Seeing rainbows in the late summer garden

We arrived home from a weekend in St Louis to find a rainbow of veggies awaiting us in the garden. Dylan organized them by color, according to the artist's rainbow wheel, of course:

Red - radishes, tomatos, red peppers

Orange - sweet potatoes & more sweet potatoes

Yellow - Sunflowers and a sad melon that dropped too early

Green - okra, green beans, green peppers, green tomatoes for frying

Blue - peppermint flowers (which are more lavender than blue, really)

Violet - Japanese eggplant plus lots and lots of zinnias

While the sweet potatoes dried on a rack in the sunshine, we pickled the okra in a sweet vinegar brine (sugar and vinegar are in the same proportions as our sweet pickle recipe, but Dylan added 1 tsp pickling salt, 2 tsp pickling spice, 1 tsp dill seed for flavor). Then I prepped the other veggies for our lunch,

Rainbow Couscous:

1 box couscous, prepare according to package directions

1-1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pat butter (I used Can't Believe it's Not Butter stick, which worked great. Be sure your substitute has oil as a first ingredient, NOT water)

1-2 small peppers, finely diced

1 small japanese eggplant, peeled, then sliced or cubed

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 small sweet potato (mine was roasted already), sliced or cubed

1/4 cup real bacon bits

1/4 jalapeno, finely diced

1/4 cup scallions, chives, italian parsley, or cilantro for added color & texture, if desired

To prepare, heat oil on med-high heat in a large pan, add eggplant plus a dash of salt & pepper; sautee for a few minutes. Then add peppers, sautee for a few more minutes. Next add butter, garlic, sweet potato plus another dash of salt & pepper. After a few more minutes, toss in the bacon bits and jalapeno & turn off the heat. Place veggie mix on couscous and top with herbs, if desired.

It was such a yummy & quick lunch on this hot, summer day. I love that it doesn't even heat up my kitchen, since it cooks so quickly. Even my son LOVES it! A diced and sauteed portabella mushroom would be great in this, too.

For more detailed information on how to harvest and grow sweet potatoes, visit http://www.gardenguides.com/425-harvesting-sweet-potatoes.html

Tomorrow in the early AM, I'll roast most of my sweet potatoes and package them up for different recipes. I'll probably set aside the small guys for quartering and baking up as oven fries. I just use cooking spray and roast them at a high heat until crispy. Then toss in your favorite herbs, salt & pepper. They're great with cajun seasoning!

The roasted taters will either be mashed and stored, frozen, in 1/4 - 1/2 cup baggies for adding to biscuits, pancakes, pies, and breads or diced for soups & sautees. Plus, I'll have to sacrifice a few to my mother who came up with this yummy, hearty and quick dinner:

Ham with Pineapple and Sweet Potato

One slice bone-in ham

1 tbsp canola oil or butter

10 oz roasted sweet potatoes (or one can) with roasting liquid/can juices

10 oz can pineapple or equivilant fresh, with juice

Rice or butter noodles, prepared via package instructions

Scallions or chives, my addition for color and added flavor

To prepare, heat oil or butter in pan and add ham. Turn when it starts to curl up on the edges. Then add sweet potatoes and pineapple and heat through. Serve with rice or noodles. Top with herbs or scallions, if desired. Simple, yummy and SO nutritious!

Pulling out a few of the sweet potato plants should leave us room to seed spinach and lettuce tomorrow. I plan to use the sweet potato vines over mesh to shade the greens until it cools off next month. I'm hoping it will work. Keep your fingers crossed...

My thoughts on Bread (and Beef and my very Best Buddies)

I decided to check my blog today and noticed a request for the Pecan Oat Bread recipe, and it got me thinking about bread....

These days, anytime I bake or open a loaf of bread, I think of my sweet retriever, Nika. For eleven years, up until last weekend, anytime she heard the crinkle of the wrapper or caught a whiff of the oven door opening, she was into the kitchen lickety-split.

Except once, that is, on the afternoon she decided to go to heaven.

Since I know I'll never crack open a loaf without thinking of my companion, I vow to enjoy every slice. While I won't wolf it down in one gulp like my canine, with each bite, I'll remember that electric smile she would flash after her feast.

Pecan-Oat Bread

She loved this crunchy, nutty loaf.

