1/2 pound small cipollini onions
2 t kosher salt
olive oil
3 cups sherry vinegar
2 cups honey
2 fresh bay leaves
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 pound of mixed olives
Place the unpeeled onions in a large bowl. Pour a few cups of extremely hot water over the onions and set aside for 15 min to loosen skins. Drain the onions and peel; pat dry. Place a very large skillet over high heat and add a 2-count of olive oil.Add the peeled onions and the salt and sear until the outsides are nice and golden brown, 5-7 min. While the onions brown, combine the vinegar, honey, and 2 T of olive oil in another skillet and bring nearly to a simmer over low heat. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, zests, garlic and olives. Once the onions are nice and golden brown, carefully pour in the olive mixture. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 30-35 min, or until the onions are cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly and has a syrupy consistency. Makes about 2 quarts
this is a Tyler Florence recipe
8.25.2011
orthorexia
Do you know someone that has ORTHOREXIA? It is a term used to describe people who have developed a fixation on healthy or righteous eating. It’s a disorder not a disease, an obsession that puts stress on the person to be a perfect eater. It’s not about weight loss. It’s about the quality of their food. They think it makes them a virtuous person, a better person, if they are a perfect eater. It’s not about losing weight. They want to feel pure, healthy, and natural.
Most sufferers cannot see it in themselves. It takes a family member to point it out. What are some of the signs of Orthorexia?
Do they obsessively read labels? Do they worry about everything that’s in their food? Do they avoid foods that contain fats, preservatives, animal products or other ingredients that they consider to be unhealthy? Do they lecture others on not eating this or that? Do they care more about the virtue of what they eat rather than the pleasure they get from eating it? Does their self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do they spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthy foods? When they eat the way they’re suppose to, do they feel in total control?
An Orthorexia sufferer may take a perfectly healthy food item but stress over what is in it. It takes over their life. It may socially isolate them. If the sufferer does not eat appropriately they can become malnourished.
BALANCE and MODERATION is the key to healthy eating.
Most sufferers cannot see it in themselves. It takes a family member to point it out. What are some of the signs of Orthorexia?
Do they obsessively read labels? Do they worry about everything that’s in their food? Do they avoid foods that contain fats, preservatives, animal products or other ingredients that they consider to be unhealthy? Do they lecture others on not eating this or that? Do they care more about the virtue of what they eat rather than the pleasure they get from eating it? Does their self-esteem get a boost from eating healthy? Do they spend more than 3 hours a day thinking about healthy foods? When they eat the way they’re suppose to, do they feel in total control?
An Orthorexia sufferer may take a perfectly healthy food item but stress over what is in it. It takes over their life. It may socially isolate them. If the sufferer does not eat appropriately they can become malnourished.
BALANCE and MODERATION is the key to healthy eating.
8.24.2011
cotton
I love the feel of clean cotton sheets against my skin as I sleep or the feel of a cool cotton T shirt on a hot Texas day. Those sheets and T shirts started somewhere. Here on our farm maybe?
8.23.2011
everything is a little better with bacon
peaches, blueberries, and feta cheese topped with a little bacon
chard
Interesting how the chard on the left looks much healthier than the middle or right. The only difference was how much direct sunlight each plant is getting. Chard obviously likes it's shade!
8.22.2011
august
Food blogger Jennifer Perillo unexpectedly lost her husband to a heart attack and is quite naturally struggling with his loss. Her struggles conjured up old demons for me, reminding me that this is August. Dreaded August … the month of loss. August… THAT month that we have lost so many family members and friends. I can so vividly remember the feeling of not letting anything go unattended for the day because tomorrow may bring a phone call saying a loved one has died. Steven and I both struggled with that mind set for so long. I consciously made a choice not to remember dates. Some might think that is a terrible thing that I cannot tell you the exact day of my parents passing. But we were losing family members at such a fast pace that I figured that by the time I was an old woman there wouldn’t be a day that wouldn’t be the anniversary of some sorrowful passing. So I chose to forget. But for some reason the whole month of August achieved that stigma. When did that feeling of dread actually leave? I am not sure. But slowly over time we have let the dread go. August returned to just another month on the calendar. Life goes on. Time does not heal but time changes…and it has changed who we are.
