Dinner the Long Way

As I munch on 100 calorie popcorn and wonder about dinner, the telltale signs of fatigue are setting in. After the first big burst of 10-15 lbs we are fighting to keep it off. I eye the treadmill every day but haven’t climbed on. I do dust it, though.

 

I’m not gonna lie. The new food that I want to have tons of flavor and fun to eat takes more time and research to put the meal together. And those lazy dieters just blew it off all weekend, so here is Tuesday with no plan and the need for meals from scratch.

Low Everything meals don’t speed from idea to execution. Last night’s dinner was an impromptu toss up chicken breast marinated and baked with Mediterranean spices, balsamic vinegar, and served with a side salad and whipped squash. Bleh. I am clearly not ready for a shoot-from-the-hip impromptu menu yet.

I'm kind of missing the old days of opening a can of chili, tossing in a cup of cooked pasta and serving with a side of greens in under 15 minutes, except for the indigestion.

The kitchen is a happy space with the four-legged taste testers trailing around waiting for a carrot or a crust of bread. It is their job. They take it seriously. We have a checkerboard floor.

The Hubs makes his rounds to see where the good smells are coming from. He’s interested in seasonings and flavors, and we build recipes together. He likes to cook but having the menu set is key to keeping with it. Don’t get me wrong, we are moving forward with the new food groups.  It’s just using new muscles with an already busy life.

I don’t know why we didn’t carve out time to shop for ingredients for the week, or slice up baked turkey for sandwiches. We had time to make salads and marinate meat for the fridge and plan out the week. I played around with bread instead, and created a tasty omelet.

Maybe it’s the death knoll of diets ~ not being organized. When the enthusiasm starts to wane and gives way to old habits because it’s convenient and you know all the shortcuts, and you talk yourself into believing one night won’t hurt.

Even with the Hubs' surgery, and believing wholly that what we eat is a matter of life and death, it's still hard!  I truly believe we don’t have a choice if we are going to walk the walk ... and I think prepping is the key so the weekdays and busy weekend meals go together in a breeze. So tonight I’ll invest a little time to make it quick and convenient.  Maybe even spend half an hour on the treadmill, you know, for solidarity.  Maybe.

Rock Fish

I have no idea about how long this fish has been in existence but we picked up a package by accident, sitting next to the fish we were going for and routinely buy.

Rock fish is meaty enough and sautés nicely in a little seasoned oil.  No fishy taste at all, and flaky with very few bones (in our filets). It took just a few minutes per side and the flavor paired excellently with the whipped cauliflower/baked potato combo we make and a dab of butter.

Highly recommended that you give it a try.

Dirty Gloves

To get something big, you have to start small.

Take old veggie scraps from your kitchen and garden, toss them into a composter, add twigs and leaves and a little water and turn it often and it magically becomes vitamin- and mineral- rich compost.

I love watching my gloves get dirty as the composted soil clings to them. Even castoffs have a purpose. The soil softens and smells peaty and rich, and I move the earthworms aside as preparations are underway for a deep base for the young roots to stretch out and grow.

One by one the sown plants that lined your counter or the ones bought at the nursery are rehomed and marked and a drip line brought. You leave them, tiny and small, wondering how they will face the elements and birds and put a big stake next to them for good luck.

The sun comes, and sprouts — four leaves, eight, twelve, and then flowers. From the kitchen window you can watch the beds change from mostly brown soil to green as the little plants grow and then burst into bloom.  To discourage the birds, you tie Mylar strips to the plants and give them some vitamin water during the growing season and some ladybugs for the pests. And then it’s a wait and watch.

Some of them make it, most of them do. You imagine the harvest basket with something in it, and before you know it you’re knee deep in tomatoes and carrying a pail. You scour recipes to use them up. You send veggies to work and leave them with the postmistress for your neighbors.

In no time the pantry and freezer is taken over by jars with hand-printed labels. The family have become seasonal eaters without even realizing it.

Late in the fall, the garden crumbles and limbs drape over the walkways. The last veggies of the season are picked, and the plants head to the composter for next year.  I sure love it here.

