Charmed, I'm Sure

It's finally raining out here in bone dry California. Finally. We had such a downpour around lunchtime I had to don boots and coat and take a broom to the front porch. It was raining so hard and fast the garden looked like a lake. I thought Farmhouse was a goner. I thought for sure it would flood. But we made it o.k. We're all high and dry.For now at least.

So on this rainy Monday..my thoughts go to supper. Haven't been able to turn on the oven much. Just been too warm...but not anymore. So I got out one of my favorite cookbooks. "Fanny at Chez Panisse" by Alice Waters. It was first published in 1992. And the illustrations are adorable. The recipes are simple.It's about making good food easily with basic ingredients and simple techniques.And I wanted to make the gingersnaps for dessert tonight to serve with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream. My favorite gingersnap cookie recipe is in "Fanny". The book is just so charming I wanted to share it with you.

When we were little my mom would make Mark and I spareribs and potatoes in the oven on rainy days. She would just get out a big old baking pan, quarter the potatoes, pour a little olive oil over them, toss and sprinkle them with salt, throw them in the pan and place some seasoned spare ribs over the top. Bake at about 375 degrees for and hour or so and...supper. All you need is a salad. And on this stormy night, biscuits wouldn't be bad either.

Whiskey Sour has on his tweed sweater..the one with the leather buttons and is wearing his Christmas scarf. He has a nice spot in the red plaid chair here by "woodstove". And I made Dandelion a cozy bed in an old red wool blanket I brought back from Maine...she is on top of the farm dining table. Just don't tell anybody.She likes it there.

GOLD STRIKE !

So I am over at our local natural foods store this morning..waiting to pick up Buddy's cough syrup prescription at the pharmacy next door......and I am cruising in the produce isle and there they were. PURE GOLD ! Right there next to the lettuce. Chanterelle Mushrooms. I could hardly believe my eyes. There were only 3 of them. So I grabbed a bag and scooped them up. I could feel my heart race. I would rather have these than a bag of diamonds.

And what perfect timing. I was planning on pizza for Sunday night as the storm slams in from the Pacific Ocean. With El Nino out there...we are suppose to have a real downpour.

I saw the produce guy and asked where they came from...just as I thought...Big Sur.

When we lived in Cambria..which is about an hour and a half south of Big Sur on Highway One, a kid who worked for John knew where the "special secret spot" was in Big Sur. John went with him one time and he said they walked back into the woods for an hour... although no forager worth his salt would ever tell the truth about where to look....unless he's a really good friend.The kid would sell them to restaurants up in the bay area...he told me he used to sell them to Alice Water's restaurant Chez Panisse. The mothership..to be sure....

Julie and I have eaten there a few times...and it is all they say..and more.

To tell you the truth, the kid's name was Jim, but I called him Zipper. I have no idea where that came from either. But Zipper would show up at my back door when we lived in Cambria with bags of freshly picked chanterelles. I usually just kept it simple...I would make some fresh pasta...saute the mushrooms in butter, add a little cream or chicken stock, salt and pepper, add the pasta to the mushroom skillet, grate some parmesan over the top and serve. That was it. Simple. And it was GOOD !

For our Sunday pizza night....I will roast the sliced mushrooms in the oven with just a toss of olive oil and sea salt, then scatter them over the top of the pizza with just a simple tomato sauce ,gruyere cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley from the garden.

We'll build a fire in "woodstove",make our pizzas, light some candles..and wait...for RAIN !At Last !

Hot Toast and Jam

The Creative Tuesday Logo on my sidebar is from the wonderful blog Hot Toast and Jam.

goodteatoo.blogspot.com is his blog address. ( i don't know how to link to it...grrr )
He has a wonderful group of people who are participating in his Creative Tuesday's.

It is a great group of very talented people and it is alot of FUN !

I have made some amazing new friends through Mr. Toast....and thought maybe you would enjoy it too.....

have a great cozy winter weekend, dear ones

kary
xxx

Between Storms

It's hard to believe that we are in for a whole week of rain next week. But I guess we are. So I decided to head out to the nursery today and pick up some springtime flowers before the rains hit. It is in the 70's again here today, so planting outside in the garden seemed like a good way to spend the day.The sun was shining on my back as as I planted fragrant stock, sunny yellow violas and linaria.

