Tina Sparkalina and Me on Halloween As we ate pungent Puttanesca Pasta, Nigel and I planned the week ahead. With both of us working on the Triplex Reorganization Project, it would be complete in a week, instead of two. This would give us time together before his Employer returned with wife and children. We went back to the triplex that evening to settle in til the job was finished. For the sake of convenience, we agreed to share the Master Suite on the top floor that had an adjoining bath. The other rooms had already been cleaned and made up. Did I mention that Nigel is a lifelong friend; like a brother to me ? So, dear reader, don't get any wrong "ideas" here. There NEVER has been, and NEVER will be any hanky panky between us. And, so it was that Nigel claimed the left side of the King bed by the window and I, the right, near the bath and door. Several paper sacks of metal hangers still leaned against the foot of the bed. I placed my suitcase on a bench against the opposite wall and removed my toiletries. Nigel used the bath first and reappeared with blue and white striped Brooks Brothers pajamas properly buttoned to the neck. He hobbled into bed, obviously exhausted, and immediately curled himself into a ball. He needed to fall asleep undisturbed, but I was wired, excited about my trip and filled with thoughts of things I wanted to see and do. I grabbed my book and went down a level to the kitchen. A cup of tea and a scone, { Nigel had baked the day before }, helped me unwind. The scones turned out to be OUT OF THIS WORLD ! { Best I ever ett ! } !!! THANKS NIGEL !!! for sharing something so out of this world, with the world ! Out of this World Tea Scones WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 2 Cups all purpose flour 2 Tablespoons Sugar 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 1/3 Cup dried currants - or - raisins - or - chopped dates - or - dried cranberries,{ OPTIONAL } 6 Tablespoons UNSALTED BUTTER at room temperature,{ A MUST ! } 1 Beaten Egg 1/2 Cup Whole Milk 1 Slightly Beaten Egg for brushing on top prior to baking WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 1. Preheat oven to 425. 2. Thoroughly stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. 3. Stir in dried fruit of your choice, if desired. 4. Cut in butter until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. 5. Add One beaten egg and milk stirring just until dough clings together. 6. Knead gently,{ 12 to 15 strokes }, on lightly floured surface. 7. Gather into ball, flatten and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. 8. Use a glass or a round pastry cutter and cut into 12 to 16 scones. 9. Place on ungreased baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between them 10. Brush scones with slightly beaten egg. 11. Bake at 425 for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy warm or at room temp, as they are... or accompany with whipped cream and strawberries, jams or anything else that pleases your palate ! I hope to read your comments about them ! Aint they the bestest ever ? TO BE CONTINUED...
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It's soon to be All Hallow's Eve; the perfect time to tell a spooky story ! I could tell one of UFO's or Angel Visitations. But I think one about Ghosts would probably be best. You decide whether or not it ever really happened. No matter, truth is always stranger than fiction and even a vivid imagination has a hard time making up stuff, especially when there are witnesses. So...as all good stories begin... Once upon a time, and a long - long time ago, I came to visit a dear friend in London, who remains as close as a brother to me. At the time, Nigel, { who will laugh at his nom de plume which I have chosen more for his delight than his anonymity }, was employed as a Man's Man in London. In other words, he was a domestic; a Butler, despite the fact he studied under Julia Child for years and is an excellent Pastry Chef. His second floor flat on the Kings Road in Chelsea, directly faced the Royal Stable. Every day began with Royal Horse Guards in handsome uniforms of black, red and gold, effortlessly lining up 30 or so gleaming black stallions in the twilit morning sun. With an invisible command, the steeds swiftly raised their heads and legs high in unison and pranced, clip clopping in the early hour of silence, through the misty London streets. There was something ethereal about watching this display at the crack of dawn while having coffee that left me feeling good and strong for hours. Though I was on vacation and his people were on holiday in the south of France, Nigel was deep in the midst of reorganizing their triplex next door. I enjoyed spending my first day exploring London on my own and planned to catch up with my friend for dinner. That evening found Nigel replacing every metal hanger in the Master's immense clothes closet with a new wooden one. I gathered the metal hangers and placed them in paper sacks at the foot of the