Recipe: Italian Rice Casserole

ITALIAN RICE CASSEROLE
Serves 6

½ C onion, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 C (4 oz) shredded Italian-style cheese
1 C fresh mushrooms, sliced
¾ C sliced black olives, drained
16 oz stewed tomatoes
1 ½ C boiling water
1 6 oz package long-grain and wild rice mix

Preheat oven to 350o. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion. Combine with remaining ingredients and pour into a 2 quart baking dish. Cover, and bake 1 hour or until rice is tender.

Recipe: Beef and Vegetables in Red Wine Sauce

Served with Italian Rice Casserole

BEEF AND VEGETABLES IN RED WINE SAUCE
Serves 6-8

1 ½ lbs beef bottom round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Tbsp oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
2 stalks celery, cut into ½ inch slices
4 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 bunch green onions, all parts, sliced
3 Tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
14 ½ oz Italian-style stewed tomatoes (undrained if canned)
1 C beef stock (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)
½ C dry red wine
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, crumbled
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
3 C hot cooked noodles

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown beef cubes in 2 batches. Drain off fat. Transfer beef to 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker, and add carrots, celery, mushrooms, and green onions. Sprinkle with tapioca. Combine tomatoes with their juice, beef stock, red wine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, and pour over vegetables and meat. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or on high heat setting for 4-5 hours. Discard bay leaf and serve over hot cooked noodle

Recipe Break

How Much Do you Know About Being American?

And now... back to the recipes.

Recipe: Marble Cake

This is an amazing cake.

I recommend a slice with a glass of iced coffee after you've taken your dogs for a run in your pasture, about 9:30ish. And a second slice with several scoops of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream after you've worked in the garden, while you're reading Best of the Web, about 3:30.

MARBLE CAKE
Serves 12-14

2 sticks butter, softened
2 C sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 tsp vanilla
3 C sifted cake flour
3 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 C milk
1 C chocolate syrup (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)

Preheat oven to 350o. Cream together butter and sugar, then add egg yolks one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, and add alternately to creamed ingredients with milk. Beat egg whites stiff and fold into batter. Pour half the batter into a greased Angel food cake pan. Add chocolate syrup to remaining batter, mix well, and pour over batter in pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Recipe: Collards Cooked with Garlic in Chicken Stock & Vegan Variations

This is a recipe with as many variations as there are varieties of greens and greenies. Mr. Big Food recommends 1C of broth-- whatever kind-- to 1 bunch of greens. Last evening, he used giant red mustard greens and veggie broth. The three of us ate one bunch with none left over.

He served them with the classic Beer Bread.

COLLARDS COOKED WITH GARLIC IN CHICKEN STOCK
¼ C olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic, minced
5 C chicken stock (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)
1 smoked turkey drumstick
5 bunches collard greens, rinsed, trimmed and chopped
Salt, black pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic, and gently saute until lightly browned. Pour in chicken stock, add turkey leg, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add collard greens to the cooking pot, turn up heat to medium-high, and let greens cook down for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook until greens are tender and dark green, 45 to 60 minutes longer. Mix in red pepper flakes (if using).

Recipe: California Red French Dressing

The salad dressing for the next few days.

I see I've mentioned it before with regard to "one of the best chicken salads I've ever had." It is good!

CALIFORNIA RED FRENCH DRESSING
Makes 2 2/3 C


2/3 C red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
Dash tarragon
2 C salad oil

Blend together all ingredients except oil in large shaker or jar with tight-fitting lid. Add oil slowly and shake to combine. Cover tightly and let dressing stand at room temperature of 2 hours, then refrigerate until ready to use. This keeps in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, for up to 2 weeks.

Morning in Mid-May

They're in there somewhere!

Rocky!

Look out!

"Notable Residents"

I've just downloaded the photos Mr. Big Food took while in Italia. He's recovering from the time change, and catching up on his Farm chores today, so I do not want to disturb him, but if I'm not mistaken,

this is the Hall at the University of Pauda where one of Pauda's "notable residents," Galileo Galilei-- as Chair of Mathematics from 1592-1610-- lectured.

If I'm right about the location, this is also the Hall where Mr. Big Food recently lectured.