Phase 1: A More Edible Yard (or...taking the good with the bad)

There was this beautiful yard in front before the drought hit hard, and I have this hairbrained scheme to make it an edible yard.  ‘Plan’ is too strong a word.  I want to toss out some herbs and let them intermix and grow together into a massive tangle of unruly goodness, and gaze out at it from the living room window. There needs to be anchor plants, and wildflowers, and a hospitable environment for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies with tanbark and river rock to hold the weeds at bay.

 

There is a modest herb garden on the side yard that has basil, marjoram, oregano, mint, sage, thyme, rosemary and scallions.  It’s enough for us, but a big plant of marjoram reduces to just a few jars of dried herbs for gift giving. Ask me how we know that.

We are in CA Zone 9a, which says it should be ideal for a cool weather crop. Our first and only attempt at a winter garden of cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts happened the year of an unusually hard, extended freeze and all was lost.

The summer garden thrives pretty much on its own if we provide regular water, compost and ladybugs. We’ve got what they call farmer’s soil, nutrient rich and the color of deep mocha. In it we have had success with pole beans, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, peppers (sweet and spicy), tomatillos, and thank God for that!

Elsewhere there’s an artichoke, a couple of new boysenberry vines and a on-life-support nectarine twig/tree that we shamelessly neglect. That is on my list to nurse it back to health. It'll probably do fine if we actually water it.  More of the property has established trees of several olives, two pomegranates and an old fig with lots of character that answers to the name Figaro.

We also have a colony of ground squirrels or maybe it should be called an army, so food can’t be planted the easy way, directly in the dirt. The garden is constructed with a ground layer of chicken wire, then raised beds, then walkway tan bark shredded from tree limbs, and finally a perimeter electrified fence. (Just kidding about the electrified part)

So far the enemy is not interested in herbs, and hope springs eternal for a dirt planting in the front yard that will not involve the roots being pulled down into the tunnels like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

The farmers just poison them, but we’ve got dogs to consider, and the hawks and owls who are our first priority. It is maddening to watch those cheeky devils sun themselves in the yard in full view of the window. We have flooded them, gassed them, and sealed them in.  Those little buggers push the empty gas canisters out of the hole. I think they like it.

I picked up a humane trap but how does one reconcile the moral dilemma of turning them loose 8 miles away to become someone else’s problem? The worst part is knowing all winter they are underground breeding Borg reinforcements.

Pork Medallions with Whole Wheat Rotini

Because the Hubs and I have decided not to *completely* live pasta-free, I was curious about the nutritional labels for the varieties of pasta available. I know at spots like Trader Joes and the Natural Foods Co-Op there are way more options, but this is what the local grocer had.

 

Each medallion is about 4 ozs. (There are around 16 medallions per package) They are pre seasoned and freeze beautifully, are lean and incredibly delicious and take minutes to prepare. They taste like you’ve fussed over them which is a big old fat lie.

For the Hubs’ birthday lunch we had Tuscan seasoned lean pork medallions with Rotini in olive oil, spices, a dab of low everything (LE) margarine, and a multi-lettuce & kale salad

It was interesting there wasn’t much difference between pastas.

Barilla Protein Plus Rotini, 14.5 oz box, 7 ample servings (multigrain pasta) – 3/4 c. per serving. This product discloses it contains wheat and eggs.
0g Cholesterol, 25mg Sodium, 38g Carbs, 17g Protein, 2g Fat, 190 Cal, 2 g Sugar, with a 9.5% fat to calorie ratio.

Barilla Veggie Rotini – 6 servings per 12 oz box – less than 3/4 c. per serving. This product discloses it contains wheat and possibly egg residue.I expected it to be a lot healthier because of the 25% zucchini and spinach.
0g Cholesterol, Omg Sodium, 41 g Carbs; 8g Protein; 200 Cal, 2 g Sugar, with a 5% fat to calorie ratio.

Now for the Raley’s brand, regular Rotini, largest box and cheapest price,  8 servings. 3/4 c serving – this product also discloses it contains wheat and possibly egg residue.
0g Cholesterol, 0mg Sodium, 42g Carbs, 7g Protein, 1g Fat, 200 Cal, 1g Sugar, 2g Fiber, and 5% fat to calorie ratio.

