a French Favorite

Don't worry;

I'm not about to do a total switch of genres and

become a cooking blog - or anything like that.

But when I think of warm Summer days,

I think of the garden,

and fresh herbs and produce;

and lots of time in the kitchen.

As life has been somewhat hectic lately,

I've found it good to focus on doing

what I can do to make meals that are memorable,

and relaxing - and special.

This dish fits all of the above.

So I thought I would share it;

and besides - I promised my sister I would post it for her. :)

So here it is -

one of the most lovely French dishes out there...

Chicken Fricassee with Herbs and Roasted Potatoes

In preparation - you'll want to have about 8 pieces

of chicken thawed and ready to go.

(Boneless Thighs work well.)

Preheat oven to 300 F.

On high heat, seal the chicken in 1 T. of Olive Oil

for about five minutes (until browned.)

Season to taste with Sea Salt and Pepper.

Add 2 T. of Butter and 5 T. Red Wine Vinegar,

stir so that chicken is coated.

Add 3 oz. of Dry White wine or Marsala

cooking wine and bring to a boil for a few seconds.

The recipe calls for 4 cloves of garlic, but I'm more

along the lines of 9 or 10...

Just pop them in there whole.

Next, finely chop 1 Ripe Tomato.

(I needed two...)

Add the tomato to the chicken.

Here's the secret...

French Tarragon.

It's an absolutely amazing herb that comes back in

our garden every year.

You shouldn't attempt French cooking without it.

Add Two Sprigs of chopped Tarragon and

about a handful or so of Fresh Parsley leaves (opt.)

Stir that into the pot...

This is when it begins to smell amazing.

Now, put a lid on the pot, and stick it in the oven

(preheated to 300 F) to cook for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I went and dug some potatoes.

There's just something special about growing your

own potatoes -

but the ones from the store work fine too.

Red Potatoes are the best.

The recipe calls for 4 medium sized,

but just make how ever many your family will eat.

Chop the potatoes to bite size.

Put them in a roasting pan,

and add:

Salt

Pepper

Dried Parsley

a Chopped Shallot

and drizzle with Olive Oil

Toss it to get it all well coated.

The chicken should be done by now -

so take it out of the oven and turn it up to broil.

Broil the potatoes for maybe 10-15 minutes;

(stirring them occasionally -but be careful-

that broiler can burn your hand off!)

until they are browned and done on the inside.

Watch them closely though, they scorch easily.

To arrange -

place a helping of roasted potatoes on your plate,

and then top with a piece of chicken, some garlic,

and lots of yummy sauce.

And there you have it.

Food you want to eat so badly;

that you can't even take the time

to get a decent photo of it.

Bon Appétit!

odds and ends

Dear me, it's been a week since I've given much thought

to posting a thing here...

So, just for fun - I dug through my archives and came across some

of the shots that make me laugh - but never quite reached the

'blog-able' status.

Like Buster.

This dog hardly ever makes it on the blog...

Let's just say he's hard to photograph.

If the above look doesn't make me go away -

He tries this one.

And if all else fails -

he high-tails it to the nearest grassy patch where

he proceeds to roll and frolic and be ridiculous until

I get bored of waiting on him to finish,

and move on to more rewarding uses of time...

Like photographing this dog;

who is so photogenic - he has his own post coming.

But even the best have their moments.

I even ran across a few memories from Winter,

like the day I returned from the barn to see the

neighbor's cat doing yoga on Huck's dog house.

Obviously, not an acceptable practice around here;

but what can you do?

Our cats would much rather hang out in the cast iron

pots on the front porch...

Which in some cases is kind of cute;

but then there are those other cases...

Mom gets a little miffed about this,

because cats in pots on your front porch that look like

this,

aren't all that welcoming.

I guess that's about it.

Hopefully I'll be back in less than a week with something

more - substantial...

God's Ways

If you were to ask me,

I would admit that the heat of August is probably

not the happiest time to dig through old boxes and

reflect on the nostalgia of times past...

That sounds like a nice Wintertime project.

But on the humorous side of things -

we don't have much of a choice.

Our house is kind of kicking us out.

Our treasured home of thirteen years is pushing the century mark.

