My Best Friend

July 30, 2011traditionalfoodadventure Everyday Life 2 Comments

Today as I was out in the garden in what felt like a 120 degree sauna. Although Weather.com informs me that it is a mere 85 that feels like 98. What do they know. I’m dubbing the garden “The Sauna” for the rest of the day and that is that.

Anyway. As I was saying. I’m out in the garden and I started thinking about my husband. I am so lucky, blessed and fortunate. I have the incredible pleasure of being married to my best friend. It is a seriously special thing. Despite the fact that I’m biased and all still being head over heels in love with this guy after 6 years of marriage he is just an authentically amazing person. Let me share just a little of why I’m such a blessed woman being married to this guy.

He’s funny.

DaMan and I having fun

He’s brilliant.

He’s wise.

DaMan figuring out solutions

He has the best laugh in the whole wide world. Seriously. He does.

He’s gentle.

He’s kind.

DaMan and Doodlebug at six months old reading a book together

He’s generous. To a fault. Too many faults sometimes.

He’s straightforward and says what he believes and what he thinks even if he knows it will make him unpopular or even bring down a hailstorm of cricicism and hate around his ears.

He’s strong. Physically, emotionally and mentally.

DaMan and Doodlebug on a hike

He’s steadfast in so many ways.

Doodlebug following her Daddy

He loves the Lord passionately.

He loves me. Even when I am completely and totally unlovable.

Me and DaMan

He isn’t afraid to be tender and affectionate to his little willful contrarian of a daughter. She never ever has to doubt, question or wonder about her Daddy’s love for her. It’s just an awesome reality in her little world that she often takes for granted.

DaMan and Doodlebug at 9 weeks old

He has amazing problem solving skills and the ability to grasp the scope of complicated situations and clearly see through the muddle and muck of it all to what can be done.

My Brilliant Man

His sense of justice is strong.

His faithfulness to God, Family, Country and justice runs deeper than anybody I’ve ever known.

DaMan

He understands the concept of love tough enough to let go even if it breaks his heart in two.

He learns from his mistakes.

He’s tender enough to weep over babies lost before their time.

He prays with a heart of simple and child-like Faith

He apologizes when he’s wrong.

He’s a leader in every way.

DaMan and Doodlebug painting

He even takes the trash out. Sometimes. 😀 The odd meal is fixed by him too. Sometimes. Like last night.

Most of the time he just does what he does in the business and our personal lives with very little gratitude or recognition. He is the ultimate behind the scenes person who shoulders the responsibility of getting things done. He picks up the pieces. He follows after trails of un-done tasks and mops them up and follows through.

Today my heart is full to over-flowing with gratefulness for him. He’s too good of a thing for me not to publicize his amazing-ness every so often. 😀 DaMan is almost done taking care of his bee’s (did I fail to mention that he is also a bee-keeper??) and we are off to enjoy the day. Together. Just the way I love it.

If you ask Mom to read a book…

July 29, 2011traditionalfoodadventure Everyday Life, Secrets and Confessions 2 Comments

Poor Doodlebug. My normally low-level ADD has hit all new levels this pregnancy. She’s living the real life version of “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie” or whatever the name of that abominable little book documenting the state of affairs that can occur with a highly distracted main character. Mid morning she asked me to read her a book. Happy to do so I go over to the book-shelf to select one aaaand notice that it is in a disorganized shambles.

Bookshelf in shambles

After working on the bookcase for two minutes there is now a pile of trash to throw away leading to the discovery of an over-full kitchen trashcan that breaks on the way out and leaks all over the kitchen, laundry and rec room floors….

Leaky Trashbag drippings

After spraying, cleaning and wiping up the floors I head to the laundry room to drop off the dirty rag and realize a load of laundry should be started.

Load of dirty laundry

Load of laundry started I notice a box of clean socks that have been patiently waiting to be matched for (cough cough) a while. Maybe longer than a while. As a matter of fact I can’t remember when that box of clean socks was stuck up on top of the dryer. Definitely a priority. Needs to be done. Little wonder DaMan has been having a hard time finding socks lately.