1-1/4 c water

1/4 c firmly packed lt brown sugar

1 tbsp butter or margarine

3 c bread flour, divided (I used 1 c whole wheat and 2 c bread flour)

3/4 c pecans, chopped

1/2 c quick-cooking oats

1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1-1/2 tsp salt

Combine water, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand until mix reaches a temperature between 120-130 degrees. Meanwhile, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, nuts, oats, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add liquid and stir until well blended.

Turn dough onto a floured surface, and knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place into a well-greased bowl and turn once to grease top.

Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until double in bulk. (It took a bit longer to double because we used whole wheat flour.)

Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface, and knead lightly 4-5 times. Roll into a 14x7" rectangle. Then roll up dough, staring at narrow end, pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch ends to seal. Place dough, seam side down in a well-greased 8x4" loaf pan.

Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 40 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. It will be very brown on the outside. Remove bread from pan immediately and cool on wire racks.

...................................

Our second retriever, Cody, wasn't as fond of bread as Nika. Sometimes he would drop it at her feet like an offering and walk back to me for something better. He was a meat-lover, through and through.

A few years ago, he went running down the stairs and across the yard after a rabbit. His shoulder snapped before he reached the hare, and he went down with a chilling scream. The cancer had eaten through the bone - since he never complained about a thing, except the heat, we had no idea. The vet said they could give him something for the pain, but that was it. So, we brought him home to say goodbye, give him one last yummy meal and lavish him with affection.

Of course we gave him beef. The vet had us watching his diet for so long (he was 132 pounds) that it had been ages since he'd eaten anything but dried food. He could only put down a bite or two. Then he thwapped his tail a bunch, thankfully, even though he was in terrible pain, and gave us his trademark goofy smile (where his tongue hung out the side of his mouth).

My two loyal friends brought me through tough times - months and years of infertility; the sickness and hormones that go with it. They kept me outdoors and active when my husband was in the Army, usually in the field or deployed wherever. Cody helped me up when I couldn't get off the bathroom floor, and he made me giggle when I thought there was nothing in the world to wake up to. He would nose under your belly and tickle you when he wanted to play. Nika would try to get you to shake her paw, incessantly, ignoring anger and sadness until she got the shake and saw a smile. She accompanied me in my garden every day, and I never laughed so hard as I did when she drank from the garden hose with me. Everyone who met them was charmed by them. They were enchanted souls.

It wasn't like I was ever clinically depressed, by the way. There are a lot of women out there who know what I'm talking about. Infertility, fostering, and adopting - it is all tough. It can make you feel completely useless, alone, empty and broken. My dogs helped me pull myself out of those slumps, time and again. You get up to take them out, feed them, walk them, pet them. Finally, that giving (and receiving) affection helps you rise above your grief.

When Cody died, we were so sad, Brent, Nika and I. Little did we know that God was sending us a miracle, a new playmate; someone who needed us as much as we needed him. Our son's arrival was a long time coming, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered for all of us. One of the first casseroles I cooked up as a mommy was Cody's favorite:

Beef Chop Suey

Be sure to take out onions if feeding to dogs; the two don't mix.

1 lb hamburger

1 c chopped onion

1 c uncooked rice

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c water, divided

1 c chopped celery

1 can mushroom soup

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 can water chestnuts, sliced, optional

1 can chow mein noodles

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 2-qt casserole dish with cooking spray. Brown hamburger, drain if desired. Add celery, onion and 1/2 c water; cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Add rice, soups, sauce, and water chestnuts, if desired. Pour mixture into the casserole dish. Add approximately 1 c water and bake 50 minutes. cover with chow mein noodles and bake for another ten minutes. Serve with steamed snap peas, broccoli, carrots or a combination.

......................................

The weekend before Nika passed away, I bought a book, never knowing what it forshadowed. It was a novel by Garth Stein, 'The Art of Racing in the Rain'. I bought it on a whim, so I'd have something to read during my husband's surgery the next week - I figured a "light read" would help me pass the time. What could be more fun than reading a novel written through the eyes of a dog? In the first chapter I found that the dog was preparing to die and was about to tell his story. I almost put it down because I figured it would be too sad, but it was a good read already. I was hooked. I read the entire book, except the last chapter that day and night at the hospital.

Brent and I felt so fortunate to get out of the hospital with just a stint, medications, and changes in diet. We were both feeling so appreciative of life: our friends, family, how fortunate we are to have so many blessings.

