loved riding on that horse, occasionally falling asleep in the saddle, so much that he wore out the springs. His dad spent the better part of a day tracking down replacements from a garage door manufacturer. They are that sturdy.

Pull toys featuring horses on platforms with wheels date back to 2000 BC in Greece. In ancient Rome, children played with animals carved from wood or made of pottery, and it is easy to imagine the games that were invented. Animal imagery has long inspired craftsmen and artists, both for practical items and art for art’s sake. Weathervanes, depicting everything from the tiny grasshopper to a galloping horse, from the early 20th century, served a useful purpose and came to be viewed as America’s first sculptures. European art was the only form that was considered important at this time, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art having been built as a rival to the Louvre. Many modernist artists collected and were influenced by weathervanes in their own paintings and sculptures. The first exhibit of American folk sculpture was at the Newark Museum in 1931.

My depiction of a rocking horse is more reminiscent of wooden horses carved for a merry-go-round. The detailing would have been made possible by the introduction of the lathe. The red rocking horse is waiting in the attic for our grandson once he is old enough to hold on. We don’t want to hurry the process along, though, as the time goes quickly enough as it is. Cowboys don’t play as large a part in our consciousness as they did for my brother or my son, who briefly wanted to grow up to be a cowboy actor. If anyone asks, cowboys do eat pancakes, as they are easy to cook in a cast-iron skillet over an open fire and provide lasting fuel for a day of hard work.

As this is the day before Thanksgiving, most people are focused on turkey or, at the very least, a big meal. I’m posting this simple recipe in case you have small visitors at your house this weekend, as it calls for only three ingredients (blueberries are optional) that you probably already have on hand.

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

2 bananas

2 eggs

4 T. unbleached flour

neutral cooking oil

handful of blueberries (optional)

Directions

Place a large skillet on the stovetop and turn the heat to medium. Mash bananas in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the eggs and the flour to the bananas. Mix. Drizzle some oil into the pan. Make sure the bottom is well-coated. Let the oil heat for a couple of minutes. Ladle your batter into the pan without crowding your pancakes. Toss the berries right into the pan. Once bubbles appear on the pancakes, gently lift an edge with a spatula to see if they are browning. Flip. Continue to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

This recipe makes 6 medium pancakes. Serve with maple syrup, or just with the blueberries.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vicki

Hello,

After heavy rain or strong winds, trees often shed their fall colors quickly, revealing a transformed landscape. Fields of abandoned pumpkins, desirable just a couple of weeks before, are left to rot in the fields. The golden stubble from harvested corn fields, once hidden behind stands of leafy trees, is now visible. And a wasp’s nest securely hanging from a delicate branch stands out against a puffy, white cloud on the edge of our yard. For years, my mom had two abandoned wasp nests on display in their garage, which couldn’t be missed as you went from the car to the mud room. They were hung with clear fishing line and push pins to a large farmhouse-style cupboard that housed baseball bats, gloves, and other sporting equipment. They were not preserved with polyurethane or varnish; they remained intact on their own as examples of the ingenuity of nature.

Wasps pollinate crops that flower early in the season, and they also feast on garden pests such as aphids, making them a welcome addition to a garden. Honey bees die after they have stung you, but wasps have retractable stingers and live on. Their nests are made of paper pulp, created when they chew wood fibers mixed with their saliva. The only wasp that survives the winter is a queen wasp, but she abandons the nest. The virgin queens go off to mate with wasp drones before the onset of winter. She finds a good spot to hibernate for the cold months, carrying eggs and stored sperm to start a new colony in a new nest. The rest of the wasp colony dies in the autumn.

My mom would wait until there had been a couple of frosts before retrieving a nest, both for her own safety and to ensure that it had been vacated. When I spotted the nest, high up in a tree, I asked my husband if he could either lasso it or rent a crane to get it down. He thought a better option would be to involve the arborist who will be topping off some trees, but he has yet to appear. After spotting the nest, an article appeared in the New York Times about the trend among certain city-dwellers to purchase nests, sometimes for several hundred dollars, to display like sculptures in their apartments. Most looked pretentious and perfectly ridiculous in my estimation. Hopefully, the arborist will retrieve the nest for me before the snow hits, and I can casually display the nest and appreciate the clever handiwork of the wasps.