That's cool, don't you think? A few days ago, Mr. Big Food was standing where Galileo had stood. He looked at many of the same things Galileo had looked at. (Not, of course, the projector screen.)  His voice, his thoughts, filled the Hall just as Galileo's had.

And today, Mr Big Food cut the grass on the gun range, baked Beer Bread for Vegan Monday, and played Frisbee with the dogs and the rest of us humans, and made a marble pound cake. 

Until right now, I've never wondered about Galileo's personal life. I suspect Mr. Big Food's is far better. For one thing Mr. Big Food can count on clean water.

Oh. Wait. 

It's Vegan Night!

Butter crunch lettuce, red lettuce, monstrosity spinach, radishes, onions, garden cress, broccoli raab, and mushrooms

with California red French dressing on the side. Yes. You can eat the flowers.

Also a vegan variation of Collards Cooked with Garlic and Chicken Broth which, duh, substitutes veggie broth for chicken broth and this evening, giant red mustard greens for collards.

Served with Beer Bread, a quick bread which is awesome. Mr. Big Food made 1/2 the recipe and we ate 3/4 of the loaf!

I'm the BEST!

I was told so repeatedly today by my daughters, who are, by the way, the best! They gave me a half a bushel and three buckets full of gifts!

All wrapped up in hearts & flowers!

Before I continue chronicling My Day, I should report that Mr. Big Food is happy to be back on the Farm-- a joint where, thanks to Miss M, arriving home on Mother's Day means you are treated to home baked water crackers, good cheese, and champagne.

And now back to My Day and My Gifts from My Daughters. 

This floral creamer's posture reminds me of Rocky. You think he's going to lower his head and charge you, but instead, he's  just going to pour some sweet cream in your coffee. Rocky just rolls over.

Three buckets full of water hose nozzles,  and-- importantly-- a hose splitter. Oh. And some garden gloves and an indoor watering can.

A half bushel basket full of assorted garden stuff-- rain gauge (good, mine is broken), soil testers kit, pruning shears, shears to cut herbs, plant tags & markers for the herb garden-- and not cheap frizbees.

A cactus

A set of Holland Pottery Cabbage Leaf bowls and two coordinating "bowls" that we've voted represent rutabagas but are all willing to be convinced are something else entirely

Miss M and I found the Holland cabbage bowls in Starkvegas on Friday at the Goodwill/Salvation Army Store. I admired them. To my mind, every self respecting farm should have cabbage pottery.  She bought them for me as an early Mother's Day gift. 

After I'd finished opening my delightfully wrapped gifts,

and Mr. Big Food had settled back into Life on the Farm to which he's accustomed

we all sat around while Miss M read from another early gift she picked up at the Goodwill/Salvation Army Store.

Solomon M. Skolnick; MJF Books, New York; 2005

 Impressive. Daughter C knows her history.  :-)

The kids worked out the details of how to incorporate these mostly easy and circular questions into The Unified Theory of Everything Trivia Game. It's easy. Open the book to a random page. Ask a question.

And then-- if life wasn't good enough-- we pulled some frizbees from the bushel basket and called the dogs. 

And then-- we had Chinese Food that Daughter C and Mr. Bow Tie delivered from Starkvegas because it's Mother's Day and I love Chinese Food. 

~~

I would be remiss if I did not share the cards. And Kat's Gift which is being framed.

The insides are personal, but here are the outsides:

  

I'm the Best. You want to go argue with Caroline, Katherine & Margaret? Have at it.

A Recipe of Sorts | Simply Delicious Part 2: I Cooked!

As I joked earlier this week-- this week, when Mr. Big Food has been off and about jetting from here to there-- we like to starve to death when he's not feeding us. 

Miss M and Michael occupied the kitchen Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday Miss M & I nibbled through supper. Thursday, I cooked! Friday I had leftovers from lunch at Thai Siam. Tonight I had Pioneer Mix pancakes. I'm not exactly sure what Miss M had for supper last night or tonight. I do note that the box of Junior Mints is empty. And not a one went on my bowl of ice cream. But I digress.

As the days have worn on , the novelty of cooking for ourselves has worn thin.

Nevertheless, Thursday I cooked! And if I do say so myself, it was danged good-- and a testament to what you can whip up when you have a garden, some imagination, a decent store of basics, and the idea of cooking for yourself is beginning to wear thin.

