MAY 2015
Sunday 2015.05.31
Learning Something New
Add stone masonry to my list of skills. Skill might not be the most accurate word. I'm only a beginner. However, I learned something new this week.
A problem popped up with the landscaping project. There is currently no available stock of the "patio grade" (smaller pieces) of peach sandstone I've been using. The quarry from which the stone comes has no inventory. Supposedly there are back orders because a huge order came in for something like several railroad cars of the stuff for some gigantic project somewhere. Getting the stones could take many weeks, if not months. The vendor is looking for other sources, but what if the color is noticeably different?
The stone yard had three pallets of large pieces of peach sandstone. The cost per pound is the same. I had two pallets delivered. Each slab is huge and heavy. On average they measure 3 feet by 5 feet (about 1 by 1.5 meters) each. There are 50. The suggestion was to "drop" them, as needed, to let them fracture into smaller pieces. The delivery guy said, "Don't do that."
He showed me how to use a heavy hammer to draw a line along the surface of the stone and then strike the stone several times, using an edge rather than the flat hammer face, along the line. He demonstrated, breaking one stone along the line he drew. I was impressed. It was an accurate fracture. He assured me I could "cut" most of the shapes I need.
I tried it myself. It works, but it's noisy. I bought some protective earmuffs to cover my ears. They are rated for indoor range shooting, as in loud guns. They work. I come from a family that required hearing aids relatively early in life. I am almost a clone of my father's side of the family. Both he and his mother were using hearing aids in their 50s. I'm in my 60s and so far my hearing is pretty good. I'd like to keep it that way; so earmuffs seemed like a good idea.
The delivery guy also showed me how to "walk" a heavy slab of stone, too heavy to carry, even for two people. It's slow, but it gets the stone close to where I need it so that I can start breaking it to fit my needs. And if a piece is too heavy to walk, then let it drop. The fractured pieces are easy to carry.
I'm not sure how much ground coverage I'll get from this stone, but I'm feeling more excited about the landscaping because one of my ideas when I first considered this project was to fill my yard with some large pieces of stone, around which I would fit smaller pieces. With these slabs I'll be able to do that. And there is one more pallet of these slabs at the stone yard. When I empty one of these pallets I'll see how far it got me and then I might just purchase the third pallet. I dread the idea of nearing the end of my landscaping project and not being able to get the stone I need to finish.
And here's another idea. I'm hoping I'll eventually have too much stone left over. Like, way too much. My plan will then be to build a fire pit over which I can place some sort of metal grate that can be used for grilling. Right now it's only an idea.
So add stone masonry to the list of things I can do reasonably well. I'd rather cook. It's less strenuous. But I already know how much I'll enjoy my yard when the winter rains start again and I won't have any grass to mow every week.
Remembering Something Old
Memories are weird. When I was a child my parents would sometimes take us to the drive-in movies. We typically fell asleep in the back seat long before the movie was over. It was summer in New England and the sun didn't set until nearly 9:00 in the evening during the longest days of the year. What with cartoons and intermission, we often didn't head home until nearly midnight. The only movie I stayed awake for was Bridge On the River Kwai. When I read the book in high school I was disappointed the bridge wasn't blown up in the end. I had been looking forward to that part.
This week Turner Classic Movies (TCM) broadcast To Kill a Mockingbird. That was one of the movies my parents took us to. I would have been 11 years old at the time and I'm sure I fell asleep. However, all these years I remembered the opening music being hauntingly beautiful. I watched the movie on TCM yesterday evening. The music wasn't what I remembered. I even went on the Internet (actually Usenet) and downloaded the soundtrack to hear it again. I listened to the opening track several times. It's beautiful, but I can't imagine what I thought was so unforgettably memorable about it.
Oh well. That evening in the drive-in was more than 50 years ago. A lot can change in 50 years.
Wednesday 2015.05.27
Bread Day Again
Back during the dark times, bread day had to be planned for the weekend. Now that I am retired (and still delighted after nearly four years), bread day is whenever I am close to running out. I need this day this week. I've been working three to four hours, sometimes longer, out in the yard each day. Mostly the work has been digging up grass and sifting the soil to get rid of any roots that might start growing after the stones are put down. Bread day is like a rest day. I'll still work outside, but not as much.
