Adam coming out of the hay bale maze at the Oregon Heritage Farm.This was such a beautiful week! We have had a lot of cool mornings that are crisp, clear and sunny. It has been such a delight! As the gardening season comes to a close there are still things to see and do out in the garden. However, with Halloween approaching, lesson planning for my teaching and other activities my attention has been mostly focused indoors. I hope to explore a bit more in the garden when I can and harvest the remaining tomatoes and herbs to freeze very soon.
Suburban Garden:
I took a quick walk around the back yard today because I wanted to capture some of the fall colors. I came upon these two spectacular views of fall! Enjoy!
I love the deep red color of the leaves on our Japanese maple tree this time of year!
The details and color of this strawberry leaf are lovely!
Country Garden:
As we were invited to tea last Friday at our friend's house we did not visit the country garden this week. However, I know that my mom is still working on harvesting the last of the corn and tomatoes. On Saturday when we were there in the evening I saw her kitchen counter full of ripening tomatoes. She is getting the best out of her harvest and I know she will be happy she did.
Some of the corn in the country garden ready to be harvested.
A Lovely Tea with Friends:
Me with Adam, Suzanne's son Padriac, Suzanne and her mom Linda.
This past Friday we had the good fortune of being invited by our friend Suzanne to tea. She lives in the Oregon City area and we got to know her through the farmer's market where we had our baked goods booth "Farmer's Tea." She was one of our best customers and we always were delighted to chat with her and her two wonderful boys Padriac and Owen.
Suzanne had such a lovely spread of quiche with spinach and carrot, light and fluffy scones with raspberry jam, her mom's famous pumpkin bread made with freshly roasted pumpkin, tea, and sparkling fruit punch. I didn't manage to get pictures of the food as we were having such fun chatting together that it was mostly gone by the time we took our group photo to remember this event by.
We really enjoyed our time together. Thank you Suzanne for letting us stop by to visit and providing us with such lovely food. She is a very talented cook!
A Trip to Oregon Heritage Farms:
This past weekend we took a trip out to Oregon Heritage Farms in Hillsboro, Oregon. It was a lot of fun for Adam. They had a high school ski team fundraiser going on that included hay mazes, a hay ride and much more. Adam especially enjoyed the covered hay maze. They had small flashlights for the kids to use inside the maze. It was hard to take Adam home because he kept wanting to go in the maze time after time! While at the farm we also took a hay ride and tour around the farm. They had row after row of honey-crisp apple trees. We were able to see the lovely pond on the property as well as two of the five houses built on the farm. We also noticed the people picking apples in the fields were having lunch. They were heating up fresh, homemade tortillas on camp stoves during their break. Before heading home we bought a few honey-crisp apples along with some corn and a squash to cook.
Adam in the open hay maze at Oregon Heritage Farms in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The amazing pond on the farm property.
The apple trees are loaded with honey-crisp apples.
Adam on the hay ride around the apple farm.
Cooking:
This week I made a new dish and one of my favorites. I am finding that I am cooking more vegetarian dishes than before and I am really enjoying them. It is also more cost effective to buy less meat and causes us to eat more healthy vegetables too. I am still working on menu planning. I am now realizing that I only need to plan about 4 meals a week and weekend breakfasts because I generally cook on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach my ESL classes and I make sure to cook enough on Mondays and Wednesdays to have leftovers. Enjoy the following recipes:
Broccoli Cheese Soup:
This is a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I put homemade garlic croutons on top of the soup for an extra special touch. It is so creamy, delicious and filling!
A delicious and creamy broccoli cheese soup.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch-thick pieces.
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Table salt
3-4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (if you want to make vegetarian soup you can use veggie broth instead)
2 ounces baby spinach (2 loosely packed cups)
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (about 3/4 cup), plus extra for serving
Ground black pepper
1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
2. Add broth and 2 cups water and increase heat to medium high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup.
3. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup of water. (I did not end up adding any extra water because I like the creamy texture of the soup). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve the soup with garlic croutons (recipe to follow) on top and extra Parmesan cheese.
Garlic Croutons:
I had some old sourdough hot dog buns in the refrigerator that were still good. So, I decided to create these croutons with them to top the soup.