Pasta. Sauteed Veggies & Herbs in Sauce. Browned Seasoned Chicken Tenders.

Seems Just Right

Miss M and I talked about this. We are committed to committing the Bill of Rights to Memory.

Kettle's on the Boil

When Miss M and I left the farm at about 11am the water was back on. Sure, the pressure wasn't up to snuff, but that's to be expected.

When we returned we still had water, of a certain sort.

Boiled water for washing dishes and such

When I inquired about the water situation at about 4:45pm-- ours was looking a little brownish-- the nice lady at the Small Town Mississippi City Offices asked where I lived. Sure enough, this part of the county is under a Boiled Water Advisory.

Now, wouldn't you know that last week I proclaimed we needed to use some of our bottled water before it got stale. (It does that, you know.) So we have all been diligently using bottled water to make coffee and to boil pasta and whatnot. 

Not to worry. We've got plenty. And Miss M is going to go visit Daughter C in Starkvegas tomorrow-- Miss M prefers to wash her hair in clear water-- so she can pick up some more gallons after she does the one load of laundry Mr. Big Food asked me to do in his absence. (That's okay, isn't it, C?)

You can never have too many gallons of water on hand. 

The nice lady at the City Offices told me the boiled water advisory should be lifted by Wednesday. That's good, because Kat & Tony arrive Thursday and they like water. 

Meanwhile... . Did I mention that Nigel's house burnt to the ground about a week ago? 

"Good morning,

Small Town Mississippi City Offices, can I help you?"

"Good morning. We have no water. Is it us or is it everybody?'

Laughter. "It's Everybody. There's a broke line. They're working on it."

"Okay! Thank you!"

From the way she said it, it sounds more like they're working on finding it than actually working on it. But I'm sure they'll figure it out in due time.

Fortunately, we have a gallon or two of bottled water put up.

Good morning!

Just Got Off the Phone with Mr. Big Food

Telephone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A telephone, or phone, is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are not in the same vicinity of each other to be heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into electronic signals suitable for transmission via cables or other transmission media over long distances, and replays such signals simultaneously in audible form to its user. The word telephone has been adapted into the vocabulary of many languages. It is derived from the Greek: τῆλε, tēle, far and φωνή, phōnē, voice, together meaning distant voice.

First patented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell and further developed by many others, the telephone was the first device in history that enabled people to talk directly with each other across large distances. Telephones became rapidly indispensable to businesses, government, and households, and are today some of the most widely used small appliances.

[My emphasis]

 Skype

 Mr. Big Food & I chatted for about 30 minutes.

I saw him.

He saw me.

We "talk[ed] directly with each other across large distances."


Crazy, man. Crazy.

Spring, 1924

I have in my library of crappy old books an entire collection of cheap reprinted Zane Grey novels. I'm still tracking down the story on the collection. The volumes all look the same, but the dates are suspect.  For those interested, this is the best explanation I've found.

It's taken me a day or two to figure out how to efficiently catalog them all-- there must be 75 or more and I was not inclined to slog through the differences between "Black's Reader Service Company, New York" and "Walter J. Black, Roslyn New York." 

I finally figured out how to efficiently hold the book in my hands and explore it for a minute or two.

I'm glad I did because if I hadn't, I might have missed this:

This Is Shameful

From Guns.com

Even though Chicago is the site of many world-class museums, the city currently prohibits some firearms from being displayed, even as historical artifacts. One city alderman however introduced an ordinance on Wednesday to lift that ban, allowing museums to properly display these pieces of history.

Edward Burke, one of Chicago’s most powerful city alderman and a history buff himself, explained that he recently discovered an anomaly in the city’s code. “Museums are caught in a dilemma that if they have in their collections artifacts that can be defined as firearms, even though there’s historical significance to the memento, they can’t be registered in the city and can’t be displayed.”

If passed, according to Burke, the ordinance will allow “institutions to display unloaded firearms that often accompany uniforms and other historical artifacts.”

CEO and President of the Pritzker Military Library in Chicago, Kenneth Clarke points out that although the city is allowed to display firearms that are pre-circa 1898, that leaves out a significant amount – over 100 years – of valuable history, history that both Chicago residents and other visitors to the museum are missing out on.

