2,643 miles - Next Stop, York Beach, Maine

Our only visit to York Beach, Maine, was in September of 2011 when our oldest daughter was so fortunate as to have her wedding at The Reading Room in York Beach.  I traveled by car with my mom in tow, a sewing machine, fabric for a bridesmaid's skirt, a wedding dress that I had made for Holly and never fitted, various and sundry sewing supplies, containers for wedding flowers, a mother of the bride's dress and clothing for the week.  Dan and our youngest son Tyler flew up to join us later in the week because Dan was still teaching at the time and Tyler was in school.  This Mom had to get there early because she had magic to do.

Remember, this was shortly after 9/11 and we crossed into NYC the first day the bridges were open to traffic.  The traffic was horrendous and my heart broke as I saw the smoke from the World Trade Center Towers still curling into the air.  We had not known until a few days before if we would even be able to get to York Beach.  The universe conspired to make it all happen.  While everyone else had a glorious week, I was buried in sewing and then making all the fresh wedding flowers.  I saw the basement of the beach house we were staying in and the ocean across the street and that was about it.  But, the wedding was fabulous and everything was beautiful, including our daughter.  Her wedding dress did not need one alteration which made my life easier, that is for sure!  I knew one day I would return and get to really enjoy York Beach.  This was my triumphant return.   : )

We left New York City early on Thursday morning hoping to avoid morning rush traffic.  All I can say is thank goodness we were leaving the city and not coming in.  Holy guacamole, I have never seen traffic that went on for  miles and miles, bumper to bumper all the way into Connecticut.  Just know that there is no way on earth I could do that every day.  Guess that's why I was a small town girl for so many years.  Fortunately, as soon as we crossed the Triborough Bridge, we really didn't have many problems because we were leaving the city and not coming in.  The sun was shining in a beautiful blue sky and away we went.

If  you have never driven up the East coast, it is truly breathtakingly lovely.  Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine are stunningly beautiful states with waterways and historical buildings.  I am so attracted to the style of houses and buildings that I feel I may have lived in New England in a former life.  Clapboard sided salt box houses make my heart skip a beat.  The quaintness of the villages and towns warm my soul.  I wouldn't care for the harsh winters, but the summers are stunning!   Highway travel was slow going at times because of all the road construction, but that is typical for anywhere in the summer. Enjoying the beautiful scenery made it all worthwhile.

We arrived in York Beach about 3 in the afternoon.  Talk about one gorgeous town!  Wow!!  I had Dan pull over as soon as we saw the ocean and I took the picture above.  This is taken from Long Beach Avenue.  Long Beach Avenue parallels the beach on one side and beautiful beach houses and restaurants on the other.  We stayed with our daughter's in laws who live right across from the beach.  Alma and Jack were such lovely hosts.  It has taken us ten years to get there to visit, but we had an amazing time!  We talked and talked, and laughed, and ate, and drank coffee and sat on the porch and watched the beautiful ocean morning, noon and night.  We did do a little sight seeing, but just being near the ocean and listening to the waves made it all worth the long drive.  Thank you Jack and Alma for your kindness!

This is where we got to sit on the porch and enjoy the beach at all times of the day.  This is the view directly across the street.

How fabulous is that?  Here is a sunset picture, just to tease you a bit.  Don't you wish you were there right now?  I sure do.

The craggy shore is so beautiful to stand and watch the waves crash against the rocks.  Heaven.

The universe conspired to give us absolutely perfect weather while we were there.  Alma and Jack said they had a cool, rainy spring and had been wearing sweat pants and sweat shirts on the porch until we arrived.  Thank you universe, we are ever grateful.

We had fabulous food while we were there - clams, chowders, lobster, and fresh fish.  It would be amazing to be able to enjoy such goodness all the time.  There was also some ice cream involved from Bob's which was also pretty amazing.  Dan is a big fan of ice cream.  Dan was a happy man.

