Fresh eggs

One of the many cool things about New Mexico is that chances are you know 4 or more people with chickens.  Fact is, anyone can legally keep chickens within the city limits of Albuquerque.  Heck, even I'm thinking about it... some day.  Bigger yard...

This is the first carton of the season: green and brown and covered in hay and gunk...  It doesn't get fresher than this!

Hedgehog Cakes!

Dinsdale?

Check out the hilarious hedgehog cakes and cupcakes that showed up at the birthday party of one of Q's classmates.

Must Do This!!!

#54 Breakfast in Mereen

Eggs, figs and sausage.  Not just any sausage:  Keller's all natural turkey pork and green chile sausage.  One thing about this A Feast of Ice and Fire cooking project: I am becoming a meat snob... or maybe just an aficionado.  That sounds nicer, at any rate.

It's hard to see but the eggs have a marbled pattern
from being marinated (shell on but crackled)
in black tea and spices.  

If you plan to make this for brunch guests, make a lot of extra eggs,
as they don't all want to peel nicely...

#53 Modern Iced Green Minty Drink

This was simply AMAZING. And it was one of the easiest things to make.  This is my go-to summertime drum circle*, potluck beverage of choice, for sure!

* Yes. Drum Circle.  I'm in New Mexico. We all have inner hippies out here.

Wednesday Juice Fast

I've decided on Wednesdays as the day of the week that I do my juice fast.  That's a bit of a misnomer because I do have dinner (steamed catfish and steamed broccoli).  I am surprised at how energetic and clear headed I feel on these days...

This day's juice includes:

• 1 bunch of beets (including greens)
• 3 pounds of carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 3 red bell peppers
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• 1 container of strawberries
• 2 celery stalks

4,684.5 little monkeys swinging in a tree

 "Teasing Mr Alligator, can't catch me, no you can't catch me..."

By Monocletophat123 (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

One of the great things about hanging out with a 4 year old: Everything is funny, and many things are an opportunity to be silly.

Case in point: 

Mr. Potato Head waves his hands in the air.

He waves em like he just don't care!

It occurred to me that 5 Little Monkeys is the childhood equivalent of 99 Bottles of Beer on the wall.  So I have taken the opportunity to sing this with Q, taking poetic license to flagrantly inflate the quantity of monkeys swinging in that tree, to exponentially greater and unrealistic volume.

#52 Sweetcorn Fritters

What a fun and quick way to serve corn as a side!  Fresh ground black pepper is a must!  I look forward to making these with sweet Moriarty* white corn when it comes into season... not too far away!

* Wrong Moriarty.  I meant Moriarty, NM, not Sherlock Holmes' nemesis.  :)

Garden!

 

Well, it's March in New Mexico, and that means it's time to get that garden going!  I'm saving all of the appropriate fruit/veggie bits that don't make it into the prepared food.  These get sprinkled around my raised garden beds, and the worms feast on them while rejuvenating the soil.  Yay!

I think maybe I'd like to get a worm farm going.  How cool would that be?

 Hooooray worms!

#51 16th Century Stewed Rabbit

Ok, the pictures didn't really come out too well.  And I forgot to take other pictures to complement these two.  But the rabbit stew was quite yummy, and filling but not too heavy all things considered.

So I will take better pictures for the next Rabbit Stew (Modern Stewed Rabbit).

 

That's a rabbit leg, yessiree!

#50 Modern Arya Tart

How simple, and yet how delicious is this puff pastry apple tart with goat cheese filling.

 One of my guests, unfamiliar with goat cheese, found it a little startling.  I supposed one could make these with some other filing, like cream cheese.

 I will save this recipe for the next time I want to really impress 8 or fewer people. :)

What happened with the missed post?

 I missed a post on March 18th.  That was not intentional, and I will make it up later, I'm sure.  But I thought I'd share what happened...

 I was planning on posting about the St Paddy's Day stand-by: Corned Beef and Cabbage.  The 17th was a busy day, with a birthday party for one of my son's classmates at the local children's science museum: Explora!  This place is way cool for adults and kids alike...

So, being crunched for time, I put the corned beef in a BIG pot of water, brought it to a boil, turned it down to a simmer, and left for the party.  We'd only be gone a couple hours, so no big deal, right?

Wrong.

We get to the house about 3 hours later.  All I can think is wow, someone must be grilling because it smells GOOD outside.  Then I open my door and the smoke just billows out... There's smoke everywhere, floor to ceiling, and I find out that the water boiled off and scorched pan and meat alike.

So now, it's days later and everything in my house still smells like a campfire.  My cats are ok, thanks goodness, and no one was hurt.  But I will never leave with the stove on again.  Slowcookers, if we need to leave... I just can't imagine what might have happened if we didn't make it home when we did.

We did go out and get an emergency backup corned beef.  And a metric #$@^-load of Febreeze.  But the smell of it, although not unpleasant, permeates every room.  It will take a while for this to clear out...

And that's what happens when you don't drink on St. Paddy's Day.
Don't let that happen to you!

Juice Fast

Behold! The beauty of the Breville Juicer!

