Summer Things

Just a quick hello this morning. No new recipes. But I am making a grocery list right now while I sip my morning coffee. That's progress. We spent the weekend at our lake house trying to take care of some chores. And while we were there we got to watch a beautiful full moon rise over the lake. The reflection in the water gets me every time.

Last week I took a piano workshop. Five days, three hours each day. It was designed for piano teachers who wanted to be more creative in their teaching, who wanted to add jazz and blues to the traditional repertoire. I got to sit in and listen. What did I learn?

• I learned that in a 3-hour zoom meeting, my iPad Pro goes from 100% battery to 6%. I could do the class without being plugged in. Barely. As much as I complain about technology, it was amazing that each day I could attend a live class with participants in assorted time zones.

• I learned that when I relax my shoulders, my face looks thinner. Seriously. After sitting for hours each day looking at myself on zoom (I used the gallery setting a lot) I saw that I most often sat with my shoulders tensed up. And when I relaxed them, yes, my face looked thinner. When I taught guitar lessons I cautioned all students to relax their shoulders when they played. I could see that as they struggled to learn something new, the shoulders moved up toward their ears. And I would remind them to relax. I need to remind myself that shoulders reaching for the ears is never a good thing.

• I learned that even though I do not have a music degree like the piano teachers, I have learned a lot over the years. There are many ways to learn. Maybe I had less to "unlearn" than the classical pianists. <smile> Don't underestimate the body of knowledge you've acquired over your life, even when it didn't come with a grade or a degree. Experience counts.

This week I need to get back to regular life. Family will be here soon to spend some time with us at the lake. 

When Daddy-O had a new lake wall built over the winter, he added some steps to make it a little easier for kids to climb out of the lake. I am 100% sure this was not what he had in mind!

 New wall. New pier. New grass. Old owners. Now to make time to get down there. It's hay season here but the lake isn't far away. Whatever you are doing this summer, wherever you are spending your summer, enjoy it. Stay cool. Stay safe. Make memories. 

What's Happening In My Kitchen? Not Much.

In the last couple of weeks I've had local people say to me, "You haven't posted much on your blog lately. I really enjoy reading it." That made me smile. I don't read the statistics that I could find somewhere on this platform to see how many views a post has had. I don't keep up with how many subscribers I have. I have never monetized the blog. Notice there are no pesky ads? 

All these years I've written it because I enjoy the process of writing. And the length of these posts suit me well. (Did I tell you that I wrote a newspaper column back in the day?) Occasionally I will look back through the 13 years of blog entries and I can see how my family has changed. How it's grown. I frequently look up recipes here—both with the index and the little search box that lives in the top left corner of each post.

My days are different now than they were way back when I started this blog. I think I said last blog post that I haven't tried new recipes lately Because I just don't cook as much as I did. We don't eat as much as we did. Sometimes now instead of cooking supper, we have a snacky supper.

Charcuterie boards or food boards, if you will, are so popular now. In my house these "boards" often coincide with cleaning out the refrigerator. Or making do the night before I grocery shop. I'm trying to squeak one more meal out of what's on hand.

When I arrange my bits and bobs of what's in the fridge on a tray, it's looks like fun. It looks like a treat. Picture what it would look like if I set the bag of pretzel chips, the box of crackers, the jar of jam and the bottle of ranch dressing out. Same foods. But I can guarantee those bags and boxes wouldn't get an "Oh, wow!" from Daddy-O. It's all in the presentation.

I love trays and own so many sizes and shapes. But sometimes I will just grab a cookie sheet or a pizza pan because it's handy. Choose your board or pan, arrange your food neatly, think about the colors when you lay it out. And if possible make sure to have different textures, like crunchy crackers and celery and creamy dip, soft cheese and hard carrot sticks. 

If I were doing this for a party or gathering, I would be much more intentional about on what goes on the board. But the photo above was our actual "dinner for two" a couple of weeks ago. It's as basic as you can get.

