Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition [Survival Today

Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.

To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.

How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)

Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)

Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)

Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)

40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)

Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)

5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)

* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance

http://www.rocoto.com/oldsite/

The rocoto is one amazing pepper. It has thick walls, like a bell pepper, but hot. It has been cultivated in Peru and Bolivia for thousands of years.

Rocoto (aka locoto in Bolivia) is Capsicum pubescens (hairy pepper). Locoto is among the oldest of domesticated peppers, up to as much as 5000 years ago by Inca. Young and adult plants are highly pubescent. Seeds are black or dark.

The smaller red locoto is thought to be an earlier domesticated type and is more common in Bolivia. More typical in Peru is the larger red rocoto that makes excellent rocoto relleno. The yellow type tends to be on the small size and now more commonly found in the Caribbean and Mexico.

The rocoto is probably related to undomesticated peppers that still grow in South America (cardenasii, eximium, and others). This plant is a perennial, you should plan for this in colder climates and pot it. Expect to cut it back to 1/3 every year.

Joe

New sections: 9/16/06 Joe’s presentation to Golden Gate Chapter of CA Rare Fruit Growers ,Inc.

Listen to Joe speak on the Old Time Farm & Garden Radio Program file1 & file2.

http://www.rocoto.com/oldsite/growing.html

pruning and overwintering

Chiles belong to the genus Capsicum and the Solanaceae or nightshade family. This large plant family includes the tomato, potato, eggplant, and petunia. South American peppers (primarily baccatum and pubescens) are as easy to grow as the annuum, chinense, &frutescens. There are no real secrets, just goon plant growing sense.

In South America, the two primary domesticated peppers are the Aji and Rocoto (aka Locoto in Bolivia). There are a number of other peppers used but these are wild collected.

Start Early
One of the most important things about growing peppers is that it is important to get your seeds started as early in the season as possible. The following tips work well for me in my growing region. I you want to try them, please give me feedback — I would love to know if they work in other parts of the country.

Germination
Some peppers (Bird and other small wild peppers) require extreme measures like bleaching or feeding to birds to get them to germinate. Luckily most peppers will germinate fine without such measures. One thing I have noticed is that peppers like it warm for germination. My method is to setup a warming tray using a few off the shelf components.

* Heating Pad from K-Mart
* Plastic tray (holds 8 3x3 9 pack trays)
* 9 3x3 plastic seed starting packs
* Saran wrap

First, I prepare the starter packs by cutting 8 of the 9 cell packs into individual cell carriers. I fill each 1 cell with a high quality seed starting mix and insert the single cells into the 9 cell starting packs. The individual cell in the 9 cell carrier allows individual movement of seedlings to grow lights. Place between 2 & 3 seeds in each cell (or other quantity based on predicted germination ratio). Insert seeded cells into 9 cell groups and arrange in plastic tray. When the tray is full, cover and set it over the heating pad. I set the heating pad off at the highest setting and monitor the temperature with a Radio Shack digital thermometer. Optimum soil temperature is 85 degrees F, adjust accordingly to maintain this temperature.

Lighting
Adjacent to the germination trays, I have an adjustable height, overhead fluorescent grow light setup. When a seed germinates, I move it out off of the heat pads and under the lights as soon as it breaks ground. It is crucial to grow a healthy plant so cull anything less than perfect. Also, be sure to label plants well as it is easy to get mixed up when you have several different types of pepper in each 9 pack. I print labels on transparent envelope labels (Avery #2660 ) and cut/stick them on plastic stakes.

Outside
After the seedlings have 3 sets of leaves, they can be moved outside. For at least a few weeks, I prefer to bring them indoors at night. After 2 to 3 weeks of this routine, I leave them outside.

Transplanting
Between April and June, most peppers will need to be transplanted into larger containers. I sterilize and reuse plastic containers of varying sizes for all my plants. I don’t have any specific guidelines for when to transplant. When the plant looks small for it’s pot, it’s time to move. I use use regular potting soil available almost anywhere. Be sure to keep the plants well hydrated. Also it is best to transplant when it is not excessively hot, this lessens the impact of transplant shock. Fertilize after a week with WEAK fertilizer.

