Finishing the Year ~ New Years Menus and Other Stuff

Hi everyone! Welcome 2019!

The past few days I've been slowly dismantling the Christmas decor around the house. All that remains is the red toile pillow covers and the red/ pink and white transferware china. I may leave the red and white plates up a few more weeks to show a friend who will visit me mid-January. (She thinks she only likes blue, lol. I'll show her.) And the Christmas tree, tiny as it is, is still glowing happily in its corner. I won't take it down til Twelfth Night, on January 5th Twelfth Night refers to the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, from long ago when Christmas was celebrated not from Halloween til Christmas Day, but from Christmas Eve to the 12th night, or Three Kings Day, when the Magi/ Wise Men arrived  with gifts for the holy baby..

I hate taking down my Christmas tree. It's not the work or effort---I enjoy dusting each ornament, wrapping it carefully in tissue or quilt batting cutaways, and setting each into its nest for the year. What makes me sad is the ending of it all. When we fold away the season's bright baubles we also must let go of all the hopes and joy and anticipation that were so wondrous just a few short weeks ago. (Or if you're a Halloween starter, 2 1/2 long months ago!).

All that's left are memories, and some sprinklings of glitter ground into the floor.
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New Years! If you watched the TV Times Square broadcast on NYE you know we had torrential rains all evening. Not cold, but  very wet.

Usually I meet friends for a very early drink but this was no night to be on the road. Instead I invited a friend who was also home alone, and who lives nearby, for dinner.

I had a too large for one person filet mignon, which we shared.

Menu

Filet mignon with bearnaise sauce

Baby lettuce greens with balsamic vinaigrette and warm goat cheese.

Baby roasted potatoes.

Stuffed portobello mushrooms,

filled with mushroom stems, chopped and parsley 

and asiago cheese.

Easy and delicious! Mo wore his party crown we'd found on the sidewalk on our walk a few days before. It's lovely rose gold glitter; he likes it a lot.

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New Years Day menu 

[Family arriving home, time unknown)

Roast Pork glazed with garlic and TJ's pepper jelly

and gravy

Potato pie, recipe below.

[or] Baked butternut squash with nutmeg and cinnamon

Steamed Brussels sprouts

***

No desserts either night, though on NYE my friend and I had a ''finger'' of the Grand Marnier.
Mo was snuggly in his new puffy throw.

.........

New Year's Day was beautiful, 60* though windy.

Here is the the first sunset of 2019! More fade than glory, but peaceful, and nice.

And so now we open our unwritten book,   the future lies ahead waiting for us to fill its pages. May the year bring peace and happiness to everyone.

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Slightly off topic, a brief New Years Rant: I am so sick and tired of the declutter / minimalist hordes. All these pious people who go on about simplifying their lives/ homes / worlds--while selling us tchotchkas to clutter us up. It seems either phony or money grubbing, not sure which. Disingenuous?

As for me I don't want to simply or declutter, I love my stuff! I want to wear French perfume and diamond earrings and buy cool stuff. I don't want to spend an entire year not buying a single plate, bowl or yard of fabric. What's the fun in that?

I'm supposed to be entertained/ fullfilled by self-denial? Like I'm a Medieval anchorite?  I hate that now I have to think and rethink if I want to write about items I've found thrifting or at the flea; I feel uncomfortable being a collector, as if I should keep my finds hidden from a disapproving world. No thrills of the hunt, just the smug satisfaction of mouthing the current buzz words?

There's a book just published, about living a minimalist life. That book, in hardcover not Kindle, sold out everywhere! On FB I had to leave a message: "I don't feel the need to to clutter my home with your $$$ book on minimalism."

This year I bought a few [used] books again. Ten years ago I got rid of ALL my books. Yes my quilt books, my Susan Branch books, my hard cover Lee Childs and Vince Flynns. My childhood collection of Beatrix Potter books; all my Tasha Tudor books. I even threw away years worth of  twice-weekly letters from my mom, and a lifetime of birthday cards. I regret my decisions almost daily. I love the books I now bought, they may be clutter, my exhusband always despised books as  "your mess", but I want them, and now I have 4 or 5 of them, along with six sets of dinner china, hundreds of quilts, and two sets of formal silver flatware.

Yes, I am still frugal. The books were second hand; my thermostat is still set at 55*, I mend socks and clothes; that's okay, just thrifty. (And truly I'd buy new socks if I could find the kind I like!)

This simple life crap is 2019s buzz, just like clean eating was 2017-2018's. My classic cooking may not be gluten free, soy free, dairy free...but it NOT dirty or unclean. Who makes this stuff up, Gwenneth Paltrow? Oprah? I hate it. Right now I am taking the pledge: NO minimalism. Ever.

