New friends and old friends

Having good friends is so important. I feel really lucky that I have my best friend, Katcha, around to talk to on the phone and visit from time to time. In knowing my thirst for justice and detail, she bought this pocket constitution for me to be able to carry around to refer to. For one thing, who doesn't absolutely love getting packages in the mail? So when it arrived, I was ecstatic. I will use it for years to come.

But I'm also grateful for new friends that I am making here in my new New Hampshire hometown. I've met a woman named Delilah at Intermezzo and we work together most days. She has boundless energy and has a magical knack of being able to find the best things for free. I went to work recently and she made me close my eyes, telling me that she had a gift for me. She pulls out this John Travolta album, which made me totally crack up. Peterborough has one of the most progressive recycling centers that I've ever seen, complete with a 'free store' where Peterborough residents can donate and shop. Delilah picked up these two albums for me, not long after hanging out one night listening to records at my place. She affectionately calls the recycling center and free store 'the dump', as in, 'I'm taking the kids shopping at the dump today'. Too funny. This album cracked me up, threw me back to the late 70's/early 80's and made me feel all fuzzy inside, having people think about me in the off times. What's more important than good friends?

It's gonna take a lotta love...

Relationships are hard. Even the best ones. I feel lucky because I haven't had one moment of regret about moving to New Hampshire to be with John - we are both opinionated, stubborn and come at things from the opposite direction on just about every issue. But even despite the three hour, heated discussions about our issues and times of real frustration, I have such genuine feeling for him - there's no place that I would rather be than here in Peterborough, living in his house and sleeping in his bed.

But even despite the rocky times, especially after just moving in together three months ago, we have a lot of fun and sweet times together as well. On a rare weekend off for me from the restaurant Intermezzo, I made toad-in-a-holes for both of us out of multi-grain bread from the The Good Loaf, which I bought at the P-borough farmers market. If you can tell, I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make the hole and dropped the egg in. I then adorned with both roasted red peppers on one and sundried tomatatoes on the other. Coupled with champagne with a shot of cran-grape, it was a perfect late breakfast.

An ode to Winfrey...

Winfrey is a good good friend from Pittsburgh. She's a complete individual. She's lived in Montana, Africa and China, embraces new experiences and talks so straight, that sometimes it can be mistaken for criticism. But I know she has every one's best interests at heart and is just trying to make her way in the world and create a life that is interesting and satisfying to herself. Winfrey is 31 years old and has a young daughter and teacher husband. She lives in a hip little business district of point breeze, in Pittsburgh, and is a stay-at-home mom. She taught her daughter Isa how to sign before she could talk and is a big proponent of elimination communication (pottying from infancy), baby wearing (no strollers!) and vegetarianism (if not vegan or raw). Like I said, she's an individual. And Winfrey's my girl, she knows how to have a good time.

Plus, she's an avid cook. She's one of the first people I knew who really experimented with her cooking. She shops at the East End Food Co-op and really tries to buy what's best for her family.

These two dishes are Winfrey specials. I'm not sure that she will even remember the exact recipes, but I did, and now they are documented. The first is her mexican mix over rice and the second is peanut butter sauce over rice with kale and feta. Soooooo good.

So the first is her mexican mix over rice. Basically, it involves a bit of olive oil in a frying pan, and one large onion, diced, pan fried until soft. At the same time, start 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and boil. Then add a cup of brown rice, and then simmer on low for 40 minutes. Meanwhile add 1 - 2 cloves of chopped garlic to the fry pan. After another minute or so, I add about a 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a few dashes of red pepper flakes and a hint of hot sauce. Stir that up and then add a can of your favorite beans, drained. I usually use either chick peas, black beans or kidney beans. Add a can of diced tomatoes to the mixture, then salt and pepper. Not long before getting ready to serve, add a generous portion of fresh cilantro. Once the sauce has had time to combine and the rice is done, place some rice in a bowl and add the mixture over top. Grate a healthy portion of cheddar cheese and sprinkle over the top of the sauce. Add 1/2 an avocado and some sour cream and you are good to go. Again, soooo good. And look at the color!

Another favorite of mine from Winfrey is her peanut butter sauce over rice, with kale and feta.

Peanut Butter Sauce with kale and feta over brown rice.

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 medium sized onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp hot sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp fresh lemon
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup H2O

Again, bring to a boil 2 cups of water for 1 cup of brown rice. When boiling, add rice, then bring to a simmer on low, about 40 minutes.