Today I am going back to my slightly standard basic White Bread formula. I'm satisfied with the adjusted formula for the Pain de Mie bread. My white bread is slightly standard because the ingredients are very much like Julia Child's "Best White Bread" formula, but my loaf pans are larger than standard. I used to get flatter loaves until I figured out why. Most bread pans are about 4 by 9 inches (10 by 23 cm). Mine are 5 by 9 inches (13 by 23 cm). Maybe they were meatloaf pans when I bought them and never noticed.
In fact, it was Julia Child who solved my bread baking problems. My loaves used to be dense and heavy. I tried several times to bake bread, using different recipes, and each time my loaves came out the same. Then I saw a video in which Child taught how to measure flour for baking — by weight rather than by volume. The brain clicked. I was using too much flour.
A few people occasionally object when I mention weights in my cooking videos. They can't think past the measuring cup. Some people characterize Americans as mentally lazy. I don't agree, but maybe some are. I like a good mental exercise sometimes. It keeps the brain healthy.
I use weights, in ounces and grams, because in many countries people measure by weight rather than volume. I also figured out that most recipes that measure flour volumetrically are averaging the weight at five ounces per cup. This little bit of understanding has helped me sort out the problems I experienced with some recipes.
A Kitchen in Neglect
Other than making bread every two weeks or so, I've been feeling like my kitchen is neglected. I don't see any cobwebs forming in the corners yet, but it's only a matter of time. The truth is, I've been focusing most of my time on the landscaping, which is going really well.
The next pallet of sandstone is "still one to two weeks out on that truck load," according to the vendor. He's been saying that for more than a week. It's okay. I'm in no hurry and there is plenty to do while I'm waiting. I continue to dig up grass and grade the ground. When the next load of stone arrives, we can probably lay the whole pallet down in two days. The ground will be ready for it. I expect we'll be able to place a full pallet (3,000 pounds/1,361 kg) in one or two days because there won't be any prep work to do. That will be done already.
The most important issue right now is drainage. With the ground covered with stone rather than grass, there will be more runoff rain water than usual. It has to drain correctly into the street rather than washing my neighbor's garden down her driveway. If the weather prediction models are correct, we might see a strong El Niño this winter. If the severe weather and flooding in Texas and Oklahoma over the Memorial Day weekend is any indicator, the models might be accurate.
I do have some cooking projects "in the vault" for future use as featured recipes on this site, but I'm beginning to run a little low, despite the fact that I am uploading features every other week rather than weekly as I used to.
A Video Camera in Neglect Too
Not doing videos regularly has its issues. I make mistakes with the camera. The most common problem is forgetting to focus. I shoot several clips and then it dawns on me. I've been shooting closeups, but the lens is focused for distance. I can't un-mix a batter or un-knead a bread dough to start again. If I'm making a food worth keeping, I'll finish the recipe and then store the food in the freezer for later. If it's a food I wasn't planning to keep, it usually just goes in the trash.
I'll mention that the landscaping is the third and final project for my home improvement. First was the replacement of my storage shed. Then came the plumbing, replacing all the galvanized pipe with copper pipe. Replacing the lawn with sandstone is the last one. I planned these three for my retirement. All three will make my golden years easier and more relaxing.
Sunday 2015.05.24
Feeling Adventuresome
This past week I was experiencing some mild edema, which is water retention in the body. I felt and looked a little bloated. My wristwatch, which normally flops around a little on my wrist, was tight. My wrists looked a little thicker than usual. I don't know what caused it, but I suspect it was from working outside a lot in the sun and drinking plenty of fluids to keep myself hydrated. Maybe I had a mild reaction to the sun screen I put on my arms. I'm not certain, but I probably put my body chemistry out of balance a little.
I read that dandelion leaves are among the best natural diuretics. When I went to check my mail on Thursday I saw a little dandelion plant alongside the visitor parking lot. Why not give it a try? I plucked the leaves, washed them well, and put them in a salad. The flavor was a little bitter, which I don't like, but along with the other ingredients, the salad made a good light lunch.