I picked up this flat of stock at The Hide Tide Nursery in Shell Beach just cause the colors looked so spring like. To tell you the truth, it was all they had. It was pretty slim pickings there. I asked the guy where all the flowers were and he just looked at me and said, "It's January, lady".

And the sunny morning went over pretty well for Whiskey Sour and Dandelion too.

Happy 101 Award

Thank you, Morwenna of Bluebells and Butterflies for the Happy 101 Award ! So kind of you to think of me.....

I am kind of slow on the computer.....so tomorrow I will complete the rest.....

But I wanted you to know that I have received it and am so grateful for it.

Thanks again, dear friend.

Kary

Nothing Fancy

So yesterday afternoon I am watching Ellen and she has on her chef. This man named Tal and he has out a new cookbook called The Conscious Chef. All vegan. Ellen's vegan. And I am thinking maybe I could just try the vegetarian thing that I failed at twice last year...again. Not vegan..cause of my pizza love...just no meat.

Now the weatherman comes on for his update and he says RAIN. What? Rain? Are you kidding me? Does he really mean it? We have been bbqing out in the garden for weeks.You mean I could get my crockpot out? At last. Winter? Here? For me?

And what do I want to put in that crockpot? POT ROAST. How can I do a vegetarian pot roast. I can't. Why do I even consider it? I am thinking gravy and mashed potatoes.

So off I go to Scolaris and there it is. A beautiful pot roast. So I put it in my cart and head to the soup isle. I want the Lipton Onion Soup mix to make the pot roast like my mom made.And YES. You are seeing that right. Canned corn and gravy from a jar. Someone sometimes gives me a hard time about my Heinz gravy love.... (you know who you are.)

So this morning out came the crockpot....I browned the roast first, then put it in the crockpot with the soup mix, some water and a couple of splashes of red wine.

And it already smells good. So tonight, no Julia Child.No Alice Waters. Just old fashion and farmy.

And for dessert....did you see it...isn't it cute? We will each get two bites of that tiny berry pie...

Fruit Tree Planting Before The Rain Starts

Here is our local Farm Supply out on Tank Farm Road in San Luis Obispo. They carry a real nice variety of fruit trees that are specifically for our area.Last year I got 2 apples trees from Apples of Antiquity. They are heirloom apple growers over the hill in Paso Robles. My Seek-No-Further Apple and my Pumpkin Russet apple really are suited for the east coast. It just doesn't get cold enough here. Not enough chill hours. I don't know why, but I actually got apples off those trees last Fall.So I guess I was just lucky.

This weekend John and I worked in the garden from sun up to sun down. We planted 2 cherry trees. One is called Royal Lee and and the other one is Minnie Lee. They need each other to polinate. The lady at the Farm Supply said they were a new variety and the people that planted them last year raved about them. Perfect for us here on the Central Coast of California. So I thought I would give them a try. I also got a peach tree. It is called Santa Barbara Peach.Again, ideally suited for our area.

We also planted a Liquid Amber tree by the french door going from the kitchen to the garden.I wanted it there so we can watch it through the seasons. I am really excited about having it there by the door and am looking for a lampost to go right next to it. The variety I got is called Palo Alto and it turns red in the Fall. There are several in our neighborhood, so I know it will do well here.

I also planted some red geraniums together with yellow violas going up the steps to our bedroom.

Yesterday I went one more time to Farm Supply to get some more climbing roses.I decided I needed a Cecil Bruner just cause it's so old fashioned. And when I got there I saw another climber called Night Owl. The flowers are a deep wine color and it is suppose to smell of spice.How could I pass that up?And btw...what is the deal with rose names.Lurking behind my Night Owl was Don Juan....and then came marliyn monroe, jackie kennedy, pope paul, betty boop, jimmy carter,julia child..wait...stop...did that say julia child? it did. now i have to have that one too...but lucille ball,donna reed,marcia brady..no thanks.

Our homeless kittys, Pixiegirl and Mumbie came later in the afternoon for their supper.Zacky Waffle was a no show for supper but was back for breakfast the next day.

So the heat wave is over...and the weatherman says rain is on the way. He says we are getting into an El Nino pattern here. Which means rains..and lots of it.Suppose to start tonight...and rain and rain and rain.....

So the flip flops are back in the closet, Buddy's fan is out in the shed...and we ate the last of the strawberries last night. Let it rain.