We did some sight seeing and traveled to Ogunquit and Kennebunport, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  I will do a post on those side trips later.  My favorite spot was the Nubble Lighthouse in York.  It is reported to be the most photographed light house in our country.  Everything is so beautiful, these pictures don't look real and I took them on my phone.

Here is some information I found about the Nubble.

The Nubble Lighthouse has been fully automated since 1987 and has not been occupied by a lighthouse keeper since. The US Coast Guard now maintains the Nubble Light. The town of York Maine owns and maintains the island. The park where the Nubble Lighthouse can be viewed is Sohier Park.

Nubble Lighthouse Features

The Lighthouse:
The Nubble Lighthouse tower is 88 feet high and is made up of two layers of brick and reinforced with wrap-around steel plates. It is 13 feet in diameter at the base. The base floor of the Nubble Lighthouse is made of brick. The  stairwell is circular (or spiral) which wraps around the inside of the lighthouse and takes you to the lighthouse platform which leads to the base of the lens room. An eight-step steel ladder goes up through a wooden trap door, giving access to the platform surrounding the dome light of the lighthouse. The platform is enclosed by a cast iron railing holding twelve posts that are each topped by custom made cast iron moldings of the lighthouse tower for decor.  NHTravel.com

This picture was taken from Sohier Park.  I could have stayed there all day.  Don't ask me why, perhaps it all the fictional reading I have done in my lifetime, but there is something romantic and haunting about light houses.  Here is another view of the water around the park.

Look at the beautiful beach houses.  Talk about a view!  Doesn't it make you want to go there right now?

If you have never been to the shore in the northeast, you must be aware that the water can be frigid to say the least.  While we were there, there was evidently a warm current flowing because the water was nice.  All the beach goers spent the entire day in the water and that doesn't happen often.  School had just gotten out on the Friday we were there, so the crowds were not unbearable -  yet!  Alma said after July 1 it was wall to wall people.  Super glad we were there when we were!  

It's a long haul by car, but it is SO worth the trip, especially if you have never been to the northeast.  There is so much of our country's history there and the scenery is stunning.  If you are looking for a place to visit, check out York Beach, Maine.  I think you will love it there.  Tomorrow, we will visit Ogunquit, which is just up the road.  Now, I wish I was there again.  

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

"When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused."
- Rainer Maria Rilke

2,643 Miles Traveled - First Stop, NYC

After a two week hiatus from my blog, and after traveling 2,643 miles by car (yes by car), I can honestly say I am glad we made the trip but happy to be home.  As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, there's no place like home.

The first leg of the trip was New York City where our son, daughter in love, and grandson reside.  We left Nashville on Monday morning with said daughter in love and grandson, who had been in Nashville for the weekend, and arrived in the city on Tuesday afternoon.  We have made at least a dozen trips to New York to visit our children through the years.  Our oldest daughter moved to The Big Apple after graduating college, followed by her sister and brother.  They have all exited and returned on different occasions.  Now, our oldest son is there.  He has been performing in The Million Dollar Quartet as the understudy for Johnny Cash and Sam Phillips.  He also understudied Elvis in Chicago.  We made it in time to see him perform Johnny Cash on a New York Stage before the show closed after 3 years.  John was in the Chicago cast for 2 years and the New York cast for the last year.

New York City is an amazing place to visit, but I know that I have absolutely no desire to live there.  Maybe if I was much, much younger and a lot more adventurous, it would be a fantastic place to live, but it's just not for me.  It's too crowded, too noisy, the traffic is horrendous,  and I don't like subways.  On the other hand, there is no other place quite like it.  

We spent most of our time in Astoria and not in Manhattan which was just fine with me.  The one thing about New York neighborhoods is they each have their own personalities which I find interesting.   The neighborhood the kids live in is predominantly Greek and we did have some awesome food while we were there.  We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Taverna Kyclades which is at 33-07 Ditmars Boulevard and operated by Chef Ardian Skenderi who works in the restaurant everyday preparing some of the BEST seafood I have ever eaten.