As for the effect of the dandelion leaves: I can't say they worked any miracles. I did weigh about a pound lighter on Friday morning. All things considered, however, I felt it was a fun and interesting experiment, and there were no side effects (except maybe the flying yellow kittens I kept seeing).
And a Good Time Was Had by All
I like when I can use one or more of my recipes to entertain people. For some friends I made my Chicken and Pesto Ravioli along with my Cheese and Spinach Ravioli (this week's feature recipe). I also put a large salad on the table, for which I prepared some of my homemade Salad Dressing.
One thing that made the evening more entertaining was that they know my videos and recognized many of the props I use often — my ceramic egg tray, salt cellar, aprons, etc. One of them had never been inside my home; so seeing my kitchen, props, and studio lighting up close made it seem like she was eating in a TV studio. It amused me that they thought my kitchen looked "totally different" from how it looks on TV or in my YouTube videos. I live here; so I can't see it any other way.
Even more amusing is that one of them also pays attention to the digital clock on the wall. When he used to watch the videos with his father they would often pay attention to the time to see it jump all over the place. I might shoot a cutaway or a pick-up at the end of the day, or even on a different day. The clock is a dead giveaway. I showed them the mask I made to cover the clock numbers in extreme cases.
I also shared with them some of my secrets. I don't attract much attention to my props, but some food items get renamed. A bottle of wine is labeled "Goodenuf" chablis. I once had a carton of buttermilk I labeled "Outhouse Creek." And I showed them the prop cans of tomatoes I use, opened from the bottom so that I can use the same can several times as I need to.
The food was good, but the company was even better. It was a fun evening.
I'm Predictable
My dinner guests brought me a fun present, a little bag full of nickels, which they packaged in a small box with a BevMo advertisement on it. On the subject of wine, I can evidently be counted on to mention BevMo's sales offer to buy a second bottle of wine for 5¢ when buying the first bottle at full price. Although I don't drink wine often, I do take advantage of these offers to keep my wine cellar (the bottom shelf under my bathroom sink) stocked. (That bottom shelf was where I started hiding my wines when a former friend often showed up for a free meal and my wine, all at me expense. Needless to say, he is no longer a friend.)
More Landscaping
I'm almost embarrassed about how little progress I'm making laying stone in my yard. However, this is the slow and tedious work — digging up the grass and sifting the soil to get out any roots, and therefore any potential for grass to grow between the stones.
Yesterday morning I worked about four hours, all of them in the shade of a juniper tree alongside my home. By noon the shade moved and I didn't want to work in the sun. Four hours is enough for one morning.
I did more work in the evening when the sun began to set. It wasn't much, but it will make it easier when the stone arrives. I dug up and turned over more of the grass. This morning I'll work though all the clumps, shaking out and sifting the soil, tossing the grass and roots into the park's unofficial compost heap (actually up on the railroad property).
This week, hopefully, another pallet of stone will arrive and I can begin doing stonework again. Meanwhile, Home Depot received another shipment of Dymondia flats. They told me they usually order 40 at a time, but so many people have been asking for it — we're all in this California drought together — they ordered 70 this time. I bought five flats on Friday, and I'll be purchasing a lot more before this entire project is finished.
And there is the possibility of hope for rain on the horizon. It's too early to know for sure, but it appears the Pacific El Niño condition is building along the equator. Some prediction models suggest that this winter the rains could be abundant. The more conservative models set the probability at about 50/50. The more generous models are predicting a major El Niño event. It won't be a record season, but more than half the models are predicting higher than average rain totals.
NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) isn't making any predictions yet. They like to wait until June or July before they start anticipating how powerful the El Niño might be. Our reservoir is down to almost 25% capacity; so I'm hoping for copious rains.
And that leaves me something to look forward to. When the winter rains are abundant, my lawn would grow rapidly and I would need to mow it once a week. With all the lawn gone before winter, I can look forward to watching it rain without having to think about the lawn mower. In fact, by winter I hope to no longer own a mower.
Wednesday 2015.05.20
Stage One Nearly Complete
Late in the afternoon on Sunday a friend and I finished placing the last of 3,000 pounds of sandstone. Other numbers include digging up more than 300 square feet of lawn, plus shoveling and moving nearly 1,000 pounds of soil. It was a lot of work.