Chicken Hawaii:
This is one of my favorite recipes. I clipped it out of Gourmet magazine when it was still around. I cherish these clippings because the magazine isn't around anymore. I have fond memories of looking through my Grandma Pedersen's Gourmet magazines at her house. She always proudly displayed the latest copy on a shelf in the living room.
A lovely tropical twist on curry chicken!
The condiments for the chicken: (clockwise) large flaked coconut, pineapple, dried, chopped mango & raisins, and chopped peanuts.
Ingredients:
Serves 4
1 (3-3 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 large onion, chopped (1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 13 1/2 to 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (not low fat)
Accompaniments: rice (I usually serve brown rice), cubes or chunks of fresh or canned pineapple, raisins, coconut flakes, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, chopped dried mango or mango chutney.
1. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Heat oil in a 6-8 quart heavy pot or Dutch oven over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in batches (without crowding), turning over occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate as cooked, reserving fat in pot.
3. Add onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf to fat in pot and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is browned, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and flour and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in sugar (if using), coconut milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Return chicken and any juices accumulated on the plate to the pot and then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
5. Discard cinnamon sticks and bay leaf. Season with salt, then transfer to a shallow serving dish.
6. Serve chicken over rice and topped with remaining accompaniments of your choice. Enjoy!
Building with Daddy:
This weekend (as many days) Adam wanted to get out his legos and build things with Daddy. It was wonderful to see when Adam wanted to make sure both he and Daddy had their hard hats on. He delighted in this activity!
I took a quick walk around the back yard today because I wanted to capture some of the fall colors. I came upon these two spectacular views of fall! Enjoy!
I love the deep red color of the leaves on our Japanese maple tree this time of year!
The details and color of this strawberry leaf are lovely!Country Garden:
As we were invited to tea last Friday at our friend's house we did not visit the country garden this week. However, I know that my mom is still working on harvesting the last of the corn and tomatoes. On Saturday when we were there in the evening I saw her kitchen counter full of ripening tomatoes. She is getting the best out of her harvest and I know she will be happy she did.
Some of the corn in the country garden ready to be harvested.A Lovely Tea with Friends:
Me with Adam, Suzanne's son Padriac, Suzanne and her mom Linda.This past Friday we had the good fortune of being invited by our friend Suzanne to tea. She lives in the Oregon City area and we got to know her through the farmer's market where we had our baked goods booth "Farmer's Tea." She was one of our best customers and we always were delighted to chat with her and her two wonderful boys Padriac and Owen.
Suzanne had such a lovely spread of quiche with spinach and carrot, light and fluffy scones with raspberry jam, her mom's famous pumpkin bread made with freshly roasted pumpkin, tea, and sparkling fruit punch. I didn't manage to get pictures of the food as we were having such fun chatting together that it was mostly gone by the time we took our group photo to remember this event by.
We really enjoyed our time together. Thank you Suzanne for letting us stop by to visit and providing us with such lovely food. She is a very talented cook!
A Trip to Oregon Heritage Farms:
This past weekend we took a trip out to Oregon Heritage Farms in Hillsboro, Oregon. It was a lot of fun for Adam. They had a high school ski team fundraiser going on that included hay mazes, a hay ride and much more. Adam especially enjoyed the covered hay maze. They had small flashlights for the kids to use inside the maze. It was hard to take Adam home because he kept wanting to go in the maze time after time! While at the farm we also took a hay ride and tour around the farm. They had row after row of honey-crisp apple trees. We were able to see the lovely pond on the property as well as two of the five houses built on the farm. We also noticed the people picking apples in the fields were having lunch. They were heating up fresh, homemade tortillas on camp stoves during their break. Before heading home we bought a few honey-crisp apples along with some corn and a squash to cook.
Adam in the open hay maze at Oregon Heritage Farms in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The amazing pond on the farm property.
The apple trees are loaded with honey-crisp apples.
