Fall Comes To The Lake

The first noticeable display of fall color.

A little pre-Halloween creation from a friendly spider.

We had an unexpected weekend with family. 

(So what if it involved some significant car trouble.)

It was glorious. (Except for the car problem.)

We drove down to the lake for lunch and ended up staying for dinner and breakfast the next morning. And then we came home with leftovers. It's a long, long story. But all you need to know is that should you find yourself with a couple of pieces of leftover grilled salmon, you can make a delicious, quick supper for 2 or 3 folks.

This is basic "fridge foraging." But this worked really well. Warmed over salmon didn't sound particularly appetizing. But when I combined the leftover salmon with a very few ingredients I had on hand, it was surprisingly good supper. I expected good. But this was GOOD!

Here is all I did. Use this as a starting point for your own creation.

SALMON LINGUINE w/SPINACH

2 pieces of leftover grilled salmon

1/2 box whole wheat linguine

1 jar Rao's Alfredo sauce

baby spinach

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, remove skin from salmon and break it apart into chunks. In a skillet, warm Alfredo sauce over low heat. A few minutes before pasta is done, stir in salmon and baby spinach. 

When pasta is done, use spaghetti lifter and move linguine from the pot directly into the skillet. Stir to combine. Continue to heat gently for a minute or two, until spinach is wilted.

That's it. It almost took longer to write the directions than it did to make the dish.  We will do this again, On purpose.

 

Making An Old House Into A New Home

Every muscle aches. Every bone is weary.

But some of my moving "chores" were restful.

There were little sewing projects.

And there were bigger sewing projects.

A couple of old windows were freshened with simple new curtains.

And betwixt and between the unpacking there was time to knit.

Two new hats for baby brother who is due in January.

"May this home be a place of happiness, of good health,

of contentment, of generosity and hope.

A home of destiny and kindness.

May those who visit and those who live here

know only blessings and peace." *

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

]

This quick and simple baby hat makes the best gift. I've made over 50 so far. Include care instructions if you're giving one away.

ROLLED BRIM BABY HAT

DK or sport weight yarn, suitable for a baby

size 5 or 6 needles (16-inch circular and DPNs)

Cast on 72 stitches for newborn size. Join, being careful not to twist stitches and place marker at beginning of round.

Knit to 5 inches. (I add 2 or 3 extra rounds; extra length lets baby wear it a little longer.)

Begin decreases — K2tog, K6 around to marker.

                                K2tog, K5 around marker.

Switch to DPNs and change to locking marker fastened between stitches at beginning of round. Place 3 decrease sections on each needle.

Continue decreases. 

                                K2tog, K4 around...

                                K2tog, K3, around...

Continue decreasing in this manner until a total of 5 stitches remain. 

Work 6 rows in I-cord.

Then K2tog twice. 3 stitches remain. 

Cut yarn and run yarn tail through 3 remaining stitches and then down through "stem" of hat.

Weave in yarn end. And weave in cast-on tail.

                                

*New home blessing borrowed from eunamae's Instagram page.

This Grandmother Will Return Shortly

I’ll be back after a short break. Helping daughter Jessica move. 

Homegrown Tomatoes

The calendar says it's almost fall. The first day of autumn is next week. But our garden thinks it's still summer. That suits us just fine. Here in the South, people celebrate the very first tomato sandwich of the year. But well into tomato season, we are just as excited to have another good BLT. 

I know not everyone is lucky enough to walk out the back door and pick tomatoes for lunch. Maybe you can find local tomatoes at a farmers market. But if you've only had them from the grocery store, you are missing a treat. Sometimes you will get a flavorful tomato at the store, but they are never as juicy. A really good tomato sandwich should have juice that dribbles down your chin.

Several years ago we had a neighbor plant several acres in tomatoes. Specifically a variety of tomatoes that were ideal for shipping. When they had finished picking and packing and shipping them for the season, the neighbors were welcome to come pick whatever was left. Well, those tomatoes were not like our garden tomatoes. They were much harder. And that makes sense. Our super juicy tomatoes would not survive being packed on top of each other. They would be a squished mess.

So we thank our lucky stars for living where we can grow our own. Just so you know...the best tomato sandwiches are made with Duke's mayonnaise. You'll never convince me otherwise.