In the Garden
By May, most peppers can move out of to enjoy natural unfiltered sunlight. Plant baccatum peppers in the ground between 1-2 feet apart. Rocotos I recommend planting in containers the first year but I must plant in the ground, give them at least 2 feet from neighbors and consider how you will add a trellis later. If the weather is slow to warm, it is helpful to cover the ground around the seedlings with plastic wrap. This helps elevate the soil temperature. It is also sometimes helpful to cover plants with mini greenhouses. To do this, cut the neck off of clear plastic 2 liter (or larger) bottles. Drill a large hole in the center of the clear plastic container and then place the container over the center stake that the chile is tied to. Make sure to drill air holes around the side of the container to provide for ventilation. If you do this, be sure to watch the temperature and remove when it gets warm.

In the Garden
Aji (baccatum) and rocotos (pubescens) both do great in containers. Baccatum can easily be grown and sometimes overwintered in 5 gallon containers. Rocotos I always recommend stay in containers the first year as they do not get that large the first year and it facilitates overwintering. First year rocotos should also go in 5 gallon containers. Use high quality potting soil that has both perlite and vermiculite (or add them). Both the Aji and rocoto will both need some sort of support as they grow and especially when they start producing peppers.

Food
Potassium and phosphorus are important for flowering and fruiting plants but be careful about adding too much nitrogen. If you over use nitrogen, you’ll get a nice big robust plant, but no peppers. Use any fertilizer recommended for tomatoes — something with a low nitrogen ration like 1-3-3. If a soil test shows you need to add calcium and also raise the pH, add some limestone. If you need to add calcium but don’t want to affect the pH, use gypsum. Links on soil and additives. Fertilize as needed, usually every other week.

Pests
Watch out for aphids and white flies, two very common pests. The University of CA has a great page on Pest Management. See this page for information specific to peppers.

Continue to Overwintering

More gardening info...

* Info from UK ChileHead on growing
* Books on growing chiles.

The links page looks interesting and it has 2 seed companies listed:

http://www.rocoto.com/Web%20Links.html

Many, many excellent and healthy recipes
Posted by: “Pat Meadows”

We have a lot of new folks recently. Welcome to you all.

This will not be news to long-time members, but maybe they won’t mind a
reminder.

Lots and lots of very healthy recipes are here:

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/

Whether or not you are gluten-free, you will find some very appealing
recipes here, I believe.

I’ve made quite a few of Karina’s main course recipes (soups, roasted
veggies and so on) - from the website above - and they have all been really
good. Being gluten-free is irrelevant to most of this type of recipe, of
course.

Those who can eat gluten probably won’t want to bother with the baked goods
recipes that Karina has created. I have not personally had great success
with her baked goods, but this most likely has been because I rarely have
had the correct ingredients. So I don’t think is the fault of the recipes,
but of me. :)

But I do recommend her main course dishes: very good stuff! At least so
far.

And here is another extremely valuable website, especially, but NOT ONLY,
for those who are eating a very low-fat or fat-free diet:

http://www.fatfreevegan.com

Don’t let the name scare you; you don’t need to be a vegan or even a
vegetarian to garner many useful and very nice recipes here. You don’t
need to be eating a fatfree diet either.

As for us, I’m making this recipe for dinner today:

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2005/11/brown-rice-roasted-vegetables.html

We have the LAST of the eggplants, peppers, squash and tomatoes from the
garden to use, plus a cauliflower we can use, and mushrooms and some sweet
potatoes.

I’ll have it over brown rice. My husband, who will *not* eat brown rice,
will probably make pasta for himself.

Dessert? I had planned to make a dessert, but I’ve been lazy today so far.
It is Sunday, and I generally make a nice dessert on Sundays.

So I’ll just make baked custard - easy, simple, plain, good. And I’ll have
the oven on anyway. It’s cold and rainy today, having the oven on will be
nice (the first time since spring that’s happened!).

Custard recipe will be sent separately.

Pat

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2a. RECIPE: Baked Custard - simple, plain, good
Posted by: “Pat

Here’s my easy custard recipe.