Another surprise that appeared at the beginning of the month was the gigantic heads of creamy white cauliflower. They weighed in around four pounds each and were so pristine that they looked as if they had been picked by the farmer and delivered by hand to the supermarket. I am generally not a big cauliflower fan, but I was drawn to these oversized heads. I remembered that cauliflower is often present in Indian cuisine and decided that a recipe with its aromatic spices might change my opinion. I buy fresh beets year-round at my supermarket, but when a fellow shopper asked how I cooked them, I realized that many people may overlook them. The green leaves are a bonus and a delicious addition to a salad. The lovely magenta roots are easy to boil until fork-tender while maintaining their flavor.

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

2 lb. head of cauliflower, divided into florets

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper

1 t. turmeric

1 t. cumin

1 t. coriander

1/2 t. cardamom

1/2 t. garlic powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the florets with the olive oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Use a large spoon to coat the florets with the spices. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes.

Two pounds is a lot of cauliflower. We had it right from the oven on the first night, zapped it for another meal, and I even liked it cold!

Beet, Apple, Ginger Soup Puree

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cooked, chopped beets (about 6 medium beets)

2 T. olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 t. fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups peeled, chopped Granny Smith apples

3 cups vegetable broth

1 can of lite coconut milk

Directions

Cut the green tops off the beets and discard or save for salads. Thoroughly wash the beets. Place the beets in a large saucepan covered with water. Bring the beets to a boil and simmer until fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Pour the beets and water into a colander. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, the skins will peel away using your hands. Coarsely chop the beets.

In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the oil for about five minutes, or until they have begun to brown. Add the garlic and ginger for an additional one minute. Add the stock to the pot. Cook the apples until they are tender. Add the beets to the pot and simmer for about ten minutes. Pour everything into a food processor, in two batches if necessary, or use an immersion blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot and add the cream from the top of the coconut milk. Blend. Add the rest of the coconut milk; omit this step if you want a thicker soup. Stir to blend. Heat through.

Serve the soup immediately or store it in the fridge until ready to use.

This is a nice starter soup, and the garlic works well with both the apple and the beets. And the color is spectacular!

Thanks for reading, liking, commenting, and sharing! I do appreciate it.

Vicki

Hello,

My husband returned from a sweet corn run looking rather crestfallen. He had been told that there would be no more corn this season and that he was the customer that they were most loath to give this information to. Obviously, he must wear his love for sweet corn on his sleeve. (Where did that expression come from?) They did give him a tip about another farm where he might try his luck, and they shared suggestions for how he might freeze the corn in the future. That led to some additional disappointment, as their methods did not include freezing the corn on the cob.

The sweet corn was procured, and a friend of my husband’s who is handy in the kitchen provided him with instructions and offered to vacuum-pack the corn for freezing. We worked together to shuck a dozen ears, boiled them for one minute, and dropped them in an icy bath for ten minutes. The ears were dried with a bath towel, vacuum-packed, and are safely stored in the basement freezer. When removed from the freezer, they go directly into a pot of boiling water. Eventually, I will share the results.

The temperature has not dropped below freezing, so homegrown tomatoes are still available for purchase. I can’t think of a better lunch than sliced tomato on toast with mayo. The price has also dropped to about half of what it was in July. Our favorite Mexican restaurant (in Frenchtown, of all places) always serves delicious, fresh salsa, and it is so easy to make. The salsa and labneh, already in the refrigerator, came in handy one evening when dinner prep was running behind schedule. This was the first time I had tried my hand at making labneh, a tangy cheese similar in texture to goat cheese made from yogurt. The link provides excellent instructions. Pita wedges or a crusty bread would work well with the labneh. The corn chips were a bit too delicate. The second time I tried my hand at making labneh, I added one clove of finely minced garlic, fresh parsley, chives, and a splash of lime and olive oil.

Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

3 cups of fresh, diced tomatoes

1 cup of diced red onion

1/2 cup diced yellow or orange pepper

2 T. fresh lime juice

4 t. finely minced jalapeno with the seeds

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

Directions

Toss all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or refrigerate for two to three days.