This is our grandson Roman outside the restaurant.  Isn't he adorable?  The restaurant does have patio seating which is nice for warm summer evenings.  It has a blue and white theme which replicates the Greek flag.  And the food?  Oh my!  If you live in NYC or are visiting, make every effort to visit Taverna Kyclades.  It is affordably wonderful food and so fresh you might think you are on a Greek island (except for all the traffic).

We started our meal with a Greek peasant salad that had the best feta cheese I have ever eaten.  I am not a fan of feta, but our son assured me I would like the cheese the Chef has imported for his restaurant from Greece.  He was absolutely right!  The cheese was creamy, almost like a farmer's cheese, not the sharp, tangy stuff you usually get here in the states.  I could eat that feta cheese every day and wish I knew how to get some of it - it was that good.

Then we had fried calamari to die for.  You say you don't like calamari?  It's because you have never had it like this.  Tender, crisp, delicious - nothing rubbery about it.  Wish I had a plate full right now.

We also had clams stuffed with crab and dolmades that were outstanding.

For our entree, we had grilled sea bass and John and Jessy had filet of sole stuffed with crab.  I mean, what's not to love about that?  You will just have to try it to understand.  It's worth a trip to Astoria to enjoy food from a restaurant that has a Michelin rating.

On Wednesday, we went into Manhattan to see The Million Dollar Quartet.  John was playing Johnny Cash.  We had seen the show in Chicago several times and it was interesting to see the New York Cast.  It's such a great show and if the touring company comes your way, go see it!  If you are within Chicago range, make the trip.   It's Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash (actors you know) playing live music and will make you stomp your feet and clap your hands begging for more when it's over.  They were all poor boys who launched rock and roll - you know, that music that would never last.

This is our son John standing in front of the billboard just inside the theater doors.  Sorry, it was dark and the picture isn't great.

Proud Momma and Dad standing outside the theater with John.  It was fun to see people asking for his autograph.  : )

Later in the day, we went to Astoria Park where I took these pictures of  the East River and two of the bridges that span it.  There are some beautiful sights in New York.  You can see the skyline behind the bridge.

We enjoyed our last evening in New York with our son and family and then headed out the next morning for York Beach, Maine.  Bye bye NYC, its been great but there are so many more miles to travel.  We'll be back.

Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:

Traffic signals in New York are just rough guidelines.
David Letterman

Cucumbers and Onions - One Of Our Favorites

Did your family have a recipe of some kind for  cucumbers and onions in vinegar?  Seems these recipes exist around the world.  When our kids were all at home, this was one of their most favorite sides that I would make.  They would eat a whole bowl full at one meal.  Since there was all that delicious vinegar goodness left in the bowl, I would simply peel and slice more cucumbers and onions and add it to the brine.  More for the next day!

I made these a couple of weeks ago when the family came over for dinner, and nothing has changed - they were devoured.  We all love them, except for Dan.  He is not a fan of anything made with vinegar.  I know, I don't understand it but that's the way it is.  He doesn't like salad dressings, most condiments and NOTHING that he even suspects has vinegar in it.  Let's face it, we all have something we don't like.

This is a dish that I grew up with and many of you probably did too.  My great grandmother, grandmother and mother all made these, especially in summer when there were plenty of fresh cucumbers.  There are a myriad of recipes available, some using mayonnaise, while most use vinegar, oil and sugar.  That's what I am accustomed to.  I tried to find the history of this dish and where it originated, but it seems to exist in some form everywhere.  

Cucumbers originated in India. where a great many varieties of cucumber have been observed. They have been cultivated for at least 3,000 years, and were probably introduced to other parts of Europe by the Greeks or Romans. Records of cucumber cultivation appear inFrance in the 9th century, England in the 14th century, and in North America by the mid-16th century.  Wikipedia


Cucumbers and pickling have been traced back as far as 4400 years ago.  There are references to Cleopatra believing that pickles enhanced her beauty and Julius Caesar was also a fan.  The Bible has several references to cucumbers, so we know they have been around a good long while.  George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were also reported to be lovers of pickles.  Amerigo Vespucci, for whom our Country is named. was a pickle salesman.  I mean, other than Dan, who doesn't love a good pickle?  