By the way, I’d like to get a plug in here for Miller’s Purely Maple syrup,
which is *the best* maple syrup I’ve ever had, and produced here in Tioga
County, Pennsylvania - actually about 10 miles from our home. (This is an
unsolicited plug, I have no connection with them.) We buy Grade B, which
has considerably more of that delicious maple flavor. Wonderful stuff!

http://www.millersmaple.com/

We keep ours in the freezer, it will keep for years that way, certainly
more than the one year it takes us to use a gallon. We buy a gallon every
spring.

Pat

CUSTARD

Don’t bother to scald the milk, that’s not necessary. I use skim milk for
this, and it is fine. Use whatever milk you wish. I don’t see any reason
why soy milk wouldn’t work too, or hemp milk, or rice milk - although I
have not tried this with anything but dairy milk.

Use ‘fake eggs’ (Egg-beaters or the like) or substitute egg whites for the
whole eggs if you must eat fatfree or extremely low-fat. Two egg whites
equals one egg.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

* 2 cups milk (lowfat, or even skim, milk is fine)
* 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup, or agave syrup - or other liquid
sweetener of your choice. I use local, and very very good, maple syrup.)
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Mix all the ingredients (except the nutmeg or cinnamon) very well with
blender, stick blender, electric mixer, or whisk.

(I use my stick blender for this. It’s fast to grab, use, and wash.)

Pour mixture into four custard cups or a casserole dish.
Sprinkle lightly with nutmeg or cinnamon. Place the dish or cups in a
baking pan of hot water. The water should be approximately one inch deep.

Bake about 45 minutes (little custard cups) to one hour (larger casserole)
or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

— North-Central Pennsylvania, USA
www.meadows.pair.com/articleindex.html

The world has enough for everyone’s need,
but not enough for everyone’s greed.

Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/healthycheapcooking/

Raspberry Lemonade Pie

1/3 C. sweetened raspberry lemonade drink mix
1/2 C. water
2 C. vanilla ice cream softened
1 (8 oz) carton frozen whipped topping thawed
1 chocolate crumb crust
chocolate syrup, optional

In a large bowl combine drink mix and water. Add ice cream; beat on low speed for 2 minutes or until blended. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust.

Freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Serve with chocolate syrup if desired.

Dorie
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DoriesRecipeBox/

Hi....
This is a really good quick and simple meal to put together.....for those days you want to go “meatless”!
Enjoy!
hugs,
peg

This recipe is for 6 servings, but here is a link for the same recipe but was in my “Cooking for Two” magazine.....
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Penne-with-Veggies—N—Black-Beans-2

“Chock full of zucchini, tomato, sweet pepper and carrot, this hearty pasta dish puts your garden harvest to good use. For variety add salsa or thickened teriyaki sauce, writes Vickie Spoerle of Indianapolis, Indiana.”

Penne with Veggies ‘n’ Black Beans

10 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup julienned green or sweet red pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon each minced fresh basil, oregano and thyme or 1 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano and thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup chopped seeded tomatoes
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick
skillet, saute the zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic and
seasonings in 1 tablespoon oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the beans. Drain
pasta; add to vegetable mixture. Add tomatoes and remaining olive oil; toss gently. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Yield: 6 servings.

Recipe source: Taste of Home Light & Tasty magazine, submitted by Vickie Spoerle of Indianapolis, Indiana.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Penne-with-Veggies—n—Black-Beans

Here is the link to the same recipe but for 2 servings:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Ambrosia with coconut and toasted almonds
Posted by: “*~Tamara~*”

Ambrosia with coconut and toasted almonds
Serves 8

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1 small pineapple
5 oranges
2 red apples, cored and diced
1 banana, halved lengthwise, peeled and sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons cream sherry
Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool. Add the coconut to the sheet and bake, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool.

Cut off the crown of leaves and the base of the pineapple. Stand the pineapple upright and, using a large, sharp knife, pare off the skin, cutting downward just below the surface in long, vertical strips and leaving the small brown “eyes” on the fruit. Lay the pineapple on its side. Aligning the knife blade with the diagonal rows of eyes, cut a shallow furrow, following a spiral pattern around the pineapple, to remove all the eyes. Cut the pineapple crosswise into slices 3/4-inch thick, and remove the core with a small, sharp knife or small cookie cutter. Cut into cubes and set aside.