 Morning/Afternoon Juice:

3 lbs Carrots
1 lb Beets
2 apples
1 pkg Strawberries
1 Cucumber
1 lb mixed frozen berries

Delicious!

Evening Juice:

1 head of Kale
1 bunch of Chard
2 lbs carrots
1 pkgs sprouts
1 cucumber
Beet green tea (from boiled beet greens)


Yummy, but took some getting used to...







I felt AMAZING all day with this, and I plan to have a weekly juice fast day from now on. At the end of day 1, though., I caved in need of REAL food, so I had plain cooked shrimp.  And a bowl of raisin bran.  Neither of which of were juiced.  Ew.

Juice Fast Prep

There's been a lot of decadence on the menu in the project.  The increase in butter and flour in my diet has made me decide to offset the fat/carb days with some fiber/juice fays.

So, I have decided to try juice fasting one day a week.

I checked it out with my CNP, and got the green light.  PLUS I have accepted Geo as my personal coach and trainer. (Makes the sign of the boss)

So, in preparation for Day one of this new routine, I have gathered all manner of fruits and veggies, per Geo's guidance and my own research, and today I ate mostly fiber and carbs.  Tomorrow I juice, and the day after, it's fats and protein.  Feeling really good today.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

 

Bush Clover and Chinese Bell Flowers, Album Leaf Painting

Artist unknown, circa 1700 / 1800

via Wikimedia Commons 

#49 Modern Turnips with Butter

The more I use turnips in these recipes, the more they grow on me.  This recipe is essentially mashed turnips and would be a great alternative to mashed potatoes as a side dish for a meal.

#48 Modern Beet Soup

Borscht and Biscuits.  This soup is very tasty whether it is served warm or cold.   

 Beet soup isn't nearly as interesting as playing Potato Head with actual potatoes, though.  There's probably a reason that Mr. Beet Head was never invented.

Raise your hands in the air
Wave em like you just don't care!

#47 Modern Pork Pie

It's Pi day, so I had to post about pie.  Naturally.

Er ski dee ski der

dee der ski doo ski doo

Der gi der der gi der der

PORK! PORK! PORK!*

o

Rudy's is the best damn BBQ Sauce in the world.

A layer of apple slices over the BBQ sauce is covered with cheese, and this top layer makes a wonderful complement of flavors to the pork pie mixture.

Oink

* Couldn't help it.  Sorry.**
** Not really

#46 Medieval Leek Soup

I have already expressed my fondness for the Modern Leek Soup.  This soup does not include potatoes or butter, but it is no less rich and delicious. Another keeper, and a healthier version of leek soup.

I used a full package of fresh mushrooms for this, about twice as much as the recipe from A Feast of Ice and Fire called for.  No regrets!  

#45 Sister Stew

I feel I must warn you that while making this dish, and at frequent intervals thereafter, I find I must yell the word "CHOWDAH!" like some angry Bostonian wharf dweller.*

The vegetables in this dish (CHOWDAH!) lend a wonderful blend of colors, textures and flavors to this dish.  They were so pretty sauteed, and smelled so nice, that I am tempted to make a future side dish with just the leeks, garlic and carrots.

I have never made a CHOWDAH! before, and this recipe was so easy and so delicious that I am adding it to my cookbook.  A+++++++++ WILL COOK AGAIN.


I'll just keep these pictures of the actual sister stew really small, because no one really wants to look at it.  We all just want to eat it.

OOH LOOK!  A GHOST SHIP!

Hereafter known as the HMS CHOWDAH*

* CHOWDAH!

Bonus recipe: Kalmatta Olive Bread

 

For this one, I just followed the Crusty White Bread Recipe.  Before allowing to rise, I took about 1/3 of the dough, and kneaded about 1/4 cup of diced Kalmatta Olives into it. This had a nice flavor, not overpowering.  I bet I could double the amount of olives plus reserving some of the olive brine to add to the dough.  I'd need to adjust the flour amount, naturally.

I let the rise for about two hours before baking.  I also glazed the top with egg white, but that was probably unnecessary.

Why yes, that IS a pirate ship in the background

Bonus Recipe: Black Bread Pudding

Do you have some leftover black bread that's just on the wrong side of stale?

Treat yourself to this amazing Bread Pudding!

The pudding:

1 cup sugar 

3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups cubed black bread, a little stale (I augmented this with some old bread ends*)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick butter, softened

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
Mix sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.  In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar and butter until you get a crumb-like consistency.
Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for about 40 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.  

The sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup brandy
While the pudding is in the oven, mix the sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding.

 

Just as delicious on day 2 as it was on day 1!

* Because I keep a stash of old bread ends in the freezer.**

** I mean, who doesn't?

Painting - Brighid

Background done using metallics
added to leftover paints from my previous palette. 
I like using the last palette to help define the next painting. 

Underpainting Brigid.

Staring to give her definition. 
She kinda looks like the Starbucks logo, though.

A little more definition.  Her face begins to emerge.

I like the serene look on her face. Torso is fully defined now.

Definition given to moon phase headpiece and face.
But, girl,what ARE we to do about your hair?

Finished piece, signed and sealed

Framed and gifted to an old friend back East.