Even though this recipe uses fresh cucumbers and onions, it is still a form of "quick" pickling because it involves vinegar.  Vinegar is a preservative and immigrants coming to America usually traveled with quantities of pickles because they were nutritious and would not go bad on the long ocean journey.  If you want some interesting reading, Google the history of vinegar.  At least I thought it was interesting.


Science now knowns that cucumbers contain anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.  Not only do they taste good, they are good for you!   Pickles also contain probiotics which are helpful to the digestive system.   It's nice to know that pickles are actually good for you!


Here is what you need to make a batch of these cucumbers and onions.


3-4 whole cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
salt
fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil


I made these in a 1 1/2 quart Pyrex dish that we received as a wedding gift almost 43 years ago.  Yes, it's practically an antique, but it has a lid and that means I can store leftovers in the refrigerator.


First, peel and slice the cucumbers and onions.  Generously salt both sides of the cucumbers and onions, mixing them up with your hands or a large spoon to make sure they are all salted.  Let them sit for about 1/2 hour.  (I don't rinse mine but I do drain any water off that comes out of the cucumbers.)


Place the cucumbers and onions in the container you plan to serve them in.  For this size container, I mixed 1 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup vegetable oil.  Mix thoroughly with a whisk until the oil is combined with the vinegar.  Pour over the cucumbers and onions and refrigerate.  These can be served anytime, but if they marinate for a while the cucumbers absorb more of the flavor.


If you want to use white vinegar, or red wine vinegar, that is your choice.  I prefer the slight sweetness apple cider vinegar adds to the flavor and it's the way we always made them.   You know, it's the way I prefer them.  You make them however you want.


I am sitting here looking the the picture as I type and it is literally making my mouth water wishing I had a big bowl of these to have with dinner.  Looks like there is a project in my future.  Hope you give these a try.   If you didn't have these growing up, you may not know what you have been missing.  Mm mmm mmmm.  


Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:

American King James Version We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic:  Numbers 11:5

Pork Butt At It's Finest - Low and Slow

Pulled pork, slow roasted, with tons of flavor - is there anything better?  Perhaps not.  I made this pork butt on Memorial Day and used a recipe I found at Food.com.  It's a keeper and we will be having this again and again.  It's an easy recipe that produced wonderfully seasoned, super tender pork that made us sad when it was gone.  It may sound like an odd combination to you, but it creates a wonderful bark on the pork butt that has a sweet barbecue flavor.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  Wish I had some right now.

Recently while watching Bobby Flay, he gave an explanation of the difference between barbecuing and grilling.  Barbecuing is done low and slow, grilling is high heat and fast cooking.   Makes sense doesn't it?  This beautiful pork butt was cooked low and slow and was worth the time it took.  Here is what you need.

1 4 pound pork butt
whole garlic cloves (I used 5)
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 cups apple juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

First, make slits all over the pork butt and insert a whole garlic clove into each slit.  If you like lots of garlic, go for it and add more.  I like mild garlic flavor in barbecue, so I used 5 whole cloves.

Just peel off the paper wrapper on each clove and shove them down into the slits you made in the meat.

Now, place the pork butt in a dutch oven or greased casserole that has a lid.  Let it sit at room temperature for 1.5 hours.  After 1.5 hours, spoon any Worcestershire sauce in the bottom of the pan back over the pork butt.

Using your hands, press the brown sugar onto all sides of the butt making sure it sticks to the meat.  Go slow and press hard.

Pour the apple juice down the side of the pan so  you don't knock any of the brown sugar off the butt.  Cover tightly.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.  Place the pan with the pork butt in the oven and IMMEDIATELY reduce the temperature down to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Remember, LOW and slow.