Here is another meal suitable for an "I don't want to cook" night. Last week I swore there was nothing here to cook. Daddy-O offered to take me out, but I couldn't think of one restaurant that tempted me. So I looked around the kitchen and spied a container of grape tomatoes. 

And in just under 30 minutes we were sitting down to dinner. This recipe calls for ingredients that are staples in my kitchen—spaghetti, olive oil, garlic, etc. I didn't have the fresh mozzarella it calls for so I subbed shredded mozzarella. Not quite as good, but it worked. If I had not had basil growing in our yard I might have sprinkled on some dried basil. Think beyond the recipe!!!

Be aware that this recipe doesn't make a lot. It feeds the two of us. I have stretched it to feed three by making a big salad to serve along with it.

GRAPE TOMATOES & PASTA (serves 2 to 3)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups grape tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips

salt & pepper to taste

pinch of sugar (optional)

3 tablespoon fresh grated parmesan 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh mozzarella pearls

8 oz. thin spaghetti

Heat oil in a large skillet to low. Add garlic, stir and cook about 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add whole grape tomatoes. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften. Break up some of the tomatoes. (I used a potato masher to mash up some of the tomatoes—maybe half of them. This releases juices that will help make a sauce.) Season with salt and pepper, add a pinch of sugar if tomatoes are very acidic. Stir in basil.

Cover and let simmer 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Grate fresh parmesan over the sauce. Add balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine.

While sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti to al dente. Using tongs lift cooked spaghetti straight into the sauce. (Save a little pasta cooking water and add a spoonful or two to thin sauce if you need to.) Remove skillet from heat. Toss cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce. Poke mozzarella pearls down into the pasta. Cover and let sit a few minutes to let mozzarella melt.

Top with more Parmesan and garnish with basil. Serve.

And our last resort dinner when the fridge is empty is some kind of breakfast food. We spent one night at the lake last weekend. Now THAT is a truly empty kitchen. We have barely been down there this year. But the previous visit I had left a loaf of cinnamon bread in the freezer and I had bought a half dozen eggs that were still good. Daddy-O made French toast that night. He first told me that he couldn't make it because we didn't have any milk (he usually adds milk to the eggs.) I told him to splash a little water in the eggs instead. Think beyond the recipe!!! Beyond your usual. 

There is a little knitting still going on. These delightfully cool days are perfect for porch knitting.  We try to spend as much time on the porch as possible on these perfect days. Knitting. Reading. I even take a keyboard out there and practice piano sometimes.

Some of you have been interested in my jazz journey. The online piano platform I enjoy offers a monthly song "challenge." Four weeks to learn a new tune. I don't always do the monthly song but I love this month's choice, Blue Skies. I'm working on the piano version, but my ukulele version is ready now.

 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork in the slow cooker.

What is wrong with me??? I'm constantly saying I can't think of anything to cook. Yesterday it dawned on me I needed to look at MY OWN RECIPE INDEX here on the blog!!! Yes. Once I post a recipe, I often forget about it. So yesterday I picked out one I had not made in years. One that would make enough to stock the freezer. And one that I was sure we liked.

We have been waking up crazy early lately. This morning was no exception. After coffee on the porch as the sun came up, I put together this recipe in the slow cooker. This one takes 10 hours to cook, so it needed an early start. Once it was in the slow cooker, the rest of my day was free. Knitting. Piano. Reading. An entire day to myself. Then at supper time, it only took a few minutes to shred the pork and dinner was ready.

The recipe is so simple. But let me caution you to actually read the recipe. I half read it and was about to dump in the barbecue sauce along with the vinegar and honey before the pork cooked. I'm not sure if that would have really been a bad thing. If I had actually poured it in, I would have cooked it that way and crossed my fingers. But that last glance at the recipe came just in time.