Box of clean socks

While diligently matching the socks two are discovered to need mending. This reminds me of a couple of other projects that need mending. And reminds me that I actually enjoy mending and hand needlework. It makes me feel frugal to save clothes otherwise destined to be tossed or relegated to crafts. Yes. Socks must be mended.

Socks to be mended

Search for sewing kit commences. Kit has apparently grown legs and run away from home. I meander through house looking for kit thinking that the small kid might be the source of it’s magical legs routine. On one of the trips through the kitchen I happen to notice the time. Noon! Time to start lunch. No wonder I was feeling hungry. Lunch being the next obvious thing on the agenda I go to the stove to start it…Only to realize the stove needs to be cleaned first.

Dirty Stove-top

At the sink to get a dishcloth to wipe the stove down I look out the kitchen window. A bunch of beautiful red tomatoes promptly begin calling my name and giving descriptions of huge green caterpillars and other horrible creatures who are just waiting to pounce and eat them up before I rescue them.

Garden wailing for attention through the kitchen sink window

Enough! I say. Lunch must come first. I’ll run a tomato rescue mission after lunch. And so the Stove is cleaned and lunch is started…

Clean Stove top

Happily working away at lunch I tune in just in time to hear the patient and long suffering preschooler inquiring about that book. Book?? What book??? Oooooh. THAT book out of the still disorganized bookcase that led to the still dirty floor and laundry that now needs to be dried, socks that need mending and stove that is now being used for lunch. (ahem) Yes. That book indeed.

Maybe she would have had better luck if she’d offered me a cookie. =P

Oreo Cream Cheese Cake (With gf adaptations)

July 16, 2011traditionalfoodadventure Foods Leave a comment

Nope. It isn’t healthy. Definitely not traditional. But it *is* delicious. This has been the cake DaMan has requested three Birthdays running now in the place of a more traditional cake. As a once (or twice) a year splurge it’s something most can afford to indulge in on the rare special occasion. I have converted this recipe into a Gluten Free version once successfully and will include those changes at the bottom.

Oreo Cream Cheese Cake

Chocolate Glazed Oreo Cheesecake

Prep: 40 Min.

Cook: 1 Hour 30 Min.

Chill: 4+ Hours

Phase 1:

2 Cups fine Oreo Cookie Crumbs (You could use a food processor to crunch these down, I used a large mortar and pestle. Rolling in a gallon ziplock baggie with a rolling pin works well too. Do *not* use double stuffed Oreos. I’ve tried that twice and it’s a disaster. Just don’t do it. Newton’s Own or some other organic/healthier brand of Oreos works great in the place of the really bad for you mainstream name brand)

2 Tablespoons melted Butter

1/4 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar

Phase 2:

4 (8 Oz.) packages Cream Cheese softened

1 1/4 cups Sugar

1/3 cup liquid Whipping Cream (Raw cream skimmed off milk works great. The pasteurized version from the store is good too)

2 Tablespoons Flour

4 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

4 Large Eggs

2 Cups coarsely crumbled Oreos (roughly 14 cookies)

Phase 3

1 (16 oz) carton full fat Sour Cream

1/4 cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Phase 4

1/3 liquid Whipping Cream

1 1/4 Cups Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Garnish (Optional) Additional Oreos crumbled or whole

– Combine the 3 ingredients of Phase 1 in a medium bowl; firmly press mixture evenly in bottom and 2 inches up sides of a lightly greased 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.Remove and set aside.

– Beat Cream Cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add Whipping Cream, Flour and Vanilla, beat well. Add Eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour 3 1/2 cups batter into prepared crust. Top with coarsely crumbled cookies; pour in remaining batter on top. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Put a small bowl of water in oven while it bakes to help prevent cracking.

– Combine Sour Cream, Sugar and Vanilla. Spread over top of cheesecake when it finishes baking. Bake at 325 for 7 minutes. Turn oven off, and leave cheesecake in oven with door closed for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool completely on wire rack. Cover and chill 4+ hours. Remove sides of pan.

– Combine Whipping Cream and semi-sweet chocolate morsels in a saucepan; stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir in Vanilla. Remove from heat. Carefully spread over chilled cheesecake allowing it to drip down the sides. Store Cheesecake in refrigerator. Garnish, if desired.

