Happy Halloween

“Be silent in that solitude,
Which is not loneliness—for then
The spirits of the dead, who stood
In life before thee, are again
In death around thee, and their will
Shall overshadow thee; be still.”

—From “Spirits of the Dead” by Edgar Allan Poe

Ginger Harvest

 
I dug up the ginger today. Frost is on the way, and I didn't want the plants to get damaged and start rotting. In theory, you can leave it planted for next year. If trying (and failing) with with strawberries, chives, rosemary, and sage was any indication, it gets too cold to leave it in the ground. Dig up ginger when leaves begin to die back. Trim off leafy bits, wash off ginger chunks, then store (dry) in a Ziplock baggie in the refrigerator. Will keep for 3 months (in theory).

Pb cookie

1 C. natural peanut butter
1/2 C. Splenda
1 egg

Mix, scoop into balls, flatten , Bake 350* 12 minutes.

If 12 cookies, 1 cookies is 4g carbs, 1.3g fiber, 6g protein, 100 calories.

Roasted Herbed Mushrooms

16 even-sized open cup mushrooms, stalks cut level
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp. garlic powder
5 Tbs. almond flour
1½ Tbs. lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400*F.  In a skillet, lightly fry the mushrooms, cap-side down, in hot oil for 2-3 minutes.  Arrange the mushrooms in a a 9x13 cooking dish with the stalks facing upwards.In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, thyme, lemon juice and seasoning.  Spoon a little garlic butter on to each mushroom, then lightly press the almond meal on top.  Bake mushrooms 15 minutes until  golden around the mushroom cap.

1,111 calories, 20g carbs, 6g fiber, 117g fat, 14g protein for the entire tray.

Plotting

Fly my pretties. FLY!!

Chicken stew

Whole raw chicken
andoule or kilbasa sausage
1/2 head celery
1/2 large sweet onion
2 green onions, sliced
2 medium sized carrots
1/2 lb green beans
large can diced or crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Garlic,pepper, and salt to taste

In a large pot, place you washed chicken. Add enough water to cover chicken. Cut onion into large pieces, keep skin on. Cut one carrot into large pieces. Cut 3 celery ribs.into large pieces. Place large cut vegetables in pot with chicken along with bay leaves. Boil until chicken is tender. Get another soup pot. Place colendar on top of second soup pot. Pour contents of first soup pot into collendar. Let the chicken cool. Separate meat from bones and skin. Return good chicken meat to the 3nd pot. Discard vegetable matter. Dice remaining celery and carrot into bite size pieces. Add celery, carrots, tomatoes, and green onion to soup. Sautee sausage until golden and delicious, then add to soup. Simmer soup on low until flavors combine. Season as necessary. I always use pepper but I felt this soup needed a bit of salt to make up for the heavy celery base flavor.

Music of Goodbye

When I’m alone I dream		Time to say goodbye
on the horizon and words fail		to countries I never saw and shared
yes, I know there is no light		with you, now, yes,
in a room where the sun is absent,		I shall experience theme
if you are not with me, with me.		I'll go with you
At the windows show everyone my heart		on ships across seas
which you set alight;		which I know no, no, exist
enclose within me the light		no longer.
you encountered in the street		Time to say goodbye...
When I’m alone I dream

Oh my dear father (who is dying, by the way),		Yes, yes, I want to go there!
I like him (a boy named Rinuccio), he is very handsome.		And if my love were in vain,
I want to go to Porta Rossa		I would go to Ponte Vecchio
to buy the ring!		and throw myself in the Arno (river)!
		I am pining and I am tormented,
		Oh God! I would want to die!
		Daddy, have mercy, have mercy!
		Daddy, have mercy, have mercy!

These songs sound very similar to me even tho one is in Italian, the other in Spanish. Listen how the sopranos' melody breathes the same notes as the accompanying violin. Both the singer and violin hit the same plaintive notes to convey their message.

Scrubbies

Material:
'K' hook
1 yard nylon netting

Pattern:
Cut Nylon Netting into 2" wide strips. Knot ends together to make one long continuous strip.

Rnd 1 (right side): Ch 4, sl st in first ch to form ring, ch 3(counts as dc), 11 dc in ring; join with sl st in 3rd ch of beg ch-3. (12 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 2 (counts as hdc), hdc in same st as joining, 2 hdc in each st around; join with sl st in 2nd ch of beg ch-2. Fasten off.

Other Side: Rep Rnds 1-2 but do not fasten off.
Joining Circles: With wrong sides of each circle facing each other and working through both  thicknesses at the same time, sl st in each st around. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Gumbo

3 quarts shrimp stock made from scratch.
1 lb. shrimp
1 lb. scallops
1 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped green peppers
2 C. cup chopped parsley
3 large carrots
1 lb. okra
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
File powder to taste

Bows

Vegetable Terrine

Mine was served with seared tuna.

1/2 C. olive oil, plus extra for oiling pans
some exterior cabbage leaves from several different store cabbages, boiled al detente
1 zucchini, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 yellow squash, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 C. cauliflower florets cut into tiny pieces
16 ounces fresh chard, washed, stems removed, then blanched, squeezed dry, and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces soft, mild goat cheese
2 Tb.minced fresh basil leaves
2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease with olive oil. Arrange some of the cauliflower, zucchini, and yellow squash slices in a single layer on the sheets, slightly overlapping them. Brush with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake until soft and just golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining vegetable slices.

In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese with the basil, parsley, and extra-virgin olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and mix well.

In a 6-cup terrine (12 by 3 by 3 inches), arrange the cabbage leaves crosswise over the bottom and up the sides, overlapping the slices to completely cover the terrine. The ends of the slices should overhang the sides of the terrine. Top the cabbage with thin layers of chard, zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. Crumble a layer of the goat cheese mixture on top, and repeat the layering with the remaining vegetable slices. Bring the overhanging cabbage slices up over the terrine. Wrap the terrine loosely in plastic wrap. Top with an equal-size terrine or a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. Place a brick or heavy pot on top of the terrine and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 24 hours.

Remove the terrine from the refrigerator. Remove the weight and unwrap. Slice with a very sharp knife and serve 1 thick or 2 thin slices per person.

Knitting

Apple pie

Mimi and I baked this pie today. I am sure it was delicious.