chili cheese fries
Sometimes it it just a chili cheese fries kind of night.
fry up a mess a fries...spoon on your homemade chili...top with cheese and stick under the broiler for a spell till the cheese melts. Comfort food!
fry up a mess a fries...spoon on your homemade chili...top with cheese and stick under the broiler for a spell till the cheese melts. Comfort food!
leaf
I read that to photograph leaves, tape them to a window in sunlight, spritz with water and snap away. Interesting how the leaf looked perfect to my naked eye but on the window it shows every flaw.
Ok...now I have to go wash the spritz off the window...
8.21.2011
my mojito patch
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 T superfine sugar
8 fresh mint leaves
2 oz light rum
4 oz chilled club soda
Shake the lime juice, sugar, mint leaves, and rum vigorously with ice. Without straining, pour the entire contents of the shaker into a glass and top with the club soda. Garnish with a fresh spring of mint. Then kick back put your feet up and enjoy!
8.19.2011
afternoon pick me up
1 cup milk
5 T Williams Sonoma hot chocolate
1 t instant coffee expresso
heat n enjoy!
morning thoughts...
It seems the latest celebrity chef to get a big head and has started to believe his own press is Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain has a show on the Travel Channel called No Reservations where he uncovers the best in culinary cuisine. As a foodie, I usually love watching programs showing great food. but this guy turns me off! He uses vulgar language while attacking celebrity chef Paula Deen, labeling her the most dangerous person in America. What is with this new trend of nasty ill-mannered chefs? There is something for everyone when it comes to food. Why must these blokes attack their peers? And YES Mr. Bourdain, Paula is your peer whether you like it or not!
8.18.2011
crab cake
My family asks for these. We may be Texans but we love our seafood too!
!/2 c mayo
1 egg
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t hot sauce
1 pound lump crab, drained
about 20 crushed saltines
1 t Old Bay
2 minced green onions
Mix lightly. Don't break crab up too much. We like chucks of crab meat. Shape into 8 patties. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Saute` in butter 3 min per side.
the world is not flat!
Some 12 million people in parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia are in danger of starvation in the wake of the region's worst drought in decades. War-wracked Somalia is the country hardest hit by the Horn of Africa's drought, with five areas declared to be experiencing famine.
When I hear people bashing GMOs, I have to ask, how selfish can you be? As the world’s population continues to increase we have to find ways to provide food for all of these people. How are we going to do this? Only with the help of modern technology will it be possible.
As we sit here in this country with our bellies full and satisfied, watching film footage of mothers in Somalia having to choose which of her children will eat and which she will have to let die…what message are we sending to this mom and to the world? You and your children are not important enough to get past our narrow-minded bias? Because we are afraid, we prefer for you to starve to death? We won’t believe science that it is safe?
FOOD THAT I PERSONALLY EAT AND AM NOT AFRAID OF.
Well apparently that is how some must feel. But I for one will continue to look for ways to feed the world and not let the scaremongers detour me by saying the world is flat.
When I hear people bashing GMOs, I have to ask, how selfish can you be? As the world’s population continues to increase we have to find ways to provide food for all of these people. How are we going to do this? Only with the help of modern technology will it be possible.
As we sit here in this country with our bellies full and satisfied, watching film footage of mothers in Somalia having to choose which of her children will eat and which she will have to let die…what message are we sending to this mom and to the world? You and your children are not important enough to get past our narrow-minded bias? Because we are afraid, we prefer for you to starve to death? We won’t believe science that it is safe?
FOOD THAT I PERSONALLY EAT AND AM NOT AFRAID OF.
Well apparently that is how some must feel. But I for one will continue to look for ways to feed the world and not let the scaremongers detour me by saying the world is flat.
morning thoughts...
As I’m watching the Today Show this morning and contemplating the subject of 4 year old’s wearing lingerie, toddlers pole dancing, etc. The question was asked, “Should mom’s let their little girls dress this way?” My mind races in two directions.