Thanks for reading, liking, commenting, and sharing!!

Vicki

Hello,

Corn and soybean fields dot the landscape in our corner of New Jersey. The corn has now been harvested, and the soybeans have turned a yellow hue. The changing of the seasons can be witnessed in these fields, and I feel lucky to take it all in while driving to the post office or grocery store. Just last week, while picking up some pansies at our nursery, the owner asked if we were planning to attend the township committee meeting about the proposed marijuana farm. What?!! We were completely in the dark, as we don't have a local paper and are not as in touch with neighbors as we should be. The meeting revealed that the marijuana farm would gross between 10 and 20 million dollars a year, with 2 percent of the gross going to the township. A presentation was given, and only residents living within a certain distance were initially allowed to ask questions. Neighbors posed a variety of concerns, with some in the audience opposed and others accepting of the plan. I couldn't help but wonder how local farmers selling ears of corn at their farm stands for just a dollar each felt about the amount of money that could be earned growing a plant that was illegal not long ago.

Our area also features pumpkin patches and apple orchards, which draw visitors from more populated areas. Our toddler grandson came out with his parents over the weekend to pick out a pumpkin to take home. The cats at the farm were more of a draw for him than the actual pumpkins, but the main attraction was a line-up of classic red wagons, albeit slightly rusty, for the purpose of transporting your haul of pumpkins to your vehicle. He skillfully pushed, not pulled, a wagon past the artfully displayed piles of pumpkins, occasionally dropping a small one in. As he is an early riser, well before the sun, we were the only ones pumpkin shopping. Eventually, the owner of the farm popped her kitchen window open to say hello. When she came outside, I was able to ask her how she felt about the marijuana farm. She told us that a final vote had not yet been taken. We’ll see what happens.

There are many varieties of pumpkins for cooking available today. It is helpful to get guidance from the experts.

Pumpkin and Cannellini Bean Soup

Ingredients

3 T. olive oil

1 c. diced yellow onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 t. cumin

3 c. pumpkin (one small pumpkin), washed, peeled, seeds scooped out, and the inside scraped clean. Cut into cubes.

32 oz. vegetable broth

1 16 oz. Can cannellini beans

4 c. chopped swiss chard, spinach, or kale

1 T. fresh thyme, dash of cinnamon, dash of ginger, salt, and pepper to taste.

Directions

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until they begin to brown in a large soup pot. Add the garlic, cumin, and pumpkin. Toss the ingredients with a large spoon. Add the vegetable broth and simmer the soup until the pumpkin has softened, about 20 minutes. Add the cannellini beans, greens, and the spices. Heat through.

How do you celebrate Halloween?

Thanks for visiting!

Vicki

Hello,

“Good Bread is the most satisfying of all foods.” James Beard

My husband and I had the good fortune to spend eight days driving around the surprisingly sunny Republic of Ireland this month. Our first couple of days were on foot in Dublin. On day three, on the way to pick up our rental car, we came across a charming little bakery and restaurant, Gaillot et Gray, owned by a Frenchman and an Irishwoman with loaves of crusty baguettes stacked in the window. We purchased a loaf and immediately tore the bread to eat on the spot. The accommodating woman behind the counter suggested that we take a seat, and she would bring us a sharp knife and butter. At this point, I noted that the blackboard menu featured their homemade pizza; a return visit was possibly in order. Good bread is such a comfort food, especially when you are far from home.

Brú na Bóinne, a UNESCO World Heritage site about one hour north of the city, was our first driving destination. Unfortunately, the car was equipped with a Garmin navigation system that I vaguely remember being obsolete ten years ago. Many of the streets in Dublin are unmarked, or the signs are quaintly posted on the sides of buildings. If we made a wrong turn, the system would take so long to recalibrate that we had probably made three more wrong turns in the interim. We finally used our phones to navigate and reached the site, remarkably difficult to find despite what the Rick Steves’ guidebook would have you believe, somewhat later than planned. Brú na Bóinne is a preserved Neolithic landscape with monuments, including passage tombs and burial mounds, whose rocks are etched with swirling patterns. We had an interesting tour and exchanged the car for one with a better navigation system at the airport on the way back to our final night in Dublin before heading to the west coast.