The pork medallions were from Costco. You can find them in the fresh meat section and they sell for $4.99 a lb.

Costco makes them in-house, there is no nutritional info, but the USDA website estimates for 8 oz (2 beefy medallions) is = 282 calories, 46g protein, 8g fat. The Tuscan seasoning definitely has salt, so we added in 50mg of sodium per serving.

Pot Pie Heads

Man does not live by bread alone.

Heaven is leftover night when you can use up your favorite soup in a Chicken Pot Pie.
Heat your homemade soup full of veggies and potato – ours also had chicken but just veggies are fine, or turkey, or beef. Scoop out the veggies and meat so you can thicken the sauce.

Once the broth is very hot, ladle 8 ozs into another bowl and whisk in flour until there are no lumps and then pour it back into the soup pot and whisk it to blend.  Let it cook a couple of minutes so you don’t get that floury taste, and repeat if you need thicker broth.  {Another way to thicken soup is with leftover mashed potatoes or dry potato flakes.  I’d like to try whipped cauliflower folded into some flour.}

This pot pie has a top crust, so re-combine everything and add a handful of peas and spoon the hot soup into 12 oz deep ramekins.

Place the puffed pastry dough on a lightly floured cutting board and roll it out a little bit. Cut circles 1″ larger (or more) than the diameter of the ramekins and place over the top and tuck over the sides.  One box of puff pastry will easily cover 6 pot pies.

Bake in a 350 oven (or more) until the top puffs completely and it turns a light medium golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Nutritionally speaking, the soup doesn’t have much if it’s low in sodium / fat / carbs and sugars. The pastry top from 1 pot pie adds 280 g of sodium per serving, 0 cholesterol, 20 grams of fat, 3 g protein, and 16 g of carbs.  But it’s a Pot Pie.

Snow Geese

We spied these delightful squatters in a neighboring field on a Monday afternoon in February 2016.

Coming in

Finding hospitable accommodations

Chatting noisily

Quieting for the night

Marking Thyme

Lots of times I’m in the kitchen and asking the Hubs to run out and pick some fresh herbs, and the Italian ones don’t look all that different from each other when the cute little garden markers are buried under full and draping limbs.

So this year I beefed it up and put out markers from stones, wood and brick from around the yard. Next year I’ll paint them, but this year I had a chiseled felt pen. We’ll be doing this with the vegetables, too.

(I tossed in the shadow of the gnarly old fig tree because it was just the right time of night)

You Can't Fight the Facts

Probably the biggest challenge with moving away from commercially preserved jars, cans and processed foods is stocking the house with what will take its place.

For us, it started with the garden.  Eating fresh became part of the routine of every meal, first as a side dish – with salads, marinated veggies, baked and sautéed squash and eggplant — and then entrees such as homemade chile verde, stuffed squash and Tomatoes Deborah.

There was an overabundance of everything and it needed to be saved for fall and winter, so my first try was make sauces from the tomatoes. After coring them, they were tossed into a big stew pot 3/4 full sun warmed from the vine, skins and seeds and all.  It cooked on low for an hour or so, and stirred every now and then. It cooks down pretty quick and there’s plenty of liquid.

The first few times the sauce was cooked, it was put through a juicer to separate the skins and most of the seeds for a super smooth watery sauce.  I then pulverized the skins and seeds in the food processor and added it back into the sauce as a thickener because it doesn’t change the flavor and retains the extra antioxidant and nutritional value found in those parts. Nowadays, I just leave everything in the pot and if I want a finer texture I emulsify it right with a hand held emulsifier ($25, but oh so worth it).

An old friend taught me to always season meat before freezing it so it is marinating as it freezes and also as it thaws, and that’s true here, too.   In a sauté pan soften up as much garlic, pepper and onion as you want in a ladle of the tomato liquid and then add it to the stewpot with a couple of bay leaves and other spices — we include pepper, Mrs. Dash table blend, fresh/dry marjoram, basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano and a dash of red pepper flakes. Let the seasonings meld and that’s it: cool and store in quart canning jars in the freezer to use all year round.