unmade King size bed. We happily chatted and worked for hours until we realized it was too late for going out. London evenings have a foggy foreboding appeal, and this evening, being my first, seemed especially other worldly to me. I was glad when Nigel suggested we return to his flat to enjoy a quick Italian dish of pasta with savory Puttanesca Sauce. You may want to try this one on your Vegan dinner guests ! The beauty of this dish rests not only on the speed of which it can be put together, but also the flexibility dependent upon ingredients you have on hand. ITALIAN PUTTANESCA SAUCE YOU WILL NEED SOME OF THE FOLLOWING: BUTTER, { 2 Tablespoons } ONION, { finely chopped } GARLIC, { one to three cloves - mashed or minced } TOMATOES, { use a can of crushed or chop up several fresh ripe ones } BLACK OLIVES, { 1/2 Cup - if you have it - sliced or diced } GREEN OLIVES with or without PIMIENTO, { 1/2 Cup - sliced or diced } ARTICHOKE HEARTS, { 1/2 Cup - if you have it - marinated or canned, chunked } SUN DRIED TOMATOES, { a few or more pieces - if you have it - softened and chopped } CAPERS, { 1 teaspoon or more } ANCHOVIES, { 1 or 2 or 3 filets - a most excellent "secret" ingredient, if you have it, as they will dissolve and those who claim they don't like them will LOVE them here, if you dare divulge !!! } CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY CHOPPED FRESH BASIL 1 or 2 CHERRY PEPPERS - chopped - OR - 1/2 tsp or more of RED PEPPER FLAKES - OR - a few splashes TOBASCO OLIVE OIL GRATED CHEESE WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT YOU GOT:
TO BE CONTINUED... Hamden hamlet hides just outside the college town of Delhi, where you'd be making an excellent scholarly choice to send your academic bound brat. There wont be a chance in heck of them getting into anything but an education here. If they've been especially naughty, their first winter will forever cure them. There simply is no choice but to study in conditions similar to the frozen tundras of Siberia. I'm not sure if it would be funny or cruel. Anyway, as I was passing through, I couldn't help but notice the Scarecrow on County Road 26 pointing to Donnelly's Farm full of colorful gourds and squash... and... of course, Mr. Tom Donnelly hauling huge pumpkins from his patch to the sales area, where his lovely wife, Ginny, was attentively assisting several customers. I enjoyed listening to in depth explanations concerning bees, pollination and the demise of dairy cattle in the area due to education - not government ! I thought to myself that men are kinda like pumpkins. It seems like all the good ones are taken or they've had everything scraped out of their heads with a spoon. So, have a look at the mini slide show here and do your Pumpkin pickin at Donnelly's where the scenery is gorgeous and the prices are ridiculously reasonable ! How 'bout their pumpkin totem that's lit up at night ! Very cool ! It was the perfect day for the Callicoon Farmer's Market in NY, which is open from 11:00 A.M. til 2:00 P.M. every Sunday until November 25 th. These gorgeous locally grown peaches were decadently delicious. They dripped with juice and filled the summer day with a heavenly scent. Callicoon is a tiny historic town located on the bank of the Delaware River, surrounded by the rolling lush green Catskill Mountains. It was first settled by the Dutch in the 1600's who named it "Kollikoonkill", which means "wild turkey creek". The area remains abundant with wildlife, although the Elk are gone and the Mountain Cats are rare to see. There still are black bear, wolves, coyotes, fox, deer, eagle, wild turkey, racoons, opossum, rabbits and who knows, maybe even Big Foot... or was the beast I once saw just a Local... perhaps playing pranks ? I suppose that's why I keep the camera handy. This time I snapped a few pictures at the Callicoon Farmer's Market to give you a tour of some things that were offered. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE SLIDESHOW There were a ton of different kinds of Tomatoes, including Heirlooms and yellow and orange Cherries. By the way, if you've never had the Yellow Cherry Tomatoes, you really must try them ! They're as sweet as candy. Indigenous and prolific in this region, they are the tomatoes local American Indians harvested several hundred years ago before settlers brought in other varieties. The Market also had beautiful fresh cut flowers from ARK FLORALS of Mt. Vision, NY, owned and run by a very knowledgeable Meg Kennedy and her family, at super reasonable prices. Bill and Barbara Walsh displayed their handcrafted Cherry and Pine crafts. I especially loved their cheese spreaders and boards, which would make a very fine hostess gift. Visit their online store at wwbc.etsy.com and see what other goodies they have in my slideshow below. Other Vendors included Bakers, Goat Soap Makers, Local Honey, Local Maple Syrup, Fresh Lamb meats, knit Lamb's wool products, fresh Jellies, Jams, Condiments, Fresh Herbs and the