Still Hanging Out Upstairs

Blanket Collection
Chilhuly Garden and Glass

I'm still hanging out here upstairs in the house. The kitchen remodel is plugging along. Plodding forward a full two months after I thought I would be moving our furniture back in (I know........). I am now more realistically referring to this project as the 'downstairs remodel' due to some flooring and millwork that were included. 

Right up front I should tell you that I am so very happy with the couple of guys measuring, sawing, hammering and finishing away down there. I can't say enough about their honesty, work ethic, communication, attention to detail and excellent craftsmanship. But certain things appear to be beyond the control of those spending their days here....and well, during the past week this has become more than obvious: Door/window millwork lumber was returned for the second time because the entire order arrived wrong yet again. The fire door to the garage was for some reason drilled for a different deadbolt than the one that was brought directly to the door store when the order was placed.....just so that type of thing would NOT happen.  Hardware was back ordered. Certain phone calls weren't returned promptly. In the on going saga of our front door lock (you didn't know there was one did you?) we were locked out of our house Friday evening.

And my dog died. I had a week last week....

Normally this might call for diving into a pan of warm homemade brownies while snuggled under my favorite blanket in front of the television, a cold glass of milk at the ready. Since most of my baking equipment is still packed away in the garage......I turned to the next best comfort food: Pasta. 

I began thinking about the way my mom loves macaroni best (and often mentions it!)...... warmed together with canned chopped tomatoes and their juice...... and started out to buy the ingredients for this simple dish. Somehow, my recent passion for kale got in the way......and then my craving for Beecher's Cheese. A can of  cannellini beans made their way into my cart, and well.....this is what I came up with. It was honestly so good, simple and comforting that I made it twice.

~~~~~

Tomat0, Kale and Cheese Pasta

2 14.5 oz cans of chopped tomatoes with their juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 lb kale, washed, de-stemmed, de-ribbed, rolled up and cut into ribbons
2 tsp dried basil (although I think fresh would have been wonderful)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 lb of conchiglia pasta (kind of a cross between a fat macaroni and a shell     
  shape....other similar shapes will do!)
1 can cannellini beans (Italian white beans), rinsed and drained
2 or more cups shredded Beecher's cheese

Place tomatoes and their juice, along with the minced garlic, chopped kale, basil oregano, salt and pepper into a large sauté pan or saucepan. Simmer 5-10 minutes until the kale has softened to your liking. Then add the beans.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta to just al dente. Save out a couple cups of the cooking water, then drain the rest from the pasta. Gently toss pasta thoroughly with the tomato/kale/bean mixture in its pan. Add about a cup of the shredded cheese and gently fold until the cheese melts into the hot tomato mixture, there is kale sticking to the sides of the pasta and some of the white beans are lodged into the ends. If you feel the need (and depending on the consistency of sauce you enjoy with your pasta), add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to the pan. Correct the salt and pepper seasonings.

Sprinkle the remaining cup or more of cheese on top and dig in while it's warm.

Makes 4-6 generous servings.

**Marc thought another can of beans would have been nice, but I thought it turned out perfect this way. Your decision!

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

Warmly, Margaret

~~~~~

PS. Have you  noticed that I haven't necessarily been sticking to a regular day for my posts. The first year it was EVERY Tuesday and Friday without fail. Then as life changed, I changed......to every Wednesday. Which sort of shifted toward Thursday. Which then became the occasional skipped week of posting. 

One thing I know about this process is that both writing and photography are important to me. So important that if I'm rushed or hurried or simply uninspired and don't feel I can put something 'out there' that I'm happy with, that I'd rather put it off until I can. It's such a great discipline to post once a week with regularity, but on the off chance that I don't show up, please do continue to check back in. Or join me through Blogger. Or sign up to receive an email with each new post. And by all means...please feel free to leave comments. I LOVE hearing from you!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

As a youngster coming home from school, I was occasionally greeted by the scent of  banana bread before I even hit the steps leading up to the back door. Once inside I knew I'd find a couple loaves resting on the counter......because "there were some bananas turning black and I didn't want to waste them."  On another day I might see a pie cooling on a rack and be informed, "I had a little sour cream so I made a raisin pie." Short sentences or comments casually uttered years ago by one or the other of my parents surface every once in awhile, which I realize, still make a difference in my days. Remembering this makes me hope that I've provided my boys with useful snippets of conversation to take away for their futures, especially knowing how they squirm at the mention of a 'few suggestions', a 'talk' or worse yet a lecture. (I try hard not to............)