Back in Dublin with light rain and somewhat depleted from the day’s adventures, we decided to head back to the home of the delicious bread for pizza and hopefully a salad. No tables were available unless two women dining at a four-top were willing to have us seated with them. They agreed, we agreed, and we had a pleasant meal with two very friendly Dubliners and a delicious bottle of organic red wine. The evening ended with good conversation and goodbye hugs. This encounter was more in keeping with my husband’s more gregarious nature, but I had to admit that I enjoyed it too.

Breakfasts in Ireland were ample and generally accompanied by Irish Brown Bread or thick slabs of a slightly chewy whole wheat bread. I was unfamiliar with Irish Brown Bread, but I found an easy and satisfying recipe at The Travel Bite. Buttermilk and Guinness keep the bread moist; molasses adds the rich brown color. Ireland is a country with plenty of dairy cows, and it is the home of Guinness beer. I enjoyed viewing the cows on country roads, but I learned rather more than I ever wanted to know about the beer when we visited the Guinness Storehouse. It’s a clever ploy when a company can charge admission fees so that they can promote their product! However, the Guinness does work wonders for the bread.

Irish Brown Bread

Ingredients

2 3/4 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. rolled oats, plus extra to sprinkle on bread

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

1 T. brown sugar

1/3 c. molasses

1 c. Guinness

1 c. buttermilk

1 T. honey

2 T. melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, add the molasses, beer, and melted butter. Mix well with a large spoon. Pour the batter into the loaf pan using a spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle oats onto the top of the bread.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread.

Thanks for reading, liking, commenting, and sharing!

Vicki

As fall was quickly approaching, and I had been given a device for drying wild flowers, I was disappointed by the paucity of blooms in my surrounding area. Other than goldenrod, color was definitely in short supply. I was certain that in past years I had found milk thistles with lush, purple blooms that compensated for thick, thorny stems. I called local nurseries that specialized in native plants to see if they could be purchased for my yard, but without any luck. I attended a lecture on growing native plants, and when I questioned the presenter about thistles, he chastised me that they were not desirable. To me, color is always desirable, but what do I know? Indeed, thistles originated in Europe and Asia and are considered invasive by some gardeners, but on the plus side, they attract pollinators and possess medicinal attributes.

On the color quest, I was pleasantly surprised to find Black Mission figs, with all their shades of purple and blue, at a local farmstand that I visit almost daily in the summer. Fresh figs are rare in New Jersey compared to peaches and apples, and must be consumed quickly, as they only last for about 5-7 days in the refrigerator. On a recent visit to the stand, I nearly collided with the hindquarters of a giant pig who was devouring a loaf of bread, plastic bag and all, near the cash register! The road sign to attract visitors to the farm boasts of their 500-pound pig. This one was not quite that large, thank goodness. I am still searching for wild flowers and the reason behind the disappearance of wild milk thistles.

Figs and thistles converge in the poetry collection A Few Figs from Thistles (1920) by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Figs seem to represent the sweetness of life and how ephemeral it is in the poem First Fig.

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!

Millay sounds determined to experience all that life has to offer. She lived what was considered a Bohemian lifestyle in Greenwich Village, and she became the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in poetry for "Ballad of the Harp-Weaver". In the Bible, Mathew 7:16 warns against following false prophets and instead acknowledges those who are worthy by their fruits or deeds. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

Green Salad with Fresh Figs

Ingredients

4 c. baby greens

4 c. arugula

1/4 c. slivered red onion

6 or 8 fresh figs, sliced

1/2 c. goat cheese, crumbled

1/3 c. pecans, toasted

2 oz. prosciutto

4 T. olive oil

2 1/2 T. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

Directions

Place greens, onions, and figs in a salad bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper. Pour dressing over greens and toss. Add goat cheese, pecans, and prosciutto. Toss again. Serve immediately.

This grand firehouse was constructed in 1893 when horses pulled fire engines. It had to be replaced when it became too small to accommodate modern fire trucks. It was refurbished following a preservation study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, and today it is an art gallery and community center. I dropped off two landscapes for an exhibit in the space.

Thank you for liking, commenting and sharing!

Vicki