Stephanie says

Just a typical Monday until Terry stumbled past my office saying “Call an ambulance, I’ve got a puncture in my thigh.”   I called 911; all the while hearing commotion down the hall, no clue what is happening.   I’m in hyperdrive and everyone else is in slo-mo but eventually the ambulance has dispatched and I can hang up the phone.   I follow voices down the hall to the lunchroom and there Terry lies on the floor, head resting on a roll of paper towels; Rance has cut his left pant leg off at the thigh to check the damage, dark blood soaked into the remnant.   I think I might faint. He’s not bleeding out.   He looks a little panicked (or probably that’s me) so I stroke his forehead.   Which calms me – a bit.   I hear the ambulance crew at the front door and get them directed.   Whew.   He’s gonna be okay.     It’s off to the emergency room for us.   The wickedly sharp 30 inch wood splinter spit from a saw missed the ...

It strikes me that I have very tasty leftovers to repurpose, (not exactly the word I'm seeking but wafting aromas of warming fish and corn tortillas are clouding my brain.)  There's a lone hazelnut crusted halibut steak sitting in the fridge.  There's a packet of corn tortillas.  Fish tacos is the obvious answer tonight. I made salsa: Diced garlic Diced onion Diced tomato Diced avocado Diced pickled jalapenos Black beans, rinsed and drained Splash of olive oil Splash of blackberry vinegar Salt, pepper, cumin Heated the fish on the tortilla, added the salsa.  And it was excellent.  The fish was moist, the salsa flavorful, the tortilla crisp. Good job Steph. A very good salesperson (okay, being politically correct.)  A very good salesman blew through Coos County circa 1950 and sold a set of these pans to damn near every woman who'd graduated high school within four or five years.  I snagged this from my mother, who foolishly let me h...

Tyler and baby Henry are here for a visit so I’m enjoying having an appreciative diner in-house, (Henry is toothless and on a liquid diet.)   They do provide distraction to the detriment of my cooking however.   At least, I guess that’s what happened yesterday. I baked a batch of cookies first thing to accompany an almond pudding for dessert. I was congratulating myself for saving the last egg in the house for the pudding and entirely overlooked adding any sugar.   I discovered this after I’d cooked the pudding so I improvised by adding honey since it’s already liquid.   The dinner menu was Hazelnut-coated Halibut steaks on a bed of **grilled Romaine lettuce with a blackberry Gastrique sauce and a fresh Corn Salad.   Pretty straight forward cooking.   I allowed 45 minutes for the mesquite chips to achieve temperature in my Smoky Joe bbq-uer where I planned to grill corn-on-the-cob followed by the lettuce.       I got the ...

When was the last time I had one of these in the back seat?  That was not a rhetoric question.  Answer:  decades ago.  My baby is flying in tomorrow with her baby and I'm picking them up at the airport. I bought a car seat for visits to grand-mama (that's me; I know it's shocking for moi to be a grandparent.  It was shocking enough becoming a parent.)  It's been sitting upstairs in a big box for months.  Today was the day to get it installed in the car.  It was over 90 degrees outside, and much hotter in the car as I  struggled in the cramped backseat, reading glasses perched on my sweating nose, trying to figure out how exactly to install this thing.  I remember this being easier back in the day my girl was riding in a car seat, lo some 30 years ago.  Even easier in my day, sans any car seat or seat belt whatsoever as my siblings and I rolled around in the backseat of the station wagon while Mom smoked numerous cigarettes in the ...

Harvested from my garden yesterday. Today: fine art.  Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan.

I have a vague recollection Mrs. Helton was a contemporary of my dear 1st grade school teacher mother-in-law, (I'm not being sarcastic, my MIL is an absolute delight.  I was so fortunate.) I've had this mimeographed recipe since the 1970s and I'll bet I've made it at least once every year since.   Because it is wonderful. Simple.  Lactose free.  Pretty much says it. I've been cooking and collecting recipes since Home-Ec in middle school - and  my tastes have expanded from exposure to so many cultures.  Yep, I'm a foodie.  This recipe is a keeper, just to state the obvious. Happy birthday Teresa, whose birthday is today, but I thought it was tomorrow because I can't check my calendar... Raisins or any dried fruit is good to add - but Teresa hates raisins.  Go figure.  The cake has a hard crust; the inside is soft and rich with apples.  Let them eat cake.  Tomorrow.  And we are all going to love this most simpl...

This is a different spin from my usual meatball soup recipe which is more like minestrone in a tomato based broth with kidney beans, meatballs, and spaghetti noodles. Having leftover leek-potato soup and leftover meatballs set me to thinking about a white broth soup base.   So here goes: 1 lb potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked in water (10 minutes or so depending on dice size).   When fork tender, drain off water. Add to the pot: 1-1/2 Quart Leek-Potato Soup 15 oz can great northern beans, rinsed & drained 8-1/2 ounces spicy pork meatballs (quartered to be bite-size) Heat slowly – when piping hot, add grated 1 heel smoked gouda   2 oz (I’m not too sure how this will melt, but it should impart a smoky flavor regardless.) Add pinches of kosher salt until well seasoned.   Ground black pepper is also good.   Parsley. Great flavor.   I haven’t made cream style soups much; probably from eating some that were more lik...

I had leftover heavy cream from the potato leek soup.  What to do, what to do?  Ohh, I have Rhubarb-Rosewater syrup just waiting to be tried. Rose Water Mousse came to mind.  And I'm so glad it did. This time out, I swapped buttermilk (cleaning out the fridge...) for yogurt with excellent results. The Rhubard-Rosewater syrup is a perfect accent for the not particularly sweet filling.  I'm completely hooked on this concoction.  Finished off with a drizzle of blackberry syrup and a few berries and it was fabulous.  I maybe could have shot a better photo, but.... See Rhubarb-Rosewater Syrup Recipe