We went out a few days later to the grocery store. When we left, we could tell our old girl was exhausted. She'd wanted to stay out that morning in the backyard, although it was really hot. When we let her in, she just lied down in front of the AC vent for hours. As I walked out the door, Brent patted her, saying, "Hey, girl, let me see ya smile," like he always did when she was feeling lazy. She didn't raise her head, but she thumped her tail and smiled where she lay.

We had a feeling on the drive home. God seemed to prepare us, although there was no reason to really know. She was old and lazy. She'd acted like that before and we'd come home to find her having snuck up in the bed, climbed under the covers and nuzzled into Brent's pillow. (That always reminded me of playing Little Red Riding Hood as a girl with my parents. What a happy time.) Not this time. Not this time. How I loved my friend. And she knew, I know she knew.

The way she chose to go gives me more proof than I ever needed that animals have a soul, a vision, a knowledge of the beyond that we are too self-indulgent to ever understand. I had to make myself read the last chapter of 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' that night. It helped me see the beauty of our friendship, and look beyond my loss to see the gifts she had given me in life.

They both had a job to do in our family. They both were loyal and true. This is MY story of how they were there for me. Those two were there for Brent and Dylan, also, in different ways. They helped us cope with sadness, loneliness, loss, and tragedy. They gave us something to love and show affection toward while we were trying to become a family. They helped us see the beauty in everyday things and showed us that there is likely a new adventure to chase around every corner and unknown bend.

...............................................

Jesus broke bread with his disciples. He told them to go out into the world and spread his good news. Our Maker works in mysterious ways, spreading love and kinship throughout our planet, binding us all together - man & beast, flora & fauna alike.

Those are my thoughts on bread. Buy it, bake it, break it, share it with those that you love, and especially those who are less fortunate. Whatever you do, enjoy it. It's a symbol of charity (who's meaning interchanges with love) and it gives us the nourishment and strength to move on.

Garden to Table Recipes

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind around here for our family. It has been no different in the garden. We've been gathering up hordes of garden peas (and still a few snaps), onions, garlic, swiss chard, zucchini, cucumbers, nasturtiums, strawberries, and cabbage. We finished off the last of the lettuce, spinach, and edible radishes this week until cooler weather prevails. I love the radish flowers, so I let them go to seed for good looks.

We've got such a plethora of cucumbers that I've turned two batches of dill and sweet pickles this week. I've also baked a few loaves of zucchini bread, whirred up some pea pod pesto, chopped out some low sat-fat coleslaw, created a tasty veggie-beef burger recipe, and boiled up a lemony low-fat potato salad. Here are a few of the recipes:

Dorothy's Sweet Slices
My Grandma's Recipe - I helped her make these every summer as a kid

6 large cucumbers, sliced thin, or the equivalent
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tbsp celery seed
1 medium onion, sliced thin

Put all your veggies in a large bowl (I have one that a plate fits inside to weight down the spears while they're working overnight). In another bowl or pourable measuring cup, mix the vinegar with the sugar - it takes a little while to get them to combine. Next, add celery seed. Finally, pour sugar mixture over the cucumbers and onions. Toss to coat. Cover bowl & refrigerate overnight, stirring a few times to combine flavors well. Can into jars and refrigerate. We try to use these within a month, because I don't like to heat the jars - I think it messes with the flavor and color of the cucs. Plus, my Gramma Dorothy never heated them and I always listen to my Grandma.

Dilly's Spears
A refrigerator recipe I created over the past few years through trial and error

32 pickling cucumbers, quartered (use ones a bit larger than your jars for an easy fit)
1 medium onion, sliced thin (optional)
1-1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup fresh dill sprigs
1 tbsp dill seed
1 tbsp pickling spice

Place spears in a large bowl (one that a plate will fit inside to weight the cucs down while working overnight in the vinegar solution). In another bowl with pourable spout, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Place plate on top and refrigerate overnight, turning a few times to coat the cucumbers. Finally, can pickles and refrigerate. I don't heat these because I'm lazy, we just eat them within a few weeks.

