Shorter days mean less time to garden, but more time to play in the kitchen. I'd been dying to try my newest gadget.
Total disappointment.
Creme brulee being industrialized:
And a few pipes soldered too!
Milk, eggs and sugar, with ginger root infusion. My idea of divine. Not universally shared--in the 19th century, Ambrose Bierce wrote that it is "A detestable substance produced by a malevolent conspiracy of the hen, the cow and the cook".
With Dad here as my taste testing panel, we've had fun over the past couple of weeks. I dug deep in my 30 year old box of recipe clippings. The less conventional, the better.
Roasted cauliflower with kalamata olives and lime juice. Bizarre, yet, so much better than plain with butter.
Stuffed shells with lentils... weird, let's try it!
Other oddities from my files:
Turkey-Quinoa Chimichurri. Strange but so good. The topping is capers and artichoke.
Mushroom and goat cheese tartlets:
Puff pastry is fun to eat!
It was more than play though. Part of my goal was to stock up the freezer with healthy food to tide me through after my knee surgery.
No baby portions in this household!
Fearing that my father had grown too accustomed to a full night's sleep, I started a chili, white bean and sausage soup and beef bourgignon at 4 AM... on a workday. FYI there is no way to chop onions quietly.
He soon forgave me.
But one must continuously push the envelope. "Hey Dad, come help me finish digging up a few sweet potatoes..."
Almost past our bedtime and we're hauling our load into the house to dry and cure on canvas.
6 different heirloom varieties, even a purple skin purple fleshed one from Indonesia. We be rich, Cole!
Speaking of rich... I practiced a Kahlua chocolate cheesecake recipe two days ago.
Life is sweet here on the farm!