We've fretted from time to time over the crumbling foundation,

the cracking walls and sporadic ceiling leaks.

But there is a charm in all those things;

especially when coupled with the floor to ceiling windows,

the old wood floors, and the door knobs.

It has been our home;

the place us kids have grown up in;

I'm terribly attached to it -

but it now has an issue that we can't simply live with.

Our home has been making us sick,

with a problem you can only really comprehend if you

have endured it yourself.

Something we can't smell, or until recently even see,

but we've been feeling the affects -

and we know it's in the walls, in that leaky chimney.

We have the tests that tell us so.

It's mold.

Bad news, yes, but when you've been sick for a long time,

any answer doesn't seem so bad;

because it's an answer.

If you're terribly interested, feel free to research the stuff.

Let me just say that it can make you sick. Very sick.

And while it's hard to fathom that the house that made your

girlhood so beautiful, also made it such a challenge -

it's still a relief to finally know:

it's not my genes, thyroid, food allergies, or all in my head;

It's my home.

Thus the memories,

the letting go and moving on.

I'm guessing you'll be somewhat happy to know

we're not moving moving -

in God's providence, we had built a building on our farm

a few years back for storage, and an art studio -

and are now in the process of making it into a new home.

Though it's much smaller than what we are accustomed too,

we're learning to embrace the process of simplifying

our lives, and living with less.

Long story short,

it's a good thing;

and we can see God's hand in all of it.

His timing is perfect.

Even looking back at years of illness and frustration,

I can see God's hand there too.

I would not know His strength in my weakness,

and my absolute inability to do anything without Him,

as I now do -

if it weren't for these years.

That's when I feel almost as if I can relate to what the

Psalmist meant when he wrote in Psalm 90:

"Make us glad according to

the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,

and the years wherein we have seen evil."

I'm learning that anything that makes me

more patient, more trusting, more willing to surrender,

and exchange my plan for the Lord's,

is a very good thing.

Even when it really hurts.

We still have a long road ahead of us,

building, moving, detoxing,

and eventually saying goodbye to this old house;

but there's a great anticipation and hope

in seeing what the Lord has for us next.

memories and old boots

Due to the season of life that we are living,

which is bound to be better explained in a future post -

and includes a large amount of downsizing,

sorting, and thus reminiscing...

lots of forgotten objects have resurfaced.

That's how I stumbled across a box of memories...

...in which I found my dusty old black riding boots.

Still a little dirty, still giving off a fragrance of

sawdust, horses, the sweet smells of leather,

and stories of all the places we'd been together.

Memories of hot July days, a sweaty pony,

and a blue ribbon.

That was 2001,

the year I rode a pony that was older and

smarter than I was.

A pony who took it upon herself to "teach" me.

Her background had been contesting,

and she was a little speed-devil.

Whether poles, or barrels, or something else -

her eyes would light-up, and she knew exactly what to do.

I quickly realized that as long as Butter knew the patterns

all I had to do was hang on for the ride.

She taught me all of them,

and since she was trained left-handed,

we did them backwards.

Her favorite was flag racing, and it quickly became mine too -

it was the only pattern where she really needed me.

She would slow down and lean in so that I could grab the flag,

and do the same on the other side so that I could get rid of it.

I never once had to whip her to make her go;

she raced hard because she loved it.

We both loved every moment of that Summer together.

When 4-H rolled around, we won first place in pony

Flag racing and pony Western Pleasure.

I was so proud of my multi-talented Buttercup.

We went to State for Flag Racing,

on August 3, 2001 - nine long years ago today.

We both messed up,

and came home with nothing but lots of memories -

but they mean more now than a ribbon ever could.

One sad day, I outgrew my pony;

and she moved on into the life and dream-come-trues

of another little girl.

I still sometimes miss my days with Butter,

especially when August rolls around again,

and memories of that Summer when I was eleven

are as perfect as ever.

And all still triggered by just an old pair of dusty boots.

The Dominican seasoning secret

When I visited the beautiful Dominican Republic back in January,

I became a complete fan of their food.

I was raised on lots of authentic Mexican food,

and love rice and beans, and pico de gallo, and everything else...

Someday I want to move to a country where

cilantro and garlic grow like weeds...

But I digress.