First…LET? Are these 4 year olds driving to the malls, whipping out their credit cards and buying these items? Or is MOM? Don’t buy it! Don’t bring it into your house! Problem of LETTING solved.
But the second direction my mind travels is the more telling. Little girls have always wanted to play dress up. Always wanted to emulate the older girls. I believe our young ladies no longer dress like ladies. Therein lays the deeper problem.
My husband recently traveled to Switzerland. The night before he left, we went to an upscale bistro for wine and tapas. There was a group of young ladies celebrating a soon to be bride. They had strips of material covering the major part of their bodies. As they interacted they each had to repeatedly pull their dresses down to cover their bottoms then pull their dresses up to cover their boobs. It was a juggling act to keep both areas covered at the same time and still be able to move around. Call me old fashion but that was ridiculous!
Fast forward a few days when he is in Switzerland, he could not believe how conservative the women all dressed. Someone had to point out to him the streetwalkers because you couldn’t tell by looking. Even they dress more conservative than the young ladies in our country. We all seem to think the Europeans are to blame for this style trend but I don’t think that is correct. The problem is HERE and we are the ones that need to change it.
First…LET? Are these 4 year olds driving to the malls, whipping out their credit cards and buying these items? Or is MOM? Don’t buy it! Don’t bring it into your house! Problem of LETTING solved.
But the second direction my mind travels is the more telling. Little girls have always wanted to play dress up. Always wanted to emulate the older girls. I believe our young ladies no longer dress like ladies. Therein lays the deeper problem.
My husband recently traveled to Switzerland. The night before he left, we went to an upscale bistro for wine and tapas. There was a group of young ladies celebrating a soon to be bride. They had strips of material covering the major part of their bodies. As they interacted they each had to repeatedly pull their dresses down to cover their bottoms then pull their dresses up to cover their boobs. It was a juggling act to keep both areas covered at the same time and still be able to move around. Call me old fashion but that was ridiculous!
Fast forward a few days when he is in Switzerland, he could not believe how conservative the women all dressed. Someone had to point out to him the streetwalkers because you couldn’t tell by looking. Even they dress more conservative than the young ladies in our country. We all seem to think the Europeans are to blame for this style trend but I don’t think that is correct. The problem is HERE and we are the ones that need to change it.
8.15.2011
8.14.2011
sauvignon blanc
We do the bare minimum on Sundays but there is always chores to be done on a farm. After we are finished it is time to kick back, share a glass of wine with each other, and enjoy the evening.
8.13.2011
salsa n chips
We enjoy a thicker salsa. After roasting tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic and onions. Pureeing them in the food processor with a little fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. We add chunks of tomato, cilantro and green onions.
And fresh homemade chips are a must!
8.12.2011
tonight's salad
Wow! Fresh peaches, tomatoes, Red onion, feta cheese and basil... with a honey vinegar dressing. Mmmmm!
difference between sweet corn and field corn
It is easy to spot the difference between sweet corn and field corn.
tommy's wife
We have anywhere from 40-50 cats at any given time. Most of them live in the barns except for three. Tommy, Tommy’s Wife and Whiskers, one of their new babies. This is a picture of Tommy’s Wife. Now I will admit that I am a dog person. I understand dogs. Cats are beyond my realm of understanding. I look at Tommy’s Wife and I wonder…
What is it about this cat that Tommy likes so well? He has girlfriends that he just produces offspring with but this cat he eats, sleeps and hangs out with. She is not really attractive and she’s not really a good mother. She had several babies in their last litter but only wants to take care of one favored kitten, Whiskers. She does have an attitude of superiority. But I’m not sure what came first… Does she have that attitude because she knows she is the chosen one or is she the chosen one because of that attitude? I wonder….
8.11.2011
canning day...
canning day..., a set on Flickr.
It's that time of year. Time when we start putting up the fruits of our labor. pickles... sweet corn relish... and a loaf of lemon blueberry bread to enjoy while we're working.
8.09.2011
beans
Our soybeans are planted into last years corn stubble. The corn residue provides excellent mulch, helping to keep the moisture in the ground and keeping the soil from blowing away in the wind.
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