This & That

Around Here This Week

So around here this week...

This is what the week looks like temperature-wise. Can I please just have summer be like this?? I'd be so happy.

After a slow start in the garden, (and I'm definitely NOT blaming the amazing, cool, rainy spring weather we've had...nope, not its fault) we're starting to see the very first produce coming in. These are garlic scapes and I'll talk about them more in the Tuesday kitchen post. This is the first year I've grown hard neck garlic, which is the way one can grow garlic scapes.

If you remember the rhubarb jelly debacle from last year when I couldn't get it to set to save my life, I was successful this year using a different pectin. The only problem I might have is the fact that Pamona's pectin is a low-sugar variety, and won't set in a higher sugar environment. Rhubarb is really sour, and I'm not sure there's enough sugar in this to satisfy my husband's sweet tooth. We'll have to open a jar and give it a try.

My little row of strawberries is starting to produce as well. They should be ready in the next week or so.

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week, Jack & Leo got to dig around in their sand box. They had a great time and there was sand everywhere, including in their hair.

They had a great time getting dirty.

I always just loved my kids in overalls and my grandkids look just as sweet.

In the Middle

In the middle of all the early summer stuff going on, one of my middling boys has a birthday today.

My Marc in the mid-thirty-ish range today. Not smack-dab, but.....close. I always feel really nostalgic when I look at pictures like this, not only because it brings back memories of my kids when they were little, but it also brings back memories of my red hair. Ah yes.....sigh.

But back to this boy, who was pretty happy as a baby and while he could have his moods (and didn't we all???), he pretty much eventually outgrew most of them.

He was determined, and learned how to channel that into meeting the goals he set for himself.

He also has a pretty fun sense of humor and I really missed it when he left our nest.

He's a very dedicated dad who consciously makes as much time as he can for his family. As with all my kids, it's a joy for me to watch them be the good people they are, doing their best to raise a good next generation with their chosen spouses. I love this boy more than I know how to express. Happy birthday to my Marc!!

Triple Berry Rhubarb Pie

In the kitchen recently...

Some bread baking happened. 

I've been digging through the freezer trying to use older stuff and found some walleye fillets that we baked up one night for dinner. They were pretty good.

Made cookies for the family up at the cabin using my chocolate chip cookie recipe and subbing in some summer-ish M&M's.

My first freeze drying project is done and packaged. I even think it's fairly successful. I freeze-dried some Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I haven’t opened the Mozzarella yet, but I’ve tried rehydrating the Parmesan with good results. I’ve put it on roasted asparagus, and in some mac & cheese. It melted just fine.

That brings us to today’s recipe, which I have on good authority is excellent. It was posted on Instagram by Mel from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, and what caught my eye besides how pretty is was, was the fact that it used rhubarb. It’s growing in my garden right now, and this was the perfect way to use some. It also uses frozen berries, and since I also freeze the rhubarb, this is something I can make year-round. It’s a perfect springtime dessert for using that kind of unusual produce…rhubarb. 

Triple Berry Rhubarb Pie

• Single crust pie dough
• 2 cups diced rhubarb
• 3 cups triple berry frozen berries (don't thaw them)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Pinch of salt

Streusel:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 6 Tablespoons butter

Roll out the pie crust and place in a 9" pan. (Mine was a fairly deep pan...that's probably a pretty good idea.)

Stir together that rhubarb, berries, sugar, cornstarch and salt, and pour into pie crust.

Combine all the streusel ingredients until crumbly, and spread evenly on the pie.

Bake on a foil-lined cookie sheet (to catch drips) at 375° for 75-90 minutes, until the filling bubbles up thick and syrupy. Lay a piece of foil on the top of the pie if it starts to brown too quickly (definitely do this!). Let cool completely until fully set up.

 

 

Sunday Thought

Around Here This Week

So around here this week....

There was a family hike in the Snake River Canyon down to the Snake River. This picture is courtesy of Eric's wife, Elisa.

We gathered for dinner that evening and managed to get almost all the in-town family in a picture.

In the yard, the strawberry plants are starting to get some berries.

And the rose show is getting ready to start.

Sent to me from the kids and grandkids this week, I got this one from Jan, showing me the chicken field trip at her house. Some of these will be living at my house at some point.

She has a bunch of snowball bushes in her front yard which prompted a spring snowball fight.

Gwen's braces came off this week, which was very exciting.

And from Collin's family, poor Sam had another ear infection.

We had Elise, Jack & Leo with us for a few days over the holiday weekend. The had a great time finding puddles in random places,

...and having Beepaw push them on the swings.

Elise even caught them singing together, which lasted until Leo saw himself on the phone.