For more than 20 years I fought crab grass in my front yard because my neighbor across the street doesn't cut down his weeds until they grow tall and go to seed. The wind spreads the seeds. And, of course, I mowed this lawn as often as it needed it.
On Monday I washed down the stone and let it dry. Then I applied a coat of sealant. After that dried I started filling the grooves with clean top soil and planting the Dymondia. It will take a few days to finish that project. One person told me it needs to be watered often, about once a week, while it is taking hold, but after it puts down roots it is very drought tolerant. It can be watered only once a month. It isn't much of a contribution to helping California's water crisis, but I do enjoy the feeling of having done something.
The Dymondia will need several months to fill in completely.
And this week I ordered another pallet of stone. Stage two will be to remove all the lawn along the side of my home and fill that in with stone and dymondia. The stone will arrive in the next week or two. Meanwhile, I'll be digging up the lawn.
The most difficult part right now is enduring the mess. I have a pile of top soil and a pile of sand in my driveway. Those will be there for several weeks, maybe months. Everytime I walk into the house I track in dirt and sand, no matter how well I sweep up outside. It's in my clothes, which I remove as soon as I get through the front door. I clean often. Needless to say, I look forward to this project finally being completed.
A "Western"
An odd memory occurred to me this week. I remembered my father making an egg dish he called a "Western." They do exist. Do a little research on western egg omelets and you'll see they're made with chopped bell peppers. Dad never used peppers. He was never much of a cook either. I still remember his fried bologna sandwiches. Hardly haute cuisine. His western was pretty good though. He started with chopped onion, which he fried until tender and starting to brown. Then he added diced ham and continued frying until the ham began to brown. Finally, he mixed up a couple of eggs and poured it over the top. It could be stirred while cooking, like scrambled eggs, or left to fry without stirring. It was best to cover the pan, as the fried egg could not be turned over easily without breaking up.
I made mine rather small, using a single egg, and arranged it as a sandwich between two slices of buttered toast. It was good. I also made it for a friend and he enjoyed it too. I doubt I'll add it to the Recipe Archive, but I'll keep it in mind for a quick snack.
And speaking of the Recipe Archive, I updated my recipe for Pain de Mie, the bread baked inside an enclosed metal container, a Pullman pan. I didn't like the density of the texture. It was too heavy. So I reduced the amounts of ingredients and tested the new formula by baking a loaf. I like it. The recipe and PDF on this web site are now improved to make a better loaf of bread.
Sunday 2015.05.17
Muscles
I checked the Internet. More than one web site said there are about 640 muscles in the human body. All 640 of mine ache.
This week I am making progress, albeit slowly, on the landscaping project. At my age, nothing happens quickly.
Most of the stone work in the front is done. It will get a good sweeping and washing, then a couple coats of sealer to help the stone keep its natural color. Then I'll start planting the Dymondia in between. I've used about ¾ of the pallet of stone I purchased. That's about right. The guy at the shop said it would cover about 300 square feet. It should be enough to finish just around the corner. Then I can order another pallet.
I've been using long white boards to check the slope to make sure rain water will train toward the road. The ground can be level close to the home. I hope to eventually arrange some potted plants there. The stones need to slope down slightly toward the road and downward around the rounded corner. That will provide the drainage I need to keep water from ponding in my driveway.
Meanwhile, everything is a mess. I swept around the place as best I could. Inside my home I don't put the vacuum cleaner away. Every time I enter my home I track in dirt and sand. I vacuum the floors at least every other day, and sweep often.
Needless to say, with all this work to do, and my body too tired to do much of anything else, there has been almost no cooking. I've cooked a few meals for the friend who is helping me, but thankfully he is not available everyday. My eating is totally out of whack. I really want to return to my former — and comfortable — routine. When this pallet of stone is used up, I'll order another. It will take two to three weeks to arrive. That will be a good long recovery period and time to return to my former eating pattern.