And a good tomato sandwich always me think of this classic Guy Clark song. It might replay in your head all day. Or, you might find you're humming the tune for a week.  You're welcome.

 

Improv — In The Kitchen, At The Piano

Chicken Divan

For all the weeks I've said my kitchen was closed, (really, it was more like it was in low gear) I made up for it this weekend. We had Jessica, Todd and Little Lady here for a long weekend. We had not seen them in a couple of months, so I wanted to make sure they enjoyed some of their favorite foods while they were home.

The biggest meal was a traditional southern Sunday dinner. I haven't cooked like this in ages. I baked the ham and used the brown sugar-mustard glaze we like. I also made macaroni and cheese, roasted okra (the okra was from our garden) and sour cream muffins. Baby limas, deviled eggs and pickled peaches completed the plate. 

Saturday was an easy meal. A slow cooker supper I could get ready in the morning and then have the day to play with the baby. She is one busy little girl. This roast is a favorite we've made many times. You can make it a true one dish meal if you add some fresh baby spinach on top of the hot grits. Then spoon the roast over that. All that heat will wilt the spinach. And you can feel righteous because you've served a green vegetable.

SWISS-STYLE ROAST with CHEESE GRITS

1 beef chuck roast (or any other roast--brisket works great)
salt, pepper, & garlic powder 
1 jar marinara sauce with Cabernet, red wine or portabella mushrooms
1 onion, sliced thin 

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained

Place beef, rubbed with salt, pepper and garlic powder, into crockpot. Cover with sliced onion. Pour spaghetti sauce over. Cook on HIGH for 6-8 hours. When fork tender, slice meat and place back into sauce while preparing grits.

Cheese Grits:
quick-cooking grits (the 5-minute kind—not instant)
1 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

Cook grits for 4 servings, according to package. Stir in garlic powder and shredded cheese. Stir until cheese melts. You can adjust the garlic powder and cheese amount to suit you.

Why I'm telling you this all backwards, I don't know. But I'm too far in to change all of this now.

Friday night supper was a delicious new-to-the-blog recipe. For years, I've heard my cousin Audrey talk about her chicken divan. Everyone in her family loves it and requests it for special meals. I made chicken divan years ago from directions that my secretary gave me. No actual recipe. I remember that it called for toast triangles on the bottom instead of bread crumbs on the top. I asked Audrey to send me her recipe and in a few minutes, she texted this photo. Remember community cookbooks? I had so many of these cookbooks from civic clubs, churches and professional organizations. They were a guaranteed money maker back in the day. I got rid of many of my collection. But I still have one shelf devoted to the favorites I kept. I don't know what group put this particular cookbook together.

And here is where we get to the kitchen improv. This recipe has been tweaked again and again. Changing it up while maintaining the essence of the dish. That's exactly how jazz improv works. Change the lines around, tinker with the rhythms, but the essence of the tune is still there. My current hobby is learning jazz piano. I've played piano for decades, but the jazz is new. It's been so much fun.

I changed this recipe to suit me. We like fresh broccoli better. I always use sharp cheddar. And EIGHT slices of bread??? That would make a half-gallon of bread crumbs with the bread slices I had. I used Pepperidge Farm sour dough. Those are large slices. I tore each slice up into smaller pieces and processed them, one at the time in my mini food processor. Each slice makes about 1 cup of crumbs. I also cut way back on the butter. I probably used less than half a stick, just enough to moist the crumbs. Oleo? Nope. I only use butter nowadays. And I'm sure I used more than two cups of chicken. I just covered the broccoli.

Jessica said it was the crunchy crumbs that made the dish! She's right. I did like this better than the toast on the bottom. And Audrey's recipe is better seasoned that the old version I used to make. Mine was plain, plain, plain. No curry. No lemon juice. 

And my last kitchen improv was to use one can of cream of chicken soup and one can of cream of mushroom. That is because when I read the recipe, I only got as far as "cream of..." That so often means cream of mushroom, that is what I bought. But I did have one can of cream of chicken in the pantry, so I used one can of each. A trip back to the store for me is a 15 mile round trip. I've learned to improvise.

CHICKEN DIVAN

2 large broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size pieces & steamed until tender 

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up

2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I used one chicken & one mushroom)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2-3 slices bread, toasted & made into bread crumbs (about 2 cups)

1/3 to 1/2 stick butter, melted

Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with PAM. Arrange broccoli in bottom. Put chicken evenly over broccoli. Mix soup, mayonnaise, curry powder, lemon juice and spread over chicken. Sprinkle cheese over the soup mixture.