Saute' onions and then garlic in sesame oil. Add cumin, cayenne and hot sauce (I even add a dash or two of red pepper flakes). Then add soy sauce, peanut butter, maple syrup, lemon juice and water. Keep over medium heat until the mixture begins to combine and become smooth. Lower heat and stir until the mixture thickens.

Separately, take a generous handful of kale (a couple of cups at least) and add the juice of a 1/4 - 1/2 a lemon and some olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix with hands. Add cilantro to PB sauce right before serving. Place rice in a bowls and then spoon generous portions of the PB sauce overtop. Add a handful of kale and then throw some diced feta on top. The flavors are amazing!

The little things

Zinnias.....

What more can I say? I love him.

Stream of consiousness...

It is finally raining here & my head is killing me. It is so dark here b/c of the rain. Sawyer is taking the goats out which is nice. Oh, Saben is going to help take the goats out too. Finally my dream is becoming reality! You know, I cut off electronics here for the week. They need some "help" weaning themselves off the boob tube, Wii, Computer, etc. So none of that M-F. Yesterday was the first day & they busied themselves with creative things & were outside more. Then in the eve, I caved & let them watch the Muppets go to Manhattan that they got at the library. But it's my rule so I guess I can modify it. Merritt calls me Cave Mom.
I do hate the electronics (except for my laptop, the internet and my cell & bluetooth, of course!) & would love to get rid of all of them. I am trying to not be too extreme & compromise a bit. Then we stop at my parents yesterday, I leave to run groceries home quick & the kids immediately turn on the tv at my mom's. I come in & tell them off with it. My mom is like "why?". I explain the deal. I think she may have even rolled her eyes! She thinks I am ridiculous with the flax seed waffles & organic maple syrup that no one wants to eat, except me! The kids told me in the car later that she told them I watched tv all the time when i was a kid. i told them she is full of it b/c there was hardly anything on tv when i was a kid. That's why she didn't have to monitor it. Until we got cable in middle school then we had Mtv-wohoo. i also told them just b/c Nana let me "watch tv all the time" according to her, I want them to have a more interesting existence than that. I do love the John Prine song "Blow up your tv, throw away your paper, move to the country, build you a home. Plant a little garden, eat alot of peaches, try to find Jesus on your own". Kind of my inspiration really. On the waffle thing, Saben tells me he will eat waffles so I get these yummy looking organic flax seed waffles & expensive organic real maple syrup. No one likes them. Turns out my mom has pillsbury waffles & junky Aunt Jemima corn syrup & he likes that only. I understand b/c it does taste great, all sugary. Part of our corn addiction. Speaking of which, look for King Corn the movie. Anyway, my mom tells me to just get the good stuff (aka junk) & quit ruining all the fun. She tells me her dad ruined her mom's fabulous waffles making them use sorghum syrup (which I also like) among other things. i forget the other examples. But it was funny. The problem is that when we were little there were not so many choices of junk to eat or junk on tv. My mom didn't have to monitor what we ate b/c we ate freaking swiss chard & even nasty ole liver at dinner without too much trouble b/c that is what we were used to. Then along came doritos & totally warped our taste buds & addicted us to various chemical flavor enhancers. Have you seen Over the Hedge? It is an animated movie for kids. The "deep" meaning I took from it was that the wild animals (aka: children) were content to stockpile bark (aka: zucchini) & eat it all year (aka: canning & freezing so you can eat local all year) until the Racoon (Bruce Willis) shows up & they look over the hedge at the subdivision that went up at some point but they were afraid to look. He goes over there & steals junk food & they get addicted to doritos hence their dependence on 'the man' which fosters descent among the ranks. The struggle continues...

From Saben: "This antidote is very poisonous. Heidi- I miss you. Remember don't drink poisonous antidote." (this is in reference to his test tube filled with Poke berries from yesterday. He also has a pet red wasp named Bob frozen in another test tube). They crack me up! They are out running around in the rain & are now soaked & dirty. Much better than playing Wii & simulating running in the rain! Now they need a funnel...

Busy day today, going to Mt Hope winery north of Manheim to pay for the Ren Faire field trip . I wanted to sample some wine but have to see if my head is better by then. Then off to Lancaster for Latin. Then to Jill's farm south of York to visit the chicken lady & check out her birds. Then home sweet home. No wonder I can't seem to finish painting this house!

These are a few of my favorite things...

Knitting, cooking and football. Not too many things can top that on a rainy Sunday afternoon, in my book. I just finished knitting this hat for my niece Fiona, who will be turning three in a week and a half. I'm lucky enough to be able to make the trip to Pittsburgh to witness it. I'm so excited about this hat because the colors are so vibrant and it is going to look just great on her. She is someone who can really wear bright colors, even if they clash, and still look completely cute. This is her, but now minus the binky, but I couldn't resist this picture. It shows her like she is, one of a kind, doing her own thing.