Cycling
All this week the Amgen Tour of California cycling race has been broadcast on TV. I watch it when I can. This year the race has been fun to watch. Peter Sagan, using pure brute force, kept within two seconds of the lead in yesterday's stage. Today's stage was all about those last seconds because there were two sprint points at which there were time bonuses. A bonus can shave off seconds. The finish was so close, the two leaders didn't know which had won. The photo showed Sagan over the line by the thickness of a bicycle tire. It was an amazing finish.
I'm happy for Sagan. The early part of the season was difficult for him. He wasn't winning. In this race he not only won a few stages, he won the entire Tour. I look forward to seeing him, and the others, in the Tour de France in July.
Wednesday 2015.05.13
I Love the Internet
Maybe you've seen those commercials on TV that poke fun of people who believe things they learn online. "He's a model? Where did you learn that? On the Internet?"
It reminds me of a book I just read, The Truth by the late Terry Pratchett. "It must be true. It's in The Times. It wouldn't be in the paper if it wasn't true."
So maybe we can't believe everything that is on the Internet, but there is nonetheless a lot of good information out there. Case in point: How to decrystalize honey (not to mention my very own web site, this one).
Is it "de-crystalize" or "decrystalize"? I'm seeing it as decrystalize on the Internet; so that must be right.
I've had a large jar of honey in my kitchen cupboard for a long time. There is no "best if used by" date on the jar because honey doesn't have an expiration date. Supposedly it could be as old as humanity itself and still be good. However, my honey started to crystalize. It wasn't solid like some of the pictures I saw on the Internet, but it wasn't a clear liquid any longer either. It was a cloudy and grainy semi-solid mass. What causes that?
Supposedly it is caused by temperature fluctuations. Living in Southern California, I don't heat my home much at night. Daytime temperature can easily rise into the mid to upper 70's, even the low 80s at times. And it's not unusual for the temperature to be 62°F (17°C) in my kitchen when I get out of bed in the morning. It hasn't been that cold lately, but it has been cold enough to make good use of my oven to season my cast iron cookware. Each morning, as I wait for my coffee, I prep a pan with a thin coat of flax oil and put it in the oven. Crank it up to over 500°F (270°C) and set the timer for about 40 minutes. It warms up my home. Then let the oven cool naturally. Those pans are looking good. But back to the honey…
There are plenty of Internet sites that explain, with photographs, how to decrystalize honey. I don't need to explain all the details here. Just Google or Bing "How to decrystalize honey." Basically, put the glass jar in a pan of water, heat until the water barely simmers, set a timer for 30 minutes, and come back later. Give the jar a good shake (use oven mitts) to finish dissolving any stubborn crystals and return the jar to the water. Let the pan of water cool down slowly to room temperature. Voila! Clear liquid honey again.
One tip: Make sure the jar has a lid that seals properly before you shake it. Otherwise, you might get honey on the kitchen counter, the floor, the sink, the front of your shirt, etc. Just saying, cuz I know.
Doing My Part
Unless you're new to this planet, I'm sure you've heard about our water crisis here in California. Starting this week I am replacing my lawn with slabs of sandstone and low-maintenance (low water) ground cover in between. I was going to pay a stone company to do it, but a friend of mine has nothing to do and he's almost out of his mind with boredom. He wants to do the work. He doesn't want any money, just at least one of my lamb dinners. He likes my Lamb Chops Saltimbocca. I told him I would also make my Pesto Lamb. And I might surprise him with something he hasn't tasted before, my Lamb and Sausage Pie. He will do most of the grunt work. He likes that sort of muscle work and at my age, 63, I'm not up to that level of challenge.
There is a second advantage (and maybe a third). If the entire yard is stoned, I will never need to mow my lawn again. And if I don't need to mow my lawn, I can get rid of my mower. And if I get rid of my mower, that will make a lot of room in my shed. And that — the possible third advantage — will give me plenty of room for one of those really nice stainless steel barbecue units. Imagine doing some outdoor videos with me at the grill. I've never been much of a barbecue kind of guy, but 63 isn't too old to start.
Sunday 2015.05.10 Happy Mother's Day
Minute Meals
As I blogged about a while ago, I am doing a set of Minute Meals videos for a company up in Menlo Park, California. I have one problem, though: The freezer is crammed full of food.