And last: I bet Biggie the Pug [AKC Champion Toy Dog 2018] weighs a heck of a lot more than freakin' 18 pounds,lol. Some person on FB said Mo is fat. We cried.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

Potato Pie

one deep dish pre-made pie crust, pre-baked 375* for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make a bag of prepared mashed potatoes, using fat free Half and Half.

 OR enough fresh made mashed potatoes to fill the pie shell

Add 4 oz/ 1/2 bag of grated sharp cheddar,

2T butter

and

two bunches of scallions, washed and chopped into 1/3" pieces, 

including nice green parts. 

Sauteed until translucent, but not too soft.

!/2 package of precooked Oscar Meyer bacon, 

diced and cooked on paper towels in micro til crisp.

Salt pepper parsley to taste.

Whisk everything together with a fork, add more milk or cream if needed to be fluffy but not wet.

Bake at 375* for about 50 minutes, 

until the crust edges and top of the filling begin to look pretty and brown.

Cool 2 minutes before cutting.

*****

Yum! Fast and so delicious, best with prime rib, but nice with pork roast too.

PS I am having computer disk and photo upload issues. Bear with me please.

Something for the Weekend ~ Baked Summer Squash with Quinoa and Pine Nuts

Hi everyone! Tonight let's cook up a lovely casserole for weekend meals on the go. It's no secret I love veggies, and all kinds of squash. I'm particularly fond of bright yellow summer squash, though winter squashes like acorn and butternut, also faves, work well in this make do recipe, too. I use them later in the Fall; for now the market is filled with stacks of yellow and green summer squash varieties.

Years ago, when I was first married and my now-ex husband was busily trying to make me over into his image of a suitable companion, he insisted I go to a professional nutritionist, to redirect my [in his opinion] very poor eating habits. Now I am sure there are fine nutrition practitioners, just as there are no doubt competent and pleasant dentists and physicians---so maybe it's just me? Somehow I always get the ones with the bad attitudes.  This woman was the queen of passive aggressive: she'd ask me what I ate for a snack, for example:

Me: carrot sticks.
Nutri: Oh no! Too much sugar!
Me: Celery sticks.
Nut: Oh no , just water! And OMG, sodium!
Me, retreating : Ok, Ok ! my fave is raw cauliflower.
Nut: Nooo. No! No nutritional value!
and on and on.

I'm sure if I said I subsisted solely on kale and roasted beets she'd have taken issue with that choice too.
[I finally walked out on her ,lol.]
.....
Anyway, the point is: my recipes are tasty and comforting and of unguaranteed nutritional perfection. You decide. Enjoy your kale smoothies.

Yellow Squash boats with Quinoa, 

brown Basmati rice, pine nuts and ground beef

Preheat your oven to 350*.

Estimate one medium sized squash per person. Wash well, trim ends and cut in halves or thirds, crosswise. To make the little boats I slice off the top third of the squash and reserve those pieces for another day. 

Scoop out the centers with a sharp knife or a spoon. Save the innards, chopped, set aside for now.

Precook multicolored quinoa according to package directions but use one third LESS liquid, do not cook too soft or mushy; same with brown Basmati rice [optional, I had it leftover].

Brown ground beef or turkey with a diced sweet onion and minced garlic to taste, maybe 2 t. Diced bacon optional here, adds a lot of flavor. Drain the fat from the meat.

Add the cooked grains, the chopped squash innards to the meat, mix well. 

You'll need a little liquid--cider, wine, whatever is in your fridge. I had peach juice! Cider is my preference. About 3/4 - 1 Cup. Add 1/3 C. Parmesan cheese. Plus parsley, basil and spices of your choice. I used paprika, smoked cinnamon, cumin, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds. You want the mixture fragrant and a little exotic. Salt, black pepper, lemon pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the squash boats, piling the extra on top. 

Cover and bake 350* 35-45 minutes. If you used a Pyrex pan, you ll see it bubbling. Remove the foil and top with a light sprinkle of parm, pine nuts, and paprika so it looks pretty. Bake 10 more minutes. You can use less pine nuts, I was using up an opened bag.

Delicious, hearty and makes great leftovers. 

You can omit the meat for a meatless version. You can omit the pine nuts to lower calorie count. Here is a real  recipe, in case you like things more formal: Recipe

I also had these oddly tough Pink Lady apples. No one could eat them raw, they were very cement-like. 

So I baked them with trail mix stuffing [pistachios, almonds, dried cherries, oats,raisins, but whatever you have is fine], a bit of honey, a bit of butter, lots of cinnamon. Oooh they smelled so good! 

Served warm, half an apple is plenty per person. Topped with my new fave plain yogurt, Siggi's plain, unsweetened. here Delish.

Mo watches me cook, every move, every taste. 

Sometimes it's unnerving!

.......

Update on Lori's Mystery sewalong:

 Here are my Step One 24 [oh okay, 27, just in case] 4 patches in low volume, drab colors.

I snuck in a red, a black, a cheddar, some spools and Lady Liberty!