I knew from the first bite that there was something

distinctly different, it wasn't chili powder, or cumin.

I spent the entire week trying to figure out what the

amazing combination of flavor came from.

It wasn't until I got home and did some research that

I discovered their secret. Which really isn't a secret.

It's just so common they sometimes forget to mention it...

Being in the midst of Summer,

and an abundance of garden produce,

I thought maybe you'd like to know their secret too.

It's called Sazon.

Sazon is actually the base to most Dominican dishes,

known elsewhere as "Sofrito," Sazon is an all purpose seasoning

made primarily of vegetables.

Ingredients:

- half a bunch of Cilantro

- 1 green, 1 yellow, and 1 red

medium sized Bell Peppers

- 1/2 of a medium sized Red Onion

-10-15 cloves of peeled Garlic

-1/4 C. of Apple Cider Vinegar

-1/4 C. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Fresh Oregano to taste (not much!)

To make the Sazon,

begin by thoroughly washing all of the vegetables,

then cut them down into sizes that will be manageable

for your blender or food processor.

Put the vinegar, cilantro and olive oil in the blender first,

followed by the remaining ingredients.

Blend.

Add a little water if it's too thick -

you want a nice 'pasty' consistency.

Store your Sazon in a glass container.

This is powerful stuff! If you keep it in a non-glass

container - it will smell like Sazon for a long time...

The Sazon will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month!

I'm hoping that I might be able to can it -

but I'm still researching that...

It tastes especially good on chicken or pork when used as

a marinade sauce (and baked), and tastes absolutely delicious

when used to season rice or beans.

(Keep in mind that you will need to add Salt!)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have...

yesterday's forgotten tea set

At least it seems like yesterday,

when Mom took me shopping on my birthday -

to a quaint little nearby town,

in search of the perfect miniature tea set.

A little girl necessity.

But eleven years ago is probably more accurate.

I hosted a tea party at the kitchen table

about once a week after that,

complete with formal invitations and a mob cap.

I used it,

chipped it,

polished and re-arranged it.

It was my everyday girlhood luxury.

Until the day came when bigger tea cups suddenly

seemed much more practical.

The tea set has made its abode in a drawer ever since.

Until this morning,

when my four year old visiting niece asked:

"Do you have a tea set Kate?"

My Camera Endorsement

Since beginning this blog back in January,

I've received several very sweet comments regarding

my photography, and even a few questions about my camera.

Since I do have strong feelings regarding the subject,

I think that it is finally time to introduce you to my camera.

I am unfortunately a young woman of too many interests,

and not nearly enough time to devote to each.

So, needing to prioritize, I decided that I just simply didn't

have room on my hat-rack for that of a "photographer."

I wanted something simple that could accurately capture

the beauty around me, with minimum hassle.

I couldn't visualize myself dragging a heavy bag of lenses around,

and hoped I wouldn't have to...

I did my homework,

and was so thankful to discover the

wide-angle compact camera...

I decided upon this model seven months ago,

and feel the same way now about my decision as the day

I brought it home.

Thrilled. Very Thrilled.

And here she is - the Nikon CoolPix P90.

I momentarily considered a similar style through Canon,

but the ultimate deciding factor there was that the

Nikon's battery was rechargeable, and the Canon's was not.

(Stressed as - very important...)

I'm cowering in shame,

but I have to admit that most of my photos are simply

taken on the automatic setting...

It's so easy, it's embarrassing.

Great color, great aperture look.

The key seems to be the wide-angle lens,

which allows it to get macro shots,

and panoramic shots,

all without changing lenses...

Now, if you're planning on photographing weddings,

and getting jobs with it - this isn't your camera,

and SLRs are still scientifically proven to be better,

but for those of you who simply wish for decent

shots from your every day moments,

I can't stop recommending it. :)

Brand new - they are under $400.00, which is

considerably cheaper than most SLRs.

And that is the confession of a photographer who

is not a photographer...

In seven months,

my P90 has captured landscapes, seascapes,

sunrises, sunsets, food, portraits, and

speeding objects of all sorts.

(ie: Spencer.)

I'd say it's a keeper.

P90 and I at a recent visit to the yarn shop...

Less time changing lenses means more time for knitting! :)