Working with 1 orange at a time, cut a thin slice off the top and the bottom, exposing the flesh. Stand the orange upright and, using a sharp knife, thickly cut off the peel, following the contour of the fruit and removing all the white pith and membrane. Holding the orange over a bowl, carefully cut along both sides of each section to free it from the membrane. As you work, discard any seeds and let the sections fall into the bowl. Repeat with the remaining oranges. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, oranges, apples, banana and sherry. Toss gently to mix well. Divide the fruit mixture evenly among individual bowls. Sprinkle evenly with the toasted almonds and coconut and garnish with the mint. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis(per serving) Calories 146 Monounsaturated fat 1 g
Protein 2 g Cholesterol 0 mg
Carbohydrate 26 g Sodium 1 mg
Total fat 4 g Fiber 4 g
Saturated fat 1 g

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LowFat-Desserts/
Need some healthier desserts? Come see us

This is another great group owned by *Beth*

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/all-simple-recipes/

http://www.dogs-pets-cats.com/chicken-coop-designs-for-urban-dwellers/

Chicken Coop Designs for Urban Dwellers
September 29th, 2009

If you live in the suburbs and want to raise your own backyard chickens, there are a few easy ways that you can build attractive chicken coop designs that won’t upset the neighbors. Of course, many suburbs have ordinances against farm animals, so you will want to check this fact out, first.

There are some great chicken coop designs for backyard, small urban dwellers. One of the cutest is converting a child’s playhouse to a chicken coop. Other clever chicken coop designs use recycling, such as an old bunk bed frame to be enclosed with a plywood roof and the elevated floor is supported by the bottom bed slats. Coming up with chicken coop designs is easier for some than others, but you can find some great ideas, kits and plans on the Internet.

http://www.chickencoopdesigns101.com/

One of the larger children’s playhouses is one of the easily adapted chicken coop designs. Most of them are large enough to house up to 4 chickens. They already have a roof and windows with door, they mainly just need to have water and feeding stations added and if it is a full sized children’s playhouse, you can move old stuffed chairs in for nesting boxes. From the outside it looks like a playhouse, but the inside is an egg-laying operation.

The chicken coop designs that use garden sheds are best for this purpose, too. You can easily adapt a garden shed or outbuilding into a chicken coop. Some urban dwellers have built onto their home, multi-story “boxes” that look like outside stacking storage boxes with mesh wire fronts. These chicken coop condominiums are easily disguised to the untrained eye. Some of them feature a top level penthouse, that resembles a glassed in porch to provide warmth from the sunlight, yet allows you to open the windows to let heat out and ventilate the chicken coop.

Urban dwellers just need to use a little imagination, when it comes to chicken coop designs that blend with the exterior of their homes. You can easily build your own chicken coops with your own chicken coop designs that use some of the household goods and building materials you already have.

One creative urban dweller built a patio chicken coop using a brick retaining wall for the back side, an older kitchen countertop for the roof, enclosed the two sides with plywood and used mesh front cabinet doors for the front and left over shelving for roosting perches. It doubled as a supply table when he was using the outside grill, and it easily hosed out with the concrete floor.

Backyard chicken farmers can be urban dwellers and still raise their own fresh eggs with some creative chicken coop designs and a little ingenuity. One creative recycler hauled off front loading washers for free and lined them across his back fence, replaced the washer doors with mesh doors and turned them into individual chicken apartments that were housed in a gazebo-style chicken yard, hidden with flowering vines. It was a creative way to recycle, save and protect his chicken with his chicken coop designs. Chicken coop designs for urban dwellers are on the Internet, but you can come up with ingenious chicken coop designs using things you already have, in some cases.

* Watering - Chicken Coop Designs
* Ideas for Chicken Coop Designs
* Portable Chicken Coop Designs

http://members.fortunecity.com/cnetter/rose_tour/rose_recipes.html

Rose Hip Recipes
Rose hips have a tangy yet sweet flavor and can be used fresh, dried, or preserved. The simplest use is to steep them for tea. Rose hip syrup, puree, jam, jelly, and sauce can be used as is or as flavoring in other recipes. The hips are usually left on the bush until after the first frost when they are bright red and slightly soft.