The roast will take about 4 hours until the meat is fall apart tender.  *Here is where I did something a little different.  At 3.5 hours, I removed the pan from the oven.  We turned the gas grill on low heat and put a foil packet of hickory chips on the grill.  You soak the chips in water for several hours so they will smoke, then place them in aluminum foil and seal the top by folding the foil over.  Oh, it gives the meat such a good flavor.  Nothing like a good smoke flavor, like the barbecue we grew up with.  I put the whole butt on the grill and let it cook for about 45 minutes (low heat on one side, meat on the side with no flame) and then removed it to a platter.  At this point, you can pull the pork using two forks and sort of shredding it, or do as I did and slice it.

The pork butt was served with our favorite barbecue sauce, Sweet Baby Ray's, which is tomato based and has just an undertone of spice to it - not too much, just right.  The pork was so flavorful and delicious that it really didn't need any sauce as far as I was concerned.  Fantastic.

Summertime is a great time for serving meat that has been cooked low and slow.  You can make sandwiches or serve it sliced.  It's great for picnics or easy Sunday dinners.  Either way, it's worth the effort.  Give this recipe a try.  It has been approved by the whole family.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

The memories of childhood summer swirl around cook outs, picnics, friends, swimming, laughter, ice cream and fireflies.   Games of tag and kick the can, hide and seek and whiffle ball.  Those were golden days.   donna

Speculoos (Biscoff) Gooey Butter Cake

How many of you like, no I mean love, windmill cookies?  You know what I'm talking about right?  The brown spicy cookies shaped like a windmill that we all ate as children (probably as adults too).  Well, I LOVE windmill cookies and always have.  Not only is the shape intriguing, but so is the awesome gingerbready, spicy taste.  Yum yum.  Windmill Cookies are called Speculoos cookies in the Netherlands.  Amazing what a little research will tell you.

My daughter and her family were living in Dallas and she kept asking me if I had ever had Biscoff or Nutella.  I couldn't figure out what the heck Biscoff was nor Nutella.  No, I had never had it.  She told me it was a spread somewhat like peanut butter.  I am not a big peanut butter fan (unAmerican, I know), so I don't usually look at the nut spreads at the grocery store.  She kept insisting that I needed to try them both.  Well, one day I gave in and purchased some Nutella thinking we would try and figure out what all the fuss was about.  Helloooooooo, maybe best stuff ever.  That is until I bought some Speculoos Cookie Butter (aka Biscoff spread).  Holeeeeeeeee Moly, this stuff is downright sinful, dangerous and beyond delicious.

Nutella is chocolate and hazelnut spread.  It's wonderful.  Speculoos Cookie Butter, which is sold exclusively at Trader Joe's and is a product of the Netherlands,  is ground up windmill cookies (called Speculoos) and mixed with a myriad of oils to make it the most deliciously spreadable concoction on the face of the earth.  What genius thought this up?  If you don't have a Trader Joe's, look for Biscoff.  (The label says it is "a deliciously unusual spread reminiscent of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits").  Okay, works for me.  On the side of the jar it says "All you have to do is taste it to understand!"  Now THAT is the understatement of the century.  It says you can spread it on pancakes or waffles, peanut butter and cookies, sandwiches, serve on ice cream, dip pretzels or celery in it.  What don't you do with something this delicious?"  Good question.  You could put this on just about anything and make it taste even better, just eat it by the spoonful or make this gooey butter cake that is 1. amazing, 2. amazing, and 3. amazing.  Get the point?

If you have never had gooey butter cake, get to the grocery as fast as you can and get all the ingredients it takes and make one immediately.  Yeah, it's that good and that's just plain gooey butter bake.  I have made Paula Deen's pumpkin gooey butter cake and Plain Chicken.com's Nutella gooey butter cake  (recipes on my blog) and they are out of this world.  But, Plain Chicken's Speculoos (Biscoff) gooey butter cake is to the moon and beyond.  Here is what you need:

Crust

1 14.5 oz yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 Tbsp. butter, melted


Filling

1 8 oz. package cream cheese softened
1 cup Speculoos Cookie Butter (Biscoff)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
8 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1 pound box, powdered sugar (that is 3.5 generous cups)

Mix the yellow cake mix with 1 egg and 8 Tbsps melted butter.  Press in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan.  Set aside.