Adam on the hay ride around the apple farm. Cooking:
This week I made a new dish and one of my favorites. I am finding that I am cooking more vegetarian dishes than before and I am really enjoying them. It is also more cost effective to buy less meat and causes us to eat more healthy vegetables too. I am still working on menu planning. I am now realizing that I only need to plan about 4 meals a week and weekend breakfasts because I generally cook on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I teach my ESL classes and I make sure to cook enough on Mondays and Wednesdays to have leftovers. Enjoy the following recipes:
Broccoli Cheese Soup:
This is a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I put homemade garlic croutons on top of the soup for an extra special touch. It is so creamy, delicious and filling!
A delicious and creamy broccoli cheese soup.Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds broccoli, florets roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces, stems trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch-thick pieces.
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Table salt
3-4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (if you want to make vegetarian soup you can use veggie broth instead)
2 ounces baby spinach (2 loosely packed cups)
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated fine (about 3/4 cup), plus extra for serving
Ground black pepper
1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli, onion, garlic, dry mustard, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 cup water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
2. Add broth and 2 cups water and increase heat to medium high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer soup to medium bowl and repeat with remaining soup.
3. Return soup to Dutch oven, place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 cup of water. (I did not end up adding any extra water because I like the creamy texture of the soup). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Serve the soup with garlic croutons (recipe to follow) on top and extra Parmesan cheese.
Garlic Croutons:
I had some old sourdough hot dog buns in the refrigerator that were still good. So, I decided to create these croutons with them to top the soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 (3/4 inch thick) slices French bread (or any stale extra bread or buns you have around), cut into cubes
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add bread cubes, and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and dry. Check frequently to prevent burning. Cool.
Chicken Hawaii:
This is one of my favorite recipes. I clipped it out of Gourmet magazine when it was still around. I cherish these clippings because the magazine isn't around anymore. I have fond memories of looking through my Grandma Pedersen's Gourmet magazines at her house. She always proudly displayed the latest copy on a shelf in the living room.
A lovely tropical twist on curry chicken!
The condiments for the chicken: (clockwise) large flaked coconut, pineapple, dried, chopped mango & raisins, and chopped peanuts.Ingredients:
Serves 4
1 (3-3 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
1 large onion, chopped (1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1 13 1/2 to 15 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (not low fat)
Accompaniments: rice (I usually serve brown rice), cubes or chunks of fresh or canned pineapple, raisins, coconut flakes, chopped peanuts, lime wedges, chopped dried mango or mango chutney.
1. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
2. Heat oil in a 6-8 quart heavy pot or Dutch oven over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in batches (without crowding), turning over occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate as cooked, reserving fat in pot.
3. Add onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaf to fat in pot and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is browned, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder and flour and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in sugar (if using), coconut milk, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Return chicken and any juices accumulated on the plate to the pot and then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
5. Discard cinnamon sticks and bay leaf. Season with salt, then transfer to a shallow serving dish.
6. Serve chicken over rice and topped with remaining accompaniments of your choice. Enjoy!
Building with Daddy:
This weekend (as many days) Adam wanted to get out his legos and build things with Daddy. It was wonderful to see when Adam wanted to make sure both he and Daddy had their hard hats on. He delighted in this activity!
Paul and Adam building with legos with their construction hats on.I hope you enjoy your week as we go into fall. Next week I'll share some homemade Halloween costumes we have been working on as well as more recipes! Enjoy!
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4 comments:
I love your many colorful pics and recipes. I'll be trying your soup recipe for sure. I'm also thinking about trying some new vegetarian dishes. Thanks for sharing your blog. I just started a new blog on blogspot called normandeausonthemove. Blogging is fun and I like to be able to look back at how the kids have grown and what we were up to. Your blog is so great!
Thank you so very much Annie! I'm happy that you'll try the soup recipe. I really enjoyed reading your blog too. It is nice to remember things about the kids and what we are all doing on a daily basis. You are a great mom and have such a lovely family. I look forward to reading more on your blog soon! Good luck with moving into your new home.
As usual...great pictures. It's fun to see Adam having so much fun! The broccoli soup sounds wonderful and the perfect thing for our rapidly cooling days and evenings. The fall colors here are glorious right now and will probably be good for anotherv week. I love fall!!
Aunt Echo, thank you so very, very much! I am glad you like the soup recipe- it was so delicious and we really enjoyed it! Wow, I would love to see the fall colors in your area, they sound spectacular! Enjoy the fall!
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