Zucchini Oat Bread
A new favorite from Southern Living

1-1/2 cups sugar or sugar free equivalent (check the label)
2-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2-1/2 cups flour ( I use 1 cup whole wheat and 1-1/4 cups all-purpose)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/4 cup butter (I use canola oil instead)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (My zucc made about 3 cups and it was still yummy)
1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or nut of your choice
3/4 cup raisins, optional - I always leave these out

Preheat oven to 350 and coat 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, set aside. Combine 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a little bowl, coat pan with this mix and dump what doesn't stick back into a little bowl for later. Combine flours, oats, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and remaining cinnamon in a bowl, set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat eggs with electric mixer on medium for 2 minutes or until foamy. Add remaining sugar, applesauce, butter, vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture to the wet mix, beating on low speed just until combined. Stir in zucchini, nuts and raisins. Spoon into prepared pan. Coat with remaining cinnamon sugar mix. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack. Wrap and store several hours before slicing (Yeah, right! My guys tackle it the minute it's out of the pan onto the cooling rack!) We heat it for 15-20 seconds in the microwave with a little margarine & add extra cinnamon sugar if we're feeling really naughty :)

Pea Pod Pesto
My favorite new creation - I use it on so many things - chicken, potato salad, sandwiches, burgers, and of course, pasta!

1 cup fresh snap peas
2 cups fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
¼ cup grated parmesean cheese
¼ cup pine nuts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¾ - 1 cup extra virgin olive oil – I use organic

Blanch pea pods in salted, boiling water for 2 minutes or until tender. Drain and chop if very large & add into bottom of a food processor with the next 6 ingredients. Pulse all ingredients until just combined. Next, add EVOO while processor is on. After 30 seconds or so, give it a taste & add more salt & pepper as needed.

Low Sat-fat Coleslaw

One head cabbage, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup Henderson's Sweet Oil & Vinegar Dressing
Dash of ground red pepper

Add chopped cabbage into large bowl, sprinkle salt and sugar over the top and let sit for a few hours. Drain out water at the bottom of bowl. (This creates a much drier coleslaw that lasts a lot longer.) In another bowl, create dressing with the rest of the ingredients. (I have also substituted poppy seed dressing for the mayo/vinegar and oil mix and it's really yummy as well).

Veggie-Beef Burgers
Our new way to lower beef intake on the buns!

1 lb lean ground beef, grass fed is the best
2 tbsp EVOO
1 medium zucchini, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pkg cremini or button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp beef boullion
ground red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4-1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Saute veggies in EVOO until soft. Then add garlic, boullion, red pepper, pepper and salt. Cook until browned. Let cool in a bowl. Once the veggies are the same temperature as your beef, mix meat and veggies together in a large bowl with your hands, add just enough crumbs to hold mixture together so you can make the patties. Heat skillet or grill, spraying with EVOO spray to keep from sticking, and cook to your desired doneness. Served on a whole grain bun with lettuce and tomato, it's quite a treat!

Lemony Low-fat Potato Salad
altered slightly from allrecipes.com recipe

5 cups cubed garden potatoes (my favorite is Yukon Gold)
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
2 tsp white sugar, or less to taste
1-1/2 tsp seasoning salt (I use Nature's Seasonings, my Rissa's favorite)
1-1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp mustard, any type will do, do this to your taste. I use 2 tbsp
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup mayo, I prefer one made with canola or olive oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or other herb of your choice

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes; cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain. While potatoes are working, combine in a large batter bowl with lid, lemon juice, oil, sugar, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, mustard & pepper; mix well. Blend in mayo. When potatoes have drained, add to sauce. Mix in green onions, celery, and herbs. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

The Gathering Storm

This morning's wind blasted the veggie leaves from the colanders as fast as I could pick them. I can't wait to enjoy today's spinach, swiss chard, and leaf lettuce!

My retriever was so busy visiting with the neighbors, she actually stayed out of my way for a change. She's usually rooting around in my apron or sneaking around in the compost bin. Nika loves walking through the tomatos, peppers & marigolds. Her tail seems to swish at least one plant over every day. Oh well! She's happy & so am I.

I should have stayed out in the drizzle and used the garden sink to strain the greens, like usual, because then I can reuse every drop of water elsewhere in the garden. I have my utility sink drain into a 5 gallon bucket fashioned with a mesh lid to keep out bugs. This, combined with a custom PVC irrigation system, is the BEST Christmas gift my husband has created. I always keep a trash bin, extra jugs for watering, and a bin with holes in the bottom to hold all the gardening tools that need a washing every day. This morning, however, I was working on a loaf of oatmeal pecan bread, so I hurried back to the kitchen to prepare it for a second rise.

On a second thought, I turned back to gather a few snap peas and a radish to add to the lettuce for a lunch salad. I decided to deadhead the marigolds, break up the seedheads & scatter them around the flowerbeds to help repel pests. I took a quick photo of my favorite garden helper, the ladybug, who was resting with her many friends on my potato bushes, then scurried inside.

