In Season Recipes

We've been very busy...this week too we'll be entertained by docs for my DH...away until the 17th. They are a great group of people I really must say.

Here's an update on the CLICK campaign if you want to add it to your social network pages somewhere. CLICK COUNTER: 53,577 = $5,357.70 RAISED so far....

I'm attentive to this campaign because bc.org has been a huge support to my sanity over these last six years. Also because of all of you who I'm very happy now to know. My budget is slim but my fingers can still CLICK. So if I sound like a commercial, this is why. I'm also a big fan of gut>brain food like YOGURT and would share a bowl with any of you.

So I posted this to my Facebook--feel free to copy/paste anything:  CLICK COUNTER: 53,577 = $5,357.70 RAISED so far....To all of my friends...Please CLICK to help support www.breastcancer.org . I've posted my story there. The fact is that this web site is the difference between going through this alone ... or not. I tell you this because we are friends...YOGURT...Dannone in particular... is an inexpensive and pleasant way to support your immune system which is the homeland security for your body. Help your body...feed your mind...and eat yogurt.

So much for my 2 cents which by today's exchange rate is .0273 US currency. 

Marybe...your basil plant is beautiful. Even if we didn't eat them, the plant is pleasnt to see. Italians have a tradition to give the leaves as gifts. We're letting ours go to seed right now. Did you ever make pesto? That plant would give you many jars that keep in a freezer for the winter. Love that melon too...a wonderful surprise! We'll hope that the frost holds off.

Teka--yuk, rot!  Time for the plant covers?

Carolynn79--busy as ever I see. You are all refreshed from your trip and ready for more work which I hope you take in stride without push. I'd stop by the farm if I was in the neighborhood. GPS has POI for thumb of Michigan I think?  And what about the food in Alaska? Tell us please! The pics are great.

Peggy--the sweet potato recipe sounds tempting and are a better choice than white potatoes for our health. I'll try your recipe. We've put them on the grill au naturale, then drizzled olive oil after. They get crispy if they are thin.  I'm a 'crispy' fan too.

I was talking with a lady yesterday who is planting brocholetti, fennel and a few other fall plants.  

Buon appetito,

Marilyn 

Ps. I needed to give my sons US address in CA for my profile on the Stoneyfield promotion. They didn't provide International locations. I suggested that they were limiting their scope and reach but then I realized that this yogurt is probably only made in US and that is the other side of this coin.

The CLICK campaign news update as of Sep 16:  CLICK COUNTER: 98,914 = $9,891.40 RAISED 

 Buon giorno,

Teka-- those flowers are gorgeous. What a lift to see them. I especially love the sunflower with the honey bees. I always enjoy when the bees come to the garden. It's a good sign when bees like your garden. Just as when the lady bugs come by. Thanks so much to share these.

Peggy_i -- Have you tried to bake the sweet potatoes? You can cut them into thin slices and place them on baking paper, sprinkle with some seasoning of choice at 375-400 for about 30 min. They'll come out crisp. You might want to keep an eye on them because the thickness makes it hard to gauge time. I take them out when they are light to medium brown around the edges. I moved away from fried foods to cut down the calories and loose some weight. Every little bit helped. 

This week, DH and I spent 3 fun-filled days and 2 nights in Rome!  Ok, so 'fun-filled' is a bit of a stretch. We were at Gemelli Hospital. But all went well and DH says he hasn't seen so clearly since he was two years old. Now I can't wait to have ripe cataracts! He watched the surgery and saw the cleaning the fibrils from the eye fluid. Amazing. It was same day surgery, so we stayed at a hotel on the grounds to make it easier. The meals were nothing to write home about other than to say they were nutritional, home cooked and we were grateful for the care. It's hard to notice such things under tension. DH mentioned that the hospital food was better than the hotel. On the way home, we stopped at our favorite cafe for cappuccino and cornetti...and adequate doses of pampering for DH from the staff/friends. It was so good to get back home. The dogs are at their camp while we are away. I'll pick them up Saturday. This gives time for running around to pharmacy, doctors for prescriptions, etc. Well, we all know that drill.

He rested a bit when we got home, then we had lunch...the gold standard...caprese.  I went to the garden and found just enough tomatoes on the vine...the season is waning...and I grabbed a few basil leaves. We had mozzarella di buffala in the frig. That anchored us back home. Last night we simply had some sliced turkey breast cooked in thyme, rosemary, sage, olive oil and white wine. Salad on the side.

Today I catch up on being away.

Buon appetito,

Marilyn 

I do..I have hummingbird moths! I didn't know what they were until I read Teka's post! I haven't seem many of them this year but I love watching them. Maybe it's because I changed the flowers on the balcony from red geraniums to ... can't remember the name, but a white flower cluster on long thin branch. The moths look similar to hummingbirds but move different.  