I do keep a jar or two of non meat Classico Di Napoli Tomato & Basil spaghetti sauce in the pantry because we’re a ways from town.  We find it very flavorful but even so, for a 24 oz jar that serves 5 it contains 430 mg of sodium per serving (2,150 mg overall). It also contains 6 grams of sugar. For a diet of 1500 g max of salt per day, that’s a problem.

The bulk food aisle is another easy place to cook fresh. The beans are easy to re-hydrate by soaking them in a bowl on the counter overnight or you can quicken the process by tossing them in a crockpot at a 3 x 1 water ratio and setting it on low for the day. 1/2 c of dry beans yields 2 cups of cooked. I like that you can make just what you need and there’s no fancy packaging to throw away.

It’s hard to fight the logic of starting there after reading the nutritional information.  A 15 oz can of S&W white beans has 3.5 servings per 15 oz can and 480 mg of sodium per serving (that’s over 1,600 mg of sodium in a 15oz can).  Compare that to the bulk aisle which costs the same and the beans are air dried on the vine or oven dried without the need for preservatives and color additives. The bulk aisle gives you fresher choices that are full of potassium and protein with no fat or cholesterol.

When It's Not Nothing

 It’s been one for the books, this winter.

What started as a general feeling of un-wellness, a nagging ache through the shoulders, indigestion, and having trouble settling down at night took us on quite a ride.

The Hubs is a ruddy guy and we both noticed life had slowed for him after retirement, so gradual of a change that he barely noticed until those nagging symptoms drove him to the doc.

I’m pretty sure no one expected for it to be a big deal. He wasn’t clutching his heart or gasping for breath. His left arm wasn’t numb or tingling. But he needed a bypass just the same, and that was accomplished on January 12th of this year.

I’d like to mention we were already on a lower everything and healthier diet path. And in a quick 4 hours he was in and out and feeling mighty good.

For me, it was the subtle symptoms that were such a surprise for such a serious health condition. And then there's the sheer luck of Sutter having a renowned cardiac hospital right in downtown Sacramento, and having great medical coverage to make it possible.

So seriously now, it really, truly matters what you eat and how you tend your body all of your life. We can influence how our bodies resist preventable things like heart disease and diabetes by eating right.  But it’s got to taste good or who’d want to stick with it?

And secondly, it’s important to listen to what your body is saying. Sometimes it talks in a whisper. Please check it out, even if you think it’s nothing.

Grinch Appetizers

Grinch Appetizer

This was somewhere on FB and it was a huge healthy hit @ Christmas. Ya, my kids are grown.

4″ skewer, layered bottom to top:
Green grape
Slice of banana (soaked in citrus so it doesn’t brown)
Strawberry top
Mini marshmallow

(The base is a pomegranate with the bottom trimmed flat)

Turnips (who knew?)

 

Turnips are one of those poor ugly root veggies a lot of people don’t try.  They’re purple, for God’s sake. I grew up eating them as part of a winter medley of vegetables, but they were a little bitter and I wasn’t fond of them.

Now they’re a staple, peeled and sliced raw in veggie platters, and most of them are eaten … by me, still.  The turnip needed a facelift so I began trying them in soups and stews.

They contribute to a flavorful, complex broth. The bitterness disappears and holds up better than potatoes. Turnips have starch, but unlike potatoes they pack a nutritional punch. And if you grow your own, the greens are edible, too.

They are low in calories and high in nutrients and fiber.  One medium turnip has 54% of daily vitamin C needs as well as 8% of manganese, 7% of potassium and 5% of vitamin B-6, Folate and Copper. It has just 34 calories, 8 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein.

Cooked and mashed, turnips are also a good thickener alternative to flour or potato.

Saving More Than Half

A little panic was clutching my chest the day I took a look at the health content of deli roast beef, salami, turkey, pastrami and ham.  Those were the staples we’ve always had on hand for lunches and every single one of them was off the charts for sodium.  The Hubs usually buys that stuff, but today was my day to shop and frankly, I about choked on the prices.