Make the filling by beating the softened cream cheese and Speculoos Cookie Butter (Biscoff) until smooth.  Add the 3 eggs, vanilla and melted butter.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix until it is all incorporated.

Pour the filling over the crust mix in the 9x13 pan and do everything within your power not to eat it before you bake it.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  The very center should still be a little "unset".  It will continue to bake when you remove it from the oven.  Let cool, cut into squares and serve.  Listen to the raves and requests for more (that's if you don't eat it all yourself)!

I am sitting here noshing on a little square and drinking a cup of coffee while I type this just so I can try and tell you how OH EM GEE good this is.  I wish you were here so I could share some of it with you.  It's worth the drive believe me (or at least a trip to the store).

The slightly gingerbreadish flavor of the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and whatever other flavors are in the Speculoos (windmill) cookies makes this gooey butter cake just about indescribable.  If you've had windmill cookies you know what I am talking about, only difference is this cake is creamy and spicy with a fabulous crust, not hard and crunchy like windmill cookies.  You owe it to yourself, your family and everyone you know to try this recipe.  I'm not kidding.  They will all thank you.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Childhood memory.  My mom always liked Fig Newtons (ugh) but sometimes we could talk her into Windmill Cookies.  That was a happy day.  Who knew somewhere down the road they would become the most delicious spread ever made?    donna

Dutch Oven Pot Roast With Onions, Potatoes and Carrots

Well, that weekend certainly flew by now didn't it?  Wow.  Here it is Monday once again and there were errands to run and projects to work on and of course, dinner to be made.  Do you have favorite meals from childhood that you consider comfort food or "go to" meals?  Today was one of those days when I wanted something fabulously delicious (at least in my book), so I decided to make pot roast in my dutch oven with carrots, onions and potatoes.  This was one of my all time childhood favorite meals.  It was usually served for Sunday dinner in our house, but who said it's only for Sunday?  I decided to make it Monday dinner because I had the time, a roast in the freezer and it was what I wanted.  I cook, I make the menu.  Dan has to go along for the ride.  He didn't seem to mind at all! And, it's doctored up a bit from the ones we had at home.

I have a slow cooker and I use it often, but today I wanted a roast cooked in the dutch oven the "old fashioned" way.  Cooking in the dutch oven gives food so much flavor and makes a roast super tender.  I buy my meat from a local farmer at the farmers' market.  All his meat is grass fed, all natural, no hormones or antibiotics added and it is processed locally.  It is fabulous, lean beyond belief and so flavorful that it is reminiscent of childhood days.  It seems that so much of the meat sold in grocery stores today is somewhat flavorless, but not his.  

Here is what you need:

2 tsps extra virgin olive oil
1 3-4 pound chuck or shoulder roast
salt and pepper
2 large onions
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves chopped
2 cups low sodium beef broth
6-7 large carrots
3 pounds potatoes

The roast was a 4 pound shoulder roast that I had purchased a while back and put in the freezer.  I knew it was there waiting for just the right day and time to make its appearance.  Today was that day.  First, I defrosted it in the microwave.  Now to begin.  It's important to sear meat to help it retain its flavor and keep all the important juices in.  I put about two teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of the dutch oven and let it get screaming hot.  Salt and pepper both sides of the roast and place it in the bottom of the plan.  Listen to that sizzle.  Boy oh boy, does it smell good.  Let is sear for a couple of minutes until it is brown and flip it over.  Sear on the second side until brown and remove the roast from the pan to a plate.

