where I have been spending a bit of time

My expermintation in permaculture has worked really well.  If not so well it is overwhelming!  I have told the neighbors to pick what they wish because every tomato is a volunteer plant and they ALL have fruit!  There are 15 different winter squash fruit in the yard too.  This is the biggest one so far.  It is ripe.  In June!  This is unheard of where I grew up.  The heat has not really started here yet so it will be interesting to see how all this continues.  I really need to get in and pull up some grasses but there is no space to move.  Maybe when some of the tomatoes die back with the heat.

I have also been enjoying my time on my skateboard after work.  I was riding to the library here with my Beloved and the Small Mister walking.  I had a gentleman stop his BMW, roll down the window, and yell "so cool!"  It feels so cool.

And when I think I will be going a bit faster, I put more pads on.  Still need the elbow pads.  My family tease me that I am a hill junky.  I think they are right.  It does make me smile and relaxes like surfing when I cannot get there or there is no surf.

Permaculture and skateboarding.  I think it says it all.

a wedding to go to

My Beloved and I went to a wedding out of town this last weekend.  The wedding was lovely and it got us out of town.  We did something different, kind of.

We found a state park in New Jersey that ran along the Delaware river.  I say kind of different because we like to walk and hike outside.  This one was recommended to us by a local.  Part of what we liked was how long it was.  We were able to stop in more then one town and walk a bit.  We saw more river and more towns.

This is one of the ways we like to spend together.  

Though we did go into New York City.  I bribed my Beloved with going to skateboard shops.  He was surprised how much he enjoyed it.  We did not really do any of the touristy stuff and we did not get to go everywhere we liked, but we walked a lot.  I am sure I do not wish to know how many miles.  We found good food and helpful people.  

It was a lovely weekend.  And the celebration that caused us to go out of town was a blast!  Many years and much happiness is wished for our friends!

enfrijoladas (tortillas in bean sauce)

I have been sad today.  Usually, Wednesdays are the days my Beloved fixes dinner because I have a late figure skating lesson.  After work and skating, I usually get off the ice very tired and cooking is the last thing I wish to do.

Today, my Beloved forgot it was Wednesday so there was no reheating plan in place.  Comfort food for me a lot of the time is bean soup.  When I am ill or when I am very sad, bean soup is what I wish.  It is a little warm for soup so I decided to try this bean dish that was in the Rancho Gardo newsletter.

I also really want to spend many minutes kneading bread but that is not going to fit in this week.  We have a wedding to go to out of town so I probably will not even be at the computer let alone get a chance to make sourdough bread and knead it until smooth.  Next week.

This dish was actually very simple to make and I used all the end bits of cheese in the refrigerator.  I topped it off with a bit of salsa and everyone liked it.  Even the Tall Short Person who is the real litmus test.  She did not go straight for the peanut butter during dinner.  That is a first in a few days.

enfrijoladas (tortillas in bean sauce)

Adapted from Rancho Gardo

12 corn tortillas

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup olive oil, split

1/2 large onion minced

5 to 10 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon oregano indio

1/2 cup vegetable broth

3 cups black beans with their bean broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ancho chile pepper

1/4 teaspoon chipolte chile pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoky sweet paprika

1/2 to 1 cup grated cheese, I used a mix of parmesan and cheddar because they were the leftover bits.  The original recipe calls for queso fresco

In a large skillet, put two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and let brown.  Once the onions are browned, put the garlic, beans, broth, onions, and oregano in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  You may need to do this in batches.

In the skillet, add two more tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the bean mixture back to it.  Mix in the seasonings and heat.

In another skillet, put 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Heat until hot.  Put in a tortilla.  Heat for a few seconds on one side.  Turn and heat the other.  You want a tortilla that is very flexible.  Once the tortilla is heated, drag it through the bean sauce.  You will want both sides well beaned (smile).  Place on a plate and fold in halt.  Continue until all the tortillas are done the same way.

We split this between three and put four tortillas on each plate.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Serve with the salsa of your chosing.

It was a very simple meal.  Comforting.  Not soup.  

I will have to get bread made next week and much more tea drank.

sadness and handstitching

I am turning these Liberty of London prints into handkerchiefs.  I am doing all the stitching by hand.  It is a nice place to be with my needle and thread.  Meditative.  I have had a friend in hospice.  She died on Saturday and I am sad.  I miss her in my life even though it has been mostly by email in the last years.  

The stitching is quiet and helps.

porchetta style roast venison

I read about this recipe for porchetta style roast pork somewhere.  I cannot find the reference other then it was two recipes combined from Bon Appetit.  We had finished all the wild hog in the freezer so I decided to try it with two venison necks because that is all I had.  For a Friday dinner, where I needed something that was not too much work, this was lovely.

Porchetta style roast venison

3 to 4 venison neck (two)

olive oil

4 or 5 cloves of garlic

basil

thyme

oregano

salt

pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Rub the venison down with olive oil.  Sprinkle basil, thyme, and oregano over.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put in a pan and cover.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Turn the temperature down to 300 degrees. Roast another 30 to 60 minutes.   

If you are using pork or heavier quantities, let the roasting at 300 degrees go on longer.  Up to 3 1/2 hours for a 5 pound pork roast.

I served it with polenta and it was quite yummy.  I think the leftovers were even better but I have to admit that it was tasty enough that leftovers were hard to come by.  Leftovers are a good reason to roast a larger piece of meat.