Mix melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over cheese.

Bake at 350º for 30-35 minute, until hot and bubbly.

I am delighted to have finally made this recipe I've heard about for so long. I forgot to ask Audrey what she served with hers. So we had pasta cooked brown rice and fresh fruit for the side dishes. We had the leftovers for lunch the next day and both Daddy-O and Jessica said they thought it was even better the second day. 

The next time it's my turn to take supper to book club, I think I have my menu!

If the jazz piano thing interests you at all, you will enjoy this video. I am currently signed up with his program. Can I play like this? Of course not. But I'm learning. There are many, many free video tutorials from him on YouTube. Just google "Piano with Jonny YouTube." I played around with those for quite some time. Then maybe you'll be like me and decide to jump in and try the full program. Let me know if you do and we can cheer each other on.

NOTE:  For reasons I don't understand the video is not showing up on the mobile view. At least on my phone. Use this link if you are interested:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CA0-HpKYZg

Baked Bowties for Book Club

Baked Bowties w/Tomatoes, Spinach & Mozzarella

I just realized that a month has passed since I posted. A WHOLE month. That was not an intentional break. But I think I didn't have anything to say. I haven't cooked a lot—at least not a recipe that you haven't seen a bunch of times already. I looked to see if there were farm photos I could share. At least I could post some nice photos! But there are barely any photos at all.

In this past month we did get some family time to celebrate a birthday. But there are no pictures of that either. All of that celebration was outside and we had significant distance between us. We didn't get the birthday hugs that we wanted, but it was fun. To quote one of my favorite bloggers, "I’m trying to celebrate what I’ve got, rather than (think about) what I wish could happen." 

I was reminded last night that my kitchen was not completely closed these past weeks like it felt. A friend returned some containers from a couple of meals I dropped off at her door while she was sick. I also left a dinner on the front porch for another friend last night. The dinner I delivered was her portion of our book club supper. She was sick and missed our gathering. This recipe has been on this blog before, but none of the book club girls had ever had it. It's so easy. I'm not sure why I had not taken it to book club before. I told them we were having a "meatless Monday."

These ladies always ask, 'Is the recipe on your blog?" I told them it was but it would be a good one to post again if I had made a new photo. I didn't think about snapping a picture last night until we had finished eating. One friend laughed and said, "You should make it now with that one spoonful left in the dish. Then people would know we loved it." The photo above is from several years ago. 

So here is the recipe again. Except last night I doubled everything. I know math is not my strong suit, but the recipe as written fits into a 2-quart dish. When I doubled it, I put it all in a 3-quart dish. (2 + 2 = 3?) It was full to the top. And we nearly ate it all!

BAKED BOWTIES with TOMATOES, SPINACH & MOZZERALLA (makes a 2-qt casserole)

3 cups uncooked bowtie pasta (that's about half a 16-oz box)

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (I often use the basil, garlic, oregano kind)

2 cups Alfredo pasta sauce (I use a 15-oz jar of sauce. Last night it was Bertolli.)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

2-3 handfuls baby spinach (I remove the big stems.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with PAM. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat tomatoes to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for  6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is partially evaporated. Stir in spinach just to wilt it.

Put Alfredo sauce into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 90-seconds to heat. Stir in shredded cheese. Heat another 30-seconds and stir until cheese melts. (Mine usually is not totally melted.) Mix into tomato-spinach mixture. 

Put pasta in the baking dish and pour sauce over it. Stir gently to mix it all. 

Bake uncovered, about 30 minutes, or until hot in center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is such a simple recipe, but I do have a few tips: 

• Heat the tomatoes in a non-stick pan. Then add the Alfredo sauce to that. The cheese-alfredo-tomato combination can be hard to clean in a regular pan. 
• I use a 4-cup measuring cup to microwave the Alfredo sauce. Or a big 8-cup one for the doubled recipe.
• I even use a silicone spatula to stir it all because that sauce really wants to stick to metal. Then the measuring cup and spatula can go in the dishwasher.

