Happy Halloween Food

I like to make these little mummies at Halloween. It's amazing what putting eyes on food can do to your plate. They are just Lil'Smokies wrapped with strips of Pillsbury crescent rolls. And mustard eyes!

Summer 2016

These Japanese eggplants are roughly the size of hens' eggs. I only put one plant in the garden this year, and it appears to be plenty.

Spring 2016

Bacon & Eggs Salad in a Jar

My friend Alicia was doing these mason jar salads years ago. I decided to use up some of my fresh greens to do a make ahead salads using of course bacon and eggs as a theme.

The results were a mixed bag however. Bacon and eggs, yes that worked out, but I think I like my salads fresh. Freshly made. Especially lettuce.

Happy Autumn Garden Pictures

Right around sunset when the first chill of air makes the birds sing shaper and more insistent, I go hunting for photos in the garden. Soon there will frost and with frost dead plants. This is my last hurrah.

I don't know if the little gypsy sunflower made it to seed. Lovely sunny color though. I made it my Facebook profile.

My very late planting of pumpkins seemed to be doing quite well. I spotted a massive gopher mound under it and put pieces of wood under the pumpkins that were developing. So far I've harvested 7 little Jacks and 2 sugar pies.  The others, and there's lots of them, haven't ripen completely.

Tamales for Dinner

My first attempt at making tamales. I didn't soak the corn husks overnight, so they were kind of stiff. Hence them being tied at both ends as opposed to being folded over. And I think I over cooked them by about 10 minutes. The recipe said steam for an hour to an hour and a half. At one hour I pulled one to taste and it was soft but cooked. I kept cooking for 10 to 15 minutes, and the others were harder, not better in texture.

 I made red ones with chicken and sriracha for The Mister.

And green salsa and pork for me.

Petite Sirah 2015

Yesterday at about 10 am with temperatures in the mid 70s F, we harvested out first Petite Sirah grapes. Some were partially eaten and some were in a state of decay. But the time was now to bring the clusters in.

As you can see, the battle cry of 30 or so quail led us to action. The wallowers made a good mess of is known as the triangle. All corn was picked at two or three inches by the bobble heads and only five or so squash plants survived.  But the grapes were under cover in the back and only recently found by the beak heads. So we retrieved as much as we could.

Time is the Pay Dirt

A few years ago I planted a pomegranate tree. I put it in a large container. We have little beasts that eat the roots of treasured plants like artichokes and roses, and I have had way too many go under. However I wish now that I put the pom into the soil. I think it would have made it and produced many more fruits at this stage.

The first year it gave me one little fruit, the year after two or three small fruits. The third year I watered it, as it was covered with blossoms, and all the blossoms dropped. And this year, drought or no  drought, I let the plant be. And was graced with a bowl full these lovelies.

True to any fruiting tree, time is the pay dirt.

Secret Ingredient* Pasta Salad

Secret Ingredient* Pasta Salad

1 cup cooked pasta cooled
1 Tablespoon minced white onion
1 Tablespoon capers
1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped roasted red bell peppers
12 black olives quartered

Gently toss all ingredients together.

In a separate bowl (I use a small Mason jar.) mixed together

1 Tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 splash white wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon oregano
ground pepper to taste
*plus 1 1/2 teaspoons V8

Shake like crazy and pour on pasta. Cool and serve.

Red Cabbage, Purple Cabbage

I planted nine, but one had a twin. So I have ten cabbages to harvest and soon. This is the first. Vibrant fellow, isn't he?

Nature is so amazing. Look at how tightly formed that head is.

I made kimchee with this one. Probably have to donate it to The Mister because I made it too spicy.

I'm too old for the Cabbage Patch Doll craze, but I can totally see where it came from.

Are they watching us?

The garden has started. Radishes are in full swing. Spicy too!

Merry Solstice!

The cork sculpture was The Mister's creation. The pizza was mine, of course. I'm taking a couple of weeks off from work, so we've been going out for Japanese food and staying home for homemade Italian food and good wine.

We burned a yule log for the Solstice, a coastal live oak log from Cambria. It was given to us by a dear friend who passed away in March from a very quick spreading cancer. So sad.

I collected the ashes from the log to be used in blessing my garden this spring. I have big plans for the garden this coming year, and I hope to take lots of pictures to document.

So as always I want to wish you fond memories of the past and high hopes for the future.
Cheers to the New Year!

Homemade Catsup and Potatoes

I've always wanted to open a pub. Pub food is some of the most wonderfully satisfying taste treats for all of humankind. Indeed I might have to classify this as food porn. Yep, I think so.

Here are the elements.

• Homemade catsup
• Homemade pepper crusted potato home fries.
• Thick cut crispy cooked bacon
• And a chewy Syrah