Wish You Were Here

Happy Valentine's Day from me to you. Hope you feel the love today.

Stirrings

Hear them? Those quiet stirrings in your hibernated soul? Feel easy stretching, fluttering lids? Smell new air, year's morning? See bashful life-evidence entering? Taste the fresh, the promise, the hope?


See growth humbly pushing up and out from soil, branches,


Up from satiated belly to mind rises melodic creativity in tune with welcomed gifts from the natural world...of which I am part.


Gentle Spring's hopeful telegram, "ON MY WAY"

Corn Cakes

From a borrowed library book entitled Spirit of the West I found these hearty corn cakes years ago. Every member of my family hugs me when I make them. An alternative to cornbread, these crunchy, golden, fried cakes are a perfect complement to bean dishes, Mexican food, or a leafy salad. Anything, really. We eat the leftovers cold as snacks. No sugar added, but corn is sweet.

Corn Cakes

2 c. yellow cornmeal
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. corn oil (I use canola just because it's what I have on hand. Corn would probably enhance the corn flavor.)

Mix all. Stir in 2 cups boiling water. Stir well. Form into patties (10 - 12) and put into heated oil in skillet (medium heat). 3-5 minutes per side 'till golden brown. (Tonight I used a soup spoon and carefully spooned batter into the oil. They were a little smaller but I didn't have to wait for the batter to cool from the boiling water. They turned out perfectly. Forming patties is sorta messy.)

Why is it that preparing foods my family loves, food that nourishes their bodies and tickles their taste buds, gives me such pleasure? I love them. Perhaps this is a well-received way to show it - and that satisfies.

Cross-Referencing

For those interested, I posted Mom's recipe for English Muffin Bread over on my other blog because it has a wider audience with which to share the joy.

Baking. The mood is here. The family is smiling, eating cautiously, moderation in everything, even tasty treats.

Almond Puff makes another appearance in the Kitchen of Cherie after over two decades in hiding.







Except for chocolate cupcakes which will probably disappear long before my camera clicks their picture, I'll be switching gears for Super Bowl Sunday. I have no idea who's playing this year. I do know that it's an excuse to have friends over to play awhile. I'm told some of the commercials are going to be in 3-D. We picked up a bunch of free 3-D glasses from Safeway for the occasion. How strange and silly we'll look! I'll bet we'll be smiling though.

Besides the cupcakes, I'll be making chili today and cornbread muffins tomorrow.

Will I be cooked and baked out by next week, I don't know. There's a huge bowlful of freshly made beef stock in the fridge that is begging to be made into something fine. Is French Onion Soup made with beef stock? I have to consult some recipe books. If I burn out, I'll freeze the stock so it can live to be cooked another day.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, however you choose to spend it!

English Muffins

Mom used to make these long, long ago. And they're easy. Why do I wait so long between batches?


Risen dough ready to punch down.


First side on the griddle cooking and browing.


Flipped over. Second side cooks.


English Muffins for breakfast!


With jam, anyone?

How I wish you guys were here! I'd LOVE to share these with you.

Two Delicatas and a Beefy Butternut

Beautiful sunny day! Running errands in thirty-two degree weather Tom and I found we had dressed for fifty degrees. Sun fooled us. A brisk walk with Sammy left us rosy-cheeked, invigorated, and laughing.

Not ready to go indoors, Tom washed two of our cars while I cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Besides our big meal of the day I cooked up some of our CSA squash from last fall.

I smokey-salted, peppered, and steamed two delicata squash then served them with butter and basil next to fresh pasta covered with garlic roasted chicken in a wine-alfredo sauce I concocted myself. Green beans from last summer's garden brightened up the meal.

Delicata squash

Seasoned and ready to steam

Lunch!

While the squash cooked I picked the seeds out of the scooped pulp. Finger-painting has always been pleasurable for me and this was not much different. I toasted the seeds and we sprinkled them over our pasta at lunch. Gave a good crunch!

Before...

...and after.

After the big butternut cooled I scooped and then pureed it. Some I let drip for awhile for pie filling. The rest becomes soup tomorrow, along with the liquid given up by the pie-squash.

Roasted and cooling butternut

Scooped

Pureed

Squash draining in cheesecloth

Reserving liquid for soup

Tom will be happy to see this 'pumpkin' pie when he gets home tonight, though we won't enjoy it until tomorrow.



The Joy of Squash!

MLK Day

In the spirit of holiday we ventured into the brisk sunshine for a hike.



I wanted to 'borrow' this...


...to get closer to this...


...but hiked on without getting my feet wet.

Tingly-legged and red-cheeked we returned to our home where I prepared winter foods for hungry bellies. While the chicken and root veggies were roasting I took my inspiration from friend, G (you know who you are;) and sauced the last of my locally harvested apples.

Peeling in the quiet, aromatic kitchen gave me a slice of time to myself.

No one bugs me when I'm doing a task they don't really like. I do enjoy the process, so it worked out perfectly.

From the box to the pot took less than 20 minutes.

With our herb roasted meal we enjoyed fresh applesauce.

With frost from last night still slicking up the shady spots, the oven-warmed kitchen was a pleasant place to meditate while doing a very human task - providing food for my family.

A pleasant day all the way 'round.