Could we ever have my beloved liverwurst again, I wondered: maybe we’ll be forced to eat soups, salads or chicken/tuna salad sandwiches forever.  Turkey deli meats are marked as 15% sodium, but I made the mistake of reading the packaged ones. Some had 560 mg of sodium per serving, which meant three or four flimsy pieces of meat. We’re on a less than 1500 mg sodium allowance per DAY, and that won’t work at all.

I wandered around discouragingly for a while until I found my way back in the fresh meat section.  I hadn’t noticed there was a bone-in half turkey breast packaged and ready to cook. The sodium content was reasonable compared to what was in the deli, so I took it home and baked it for 90 minutes at 325, until the internal temp registered 165, and let it rest a while before slicing. It was delicious and totally satisfying.

It saved a lot, too. Deli turkey costs on average $6.99/lb compared to the fresh turkey breast at $2.99/lb — and the last two trips to the market I found it on special and the package marked $3 off, so it ended up costing $2.24/lb. At that price, it would be worth stocking up when it’s on sale.

The Pocket Change Gourmet recommends seasoning it up this way. We remove the skin before seasoning, and trim off any visible fat.

• 1 boneless turkey breast (2-4 lbs)
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon minced dry onion
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon basil

Happy Ending.


 

 

Cauliflower Potato Bake (sooo underrated)




 



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This morning I tried the leftover mash for breakfast potato pancakes. I shaped the mash into rounds and tried to pan brown them – which made a big old gooey mess.  Next I baked them and they turned out much better in a 350 oven for 25 minutes. Don’t spare the cooking spray so they peel off the foil.

Friends have done this forever but I’m just coming up to speed. I was advised to use equal parts of potato, cauliflower and either turnips or parsnips but we prefer a 60/40 split cauliflower to potato. It is just  delicious.

Bake the potato and remove skin. Cut and trim the cauliflower, cover in plastic wrap and microwave until it is mushy.  Let drain, cool slightly.  If you want the cauliflower to go unnoticed when combined with the potatoes, you’ll need to break down the texture by processing it the Cuisinart with some of the cooking liquid. A little cauliflower texture doesn’t hurt, though.


We hand mash because it doesn’t release the starchy flavor in the potato the way a hand mixer does. Whip together with a little milk and seasonings – we add a triangle of low fat Laughing Cow cheese for creaminess.

The first ones were a little too crusty on the edges but otherwise browned up nicely and tasted great.  Once I work through the kinks, I can see how this will replace hash browns without anyone feeling a little deprived.

Nutritional comparison:
White potatoes, boiled without skin, flesh only, 1/2 cup
67.1 cals, 1.3 g protein, 15.6 g carbs, 0.1 g fat
Cauliflower, boiled, 1/2 cup
14.3 cals, 1.1 g protein, 2.5 g carbs, 0.1 g fat

Marcia's Fridge

There are a million versions of toss together soup – which I’ve heard from an old Italian woman is the Italian translation of Minestrone – and I decided to believe it.  Friend Marcia did a great job of combining flavors and textures in this super easy, hearty and nutritious soup.  For those who haven’t tried it yet, this is a good way to meet Kale.

{We season it up a bit more than Marcia. We seem satisfied with smaller portions when it’s spicier, so I am sharing both versions.}

1 c dry beans (she used lima: we used white and kidney beans), soaked overnight;
Garlic (she added 2 cloves, we added 4);
1/2 lb or more italian sausage (we used chicken sausage);
2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 3 cups chopped fresh Kale with veins removed and rough chopped in medium pieces;
1 big can diced tomatoes (we used one quart of last year’s garden stewed tomatoes);
2 qts. unsalted chicken broth; and
Oregano and red pepper chili flakes to taste

We did all that, plus:
— 1 c. or more of fresh sliced green beans
— about 1 1/2c. homemade french onion soup from the fridge
—A generous shake or two of Cumin, black pepper, Coriander, Pappys, Mrs. Dash regular and Mrs. Dash table blend, and Italian seasoning.