The pattern is compliments of a neat knitting book called Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, which breaks down projects by the time line in which you can complete them. This is my first finished knitted object in a long time and I'm getting the itch once again.

My newest cooking excursion was to make Pancetta and Turkey meatloaf sandwiches with Arugula mayonnaise, with the help of - you guessed it - my good friend Giada. Paired with sweet potato fries, it made a perfect late afternoon, Sunday meal. I was particularly happy with the Arugula mayonnaise - it just blended together so nicely in the blender, which makes me so happy, since I don't have a large food processor. The salty, vinegary goodness of the sandwiches was balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the sweet potato fries.

And finally, what better way to eat those sandwiches than in front of your favorite sunday football game. Being from Pittsburgh, you pretty much have to sign a waiver to be a Steelers fan until your last breath before dying and display unending enthusiasm. I'm more of a college football girl, but with John playing in no less than three fantasy football leagues, it seems that I'm required this season to convert. And thanks to our new dish system, we can see every Steeler game this year. You can take the girl out of the 'burgh, but you can't take the 'burgh out of the girl. Steelers 34 - Brownies 7. Oh yeah.

Current obsession, part 2

White peach crisp, the Peterborough famer's market and couscous salad.....and the obsession continues. Here is a super-simple recipe, again from my mom, for those gorgeous late summer peaches. I was able to pick up white peaches at the Peterborough farmer's market (more below) and finally used them to make a white peach pie rollup. Regular peaches work just as well, but the whites cut the sweetness just a bit.

White Peach Pie Rollup

8 - 10 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp white sugar
one pre-made store bought crust

Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet or pan with sides. Toss the peaches, flour, brown sugar and white sugar together. Place one round pie crust on the sheet and spoon in the peach mixture, leaving about two inches around the edge. Turn up the edges around the peaches to make a pocket. Check the pie crust temperature on the box and bake accordingly. Add freshly made whipped cream to the top!

And there's nothing like farm stand fare. I've been shopping the Peterborough Farmer's Market almost every Wednesday. I'm able to get freshly baked bread, veggies, eggs, herbs, fresh fish, flowers and more. A sampling of the bounty from this past week - beautiful dark green kale, cherry tomatoes, an 'ugly' tomato and fresh blueberries. I also picked up this flounder, which I pan fried to perfection.


A new friend, Elisha, has a business called Liberty Fish, and delivers fish to people's homes and sells at select farmer's markets in southern New Hampshire. Some of her selections include haddock, flounder, monkfish, salmon, scallops, bass and more. She works with a family-run wholesaler of fresh seafood in Boston and supplies us New Hampshirites with delicious, fresh fish. What an awesome business idea! There is nothing like fresh produce, bread and fish.

I'm really trying to focus more on supporting local farmers, which brings me fresher, more tasty fare. Plus, the farmer's market has a great atmosphere, always with music, right in the center of town. Other vendors sell essential oils, handmade knitting, jewelry, soaps and creams. I also bought these flowers there - gladiolas and sunflowers, to brighten up my dark dining room.


A shout out to Katcha Leigh too, who has yet to start blogging, but we'll give her a pass since she's just moved in the last month to a 40-acre property with multiple houses and buildings, started the new school year home-schooling two kids and has been working diligently on fixing up her new homes! She sent me the following recipe for couscous salad that turned out to be soooo good....I'm now obsessed with that.

Katcha's Couscous salad

one 10-oz package of couscous
1 large carrot, peeled and coursely grated
1/2 medium red pepper, finely minced
2 medium celery ribs, sliced thinly
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 sweet apple, diced in 1/2 inch bites
1 medium cucumber, seeded, peeled and chunked
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

For the dressing
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Prepare couscous per package directions. If you buy bulk, bring two cups of water and 1 tbsp olive oil to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt and add the 10 oz couscous. Bring back to a boil and remove from heat, with lid. Fluff with a fork after five minutes.

Once the couscous has cooled, add all ingredients, except those for the dressing. Some modifications that I made....I skipped the celery, and cut down on the red onion - I used about 1/3 of a medium red onion. I didn't grate the carrot, but sliced it into somewhat thin rounds. Instead of raisins and apples, I substituted blueberries, and I also substituted toasted sunflower seeds for the pine nuts. Finally, I added chunked feta cheese to give it some pop.

Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together. Add the mixture to the couscous salad and mix. So good!