Current

I've been working hard on my iPad to finish last year's Project Life pages.

Does that mean I'm current on this year's pages?

Why, yes it does.

It's the thing I love the most about the Project Life process....

....the ease with which I can either get caught up as with last year's pages,

or stay caught up as with this year's.

No, I didn't miss a page up there on Week 15.

It had something there that I'll talk about in the future.

In the meantime, this is family history.

These are the everyday things that happen with me,

and with my kids and grandkids that make up a lifetime,

And hopefully none of my posterity will ever have to ask, "What did you do all day?"

Around Here This Week

So around here this week....

Just a short check in. My amazingly lovely peppers have struggled in their transplanting, but I see new growth coming that looks pretty robust. I wish I could say the same for my wilting, sissy-pants tomatoes, who look like they want to retire to their fainting couch with some smelling salts.

My husband saw this next door and had to document it...although I don't know that he'd call it that.

He has a picture of not only one buck, but three different ones. I didn't want to send my son's heart rates up too high. Some of them are reaching advanced ages, you know.

I ran the freeze dryer through it's required bread test. You have to freeze dry bread slices to make sure everything is working properly. This meant I had to go to the store and actually purchase a loaf of bread. I didn't want to use the homemade we usually have to try the freeze dryer  and then just throw it away. The bread test is also to absorb the "new car" smells.

Not much from kids and grandkids this week. I got these pictures from Jan.....Evan's wife. She calls it "light vandalism" as she....

.....took the boys to paint the phoenix outside their school. They look pretty proud of themselves.

 

Walking the Yard

Walking around the yard recently, things are very literally unfolding. The Hostas seem to open more almost by the minute.

My bank of lilacs are in full swing and you can smell them from the driveway several yards away. 

I have some pink ones that bloom later, but I do love the massive wall of blooms that show up in May.

My first peony has tarted to to bust out.

As Long as You Salute When You Say It

Collin's birthday is always a little bittersweet for me.

He's my most far-away kiddo, so it's a rare thing for us to be together on his birthday.

Several of my children have aspects of my personality, but I think Collin's psyche is the one most generally similar to mine.

Like me, he likes written-down plans and checklists. Also like me, while he doesn't like his plans messed with, he's had to become more flexible as his family grows and changes. (I really, REALLY hate that word, though. Strong language, but there it is.)

He has a powerful sense of what's fair and what's not, what's right and what's not, and he's willing to go to the mat for it. That makes his military attorney choice of profession, fairly logical.

I'm proud of his sense of duty and service, and I love him as I love all my children, and I miss him more than is possible to say. Happy birthday to my Collin!!!

In the Kitchen

Kitchen work this week has been very sporadic. We were out of town at my in-law's for the celebration, and my husband has been back and forth to his parent's house a couple of times since then.

On the last really chilly day we had, I pulled several jars off the storage room shelves, some garlic and chopped onion out of the freezer...

...and put together some Creamy Garlic Tomato Soup. I tried the breadsticks from the Bountiful Kitchen cookbook and they're pretty deadly.

I had some sausage gravy in the freezer, so I made a batch of Butter Biscuits for biscuits and gravy one evening. Those biscuits are just so good.

We had a yummy Mother's Day dinner. Marc grilled chicken and shrimp and the rest of us contributed the side dishes and dessert. This is the usual way our Sunday family dinners work, except I'm the one who usually does the protein. This creamy pasta was what I decided to make for the meal, and I found it here. I way overdid the quantities by doubling this recipe. It's supposed to serve 6. I think I had at least half of my doubled recipe left over, which I divvied up between the kids and sent home with them. This is really good...I mean, garlic, cream, butter....it's hard to find something not to like in the ingredient list. You could also add just about any cooked protein....chicken, shrimp, Italian sausage....and any leftover vegetables you have floating around to make it more of a complete meal. 

Creamy Garlic Pasta

• 16 ounces penne pasta (I used a curvy macaroni. I think any sturdy pasta will work fine.)
• 1  cup chicken stock/broth/bouillon 
• 1/4 cup butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into chunks (I didn't bother to cut it up. It mixed in just fine as the sauce heated up. I just mushed it around in the pan.)
• 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic (I used my frozen garlic scoops)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 8 ounces parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. When done, drain the pasta and put it back in the large pot.

Warm the chicken broth in the microwave. It doesn't need to be boiling, just nice and warm.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the cream cheese, minced garlic, garlic powder, dried parsley flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.

Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream, and parmesan cheese. Whisk together and let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat, continuing to whisk frequently while simmering.

Once the sauce is done pour over the noodles, stir well, and serve. Serves 6 generously.