In a Rut

i often find myself in a cooking rut, rotating the same tried and true recipes. so i've been trying to expand my horizons...finding new recipes...using ingredients i've never used before....
i always use frozen brussels sprouts and cook them according to directions. last week i sauteed fresh brussels sprouts and garlic in olive oil and butter. wow. a whole new world.

a few days ago i treated myself to this special issue of victoria magazine. "bliss" is a pretty good description. sigh....

in it i found a recipe for butternut squash and fennel mash. i've been especially looking for vegetable recipes so this caught my attention. 

 photo from victoria holiday bliss magazine 2011

also, i've never used either ingredient before. so i stopped on the way home and bought the fennel and squash and made it for dinner yesterday. it is really good!  so if you want to try something a little different, here's the recipe.


butternut squash and fennel mash
from victoria holiday bliss magazine, 2011


8 slices bacon
3 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head fennel, trimmed and chopped
1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 tsp. coarse salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
garnish: crumbled bacon and fresh thyme leaves

1. in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook bacon for 8-10 minutes, turning frequently, until browned. remove bacon, reserving 3 tablespoons grease. cool bacon completely; crumble and set aside.
2. add butter to reserved bacon grease. add garlic, and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. add fennel, squash, salt, and pepper. cover with 1 inch water. bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer over medium-high heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
3. drain in a large colander; return squash and fennel to pot. stir over medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until dry. add milk and cream; mash with a potato masher until creamy, or desired consistency is reached. garnish with reserved crumbled bacon and fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
(makes 6-8 servings)


i followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. this is definitely something i would make again. 
i served it with steamed haddock and a side salad. 

Evening

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."   

~ John Burroughs

Ah, Fall....!!

sunday was pretty much a perfect day. beautiful sunshine, a hint of autumn in the air, a fall festival, and all my family together for the day. the times i have all four of my kids home at the same time are rare and therefore very precious. i actually have five kids...jill is our unofficial adopted daughter. we love her and she's stuck with us.  :)

this was two tops weekend, our first of a couple months of fall festivals. good food, fleas, tractor shows, entertainment, pumpkins and gourds, crafts...it doesn't get any better than this. i didn't take pics because i didn't want to have to carry my camera. needed my hands free for fleas.  got some good ones, too.

a tin bowl full of napkin rings for $1.  yes, $1.

a set of 8 turkeys for thanksgiving!

i couldn't pass up this white ironstone covered bowl, despite a small chip in the lid. it was only $1, too.  it had to belong to someone's grandmother, and needed to be taken home and loved.


my 16th star votive candle holder for 75 cents. i've been finding and collecting these for years.  

i rummaged through a box of mixed utensils for silverplate. the box was marked 25 cents apiece, but when i took it to the seller, he gave it all to me for $3.  


a little silver polish and a little elbow grease.....

love this transformation!

my grand total....$5.75 !!  not bad.  oh yeah. add $3 for a bag of kettle corn. a fall festival must!

Woodmont Lodge

this gorgeous, massive building is woodmont lodge. it is located about seven miles southwest of hancock, maryland and situated on what was the former woodmont rod and gun club, comprising approximately 3,425 acres.  the club was formed by a group of wealthy and influential businessmen from washington, dc who decided to purchase the acreage after being invited by local residents to enjoy the abundant hunting and fishing in the area. a clubhouse was built and used as a retreat for the powerful men of washington for many years, until the clubhouse and all records burned in 1903. the club disbanded and the land was sold in 1908 to a group of wealthy businessmen formed by henry bridges, a lawyer from hancock. a clubhouse was built the first year and was replaced in 1930 by this magnificent structure. in 1995 the maryland department of natural resources and the izzak walton league purchased woodmont lodge along with 3400 acres and entered into a unique agreement.  the izzak walton league formed a local chapter to manage 1400 acres and the lodge. from october 1st to march 31st each year they have exclusive use of the land and lodge. the remaining 2000 acres are for year round public use.  however, the lodge is only open to the public twice a year, once in september and once in the spring. we were fortunate enough to hear about the open house in time to take advantage of this infrequent opportunity this past saturday. 

the lodge has had some famous guests....six u.s. presidents, various senators and congressmen, babe ruth, amos and andy (the original radio performers, not the tv actors), gene tunney, and richard mellon to name a few.  i had to look up gene tunney. according to wickipedia, he was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1926-1928 who defeated jack dempsey twice in 1926 and 1927. tunney's successful title defense against dempsey was one of the most famous bouts in boxing history. a little trivia, no charge. 

it was so worth the visit. what a beautiful place!  huge rooms, massive wood beams, big stone fireplaces.