Remember last week when I made Pumpkin Gingersnap Ice Cream? Since the recipe only called for one cup of pumpkin puree, and since I only had a large can of it in the pantry, I ended up with a leftover bowl in the fridge. Not wanting to waste, I planned at some point to make muffins with the remainder. As I set out to do so yesterday morning....thinking that the scent would be kind of a nice thing for the two boys I still have at home to wake up to (not to mention the finished product.....the ones I make have chocolate chips in them....) I became side tracked by a memory of a recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls rattling around in my brain. Once it popped in there, I couldn't seem to let it and the fact that I want to become more successful with my yeast dough baking go, so I searched my cookbooks to find one. I finally chose one from AllRecipes.com.

Although it took a bit longer than muffins would have, I was more than happy with the finished product. The extra time I hadn't planned to spend baking was worth it. I didn't waste leftover ingredients. The scent of cinnamon, ginger and cloves that wafted up the stairs, may have been even more delicious and tempting than the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I intended to make. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand (including a can of evaporated milk....which I normally wouldn't have around except for the recent holidays). Working with yeast dough, which has always been a little awkward for me, most likely due to my lack of practice, seemed a bit easier.......less awkward this time.

I remembered some things. I learned some things.

Here is a link to the recipe I used: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. My computer is in the shop (again), but I'll come back and post a couple of photos here on Monday. 

Some notes:
 - I made 'pumpkin pie spice' by mixing together the spices I would normally use when making two pies into a small bowl. Two tsp went into the dough, then enough cinnamon was added to what was left over to make two tbsp for the filling.
 - I baked the rolls for 30 minutes, but they could have used another five or maybe ten.
 - I didn't have cream cheese in the house, so made a buttercream frosting and added a bit of almond extract to it as well as the vanilla called for.

Wishing you a Wonderful Weekend!

Warmly, Margaret

PS. Have you noticed I've made a shift from Tues/Fri posts to Wed/Sat posts? I'm not even sure how or why that happened! Probably due to one extra-busy day during the holiday season......and then it seemed to stick. I'll still be posting twice a week on what ever combination of days that seem to work best this year. Thank you so much for reading and for checking in! XO

The Day After

This year Thanksgiving dinner was just the five of us. All of the extended family was out of town and no relatives came into town. I told the boys to be sure to invite anyone that they knew who didn't have a place to go......but, it seems, that everyone did. I shouldn't say 'just us'. Although I missed the family and the liveliness of a crowd, the day was nice and low key. We all had a chance to come together and catch up.

I have to say, I enjoy the day after a holiday. Maybe it's because I function as the head planner and cook. When all of the preparations are finished and the the meal has been served and cleaned up, I can put my feet up and appreciate the holiday in a different sort of way.

No one except Marc had to work the day after this year, and he was home by about 10 AM.  The rest of us slept in and stayed in our pajamas for as long as we felt like it. Ate a left-over lunch and then went to a late afternoon movie. In a couple of days everyone will be back at work or at school. I'm so thankful they all made it home.

 And now...... Christmas preparations begin........ 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and safe travels for your loved ones.

Warmly,

Margaret

Time To Warm Things Up Inside

It has taken a bit of coaxing to get the dog outside this morning......last night the wind whipped up, threatening just below a howl. This morning it is still gusting and blowing and tossing leaves from their branches. Some swirl and land, while others cartwheel and scoot, ending up in horizontal piles pressed up against the new fence.

Rain is pouring down in sheets so hard that I if I close my eyes, I could pretend I live near a raging river or a waterfall with all of its noise. Huge drops bounce when they hit the patio and fading flowers hang onto their stalks for dear life, bobbing and swinging with all of this action. 

This early morning, the sky is a grey-green back drop behind dark silhouettes of cedar, maple and alder. Although it brightens as the minutes pass, I know that the forecast for today means we will settle comfortably into a dull grey......with only very rare patches of filtered sun expected .

It feels like a day to simmer beef-stew with lots of vegetables. Spice cake sounds good. One thing I do plan to make is a tomato cobbler  (which I consider to be one of the world's most perfect concoctions).... with the two pounds of heirloom cherry tomatoes sitting on the kitchen counter. They are ripe and gorgeous, and range anywhere from pumpkin to nearly black in color.

Saturday was the last day of our local Farmer's Market and I think I will miss the tomato stand most of all. I can't think of anyplace I've found such flavorful and meaty specimens since I was able to pick them fresh out of our garden growing up. With all variety of shapes, sizes, colors and flavors to choose from, I will need to figure out what to replace these with in my diet as they have been a staple all summer long. I will also miss the colorful variety of the rest of the market: items I won't be able to find in the grocery store, the sweet homemade signs, the warm, helpful and happy vendors and the spicy Italian sausage and pepper sandwiches.

