by jphilo | Sep 3, 2015 | Top Ten Tuesday
- Believe it or not, I found sprouted seeds inside the tomato I was cutting into chunks for freezing. I’m calling Ripley’s right away.
- Mom turns 87 today, and Camp Dorothy is in full swing for the occasion. Other campers include my daughter, her husband, and their 5 month old son. The jocularity is a preview for the big birthday shindig my sister has organized for Sunday. Pictures will be forthcoming.
- Unfortunately, neither Camp Dorothy or the birthday shindig will include a bubble wrap popping contest as the manufacturers of the product are depoppifying it. What in the world were the bubble wrap big guns thinking when they made that decision.
What’s new in your world? Leave a comment
by jphilo | Sep 25, 2014 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
- After viewing Ken Burn’s documentary about The Roosevelts, I am convinced they are national treasures…and so is Meryl Streep.
- The entire country of Italy is now celebrating Sophia Loren’s 80th birthday. I would like to inform the congressional birthday party commission and national birthday party planners at large that I will turn 80 in July of 2036. Just in case they appreciate a long lead time.
- Math problem of the day: You are down to your last homegrown tomato of the summer. If you slice it very thin, how long can you make BLT season last?
Leave your answer in the comment box!
by jphilo | Sep 26, 2012 | Recipes
Today’s recipe was born of desperation. Desperation to find a new way to use the abundance of cherry tomatoes in our CSA bag every week. Apparently, since several other gardeners have mentioned plentiful supplies of the little things, this summer’s heat was perfect for a bumper crop for gardeners who watered their plants.
Those of you in that predicament may want to give this dish a whirl. It’s not a new recipe, but the latest twist on one of our favorite stir fry dishes, Joni’s Cashew Chicken. Consider serving it over brown rice, our newest bow to healthier living, but put the rice pot on the stove earlier than regular rice. Brown needs at least an extra 10 minutes of cooking time or the end result will be watery and unpleasantly chewy. (Don’t ask me how I know this.)
Peanut Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons peanut sauce
4 tablespoons sesame or peanut oil
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1 whole chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups onions, cleaned and quartered, with layers separated
2 cup peeled carrots, sliced into thin, one inch pieces
2 cups sweet red pepper, washed, seeded, and cut into half-inch pieces
2 – 3 cups cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
Sauce: Combine soy sauce, peanut butter and honey in a 1 cup measuring cup. Heat in the microwave for one minute on high. Stir until peanut butter is mostly melted. Add peanut sauce to mixture and set it aside.
Turn burner to high and heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large frying pan or wok. Add peanuts and stir for one minute, until they begin to brown. Spoon them onto paper towels to drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pan. Add vegetables, except for the tomatoes, one kind at a time, at one minute intervals. (Add the thickest first and work down to thinnest. In this mixture, the order was carrots, peppers, onions.) Pour cooked vegetables into a large bowl.
Heat final tablespoon of oil in pan. Turn burner to medium high and add chicken. Stir until meat is completely cooked and begins to brown.
Add vegetable mixture and stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and stir for 1 more minute. Pour sauce over all and stir until the stir fry ingredients are coated and sauce is bubbly.
Spoon mixture onto a bed of rice and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot.
by jphilo | Aug 23, 2012 | Three Thoughts for Thursday
My mind’s been a blank ever since our trip to see the kids last weekend. But even when it’s empty food is always on my mind. So check out this week’s three foodie thoughts for Thursday.
- When I told Mom about the daughter’s baked oatmeal triumph, her response was, “She comes from a long line of good cooks, and you taught her well.” Sometimes, moms say exactly what daughters want to hear.
- Iowa sweet corn and tomatoes in August. Life is good!
- My most recent snack food obsession is dried mandarin oranges. What’s yours?
by jphilo | Jun 19, 2012 | Top Ten Tuesday
Yesterday, the weather was hot, steamy, and breezy – our first 90+ day of the year. The sweltering and sweating that accompanied the temperatures revealed these top ten benefits to hot weather:
10. Days like yesterday take the bloom off the I-want-to-live-on-a-tropical-island fantasy.
9. Days like yesterday make winter more attractive.
8. Hot weather motivates me to get up early to walk, and then I feel ahead of schedule all day long.
7. Hot afternoons means either grilling or cold supper to keep the heat out of the kitchen. Yum to both prospects!
6. I have less appetite on hot days. This phenomenon has not yet translated into consistent summer weight loss, but hope springs eternal in this human’s hips.
5. The heat make a person grateful for air conditioning
4. Hot days are a convenient excuse for staying inside to write instead of doing yard work.
3. This is sweet corn weather. Can’t you just taste it?
2. Ditto for tomato weather.
1. Days like yesterday give grandmas-in-training an excuse to take the neighbor kids to the pool and soak up the sunshine together.
What are benefits do 90+ days hold for you? Leave a comment.
