Today is the anniversary in 1837 of the manufacturing by pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins of Worcestershire sauce. Were they bored? What were they thinking? Why?
What is your favorite sauce?
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Words To Live By
Husband stopped working on the Reservation in March, and he became increasingly agitated and scattered as the weeks passed as he adjusted to retirement. He was running around doing all sorts of things at home and around town, and was so exhausted by noon he had to take a nap every day. He talked of getting a part time job at the local butcher shop. It finally dawned on me that he thought that even though he was retired, he had to be as busy as I was working full time. When I mentioned to him that retirement meant he should be doing less than I was doing, he got quiet, sat down, thought for a long time, and then started writing. He wrote:
When you are retired, how much you do matters far less than how well and how lovingly you do it.
I told him those were pretty good words for him to live by right now. He still is busy, but I don’t think he worries so much now about needing to work like he is still working full time.
What are your words to live by for right now?
Dinner For Twelve
Last weekend was a real scramble dealing with all the garden produce that chose to ripen at the same time. We made our tried and true Minestrone ala Milanese recipe from Anna Thomas’ Vegitarian Epicure. It makes twelve or more servings, and I thought what a good thing to have on hand if a Congress of Baboons showed up at the door!
That really got me imagining how I would go about feeding a mixed bunch of vegetarians and omnivores at the same time. I think it could be quite fun. I haven’t settled on a menu yet, but it is fun to think about.
What would you serve at a dinner party for twelve people of differing food preferences?
Seeing Stars
Today marks the anniversary in 1609 of Galileo demonstrating his telescope to the Venetian Senate. Imagine what they must have experienced looking through it. I wonder how they wrapped their minds around what they saw and what they thought they knew about the universe? I hope he demonstrated it at night so they could really see the stars.
What are your favorite Heavenly objects? Have you ever seen stars?
New Toys
Husband’s new smoker/grill arrived on Tuesday. You can see it in the header photo. It is quite the machine, something my dad would have called a “delicate piece of equipment” given all the complexity involved in using it. It is iron, true. It took two trips to the hardware store just to unpack it. We needed a tin snips to cut the thick, wire strapping that secured its protective wrappings. Then we found it was firmly attached to a heavy wooden pallet by screws that had odd heads needing a bit with a square head for the electric screwdriver. I am thankful I managed to remove the screws without stripping them. What would we have done then?!
Husband has waited years for this grill with the same anticipation as a child waiting for a long hoped-for special toy at Christmas. His first smoked sausage and country style pork ribs turned just as he wanted. We are truly blessed with good cooking equipment.
What is the most complex piece of equipment you ever had to operate? What is your favorite cooking vessel or utensil.
Bugs
For the first time ever, we have an infestation of flea beetles in the kohlrabi and cabbage. You can see in the header photo what they did to the kohlrabi leaves in just a couple of days. We very rarely have insect problems in the garden, and usually never have to apply insecticide. This time the Sevin was sprayed vigorously on these tiny, black, flying beetles the size of sesame seeds. We will wait three days to harvest, then all the cabbagey things are getting removed.
I am both fascinated and repelled by insects. I know we need some, like bees, but I wish they weren’t so destructive. People here try to catch flea beetles and take them to the Badlands and put them on Leafy Spurge, an invasive plant that is toxic to cattle and resistant to herbicides. What a wonderful use for them. I like useful insects, but that is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
What are your favorite/least favorite insects? How do you manage them in your garden? What are your feelings about insecticides?