Let it simmer a while for the flavors to meld and the kale to cook. Like most stews and soups, it tastes better the next day. It is low in sodium, lower in fat & cholesterol, has lots of protein and it provides at least 3 servings of veggies.

Valentine's Day Side Dish

Here’s a fresh, fun and delicious Valentine’s Day side dish for your sweetie or for your next dinner party. The original recipe called for Romaine, celery, grape tomatoes & low/nonfat cream cheese, but Laughing Cow cheese would work just as well.

 

Season cream cheese with onion powder, a touch of white pepper and garlic powder. Cut your grape tomatoes lengthwise, almost to the base of the tomato but not all the way. You’ll make two cuts, forming four petals.

Pack your cream cheese mixture into a ziploc bag and cut a small hole in the corner to make yourself a piping bag. Pipe in the cream cheese and wah-lah.

My First Garden

I never cared for food, in the sense that it drove me to learn how to craft the skill.  I had a house full of kids, and kept working those tired old food patterns from my upbringing. I married an Italian, and so all of a sudden it was lots of pasta and bread and cheese because it was cheap and filling, and let’s face it, easy to do. Once you get noodles down and a basic red sauce, you’ve got spaghetti, lasagna, raviolis, cannelloni, and chicken cacciatore.

I'm not sure I'd describe myself as a basic cook. There was no heart in it. So although some things were made more from scratch, the usual tacos involved opening cans, adding a flavor packet, stirring in some sautéed meat, adding shredded cheese and lettuce and dicing a tomato. I’d never even lived with anyone who had raised a garden.

So when I was laid off in 2009, it became an ideal time to learn to cook.  By then the internet had a lot of resources, and it was easy to read what others had to say, those who had tried the recipes first.

The news was full of GMOs around then, and how fast- and processed- and sugary – and salty – and fatty – foods had become in America. We were on the slow crawl away from the old meals needing to have a starch, a protein and a veggie for every meal.  The better the skill, the bigger the options. Who knew that cooking was a confidence game?

City life with a swimming pool and an all-concrete back yard had started to lose its allure and change and I we began to yearn for a place where we could live in a more natural and peaceful, self sustaining way.  I especially wanted a little elbow room, as the Hubs puts it. We found ourselves taking long drives in the country and chatting about the homesteads we’d pass … wouldn’t it be nice to have a place like that with room for — anything we wanted ?  It seemed the most natural thing in the world for city kids to want chickens and a goat… and a place a ways out of town.

And then one day there was this little forgotten farmhouse from a foreclosure and sitting on an acre of beautiful workable soil. I wanted it. Bad.  We took a crash course in wells, septic systems and propane, and put up the first-ever garage and workshop, and the first thing I did after settling in was plant a garden.

Twenty SixTeen

I am off for a week or more on vacation, which means lots of time to check out the blogs. I have not done a good job of giving myself the treat of leisure blogging.  Lots has been going on.

I started a cooking and healthy eating blog in January and it's too much to keep up with both and work for a living, so I am combining them. You'll see a bunch of posts that were originally written Jan - April.

I will TRY to steer completely clear of politics, with this a rabid campaign, but it's only a try.

Here's a little preview of what was going on. I've missed this.  n

 The Hubs had a remarkable recovery from OHS in January

 Townhouse made from 114 years of siding scraps from the Homestead (March)

 Brother Dave passed away (February)

 

 A flock of Canadian Geese spent a week with us in February

 

Owl box put in in November; Barn Owl couple discovered it in March

This is Mama Owl (Alba)

 

Daddy Barn Owl (Tyto)

 

 

The Offspring (Hoot & Holler) - early May

 

 

Growing Fast - mid May

 

 Growing REALLY fast - end of May

 

 The front yard 5,000 sqft of grass is gone

Now begins the environmental design to become a butterfly/hummingbird/bee Way Station

 

 Mosquito Repellent is ready

Christmas 2015

T'is the week before Christmas and all through the house
Every creature is stirring including the mouse,
The stockings are hung and are half full already
The fam will be coming with 4 dogs a'plenty.
The kitchen is turning out marshmallow treats
The vacuum is on and the beds have fresh sheets
The board games are dusted and ready for fun
The menu is planned but there's work to be done.
Not everyone celebrates the way that we do
Some live behind dumpsters and have nothing new
No one to sit down with, in warmth and good cheer
No one to hear stories, no one to be near.
It just takes a minute, or maybe a couple
To give of your time to the folks who have nothing
To learn their first name and talk for a while
Reach into their lives with an ear and a smile.
And if you can do it, it's a wonderful lift
To bring them a blanket, or gloves, or a gift
It will lighten their burden, and maybe your own
May Humanity start in our hearts here at home.