I kicked off my garden boots in the kitchen (nearly taking off my cat's head in the process), set down the colanders of greens & got to work.

I dunked the dark green spinach and the rainbow chard leaves into a sink of cold water, but kept the leaf lettuce and snap peas in the salad spinner to drain. I turned a pot of water onto the stove to boil, cleaned the greens, then chopped the spinach and chard to prep them for a boil.

I always do the boiling and baking in the morning, that way dinner only takes a few minutes on the stovetop in the evening. Tonight, my son will be happy to help finish off the greens in a saute pan with bacon, onion, chicken broth and golden raisins. So yummy! Thanks to the Neely's on Food Network for that recipe. Hmm, I think I may have to look up Paula Deen's black-eyed-pea buger to go with those. And, I'll bet Dylan will be asking for pears or peaches with his ice cream for dessert.

Now it's time to pull that bread out of the oven and put some tea on to boil to enjoy with a fresh slice of bread and butter.

House Painting

We finally painted another side of the house yesterday. After six straight hours (and two very sore arms) we completed the easy east side. Next, the peak on the front and a small strip near the porch need to be primed (how we missed that I don't know). The west side is primed for paint, but it lies 6 feet higher off the ground. I am NOT excited to start that, but will be so glad to see it completed. This cold, rainy day is giving us a break, but I'm hopeful that next weekend will prove productive again. Keep your fingers crossed!!!

Our winter garden isn't growing as quickly as I hoped. Only a few spinach seeds germinated and the carrots are slow going. The nasturtiums are doing pretty well, but I think I need to pull out the cold frames to warm up the bed. My mother in law gave me some beautiful antique windows a few years ago. I'm going to paint them with the leftover blue porch paint, stack them on some concrete blocks or hay bales, and hope for the best.

Veggies for Dinner

Late Saturday night I decided to rearrange everything in the kitchen and dining rooms, which meant living in a disaster zone for most of Sunday.

Luckily, the garden delivered a delicious bounty for dinner. We pulled a quart of tomatos, another quart of okra and 6-7 green peppers.

We've been rotating between BLT's, fried or poached egg and tomato sandwiches, and bean tostadas these days.

We're enjoying fresh Chicken a la King Shirley, too. It's one of Brent's mom's classic recipes. The peppers are sauteed with leftover rotisserie chicken in a bit of EVOO and butter, then mixed with a can of cream of chicken soup. Served over toast it is a quick and easy comfort food on cool and rainy autumn evenings.

Every sandwich that comes out of the kitchen is accompanied by a pickle these days - either dill okra, sweet cucumber or garlic-dilled mixed veggie.

Dylan's favorite "food group" is fried okra, so we serve that up at least once a week. The okra has been producing like crazy, so we've been chopping and freezing it for gumbo this fall and winter - I can hardly wait for the first batch! Same with the green peppers for winter chili.

We love fresh tomatos, so I haven't canned too many 'maters, but I believe this week I'll need to oven roast a round or two...

Since the weather has cooled a bit and the house can use a bit of heat in the morning, I predict I'll bake up a batch of my cousin Charissa's granola. She serves it up fresh at Headwaters B&B in Gardner, MT, outside the North Gate of Yellowstone Park. For the recipe, check out her website at http://www.headwatersbandb.com/

Now it's off to finish reorganizing the kitchen. I was just so excited to post pics of our weekend veggies. Thank the Lord for providing, since my range was pretty much MIA today!

Happy to feel the rain

The garden and I are enjoying this gentle rain. However, for the kid's sake, I hope it clears up enough for fireworks.

I did a terrible job of staking my tomatoes and they've all toppled in one way or another. Hopefully I can remedy my mistakes with some rebar and fencing tomorrow.

Brent, Preston and Dylan dug up the last of the new potatoes yesterday, so I have an entire bed that can be resown - maybe we'll plant some peppers for pickling or salsa, they like the heat.

Watermelons and squashes are taking over the front garden, but the dog is the only one who's unhappy about it most days. Other days I find her chillin' in the shade of the bean teepee, but I can't quite seem to catch it on camera.

Here's a few cute pics of the kids enjoying the garden on the 3rd of July - Flippin set of fireworks at the park and had a little carnival/BBQ that the kids really enjoyed. The fire department hooks a giant sprinkler up to the fire hose - they loved that, but Margie's baby, Aidan, just was getting too hot, so we headed home for some extra sprinkler time.

Have a great fourth of July everybody!