The Great Pepper Mystery
Husband and I started six varieties of peppers from seed this year. We started two sweet red peppers (Spanish Giants and Ajvarskis) and two hot chilis (Joe Parker, a New Mexico Hatch type red chili, and Chimayo, a smaller, hotter, New Mexico red Chili). We also started some Habaneros and Thai chilis for our son
We labeled them and were careful to not mix them up. When we planted, I was certain that all the Joe Parkers were given to my secretary, as we decided at the last minute we didn’t want them. The Thai chilis and one Habanero went to our son, and all the rest, (17 in total) went into our garden. Or so we thought. Imagine my surprise when son sent photos of the alleged Habanero that looked long and slender like a Joe Parker. Two of what I thought were Chimayos also turned out to be Joe Parkers, and now we can’t tell the difference between the Spanish Giants and the Ajvarskis, as their tags got all mixed up when we planted. The header photo shows what I think are, from left to right a Spanish Giant, an Ajvarski, and Chimayo. (The latter are quite easy to discern.)
Husband tried to do a taste test between two big peppers, but they tasted similar. I decided the only way to solve this mystery is to not start any Joe Parkers next year. I should add that the peppers I gave my secretary were doing well until we had a wind storm and a big tree crashed on top of her garden.
What mystery, ancient or modern, would you like to solve?
84 Pounds of Pickles
I have never been able to do math in my head. Husband is far better at it, but last week he failed at basic math hilariously while using a calculator.
Husband found some lovely vegetables at an Adventist farm stand. (Adventists are supposed to be vegetarian, but I find it humorous that some of our most prominent local Adventists are big time cattle ranchers.) We decided to make German refrigerator pickles with them. The recipe called for four quarts of brine and one cauliflower, one carrot, twelve pearl onions, two cucumbers, and two bell peppers. It all had to sit in the brine in a steel pot in the refrigerator for a week.
We have a refrigerator in the basement just for this purpose, but we are always concerned about the weight on the shelves. Husband calculated the weight of everything and worriedly told me that we couldn’t possibly put the brine pot in the fridge because it weighed 84 pounds.
Well, that just didn’t make sense to me, and after some sturm und drang, Husband recalculated and determined it all weighed 8 pounds. The veggies are brining away in the pot in the fridge. Now I can finally tease him about his math skills.
How are your Math skills? What kinds of Math are easiest for you? When have you miscalculated?
Where in the World is VS?
VS and YA are out and about this week. A few clues:
- This county has the most small farms of any US county.
- Fast food mega-chain Jack-in-the-Box was born here.
- Theodor Geisel was one of the most prominent citizens here during his lifetime.
- The largest comic-con in the world is held here.
Where are we?
My Favorite Restaurant
Today’s post is from Steve Grooms
Last September I joined a group of friends who met when we lived together in a dormitory at Grinnell College. David, Jack and Ralph flew into Saint Paul from Boston and the District of Columbia so we could relive old times. Because David made a fortune in the scented candle business, he happily funded the reunion. We would dine in a restaurant two nights. My suggestions about places where the food was good and inexpensive were laughed off. For David, cost is no object. He is used to the very best when dining out near his primary home near Washington, DC.
Since cost was not a factor, I had another suggestion. WA Frost and Company is a splendid old restaurant on Selby Avenue in the Cathedral Hill district. Built late in the 19th century in the Richardson Romanesque style, the Dakota Building, the home of the restaurant, now exudes the charm of an early time. While I had not eaten there in many years, fond memories of the place allowed me to hope it would not disappoint David or my other friends on this special occasion.
The restaurant was as lovely as I’d remembered. The building features arched windows, copper cornices and walls of sandstone and brick. Giant fireplaces provided light and warmth for diners. The room itself was so quiet we could all speak at normal volume as we told stories about our shared past. The wait staff was deft and unobtrusive. The bounty from the kitchen was so good that we kept saying, “This is the best ___ I’ve ever had!”
We had the sort of evening one remembers with a romantic glow. We had expected a great deal, but WA Frost delivered more than anyone could have hoped for. It was perfect.
Other restaurants can be excellent in other ways. The header photo shows Mickey’s Diner, which in its own way is perfect. You don’t go to Mickey’s expecting the elegance and refinement we had at WA Frost, but my last visit to Mickey’s was all we’d hoped it would be.
What memories do you have of a special restaurant, diner, food truck or family eatery? Or do you remember a restaurant that was so bad you can’t forget it?
Trail Baboon 