--Nanci

An Inside Straight

The wind is howling outside, winter is near, and sun is streaming through the windows. That's California for you.  We are grateful for putting up the G-in-a-B a month or so ago.  It is a tube metal A-frame structure with vinyl sheeting to house the tractor and riding mower, and smaller equipment that could stay out but is better off protected.

More cats arrived @ the place next door but we haven't seen them since the first few days.  We are toying with a feral of our own now that we know the dogs are receptive and it seems so lonesome still without Yolo.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday in a lot of ways. Sometimes we've got a houseful, sometimes not; sometimes we're home, sometimes not. It's an in-the-moment kind of holiday and embracing whatever comes. So when we're home, it's bird and dressing, masheds and gravy, fresh cranberry, some type of pasta, a bunch of veggies, a dessert, and rolls.

We didn't have fresh apricots on hand for the fresh cranberry and improvised with figs from the freezer and brandied apples from the pantry. The marinated tray had some green beans and pepperoncini from the garden. The pasta had all garden sauce and seasonings, which was fun.

The bird was all natural, but previously frozen ... so what does that make it ... not quite fresh but ? The Hubs brined it, and we had enough room to put both kinds of stuffing -- my Aunt Myrt's famed bread sage (or garden sage), and Randy's savory cornbread.

Almond Roca was new, and it was easy. It is basically salted caramel beyond the soft ball stage with chocolate & chopped roasted almonds piled on. We tried a pumpkin pie fudge, with fresh pumpkin from last year that had been pureed and frozen. Fudge is too rich and sweet, and this was too, so the next batch will be half the sugar for the flavors to balance out.  I think it might be a keeper with some quantity adjustments.

Fall is salted caramel and apple season, and just for fun we crushed a small piece of AR in a jar of cooling caramel and that opened up a whole new world.  Next year will probably be full of yummy experiments with natural sugar substitutes for our sugar sensitive friends & fam, and developing a line of fresh caramel flavors. And now that hearts are broken with marshmallow, who knows what else.

The herb garden is now picked clean and we're using the oven as a dehydrator.  Small dehydrators work and so do hooks in the garage, but we are up against holiday giving ideas and there is a lot to do. We set a 175 oven with 6 trays of herbs in a single layer, and left the doors cracked open so it dehydrates and not bakes. We rotated often and the herbs crumbled and were easy to clean. Extra treat: small mason jars at the Dollar Tree - two for a buck - that are just the right size.

The kids did the white tornado in the kitchen, and then we all had a nice big piece of Madelyn's homemade apple pie, before some heading off and some playing Yahtzee until the carbs took hold. The day ended too soon,  like always.

So Black Friday is a blogging day, chatting with friends, drinking coffee late into the afternoon, and hanging with the Hubs&Co.  I was happy to see our beautiful new stove in action. And there's still a full weekend before it's back to work.

Marshmallow Fluff

2 egg whites at room temp
1/4 t. cream of tartar
(IN A STAND MIXER, beat on medium and high until soft peaks form. Set aside)

3/4 c granular sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup (we used a little less)
1/4 c water
pinch of salt
(COMBINE in small saucepan over med heat, bring to boil stirring often, and use a candy thermometer for it to reach 240 degrees - turn off.)  Tip: our stove cooks a little hotter so we fluctuated between low and medium and took our time getting to 240 degrees but it did not burn.

MIX. Turn the stand mixer on low and slowly drizzle the hot sugar into the egg mixture. Once added, increase the speed to medium high for 7 minutes until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat 1 more minute on high.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.