 

the lighting looked like something out of a medieval castle.

 

beautiful antique furniture....

collectibles...

this racing toy is similar to one that kevin kline's character played with in the presidential quarters in the movie "dave", with sigourney weaver.

the lodge had quite an assortment of game trophies, as one might expect...many having seen better days. 

 

to each his own.

however, what really stole my heart was the two huge porches...both the entire length of the lodge.  and so deep.  i could have sat out there all day. the weather was beautiful. cool with gentle breezes. the views wonderful. the main floor porch had gorgeous stone arches and was equipped with rocking chairs, benches and tables and chairs. you were greeted upon arrival by two concrete watchdogs.

 

 

the second floor porch was rife with possibilities.  i was dreaming the entire time.

there would definitely have to be a hanging platform for a mattress for outdoor napping and reading.

and again, the views... 

gary, nathan and i decided we definitely could stand to live there.  grin. 

Jeff and Cereal, and a Really Good Sandwich

it's so funny how the littlest things will spark a memory. i often think of my nephew jeff when i eat breakfast. jeff and my son adam are about the same age, and were real buddies growing up. when jeff stayed with us i had to be sure i had more than one kind of cereal available. if i set out, say five boxes of cereal, he had a bowl of a mixture of some of each. i used to laugh and shake my head. guess who now can not eat just one kind of cereal?  when i have cereal for breakfast, it's a bowl of spoonsize shredded wheat, cranberry almond crunch, and go lean crunch. topped with blueberries or bananas depending on what's available. i wouldn't think of eating just one kind at a time. 
cheers, jeff!

i've covered breakfast, so i want to share with you a delicious sandwich for lunch.  nothing earthshakingly new, but so good.  for years one of my favorite summer sandwiches has been toasted cheese and tomato. sorry...grilled cheese and tomato. i asked my grandkids once if they wanted a toasted cheese sandwich and they looked at me like i had two heads. anyway, next time you make one for yourself, add a layer of pesto. i didn't grow any basil this year so i just used store bought. i also used amish made whole wheat bread from my trip to the farmers market.  
talk about a yummers, easy sandwich. 

also, i've come to the conclusion that in order to become good at food photography one must not be hungry.  when shooting my cereal all i could think of was to get a couple good shots before it got soggy. i hate soggy cereal.

and while shooting the sandwich i hurried for a decent picture because i was starving and wanted to eat it while it was still hot. you really get a lot less choosy.

i need to work on my timing.   

Jealous...Of Me?

very seldom is there any reason for anyone to be jealous of me. but my son, adam, is.  within a period of three days, i experienced seeing a rattlesnake and being in an earthquake. now, how lucky can you get?  i guess it's all a matter of perspective. granted, i was in the protective custody of my car for the snake. and the earthquake was over before we figured out what we had just felt. also, i have to admit that neither event was one i'd like to have happen more that once. but i do have to also admit...
they were cool. 

i mean no disrespect to those who have experienced truly tragic events, but i confess, i had to chuckle at this pic posted on pinterest.

Why I Will Always Take My Camera With Me

  

 

picture this:   

a sunday drive, dirt road outside of great cacapon, west virginia. i'm driving, see a snake about 3 foot long moving across the road. noticing that this is not your runofthemill blacksnake, i stop, back up. gary says, "that's a copperhead!  no, wait, that's a timber rattler!"  i say, "holy cow...hand me my camera!".  being appropriately brave because i am inside the car, i pull the car up beside the snake, roll down the window, he obligingly coils up into this nice striking mode and i take his picture. how awesome is that?!   

now, for those of you from texas and other such exotic places, this might be an everyday occurance. but for me....this is priiiiitty dang cool.