Time to warm things up inside now......Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

Warmly,

Margaret

More Fall Color

I love that I can get in the car, head east for a few minutes and find myself driving on two lane roads through small towns and past farms and farm stands. Today I went in search of pumpkins still in their fields, but when I found them there wasn't a place to pull over that wouldn't put me in a ditch and so I wasn't able to get out to take pictures. The fields were just as I had imagined, however, with dozens of pumpkinheads resting atop deep brown soil or peeking out from behind tangles of fading vines. I drove past rows of nodding sunflowers, heavy with seed and colorful dahlia and zinnias. Cows and tractors moved slowly behind see-through fences and blue peaks partially shrouded with clouds stood in the background. It was the perfect way for me to spend an hour today. Just what I needed.

On the way home I stopped in at a market I had passed earlier. Fruits and vegetables were piled into boxes and baskets outside, each with a handmade sign telling where they came from and other such information. I discovered a couple varieties of apples that I haven't yet heard of and because of their description, brought home ten of each. There were several notices interspersed amongst the fruit reminding customers that 'Bees like fruit too".  I think I've mentioned in the past how, although I appreciate them ever so much...... I am slightly terrified of bees, so after imagining a couple of pies or an apple crisp, I tried hard to ignore the buzzing and counted the apples quickly into my bags. Looking out at the rain this afternoon, I'm thinking the risk was worth it.....a warm bite of something baked with apples is definitely in my future.

Hope you enjoy your week!

Warmly, Margaret

PS. I am playing around with my blogs format. I kind of like this one because I think it shows the photos a little better. I also appreciate that if you click on the down arrow next to the word 'Classic' and choose 'Magazine' on the home page you will be able to read a short preview of the rest of each post, then simply click on the title and the entire post will come up. You can utilize the forward or back arrows on the upper left, or the X on the upper right to close it and return to the home page. If you would like to subscribe, use the button on the far upper right on the home page. I still haven't completely decided whether to use this format or the old one so feel free to let me know what you think!

Priorities

Peter rolled in the other night around midnight. I knew he'd pull into our driveway about that time and so went to bed figuring I'd wake up when he got home, just as I have since he was in his teens. A few random noises nudged me and then I became fully awake when his dog, Lewis, sprinted into my room to say hi. He jumped on the bed and looked me square in eye with an invitation to go downstairs and hang out that I found irresistible......so at 12:15 AM, in jammies and my robe, I gave myself permission to sleep late the next morning and then settled in to my awakeness at the kitchen table to listen and watch for awhile. To point out the left overs in the fridge and the raspberry pie on the counter.

Pat was still up, Joey not home yet and Marc asleep upstairs, so it was just the three of us in the kitchen. I'm not sure I'll ever get enough of watching those two boys interact, just as I have since the minute they came into this world one right after the other. They're mesmerizing, the two of them together, and although they would roll their eyes at this, still look at each other, still laugh at each other, the same way they have since they were toddlers. Predictable, guttural, twinkling belly-laughs that have changed only in pitch, not timing.

When I got up the next morning, this is what I found strewn about: A Glacier Park ball cap, a pair of sandals, a guitar...... and every door and a few of the drawers in the kitchen left open. Random silverware, six plates, two bowls, three glasses, pie crumbs and raspberry stains on the counter, along with an empty bottle of wine. They were in the middle of figuring out how Pat could end up in Montana for a few days next week when I decided to go back to bed and must have stayed up for quite awhile after that. Soon after I crawled into the sheets, Joey came home, so I'm sure these and other future plans then included the three of them.

Will I ever tire of this? No. Will I mention my interrupted sleep or the mess I cleaned up the next morning? Never. Someday they'll figure it out. I had 'one of those days' all week this week. You know the ones. One step forward, two back. Days where the best laid plans didn't come together. Ones where I questioned some things that only a short time ago I felt very sure of. This late night noise, this messy mess that occurred was oddly comforting. It stopped the clock for awhile. It was balm for my soul.

Ahhhh....priorities. Have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Margaret

PS. I would love it if you took a look at my new post on Make It Missoula.  It's about how two of my boys ended up choosing to go school at The University of Montana. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the city of Missoula or are considering attending the University of Montana, you might want to take a read. Here is the link:

http://www.makeitmissoula.com/2011/08/so-why-missoula/

Banana Bread

Don't you love that bananas no longer suited for eating fresh make the best bread? How walnuts that are toasted at high heat give off a fragrance and a flavor that wasn't there before? That you can mix a few everyday ingredients together and they will make your house smell wonderful for a couple of hours? That actually, banana bread tastes better if you don't eat it right away? Simplicity. Patience. It makes for a good day.

I use the recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. It takes butter, buttermilk and vanilla, and is the same one that my mom uses. Banana bread was one of the treats I came home to when I was growing up, smelling its presence before my hand turned the doorknob. I remember being told two things: 'I had some overripe bananas I didn't want to waste' and 'let it cool before you cut into it'.