like. Not part of the Farmer's Market, but associated with one of the many Callicoon shops a few steps away, I came across Pam Sloan of RUSH SEATS,{ rushseats@yahoo.com }, who was busily working on an antique chair. She beautifully repairs with caning, rush or upholstery. If you'd like a list of all the vendors, visit www.sullivancountyfarmersmarkets.org This week I harvested 50 heads of garlic from my tiny yard, which were planted two inches deep and six inches apart in September of 2011. It pains me to see garlic for sale in the grocery stores these days. Upon closer inspection, the packages are marked "Product of China". I've been growing my own garlic here in the Northeast USA for many years now and it's the easiest and most reliable, pest free edible thing I've ever attempted to grow. Plucking them out of the ground is my single most satisfying garden activity. I lay them side by side on the lawn and rinse them with a hose; then arrange them in size escalating order and place them out in the sun to dry for a day or two. Using a bit of rope, the bundle is tied and hung in the kitchen, where they keep all winter and into the spring. Not only are they decorative, but I love to cook and snip off heads from the bunch as needed. I don't know exactly what cultivar my Hardnecks are... and if anyone out there could identify them by this photo, I would be delighted. Several years ago, someone gave me a few heads tied in a ribbon as a hostess gift. Rather than eat them, I carefully popped the cloves off the stem and planted them just to see what would happen. They were prolific ! Every September since then, I choose 50 large cloves for replanting, which provides me enough to use and give away to friends. The history of garlic is surprising and fascinating. They are actually a Lily bulb originally found to be growing in the Caucasus Mountains region in Russia. www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com has much in depth information about this living entity; history, growing and harvesting tips, health benefits and specified cultivars for you to enjoy. What to do with all this garlic ? Invite friends upstate for the weekend and make the following recipe from THE WONDERFUL FOOD OF PROVENCE, by Jean-Noel Escudier and Peta J. Fuller. Don't blame me, however, when you discover that you and your guests will reek the same for days to come ! { Sheweee ! } Chicken Braised with Forty Cloves of Garlic { Poulet aux Quarante Gousses d'Ail } I've gotten lazy with this recipe and have simply chopped and tossed the herbs, { with the exception to the Bay Leaf, of course, which should always be left whole }, into the chicken and mixed them in with the garlic and oil with excellent results.
Place Small Bouquet Garni in cavity and truss bird. Put Olive Oil into heatproof casserole with Garlic Cloves and Large Bouquet Garni. Place the Chicken in the casserole and turn it several times so that it is well coated with the oil. Put a tight lid on it and Bake @ 325 degrees F, { 160 degrees C. }, for about 1 1/2 Hours or more. Transfer the casserole to the table and remove lid just prior to serving to release the delicious aroma. Serve with Croutons and allow each person to spread his crouton with garlic squeezed from the skins. FANTASTIQUE and well worth the smell !!! If you're a dog owner and a dog lover, then you've certainly checked out the lengthy and weird ingredient list on containers of dog treats. You've also paid a small fortune for these questionable edibles, many of which are packaged here in the USA, but are created overseas in places where standards are not high; like China. What are you actually feeding your beloved pooch ? Will your devoted pet fall victim to poisoning while you're getting ripped off ? When I bought my cute pup at a yard sale a dozen years ago, I never planned on having to make my own Dog Treats, and eventually, my own Dog Food ! Her mother was a purebred Chow and her father, a purebred Dalmatian. She looked like a black bear cub and I simply fell in love. Thank God for the nasty white stuff we call snow that first winter of Miss Abbey's life ! When she urinated blood, I ran to a fabulous Vet who discovered she was suffering from food allergies. I quickly learned that Dalmatians need to be fed a different diet than the average dog. Their ability to process proteins apparently has been hindered by a great many years of domestication. Chicken was the greatest culprit for her and I had to find an easy solution using healthy ingredients that didn't include chicken lips,{ OH NO !!! }. Here's just one of my many tasty and nutritious Homemade Dog Biscuit recipes that I have made hundreds of times. It's very easy, quick and inexpensive. I hope you try it some evening while you're watching TV. Your dog, { like mine did }, will look at you in astonishment once he/she realizes you were making this especially for them and declare, "Wow ! You weally do wuv me !" |
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