We made sliders for dinner with Hawaiian rolls. And I put 4 small bags in the freezer. 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE (slow cooker)

Spice rub:

   4 teaspoons smoked paprika

   1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

   2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic

   1 teaspoon ground mustard

   1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 medium onion, sliced

3-4 teaspoons mince garlic

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 (4-5 lb) pork butt, trimmed of excess fat

Salt & pepper

1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

Mix the spice rub ingredients. Season the pork butt with salt and pepper and rub the spice mix all over. (If you have time, you let put it in a bag or container and let it refrigerate overnight. I did not plan ahead, so put it in the slow cooker right after rubbing.)

In the bottom of the 6-7 qt slow cooker, put the onion and garlic. Pour in vinegar and honey. Place the pork butt on top. Cook on LOW for 10 hours.

When done, carefully move the roast to a large pan (9x13 works) and let cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred the meat, discarding the bone and any large chunks of fat. Pour about a half cup of cooking liquid over the meat. Stir in a cup of barbecue sauce and mix.

As I typed this recipe, I realized I STILL didn't follow the actual directions. 😂 What is written here is how I made it today. If you want to read the original version, you can see it here on a post from a few years ago. This goes to show that most recipes have a lot of room for interpretation. Don't get too hung up on being exact.

 

Yes. I even practice piano on the porch.

It took us long enough, but we finally got this planted.

Make-Ahead Bean Salad

Make Ahead Bean Salad

After a crazy few weeks, I'm settling in to routine. I think know I do better when I have a routine to follow. Particularly when it comes to choosing my meals. It is so incredibly easy to slip off the healthy food wagon and make less wise choices. Sometimes because I'm tired and I want the quickest food I can grab. Sometimes because I'm lazy and don't want to cook. Sometimes because dessert sounds like the best thing I can think of!

But for one more time I'm trying to do better. That usually means keeping ready to eat things in my refrigerator. Like this bean salad. I love bean salads and there are a few in the recipe index here on the blog. This one is a little different. Most of the ones I make call for sugar in the marinade. Sometimes not much but there is always some. 

Unlike those, this salad has no sugar. Not even sweet pickles! I used dill pickle salad cubes along with some of the pickle juice and vinegar for the marinade. The first taste was good, but I'm sure it well be even better after it sits in the refrigerator for several hours. By dinner time it's going to be the perfect side dish.

Using canned beans makes this so quick to put together. And beans are high in fiber and protein. Both fiber and protein are good for keeping you from getting hungry 20 minutes after you eat—like I do when I've grabbed fast food. 

In keeping with my jazz journey, this recipe also involves improv. There are so many similarities between cooking and playing music. Improv is a big one. I had a recipe as my starting place. Then I changed things around because of when I had (and didn't have) in my kitchen. You have my permission to do the same thing.

Here is the original recipe. My "improv" changes follow.

MAKE-AHEAD BEAN SALAD

1 (15-oz) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz) can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup chopped cucumber

1 cup diced grape tomatoes

1 cup diced orange bell pepper

1/2 cup scallions

1/2 cup dill pickle salad cubes

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons dill pickle juice

2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Can serve chilled or at room temperature.

How easy is that? Here are my adjustments. 

• I used a red bell pepper because that's what I had. The orange pepper would add another color to the mix. That would be a nice visual, but the taste is the same.
• I didn't have scallions so I added some minced onion. Close enough.
• No fresh parsley here either. I used a good sprinkle of parsley flakes. Fresh would definitely be best, but you do what you have to do.
• How could I be out of white vinegar? I'm never out of that. But I was today. Apple cider vinegar was close enough.

See? No major changes. No need to dash to the store for a missing ingredient. This is close enough.

Same as with recipe variations, the most interesting music is full of variations, too. Learning how to put the pieces together is excellent brain exercise. I'm learning to play Misty right now—and all the fun embellishments and fills that I've always wanted to understand,.

And just to show that I really am getting back to my routine, the knitting has been pulled out, too! You can't play piano and cook all of the time. 

 

Jazz Journey

 Because reader Chloe asked about my jazz journey....