My mother has a hummingbird feeder. She loves watching the birds but this bird is particular for watching (PA). My son has hummingbirds (CA) that visit his plants and a flock of parrots that fly overhead in the morning. I think they were domestic until they found their freedom...or so the story goes.

Teka you had me hungry for crispy home fries with ketsup. DH used some sauce he'd made and froze to cook veal pieces and potatoes for dinner last night. It was good, but another thing. 

My problem (among others) is that my body reacts immediately to potatoes or bread (that I like to dip in the sauce). I gained two pounds over last week! After his surgery they served his lunch tray. It was penne pasta in red mushroom sauce. He said it was very good. The meat dish was chicken breast slices with a side of chicoria in olive oil and hot peppers.  He really enjoyed it. I ran to the cafeteria, grabbed three fried suppli, a bottle of water and took it back to his room. They were good too. Essentially, they are rice balls in red sauce with mozzarella in the center coated dipped in eggs then bread crumbs and deep fried.

Buon giorno,

I was reading the paper this morning and a picture of "The French Chef" from years ago caught my eye. I liked that lady. Watching her cook was like to sit with her in her kitchen chatting away. The article put me in mind to our thread although ours is far more particular. Where else can you go to complain about doctor appointments and cancer therapies in the same breath as garden fresh veggies and fruit used in recipes. They have nothing on us ladies. So here's the link if you want to browse it. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/dining/on-abcs-chew-the-talk-show-meets-cooking.html?pagewanted=3

Maybe we should do a cookbook! 

Teka -- glad that you enjoyed the liver recipe.  We don't eat organs frequently because of the cholesteral levels at our ripe old age. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beef-products/3470/2 But look at all of the other goodies it has... iron, zinc and B vitamins.

We had another fun filled week of following doctors. DH is loving is new vision and another surgery is scheduled for the other eye to relieve the pressure. But the best news was that we'll be traveling north for the prescription of the newly approved medicine that is expected to stop the progression of the disease. So spirits here are high this week. Even though I'm on my diet again for the postponed colonoscopy next week.

I stopped by the health food store to pick up my weekly yogurt and grabbed some corn flakes and bananas...no muesilix allow this week. I notice that she keeps her prices competitive with the similar items of the supermarket...a very smart young lady. If we don't spend more we buy more at her shop.

I rescheduled the lunch for my friends. We need to get together for one more hurrahhh! before the winter closes us all inside again. It's also a great time to enjoy some of this good news of the week together. And, I have friends coming from US to visit! This is always a treat. So I haven't decided if the menu is BBQ or not. But just in case, I saved the cuttings yesterday from the rosemary bush for the fireplace along with the cherry tree cuttings.

I may need to make more of Marybe's BBQ sauce. We like it so much that it is almost gone. It's really good as a meat sauce.

The tomatoe plants have sputtered out. I have much cleaning to do before next week. Good thing that the dogs help so much...they follow me around every step of the way. Great friends. Now if I could only teach them how to use a broom! When I find my camera I'll take some more pics. 

Best wishes to all as always. 

Buon giorno tutti!

Teka--what happened to the canaloupes? I'll bing this and see what comes up.

 What a busy week it's been. My exam went well. They won't see me again for at least 10 years! 

The good news is that my friends arrived from US to visit and we had the BBQ yesterday with 12 guests! Everyone enjoyed the afternoon under the vines. The weather was gorgeous. DH made penne pasta served with a ricotta and basil red sauce. Superb as always...everyone went back for seconds. I BBQd the shishkabob & salmon. The beef and pork were marinated in Guinness beer and garlic. The chicken was in ginger and white wine coated with sesame seeds. The salmon steaks I cooked on the little grill. We made a salad of radicchio, oranges and oven-baked, black olives drizzled with olive oil and balsamico vinegar.  A friend's mom made a carrot and almond torte (cake) that was very well received.

Marybe's BBQ sauce was a big hit! I had it on the table and told them it was for the meat. Some people tried it on the cheese pieces served for appetizers and liked it. All wanted the recipe. 

I didn't take many pictures. Wish I remembered to take the before shots...but alas! So here are a few from the week.

After the BBQ...

After my exam .... Spaghetti and vongole (little clams) 

Stella and me went to the lake for a quiet day...we shared a gelato... 

This dish was new...my DH took bread slices and placed them in a baking dish, then layered that with slices of prosciutto (parma ham) then topped it with mozzerella and baked. It was more than yummy. This reminded me of creamed dry beef on toast ... but a richer flavor.

This was an experiment...DH cooked flounder and topped it with chopped olives. I'd have liked it more if it cooked longer. He and I always have different opinions on the length of time to cook. The olive flavor was surprisingly good...I didn't expect that.  

buon appetito!

Marilyn