I did succeed in shooting one video for the project this past week. I will do at least two lessons on proteins — one involving cooking and the other will not require any cooking (such as buying the Rotisserie Chickens at Costco). Success was accomplished, or at least helped, by eating. The broccoli in the freezer gets the highest priority, as it takes up the most room.
I roasted and portioned two chickens and one Pesto Lamb leg. I love lamb. I wish I could encourage others to love it too. But maybe being a less popular meat than, say, beef, might keep the price down. (On the other hand, low popularity does nothing to lower the price of goose.)
I put nearly 50 portions of protein servings in the freezer and, once again, it is filled to the very top.
It is almost unmanageable. I try to keep my freezer organized, with certain foods on their own assigned shelves. But there is simply too much food in there. In case you're wondering about some of the contents: The rabbit is saved for a future (unplanned) video. It's there when I need it. There's frozen homemade ravioli. I'm not sure what I'll do with the unsweetened coconut. There's a plastic box with a white lid for ice cubes (it's a frost-free freezer and unless I protect the ice cubes, they'll evaporate). I almost always have phyllo dough in the freezer. The same can be said of chicken stock — enough for maybe a month's worth of soups. And there's yeast at the top of the door because I bake all my own bread.
I created nets a few years ago to keep stuff from falling off the shelves when I open the door. I'd like to make them again so that they go up higher. You appreciate nets when a whole frozen chicken stays on the shelf rather than falling on your bare feet.
I realize, of course, there are plenty of people who would love to have my problem — too much food in the freezer. This in indicative of living in the USA. We even complain about our plenty. Everything is relative to comparison. In my case, I want to finish the set of Minute Meal videos I started. For that, I need room in my freezer. So I eat what I can. Most of my meals these days come out of the freezer.
Wednesday 2015.05.06
Shopping
I have the advantage of a friend who goes to Italy at least once each year. She is there now. And she shops, keeping me in mind. She wrote to me this week to tell me about an expandable baking pan she wants to buy for me. Think of a bread pan that can be stretched in length.
A cheap one is available on Amazon, but it's small. The one she found is coated carbon steel and large, nearly 4 inches deep. I've been looking for deep bread pans for a long time. Mine are wide, but they are only 2½ inches deep. The problem is the "muffin top" on the loaf. It expands to the point where the slices won't fit in my toaster without being trimmed. The width of the Italian pan, however, will be a problem. It is more than 6 inches wide. My toaster can accommodate slices only 5 inches wide. I want it anyway. It would make really large loaves of bread that might be excellent for sandwiches. I like sandwiches in the summer when it is too hot to cook.
Chilling
The nights here have been colder than I am used to for this time of year. In May I typically turn the thermostat all the way down. I won't need heat again until November. Last night, however, I had to run the heater. It was too cold to sleep. Thankfully I have cast iron cookware that needs seasoning. I've been running the oven at 525°F each morning for about half an hour to season pans I've coated with a thin layer of flax oil.
I'm down to my last cast iron pan, the skillet I started working on a week ago. It's nearly done. So I went out to the shed and fetched my carbon steel skillet. That will be next. And I looked closely at the Pullman pan I use for pain de mie bread. I touched up the top last week. The bottom could use a little attention. I might do that as well. Cooler nights are forecast all this week.
Grilling
There might be something really interesting in the works. Another friend of mine went to Vietnam a while ago. He saw and became entranced by the standing wok grills. Think of a barbecue grill on three legs with a butane (propane?) burner and a large steel wok. Supposedly the thing can heat the wok to 800°F for very fast cooking. How the oil is not to burn is a mystery to me. At that temperature, wouldn't it flame? Anyway, he is determined to buy one and says he will order it when he receives his next paycheck.
The interesting part is that he wants to bring it here and grill something with the video camera capturing the process. I'm looking forward to it. Meanwhile, he has a friend who is a good cook and she supposedly has some recipes for genuine Chinese sauces. Chinese cooking isn't only about chopping the meat and vegetables, then cooking them quickly in a wok. The secret to good Chinese food is the sauces. And they really are secret. Most Chinese chefs are highly protective of their sauce formulas. I have Chinese cookbooks and most of them use one or two bottled sauces, like hoisin sauce or black bean sauce.