I have spent countless hours in the last three years learning a new way to play piano. For most of my life when I heard a jazz pianist or a cocktail style pianist I wondered how they did it. How did they get that tinkly sound that I love? I have played piano for decades, but always from printed music. And these musicians that I heard—whether in person or on television or on a recording—sounded different. It really didn't occur to me that maybe I could learn a little of this. 

But like many of us who tried new things during the pandemic shut down, (how many of you learned to bake sourdough?) I used that time to explore jazz piano. I am far from accomplished but I'm making progress.

When you watch this snippet of my video, understand that I am not reading music off the page. I didn't have any! I'm watching the timing on a backing track app. This recording was done as a final project for an online class and we had to maintain the assigned tempo. 

Why am I doing this? It keeps my brain cells and my fingers active. I've learned a lot of music history. I've learned to be a better music listener. And it's proof that it's never too late to learn new skills. It might take longer, but it's never too late. My goal is to be the best mediocre jazz pianist I can be. It's only for fun!

Yes, there has been a lot of grandmothering happening also. So many funny stories. So many aching muscles. So many good memories. But in the thick of things, I didn't get many photos to share. 

There have not been many new recipes happening in my kitchen. I am thankful for the good ones that I use over and over. This week I made one of our favorites—Carol's Marinated Veggies. It's delicious and it keeps for days in the refrigerator. I'll share it again because maybe it's new to you.

The last time I made this salad, I remember thinking maybe I could use less sugar in the marinade. I know I love how Carol makes it, so I texted her to ask if she used the 3/4 cup of sugar in the marinade. That's what the recipe called for. I told her that I think hers is always better than mine. Here is her reply:

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I don’t stick to recipes very well. I do drain and rinse all canned veggies. Use dark red kidney beans. Have been using small butter beans lately instead of edamame beans. Sometimes use canned corn.  I’m sure yours is just as good, though.

CAROL'S MARINATED VEGGIES

1 (15.5 oz.) can light red kidney beans

1 (15.5 oz.) can black beans

1 (6.5 oz.) can mushroom stems & pieces

1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts (I cut into smaller pieces)

1 (2 oz. ) jar diced pimento

frozen white corn (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

frozen green peas (amount about equal to the kidney beans)

1 bag frozen shelled edamame beans, cooked according to package directions

1 rib celery, finely chopped, optional (I used this)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2  to 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Drain and rinse canned vegetables. Cook and cool edamame beans. In a large bowl, mix drained beans, pimento, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. 

Combine oil, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When cool, pour over vegetables and refrigerate. Vegetables will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Yes, you add the corn and peas frozen. No cooking. I did cut the slices of water chestnuts into smaller pieces. I'm sure if there is something that you don't like here, you can leave it out. 

Do The Can Can!

After I shared the easy spiffed up Jiffy cornbread recipe, you were probably expecting some real cooking coming from my kitchen. Well, that hasn't happened yet.  I'm still in quick and simple mode. Too many other fun things to do.

We had family here for several days for the long Presidents Day weekend. Little Sister (who is now 13) sang a solo at our church while they were here visiting. They headed home on Tuesday. And came right back on Thursday to see Itzhak Perlman in concert. He was as good as when we saw him perform 20 years ago. A true master of his instrument. A legend. I'm so glad the granddaughters got to see him.

Daddy-O and I stayed in town for the night and had a wonderful get-away. The morning after the concert we visited the SC Upcountry History Museum. And I finally made it to the music museum located next door to the history museum. Oh my goodness! It was a little treasure box. 

I even got to play the wonderful Steinway grand and the Flemish harpsichord that were on display. 

Why on earth had I waited so long to see this museum? It's not all keyboard instruments. There is quite a collection of world music instruments on another level. We made our way home just as it started to rain. And we stopped at a favorite lunch spot as we got closer to the farm. So much good food at each meal.

While we ate lunch, I announced that dinner was cancelled! We had enjoyed a wonderful pre-concert dinner the evening before, a lovely breakfast at the hotel (complete with white tablecloths and stemmed glassware), plus our delicious lunch. Daddy-O said a bowl of cereal would be fine. Then when it was time to actually do something for dinner at home we remembered that we were out of milk. I had used the last to make a chicken pie for the Lenten luncheon at our church on Wednesday. 

