Gramma Josephine’s Rice Pudding Recipe
One of the best memories I have of my Gramma Josephine was her rice pudding. She was a big Italian woman, permanently ensconced in an apron, who always seemed to have a wooden spoon in her hand and a pot of something boiling on the stove. Although many of her meals I would not even…
Ten things that make me happy
Sometimes, if you’re not careful, life will knock you down and run you right over. It takes an effort to snap out of the everyday-worry-about-everything-there’s-got-to-be-more-to-life-than-paying-bills stressed out attitude that, over time, we all seem to adopt. Life is not only meant to be lived, but enjoyed. So, today I took a deep breath and walked…
Sweet Pickle Relish Recipe
Sweet Pickle Relish INGREDIENTS 4 – 5 lbs large cucumbers 1 large sweet onion 1/4 cup pickling salt 3 cups apple cider vinegar 3/4 cup sugar 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp dill seed 2 tsp mustard seed 2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp turmeric DIRECTIONS Wash cucumber and remove ends. Slice the cucumbers lengthwise…
Sunflower
Grazing cows
Acres and acres of pasture and this is the result…
Let’s preserve something
Very simply – I love to can. For some reason I find it therapeutic. I make a total disaster of the kitchen, but there’s nothing better than opening a fresh jar of tomatoes in the dead of winter. Although somewhat time consuming, canning is relatively easy. So hop on the canning band wagon and go…
How to freeze and preserve basil in olive oil
There is nothing quite like fresh basil. Each year, I grow enough to cover Rhode Island. To help preserve that fresh from the garden taste, I preserve the basil by freezing it in olive oil and packing it into ice cube trays. DIRECTIONS Pick your basil leaves and submerge them in a large bowl filled…
My roots are starting to show…
Growing up, I only had the privilege of knowing my grandparents. My great-grandparents were lost to the ages well before I was born. So was all their history – their parents’ names, the towns they were born in, the stories of their journeys to America. Not knowing who these people were has always haunted me.…
Canned stewed tomatoes recipe
Tomato season is upon us and it’s putting up time. Wheee! The key ingredient in this recipe is FRESH, RIPE tomatoes, whether from your garden or farmer’s market. Six months from now, when the snow is piling up outside, you can have a taste of summer by using the stewed tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce,…
“What if I fall…”
One of my favorite poems. This girl’s got talent… check her out at thepoeticunderground. You won’t be disappointed.
Chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe
I had a couple zucchinis go rouge and I can now anchor a battleship with them. It’s time to bust out the zucchini bread recipe! Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread INGREDIENTS 3 eggs 2 c white sugar 1 c vegetable oil 2 c grated zucchini 2 tsp vanilla 3 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp salt 1 tsp…
Zucchini has its own holiday!
Unfortunately, I missed National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day which was celebrated on August 8th. Yes, we have such a love/hate relationship with the zucchini that it now has its own holiday. HOWEVER, I will be celebrating National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch MONTH because I gone ‘n dun it……
Devil, thy name is Bacterial Wilt!
Bacterial wilt is caused by both the striped and spotted cucumber beetle, which carries a bacteria called Erwinia tracheiphila. First the leaves will wilt and shrivel, then it will spread to the branches and vines. Eventually the whole plant will kick the bucket. And it all seemingly happens overnight! This year, I planted three types of…
Have you ever eaten a cupcake in the bathroom?
Have you ever eaten a cupcake in the bathroom? I have. After a long week of absolute disasters, total calamities and countless near-misses, I decided to give into my inner Tastykake demon. I wheeled into the convenience store and made my way right to the Tastykake display. There it was, in all its glory –…
The Farmers in the Dell 