To prepare, trim off the blossom and stem ends with scissors, cut in half lengthwise, remove the tiny hairs and seeds in the center, and rinse. Never use aluminum utensils or pans as they tend to destroy the vitamin C. To dry the hips, simply spread the prepared halves in a single layer on screens or trays and place in a dehydrator, an oven on the lowest setting, or in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place. Store in a glass jar in a dark, cool place.

Rose hip puree is often added by the spoonfull to soups, cereals, juices, fruit salads, and sauces or spread on bread to provide extra vitamin C. To make, simmer 2 pounds prepared fresh hips in 1 quart water until tender, or about 20 or 30 minutes. Puree in a food mill or processor and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

A traditional recipe of rose hips, dating back at least to 1671, is rose hip tart. Combine 1 1/2 cups prepared fresh hips with 3/4 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ginger, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stirring, simmer for another 5 minutes; set aside. Prepare pie crust, add the rose hip filling, then cover with remaining pastry. Seal the edges and pierce the top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the top with sugar, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Eat hot or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.

from an AARS news release

The following recipes were donated by Debbie Jelen:

Rosewater Toner for dry skin

* 3/4 cup rosewater
* 6 drops glycerin
* 2/3 cup witch hazel.

Blend in a bottle. Shake before use.

Rose Omelet

* 8 eggs
* 1 tsp celery salt
* pinch of marjoram
* 1/2 cup clean rose petals

Blend ingredients at medium speed until the eggs are fluffy and the petals practically liquified. Cook slowly like you would any omelet. Decorate with Paprika and garnish with rose petals.

Rose Beads
Pick a shopping bag full of fresh petals (old wild roses are best). Process in food grinder until resembles clay. Place ground petals in a cast-iron skillet or pot and regrind daily for 2 weeks (no kidding). The paste will become thicker every day until it can be rolled into smooth, hard beads. Roll beads until they are smooth and rounded. Place a hole through the bead with a pin and pin to a corkboard. (Finished beads will be around 1/2 the size of the fresh ones.) Let the beads dry for 2 weeks on the board. Remove the pins and polish each bead with flannel or a soft cloth. String beads into a necklace. As you wear the necklace, the beads will darken and polish and release their rosy fragrance. These beads are suppose to last for generations!

The following recipe was donated by Gretchen Arrant:

Rose Petal Jam

* 1 cup fresh rose petals(must never have been sprayed with any chemicals)
* 3/4 cup water
* Juice of 1 lemon
Puree in blender until smooth. Slowly add 2 1/2 cups sugar, blend till all sugar has dissolved;(leave in blender)

Stir 1 package pectin (ie. Sure Jell) into 3/4 cup water, bring to a boil, and boil hard for 1 minute.

Pour mixture into blender with rose petal mixture until well blended. Do this very quickly - it sets up FAST!!

Pour into baby food jars. Let set for 6 hours, till firm. Will keep one month in refrigerator. Freezes well.

This next recipe was donated by Gina:

Rose Hip Jelly

* 8 cups of rose hips
* 6 cups of water
* 1 box of certo
* 1/2 cup lemon juice
* 5 cups of sugar

Boil the rose hips for 10 - 15 min. until soft enough to crush. Crush them and squeeze through cloth, to make juice. For every 4 cups of juice add one box of certo and bring to a boil. Add the 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 5 cups of sugar (1/2 tsp. of marg to prevent foam). Buing to a boil and boil hard for 2 min. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars and seal with caps and rings. The jelly has a wonderful flavor and is the consistency of liguid honey.

Parsley Tabbouleh
Posted by: “Judith

Parsley Tabbouleh

PREP TIME
35 minutes

COOK TIME
40 minutes

LEVEL
Easy

SERVES
4Serve this tart, parsley-dominated tabbouleh at your next gathering.

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1/2 cup bulgur
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, (about 2 bunches)
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tomatoes, diced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Combine water and bulgur in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, 25 minutes or according to package directions. If any water remains, drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.
Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and scallions to the bulgur. Add the dressing and toss. Serve at room temperature or chill for at least 1 hour to serve cold.