Gluten Free Modifications: Whole Foods carries Gluten Free Oreos. Purchase those and use in the place of the gluten Oreos. Use gluten free flour in the place of the 2 tablespoons of wheat flour. Make sure Vanilla and Chocolate used are Gluten Free. Everything else is done the same.

Slice of finished Oreo Cheesecake

Tuscan Squash Casserole

July 15, 2011traditionalfoodadventure Food Food and more Food, Foods, Garden, Veggies 1 Comment

DaMan is not crazy about squash. Not even a little bit. He doesn’t even pretend to tolerate it very well and all but visibly cringes when he sees it appear on the supper table. My challenge to myself this summer has been to create a squash dish that would rock his world and make him appreciate this very underappreciated veggie. A couple of nights ago I managed to pull it off! He not only devoured it happily but gave it rave reviews and requested it again soon.

You all know how I am with measuring and keeping track of recipes as I make them so here is my best guess at what I did. Writing it down as much for my sake as anybody elses in the hopes I can successfully re-create this dish again tomorrow.

Spicy Tuscan Squash Casserole

2x Round Yellow Squash. I used an heirloom variety provided by our CSA called yellow scallop squash. Thin Slice.

Yellow scallop squash

1 Free Range Egg

Free Range Egg

2/3 cup crumbled Feta Cheese

Crumbled Feta Cheese

2 Tablespoons Tuscan Herbal Dried Seasoning Mix

Tuscan Seasoning Mix

Veggie Herbal Seasoning Mix. I used an Organic blend of spices from Costco but something like Mrs. Dash would work well too.

Veggie Herbal Seasoning Blend

1/3 cup pureed, Roasted Peppers. You could do these from scratch if you wanted by broiling in the oven, peeling the skins off and removing the seeds and running it through a food processor. I used some that were canned in a glass jar. We like spicy around here and the ones I used were pretty hot. Adjust the amount/type of peppers based on personal heat preference.

1/3 cup Sour Cream

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Spray the bottom of a glass pyrex 8×8 square pan with Olive Oil. Or take a stick of butter and rub it around to grease the bottom. Lay the first layer of thin sliced squash over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle that layer with Veggie Seasoning Mix. Add another layer of squash and sprinkle seasonings until all the squash has been layered into the pan. It’s important to sprinkle the seasoning on top of *every single layer* for the best flavor. In a bowl mix together the Egg, Sour Cream, Feta Cheese, a couple Tablespoons of the Tuscan Seasoning and Peppers. Add Salt and Pepper to taste and mix well. Pour and Spread mixture over the top of the seasoned layers of squash. Allow to drip down sides and seep through the layers. Bake at 375 until done.

I baked ours in the toaster oven since I didn’t want to heat up the whole house with the big oven. It took a bit longer than I think it would have in the big oven, about 40 minutes. Bake only until squash is just tender and you can easily poke a fork through the middle. Try to avoid over-baking or it can be soggy and or mushy making it that much harder for those who dislike squash to eat it. Top of casserole should be browned and bubbly around the Feta Cheese lumps.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

July 4, 2011traditionalfoodadventure Everyday Life Leave a comment

Today is a day in which we celebrate our freedom. Most of us enjoy the freedom from a day of labor and the freedom to gather with friends and family. DaMan and I recently finished watching a documentary on John Adams. Fascinating to be submerged into the world that forged what we know as the Declaration of Independence.

Today we walked around downtown Fredericksburg Maryland with friends and saw patriotic decorations everywhere. I couldn’t help but remember some quotes from the Founding Fathers of our Nation as we ambled around enjoying the beautiful hot weather.

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Adams (The Works of John Adams, ed. C. F. Adams, Boston: Little, Brown Co., 1851, 4:31)

Old style flag storefront decoration

“He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of this country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man….The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people.”
Samuel Adams

Antique sign

Storefront Decoration

“Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.”
Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence

American Flag flying in Fredericksburg Maryland

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.”
Patrick Henry

Flag over Chicago

An Adventure in Traditional Foods

A dash of Chaos with a side of Tradition

Monthly Archives: July 2011

My Best Friend

If you ask Mom to read a book…

Oreo Cream Cheese Cake (With gf adaptations)

Tuscan Squash Casserole

Happy 4th of July!

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