I had a Chinese friend and his wife is an amazing cook. However, she wouldn't share any of her recipes. I only ever figured out one, her Dumplings (pot stickers). They are delicious and I've made them many times. There is no sauce, however, but that's fine. They like them with rice vinegar, but that isn't a flavor I enjoy. I prefer them dipped in a mixture of soy sauce, water, and a little sesame oil added. If he brings over his grill, I might make some pot stickers as well.
Cussing
Another friend of mine says it's okay if even the "master" makes mistakes. I wanted to make a thank you gift for someone who has been helpful the past few months. We've been dealing with a problem and it is close to being resolved. I tried making Cats Tongues cookies. However, I measured the butter wrong, adding twice the volume than I needed. It was a mess. I tried to fix the batter, but I finally gave up and threw it in the trash (with a few carefully selected choice words to accompany its departure). Next time will be better.
And, Finally, Waiting
If you've seen enough of my videos, you've heard me mention my neighbor's lemon tree. She doesn't use the lemons, and she doesn't want to pick them up off the ground to throw away. So I get all the lemons I want, and more. People have written to me about the seemingly endless supply of lemons I enjoy. "We want to see a picture of this magnificent tree," they say. I'll put it in one of my videos, if I remember to.
The lemons are growing like bunches of grapes on her tree. There are more than a hundred of them (and no one uses them; so they're all mine). It isn't a large tree. It's only about eight or nine feet tall. Recently I pruned it to remove some of the long branch extensions (that didn't have any lemons on them).
Some of the lemons are almost ready for picking now. They have a little green on them; so I'm waiting. By next month I'll be using the juicer attachment I bought last year for my Kithchenaid mixer.
I still have frozen lemon juice in my freezer from last year. I give away fresh lemonade when people will take it. Have you ever known anyone who planted zucchini in their garden, and then was begging their neighbors to take zucchini? I feel that way sometimes about the lemonade. Just invite me to a picnic or pot luck. I'll bring the lemonade.
Below in Sunday's blog you'll find my recipe for salad dressing. One of the ingredients is "water (or juice)." Now you know what juice I use.
Sunday 2015.05.03
Yippee for Summer
It's summertime again (well, almost). The weather here in SoCal has been warm and dry (mid to high 70s with humidity around 30%), although it was chilly this morning*. This is salad time. I like salads in the summer. I eat them a lot. Here is my formula and method of preparation:
Making your own salad dressing is easy and economical, not to mention "super healthy." I keep the following dry mix in a jar in my cupboard. A little goes a long way.
½ tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons oregano flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon thyme flakes
1 teaspoon basil flakes
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
¼ teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons (or less) salt
Mix well before using (the salt tends to collect in the bottom). I use very little salt.
To Make Dressing
In a small jar or bottle, combine:
¼ cup vinegar, any flavor (I like raspberry)
3 tablespoons water (or juice)
2 tablespoons dry salad herb mix (above)
Cover and shake well.
Add ½ cup (or a little more) extra virgin olive oil
Cover and shake well again. Keep refrigerated. (If the olive oil congeals in the refrigerator, let the bottle sit at room temperature for a while to return the oil to a liquid.)
This recipe for Salad Dressing is also in the Recipe Archive.
For a light lunch:
1 ounce each of torn romaine lettuce and iceberg lettuce, flaked (use a vegetable peeler) carrot and pear, grape tomatoes (about 4, cut in half). Or use any fresh vegetables and fruit you like.
Combine in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Toss to coat well.
Total calories: 90.
A good sign that you are using the right amount of salad dressing is when there is no pool of dressing left in the bottom of the bowl. That would be a waste.
A good way to store the left over pear until your next salad is to coat it well with lemon juice before wrapping and storing. The acid in the juice will help keep the pear from oxidizing (turning brown).
*Chilly is good. Any cold morning is a good time to work on cast iron cookware, adding another coat of flax oil to be baked on. The heat from the oven will warm up the place (if you don't mind a little smoke). I'm working on my little skillet again, the one I restored two years ago. It was overdue for attention.
Reminder:
A week from today is Mother's Day. Don't forget to get your mother something nice.