I also used some of my antique fabrics from my collection of small pieces. Just because they're old doesn't mean they're not ugly. 

I am hoping they'll lend authenticity.

........

And look what is showing up on Weather Bug! Hurricane Jose! We're in the cone! 

When I went to the village to get gas, the station was almost sold out already. Only one pump still had gas! We may be stubborn New Yorkers but , man, we learn our hurricane lessons young. THE MOST IMPORTANT hurricane supply is gas! The pumps don't work without power, and then you can't flee the storm.  

I also ordered a large bag of Mo's food and his treats, and wee wee pads, from Chewy.com. Free one day delivery. Just in case. Probably a false alarm...let's hope!

 ..... 

Weekend book[s]: JD Robb's newest in her Eve Dallas In Death series. Secrets in Death Very good, in a movie series kind of way.  For once I didn't ''get'' the perp by chapter two. And Roark wasn't smarmy this time, Eve less real life challenged. So that was a plus. Good series.

Have a great weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.... 

Back to the Farmers Market, What Did We find?

Hi!I think a big part of a farmers market's charm/ appeal is the treasure hunt aspect of it.

Just like when I go to the flea, at the farmers market, I never know what I might find to make a delicious meal for me and my family--or who knows what? And unlike a trip to the supermarket, there is no point in going list in hand with a set notion of what I must buy this week. I walk around, take in the choices, admire the colors, breathe the fresh scent and excitement.

And finally make a choice.

This week I was still looking for berries, raspberries or blackberries, But no. Cukes for pickles, no. And the Italian delicacies I mentioned last time were all sold out. Probably just as well, because who really needs fried blueberry ravioli with chocolate studded mascarpone?

I was tempted to do a little early Christmas shopping! One year I gave everyone flavored olive oils and herbed vinegars. This year I'm intrigued by the silk scarves at the India fair trade booth.

The ''wellness'' booth keeps getting bigger, and though it is not local produce, I love the things they sell and will not complain. These silk scarves are handmade with sari scraps, then finished with large stitch Kantha quilting.

Oh robin's egg blue, my fave.

Surely some of my girlfriends will love these too?
The earrings are cool too. Am I past the age of wearing rather life sized filigree gold leaves earrings? Maybe not!

As usual I was very short of cash so I stuck to things I knew we'd actually eat. The Long Island corn was glorious. Tiny sweet perfect kernels. Beautiful, especially considering it is organic, which often implies flaws and bugs, especially on corn. The tablecloth is a faded cheddar cotton Provencal textile, from Pierre Deux, in NYC. c.1980?

Onions, yellow squash, tiny tomatoes.

I made a fresh pasta sauce which I froze; I also steamed the summer squash with cauliflower, lots of black pepper, a sprinkle of parm, Yum. With brown rice it made a lovely light summer supper.

Bigger green and red heirloom tomatoes for Fried Green Tomatoes. I'll make the  seasoned flour version [salt black pepper, paprika, onion salt, garlic powder] instead of Southern cornmeal fried, because I just cleaned my baking pantry and I know I'm out of cornmeal.

I wish I has an inkling of how to make turnips taste better. They sure are pretty! Taste like mud though, a rare veg we do not eat at my house. EDIT : I think I meant beets!? :

Early melons, lumpy but sweet.

The kale was lovely for a farro, kale and squash w/ feta salad.

And a big bouquet of field flowers. So colorful!

 
And look, green zinnias! I must have them next summer, in my deck planters.

recipe for Fresh Veggie/ Pasta Toss Sauce

In a large heavy pan saute sweet onions, coarse chop, with halved miniature plum tomatoes or  mixed baby heirloom tomatoes. Stir on medium heat til all begins to wilt and the onions look transparent. Add whatever fresh veggies you brought home. Usually I put zucchini and/ or yellow squash, sliced thinnish, cauliflower, mushrooms. In the spring you can use new peas and asparagus.

Add fresh minced garlic, to taste, maybe 2 teaspoons? Chopped fresh parsley and basil.

Add a little water or white wine, 2 T of butter, 3 T of sugar, salt, pepper , oregano to taste. Add enough liquid so the mixture won't scorch but not a lot, not wet. Stir a few times, bring to s good simmer. Then cover and either turn off the stove entirely or leave on very lowest heat. I usually let it sit for an hour-ish?

Stir again, add a little more white wine of needed. Add some parm.

Toss with hot fresh pasta, I often use it with simple ravioli, but even shells or spaghetti is fine. Add more parm on top and a couple more basil springs. Mm mm.Smells so delicious, tastes great too.

But the plain, steamed, just picked corn is just as good. Feast of summer.

PS These oh so cute stripey sweet peppers were a my grocery today. New to me. A sausage and peppers night soon, sounds delish!

Mo was bored to tears, he's not a veggie dog.

Mo is sulking in the upper right hand corner here.

Have a great weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....