 

We were too tired to want to go out again. Then I remembered an old busy day standby that was a favorite when our girls were school age. I usually made it when Daddy-O was away, so he didn't remember this. But he liked it well enough to choose this again for lunch today! I don't even have a name for the recipe. Suggestions???

Supper was on the table in 15 minutes.

CHILI FLAVORED BEANS  

1 can pinto beans, drained & rinsed

1 can light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can corn, drained (I like shoepeg corn)

1 can diced tomatoes

*enough red enchilada sauce to reach the consistency you want (I used about 2/3 of the can)

1 teaspoon chili powder

Mix everything in a large pot and brung to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

That's it! While that was simmering I heated one of those "ready in 90 seconds" bags of jasmine rice. We spooned the beans over the rice and topped with shredded cheese and sour cream.

*I have never used enchilada sauce to make this but it definitely need more liquid. The canned diced tomatoes have much less liquid than a can of whole tomatoes like I used years ago. I was out of tomato sauce which was the first thing I thought of. Tomato juice would be a reasonable choice. But all I found in the pantry was the enchilada sauce. And it couldn't have been better.

Same thing with the beans. You could use other varieties of beans. I happen to like this combination because of three different shaped and colors. But if I had been out of one of those, I would have used another kind. We are too far from town to make extra trips to the grocery store. You learn to adapt.

 

Cornbread In A Jiffy

 

Goodness! How did two months pass without me posting here? Time seems to go by faster as I get older. And we've been crazy busy. But I do have a new recipe I want to tuck into my "online recipe box"—that would be the recipe index here on the blog. 

Since my last post we have celebrated Christmas, New Year's and three birthdays. Had family in residence for most of those big days. Who has time to write with toddlers in the house? I spent a long weekend at a knitting retreat. And I had a mother/daughter weekend away for an early milestone birthday. More doing. Less writing.

Yesterday was the begin of Lent. In our small town the churches that are located next to each other on Main Street join together for a service and lunch on each of the six Wednesdays of Lent. Our church serves the lunch the first two weeks. Our menu is always the same. The first week is a soup and cornbread lunch. I made a new-to-me cornbread recipe yesterday in addition to my usual one. Recipe is at the end of this blog.

When the house emptied out after the December/January holidays I picked up my knitting again. Several little baby hats were mailed to other states for friends expecting new grandchildren. Next on my "to knit" list are hats for another grandbaby and a great-grand baby! I've lost count of how many I've made, but I know it hovers around 100 now.

A big reason I've not posted as much is that I'm been pouring my time into a bucket list item. I want to play jazz piano. I've played piano forever. But jazz piano is a different creature. Currently I'm taking an online class. An actual class that includes homework. I'm learning Summertime now. Not this sheet music version—this is my music from the 1960s—but learning the song structure and learning how to improvise. It's a challenge. I can feel sparks in my little gray cells as I learn so many new things!

Daddy-O has been busy with a lake project. It was time to replace the lake wall. No one expected a record amount of rainfall just as this started. It's taking a while. Fingers crossed it all gets done before summer.

Now back to the new recipe. It was so easy. Yesterday I made two batches of my Corny Cornbread to take to church. Then decided it would be a good time to try this quick recipe also. The two of us in this household wouldn't eat an entire pan of it. But a church crowd might.

JIFFY QUICK CORNBREAD

2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 milk (whole, low-fat or fat-free)

2 eggs

3 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. (Spray the measuring tablespoon while you're at it.) 

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to mix. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated but do not over mix.

Pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes until slightly golden brown. Do not overtake!

That's it. So easy to stir up. It's a very different texture that my usual. Different taste also. But it's was good. It's nice to have options. I pretty much like all the cornbreads but the sweet ones fall further down my list. Surprisingly, this recipe isn't really sweet. Keep this version in mind for a busy day!