Back when we found this recipe somewhere (I truly don't remember where) it used a saucepan for the Alfredo sauce, a saucepan for the tomatoes and of course, a big pan for the pasta. It was too many dirty pans. And the cheesy sauce was really hard to clean up. It's a wonder I kept making the recipe. But we really liked it. Then one day, it dawned on me to heat the sauce in the microwave. SO. MUCH. EASIER. And we have changed the ingredients enough that this is only a cousin to the original.  

And I just remembered this photo from a couple of weeks ago. We saw the end of the rainbow. It ended in our pasture beside the house. This is the third time I've seen the end of a rainbow. Have you ever seen the end of a rainbow?

Where Has Summer Gone?

Apple Pineapple Dump Cake

Goodness, what a summer! (Is it still summer?Is it all over? I've lost track.) After many, many months of barely seeing family—at least close enough to touch them—we had an uninterrupted six weeks of family in residence. And for one of those weeks, we had the entire family together. That hasn't happened in nearly two years. It was fabulous. But it's taken me a couple more weeks to recover from all the fun. 

We did some house swapping during this family time. Besides the farm, we have a lake cabin and its little sister cottage that sits a few feet away from the cabin. So after much moving around between "houses" it's been a bit of a treasure hunt to find things at home. Partly because we just forgot where things were. That was a long time to be away.

For most of the six weeks, we lived at the lake and let Mommy, J-Daddy and the little girls enjoy the wide open space at the farm. But they also had time at the lake to enjoy the water activities. Thankfully, the farm and the lake aren't too far apart, so we got to see them wherever they were.

The pandemic lockdown started just weeks after Little Lady was born, so Little Sister and Baby Girl had only see her once right after she was born. They were all excited to be together at long last. And Little Lady tried her best to do everything the big girls did. It was fun to watch it all.

We miss having them here, but it's also been good to settle down and do some of our regular things. One of the activities we've enjoyed during our year of stay-at-home is the virtual Chautauqua series from our local Chautuaqua society. Earlier this week we enjoyed a lecture on "Food Fads from the 1940s through the 1960s." I watched "with" a friend in Manhattan and we had so much fun texting as we listened, sharing our memories about many of these foods. 

If you are interested, the lecture is available on YouTube until Thursday, August 5th, 2021. Here is the link and the description from the Spartanburg County Library:

Food Fads from the 1940s through the 1960s

"Remember Jell-O salads and cheese sprayed out of a can? When every pantry held Velveeta and all the kids wanted to drink Tang? Join historian and author Leslie Goddard for a nostalgic look at the food innovations and marketing approaches that transformed how we ate at midcentury."

And you might think I made this dessert the night of the lecture to be on theme. I did not. To be honest, I REALLY wanted dessert that night and this was the only thing I could come up with that used ingredients I had in the house. In my mind, it's a desperation dessert. But it certainly checked all the boxes of the food fad lecture!

APPLE PINEAPPLE DUMP CAKE

1 (28-oz) can apple pie filling (the kind with extra fruit)

1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple packed in juice

1 box yellow cake mix (the two layer size)

2 sticks (1 cup) of butter, melted

Spray or grease a 9x13-inch pan. (I lined mine with foil for easy clean-up. It was that kind of night.)

Dump ingredients into pan in this order: spread pie filling over the bottom of pan, pour crushed pineapple with the juice over the pie filling; sprinkle dry cake mix over the pineapple; pour melted butter over the dry cake mix. Don't stir.

Bake at 350º for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden brown.

You could swap the apple pie filling for another fruit filling. I've done this before with cherry pie filling. And you could sprinkle chopped nuts over the top before baking, too. We don't do nuts here any more, but the crunch of the toasted nuts would be a nice addition.

This is really rich, but it hit the spot. And hopefully satisfied my dessert craving for weeks to come. I would have added a scoop of ice cream to my dish if there had been any in the freezer. Of course, if there had been ice cream here, I wouldn't have made dessert!

REMINDER:  If you subscribed to this blog by using the email box that was on the right hand sidebar, remember that there are major changes happening to that service. I have read all of the alerts and to be honest, I didn't understand most of what they said. BUT if you used that sign up option, and find that in the coming weeks you are no longer getting any blog notices, that may be why. I think there are other feed services out there that you can use. 

And you can always find the blog by searching for it. thegrandmothergig.blogspot.com  Check in from time to time to see what's new.