Thursday, January 21, 2010

One Down....


.....lots more to go.

But at least that's a start!

This is a very simplified version of *Around the World* pattern. I made it much smaller and more simple, and I think it makes a nice baby quilt.

It's going in my hope chest... :)



Friday, January 15, 2010

French Fries

I've been making these a lot lately, and they are absolutely delicious.

The bitties love them too.

It is still not a perfect nutritional choice, but is a better alternative to store-bought fries. It's a great snack if you are craving something with a lot of carbs.

I make them by cutting the taters with a special kitchen utensil that Mama got a long time ago. I'm not sure what it's called, but it works great.

I throw all the cut taters in a big bowl, spray on quite a bit of olive oil, add a lot of Celtic sea salt, and toss them round and round.



That's all there is to it. Well, you do gotta cook 'em. :)
Just spread them out on a stoneware, set the oven to 400 degrees, and wait...

And then enjoy!
I'm tellin' you, they are very, very good!



But you know what? I got to thinkin', they really shouldn't be called French fries.
Seein' as I am not French, and seein' as I bake 'em rather than fry 'em.

I dunno. What should they be called?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Rules for the South

I got this as an E-mail a while back and thought it was pretty good.


Rules For Visiting The South
If you are going to live or visit in the
South, you need to know these rules.



1. That farm boy you see at the gas station did more work before breakfast than you do all week at the gym.



2. It's called a "gravel road." No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Navigator.
Drive it or get out of the way.


3. The red dirt -- it's called clay. Red clay. If You
like the color, don't wash your car for a couple weeks
-- it'll be permanent.


4. We all started hunting and fishing when we were
seven years old. Yeah, we saw Bambi. We got over it.


5. Go ahead and bring your $600 Orvis Fly Rod. Don't
cry to us if a flathead breaks it off at the handle.
We have a name for those little 13-inch trout you fish for -- bait.


6. Pull your pants up. You look like an idiot.


7. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of Mallards
are making their final approach, we will shoot it. You might want to ensure it's not up to your ear at the time.


8. No, there's no "Vegetarian Special" on the
menu. Order steak. Order it rare. Or, you can order the
Chef's Salad and pick off the two pounds of ham and turkey.


9. Tea - yeah, we have tea. It comes in a glass over
ice and is sweet. You want it hot -- sit it in the
sun. You want it unsweetened -- add a lot of water.


10. You bring Coke into my house, it better be brown,
wet, and served over ice.


11. So you have a sixty thousand-dollar car. We're
real impressed. We have a quarter of a million-dollar
combine that we only use two weeks a year.


12. Let's get this straight. We have one stoplight In
town. We stop when it's red. We may even stop when it's yellow.


13. We eat dinner together with our families. We pray before we eat (yeah, even breakfast). We still address our seniors with "yes, sir" and "yes,
ma'am," and we sometimes still take Sunday drives around town to see friends and neighbors.


14. We don't do "hurry up" well.


15. Greens - yeah, we have greens, but you don't putt
on them. You boil them with salty fatback, bacon or a
ham hock.


16. Yeah, we eat catfish, bass, bream (pronounced brim), and carp. You really want sushi and caviar? It's available at the bait shop.


17. They are pigs. That's what they smell like. Get over it. Don't like it? Interstate 85 goes two ways - Interstate 40 goes the other two. Pick one.


18. Grits are corn. You put butter, salt, and maybe even some pepper on them. If you want to put milk and sugar on them , then you want Cream of Wheat - go to Kansas. That would be I-40 west.



19. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season or turkey season. Both are holidays. You can get pancakes, maple syrup, and sausage before daylight at the church on either day.


20. So every person in every pickup waves? Yeah, it's called being friendly. Understand the concept?


21. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don't hit in the water hazards. It spooks the fish and bothers the gators - and if you hit it in the rough, we have these things called diamondbacks, and they're not baseball players.



22 . That Highway Patrol Officer that just pulled you over for driving like an idiot -- his name is "Sir," no matter how young he is.



23 We have lots of pine trees. They have sap. It drips from them. You park your Navigator under them, and they'll leave a logo on your hood.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Raw Pizza

I tried this yesterday and it was so very yummy. It wasn't hard to make at all, and I thought I'd share the recipe.

Raw Pizza Dough
1 lb almond meal
1/4 c water
Herbs of choice

To make the dough pour in 1/4 c water to start with. Add more as needed until the consistency dough is reached. I ended up using about 1/2 cup. Mix with a spoon or knead or whatever. Add as much salt or herbs as you see fit. I added oregano, basil, and a dash of garlic powder.




Now you knead and roll it out like a pizza crust and place it on your dehydrator tray.



I dehydrated it for about six hours.

In the meantime, I made a raw "Ricotta Cheese" to put on top.

Raw "Cheese"
1 c almonds (soaked)
1/2 c cashews
1 c water
1 tsp lemon juice
garlic if desired

Throw the almond and cashews in your food processor or high-falutin' blender, and blend until the desired consistency is reached. Add the water, salt, and lemon juice and blend a bit more. There ya go. It's best if you put in the refrigerator for a few hours. I actually took some baby carrots and dipped them in there, and that was very good. So this could actually double as a dip.





Well, this is what my "pizza" looked like once I was done. (This is the small one, it also made a big one) I added the raw "cheese", spinach leaves, sunflower seeds, and maters. The topping possibilities are endless! It was really, really yummy.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The Seeds Are Here!!

Imagine how happy I was when the bitties went to get the mail and then hollared, "Jess!! Your seeds are here!!!"

Very happy!