Clarke explains, “It’s about preserving the stories of citizen soldiers from World War II, World War I … who have served our country.”

Alderman Burke agrees and uses the example of a World War II soldier’s family who donated his gun to the museum in March. Major General William P. Levine was one of the first American soldiers to liberate the concentration camp of Dachau during World War II. Following Levine’s death, his family donated his gun to the museum, a German Walther PP which was given to him during the war. Only under the current laws, the museum is not allowed to display such a piece of history.

[My emphasis.] Sorry, the embedded links didn't copy. The full story is here.

Mr. Big Food and I once went to Dachau. Once was enough to last a lifetime.

"The main part of the exhibition begins with documents illustrating the seizure of power by the Nazis on January 30, 1933. ... Disease and medical experiments in the camp infirmary conclude the first part of the exhibition."

"On March 22, 1933, the first German concentration camp was set up near Dachau on the grounds of a former ammunition factory. Political opponents, Jews, clergymen and so-called 'undesirable elements' were to be isolated here as enemies of the National-Socialist regime. ... According to files of the International Tracing Service, 31,591 prisoners died in the Dachau concentration camp. An additional number of a few thousand prisoners who had not been registered at all, were killed by shooting."

"The mortality rate among prisoners increased rapidly. The crematory constructed outside the prisoners' compound in 1940 proved too small. ... Upon orders of the ... (SS-Economic-Administrative Main Office) in Berlin a gas chamber was installed. This gas chamber, camouflaged as a shower room, was not used. The prisoners selected for 'gassing' were transported from Dachau... . Approximately 6000 Russian prisoners of war were executed on the .. . (rifle range)."

A United States citizen soldier used his gun to help end this. His gun-- and the free lives it represents-- is not welcome in Chicago.

Shameful. 
~~

And now... to fix another simply delicious supper and then sort through some Zane Grey novels.

Simply Delicious!

When Mr. Big Food ventures off the Farm for more than a day or two, those of us who remain behind worry that we will starve to death in his absence.

Not really-- we all know our way around the kitchen, and Lord knows we have the raw materials. But it's a pretty good running Family Joke.

When left to our own devises, we improvise. To whit:

Monday

Salad & Pizza.

Miss M & her Friend, Michael, picked some things up in Starkvegas-- including two portions of pizza dough from Venice, a Pizza restaurant. The dough cost $5. For those who don't do math, that's two dollars and fifty cents per pizza. They loaded each pizza-- vegan & carnivore-- with a healthy dose of freshly picked true Greek Oregano. I can only speak to the deliciousness of the carnivore version (although I did have a taste of the delicious vegan version) -- Pepperoni. Salami. Feta.

And they picked a salad from the garden and tossed it with oil & vinegar.

Tuesday

Salad & Baked Potato.

The freshly picked salad was much the same, except that it included leftover pizza options. So I scattered some diced pepperoni and salami on mine.

Miss M baked the potatoes in the oven.

Good Lord. Butter. Sour Cream. Still more leftover cut up onions &c. Food Coma.

Wednesday

A hard day. Miss M put her Friend on a Plane. Miss M went to MEM and then spent an hour at Whole Foods. Mr Big Food & I Skyped.

I had a sandwich for supper. I chopped up some radishes, and some garden cress and mixed it with some tuna and mayonnaise and buttered a piece of bread and sliced some Camembert cheese that Miss M had purchased at Whole Foods, and topped my paper plate with some Lays Potato Chips.

 Simply Delicious!
 

Up At Dawn

Not me! Mr. Cotton Farmer. I can hear him from the house. He's preparing to plant.

You know what that means, don't you? Time for me to plant corn.

That's It? That's All You Got?

After we returned from Town today, I encouraged Miss M and Her Friend, Michael, to take a walk around a potion of the property. I provided them a camera.

It's been raining for days, but today was warm and sunny.  And so on a day like today, the flora and fauna are kicking their pants up.

These are the lovely photos that Miss M snapped.

Seriously? Not that Michael doesn't take a good picture but .... . 

Mr. Big Food is in Italy. Miss M's Friend, Michael, departs tomorrow.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.  It's just me & Miss M. Look forward to some photos.