Wine Marinade
Posted by: “Judith

This simple classic marinade is perfect paired with dark or gamy meats. You can vary the flavor depending on what kind of red wine you choose. For a greater intensity, try using a full-bodied red, such as Shiraz or Zinfandel. For a more delicate flavor, use a lighter red, such as Pinot Noir or Burgundy. Use on chicken thighs, duck, beef, lamb (see Tip)

Ingredients:

2 cups red wine
1 small onion, diced
2 3-inch strips orange zest, (see Tip)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons red currant jelly
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Combine wine, onion, orange zest, rosemary, jelly, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the marinade into a shallow baking dish or 1-gallon sealable plastic bag for marinating 1 to 2 pounds (4 to 8 servings) of your chosen protein.

Tip:Tip: Use a vegetable peeler to easily remove strips of the outer orange skin (zest), leaving the bitter white pith behind.

Follow the marinating times, cooking times and temperatures below for juicy, perfect grilling results.

EXTRA-FIRM TOFU
30 minutes to overnight
2-3 minutes per side

SALMON FILLET
30 minutes
3-5 minutes per side

CHICKEN BREAST boneless, skinless
2 hours to overnight
6-8 minutes per side; 165°F

CHICKEN THIGHS boneless, skinless
2 hours to overnight
6-8 minutes per side; 165°F

CHICKEN THIGHS bone-in, skinless
2 hours to overnight
15-25 minutes, turning occasionally; 165°F

DUCK BREAST boneless, skinless
2 hours to overnight
4-8 minutes per side; 150°F

PORK CHOPS bone-in, 3/4” thick
2 hours to overnight
3-4 minutes per side; 145°F

PORK TENDERLOIN
2 hours to overnight
14-16 minutes, turning occasionally; 145°F

FLANK STEAK
2 hours to overnight
6-8 minutes per side; 140°F for medium

STRIP STEAK bone-in, 3/4”-1” thick
2 hours to overnight
4-5 minutes per side; 140°F for medium

LAMB LOIN CHOPS
2 hours to overnight
5-6 minutes per side; 145°F for medium

*All cooking times based on medium-high grill temperature and cooking with the grill lid closed.

Peas & Lettuce
Posted by: “Judith

Peas & Lettuce [I am amazed...this actually sounds good!]

PREP TIME
20 minutes

COOK TIME
20 minutes

LEVEL
Easy

SERVES
6A lovely exaggeration of the French technique of cooking peas with a little lettuce, this light dish goes well with mildly seasoned seafood or chicken.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups shelled fresh peas, (3 pounds unshelled)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
4 cups thinly sliced Boston lettuce, (about 1 small head)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add peas and stir to coat with oil. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in mint and cook for 30 seconds. Add lettuce, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AnHerbGarden/

http://thespicedlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/family-recipes-mary-jones-shrimp-dish.html

Family Recipes: Mary Jones’ Shrimp Dish

As everyone knows by now, I was in Chicago recently to see U2 and generally have fun. While I was gone, my in-laws came to help with the kids. I suggested that while I was gone they make one of John’s favorite dishes growing up, Mary Jones’ Shrimp Dish (OK I made that up—to my knowledge his family never named the dish). The point being, I am not a fan of shrimp served in a sauce, but John has such a strong attachment to this dish—both flavor wise and nostalgia wise, that I felt it was a perfect entry for Family Recipes. And something he and his mom could make together while I was gone. Knowing I would be busy—and knowing that John is a very funny writer—I asked him to please write up the blog post and recipe for me. I am late posting it because he asked me to proof read it last week and then my entire family got sick, myself worst of all, so I put it on the back burner. Here it is now. Be sure to head over to The Life And Loves Of Grumpy’s HoneyBunch to see what other family recipes people made.

This shrimp dish is a recipe that has been in my family for several generations, and one I loved growing up. I love it, my mother loves it, my grandmother loved it – I’m a little unclear if it goes back to my great-grandmother. (Who was born in the 1860s – before a major ingredient, Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, existed.) So for all I know she invented this. (The recipe, not Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.) It’s also unclear whether this will continue much further. My wife doesn’t like shrimp – a serious character flaw I have tried to learn to live with, but I remain hopeful that they will some day develop a surgical procedure for correcting it. So this doesn’t get made too much (read: ever). But when she was recently out of town, my mother helped cook it and my daughters, who love shrimp, refused to touch it. Hopefully this was just the random eccentricity of small children, and not a sign that this recipe goes no further through my branch of the family.