Slice two large onions in half top to bottom and cut each half into eights.  Throw the onions in the pan and saute until translucent.  Put the meat back in the pan and add about 2 cups of low sodium beef broth and 3 cloves of chopped garlic.  Toss in 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh time, put the lid on and place the dutch oven in a 350 degree oven for one and one half hours.  (don't peek)

While the roast is in the oven, peel 6 or 7 carrots and cut into chunks.  Peel about 3 pounds of potatoes and cut into chunks also.  I like to use what my grandmother called "irish" potatoes.  Back in those days we had red potatoes and irish potatoes.  (We didn't have Yukon golds, fingerlings or any of the fancy varieties we have to choose from now).  These will go in the pan at the end of the 1.5 hours cooking time.  Put the lid back on the pan and continue to cook for at least one more hour until the vegetables and meat are tender.  Remove the pan from the oven (it's heavy and hot, use pot holders), slice the roast and serve with the carrots and potatoes.  The onions have pretty much disintigrated at this point, but add soooooo much flavor to the pan juices, meat and other vegetables.

You can see the roast peaking through all the vegetables.  I wish you could enjoy how incredible this smells.   Oh so wonderful.  Garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, thyme and beef filling the air, making your mouth water.  The beef was so tender you didn't even need a knife to cut it.  Yum!

We had a green salad with radishes right out of our garden and cornbread.  Talk about childhood memories.  Dan just kept saying over and over how good it all was.  Made it all worthwhile and there are leftovers!!

Next time you are in the mood for some delicious comfort food, give this recipe a try.  There are alternatives to a slow cooker.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

A favorite childhood memory:  Mashing up the potatoes cooked with the roast and putting some of the pot liquor over them and the carrots.  One of my all time favorites.  It's the little things.  donna

Green Pea And Chickpea Salad With Mint

On Monday, we talked about being tired of eating the same old salads over and over.  Recently we ate at a local restaurant that uses local produce as much as possible.  I had catfish and for my side I chose a cold dish that was made from sweet green peas, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and mint.  It was delicious - cold and crunchy.  Mm Mm Mm.  I do love green peas!

You know me, I decided I would try to replicate this dish and I must say, I think I hit it right on the nose so to speak.  It's super easy and involves NO cooking at all which is great for hot summer days.  I threw in some grape tomatoes because I happened to have some, but the original dish did not have tomatoes.

Here is all you need to make this dish.

1 16 ounce bag frozen green peas (or fresh peas if you have them, 16 oz. would be 2 cups)
1 can chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
a handfull of fresh mint leaves
1 lemon
some good extra virgin olive oil

First, let the frozen peas thaw.  I just let them sit on the counter until they were no longer frozen.   Place the green peas in a bowl along with 1 can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans (chickpeas).  With the extra virgin olive oil, make about 2 rounds over the bowl of peas.  I would guesstimate that at 1 tablespoon or so.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon and pour it over the peas.  Roll the mint leaves all together and chiffonade them by starting at one end and making very thin slices of the mint with a sharp knife.  Sprinkle the mint over the peas.  Mix all the ingredients together and you are done.  Easy right?  If you want to add salt, add it very sparingly.  Personally, I don't think salt is needed.  The sweet green peas and the crunchy chickpeas are so good with just a subtle hint of mint and the tang of the lemon juice.  (I am not a fan of eating a big mint leaf, it's just not my thing, but I do love the subtle flavor of this dish).  If you want to add some grape tomatoes, just slice them in half and throw them in.  Mix with the rest of the ingredients.

This is a quick and easy salad that will work for all the hot summer days to come.  I served it with a beautiful pork butt that I cooked low and slow.  I will share that recipe with you soon.  It makes fabulous pulled pork!

Give this easy recipe a try and I hope you will enjoy it.  It's a different salad you can serve and ever so tasty.  Mm Mm Mm.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Peas are a good low calorie source of protein. A 100-calorie serving of peas (about ¾ cup) contains more protein than a whole egg or a tablespoon of peanut butter and has less than one gram of fat and no cholesterol.  FoodReference.com