At our house slices of banana bread end up on the table for breakfast or for dessert. Personally, my favorite way to eat it is spread with butter or cream cheese. When the boys were younger I sent it to school with them in their lunches or for a snack, and later, shipped it to them while they were away at college. It keeps well, freezes well, travels well and gets better with age. Definitely on my list of perfect foods.

Banana Bread -
from Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition (with directions edited a little by me.)

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas - about 4 medium
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two loaf pans.
Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except nuts. Stir until just moistened. Stir in nuts.
Bake for about an hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes then remove from pans. Cool completely before slicing.
Wrap tightly. Keep at room temperature for four days or refrigerated for ten.

A few things:
**Toast walnuts for about 8 minutes in a 400 degree oven, Cool before chopping and using.
**I have been know to add chocolate chips.
**I use four smaller loaf pans instead of 2 larger ones. I find this size easier to store, slice and give away.
**If the top looks perfect but the inside isn't finished yet, lay a piece of foil over the tops and bake for a few more minutes.

Bolognese Sauce

My mom makes the best spaghetti with meat sauce. It was a favorite meal growing up and the one I wanted her to make for friends when they came over or when I came home during a break from college. My Dad fixed breakfast for us when we were in high school and if I was lucky there would be enough left over from the night before to poach eggs in. Served with toast on the side it is amazing. I've only come upon one restaurant that serves eggs like this and it took me right back. 

Mom's sauce. I still love it. My problem is that I can't seem to duplicate it. I have her recipe and have followed it more times than I can count, but still, it doesn't turn out the same as when she makes it. I tend to be one of those that tastes then adds without measure when cooking. Pretty soon I'm trying to balance disobedient flavors after tossing in a bit too much of whatever ingredient I was playing with. So maybe that's the deal. I've tried making her sauce two ways: By following her instructions as written and by adding additional ingredients in an attempt to make it taste like I remember. She swears she just follows the recipe. Mom?

That said....I usually don't begin a dish without consulting a good cook or cookbook first, but I guess I've tried Bolognese Sauce often enough because I was able to come up with a good one last week using what I had available in the kitchen. Since it worked out well I wrote it down, then double checked it again last night. It is different than my Mom's, but I like it. (Recipe follows.)

Margaret's Bolognese Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
5 large celery stalks, sliced

Saute the above in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until softened.

Add 1 tsp minced garlic and saute for a couple minutes longer.

Meanwhile, brown 2 lb ground beef and drain. Add beef to vegetables along with:

3 14.5 oz cans small diced tomatoes with juice
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
3/4 cup red wine (I used a bottle of what we had open so I'm assuming any good red wine would be fine)
2 tbsp brown sugar
dried basil and oregano
1 tsp salt

Simmer for 1 1/2  - 2 hours.  Add more wine, water or beef broth if it gets too thick while simmering and more seasonings to taste when nearly finished.

Cook the fettuccine in salted water for a couple minutes less than the package suggests, then drain and finish cooking it in the sauce. The starch from the pasta will thicken it.

Serve with good hard Italian cheese grated over the top. I used Italian Grana Padano. It's what was in the fridge.

Some Bolognese recipes call for bacon, pancetta, a pinch of red chili pepper flakes or finishing the sauce with a half cup or so of cream......any of which I would have added had I had them on hand. I use good low fat ground beef.  Also, I used Rustichella d'Abruzzo pasta. It's a little more expensive but I like it because it's thicker than most and has a great bite. 

Hope you enjoy your week......and if you make this......that you enjoy it too!

Everyday Finds

This week I had a self-imposed photography assignment to find beauty in everyday objects. Ordinary things I work with, pass by and use often while moving about my space. The ones that are practical, commonplace, necessary and an organic part of my day. I thought it would be good to see them as more. To give them a second look.

What I found were colors and patterns that at some point I've made a conscious choice to bring into my home. Tones of blue and green and gold and red. Patterns that echo nature and organized stripes. Ones that spoke to me, or better yet......ones that someone else chose because they thought I would like them. It became easier to find items to photograph and more difficult to decide which ones. The lesson was in narrowing down the field.  So I focused on an area where I spend a lot of (most of?) my time: 

mmmm......morning coffee, cream, syrup......

  

 The hardest workers.

Each of these aprons was a gift. I love that someone thought of me in this way. Knowing how I like to spend my time......and that a pretty apron makes a difference......

The bowls that sit on the counter next to the food processor. The ones used for almost everything. I realized how often I look at their colors, stripes and specks. There is a little flower shop in Missoula that sells the work of Montana potters. I hope they're still there.....we haven't stopped in for awhile.

Hope you enjoy your day! It's so sunny here that most everything outside my window is showing up vibrant blues and greens. No overcast grays skies to mute the colors. If it weren't for the bare branches on the maples I would probably be fooled into thinking it's spring already. Love that sun streaming in and the few crocus blossoms popping through!