Anyway, it’s a fairly simple recipe, requiring:
· Shrimp
· More shrimp
· Shallots (Laura’s note: pick an amount to taste, around 3 sounded good to John when I asked)
· Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
· Ketchup (2 tbs. per can of soup)
· Peas

Start by sautéing both the shrimp and the more shrimp (feeling free to add extra shrimp as needed). Separately, sauté the shallots (the onion wannabe of the allium world). Combine the shrimp and the shallots and add the Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup. (I suppose it is possible you could use some other brand of mushroom soup, but I’ve never tried it and then it’s not my recipe, so why are you wasting my time? Nor can I guarantee that there won’t be some sort of unexpected chemical reaction causing the shrimp to explode and take out half your kitchen wall. So do so at your own risk.) Add the ketchup and heat. Serve on rice, with peas on the side. (I suppose this technically means that peas are not part of the recipe, but we always have them. Failure to do so means you are not making my recipe, so why are you wasting my time? And again, for all I know, they are suppressing some chemical reaction between the soup and ketchup that would otherwise blow your stove hood through your ceiling.)

That’s it: that is the great family recipe that generations have loved for years. My wife won’t eat it and my children won’t eat it – but if just one person who reads this blog likes it and can carry on this tradition, it still won’t help. Because I’m pretty sure you won’t be cooking it for me.

**Since writing the above I’ve done a little more research (meaning that I asked my mother) and traced the roots of this recipe. Turns out it had nothing to do with my great grandmother. (Incidentally, I also confirmed my suspicion that said great grandmother did not create Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup.) It was instead obtained from a woman named Mary Jones — a friend of my grandmother’s who was apparently a Depression-era cookbook author.

Attempts to google “Mary Jones” have proved (unsurprisingly) useless, so that’s about as far as I can go.

http://thespicedlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/janice-carrs-mixed-grain-muffins.html

Janice Carr’s Mixed-Grain Muffins

As soon as I saw this recipe—thumbing through, I might add, since I have not gotten there yet in my reading of The Cornbread Gospels—I knew I was going to make it for my playgroup. It looked like the perfect combination of healthy and tasty—and what kid does not like muffins? Plus they allowed for any combination of whole grain flours, which is fun because I tend to not like some of the typical ones (whole wheat, quinoa, and rye, for exs).

When they first came out of the oven, I won’t lie to you, I thought they were a flop. Mine were not “high rising” and they were awfully crumbly. Maybe it was because I doubled the recipe or maybe it was the less well known teff flour. But I served them with room temperature European butter and honey or maple syrup (their choice) for drizzling and suddenly it did not matter that they were squat or needed to be eaten with a fork in some cases. More of these babies were eaten than cupcakes at my daughter’s birthday celebration playgroup. Which, to be fair, might have also been because those were not so healthy. Either way, these whole grain muffins were a hit!

I recommend you give these a try. And let me know if you do how they turn out and what combination of flours you used. I used my 2 favorites (except cornmeal, of course, which was already present), oat and teff flours.

Janice Carr’s Mixed-Grain Muffins
The Cornbread Gospels, Crescent Dragonwagon

vegetable oil cooking spray
paper muffin cups

3/4 cup unbleached AP flour (plus extra as needed, which I did not)
3/4 cup stone ground yellow cornmeal
About 1 cup assorted whole grain flours—I used 75% oat flour and 25% teff flour
2 T baking powder (no that is not a typo)
1 t salt
1/3 cup butter, room temp
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk (I had to sub a mix of sour cream, cream and water, which might have been my problem as well)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line 12 cup muffin tin with paper cups and then lightly spray them and the pan around them. Set aside.

Whisk together the flours and cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar and then beat in the egg. Combine the butter mixture with the milk and the flour mixture, mixing everything gently until just combined. Folding is a good way to do this. The mixture should be moist but thick—be prepared to add more flour if necessary, up to 1/3 cup.

Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, dividing it equally between 12. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and crusty, 15-20 minutes. Serve them hot, within minutes of removing from oven if possible, with butter and honey or maple syrup.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.